This says it all. Gâteau Basque, this week’s FFWD recipe choice, is almost too good to be true.
Odds are you have the ingredients for Gâteau Basque in your kitchen. No need for a grocery run nor special equipment. It’s an effortless preparation. The frosting on this cake (whoops, there is no frosting on this cake) is that in France, there’s even a museum dedicated to it. Hoity-toity. Something to work into the conversation as dessert is served.
This week’s French Friday’s recipe is Gâteau Basque, the traditional dessert of the French Basque region. Although it might look like a torte, galette or monster cookie, the people of this region call it cake. It’s exactly what I needed yesterday to regain my status as super-duper resident of The Gant, the 144-condo complex where I live.
Gâteau Basque, fresh from the oven. Smokey Bear shared his birthday candles with me.
Wednesday, our local Whole Foods Market in El Jebel joined with the Forest Conservancy to celebrate Smokey Bear’s 70th Birthday. Everyone would have the opportunity to see Smokey, take photos and share his birthday cake. Five percent of the WF’s proceeds that day would go to the Conservancy. Our organization hums along on a lean budget so we were psyched. So was Smokey.
When I left The Gant early Wednesday morning I promised everyone at the front office to bring back some of Smokey’s birthday cake. What was I thinking? I returned home Wednesday night only with Smokey’s birthday candles. Not good.
Choose any filling you wish for the Gâteau Basque, even vanilla pastry cream. I used wild Swedish Lingonberries.
Gâteau Basque to the rescue. I poured myself an extra-tall Gin & Tonic (it had been a verrry long day) and put together the batter: flour, baking powder, salt, butter, sugar, brown and white, eggs and vanilla extract. After dividing the dough in half, I rolled out two 8-inch disks. Since the dough is sticky, Dorie suggests placing each disk between wax paper before the roll. Refrigerate, wax paper included, for at least 3 hours. I went to bed so it was an overnight.
The next day I laid one disk in a buttered 8-inch cake pan and dressed it with wild Swedish Lingonberries, leaving 1” inch of dough bare around the border. After moistening the bare ring with water, I put the second disk on top, sealed them together and brushed with an egg glaze before making the crosshatch pattern. Forty-five minutes in a 350 degrees oven-later, you’ve got a museum-quality cake.
Dorie Greenspan’s Gâteau Basque (photo by Dorie Greenspan)
After placing Smokey’s birthday candles on the Gâteau Basque and slicing a teeny-weeny piece for myself, I carried it to the front office. I handed it off to Lucas and heard a muffled whooping and hollering as he carried it to the back room. I understand it was ‘devoured’. Mark, who returned my plate, said, “It’s something you’d expect from a fancy bakery. And you can quote me on that.”
So, I did.
Smokey Bear’s 70th birthday cake made by Whole Foods in their bakery. Note the candles.
I not only maintained my stature at The Gant but can also report on Smokey’s successful celebration. We fattened our depleted coffers by $3,984. What made the day especially great was watching the public respond to the Big Guy. The kids were excited and had a ball but the adults went all silly in the greatest of ways.
According to the Ad Council, 96 percent of the U.S. adult population recognize Smokey Bear and 70 percent are able to recall his tagline without any prompting. Our Smokey posed for hundreds of pictures, had gestures-only conversations, held babies and strolled through WF’s so each employee shift could have photo-ops. It was a Mom-and-Apple Pie day as you can see from these photos.
Donna Chase and I helped Smokey organize this event. Bright-eyed and furry-tailed in the AM. By 6pm, we all had flagged a bit.
What’s more fun than adults being silly. This was Smokey’s first photo op. Note the kids waiting patiently in the back.
The local fire guys are helping Smokey Bear remind everyone, “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires.”
It’s late. We’re a bit silly ourselves but Donna Grauer never loses her joie de vivre. . Betsy Dunbar not only shopped but also brought us snacks. We all forgot lunch!
French Fridays with Dorie is an international group cooking its way through Dorie Greenspan’s, Around My French Table. If you want to try today’s recipe, go here. To see what my colleagues baked this week, go here.
