PAN BAGNAT

Pan Bagnat

Preparation time: 15 minutes

4 ripe tomatoes
2 small green bell peppers (Bull’s Horn variety)
4 spring onions
250g broad beans
4 baby artichokes
½ lemon • 16 black Niçoise olives
4 hardboiled eggs
4 round white bread rolls
1 clove garlic
8 anchovy fillets in olive oil, or 2 cans of tuna flakes in olive oil
8 basil leaves
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Wash and slice the tomatoes. Wash the peppers, remove the seeds and cut into thin strips. Finely chop the spring onions. Shell the beans. Prepare the artichokes: cut into thin slices and rub the cut surfaces with the lemon to prevent them from darkening. Pit the olives. Cut the eggs into slices.

Cut the bread rolls in half at two-thirds of their height. Scoop out some of the interior. Peel the garlic clove and cut in half then rub the inside of the bread rolls with it. Mix together 4 tbsp. olive oil with 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Soak the bread in this dressing.

Dress one half of each bread roll with tomato, pepper, spring onions, beans, artichokes and olives. Arrange the slices of boiled egg, anchovies (or tuna) and chopped basil leaves on top of the filling. Season then top with a drizzle of olive oil and close each Pan Bagnat by pressing down firmly with your hands.

Leave in the refrigerator for 1 hour, for the flavors to blend.

Note: You can also include slices of radish or finely chopped celery in your Pan Bagnat, or use frozen broad beans (provided they have been thawed of course!).

CROQUEMBOUCHE

Croquembouche

FOR PASTRY PUFFS
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
7 large eggs 

FOR PASTRY CREAM
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ounces semisweet chocolate
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, mixed with 2 teaspoons hot water

FOR CARAMEL
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup

Heat oven to 425 degrees. To make the puffs: In a medium saucepan, melt butter in 1 1/2 cups water with salt and sugar. Remove pan from heat, and add flour. Return pan to heat and, using a wooden spoon, beat vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes. (A film should form on the bottom of the pan.) Cool slightly, and add 6 eggs, one at a time, beating vigorously.

Make a glaze by beating the remaining egg with 1 teaspoon water, and set aside. Using a pastry bag fitted with a coupler and a 1/2-inch-wide plain tip, pipe out mounds that are 1 inch high and 3/4 inch in diameter on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with egg glaze, and smooth the tops. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on racks. (The puffs can be made ahead and frozen until ready to assemble.)

Make the pastry cream: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg yolks, gradually adding sugar, until mixture is thick and pale yellow. Beat in flour. Scald milk, and add in dribbles to egg mixture, reserving 1/2 cup. Place mixture in a clean pot over high heat, and stir vigorously until mixture boils and thickens. If it seems too thick to pipe, add reserved milk. Remove from heat. Using a hand whisk, beat butter into egg mixture, one tablespoon at a time.

In a double boiler or heat-proof bowl set over simmering water, melt chocolate and espresso together until smooth. Add chocolate mixture to the pastry cream; let cool completely. Just before assembling croquembouche, fill a pastry tube fitted with a 1/4-inch-wide tip with pastry cream, insert tip into puffs, and pipe in cream to fill.

To make the caramel: In a medium saucepan, combine 2/3 cup water, sugar, and corn syrup, and bring to a boil over high heat. Do not stir. Cover pan, and boil until steam dissolves any crystals. Uncover, and boil 5 more minutes, or until syrup is amber in color. Remove from heat. Dip the bottom of each puff into the caramel, and arrange puffs in a pyramid.


To make a spun-sugar web to wrap around the croquembouche: Cut the looped ends of a wire whisk with wire cutters, or use two forks held side by side, and dip the ends into caramel. Wave the caramel back and forth over the croquembouche, allowing the strands to fall in long, thin threads around it. Wrap any stray strands up and around the croquembouche. Serve.

CHERRY CLAFOUTIS

CHERRY CLAFOUTIS 

From old ski bum days!  Tea Room Alpenrose, Vail.

1 1/2 pounds pitted fresh sweet cherries
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup white sugar
8 egg whites
1 cup skim milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 (7 inch) vanilla bean, split lengthwise and crushed
3 tablespoons kirsch (cherry brandy)
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 10 inch tart pan, or a similar sized baking dish.

Spread out the cherries in the bottom of the prepared pan, and set aside. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg whites, milk and cream. Stir in the kirsch and vanilla bean. Gradually whisk in the flour mixture until smooth. Remove the vanilla bean from the batter, and pour it over the cherries.

Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until puffed and browned. Let cool until the top sinks in slightly. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

AÏOLI

MY AÏOLI
Makes 2 cups

9 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 dashes Louisiana hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 pinch cayenne pepper

blend the garlic, mayonnaise and lemon juice in a blender until smooth.  Then add the rest of the ingredients and blend again.

FRENCH APPLE CAKE

French Apple Cake

French Country Cooking

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
4 large apples
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons dark rum
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and center a rack in the oven. Butter an 8 inch springform pan. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and put the springform pan on it. Set aside.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl.

Peel the apples, cut them in half, and remove the cores. Cut the apples into 1 to 2 inch chunks.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until foamy.

