Boxcar Kitchen

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Ice Cream

esther — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:15:00 +0200

The boys got me an ice cream attachment for my Kitchen Aid a few months ago for Mother's Day. I have been having a great time putting together a "to make" list and an even better time checking the flavors off my list. Not to mention that they have been pretty happy with their role as taste testers. Pastry studio has been a major source of ice cream inspiration (all round really). And the first flavor I tried was her Strawberries and Cream recipe. It was heaven. The creamy fresh tang of her buttermilk/sour cream base is perfection.

So when I had the idea for strawberry rhubarb ice cream, I instantly thought of her recipe. I did make some changes though, but not because the were needed. I'm one of those people who never actually checks to make sure that they have all the ingredients necessary before starting. This naturally leads to a lot of interpretation. As it so happened, I only had a smidge of crème fraîche left (which I use to replace sour cream here in France) and I had to substitute the rest with fromage blanc. In the end, I don't think it made much difference.

Like most people, I love classic strawberry rhubarb crisp and it is my one recipe that will always remain under lock and key. I've spent many years perfecting it and it has kind of become my signature dessert and I just can't bare to let it go. Everyone has one of those, right? Anyway, this frozen version is a welcome change. The ice cream is light on the tongue but melts really smooth and creamy and the addition of leftover compote and a crumb topping takes the dessert to another level. I particularly like the deconstructed aspect of it. The ice cream base is surprising and the composition of ice cream, crisp and compote really makes for some nice texture which is something that cannot be said for traditional crisp.

Strawberries Rhubarb Crisp Ice Cream

Ice cream
1/4 cup crème fraîche
3/4 cup fromage blanc
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar

2 cups puréed strawberry rhubarb compote
3 cups strawberries
3 cups rhubarb
scant 1/2 cup sugar

crisp topping

Combine together the first six ingredients and chill in the fridge.

For the compote, I kind of played it by ear. I started with a 1/3 cup sugar and then added by taste. The compote makes more that the two cups for the ice cream and the remained should be served on the side.

Mix together the ice cream base and the chilled purée in your ice cream attachment/maker and follow manufacturer's instructions.

I followed my regular recipe for the crisp (Hint - use nutmeg!) and then just crumbled it up on a baking sheet and baked it. I still have some left over and I'm thinking it might be good on oatmeal in the morning. Yum!

Ps: We just got back from Nice this week and while I was there I had avocado ice cream. AMAZING. I also discovered a perfect combo: Black currant sorbet and banana ice cream. Be still my beating heart.

Summer barbecue (in the kitchen): Sea bass with gros sel and tarragon

esther — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 14:05:00 +0200

Ok, so if you didn't cook it, do you still get to blog about it? I'm going with a yes on this one, since it seems that everything I get to making lately gets eaten before I can get the cap off my lens. And secondly, this little beast was done up right by my better half, so I can still kind of call dibs.

We eat a lot of fish in our house and we have made a tradition of heading out to the market just the three of us each Sunday morning to pick out our scaly lunch. Casper loves fish. Whether is be sea bass, cod, sole or mackerel, he gobbles it down Smeagol-style and makes us so very proud. I think it just might be his favorite food. Although boudin blanc comes in at a close second. I'm guessing this must be his French side shining through.

This sea bass is best on the grill if the weather permits (and I might add that it has not been PERMITTING at all here lately). The tarragon adds a really nice sweet flavor to the fish and is a great change from your standard herbes de Provence. But it can be done up just as well in the oven and the preparation couldn't be simpler.

Tarragon sea bass en papillote

2 small sea bass
gros sel
bunch of tarragon

Have your fishmonger clean out your fish. Rinse them and set them out on foil. Cover them with the a nice think blanket of gros sel and the place half a bunch of tarragon on each fish. Roll up the foil and bake either in the oven at 200° C for about 15-20 minutes or nestled in the coals of a grill. Grilling time is a little iffy since there is always Rosé involved. I'd say the time it takes to drink to quick glasses?

Perfect with a side of roasted Noirmoutier potatoes.

Makes enough for two and a half.

Galettes de sarrasin and the joys of induction

esther — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 08:58:00 +0200

A few months ago we finally replaced our terrible-very-bad-no-goodforyou non-stick crêpe pan. We just hadn't gotten around to replacing it earlier. Mostly due to the fact that we were in the process of replacing the rest of our kitchen battery since moving to induction. The only two things that made the cut were my All-clad saucier from mom and my cast iron egg pan from pop. When the hub first suggested induction I was skeptic and still harboring a flame for a gas stovetop. But once he made me realize what a pain putting a gas line in is and that I would be “forced” to finally chuck all my old non-stick, I was sold.

So the crêpe pan was replaced and replaced it was. Calling it an upgrade would be just too banal; we got the Rolls Royce of crêpe pans - a Staub. We had been eyeing it for months and couldn't really bring ourselves or our budget to buy it. In the end, it was a present from the mother-in-law (thanks!) and we spent our money on a lovely and more practical Cristel sauteuse. Talk about a win-win situation.

The pan is simply amazing but it did call for a period of adjustment. For our first trial run we made buckwheat galettes or savory crêpes. I had picked up some organic buckwheat from a small producer in Brittany at my local health food store. I had been looking for some for awhile after having read an article this past summer about the new wave in artisan buckwheat production in Brittany. Apparently buckwheat is very delicate. Industrial style production, milling and storing don't do it any justice and it seems that the flour that comes from these productions is partly to blame for our previous failed attempts in making galettes. Humph.

