Saturday, February 12, 2011

Perfect tart for a great Valentine's evening (from Chef Pino Ficara)























TARTE BOUQUET DE ROSES

Dough
250g flour (all purpose)
150g butter, room temperature
70g icing sugar (superfine sugar)
2 yolks
1 pinch of salt

Frangipane filling
75g pistachios (or almonds, walnuts etc)
75g sugar
70g butter
40g thick yogurt (greek style)
1 egg
1 pinch of salt

Apple rosettes
700g water+350g sugar (for syrup)
1kg of red stark delicious (or other sweet apples)
icing sugar
pistachios chunks
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Dough  (pate sucree)
Cream butter sugar and salt, add eggs and flour. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour.

Filling
15 minutes before rolling the dough mix in a food processor nuts and sugar, separately mix butter and yogurt then add it to the nuts+sugar mix, add egg and salt and mix until very smooth.

Apple rosettes
Make a syrup by boiling water and sugar. Slice the apples (without peeling them) and put them in the boiling syrup, when syrup comes back to a boil drain the apples, let cool a bit then cut the slices in half. It'll take about 3 slices for each "rose".

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Baking

Roll the dough to 4mm thickness and line a 26cm tart pan, fill with frangipane and bake for 35' at 170C. Let rest 5 minutes then arrange the apple roses, sprinkle with icing sugar and bake again for 10 minutes. Let cool and then serve with chunks of pistachios.

Friday, January 7, 2011

An ancient tradition – The Galette of Kings


Yesterday we celebrated the Epiphany, or the Feast of the Kings with a delicious Galette des Rois. In France the tradition of serving this frangipane-filled tart can be traced back to the 14th century. A small bean, coin or porcelain fève is baked inside the cake and whoever receives the little favor is then crowned king or queen for the day. Tradition also dictates that the cake be cut into as many slices as there are people present, plus one extra. The extra piece is called either la part du Bon Dieu (God's piece), la part de la Vierge (the Virgin Mary's piece) or la part du pauvre (poor man's piece) and it is given to the first poor person who stops at the home.
Who will become king or queen for the day at your house? Bake a galette and have a little fun with the family. Make a foil crown to place atop the cake before eating it.

Et voilà:

Ingredients
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1/2 lb (250g) almond paste
5 oz (150g) sugar [to be added only if the almond paste is unsweetened]
4 eggs
1/2 lb (250g) room temperature butter
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
2.5 oz (75g) all purpose/plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
You will also need 2 discs of puff pastry (fresh or frozen)
1 egg yolk beaten with 1oz of whipping cream (egg wash).

Procedure
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1. Combine almond paste [sugar, if needed] and 1 egg in a mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth.
2. Beat in butter and vanilla until smooth. Scrape bowl.
3. Add remaining eggs, one at the time, keep beating.
4. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the mixer at low speed and work just until absorbed.
Put cream in a pastry bag and refrigerate if too soft or runny.
---
On one disc of puff pastry, pipe a spiral of filling leaving about 2 cm border. Brush the border with the egg wash and place the second disc of puff pastry on top. With a fork seal the edges gently. Glaze the top of the cake with egg wash, cut a few vents and then with the tip of a paring knife draw some decorations (try not to cut through the dough).

Bake at 200C/420F until fully puffed and golden brown. Serve warm or cold, never hot.



 

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Foie Gras au Torchon

Au torchon means "in a towel"

 

Eat a slice of this foie gras cold with an old fashioned country bread and a black cherry marmalade or a spicy fig jam…No toasted brioche and please, don’t drink a sweet wine with it. I know it's a tradition but it's not really the best. Have a glass of champagne, a glass of chardonnay or a Cabernet Sauvignon. The best match is to have a 3-5 year old glass of Chateau Neuf du Pape.

Recipe
Serves 8


1 Duck liver (1 pound)
Fine ground salt 7 gr (1 tb spoon)
Black pepper 5 gr (1 ts spoon)
2 tbs cognac or armagnac or port

Procedure
Soak the liver in luke warm milk to drain blood.
Let it rest at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours.
Dry it with a paper towel, then you take off all the nerves.

