It's been a crazy week here in Wisconsin. Madison is only an hour away. I've been busy attending rally's to support union members who are fighting to keep the right to collectively bargain.
I took a break to make the FFWD recipe of the week. It took three tries to find fresh green beans in a grocery store. This may have been a recipe to hold off on until summer, but the beans I found looked good.
The recipe is very straight-forward and quick. The pancetta added a very nice flavor. The butter a very nice addition. I'm kind of a vegetable wimp and tend to like vegetables a little overfilled. I followed the recipe exactly, and found the beans still crispy which would appeal to most. I would have likes them cooked a little more.
We ate the beans with fish and enjoyed them.
I'm really looking forward to next week's short ribs!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Orange Almond Tart- French Friday #2
This week's French Friday recipe is the Orange Almond tart. It's been a busy week surrounded by chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. This recipe was a nice change of pace, and still very sweet and romantic.
I've made many almond cream tarts. This almond cream is very soft and rich. It's also called Frangipane. Dorie's tart uses an interesting crust very similar to shortbread. It was very straight-forward, and delicious! Two methods were suggested for putting the crust into the tart pan. I used the press-in method. The dough is very soft and this seemed much easier.
One on my favorite things to do in the pastry world is cutting perfect little orange segments from the orange. This recipe used 3 oranges. After trimming all the peel from the orange, I slid the knife just inside the membrane on each side and lifted out the the perfect orange pieces. I don't know why that's so fun, but it is!
The smell and taste are amazing. The dessert was the finishing course to a great dinner with freinds. Of course, a Valentine's weekend dinner needed chocolate of some sort, so we made sipping chocolate and had a box of chocolate caramel bon bons from earlier in the week.
For anyone looking for something delicate, delicious, and not too difficult, this is it!
From my kitchen to yours, Happy Valentine's Day!
I've made many almond cream tarts. This almond cream is very soft and rich. It's also called Frangipane. Dorie's tart uses an interesting crust very similar to shortbread. It was very straight-forward, and delicious! Two methods were suggested for putting the crust into the tart pan. I used the press-in method. The dough is very soft and this seemed much easier.
One on my favorite things to do in the pastry world is cutting perfect little orange segments from the orange. This recipe used 3 oranges. After trimming all the peel from the orange, I slid the knife just inside the membrane on each side and lifted out the the perfect orange pieces. I don't know why that's so fun, but it is!
The smell and taste are amazing. The dessert was the finishing course to a great dinner with freinds. Of course, a Valentine's weekend dinner needed chocolate of some sort, so we made sipping chocolate and had a box of chocolate caramel bon bons from earlier in the week.
For anyone looking for something delicate, delicious, and not too difficult, this is it!
From my kitchen to yours, Happy Valentine's Day!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Basque Potato Tortilla - First French Friday with Dorie
It's delicious! You would think one week before Valentine's Day, and with a chocolate event tonight, I'd be thinking about chocolate. What a great way to start the day!
This is my first French Friday with Dorie post. This week's recipe is Basque Potato Tortilla. Don't let the tortilla part fool you. It's a lovely room temperature omelet-like bruch recipe.
I started the recipe early this morning to surprise Gary as he woke up. The potatoes, garlic and onion smelled great as they melded together on the stove top. I noted that the recipe called for room temperature eggs. As a pastry chef, I know that a note like that can mean a big difference in the outcome. I'm including a photo of the eggs in a stainless bowl, set over a bowl of warm water to bring them quickly to room temperature. A little trick of the trade.
Rosemary was an option. I decided to use a little thyme instead of rosemary. After the vegetables were complete I had a big decision. Stainless cookware or non-stick? Dorie mentioned using cast iron. While I have a cast iron pan, I was way too chicken to make eggs on that surface. Both skillets were out on the counter. The non-stick was a sure thing, the stainless... hmmmm. Ok, I wimped out and went with the non-stick. It's a new pan with a diamond coating that makes cooking eggs a dream. I promise to go back and try the recipe with the other surfaces. This morning I wanted things to go smoothly.
I mixed the vegetables, eggs and herbs and followed the timing exactly. The eggs puffed beautifully and were ready for the broiler.
