Tarte Piperade (Basque Vegetable Tart)

Since coming home from Paris last week, I am cheesed out, if you can believe it.
Too much of a good thing (until next week!).

I don't want to look at liver (pate) or cheese for at least one week.

Tarts are always welcome, 7 days a week. They are so pretty & delicious, I never tire of them.

Browsing thru Eileen's blog, I spied a lovely Piperade Pie.

Piperade is the ratatouille of the Basque region, sans eggplant.
Patricia Wells uses it over fish in her BISTRO COOKING French cookbook.

But I loved this rendition poured into a tart crust!
Isn't everything better in a pastry?

Eileen made a cheese crust from a Gourmet recipe, however, since I am off cheese for the week, I just made a straight pate brisee. You can also use frozen puff pastry if you like.

There was no cheese or cream in this tart, yet it tasted rich and delicious.
It was a simple vegetable tart made with only eggs and vegetables and we LOVED it!

Don't skip the 7 dashes of Tabasco, I think that is what made the flavors come together.



Tart #25: Tarte Piperade (adapted from Living Tastefully & Gourmet)

1 Pate Brisee recipe (puff pastry or frozen pie shell)

Roll out your dough and press into a 9" fluted tart pan. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to fill.

Piperade filling:

1 red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup scallions, roughly chopped
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
7 dashes of hot sauce (I used Tabasco)
1 tablespoon butter
5 eggs



In a large skillet, cook your vegetables on medium heat for about 10 minutes until softening. Add hot sauce at the end and remove from the heat.
Stir in the tablespoon of butter and let cool for 15 minutes.



Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the cooled vegetable mixture to the eggs.
Mix together and pour in to the prepared pie shell.

Bake 30 minutes at 350F until the filling is set but not dry.



Let rest 15 minutes before removing tart ring.



I served this with my French salad w/ arugula and walnuts.

I leave my pies and tarts outside to cool on baking sheets, because I don't have a window sill.
I caught this neighborhood foodie trying to steal a piece!



This was really EXCELLENT!
This recipe is going in the tart repertoire!

Zucchini, Leek & White Bean Soup

I am still hanging on to summer, but since it's a cool rainy fall day, here is my first soup of the season. I have some zucchini left from the farmer's market on Sunday, so I am not totally giving in yet!

This soup is so easy to make, especially using store bought chicken stock and canned beans.

The smokey flavor of the Spanish paprika and Spanish sherry wine vinegar really makes this soup special.

A hand immersion blender is a necessity for soups, I couldn't live without mine.



Fall Zucchini, Leek & White Bean Soup: (adapted from Bitchin Camero)

3 large zucchini, diced
3 large leeks, trimmed and washed (white and light green parts only), sliced thin
6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
3 cups of chicken stock
2 cans of white beans (cannellini or any white bean is fine)
1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika (not the sweet Hungarian variety)
1 tsp sherry wine vinegar
salt & pepper

for the basil oil:

2 tbsp fresh chopped basil
3 tbsp of good olive oil

In a large heavy pot, saute your leeks and garlic cloves in olive oil for a few minutes until soft.

Add the diced zucchini and chicken stock and bring to a boil.



Simmer the vegetables for about 5-7 minutes, until the zucchini is tender, but not mushy.

Rinse and drain your beans and add them to the pot. Basically, the soup is done now!



With an immersion hand blender or a regular blender, puree the soup in batches.
I like to keep some of the vegetables and beans whole, so I only puree about half of the pot.



Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Add a splash of sherry vinegar and the tsp of smoked paprika and mix in.



Before serving, swirl a bit of the basil oil on top and serve.

Good Ideas: Grilled Sausage, Potatoes & Green Beans

There are still a few more weeks of grilling left on my patio.
Though it is technically fall, it is 80+ degrees out there, so outdoor dining is still available at Chez Stay for about another 2 weeks.

Here is an easy weeknight dinner, all cooked together in one foil packet.
Adapted from a recipe from All Recipes.

Heavy duty foil is best, but you can use a double layer of regular aluminum foil instead.

Slice some Italian sausage links into 2" pieces, along with trimmed green beans, a cut up onion and some cubed red potatoes (about 1" size).

I threw in a few whole cloves of garlic and 3 rosemary sprigs for good luck.



