A last minute improvised version of tarte tatin
Beet salad with tarragon vinaigrette
the colorful vegetables (radishes, beets and carrots, every shade of purple, pink, yellow, orange) from Joel Thiebault getting sautéed in the pan with butter! (did them three ways, roasted, sautéed, and raw)
And guess what I made with the left-overs of the pumpkin pie filling?! Mini pumpkin muffins with dried cranberries! They were great, very moist (maybe even a little too moist two days later).
I would be incapable to give you exact quantities but I had maybe 3/4 cup of pumpkin filling, I added 1 egg, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 3/4 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of oil.
Christmas cookies!
My 1st attempt at making Poilane’s “punitions”, their classic butter cookies.
Here is Dorie Greenspan’s version of the recipe
Makes about 50 cookies
1 1/4 sticks (5 ounces; 140 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Slightly rounded 1/2 cup (125 grams) sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour
Put the butter in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and process, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until the butter is smooth. Add the sugar and process and scrape until thoroughly blended into the butter. Add the egg and continue to process, scraping the bowl as needed, until the mixture is smooth and satiny. Add the flour all at once, then pulse 10 to 15 times, until the dough forms clumps and curds and looks like streusel.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface and gather it into a ball. Divide the ball in half, shape each half into a disk, and wrap the disks in plastic. If you have the time, chill the disks until they are firm, about 4 hours. If you’re in a hurry, you can roll the dough out immediately; it will be a little stickier, but fine. (The dough can be wrapped airtight and refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Working with one disk at a time, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it is between 1/8 and 1/4 inch (4 and 7 mm) thick. Using a 1 1/2 -inch (4-cm) round cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as you can and place them on the lined sheets, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) space between them. (You can gather the scraps into a disk and chill them, then roll, cut and bake them later.)
Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are set but still pale. (If some of the cookies are thinner than others, the thin ones may brown around the edges. M. Poilane would approve. He’d tell you the spots of color here and there show they are made by hand.) Transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool to room temperature.
Keeping: The cookies can be kept in a tin at room temperature for about 5 days or wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 1 month.
PS I am very curious to try some variations, ie crystallized ginger, nuts, drief fruits etc…
At the same time the simplicity of these cookies is hard to beat. I am also looking to test them out with high quality butter too, maybe beurre d’Echiré or something…
Last bits of pumpkin pie…
I have been very delinquent lately but my web absence has been mainly due to my move from one continent to the other, and the general chaos and frantic traveling that followed it…
I am spoiled with everything I’d ever want here in Paris and I don’t know have my own kitchen anymore, so basically left with no incentives to cook other than very utilitarian things!
Thank god the holidays are giving me an excuse to bake at least!
this pumpkin pie was a hug success and did not taste much like anything I usually have in the US.
The crust was based on Fanny’s recipe for “pate sucree” here
http://www.foodbeam.com/2007/09/19/reussir-la-pate-sucree-pas-a-pas-mastering-pate-sucree-step-by-step/
She really isn’t lying, there is no reason for anything to go wrong if you follow her step by step advice so no need for me to write it all over again.
As for the filling, I adapted this recipe
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Bourbon-Pumpkin-Pie-356090
I did make the following slight tweaks
1 (15-ounces) can pure pumpkin
1 cup heavy cream (I did 1/2 heavy cream and 3/4 creme fraiche)
1/3 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar (I did 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/4 cup brown sugar)
3 1/2 tablespoons bourbon (and there’s a fair chance I put twice the amount of bourbon)
Cream scones
For a lovely girls’ brunch this week-end I made these cream scones.
They are the easiest scones ever and they never seize to stun my audience! I found them courtesy of Tess Monaghan’s mom, Gail. Her mom is a fabulous chef! I don’t own any of her cookbooks sadly but maybe I should because I always go back to this recipe!
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar plus 2 to 3 extra tablespoons for sprinkling
*1 1/3 cups chopped and toasted pecans or walnuts
1 cup heavy cream
2 to 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Stir in the chopped nuts.
- Pour the cream into the bowl of an electric mixer or large mixing bowl. With the mixer on low or with a fork, mix the ingredients until just combined.
- Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead very briefly. Roll the dough to a 1 inch thickness. Using a 1 to 1 1/2 inch cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out the scones. Place them an inch apart on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Reroll the scraps until all the dough has been used.
- Paint the scone tops with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place the scones in the middle of the preheated oven and bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden.
- Cool on a rack. Serve the scones warm or at room temperature with butter and jam. Store the scones in an airtight container for 24 hours or freeze for up to 6 weeks.
Makes approximately 32 scones (hmm think “mini” scones here, but it does yield a fair amount so I usually divide the recipe in half. I also never add nuts but sometimes add chopped raisins!)
Semolina raspberry yogurt cake
1 1/2 stick butter
1 cup sugar
creamed
3 egg yolks, mix well
1 cup yogurt
1/2 cup almond flour
1 cup semolina flour
1 cup flour
baking powder
lemon zest
vanilla
bake for 30-40min at 350°F
Alice Medrirch’s chocolate cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 cup (4.5 ounces) all purpose flour1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (7.3 ounces) sugar1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) Scharffen Berger Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/4 teaspoon salt1/2 cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and warm2 large eggs1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract1/2 cup hot water
Bake for 20-22 min at 350°F.
A new salad! roasted eggplant, cucumber, fresh mint and saffron vinaigrette.
I was thinking of pomegranate seeds as well but didn’t have any handy!
My 1st yeast-based confection! Homemade challah! I figured it would be easier than brioche.
I was inspired by Talley’s many takes on bread so I figured it was about time I venture into bread territory. This was pretty good. Will post the recipe.
Tacos my way. seared strips of flank steak marinated in lime onions and paprika, guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo.
homemade guacamole and pico de gallo
Is there anything unique to pico de gallo other than a bunch of diced tomatoes, onions and herbs?
