And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
It sounds odd to say that a recipe’s biggest problem is that
it looks too good, but that’s sort of the case with this pear clafoutis.
Through no fault of its own, this crust-less, custard fruit tart looks a lot
sweeter, and richer than it actually is. So, please be sure to adjust yours and
your guest’s taste buds accordingly. Of course, you can make this sweeter, with
more sugar, or richer, with some cream instead of all milk, but there’s
something to be said for those rare recipes that I would describe as, “just
sweet enough.”
Which reminds me, be sure to taste whatever fruit you’re
using for sweetness, since you may want to adjust the sugar level based on
that. Another key, especially if you’re using pears, or apples, is to make sure
you slice them thin; otherwise they will not cook through by the time your
custard is cooked.
As I mentioned you could cook the fruit first, but I’ll
leave that up to you. If you use the traditional cherries, or something like
tender juicy berries, this will actually cook faster than the time is given
here, so I’d start checking for doneness after about 25 to 30 minutes. Speaking
of different fruits, apparently if we don’t use cherries, this is referred to
as a “flognarde,” which I’ll never get tired of saying. Hilarious names aside,
I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 8 portions:
(The baking dish I used was 10-inch wide)
2 tablespoons soft unsalted butter, divided (one for pan ,
one for top)
3 generous cups thinly sliced sweet, ripe pears
1/2 cup lightly toasted sliced almonds
For the batter:
3 large eggs
1/3 to 1/2 cup granulated sugar depending on fruit’s
sweetness
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- Bake at 350 F. for about 45 minutes, or until fruit is
soft, and custard is cooked.
The fact that Kouign-Amann (Pronounced “Queen-a-mahn”) have
become a popular item in bakeries across America is quite a tribute to just how
incredible they really are, since to stock something that no one can spell or pronounce
is generally considered a retail sales no-no. As you may know, I pride myself
on mispronouncing things, but even I don’t like to be corrected by a
salesperson, and their judgmental, I can’t believe you just said “kooeegan-aman”
look.
Yet, despite the difficult name, they’ve thrived for the
very simple reason that this is one of the world’s great pastries. Maybe the
greatest. I guess that depends on who you talk to, but the irresistible
combination of sweet, salty, sticky, buttery, crispy, flaky, and tender, is
hard to beat.
I guess you could just buy some frozen puff pasty, or
croissant dough, and skip to the last step, but unlike many of those, the base
here is a fairly lean bread dough, which I think is one of the secrets. A
richer milk-based dough, which already contains lots of butter and sugar, won’t
necessarily provide the same contrast.
Speaking of secrets, I think the real magic of these is the
salt. Apparently the authentic ones are fairly salty, and just as savory, as
they are sweet, but you don’t want to over do it. I suggest starting with less
than I call for in your seasoned sugar mix, and then tasting on a wet finger to
see where you’re at. Then, add more until you think it’s right.
Part of me hopes you have a bakery that does these nearby,
so you can easily taste them for yourself, but another part of me hopes you
don’t, so you’ll try to make them. Either way, you’re in for a huge treat.
Enjoy!
Ingredients for 12 Kouign-Amann:
For the dough:
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon dry active yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the seasoned sugar (mix, taste, and adjust):
2/3 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons of sea salt or kosher salt (less if you’re using
a fine table salt)
For the rest:
8 ounces ice cold unsalted butter (2 sticks) for the pastry
The hardest line cook job I ever had was working the broiler
station at the Carnelian Room, where on a busy night I’d prepare over 250
steaks and chops, which wasn’t even the most difficult part. No, the biggest
challenge was actually frying these potato puffs to order, to go on all those
plates.
It was a lot of work, but a labor of love, since pomme
dauphine, as my French friends would call this, is one of the greatest foods
ever invented, especially for potato fanatics like me. However, as with most
fried foods, they can be messy to make, and unless you have an
industrial-strength hood fan, your kitchen will smell like a deep fryer for
days, which is why I wanted to try and do a baked version.
I was very happy with the results, and while the outside
wasn’t dark and crispy like the fried version, the inside was virtually
identical, and thoroughly enjoyable in their own right. Whether you’re making
them as a warm snack with a dip, or to go alongside some eggs, or a grilled
steak, the baked version should work out just fine.
Of course, since we’re getting close to Thanksgiving, if you
are one of these people who deep-fries the turkey, I would probably go with the
traditional method. Especially since you’ll be cooking outside where sneaking a
few of these while you’re working will be pretty easy to get away with. Either
way, I really do hope you give these potato puffs a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 12 Small Baked Potato Puffs:
(I did a tiny test batch, so I highly recommend doubling or
tripling the recipe)
1 cup cooked, plain mashed potatoes (Yukon or Russet)
salt and cayenne to taste
small pinch of freshly grated nutmeg butter for the muffin tin
For the pastry dough:
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
pinch of salt
1 large egg
- For a mini muffin tin*, butter well, and bake at 450 F for
about 20 minutes, or until browned and puffed.
