Gougères with Salami and Antipasto Salad

Salami, Salami, Bologna!   Anyone remember the Popeye Cartoon?  As I worked on these recipes the phrase kept running through my mind.  I finally did an internet search and uncovered the source.   If you're in the mood for some nostalgia you can view the episode via this link.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgvDcXN3pJo. A group of bloggers were invited by Bolzano Artisan Meats in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to choose a Bolzano Salami then create a few recipes.  I choose Old School.  A hard salami made with pork, garlic and lots of crushed black pepper.   The company makes delicious meats using hormone free products in small batches.  I was thrilled with my choice.

Salami and Gruyere Gougeres

The first recipe uses classic Pate a Choux with gruyere cheese and small slices of the salami.  After they baked, I sliced them, and filled them with stone ground mustard, another slice of salami and cheese.  Oh boy!  The perfect  party snack.

Salami and Gruyere Cheese 

Gougères

125 gm water (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 tsp salt

3 1/2 T butter

2 tsp. sugar

75 gm flour (2/3 cup)

2 eggs, plus 1 egg for egg wash

1 cup grated gruyere cheese, or cheese of your choice

3/4 cup thinly sliced, then chopped Bolzano Old School Salami

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, place the water, butter, sugar and salt.  Bring to a simmer until butter melts.  Add the flour all at once, and stir.  The mixture will look like mashed potatoes.   Place the flour mixture in a mixing bowl, and add 2 eggs one at a time.  Stirring well after each egg.  Stir until the mixture is smooth and glossy.  Add the cheese, reserving a small amount (2-3 T), and the salami.

Using a tablespoon or pastry bag with large tip, pipe or spoon ping pong to gold ball sized balls of dough on to a parchment lined baking sheet.  Place the last egg in a small dish and whisk with a fork to loosen.  Using a pastry brush, gently brush the top of the balls with egg.  Be careful not to drip egg on to the parchment paper from the pastry as it will keep the pastry from puffing as well as it can.  Sprinkle the tops of the puffs with extra grated cheese.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until completely golden brown. Cool on a wire rack and serve with mustard, pickles and more sliced salami and cheese.  Puffs can also be sliced across and filled for tiny sandwiches.

Makes about 18 small puffs

 My next recipe is Antipasto Pasta Salad.   This recipes screams of summer picnics.   It's far from summer where I am, but it really put me in the mood.  The big chunks of smoked cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and the salami really take this over the top.  Wait until you smell it.   The aroma is amazing.  Find a pasta with lots of curves to trap the flavorful dressing.

Antipasto-Salad

Pasta Salad Ingredients

Antipasto Pasta Salad with Salami

1 pound rotini or fusilli or any (corkscrew-shaped pastas) 2 garlic cloves 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard 1/3 cup red-wine vinegar 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon water 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 ounce (1/2 cup) sun-dried tomatoes 1/2 pound smoked gouda, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1  1 pound can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 small can artichoke hearts, cut in half (smaller bites)

1-2 T capers 3 1/2 ounces sliced hard salami, cut into julienne strips 10 to 20 bottled small peperoncini (pickled Tuscan peppers)

1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes 1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves, minced

Start boiling salted water in a large pan. Cook the rotini until it is tender and drain it. Refresh the pasta under cold water and drain it well.  Using a food processor or blender, blend the garlic, the mustard, the vinegars, the water, the oil, and salt to taste until the dressing is emulsified. In a very large bowl toss the pasta well with the dressing and stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, the mozzarella, the garbanzos, the salami, the Tuscan peppers, the red pepper flakes, and capers and the parsley and tomatoes for garnish. Chill the salad, covered, for 1 hour. The salad may be made 2 days in advance and kept covered and chilled.Serves 8-10

pasta-close

Bolzano Salamis are available online and at various outlets.  To find more recipes and read more about the project, you can find the other bloggers at these sites.  Lori Fredrich of Burp was the curator of the project. Check them out!