Add the salt and pepper and the alcohol of your choice.
Leave overnight (if possible) in the refrigerator, at least 3 hours.

Then roll the liver in cling wrap, 2 or 3 times, to be sure you don’t have any leakage. Tie a knot at both extremities.

Leave it in the fridge, for 2 hours again, and then cook it in simmering water for 7 minutes. Plunge the foie gras in cold water to stop the cooking and leave it in the fridge for at least one day before you serve it. (3 days is even better for the flavour)

Friday, December 17, 2010

Walnut Coffee Christmas Log



STEP 1  - Coffee Cream
Ingredients
450g/8oz whole milk
120/4oz sugar
60/2oz corn starch
60/2oz unsalted butter, cold, cube
1 egg + 4 yolks
1 tbsp vanilla extract or dark rhum
1 tbsp instant expresso powder
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Procedure
Dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 of the milk,
combine rest of the milk with sugar and bring to boil,
while waiting whisk eggs in the cornstarch mixture,
pour 1/3 of the boiling milk over the eggs, then return milk and milk+egg mixture to the heat. Boil for about 1 minute whisking.
remove from the heat and whisk in butter, vanilla and coffee.
transfer to a cold container, press some plastic film directly on the cream and chill immediately.
 
 
STEP 2  - Chocolate Ganache
prepare this while the log is chilling
Ingredients
180g/6oz heavy cream
180g/6oz 70% chocolate (bittersweet),
grated or cut into small pieces
Procedure
Bring cream to a boil, pour onto cut chocolate,
let sit for about one minute, then whisk to incorporate
the cream into the chocolate. 



STEP 3  - Walnut Sponge Cake (biscuit au chocolat)
Ingredients
6 large eggs, separated
4oz (120g) light brown sugar
8oz (320g) walnuts
2oz (60g) all purpose/plain flour
4oz (120g) sugar

Procedure
Preheat your oven at 350F (390F). Butter and line a cookie sheet
with parchment paper.
Ground nuts and flour until powder but not oily.
Whip yolks with brown sugar until very light (about 5 minutes).
Whip whites with sugar until firm peak.
Fold whites into yolks and then the nuts/flour mix in three additions.
Spread on the cookie sheet and bake immediately for about 12 minutes.
Release from the pan as soon as possible. Remove carefully parchment paper.
---




 
 










ASSEMBLING
If the cream is set and hard to spread whisk it before starting this step. Spread (or pipe) all the coffee cream onto the sponge cake. Roll the sponge cake into a log shape, use the parchment paper to keep it closed and refrigerate until the log is completely set and cold. At least 1hr. 











Unwrap the log over a cooling rack and cover with the warm ganache. Refrigerate until chocolate is set, then use a fork to draw grooves in the chocolate to imitate a tree bark. 

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Gâteau Basque au Fraise


A Basque specialty that has pastry cream encased in a light shortdough pastry
(will make a 20cm square tart)

Ingredients for dough
260g/9oz butter
185g/6.5oz sugar
zest of a lemon (better if organic or not treated)
1 pinch of salt
125g (1/4lb) almond meal
1 egg + 1 yolk, cold
325g/11.5oz all purpose flour (T45 in France)

Ingredients for strawberry cream
150g/5oz of strawberry puree
75g/2.5oz whole milk
35g/1.5oz sugar
25g/1oz corn starch (Maizena in France)
25g/1oz butter

Ingredients for quick strawberry jam
150g/5oz fresh or frozen strawberries
40g/1.5oz sugar

Glaze
1 egg yolk

Procedure
Prepare the dough: in a standup mixer, cream butter, sugar, zest and salt until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix until well incorporated. Stop and scrape at least once while incorporating the eggs. Add the almond meal and mix until well incorporated. Stop the machine, add the flour and mix by hand until just incorporated and homogenous. Do not overmix!
Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Prepare the strawberry cream: dissolve well the corn starch in the milk and bring strawberry puree and sugar to a boil in a small pan, add the corn starch mix while whisking vigorously until the mixture is thick and smooth, take off the heat, add the butter, mix well then spread the cream over a cold plate. Put plastic on top and refrigerate for about 15 minutes.