Lay all of your ingredients on a big piece of foil and drizzle liberally w/ olive oil and kosher salt. Seal up the package, but leave room to pour in about 1/3 cup of water, then close it up tightly.

The temperature will depend on the hotness of your grill, every one's BBQ runs differently.
I cooked the foil packet of goodness on my grill for about 30 minutes on low heat, turning after the first 15 minutes.



CAREFULLY (so the steam doesn't burn you!), open the packet to make sure the potatoes are tender and the sausage is cooked thru, and serve!

This is the perfect autumn meal, eaten indoors or out!
Enjoy!

Indian Summer Grilled Eggplant Gratin

There are 2 weeks left of the season at my local farmer's market until next June.

Boo hoo.

There are tons of apples and pumpkins and mums, telling us that fall is here and summer is gone, even though the weather is still nice and warm.

I was able to find some cheap red peppers this week and the last of the eggplants.

So I bought 3 eggplants and made a gratin.

I grilled the eggplant slices on the BBQ after being tossed w/ olive oil and plenty of kosher salt.

When the slices were cool enough to handle, I layered them in a casserole dish with plenty of grated Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs and basil, and a layer of halved cherry tomatoes.

In between layers, I spread 1 cup of ricotta cheese mixed with 1 egg and all the herbs in my garden (almost gone for the season), including lovely chopped mint.
I sprinkled about 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese on top of the ricotta layer.



Then the top layer of sliced grilled eggplant and another topping of breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.

Drizzle w/ olive oil and bake at 375F for 40 minutes. Wait about 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Served with a big pan of sausage and peppers. This is the best of Indian summer food.



Goodbye beautiful summer produce, see you next year!

I Take Requests: Galette des Rois

Not exactly the right month to be making a Galette des Rois!
But let me explain.

A Galette des Rois also known as a "Kings Cake" is traditionally eaten in France on January 6, Epiphany Day. Many countries celebrate this tradition and bake a little dried bean or ceramic baby inside the cake and whoever bites into it gets to be "King or Queen for the day" (and maybe a trip to the dentist!).

I know New Orleans also has a similar cake for Mardi Gras.

I take requests, and this cake was requested by my friend who had a birthday last week. She is Parisian and has not had this cake since she was a child living in France. Could I PLEASE bake this for her? It was her all time favorite.

I read somewhere that if you make this any other month than January, then just call it a Pithivier, which is basically a puff pastry pie filled w/ frangipane!

Galette des Rois or Pithivier: (adapted from many websites)

I guess you could go all out and make your own puff pastry, but only one request per person.

2 defrosted sheets of puff pastry

Filling:

1/2 cup of whole almonds, ground in the food processor
5 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1/4 tsp vanilla
7 tablespoons of butter, softened

dried bean or trinket (I used a dried cherry, so nobody got hurt!!!)
1 beaten egg (for brushing the pastry)

Spread one sheet of puff pastry out on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Spread your filling in the center leaving 2" around the edges.



Put the dried bean or dried cherry somewhere on the almond filling (frangipane).



Now lay the other sheet of pastry on top, pinching the sides together to seal the sheets together.
Decoratively scallop the edges with a paring knife, discarding the scraps.



Brush w/ an egg wash.

Bake on the parchment paper at 425 for about 20 minutes. If your pastry is starting to brown too soon, then turn the heat down.

Please do not request a beef stew in August, because I am not that nice.

Enjoy!

Smoked Trout & Pistou Tartines

Friday Night Crostini?

If it were up to me, I would call this "Smoked Trout Crostini w/ Pesto", but I stole the idea from Patricia Wells' BISTRO COOKING, and she is a French writer, so calls them "tartines".

Tomato, Tomatto.

Tartines are open faced sandwiches, and pistou is basically pesto, made w/ fresh basil and nuts and olive oil.

This was a quick and easy appetizer and since I hated to throw away the 3 basil plants in my garden that are about done for the season, I used the leaves for this recipe.

Smoked Trout Tartines w/ Pistou (adapted from Bistro Cooking):

for the pistou:

2 cups of fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup of walnuts
1 tbsp sea salt
1/8 cup of olive oil

Whiz all ingredients in a food processor to form a nice green chunky paste, adding the olive oil to thin the pistou out. Taste and adjust seasonings.



