MOUSSE AU CHOCOLAT AU CARMEL AU BEURRE SALÉ (Salted Butter Caramel-Chocolate Mousse) from My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz
Not much can leave me speechless.
SALTED BUTTER CARAMEL-CHOCOLATE MOUSSE.
Words. Cannot. Describe.
It’s Cook-the-Book Fridays and this week’s mousse is a thumbs up choice. The jar is by Weck. I use their containers for gift-giving.
Since every drool-worthy dessert needs a simple meal as its prop, I’m nominating this old-timer, Pasta Citron avec Jambon and Olives from Le Procope in Paris. Claiming to be the oldest cafe in Paris (George Washington probably slept there also.), their no-frills recipe has withstood the test of time. Just by tossing together a green salad and adding a hunk or two of country bread, you’ve got a springtime meal to thrill your family or dazzle your guests. Promise.
Despite some unpacked duffels and adjusting to my 940 square feet condo in a bout of settling frenzy, I’m home in Aspen (Pitkin County). Small spaces translate to everything owning its place. Otherwise, it’s chaos. Since I’m currently wearing my re-organization crown and in honor of my “speechless” mousse, this week’s post is visual.
Enjoying a reunion with new friends, Rita, Bobbie and Susan (LtoR) before returning to Colorado. Bear Valley Trail. Point Reyes National Seashore.
Before driving home, I made one last trip to California’s Marin and Sonoma counties. In February, if you recall, I spent 4-days in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta on a ecology field/boat trip to learn more about water issues. I was a Coloradoan and a bit resentful that California was taking so much of our water. The other 23 participants were Californians and defended their Colorado River water rights. (They were correct, of course.) In truth, we were all on the same team and just wanting to do better.
Shells and Sand Dollars from Limantour Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore.
While there, I met three other women and, like often, in parting we promised to keep in touch. Usually once the blush of a trip fades, those experiences just become wonderful memories. For whatever reasons, this promise bore fruit. In March I spent a long welcome-to-southern California weekend in Venice with Susan Seeck, a LA clinical therapist. Before leaving California, Susan and I visited Rita Bernardi, a retired educator from North Marin, and Bobbie Curley, who grows grapes in Sonoma.
Following Rita’s tutorial, Susan and I tried our non-Italian hands at Bocce Ball. I fulfilled my PE requirement at Florida State by taking Bowling (not particularly proud of that) so I held my own.
If my winter needed a finale, this adventure worked. While organizing the trip, Susan and I suggested to our hostesses that one evening the two of us would cook a meal. Offer accepted. That’s when Susan remembered Le Procope’s pasta with lemon, ham and black olives, a delicious pasta dish she’d made long ago. It wasn’t difficult to create a meal to compliment it and “tote” the ingredients/wine to Novato where Rita and her husband, David, live.
Susan made the pasta topping while David boiled the pasta (perfect) and tossed it together.
Readers, it’s an easy menu. You know I never take the road less travelled in the kitchen. I always trot down the tried, true and simple route. That’s why I’m sharing all this yumminess with you today.
Our farewell dinner at my namesake restaurant in Sonoma.
The most difficult part of making the mousse is having to wait eight hours while it chills. In the spirit of full disclosure, I only managed four. It was scrumptious.
Mise en Place. The most important thing a cook can do is gather all the ingredients together BEFORE cooking. Do it.
At the end of the day all the ingredients have been used/included and the recipe will be a success. It’s called Mise en Place.
MOUSEE AU CHOCOLAT AU CARMEL AU BEURRE SALÉ
(Salted Butter Caramel-Chocolate Mousse) from My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons salted butter, cubed
1/2 cup heavy cream
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 large eggs, room temperature, separated
1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt, preferably fleur de sel
DIRECTIONS:
1. Spread the sugar over the bottom of a wide saucepan. Heat the sugar over medium heat. As it begins to liquefy at the edges, use a heatproof spatula to very gently drag the liquefied sugar toward the center. Watch carefully, as once the edges start to darken, the sugar is in danger of burning. Continue to cook, stirring very gently, until all the sugar is melted and begins to caramelize.
The sugar is beginning to caramelize. Watch it carefully and you’ll be fine.
2. When the caramel is a deep amber color and starts to smoke, wait a brief moment for it to smell just slightly burnt. Remove the caramel from the heat and quickly whisk in the butter, stirring until melted. Gradually whisk in the cream, stirring until all the little bits of caramel are completely melted. If everything was well stirred there shouldn’t be any hard caramel bits left over. However, if some remain, strain the mixture to remove them.
3. Once smooth, add the chocolate, stirring gently until melted and smooth. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and let it to cool to room temperature. Once it’s cooled, whisk in the egg yolks.
Here’s the mousse mixture before the egg whites are folded in.
4. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture, also sprinkling in the flaky salt. Fold in the remaining whipped egg whites until no white streaks remain. Divide the mousse into serving glasses or transfer to a decorative serving bowl. Chill for at least 8 hours. Serve chilled straight up(my preference) or, with fresh berries, espresso beans embellishment or a dash of whipped cream.
Why is this my favorite photo? It tells a story. Susan is cooking. Rita, our hostess who grew these gorgeous roses, is watching. And, Bobbie (off camera), who lost her husband recently, is pouring David some wine. She shared a bottle from her husband Joe’s last vintage. Our friendship of 2 months will be ongoing!
LE PROCOPE’S PASTA WITH LEMON, HAM & OLIVES adapted by Patricia Wells, Bistro Cooking cookbook
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 5 to 7 minutes
Yield: 4 to 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
2 lemons, scraped of their yellow rind and juiced ( 1/4 cup)
Salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup (3 ounces) oil-cured black olives, pitted
1/2 pound unsmoked ham or prosciutto, cut in thin strips (We used prosciutto, a good choice.)
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (P. Wells, “It is well worth finding some fresh thyme. If you can`t, infuse some dried leaf thyme by letting it steep in cold water for a good 15 minutes, then strain and pat dry.”)
