Need a Dessert in a Hurry ?

Clafouti aux Pommes (Apple Clafouti)

I finally caught my mom making a dessert, gotta be quick ! We were invited for dinner last night and she decided to bring a dessert. With only 90 minutes at her disposal to a) prepare a dessert, b) bake it, and c) change and get ready, she had no time to hide from my sneaky camera (ha ha !). But I had to be quick to note down all her ingredients, she was done in only 15 minutes ! I offer you full frontal nudity in my mom's kitchen (lucky devils !).

Step 1

First she grabbed a baking pan (about a foot in diameter) and greased it with butter, then filled it with apple slices all the way to the top (about 4 apples I think). According to her, the more apples the better it tastes (I totally agree). She added on top a few tablespoons of apricot jam (homemade, the best kind, I licked the spoon !) and butter and set it aside.

Step 1: apples and jam

Step 2

In a food processor (Thermomix TM31, a true beast that does absolutely everything, I was flabbergasted ! I so want one now, anyone knows where I can get one ???) she prepared the batter by mixing 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of flour, and 1/2 cup of sugar, and poured it on top of the apples.

Step 2: ready to bake

Step 3

The cake was baked at 380F for about 30-40 minutes, cooled down and flipped for presentation (see top picture).

Step 3: out of the oven

The results ? A soft pastry softened by cooked apples (choose baking apples for fully cooked apples), and not very sweet. It's best served warm, alone or accompanied with a creme anglaise or vanilla ice-cream.

Bon Appetit !

So Many Cheeses, So Little Time !

Tome de Savoie, Cantal, St Marcelin, Brie, Goat Cheese, Roquefort

St Marcelin and Goat Cheeses

"A meal without cheese is a beautiful woman with an eye missing" - Brillat-Savarin (La Philosophie du Gout)

Only when I go to France do I realize how much I miss eating cheese. With 400 cheeses, the selection is huge ! None of that pasteurized nonsense we see in the US. This is real cheese. Fresh and aging. From cows, sheeps, goats. Hard, semi-hard, soft, melting. Some are a veritable living ecosystem of various molds, imparting a strong taste and smell to the host. Ever tried Roquefort ? Or simply blue cheese ? Then you are ready for the old goat cheese with shades of green and brown molds. With a piece of fresh french bread and a glass of red wine. It's a smorgasbord of flavors, tannins and fermented milk mingling and dancing in your mouth.

Next time you are in the dairy aisle at the grocery store, take a chance and try out a French cheese. Whole Foods Market offers a good selection, some unpasteurized (!). Or look out for a cheese shop offering imported cheeses, and ask for a selection of French cheeses, from mild to strong. Make it an evening to remember, ask friends to bring bread and their favorite wines ! And if you even happen to be in France, skip the Eiffel Tower and pig out on cheese and bread for a true french experience !

Say cheese !

French Food, How I Have Missed You !

I am afraid coming back home with a few more pounds will not be too difficult ! It is almost a rite of passage when traveling to France. But I feel every ounces are worth every bites ! I hit two restaurants this week-end, where I was able to sample some french specialties I particularly like and which are near impossible to find in the US.

On Friday night, I rediscovered duck breast. I suspect french ducks are a different species than the ducks found in american markets, given the size of its breasts. That's the best part of the duck here. Imagine a huge chicken breast, but red meat with a thick layer of fatty skin on one side and a rich gamey flavor. It has enough flavor to be cooked in its own fat, but here it was served with a green peppercorn sauce, some french beans, an oven-baked potato, a small salad, and a vegetable flan. A very good jazz band provided the entertainment to a nice evening, with a full glass of rose wine in hand (Coteaux de Bandol, a local wine).

Magret de Canard, Sauce au Poivre Vert

(Duck Breast with Green Peppercorn Sauce)