1 baguette, sliced on the bias
1 package of smoked trout

Toast baguette slices and spread some pistou on top while the bread is still warm.
Top with flaked pieces of smoked trout.



Enjoy! and try not to burn the toasts as I always do!

Fig Clafoutis

Clafoutis is just a big French style custard.

Every bistro in Paris has their own version, using different fruit of the season. They are served warm or at room temperature, and usually sprinkled with confectioner's sugar.

Since September is fig season, there were a lot of GORGEOUS desserts all over Paris made with figs. Tarts, cakes and this clafoutis made with my favorite FIGS.



This recipe is from Patricia Wells wonderful book BISTRO COOKING.
It's a perfect fall dessert and a great way to use up the last of the season's figs.



Fig Clafoutis (adapted from Bistro Cooking):

12 ripe figs, sliced in half (I removed the stems)
2 tbsp of honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup of milk
4 tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
6 eggs
2/3 cup of flour

Butter and sugar a 10" baking dish.

Warm the honey (microwave is fine) and add the cinnamon.
Roll each fig half in the honey cinnamon mixture.



Place figs on the bottom of the buttered and sugared baking dish, cut side up.



Whisk the rest of the ingredients well, making a custard (make sure your butter is cooled or the custard will curdle).

Pour batter over the figs carefully and bake in a 350F oven for 40 minutes.



Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

C'est Magnifique!

What's for Dinner? Cavatelli w/ Sausage & Sage

I am back from vacation and back in the kitchen.
I wanted to make something simple for dinner last night and this fit the bill.

This was absolutely delicious!

I think it will turn out differently for each person, since we all buy different quality sausage. I buy mine from an Italian butcher and it is lean and fantastic and all natural. I can't vouch for the supermarket brands of sausage, in fact, I would advise to stay away from them. You don't know what kind of scraps go into them.
Seek out a good butcher, someone who makes their own and this dish will be a 10.

I used fresh cavatelli from Italy (you must think I am a pain, so many rules), but dried is fine too.



And I can't help you with the sage, it is from my garden, just make sure it is FRESH not dried.

Butter. How much? For 1 lb. of pasta (which will serve 6 people), use a stick.
I only use half a stick, but I don't like this dish too rich.

Here is how I made it last night for 4 people.

8 oz. of fresh cavatelli, cooked only 3 minutes in water until al dente
3 fresh HOT Italian sausage links, sliced into rounds
1 large bunch of fresh sage leaves
olive oil and half stick of butter
salt & pepper

In a large skillet, cook the sausage until done (I use olive oil in my pan). Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage to a large serving bowl. If you are using sausage that is greasy, then drain and wipe the sausage grease out of the pan.



To the skillet add the butter (from 1/2 to a whole stick of butter, your call), and add the sage leaves. Fry them on medium-low heat for a few minutes until the butter is foamy and the leaves are getting nice and crisp.



Drain the pasta and add it to the bowl with the sausage.
Pour the butter and sage leaves over the pasta and mix all together.

Season with salt and pepper, and add grated Parmigiano Reggiano if desired.

This takes all of about 10 minutes to put together and you will make it all the time, it's so good!



Enjoy!

Back to Work

We got in late last night from a wonderful trip to Paris.
It seems to get better every year.



There is always a new street or small museum that we missed the prior year, and neighborhoods that used to be on the fringe are now the chic hot spots (Beaubourg area). It's very much like NYC that way. You can't do it all in 8 days. Each neighborhood and arrondissement and even street has its own look and flavor.



We ate cheese and full fat dairy products every day, sometimes 3 times per day.
Tons of buttery flaky pastries and lots of potatoes in duck fat.



When I got on the scale this a.m., I didn't gain one pound.
Why? Because we WALKED 6 HOURS PER DAY, never took a cab or the metro.
So, I guess there is something to this "exercise makes you lose weight" thing.
Maybe I will try it at home.

I will be in the kitchen tonight and posting something good to eat for tomorrow.



PS: Yes, the huge crock of mustard made it home in my checked luggage (wrapped in my husband's underwear!) thru customs, however, the beautiful gift box of Laduree macarons crumbled in my carry-on bag. All 24 of them are a big mess. Boo hoo.