Apareil a Quiche (Quiche Custard)

Maybe I was delusional, but I thought that quiche was mostly egg... turns out there is a lot of milk or cream in there too. We made some great quiches this week. The one I made with my partner had onions, garlic, red bell pepper, broccoli, chard, arugula, goat cheese and smoked gouda and it was awesome. I am planning on making these for my family when I go home for a few days in July. Here is the crust.

Apareil a Quiche

Yield: 1-9" quiche (though we had a bit leftover because of all the other goodies we put in there)

Ingredients
1 cup milk, half & half or cream
3 eggs, lightly beaten
salt and pepper, to taste
pinch of nutmeg (optional)
1.5 cups prepared filling - cooked vegetables/meat, grated cheese, etc.
1 pie shell, blind baked until done, but edges not overly browned

Directions
Combine milk, seasonings and eggs in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Place cooked fillings in the pie shell and pour milk mixture over the filling. Make sure to leave at least 1/4" of shell showing. Bake at 375F until custard is set, but not overcooked. You can tell this by tapping the pan, it should look just solid, around 45 mins depending on the thickness. Let sit at least 15 minutes before serving.

La Pate Brisee (Pie Dough)

We made some great pie crusts this week. We made quiches out of them and they were flaky and delicious. For a fruit pie, you can add some sugar to this, but I need to check on the amount. Pie crust is difficult because it is very easy to add too much water which will result in a less flaky crust. You also do not want to develop gluten, so you cannot touch it too much. Letting it rest at least overnight will help with both of these.
A few notes about pastry recipes: AP = all-purpose; We use scales to measure everything in ounces, so I am doing my best to make approximations for you in cups. If you want to have very accurate recipes use a scale which can be found pretty cheaply at any cooking store.

If you look closely at the front edge you can see the awesome flakiness of this dough.

La Pate Brisee

Yield: 2-10" tart shells

Ingredients
12 oz AP flour (approx 2.5-2.75 cups)
8 oz butter
4 oz water, very cold/iced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white vinegar or cider vinegar or lemon juice (optional, but recommended)

Directions
Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Cut the butter into 1/2" pieces. Add to the flour mixture. Using your fingers, squeeze into sub-dime sized pieces (flat and disk shaped - this will help with the flakiness). Make sure you are working quickly to keep the butter cold.
Start by adding 3/4 of your water (3 oz) and the vinegar to the flour mixture. You want to add enough that the dough sticks together when squeezed tightly, but no more. Gently mix in to misten flour evenly but do not overwork. Dough is ready when most of it sticks together when squeezed, add water as needed.
Dump the dough onto your work surface and bring it together by using a pressing or smearing motion across the dough (about 6 smears with the heel of your hand will do) and fold the dough back onto itself no more than twice. Portion and wrap. Refrigerate at least 60 minutes, but overnight is better. The longer you refrigerate it the more time the dough has to absorb and distribute that water, which means you don't have to add as much water. Less water will result in a more flaky dough.
Roll out to about 1/16th inch thick and place in pie or tart pan. Chill before baking so the gluten can rest. Blind bake (without filling) or fill pie shell as needed.
When ready to bake preheat oven to 425F. Place foil over the crust and fill with dried beans so that it does not bubble. Bake until desired doneness (about 30 mins) then remove foil and reduce heat to 325F to finish browning crust (about 20 mins).
Dough can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for a few months if well wrapped.

La Creme Patissiere (Pastry Cream)

Here is the pastry cream to go with La Pate Sucree. Once you make your tart shells you fill them with this pastry cream and top with fruit... yum! This cream can also be used to fill cream puffs, eclairs, etc.

In a good tart you aren't supposed to see much of the cream... it is in there, I promise!

La Creme Patissiere

Yield: 2.5 cups

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
2 cups half & half or heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
scant 1/4 cup cornstarch
pinch of salt
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped or 1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 T butter, optional

Directions
Combine milk, half the sugar, salt and the vanilla bean in a pot. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, mix the cornstarch and remaining sugar together. Then whisk the sugar mixture into the eggs. This will help the eggs not curdle when you add the hot milk mixture. Slowly add the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Strain back into the pot.
Return the pot to medium high heat and whisk constantly until it begins to boil and thicken. This will happen very quickly so be paying attention and stir vigorously when it thickens. Cook for an additional 2 minutes. The finished cream should be thick and smooth. Taste it to make sure you cannot taste any raw cornstarch.
Remove from heat and add vanilla extract and butter, if using. Pour onto sheet tray lined with plastic wrap. Fold the plastic over the cream and let cool outside of the fridge for about 45 minutes. Transfer to a container by lifting up the plastic with the cream in it and making a cut on the bottom so you can squeeze it out into the container. Refrigerate.
Pastry cream stores up to 4 days in the fridge, but cannot be frozen due to the cornstarch in it.