Now our galettes and our crêpes just keep getting better and better. So much so, that we've gone from making them every couple of months to a couple times a month. The last time we went totally crazy and made a batch of both simultaneously. Luckily, we had friends over for dinner and we didn't have to eat them all ourselves.

Since becoming professional crêpe and galette eaters, we've managed to pinpoint a few techniques. To start, results are always the best when making them as a couple (as in me and the hub or Two Good Friends.) You need a pourer and a spreader. Next, if you are using a cast iron pan, you have to heat it up slowly and it really does take awhile for the pan to get to optimal heat. The first galette never comes our right and is to be taste tested immediately. Also, it's good to rub a little oil on the pan every few galettes.

Our pan came with this little wooden rake like the ones all the street vendors use here. I love it. It is almost my favorite thing in the world. I would sleep with it under my pillow if that wasn't weird. The key to perfect rounds is to pour out the batter in a sort or snail like manner and then the trick is not to drag the batter with the wooden rake but to PUSH it around in a circle. Imagine little lapping waves of buckwheat goodness coating the sizzling pan as you flick your wrist. The final super secret is to let your little wooden rake soak in a bowl of water between uses. The water coats the wood a bit and keeps the batter from sticking which in turn, can lead to holey galettes.

I could literally make these for hours. And I think Casper could eat them for that long too. (Hmm, maybe a children's story in the making here...) Anyway, here is the recipe that we use adapted from Paul Bocuse.

Galettes de sarrasin

200 grams buckwheat flour
50 grams regular flour
1 egg
30 grams of butter
1/2 liter water
Dash of salt

We just mix it all up in the Kitchen Ais using the whisk attachment. Bocuse says to let it sit for 2-3 hours but we are never that patient. We usually let it sit for about an hour and add a litte bit of beer.

The Perraud family topping combo is: Comté cheese, Prosciutto, sautéed onions and mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, avocado, salad and a dollop of crème fraîche.

Spring market: asparagus, morels and gariguettes

esther — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:17:00 +0200

I love not working and going to the market on a weekday. (sigh).

I'm going to try this for dinner tonight.

I'll let you know how it is.

New kitchen, new year

esther — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 09:50:00 +0100

So a lot has happened this year. We welcomed a better version of ourselves into our family, moved, bought a new place, and remodeled.

Needless to say, it has been a whirlwind filled with late nights and very early mornings, first smiles and soft sweet cuddles, laughter and exploration, cries and frustration, indecision and budgets, and construction and paint fumes. It takes a long time for the dust to settle when you have so many things going at once. And in the process of all this newness, some things are forgotten or put off (Insert story about losing domain name here and the jerks that bought it out from under me...) and there really is never enough time. Time. I guess I've come to realize that although I'm pretty good at taking control and finding solutions for other people, I'm not that great at managing the daily life that is mine. I think my seemingly clean house and overstuffed disheveled closets are proof of that.

But one of the best things about forgetting is remembering. The twenty you pull out of the pocket of a pair of pants you haven't worn in months (Everything fits, yeah!), pictures from dusted-off photo albums from the early years, or a camera and a blog that are finding old friends - flour and butter.

So here is to making more good food, fattening up the husband, finding inspiration, taking more pictures, connecting with friends, always having cookies in the freezer, and teaching Casper how to properly fold in egg whites.

Here is to getting this kitchen dirty.

Casper's first birthday cake. Black cocoa cake with raspberry jam and whipped cream.

Something to look forward to: Pops' poppers

esther — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:23:00 +0100

I took this picture last June when I was home visiting my parents. One of the best parts about going home (in the summer) is having a nice big old yard to hang out and barbecue in. I suppose I could fire up a few steaks on my mini city balcony but I don't think my neighbors would appreciate that much. I don't think it's very legal either.

Now that we have our tickets to head back stateside in May, I've begun to daydream about seeing the stars again, listening to crickets and eating lots of nice flame broiled food. I have been especially thinking about these little poppers that my Pops concocted last summer. He's become quite the little barbecue savant and I was more than jealous of his simple but spectacular grilling gadgets. It started out with a very handy vegetable roasting pan. The perforated metal pan makes roasting vegetables so easy. No need to flip and grill veggie slices one by one. All you need to do is slice everything up, add a whirl of olive oil and throw it on the top rack of the grill.

But then came the poppers tray and he brought it to a whole new level. The fact there even exists a tray designed for the sole purpose of making jalapeño poppers is pretty cool. The recipe is simple - jalapeños, pre-cooked sausage and onions, and cheese. Turkey sausage is best. All the flavor without the fat. What makes these poppers outstanding is the grilling technique. After one or two test batches, my Pops found that the best results come from starting the poppers out on the top shelf of the grill with the lid closed. This melts the cheese and, most importantly, it cooks the peppers until they are nice and soft. Once these two things are achieved, you introduce them to the lower level of the grill and then things really start cooking. The flames lick at the undersides of the peppers making a nice charred crust which adds just the right amount of smoky crunchy texture.

Get out the fire extinguisher. My mouth is already watering.

