The photos of ingredients I’ve purchased for recipes I’ve tried recently grow in my photo library seemingly overnight even though I delete nearly as many as I decide to edit, mentally processing the quality of the recipe as I process my shots of it.  Recipes are sampled and the leftovers tucked away — or wedged considering the condition my fridge is currently suffering from — and the cycle repeats sans the writing that should factor in there somewhere.  Fresh fruit and vegetables are positioned on the kitchen counter tops in a sort of line up lest I forget they’re ready to be used. At some point, inspiration has to inspire, doesn’t it?  So that would be the problem.

And a lack of inspiration is not a small problem.

So while I prod, poke, and try to revive it, I’ve been cleaning up a few favorite old posts.  There’s nothing quite like restoring broken links, uploading photos from an old server onto a new one, and reformatting posts to keep one busy enough to justify a lack of creativity and avoidance of housework.

I also moved my photography station from the dining room to my office upstairs a few days ago, surprising myself with something I hadn’t given much thought to before it happened. It’s not a bad idea, but I’d just gotten organized in the office and spruced things up a bit — including the purchase of fabric to make curtains.  Nice curtains, too.  At this point, if I’m going to use the light from the window, then why put curtains up? Not an Earth-shattering dilemma, but still.

As much as I will enjoy not having lights and props lined up on the dining room table, I’ll miss the convenience of everything being right next to the kitchen.  I can still use the space when the light is perfect but won’t have to tolerate the things sitting around like a mess when I’m downstairs  I’ve already figured out a tray is in order to carry food upstairs, and a tote to carry props back and forth from the garage.  Perhaps one of those calorie counting gizmos is in order to make me feel even better about my decision since I’ll have to

Time will tell.  It always does.

In the meantime, I was lulled by the beauty of two kinds of apricots in the market a few days ago, and so they became my first experiment shooting with the light from my office window.  Leftover tart dough rescued from my freezer helped not only with the photography experiment, but a tart experiment as well.

This tart is perfect if you’ve got fresh apricots and want a tart that isn’t fussy to make.  The filling is is quickly mixed and poured over the apricots before baking.  A lovely recipe to end any meal.

Apricot Honey Almond Tart

Ingredients

3 T sliced almonds

1/2 c. heavy cream

1 lg. egg

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 T wild-flower honey

1 T cake flour

1 pinch dried lavender

5 fresh apricots

powdered sugar for sprinkling

1 blind baked pie crust, cooled.  Use this crust recipe — it’s delicious!

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
2. Sprinkle the sliced almonds evenly over the bottom of the blind-baked crust (I used an 8″ square)
3. Cut each of the apricots into 8 wedges and arrange them over the almonds so that they cover the surface of the crust as much as possible.  You should have 4 rows of 10 wedges
4. Prepare the cream by whisking the cream, egg, both extracts, and honey until well blended, then add the flour and mix well.
5. Carefully pour the cream mixture over the apricots as evenly as possible.
6. Sprinkle the dried lavender over the surface.
7. Place the tart on a baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven until the surface is golden brown, about 50 minutes.
8. Cool completely on a baking rack.
9. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

My Recipe Notes:

• This recipe was an adaptation of an adaptation from Patricia Wells’ At Home in Provence.  Picture someone’s photocopy of the recipe marked with their notes, and I took it from there.
• This is a lovely tart — a balanced combination of tartness and sweetness.  Definitely no sugar overload here.  I tried it with and without the sprinkle of powdered sugar and enjoyed it both ways.
• I had apricots that were crying out to be used and I originally intended to use both traditional apricots and some lovely Black Velvet Apricots, but the black apricots are much more tender in texture, quite juicy, and have fruit that clings to the stone more so than the traditional apricots.  This meant I would not have perfect little rows of apricot wedges for my tart, so I came up with Plan B for a second tart which I’ll write about later.
• Yes, I know that photo above is from a different sized tart pan, but I fell in love with the dough draping over the side of the pan — and remember — I was actually caught up in the throes of my new lighting set up.
• It seems I always have scraps of pie dough in my freezer, so that’s what I used for this tart.  I thaw it still wrapped in the fridge until it’s still pretty firm, then roll it on a lightly floured surface until it’s about 1/8″ thick.  I place it in a pan lightly sprayed with oil, easing the dough into the sides, sometimes doubling up the thickness with any extra dough that is draping over the sides.  I press it into the fluted edges, lightly tamping down from the top as well.  I like to leave a bit of dough poking above the edge of the pan because even when I use pie weights during blind baking, there’s shrinkage.
• Speaking of shrinkage, I forgot to use my pie weights, so the edges did slip a bit.  In the end, it was more rustic looking which is always fine with me, but I was worried about overflow during baking so I wrapped the tart pan in foil.  A bit leaked out, but it easily came out of the pan for serving.
• If you choose to use the pie dough recipe I’ve linked above (which is excellent — I’ve made it many times now) then you will have quite a bit left over.  Just freeze it in a well-wrapped disk shape to make rolling easy after it thaws.
• Another good tip when working with pie dough is to put it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before baking.  It helps keep all the fat solid so that when it bakes, it melts and creates a lovely, flaky crust.
• Try any kind of stone fruit with this recipe.  I’m thinking cherries would be lovely!
• The Black Velvet Apricots are headed for jam!