Pour in the sugar and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the rum and vanilla. Whisk in half of the flour mixture, when it’s incorporated, add half of the melted butter, followed by the remaining flour mixture and butter.

Mix in between additions so you have a smooth, thick batter.
Fold in the apples with a rubber spatula. Pour batter into prepared pan. Spread with spatula so the batter is somewhat even.

Slide the pan in the oven and bake 50-60 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool for five minutes.

Run a knife around the edges of the cake and remove from the pan. Cool cake until slightly warm or at room temperature. If you want to remove the cake from the pan, wait until the cake is completely cooled. Slide a long spatula between the cake and pan, cover the top of the cake with a piece of parchment or wax paper, and invert it onto a rack. Carefully remove the bottom of the pan and turn the cake over onto a serving platter.

*Note-you can serve the cake with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Do not cover the cake because it is so moist. Just press a piece of plastic wrap against the cut surfaces of the cake.

7-HOUR LEG of LAMB

Seven Hour Leg of Lamb

10 Serves
6 Onions; quartered
 6 Carrots; quartered
1 Whole Head Garlic; cloves peeled & halved
6 Bay Leaves
1 Bunch Thyme; fresh (or 1 Tbsp. dried thyme)
One 6-7 lb Leg Of Lamb, bone in
Salt & Pepper
2 Bottles White Wine
5 lbs.  Potatoes,peeled & quartered
5 Tomatoes concasse, chopped
Layer onions, carrots, garlic, bay leaves and thyme on bottom of covered roasting pan large enough to hold lamb.

Place lamb, fat side up, on top. Roast uncovered in preheated 425F oven 30 minutes. Remove roaster from oven. Generously sprinkle lamb salt and pepper. Return to oven and roast, uncovered 30 minutes. Remove roaster from oven and place on top of stove. Slowly pour wine over lamb. Cover and bring to boil.

Return roaster, covered, to oven and roast until lamb is very tender, still juicy and falling off the bone, about 4 to 5 hours. Timing will vary according to size of lamb and roasting pan used. Check lamb occasionally, reducing heat if lamb begins to burn or liquid is evaporating too quickly.

Toss potatoes and tomatoes in liquid in roasting pan. Cover and roast about 1 to 1 1/4 hours until potatoes are cooked through. Lamb should be moist, tender and falling off bone.

SALMON RILLETTES

Salmon Rillettes

8 ounce  piece of salmon, preferably wild, bones removed
salt
5 tablespoons  butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped chives
4 ounces smoked salmon, cut into thin strips, then cut into ½-inch  pieces
¼ teaspoon chili powder 

Season the salmon on both sides lightly with a bit of salt. Put on a plate with a Tablespoon of water, cover with plastic wrap and microwave about 4 minutes, until it flakes easily.

In a medium-sized bowl, mash together with a fork the butter and the olive oil until very smooth; otherwise there’ll be big chunks of butter in the finished rillettes.

Stir in the lemon juice, then the chopped chives and smoked salmon.

Remove the skin from the salmon (if it has any) and flake the cooked salmon over the mixture, then fold the pieces of salmon into the rillette mixture along with the chili powder.

Season with salt, if necessary.

Scrape into a serving dish, cover, and chill for at least two hours. Let come to room temperature before serving.

Storage: The rillettes can be made up to two days before and refrigerated. They can also be frozen, well-wrapped, for up to two months.

RILLETTES

Rilletttes

5 lbs. Boneless Pork Butt
1 lb. Mirepoix. (2 parts onion, one part each carrots and celery) I estimate about 2 onions and 2 carrots and 4 stalks of celery. Doesn’t matter that much.
3 cloves garlic, mashed, no need to peel
1 tsp. Thyme
2 or three bay leaves
12 cups beef or chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Here’s how to do it:
Cut up your meat into about 10 more or less equally sized portions. Put in a pot with all the other ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat immediately to a simmer. Cover and let is gently do it’s thing for about 8 hours. At very low heat. Test a piece, it should fall apart with very little encouragement. Refrigerate it overnight.

Next morning skim off all the fat and save it. Remove the meat and set it aside. Save the broth because it makes a luscious soup base. No need to save the vegetables, but you can eat them if you like.

Now the real work: Remove all the fat and any other waste from the pieces of meat, then squeeze, mash, and if necessary chop and stir until the meat is fairly smooth enough to tolerate being spread on a cracker or slice of bread.

If you feel you need to do so, add some of the broth to make it spreadable.  You can make it ultra-smooth by buzzing it up in the processor.

Pack the spread into a pot, or pots of some kind, melt the fat and pour it over the meat, that will seal from oxygen and help preserve it. Refrigerate. When ready to serve remove the fat and spread on crackers, toasts etc. I like bread and butter pickles, onions, chopped eggs etc. on mine.

POULET CRAPAUDINE FAÇON-CHICKEN LADY CHICKEN

Chicken Lady Chicken (or Poulet Crapaudine Façon)

One thing I learned pretty quickly about the differences between French and American recipes is that in America, one chicken yields two servings, whereas in France, it yields four and sometimes six. However, in this case, one chicken yields one serving — mine. If you have an outdoor grill, by all means use it, weighing down the chicken with a brick until the skin side is nice and crispy, before flipping it over.