Salmon Rillettes, a delectable summertime spread with toasted baguette slices
Yesterday Mother Nature smiled upon the Rocky Mountains, gifting us with a glorious June day. Because I was joining a colleague for my inaugural hike of the season, her sunshine was a joyful omen. As most of you recall – but, it bears repeating – I am a volunteer USFS Ranger. At a period in my Life when I can ‘ask not what my country can do for me but what I can do for my country,’ I’ve chosen to answer Smokey Bear’s call to service. It’s my career. I have a uniform!
This salmon mixture also is a delicious sandwich filling.
Do you also recall that Lights on Bright No Brakes has become another career? I write about food and wine and Life. Admittedly, dual careers are a bit of a huff. A crazy juggling act. Hey, I’m into the “If not now,when” period of life. About that stack of books I intend to read during retirement? “Intend to” has become “NOW”. I’ve traded “Have to” for “Want to”. My past six decades of Goals, Bucket- and Must-do’s Lists have been replaced by “Do It” or “Forget It.” Because, damn it, my energy is no longer an endless commodity, I’ve learned to say, “No.”
Turn this rainbow of peppers into a lovely relish or special topping.
When my husband died two years ago, my life, in many ways, became a blank slate. My task was to paint the canvas smiley-face or morose? Admittedly, the odds were not good. I was done. (Before we get too maudlin, please know this story ends well.) But after two years of trade-offs and compromises and detours and fails and disappointments and try-again’s, guess what’s happened? I’ve won. I’ve won big. When I look in the mirror, I see Joie de Vivre staring back.
Almost Pipérade
Factored into this joy equation, of course, is food and French Fridays with Dorie. This week’s recipe choice is Salmon Rillettes, a delectable combo of smoked and fresh wild salmon. Serve it as a savory spread or, as I did, a very classy sandwich mixture. After assembling the additional ingredients – spices, lemon, onions and butter – poach the fresh salmon and mix everything together. It takes 15 minutes to make and a two-hour fridge visit. With an apple and carrots it made a healthy lunch for my premiere hike.
Dorie’s Pipérade
Now I may be the happiest food blogger on the Internet but admittedly, not the most talented. When I joined FFWD, I’d been on kitchen-hiatus for years. Rusty says it best. Having nothing to lose but my pride, I jumped into this French Fridays/blogging business, full on and feet first. That’s where these trade-offs, compromises, detours, fails and try-again’s played out.
Dorie’s Classic Banana Bundt Cake, Susanized
This is what I learned. I cannot create recipes like Liz or Chris or Trevor or Andrea or Susan. I’ll never make biscotti like Kathy or pastry like Mardi and Cher. (I’ll go to my grave blaming the altitude for that.) My FFWD administrative partner, Betsy, is my trusty wiz kid of the keys. Honestly, I will never have the artistry and talent with food that most of my friends here and in Las Vegas possess. What I can do well is read a recipe and follow the rules. I’ve nailed Copycat. As you can see from this week’s photos, I glean tips and advice and ideas from my blogging colleagues. Thankfully and graciously, my friends and family have enthusiastically embraced this passion of mine if only to make me happy. Good Sports is an understatement.
If you lack oven space, try scalloped potatoes in a crockpot. Just before serving, I transferred them to a container, stuck them under the broiler for a wonderful crust on top.
While the nugget from this week’s Post is Never Give Up, you’ll find the recipe for the amazing Pipérade, last week’s FFWD choice, here. I served it both as a topping for Sea Bass and stand-alone relish. Here’s the recipe for Smitten Kitchen’s bundt. Try Dorie’s classic Banana Bundt, Susanized. Here and Here. Interested in scalloped potatoes in a crockpot? Here. Finally, to see what other Doristas created this week, try this link.
Deb who blogs at Smitten Kitchen bakes a wonderful Triple Berry Bundt.
For today’s purposes, we are the Revolutionaries. Dominick (l), Mary, Cavanaugh(r). Selfie by Dom
“Cooking is, without a doubt, one of the most important skills a person can ever learn. Once someone has that knowledge, that’s it – they’re set for life”. Chef Jamie Oliver
Although Dom is draining moisture from the cucumbers, Cav decided we needed more cubed cukes.