A trio to celebrate ours

esther — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:28:00 +0100

Well, it certainly has been awhile. I swear, I really I have been cooking - and eating for that matter. But free time has been spare and I've had quite a few fish to fry. Between work and getting ready for the addition of the "Bean", I just didn't have the energy to produce anything that I thought worth sharing. But now that Bean is here and his internship in "learning to sleep through the night or the better part of it" is nearing its end, I've got a little more time and energy. Still, everything I make is really simple. Basically, if I can't whip it up during nap time or it takes more than 20 minutes to get it from the fridge to the plate, I'm not going to bother.

Fennel, in all its forms, has been a diet staple since bringing Bean home. I was betting on its calming properties to help sooth the little man's colic. The colic was short lived but not the vegetable! Fennel was always one of those things that I love and enjoyed but never prepared. Now, most of the time I just chop it up, throw it in a pot with a big hunk of butter, let it get all brown and caramelized, and then cook it down his a little bit of water until it was melt in your mouth tender. Its warm and comforting and a nice change of pace from all the winter root vegetables we've been eating. Delicious - caramel and anise - almost like dessert for dinner.

I was looking for new ways to prepare fennel and add as many vegetables to my diet as possible. There really isn't a recipe. Its about as simple as you can get, but its tasty and refreshing. All you need is a food processor with two shredding blades (small and large), a bulb of fennel, a carrot and an apple. I shredded the fennel and the apple with the larger blade and the carrot with a smaller one. You can either mix it all together or stack the veggies for a tight presentation. I topped mine simply with just a bit of lemon juice and walnut oil since that is what I had on hand. Pistachio oil would be a nice replacement to the walnut oil or grainy mustard vinaigrette would add a nice punch. Served with cod and rice pilaf, the trio topped off a perfect lunch.

Far from perfect but still pretty good

esther — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:48:00 +0200

Over the winter I picked up a copy of Joël Robuchon's Tout Robuchon. It is kind of laid-out as one of those "if you only have one cookbook in your kitchen, it should be this one" books. It is page after page of French classics - a type of encyclopedia of modernized traditional dishes. I figured I couldn't go wrong with that, so I bought it even though there isn't a single picture in it.

The first recipe I made out of it confirmed my good judgment. I used Robuchon's quiche base to make a porcini, spinach, bacon quiche. It was heaven. I have never had such good quiche in my entire life. There was nothing watery or curd-like about it. It came out firm and custardy. In fact, it was so delicious that I barely even thought about all the cream that went into baking it.

The Far Breton was my next stop and it left me asking for more. A far is a traditional dessert from Brittany and its batter is a cross between a flan and a clafouti and is often garnished with prunes. A good far is better than good. The prunes baked into the eggy base are soft and sweet and comforting. I admit that I didn't follow the recipe to the letter because I didn't have any prunes but I was still pretty disappointed with the rather lifeless base. I did however, manage to polish off the thing but I don't think I'll be making it again.

With a tied score - one good recipe to one not so good recipe - the only thing left to do is to keep the test-kitchen fires burning. Next on the list is Robuchon's famous purée and I have a feeling it will be just as good as at the Atelier.

Far Breton adapted from Tout Robuchon by Joël Robuchon

140 grams flour
120 grams sugar
4 eggs + 1 yolk
25 cl milk
25 cl heavy cream
1 tablespoon dark rum
optional : 200 grams prunes or two medium apples

Generously butter a square baking dish or individual ramekins. In a large bowl combine the flout (sifted) with the sugar. Form a well and add the eggs and yolk. Beat with an electric mixture until the batter is silky and then add in the milk and cream little by little. Finish off by adding the rum. Pour the batter into the molds and then add prunes, sliced apples etc.

Bake at 180° C (350° F) for 30 minutes

Puttin' on the Ritz: Le Délice

esther — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 16:38:00 +0100

In October, to celebrate my 30th birthday, some friends gifted me with a baking class at the Ecole Ritz Escoffier. The hub was perfect in choosing a 4 hour-long Saturday afternoon class dedicated to chocolate. (Yeah!) The combination of spending an afternoon with a real-life pastry chef in a veritable professional pastry kitchen at on of the most prestigious palaces in the city was enough to make me swoon. The only hitch was the wait. The class was scheduled for January which meant three long months of perusing their website and obsessing about what we might bake.

The day finally arrived and it it was one of those unseasonable warm days that have made up the majority of this winter season. With just a light jacket and the sun on my shoulders, I took the bus along the Seine to the Concorde and then walked up rue St. Honoré. I cut through a marbled shopping gallery that spills out on the Place Vendôme and came face to face with the Ritz. As I crossed the threshold of the main entrance I couldn't help but have one of those "I can't belive I'm here" blasts of happiness.

There were 10 of us in the class and we were split up into two groups which meant that we really were able to be hands on and not just silent observers. Each armed with a plethora of utensils and crisp white aprons we got down to business. Our chef was relaxed, easy-going and really interested in answering questions and teaching us just as much about technique as about the recipe we were preparing. The dessert in question was Le Délice or The Delight: a Sacher spongecake layered with chocolate mousse (saturated with a simple syrup) and a pistachio crème, covered in a chocolate ganache and painted with cocoa butter.