- Or, deep-fry at 375 F for a few minutes until browned and
puffed.
* These might work in a regular muffin tin, but you’ll need
to bake longer.
These gorgeous cream puff "crack
buns” were inspired by the Great British Baking Show, which is not only my
favorite cooking show, but currently my favorite thing on television. Maybe
it's the accent, or because the contestants are all so nice, and actually try
to help each other. Or, it could be the fact that when the time is up, and they
try to work for a few more seconds, the hosts just politely scold them, instead
of immediate disqualification, which is what would happen on our much more uptight
American culinary competitions.
It's probably all of the above, plus
the fact I always get so many wonderful ideas for videos, with these Choux au Crackelin
being a prime example. Like I said in the video, these would be great filled
with all kinds of things, but it's hard to beat vanilla bean pastry cream. I'm
pretty proud of the recipe we posted a few years ago, and while I enjoy it
straight, traditionally it would have some whipped cream folded in to lighten
the mixture.
Speaking of favorite things, Boston
cream pie is one of my all-time favorite desserts, and this was basically an
individually portioned, probably superior version of that. The only thing that
would have made this experience any more enjoyable would have been getting that
coveted Paul Hollywood handshake. Maybe one day. In the meantime, I really do
hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 6 to 8 Crack Buns:
For the “crack” crust:
3 tablespoons soft butter
1/4 light brown sugar (1 1/2 ounces)
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour (47
grams)
pinch salt
For the choux pastry:
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
pinch salt
1/2 cup flour
2 large room temperature eggs
melted dark chocolate, optional
- Put into 450 F. oven, reduce to 350 F., and bake for 30-40
minutes or until browned and fully puffed.
One of these days Michele and I will travel to the south of
France, where we’ll make it a point to eat this amazing tomato tart at least
once a day. It’s going to be hot, since we’ll have to go in the middle of
summer, so we can enjoy the best possible tomatoes, but that’s fine, as long as
they don’t run out of chilled rosé.
While beautiful in its own way, this tart doesn’t
necessarily look like it’s going to be one of the most delicious things ever, but
then you bite into the crispy, buttery crust, which is the perfect delivery
system for the tangy Dijon, and sweet, caramelized tomatoes, and you’re like,
yeah, that guy was right.
By the way, if you want to learn some really good French
swear words, call this a “French pizza” in front of a French chef. They don’t
quite agree with the analogy. However, there is one common denominator. Both
can be ruined with too much topping. Just like we don’t want to overload a
thin-crust pizza with a ton of sauce and cheese, we need to be restrained with
this as well.
One layer of tomato is plenty, since more than that will
make for a too wet tart, which means your pastry will not stay crispy. Besides
that, there’s not much that can go wrong, unless you use subpar tomatoes. But,
since we’re right in the middle of peak season that shouldn’t be a problem, so
I really do hope you give this tomato tart a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
enough puff pastry to make your shell
enough extra-strong Dijon mustard to sauce the inside
enough sliced tomatoes to fill the tart with a single layer
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
several big pinches of Herbes de Provence (or an Italian
herb blend if you can’t find)
extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, as needed
fresh chopped herbs to garnish
- Pre-bake tart shell for about 10 minutes at 400 F.
- Let cool about 10-15 minutes, then fill and bake at 400 F.
for about 25-30 minutes, or until pastry is well-browned and crisp.
Mastering pan sauces is one the easiest things a home cook can do to raise their culinary game, since it
allows one to produce dishes most people only see in restaurants. And not just
any restaurants. The really good ones.
By the way, if you’re still looking for
a Father’s Day gift, a nice bottle of bourbon, with a little splash going to
finish a home-cooked steak, would make quite the one-two punch of manly
goodness. And, even if your dad isn’t a sitcom stereotype, who doesn’t enjoy a
well-executed pan sauce?
If you’re making this for meat that’s
coming off a grill, you can still do the sauce separately, and just keep it
warm until the main course is ready. Start with the sautéing garlic in butter
step, and finish as shown. Of course, you’ll have to add some coarsely ground
black pepper to the sauce, but that’s about the only adjustment.