On Saturday night, a childhood friend of mine took me to a restaurant he enjoys for its selection of specialties from Provence and the South-West regions of France. It was called "La Boulangerie", or The Bakery, likely because its location in an old bakery building. The place was very small, falling into the category of hole-in-the-wall, and the kitchen even smaller, with just one woman manning pots and pans. The minute I stepped through the door I knew I was in for a local treat. My friend specifically recommended the "Cassoulet", a bean stew with pork and mutton. But we were out of luck, the chef was all out. Another sign of a small, but successful, operation. Plan B was the "gardianne de taureau", a specialty from the Camargues region known for its wild white horses, its bulls, its pink flamingos, and its rice cultures. Bullfights are also common there. Hmmm, now you know where the bull in the plate is coming from. No wasting good meat though. Bull meat is indeed very lean, similar to buffalo, and the flavor is a bit stronger than beef. The raw meat is first marinated in wine before cooking it slowly in more wine with carrots and tomatoes, in a manner similar to Boeuf Bourguignon. The result is a rich meat stew with a strong wine flavor, best consummed with white rice (and here a serving of ratatouille) and a full bodied red wine. In this case, my friend, a wine connoisseur, chose a Vacqueyras red wine that was simply excellent. Supple on the tongue with lots of oak overtones, it complemented the heavy stew dish, and you could not help but drink some more ! Vacqueyras is akin to a Chateauneuf-du-Pape (similar region) or a Gigondas. If you happen to find a bottle, please give it a try.

Gardianne de Taureau avec Ratatouille et Riz de Camargues

(Bull Stew with ratatouille and rice from Camargues)

Vacqueyras Red Wine

The Simple Life

French Bread and Coffee for Breakfast

I so missed good french bread ! You don't know what you are missing until you are exposed to it. Crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, stay fresh all day, and only 2 euros (close to $3) for a huge broad loaf. Bread is THE staple of every french meals. For breakfast, with butter and jams, dunked in coffee or hot chocolate. For lunch and dinner, to clean up the sauce in your plate, or accompany your cheese. I am lucky to stay in a small village with 4 different bread shops in walking distance. That's fresh bread every day !
Why is it so hard to find good bread in the US ? Is it because of the ingredients ? Bread and Cie does an excellent job, though. But at $5 a small loaf, a french diet would ruin me ! I wonder if they have a "frequent flyer" program...or a french discount ?!! How about a store in every neighborhoods ? Life could be so simple...

That's what I am talking about !!!

Cheese, Sweet Cheese !

Sneaked out to France for a 3-week visit ! Pardon me if I kept it hush hush, but with the ash cloud ghost looming in the background, I did not want to say anything until I had my two feet on french ground. But here I am now ! I landed in Brussels this morning and caught my connection to Marseille, to find rainy skies and a colder weather than usual. It should clear out by the week-end (I hope!).
My first meal at the family table: zucchini, tomato and potato gratin, followed by a welcoming array of cheeses and fresh baguette. Ah, I could not ask for more for a light supper before succumbing to jetlag stupor. Checking out early today....
Peace.

Whole and Fresh - Part 2

Spotted Sandbass on a Bed of Vegetables

As luck would have it, I happened to be in Mission Valley again on Friday during their farmer's market. I couldn't pass on the opportunity to snatch a fresh whole fish, so I went to say hello to my new friends at Poppa's Fresh Catch ("any fresher and you'd be underwater!", I love their slogan !). Their whole fish that day was the spotted sandbass, a beautiful fish with a huge mouth and lots of meat. I went home with a 3-pounder.
I had to get my biggest cooking dish for that monster ! I placed a bit of olive oil and about 1 oz of butter at the bottom, then layered a bed of onion slices (1 big onion) and precut mushrooms (1 pack). Then I proceeded to stuff the sandbass with a few sprigs of fresh thyme and some dried bay leaves, before placing it on the bed of vegetables. I surrounded the fish with two big tomatoes cut in eighth, added salt, pepper, pieces of lemons, spinkled about 1 oz of butter. Lastly I poured about 3/4 cup of white wine on top, and cooked in the oven at 400F for 45 minutes.
The vegetables cooked in the wine-butter mixture and were nicely complemented with steaming white rice. White wine/butter/white fish is a perfect trifecta, a master combo anyone can pull off with the right fish. The spotted sandbass turned out to have a firm texture that reminded me of, ironically, seabass. I never once set down my fork until everything was gone off my plate. What a great dinner ! Yum, yum :)

Whole and Fresh, Please !

Black-Lung Rockfish

You'd think it would not be hard to find fresh whole fish in a big harbor city like San Diego. Unfortunately, it is not an easy task. The average Joe has a pretty dismal choice of fillet, fillet, or fillet at the grocery store. Unless you are looking for a rainbow trout, prepacked whole and ready to go. Maybe it's a consequence of mass markets, the consummer does not want to know where the food is coming from. Everything is precut, prepackaged with a sticker on it so you know what you are buying. It's fast and convenient, but it disconnects the consummer from the food he's eating. And in some cases, it removes any clues on the freshness of the product.