Participating Bloggers:

Rebecca from CakeWalk: 

rcakewalk.blogspot.com

Molly from Peanut Butter & Pickles:  

www.pbpickles.com

Melanie from From Fast Food to Fresh Food:  

www.fastfood2freshfood.com

Anna from Tallgrass Kitchen:  

www.tallgrasskitchen.com/

Lori and Paul from Burp! : 

www.eatatburp.com

Pastry Creme (Crème Pâtissière)

Pastry Cream in Puff Pastry

As I prepare to leave for Paris it seems like the perfect time to tell this story.   It's always fun remembering my days at Le Cordon Bleu.  I hope you'll enjoy.

The March to the Poubelle

Our Basic Pastry Course was in the intensive format meaning that we took 3-4 classes each day instead of 1.  It condensed 12-14 weeks of curriculum to just three.  It truly was intense.   We would be in the lecture room then immediately run downstairs to the kitchen to prepare at least one or all of the recipes the chef had just demonstrated, then back to the classroom.   The days started at 8:00 am, and went until 8:00 pm.  Some days included a free time block to run an errand, or in our case to do a little shopping and or eating.  Both activities were highly encouraged.  After all, how were we to learn what great pastries looked and tasted like?

The chefs in the school worked a French workweek (35 hours), so we had to have a combination of chefs to cover our long days.  Our main chef instructor was off for the evening and bid us farewell.   Another chef, who happened to be a Cuisine program chef, was going to oversee our kitchen preparations.  All the chefs were very distinguished and impeccably  neat.   Our new babysitter chef was even more so.  He exuded an air of confidence and importance that had us more nervous than usual.  Add to this the fact that cuisine chefs have little time for pastry chefs, (too much weighing and measuring) let alone pastry students in their first course.

It was early in the course, and we had seen pastry cream prepared, and made it ...once.  The chef suggested that we divide the  main recipe and each make a component as if we were working together in a restaurant.   One or two people would make a sponge cake, another the mousse, and another the crème pâtissière.  This sounded very reasonable.  We divided the duties between our small group, increasing the amounts so each of us would have the perfect amount for our dessert.

We carefully completed our mise en place (gathered our ingredients) and went to work.  Our Chef walked about the room watching us, and helping with any questions and offering help with locations of ingredients.  We had the feeling there were about a million other places he'd rather be, and he had more or less drawn the short straw to teach late that night.   Every time he passed by my work station, I got a whiff of his amazing cologne and a stern glance that made me even more nervous.  My French was caveman at best, so as he'd pass by, I'd muster a "bonjour Chef" and offer a nice Wisconsin smile.   He smiled back, but looked like he had just tasted something sour.

My contribution to our group was the pastry cream.  We needed 4 times the recipe for 4 students so I had to separate 16 eggs.  It went fine.  No broken yolks, and no spills.  I gathered the milk, sugar, flour, cornstarch and eggs had headed over to the stove.   I combined the ingredients in the order and technique from what my notes and memory offered.  So I thought.   I stood at the cooktop stirring and stirring, smiling away at the Chef as he approached.    He stood beside me, and watched me stir.   I had nothing to contribute to a conversation so I kept stirring and nervously smiling.  Finally, he broke the silence with "Qu'est que sais?"  I 'm sure I looked at him with a blank, panicked stare.  "Qu'est-ce que tu fais?" (what are you making?), he asked.    I thought to myself, what is wrong with him?  Surely he's seen someone make pastry cream before.   "Crème pâtissière, Chef", I said.  Hoping that he'd move on.  But no.

Then came the moment.  The belly flop in front of your swimming class moment.  In one motion, he flicked his head to the up and to the side, made THE tisk sound, and picked up my saucepan.   "Suivez-moi", he said.   I looked behind me where my classmates stood paralyzed watching and hoping one could translate.  "He wants you to follow him", one piped up.   So off we went from one end of the kitchen to the other.  It felt like the distance of a football field, but it was really about 50 feet.  I was about three steps behind, wondering where could we be going?    We arrived at our destination, a gleaming stand holding a perfectly attached garbage bag.  Why couldn't we just use the garbage can at our end of the room?  He stepped on the foot pedal with his gorgeous French, perhaps Italian shoes and up went the lid.   He stretched out his arms, and lifted the pan over his head and slowly dumped the gooey, wall paper paste mess from the pan into the garbage.   My pastry cream was poubelle.  Garbage.