Coarsely ground black pepper
1 pound long pasta, preferably fine like spaghettini or capellini (angel hair)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Whisk lemon juice with a little bit of salt in small bowl until dissolved. Whisk in oil, then set aside.
2. If necessary, pit olives with a cherry pitter or place the side of a cleaver or wide-blade knife over the olives, give them a very hard whack with your fist, pressing down on the knife blade, roll it back and forth over olives, then pick out pits.
3. In a large shallow bowl, combine the olives with ham, thyme and lemon rind. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to blend. Set aside.
3. Just before serving time, heat 4 quarts of water to boil. Add a tablespoon of salt and the pasta all at once. Cover pot until it returns to boil. Remove cover and stir with wooden spoon until the strands no longer are bunched together. Cook until al dente (crisp tender).
4. Drain and immediately transfer to a warm serving bowl. Pour on the dressing and toss gently. Serve immediately, garnishing with freshly ground black pepper ONLY being careful to divide the ham and olives proportionately.
TIP: I suggest serving this pasta dish with no embellishments at all. It needs nothing.
Cook-the-Book Fridays is a virtual international group who are making their way through David Lebovitz’s My Paris Kitchen cookbook. To see what others have dished up this week or to join our group (it’s fun), go here.
Where to begin. This is my last LIGHTSonBRIGHT postmarked from California. In mid-November I left Aspen, barely escaping the first snow flurries, knowing it would be springtime before my return. The left side of my brain, where my logic is warehoused, kept telling me this was a good thing. My heart, where most of my decisions are made, was shouting, “What have you done?”
David Lebovitz’s CROQUE MONSIEUR from My Paris Kitchen cookbook
In the past 5 1/2 months of this solitary journey I have motored through five states, joyously celebrated three major holidays, one VIP 50th birthday and settled into 3 different homes. Good fortune smiled broadly in December for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Galapagos.
The Valley Vixens, my nature study group, flew to California for a long week-end of whales, wildflowers and birds. – with our guides at Chimney Rock, Point Reyes National Seashore
This solitude and being alone thing cuts both ways. My adventures and explorations throughout California from Point Reyes in the north to Los Angeles have been magical. I have fallen in love with this state and the people in it. (Caveat: Aspen and the Rockies are still #1.) I’ve relished my aloneness, Yin time to my Yang’s constant busyness of Aspen. Admittedly, it’s time for Yang.
My BETTER THAN THIS drop cookie
There will be many hours during my 1,000 mile trip back to Colorado, to revisit this journey, realize Life lessons learned, and re-think traveling more simply. Unfortunately, the drive also coincides with what would have been our 30th wedding anniversary. That day I plan to cut short my driving time, stop at a familiar hotel, enjoy a nice dinner with a glass or three of wine and remember the good times. Reservations already booked.
Load. Lock. Puree. This tapenade can be thrown together in 10 minutes.
MY PARIS KITCHEN: TAPENADE & the non-sexist CROQUE
I’m betting you’ll like this farewell post from Cambria. It’s Cook the Book Fridays when we feature recipes from David Lebovitz’s spectacular My Paris Kitchen. That man knows how to write a cookbook. Here’s my take on his Artichoke Tapenade with Rosemary Oil, a tasty quickie and multitasker. Try it also on pizza, stuffed in mushrooms or in a myriad of other ways suggested here. And, that Rosemary Oil? Do it.
The Rosemay Oil infusion is oh-so-simple to create and it is a classy touch to the tapenade.
Let’s be clear. The Croque-Monsieur, which America has bastardized into a fried ham and cheese sandwich, is sexist. Whenever this recipe is featured anywhere, we women end up in parentheses:(to make Croque-Madame, top it with a fried egg). I just can’t work with that. Instead, this week we’re making David’s absolutely delicious Croque-Madame. (If you’d rather make a Croque-Monsieur, hold the egg.)
No, artist Andy Goldsworthy isn’t hanging out on Moonstone Beach but visitors and locals alike create their own disposable twig art every week-end. Using debris that’s washed up on the beach, they spend their time creating habitats. And, then, we all sit together in them and enjoy the sunset. And, then, Boom, it’s washed away at high tide.
For David’s, first mix together his Béchamel which elegantly separates his version from the pack. Don’t be intimidated, Readers. It’s a white sauce, plain and simple. Now, start building the sandwich, layering the prosciutto or ham with Comté or Gruyère cheese. Then, butter. Not a good calorie-counting day. Serve this richness with a green salad/mustardy vinaigrette. I cannot express adequately how deliciously amazing this sandwich tastes.
Mmmmm. dark chocolate, dried cherries, toasted walnuts and oatmeal – what’s Better Than This?
We only post David’s recipes if they are already out there in cyberspace. Luckily these two are flying high so I’m reprinting them. I do encourage you, however, to buy this terrific book.
My friends travelled from Colorado to San Francisco for sunshine, warmth and to visit me. Is one out of three considered a Win?
The BETTER THAN THIS Cookie
The beloved Dorie Greenspan, our talented French Fridays with Dorie mentor, bakes World Peace cookies. Her test-tasting neighbor, Richard Gold, became convinced that ‘a daily dose of these cookies was all that is needed to ensure planetary peace and happiness.’ They are sublime. Blogger Chris Scheuer, who resides at Cafe Sucre & Farine, makes I Want to Marry You cookies, a chocolate chip delight reputed to inspire marriage proposals. These are two of the best cookies I’ve baked.
Pop into the ‘fridge for ten minutes before putting into a 375 degree oven.
