Fruit Tarts

Dessert of the week 1.

Our office, has started dessert of the week, and one person per week is scheduled to bring a tasty delicacy in.

I got the hankering for tarts while i was at Flying Star in Albuquerque. They really have great tarts, although i'd have to say their custard tastes more like a light vanilla yogurt than an a pastry cream.

For this recipe, i used the esteemed "Baker's Illustrated" for ideas.

I'll try to keep updated on upcoming desserts.

Fruit Tarts with Cream Custard

Custard:
2 C Half-Half
8 tsp Sugar
5 Yolks
3 Tbsp Cornstarch
4 Tbsp cold Butter
1.5 tsp Vanilla
salt

Heat the half n half with 6 Tbsp sugar and a pinch of salt in a medium pot.

In a bowl, whisk the yolks with the remaining 2 Tbsp sugar until dissolved. Add cornstarch and continue whisking until the mix is pale yellow and thick.

Temper the yolk mixture with the hot half n half, and then add the eggs to the half n half and cook over medium heat till bubbles burst on surface and the mixture is glossy and thickened.

Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla, and then strain through a sieve.

cover with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge

Shell:
1 Yolk
1 Tbsp Cream
1/2 tsp Vanilla
6.25 oz Flour
2.33 oz Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
8 Tbsp Cold Butter (cubed)

Whisk the yolk, cream, and vanilla together and set aside.

process the flour, salt, and sugar to mix, and then scatter the butter cubes throughout and process in pulses until mealy.

process in the liquid mixture until dough just comes together, then wrap in plastic and fridgerate it for about an hour.

Roll out the dough into tart shells, and freeze for half an hour. then line the frozen shell with foil and cover with pie weights or beans. Bake in a 375 F oven for 30 ish minutes, then remove the foil and weights and bake another 10 ish minutes till golden.

Assemble the tarts by filling with chilled pastry cream, and placing fresh cut fruit atop.

It's Knot Bread, Even Though It Is

This was inspired by one of the bread servings I tasted at Alinea a few months back.

While the radish isn't particularly as notable as I would have preferred, the bread is wonderfully smooth and chewy, and the egg wash atop created a nice crispy crust for the poppy seeds to stick to. I might consider doubling the radish amount to get more flavor into the dough.

The recipe is fairly simple. It's a basic bread dough, with radish puree, nothing special.

Radish Poppy Seed Knot Bread

3 tsp Dry Yeast

1 Tbsp Sugar

1 Cup Warm Water

1 Egg

1 Bunch of Radishs (puree'd)

3 Tbsp Butter

1 tsp Salt

Flour

Poppy Seeds

Proof the yeast in the water with the sugar, and then add the egg and radish puree. Stir in about 1.5 cups flour to form the sponge, and beat well. Let spong-i-nate for about 20 min in a warm oven.

Add the butter in small cubes, along with the salt. Start mixing/kneading in flour until your dough comes together and is smooth, and not sticky (but not too dry either!!! better on the sticky side, than the dry side!). Raise in warm oven for 30 min.

Punch down dough, and then take hand-full sized gobs and roll into snakes, then tie into knots. if the dough is too tense for knots, let it relax for a few minutes, and then continue. Let rise for about 15 min, and meanwhile preheat oven to 350 F.

Bake until toasty brown (about 20 ish minutes).

Tomato and Bean Soup

My soup obsession continues.

With all the great ripe summer tomatoes everywhere on the market, along with my basil plants overflowing, tomato soup is a perfect way to use all that summer freshness.

Tomato and White Bean Soup

2 lbs Tomatoes

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 medium Onions (about 10 oz), coarsely chopped

3 cloves Garlic, minced

3.5 cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock

2 Tbsp Tomato Paste (preferrably sun-dried)

2 tsp Paprika

1/2 tsp Ground Coriander Seed

1 tsp Ground Cumin

1 Tbsp Cornstarch

15 oz Cannellini Beans, rinsed and drained

few bunches of Basil, chopped

Dash of Cream

Salt and Pepper

First, peel the tomatoes by slicing an X on the bottom of the tomatoes and blanching in boiling water for 1 minute. Core and quarter the peeled tomatos, and then cut each quarter in half. I guess that's just essentially eighths. EIGHTH THE TOMATOES!

Heat the oil in a soup pot (5-6 quarts), and saute the onion and garlic until just softening up.

Add the tomatoes to the onions, along with the stock, paste, paprika, coriander, and cumin. Salt and Pepper to taste, and bring to a full boil. Then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 ish minutes.

Mix the cornstarch into a paste with 2 Tbsp of water, and add the paste along with the beans to the soup. Allow the soup to heat throughly (another 10 min or so), and then add in the basil and cream. Stir and ladle into bowls!

Shrimp Bisque

First, I have to admit that I absolutely adore soups. Winter, spring, summer, it doesn’t matter. Second, shrimp bisque is probably my favorite soup of all (although tomato bisque is right there with it). This recipe is sort of a mish mash of all the flavors I found great in shrimp bisques that I’ve tried. The vegetables in the soup prevent it from tasting overly fishy, while the cream adds that distinctive creaminess, and the cayenne pepper give the soup a little bite.

