As fairytales do, this one has come to an end. June bids everyone adieu as July waits impatiently to be the star of the show.

Of all the months, July is my least favourite. I know many people will nominate the oft-gloomy November or the very unpredictable March as the months they can do without. But for me, it’s July.

And the reason is very simple. Without question, July is the most humid and muggy month of the year in Toronto. And I absolutely detest humidity. I’m a fall/winter girl to begin with, so while I enjoy aspects of spring and summer including the garden, fresh fruits and vegetables and long days, I do not enjoy the excessive heat. I survive, but I don’t enjoy it. Add to that the heavy layer of humidity that settles over the city in which I live and I generally become a cranky Cream Puff in July. Not a pretty sight.

But it isn’t quite July 1st yet so until then, I will enjoy the last of June. I had great plans for this month in terms of baking and cooking and the Flavour of the Month … Once Upon a Tart by Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau. But some computer woes and a decision to paint our entire house put a dent in my well-laid plans.

Ah, well … such is life.

Do not, however, be surprised if you see a Once Upon a Tart creation popping up now and then during the summer. There were quite a few recipes that I wanted to try from this lovely book and never had the chance. While the book is rich with recipes for savoury and sweet tarts, it has so much more. Salads … soups … muffins … cookies … the list goes on. If you have the opportunity, I urge you to pick up the book and peruse its charming pages. You’ll be smitten, I guarantee.

To further entice and tempt you, I leave you with this lovely Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Tart. What a lovely way to end the fairytale!

Ciao!

Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Tart

Adapted from Once Upon a Tart … by Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau.

The picture at the beginning of this post is one of the tart prior to being baked. It looked so beautiful that I just had to snap a photo.

For the tart shell:

Follow the same recipe as the tart shell in the Roasted Red Pepper Tart with Olive Tapenade.

For the tart:

• 1 large eggplant, sliced about 1/4-inch thick
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano (optional)
• 6 plum tomatoes, sliced about 1/4-inch thick
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, washed and dried
• 1/4 cup parmesan, freshly grated
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup light cream (10%)
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 par-baked tart shell (recipe link above)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Place the eggplant in a colander and sprinkle generously (a few tablespoons) with salt. Let sit for 1/2 an hour. This draws out any excess moisture from the eggplant.
3. After 1/2 an hour, place the eggplant in a bowl (shake off any excess moisture) and add the garlic, olive oil and dried oregano. Mix well and spread the eggplant on the baking sheet. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes. Be careful not to burn the eggplant.
4. While the eggplant is roasting, place the tomato slices in the colander and allow to drain.
5. Once the eggplant is done, remove the baking sheet from the oven and place on a wire rack. Let the eggplant cool to room temperature.
6. Place your par-baked tart on a baking sheet (this helps when it’s time to transfer the tart to the oven and also helps in case your tart leaks).
7. Line the bottom of the tart with the basil leaves. Sprinkle the parmesan over the basil.
8. Alternating between the eggplant and the tomato slices, layer the items in your tart shell. You can be fancy in your design or not … it’s up to you!
9. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and cream. Add some freshly ground black pepper to taste (I used 1/2 a teaspoon).
10. Pour the custard mixture carefully over the tart. You may have to stop every now and then to allow the custard to flow down into the tart shell as the eggplant and tomatoes will be piled high. The custard should come up to within a quarter of an inch of the top of the tart shell.
11. Carefully transfer your tart to the oven. Bake for an hour or until the custard is set (doesn’t jiggle) and the vegetables are golden and roasted. Let the tart cool before you serve it.
12. Enjoy!

Note:  The original recipe calls for the basil and parmesan to be blended together in the food processor until they form a paste. I left the basil leaves whole and lined the tart base with them and it turned out lovely. I also increased the amount of basil from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup. The original recipe also calls for 8 or 9 plum tomatoes. I found that to be too many so I cut back to 6 plum tomatoes.

Technorati tags:  eggplant, tomatoes, basil, tarts

Sometimes a girl just needs her plate of pasta!

Have a great day …

Ciao!

Rigatoni con Aglio Arrostito, Funghi e Peperoncino (Rigatoni with Roasted Garlic, Mushrooms and Chili Pepper)

Adapted from Truly Madly Pasta by Ursula Ferrigno.

• 2 heads of garlic, with the tops trimmed off
• 3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (you may need a bit more)
• 1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes (if you don’t like you’re food spicy, use less … or, if you like it on the spicy side, use more!)
• 10 ounces mushrooms, roughly chopped (whatever mushrooms you like … I used a combination of portobello and oyster mushrooms)
• rigatoni to serve 4 people
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream
• freshly grated parmesan

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place each garlic head on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil and then wrap loosely in the foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the garlic is golden and soft. Let the garlic cool for 20 minutes. Grasp each head of garlic at the base and squeeze out all of the roasted garlic. Resist the urge to grab a loaf of bread, smother on the roasted garlic, and eat it all right then and there! Set the roasted garlic aside.
2. Set a pot of water to boil for your pasta. Be sure to salt the water once it’s boiling.
3. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large pan. Add the mushrooms and sauté (medium heat) for about 10 minutes. Add the chili pepper and continue cooking for a few minutes. Add the roasted garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Lower the heat slightly and add the cream to the mushroom mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
4. While you cook the mushroom/cream mixture, cook your pasta.
5. Once the pasta is ready, drain it and immediately add it to the mushroom/cream mixture. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of parmesan over the pasta. Stir well to ensure that all the pasta is coated. Serve immediately with additional parmesan.
6. Enjoy!

Note:  This pasta will serve 4.

Technorati tags:  pasta, rigatoni, mushrooms, roasted garlic

Finally!