Here is Jenny filling some cream puffs.

More cool sugar work.

La Pate Sucree (Sweet Dough)

This dough is pretty easy to make and great for tart shells. It tears a bit when trying to roll it out, but the tart shells we made still came out wonderfully. The filling for the tart is here. A few notes about pastry recipes: AP = all-purpose; We use scales to measure everything in ounces, so I am doing my best to make approximations for you in cups. If you want to have very accurate recipes use a scale.

La Pate Sucree

Servings: 3-10" tarts

Ingredients
14 oz butter, room temp
6 oz sugar (scant 3/4 cup)
1 egg, room temp
16 oz AP flour (between 3.25 and 3.5 cups)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
Cream butter and sugar together on low speed until smooth, but not aerated. In another bowl, mix the vanilla, salt and egg together. Gradually add the egg mixture to the creamed mixture until just well blended. Add the flour all at once and mix until uniformly combined, don't over mix. Portion, wrap and chill thoroughly (overnight is best). Once chilled, roll out dough to about 1/8in thick. Place in tart pan and gently press. Freeze for at least 15 minutes before baking, but preferably longer.
When ready to (blind) bake, preheat oven to 325F. It is best if you use foil and place beans in the tart shell so it doesn't bubble up while baking. Remove these after about 20 minutes to let the shell brown evenly. Fill what whatever you like.
This dough can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for a few months if well wrapped.

Chef Amy critiquing our tarts... I got 100% :)

Creme Brulee

We did pastry all week, so I will be posting some of the recipes we used. This is one of the best basic creme brulees I have ever had. It was creamy with a nice crust and a lot of vanilla. We also played around with some sugar and made some nice decorations that you will get to see them on a lot of my desserts.

Creme Brulee

Servings: about 12

Cook Time: 1 hour
Rest Time: 45 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins

Ingredients
1 quart heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
10 egg yolks
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
sugar for the brulee

Directions
Combine cream, half the sugar and vanilla in a pot. Cook over medium heat until edges begin to bubble. Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar. Temper the milk mixture into the yolks by pouring in very slowly to begin and whisking quickly. Strain through a fine mesh. Remove any foam from the top of the mixture. Pour into ramekins.
Heat oven to 325F. Place ramekins in a hot water bath and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes. It can take less time depending on the size, so check every 15 minutes. When done they should be just barely set in the center and shimmy when gently tapped. Cool to room temperature then wrap and refrigerate until chilled and set. At this point they can be stored in the fridge for a few days. To serve, sprinkle sugar evenly over tops of custard. Raw sugar works really well, but regular granulated sugar also works. Caramelize with a blowtorch. Garnish with fresh berries or sugar decorations. Serve immediately.

Couscous Carbonara

Last week in class we learned all about grains and cooking methods. Many of the cooking methods can be applied to the same product with very different results. The prime example is rice pilaf versus risotto. You can use the some rice for both of these and have very different results. When making dinner last weekend, I decided to apply the risotto method to some Israeli couscous, which I have never worked with before. The basic principle behind the risotto method is to cook the grain in small amounts of liquid and stir so that the starches are released and the grain becomes creamy. It is an interesting misconception that risotto is extremely unhealthy because it is so creamy, but it is mostly due the the starches in the grain and sometimes a little cheese.
This dish is great and may not be extremely healthy, but it also isn't as bad as a traditionally carbonara because the creaminess mostly comes from the cooking method. You could try any flavor combinations you want using this method of cooking, so get creative!

Couscous Carbonara

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 35 mins

Ingredients
1 cup Israeli couscous
up to 4 cups chicken stock
2-3 strips of bacon
1 small onion, diced
1/3 cup peas (frozen)
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Place chicken stock in a pot and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, cut bacon strips to a small dice. In a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, cook the bacon until it it crispy. Remove from heat, but do not discard the fat in the pan. Add the onion to the pan. Sautee until soft and lightly browned. Add the couscous and cook until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Start by adding about 1 cup of the chicken stock to the pan and stirring almost constantly. When most of the liquid is absorbed add more. Keep doing this until the couscous is tender and creamy. It should be about 4 cups of liquid but if you find you need more then using water is just fine. Add the peas when the couscous is done or nearly done just to defrost them. Just before serving add the bacon back in and add the yolk and cheese. Fully incorporate so that the heat from the couscous cooks the egg. Serve immediately.

