Tag: French

Cherry Clafoutis

On By lukephillaryhIn Luke's Dishes1 Comment
Clafoutis with cherry Mimi Thorisson recipe
In France, they say ‘cerise’

Cherry Clafoutis is a dessert that’s easier to make than properly pronounce. My mom’s directions for making clafoutis are as follows: “pour palačinke batter over cherries and put it in the oven.” The only messy part of this recipe is pitting the cherries – a task I didn’t particularly enjoy as a 5 year old child. I realize now why my mother’s directions for clafoutis are so straight-forward. She leaves out the part where I do all the grunt work and end up covered in cherry juices.

Because Hillary and I are too structured of people to actually follow the palačinke batter + cherries advice, we use Mimi Thorisson’s recipe from A Kitchen in France. Mimi actually doesn’t pit her cherries, which is something my pre-k self would have been very happy about. If you’d rather not throw caution to the wind, try these pitting methods or pick up a special pitter.

Ingredients:

  • 3 1/2 TBS unsalted butter, melted and cooled + extra butter for cake pan
  • 1 LB cherries, pits removed
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
  •  3/4 cup + 1 TBS whole milk
  • 4 eggs
  • Powdered sugar for *dusting*

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Pit the cherries either with a pitting tool or using a chopstick.
  3. Butter a 9 inch round cake pan. Arrange the cherries in the bottom of the pan.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla bean seeds.
  5. Whisking gently, add the milk and then eggs (one by one). Add the melted butter and whisk until the batter is nice and smooth. Pour the batter over the cherries.
  6. Bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for another 30ish minutes.
  7. Place the pan on a rack and let cool for at least 1 hour.
  8. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Chocolate Tart

On By lukephillaryhIn ClassicoLeave a comment
chocolate tart dessert
Decadent sliver

Mastering a chocolate tart recipe sort of makes you feel like you could pull off the eternally enviable style of Parisian women – you are Patricia, the beautiful American heroine of Breathless. That, “I woke up this stylish and put-together” look. Seemingly effortless and simple, but at the same time tailored and unique. Parisian style is unassuming, beautiful, and beguiling. For years us American woman have been trying to crack the code. Serving this chocolate tart to guests, you’ll elicit a similar response. They’ll be thinking, “It’s so simple, but so good and I’m not sure how I can recreate this for myself.”  This tart is perfect all on its own – no need to accessorize with whipped cream or ice cream. The filling is silky smooth chocolate, but with just the right amount of bite. And you’ll only need a sliver. There’s a lot of decadence in a tiny portion.

The inspiration for this recipe comes from David Lebovitz, a Parisian emigrate and our favorite ex-pat food writer. We used a crust recipe from Amanda Hesser, though David has his own as well (which we are sure is great).

Ingredients (Crust, makes 2):

  • 8 oz (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened + extra for greasing
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 tsp milk
  • 12 oz (about 2 1/3 cup) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Chocolate Filling:

  • 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 6 TBS warm coffee
  • 4 oz unsalted butter, cubed at room temperature
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 4 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Make the crust. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add the egg yolk and milk and beat to combine. In a separate, medium bowl combine the flour and salt. Slowly add the flour to the butter mixture, stirring until completely blended. Gather dough into 2 balls and wrap each in plastic wrap. Freeze one for a later date and chill one in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
  2. Heavily butter a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Make sure to butter all the nooks and crannies. Roll out the dough and press the dough into the pan, patching up the sides and trimming the edges as needed. Prick the bottom with a fork and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
  3. Prebake the tart shell. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove tart from freezer, fill with pie weights, dried rice, dried beans to prevent the crust from puffing up. We use a lot of coins! And line the crust with parchment paper or a buttered piece aluminum foil before pouring in coins or weights. Bake until golden, 20-25 minutes.
  4. While prebaking, make the chocolate filling. Spread sugar in an even layer in the bottom of a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan or dutch-oven. Cook the sugar over medium heat until the edges liquefy and begin to caramelize. Using a heatproof utensil, gently drag the liquified sugar toward the center of the pan. This encourages the sugar to melt evenly.
  5. Once the sugar is melted it will caramelize fairly quickly. When it starts to smoke, but before it burns, turn off the heat and stir in the coffee. Be careful when you do this; wear oven mitts and don’t stand too close to the pan. The mixture will bubble and seize up a bit. If the caramel has seized up a bit, stir it gently until smoothed.
  6. Add the butter and salt and stir until melted. Then add both chocolates and stir until smooth. Once smooth, mix in the eggs, then the flour. Finally, stir in vanilla.
  7. Pour the mixture into the pre-baked tart shell. Bake 15-20 minutes, just until the filling starts to rise and crack at the edges but the center is still jiggly. Don’t over bake!
  8. Remove from oven and let cool completely before slicing.