It’s been a year since I’ve posted a Daring Baker challenge, and I’m hanging my head over it.  Actually, I’ve just crawled out from under the rock where I’ve been hiding.   Last March, the delicious Citrus Tian Dessert made with blood oranges and California Cuties marked the start of an extended absence from the once a month fun I’d enjoyed with the Daring Bakers for several years.  Five months went by before I tackled another challenge –  the Baked Alaska last August for one of my son’s birthdays — but that less than counts since I never posted it.  I kept saying I would, but didn’t.  Pathetic.

But I’m back.  At least I think I am, and wanting to make sure I don’t miss out on any more.  In fact, I just might join in on the Daring Kitchen challenges since I find myself with no excuse not to join in on that fun as well.  I know I’ve missed out on some good recipes, but it’s more the sense of community generated by each of the monthly events I crave.  I miss the easy, relaxing camaraderie.  I miss it a lot.

The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.  Maybe that’s why it was go easy to get back in the saddle this month.  Coffee cake is something everyone seems to enjoy.  When I co-hosted the Daring Bakers in July of 2008, I chose a Danish Braid which is made with yeasted, laminated dough.  If shape counts, this Pastry Ring with Chocolate and Cardamom is made of a yeasted dough, also in layers, and is remarkably similar in appearance to this month’s challenge.

But this coffee cake dough feels like bread dough to me.  It looks like bread dough, smells like bread dough when it is baking, and looks like bread after it’s sliced.  I’m thinking it’s somewhat like a cinnamon bread dough, only filled with meringue.  Ah, that would be what intrigued me about this challenge most.  The meringue.

I had fun deciding exactly what I’d put in the filling — give it a shot since it doesn’t involve all the turning and rolling involved in the Danish Braid and Pastry Ring,  and you will too.

 

Yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake with Apricots and Pistachios

Makes 1 round coffee cake, approximately 10 inches in diameter
(half of the original recipe — for original quantities, please refer to the hosts’ links above)

Ingredients

For the coffee cake dough:

2 cups flour
1/8 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1-1/8 teaspoons active dried yeast
3 fl. oz. whole milk
1/8 cup
1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 large egg at room temperature

10 strands saffron

For the meringue:

2 large egg whites at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon orange blossom water

1/4 cup sugar

For the filling:

1/2 cup salted, roasted pistachios

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 cup sliced dried apricots

Wash: 1-2 T whole milk

Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions

Prepare the dough:

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast.

In a saucepan, combine the milk, water and butter and heat over medium heat until warm and the butter is just melted. Add the 10 saffron threads to the warmed liquid and allow to steep off of the heat for 10 minutes. This will give the mixture a distinct aroma and flavor and a yellowish-orange hue.

With an electric mixer on low speed, gradually add the warm liquid to the flour/yeast mixture, beating until well blended. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes. Add the egg and another 1/2 cup of the flour and beat for 2 more minutes.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the remaining 1/2 cup flour to make a dough that holds together. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth, sexy and elastic, keeping the work surface floured and adding extra flour as needed.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise until double in bulk, 45 – 60 minutes. The rising time will depend on the type of yeast you use.

Prepare your filling:

In the bowl of a food processor or spice grinder, combine the pistachios, cardamom, coconut, lemon zest and sugar and pulse a few times until the ingredients are evenly chopped.

Once the dough has doubled, make the meringue:

In a clean mixing bowl – ideally a plastic or metal bowl so the egg whites adhere to the side (they slip on glass) and you don’t end up with liquid remaining in the bottom – beat the egg whites with the salt, first on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high and continue beating until foamy and opaque. Add the vanilla then start adding the 1/4 cup sugar, a tablespoon at a time as you beat, until very stiff, glossy peaks form.  Add the orange blossom water last and blend in.

Assemble the Coffee Cake:

Line a baking/cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Punch down the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 20 x 10-inch rectangle. Spread the meringue evenly over the rectangle up to about 1/2-inch from the edges. Sprinkle the ground nut mixture over the meringue, then sprinkle the dried apricots over.

Now, roll up the dough jellyroll style, from the long side. Pinch the seam closed to seal. Very carefully transfer the filled log to the lined cookie sheet, seam side down. Bring the ends of the log around and seal the ends together, forming a ring, tucking one end into the other and pinching to seal.

Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife (although scissors are easier), make cuts along the outside edge at 1-inch intervals. Make them as shallow or as deep as desired but don’t be afraid to cut deep into the ring.

Cover the coffee cake with plastic wrap and allow them to rise again for 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Brush the tops of the coffee cake with milk. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until risen and golden brown. The dough should sound hollow when tapped.

Remove from the oven and slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheet onto the table. Very gently loosen the coffee cake from the paper with a large spatula and carefully slide the cake off onto cooling rack. Allow to cool.

Just before serving, dust the top of the coffee cake with confectioner’s sugar as well as cocoa powder if using chocolate in the filling. It is best eaten fresh, the same day or the next day.

 

Sprinkle the saffron in the milk and butter to steep

The dough is soft and sticky at first

Evidence of at least one bit of saffron in the dough

Organize filling ingredients

Ready for the meringue

Dried apricots go on last

Ready for proofing

I had some leakage...

