“If my friend Claudine Martina, a teacher from Angers, had given me this recipe years ago, my baking career would have ended — I would simply have found a way to use this recipe for just about everything.” Dorie Greenspan
Two wedges of Visitandine (a French cake) make the perfect base for strawberry shortcake (an all-American dessert).
This week’s French Friday’s with Dorie recipe choice is the heavenly dessert, Visitandine, named for the Order of Visitation, a French religious order founded in 1610. Like the cloistered, contemplative nuns it was named after, this spongy one-layer cake is plain, simple and sits quietly. Competing against a rich German-Chocolate Torte or a splashy Almond Sponge Roulade, it would probably lose. But if you are wise enough to return and taste again, you’ve won a friend forever.
I used an 8-inch springform pan to bake one thin Visitandine.
Although Dorie suggests doubling this recipe for more layers and versatility, I baked one thin cake in my 8” springform pan. Since I’m trying to be more creative with leftovers, wasting less food, this recipe leant itself perfectly to that challenge. (Thank you, thrifty Sisters.) I followed the recipe as written but did, at Dorie’s suggestion, brown the butter, turning it into beurre noisette. I definitely could taste the hints of caramel and hazelnut that beurre noisette represents. Here, in pictures, is my week of Visitandine, all different but delicious versions of one small white cake. Then, read on, there’s more leftover about leftovers.
Although Dorie instructed us to let it cool to room temperature, I could not wait. A warm piece of Visitandine is perfected goodness.
When my blogging colleagues Susan and John Lester were here recently, we maintained an on-going, onesubjectrunningintoanothersubject, conversation. About food and wine. About books and films. About careers. And, about my nemesis, leftovers and waste. Admittedly, I am a by-the-book, non-imaginative cook. I try hard but it’s very seldom that I crawl out on a foodie limb. Sprinkling Sriracha Sea Salt (Gracias, Ms. Puerto Rico) on french fries or Sale Ae Tartufo Estivo (Grazie, Grauers) on scrambled eggs are my go-wild moments.
Remember last week’s Blueberry & Cinnamon Swirl Sheep Milk Ice Cream? I piled two wedges together, than scooped the ice cream on top and finished up my box of blueberries.
To help my cause I coerced the Lesters into playing a game. I went to my fridge and took an inventory of leftovers – scallops, puff pastry and Petrale sole, left from our visit to my neighborhood Sea Chest restaurant. Susan also glanced at my fruit bowl (full) and vegetable bin (a good inventory). With those ingredients in mind they bounced menu ideas back and forth, one suggestion bringing on another. I laughed and listened. Just for this conversation alone, they’ve earned another invitation for next year. “Susan and John, come early, stay longer and, if the drought restrictions are lifted, I will even let you shower.”
By Day 5, the Visitandine was a little stale but still perfect for breakfast. After 20 seconds in the microwave, I split the last wedge in two and smothered it in Durkee’s Orange Marmalade topping it with Fage’s Greek Yogurt.
The true test in how I fared with Leftovers 101 is the result. I made a frittata with the Petrale Sole which I ate for breakfast and two lunches. Since they also left their fish leftovers from the Sea Chest with me, I made a Smoky Fish Chowder from a recent Melissa Clark “What’s for Dinner” column in The New York Times. (Not Pictured)
With the extra scallops from my FFWD Scallop and Onion Tartes Fines, I made scallops, bacon and asparagus spaghetti. I wish there had been more leftovers in this leftover.
Like the Lesters, I also had an extra sheet of puff pastry from our FFWD Tartes Fines. I baked John’s Cognac Caramel Apple Tarte Tatin (sans cognac).
How’d I do? A passing grade, maybe? Is it just me or will any of you confess to a leftover, waste or spoilage issue? I grew up in the era of the starving children in China. If there was food left on our plates, my brother and I were reminded of those poor kids. I still feel guilty, guilty, guilty about a wilted, spoiled or discarded anything. French Fridays with Dorie is an international cooking group working its way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around my French Table, more than 300 recipes from my home to yours. The recipe for Visitandine is here. To see how many layers my colleagues baked this week, check out our FFWD site.
You did spectacularly well! We need to come up with a ‘my fridge/pantry’ game one of these weeks – or I’ll have to email the Lesters and request their consulting service.
The piece of cake with the shimmer of marmalade and yogurt looks especially appetizing!
What a great post Mary and you really do highlight how versatile the cake is. It’s a keeper!
A+, my friend!!! I need to make John’s tarte tatin…in fact, I wish it was in front of me now for my breakfast!!!
I was raised by a depression era mom in New England… I am so with you about not wasting food. It drives me crazy to hear that the average American throws away 40% of what they buy a week… stop shopping at Costo I say.
Gorgeous cake… and I’m still laughing about possibly allowing your guests to shower.
We are TERRIBLY wasteful. Primarily when it comes to produce. I always buy everything I see, with no plan. Even when I have a plan, poor cauliflower ends up getting pushed aside and pushed aside until it’s too gross to eat. We’re also bad at eating leftovers. Soooo many mystery containers in my fridge. I periodically have to purge it. I’m trying to be more mindful, but then I forget things are there. Your dishes all look great!