Within a minute, the top was browned and the whole tortila slid easily on to the platter. Success!
After about 45 minutes, I tasted the tortilla. I really like quiche at room temperature. The eggs and flavor of the herbs really comes out. This was no execption. The eggs were smooth, and potatoes, soft but not squishy. With a salad and fruit, his will make the perfect winter day brunch.
See you next Friday! Now back to the world of chocolate...
This is my first French Friday with Dorie post. This week's recipe is Basque Potato Tortilla. Don't let the tortilla part fool you. It's a lovely room temperature omelet-like bruch recipe.
I started the recipe early this morning to surprise Gary as he woke up. The potatoes, garlic and onion smelled great as they melded together on the stove top. I noted that the recipe called for room temperature eggs. As a pastry chef, I know that a note like that can mean a big difference in the outcome. I'm including a photo of the eggs in a stainless bowl, set over a bowl of warm water to bring them quickly to room temperature. A little trick of the trade.
Rosemary was an option. I decided to use a little thyme instead of rosemary. After the vegetables were complete I had a big decision. Stainless cookware or non-stick? Dorie mentioned using cast iron. While I have a cast iron pan, I was way too chicken to make eggs on that surface. Both skillets were out on the counter. The non-stick was a sure thing, the stainless... hmmmm. Ok, I wimped out and went with the non-stick. It's a new pan with a diamond coating that makes cooking eggs a dream. I promise to go back and try the recipe with the other surfaces. This morning I wanted things to go smoothly.
I mixed the vegetables, eggs and herbs and followed the timing exactly. The eggs puffed beautifully and were ready for the broiler.
Within a minute, the top was browned and the whole tortila slid easily on to the platter. Success!
After about 45 minutes, I tasted the tortilla. I really like quiche at room temperature. The eggs and flavor of the herbs really comes out. This was no execption. The eggs were smooth, and potatoes, soft but not squishy. With a salad and fruit, his will make the perfect winter day brunch.
See you next Friday! Now back to the world of chocolate...
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Winter Snow Day News
Happy February!
It's a snowy day and I'm looking for the perfect recipe to enjoy during a blizzard. I decided to look through Around My French Table, by Dorie Greenspan (AMFT). As I looked at soups and stews, I wondered if Ms. Greenspan had a website. Ta-da! Through the wonders of a quick internet search, I found it.
After looking around the site and entering my email address for updates,I clicked on the "French Fridays with Dorie". A group of cooks creating her dishes from AMFT and blogging. How fun! I've registered and hope to have the password soon to join the fun. I hope that you'll join me on this journey! I know it's sort of Julie and Julia, but to have the author participating in the process will be great.
For those of you who already own the book, I know you share my love of the book. It's been the hit of the season. In fact, it's a topic at many get-togethers. For those that don't yet have a copy, I encourage you to take the plunge. One of the rules of the "Friday" group is that the recipes stay in the book.
I look forward to sharing the journey as I cook my way through to book with people from all over the world.
For all then iPad owners and bread bakers... Check out Michael Ruhlman's Basic Bread Baking app. Very nice and only $1.99
It's a snowy day and I'm looking for the perfect recipe to enjoy during a blizzard. I decided to look through Around My French Table, by Dorie Greenspan (AMFT). As I looked at soups and stews, I wondered if Ms. Greenspan had a website. Ta-da! Through the wonders of a quick internet search, I found it.
After looking around the site and entering my email address for updates,I clicked on the "French Fridays with Dorie". A group of cooks creating her dishes from AMFT and blogging. How fun! I've registered and hope to have the password soon to join the fun. I hope that you'll join me on this journey! I know it's sort of Julie and Julia, but to have the author participating in the process will be great.
For those of you who already own the book, I know you share my love of the book. It's been the hit of the season. In fact, it's a topic at many get-togethers. For those that don't yet have a copy, I encourage you to take the plunge. One of the rules of the "Friday" group is that the recipes stay in the book.
I look forward to sharing the journey as I cook my way through to book with people from all over the world.
For all then iPad owners and bread bakers... Check out Michael Ruhlman's Basic Bread Baking app. Very nice and only $1.99
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