L’étude du français à Bret’s Table (We start back in January!)

December 8, 2010    |    Print Print

Starting in January Mme Carolynn Johnson and I will be leading another six-week class for beginning students who desire to learn French in a conversational setting.  We’ve only had one 6-week course, so new students will be able to get up to speed in no time.

Each week, we’ll participate in a two hour class emphasizing what you need to know to navigate a French menu, to ask for directions, or to purchase that box of chocolate in a Parisian shop window.  You’ll also enjoy a cooking demonstration and, of course, a little something to eat during each class.  Carolynn will lead the teaching while I will take care of the cooking.  We’ll build our vocabulary, work on our pronunciation, and tackle sentence structure.

Carolynn taught high school in Roseville for nearly 35 years.  Now she travels to France as often as possible.  She also enjoys reading and biking and has been part of the same gourmet club for 32 years.  Her two grandsons attend a French Immersion School and continue to surprise her with what they are learning.

I have been teaching at Cooks of Crocus Hill for over seven years with an emphasis on French cuisine.  I travel to France every chance I get, cooking most recently at La Pitchoune, the former home of Julia Child.

This link will take you to the registration form.  Again, there are only 10 seats available, so don’t delay in securing a place at the class.

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Moutarde like no other!

December 7, 2010    |    Print Print

If you lick the spoon that has been dipped in a mustard jar, and then you go back and do it again, you know that it is the taste of something truly wonderful.  Whether for a vinaigrette or to slather on a ham that has been studded with garlic slices and rosemary sprigs, I’ve been making every excuse to go back to the jar for another taste.

This is not your typical French’s mustard in the yellow squirt bottle, mind you, but from a jar of Moutarde de Dijon that is made by the company of Edmond Fallot. It’s a blend of black and brown mustard seeds.  Most of the seeds are now grown in North America; there’s a long story on their website about the decline of the mustard seed crop in France and its hopeful resurgence.

This silky smooth, golden hue of creamy goodness has notes of tart and tangyiness and just the slightest bit of sweetness.  During our short stay I managed to snag a tour at what I understood to be the last traditional mustard mill in Dijon; that being Moutarde du Fallot.  I finally popped open the can that we lugged back from Beaune and opened the jar containing a delicious 15.8 ounces of heaven.

The Fallot Mustard Mill has been an independent, family-owned Burgundian company that has been around since 1840. This is the last artisan mustard maker where mustard seeds are still stone ground.  This preserves all the flavor of the mustard paste.   M. Marc Désarménien, grandson of Edmond Fallot, is now at the head of the company and about twenty employees ensure the quality of the production.

My recently-opened jar reminded me of our few days in Beaune in the heart of Burgundy.  Visiting this bit of paradise is always good for the soul, especially when one has the opportunity to stay with Mme. Helene and her family at their home Château de Melin, built in 1550.

It didn’t hurt either that we ate some of the best food in France, not to mention enjoying some of the famed wines of Burgundy.

With recommendations from Mme. Helene, we enjoyed two delightful meals; one at Le Conty in Beaune and the other at Le Relais de la Diligence in Meursault.  I’d have to say that dinner at Le Relais was far and away better than Le Conty.  That’s not to say that Le Conty was bad, just that Le Relais was exceptional.  Of course, being in Burgundy, I had to try two of the classics:  escargot and oeufs en meurette.  I’d been fortunate enough to experiment with both these recipes at home and I wanted to compare mine against those from the epicenter of Burgundian cuisine.  According to those that have tasted these dishes on both sides of the pond, I did alright in my attempts.

Here’s my recipe for the Oeufs on Meurette. Enjoy it as a first course, brunch, or lunch and, of course, with a glass of red from Burgundy.