"Répéter", he said as he put the pan in a nearby sink.   I made the walk of shame back to my workstation.  My friends were pale, very sympathetic and trying not to make eye contact.  They had busied themselves with things to do that required crouching behind the workstation on the other side.  I willed myself not cry.  After all, he didn't yell and scream.  But now what?  I had no idea what I had done to cause the problem.

"Je vais vous aider à faire de la crème pâtissière", he said.  I will help you make pastry cream.   I gathered a new set on ingredients.  He stood beside the entire time.   Part of me wanted to crawl in a hole, and the part felt like I had a pro at my side who wasn't going to let me screw this up again.

We went to the stove together.   I don't know what I did  wrong the first time and never will.  The second time required very little time at the stove. "Aller vite", go fast he said motioning with his arms so I knew just how fast to go.  Our pastry cream was perfect.   He held the plastic wrap lined pan as I plopped the rich, dreamy vanilla custard in to the pan.   "Vous avez fait un bon travail ce moment", You did a good job that time.  No hugs and back slaps, but a slight warmth in his eyes to let me know it was okay.

To this day, I think of him every time I make pastry cream.    It's not good, it's great, and I have him to thank.  Merci beaucoup, Chef.

I can't stand beside you, but I'll walk you through the steps of making crème pâtissière.  Perfect pastry cream.

The ingredients are simple.  Milk, sugar, flour, cornstarch and vanilla.  I don't add other flavorings or steep fancy ingredients into the milk.   I like to keep it pure and simple.  If you don't have a vanilla bean, you can add vanilla extract at the end.

pastry cream ingredients

vanilla bean

Hold the vanilla bean with one hand, and with the other slice the bean open.   Using the back side of the paring knife, gently slide down the length of the bean gathering the tiny vanilla seeds/paste.  Put all the seeds and the pod into a saucepan with the milk and 1/2 of the sugar.  Stir briefly, then bring to milk to a simmer over medium heat.

Now, in a bowl, whisk the egg yolks.  Now while whisking the yolks, add the sugar.  Keep whisking.  There's a chemical reaction of heat that occurs when yolks meet sugar.   This cooks the yolks, and can make microscopic scrambled eggs in the cream making the texture less than perfect.  Once you have the eggs and sugar mixed, add the flour and cornstarch and mix well.  The mixture will be thick.

eggs and sugar

vanilla and sugar in the milk

Now comes the fancy part.  Once the milk is at a gentle boil/simmer.  Pour about 1/3-1/2 of the milk in the bowl with the eggs.  This is called tempering and lets the eggs know that they're about to get cooked.  It keeps them from scrambling later and making lumpy cream.   Mix the milk and eggs with a whisk until the mixture is smooth.

Now, bring the milk in the pan back to a rolling gentle simmer.   Have your pan ready near by, lined with plastic wrap.   Start whisking the milk and pour the eggs mixture into the milk whisking quickly.   Pay careful attention to the corners of the pan.  Stir quickly until you see the cream "burp" a bubble from the middle.  This lets you know that the cream is heated through and can go into the pan.   Don't overmix.  The cream should be thick and glossy.   This whole process will take seconds, not minutes.

cream in the pan just finished!

Now pour/spread the cream into the pan, and tuck the extra wrap around and over the cream to prevent and skin from forming on the cream as it cools.   Look at this tiny little flecks of vanilla in the pastry cream!

ready to refrigerator

Be sure the cream is less than 2 inches thick and is cooling in a layer rather than in a bowl.  It's much safer from a food safely standpoint.   Allow the cream to chill about 2 hours or until cool in the center.

When the cream is cool.   Transfer to a bowl and whisk to loosen and smooth the cream.  Add about 1 T of Grand Marnier or a favorite liqueur adding a beautiful aroma and hint of flavor.   You don't need to add the liqueur if you don't want to.   This is point where you would add vanilla extract if you didn't use a vanilla bean.

Use the pastry cream to fill eclairs, layer between sheets of puff pastry, or use it to fill a pretty cake.

I hope you'll give this a try.  It's delicious and a classic building block of all French pastry.