This week we Doristas pulled out our chopping blocks, sharpened our knifes and picked up our whisks. It’s Jamie Oliver’s third annual Food Revolution Day and, once again, French Fridays with Dorie is here to do battle. Last year’s theme, with teachers and foodies in 74 countries participating, was Cook It & Share It. This year we were asked to “cook with kids and get them excited about food.”
Dom is drying the cucumbers by twisting them in a dish cloth and squeezing. He found this very strange.
I asked my neighbor, Cavanaugh, a 17-year-old junior at Aspen High School, to cook with me. Although Cav is now into football, college interviews and getting fit in his tux for this month’s prom, I’ve known him since he was a little boy fixated on StarWars.
Yes, Cav is going to be unhappy with his mother for sharing this picture with me but he was such a cute little boy.
Last Christmas I was at City Market when Cav and his pal, Dominick, were grocery shopping. Their cart was piled to overflowing with snacks. Chips, crackers, dips and spreads, cookies, Coca Cola, candy – nothing nutritious. “Hi, Cav,” I said, “ what’s all this?”
Adding all the Tzatziki ingredients to the Greek yogurt mixture
“Oh, hello, Mrs. Hirsch,” he replied. “We’re just stocking up for the rest of the holidays.”
We put the finished Tzatziki in the fridge so the flavors could blend together well.
When I returned home from the store, still amused, I did what any respectable pseudo-Grandmother would do, I called his Mother. “Blanca, I just saw Cav and his friends at the grocery store,” I reported. “They were loading up for the rest of the school break and absolutely nothing was nutritious.”
Dom separates the yolk from the egg whites for the chocolate mousse.
After hanging up, Blanca went flying down the stairs to the rec room where the boys were unloading their groceries into the snack cupboards and fridge. “Mrs. Hirsch just called and says you didn’t buy anything nutritious.”
Now Cav separates the yolk from the egg whites. (I will admit to a little gentle trash talk going on here.)
I soon received a text from the boys. “Yes, we did, Mrs. Hirsch. We bought bacon!”
Melting chocolate is always a dicey technique for me. Not too much but just enough. Dom programmed the microwave (15 second intervals) while Cav stirred the 4 ounces of chocolate each time to finally get the proper consistency. It was perfect.
That’s the reason why my young friends, Cav and Dom, celebrated Food Revolution 2014 with me in my kitchen last Wednesday afternoon.
It’s boring to wait for egg whites to form peaks and get shiny. They actually taught me the physics involved in this technique. (Who knew?)
We first made Tzatziki, a Greek yogurt-based blend of seedless cucumbers, fresh herbs, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. Since it is distinctively tasty and creamy, it’s a great dip for crudités and chips. Although neither Cav nor Dom had tasted Tzatziki before, they recognized and liked the dill flavoring. As a substitute for mayo, maybe? “This would be great on a hamburger,” Cav suggested.
After “lightening” the chocolate with meringue, Dom carefully folds the remaining meringue into the bowl. Cav offers additional instruction.
Because I wanted a show-stopper to rival store-bought cakes, cookies and candy bars, we also made Dorie’s totally decadent Top-Secret Dark Chocolate Mousse. Rich, creamy, and delicious, this mousse is something the boys could make for their parents and eventually their own friends and families. A bit more complicated than Tzatziki, this dark chocolate concoction was awesome (their word, not mine).
After pouring the mousse into brandy snifters,they each added whipped cream. We used the best product available from a can which worked fine.
I hope you readers enjoy these pictures as much as I enjoyed cooking and spending time with these very handsome young men. Jamie Oliver wants this day to be a celebration with kids and “day of global action to raise awareness of the joys of cooking good food and it’s impact on our health and happiness.”
Although they didn’t have time to let the mousse sit in the fridge for an hour before decorating, they still produced a pretty dessert.
It wasn’t easy to juggle busy schedules, practices and classes to make this afternoon happen. And, even I admit that cooking with Mrs. Hirsch was probably not at the top of their Want-to-do List. But, at the end of the day, we’d laughed, weathered a yolks/egg whites separation disaster, handled constant incoming texts from girlfriends and created two rather tasty dishes. I’d call that a pretty perfect revolution, wouldn’t you?