Oeufs en Meurette
8 servings as a starter

8 large farm fresh eggs (the fresher the better)
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
8 thick slices of sourdough
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
salt

For the Sauce:
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter
2 small onions, diced
2 small carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
4 garlic cloves, sliced
5 black peppercorns
2 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade)
5 cups red wine
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For the Garnish:
4 thick slices of bacon, chopped into lardons
2 tablespoon (1 ounce) unsalted butter
24 button mushrooms, quartered
24 pearl onions or small shallots, peeled
3-4 teaspoons granulated sugar
2/3 cup chicken stock (preferably homemade)

Melt half the butter in a deep frying pan and add the onion, carrot and celery, sautéing for about 10  minutes or until the vegetables start to color.  Add the garlic and continue to cook about 1 minute.

Add all other sauce ingredients (except the flour and remaining butter) and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and leave on a gentle simmer for 40 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve into another pan, pressing the vegetables to extract all the flavor. Reserve the sauce and discard the vegetables.

While the sauce is simmering, in a separate pan fry the bacon on a medium heat with half the butter until lightly browned. Add the mushrooms and fry until tender seasoning to taste with salt and pepper, then remove from pan, and set aside and keep warm.

In same pan, heat the remaining butter for the garnish over a medium-high flame. Add the pearl onions or shallots and sugar, cooking until golden. Add the stock, cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes, until tender.

Lift off the lid and turn up the heat slightly to reduce the liquid, leaving the shallots nicely glazed. Set aside and keep warm.

When ready to serve, bring a large shallow pan of water (about 5cm/2 inches deep) to the boil. Reduce the boiling water to a simmer and add the vinegar and ½ teaspoon of salt. Give the water a quick stir then carefully break an egg into the center of the swirling water. Leave to poach gently for 3 minute then lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towels. Repeat with the remaining 7 eggs.

At the same time, bring the sauce back to a simmer. Mix the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and flour together with a spoon then add the mixture to the sauce.  Simmer for 2-3 minutes to thicken and cook out the flour. In a frying pan, fry your slices of sourdough with a little olive oil for a couple of minutes each side (alternatively, you can just toast them).

To serve, place a piece of toasted sourdough on a plate and top with an egg. Scatter over the shallots, mushrooms and bacon then spoon over 3-4 spoonfuls of sauce.  Enjoy while it’s hot.

Posted in Appetizers, Main Courses, Recipes, Travel | Leave a comment

Parmesan Herb Crackers

December 1, 2010    |    Print Print

Holiday entertaining is already underway and these savory crackers are always delicious as part of your party buffet.   The dough can be made ahead and then baked off as needed.  Include them as as part of a cheese tray or with a slice of smoked salmon and a dollop of sour cream or crème fraîche.  Makes 30 – 40 crackers

1 cup (2 ½ ounces) Parmesan cheese, cut into 1” pieces
¾ cup (3 ¼ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of ground white pepper
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary or thyme
3 tablespoons PastureLand cold unsalted butter cut in ¼” pieces
5 tablespoons (2 ½ ounces) sour cream or crème fraîche

In bowl of food processor, using metal S blade, finely chop Parmesan cheese.  Add flour, salt, pepper and herb pulsing to combine.  Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add sour cream or crème fraîche and process until dough comes together into a ball.

Transfer dough to large piece of parchment paper and shape into a 1 ½” wide log.  Wrap tightly in paper and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. After logs are cold they can be wrapped in food film and frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost in refrigerator overnight before proceeding with recipe.

Heat oven to 325º F.  Slice well-chilled log into 1/8” thick coins.  Transfer slices to parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake immediately, turned coins over and rotating sheets halfway through cooking, until centers are firm to the touch, about 25-30 minutes.  Watch carefully so as not to burn.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.  Store in an airtight container, at room temperature, 3 to 4 days.

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Buttercup Squash, Sage, and Goat Cheese Ravioli with Hazelnut Brown-Butter Sauce

November 19, 2010    |    Print Print

Yield: Makes 15 – 30 ravioli, serving 6 generously

This recipe if perfect for using the abundance of squashes available at the market this time of year. If you cannot find buttercup squash, use butternut. Also, if making your own pasta dough, you will either need to cut this recipe in half or double the pasta dough recipe. Use wonton wrappers or make your own dough from the recipe that I posted for pasta dough.