However, I’m throwing down the gauntlet and suggesting to these ladies that my gem of a cookie can compete. I’m naming it the Better Than This cookie because no cookie you taste or bake now can be, you got it, Better Than This. Here’s the deal. Since returning to Aspen three years ago and setting up shop at The Gant, its young, professional staff has made me feel comfortable and safe. They’ve helped launch me into a happy albeit different Lifestyle. My gratefulness knows no bounds. Those kids have become willing LIGHTSonBRIGHT test-testers. Because I’ve been MIA the past many months, I’m afraid my tiara may have tarnished somewhat. Here’s betting this tasty jewel of dried cherries, dark chocolate, rolled oats and walnuts, will re-burnish my status and have them asking, “What can be better than this?”
I will miss these crazy noisy clowns called Acorn Woodpeckers who live nearby. If you ever spot a tall pole or tree riddled with hundreds of holes, each containing an acorn—it’s an amazing Woodpecker granary tree. Stop and take a look.
A Granary Tree – One tree can have up to 50,000 holes drilled by Acorn Woodpeckers, each filled with an acorn for winter forage. Imagine the effort involved.
When I see you next time, I’ll be happily shedding my road warrior skin and blogging from Colorado’s High Country. Big smiles all around.
CROQUE-MONSIEUR by David Lebovitz, My Paris Kitchen cookbook
Makes 2 Sandwiches
INGREDIENTS
Béchamel Sauce ingredients
1 Tablespoon salted or unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
3/4 Cup whole milk
Pinch of sea salt or kosher salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Croque-Monsieur ingredients
4 thin slices sourdough or country style bread, 1/4 to 3/8” thick
4 slices prosciutto or thinly sliced dry cured ham or 2 thick slices boiled ham
2 thin slices Comté or Gruyère cheese
4 Tablespoon salted or unsalted butter
1/4 Cup grated Comté or Gruyère cheese
DIRECTIONS
1. Spread the Béchamel Sauce on the bread.
1. Béchamel Sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and stir in the flour. When the mixture starts to bubble, stir and cook for 1 minute more. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the milk, stirring to discourage lumps. Whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup of milk. Cook for about 1 minute more, until the sauce is thick and creamy, like runny mayonnaise. Remove from the heat, stir in a pinch of salt and cayenne and set aside to cool a bit and thicken.
2. Place meat of choice on one slice.
2. Spread the Béchamel evenly over the four slices of bread. Lay a slice of meat over two of the bread slices, top them with slices of cheese and then top with the remaining ham slices. Close the sandwich with the two remaining slices of bread, Béchamel side down (on the inside). Brush the outsides of the sandwiches without restraint with the melted butter. (TIP: My choice, Prosciutto and Gruyère).
3. Top with cheese of choice and then add more meat.
3. Turn on the broiler and heat a large ovenproof frying pan or grill pan over medium heat on the stove top. (Make sure to use a pan with a heatproof handle for broiling later.) Place the sandwiches in the frying pan, drape with a sheet of aluminum foil and then rest a cast iron skillet or other heavy pan or flat object on top. Cook until the bottoms of the sandwiches are well browned. Remove the skillet and foil, flip the sandwiches over, replace the foil and skillet and continue cooking until the other side is browned. (TIP: I used a grill pan and browned for 2 minutes on EACH side.)
4. Close sandwich. Slather each side with melted butter. Now is not the time to begin worrying about calories.
4. When browning the sandwiches, place a piece of tinfoil and heavy object on top to weigh them down.
4. Remove the cast-iron skillet and foil and scatter the grated cheese on top of the sandwiches. Put the pan under the broiler and broil the sandwiches until the cheese melts. Serve immediately.
6.Perfect.
7. Scatter grated cheese on top and pop in the over to broil.
ARTICHOKE TAPENADE with ROSEMARY OIL by David Leibovitz, My Paris Kitchen cookbook
Because I was using up my opened items before leaving Cambria, I used green olives with pimentos. It was pretty and tasty but David recommends the real deal, fresh green olives.
Serves 6 to 8.
INGREDIENTS
Tapenade Ingredients
One 14-ounce) can artichoke hearts (2 Cups), drained and quartered
1/2 Cup pitted green olives
1/3 Cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon capers, rinsed, squeezed dry, and chopped
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/8 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
Rosemary Oil Ingredients (Makes 1/2 Cup)
1/2 Cup olive oil
Generous pinch of sea salt or kosher salt
1/2 Cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/3 Cup rosemary leaves
Toasted sliced baguette or crackers, to serve
DIRECTIONS
Rosemary Oil
1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Have a bowl of ice water ready. Heat the oil and salt in another small saucepan until warm but not boiling. Remove from the heat and set aside. Add the herbs to the boiling water and cook for 10 seconds before draining and putting the herbs in the ice water.
2. When the herbs are cool, lift them out with your hand and press them in a paper towel until very, very dry. Add them to the oil. Let the herbs infuse for 15 minutes.
3. Blend the herbs and oil in a mini-chopper or food processor for 30 seconds. Strain the oil through a fine-mesh strainer. There will be a few bits of greenery in the oil. The rosemary oil can be kept for a few days at room temperature in a closed container, or for up to 1 month in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature before using.
Artichoke Tapenade
1. In the bowl of a food processor, purée the artichokes, olives, olive oil, capers, lemon juice, garlic, and cayenne pepper until smooth. Taste, and season with a bit of salt if necessary.
2. Serve drizzled with a liberal amount of rosemary oil, along with toasted slices of baguette or crackers for dipping. The tapenade will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
The BETTER THAN THIS cookie adapted from THE KITCHN COOKBOOK by Sara Kate Gillingham and Faith Durand
Note to High Altitude Bakers: When I return to Colorado, I will adjust these cookies to altitude and post the resulting recipe.
Makes 4 dozen cookies
1 3/4 Cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted
3/4 Cup dark brown sugar, packed
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 extra-large eggs, room temperature
1 Teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 Cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 Cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
1 Cup dried cherries
8 Ounces (two bars) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
Flaked sea salt (optional, I use the Maldon brand)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking liner. Pour the walnuts onto the baking sheet and toast until browned about 10 minutes, turning once. Cool slightly and then chop coarsely. Cool completely before using them.