Ready to roll with a boxful of Tzatziki with crudités and chips and a batch of Dark Chocolate Mousse. Good job, Guys.
French Fridays with Dorie is an international cooking group working its way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around my French Table. Although both the recipes in this post are already linked, you can again grab the recipes here and here. If you wish to see the revolutionary efforts of my colleagues, go to our FFWD site.
Let’s just call a leek, a leek and put a name to it. LOVE. This week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe choice, Leeks Vinaigrette with Mimosa, made my heart flutter. Oui, oui, il était délicieux.
I’d wager my winnings from California Chrome’s victory in the Derby that few of you cook with leeks. If I’d open your veggie bin, I probably would not discover this nutritional, high-in-protein allium. Called the poor man’s asparagus, although it’s now pricier, and first cultivated over 5,000 years ago, it’s time for us to take a leap into leek country.
After simmering until tender, about twenty minutes, drain, dry, cover tightly and put in the refrigerator.
Last Saturday evening my friend, Ann O’Brien, and I made dinner to welcome home our neighbors, Fred Venrick and Cathy O’Connell, who had just returned from two months in Europe. (Yeah, Readers, I know. I know. Me, too.) Bernie Grauer, a weekend bachelor, also joined us. Spur of the moment. Not much planning. The menu All-Stars would be Mint Juleps and Leeks Vinaigrette with Mimosa. Everything else was fair game.
I just had to make a bed of walnuts and the leeks dish would be ready for the table.
Liz Weber Berg’s Glazed Leg of Lamb with Garlic & Rosemary
I even turned to Susan and John Lester at Create Amazing Meals for my wine choices. When the Lesters visited me in Cambria in February, John suggested I try local winery Peachy Canyon’s 2012 Vognier “Concrete Blanc”. A good recommendation. With the lamb, I opened an Italian wine, 2006 Conte Ottavio Piccolomini Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane, a gift to me from the Lesters. (Memo from Bernie: Hey, John, send more.)
Asparagus, Lamb, Leeks, Potatoes – Buffet Ready
As the pictures hopefully show, the meal was wonderful, thanks, in part, to the many talented chefs and food bloggers who inspire me every day. I urge you to try this week’s FFWD recipe which, as usual, is written very carefully and clearly by our Dorie. Since I could not find young, smaller leeks, I bought large and cut them closer to the white part called the shank. Unlike other vegetables, you want leeks to be tender, not crunchy. For this recipe, in a normal altitude, try simmering them for twenty minutes. Because I live in the mountains, mine took thirty minutes.
Joy the Baker’s Pistachio-crusted Asparagus with Feta. I also mixed Dukkah, a nut & spice blend, in with the pistachios.
When the leeks were tender, I drained and dried them, untying each packet of three before plating. Next I covered them tightly to put in the refrigerator. Before serving I brought the vegetable to room temperature, poured on the vinaigrette and garnished with a chopped egg. Mimosa refers to the hard-boiled egg garnish which is thought to resemble the edible yellow mimosa flower. I used walnut oil in the recipe so also garnished the platter with walnuts. (Although I do think some refrigeration to “set” the tender shanks is necessary, you may choose to warm the leeks just before saucing and serving.)
Cathy and Bernie are dishing up their food.
Ann and I were both pleased with our efforts. We certainly fed those efforts to an appreciative crowd. Everything about the evening was happy, joyful and even quietly raucous. You will not be seeing photos of Ann’s and my Welcome Home dance/skit which, like the dinner, was spur-of-the-moment. We used the fireplace hearth as our stage. Although our dance moves were, in our opinions, Usher-extraordinary, those photos were deleted.
We even had room for Martha Stewart’s Chocolate, Peanut Butter Icebox Cake. Photo by marthastewart.com
French Fridays with Dorie is an international cooking group working its way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around my French Table. Although all the recipes in this post are already linked, you can again grab the recipe for leeks here. If you wish to see the efforts of my colleagues, go to our FFWD site.
“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.
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.