Fish is the perfect example. I grew up near Marseilles, where seafood is an important part of the diet. Think Bouillabaisse, Soupe de Poissons, Loup au Champagne, Moules Meunieres, Fruits de Mer...There freshness is what ranks fish shops, and hearsay can make or break a reputation. Owners proudly display whole fresh fish on beds of ice to attract shoppers. I was always told to find a fresh fish you have to look at its eyes. A clear eye means fresh, a cloudy eye means it is old (basically the proteins in the eye have started to degrade, creating a cloudy residue). That's it ! It's a simple rule. If only the fish was not sold with its head chopped off....

Fish Shop in Aix-en-Provence

I had a very pleasant surprise on Friday. I just happened to run into a recently new farmer's market in the Mission Valley area in San Diego. There I met a very nice man from Poppa's Fresh Catch, selling, gasp !, fresh fish, both whole and filleted. Their slogan "any fresher and it's underwater" made me laugh ! But I have to agree, the whole rockfish they sold me, descaled and gutted, was caught today. The eye was absolutely clear, and the meat, once cooked, was still clinging to the bones (another sign of freshness). The local company operates at many other farmer's market in the San Diego area. Make sure you stop by their booth, it's worth a look and it's good for the tummy :)


With fresh fish in a bag, I gleefully went home and started the oven. A fresh catch does not need much to taste good. A dash of olive oil and rock salt, a few slices of lemons in the gut (or dried fennel, as my mom would do), and a piece of aluminum foil on top to keep the juices in. In the oven at 360F for 30 minutes and it was ready. Moist and firm. Served with the juices in the pan.

The hardest part ? Waiting for next friday !

"You Are What You Eat"

...or in its original form "Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are", as written by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, an 18th century frenchman and early foodie, who is famous for his essay "La physiologie du Gout" (The physiology of Taste). For more information on the man, check out the wikipedia entry.
The quote popped out unconsciously as I was looking over my latest bloodwork results today. Not sure why. All was normal, included the dreaded HDL and triglyceride levels. A bit odd for someone who cherishes butter, adores cheese, and carries a big old sweet tooth. Or just plain lucky. But then I got to think about it. It's not just what you eat, but how you eat and how much you eat.
Yes, I use butter, but only in desserts. Anytime I need oil, I reach out for olive oil, a main staple of the mediterranean diet.
Yes, I eat cheese, but in moderation, mainly because of the high prices.
Yes, I love desserts. But I am not a big fan of highly sweet cakes and icings. I'd rather binge on fruit tarts or creamy desserts. Hmmm, maybe that one will be my downfall :)

Let's go over what I do right :)
1) I eat small portions (it helps to use small plates at home !),
2) I shy away from fried foods, most of them anyway,
3) I always have a serving of vegetables (carrots, zucchinis, broccolis, french beans, califlower, squash...),
4) If I have a choice, my veggies are steamed, to keep most of their nutrients,
5) I eat fresh fruits every day,
6) I balance my protein sources between beef, chicken, fish and beans, for diversity and choice of dishes.

The result? My weight is a constant 150 lbs for a 5'10" frame, I eat what I want and I'm enjoying it !
So what would Monsieur Brillat-Savarin say about me ? Well, I don't need to read his essay to know that I found the diet appropriate for my body and my lifestyle. And that's probably what is the most important in all of this: figuring out your body's needs, wants, and the don't-go-there-or-you'll-regret-it-tomorrow. I believe it is a balancing act, that gets reevaluated constantly and where your weight and your cholesterol level both act as impartial judges. Who knows where I'll be in 10 years....

One level in my blood analysis was off though: Vitamin D, of all things ! Yes, vitamin D is found commonly in milk, yogurt, butter, breakfast cereals. And it is synthesized in the skin under exposure to UV light. Living in Southern California, and eating yogurt and cereals every morning apparently does not cut it ! In fact, oddly enough, my doctor told me Southern California is currently seeing a vitamin D deficiency. Time for me to go look for other natural sources of vitamin D !

It's party time !

Strawberry and Blueberry Tartlets

Back in full baking mode ! I was asked to bring some finger food for a ceramics show tonight at the Spanish Village in Balboa Park. So I was thinking something small, something elegant, something sweet. That's right ! The Tartlets are baaaaack !!!

Tarlets are so much fun to make. The dough is made in 10 minutes, you can use a muffin pan, and prebake the mini crusts. Then you've got to decide on the filling. Lots to choose from, fruits, chocolate, nuts...Tarlets are a great way to let your imagination run free, even mixing and matching the flavors.