Notes:

• The best thing about this recipe is the versatility.  You can have fun with the ingredients like I did.  If you would like to try a more traditional coffee cake, check out Jamie’s chocolate-walnut version.  She includes a yummy apple version in the same post.   Or check out Ria’s Indian spiced version for something completely different and quite exotic sounding.  I’d love to try that mix of spices in something baked!
• On the dough:  It’s a wet, sticky dough that rose very slowly for me (2 hours), and when it did couldn’t muster up much energy.  There was barely a glimmer of needing a good punching down.  I didn’t use my proofer, but swear each time this happens that I have one, so why NOT use it 100% of the time.  To be fair, I have had great results without the proofer, so like to keep it real when ever possible.  This means running around with the dough from window to sunny window.  Crazy.
• On the saffron in the dough:  When I saw that I’d be adding the saffron to liquid that hadn’t been heated very long, I wondered.  And I immediately saw the result.  Maybe I didn’t heat it quite long enough.  The saffron was very slow to spread its fragrance and lovely color.  I usually add saffron to water (or liquid) just boiled and left to steep.  An intense color is almost immediately visible.  My dough ended up with a token strand of saffron, which by the end of the second rise was showing evidence of some stubborn spreading of color.  Reminds me of getting 1/2 cherry in a can of fruit cocktail when I was a kid.  Hilarious!
• The mixture of nuts, spice, and fruit I chose was heavenly right from the grinder.  I’m thinking the same mixture is definitely going into a muffin very soon.  But in the finished coffee cake, the flavors lost their individuality.  Maybe more cardamom was needed, but I didn’t want to overwhelm the other flavors.
• On the second rise:  There’s something a bit strange about dough filled with meringue sitting at room temperature for another rise.  Hmmm…Mine began to leak as it broke down and I’m wondering whether cream of tartar would have changed that. Or whipped the meringue even longer than I did.
• The coffee cake cooks fairly quickly, and mine continued to lose even more of the merinque during baking.  Would this be a legitimate Daring Baker challenge without all these little problems?  Heck no!
• The resulting “cake” was slightly sweet — which I like — scented with citrus, and rich with the flavor of apricots.  I love apricots, so this was perfect.  The crumb was quite firm — even dry to us.  Too dry.  I’m thinking it would make great toast or French toast.
• All in all, a recipe to have fun with another time switching up the fillings, but the jury is still out on that meringue.  Interesting.  Maybe I just screwed it up!
• There are even more Daring Bakers now — so many on the I’m having trouble finding names I remember, but take the time to check out the blogroll for a few of their yeasted coffee cakes if you have some time!

My husband rarely calls me by my given name — a boy’s name my mother decided upon after she heard a woman in a grocery store call her dog.  A big dog.  I’ve always thought it would be a great name for a dog since they’re more like people than animals anyway.  It was going to be Deborah, like so many of the girls born then.  Deborah Ruth, I think, after my mother’s mother.

No, my husband has instead come up with quite a few other loving endearments over the years I’ve been happily attached to him, but none of them come close to sounding like Kelly.  I’ve tried to remember the first one, but getting caught up in the order of it all misses the point:  that I’m deserving of these little jewels of lovey-doveyness from him.

I could have a completely different attitude about them, mind you.  Someone who looked a gift horse in the mouth instead of considering the lovely source that my husband is.

These little somethings usually come with a smile or tone that suggests nothing too important will follow.  He’s just getting my attention.  Sometimes they appear on the cards he gives me instead of the giant heart with a capital “K” filling the inside.  Other times, they appear as greetings in occasional emails sent, reminding me of something I said I’d take care of because he knows that I’m easily lost in my day on most days, so might never quite get around to doing whatever it is I said I’d do.

Sweets.  Can you look around for my checkbook?  It’s not in my car. You know, because doesn’t everyone keep it there?

Or arriving home at the end of a long day, he’ll ask,  How was your day, Pear? Yes, he always asks, and then when I forget to ask about his, he continues to tell me what it was like.  I need better manners.

More recently, I have been Pear Petunia when he’s lounging in his chair on the weekend and caught up in a football-soccer-basketball-hockey game or two on television.  He absent-mindedly extends a hand for me to grasp in passing and squeeze once or twice.  I seize the opportunity to remind him that Petunia was a pig and that being shaped like a pear isn’t exactly ideal, but being a pear-shaped cartoon pig is a bit much.  We laugh.

He’ll disagree, but I think it all started with Pie.  Yes, he called me Pie all those years ago, and I know I’m in good company when it comes to this because pie is always good, isn’t it?  Especially when the crust is oh, so flaky and the filling a perfect combination of tart and sweet.

And so I made him little fruit pies the other day with blueberries and sugar plums I’d frozen.

He liked them with or without the powdered sugar, but you decide.

Perfect as Pie.

Sweet Heart Pies

makes about 18 or so

For the dough...

1/2 lb. unsalted butter, very cold

2-1/2 c. all-purpose flour

2 T sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/2 c. ice water

1/2 tsp. Champagne vinegar

For the filling…

1 to 1-1/2 c. frozen blueberries*

5 frozen sugar plums*

1/4 c. brown sugar

For the wash...