Finally the berries are arriving! Winter is but a memory here in Ontario and spring has waved goodbye. Summer is in full swing and with her she brings all the glorious berries that Ontario has to offer. Those plain, uniformly perfect, bland supermarket strawberries are a thing of the past. They’ve been replaced by the sweetest Ontario strawberries, some of which I hope to pick myself this week. And very soon the armies of Ontario raspberries, wild blueberries and blackberries will be marching in to set our taste buds free!

In celebration, I’ve been going berry crazy. And I couldn’t think of a better way to honour my favourite season (berry season) than the Triple Berry Coffeecake from Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau’s Once Upon a Tart. A simple coffeecake covered in berries and streusel, it really does not get much easier than this when it comes to cakes. And while blueberries and raspberries are not quite in season yet, I used the very last of my frozen stash of last summer’s blueberries and raspberries.

In addition to the copious amounts of fresh berries that I eat, I’m always careful to buy berries at their peak and then freeze them. These frozen berries will carry us through the long winter and well into the spring.

Freezing berries is a simple process. Wash and dry your berries carefully and remove any that are damaged. Spread your berries in one layer on a baking sheet and then slide the sheet into the freezer for several hours. This will allow the berries to freeze individually. Once the berries are frozen, remove the sheet from the freezer and divide your berries into freezer bags or into containers with lids that lock securely to form an airtight seal. I use freezer bags because I can easily stack them in my small freezer.

If you are using freezer bags, the key is to ensure that the berries are airtight. Before sealing the bag completely be sure to remove all the air from the bag as this will prevent freezer burn. Labelling your bag or container with the date also helps just in case you forget when exactly you froze the berries. Mind you this never happens in my house as the berries are long gone before that question even arises!

The Triple Berry Coffeecake is a cinch to make. You can use any combination of berries you like. As the cake bakes, the berries blend together to form a lovely layer of fruit that in spots will bake into the cake. The streusel topping turns out beautifully golden. The original recipe calls for almond paste and pecans in the streusel topping, however, I omitted the almond paste as I thought it might overpower the flavour of the berries. I also used macadamia nuts instead of pecans. I had recently bought the macadamias for another purpose but decided to use them for this coffeecake instead. I was a bit worried as macadamias can be oily and I didn’t want the streusel topping to be too clumpy. It was perfect! The mildness of the macadamias complimented the berries very well.

I’m ready for berry season, people! BERRIFY ME!!!

Ciao!

Triple Berry Coffeecake

Adapted from Once Upon a Tart … by Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau.

For the streusel topping:

• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped finely
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1. In a bowl, combine all of the streusel ingredients together. With a fork or with your fingertips, work the butter into the other ingredients until it’s thoroughly mixed and the streusel is crumbly in texture. Set aside.

For the cake:

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold buttermilk
• 1 cup fresh raspberries, washed and dried
• 1 cup fresh blueberries (if using frozen be sure to thaw them first), washed and dried
• 1 cup fresh strawberries, washed, dried and cut into small pieces (same size as other berries)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 13 x 9-inch pan.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed for 5 minutes.
3. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt).
5. Replace the whisk attachment with the paddle attachment. Add half the buttermilk and mix well on low speed.
6. Add half the dry ingredients on low speed and mix well.
7. Add the remainder of the buttermilk and mix well.
8. Add the remainder of the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.
10. Scatter the raspberries, blueberries and strawberries across the top of the batter.
11. Scatter the streusel topping over the berries.
12. Bake for 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
13. Let the cake cool on a wire rack before serving.
14. Enjoy!

Technorati tags:  coffee cake, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries

It’s been quite awhile since I’ve posted about my baking course so I’ve decided to combine the last three classes into one post.

On the menu for Week 8:  Spritz Cookies.

Spritz cookies are a type of piped butter cookie common in many European nations, including Sweden and Germany. The main ingredient in the cookie is always butter. While we did use butter in our cookie dough, we also used vegetable shortening. For those of you have read my past posts on the subject of this baking course, you’ll know that we often use vegetable shortening in place of butter. Whether it be a cost-saving measure on the part of the school or simply a reflection of what’s going on in a lot of commercial bakeries, as far as I’m concerned, it’s wrong. I certainly don’t want to sound puritanical. I sometimes make pastry that calls for part butter and part vegetable shortening and I’m fine with that. But a shortbread cookie is supposed to be made of butter.

All butter!

The end result was a cookie that was crumbly and lacking in flavour. While I wasn’t thrilled with the taste of the cookies, I’m glad to say all was not lost. Because spritz cookies are traditionally piped, we got to practice our piping skills again. And this time around it was particularly challenging because the dough we worked with was quite stiff. This meant (thank you Sam for the tip) that it was key not to overfill your pastry bag. We piped logs, rosettes and shells and overall, I don’t think I did too badly. But once again I realized that the key to successful piping is practice … practice … practice!

On the menu for Week 9:  Black Forest Cake.

Who hasn’t walked into a bakery and seen this cake with the maraschino cherries on top? Black Forest Cake, called Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte in German, is a popular cake both in Europe and North America. It is typically made with chocolate cake that has been sliced into layers. Each layer is topped with a cherry filling, cream and, traditionally, kirchwasser or cherry brandy. The cake is believed to have originated in Southern Germany.

Our instructor was very careful to point out that an authentic Black Forest Cake would be one where the layers are soaked in cherry brandy and the filling would be made with sour cherries. While our cakes looked impressive, they didn’t score very high in the authenticity department.

I really love my instructor and am enjoying my time in class immensely, except for one thing:  the ingredients we use. Our chocolate sponge was made with vegetable shortening and it showed. The sponge was dry and completely flavourless. We did not use cherry brandy to wet the sponge layers. Instead, we wet the layers with a simple syrup made of sugar and water. We used whipping cream for the filling and for the frosting we used whipping cream with the addition of a stabilizer so that the cream would hold up to piping.