You can enjoy with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, but it truly is delicious all on it’s own!

Madeleines

On By lukephillaryhIn ClassicoLeave a comment
Madeleines powder sugar David Lebovitz
Powdered perfection for any occasion

If you haven’t noticed yet, Hillary and I love a good *dusting* of powered sugar. Our breakfast palačinkes, afternoon canelés, and xmas linzer cookies always come with a light coating of sugar. The act of “dusting” has recently reached the big stage thanks to a certain Turkish chef aka #Saltbae. We’re glad to see he salts his steak with the same care as we do with our delicately powdered desserts. In our attempt to share some of Saltbae’s spotlight, we recently whipped up some dusting-friendly madeleines. These desserts are great with a lemon or chocolate glaze, but a subtle coat of sugar is really all you need.

The recipe is adopted from one of our favorite chefs / Instagrammers David Lebovitz. His recipe makes 24 medium sized madeleines – the perfect amount for any party or dessert/breakfast combo.

Ingredients:

  • 3 eggs at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp honey
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • zest of 1 small lemon
  • 9 TBS of unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature + a bit of butter for the baking sheet molds

Directions:

  1. Begin by brushing melted butter into each madeleine baking sheet mold. Dust with flour and put in the fridge or freezer until ready to use.
  2. With a standing mixer or hand mixer/bowl, whip the eggs, sugar and salt until thick and frothy (about 5 mins)
  3. Pass the flour through a mesh sifter into a small bowl. Gradually fold the flour into the egg mixture until incorporated. Let the batter rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
  4. As the batter sits in the fridge, prepare the melted butter and lemon zest mixture. Start by melting the 9 tablespoons butter and let it cool to room temperature (15-20 mins). Add lemon zest to cooled butter and let sit.
  5. Remove batter from the fridge. Gradually spoon butter into the batter and simultaneously fold until incorporated. Add honey and vanilla as you fold in butter mixture. Return to fridge and let sit for another 1 hour.
  6. Preheat oven to 425°F. Plop enough of the batter to fill 3/4th’s of the baking sheet indentation. Do not spread, but give the baking sheets a few knocks on the counter-top before placing in the oven.
  7. Turn oven to 400°F and bake for 8-9 minutes, keep a close eye on the edges to make sure the bottoms don’t burn. Remove from the oven and dust with powdered sugar.

Details: Makes 24 medium sized madeleines. Store uncovered or loosely covered so they don’t loss their crisp.

Canelés de Bordeaux

On By lukephillaryhIn Luke's Dishes, Uncategorized4 Comments
Cannelés de Bordeaux Mimi Thorisson Trader Joes
Powder sugar perfection

Canelés are the perfect treat. They’re bite-sized, super sweet, crunchy and custardy. You can enjoy with a morning coffee, as an afternoon snack, or have a couple after dinner for a little sweetness. And when sprinkled with powdered sugar, they’re très photogenic – perfect for Instagram.  We discovered this recipe via Luke’s mother, who mastered making canelés by following a recipe in Mimi Thorisson’s A Kitchen in France. Proper French pastry chefs use copper molds, but a silicone mold (recommended by Mimi) makes life a lot easier. The only qualm we have with canelés is that they require some serious patience! You must make the batter at least 24 hours in advance. We suggest making the batter Saturday morning so that you can enjoy these little gems with Sunday brunch…and lunch, dinner, and midnight dessert!