Quinoa Salad with Summer Vegetables

I really liked the red quinoa in this recipe from class. There was a lot of crunch and some sweetness too from the apricots and honey mustard dressing. A really great summer recipe and you can refrigerate it for a few days and it is still great. Apple would also be great in this salad.

Quinoa Salad with Summer Vegetables

Servings: 10

Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 30 mins

Ingredients
1 cup red quinoa
2 cups water or stock
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup red bell pepper, small dice
1/2 cup green bell pepper, small dice
1/4 cup scallions, small dice
3/4 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1/3 cup dried apricots, small dice
1 cup Italian or honey mustard dressing
salt, to taste
lettuce or radicchio, optional

Directions
Bring water/stock to boil. Add salt and quinoa. Cover and simmer over low heat until cooked, about 15 minutes. Cool the quinoa. Combine the quinoa with the vegetables and apricots. Toss with dressing (don't add all of it at once, add half and taste) and serve over lettuce or radicchio.

Bolognese

I remember learning how to make bolognese from a cute Italian lady in her farm kitchen. She ground up whole pieces of what I think was pork fat and added that to the sauce. She probably also used a combination of veal and beef. We made this version in class and it was very flavorful with the milk and wine in it. We served it with homemade fettuccine.

Bolognese

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: ~3 hrs
Total Time: 3 hrs 10 mins

Ingredients
1 oz oil
2.5 oz butter
3 oz onion, finely chopped
3 oz carrot, finely chopped
3 oz celery, finely chopped
1.5 lb ground beef
1.5 cups milk
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 cups dry white wine
~ 48 oz canned tomatoes, diced with liquid
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Heat oil and butter in a heavy sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onions, celery and carrots. Sweat the vegetables until soft but not brown. Add the ground beef and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until there is no longer any red color in the meat, but do not brown. Add the milk and nutmeg. Simmer until the milk has almost completely reduced. Add the wine. Continue to simmer until the wine has almost completely reduced. Add the tomatoes and simmer over very low heat until the sauce is very thick. Season with salt and pepper after the sauce has reduced to the desired consistency.

Wine-Braised Goat

Yes, I made goat again! It was good, but I still prefer the milk-braised goat I made a while back. And that is a butter knife in the picture because that is really all you need to cut this tender meat.

Wine-Braised Goat

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 15 mins

Active Cook Time: 15 mins

Inactive Cook Time: 2 hrs

Total Time: 2hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

2.5-3 lbs goat shanks, bone in

5 T olive oil

5 sprigs of thyme, left whole

1 lb cipollini onions, peeled but left whole

2 cups red wine

2 cups chicken stock

2 bay leaves

1/4 tsp ground cloves

salt and pepper, to taste

flour and butter (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 300F. Heat enameled cast iron pot on medium-high heat. Add olive oil. Generously sprinkle goat shanks with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, add the goat shanks and brown on each side, should take about 10 mins total. Once the goat is browned, add the wine, stock, onions and spices. Bring to a boil then cover with lid (if the lid does not seal the pot very well, cover with aluminum foil too). Place in the oven and cook for 2 hours. Every 20 mins, turn the pieces of goat so that all the sides get to cook in the liquid. Optionally you can add the onions in the last 45 minutes of cooking so that they do not break down as much.

For a sauce, you can make a simple roux with equal parts of flour and butter. Melt butter in a sauce pan and sprinkle with flour. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add some of the cooking liquid, about a cup or so, and cook until thickened.

Lemon Rhubarb Bars

This is a huge improvement over the lemon bars I made about a month ago. Rhubarb is now in season and I keep seeing it everywhere, but have never worked with it. I know that strawberries and rhubarb go well together, but I figured the tartness of the lemon and rhubarb might work too. I also added almond meal to the crust at the suggestion of my friend who was visiting. The crust was also too thick in the past so I cut it down by half so that it was more about the filling and less about the crust. I topped it with a thyme whipped cream which was awesome. If you really want to taste the thyme in it, I would suggest adding the thyme to the cream a few hours before you want to whip it.

