Maple Soufflé Québécois

I love a good a tradition.  I love that my husband and I celebrate our anniversary at the same restaurant each year, that we give each other the same number of presents at Christmas, that we eat specific food every spring when we open the Montauk house, and that my Christmas morning menu hasn't changed in decades.   I find comfort in repetition.  It gives me space to relax and enjoy.

One of the newer traditions in my life was  started by my Dad and it has quickly become a favorite.  Every time we see each other, we cook a new dish.  A dish he has researched, a dish he wants to share or try with me, a dish we will remember.  This past weekend, we made a Maple Soufflé from Quebec and his home town.  An oozy, sweet, pillowy soufflé chock-full of Canadian goodness with one full cup of maple syrup.

This new tradition lets us to sneak away and enjoy a few precious moments together, alone in the kitchen.  A great tradition indeed.

Maple Soufflé Québécois

Ingredients

• 1 cup of Canadian maple syrup
• 1.5 cups of milk
• 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup of flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 4 eggs, separated 
• Butter for casserole dish 

Directions 

• In a double boiler on your stove top (make shift like ours below works just fine!), combine the maple syrup and milk heating until warm
• Add the oil and flour, whisking constantly for 10 minutes
• Beat the egg yolks and whisk them into the pot
• Let the mixture cool while heating oven to 375
• Meanwhile, beat the whites until stiff
• Fold the whites into the maple pot and gently transfer all to a butter casserole dish
• Place casserole dish in a large pan filled with hot water and bake for 50 minutes
• Serve immediately

My Dad and our make-shift double boiler 

Quick Strawberry Rhubarb "Jam"

There is a reason these two summer staples are so frequently paired.  The sweetness of the berry  complements the tartness of the rhubarb.  When combined, the sturdy rhubarb strings bind so the result isn't too thin. 

Roasting, my undoubtedly favorite quick cooking technique, brings this together in a snap.  Pop it in the oven and less than 30 minutes later you have "jam".  Enjoyed over ice cream, on toast, or mixed with goat cheese and spread over crackers, this quick jam is a keeper.

Quick Strawberry Rhubarb "Jam"

Ingredients  

• 1 quart of strawberries, cleaned, trimmed and cut in half
• 4 stems of rhubarb, scrubbed and cut into 1 inch crescents
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
• Toss the berries, rhubarb, sugar and balsamic vinegar together
• Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer
• Roast for 20-25 minutes, mixing once
• Let cool, blend until chunky but combined

Baked Apples

Our crisper is still gloriously filled with apples varietals from late fall CSA deliveries.  I love that these little guys last so long. Months, in fact, if stored in the crisper with a moist towel on top.

While I love a good tart and never turn down a crisp, in the spirit of simple and slow eating, I wanted to share a recipe that all but keeps the apple in tact. Truthfully, a recipe is barely needed to bake apples. Core, stuff, butter and bake... So perhaps use this as a launching pad for your own masterpiece. When company is over, as it was above, I add a dollop of ice cream.

Baked Apples
Ingredients
For every apple you will bake:

• 1/2 tablespoon of unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon of chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1 teaspoon of honey or maple syrup
• 1 dash of nutmeg
• 1 dash of cinnamon
• 1 dash of cloves
• Water

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• Carefully core the apples 3/4th of the way, leaving the bottom in tact. I use a paring knife in a circular motion, then scoop with a narrow spoon
• Mix the nuts, honey and spices in a bowl and then scoop into each cored apple and top with a butter pad
• Arrange the apples in a baking dish and full with 1 inch of water
• Bake for 40 - 50 minutes, until tender

Rustic Apple Tart

Here are four good reasons why you should bake this apple tart: 

1. It's a recipe from the charming new kitchen memoir, My Berlin Kitchen, written by a favorite food blogger and loose acquaintance.
2. There is something perfectly fall-like about a bubbling, baked apple dessert.  
3. It's free form, making it a pleasant, less fussy alternative to the traditional pie.  
4. If your fridge looks anything like ours, below, it uses up a bunch of apples. And this photo was taken AFTER I baked!

So get peeling! I promise your just sweet enough tooth will thank you.