1 egg + 1 T cream whisked in a small cup

To prepare the butter, slice it into tablespoons, then cut each of those into 4 cubes. Spread on a metal tray and place in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Add the flour and sugar to a fine-meshed strainer and sift, then pour into the bowl of a standing mixer.  Add the cold butter cubes and with the paddle attachment, mix on low for about 2 minutes until the mixture looks like unevenly shaped curds of oatmeal.  Pinch the larger pieces of butter into the flour by hand to flatten them and even out the mixture.

Mix the water with a few ice cubes in a small bowl to make sure it’s very cold.  Measure only 1/2 c. of the ice water, then add the Champagne vinegar.  Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture all at once and mix on low just until the dough begins to clump together.

Turn the very coarse looking dough out of the bowl and very lightly press into a ball of sorts.  It will be extremely clumpy and pieces of butter will be clearly visible.  It should not be wet or sticky.  Wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour or overnight.

To make the filling, put the fruit and the sugar in a small sauce pan and over very low heat, cook, stirring occasionally until the mixture is jam like in consistency.  This will take about 15 – 20 minutes.  Remove from heat, and remove skins and any pits that may be in the mixture.  Allow to cool at room temperature.  It will continue to thicken as it cools.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

After chilling, dust the dough ball lightly with flour and press as little as possible to bring it together.  Roll out the dough on a lightly floured cool surface making sure to turn it from time to time to make sure it’s not sticking.  Roll to a 1/4-inch thickness.

Using a 3-1/2 ” cutter, cut out 36 shapes, re-rolling scraps of dough when needed.  Place two silicone or parchment covered baking pans nearby.  Organize the cut outs on the pans and dollop 1-2 tsp. of the filling in the center of every other cut out. Brush the edges with the milk and egg wash, then using a small fork or your fingers, press together the edges.  Using a wooden pick, poke a few holes into the little pies.  If desired, cut additional small shapes from the scraps and after brushing more wash over the surface of the little pies, press the cut out on the top.

Put the trays in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before baking.  Place the racks in the center of your oven, and bake the pies for about 10 minutes before reducing the heat to 350 and switching the racks from top to bottom.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes more, or until the crust is layered and a rich golden brown.

Remove to a cooling rack and sprinkle with powdered sugar while still warm if you like.

Don’t forget to try one while they’re still warm.

Cook fruit & brown sugar slowly over very low heat

It will be jam in no time

A butter lumpy ball of pie dough

Look at all that nice butter in that dough

Messy cook

Those cocktail forks are good for something

Egg washed

All baked and ready for dusting

Look at all those flaky layers!

Give 'em a dust and then sample, of course.

Or leave them undusted just like pie

Notes:

• I made these fruit hand pies not too long ago and have been wanting more ever since, but I had to try a new pie dough recipe I rediscovered and these were the perfect excuse to  use it.
• I often hear people say they have trouble with pie dough, or can’t make it.  Honestly, it just takes practice, but more importantly, it also takes a great recipe.  I swear by dough made in a food processor now because it’s so quick and incorporates the cold butter so nicely.  On the other hand, I also appreciate being able to make it by hand, pinching all that chilled butter into the dry ingredients.  It always turns out well.
• This recipe uses a standing mixer, so I thought it strange at first knowing the chunks of butter would thump around in that bowl as the paddle churned.  And it was strange.  After the mixing is finished, the “dough” is probably the most crude I’ve seen.  I really had to resist kneading it and pressing it together into a neat and tidy ball, but I did resist.  This is important!
• This is Sherry Yard’s “Flaky Pie Dough” recipe and she stresses that the dough cannot be overworked.  She’s right because it turned out beautifully.  Now I can’t wait to try it with a standard sized pie.
• The fruit filling came from a variety of places.  I’ve made quick and easy microwave fruit “jam” for years when a filling is needed, and it’s easy, but tedious since you have to stand by the microwave turning it on and off, and stirring the fruit until the consistency is achieved.  Then I made these blueberry cupcakes a while back and found that just cooking the fruit slowly down also achieves a very nice sauce.  But I needed something more like jam.  That’s how I discovered Lekvar, a Hungarian recipe traditionally made with prunes or apricots.  Think peroshki, or kolachi, or…evidently it even comes in jars.  It’s a thick jam that sounded like it could be perfect for these, but the recipes I consulted added water, and my frozen fruit was quite soggy and full of liquid, so decided to go with fruit and brown sugar and it worked quite nicely.  It has a pleasant slightly tart, but not overly sweet fruity flavor.
• *If you don’t have plums and blueberries (or other frozen fruit) , you can make a more traditional lekvar filling with this recipe.
• Speaking of frozen fruit — I don’t do anything to the fruit — I just pop it in the freezer whole, usually when I can tell I’m not going to get around to using it and want to avoid waste.  The best way to do this is to put the fruit (tomatoes work, too!) on a tray making sure they’re all reasonably separate.  Allow to freeze until hard, then pour into a freezer bag and force out all the air before sealing.  Perfect!  Then you can use as many as you like for a recipe without having to thaw the entire frozen mess!
• To make these ahead, both the dough and the filling can be made a day or two in advance and kept in the fridge well-sealed.