While my disappointment with some of the ingredients we use continues, I cannot deny that the class has been tremendous in terms of learning and practicing techniques. Once again I got to practice my piping and masking and I find that the more I do it, the more I enjoy it and the more comfortable I become with a piping bag.

Also, we got our first glimpse of the technique of tempering chocolate, a process which involves melting and then cooling chocolate so that it becomes glossy and stable enough to work with either in melted form or in a cooled form. In our case, our instructor melted chocolate and then repeatedly spread it across a large marble slab. As he continuously moved and spread the chocolate, its temperature decreased until it began to solidify. At that point we were able to shave the chocolate, right on the marble slab, using the tip of a large knife. This produced lovely curls which we used to decorate our cake. Later on in the course we will have a lesson dedicated to tempering chocolate and I’m really looking forward to it.

As for the Black Forest Cake, it looked nice but it lacked flavour. If I try it at home, I’ll be doing the Germans proud and making it the old-fashioned way with homemade filling, real cream and lots of that cherry brandy!

On the menu for Week 10:  Swiss Roll.

Next to the class on choux pastry, this was by far my favourite one. We began by preparing a batter that for a simple sponge cake that proves the glory that is an egg. Because we bake in large quantities, our recipe called for 16 eggs … sugar … flour … vanilla and lemon. That’s it! Five simple ingredients that yielded a sponge that was light, airy and flavourful.

We baked our sponge in sheet pans so that we would eventually be able to make Swiss Rolls, which are essentially sponge filled with whatever pleases your fancy and then rolled into logs. The logs are then masked and out come the piping bags to make whatever designs you like. We finished our Swiss Rolls off with sliced blanched almonds and chocolate.

While we had the choice of filling one Swiss Roll with lemon curd and cream and the other with raspberry jam, I chose to fill both of my Swiss Rolls with lemon curd and cream. It being summer I just thought the lemon filling was the right way to go.

The Swiss Rolls were fantastic. I can’t get over how moist the sponge was and how easily it rolled. And the lemon curd and cream were the perfect combination. Our instructor offered different suggestions for decorating the outside of the Swiss Rolls, but I was more than happy with the almonds. They gave a nice crunch to the dessert and contrasted well with the sourness of the filling.

Without a doubt, I will be making this one again!

That’s it for now, folks. There will be no baking class next week as it is a holiday weekend in Canada. Stay tuned for Week 11 in two weeks.

Ciao!

Technorati tags:  spritz cookies, black forest cake, swiss roll

Lest you get the impression that I only eat sweets, I’d like you to know that this Cream Puff also eats her veggies. Of course it helps if they’re roasted with lots of garlic, basil and olive oil, enrobed in a custard of cream and egg, and then baked in a golden tart.

Not that I’m picky or anything.

Ciao!

Ratatouille Tart

Adapted from Once Upon a Tart … by Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau.

For the tart crust:

Follow the same recipe as the tart crust used for the Roasted Red Pepper Tart with Olive Tapenade.

For the tart:

• 1 large eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 large green zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large yellow zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup light cream (10%)
• salt
• freshly ground pepper
• extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Set a rack in the centre of the oven and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. In a colander, sprinkle the eggplant pieces with salt (2 to 3 teaspoons) and let sit for about 1/2 an hour. This will draw out any of the bitterness from the eggplant.
3. In a large bowl, combine the green and yellow zucchini and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and mix well. Spread on the baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Scrape the zucchini into a large bowl and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine the red and yellow bell pepper pieces, the red onion and the garlic and two tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper. Spread on the baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Scrape the peppers and onions into the bowl with the roasted zucchini.
5. In a large bowl, combine the eggplant with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. There’s no need to add salt as the eggplant has already been salted. Add a 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Mix well. Spread the eggplant on the baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes or until the eggplant becomes golden. Scrape the eggplant into the bowl with the roasted zucchini, peppers and onion.
6. Add the garlic to the mixture of roasted vegetables and mix.
7. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and the cream. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour this custard over the roasted vegetables and mix well.
8. Pour this mixture into the par-baked tart shell. The vegetables will be piled high in the centre of the tart.
9. Bake at 350 degrees F for an hour or until the custard has set and doesn’t jiggle.
10. Allow the tart to cool on a wire rack before slipping off the outer ring. Slide the tart off the base. Serve this tart warm or at room temperature.
11. Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe will yield one 9-inch tart. Leftovers should be refrigerated. The original recipe also includes 4 plum tomatoes roughly chopped. If you want to include those add them to the peppers when you roast them.

Technorati tags:  roasted vegetables, tarts, ratatouille

So there I was, happily navigating the Cream Puff Highway when out of the blue … computer woes.

Talk about getting kicked in the pâte à choux!

June was supposed to be a fairytale, but it’s turned into a bit of bad dream with my inability to post regularly. Admittedly, I’ve felt somewhat lost and it’s made me realize how important this blog has become to me. I’ve met so many wonderful people and on a daily basis, I’m presented with the opportunity to "virtually" feast on the most incredible food. I’ve missed it all terribly!

But it’s time for this Cream Puff to snap out of the bad dream and return to the food fairytale. This was made considerably easier by the incredible Alanna of A Veggie Venture. After I posted my first recipe from Once Upon a Tart, Alanna dropped me a note and mentioned that she too owned the cookbook. Alanna suggested that we have a Once Upon a Tart cross-post where we make the same recipe and blog about it.

Intrigued, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I got to choose the recipe and my choice was a Roasted Red Pepper Tart with Olive Tapenade. Why this particular tart?

Quite simple, my friends. Roasted red peppers and olive tapenade are two of my favourite things in the world. In fact, I briefly contemplated chucking the tart shell and just eating up the peppers and tapenade! But that would not do. I’d hate to deny anyone the pleasure of a buttery and flavourful tart shell embracing red peppers roasted in olive oil and some pretty luscious homemade olive tapenade (if I do say so myself).