The best part though was all the little "pro" hints that make baking at home so much more interesting. For example, instead of using cake pans you can use rings which de-mold a million times easier. If your cake bakes in the shape of a volcano it means that you've overmixed. Although I'm sure that never happens to anyone. You can use a pair of square dowels set on either side of your cake to act as a guide when cutting it into cross sections. When making chocolate mousse, you can add your sugar as a boiling simple syrup to your egg yolks which gives your dessert a longer lifespan. When making a dessert like The Délice, which has a caramelized cream center, you freeze it before assembly. Cool, right?

Now, the only thing I need besides a kitchen torch, a 10 pound bag of Valrhona 70% chocolate, and an airless paint sprayer for the cocoa butter finish is a spot in the Ecole's 6 week-long pastry program this summer followed by a champagne toast at the hotel bar!

Le Délice

Sacher Spongecake
5 1/3 oz almond paste
2 oz confectioners sugar
3 1/2 oz egg yolks
2 oz whole eggs
drop of vanilla extract
1 1/2 oz flour
1 1/2 oz cocoa powder
5 1/4 oz egg whites
2 oz sugar
1 1/2 butter

Whip the almond paste, confectioners sugar, yolks, whole eggs and liquid vanilla. Sift together the flour and cocoa and then delicately mix into the almond mixture. Whip the egg whites and sugar and then add the butter. Combine the two mixtures delicately and pour into a 2 1/2 in high circle. Bake at 375°F for 45 to 50 minutes.

Pistachio Caramelized Cream
2 cups milk
2 cups cream
5 2/3 oz sugar
12 egg yolks
3 1/2 oz pistachio paste

Boil the milk with the pistachio cream until the paste is dissolved. Add the cream to lower the temperature and then mix with the yolk and sugar. Pour cream mixture into rubber molds. Bake at 225° F until the cream is firm and doesn't wobble. However, make sure that the cream around the edges doesn't boil. Once baked, remove from the oven and cool. Place the creams in the freezer until hardended and then remove and remove from molds.

Note: The pistachio cream is divine on its own. Pour it in little shallow dishes, sprinkle the top with sugar and then caramelized with a kitchen torch.

The last of the plums - A short story in scones

esther — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 21:28:00 +0100

If long hours at work, the inkling of winter weather and the many days of grèves (strikes) aren't reason enough to keep you holed up at home on the weekend, then I don't know what is. Hibernating is exactly what I have been doing, spending weekend after weekend, snuggled up on the couch reading cookbooks and browsing blogs. Lately, it’s been all about the kinetic energy. And although I didn't manage to get myself out to the market to scour the shelves for cool new ingredients, I did manage to move my slippered feet into the kitchen and whip up something simple and hearty.

Basically, I was in the mood for a treat to go with tea and I had a fresh bag of oatmeal and a bowl of plums sitting on the counter. Not really divine intervention, but inspiration nonetheless. A lot of times, scones are filled with dried fruit: raisins, cherries, currents, apricots. Why not use fresh fruit instead? I attempted a bready version of a granola bar. The experiment just so happed to work out and a half hour later, we were back on the couch enjoying warm scones and hot tea.

Oatmeal Plum Scones

2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sugar

5 1/2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 heavy cream
1 large egg
3 fresh purple plums
1/4 cup almonds

3 Tbsp. turbinado sugar

Spread the rolled oats out onto a cookie sheet and toast in the oven. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Cut in butter and then blend in heavy cream and egg.

Pit and dice the plums. Chop the almonds and add both to the batter.

Lightly flour the work surface and turn out the scone batter. Add in flour if it is too sticky. Form into a rectangle. Sprinkle with the turbinado sugar and roll up to form a long log. With the string, cut the dough into rounds.

Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes.

Make about 1 dozen scones

Jelly and a Real Job

esther — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 22:46:00 +0200

...are two things that I have started waking up to on a regular basis.

Raspberry current jelly is a family favorite. It was always the first flavor opened and very often the last one hoared in the back of the pantry to be opened only in the throws of winter. The combination of the sweet tart fruit on warm toast was enough to blow away any February storm.The soft pop of the lid was a reminder of warmer days, grass growing between your toes and the hours spent crouched on the ground scouring for fruit that always seemed to multiply by the minute.

Although I adore almost everything current, I do not have a passion for picking them. Tedious, is how I would describe a current harvest and little green worms always seem to make their way into my picking bowl. Currents are best when they are shiny red in the sunshine in a bowl, already removed from the bush. So when my dad called me to tell me that he had sacrificed his Saturday afternoon in the yard picking currents for the Greater Raspberry Current Jelly Good, I was excited and relieved.

Since I wasn't going to be back for a few more weeks, my parents cooked the berries down , pressed them and froze the juice. The actually jelly process was like the passing of the family torch. Prior to this, I had only been on the eating end of things but this time, I was the one hunched over the stove in 80 degree weather - an alchemist of sorts- surveilling the rumbling red fruit under the watchful eye of my mother.

Raspberry current jelly

5 cups current juice
1 1/2 cups raspberries
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 pack sure gel

jelly jars
lids and rings

Begin by sterilizing the jars in a hot water bath. Once the water has boiling for 10 minutes, remove the jars from the water. Turn them upside down on a clean towel. Wash the rings and soak the lids in hot water.

In a large pot combine current juice, raspberries and the sure gel. Stir the juice until the mixture begins to boil. Add the sugar. Continue stirring the jelly until it comes to a rolling boil. Once the jelly reaches a rolling boil, cook for one minute. Remove from heat. Foam will have formed on the top of the jelly and it should be skimmed off reserved for eating.