I know I’m not alone in having had the experience of finding something long forgotten — if noticed missing at all.  The purses sitting just beyond a comfortable reach on the top shelf of my closet are veritable treasure troves when I finally decide one or two should be sent to the Good Will.  I recently found a gift certificate to a local book store dated June, 2000, ink smeared and dog eared. Cleaning out a junk drawer usually turns up a few movie passes, that button that popped off a favorite sweater I vowed to sew back on, and a recipe for margaritas torn from the local paper years ago.  One never knows when a truly excellent margarita could come in handy.

Writing a food blog has its similar moments.  More often, they’re comprised of instances when I finally remember exactly which recipe inspired that gorgeous set of photos taken last spring.  Or after doing a bit of endless organizing, I inadvertently find yet another list of bookmarks for recipes I want to try. And there’s also the class act of flipping through cookbooks for inspiration, seeing a recipe that looks familiar and realizing it is the one I’ve searched everywhere for but couldn’t find.  I forgot to tag it, my notes were written on a piece of scrap paper instead of my dated notebook, and the scrap is buried in the junk drawer.  Yes!  That recipe!  Elation quickly turns to dispair when I remember that the recipe was one I gave up all hope of finding.  The one I deleted most of the photos for because at some point, I can’t save a million photos of food I’ll never write anything about.  Yes, 10 or 12 thousand, but not a million.

It’s a vicious cycle and I’m on a quest to be truly organized with it all if anything to save time.

Here are some chocolate tarts I found in the depths of my photo library, the recipe just rediscovered, and…well, see above.  If you’re caught up in the throes of getting organized and need a bit of a boost, or want something decadently chocolate after a special meal, you’ll love these tarts made with a chocolate short dough crust and a soft bittersweet chocolate ganache.  They’re decadently rich and perfect for sharing.

Dark Chocolate Tartelettes

Makes four 4-inch tartelettes

For the tart shells…

1-1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 lb. butter, room temperature

1/2 c. powdered sugar

For the filling…

8 oz. semisweet chocolate

2 T unsalted butter, at room temperature

1-1/2 c. heavy cream

2 T strong coffee or espresso

Make the crust first by sifting the flour and cocoa powder together into a medium sized bowl.

In the bowl of a standing mixer using the paddle attachment, add the butter and beat on low for 2 minutes to soften it further.  Add the powdered sugar and mix just until blended, less than a minute.  Scrape down the sides.  Pour in the flour and cocoa mixture and beat again on low just until blended, less than a minute.

Scrape the dough from the mixer bowl, make a ball, then flatten into a disc and wrap well with plastic.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

When the dough if well chilled, divide into four equal pieces.  On a work surface lightly dusted with flour, roll a piece of dough into a 1/4″ thickness and a diameter of about 6 inches to fit in a 4″ tart pan with a removable bottom.  Gently press the dough into the tart pan making sure the dough fits into the fluted edges.  Trim excess  dough and place the crust in the refrigerator while the remaining three crusts are formed.  Make sure all have been chilled at least 15 minutes before baking.

To blind bake the shells, prick the bottom of each with a fork several times, then cover each with a square of foil and fill with pie weights, dried beans, pasta, or rice.  Bake in the lower third of the oven 15-18 minutes, then remove the foil and pie weights and bake for an additional 7-8 minutes.  Remove from the oven and cool completely on a baking rack before filling.

To prepare the ganache filling, chop the chocolate into small pieces and add it along with the butter to a large ovenproof measuring cup or bowl.  Heat the cream, just bringing it to a boil, then pour it over the chocolate and butter.  Make sure the chocolate is completely covered by the cream before allowing it to sit about a minute.  Using a spatula, begin slowly stirring the mixture until it is completely melted and is 90 degrees.  Pour in the coffee and mix well.  Fill each tart shell with the ganache and chill until set — at least 1 hour before serving.

Using a sharp cheese cutter or potato peeler, shave some chocolate over each tart if desired.

Press the dough into the tart pans and trim

Prick, fill with pie weights and blind bake

Fill with chocolate ganache and chill

Notes:

• This recipe was adapted from Sherry Yard’s “Deep, Dark Chocolate Tart” from The Secrets of Baking.
• Basic ganache is essentially an equal mixture of chocolate and cream.  It can be made in soft, medium, or firm consistencies depending on what you want to use it for.  A soft consistency contains twice the cream to chocolate, and a firm consistency twice the amount of chocolate to cream.
• The key to keeping the crust from getting tough is keeping it cool.  If your kitchen is hot, keep the balls of dough in the refrigerator while you work on one at a time.  Or roll out one large piece of dough to 1/4″ thickness, lightly fold it into a half, then quarter and put it back in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes before cutting four 6″ circles from the dough.
• I made my tarts a day ahead and kept them in the refrigerator over night.  They become quite firm when chilled but will keep nicely until you’re ready to serve up to two days if necessary.
• Truly intense chocolate flavor guaranteed to satisfy any chocolate craving.

Decadently rich!

I’m not much of a New Year’s resolution person.  I could blame it on the fact that I often don’t finish what I’ve begun, and to some extent that may be true, but know it’s more about being someone who constantly takes stock, reflects, compulsively evaluates, over-analyzes, sifts, sorts, and thrives on general hair-splitting.  It’s endless, so to some degree  I welcome January 1 each year to think in a more focused way — at least that’s what I’ve convinced myself of.