For filling
1 ¼ pound buttercup squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
4 – 5 medium shallots, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 ounces chèvre, room temperature
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pasta dough or 60 wonton wrappers
½ cup chicken stock or water
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
½ cup hazelnuts, sliced or slivered almonds
½ cup dried cherries or craisins
Flour or cornmeal for dusting sheet pans
Fried Sage Leaves for garnish
Aged Balsamic vinegar for garnish

Preheat oven to 375°F and lightly grease a baking sheet or line baking sheet with a Silpat.

Make filling:
Put squash halves, flesh sides down, on a baking sheet and roast in middle of oven for about 45 minutes, or until flesh is tender when pierced with the point of a paring knife. When squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh into a bowl and discard skin and seeds. Mash squash with a fork or potato masher until smooth. (Can be done one day ahead and refrigerated.)

While squash is roasting, in a skillet cook shallots and chopped sage in butter with salt and pepper to taste over moderate heat, stirring about 5 minutes, or until shallots are translucent. Stir in garlic and cook, stirring an additional minute.

Cool shallot mixture slightly and add to squash. Add goat cheese and stir to combine well. Do not wash pan it will be deglazed later and used for the sauce.

Put 1 won ton wrapper on a lightly floured surface, keeping remaining wrappers in plastic wrap, and mound about a 1 tablespoon filling in center. Lightly brush edges of wrapper with water and put a second wrapper over first, pressing down around filling to force out air and seal edges well. If desired, trim excess dough with a round cutter or sharp knife.

Transfer ravioli to a sheet pan dusted with flour or corn meal. Make more ravioli with remaining wrappers and filling in same manner, transferring as formed to dusted sheet pan. In a 6-quart kettle bring 5 quarts salted water to a gentle boil for ravioli.

Deglaze pan used to sauté the shallot garlic mixture with water and add the cherries to rehydrate. After all the water has evaporated add the butter and hazelnuts over moderate heat until butter begins to brown, about 3 minutes, and immediately remove from heat (nuts will continue to cook). Season hazelnut butter with salt and pepper and keep warm, covered.

Cook ravioli in 3 batches in gently boiling eater 6 minutes, or until they rise to surface and are tender (do not let water boil vigorously once ravioli have been added). Carefully transfer ravioli as they are cooked with a slotted spoon to a large shallow bowl and toss with a little of the browned butter to keep ravioli from sticking to each other.

Transfer ravioli with a spoon to 6 soup plates and top with cherry hazelnut brown-butter sauce. Drizzle with an aged balsamic vinegar and serve.

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Pasta Dough for Ravioli

November 13, 2010    |    Print Print

Adapted from Thomas Keller’s “The French Laundry”
One times the recipe makes about 15 – 2 ½ inch Ravioli

1 ¾ cups (8 oz) all-purpose flour
6 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon milk

Mound the flour on a board or other hard surface such as a granite or marble counter-top.  Create a well in the center, pushing the flour to all sides, making a ring with sides about 1 inch wide. Make sure that the well is wide enough to hold all the eggs, milk and olive oil without spilling over the sides.

Pour the egg yolks, egg, salt, oil and milk into the well. Use your fingers to break up the eggs.  Still using your fingers begin turning the eggs in a circular motion, keeping them within the well. This circular motion allows the eggs to gradually pull in flour from the sides of the well; it is important that the flour not be incorporated too rapidly, or your dough will be lumpy. Keep moving the eggs while slowly incorporating the flour.  Using a pastry scraper, occasionally push the flour towards the eggs; the flour should be moved only enough to maintain the gradual incorporation of the flour, and the eggs should continue to be contained within the well. The mixture will thicken and eventually get to tight to keep turning with your fingers.

When the dough begins thickening and starts lifting itself from the board, begin incorporating the remaining flour with the pastry scraper by lifting the flour up and over the dough that’s beginning to form and cutting it into the dough. When the remaining flour from the sides of the well has been cut into the dough, the dough will still look shaggy. Bring the dough together with the palms of your hands and form it into a ball. It will look flaky but will hold together.  Note:  if the time of year is very dry all of the flour may not be incorporated.