3. Cover the cherries with 1 cup boiling water and let stand for 10 minutes to plump up. Drain and thoroughly pat dry. Chop the chocolate into small pieces.
4. In a large mixing bowl with the paddle beater, mix together the sugars with the softened butter until completely blended. Add the eggs, one at a time to form a smooth batter. Mix in the vanilla, salt, baking soda and cinnamon.
5. Add the flour all at once and stir the batter gently by hand until the ingredients are well-combined. Fold in by hand the rolled oats, cherries, and chocolate until all the ingredients are combined.
6. Using a medium cookie scoop or mounded 1 1/2 inch tablespoon of mixture, space the dough on the cookie sheet 1 to 2 inches apart. Put each tray in the refrigerator for ten minutes before baking the cookies. Then bake, rotating the tray once, until the craggy tips and edges just start to darken, 10 – 12 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE
7. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. After completely cool, these cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week. These cookies freeze well.
TIP: When baking, use exact measurements. No eyeballing anything. With all drop cookies, I use an Oxo cookie scoop.
Cook The Book Fridays is an international group cooking its way virtually through David Lebovitz’s newest cookbook. To visit our link or join us, go here.
Strolling near the Pacific Coast Highway, Carpinteria. Brown Pelican, 2016.
If you’re ever in Aspen and receive an invitation to have dinner with Cathy O’Connell and her husband, Fred Venrick, say, “Yes.”
Until last September their back door was a short two blocks from my front door at The Gant. Although I never heard her complain, Cathy’s kitchen was tinier than my present mini-one. When they decided to move to a more sizable townhouse this fall, I threatened to throw myself in front of their moving van.
The Barefoot Contessa’s LEMON and GARLIC ROAST CHICKEN
Not only are CathyandFred (pronounced in one breath) personal friends, they’ve also constantly welcomed me to their table. For the 8 years Michael and I lived in Nevada, I returned like clockwork three days/twice a year to Aspen. After a nine-hour drive with my long list of to-dos, scheduled meals weren’t a priority. Happily there would always be a message waiting, “Hey, Mar, we expect you for dinner tonight.”
POTATO DAUPHINOISE from River Cottage VEG
I hope you all have friends like the Venricks who just love sharing delicious food and fine drink with others. They don’t know strangers. When Cathy meets an engaging skier on the lift or Fred encounters a potential hiking partner, they not only say, “Let’s get together.” but actually make it happen.
Katie Baillargeon, a UC Santa Barbara prof and her family came for lunch. Our menu included Asparagus Pizza from River Cottage Veg.
Cathy, like so many of my friends, serves up sensational. While Fred pops the corks, she manages to effortlessly turn out a meal. May I remind you again of that Lilliputian kitchen? When I once complimented her effusively on a braised lamb shanks and mashed potatoes with fennel dish, she shrugged off the praise, “I’m not such a good cook, Mar, but I am a really, really good picker.”
The New York Times’ Rosemary Shortbread is perfect for spring and summer.
Cathy explained she’d learned to spot good recipes, put together menus that are delicious and also manageable in her small workspace. Her response has become my mantra. I can never create recipes nor ‘just throw something together.’ I have neither the food science knowledge or knack for those skills. To be honest, I’ve never “cooked” confidently.
Lentils with Beets and Feta from River Cottage VEG
Admittedly, after five years of writing this blog, a different recipe every week, stirring the pot has become a simpler and more enjoyable chore. Every so often I even go rogue, climb out on that limb, changing up the spices or flavoring. Readers, that’s big. Chemist Jade Barker suggests that “trying a too complicated recipe doesn’t build skill faster. Rather, it’s like starting a diet by buying clothes a size too small. It’s forced and uncomfortable.” (For someone who’s done both, that’s good advice!)
Guess who requested a grilled cheese and french fries with ketchup for lunch.
With a nudge or two from Cathy, here are my 6 tips for making better choices: Choose Recipes…
1. that appeal to YOU;
2. with a comfortable number of easy-to-find ingredients;
3. which use recognizable measurements;
4. where you understand the directions/techniques;
5. which is pan/dish thrifty for less clean-up;
6. that work together, mixing complicated/time consuming with easy and make-aheads.
This Great Egret just caught his lunch of choice, some unfortunate aquatic creature.
I consider my five recipes this week as “good picks,” and worthy of any table. After 23 months of cooking through River Cottage Veg, our Cottage Cooking Club has almost cooked-through-the-book. Hugh’s simple and tasty recipes this month, POTATO DAUPHINOISE, ASPARAGUS PIZZA and LENTILS with BEETS and FETA are three I’ll make again.
It took 5 minutes to slice the potatoes for the dauphinoise with this safe, inexpensive OXO mandoline.
A Shortbread Tip: Cut the shortbread into the desired pieces/slices while it’s still warm.
I used my oblong tart pan for these bars but any over-safe container will work.
Enjoy these recipes. Have any of you adopted some tips, have clues to lessen anxiety and have more fun in the kitchen? A penny for your Tips.
A Successful Meal.
POTATO DAUPHINOISE by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage Veg
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
2 TBS butter
2 pounds potatoes
1 2/3 C heavy cream
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Rub a large casserole dish liberally with the butter.
2. Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly, either with a sharp knife or a mandoline. In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, garlic and nutmeg and season well with salt and pepper. Toss the potatoes in the creamy mixture, then layer them in the gratin dish, spreading them as flat and evenly as you can. Pour over any remaining cream.
3. Bake for 1¼ -1½ hours, pressing down with a spatula every 15 minutes or so to compress the potatoes and stop them drying out. The gratin is ready when the top is golden and bubbling and the potatoes are tender.
4. You may want to turn the oven up for the last 5 minutes to achieve a bit of extra bubbling crispness. Leave to stand for 5 minutes or so before serving.