Begin filling the jars. This step needs to be done quickly because the jelly starts to set right away. Fill the jars, place the lids, and screw on the rings. Turn the jars upside down on a clean towel. Leave the jars until cooled; they should seal themselves.

Share the smaller jars with only the most deserving friends and hide the others in your panty. Bring out on a gray and tired day for a dose of pleasure.

Chestnut honey panna cotta with homemade fig jam

esther — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 15:50:00 +0200

Panna cotta has been wheedling its way to the top of my "to make" list for a while now. Originally, I planned on a lime panna cotta dressed with summer berries. But after my first attempt following a very, very bad recipe off epicurious.com, my craving for citrus and custard was thoroughly squelched. Usually, I read the comments and check the ratings religiously when I try a recipe off a website. And more often than not, I end up taking into account a least one insightful person's advice. Somehow I spaced out on that step for the panna cotta recipe. It was not until after the fact that I sat in front of the computer nibbling on some very dismal results that I discovered the many disappointing critiques.

Needless to say, panna cotta dropped a few notches from the number one slot. I wasn't able to come up with a recipe that brought something new to the panna cotta table, so I just decided to let it lie. So lie it did.... until I began to peruse the cache of treats brought back from our vacation in Corsica this summer.

One of my very prized possessions is a jar of chestnut honey. At 8 euros a jar, I decided that I didn't want to use it in just anything. The flavor is strong and woody unlike any other honey and I really wanted to spotlight it. Smooth, creamy panna cotta seemed like the perfect vehicle for the bitter honey. This time, I didn't bother with a specific recipe. Instead, I did a compilation of recipes, hoping that this time I would end up with something soft instead of rock solid cream.

The final product was exactly what I was looking for. I was nervous when I unmolded the panna cotta from the vintage tin molds I got from my mother for just such an occasion. After just a mini dip in a bowl of hot water, the cooked cream slipped out of its fluted casing without a glitch. I knew that the consistency was right even before I tasted it because when I shook it, the panna cotta jiggled and looked like it was about to burst, but never lost its shape.

The few green cardamon pods compliment the strength of the honey without masking it. The addition of a quick fig jam and a few drops of chestnut spread elevated this dessert to a zen master level. Honey and figs - a flavor marriage as old as the Romans can never go wrong.

1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup skim milk
1/4 cup chestnut honey
1 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 Tbsp water
4 green cardamom pods
vegetable oil

4 ripe black figs
4 tsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp water

1 tube chestnut spread

Combine cream, milk and honey in a heavy saucepan. Crush the cardamom pods and add. Cook the cream over medium low heat until the cream just begins to simmer, stirring constantly. This takes about 15 minutes. Remove the cooked cream from the heat and let sit for about another 10-15 minutes. Strain the cream to remove the pods.

In a small bowl, add the gelatin to the water. Set aside for about 5 minutes.

Grease each of the individual tins with vegetable oil.

Add the gelatin to the cream over low heat until completely dissolved. Pour the mixture in the tins. I left mine in the refrigerator overnight.

For the jam, remove the skins from 3 large figs. Chop up the red fruit and combine with water and sugar. Cook the fruit down over medium heat until it has thickened and a rustic jam has formed.

To serve, quickly dip eat tin in a dish of hot water and turn out onto serving dish. Each panna cotta should be served with a dollop of fig jam and garnished with a few dots of chestnut spread.

Makes 4 individual desserts.

Nissa la bella

esther — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:15:00 +0200

So how do you top off vacation in Corsica? A week in Nice is just about all you need to ease back into life on the continent. I'm spoiled; I know it.

Vieux Nice is one of my all time favorite places to go for a couple different reasons. First of all, it is one of the only places in France (other than Corsica) where you can pretty much be garanteed real summer weather and it is always relaxing - almost like vacation at home but better. Once you start visiting a place regularly, you really get to know it and then you're not hounded by the guilt of trying to get out to visit every single monument, park, or restaurant. I also love how 'floaty' (salty) the water is too. The Mediterranean makes me feel like an Olympic swimmer which is something that I am most definitely not.

I've got my Nice pattern down pat: pizza, ice cream, beach and scooter. It sounds like I could carry out this routine just about anywhere but it truly is all about location. The best thin crust or 'real' pizza, like we call it, can only be found at the Bar du Coin in Vieux Nice. Measuring in at three to four times the size of my head and boasting a crust only 1 milimeter thick, these pizzas are a feat of nature. Once the last bite is dutifully washed down with a final swig of rosé, the only thing left to do is to head to Fenocchio. The treck goes without saying. By the time you've finally decided which flavors you want (out of the gazillion that they offer), I often find myself renegociated for a third scoop. This year, lavender and dark chocolate was one of my best combinations.

And since it is the Côte d'Azur, the only way to prepare for the next day's food festivities is to hop on a scooter and tour around the coast trying to get a peek at the innumerable million dollar villas that you can only live in in your dreams. It doesn't really matter though; the beaches are better anyway.

Giving in to the three scoops: fig, violet and mascarpone

A little refreshment and break from the sun

The end? Already?

Napoleon, wild pigs, and brocciu

esther — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 12:13:00 +0200

Sorry for the radio silence but it's summertime and I've been out wandering the world.

