Raspberry Creme Tart

 

Raspberry Creme Tart

1 package frozen puff pastry sheets

1 cup large fresh raspberries, rinsed

6 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1/2 vanilla bean, slit open and 

       scraped)

2 cups hot whole milk

3 tablespoons butter

1  cup heavy or whipping cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

        -Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

        -Place unwrapped frozen puff pastry sheets on clean

           counter.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes, then carefully try to 

           unfold flat on surface. If dough is not yet ready, tent the

           dough by opening the 3 surfaces so they are exposed to

           the air and let rest another 15 minutes.

       -Roll dough on lightly floured counter out to a 12 inch by

         10" rectangle.  Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment

         paper or a silpad.  Poke pastry at frequent intervals with

         fork tines.  Place in freezer for 15 minutes before baking.

         Remove from freezer and place immediately into 

         preheated oven.  Bake pastry for 20 minutes until golden

         brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

       -While the first sheet of dough is cooking roll out the other

         sheet of dough to a 14 by 12 inch rectangle. Cut eight 

         strips about 3/4 inch wide down the length of the dough.

         Take 2 dough strips at a time and holding at one end,

         twist them tightly about each other to create a rope of 

         dough. (2 strips should end up 12 inches long and 2 strips

         should be 10 inches long.)  Place on cookie sheet lined with

         parchment paper or silpad and place in freezer for 15 

         minutes. Remove and place in 425 degree oven.  Bake for

         20 minutes until golden brown.  (If ropes begin to curl, 

         reach in with a spatula or wooden spoon to straighten 

         them. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Prepare Pastry Cream (Creme Patiserrie):

        -Place the 6 egg yolks and sugar together in a mixing bowl

         and beat until thick ribbons fall from the beaters when 

         lifted.  Stir in the flour.

        -Place the milk into a medium-sized saucepan. (If using 

          the vanilla bean, split the bean open and scape out the 

          seeds with a small sharp knife and add the seeds and the

          pod to the milk.  Bring the milk to a simmer over medium-

          high heat then remove from heat.  

         -Add about 1/2 cup hot milk to the egg yolks beating

          constantly until well blended.  Add another 1/2 cup milk

          and stir it in then return milk and eggs mixture back to

          the rest of the milk in the saucepan. Heat until mixture 

          comes to a boil over medium-high heat then continue to 

          boil and stir for one minute.  Remove the pan from the

          heat. Whisk in the butter and if using vanilla extract, add

          that. (If vanilla pod was used, remove it at this point.)

          Place pastry cream into a bowl and lay a piece of 

          plastic wrap directly on the cream and chill for at least 1

          hour.

     

To Assemble Tart:

         -Place flat sheet of cooked pastry on serving tray.  Trim 

          ropes of pastry with a small sharp knife until a rope fits 

          nicely down each outer edge of the tart. Pipe or spoon a 

          small amount of the pastry cream on the bottom side of

          each rope then press in place on the edges of the tart.

        -Fill the indentation in the tart with the pastry cream

          smoothing to an even surface with a spatula or back of

          a spoon.

        -Place fresh raspberries, hulled side down on the pastry 

          cream in an interesting pattern leaving space to pipe 

          whipped cream in between the berries.  Place remaining

          whipped cream into pastry bag with star tip and pipe 

          cream in between the raspberries on the top of the tart.  

          Chill for at least 1 1/2 hours before serving.

         -To serve, cut down the middle lengthwise and then 

           across at regular intervals 3 or 4 times to create 8 - 10

           servings.

       

Prepared puff pastry tart shell - golden brown and flaky!

Spoon pastry cream into tart shell and smooth surface

Arrange raspberries on top with whipped cream piped in between.

Elegant and delicious, French Patisserie worthy!

