02.26.07
Posted in Chocolate, Dessert, Pies & Tarts at 11:00 am by julie
For Valentine’s Day I made Jeremy a Meyer lemon tart with a chocolate-painted crust, from Suzanne Goin’s Sunday Suppers at Lucques
. I had been planning it for some time, since we had just the right amount of Dagoba chocolate pieces left over from the Chocolate Velvet ice cream I made. I thought the tart came out really nicely. The crust was beautifully flaky and tasted of butter, the Meyer lemon curd set perfectly and had a nice sweet-tart balance that was set off by the fruity chocolate. Jeremy, however, despised the addition of chocolate to the crust. He scooped the curd out of his slice and ate that plain, which felt like such a travesty when it was practically the best crust I had ever made. Not to mention the amount of butter and egg yolks and cream in that tart, which was likely to kill me if I ate it all by myself. I ended up giving a big chunk of it to a co-worker, and her family had no problem with the lemon-chocolate combo.
At any rate, the crust for that tart made enough for two, so I had a half batch left in the fridge. I decided that the best way to make up for the rejected lemon tart was to make my chocoholic husband a perfect chocolate tart. The crust was rock-hard from being refrigerated and wasn’t thawing fast enough for my itch to get started, but a trip to the microwave for 25 seconds on 30% power made it just right for rolling out. As I had noted when prepping the last crust, the dough wouldn’t really fold over the rolling pin; it just broke into pieces and I pressed them into the tart pan and didn’t worry about it. You’d never guess from the finished product.
The filling was easy to do, though I don’t have a double boiler. I just used very low heat, and it took a long time to melt. I went with Scharffenberger 70% bittersweet chocolate and European-style butter for that extra oomph. We had the first slices slightly warm with cinnamon whipped cream, and the chocolate was untuous and gooey. The next day we ate it unadorned straight from the fridge, and it was more like chocolate truffles in a crust. Jeremy liked it better that way; I thought it was lovely in both cases. But either way, it was an out-and-out success, and I’ve got a happy hubby again.
Perfect Chocolate Tart
Pâte sucrée (enough for 2 tarts):
1/4 C heavy cream
2 extra-large egg yolks
2 3/4 C plus 2 T all-purpose flour
1/4 C plus 3 T granulated sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 lb unsalted butter
Chocolate Filling:
2 eggs
3 yolks
45g granulated sugar
150g butter
200g dark chocolate, in pieces
Make the pâte sucrée: Whisk the cream and egg yolks together in a small bowl. In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, salt, and butter until you have a coarse meal. Gradually add the cream and yolks and pulse until just combined. Do not overwork the dough. Transfer the dough to a large work surface and bring it together with your hands to incorporate completely. Divide the dough in half, shape into 1-inch-thick discs, and wrap one of them to refrigerate or freeze for later.
If the dough is too soft, put in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up a little. If the dough is manageable, place it on a lightly floured work surface, sprinkle a little flour over the dough, and roll it out into a 12-inch circle, flouring as necessary. Starting at one side, roll and wrap the dough around the rolling pin to pick it up. Unroll the dough over a 10-inch tart pan. Gently fit the dough loosely into the pan, lifting the edges and pressing the dough into the corners with your fingers. If the dough crumbles or breaks when you move it, don’t worry too much; just patch it into the tart pan with as little fuss as possible and it will be fine. To remove the excess dough, roll the rolling pin lightly over the top of the tart pan for a nice clean edge, or work your way around the edge pinching off any excess dough with your fingers. Chill for 1 hour.
Blind-bake the crust: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Take the tart pan with the pâte sucrée from the refrigerator. Prick the bottom with a fork and line it with parchment paper. Fill the lined tart shell with beans or pie weights and bake 15 minutes, until set. Take the tart out of the oven and carefully lift out the paper and beans. Return the tart to the oven and bake another 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is an even golden brown. Set aside on a rack to cool completely and adjust the oven temp to 350°F.
Make the filling: Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler, or in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water, stirring occasionally. While the chocolate is melting, beat together the other ingredients until the mixture becomes thick and fluffy. Pour chocolate into the egg mixture and beat until combined. Pour into tart shell and return to the oven for 5 minutes. The tart won’t look set, but trust me, it is as cooked as it should be. Set the cooked tart aside to cool completely. Serve with cinnamon whipped cream.
Sources: Suzanne Goin’s Sunday Suppers at Lucques and Tamasin Day-Lewis’s The Art of the Tart.