I would never deny any of you that!

The ever-creative Alanna decided to turn the recipe into mini tartlets. I warn you now. You will be drooling all over your keyboard.

I’m glad to say that the tart I made was a hit on all counts. To begin with, the pastry recipes that Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau present in Once Upon a Tart are among the best I’ve tried. They have several recipes for pastry covering both sweet and savoury. Even if you have very little experience with pastry, you will find these recipes easy to follow and worth the little extra effort they may take.

While I have an olive tapenade recipe of my own that I use frequently, I decided to test the recipe in the cookbook. I was not disappointed. I used oil-cured black olives, lots of fresh basil, garlic, capers and lemon. The tapenade was thick and luscious. And the best part is that you only need a few tablespoonfuls for the tart. The rest is all for you to consume as you wish. My personal favourite method of consumption is to stand by the open refrigerator with the container of tapenade in one hand and a spoon in the other. Simplicity can be truly blissful.

Interestingly, the recipe does not require you to remove the skins of the roasted peppers. I’m so used to eating roasted peppers without the skins that I was a bit taken aback by this idea. Well you could have tipped this Cream Puff over with a feather when I finally tried the tarts. Since the peppers had been julienned, the skins were not unpleasant at all. In fact I enjoyed the bits of skin that became ever so slightly caramelized and even charred. It was a nice contrast to the sweet, roasted flesh of the pepper. Pair this tart with a refreshing summer salad and you have the perfect summer lunch. Add some figs and cheese and now you’re in exceptionally satisfying dinner territory.

It turns out that both Liza of the charming French Toast and Maura of the enviably beautiful Egg Hunt also count themselves among the proud owners of Once Upon a Tart. They too decided to try the roasted red pepper tart. Please read about Liza’s experience making the tart and Maura’s account of buying the book and also baking the tart.

As for me, the June fairytale is back. And if I’m not mistaken … I do believe that somewhere there is a frog turning into a Prince … or a Roasted Red Pepper Tart with Olive Tapenade. Whichever you prefer!

Ciao!

Roasted Red Pepper Tart with Olive Tapenade

Adapted from Once Upon a Tart … by Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau.

For the tart shell:

• 2-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, finely chopped (optional)
• 12 tablespoons (1-1/2 cups) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into small cubes
• a bowl of ice water

1. Combine all of the dry ingredients (flour, salt and rosemary) in a large bowl and mix with a whisk.
2. Add the butter and vegetable shortening and cut into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or your fingertips. You want the mixture to resemble coarse oatmeal.
3. Add 4 tablespoons of ice water and begin gathering the dough together into a bowl. If the dough does not come together, add more ice water one tablespoon at a time.
4. As soon as the dough comes together into a ball, knead it a few times on a floured work surface.
5. Cut the dough in half and flatten each half into a disc. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
6. When your ready to make your tart shell, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
7. Roll out one of the discs into an 11-inch circle and gently fit the dough into a 9-inch pan. Press the dough firmly into the pan and remove any excess dough.
8. With a fork, prick the base of the dough.
9. Line the tart with aluminum foil and place either pie weights or dried beans on the aluminum foil. This is called blind baking the tart. Bake for 10 minutes.
10. After 10 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights/dried beans. Bake for an additional 5 minutes.
11. Remove the tart and let cool while you prepare the filling.

Note:  This pastry recipe will yield two 9-inch tarts. You will need a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom.

For the olive tapenade:

• 2 cups black olives (preferably oil-cured)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
• 5 tablespoons capers, drained
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper (optional)

1. Combine all ingredients, except the olive oil, in the bowl of a food processor.
2. Process until a thick paste forms. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and pulse several times to combine.
3. With the motor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube until combined.
4. Taste and add black pepper if desired.

Note:  The tapenade can be stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the tart:

• 5 red bell peppers, julienned
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 a yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive tapenade
• 1/2 cup parmesan, freshly grated
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup light cream (10%)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
• parmesan and fresh basil to garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place a rack in the centre of the oven.
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
3. In a large bowl, combine the peppers, garlic, onion, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well and spread on the the baking sheet.
4. Roast for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the peppers are golden. Keep an eye on the peppers as they can burn.
5. Once the peppers are done, scrape the entire mixture into a bowl and set aside.
6. Spread the olive tapenade over the base of the tart shell.
7. Sprinkle the parmesan over the tapenade.
8. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, light cream, salt and pepper. Pour into the bowl with the red peppers. Mix well and pour the mixture into the tart shell. Don’t worry if it appears that there are more peppers than the tart shell can hold. Pile them in the centre.
9. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour. The tart is done when the custard is set and doesn’t jiggle.
10. Let the tart cool on a wire rack.
11. Once cool, carefully remove the outer ring and slide the tart of the base.
12. Garnish with parmesan and basil before serving.
13. Enjoy!

Note:  This tart is best served warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers (if there are any) in the refrigerator.

Technorati tags:  olives, olive tapenade, roasted peppers, tart

I just wanted to post a quick note saying hello and thanking everyone for their e-mails. I apologize for the abrupt break in posting but even Cream Puffs encounter computer difficulties every now and then. Everything should be back to normal by the weekend. Until then, I shall content my Cream Puff heart by reading all of your blogs!

Ciao!

After testing the recipe for crêpes Suzette for Mrs. B of Eating Suburbia, the next recipe on my list was crostata. Now I should tell you that crostata is a type of pastry that is near and dear to my heart. My father’s family, who hail from Le Marche in Italy, are master crostata makers. My grandmother’s recipe for crostata is a much-treasured possession that we turn to again and again when we’re craving the comfort of a sweet dough smothered in jam.