Zucchini Fritters (Middle Eastern Appetizers)

 

        What to do with the innards scooped out of your zucchini to make stuffed Kousa???  Have you ever had that quandary??  Probably not, unless you grew up 

in the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan) where stuffed kousa is prepared.  Well, I wondered on an occasion or two when living in Jordan, but another expat, who had mastered the art of Arab cooking supplied the answer....fritters!  You don't even have to make Kousa (the Arab word for squash) to create this recipe but can skip that step entirely and just grab the freshest, most convenient zucchinis you can find, whether from your own garden or the grocery store to prepare these delicious, crispy, easily prepared appetizers or side dish.  The tomato sauce is the perfect accompaniment and is actually composed of the elements that most kousa, stuffed grape leaves, stuffed eggplant, etc. are served in anyway.  It is a match made in Jordan!  (If you want to make the kousa just for the fun of scooping out the pulp, check my recipe on this blog under the name of "Kousa Sahel".)

Baked Barley Casserole

    

       If you are of a similar generation to myself, perhaps the only thing you ever knew about barley is that "Oats, peas, beans and barley" grow from the childhood nursery rhyme.  I didn't know where they grew or why anyone would want to grow them but when I realized that they were the white plump grains that I would fish for in my Campbells vegetable beef soup, certainly before the peas and beans, I began to wonder where I could get more. 

 
     Barley is one of the less commonly used grains in the American diet, severely overlooked in my opinion, and has a fuller, nuttier taste than grains that have made debuts at the forefront of American cooking in recent decades, such as farro and quinoa.  This hearty member of the grain family is a healthy one that doesn't leave you looking for something for dessert after dinner.

    If you've never tried barley, this is a great, easy and satisfying recipe for your introduction.

Baked Barley Casserole

1/4 cup butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1/2 large red pepper, diced
3/4 cup fresh sliced mushrooms (if desired)
1 1/2 cups pearl barley
3 cups chicken broth or stock
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon or 1/4 tsp.
       dried & crushed tarragon
3 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds
1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon bits

     -Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

     -Melt butter in large pot over medium-high
      heat.  Saute mushrooms in butter until soft.
      Remove mushrooms from butter in pan and 

      set aside.

    -Add onion, carrot and red pepper to pot 

      and cook until vegetables are soft and 

      onions begin to brown.  Mix barley into the

      veggies and stir until coated with butter.  

      Stir mushrooms into barley mixture and 

      season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add

      tarragon and 1 tablespoon parsley.  Pour 

      chicken broth into barley mixture and

      bring to boil over high heat.

     -Butter an ovenproof casserole dish and 

      pour barley mixture into it then cover

      tightly with foil. Place in oven for about 30

      minutes, until barley is barely tender.  

      Remove foil and continue to cook another 

      15 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed.  

     -Adjust seasoning and sprinkle remaining 

      parsley and bacon bits on top.  

      Serve warm.  Serves 8

Saute vegetables and barley in butter.

Add chicken stock and seasonings.

     

Surprise Caramel Buns

Surprise Caramel Buns:

1/2 recipe sweet roll dough

1/3 cup butter, melted

sugar/cinnamon mixture

24 large marshmallows

       -Roll dough out to 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut 3" circles from dough.  Place a marshmallow in the center of each circle and wrap around marshmallow and pinch firmly to seal.  Dip buns in melted butter then in sugar-cinnamon mixture of 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup cinnamon and place seam-side down in well- buttered muffin cups.  Let rise 20 minutes.  Bake in 350 degree oven until golden.

       -Immediately remove buns from tins with a knife, easing gently out of cup where mixture may be stuck.  Set on cooling rack and allow to cool.  

       -Place on serving tray and drizzle with thick caramel sauce.

Potato Refrigerator Rolls

1 package active dry yeast (1 tablespoon)

1 1/2 cups warm water

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2/3 cups vegetable shortening

2 eggs

1 cup lukewarm instant mashed potatoes

7 - 7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

      -Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water until frothy, about 5 minutes.  Add remaining water, sugar, salt, shortening, eggs, potatoes and 4 cups of the four.  Beat with mixer until smooth.  Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle and knead with a dough hook until smooth and satiny (5  minutes).  Or if kneading by hand, turn dough onto lightly floured surface.  Knead until smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes, adding sprinkles of flour to keep from sticking to hands as needed.  