Permalink
Posted in Cuisines, French, Lunch, Salads, Sides at 10:46 am by julie
I made this for lunch yesterday, and it came out beautifully. My adaptations are reflected in the recipe; I only had frozen shallot, so I left it out of the vinaigrette, and we didn’t miss it. The bacon was a perfect foil for the lentils, and was cut into small enough pieces (sliced lengthwise once, then across) that it didn’t overpower the lentils themselves. I also used frozen onion, and it worked fine. I added a bit of extra salt and vinegar just before serving, and Jeremy commented that it was perfectly seasoned. Definitely a recipe to make again (and again).
Salad of Lentilles de Puy
This lentil salad best when the sautéed carrots and onions are just-tender, then mixed into the warm lentils along with the vinaigrette.
3/4 C French green lentilles de Puy
1 bay leaf
a few springs of fresh thyme
salt and freshly-ground pepper
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1/2 a onion, peeled and finely diced
1 slice thick applewood-smoked bacon, finely diced
1 T red wine or sherry vinegar
3 T high quality extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
Rinse the lentils and remove any foreign matter. Transfer the lentils to a large saucepan, about 6 quarts, then cover with a copious amount of water, which should cover the lentils by at least 3-4 inches. Add the bay leaf and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, add a bit of salt, and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the lentils are just tender, adding more water if necessary. Be sure not to overcook them. While the lentils are cooking, mix together the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a bowl large enough to hold everything. When the lentils are done, drain them well, then toss them in the vinaigrette with the cooked vegetables; remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Stir a few times to release the steam, and add some fresh thyme leaves, if desired.
Now cook the bacon in a skillet; when crisp, add it to the lentils along with a bit of bacon fat. Remove remaining excess fat, leaving a teaspoon or so, and add the carrots and onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently until tender. Add to the lentils and bacon, taste, and season with more vinegar, salt and pepper, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature. About 3 servings. Cooked lentils will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. They can be reheated in a pan on the stovetop or in a microwave. Some other ideas:
*Dress the lentils with less vinaigrette and omit the mustard. When the lentils are cool, dress them right before serving with a very good-quality walnut or hazelnut oil and a handful of toasted nuts.
*Once cool, add a big handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley and more fresh thyme or savory.
*Add other root vegetables, like celery root or parsnips. Oven roast cubes of them in olive oil with salt and pepper until browned, then add them with the vinaigrette.
*Stir a spoonful of duck fat into the warm lentils.
*Crumble coarse chunks of fresh goat cheese into the room temperature lightly-dressed lentils. This is particularly good drizzled with walnut or hazelnut oil.
Source: Adapted from David Lebovitz.
Permalink
02.25.07
Posted in Breakfast at 6:25 pm by julie
One weekend we were relaxing and happened to watch an episode of The Barefoot Contessa where Ina made a huge batch of cranberry orange scones for her husband. Jeremy commented about what a lucky guy that man is, so of course I got right into the kitchen at the first opportunity to make him some scones of his very own. Never let anyone say that my husband is deprived in the arena of baked goods when he asks for them.
I’ve now made these twice now, and they come out beautifully, tender inside and crisp outside. They better, with all of that fat from butter and cream! I freeze about half of them because they make such a large batch. I do part with cranberries, and part with mini-chocolate chips or cacao nibs, thanks to my personal sweet tooth and aversion to dried fruit in my baked goods. There are certainly other options to consider that would pair well with the orange flavor, and even more if you substitute the orange with lemon or something else.
Today I used a blood orange for the zest and glaze, and made some with cranberries and some with dessicated coconut and cacao nibs. The blood orange juice made a striking dark pink glaze for the scones, and they tasted great.
Cranberry Orange Scones
4 C plus 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
2 T baking powder
2 tsp kosher salt
1 T grated orange zest
3/4 lb cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 C cold heavy cream
1 cup dried cranberries
1 egg beaten with 2 T water or milk, for egg wash
1/2 C confectioners’ sugar, plus 2 T
4 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice
Preheat the oven to 400F. In the bowl of a food processor, mix 4 C flour, 1/4 C sugar, the baking powder, salt and orange zest. Add the cold butter and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and slowly pour it into the flour and butter mixture, pulsing until just blended. The dough will look lumpy!
Combine the dried cranberries and 1/4 C flour. Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead the cranberries into it. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll (or press) the dough 3/4-inch thick. You should see small bits of butter in the dough. Keep moving the dough so it doesn’t stick. Use a 3-inch round cutter to cut rounds out of the dough. Place the scones on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Collect the scraps neatly, roll them out, and cut more circles.
Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch. Allow to cool for 15 minutes and then whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and orange juice, and drizzle over the scones.
This makes a lot of scones, but they freeze beautifully. Just cut the dough into rounds and freeze them raw, layered with waxed paper. They can be baked from the frozen state, just add a few minutes extra.
Source: Adapted from Barefoot Contessa, with Ina Garten.
Permalink
02.09.07
Posted in Sides, Veggies at 5:32 pm by julie
This very simple recipe came from a friend’s copy of How to Cook Without a Book. She has made them several times when I was there for dinner, and they came out tasting like much more than the sum of the ingredients.
Thyme Green Beans
1 lb fresh green beans (or frozen, not French cut)
½ small onion, thinly sliced
1/3 C water
1 T olive oil or butter
½ tsp dried (or 1 tsp fresh) thyme
Heat water and oil or butter until simmering, add thyme, onions and trimmed green beans. Cover and steam 10 minutes, then remove lid and allow remaining liquid to evaporate.
Source: How to Cook Without a Book, by Pam Anderson.
Permalink
Posted in Beef, Dinner, Meats at 5:31 pm by julie
I’ve made Suzanne Goin’s braised short ribs twice now, and the recipe below reflects my adaptations. I pretty much just use whatever short ribs are available, as they don’t seem to be common cuts of meat in Oregon. I don’t bother with the pearl onion bit in the original recipe; I generally use 1 bottle of red cooking wine and a hefty splash of Marsala, because I am more likely to have that on hand than port. I also use a 1 qt. box of organic beef broth instead of 6 cups.
The first time I made this, I did mashed potatoes and the Swiss chard Goin recommends to go with it. It came out lovely, but there wasn’t any chard at the grocery store the time, so I did green beans and a potato-sunchoke mash instead. I also somehow managed to leave the heat at 425F, breaking one of the cardinal rules of braising; but although there was a lot of evaporation through the lid and foil, the ribs came out fall-off-the-bone tender and beautifully browned. They tasted great and made fantastic leftovers as well, so I have to say this is one forgiving recipe.
Braised Beef Short Ribs
6 flanken-style beef short ribs (14 to 16 ounces each)
1 T fresh thyme leaves
1 T black pepper, or to taste
1 T kosher salt, or to taste
6 T olive oil
1 medium onion (about 1 C), chopped
1 carrot (about 1/3 C), chopped
2 celery stalks (about 1/3 C), chopped
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 C port or marsala
2 1/2 C dry red wine
4-6 C beef or veal stock
Before cooking, season the ribs with salt, pepper, and thyme, and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Set the oven at 325F.
In a large Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium high heat until it is almost smoking. Sear the shortribs, meaty sides down, working in batches to avoid crowding, until they are browned on all meaty sides. Take your time; it should take at least 15 minutes. Transfer to a dish large enough to hold the ribs while you build the braising liquid.
Turn the heat down to medium, add the onion, carrot, celery, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves to the Dutch oven. Cook, stirring to scrape the crusty bits in the pan, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to caramelize. Add the vinegar, port, and wine. Turn the heat to high, and let the liquid bubble steadily until they reduce by half.
Pour in the stock and return the mixture to a boil. Return the short ribs to the liquid; it should almost cover them. Cover with parchment paper and lid snugly. Braise for about 3 hours, or until the meat offers no resistance when pierced with a paring knife. Let rest for 10 minutes, and then transfer them to a rimmed baking sheet. Turn the oven temperature to 400F. Roast the ribs for 10 to 15 minutes, or until browned.
Meanwhile, strain the cooking juices into a saucepan, pressing the vegetables to extract all the liquid. Skim off and discard the fat. Bring to a boil and let the mixture simmer to reduce it so it thickens slightly. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like. Serve with sautéed Swiss chard, potato puree and horseradish cream.
Source: Adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin
Update 12/25/07: We made these for Christmas dinner with my parents, something we had hoped to do the year before in Colorado. There weren’t any extra, but they were delicious, served with mashed potatoes and cream-braised Brussels sprouts.