A personal favorite are fresh fruits and cream, especially when we get in full Spring and Summer. Local fruits are ripe and full of flavors. A good thick cream will add some sweetness without overpowering the fruits. Here I use a cream called "creme patissiere". It is a custard typically used as filling for cakes or cream puffs.

The night before, I prepared both the crusts and the custard, which I kept in the fridge. The next day, it was a simply a matter of adding the custard in the crust, cutting fresh fruits and decorating the top. Voila ! A multitude of small tarts, full of colors, full of flavors, and certain to make an impression !

Creme Patissiere:

Mix 2 eggs+4 egg yolks+4 oz sugar in a bowl until the mixture whitens a bit, then add 4 oz flour and the flavoring (here I used 2 tsp vanilla and 3 tsp rum). Boil 2 cups of whole milk and add it little by little to the above mixture while stirring. You want to avoid cooking the eggs, so go slow. Once all the milk has been added, cook the resulting cream on slow until it boils again (about 15-20 minutes), and don't stop stirring! The cream should thicken. Take it off the stove and let it cool. Add 1/3 stick of butter to the warm cream to avoid a thick layer of hardened cream to form on top.

Keep the cream in the fridge if you plan on using it the following day.

For the crust, see my lemon tart post.

Rinse and cut the strawberries. Add a tablespoon of sugar to the wet fruits, it will create a light sirup that will coat the fruits and make them shiny as well as sweeter.

Rinse the blueberries.

Arrange to your liking.

The Dog liked It !

Lemon Mousse with Almond Cookie

My kitchen is under a lemon invasion ! Lemons show up left and right. Big, fat, juicy lemons. Enough lemon tarts already, I am ready to move on. So I decided to experiment and the dog happily volunteered :)

I have had in mind for a while to make fruit mousse, either as a dessert or a filler for a cake. It's pretty common to find such fillings in cakes in french patisserie. I did a bit of research on french baking sites on lemon mousse. I know how to make a chocolate mousse and I wanted a similar recipe but with lemons instead. I actually found one pretty close, but with limes instead. The basic idea is to make a simple lemon curd and fold that with beaten egg whites. Very simple and quick to execute.

I had to adjust the measurements a bit since I was using big lemons instead of limes. The end results was a very lemony mousse. I have to underline it, it is a very strong lemon taste. For lemon afficionados only ! Cut back the number of lemons for a softer flavor.

I find the strong lemon taste appealing, personally. It helps with digestion after a big meal, like a lemon sorbet would, but with less sugar. I added some almond cookies to the mousse. They help counterbalance the sourness, and they are great to use as spoons !

The dog loved both. Two paws up ! And a wagging tail :)

Below is the recipe I used. Again, it is a strong lemon flavor. Adjust accordingly.

The mousse does not keep well for long. After a day in the fridge, it starts losing its consistency. It is best eaten the same day.

Lemon Mousse:

• 3 eggs (yolks and whites separated)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 4 lemons
• 2 tbs corn starch

Collect zeste and juice from the lemons. Split the juice in half, put one half into a small cooking pan and mix the other half with the egg yolks and the corn starch. Bring the lemon juice in the pan to a boil, then add the eggy cream and cook on medium for 2-3 minutes. It will thicken quickly. Let it cool on the side.
Beat the eggs until firm. Add the sugar the zeste and beat for another 30 seconds.
Add the thick cream to the whites and fold crefully until blended.
Refrigerate for at least 4h.


Almond cookies:

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 and 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 4 oz of soft butter

Mix eggs, sugar and extract, then add flour and almond flour. Work it with your fingers until you get a "sandy" consistency. Add the soft butter cut in pieces, and work them in with your fingers. You should be able to shape the dough into a ball without sticking to your hands (add more flour if it does). Place the dough in small cookie shapes on a non-stick pan (I use a high temperature silicon pad). Bake at 350F for 15-30 minutes, depending on how brown you want them.


Trick alert !!!
You know your whites are ready when you can flip the container and they don't slide out.

Lemons falling out of your tree?

That's certainly what's happening in my neighborhood lately. Is it a record citrus season ? I seem to see lemons and oranges everywhere. Even kids selling them on the side of the road.

I don't have a lemon tree. No need, when I can simply walk around the neighborhood and collect them on the ground !