Knead the dough by pressing it, bit by bit, in a forward motion with the heels of your hands rather than folding it over on itself as you would with bread dough. Re-form the dough into a ball and repeat the process several times. The dough should feel moist but not sticky. Let the dough rest for a few minutes while you clean the work surface with the pastry scraper.

Dust the clean work surface with a little flour. Knead the dough by pushing against it in a forward motion with the heels of your hands. Form the dough into a ball again and knead it again.  Keep kneading in this forward motion until the dough becomes silky-smooth.  The dough is ready when you can pull your finger through it and the dough wants to snap back into place. The kneading process can take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes. Even if you think you are finished kneading, knead it for an extra 10 minutes, you cannot overknead this dough. It is important to work the dough long enough to pass the pull test; otherwise, when it rests, it will collapse.

Double-wrap the dough in plastic wrap to ensure that it does not dry out. Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour before rolling it through a pasta machine. The dough can be made a day ahead, wrapped and refrigerated; bring to room temperature before proceeding.

Roll pasta and make ravioli:
Cut pasta dough into 4 pieces, then flatten each piece into a rough rectangle and cover rectangles with an inverted large bowl. Set rollers of pasta machine on widest setting.

Lightly dust 1 rectangle with flour and feed through rollers. (Keep remaining rectangles under bowl.)

Fold rectangle in half and feed it, folded end first, through rollers 7 or 8 more times, folding it in half each time and feeding folded end through. Dust with flour if necessary to prevent sticking. Turn dial to next (narrower) setting and feed dough through rollers without folding. Continue to feed dough through rollers once at each setting, without folding, until you reach one dial prior to the narrowest setting. Dough will be a smooth sheet (about 24 inches long and 4 inches wide).

Put sheet of dough on a floured work surface and drop  5 to 6 (1 ½ teaspoon) mounds of filling 1 ½ inches apart in a row down center of one half of sheet. Brush egg wash around each mound, and then fold other half of sheet over filling. Press down firmly around each mound, forcing out air. (Air pockets increase the chance that ravioli will break during cooking.)  Cut pasta (between mounds) with a cookie cutter into 2 ½ -inch rounds or cut squares using a pasta cutter or sharp knife.

Dust a large shallow baking pan with flour or cornmeal, arranging ravioli in 1 layer in it. Make more ravioli with remaining pasta dough, 1 sheet at a time, and remaining filling, transferring ravioli to flour dusted pan.

Posted in Main Courses, Recipes | 1 Comment

Travail, The wonder child of Robbinsdale?

October 28, 2010    |    Print Print

Last spring, we were having dinner at Victory 44. Our waiter was touting this new restaurant concept of which he would be a part.  The name would be Travail.  I had some idea what the word travail meant, but looking it up in the dictionary confirmed my suspicions — travail: work, especially of a painful or laborious nature; toil.  (That sounds like restaurant work to me.)  The waiter went on to say that those cooking on the line would also be serving the food.  Forget the front of the house staff.  Who would know better what would be served than those cooking it?  I thought it seemed like an interesting concept.

Now the restaurant is open:  Travail Kitchen & Amusements and it’s been getting rave reviews.  I’ve seen it written, “best restaurant of the decade,” “ranked number 3 of restaurants in the Twin Cities, ” and “I’ve never had a better meal.”  With these accolades, I wondered why it had taken us so long to get up to Robbinsdale to check out this new wonder child of a place.  Four of us, finally made it and arrived on a recent Wednesday evening about 6:30 PM.  We had called ahead, but they don’t take reservations.  It’s come one, come all!

The half hour wait passed quickly as we were chatting amongst ourselves as well as conversing with two lovely ladies sitting near the door who were just finishing their dinner.  They live in the neighborhood and eat there quite often.  We finally made it to the top of the wait list and a high-top opened up.   We were escorted to the back of the dining room where we found several bean-bag toss games and what looked like a table-top shuffleboard game.  I guess that is the “Amusements” part of the name.