Prepare the quick jam: mix strawberries and sugar in a small pan, bring to a simmer and cook for about 2 minutes. Strain the berries, keep aside and boil down the cooking juices until very dense. Mix with the cooked strawberries and set aside to cool.
===
Preheat the oven at 180C/350F.
Butter and flour a tart pan about 4cm deep. Roll about 250g of dough to fit the bottom of the tart pan. It should be about 1cm thick. Make a border all around the bottom by making small "ropes" with pieces of dough. The edge should also be about 1cm deep. Spread the cream inside leaving a "well" in the middle for the jam. Add the cooled jam in the middle, then top with another 1cm thick layer of dough. Brush the top with a beaten egg yolk and draw decorating patterns with the tip of a sharp knife, without cutting through the dough.
Bake for about 35 minutes or until top is golden brown. Let cool completely before serving.

Friday, October 1, 2010

The Healthiest Choice: Top 10 Alkaline Foods for Your Diet


Acids are mostly used for home cleaning and certainly your stomach is not your kitchen sink. The modern diet, which is greatly influenced by today’s hyped up media and enslaving consumerism, is very acidic. Has there been any ad on TV, in magazines or on the internet that encourages buying vegetables and fruits? No, because they all push-sell packed or bottled products that do not match the natural processes in our body. Enterprising and consumerism has gone overboard in destroying our health.
Everything, living or non-living, is either acidic or alkaline. However, humans are creatures made to consume alkaline foods and stand as an alkaline organism in the food chain. Our blood’s pH level is pretty much determined by the food we eat. And with our blood being non-alkaline, or simply, acidic, our body will poorly perform and will have difficulty in resisting the harsh effects of oxidation and disease-inflicting viruses.

Here are the Top 10 Alkaline Foods that will give your mind and body more health and energy:

Top 10: Avocados, Bananas (ripe), Berries, Carrots, Celery, Currants, Dates, Garlic.
These foods are very high in antioxidants. They have a pH value of 8.0. They chemically react to acidic foods of pH 5.0 and elevate them near the alkaline levels. Berries, dates and especially garlic have special properties that regulate blood pressure as well.

Top 9: Apples (sweet), Apricots, Alfalfa sprouts.
These ones are super digestible foods, which are high in fiber and have a pH value of 8.0. They are also rich in enzymes that are helpful in maintaining the body’s hormonal balance. Surely, an apple a day keeps the doctor away! Don’t forget to include apricots though. For those who do not know, Alfalfa sprouts are those sprouting seeds of beans that are commonly mixed in salads and sandwiches.

Top 8: Grapes (sweet), Passion fruit, Pears (sweet), Pineapple, Raisins, Umeboshi plum, Vegetable juices.
At a pH of 8.5, this group is also high in antioxidant and vitamins A, B and C. Grapes, raisins and plums are blood-regulating, which lowers blood pressure and risks of getting heart disease. Pineapple, on one hand, is rich in L-Carnitine, which uses body fat as an energy source and is good for trimming that growing waistline. Vegetable juices, on the other hand, are high in iron and good for cellular detoxification.

Top 7: Chicory, Kiwifruit, Fruit juices.
They have natural sugar that doesn’t form acidic compounds during digestion. Rather, these foods have alkaline-forming properties that give more energy to the body. Still at a pH level of 8.5, this group is rich in flavonoids, a chemical compound in natural foods that have antioxidant properties. Kiwi fruit even has higher Vitamin C content than oranges. Chicory, a bitter-tasting close relative of the lettuce, also has insulin that supports the pancreas and aids the body in preventing diabetes.