It’s really more about being able to sigh for the first time after a busy holiday season and quietly celebrate that I don’t have to cook anything too involved if I’m not in the mood.  That for the first day in quite some time, mental lists, menus to plan, groceries to purchase, and errands to run aren’t interrupting a quiet moment, or causing alarm should something important be forgotten.  It’s exhausting, and each year I vow to live through the holidays more graciously, more collected, and more as someone who enjoys and participates rather than orchestrates and delivers.

And so I’m reflecting on our holidays today and remembering some of the delicious food we shared with those we know and love.  It always allows us to pause long enough to enjoy one another’s company, to laugh, clink our glasses in a toast or three, and then smile at the quiet that comes after everyone has picked up their forks and begun to eat.

This beautiful and delicious Pear Gorgonzola and Walnut Rustic Tart was made on Christmas Eve in celebration of a special couple, recently engaged who happen to have a kitchen always filled with music, and often, dancing.  Here’s to you Lisa and Steve!

This year, there will be more music and dancing in my kitchen.  I promise myself.

Pear Gorgonzola and Walnut Rustic Tart

For the pastry…
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T fresh thyme leaves
12 T unsalted butter, cold
4 T ice water

For the filling…
1 c. gorgonzola cheese
4 Bosc pears, cored, unpeeled, sliced 1/8″ thick
1 handful walnuts, raw, crumbled in fist
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
heavy cream

For the glaze…
2T agave nectar
1 T balsamic vinegar
fresh thyme

Make the pastry first using by combining flour, salt, and thyme in the bowl and pulsing it a few times to mix.  Add the butter in cubes all at once, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse clumps.  Add the ice water a dribble at a time, pulsing as you go, but only just until the dough begins to come together.  Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and bring it together in a ball.  Flatten with your hand, then wrap in plastic to chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place pears in a large bowl or plastic bag and sprinkle flour over, tossing (or shaking if you’re using a bag) gently to coat.

When the dough is chilled, roll it out on a lightly floured piece of parchment into a 1/8″ thick circle, about 18″ in diameter or so.  Crumble the cheese evenly across the center of the dough, making sure to leave a border of about 2″.  Arrange the pear slices over the cheese, then sprinkle over the walnut pieces, making sure to tuck a few here and there beneath the pears.

Turn the edge of the dough up over the pears, pleating it as needed.  Brush the pastry with a bit of heavy cream and transfer the tart to a baking sheet.  Bake for about 40-45 minutes until the pears and pastry are lightly browned.

To make the glaze, in a very small saucepan, stir the agave nectar and balsamic vinegar over low heat.  When the mixture is thin and easily poured from a spoon, add a pinch of fresh thyme and mix in.  Use a brush to evenly coat the pears with the glaze.  Sprinkle a few more fresh thyme leaves over before serving.

slice pears thinly

dust pear slices with flour

layer pears over gorgonzola

sprinkle walnuts over

fold dough over filling and brush with cream

Notes:

• This tart recipe was adapted from one found in desperation at a lovely site I recently found:  Desserts for Breakfast.  Fabulous recipes, great personality, and wonderful photography!  We enjoyed it as an appetizer at a Christmas Eve dinner and it was well received, so thanks!
• Pears are in season typically between July and January, with the bulk being grown on the west coast of the US.  If you’re thinking locavore and/or seasonal, time is almost up to try this great recipe!
• Bosc pears, originally developed in Belgium, are perfect for baking and roasting because they hold up better, but if you can’t get pears period, then apples would work in this recipe.  If you do have pears, but are picky about walnuts, then try this with almonds instead.
• Gorgonzola is produced in Italy’s Lombardy region and was originally called “stracchino verde.”  The blue is produced when holes are poked into the aging cheese so mold can develop.  If you turn your nose up — literally — at any blue veined cheese, you may be interested to know that when you cook gorgonzola, it sweetens, and mellows in flavor — like garlic!  It’s perfect with pears — especially when cooked.  But the combo is also fabulous in salads, souffles, and with pork.  Mmm…we love gorgonzola and pretty much any blue veined cheese.
• When I make tarts like this, I use a round baking stone.  They come in all sizes, shapes, and of course are made by a variety of manufacturers.  If you’re interested in buying one, I’ll encourage you.  The crust they help develop is fabulous!
• It can be a bit awkward getting the tart into the oven where the stone has been as the oven preheats.  Either roll out the dough over a piece of lightly floured parchment, or cover a baking sheet or the back of a jelly roll pan with the parchment and slide the tart from the counter to the covered baking sheet.  Then, transfer the tart to the hot baking stone by dragging the parchment.  It sounds complicated, but it isn’t.  Susan of Wild Yeast has written a great post written about the great results baking stones help achieve.  There’s another great discussion about baking stones — specifically Pampered Chef stones — at the Fresh Loaf.  I use one of those and have never had any problems with it.  But I do need a larger one to use for bread.
• I used a mandoline to slice the pears because it gets them very thin, it’s quick, and they’re uniformly sliced.  A mandoline is another great kitchen tool to add to your collection if you don’t have one.  I started with an inexpensive plastic model until I was gifted one a couple of years ago — a Bron Stainless Steel.  It’s a bit scary, but works very well.  The guard that comes with most mandolines can make slicing some foods impossible because of their size unless you cut them first, so if you get one, consider purchasing a mesh safety glove as well.  Bear in mind they’re only “cut resistant” so you still can’t slice with wild abandon.  Perhaps controlled abandon.  Caution?  Right.
• If you don’t have a food processor, the dough can easily be made by pinching the butter into the flour mixture until pea-sized crumbs appear, then tossing the mixture in ice water until moist clumps form, and the dough begins to take shape.  You know I prefer this method, but the processor comes in handy when I’m busy.
• This recipe comes together very quickly, but making the dough the night before helps save some time.
• Although I’ve not tried it, I’ll bet the constructed tart could be frozen if well wrapped, then thawed and baked.