Rustic Apple Tart
Courtesy of The Wednesday Chef

Ingredients
Dough

• 1 cup all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch cubes  
• 3 to 5 tablespoons of cold water

Filling

• 2 pounds of apples, peeled, cored and sliced (do not through out scraps) 
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 to 5 tablespoons sugar, depending on your sweet tooth

Glaze

• Apple scraps
• 1/2 cup sugar

Tools

• Rolling pin
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Plastic wrap
• Pastry brush OR paper towel

Directions

• Put the flour, sugar, salt and butter cubes for the dough in a food processor bowl.  Pulse a few times, until the butter is broken up into lima bean size pieces
• Drizzle in the cold water one tablespoon at a time, processing or mixing as you go until the dough just holds.  You may need more or less water depending on your climate
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, and quickly gather into a 4-inch-wide disk.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days
• Heat oven to 400 degrees and prepare a floured work surface again.  Remove the dough from the fridge, and roll it out (turning over if you like) until its about 14 inches round.  Since it will be a rustic tart, an ovalish shape is fine
• Place the dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Crowd as many apples as you can in concentric circles over the dough, leaving a 2 inch border. Fold the dough over the edges of the apples, leaving an open middle
• With a pastry brush or folded up paper towel, brush the butter over the apples and exposed upper crust. Top with a little sugar
• Slide into the oven on the center rack, and bake for 45 minutes, rotating halfway through
• Meanwhile, start the glaze by dumping the apple cores, peels, sugar and any leftover apple chunks in a sauce pan. Add water until the apple bits are just covered. Bring to a boil and cook for up to 30 minutes.  Strain the liquid, discarding the trimmings.  Return the liquid to the pan, and reduce until syrupy.  About 10-15 minutes
• When the tart is finished, pull off the parchment paper and let cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Brush the glaze over the apples and enjoy warm or at room temperature

Cherry Yogurt Popsicles

The cherry capital of the world is in Northern Michigan, right by our family summer cottage. Traverse City and the Grand Traverse region harvest many wonderful delights in addition to all those cherries: breathtaking ocean-like sandy dunes, quaint lighthouses, sunlight until nearly 10 pm, petosky stones, birch trees, ideal swimming water, the list goes on and on. 

While I am unable to spend the extended time there my brother does (note to self: be a teacher in my next life!!), it's a true gem of a place that I'm lucky to visit every other summer. 

Today, like every Fourth of July, my family is hosting a party. It's one of those great traditions that has been happening for decades, on the exact same deck, with the exact same families. Here is their view:

We will especially miss the party this year, since we'd love to introduce our newest family member.  This post and recipe is in honor of the family BBQ and Northern Michigan. A shout-out to Crystal Lake and all those wonderful Cherries...

Happy Fourth of July Everyone!!

Cherry Yogurt Popsicles
Ingredients
(makes six 3oz Popsicles) 

• 1 cup of pitted fresh cherries 
• 12 oz of low fat Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 3 tablespoons of agave syrup*
• 2 tablespoons of water

      *If you want a sweet popsicle, add more agave after taste testing the mixture

Directions 

• In a food processor or blender, puree the cherries and honey.  Optional: Remove 3 tablespoons of the mixture into a cup.
• Add the yogurt, agave and water, then puree until blended. Adjust sweetness to your taste, I prefer a tart popsicle.
• Fill the popsicle containers half way with the cherry yogurt mixture. 
• Optional: Spoon in 1/2 tablespoon of the reserve cherry/honey mixture per popsicle to add a few dense cherry red bites of color.
• Top with the remaining cherry yogurt mix, insert the sticks and freeze for at least 3 hours. 

Pear & Cream Cheese Tarts

We closed the house in Montauk this past weekend, always a sad activity.  With the baby due date approaching, it seemed wise to close early.

To mark our last weekend 'out east', a good friend invited us to a dinner party. She whipped up one of my favorite fall Martha recipe's, pot-au-feu, and a particularly juicy roasted chicken.  I created the little guys below for dessert. I wish I had thought to take a picture of the table.  Candles burning, fresh cut flowers, a table of friends... it was the perfect end to our Montauk season.

The recipe looks complicated because of the length, but that is truly not the case. I combined a few favorite desert components for a quick baking treat. The crust bakes just once, unlike many tarts where the crust bakes first, and the pear and cream cheese filling are a cinch to pull together.  Enjoy!