Top 6: Watercress, Seaweeds, Asparagus.
With a pH level of 8.5, this group is unique as a powerful acid reducer. Watercress, for example, is called the natural super food. It is the first leaf vegetable consumed by human beings and is commonly prepared as part of a healthy salad. It is best eaten raw and it contains lots of iron and calcium like seaweeds. Asparagus is even more special for its highest content of asparagines, an amino acid important to the nervous system.

Top 5: Limes, Mango, Melons, Papaya, Parsley.
This food group has a pH of 8.5 and is best at cleansing the kidneys. Papaya is even the healthiest laxative that promotes defecation and colon cleansing. Parsley, the most popular herb, is the best dirt sweeper of the intestines when taken raw. It is also a diuretic, which is necessary in cleaning the kidneys. Limes, mangoes and melons are vitamin-rich fruits that are alkaline-forming during digestion.

Top 4: Cantaloupe, Cayenne (Capsicum).
The group with the most alkaline reactive properties among the foods with the pH of 8.5, they are high in enzymes needed by the endocrine system. Cayenne has antibacterial properties and is also high in Vitamin A, which is essential in fighting free radicals that causes stress and illnesses. Cantaloupes, a relative of melons, is very low in sugar but high in fiber.

Top 3: Agar Agar (Organic Gelatin)
Still with a pH of 8.5, Agar Agar is a gelatin substitute made from seaweeds that is high in iron and calcium as well. It is very digestible and has the highest fiber content among all foods.

Top 2: Watermelon.
At a pH level of 9.0, Watermelon are very alkaline. Because of its high fiber and water content at 92% of its entire weight, watermelon is a mild diuretic and a great source of beta-carotene, lycopene and vitamin C. This thirst-quenching fruit is the most life and energy supporting food when used in a week-long fasting and colon cleansing.

Top 1: Lemons.
At the top of the list is the Amazing Lemon. With its electrolytic properties and a pH level of 9.0, lemons are considered the most alkalizing food. It is the most potent and most immediate relief for colds, cough, flu, heartburns, hyperacidity and other virus-related ailments. Lemons are natural antiseptic that disinfects and heals wounds. It is also the best liver tonic that detoxifies and energizes the liver.

Friday, August 6, 2010

French Fries….are they really French??

Ah the French Fry, who doesn’t like them? Delicious and tasty (and slightly unhealthy yes I know), but whether they are drenched in salt, vinegar or tomato sauce and mayo, they are a very very popular fast food!

We all know the Dutch love their fries, it is like a national treasure to them. Known as "patat," Dutch fries are prepared fresh and not frozen at a number of stalls. The fries you order there will be the thick, steak fry variety, and they'll be served to you in a paper cone and topped with a dollop of creamy mayonnaise. Fries are so commonly served this way that to order them one simply asks for patat "met", or "with."

The Dutch, however, cannot take responsibility for inventing the fry. Neither can the French. That honour goes to the Belgians where fries are cherished even more than they are in Holland. The fry culture in Belgium is similar to that of Holland—fries are everywhere, the thick slabs of potatoes are freshly fried and served in paper cones, and they are offered with a variety of toppings, the most popular being mayonnaise—but the Belgians have also developed a wide variety of specialized fries shops, called, in Belgium "frietkots" or "fritures". These range from small stands, to sheds, busses and caravans, to shacks or quaint chalets.

The story goes that fries date back to 1680: the inhabitants of Namur, Andenne and Dinant in Belgium used to fish in the Meuse River and fry the little fish they caught to improve their diet. However, when rivers and streams froze over and it was dangerous to fish, people used to cut potatoes into the shape of little fish and fry them.

As for the name "French fries", it is alleged to come from either the Irish "to french", meaning "to cut", or from the American allies who, when they landed in the Belgian Ardennes, tasted the incomparable fried potatoes and called them "French fries", French for the language spoken by the inhabitants and fries because of the way they were cooked. Whenever the case may be, fries are definitely Belgian!

http://www.lutosa.com/uk/products/the-origin-of-french-fries/