leave it on the baking stone to keep warm

]]> http://www.sassandveracity.com/2011/01/03/pear-gorgonzola-and-walnut-rustic-tart/feed/ 35 http://www.sassandveracity.com/2010/12/28/cassoulet/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cassoulet http://www.sassandveracity.com/2010/12/28/cassoulet/#comments Tue, 28 Dec 2010 22:59:07 +0000 kellypea http://sassandveracity.com/?p=1723

I think the first time I heard anyone mention cassoulet, it was Martha Stewart years ago in the first version of her television show.  Outside of remembering that the main ingredients were white beans and a huge amount of meat for what could be classified as a one pot meal, I know she described it as one of her traditional holiday party menu items.  I also remember wondering how a preparing a pot of beans could be so involved.  Really?

Now I know.

To say that cassoulet is simply a bean stew or “dried beans and meat” is humorous because I grew up eating what could be called bean stew.  Beans go in a pot with few additional ingredients and not much attention.  Time goes by and a tasty dinner is served.  Bear in mind in this scenario, the bean to meat ratio is in favor of the legumes.  Cassoulet is anything but that, but I’m thinking it shouldn’t have to be.  At the same time, if I set out to make one of the many recipes I glanced at for “easy” cassoulet I’d feel I’d cheated somehow.  Perhaps I’d have something with flavor similar to cassoulet, but I’d miss out on what I often enjoy so much about tackling an involved recipe for the first time:  all the thinking I do.  There’s something very gratifying about methodically working through a recipe that takes some thought and effort.

I’ll confess this all began with a small jar of duck fat I brought back from England recently.  I saw it and knew it would remind me of all the possibilities, so tucked it well into my suitcase until we arrived home, then stored it in the fridge to think about.  Many traditional versions of cassoulet are made with duck fat, but I needed a recipe that wasn’t swimming in it, which means I would need to choose a recipe lacking in, well, duck – or more specifically, duck confit.  My little jar’s quantity wasn’t nearly enough to make that.

Some may say a duckless cassoulet is sacrilege, but I know the recipe I chose, which uses tomatoes and a bread crumb topping, could also invite that complaint.  Cassoulet is a dish originally from the Languedoc region in Southern France, with the towns of  Castelnaudary, Toulouse and Carcassonne all claiming credit for its creation and there are as many variations as there are village cooks in that region.  Originally, I’d considered floundering through a Toulouse Cassoulet until I came to my senses realizing I hadn’t the time I needed to construct it.

I made the cassoulet, but I confess that I did not break the “film” that develops over it while it cooks seven times, so evidently, I did not create anything perfect.  Rich, yes.  Perfect, no.  With respect to all that’s good about home cooking, and for someone like me who truly enjoys the process of constructing a dish like this, it’s a great reason to gather a group of special friends for a special meal just because.

Especially on a cold winter’s day.

Cassoulet for 12

For the Beans…

3-1/2 c. dried white beans

1/2 lb. fresh pork rind

1 lb. lean pork belly

bones reserved from pork loin

2 yellow onions, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

8 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs

4 fresh thyme springs

2 bay leaves

6 peppercorns

3 whole cloves

1 tsp. salt

3-1/2 qt. water

For the Pork Loin…

1-1/2 to 2 lb. boneless pork loin, bones reserved, tied

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary

2 T rendered pork, duck, or goose fat or olive oil

1 yellow onion, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 bottle (750 ml) dry white wine

For the Lamb…

2 T rendered pork, duck or goose fat or olive oil

2 lob. boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 2″ cubes

1 yellow onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 fresh thyme sprigs

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1 bottle (750 ml) dry white wine

4 Toulouse or other well-seasoned pure pork sausages

For the Topping…

1-1/2 c. coarse dried bread crumbs

2 T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/2 c. rendered pork, duck, or goose fat, melted

Prepare the beans first.  Check for stones or bad beans, rinse and drain.  Pour into a medium sauce pan and cover with cold water by 3″.  Cook over high heat until boiling, then reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes until softened.

In another sauce pan, cover the pork rind and pork belly with cold water by 3″ and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes.  Pour out the water and rinse with cold water twice.  Cut into 1/2″ cubes and set aside.