With the high standards of my grandmother’s crostata in mind, I set about testing the recipe Mrs. B sent to me from The World is a Kitchen. For those of you who are unfamiliar with crostata, it’s a typical Italian sweet that consists of a sweet dough that has been topped with jam. The dough for crostata is called pasta frolla in Italian. It’s a dough made of butter, flour and egg. Often lemon or orange zest will be added for that extra bit of flavour. Crostatas can be fancy affairs, baked in tart pans, or they can be free-form, which is how my family usually makes them. The one characteristic of crostata that is constant, however, is the lattice top. The lattice can be very wide or very thin and intricate. But you will rarely find a crostata that is not topped with a lattice design so that the jam can ooze through while baking.

Mrs. B’s recipe comes from the forthcoming cookbook, The World is a Kitchen, due to be published in August 2006. The first time that I tried the recipe, I made the dough in the food processor and ran into some problems. I overmixed the dough and as a result, found it difficult to work with. It kept falling apart and was far too soft to work with even though I repeatedly refrigerated it. While I eventually was able to turn out a crostata, I wasn’t happy with the results.

The second time I tried the recipe I made the dough by hand and was able to control the consistency of it by controlling how much I worked the dough. I had a soft yet far sturdier dough and found working with it to be much easier.

The recipe indicates that the crostata should be baked in an 8-inch round pan but I didn’t have one so I improvised with an 8-inch square pan and I found it worked just fine. I used plum jam for the filling but cut down the amount I used from the original recipe which called for 2 cups. And while I did sprinkle the crostata with chopped nuts, I’m not sure if I would repeat that step in future. I like my crostata simple and unadorned. The end result was impressive. The dough was sweet and buttery with a hint of lemon zest and the plum jam complimented the dough very well.

In an e-mail to me, Mrs. B explained that The World is a Kitchen isn’t just a cookbook. It’s a book about people’s experiences travelling through the world and the foods that they encounter during those travels. The book takes a look at how food and experience shape our view of the world. I know that when I take a bite of crostata, my first thought is always of my grandmother in Italy and the time I spent with her.

What will you think of when you take your first bite of crostata?

Ciao!

Crostata

Adapted from the The World is a Kitchen.

• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 1/2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• grated zest of one lemon
• 1 cup jam (I used plum)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour and sugar.
2. Add the butter, egg and egg yolk and mix well until the dough gathers into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Roll the dough out to a 1/2-inch thickness and fit into a 8-inch round or square pan.
5. Spread the jam on the dough.
6. Reroll the scraps and cut into strips. Using the strips, form a lattice top for the crostata.
7. Sprinkle with the nuts and bake for 30 minutes, or until the dough becomes golden.
8. Cool completely before serving.
9. Enjoy!

Note:  The crostata will serve 8. Instead of walnuts, you can use pecans or hazelnuts.

Technorati tags:  crostata, pasta frolla

I seem to have misplaced my lemon tart! How very embarrassing.

Should you find it anywhere please let me know. I miss it desperately!

Ciao!

Lemon Tart

Adapted from Once Upon a Tart … by Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau.

For the tart crust:

Follow the same recipe as for the Alsatian Apple Tart. In this case, once you’ve lined the tart pan with the crust, you must par-bake the crust.

To par-bake it, heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prick the bottom of the tart crust with a fork. Line the crust with foil paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Let cool.

For the lemon tart:

• 1 par-baked tart crust (see above)
• 3 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• zest of 1/2 a lemon
• 3/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar together for 2 minutes. Add the remainder of the ingredients and mix well.
3. Pour carefully into the par-baked tart crust. If you have extra, Frank and Jerome recommend pouring it off into ramekins and baking it along with the lemon tart.
4. Carefully place the tart on a baking sheet.
5. Bake for 25 minutes or until the tart doesn’t jiggle when shaken.
6. Let cool completely.
7. I recommend serving with slightly sweetened whipped cream.
8. Enjoy!

Note:  Yields one 9-inch tart.

Technorati tags:  lemons, lemon tart

So … in case you hadn’t noticed … I’m cheering for Italy in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Hosted by Germany, this event promises to be a month-long celebration of "the beautiful game." The most popular sporting event in the world, the World Cup unites men, women and children in their passion for football (don’t call it soccer!).

How did football come to be called the beautiful game? Naive Cream Puff that I am I always assumed that it had something to do with the fact that generally speaking, football players are hot. Apparently this is not the case.

According to Wikipedia, football’s moniker as "the beautiful game" came about thanks to the autobiography of the man who is widely considered to be the greatest soccer player ever: Pelé. In 1977, Pelé’s autobiography was published with the title My Life and the Beautiful Game. So who’s going to argue with the greatest ever?!? Personally, I still like my "football players are hot" theory. But that’s just me.

In my family, football holds a place of extreme honour and the World Cup is considered an event so grand that regular life is justifiably put on hold.

Italy’s playing but you have to have a filling replaced? Learn to live with the pain of a toothache.

There’s a debate about which goalkeeper the Italian coach should go with but there’s no milk? Calcium is overrated.

The match Italy played three days ago is being repeated for the tenth time at 2:00 in the morning but you have to get up early for work? The boss will understand.

This is the sort of thing that goes on in my family … and we love every minute of it!

As I pondered how best to show my support for my Italian brothers, I remembered a dish that I used to prepare when I was a teenager. At that point in my life my mother was just teaching me how to cook so my repertoire was limited to dishes like chicken stock and tomato sauce. But one day, when I was 13 or 14, my dear Uncle C presented me with my very first cookbook called Vogue Entertaining:  Lunches, Brunches, Barbecues, Elegant Dinners & Cocktail Parties.

Printed in large format with full colour photos on every page, I had never seen anything like this book. In one shining moment I was hooked on cookbooks forever. As talented and brilliant a cook as my mother is, the gatherings evoked in this cookbook were like nothing I’d ever seen before. Enormous floral centrepieces, silver flatware, tall ivory candles, crystal pedestal stands, luxurious linens … I memorized every page in the book constantly amazed that people dined in such beautiful settings. One hundred plus cookbooks later, I have only Uncle C to blame … or thank!