Lemon Rhubarb Bars

Servings: 30

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 45 mins
Total Time: 1 hour

For the crust:

1 stick of unsalted butter, room temp

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup almond meal

1/8 tsp salt

For the filling:

6 extra large or 7 large eggs

1 cup lemon juice (5-6 lemons)

3 T lemon zest

2 1/3 cups sugar, divided

1 cup all-purpose flour

6 rhubarb stalks, diced

For thyme whipped cream:

1 cup heaving whipping cream

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp thyme, finely chopped

1 T powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Using a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar for the crust. Add the flours and salt and mix until the flour is just combined. Dump the dough on to a floured board and gather into a ball. The dough will form a solid ball, but should stick together when pressed. Press into a 9 by 13 pan and poke with a fork. Place in the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it is lightly browned.

In a sauce pan, add 1/3 cup sugar and the rhubarb. Cook until the rhubarb begins to break down. Set aside.

Switch the attachment on the mixer to a whisk. Add all of the filling ingredients (except the rhubarb and 1/3c sugar which are on the stove) and mix until combined. Pour over the crust and cook for 30-35 minutes or until filling is set. Top with the rhubarb mixture and let cool for several hours.

For the thyme whipped cream, combine all of the ingredients in the mixer with a whisk attachment. Beat until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Chicken Saltimbocca

In class we made veal saltimbocca and it was really good. I don't think there is anything spectacular about veal (except veal stock) and at home it is much easier and cheaper to use chicken breasts, so I have adapted the recipe.

Veal Saltimbocca (in class):

Chicken Saltimbocca (at home):

Chicken Saltimbocca

Servings: 2

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients
vegetable oil
salt and pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 thin slices of prosciutto
1 T butter, divided
1/2 cup white wine
4 leaves of fresh sage, sliced

Directions
Preheat oven to 400F. Heat an oven-proof skillet on high. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken. Add oil the skillet and when it just starts to smoke place the chicken in the pan and reduce heat to medium. Do not try and move the chicken at this point. When it becomes unstuck check the browning on the underside. When desired browning is reached, flip the breast over and place in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is done. Remove from the oven and place breasts on a plate. Lay the slices of prosciutto on top of the breasts. Place the pan you cooked the chicken in back on the stove and add half of the butter and all of the white wine. You want the alcohol to cook off and the sauce to reduce, this may take 10 minutes or more. When the sauce is reduced by about half, add the sage and season with salt and pepper. Just before serving at the rest of the butter to the sauce. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Chipotle Lime Couscous

We worked on grains this week in class and I had the opportunity to get really creative with some couscous. I was tired of Italian and French flavors so I decided to go southwestern.

Chipotle Lime Couscous

Servings: 10

Total Time: 20 mins

Ingredients
1.5 cups onion, finely chopped
2 T butter
2 tsp cumin
1 red bell pepper, roasted and diced
3 cups couscous
3 cups chicken stock, hot
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
1 T agave
3 T lime juice
1/2 cup grape seed or vegetable oil
3 T cilantro, minced
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Sautee onion and butter in a sauce pan until the onions are soft. Add the cumin and bell pepper and lightly season with salt and pepper. Add couscous and stir. Remove from heat and add boiling chicken stock. Cover and let sit for about 5 minutes.
While that cooks, in a large bowl add chipotle peppers, agave and lime juice. Slowly whisk in oil until a vinaigrette is formed. Season with salt and pepper. When the couscous is done fluff with a fork and mix in vinaigrette (start with half and add more if you like) and add the cilantro. Garnish with lime wedges and more cilantro.

Creamy Garlic and Herb Polenta

I really like polenta, but good polenta is hard to come by and it also takes a lot of work because you need to almost continually stir it while it is on the stove. There plenty of great things you can do with polenta besides just eating it as a side dish (see suggestions below). It goes great with the veal veal/chicken saltimbocca pictured here.

Creamy Garlic and Herb Polenta

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 40 mins

Ingredients
6 cups stock or water
2 tsp salt, less if using stock
1 3/4 cups polenta/yellow cornmeal
2 T unsalted butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T of herbs, minced (I used thyme)
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream, optional

Directions
Bring water or stock to a boil in a large sauce pan. Add salt. Whisk constantly while slowing pouring in the cornmeal. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring almost continually.
While that cooks, heat up butter in a small sauce pan. Add garlic and cook until soft, but not brown. When the polenta is almost done, about 25 minutes add the garlic and butter mixture. When the polenta is done, should be thick and not gritty, add the herbs and cheese. Add cream if desired and you are serving right away. Season to taste.
There are several things you can do with it now. You can place it on a sheet pan so that it is about 1/2 inch thick and let it cool, then slice it up and fry in a bit of butter. This is a great base for a saucy meat or vegetable because it absorbs all the flavors of the sauce. You could also use to cooled sheet of polenta and cut it up and layer it with sauce and cheese to build a lasagna instead of using pasta. But my favorite thing to do is just eat it right away. If for some reason the timing is off with the rest of your meal or something you can set it aside and when you are ready for it you can heat some heavy cream up and add that to the polenta to make it creamy again.