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups + 2 TBS whole milk
  • 1-2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 2 TBS unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup dark rum (tip: we bought two mini bottles of Kraken Black Spiced Rum)

Directions:

  1. Note! Batter must be prepared at least 24 hours before baking, so plan ahead.
  2. In a medium saucepan set at medium-low temp, whisk together milk and vanilla seeds. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Let it rest for 5 minutes then transfer to a large bowl.
  3. Whisk in the sugar and flour slowly, avoiding any lumps. Add egg yolks one at a time and mix until incorporated. Stir in the melted butter. Pour in the rum and whisk the batter until smooth. The batter should have the same consistency as palachinkes (aka crepes).
  4. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours (can be up to 48 hours).
  5. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  6. If using silicone canelés molds, you do not need to brush with butter. Copper/metal molds are trickier to use. Consult more professional canelés-makers for suggestions.
  7. Fill molds about to 2/3, be very careful to not fill too much. Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes then turn down the oven to 350°F and bake for additional 50 minutes.
  8. Let canelés cool in their molds for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar when you’re ready to enjoy!

Details: Most silicon molds hold 15 or 16 canelés, we had a bit of batter leftover once our mold was filled.

French Tomato Tart

On By lukephillaryhIn VeggieLeave a comment
Tomato Tart David Lebovitz recipe
Tomatoes and the tart! Perfect for a picnic.

Luke’s dad Scott is a masterful tomato grower. In a small community garden plot in Philadelphia Scott has harvested many pounds of tomatoes, a combination of varieties he carefully selects – Speckled Peach, Amish Paste, Marmande, Golden Honey Bunch are a few of his favorite. He’s truly perfected the science of tomato growing, even conducting taste tests. In past summers, Luke and I have had the privilege of enjoying Scott’s tomato bounty, making oodles of bruschetta, homemade tomato sauce, Caprese salad – gustatorily transporting ourselves to Italy. This year, in accordance with fairness and good governance, Scott’s community plot has been ceded to another gardener. And sadly, without Scott’s crop, Luke and I have completely forgotten to enjoy any of summer’s tomatoes! Thankfully, that changed this weekend. We selected three beautiful farmer’s market tomatoes and journeyed from Italy to France. This fresh, bright tomato tart makes a perfect summer lunch or light dinner. Bring to the park for a Provençal picnic!

Recipe courtesy of David Lebovitz – a classic food blogger, but new favorite!

Ingredients  – Dough:

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 9 TBS chilled butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 2-3 TBS ice water

Ingredients – Tart filling:

  • 2-3 TBS dijon mustard
  • 2-3 large ripe tomatoes, cut into slices
  • 2 TBS olive oil
  • 2 TBS minced fresh herbs (thyme, chives, tarragon)
  • 6 oz goat cheese, cut into rounds
  • salt & pepper, to taste

Directions – Dough:

  1. Tart dough: Mix flour in salt in a medium sized bowl. Add the butter and use your hands or pastry blender, to break in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.
  2. Mix the egg with 2 TBS of cold water. Make a well in the center of the dough and add the beaten egg mixture. Stir the mixture with your hands until the dough holds together. If it’s not coming together easily, add an additional TBS of water.
  3. Form dough into a ball and transfer onto a big sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap in plastic and flatten into a disc. Refrigerate for an hour (or up to 24 hours).
  4. Remove dough from fridge and let thaw out slightly. On a lightly floured service using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough. Rotate the dough and add more flour to surface, as needed, to ensure dough doesn’t stick. Roll out dough so that is large enough to cover the bottom and sides of a 9-inch or 10-inch removable tart pan.
  5. Transfer the dough to your tart pan and press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of your pan.