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
1. Use half potato/ half celery root OR half potato/half turnip to add a new dimension to the dish.
2. You can use half cream and half milk for a healthier version.
3. I halved the recipe and used a smaller ovenproof casserole dish. I also sprinkled parmesan on top at the last moment because I had it. Not necessary at all. Save yourself the calories.
ASPARAGUS PIZZA by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage Veg
The softened, caramelized sliced onions are this pizza’s “sauce”.
Makes 2 small or 1 large pizzas
INGREDIENTS
Pizza Dough, Make your own or use store-bought pizza dough.
TOPPING
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little extra to trickle
2 Onions, halved and thinly slices
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
About 12 ounces slender asparagus spears, trimmed
2 balls of buffalo mozzarella (about 4 ounces)
A little grated Parmesan, hard goat cheese, or other well-flavored hard cheese
DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare the dough according to package or your directions.
2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees°F.
3. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add the onions. Once sizzling, decrease the heat to low and cook gently, stirring from time to time, until the onions are soft and golden, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Roll out the pizza dough as thinly as you can with a rolling pin and then by hand and divide in half if you wish.
5. Scatter a baking peel ( if you have one) or a baking sheet with a little flour and place the rolled out dough on it. Spread one-third of the onions over the dough, then arrange one-third of the asparagus over the top. Tear up the mozzarella and distribute one-third of it over the asparagus. Scatter over a little grated cheese, some salt and pepper, and add a generous trickle of oil.
6. Slide the pizza(s) into the oven if formed on a peel, or, if formed on a baking sheet. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until the crust is crisp, the edges browned, and the asparagus tender. Check your pizza often after 12 minutes.
7. Immediately cut into slices or wedges. Serve hot.
TIP: Roasting asparagus on top of the pizza in a very hot oven makes it deliciously tender and a bit caramelized also. If you have thick spears, cut in half lengthwise…..Hugh
LENTILS WITH BEETS & FETA
Dress warm lentils with olive oil and some balsamic vinegar and toss with wedges of roasted beets and cubes of feta or goat cheese. To make a quick version of this salad, I used steamed lentils from Trader Joe’s (or, any grocery store) and pre-roasted beets sealed in vacuum bags.
The Black-crowned Night Heron hangs out during the day and forages at night.
Cottage Cooking Club is an international on-line group. led by Andrea Mohr of The Kitchen Lioness, which is cooking through Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Veg. If you’d like to join us as we explore more of Hugh’s cookbooks, go here.
Mushroom Ragoût with Soft Polenta from River Cottage Veg Cookbook
The Good News: For the first time in my Adult Life I have no one to care for.
The Bad News: For the first time in my Adult Life I have no one to care for.
White Beans with Grilled Artichokes Salad from River Cottage Veg cookbook
One of my dearest friends recently lost her husband. In our frequent conversations she once lamented that she has ‘so much time on her hands,’ to which I replied, “Can you lend me some of that time?”
We laughed. I love to hear her laughter but she certainly understood that I ‘got it.’
For many, the past thirty, forty-some years have been about mates, partners, children and family, never mind work, careers, bringing home the bacon thing. Until one day, it isn’t. At first I was amazed, well, okay, angry, when some would say regarding losing Michael, “It’s easier for you because you had so much time to prepare for it.”
My yard is a flower shop but no container in sight around here. So I retrieved my cannellini can from the bin and made my own vessel for my bouquet.
Another check in that Mary-Was-Wrong column because it’s true. Thanks to our medical community, both his and mine, I was counseled and badgered eventually into ‘making a life.’ When Michael died, although rattled, exhausted and unbelievably sad, I had a wobbly framework to, as the Brits say, Keep Calm and Carry On.
Salty Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk cookies by Ina Garten, Make It Ahead cookbook
That’s what this week’s post represents, that carrying-on thing. (I’ll never nail down calm.) Although I have no one to love and care for, I have a huge family and friendship circle to love and feed and care about. Luckily my food world collides into my friendship circle. Here’s what I mean……
It’s a lucky day when one can spot this little guy, a Burrowing Owl. He’s guarding the burrow and searching for food while Mama is minding the nest.
COOKIES for CAV, POLENTA & ROASTED ARTICHOKES
Cal Poly Care Package
This week-end I have a dinner date with a handsome young man. Cav O’Leary, a freshman at nearby Cal Poly, was our Aspen neighbor. We helped raise him, bought his fundraising offerings and loaded his Halloween sack with sugar stuff. Last May I attended his high school graduation. To say I love and care about this kid is an understatement.
The Cookie Dough
After dinner he’ll, of course, be returning to Cal Poly with a Care Package which includes Ina Garten’s favorite cookie, Salty Oatmeal Chocolate Chunks. Although I’ve made some adaptions and substituted ingredients, this is Ida’s cookie (recipe below). It’s terrific.
If you bake cookies often, please try a cookie scoop. It makes baking so much easier.
I’m excited about my recipes forCottage Cooking Club this month. For a recent birthday my friends, the Grauers, hosted a Polenta-on-a-Plank party. So Much Fun. Donna made three delicious ragus, beef, kale, and mushroom. After that wonderful evening we all vowed to introduce more polenta into our menus. I failed with that until this week when I put together Hugh Whittingstall’s Mushroom Ragoût with Soft Polenta from his River Cottage Veg cookbook.
Polenta on a Plank
Why Hugh calls this a ragoût instead of ragu, I don’t understand. A ragu is a sauce while a ragoût is a thick, highly-seasoned stew of meat, poultry or fish made with/without veggies. Since it’s his cookbook, he can call it what he wishes but I call it a thumbs-up dish and guest worthy. However, it’s decadently rich. Go easy on that “large knob of butter.”
Polenta with 3 different ragus
After returning from hiking with a friend last week, I had Hugh’s White Beans with Roasted Artichokes on the table within 15 minutes. This is a hot salad with creamy beans and cheese, grilled artichokes and tangy lemon dressing which, by adding crusty bread and a beer, made us a great lunch.