Permalink
02.07.07
Posted in Cuisines, Dinner, Lunch, Soups, Spanish at 10:01 am by julie
This recipe has been on my list of soups to try for some time, and since Jeremy’s tummy has been bothering him, last night seemed like the right moment to try it out. We made it with Yukon Golds and a few reds to supplement the amount. There was no saffron in the house, and I used bacon for the garnish. As I started ladling it up, Jeremy commented that it looked like it needed straining, so I was afraid he would not like it. However, he didn’t say anything adverse about the texture once he started eating, and ended up having two bowls. I used whole almonds with the skins on, so there were dark bits in the soup that may have been the root of his complaint; using blanched almonds would have avoided that, but I was lazy, and in then end they didn’t hurt anything. This one is definitely worth making again, and I’ll try it with the saffron next time.
Potato Soup with Fried Almonds
The unusual methods of cutting the potatoes results in a thick-thin structure for each chunk so that when the potatoes are cooked the thin part dissolves, thickening the stew or soup, while the thick part remains, giving body and texture.
1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold or baking potatoes
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
½ C slivered almonds or blanched whole
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
salt and pepper
4-5 C homemade or good boxed chicken stock
a pinch of saffron, pulverized in mortar
2 tsp sherry vinegar
minced parsley
crumbled crisp bacon for garnish (or shredded serrano ham or proscuitto)
Peel and cut the potatoes into irregular chunks this way: Insert the tip of a small sharp knife into each potato, and twist it, until a chunk 1 1/2″ pops out. Continue until you have reduced all your potatoes to chunky rubble. Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot, at least 3 qt size. Add the almonds and garlic, and cook them over a medium heat, until they are golden–about 5 minutes, being careful not to burn them. Remove to a coffee grinder or mini processor and pulverize.
Add the potatoes to the pan, and stir them around for a minute or two. Add the broth, and all but 2 tsps of the pulverized almond mix. Bring to a boil, and turn down to a simmer. Dissolve the saffron in about 2 tbsps of the soup, and let it sit for a minute or two. Add it to the soup, with salt and pepper. Cook for about 25 minutes, at which point you should be able to crush about half of the potatoes with the back of a big spoon. Do so.
Mix the vinegar with the remaining almond mix, and stir into the soup. Garnish each bowl with the chopped parsley and bacon (or ham).
Source: From The New Spanish Table, by Anya von Bremzen, via Toast.
Permalink
02.05.07
Posted in Salads, Veggies at 3:31 pm by julie
Now that I don’t flat-out reject salads, I have begun looking around for interesting salad dressings that fit in with my salad principles. This is one I found that I have been quite pleased with, and it makes a decent amount of dressing. I can safely say it makes enough for two large dinner salads (well, large for the two of us, anyhow) and a few individual lunch salads to boot. It only really thickened up after some time in the fridge, but kept nicely.
Green Salad with Pear Vinaigrette
1 very ripe pear
1/2 C white wine
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 C white wine vinegar
2 tsp fresh thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp sugar, or to taste
1/2 C olive oil
To make the vinaigrette, peel the pear, cut it into quarters and remove the core. Place the pear pieces in a small pot with the wine. Cook over medium heat, turning the pear pieces to ensure even cooking, until the wine has mostly evaporated and the pear is quite soft. Transfer to a food processor.
Add the garlic, mustard, vinegar, thyme, sugar, salt, and pepper and blend thoroughly. While blending, drizzle in the olive oil slowly until you achieve a thick, emulsified dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning before dressing salad.
Salad variants I’ve made with this dressing:
1. Mix of romaine and baby spinach, toasted walnuts, red onion, gorgonzola, and pomegranate arils.
2. Romaine hearts, pom arils, and sugared walnuts.
3. Mixed baby greens, almond praline, pom arils, goat cheese.
4. Baby romaine/herb salad mix, slivers of Granny Smith apple, goat cheese, and candied pecans.
Permalink
02.04.07
Posted in Cake, Chocolate, Dessert at 10:05 am by julie
Jeremy inevitably requests a German chocolate cake when I ask what sort he wants for his birthday. I tried out a new recipe this year, and we were pleased with the result, even if it did seem a bit fussy. Toasting the nuts and coconut is a nice touch and gave the dulce de leche frosting a lot of flavor. The cake was a bit crumbly the first day, but after a night in the fridge, it seemed to get a lot moister, perhaps by osmosis from the frosting. A substitution of buttermilk might make a difference in that arena, so even if we don’t make it again before next February, I’ll definitely try using that. The recipe was originally written as a layer cake, but I don’t have an efficient way to store layer cake without letting it dry out, so I converted it to be a sheet cake. I also left off the ganache glaze, as Jeremy didn’t think it would need it—and it didn’t, but a little ganache never hurt anybody. 