Perfect Pear Cream Cheese Tarts
Ingredients
For the Crust(s):

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/3 cup confectioners (powdered or icing)
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

For the Filling:

• One 8-ounce cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Pears:

• 5-6 pears, cored, peeled
• Note: If you are making the individual tarts, chop the pears into bite size pieces. If using one pan, slice into 1/4th wedges
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350F and place rack in center of oven.
• Butter or spray either 6 mini tart tins like these, or a 9 inch spring form pan. 

• Crust: In your food processor, pulse the flour, salt, and sugar together.
• Add the butter and pulse until dough just begins to come together. If you don't have a food processor, you can mix by hand with two knifes.
• Spoon the dough onto the bottom of the mini tarts or pan, and flatten out across the bottom and up the sides.
• Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.

• For the Filling: Blend of food process the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and mix well.
• Blend in the egg and vanilla extract and process until smooth. Remove the crust from the fridge and scoop 1.5 tablespoons in each mini tart, or pour a thin layer of filling in a larger pan.  If you are making the mini-tarts, you will have leftover filling. 
• Return to the fridge while you prepare the topping.

• For the Topping: Combine the sugar and lemon juice in a bowl. Toss the pears in the sugar mixture. Arrange evenly over the cream cheese layer.

• Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes in small tarts or 25 to 35 minutes in the single pan, until the crust is brown and the filling is almost set. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.
• Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and serve at room temperature.

 

Ina Garten's Apple & Pear Crisp

I've loved the Food Network since it's early 90's debut.  Like any good East Ender with a passion for cooking, that means I adore the one and only Ina Garten, a.k.a. The Barefoot Contessa.

Shopping at the Montauk fish monger one year, I saw her filming a segment.  Ohhhhh did that tickle my fancy!  We watched two takes, where Ina "asked" about the difference between types of scallops for the benefit of us viewers, and then I obsessively DVR-ed until I saw "our" episode air. (See how I did that, I made something about Ina mine!). In the episode, she and Jeffrey enjoyed sandwiches on the Montauk docks, OUR Montauk dock, and I ate it up.

This years crisp CSA apples have been a favorite in my household, and the delivery of pears last week had me looking no further than Ina for a perfect fall dessert.

Apple & Pear Crisp    
Courtesy of Ina Garten & The Food Network

Ingredients (Base)

• 2 pounds / 4 ripe pears
• 2 pounds / 6 firm apples
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup of agave syrup or 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup whole wheat or (white) all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 Ingredients (Toppings)

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat or (white) all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of agave syrup or 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
• Note: The recipe calls for 2 sticks, but I used one and was happy with the end result
• Vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt 

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• Peel, core, and cut the pears and apples into chunks. Place the fruit in a large bowl and mix in the zests, juices, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 
• Note: Out of nutmeg, I used ground ginger instead
• Pour into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish.
• For the topping: Combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed for 1 minute, until the mixture is in large crumbles. If you don't have a mixer (like I don't at the Montauk house), mix and chop the ingredients together by hand with a knife until the butter breaks up. 
• Sprinkle evenly over the fruit base, covering the fruit completely.
• Place the dish on a sheet pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is brown and the fruit is bubbly. 
• Serve warm topped with vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.  

 

This October is #AppleLove recipe month, led by The Spicy RD.  Check it out on Twitter with the hash tag or here!

Apricot, Almond & Brown Butter Fruit Tart

I have to admit to something. When these little gems arrived in my CSA that first week, I wasn't quite sure if I was enjoying peaches or apricots.  A few times I asked my husband if he'd like a baby peach, then I offered an apricot to my niece.  My fruit-dar was just off, and I had to check the CSA email to be sure!! 

Food & Wine's Apricot, Almond and Brown Butter Tart had been peaking out of my recipe binder for months. After reading the recipe a few times, the whole vanilla bean seemed overwhelming, and while the almond-fruit-butter combo sounded delicious, I was not loving the idea of dried fruit in a tart. Dried fruit should be saved for trail mix or rest stop snacks... maybe an occasional salad. 