In any event, one of the very first recipes that I was drawn to in this book was a recipe for Risotto Tricolore (Tricoloured Rice). Admittedly, the idea of colour coordinating food may seem a bit over the top nowadays.  Yet somehow, in the 1980s, this dish struck me as the height of sophistication. It is one of the very first dishes that I can recall preparing on my own. At that time, to be allowed to cook unsupervised in my mother’s kitchen was truly momentous. I remember feeling grown up and proud. And best of all the rice, although somewhat garish to look at, was delicious.

So today I wave my proverbial flag in the form of a rice dish. I send all my best wishes to the Italian team and hope that as in 1982, we can celebrate the championship of the most beautiful game on earth.

Forza Azzurri!

Risotto Tricolore

Adapted from Vogue Entertaining.

• 7 tablespoons butter
• 1 yellow onion, chopped finely
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 4 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1-1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1-1/2 cups freshly grated parmigiano
• salt to taste

1. In a large skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. As soon as the butter is melted, add the onions and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn the onions.
2. Add the rice and stir several times to coat with the butter and onions.
3. Add the white wine and stir constantly until the wine has evaporated.
4. Increase the heat to medium and slowly begin adding the chicken stock, one cup at a time. I found that 6 cups of chicken stock was more than enough but be sure to have extra on hand should you need it.
5. As you add each cup of stock, stir the rice frequently to ensure that it doesn’t burn or stick. As each cup of stock is absorbed by the rice, add the next cup.
6. Once the rice is cooked, add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and 1 cup of the grated parmigiano. Mix well.
7. Divide the rice into three portions. Keep one portion in the skillet, and put the second and third portions in two separate pots.
8. Add the chopped parsley and basil to one portion, mix well.
9. Add the tomato paste to another portion, mix well.
10. Taste all three portions and adjust seasoning accordingly. If necessary, add more grated parmigiano.
11. Arrange the rice on a serving platter so that you have the green rice, then the white rice and then the red rice, which represent colours of the Italian flag. Serve immediately.
12. Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe serves 4-6. Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated the next day.

The lovely Paz of The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz has invited me to participate in From My Rasoi #6.  From My Rasoi, initially created by Meena of Hooked on Heat, is an event where people share food and stories from their own kitchens. How could I ont participate?!? This post is my entry for that event. Thank you Paz and thank you Meena!

Technorati tags:  risotto, Italy, Italian food, World Cup 2006, from my rasoi

I am constantly amazed at the quantity and quality of food blogs populating the Blogosphere. Not a day goes by where I don’t discover a new friend waxing poetic about food. Each day I find myself falling in love with blogs I don’t know and falling in love all over again with the blogs I do.

When I first came across Mrs. B of Eating Suburbia via Tea of Tea and Cookies, I knew immediately that I’d found a kindred spirit. Based in California, Mrs. B is passionately dedicated to the food of the world and to the world of food. She’s a fantastic cook and she gardens. What’s not to love!

Last month, Mrs. B sent out the culinary equivalent of the Bat signal when she asked for recipe testers. In August 2006, the book that she has been editing, The World is a Kitchen, will be published. To prepare for this incredible event, she asked fellow bloggers to donate their time and kitchens to test recipes from the book. How could I resist?

Mrs. B honoured me with four recipes to try and the recipe for crêpes Suzette was the first to get my attention mainly because I’ve never had crêpes Suzette much less made them. I decided to research the origin of this dessert so I turned to my copy of the Larousse Gastronomique. As often happens with desserts of this nature the origin is unclear. While a chef by the name of Henri Charpentier claimed to have invented the dessert in 1896 in honour of the consort of the Prince of Wales (her name was Suzette), it is unlikely that his claims are true. While there are references to a dessert resembling crêpes Suzette in the late 1800s, the exact origin of this dessert is not known. What I will say about this dish is that whoever did have the bright idea, I thank you immensely!

The recipe supplied by Mrs. B was quite easy to follow. A simple crêpe batter was prepared and allowed to rest in the refrigerator for an hour. Following the rest, the batter was a dream to work with as the crêpes turned out easily. As the crêpes were cooked, they were placed on a plate between sheets of waxed paper to keep them from drying out.

The sauce for the dessert was even simpler. Butter, sugar, orange zest and Grand Marnier were combined in a saucepan. The crêpes were then folded in quarters and added to the pan to be coated in the luscious sauce. To serve the crêpes Suzette, I sliced oranges and layered them on a serving platter, placing the crêpes on top. While I had initially only intended this as decoration, it turned out to be a great move as the sauce from the crêpes dripped down onto the orange slices. This made for a double treat as we enjoyed the crêpes and then enjoyed the orange slices.

The recipe was clear and the ingredients list was undemanding. I’m sure you have everything you need to make this at home right now. If you don’t have Grand Marnier, you can use another orange-flavoured liqueur or you can even forgo the liqueur entirely.

I have to shower Mrs. B with many thanks for supplying me with this recipe. It was delicious from start to finish and I can now proudly proclaim that I am no longer in the dark when it comes to crêpes Suzette. And even better, I now have another cookbook to add to the family in August 2006!

Ciao!

Crêpes Suzette

Recipe adapted from The World is a Kitchen.

For the crêpes:

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• butter for cooking the crêpes

1. Place all the crêpes ingredients in a blender and blend thoroughly. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Heat a 6- or 8-inch skillet over medium heat and add some butter. Once the butter is melted pour the crêpe batter into the skillet, a few tablespoons at a time. Carefully swirl the pan so that the crêpe batter covers the entire pan. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side, or until it begins to become firm and turn golden.
3. Place the cooked crêpes on a plate and separate with pieces of waxed paper.

