My friend Bruce sent me a copy of Jacques Pepin's autobiography recently (The Apprentice: my life in the kitchen, published by Houghton-Mifflin.). At the end of each chapter is recipe (my kind of book!). One of these is his mother's apple tart recipe - and it has me captivated. As Jaques says in the introduction, this dough recipe "breaks all the rules that I learned professionally"- and yet it apparently works! And so here is my challenge- make this recipe (as I will) this weekend and report back on the results here! Was it successful? Easy? A disaster? Inquiring minds want to know...
Maman's Apple Tart (as served at Le Pelican)
4-6 servings
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 large egg, beaten
3 T. unsalted butter, softened
3 T. vegetable shortening (Crisco)
pinch salt
1 T. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
2 T. hot milk
4 Golden Delicious apples
3 T. sugar
2 T. cold unsalted butter, broken into pieces
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Put the first 7 ingredients (flour through baking powder) into a large bowl. Stir well with a wooden spoon until the mixture starts to combine. Add the hot milk, and stir until well mixed. Do not overwork the dough. It will be very soft. Place it in a 9-inch pie plate and, using your fingers and a little extra flour to keep them from sticking, press the dough into the pan until it covers the bottom and the sides.
Peel, core and halve the apples. Cut each into 1 1/2 inch wedges. Arrange on the dough in spokes like a wheel. Sprinkle with sugar and top with the butter pieces.
Bake the tart for approximately one hour, or unitl the crust is golden. Serve it lukewarm.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Almost Hands-Free Risotto
I don't know what I would do without CooksIllustrated.com! Any of you who have been channel-flipping and stopped on your local PBS station when "America's Test Kitchen" has been airing will know what I mean. It is as attention-grabbing for cooks as Antiques Roadshow is for.. well, everyone. CooksIllustrated.com is their magazine and their web site. This recipe caught my eye this month and as I happened to have a jar of Arborio Rice in the cupboard I thought I would try it out - and I should mention that I have never made Risotto before, having been put off by the demands of standing and stirring etc.
This was delicious (although as I have not much previous experience of eating risotto I can't compare it to other recipes and techniques so comments and opinions are welcomed). I grilled/oven-baked chicken thighs and put them on top of the rice, with steamed asparagus spears on the side. Oh boy! And the next evening I used up the left-over risotto with baked salmon fillet and a green salad. It was a good couple of nights.
Recipe: serves 2 with leftovers
2 cups low-sodium or fat-free chicken broth
1 cup water
2 T. unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped fine
Salt to taste
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 generous cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (optional but makes a difference. If omitting use 1/2 cup more broth)
1-2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 T. chopped parsley (Italian)
1 T. chopped chives
Black pepper to taste
Bring broth and water to boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to maintain gentle simmer.
Melt 1 T. butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat, add onion and pinch salt; cook, stirring frequently until onion is softened but not browned. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until grains are translucent around edges, about 3 minutes.
Add wine and cook, stirring constantly, until fully absorbed. Stir in 2 1/2 cups of the hot broth/water mixture; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until almost all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is al dente, 16-19 minutes. Stir this twice during cooking.
Add the remaining 1/2 cup broth mixture and stir gently and constantly until risotto becomes creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in Parmesan. Remove pot from heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 T. butter, lemon juice, parsley and chives; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
This was delicious (although as I have not much previous experience of eating risotto I can't compare it to other recipes and techniques so comments and opinions are welcomed). I grilled/oven-baked chicken thighs and put them on top of the rice, with steamed asparagus spears on the side. Oh boy! And the next evening I used up the left-over risotto with baked salmon fillet and a green salad. It was a good couple of nights.
Recipe: serves 2 with leftovers
2 cups low-sodium or fat-free chicken broth
1 cup water
2 T. unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped fine
Salt to taste
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 generous cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (optional but makes a difference. If omitting use 1/2 cup more broth)
1-2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 T. chopped parsley (Italian)
1 T. chopped chives
Black pepper to taste
Bring broth and water to boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to maintain gentle simmer.
Melt 1 T. butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat, add onion and pinch salt; cook, stirring frequently until onion is softened but not browned. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until grains are translucent around edges, about 3 minutes.
Add wine and cook, stirring constantly, until fully absorbed. Stir in 2 1/2 cups of the hot broth/water mixture; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until almost all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is al dente, 16-19 minutes. Stir this twice during cooking.
Add the remaining 1/2 cup broth mixture and stir gently and constantly until risotto becomes creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in Parmesan. Remove pot from heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 T. butter, lemon juice, parsley and chives; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
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