Adapted from a recipe in Saveur Magazine

This tart totally reminds me of the Tarte aux Pommes in France that I have enjoyed.  They can be purchased from any number of patisserie cases in Paris, Provence and many shops in-between.

Of course I had to figure out how to make it.  If I do say so myself, it’s darn near close to the taste and texture of what I’ve enjoyed in France and so simple to make.  I will be teaching how to make this tart among others to the students who sign up for my The Art of the Tart class on Saturday, October 1.  It will be held at The Chef’s Gallery in Stillwater MN.  Check out this class and the others that  I will be teaching this fall.

Recently, I came across an article titled “Here’s the Scoop”, written by Molly O’Neill.  It’s in the Aug/Sept issue of Saveur magazine.  In the article she talks about the science of making “rich and creamy” ice cream.  I had a vague idea of the “science”, so my interest was peaked.

She also writes about one entrepreneur, Jeni Britton and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream stores in Ohio and a lonely one in Tennessee.  Jeni has a new book out called, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home (Artisan, $23.95).  In it she walks the readers through her novel technique, for what Molly believes is some of the creamiest, most flavorful ice cream on which she’s ever laid her tongue.

The long and the short of her technique is that she uses, among other ingredients, a small amount of corn starch.  This replaces the traditional egg yolks as the binder for the frozen emulsion.    She also boils the liquid to reduce the water content, thus concentrating and denaturing the milk proteins which then allows a greater ability to bind the remaining water and fat.  She also uses some cream cheese, which is high in casein proteins; another binder.

She goes on in more detail about the “science” and has included an ice cream base recipe, plus three variations: Blackstrap Praline, the Darkest Chocolate in the World, and a Beet with Mascarpone, Orange Zest, and Poppy Seeds.  Since Jeni said that her base is a starting point for any ice cream, I of course came up with my own version; a Peanut Butter-Chocolate Swirl recipe.

2 cups whole milk
4 teaspoons (1/2 ounce) cornstarch
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
1 cup (8 ounces) smooth natural peanut butter, divided
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 pinch of sea salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup hot fudge sauce*

In a bowl, stir together 1/4 cup milk and the cornstarch; set slurry aside.  Place the cream cheese and ½ cup of peanut butter in a bowl and set that aside as well.

In a 4-quart saucepan, whisk together the remaining milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup, and salt; bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Cook for 4 minutes and then stir in the cornstarch slurry.  Return the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Pour ½ cup of the hot milk mixture into the bowl of the peanut butter/cream mixture and whisk until smooth.  Whisk in the remaining milk mixture and vanilla extract.

Place the bowl with the mixture in an ice bath and stir occasionally until cool.  Cover and refrigerate until cold; 6 – 8 hours, or over night.

Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to manufacture’s instructions.  Transfer to a freezer-proof bowl and quickly swirl in remaining 1/2 cup peanut butter and ¾ cup chocolate sauce.   Cover and freeze until hard.  Serve with remaining hot fudge sauce, or use the sauce to make another batch of ice cream.

Hot Fudge Sauce
Makes about 2 cups

2/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar or dried cane juice
1/4 cup (1 ounce) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Bring cream, corn syrup, sugar, cocoa, and salt to a boil in a 1 to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat.  Reduce heat and cook at a low boil, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, then remove from heat.

Add butter, vanilla, and chocolate and stir until smooth. Cool cool completely before adding to churned ice cream.

I was riding home on the train recently during which time I got a phone call from Jon.  “Hey meet me at the 38th Street Station”, he said.  Pourquoi I inquired?  We need to go downtown to pick up 23 dozen eggs from our farmer friends, Curt and Paul.  23 dozen eggs?  Immediately visions of ice cream popped into my head.  The reason for this “sugar plum” thought is thanks to my friend Zoë François and her recent delicious looking post for making, “The Best Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream“.