Like I said in the video, this sauce’s rich,
sweet, peppery flavor profile also works wonderfully with pork chops, and
grilled chicken. You can also switch up the Bourbon for another liquor, since this
really is just a technique video. Regardless of what you use, or what you serve
it with, I really do hope you give this great pan sauce a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for two portions:
1 clove minced garlic, sautéed in 1 teaspoon
butter
1 ounce bourbon
1/2 cup chicken broth or veal stock
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons cold butter
salt and cayenne to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Not only is this simple frangipane tart a perfect way to
enjoy fresh summer fruit, but it’s also great for those times when you can’t
decide whether you want cake or pie. This sort of seems like both to me, and unlike many fancy looking pastries, this one is not at all complicated to make.
Even made free form, with pieced together leftover puff
pastry, this was a fairly simple operation. As I mentioned, most people use pie
dough for this, and if you do, simply follow the exact same procedure for the
pre-baking. Once whatever crust you’re using is baked about halfway, and
cooled, it’s ready to fill, top with fruit and bake.
Another great reason to make this is that there’s a good
chance one of your guests will ask you which bakery this came from, which will
give you the opportunity to say, “Bakery? No, I made this.” But say it really
casually, like it was no big thing. This travels well, so don’t be afraid to
fish for compliments with this at the next picnic. Either way, I really do hope
you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for Fresh Fruit Frangipane Tart:
For the filling:
1 1/2 tablespoons soft butter
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon white sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup almond flour, or very finely-ground blanched almonds
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
For the tart:
enough puff pasty or pie dough for a 9 or 10 inch shallow
tart pan
enough fresh fruit to do the job
For the glaze: 3 tablespoons apricot jam 2 teaspoons water Bring to a boil in small pan or microwave. Let cool to just warm before brushing on.
- Pre-bake pastry shell at 400 F. for 15 minutes or until it
starts to get golden-brown.
- Fill, top, and bake at 375 F. for 30-40 minutes, or until
browned and the almond filling is set. .
It's not often that you cut a step or two from a classic
recipe, and it actually comes out better, but that's what happened with this
cheese soufflé experiment. I was actually working on something I was going to
call “cheesecake soufflé,” and since I was adding cream cheese to the base, I
decided to skip the classic white sauce, and simply smear everything together.
Not only did this make the operation much faster, and
easier, the cheese flavor seemed to be “cleaner,” and more pronounced. Ultimately,
I decided not to call this a “cheesecake soufflé, since hot cheesecake just
seems wrong, but also because the technique works just as well for a savory
version.
You’ll want to skip the sugar, vanilla, and maybe the lemon
zest, but everything else should work the same. The cream cheese works really
nicely as a neutral base to incorporate the rest of the ingredients, and
literally any type of grating cheese will work for the second type. I love a
nice sharp, aged cheddar, but Gruyere, Gouda, and Comté would all be wonderful
in this.
As I mentioned in the video, despite being a very easy
recipe, you will probably have to practice a few times to lock in the perfect
cooking time. Variables like the oven type, ramekin size, and batter
temperature will all effect the time. Plus, you have to decide how “French” you
want yours. Regardless, I really do hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 2 Soufflés:
2 large egg yolks
2 ounces cream cheese (about a rounded 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 ounce shredded cheddar cheese (about 1/3 cup unpacked)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites, beaten with a pinch of salt to soft
peaks
butter and sugar for 2 (5.5 ounce) ramekins
- Mine baked at 400 F. for 12 minutes, but your times will
vary!
This seafood sausage recipe is one of those dishes you learn
in culinary school, and then never make in a restaurant, the rest of your
career. Unlike your more common meat-based sausages, which are made from
assorted scraps, and you really don’t want to know, these seafood sausages need
pristine product to shine, thereby eliminating the money-saving incentive of
making sausage.
However, despite their lack of popularity, these really are a
great way to take less than thrilling seafood, like some sleepy sole, and
previously frozen salmon, and make something that seems far more special. The
flavor is lovely, and the texture is similar to a boudin blanc, or white hot
dog, if you prefer.
If you want something with a courser texture, simply make
the sausage mixture as shown, but then fold in a few handfuls of chopped
shrimp, scallop, or any other seafood. Once cooked, and sliced, you’ll see
pieces of whatever you added studding the link. I actually prefer the smooth
style, but it’s fun to experiment. Either way, I really do hope you give these
a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 Seafood Sausages:
8 ounces boneless, skinless sole or other white fish
4 ounces boneless, skinless salmon
4 ounces peeled, deveined shrimp
2 tablespoons plain dry breadcrumbs
4 large egg whites
1 large whole egg
2 teaspoons kosher salt (or maybe 1 1/4 teaspoon fine salt)
I’ll admit to being
pretty underwhelmed the first time I had a chocolate croissant, or “pain au chocolat,”
as I’d mispronounce it; but eventually I realized the relatively sparse amount
of chocolate wasn’t any kind of stinginess, but rather the true secret behind
this amazing pastry.