I love lemons, more so than oranges, because one of my favorite dessert is the lemon tart. Give me lemons and I'll make a tart ! Ah ah, alright it's a bit weak. But seriously, that's how I get rid of all those lemons crowding my fridge.

I've done it enough I don't need a recipe anymore. I grab my ingredients and start mixing. Most times I end up with a different version. Today, I got a softer crust by adding sugar to it, which I think is an improvement. I also skipped the meringue on top (extra work) and avoided using butter, ending with a soft and light custard. I like it ! I added pine nuts and almond slivers on top for decoration. Below is the recipe. Enjoy !

Lemon Tart with Pine Nuts and Almonds

Lemon Tart Recipe

For the crust:

In a bowl mix 2 egg yolks and 8 tbs of sugar to a froth. Add 1.5 cup of flour and mix with your hand until you get a fine "sandy" texture. Add a soft stick of butter cut in small pieces, and mix with your hand. Roll the dough into a ball and put aside.

For the lemon custard:

In a bowl mix 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 tbs of flour. Add the zest and juice of 2 medium size lemons, followed by 3/4 cup of half and half. Mix everything to obtain a thick cream.

Roll the dough into a medium size pan. Thickness depends on your taste. Personally I keep it thin (no more than 1/4 of an inch). Pinch the dough on the side of the pan to prevent slumping. Pour the cream, and bake at 380F for 30 minutes. Let it cool a bit before decorating the top. Here I brushed some apricot jam (diluted with water) and sprinkled pine nuts and almond slivers.

"Gerald Passedat: Inventing Cuisine"

With the crafts fair behind me, I was finally able to sit down and watch "Gerald Passedat: Inventing Cuisine", which I obtained from Netflix. I had no idea what was in store for me, besides the ecstatic review of my friend ("I loved it, I loved it, I loved it!"), the small blurb on the DVD jacket, and a length time of 71 minutes. So I nestled on the couch with the dog and a glass of Pinot Noir and pressed Play !
As it turned out "Inventing Cuisine" is a French series on several French Chefs, also including Michel Troigros, Michel Bras, Michel Guerard, and Pierre Gagnaire. The DVD offers a french version with no subtitles and an english version.
Frankly I was initially a bit disappointed. It's not until the middle of the film that the chef's creative process is demonstrated. Too much time is spent on the man himself in his environment and making general (and uninteresting) comments on life. I didn't care much seeing footage of the Chef getting a lapdance at a stripclub ! Once you watch past the first half then the story gets interesting. Basically Gerald is closing is restaurant for two months for remodeling and giving it a new direction with novel dishes. His vision is based on the Mediterranean Sea, choosing seafood dishes that will represent the different sea layers, namely the surface, the deep, and the in-between. And that was fascinating ! How he managed to recreate his vision with food, arranging, coloring, deconstructing. You can tell the man is totally in control of his art. The film ended too soon, I wanted to see more ! Oh well...
Don't miss the extras ! You'll see footage of three recipes in action. Quite instructive. I like his recipe for licorice twin tarts. Very tempted to try it out !
In the end, I recommend the movie. Be patient for the real "meat" of the documentary. In the meantime you can savor images of Marseilles and its blue waters and white rocks.

Life is taking a little detour...

This is what happens when you have too many passions in your life. Try as you may to keep them all in the air, sometimes one will take over for a little bit. Sadly it is not cooking this week. In fact my kitchen has seen little action lately, for I am prepping for my first pottery show of the year ! I am excited ! But so much to do ! It's a big organization issue, and on top, deciding how to display my wares is stressing me out. So I started by buying a new car, with some cargo room, on Sunday. And tonight I am taking a break from the display nightmare. The big show is Saturday March 6. The craft fair is part of the Ocean Beach Kite Festival. Wish me luck !

I do hope I can squeeze in a little cooking though, in a way. A friend of mine recommended a French film on the Marseilles-based master chef Gerald Passedat, "Gerald Passedat: Inventing Cuisine". The story centers around the chef's approach to creating dishes. Probably over an hour of salivating in front of the screen if you ask me ! But I am really looking forward to it.

Something Sweet with your Coffee ?