I just recently spent about two weeks roaming the south of Corsica (as you may have already guessed) and it was absolutely amazing. The first half of the trip was spent lounging and roasting on the various beaches that sprinkle the southeastern coastline. With the not so existant summer we've had this year in Paris, I was happy to more than catch up on my daily doses of sunshine. My favorite beach was Pinarello and the number 2 spot goes to Rondinara for its breathtaking bay and herd of capicious cows. We sought shelter from the sun and hearty local dishes in Porto Vecchio and Bonifacio.

As we left the coast towns behind and made our way to the mountains, I had no idea that the best was yet to come. The roadtrip itself was worth the trip alone. We hurtled our way up the steep and narrow backroads never knowing what would be around the next corner. More often than not, we were met by a troup of wild pigs, a herd of lazy cows, or just a lonely horse out for a stroll. Corsica's free range approach to raising livestock is one of its greatest charms. Zonza was our base camp and we would end our days of hiking there at the local café, sipping 1€ pastis (51 je t'aime) bumming tips off the locals.

Corsican flag at the Porto Vecchio Sunday market

Pecorino, tomme and bruccio are the most common cheeses

Most local producers grow or produce organic - like these peaches

Beignet de brocciu - doughnut filled with brocciu and lemon peel

Mango Tatin

esther — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 14:04:00 +0200

Well, I thought that I was onto something with this one, but apparently my so called stroke of genius wasn't genius after all. So I guess that leaves me with just a stroke...whatever that means. It's somewhat deflating to come up with a really great recipe idea only to discover, after a two second Google search, that about 40 billion other people have had the same idea. I didn't do my research until after I made up this recipe so I might as well share it.

My very unique and personal inspiration for this mango tart tatin came from- yes, you guessed it- mangoes. Pretty creative, right? But these were not just any mangoes! I was hit by a stomach rumbling bolt of inspiration while I was riding home on the bus, munching away on a bag of dried mangoes. Sure there are lots of different kinds of dried mangoes, but after relentless testing, I can honestly say that N°12 Just Mango is by far the yummiest. They are my newest addiction and can be found at the Grande Epicerie or at my favorite lunch spot, Cojean.

What is so great about these particular dried mangoes? To start, they have the perfect consistency: leathery but not tough and plump without being gummy. Like the name indicates, it's just mango: no added sugar or strange crystallization. And because the drying process is natural, each piece is unique. My tatin idea came from one particular slice that happened to be more dried than the others. The sweet slightly burnt flavor immediately made me think of caramelized fruit which is the staple of the tarte tatin. The mango tatin is a funky take on the time-honored dessert that will convince even the most diehard traditionalist.

The key to making these 'boxcarkitchen style' is to let your caramel go until it is really nice and dark. It's important to remove the caramel from the heat right before it is almost too dark, stir the butter in right away and then quickly pour it into the pans before it hardens.

Mango Tatin!

100 grams sugar
2 Tbsp water
25 grams salted butter
1 ripe mango
1 puff pastry crust

Peel and slice the mango lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. Then cut the mango crosswise on the diagonal.

Combine the sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar is completely melted and then leave it alone. Once the sugar starts to color, stop everything else and watch the caramel. Shake the contents once in awhile but do not stir. The color will change quickly and you really need to pay attention. Otherwise your dark caramel will turn into a burnt caramel.

When your caramel is one shade lighter than you want, remove from heat. (The caramel will continue to cook once it is removed from the heat source.) Stir in the butter and spoon into the tartelette pans immediately with great care!! (I'll reserve my burn stories for a later post).

Align the sliced mango on top of the caramel and cover with puff pastry.

Bake for about 20 minutes at 200°C.

Remove the pans from the oven. Let the tartelettes cool before turning them over and out of their pans. Otherwise all the caramel will run off.

Makes 6 tartelettes.

Chicken noodle of the future or Neo-noodle soup

esther — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 17:45:00 +0200

Everyone knows that chicken soup has healing powers. It's a fact based on years of scientific research and old wives’ tales. I know that the warm chicken broth and slurpy noodles that my grandmother prepared (straight out of the can) made my snuffled nose and general allover terrible feeling almost worth it. I got to thinking about this lately because I've been bogged down with a terribly autumn cold in the middle of July, thanks to the never-ending rain here in Paris.

Traditional chicken noodle soup is good and comforting but it's well...traditional. On a healing power scale from 1 to 10, traditional chicken noodle doesn't hold a candle to this Asian inspired recipe. Not only do you have the steaming goodness of a delicious chicken broth but you also get an energizing sweat inducing kick in the pants from the garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and red Thai pepper. You are warmed up and cleared up immediately or your money back guaranteed.

The other advantage is that it only takes 20 minutes to throw together. I managed to squeeze it in between my morning and mid-morning couch napping sessions in front of the TV. By the time you are finished preparing the vegetables, the broth is already simmering and infused with really intense flavor. It is as close as you can get to non-instant instant soup and it definitely beats the can of Campbell's.

Hint: I have developed a secret technique for the noodle stage of this process. I don't cook the noodles in the broth because I can't stand when they get that overcooked nondescript texture, especially the day after. Instead, I prepare the noodles separately and dress them with a little oil. Then you spoon the broth over the noodles as needed so that they maintain their form.