Prepare the lamb.  In a large heavy pot warm the fat or oil over high heat.  Add the lamb, browning on all sides, 5-8 minutes.  Add the onion, garlic, and spices, mixing well.  Add the wine to the mixture and reduce the heat to low, cooking about 1-1/2 hours until meat is tender.

To prepare the pork loin, rub well with salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary.  In a Dutch oven or large, heavy pot, heat the fat or olive oil over high heat and brown the pork loin on all sides — about 8 minutes in all.  To the pot, add onions and garlic, stirring for 1-2 minutes.  Add tomatoes and 1-1/2 c. of the wine, reduce heat to low and cover, cooking until meat is tender, about 1 hour.

Prepare beans.  In a large pot, place softened beans, pork rind, pork belly, bones from the loin, onions, garlic, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, and salt.  Pour in 3-1/2 water and bring to a boil over high heat.  Turn the heat to low, and cook for about 1 hour, uncovered.

Once the pork loin is ready, remove it from the pan and add it to the bean pot.  To the remaining pork juices, deglaze the pan over high heat by adding the remaining 1-1/2 c. white wine making sure to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom.  Boil the liquid until reduced by half, then pour into the bean pot.

When the lamb is ready, scoop out pieces with a slotted spoon and add to the bean pot.  Set the remaining lamb cooking liquid  aside.  Now add the sausages to the beans as well and continue cooking the entire pot for an additional 30 minutes.

While the bean and meat mixture is cooking, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

When the bean and meat mixture is finished cooking, remove the pork loin, pork belly and sausages from the beans to a cutting board and cut them into 1/2″ pieces.  Set aside.  With a slotted spoon, remove lamb pieces from the beans to the same plate.  In a 3-1/2 to 4 qt. baking dish or oven proof sauce pan, add a 1″ layer of beans to cover the bottom of the pan.  Add a layer of mixed meat pieces, making sure to distribute types evenly.  Cover the meat mixture with another layer of beans, add another layer of mixed meats, and finish with a layer of beans.

Carefully pour in the lamb juices and enough bean broth to barely cover the top layer of the cassoulet.  Mix the breadcrumbs and parsley, then sprinkle evenly over the top of the cassoulet.  Finish by drizzling the duck or goose fat over the crumb topping.  Bake uncovered for about 15 minutes until a crust has formed.  At that time, use a large spoon to break through the crust, spoon out some broth and pour over the crust.  Bake an additional 15 minutes, and repeat.  Bake until crust is richly browned, about 15-20 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Notes:

• Printable recipe version.

• The recipe I used was adapted from Georgeanne Brennan’s Savoring France which is a Williams-Sonoma publication — a beautiful book I have enjoyed for years.  The list of ingredients above is written exactly as published, but I’ve resorted the directions for the recipe to an order which I strongly believe streamlines the process now that I’ve tried it.

• There were many contenders for my first venture in making cassoulet:

• Martha Stewart’s Cassoulet for 100 (immediately disqualified for obvious reasons) from The Martha Stewart Cookbook (1995 1st ed).  Not only did I lack 94 mouths to feed, I can’t imagine where I’d get the pots, pans, and refrigerator space to create a dish like this for that many, starting with the 16 pounds of beans.  Goodness.
• Julia Child’s “Cassoulet de Porc et Mouton” from Mastering the Art of French Cooking is very similar to the Brennan version (or vice versa) I made.  The biggest differences are:  1) roasting the pork loin, which makes much more sense to me than braising considering it’s a lean cut of meat; and 2) an included recipe for homemade sausage cakes instead of traditional Saucissed de Toulouse, which although tasty sounding, would only require more time and better planning.   She does provide additional variations or substitutions which are great.  But Julia is always great, isn’t she?
• As much as I truly wanted to try Paula Wolfert’s “Toulouse-Style Cassoulet” from Food & Wine, it was even more involved than the one I chose, and required more than a day to construct.  I knew this after having tagged it when it was first published, but in the end, I went with a cassoulet that could be prepared and eaten in one day.  Take the time to peruse her list of ingredients as a comparison.  It’s an interesting variation.
• The New Jersey Monthly published executive chef Dominique Filoni’s “Cassoulet Toulousain” earlier this year and I like the sound of it quite a bit, but couldn’t pull off the duck confit in the time I had.  It’s definitely one to save for later.
• Here’s a version published in the New York Times in 1992 which also includes the duck confit.  It caught my eye because the ingredient list is somewhat uncomplicated.
• Etienne Rousselot’s Cassoulet as published in a Saveur adaptation is the version I will experiment with next, and there will be a next time.  The ingredient list is manageable, it contains the duck confit, and serves fewer.  I like the head of garlic in the mix, as well as the use of ham hocks.  I love ham hocks.
• I did scan quite a few French translations just to consider authenticity, and although the ingredient lists and directions seemed much more simple, some things seemed to get lost in the translation and I wasn’t feeling that adventuresome.
• If you’re someone who just doesn’t get the whole point of spending a day or two — or three — constructing a pot of food for dinner, and wonder why cooking always seems so complicated, here are links for quick and easy cassoulet — 27,000 of them.  I have my own version of this coming soon inspired by a dish I enjoyed at The Crown Inn in Linton, Cambridgeshire, England when we were there this past October.  I asked the waiter if the chef might share the recipe, but never got response.  Oh well, right?