Serves 4

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or Kosher salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons white wine

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 1/2 teaspoons harissa, Sriracha, or Asian chile paste

2 teaspoons Dijon or yellow mustard

2 teaspoons honey

1 (3-pound, 1 1/2 kg) chicken

Put the minced garlic and salt in a resealable plastic bag and crush it with the heel of your hand until it’s a paste. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, white wine, soy sauce, harissa, mustard, and honey to the bag, combining the ingredients well.

Remove the backbone of the chicken by snipping down both sides of the spine with poultry shears, or taking a chef’s knife and cutting along both sides of it, and pulling it off. With the breast side down on the cutting board, take a knife and crack the bone between the breasts, then push the chicken down with your hands so it spreads out and lies flat. Flip the chicken over so it’s skin side up and press down with the heels of your hands on the chicken very firmly -- like you’re giving it a shiatsu massage -- to flatten it as much as you possibly can. Don’t go easy on it.

Loosen the skin from the breast and thigh meat and spoon some of the marinade under the skin. Put the chicken in the bag, close it securely, and use your hands to rub the ingredients into the chicken. Refrigerate it for 1 to 2 days, flipping the bag over a few times as it marinates.

To cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Heat a cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat on the stovetop and place the chicken in it, breast side down. Drape a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil over the top and set a heavy weight on top of it. A good option is a brick or a large saucepan filled with water. (I used a leftover weight from the boot camp I quit.)

Cook the chicken until the skin is a deep golden brown, which usually takes about 10 minutes or so -- check it often. Once it’s browned, flip the chicken over, replace the weight, and let it cook for about 5 more minutes.

Remove the weight and the foil and place the chicken in the oven for 25 minutes, until it’s cooked through. To serve it French-style, cut the chicken into six pieces: two legs, two thighs, and cut each breast in half crosswise, leaving the wings attached.

CHICKEN in VINEGAR SAUCE

CHICKEN in VINEGAR SAUCE

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, unpeeled

One 3 3/4 pound chicken, cut into 10 pieces

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup rice vinegar

2 medium tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

In a large, deep skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in the olive oil. Add the garlic. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned all over, about 8 minutes. Add the vinegar and tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer over moderately low heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter and keep warm.

Boil the sauce over moderately high heat until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Peel the garlic cloves and mash them into the sauce. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and stir in the parsley; season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

FRENCH CHICKEN UNDER A BRICK

Chicken Lady Chicken (or Poulet Crapaudine Façon)

One thing I learned pretty quickly about the differences between French and American recipes is that in America, one chicken yields two servings, whereas in France, it yields four and sometimes six. However, in this case, one chicken yields one serving — mine. If you have an outdoor grill, by all means use it, weighing down the chicken with a brick until the skin side is nice and crispy, before flipping it over.

Serves 4

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or Kosher salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons white wine

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 1/2 teaspoons harissa, Sriracha, or Asian chile paste

2 teaspoons Dijon or yellow mustard

2 teaspoons honey

1 (3-pound, 1 1/2 kg) chicken

Put the minced garlic and salt in a resealable plastic bag and crush it with the heel of your hand until it’s a paste. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, white wine, soy sauce, harissa, mustard, and honey to the bag, combining the ingredients well.

Remove the backbone of the chicken by snipping down both sides of the spine with poultry shears, or taking a chef’s knife and cutting along both sides of it, and pulling it off. With the breast side down on the cutting board, take a knife and crack the bone between the breasts, then push the chicken down with your hands so it spreads out and lies flat. Flip the chicken over so it’s skin side up and press down with the heels of your hands on the chicken very firmly -- like you’re giving it a shiatsu massage -- to flatten it as much as you possibly can. Don’t go easy on it.

Loosen the skin from the breast and thigh meat and spoon some of the marinade under the skin. Put the chicken in the bag, close it securely, and use your hands to rub the ingredients into the chicken. Refrigerate it for 1 to 2 days, flipping the bag over a few times as it marinates.

To cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Heat a cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat on the stovetop and place the chicken in it, breast side down. Drape a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil over the top and set a heavy weight on top of it. A good option is a brick or a large saucepan filled with water. (I used a leftover weight from the boot camp I quit.)

Cook the chicken until the skin is a deep golden brown, which usually takes about 10 minutes or so -- check it often. Once it’s browned, flip the chicken over, replace the weight, and let it cook for about 5 more minutes.

Remove the weight and the foil and place the chicken in the oven for 25 minutes, until it’s cooked through. To serve it French-style, cut the chicken into six pieces: two legs, two thighs, and cut each breast in half crosswise, leaving the wings attached.

AÏOLI

AÏoli

Nine cloves of garlic is a bit much for most people, start with four and go up as your tolerance dictates.Makes 2 cups 

9 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
½ tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 dashes Louisiana hot sauce (Crystal or Tabasco)
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 pinch cayenne pepper 

Blend the garlic, mayonnaise, and lemon juice in a blender until smooth, then add the rest of the ingredients and blend again.