Though, we will be distributing many eggs to friends, who also enjoy the golden organic yolks and sturdy whites, we will be left with plenty.  Therefore, using almost a dozen to make an ice cream base will not even make a dent in our storehouse.  I also had a quart of sour cherries that I dried last year still in the freezer.  These are the cherries from Maple Leaf Orchards, Spring Valley, WI, which by the way, will be at the Saint Paul Farmer’s Market, July 23, 2011.  Anyway, I pulled out some, made a quick simple syrup in which to simmer them and then added some ameretto for soaking them.

Okay, note that if have looked at Zoë’s blog via the link above, I make my ice cream base slightly different than she makes her base.  Whereas, she adds the sugar to the milk/cream mixture, I whisk the sugar into the egg yolks and then temper them with the hot milk.

What I have heard is that adding the sugar to the milk/cream helps in preventing the mixture from boiling over. Adding the sugar to the yolks, helps in preventing the yolks from scrambling when the hot milk/cream is added.   Personally, I would rather keep an eye on the milk and take more precautions in not scrambling the eggs.  Either way, one of the steps will require a watchful eye.  However, you will get the same results.

After it was all said and done (making the ice cream I mean), I’ve come to the conclusion that there are at least two schools of thought as far as sweets.  The first school is for folks who enjoy tart and sweet together.  The other is for people who enjoy only sweet.  If you use dried sour cherries, as I did,  you will be in the first school.  You will taste the sweet of the ice cream and chocolate.  Then, you will bite into the cherry, which will cause you to want to take another bite of the ice cream to taste the sweetness again. Is that really such a bad thing?  If you are in the second school, I would recommend, instead, using dried sweet cherries.  These would be folks that have a serious sweet tooth.

Brandied Cherries:
4 ounces dried sour or sweet cherries
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
½ cup brandy or ameretto

Bring the water, sugar and cinnamon to a boil in a small saucepan.  (The goal here is to rehydrate the cherries before all the liquid evaporates.  Therefore, a saucepan is favored over a sauté pan.)  Add cherries and simmer 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the brandy or ameretto.  Let cool, topping off with extra Brandy if needed.  I didn’t need to add any additional this time.  Cover and allow to steep over night or longer.  Strain the cherries from the juice just before ready to use.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Base:
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 large vanilla bean, scraped
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
10 large egg yolks (180 grams)

4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks (reserved for the final step)

Combine milk and cream in heavy medium saucepan.  Split the bean down the center and lay open two halves.  Taking the back of the knife, scrape the seeds from vanilla bean.  Add the seeds and the bean to the milk mixture.  Bring to a simmer, which will take about 5 minutes.  Don’t walk away as there is nothing worse than cleaning-up cream that has boiled over the pot.  Remove from heat and let steep for up to an hour.  The flavor will become more pronounced the longer it sits.  If the mixture has cooled bring it back to a simmer before proceeding.

Whisk together the yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined.  What you don’t want to do is pour sugar onto eggs and then not stir together, as the sugar will draw out the moisture from the eggs, causing bits of the egg to become hard and will never dissolve.

After the cream has come to a simmer, remove from the heat and whisk a small amount of cream into the egg mixture, adding enough cream to warm the eggs.  Once the eggs are warm, add them back into the pot with the remaining cream.  If you ever see the phrase, “tempering the mixture”, this is what you are doing.

With a heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon, (one that has not been used to sauté garlic) gently stir the custard over low heat until it thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when your finger is drawn across, about 5 minutes.  Do not let it boil!

Have an ice bath at the ready.  Strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer or chinois into a bowl.  Set the bowl into the ice bath and stir to cool.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.

For the most delicious results, allow the custard to sit in a refrigerator for anywhere from 6 to 12 hours.  If you want only vanilla ice cream freeze this custard in an Ice Cream Maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

If you are adventuring beyond vanilla, churn the custard in the ice cream maker.  Then, scrape the churned ice cream into a freezer-proof bowl.  Mix in the strained brandied cherries and chocolate chunks.  Cover and place bowl in the freezer until good and hard.

My friend Elise was gracious enough to share this recipe with me.  If I remember correctly, it’s actually a recipe she got from her mother.  I had every intention of  making it back in June, but somehow that month got away from me.