German Chocolate Cake
For cake:
1 1/2 C sugar
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C plus 1 T unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, such as Valrhona
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 C whole milk (or buttermilk or 1% milk)
6 T unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp almond extract
3/4 C boiling-hot water
For frosting:
7 oz sweetened flaked coconut
1 C (4 oz) coarsely chopped pecans
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 T vanilla
For optional ganache glaze:
1 C cream
1/2 C butter
10 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
3 T light corn syrup
Preheat oven to 350°F and grease 9×13 cake pan. Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together whole milk (or buttermilk), butter, whole egg, yolk, vanilla, and almond extract in another large bowl until just combined. Beat egg mixture into flour mixture with an electric mixer on low speed, then beat on high speed 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and beat in water until just combined (batter will be thin). Pour batter into cake pan and bake until a tester comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes total. Do not overbake.
Make frosting: Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Spread coconut in a large shallow baking pan and pecans in another. Bake pecans in upper third of oven and coconut in lower third, stirring occasionally, until golden, 12 to 18 minutes. Remove pans from oven.
Increase oven temperature to 425°F. Pour condensed milk into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and cover tightly with foil. Bake milk in a water bath in middle of oven 45 minutes. Refill baking pan with water to reach halfway up pie plate and bake milk until thick and brown, about 45 minutes more. Remove pie plate from water bath, and stir in coconut, pecans, and vanilla. If too thick to spread, add a bit of cream until spreading consistency. Spread over cooled cake.
Make optional glaze while milk is baking: Melt butter in a 3-quart saucepan; add cream and heat through without boiling. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate and corn syrup, whisking until chocolate is melted. Transfer glaze to a bowl, and chill, stirring occasionally, until thickened and spreadable, about 1 hour. Spread over coconut frosting.
Cooks’ notes: Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Source: Adapted from Epicurious
Permalink
02.03.07
Posted in Cake, Cuisines, Dessert, Dinner, Thai at 2:33 pm by julie
Jeremy’s birthday was today, and it was really great to be able to spend it with him, since he was away in New York for the past two. We started out the day with Jeremy jogging for 50 minutes while I got some ricotta praline pancakes on the griddle for him. Then our good friends Tara and Loren came over, and we went out to lunch at Roadhouse Grill, where they sang to Jeremy and made him wear a coffee filter on his head and a toilet paper cover as a collar in order to receive a bowl of ice cream. After that excitement, we had a quiet afternoon catching up with Tara and Loren, which was really nice.
When our guests left, I got started on Jeremy’s birthday cake: German chocolate, naturally! I got the cake in the oven and discovered that there was less coconut than expected in the cupboard, so I made a quick dash over to Safeway for that, and ended up lugging home a bunch of inordinately heavy stuff: short ribs, sunchokes, potatoes, rice, and so on. Thank goodness we had enough flour and sugar. Good exercise, though, I suppose. Jeremy got in some painting while I was gone… hopefully he’ll post updated photos of what he’s working on before too long.
Anyway, while the frosting finished up (this recipe involved making dulce de leche in the oven, a lengthy process), Jeremy helped me with dinner, which was masaman curry. Jeremy loves curry, but I don’t care for it, so I would probably not have considered making it if it weren’t for Curry Simple. Their Thai tea syrup was recommended on one of the food blogs I read, and when I saw their packets of masaman curry sauce, I knew Jeremy would appreciate it for a special occasion like his birthday. Everything arrived really quickly after I ordered it, and dinner was as easy as sauteeing chicken and then vegetables while I boiled some new potatoes, and mixing everything together with the sauce packet. We served it over jasmine rice with Thai iced tea to drink, and the surprising bit was that I actually thought it was pretty good, not too spicy. I ate a small plateful, Jeremy had two huge helpings, and we still had plenty of leftovers, so I think it was an all-around success. Good thing too, because I ordered some pad thai sauce at the same time. I should also note that the Thai iced tea was delicious, and tasted just like what I’ve ordered in restaurants. So I imagine we’ll continue ordering from Curry Simple from time to time.
Once Jeremy had time to digest his dinner, we tried out the cake, and it came out really well also. It was actually the inside-out German chocolate cake from Epicurious, but I don’t have any way of storing layer cakes, so I converted it to a sheet cake and left off the ganache layer because it seemed plenty sweet and rich as it was. I’ll post the recipe and my adjustments tomorrow…
Permalink