Neo-noodle soup! (based loosely on this)

6 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 chicken breasts
1/2 sweet yellow pepper
1/2 medium size zucchini
3 small carrots
2-3 cloves garlic
2 stalks fresh lemongrass
1 1/2 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1 red Thai pepper
1 package cellophane noodles
1/2 tsp. dark sesame oil

In a large pot combine chicken broth and water. Set to simmer and add the chopped garlic, grated ginger, lemongrass cut lengthwise, and 1/2 Thai pepper. Be sure to remove the seeds from the pepper since that is where all the heat is. It is easy to gradually increase the heat but you can't get rid of it once the pepper is infused. Test the flavor along the way and adjust to taste.

While the broth is coming together, finely chop the bell pepper, julienne the zucchini and slice the carrots. The flower technique depends on how sick you really are. Cut the chicken breasts into thin strips and then add everything to the broth. Cook for a few minutes or until the chicken is opaque. Cover and remove from heat.

Place the cellophane noodles in a separate bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them sit in the hot water for about 5 minutes. Drain and dress with the sesame oil. Mix well so that the noodles don't stick together.

Serve the noodles, top with broth and vegetables and garnish with fresh coriander, lime, and more pepper (if you dare).

A rhubarb idea

esther — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 13:31:00 +0200

This clafoutis recipe has been a long time coming. It has taken me almost an entire year to finally figure out a recipe that I like. I started out last July by attempting an apricot clafoutis. I imagined sweet apricots melting into a nest of custard-like cake. The end result was disappointing. It tasted fine (maybe a little too sweet) but the consistency was a total failure. The clafoutis was decidedly more cake than custard and it didn't have the melt in your mouth quality that I was looking for.

I decided to give the dessert another try when Betsy asked for recipe ideas for rhubarb a few weeks ago. I'm so jealous of everyone back home that is inundated by rhubarb. Here, I could only find it at the market for a week or two then SWOOSH it was like it never even existed. I asked for it at almost every stall and I pretty much got the same answer everywhere, "Oh, no. We don't DO rhubarb." Well, I do DO rhubarb and was thrilled that my trip out to our local pick-your-own yielded a rather large almost untouched patch of rhubarb goodness.

My second attempt with a different recipe from the internet turned out to be another failure. This time the clafoutis was egg-y and too much like a flan but my patience paid off with a third attempt! I used my original recipe from Jean-Luc Petitrenaud as a starting point. I cut out most of the flour and replaced it with cornstarch, used light heavy cream instead of milk, replaced the double cream with light crème fraîche and added some almond extract. The extract gives the tart rhubarb a wonderful warm undertone without adding sweetness.

Bon appétit Betsy and Salinda!

Another current obsession is rhubarb compote with Greek yogurt, or pretty much on anything for that matter.

Rhubarb clafoutis!

400 grams rhubarb (about 2 cups)
@@75 grams sugar (1/3 cup) @
25 grams butter (1/3 cup)
2 eggs
2 Tbsp light crème fraîche
125 ml light heavy cream (5/8 cup)
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp flour
1 tsp almond extract

The standard measures are approximate but work, I hope!

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Wash and then cut the rhubarb into cubes. Mix about one tablespoon sugar with the rhubarb and place in the oven while it is heating up. Let it cook until you are ready for it. This will release some of the excess water.

Melt the butter over medium/high heat. The butter will start to foam and turn golden brown. Remove immediately and cool to room temperature.

Beat together the eggs, heavy cream, and crème fraîche. Mix in the sugar, cornstarch, flour, browned butter, and almond extract.

Butter the molds and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Remove the excess liquid from the rhubarb and place the fruit in the molds.

Pour the batter over the fruit until it is almost completely submerged.

Bake for 40 minutes or until nicely browned and puffy.

Makes 6-8 individual servings.

This spinach never gets old

esther — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 16:03:00 +0200

Lately, I've been getting a little overwhelmed by all the food that seems to be invading my kitchen. I envy those people who can bake and cook to their hearts content and then load everything off on their families. I always seem to be left with enough food feed 10 armies when there is only just the two of us. And since I'm not the one leaving the house every morning to go to work and I feel very guilty throwing things away, I tend to be the one making the real sacrifices by polishing off whatever seems to be left over from the previous day’s baking adventure. I've tried to cut serves 6 to 8 down to serves 2 but it is honestly a major pain in the butt. I started doing a lot more individual portions which helps but in the end it just saves me the effort of cutting another slice. I try to give things away as often as possible but I somehow still always find myself faced with the same problem.

My new resolution is totally radical. I'm going to try to (gulp) make healthy food and maybe (dare I even attempt to say it) make fewer yes, FEWER baked goods. As a result, I've been going crazy with salads lately. They are perfect for dinner especially when you considering that we don’t usually sit down to eat until 9pm.

I have been non-stop craving this particular spinach salad for the last three months or so. It is a staple on my mental weekly menu list. Somehow the mix of baby spinach, grilled vegetables and cheese never gets old and always hits the spot. Sometimes, when I have it on hand and need something more than just veggies, I add warm orzo. This last time, I changed things up and added some bulgur which seems to be quite the trend these days.

Now I'm off to attempt two single serving rhubarb clafoutis with as few eggs and as little cream as possible. We'll see how that goes... Oops, that's a baked good isn't it?

Spring Spinach Salad!