Shrimp Bisque

Olive Oil
2 Leeks, green and white parts coarsely chopped
2 Carrots, chunked
1 Onion, chunked
2 Celery Stalks, chunked
3 cloves Garlic, smashed
¼ Cup Brandy
¼ Cup Dry Sherry
4 Cups Seafood Stock
4 sprigs Thyme
2 Bay Leaves
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
2 lbs Shrimp, peeled and veined
¼ Cup Butter
¼ Cup Flour
2 Cups Half & Half (or Cream, if you want it really rich)
3 Tbs Tomato Paste

Begin by sautéing the leeks, carrots, onion, and celery with some olive oil. After the veggies begin to brown up, add in the garlic, toss around. Add the Brandy, and stir until the alcohol evaporates. Repeat with the sherry, and then add the seafood stock. Add the thyme, bay leaf, and cayenne, and bring to a boil. Allow the soup to cook on a simmer until the vegetables are tender.

Bring the soup up to a full boil, add the shrimp, and then remove from heat. Stir the soup until the shrimp are cooked and pink, about 5 minutes.

Puree the soup in batches in a processor, and store in a separate container from the pot it was cooking in.

In the original soup pot, melt the butter, add the flour, and whisk until the roux comes together. Add the half & half, along with the shrimp soup puree and whisk until it begins to thicken. Whisk in the tomato paste and serve bubbling hot with a few flash seared shrimps!

Toasts!!

French Green Lentil & Arugula Salad with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette atop Prosciutto & Goat Cheese Toasts

Sourdough Loaf
Olive Oil
6 oz Goat Cheese
¼ lb. Procuitto
1 cup French Green Lentils
1 cup Chicken Stock
3 sprigs Thyme
1 cup water
5 oz Arugula
1 Red Onion Sliced
1 clove Garlic minced
3 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp Honey
¼ cup Olive Oil

Oven at 375 F

Rinse lentils, and place in small sauce pot. Add chicken stock, water, thyme and season with salt. Bring to boil and cook for 15-20 min. Don’t let them get mushy!

Begin by slicing the sourdough into 1 inch thick slices. Rub with olive oil and crisp in the oven for 2-3 minutes. Remove the toasts and spread the goat cheese even over the toasts. Top with a ribbons of prosciutto and put back in the oven until the prosciutto begins to crisp up. Mix up the balsamic vinaigrette by combing the vinegar and the honey, and then drizzling in the olive oil while whisking.

Sauté the onion and garlic until it begins to caramelize, and then add the vinaigrette.

Pour the warm vinaigrette/onions along with the drained lentils over the arugula in a large mixing bowl, and toss to coat. Serve the toasts with the lentil/arugula salad overtop.

I modified this recipe from Tyler Florence’s similar dish.

Squid Ink Noodles

These noodles are made with squid ink, which gives them their distinctive black color. While cooking, they omit a slightly briny odor, like the sea, but as far as taste, they're just like regular noodles. They're more for that wow "black" factor than anything else.

While I didn't make these, I can at least vouch for their tastiness. Although, it wouldn't be hard to make your own. All you need is 1 or 2 tablespoons of squid ink added to your regular semolina pasta recipe.

The brand I used is called "La Campofilone," which are surprisingly the best dried noodles I've had recently. They say that they only use semolina, and eggs (no water) to make their noodles, and then slow dry them at slightly higher than room temperature. I don't know much about noodle making, but apparently they do, because these dried noodles are the closest thing to fresh noodles that I've had short of the real ones.

Bacon CC Cookies with Maple Glaze

Or any other time really. But these cookies are made with bacon, which makes them better than normal cookies! As Mike said, "Bacon is the candy of the meats." This started out with Liz sending me a link to a similar recipe. I made some minor modifications like adding rolled oats and such, and then tried it out.

I personally, think they're great. I got a lot of mixed reactions when I started making these. But I've yet to have someone say they didn't like them. The bacon adds a nice salty/smokey depth to the sweet cookies, and the maple-cinnamon glaze reminds me a french toast and the syrupy bacon that usually accompanies it.

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies with a Maple-Cinnamon Glaze

Cookies

1 cup butter
2/3 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 egg

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup finely crushed walnuts

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cups bacon bits (real bacon!!)

Directions-preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

Beat together the butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs until creamy. In another bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir together. Dough will be slightly soft. Add in the oats and crushed nuts. Add in chocolate chips and bacon bits. Stir until well integrated. Set dough balls about 2 inches apart on heated baking stone.

Bake cookies for about 12 minutes, or until the dough starts to turn golden brown. Allow cookies to cool on a cooling rack while you ready the glaze.

Maple Cinnamon Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon maple extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoon cream

1 tablespoon water

Mix all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. If lumpy, use a whisk.

Spread a small amount of the glaze on the top of each cookie and top with a small piece of crisp cooked bacon.