      -Place in greased bowl and turn greased side up.  Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap or kitchen towel. Let sit on counter for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until doubled in size and a hole poked in the middle of the dough with finger, remains.  Or you can refrigerate dough at least 8 hours until ready to use.  (Dough can be kept  up to 5 days in the fridge.  Keep covered.)

     -Punch down dough.  Shape as desired.  Let rise 30 minutes before baking, unless directed otherwise.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake 15 to 25 minutes until rolls are golden brown.

PERSNICKETY  NOTES:

**Any sweet dough recipe works well with these or you can use purchased frozen roll dough and allow to thaw before forming surprise buns.

**I use a caramel sauce I make myself, cooked to the soft ball stage so the 

surface of the buns is not too sticky.  (You can find that recipe here on my blog under "Ruthie's Caramel Corn") You can use thick ice-cream topping caramel but drizzle it sparingly.  Caramel will dry some as the buns sit.

Avocado Fish Nachos

           Crab and avocado have been a pair for sometime now, and are a popular combo  in the world of food.   So, some years ago we created these nachos for
entertaining to contrast the wonderful crunch of corn tortilla with the subtle, silky flavors of avocado and crab.  The jack cheese and mayo we added served to meld the filling together and the addition of the lime and green onion act like confetti to lend a sparkle of brighter flavors to the bite.  Now it is fish tacos here and fish tacos there, so we were creating these a bit ahead of our time.  Super easy appetizer for a party or snack.  Nothing crabby about them!

Avocado & Fish Nachos:

1 package tortilla chips (cups or flat chip

6 ounce package imitation crab (pollock)

3 green onions chopped, white and tops

1 ripe avocado, peeled and diced

1 cup shredded Montery or Colby Jack chees

1/3 cup mayonnaise

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lay 24 whole tortilla chips on a baking sheet.

-Combine other ingredients in a medium bowl.  Place a spoonful of fish mixture in the center of each chip.  Bake for 8 - 10 minutes until cheese is melted.  Serve immediately.

PERSNICKETY NOTES:

**You can use crab lump meat instead of the imitation crab but they look nicer with the orange of the imitation crab.

**A few black sliced olives can be added if desired for another contrast of colors but too many added to the filling, mask the subtle flavors of the fish and avocado.

Shrimp Remoulade Filled Avocado

SHRIMP  REMOULADE  FILLED AVOCADO

4 ripe Haas avocados

1/2 pound large raw shrimp, shelled & deveined

      (fresh or frozen)

2 limes

1 1/4 cups mayonnaise

1/4 cup mustard (Creole mustard if available)

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 teaspoons horse radish (optional)

1 teaspoon pickle juice

1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot sauce (depending on taste)

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 large clove garlic, finely minced

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

salt and pepper to taste

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

     -Mix the following ingredients together to create

       the remoulade.  (Can be made ahead and left

       for flavors to meld for 30 minutes to several 

       hours in refrigerator.)  Combine: mayonnaise,

       mustard, paprikas, pickle juice, hot sauce, onion

       powder, garlic, thyme, oregano, basil, salt and 

       pepper, horseradish.  Let sit at least 30 minutes.

     -Rinse shrimp (if frozen, rinse in cold water until

       thawed).  Marinate shrimp in mixture of juice of

       1/2 lime, 2 tablespoon olive oil, 1 clove garlic - 

       finely minced, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon 

       lemon pepper for 30 minutes.

      -Thread shrimp on to bamboo skewers and cook

        over grill or under broiler about 2 minutes on

        each side, just until they turn opaque.  Set 

        aside.

      -Split avocados in half lengthwise, twist in half 

         & remove seed.  Do not remove the skin. Score 

         avocado flesh gently, 4 times lengthwise and 4

         times across.  Squeeze lime juice lightly over 

         the flesh and sprinkle with salt.