For the sauce:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the sugar, orange zest and liqueur and mix well. As soon as the sugar is melted, add the crêpes by folding them in half and then folding them into quarters. Place all the crêpes in the skillet and let cook for 1 minute. Turn all the crêpes over and let cook for 30 seconds.
2. Remove the crêpes to a serving platter and pour the remaining sauce over the crêpes.
3. Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe will yield 6-8 crêpes.

Technorati tags:  crepes, crepes suzette, Grand Marnier, dessert

Is it wrong to crave Saturday on a Tuesday? I cannot help myself. It is turning into one of those weeks and I simply cannot wait for the weekend. But how to get through the next three days?!? I was pondering this very question on the subway ride home and, as often happens, the proverbial light bulb switched on. I decided I would deal with my overwhelming desire for the weekend by participating in my very first Weekend Herb Blogging, started by Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen and currently hosted by Cate of Sweetnicks.

Three days early.

My herb of choice is common garden sage or salvia officinalis. Sage is a Mediterranean herb that has been cultivated for thousands of years both for culinary and medicinal purposes. I am lucky enough to have a thriving sage bush in my own garden. Our sage bush positively drinks up the sun and loves dry, well-drained soil. The beauty of sage is that once it is established, it requires very little care beyond regular pruning. The added benefit of common garden sage is that it flowers. Each spring, I will glance out from the kitchen window and be pleasantly surprised by the lovely purple flowers that will suddenly appear. It’s a sight for sore eyes tired from a long, Canadian winter.

Used widely across Europe, we tend to use sage most in butter sauces or in roast potato or meat dishes. But recently I decided to snip a few of the young sage leaves to use on a pizza that I have been wanting to make for quite awhile.

Several months ago I finally bought a copy of the cookbook Chez Panisse Pasta, Pizza & Calzone by Alice Waters.  I have been in love with Chez Panisse since I was a little girl and an uncle gave me a copy of Chez Panisse Desserts. Even at a young age, I was impressed by the spirit behind Chez Panisse and instinctively identified with the philosphy behind the restaurant and the cookbooks. Having secured my copy, I took it home and immediately fell in love with virtually every recipe. But the one that caught my eye most was a recipe for pizza topped with caramelized onions. Knowing that I had a little sage bush waiting to bloom, I bookmarked this recipe and waited patiently.

And finally, the first young sage leaves appeared and I knew the time had come. As I wrote in one of my first posts, I have a tried and true recipe for pizza crust that I turn to all the time. But I was excited to try a new recipe. This particular recipe for pizza dough involves preparing a starter of yeast and rye flour. After mixing the starter and giving it time to develop, the rest of the recipe was fairly straightforward. I was pleasantly surprised at how much higher this pizza dough rose than my standard pizza dough recipe. I’m guessing that the starter gave the dough an extra lift.

While I waited for the dough to rise, I caramelized several onions and garlic cloves that I had sliced thinly. I added dried sage to the onion mixture. When the dough was ready, I shaped it. The dough was a joy to work with and easy to handle. I spread the onions on the pizza, along with some olive oil and sea salt. I decorated the pizza with fresh sage leaves. About halfway through the baking process, I sprinkled the pizza liberally with grated parmigiano and pecorino cheese.

The pizza was heavenly with a crisp exterior and a light interior. The rye flour gave a pleasant, almost tangy taste to the dough. This is without question a pizza dough recipe that I will turn to in future. And the caramelized onions and sage were delicious … a perfect combination.

I leave you with this final thought:  the word salvia, in salvia officinalis, comes from the Latin "to heal". I’m happy to say that I’m feeling better and that maybe the coming three days won’t be so bad after all!

Ciao!

Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Sage

Adapted from Chez Panisse Pasta, Pizza & Calzone by Alice Waters.

For the starter:

• 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup rye flour

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and let rise for 20 minutes.

For the pizza dough:

• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients with the risen starter. Mix with a wooden spoon at first and then turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead with your hands.
3. The dough may be a bit sticky but kneading lightly with flour will make the dough easier to handle.
4. Knead the dough for 10 to 15 minutes. The dough will be smooth and elastic.
5. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap and a cloth. Allow to rise in a warm spot for 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
6. Punch down the dough and allow to rise again for 40 minutes.
7. Shape the dough.

For the pizza topping:

• 3 onions, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon, dried sage
• 8-10 fresh sage leaves
• 1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/4 cup parmigiano, freshly grated
• 1/4 cup pecorino, freshly grated

1. While the pizza dough is rising, heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the onions and garlic. Add the dried sage.
2. Cook on low heat until the onions and garlic have caramelized (about 20 minutes). Don’t burn the onions or they will become bitter.
3. Let the onion/garlic mixture cool until your pizza dough has been shaped.
4. Once the pizza dough is shaped, spread the onion/garlic mixture over the top. Drizzle with the olive and sprinkle with the sea salt. Lay the fresh sage leaves over the onions and garlic.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Half way through baking, sprinkle the pizza with the parmigiano and the pecorino. Continue baking until the crust is golden.
6. Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe yields one 9 x 11" pizza or two smaller ones. Instead of sage, you can use rosemary.

Technorati tags:  pizza, sage, weekend herb blogging

It is the month of June,

The month of leaves and roses,

When pleasant sights salute the eyes,

And pleasant scents the noses.

– Nathaniel Parker Willis, "The Month of June"

What is that in the air? Do you smell it? Close your eyes and breathe in deeply … there it is … the soft, sweet smell of June. May was lovely, but June is here now and what does it hold for us?

With any luck it will be a month of beautiful weather that we can all enjoy. Hopefully it will be a month where we will watch our gardens grow and begin to see all the familiar faces at our local farmers’ markets. We have so much to look forward to … bright and sunny mornings, hot afternoons made more bearable with a mint julep, and let’s not forget the pleasure of June nights spent with a gelato or a mojito.