Almond Madeleines

Whenever I look back on my life, especially on my childhood or my teenage years in France, I have this echo in my mind of a famous text by French writer Marcel Proust, where the simple act of dipping a madeleine into a cup of coffee and biting into it awakens in him an avalanche of souvenirs. Sometimes, when I cook a french dish and I taste it, I remember when or where I had my first taste. Taste buds have memories. Or a direct path to them. That's how I manage to recreate French dishes, besides the visual aspect. The process is quite fascinating, and never fails to amaze me.
Madeleines are simple individual cakes in the shape of a clamshell, with a buttery taste. They are ideal for a tea or coffee break (a Proust moment), or anytime really :) I recently got myself a non stick mold for 12 madeleines. I finally used it the other day. The recipe is really easy and fast. The original recipe I had called for lemon zest. I tweaked it to add an almond flavor (see recipe below). Also, almond can easily be replaced with chocolate, by swapping the flavoring with melted chocolate. For fun, take the basic recipe and add your favorite flavor !

Almond Madeleines (for about 24 madeleines)

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1 stick of butter (4 oz)
• 0.25 oz baking powder
• 2 tsp almond extract
  

Using a handmixer, mix the eggs and sugar to a froth, then add the melted butter, and the flour by portions. Mix in the baking powder, the almond flour, and the almond extract until smooth. Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease your madeleine pan with some butter, add a teaspoon of batter in each mold, and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden. Take out of the oven, let the pan cool a few minutes, remove the madeleines, then regrease and repeat the cycle until you run out of batter !

New feature !

Get new post alerts delivered to you by email !

It's convenient and easy, with a quick and simple sign-up. I use Feedburner, a new tool offered by Google, to send out the alerts. Look at the top of the page, just above the Tag Cloud. Input your email address of choice, go thru the authentification process, and you are set for automatic emails for new content. How cool is that ?
It is my commitment to you to make french recipes simple and approachable by anyone who is not afraid of a sauce pan. Using current technology to deliver them right to your inbox is my way to say "ok, any simpler than that I'll be in your kitchen cooking !".

A very special Birthday Treat

Hai's special fruit tart

(apple and blueberries tart with chocolate banana filling)

My dear friend Hai had his Birthday last Saturday, and he was so depressed. I am not sure why, he is still young and living a pretty good life. But whatever the reason I felt bad. I am pretty cheery on my Birthday, it's my excuse to pamper myself. For the past two years I spent my special day at the spa with one of my best friends. I usually go on a shopping spree, renewing my wardrobe. Or I surround myself with some good friends and cook them a special meal. That's my special day, when everything can happen. Anything to feel good, right ?

So, I had to intervene. Via Facebook chat, since it's the norm now. "Hai, what would make you feel better? Do you want me to make you a Bday dessert?" [excitment on the internet] "OMG yes make me a fruit tart !". I serve to please, so you know what's next...:)

Hai is a very sweet person, he deserved a new creation, a special tart that could bear his name. Because his birthday falls in February, I used two common winter fruits, apples and blueberries. That's what on top for everyone to see. Pretty and easy to arrange in a pattern. But beneath it all hides more sweetness to be discovered, a mixture of chocolate and banana that lingers on the palate and makes you yearn for another bite.

Hai loved it ! But most importantly his spirits were lifted. And he did blow all his candles :)

The recipe:

Crust (see previous post):

1 cup flour, 1/3 cup almond flour, 4 oz butter, 1 egg, 1 tsp almond extract.

Bottom Filling:

1 banana, 1/3 cup choclate chips, 3 tbs half and half cream, 5 tbs almond flour, 2 tbs kalua liquor

Melt the chocolate chips on low heat and add to the pureed banana. Mix in the half and half, the almond flour, and the liquor. Spread the mixture on top of the crust and chill for 15 minutes to harden the chocolate. It makes it easier in the next step.
Top filling:

3 apples, 1 oz butter, 5 tbs sugar, pint of blueberries.

Peel, core and cut the apples in eight thick wedges. Cook them in a pan with the butter and the sugar on medium heat until the sides are browning. They should be soft. Put them aside and add the washed blueberries to the leftover juice in the pan. Cook for 1 minute and set aside.

Place the apple wedges on top of the hardened chocolate banana, in a creative pattern of your choice. Pour the egg cream (below) slowly as to not know disturb the pattern, then sprinkle the berries.

Cream:

2 eggs, 4 tbs sugar, 3 tbs marsala wine, 1/2 pint half and half cream.

Mix eggs and sugar together, then add the marsala wine and the cream. Pour the egg cream on the apples.

Bake the tart for an hour at 350F. Serve warm or cold, by itself or with ice cream. And don't forget the birthday candles !

Happy Crepe Day !!!!

Happy "Chandeleur" !!!!