However, according to the u-pick farms, we still have at least two more weeks to enjoy the local berries here in Minnesota.  Now’s the time to save a couple of pints to slice for this delicious recipe.  I’m guessing that it would make a wonderful French Toast with additional fresh berries on top.

4 cups (1.2 pounds) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ cups (10 ½ ounces) granulated sugar
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs, (5 1/4 ounces) room temperature
2 ½ cups (14 ounces) washed, dried and sliced fresh strawberries
2/3 cup (6 ounces) whole milk sour cream, room temperature

Position a rack in center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF.  Lightly butter the bottom and sides of two 9x5x3 loaf pans and line the bottom and two long sides with parchment paper.  Butter paper and lightly dust with flour, shaking out excess.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment on medium speed, cream together the sugar and butter until smooth.  Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating each before adding the next.  Remove bowl from stand mixer and fold in the strawberries.

Return the bowl to the stand mixer, and on low speed in three additions, alternate adding flour mixture and sour cream.

Divide batter between the 2 prepared loaf pans and smooth the tops.  Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool 20 minutes in pans then remove and cool completely before slicing.

Serve with softened cream cheese as a spread.

Here is another recipe for a delightful cracker that is great to serve with an apéritif.  Originally, I served some thinly sliced smoked salmon with a little crème fraîche on these, but I have sense discovered an absolutely delicious alternative.  It’s smoked trout from Brook Park Fish Farm.  Todd, who owns Brook Park is at the Saint Paul Farmer’s Market.

The trout is out of this world.  It is so dense and flavorful, as well as being a feast for your eyes.  You’d think you were enjoying salmon.  It’s an organic product that he takes great pride in sharing with anyone who is lucky enough snag a package.

Seek him out if and when you are able to get over to the market and enjoy it with a batch of these crackers.  As far as I know, the Saint Paul Farmer’s Market is the only place where it is available.

¾ cup (2 ounces) pecan halves
¾ cup (4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons cocoa nibs
¼ cup cocoa powder, optional

Pre-heat oven to 375ºF.  Place pecans on baking sheet and bake until fragrant, approximately 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.

Combine flour and butter in bowl of a food processor and using the metal “S” blade pulse until mixture resembles course meal.

Add the cooled pecans and pulse until roughly chopped.  Add the cheese and nibs and process until dough comes together and is well combined.

Transfer dough to a piece of parchment paper and shape the dough into a 2-inch-wide log.  Wrap log in parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

When ready to bake-off the crackers, pre-heat oven to 325ºF.  Remove dough from refrigerator and unwrap.  Pour the cocoa powder on the parchment paper in a line the length of the dough and roll the dough so that the cocoa powder covers the log of dough completely.

Slice the well-chilled log into 1/8-inch thick slices.  Transfer slices to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake immediately, rotating sheet halfway through cooking, until crackers are golden brown and firm in the center, 25-35 minutes.  Transfer to a rack to cool and serve.

Photography by David Schmit

There are many variations of this cake from the Basque region of France.  My version was originally created for PastureLand and I hope that it will still be published on their site.  However, this great company in jeopardy of closing its doors, which will be a huge loss for all of us that enjoy this fabulous butter.  Therefore, I decided to go ahead and publish it here too as another way of keeping the hope alive that a solution will be found to keep their doors opened.

Of course with most everything I do, I’m always pushing the envelop.  In this case since there was almond flour in the freezer gilding the lily was in order.  I substituted some of the all-purpose flour with almond flour and bumped up the flavor even further by adding a little pure almond extract.  Almonds and cherries are a classic combination.

I realize that not everyone is going to have brandied cherries in their refrigerator, but if you have some at hand, add a few to balance the sweetness of the jam.  I have a couple of jars of said cherries as I made a sour cherry apéritif  last summer using the fruit from Mark and Sue Christopher’s trees of Maple Leaf Orchard, Spring Valley, WI.  I talked to Mark last Saturday at the Saint Paul Farmer’s Market.  He said that if the abundance of flowers are any indication, it should be a great crop of fruit this year.