To print this recipe, click HERE

Pastry Creme (Crème Pâtissière)

500 ml milk

4 yolks from large eggs

125 gm sugar

30 gm cornstarch

30 gm flour

1 vanilla bean

1 T Grand Marnier or to taste (optional)

Directions

1.  Line a shallow baking pan with plastic wrap.

2.  Using a paring knife, slice the vanilla bean lengthwise through one side as if slicing a tube.  Using the back side of the knife, slide it down the length of the exposed bean to scrape out the seeds.  Remove seeds from vanilla bean.

3.  In a saucepan, add the milk, vanilla seeds, the bean pod and 1/2 of the sugar.

4.  Heat to a simmer.

5. While the milk is heating, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar in a large heat proof bowl.  Then add the cornstarch and flour.  Mixing completely.

6.  Remove the vanilla bean pod from the milk.  Pour 1/2 or less of the warm milk into the bowl  over the egg mixture and whisk until smooth.  Increase the heat under the milk to a very slow boil.

6.  Pour the egg mixture back into the pan, whisking quickly and constantly until the mixture forms a smooth, glossy cream and the cream "burps" a bubble in the pan.

7.  Pour cream into the lined pan, folding the wrap and pressing on to the hot cream.  Be careful, it's hot!

8.  Chill until completely cool.

9.  Remove plastic wrap and put the cream in a bowl.  Whisk until smooth, then add Grand Marnier or other liqueur.   This is the time to add vanilla extract if you did not use a vanilla bean.

10.  Your pastry cream is ready for your favorite pastry!  It will keep for about 2 days and must be refrigerated.

raspberries in puff

Long and Slow Baked Apples

What are your plans for the weekend?   In that organizing mood?   I'd love to know how many of those plastic tubs are sold during January.   Today I saw a display of them in very fancy colors.  Personally, I like the clear ones so I can see what's inside.  I guess I could label them and then it wouldn't be necessary to open each one to find my summer clothes.  My new goal is things I'm not using get it out the door rather than squirreled away in the basement.   We'll see! I think it feels good to have some routine back again after the holidays.  Back from the free fall of sweets and dips.  Don't get me wrong, it's still winter and comfort food is still very welcome.   Now it's time for slow roasting, nice smells and healthier options.

There's comfort food, and then there's great comfort food.  What could possibly be better than creamy, sweet baked apples?  This is an Around My French Table recipe, by Dorie Greenspan.   As you know, I love simple, yet a little fussy recipes.   I think you'll love this one.   Why?

1.  You get to use ramekins.  You know you love them.

2.  You get to use your mandolin.  Promise, promise, promise you won't use it without the guard.

3.  You'll practice your apple peeling.

4.  You'll bake with plastic wrap.  Something I did in Paris and thought I'd never do again.  It works, really!

5.  The result is a delicious  apple dessert -so creamy and rich, it's almost like custard.   It's well worth the fussy preparation.

Long and Slow Baked Apples

The recipe is actually pretty simple, just a little time consuming.  Peel, core and slice apples. I used Fuji and they were  a really nice texture and flavor.   Be sure they're sliced very thin.

Then layer the slices with melted butter, and sugar that has been spiced with ginger and orange zest.   I skipped the ginger and used nutmeg instead.  The slices fit perfectly into the ramekins and towered over the top.

stacked apples

Then, wrap the ramekin in plastic wrap, then foil.    Make a few puncture holes in the top and cover with another ramekin to provide just a little pressure to the apples while they bake.

plastic wrap on apples

ramekins on top

Now, find a good book - or a closet to clean.   The apples will bake for two hours at 300 degrees F.  After they're baked, let them cool all wrapped up for  15 minutes or so, then carefully unwrap them.   It's amazing!

finished apples1

I went a little crazy and made three recipes from Around My French Table.   The herbed spaetzle, the Orange Pork Tenderloin and the Long and Slow Baked Apples.  It was a wonderful meal.  The pork and fragrant fruits were a nice combination.   The apples were a light yet very satisfying dessert ( with some sweetened whipped cream!)

When I make these again, I'm going to turn the apples out on to a plate and serve them with a dollop of creme fraiche.    It's always a perfect match with apples.  Do you know how to make creme fraiche?    It's very easy, but requires a little planning.