Bravo, bravo!
I think I need Susan and John to go through my inventory 🙂 I have been trying though – purge the veggie bin dinners have become more of a thing (as well as mystery dive into the freezer).
This post REALLY Speaks to me. I HATE to throw away food. So I love making salads with left overs (grains or roasted veggies or cooked flesh)…but what I mostly do is make Frittatas for breakfast. Bernie loves his eggs and I feel so morally superior when I not only use up my left overs but wind up having veggies for breakfast. A real daily double.
OK so this frittata picture was coming up as the featured image in your FB feed and I thought “oh girl, what did you do to that poor poor visitandine?” But I come here and you really have put me in my place with all this beautiful food you are creating! I’m not sure how you even got it to last 5 days in the first place? Nice lift too. Mine was flatish and if I were to make it again I would use a smaller pan than the 10″ spec’d out by Dor’.
You get the highest marks. I’m impressed. I think we need to kick off this game for all of the Dorista fridges (for whoever wants to play). I’m pretty good at keeping the waste down, nowhere near 40%, but it is a challenge sometimes. All of your meals sound wonderful. I adore Melissa Clark, so I’m going to check out her chowder recipe. Oh, and I forgot to mention your lovely cake. I will say that, for me a simple cake like this would beat the fancier models you mentioned every time. Have a great weekend!
You did wonderfully with the leftovers. I have issues with leftovers too. I absolutely need to empty my vegetable drawer before to go to shop again. … All your versions of visitandine look lovely. This was really one versatile cake !
Mary, Great post! I also grew up worrying about those children all over the world…who would be happy to eat the liver on my plate. My answer once was that my mother should send it to them…ut oh…not the result my mom wanted!
You did a great job with all your leftovers! And your Visitandine looks beautiful! I also love Melissa Clark! Have a wonderful weekend!
Beautiful! I love visiting you Doristas! This is my first visit to your site, and it will not be my last. What lovely and thrifty work. I’m impresed! Brava!
Mary, what an array of wonderful foods that you served this week – I am quite impressed with the variety! Love that frittata but then again also the pasta – we are seeing the first green asparagus in the market these days, so this would be a nice recipe for my to try. As far as the Visitandine goes, you certainly made the best of it! It was gone in one afternoon here, so no chance to taste it “the day after” but I loved the simple, elegant cake so much and got a chance to use my beloved rhubarb again. So much wonderful food – what a terrific post!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Love all your leftover adventures. Using leftovers well is a real skill, one that I’m still developing. However, I won’t have too much trouble with eating the cake I have left – I sent half of it downstairs to my neighbours!
You’re blog is so different! I love it Mary!
It’s so good to be back and reading what everyone is up to.
I am very much a by the book cook as well. For me it forces me to focus, it’s my mindfulness practice. Cooking doesn’t come naturally to me so I have to really concentrate and it brings me into the present moment.
Love your post, very creative 🙂
Love, love, love your post this week. And no, you are not the only one who struggles with leftovers. I think that it is a particular problem for smaller families. I remember when I was sinlge and living in Chicago, I would bemoan the fact that everything in the grocery store seemed designed for a family of 4. For example, I could never make it through an entire loaf of bread or an entire carton of milk before it went bad. That’s when I gave up buying bread at home and started drinking soy milk because it lasted longer. I do have to say that this is one area where living in Europe has its advantages, because they do tend to sell things in smaller portions here. The people at my bakery don’t bat an eye if I ask for a half, or even a quarter loaf of bread. The lady at my produce stand will happily cut one of the pumpkins in half if that’s all I need. But even with these advantages, we too still end up throwing things out sometimes, and it makes me crazy. So your post was an inspriation today that I need to get creative with those leftovers!
OK, I just have to start with the sriracha salt. I must have some – where does one find it?
I am so very impressed with your efforts this week! Amazing. I am not very good about using up everything. Even with my best laid plans, something often goes awry.
I loved this cake too, I thought it was delicious. Both dressed up, and plain with coffee. Yours looks fan=bulous!
OMG Mary I love this post! All this amazing food! I hate wasting food and always try to plan my meals in a way that ingredients match so I don’t have to throw anything away! The cake and the blueberry ice cream look so good together I am sorry there is no leftover cake to have it with ice cream. And I have the same question as Trevor how did you manage to keep the cake for so many days 🙂 🙂
Mary, first, this is my first time visiting your site after the update, and I wanted to tell you that I love it. The design and colors are really great. Also, I am very impressed by your creative use of leftovers. I am very boring–I’ll just keep serving the same things over and over again. I need to learn to be more creative. Sounds like there’s been a lot of good food at your house recently!
Your entire post looks fantastic! Yum!
I think you did a terrific job with your leftovers. I always feel guilty wasting food too. Thankfully, not too much is thrown out as my kids are growing and tend to eat like bears waking from hibernation. Your Visitandine looks great and I’d eat it for breakfast too. Any day! (If we had any left over that is!)
You are doing well with avoiding wastage. I avoid cake waste by taking it to work. I love all your creative takes on Visitandine, but the blueberry and cinnamon swirl icecream one is my fave.