1 small bag of prewashed baby spinach
2 small or one large chicken breast
juice from 1/2 lemon
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium zucchini
1/2 yellow onion
10 sun-dried tomatoes
1 poivrade*
1/2 cup cooked bulgur
handful black olives
pecorino cheese

In the morning prepare the marinade of fresh garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and black pepper. Add the chicken and keep refrigerated until about an hour before you start to grill. Parboil the artichoke and reserve for later.

Begin by grilling the chicken and then the halved artichoke. While the grill is going, fry the sliced zucchini and onions in some olive oil. Set the bulgur to simmer in 1 1/4 cups salted water. This takes about 20 minutes. Slice or chop the rest of the ingredients.

The key to the salad is keeping the warm ingredients warm. Prepare the salad in individual bowls and finish off with curls of fresh pecorino cheese.

The sundried tomatoes, zucchini and chicken are so flavorful that you don't even need to dress the salad. Sometimes, for extra zip, I add just a splash of high quality balsamic.''

Makes 2 dinner size servings.

A poivrade (also know as the violet de provence) is a small very young artichoke. They are often sold in bouquets.

Semolina Cake à la fleur d'oranger

esther — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 20:54:00 +0200

Very rarely do I read a recipe and say to myself, "Wow, that looks really complicated for no apparent reason ; I think I'll give it a try." But this is exactly what happens when you are faced with yet another rainy Sunday in May, a freshly purchased bag of semolina flour and a Monthly Mingle birthday to celebrate.

The previous week, I had found a great Oriental grocer near the marché d'Aligre on my way to a friend's house. Paris is chock full of Middle Eastern/North African mom and pop shops but this one was particularly impressive. Shelves stacked from floor to ceiling with spices, conserves, and sauces covered the walls and the center of the shop was dedicated to everything in bulk. Dozens of fat, perfectly aligned bags full of flours and dried legumes were meticulously arranged. I quickly spotted the almost 10 different grades of semolina and immediately thought of a cake - an orange water semolina cake. I chose the second finest mill of flour and I was stunned when the owner weighed out EXACTLY 500 grams of flour with one scoop and a tiny flick of the wrist. I was so happy walking away with my 50 cent bag of flour. I was going to make a cake, a semolina orange water cake just for Meeta.

I decided to use a slightly snooty Food and Wine recipe as my launch pad. I've never used so many dishes to make a cake before. I did ended up changing the recipe quite a bit but I stayed true to the structure. Even though I ended up using milk and light cream and less butter than called for, I still thought the cake was a little oily. The original recipe was for one large cake and it was completed with a center layer of raspberry preserves and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. Since I made individual cakes, I tried the jam but found that it detracted more than anything from the cake. It was kind of like eating a high end jelly donut. The cakes were so much better plain and fresh from the oven. The semolina flour added a nice crunch to the outside and the inside was dense, steamy and perfumed by the orange flower water.

Happy Birthday Monthly Mingle!!

For the pastry cream:
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup light cream
2 Tbsp. orange flower water
2 egg yolks
1 ½ Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp flour
4 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp softened salted butter
1/2 vanilla bean

For the cake transformation:
5 Tbsp. salted butter
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. orange flower water
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup finely ground semolina flour
4 egg whites

Bring the milk, cream, and orange flower water to simmer with the vanilla bean in a saucepan. In a separate bowl whisk together the yolks, sugar,flour and cornstarch. Remove the vanill bean and whisk in the milk mixture. Return to heat. Continue whisking until thickened. Add the butter, pour into a dissh and let cool to room temperature.

Begin by folding the softened butter into the prepared pastry cream. Add the lemon zest, juice and orange flower water. Continue by whisking in about half the sugar, the flour, semolina, and baking powder until the batter is smooth.

In a separate bowl beat the egg whites with the remaining sugar until soft peaks form. Whisk 1/4 of the whites into the batter and then fold in the rest. The batter should be smooth but not over worked.

Pour into individual cake molds and bake at 175°C for about 25 minutes.

Makes about 12 mini cakes

Brown buttons sur la Croisette

esther — Mon, 28 May 2007 12:51:00 +0200

Although this month has been short on posts, it hasn’t been short on much else. My sister and her husband came to visit from San Francisco and with them they brought my brand spanking new Pentax K10D. My first ever digital reflex, YEAH!!! After spending an all too short visit running around Paris making sure that my sis got to taste the very best of everything (alas the list is WAY too long), I settled down to business. For the first time in my life, I am one of those people that actually read the manual and the hub is oh so proud of me for it. Honestly though, there are so many buttons and special features on this camera that I sometimes think K10D is smarter than me. The next step is to tackle my development software that is already humming away happily on my laptop. I am totally spoiled.

These brown buttons were the subject of my first "photo session" with the new equipment and I felt like such a paparazzi. Something delicious will soon happen to these beauties; I promise. I did realize though that I wasn't quite sure what brown buttons actually are and after a quick search, I learned that brown buttons, cremini and portabella mushrooms are all pretty much the same thing. I'm probably the last person on planet earth to figure this one out but, better late than never. Cremini mushrooms are immature portabellas- baby portabellas. And apparently, the only difference between them is another 48 - 72 more hours of growth. Again, this is most likely common knowledge but I was flabbergasted. The other good news is that now I can finally stop complaining that we don't have portabellas in France and pull out some favorite recipe.