I’ll try and post the recipe for brandied sour cherries and the Sour cherry Apéritif come July when the fruit will be plentiful.

1 ½ cups (6 ¾ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup (1 ¾ ounces) ground almond flour or 1 ¾ ounces sliced blanched almonds, processed to powder
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (7 ounces) organic cane sugar or granulated sugar
10 tablespoons (5 ounces) PastureLand unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon pure almond extract
¾ – 1 cup (6 – 8 ounces) thick cherry jam
1/3 cup of brandied sour cherries, cut in half (optional)
1 large egg, beaten with about 1/2 tablespoon of water for glazing the cake
Crème Fraîche or Vanilla Ice Cream (optional)

Whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until smooth. Add the egg and egg yolk and beat another 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the extracts and mix for about a minute more.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in two or three additions, mixing only until they’re fully incorporated.

Divide the dough approximately in half and place each half between large pieces of plastic wrap.  One can be a little larger than other other as you will need one piece dough to be rolled to an 8 1/2-inch diameter round and the other to 8-inch in diameter round.

Place the doughs on a baking sheet and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours.   When you’re ready to assemble and bake the gâteau, center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350ºF.  Generously butter a 8 x 2-inch round cake pan.  Line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper.

Remove one of the pieces of dough from the refrigerator.   Cut out a round of dough 8 1/2 –inches in diameter.  Fit the round in the bottom and up the sides of the pan by ½-inch.  If it tears a little, just press the piece together.   Spoon the jam onto the dough, starting in the center of and leaving 1/2 -inch of dough bare around the edge.   Using a pastry brush, moisten the bare edge of dough with a little water.

Remove the second piece of dough from the refrigerator and cut out 8-inch round of dough.  Set this piece on top of the jam filled piece.  Gently slide an off-set spatula down against the outside of the dough and push the ½-inch piece over on top of the piece that was just placed on top of the jam.  The goal is to seal the top dough to the bottom one.

Brush the top of the dough with the egg glaze and use the tips of the tines of a fork to etch a cross-hatch pattern across the top.

Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and let it rest for 5 minutes before carefully running a blunt knife around the edges of the cake. Turn the cake over onto a cooling rack and then quickly and carefully invert it onto another rack so that it can cool to room temperature right side up.

The cake is delicious eaten plain or enjoy it with a dollop of crème frâiche or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Two years ago, I spent the month of June participating in a charcuterie class at the culinary school of the Saint Paul College.  It was a fascinating experience and I learned a tremendous amount of information.  It also have me a greater appreciation for the skill that it requires to produce and excellent charcuterie.  Here’s my take on a rabbit terrine that I learned in the class.

Rabbit Terrine (French country-style pork and rabbit terrine)
Serves 8 – 12

2 ½ pounds Pork shoulder
1 pound Rabbit meat, including loins
¼ cup Shallots
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup flat leave Italian parsley, finely chopped
Nutmeg, Salt and freshly ground black pepper — to taste
½ cup heavy cream
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
½ cup pistachios
3 bay leaves

Trim the pork shoulder of some of its fat and cut it into 1-inch chunks.  Place the pork butt, shallots, parsley, nutmeg salt and pepper into a large bowl and mix well. At this point you can chill the ingredients overnight if you like.

Working in batches, add the meat mixture (except the rabbit) to a food processor and pulse until the meat is well chopped but still chunky. Remove all but 1/3 of the meat mixture to a large bowl and process the remaining until it is smoother, but still has some texture. Remove the smoother mixture to the mixing bowl that contains the other meat.

Combine the cream, eggs, flour, and cognac or brandy in a medium bowl and beat with a whisk until smooth. Stir this egg mixture into the meat mixture, stirring well to combine and blend.

Make a small patty with some of the meat and cook it in a hot skillet. Allow to cool and then taste the patty.  Adjust the salt and other seasonings of the remaining meat mixture to taste. Note that the meat should be well seasoned.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of a pâté or terrine mold or a 1 1/2-quart glass nonreactive loaf pan with bacon, leaving the extra bacon to hang over the sides of the pan.