But as lovely as June is, it needs something more. It needs a slight sprinkling of fairy dust to make it just that much more magical. As luck would have it, Cream Puff’s Overburdened Bookshelf has just the thing … a June fairytale called Once Upon a Tart.

In the enchanted land of New York, there is a lovely, little place called Once Upon a Tart, owned by Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau. As much neighbourhood gem as it is fine bakeshop, Once Upon a Tart is a place where sweet (and savoury) dreams come true.  Frank and Jerome began their business to fulfill the lifelong dream of owing an establishment that produced the best food, both savoury and sweet. I just knew that this was the book with which to entice everyone’s tastebuds during the month of June. As a result, it is the Cream Puffs in Venice Flavour of the Month for 2006.

Will it be a month of tarts? A month of salads? A month of sweet snacks? Or a little bit of everything? I don’t know where this fairtyale will take us. But I have a Cream Puff hunch that it will all end happily ever after …

Ciao!

Alsatian Apple Tart

Adapted from Once Upon a Tart by Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau.

For the tart crust:

• 2-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 5 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• a glass of ice water

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Pulse a few times to combine.
2. Add the butter and shortening all at once. Pulse the mixture until it becomes crumbly (between 5 and 10 pulses).
3. As soon as the mixture is crumbly, transfer the mixture to a bowl. Sprinkle with 4 tablespoons of ice water.
4. Either with your hands or a spoon, begin mixing. If the mixture is too dry and does not come together, add the ice water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together.
5. The dough is ready when it just comes to together. Do not overmix or your tart crust will be dry and hard. As soon as the dough forms a ball, divide into two pieces, flatten each piece into a disk and refrigerate for 1/2 an hour.
6. Remove one of the disks from the refrigerator and on a floured surface, roll to a thickness of a quarter inch. Using a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom, carefully transfer the tart crust to the pan.
7. Adjust the dough to fit the pan and trip any excess dough from the sides. Refrigerate the tart crust until ready to use.

For the apple tart:

• 4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly (1/8 inch)
• 1 prepared tart crust (unbaked)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light cream (10% cream)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup apricot jam
• warm water

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and position a rack in the centre of the oven.
2. Arrange the apple slices in the prepared tart crust in concentric circles, with the slices overlapping.
3. Transfer the tart to a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil (just in case there are any spills).
4. In a bowl, combine the eggs and sugar and whisk until the eggs are pale yellow (2 to 3 minutes).
5. Add the cream and milk and mix well.
6. Carefully pour the liquid mixture over the apples. The mixture will come very close to the top of the tart edge.
7. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake the tart for 1 hour and 15 minutes. The tart is done when the crust and apples are golden and when the custard has set.
8. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Once cool, remove the tart ring and carefully slide the tart off the bottom of the tart pan and onto a serving platter.
9. In a bowl, combine the apricot jam and 3 or 4 tablespoons of hot water. Stir to combine.
10. Strain the jam into a bowl. You should have about a 1/4 cup of apricot glaze. Pour the glaze over the tart. Serve immediately or cover the tart and serve when ready.
11. Enjoy!

Note:  The tart crust recipe yields crusts for two 9-inch tarts. If you’re not using the entire recipe, refrigerate half the dough for later use (within 3 days) or freeze for up to a month.

Technorati tags:  apple tart, once upon a tart

On the menu for Week 7:  choux pastry.

If you’re wondering what happened to Week 6, I was unable to attend and missed a lesson on breads and rolls. While I was disappointed to miss Week 6, Week 7’s class more than made up for it. Is there a greater creation in this world than choux pastry? I certainly don’t think so. Week 7’s class allowed us the opportunity to glory in of the great culinary joys:  the making of choux pastry. We used our choux pastry to make cream puffs and éclairs.

After a detailed demonstration by our instructor, my partner and I got to work. Choux pastry involves heating water, butter and salt until just boiling. As soon as the water beings to boil, flour is added and the entire mixture is stirred vigorously until you have a cohesive batter that doesn’t stick at all to the pot.

Having completed the first step, we placed our mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer and, with the paddle attachment, mixed it on low-speed for several minutes to allow it to cool slightly. Had we added the eggs right away, we would have run the risk of cooking the eggs and ending up with inferior cream puffs and éclairs. Once the batter had cooled enough, we slowly added the eggs and mixed until we had a thick, glossy choux pastry.

The actual formation of our cream puffs and éclairs allowed us to practice our piping skills once again. As our instructor told us during piping class, practice makes perfect and I could certainly use the practice. Trying to pipe the choux pastry wasn’t easy. Because the the batter is stiffer than whipped cream or icing, you really had to concentrate on holding your bag properly and controlling your hand movements. It was tough but I think we did a reasonably good job.

Once our cream puffs and éclairs were baked and cooled, we dipped the tops of the éclairs in chocolate fondant and allowed the chocolate to harden. We then sliced open our goodies and filled them with sweetened whipped cream.

I truly believe that the best teachers are the ones who are most generous with both their expertise and with their own personal experiences. Our instructor scores high marks on both counts. Besides reminding us to take our time and show patience, he recounted several personal anecdotes regarding his own experience in learning from great pastry chefs and this made the class even more enjoyable.

I wish I could show you a photo of my cream puffs and éclairs but they were inhaled shortly after I walked in the door.

And while I dearly wish that I could tell you that the swan pictured above was my doing, it wasn’t. While we busily worked away on our choux pastry, our instructor made swans for everyone. A bumpy car ride through the streets of Toronto meant that my swan was a bit banged up when I finally made it home. I managed to salvage the swan long enough to photograph it. However, shortly after this photo was taken, I ravenously consumed this lovely choux gift without even a twinge of guilt.

What can I say … I’m a Cream Puff after all!

Ciao!

Techonorati tags:  choux pastry, cream puffs, eclairs