We pondered the menu on the chalkboard and my head was saying, “Okay get the fish and chips and a beer and get the heck out of here.”  Somehow my mouth spurted out, “let’s get the 10 course tasting menu!”  The other couple in our party decided on the tasting menu as well, so twenty plates were about to come out of the kitchen.  I would come to regret  that decision.  Once again I should have trusted my gut!

Unfortunately, our experience quickly plummeted, and it wasn’t necessarily due to what came out of the kitchen – well except for the 9th course.  The line cook/server was very good explaining to us in detail what we would be served.  When he finished giving us all the details, I asked him if he would mind repeating it as I couldn’t hear a word he said as the noise level was so loud.  Asking if the music could be turned down, he said, “Well not much as that is part of the shtick!”  I was about to spend upwards of $50 for a dinner that was going to make my stomach churn because of the noise.

For about half of the courses, the previous plates were not cleared before the new course came out.  Therefore the “waiter” would be holding the “new” course in one hand and would clear the dirty plates with the other hand.  It made for a very interesting juggling act.

The courses preceded, some faster than others.  As we were waiting between course eight and nine, I was watching the line and mentioned to Jon, that only one of the cooks is wearing a hat.  Shouldn’t every cook being wearing something on their head?   It was a fleeting thought and I let it go.

Course No. 9 arrived which was their version of steak and potatoes.  It was tasty enough, but as I was finishing the last bite — yes you guessed it, a strand of black hair was staring back me.  With my silver mane and Jon’s head being shaved, I knew it wasn’t ours.  When mentioning it to our server, his response was, “Well it’s not mine either ‘cause I’m not cooking this evening.”

In a nutshell, here’s my take on Travail Restaurants & Amusements.  If one, you like lot’s of noise with patrons yelling at each other to carry on a conversation and if one doesn’t mind having the back of the house, doing the job of the front of the house and if one wants to potentially drop a lot of dough for the experience, by all means check out Travail.  If I was to go back, I’d order the fish and chips and a beer, spend 45 minutes and be on my way.

If I want a to enjoy a relaxing tasting menu, whether it be 3 courses or 10, I’ll go to Saffron Restaurant & Lounge, Vincent’s, a Restaurant, or the Corner Table. The reason is because the experience is also part of why I enjoy dining out.  As good as the food was at Travail, that  2½ hour experience is not one I’d want to repeat.

Posted in Restaurant Reviews | 22 Comments

Fresh Tomato Bruschetta

October 24, 2010    |    Print Print

Someone from work wanted a recipe for a fresh tomato bruschetta.  I thought tomato season was a little past its prime, but you sure wouldn’t have known it based on the many varieties at the Saint Paul Farmer’s Market yesterday.  Here’s the recipe if you can still find a local heirloom or two.

8 ripe plum or heirloom tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh tarragon or thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/8 cup salt packed capers, rinsed and chopped (optional)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 baguettes, cut in 1/2-inch-thick slices
Olive oil for brushing bread slices
6 cloves garlic, cut in half
Fresh Mozzarella, thinly sliced

In a bowl, mix all ingredients except bread, olive oil for brushing, garlic cloves and mozzarella. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside, unrefrigerated, for up to 3 hours.

Heat oven to 350°F.  Brush bread slices with a little olive oil and toast both sides of the bread on a baking sheet until lightly browned.  Rub cut side of garlic on each slice of toasted bread.

Add one slice of mozzarella on each baguette slice and top with tablespoon of the tomato mixture.  Broil until cheese melts or skip that and serve room temperature.  Garnish with small basil leaf on each if desired.

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Mac and Cheese with Swiss Chard and Leeks

October 18, 2010    |    Print Print

There’s still Swiss chard and leeks in the garden, so I bet they can be found at the farmer’s market and your local grocery.  With a nip in the air, it’s a perfect time for some comfort food so check out my recipe for Mac and Cheese with Swiss Chard and Leeks.  It was posted on the PastureLand website a while back.

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