Properly done, this
should ride that line between sweet pastry and a savory bread, so don’t overdo
it with the chocolate chunks; otherwise you’ll lose that beautiful balance. Other
than that, not much can go wrong. Just be sure to bake them until nicely
browned, and let them cool before enjoying.
While this will work
with that dough in the tube, I’d like to think you’d make a batch of your own
dough using our recently posted croissant recipe. Don’t worry, it only seems
like a lot of work. Either way, I really do hope you give these chocolate croissants
a try soon. Enjoy!
I don’t remember that much about the
lobster thermidor I ate in culinary school in the early eighties, other than
not really being able to taste any lobster. Instead of the nice, light sauce I
used here, the meat was hidden in a thick, eggy, cheese sludge, which looked
great broiled to a bubbly, golden-brown, but wasn’t the best method if you
actually wanted to know you were eating lobster.
Lobster is sort of sweet, and rich tasting
to begin with, so covering it in a super heavy sauce never made much sense,
which is why I like this approach so much more. Our sauce is just heavy enough
to coat the chunks of meat, without hiding it, and while we’re not adding
handfuls of cheese, or a bunch of egg yolks, we’re still going to enjoy a
fairly decadent dish.
Not only is this great for a fancy
dinner party because it looks and tastes great, but you can also do all the
prep ahead of time, and then just pop them in the oven when you’re ready for
service. If you go that route, they’re going to be much colder, so you’ll
probably need to give them a few extra minutes in the oven. Remember,
everything is already cooked, so just roast until the meat is heated through.
The classic version is made with a
whole, split lobster, which admittedly tastes better, but is a hundred times
messier, and harder to do, not to mention probably more expensive. Frozen
lobster tails can be surprising affordable, and there isn’t any waste. Either
way, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 2 large or 4 appetizer
size portions:
I wouldn’t describe homemade croissants
as an easy recipe, since there are multiple steps, and it does take a least half
a day, but it’s really not that hard either; and certainly simpler than flying
to Paris, which is the only other way to enjoy these amazing pastries.
Sure, some of you may live near an authentic
French bakery, maybe even one of the few that still use pure butter, but for
the sake of this post, let’s assume that you don’t. Besides, sitting next to a
basket of homemade croissants raises your foodie street cred like few other
things.
Despite taking a fair amount to time,
this is actually the quick version, in that we’re not leaving the dough to rest
overnight, before laminating with the butter. I don’t think there’s a huge
difference, but I did want to mention in case you’d prefer to start the dough
at night, and do the rest of the work the next day.
The technique is pretty
straightforward, but be sure to pay attention to the temperature of your
butter.If you’re slab is too soft, it
will just blend into the dough, and you won’t get the gorgeous layering seen
herein. And if it’s too cold in firm, it
won’t spread between the layers of dough like it needs to. It should basically
have the firmness of clay.
So, take your time, and when in doubt,
pop the dough in the fridge for a few minutes to chill it down as you’re
working. You’ll notice I didn’t serve anything on my croissants when I did the
final shots, and if you make these, you’ll understand why.I really do hope you give these a try soon.
Enjoy!
I’ve wanted to do a Canelés de Bordeaux video forever, but just
never got around to buying the specially designed molds that they require. After
seeing a picture of them online a few days ago, I decided this would be the
week, and headed out to the one store near me I knew carried the necessary
hardware.
Since it was actually a hardware store that also carries
lots of kitchen equipment, I figured they would have the beeswax, as well. I’ve
been in that store at least a hundred times, and I would anyways see the canelé
molds beckoning me, but never pulled trigger, since I was usually looking for
something else.
So, you can imagine my shock when I walked down that aisle,
as I’d done so many times before, only to find they were no longer stocked.
Thanks a lot, Amazon. Anyway, purely out of spite, I decided to make them
anyway, using a regular muffin pan, and the results were pretty amazing.
As long as you cook them long enough, the muffin tin works
great, assuming you don’t care about getting the classic shape. Since this was
an experiment, I only did six, but I’ve scaled the recipe below to make 12. I’m
not sure how many real canelé molds this recipe will fill, but it’s probably
close to that. Either way, I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 12 Canelé de Bordeaux:
2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons plus one teaspoon unsalted butter
1 cup white granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or 1/8 teaspoon of fine salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup rum
For greasing pan:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons beeswax
- Bake at 450 F. for 10 minutes, then at 375 F. for about 50
minutes more, or until well browned.
-- NOTE: These only stay crispy for about 8 hours. So, fair warning if you plan to make them a day ahead. I've never tried to re-crisp.