Yes ! Crepes have a special day (at least in France !), and it is tomorrow, Tuesday February 2nd. It is called "Chandeleur", or "Fete de la Lumiere" (roughly translated as candlemas), in reference to the purification of the Virgin Mary. Once again, the French turned a catholic holiday into a feast :)

So stock up on milk, flour and eggs, as well as your favorite fillings, be it jams, jellies, chocolate, Nutella, honey, ice cream, cooked fruits,...and that's just for dessert! Crepes can also serve as a very soft wrap for any main entree. How else can you make it a feast ??!!!

Make sure you give yourself some time before dinner. It takes 10 minutes to make the batter, but it has to rest for at least an hour. Go back to my earlier crepe posts for recipes:

• Mastering the art of crepes
  
• Healthy crepes

Enjoy !

Healthy Crepes ? Mais Oui, milk-free and fiber-loaded !

Flip that crepe !

Is buckwheat healthy ? Oh yes ! As I found out in this information-rich wikipedia entry, buckwheat has many attributes of its own, including reducing plasma cholesterol levels, a lack of gluten, and rich in iron, zinc, and selenium. But the attraction as a flour substitute is what makes it shine.
In my previous post for crepes (Mastering the Art of Crepe), I highlighted the use of whole milk and regular flour as the main ingredient for supple crepes. That's the basic crepe recipe. For advanced "creping", I present here a twist to reduce the amount of regular flour by 80% and totally eliminate milk ! Buckwheat thickens in presence of water, no need for milk, that's the trick.
Now, a word of caution. It's also much trickier to cook buckwheat crepes in the pan. They stick a lot more, and tend to break more easily during the flipping process. So make sure to practice your crepe skills first with the basic recipe ! THIS IS FOR ADVANCED CREPE-MAKERS !
Also, buckwheat adds a very strong taste to the crepe, akin to an earthy, mushroom-y flavor. As such, I find them perfect as a main dish or appetizer with a salty filling. For example, scrambled eggs, rice and veggies, chicken, etc...But they work great with sweets, for breakfast or as a dessert. Let your own tastes guide your imagination, I only provide the tools.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/3 cup white unbleached flour
• 2 cups water
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbs canola oil
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. In a big bowl, add both flours and salt. Pour the water slowly while mixing (I use a whisk), you'll obtain a thick liquid. Blend in the eggs and the oil, and let it rest for at least an hour. Overnight is fine too if you wish to reserve it for breakfast the following day.
2. To make the crepes, use a nonstick pan that you rub with canola oil. Remove the excess of oil to leave only a film behind. I use a folded paper towel, which helps me reapply between crepes (important to avoid sticking!). Preheat the pan until it sizzles when dropping a drop of water, then keep it on medium heat. Pour a ladle into the pan and swirl it to create a thin layer of dough all over the pan. When the sides start lifting off the pan, it's time to flip! Lately I have been using a silicone spatula (instead of wood) and I love it. Its sides are thinner and easily allow sliding the spatula under the crepe for a cleaner flip. The other side cooks much faster, usually in 30 sec.
3. The buckwheat crepes do not last as long as regular crepes. They tend to dry up more quickly because of the lack of milk. So consumme quickly, but somehow I don't think that will be a problem :)

Enjoy !

A cake for Kings and Queens

Gateau des Rois (Kings' Cake)

Tomorrow is January 6th, also known as Epiphany (12th day after Christmas), which celebrates the visit of the three kings to baby Jesus. It is a big day in France. Not for its religious practice, but as the start of a tradition that lasts all month: le gateau des Rois, or kings' cake !
In Provence, le gateau takes the form of a brioche shaped like a big doughtnut with candied fruits (fruits confits) inside and on top. Hidden inside is traditionally a big dried bean (la feve), and sometimes a little ceramic figurine in fancy boulangeries. Whoever finds the bean in his/her slice is crowned king or queen for the day with a symbolic gold paper crown, and he/she is charged with bringing another gateau the following week-end. Now you see why it lasts all month long !
Let me share this delicious recipe, just in time for you to be part of this fun tradition that will delight the little ones (a gold crown !!!) and the tall ones (sweet soft yummy bread !!!).