Directions – Filling:

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. Spread an even layer of mustard over the bottom of the tart pan and let sit for a minute or so to soak in.
  3. Arrange the sliced tomatoes in a single layer (a little overlap is ok). Sprinkle with 1 TBS of fresh herbs and drizzle with olive oil. Top with salt and a freshly ground black pepper.
  4. Arrange the goat cheese slices on top and sprinkling with remaining herbs.
  5. Bake the tart for 30 minutes, until the cheese is nicely browned around the edges. Let cool for ten minutes, then enjoy! Perfect for a summer lunch.

Details: Makes 1 9-inch or 10-inch tart

Bâtons + Soft Boiled Egg

On By lukephillaryhIn Hillary's Dishes1 Comment
Soft Boiled Egg with batons Buvette
In action!

In college, a classic dining hall meal was breakfast for dinner. Freshman year brinner was an occasion. What could be better than eggs, pancakes, and a giant platter of bacon? Unsurprisingly, brinner always turned out to be a little lackluster.  Watery eggs, chewy pancakes.  And though the bacon was actually perfectly crispy, a self-respecting person can only allow themselves to consume so much bacon. After freshman year I moved out of the dorms and said goodbye to dining hall food, but not to brinner. Because making breakfast for dinner allowed for some cheap, quick, and very satisfying meals. And because breakfast food is delicious. When we’re feeling lazy about making a weekday dinner, Luke and I will whip up some bacon, cheesy eggs, wrap em up in a tortilla, squirt some sriracha on top and voilà – dinner! This recipe is a bit more special. It comes from the Buvette cookbook (fav brunch spot for all the NYC betches) and puts a little fancy flair on a breakfast meal that I imagine many cute French children enjoying. Dip these crunchy bâtons into a gooey soft boiled egg and enjoy! A delicious dinner (or brunch) without the 2 hour wait.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 rustic loaf of bread (boule) ~ making 16 bâtons
  • 2 TBS olive oil
  • handful grated parm
  • 1-2 tsp fresh (or dried) thyme *it using dried, use closer to 1 tsp
  • 8 slices prosciutto, cut in half lengthwise
  • as many eggs as you like!! (serves 4-6)
  • salt & pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Making the bâtons: Cut your bread loaf into 4 slices, cutting from the middle of the bread to have wider, evenly sized slices.  Cut each slice into 4 long bâtons, aim for about middle finger size, 1/2 inch thickness.  Place bâtons on a baking sheet in one layer and bake 5-10 minutes, turning once or twice to ensure all sides are golden brown.
  3. Adding the flare: Remove baking sheet from the oven, drizzle bâtons with oil olive to evenly cover and scatter with parm and thyme.  Wrap each bâton with a strip of prosciutto and then place back on the baking sheet.  Bake for another 5-10 minutes.
  4. Eggs: Meanwhile, boil a pot of water (enough to cover however many eggs you’d like to boil).  Once boiling, add the eggs *gently* and cook for 3 1/2 minutes.  Remove (again, gently!) and run over with cold water.
  5. Get your egg set up in its stand, crank and peel the egg shell and puncture! Dip your bâton to soak up all that yolk-y goodness!  This is an action packed meal.

Details: As mentioned in the ingredients, this recipe can serve up to six (doing the math, that’s about 3 bâtons per person) but Luke and I could easily eat up to 8 bâtons each.  They’re addicting!!

Some notes:

  • This meal is excellent with a simple side salad of greens, tossed with a vinaigrette dressing.
  • If you don’t have egg stands, as they are a somewhat unusual and niche kitchen accessory, you can peel the shell of the egg as you would with a hard boiled egg.  It’s a bit tricky, but doable.  Arrange 4 or so bâtons on a plate and place your unpeeled soft boiled egg on top and then break.  You can use your bâtons to soak up the yolk-y mess.
  • Deb also has a delicious looking bâtons recipe  on Smitten Kitchen. YUM.

To print the recipe, click here: Bâtons + Soft Boiled Egg