A few modifications (e.g. horror of HORRORS, I subbed vanilla extract for the whole bean), and voila, a fresh apricot, almond and butter tart. Sure, the real-deal vanilla bean may have added more depth, and the dried apricots might have "floated" better in the finished tart, but cooking is about adapting! Regardless, our family had no problem wolfing this down mightily with a few "umms" and "ahhs" to boot.

Apricot, Almond & Brown Butter Tart

Courtesy of Foodandwine.com

Ingredients 

Crust:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) chilled unsalted butter, diced
• 5 tablespoons ice water
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Tart:

• 3/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 cups fresh mini-apricots, washed and halved
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions

Crust:

• In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter and pulse until coarse. Add ice water and vanilla extract and mix until the dough forms. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and mold into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350°. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 15-inch round, 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the round to a 12-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom; gently form in the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Refrigerate the crust until firm (@15 minutes).
• Line the tart shell with foil and fill with dried beans, rice or pie weights. Bake for about 45 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake for about 20 minutes longer, until the shell is cooked through. Remove and let cool. Lower the oven temperature to 325°.

Tart:

• Spread the almonds on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in the oven for about 6 minutes, until lightly browned. Let cool. 
• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the wine to a boil. Add the apricots and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes. 
• In a small skillet, melt the butter, add the vanilla extract, and cook over medium heat until browned, about 4 minutes.
• In a food processor, pulse the toasted almonds with sugar, flour and salt until ground. Add the eggs and pulse until just combined. Add the browned butter and the almond extract and pulse until smooth.
• Drain the apricots and pat dry. Pour the almond filling into the tart shell. Nestle the apricots into the filling in concentric circles. Bake the tart for about 45-50 minutes, until the filing is golden brown and set. Transfer to a rack to cool. 
• Serve warm or at room temperature topped with vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream.  

 

Fresh Cherry & Blueberry Tart

On Sunday, we had dinner guests.  Without embarrassing one of my faithful readers, let’s just say we were meeting a family members new flame and I wanted this meal to be just "so".  I was striving for the delicate balance of tasty, not showy; mildly memorable, not over the top.

I settled on a squash and scallop pasta, with a CSA summer salad.  Still eager to somehow acknowledge the motivating factor behind the get-together, I added a homemade fruit tart.  Fresh fruit and pastry scream summer to me, and offered (I hope!) a slightly festive end to the meal.

If you want your custard to work the first time, do not multi-task.  It would not be advisable to place your custard on the burner and then sneak in a quick table setting and candle arrangement.  You'll end up passing any salvageable custard through your soup strainer to de-clump it, and redo a second batch anyway.

What would you have prepared to impress but not inundate a new guest?  I'd love to hear your comments! 

Cherry & Blueberry Tart

courtesy of Food.com

Ingredients 
Pastry  

• 1/4 lb (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and chopped into pieces  
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 egg yolks

Custard

• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup flour 
• 1 cup milk (full fat)
•  2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

Fruit

• Fresh in-season fruit. I used CSA cherries and blueberries from my farmers market
• 1/4 cup jam for sealing (apricot works well, though I had strawberry on hand) 

Directions

• Pastry: Using fingers, rub butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal; stir in sugar and egg yolks; form a dough ball and refrigerate in plastic wrap for 30 minutes; preheat oven to 375°F.
• Roll pastry between two sheets of wax paper, making pastry large enough to cover base and sides of a buttered 9-inch fluted tart pan; trim edges; place sheet of foil into pastry and fill with pie weights, dried beans or rice; bake 20-25 minutes; remove foil and weights and bake a further 5 minutes; allow to cool.
• Custard: In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar and flour until thick; heat milk in saucepan until almost boiling; remove from heat. Slowly dribble hot milk into egg mixture, whisking continuously, until all of milk has been added. I continued whisking to remove clumps.  Next, return custard to pot and cook, over low heat, until custard has thickened and coats the back of a spoon (4-6 minutes), stirring often to prevent sticking. Place piece of plastic wrap directly onto surface of custard (this prevents a 'skin' from forming) and allow to cool completely, in frige for 25 minutes+. 
• To assemble: Spoon custard into baked shell and smooth. Place fruit "attractively" over tart. Heat jam in the microwave for about 45 seconds until it is liquidized and brush  over the fresh fruit to set and seal the tart. Allow to cool completely.
• Refrigerate, and serve same day.