RECIPES
Salty Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk CookiesMake It Ahead cookbook by Ina Garten, Clarkson Potter/Publishers
Makes 48 cookies
INGREDIENTS:
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1¼ cups old-fashioned oats, such as Quaker
¾ pound bittersweet chocolate, such as Lindt, chopped in chunks (Tip: I used Ghirardelli Chocolate 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Chips, available in your grocery store.)
¾ cup dried cranberries
Fleur de sel (I used Maldon sea salt flakes)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. On low speed, add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl again.
3. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Mix in the oats. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture. Don’t overbeat it! With a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate and cranberries until the dough is well mixed.
4. With a 1¾-inch ice cream scoop (or two spoons), scoop round balls of dough onto the prepared sheet pans. Sprinkle lightly with fleur de sel. (In my opinion, this is optional.) Put the cookie sheet into the fridge for 10 minutes before baking.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, until nicely browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.
TIP: If you make cookies often and don’t own a cookie scoop, buy one. If you don’t have the salt, the cookie is still fabulous. I did a taste test, over and over again.
Mushroom Ragoût with Soft Polenta by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage Veg cookbook
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For the Polenta
1 2/3 C milk
1 bay leaf
A sprig of thyme
A few peppercorns
½ onion and/or 2 garlic cloves, bashed
1 1/4 C quick-cook polenta
4 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
3/4 Parmesan other well-flavoured hard cheese, finely grated
For the Ragoût
2 tablespoons olive oil
A large knob of butter
1 1/2 well-flavored mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
A few sprigs of thyme, leaves only, chopped
2/3 C red wine
2/3 vegetable, mushroom or chicken (non-vegetarian) stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To Serve (optional)
A trickle of top-notch olive oil
Extra Parmesan or other hard cheese, shaved
DIRECTIONS:
1. For the polenta, put the milk and water into a saucepan. Add the bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns and onion/garlic. Bring to just below the boil, then set aside to infuse for 20 minutes.
2.Make the ragout. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and half the butter in a large, wide frying pan over a medium heat. Add the mushrooms and salt and pepper and turn the heat up high. Cook, stirring often, to encourage the mushrooms to release their juices. Continue to cook until most of the juices have evaporated and the mushrooms are starting to concentrate and caramelise. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for a minute more.
3. Add the wine and stock, reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half. Check the seasoning.
4. To cook the polenta, strain the infused milk and water into a clean pan (or just scoop out the flavorings with a slotted spoon). Bring to a simmer, then pour in the polenta in a thin stream, stirring as you do so. Stir until the mix is smooth and then it let it return to a simmer. Cook for just 1 minute, then remove from the heat. Stir in the butter, rosemary and cheese, then season generously with salt and pepper (adding at least ¼ teaspoon salt).
5.Immediately scoop the polenta into warmed dishes, top with the juicy mushroom ragout and serve, with an extra trickle of best olive oil and a few slivers of shaved cheese, if you like.
WHITE BEANS with ROASTED/GRILLED ARTICHOKES by by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage Veg cookbook
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
5 ounces grilled/roasted artichoke hearts in oil, cut into wedges, plus 1 tablespoon of the oil
1 garlic clove, slivered
1 14 oz. can cannellini or other white beans, drained and rinsed
Juice of ½ lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
A good handful of salad leaves
Crumbled or shaved Parmesan CHUNKS, to finish
DIRECTIONS
Heat 1 tablespoon oil from the artichokes in a small frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the garlic and fry gently for a minute or two. Add the artichokes and heat for a minute or so, then stir in the beans. Heat, stirring, for 2–3 minutes, until everything is hot.
Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste (the artichokes may already have contributed some salt).
3 Arrange the salad leaves on two plates and top with the hot beans and artichokes. Finish with the Parmesan chunks and serve warm.
Tip: Oil-preserved, char-grilled or roasted artichoke hearts are available from delis and some supermarkets like Trader Joe’s.
Cottage Cooking Club is an international on-line group. led by Andrea Mohr of The Kitchen Lioness, which is cooking through Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Veg. If you’d like to join us as we explore more of Hugh’s cookbooks, go here.
Cook-the-Book Fridays – Steak with Mustard Butter & French Fries
When our first grandchild was a year old, she and her parents visited us in Aspen. While Melissa and Stephen probably saw this as a vacation and relief from 24/7 parenting, I viewed their visit as an opportunity to introduce sweet Emma to our friends. I planned a party. To be truthful, I planned two parties, back-to-back, inviting forty guests to each.
Just the thought of that is now cringe-worthy.
Hummingbird Cake, a traditional southern classic
Last week-end Melissa’s family came to Cambria to celebrate her 50th birthday, a definite make whoopee moment. The Central California coast is wine country, offering memorable dining experiences. To honor this special birthday, I envisioned an elegant evening at her favorite local restaurant with my additional make whoopee add-ons.
Readers, you know where I’m going with this, don’t you?
“No, Mom,” she said, quietly. “I want filets, roasted potatoes, green beans and salad. At home.”
This is what 50 looks like: two teenagers, two businesses, and two Mothers to watch over. Like most of the Sandwich Generation, too little vacation and relaxation time.
All sorts of Buts in response to her request danced in my brain. This is a cottage not equipped for a party. The oven has only one rack. I don’t have fine china, champagne flutes or sterling silver nor a tablecloth and matching napkins. No ice cube maker. Small fridge. Could I even cobble together a matching set of dinnerware for 5? Yes, I answered myself, I’ve learned to grow where I’m planted. I can make this happen.
COOK-the-BOOK FRIDAYS
Luckily her birthday coincided with our bimonthly journey through David Lebovitz’s “My Paris Kitchen”. This week’s recipe choice, Steak with Mustard Butter and French Fries, would be good prep for the requested meal.(The recipe is below.)
French Fries, baked, not fried. Authentic in taste with less calories. Peel Russet potatoes leaving some additional skin (which is fun to do).