      -Cut a small flat piece of avocado skin from the

        bottom of each half so that they will not roll 

        when placed on the baking sheet.  Line a large

        baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick 

        vegetable spray.  Place the 8 avocado halves on

        the sheet, spaced evenly apart.  Fill the cavity

        of each avocado half with 1 large spoonful of

        remoulade sauce, covering the flat cut surfaces

        as well.  Place 3 - 4 grilled shrimp on top of 

        each and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

       -Place tray in oven preheated to 375 degrees and

         cook for 10 minutes until cheese is melted and

         sauce is warmed through.  Serve warm.

Halve avocados, score the flesh, sprinkle 

with lime juice & salt.

Cut off small piece from bottom so it won't roll.

Place a spoonful of remoulade sauce

in cavity and on flat surfaces.

Place grilled shrimp on top and

sprinkle on paprika and cheese.

PERSNICKETY  NOTES:

**Be sure avocados are just ripe enough to cut but not too soft.

**You can use medium sized shrimp as well - just put twice as many of

    them on top of each avocado.

         

     

French Zucchini Salad

             
                           Something different to do with the ridiculously abundant
                     harvest of zucchini from your vegetable garden!  We don't
                     usually think of using zucchini raw but for years it has made
                     an appearance on platters of vegetable crudites with dip, so why
                     not a salad? 
                             I was first exposed to it in this format at the same cooking
                     class I made reference to in my previous post.  This is Marte's
                     recipe, the delightful French woman that hosted us in her 
                     home for a cooking experience! 
                          My daughters loved the recipe and found it light and
                     refreshing..and those colors, so vibrant and lush!  Go for 
                     smaller zucchinis - they are generally more tasty and tender 
                     than the ones that are as big as your baby.  Save those for 
                     zucchini bread! 


                     FRENCH  ZUCCHINI  SALAD
               3 -4 small zucchini
               15 cherry tomatoes
               1/2 red onion, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
               1/2 large red pepper, cut into thin matchsticks
               1/2 cup lightly toasted pine nuts
               1/4 cup olive oil
               1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
               1 clove garlic, finely minced
               salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
               12 - 15 black Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
               1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

                    -Wash, cut of ends and peel zucchini in stripes.
               Slice into very thin rounds - if you have a mandoline
               use that or the slicing blade on a food processor.
               The rounds won't be as precise with a food 
               processor but it will be fine.  You may also slice them
               by hand with a sharp paring knife.
    
                    -In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive 
               oil, salt, pepper, garlic and sliced onion.  Let sit on 
               counter at least 15 minutes.  Add the zucchini, red
               pepper, tomatoes, olives and mix.  Let rest 30 
               minutes at room temperature.  The lemon juice will 
               soften the zucchini as it sits.  Chill in fridge until
               ready to serve.

                   -In a small saute pan without oil, heat the pine
              nuts over medium heat until golden, stirring or
              shaking the pan frequently.  Watch carefully as pine 
              nuts can burn quickly. Let cool to room temperature.

                  -Remove salad from fridge and sprinkle pine nuts 
               and Parmesan cheese as well as a bit more freshly
               ground pepper on top.    Serves 8 - 10                

           Slice stripe-peeled zucchini into thin rounds.

Pour dressing over all ingredients except pine nuts

and cheese. Let sit 30 minutes, then chill.

PERSNICKETY  NOTES:

**Marinating the onions in the lemon juice helps to soften them and makes them taste

   sweeter.

**If you are not a fan of strong olives, like Kalamata, American canned olives are fine

   to use but won't give the salad the briny punch that the others do.

**If liquid accumulates in the bottom of the salad bowl after letting it sit, you can drain

   that off if desired.

**This salad looks nice just served in a salad bowl as the colors are so bright and robust

   but another option would be to serve it on a bed of greens on a platter.  If you choose

   the platter option, you will want to drain the accumulated liquid for sure.