To print, click HERE

Creme Fraiche

2 cups Heavy Cream

2 T Buttermilk

Mix together, and allow to set uncovered at room temperature overnight ( or about 8-12 hours).  You can use it right away or stir, cover and chill.  The mixture will continue to thicken and become more tangy.  You can keep it up to about 2 weeks in the refrigerator.   If you don't need so much, feel free to divide the recipe and only make a half batch.

Stayed tuned everyone!  I'm heading to Paris and will try to send you photos and do a few blogs posts.  Is there anything you'd like to see or read about while I'm there?  What a nice coincidence that next week's Around My French Table  recipe in a French Apple Tart.  Tres Bien!

baked apples on tray

Peach Melba

Welsh Rarebit, Steak Diane, Pavlova and Peach Melba.  All recipes we've heard of and maybe some of us can describe.  Last week, the Around My French Table/French Friday's with Dorie group made Peach Melba.  I was thinking of something crunchy.  Perhaps in the Melba toast family.   What is it you ask?

Think about the best peach you're ever tasted, with fresh raspberry sauce, over ice cream... with just a touch of liqueur. Yes, that's it.

Fresh peaches are poached in simple syrup with vanilla bean, then cooled and chilled.  While the peaches are chilling, the berries are pureed and combined with just a bit of the syrup.  It's that easy.

Once the sauce and peaches are ready, spoon over vanilla cream and add some sliced almonds.  The scent of the vanilla is amazing.  I used St. Germain, and elderflower liqueur rather than the Chambord that was suggested in the recipe.   I don't think you can go wrong with either.   As summer transitions into fall, this is the perfect summer comfort food.   I hope you'll try it, and enjoy the sweetness of this classic.

Salsa of the Tropics

This is a great time of year.  Gardens are pumping out tomatoes, green peppers, onions, and spicy jalapenos just to name a few garden favorites.  I've got a favorite recipe for you.  It calls for mangos, but today I used peaches.   You can mix it up and use both if you have them.   It's SO easy!  All you have to do is chop. Peaches will be the theme for the next week of so.   We made a road trip to North Carolina last week and picked up 12 boxes.  We were in Asheville last year at this time and discovered the farmers' market, and the rows and rows of peaches.  This year we made the journey to fill the car.  I guess it kind of makes them local... to someone!   I can happily report that all the boxes found homes.

Ready for the Heat

With the peaches that were a little bumped and bruised, I made the salsa.  Feel free to adjust the heat with the jalapeno.   I like to serve this with tortilla chips, but it's also great on pork tenderloin... hot off the grill.

Ingredients for perfect salsa

To print this recipe, click HERE

Salsa of the Tropics

  Based on recipe from Great Good Food

1-2  mangos, chopped (or 2 peaches)

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 cup chopped green, red  or yellow bell pepper 1/2  teaspoon salt- or to taste 5-6  cup plum tomatoes, chopped

1 TBSP cumin 1 medium red onion, chopped

1 chopped jalapeno pepper

1-2 tsp. Sugar

1 TBSP vinegar

Stir together all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Cover and chill  a few hours before serving.

Peach Salsa and Chips

Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

simple pleasures are the best.  

Don't you love finding a little cash in the coat hanging in the closet for months?  A bouquet of garden zinneas?  Someone holding the door open for you with a smile.    I've got a short, sweet simple pleasure of a  recipe for you.   Cherry tomatoes are popping everywhere.   We  eat them like candy around here.  I didn't think they could get any better.  Here's how--   Pick up a pint or two at your market and you're half way there.   No, you're more than half way there.

img_7115-2

Slice them in half, then toss with just a litte bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, then roast at 200 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours.  Your house will smell great, and you'll have rich gems to toss in pasta, on a pizza, or chill for the top of a salad.

img_7120-5

It's so easy, and the results are SO good!

finished-tomatoes-6

To print this recipe, click HERE

Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

2 pints cherry tomatoes

1-2 T olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.  Slice tomatoes and toss with oil, and scatter in a single later on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.   Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for 1 and 1/2 hours or until tomatoes are wrinkled and fragrant.   Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days.