Nothing says bistro classic like entrecôte (rib-eye) and pommes frites (french fries). That I could pull this together in my kitchen needing only a cast-iron grill pan purchased at Cambria Hardware and a grocery market cookie sheet seems amazing.
After cutting potatoes into 1/3 inch slices, cut each slice into 1/3-inch wide strips.
A flavor-packed, top-of-the-stove steak in the winter or if you have no outdoor grill, seals my bond with David. His french fries are baked in the oven but taste like the real deal. Magical. Not traveling in France this year? Open a bottle of good red wine, toss a warm baguette on the table with this classic duo à la Lebovitz and pretend.
Put the potato strips on a cookie sheet and mix with olive oil, kosher salt, rosemary and thyme. The oven and high heat make bonafide french fries
THE BIRTHDAY
It took two barnstorming trips through Michael’s craft store and Target for me to crank into party mode. After settling on a pink plastic tablecloth and big silver tinsel birthday banner, the decor started to pull, Gulp!Gulp!, together.
I bought 50 roses but had no container. Scrounging around the garage, I discovered a huge fish bowl, hosed it down, scrubbed it mightily and, voila, perfect. The champagne would need ice and a bucket. Three bags of ice solved one problem and a huge popcorn bowl hidden on a top cabinet shelf, another. The light over the table was unreliable, it blinked. God bless duct tape. The filets fit beautifully in my newly purchased grill pan. Since the one-rack oven was engaged, I created roasted potatoes in my slow cooker. The dinnerware didn’t match. We re-washed some forks.
Yep, it’s a fishbowl.
The birthday cake. Since Melissa was born in Tallahassee I baked the classic southern Hummingbird Cake (recipe is below). Because they now live in the Eastern Sierras, the white frosting replicated those mountains. Admittedly, it took several guesses and clues for them to figure out that frosting/mountain thing.
After buying 3 bags of ice, I was able to keep the champagne very comfy in its popcorn bowl container.
My family has returned to Bishop. The birthday, well celebrated. The decorations, however, are still hanging, the pink plastic cloth, still in place. Whatever the reason, all this silly stuff seems good company and makes me happy. I can’t think of one reason to take it down.
While this was not the birthday celebration her Mother envisioned, it was the one Melissa wanted.
STEAK with MUSTARD BUTTER by David Lebovitz, My Paris Kitchen
I grilled this steak on high heat for a total of 7 minutes for a delicious Rare to Medium Rare.
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS:
STEAKS
Two 8-ounce rib-eye steaks
1/2 teaspoon hickory-smoked salt, sea salt, or Kosher salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil or clarified butter
MUSTARD BUTTER
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
1 generous teaspoon Dijon mustard
DIRECTIONS:
1. Pat the steaks dry and rub them with the salt, chipotle powder, and cilantro or parsley. Refrigerate the steaks, uncovered, for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours.
2. To make the mustard butter, mash together the butter with the mustard powder and the Dijon. Form it into two mounds and chill on a plastic wrap–lined plate.
3. Heat a little oil or clarified butter in a grill pan or cast-iron skillet and cook the steaks over high heat, being sure to get a good sear on each side. For rare steaks, cook 5 to 7 minutes total on both sides, or aller-retour (“to go and return”).
4. Remove the steaks from the pan and put on plates. Top each steak with a knob of the mustard butter and some ground black pepper and serve with a big pile of frites.
Author Notes: To make this bistro classic in my kitchen, I use a cast-iron skillet or grill pan that I get really hot, and then I sear the steak on both sides. David Lebovitz
NOTE: We cannot publish David’s recipes unless they are already on the Internet. If you want the recipe for Pommes Frites, find it on page 219 of My Paris Kitchen or e-mail me.
HUMMINGBIRD CAKE,Southern Living Magazine
INGREDIENTS
CAKE BATTER
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 3/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 large)
1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple (do not drain)
3/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake chopped pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.
2. Stir together flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Mix in 3 lightly beaten eggs and next 4 ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.
4. Sprinkle 1 cup toasted pecans into a greased and floured 14-cup Bundt pan. Pour or spoon batter carefully over pecans.
5. Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
6. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 2 hours).
7. Prepare Glaze: Process cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 Tbsp. milk in a food processor until well blended. Add remaining 1 Tbsp. milk, 1 tsp. at a time, processing until smooth. Immediately pour glaze over cooled cake, and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup toasted pecans.
TIP: I used a 10-cup bundt pan and filled it 2/3 full. With the remaining batter, I baked muffins.
COOK-the-BOOK FRIDAYS is an international, on-line group cooking its way through David Lebovitz’s My Paris Kitchen. To see what we’re cooking or to join the group, go here.
Last summer a good friend returned to Aspen after a week of sifting through, sorting and discarding boxes she’d left behind in her mother’s attic. “I had so many dreams and hopes back then,” she told me rather regretfully, “that I’ve never fulfilled.”
WINTERY FRENCH LENTIL SOUP with BISON MEAT and CARROTS, spicy and hearty
Color me shocked. As she later acknowledged, her life is privileged and bountiful. And while those early dreams and hopes have been unrealized, I suggested they were just replaced. “Yes,” she replied, deciding she would buy into that.
Melissa’s friend, Linda, made this fantastic paper art typewriter for me. I actually used a typewriter once upon a time.
At Thanksgiving dinner my family returned to this same subject. Melissa and Stephen are turning 50 this year. This has brought them up short, of course, a pause for soul-searching. Like many of you readers, they are peddling overtime with businesses, raising two teenage daughters, countless responsibilities. But during our annual “I am thankful for” pre-dinner grace, they both made it abundantly clear there is no place they’d rather be. To their two girls, who do realize they are running their parents ragged, those were reassuring moments.
There something beautiful about fresh carrots just pulled from the earth.