This is a picture of polenta lasagna from my textbook.

Herb Spaetzle

We made this "pasta" in class last night and I really liked it. They were like gnocchi, but smaller. It is a little difficult to get them into the boiling water with the colander, but you can always make a double batch of the dough and do a practice round first (it won't hurt the dough if some of it sits for 2 hours instead of 1). You can also add herbs or other seasoning directly to the dough, get creative! You could also use stock instead of milk in the batter.

Herb Spaetzle

Servings: 6-8

Prep Time: 10 mins
Inactive Time: 1 hr
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 1.5 hrs

Ingredients
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp white pepper
1.5 cups plus 4 T flour
3 T butter
3 T herbs (like sage, rosemary, thyme, basil), ripped or chiffonade
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the milk, salt, nutmeg and pepper. Add the flour and beat until smooth. The batter should be thick and airy (you should see some air bubbles on the surface). If it is too thin you can always add more flour. Let the batter stand for 1 hour (refrigerated or not) so that the gluten can relax.
Boil water with a bit of salt in a wide mouthed pot on the stove. When the water is at a rolling boil, use a colander with large holes or perforated spoon and place the batter in the colander (or spoon) and press it through the holes with a spoon (see picture above). The spaetzle will float to the top, let it cook for 3-5 minutes or until there is no flour taste and it is light and airy. Remove them with a skimmer and place in an ice bath. It is nice to use a fine mesh strainer in the ice bath so you can quickly remove the spaetzle without removing a bunch of ice too. Do not leave them in the ice bath for too long otherwise they will continue to absorb water. Place in a bowl for holding. Repeat this process until all of the spaetzle is cooked. You can store these in the fridge for a few hours before serving, if desired. If they start sticking together, you can toss them with a bit of oil, just as you would do with pasta.
In a large sauce pan, heat butter over medium heat until it browns. Pour the butter into a dish and add the herbs (I used sage and rosemary, but any one herb or combination would be great). Add the spaetzle to the pan and move it around by moving the pan, not using a spoon otherwise they may clump up. Depending on the size of your pan and your food tossing skills, you may want to do this in two batches. When the spaetzle is warm, about 3 minutes (if you did not store it in the fridge) add the herb and butter mixture and season with salt and pepper. Cook for another 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Barley and Beet Salad

Second week of culinary school down, sixteen to go. I found a recipe in Cooking Light for a salad similar to this, but of course I adapted it to what I had or what looked good at the store. Barley is a grain that can be found in any market, you just may need to look on the bottom shelves below the rice or in the bulk section if there is one. I think it is better if you use golden beets, but it is really hard to find those sometimes. I served it with salmon and it was delicious.
This week the kitchen next to us were doing breakfast week, so they make barley water which is known to be high in antioxidants and minerals. Once I get the recipe for it I will post that, but you basically cook the barley in a lot of unsalted water and mix it with honey or agave and either lemon or cinnamon and nutmeg. Here is a recipe for reference from Alton Brown: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/barley-water-recipe/index.html.

Barley and Beet Salad

Servings: 4-6

Cook Time: 1.5 hrs
Active Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 1.75 hrs

Ingredients
4 small beets, preferable golden
3 cups stock or water
1 cup uncooked barley
3 T vegetable or grapeseed oil
1 T good olive oil
1/2 pumpkin seed kernels, toasted and salted (divided)
2 T agave or honey
2 T Dijon mustard
2 T sherry vinegar
juice of half a lemon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup diced shallots
4 cups argula

Directions
Preheat oven to 400F. Trim greens off of beets and tightly wrap the beets together in foil. Bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until they are fork-tender. Once done, let beets cool then peel and slice into bite sized pieces.
While the beets cook, combine barley and water or stock in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce and simmer for up to an hour or until tender, stirring occasionally. Drain any excess water and let barley cool to room temperature.
While the beets and barely cook, place 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds in a bowl and smash with a spoon or mallet. Add the agave, Dijon, vinegar, lemon, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Stream in the vegetable and olive oils, whisking constantly. Add the shallots and remaining pumpkin seeds.
Toss beets, barley, argula and dressing. Serve room temperature or slightly chilled.