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 oz (1 bag) of Fleischmann's highly active yeast
• 2 eggs
• 4 oz butter (1 stick)
• 1 tbs rum
• 1 tbs orange blossom
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup milk (fat free works or use just plain water)
• lemon zest
• 3/4 cup candied fruits

Directions:

1. In a mixer bowl place flour, butter, sugar, salt, rum, orange blossom and mix for a minute.
2. Add the eggs and mix again.
3. Dissolve the yeast into the warm milk (or water) and add to the bowl slowly while mixing. The dough is likely to be still very sticky. Add more flour until you feel comfortable pulling the dough out and onto a work area for some kneading action.
4. Sprinkle some flour on your work area and knead the dough for several minutes, while adding 2/3 of the candied fruits and the lemon zest by portions. The dough will stick to your hands, so keep the flour close to add some more until the dough is off your fingers.
5. Make a ball with the dough and place it in a bowl in a warm place for 1h. That's the first rise. Then knead it for at least 5 minutes and place the dough in the fridge overnight.
6. The next day, you'll have to "warm up" the dough a bit by kneading it again for a few minutes. Then shape it into a big bagel (at this point you can insert the dried bean to keep with the French tradition) and place it in a warm place for several hours. It should double in volume. To help keep the doughnut hole during this process, place a glass in it. You'll remove it before baking.
7. Preheat the oven to 350F.
8. Remove the glass and brush an egg yolk on the dough surface for a brown color.
9. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. A knife slid through will come out clean when it's ready.
10. Cool down, then brush a little bit of apricot jam to make the top sticky, and place the remainder of candied fruits for colors.
11. Better to consumme the same day, as it tends to dry quickly. If that's the case, microwave the slice for 10 seconds and it'll be soft and warm and so yummy :)

Happy New Year !!!!

Lemon and Nuts Tart

010110....today's date, not a binary code :)
I hope everyone had a safe and fun New Year celebration. Getting rid of 2009 was a celebration in itself, what a dreadful year ! Brrrrr, I am looking forward to 2010 and hopefully a full time job to fuel my hobbies :)

I celebrated the last year of '09 in the kitchen. Very fitting since I started this blog in the Summer. We had a couple of guests over for dinner. Deal was, I cook, they bring the wine. Being the wine connoisseurs that they are, I had to make sure my meal was going to be on par ! Their wine choice was absolutely delicious. A 1999 Margaux (red Bordeaux) so soft and oaky, the bottle did not last long !!! (mental note: invite them more often)

So here is my menu. I kept it simple with only one course with dessert.

• appetizer: foie gras on wheat toasts, and mixed nuts with white wine
• main course: ribeye in a wine mushroom sauce, with lobster tail, grilled polenta slices, and garlic spinach
• dessert: a lemon tart with pine nuts and almond slices

The foie gras came from my last visit to France. It is a staple in France for Christmas and New Year celebrations, and so foie gras was non-negotiable :) For the main dish, I cooked sliced crimini mushrooms in half and half with shallots and marsala wine, for about an hour. I poured the sauce in the same pan that I used to sear the steaks in order to get some of the meat juice into the sauce. The lobster tails were steamed to keep their juices inside. The polenta I bought premade into a log. It's easier to slice. The slices were quickly dipped in olive oil and baked in the oven until crispy. The fresh spinach was cooked with bits of fresh garlic and some curry powder in olive oil.

For dessert, I had a craving for a lemon tart. I had some lemons in the fridge for a couple of weeks already, I had to act. So I revisited my lemon meringue tart recipe to make it a fluffier (no butter cream) and healthier (nuts!). I'll share the recipe with you.

The crust: (see previous post on the subject)
To 1 cup of flour, add 1 stick (100g) of softened butter and 3 tbs of almond flour, and mix well with your hand. Add an egg, a bit of vanilla flavoring, mix again, and add more flour until the dough does not stick to your hand. Place the dough into a baking pan of your choice and prebake it at 350F for 10 minutes. (don't forget to prick the dough with a fork to release air formed during baking, or it will lift !)

The filling:
Beat 3 eggs with 1/2 cup of sugar until frothy mixture is obtained. Slowly add 3/4 cup of half and half, 1 tbs of almond flour, 1/2 tsp vanilla flavoring, 2 tbs of flour, juice of 3 lemons and their zests. Mix until homogeneous and pour onto the crust. Add pine nuts to the filling (I used about 2 handfuls, but you can use more or less to your liking). Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Cool down.

The decoration:
Lightly brush the top with apricot jam (carefull not to break the filling, it's kinda soft) then sprinkle almond slices on top. No need for meringue.

The filling turned out somewhat soft with a very strong lemon flavor. If it's too strong for you, try with 2 lemons instead of 3. Overall, it does not taste very sweet and it melts easily in your mouth.

So yummy I had two pieces last night !