While I’ve been somewhat haunted by my friend’s revelations, I hadn’t had time to run through my personal hopes and dreams checklist until recently. My recent 1,500-mile car trip equaled thinking time. I’ll not only share those thoughts but also showcase Wintery French Lentil Soup with bison beef, carrots and red wine. It’s a quick and hearty meal adapted from Lori Lynn Hirsch’s blog, Taste with the Eyes. For sweets, try my faux Chaussons aux Pommes made easily with homemade applesauce.
The Chaussons aux Pommes are ready for the oven.
Although Lori Lynn and I are not related, I was attracted to her blog because of name coincidence. I subscribed because she is a fantastic cook. Her French lentil soup hit all my buttons and provided a home for my fresh carrots. In trying to introduce more grains to my diet, the lentils, a grain legume, were perfect and, as Lori wrote, ‘eating lentils in the new year is said to bring luck and prosperity.’
The Garlic Bulb after it’s had a haircut and been coated with EVOO. Now, into the oven.
Another change I’m making in many recipes now is to roast my garlic instead of mincing/sautéing it. Liz Berg at This Skinny Chick Can Bake and Peggy Gilbey at Spiced Peach Blog persuaded me that soft, caramelized cloves are a sweeter, user-friendly addition to cooked food.
When the garlic cooled, I squeezed the caramelized cloves into the soup.
Chaussons aux Pommes are a gussied up apple turnovers. Using apples from my Talley Farms Fresh Harvest box, I made one-step, no fuss applesauce and, with puff pastry, baked some sweet nibbles for snacks, dessert and breakfast. The recipes are below.
When it’s low tide I usually walk down the stairs to the tidal pools. Not this week. Sometimes the Pacific gets unruly.
Now, back to hopes and dreams. In the past three years as I dismantled our home, I cornered the market on that walk down memory lane. While there’s been some wishing I’d have done things differently or made wiser choices (don’t we all), that’s all shoulda, woulda, coulda poppycock. I was a halfwit at 21 when Melissa was born. Now, 50 years later, I consider myself a candidate for Mensa!
Although I prefer the applesauce in my slow cooker to be chunky, I do mash it up for the turnovers.
Each twist and turn in Life, I guess, is a building block to realizing dreams and fulfilling hopes and handling those damn disappointments and regrets. Frankly, I threw so many hopes and dreams at the wall, the odds were that something was gonna stick.
If you don’t wish to sprinkle cinnamon/sugar on the pastry, that’s fine. I just found it more flavorful because I purposely don’t add sugar to the applesauce.
Today my only shock is that after a big bump or two, I was able to rebuild a happy life again. Perhaps I just put my dreams and hopes in different costumes. After Michael died, all I wanted was to return to my Aspen home and friends. To do that, there were compromises which I elected to make. Then I revisited my passions, writing and the nature gig, and morphed them into possibilities which now consume my daily life. And, what I do best, being a grandmother, is a glorious role I play seriously. That’s it. Presently, my hopes and dreams are reimagined in those pursuits.
This is a Surf Scoter. These ducks hang out at the San Simeon pier with their relatives, the Black Scoters.
I might suggest to my friend to be more gentle with herself. Success or failure cannot be measured by something packed in a cardboard box for 45 years. However, her one innocuous comment has given me pause and will also hopefully stimulate some conversation at your house this week.
the San Simeon pier located near the Hearst Castle
WINTERY FRENCH LENTIL SOUP
Adapted from Lori Lynn Hirsch, Taste for the Eyes
INGREDIENTS:
3 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 roasted garlic bulb
3 carrots, thinly sliced
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. chile powder (or to taste)
4 to 5 c. beef stock
1/2 c. of red wine
1 lb. Bison ground meat, cooked and drained
12 oz. french lentils, steamed (I like Trader Joe’s pre-cooked)
salt and pepper
parmesan, grated
large handful of cilantro, rough chopped
DIRECTIONS:
1. Roast Garlic (directions below)
2. Heat Oil in Soup Pot. Add onion and cook until soft. (If you’d rather use 4 minced garlic cloves, add them after onions are softened and saute for a minute or two until lightly golden.)
3. Then add carrots, cumin, chile power, softened roasted garlic cloves and beef stock.
4. When carrots are al dente, add Bison meat, cooked lentils and red wine.
5. Simmer for 10-15 minutes
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Place soup in warmed bowls. Dust with Parmesan and garnish with parsley or cilantro.
ROASTED GARLIC
INGREDIENTS:
1 whole head of garlic
2 tsp. Extra-virgin Olive oil
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Remove the papery layers off the garlic, keeping the bulb intact.
3. Trim the top off the garlic, as shown (1/4” to 1/3”).
4. Drizzle EVOO over garlic bulbs, rubbing your fingers lightly over the top so oil sinks through.
5. Wrap tightly in foil and bake for 45-55 minutes.
6. Let garlic cool before squeezing into the soup.
CHAUSSONS aux POMMES
APPLESAUCE
1. Peel 12 Apples (more if you wish)
2. Add Cinnamon Sticks, if you wish.
3. Put in Slow Cooker and add 1/2 cup water.
4. Set at Low and Cook for 8 hours (or, overnight).
CHAUSSONS aux POMMES
INGREDIENTS:
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed per package directions.
1 C. of applesauce
Cinnamon/Sugar
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 400°F.
2. Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper.
3. Sprinkle work surface lightly with flour. Roll out thawed puff pastry into 15-inch square.
4. Using a coffee mug, small bowl or large round cookie cutter,
make cutouts with a paring knife.
5. Brush each square with egg wash. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon-sugar and spoon applesauce in the center as shown.
6. Fold each in half and press edges together tightly to seal.
7. Transfer to cookie sheet.
8. Use a sharp knife to make a few slices in the chaussons WITHOUT slicing completely through the puff pastry.
9. Bake between 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
10.Sprinkle top with plain sugar.
TIP: Let cool. (Applesauce can burn your tongue.) They will de-pouf a small amount.