This week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe is Vegetable Barley Soup with the Taste of Little India. Très confus? Dorie admits this is neither French bistro fare nor authentically Indian. It’s a Greenspan concoction. While walking through a Parisian Indian neighborhood she spotted and bought several tiny sachets of mixed spices. Adding them to a rather conventional root vegetable and barley potage kicked its flavoring out of France and up a notch.
Author Brigit Binns, who has written 28 cookbooks, welcomes us to her first cooking class of the season.
The veggies are predictable: onions; carrots; and, parsnips. The spices are not: garlic; fresh ginger; turmeric; red pepper flakes; and, Garam Marsala (coriander, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, kalonji, caraway, cloves, ginger and nutmeg). Chicken broth and pearl barley complete it. The recipe for this heart-healthy dish is included in this recent ChicagoTribune article, Cook Along with French Fridays, giving we Doristas our 15 minutes of fame.
Vegetable Barley Soup with the Taste of Little India
The Two Cheese Mavens: Lindsay Dodson-Brown of Justin Vineyards & Winery (L) and Alexis Negranti of Negranti Creamery (R) prepare for class.
Last weekend I attended author Brigit Binn’s first cooking class of the season at Refugio, her home in Paso Robles. Binns‘ twenty-eighth cookbook, The New Wine Country Cookbook, Recipes from California’s Central Coast, has been my tour guide and culinary bible since arriving here in January. I barely made the cut of the chosen twelve but for two whining e-mails to Brigit and a last minute cancellation. Who says begging isn’t helpful?
The most difficult thing about making ricotta cheese in an outdoor kitchen on a windy day is to keep the burner’s flame lit. Brigit and her husband, Casey, try to block the wind!
Everyone in the class got to play.
The class was entitled Two Cheese Mavens. Lindsay Dodson-Brown of Justin Vineyards & Winery and Alexis Negranti who owns Negranti Creamery helped us make mozzarella and ricotta cheeses. But this was a teaching lesson with sideshows. While we were making cheese, Binns and her husband, Casey, were creating delicious, homemade flatbreads dressed in tasty toppings, roasted baby artichokes and those olives, all made in their wood-burning outdoor oven. Butler poured her 2013 Rosé as well as a 2012 Viognier, and a 2010 Carignan. (More about Winemaker Butler next week.) Do you understand why I humbled myself and groveled?
This flatbread is the best I’ve ever tasted. Briget shared the dough recipe so I will share also if you contact me.
Casey made his scrumptious olives in their outdoor oven. Mine tasted almost as delicious with my conventional one. Just as tasty the next day, served cold. Quoting from page 274 of Binn’s cookbook: “Toss brine-cured or oil-cured olives with a little olive oil, scatter with some springs of fresh thyme and rosemary, and a little lemon or orange zest. Roast in a shallow pan for 10 to 15 minutes at 425 degrees until the olives are shriveled, aromatic and slightly crisp.” [Between this recipe and Dorie Greenspan’s Herbed Olives, avoid the high-priced olive bars and turn plain, inexpensive olives into Fancy Nancys – Mary]
Casey’s Olives, roasted in the outdoor oven
My olives (a different kind) with herbs, olive oil and seasoning, ready for my 425 degree oven
Just Right
The cauliflower in my farmer’s market is gorgeous so I couldn’t resist this purchase. I recently found a recipe by Chef Chad Colby for Sauteed Cauliflower Wedges with Bagna Cauda on this blog. Since I’d never made the Italian dipping sauce, Bagna Cauda, before, it was worth a try. Yummy. More about Bagna Cauda-Love in a later Post.
Sauteed Cauliflower Wedges with Bagna Cauda
About my dessert. First, you milk a ewe. Now I didn’t have to do that because Alexis Negranti and her husband, Wade, already had. Negranti, who taught us how to make mozzarella, also chit-chatted about her passion, creating different flavors of sheep milk ice cream – Chocolate, Black Coffee, Raw Honey, Salted Brown Sugar, Pumpkin, Fresh Mint – using fresh produce from local farmers. There’s much to tout about this dish of deliciousness but, for now, be satisfied that its fat content is less than 8%. As I mentioned, this was a feast…with leftovers.
Blueberry and Cinnamon Swirl Sheep Milk Ice Cream. Killer. I’m a convert.