Place half the meat mixture into the terrine mold. Next layer the rabbit pieces in one layer.  Add the pistachios down the center.  Add in the remaining half of the meat mixture on top of the rabbit pieces.

Smooth out the meat and tap the mold on the counter to get rid of any air pockets. Place the bay leaves across the top and bring the extra bacon up over the top of the pâté. Cover the terrine with the lid or a piece of aluminum foil.

Place the terrine in a heatproof baking dish large enough to hold it and pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the sides. Place in the oven and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the pâté reaches an internal temperature of 160°F.

Remove from the oven, cool completely and then refrigerate overnight or for up to 1 week. Unmold and serve with baguette, cornichons and Dijon mustard.  It would also be delicious with a green salad and a glass of chilled Chardonnay or a Rosé on the patio some summer evening.

Photograph by David Schmit

Up until recently, I envisioned rabbit as something that would be served during the Autumn or Winter months.  However, with the crazy weather we have been having here in Minnesota, where one day it’s 80 degrees and the next day it’s 40, it seems that May is a good time to cook and serve rabbit as well; at least this year.

I am also very fortunate that the same friends that provide Bret’s Table with copious numbers of fresh, organic, free-range eggs are slso the ones that raise delicious rabbits. And no, we are not talking about Fluffy or Bugs though occasionally, some people say that I laugh like Elmer Fudd.  Anyway, enough with the innuendos, get your hands on my rabbit and enjoy this Provençal inspired recipe.

Yield: Makes 8 servings
Notes for greater success:

Although rabbit is frequently compared to chicken in terms of cooking methods and times, be careful not to overcook it. Unlike chicken, perfectly cooked rabbit meat should still be slightly pink near the bone.

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup Dijon mustard
2 cups bread crumbs from day old French baguette
2 (2 ½  to 3-pound) fryer rabbits, cut into 8 serving pieces each, rinsed and patted dry
2 cups French Chablis or other dry white wine, more as needed
2 cups pearl onions (frozen)
One bouquet garni (fresh thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and parsley with stems tied together with butcher’s string)
3 pounds new or fingerling potatoes
½ cup Niçoise olives (optional)
1/3 cup crème fraîche
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, (optional)

Over a medium fire, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large enameled cast iron French Cocotte until hot but not smoking. While oil is heating, season rabbit pieces with salt and pepper. Sauté pieces on both sides until brown.  This can be completed in batches so as not to crowd the pot.  After browning, remove rabbit pieces to a platter.  Coat one side of each piece with mustard and top with the bread crumbs, dividing evenly.  I actually used brioche bread crumbs that I had in the freezer.

After all the rabbit has been seared off, reduce heat to medium and melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the Cocotte.  Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Add ½ cup wine to pot and scrape up any browned bits.  Return rabbit pieces to the same pot, along with the bouquet garni, olives, and potatoes.  Pour in remaining wine, being careful not to pour it directly on the rabbit.  Drizzle remaining olive oil over rabbit pieces.

Cover and cook in a 350ºF oven, until rabbit is just tender, about 20 – 25 minutes.  Remove rabbit to a warm platter.  Discard bouquet garni.  Reduce liquid to desired consistency.  Remove from heat and stir in crème fraîche and parsley.  Serve rabbit and potatoes with sauce along side it.

Photograph by David Schmit

Don’t get me wrong, I adore the flavor and aroma of lavender.  But, when it comes to using this fragrant herb in cooking a little goes a long way.  Therefore, when I see recipes calling for as much as one tablespoon of lavender in a couple of dozen cookies I get somewhat leery that they will taste more like Savon de Marseille.

Here I took a traditional shortbread and added just 1 1/2 teaspoons of chopped dried lavender and the zest of one organic lemon.  It has just the right balance of floral headiness and the brightness of citrus.

The best part is that the recipe is very quick to put together.  And, they’ll be delicious as an after Easter dinner sweet with a glass of Sauternes.  Go ahead and make two batches, so that you will have a couple to enjoy with a cup of tea as well.

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons (1¼ ounces) semolina flour
5 tablespoons (3 ounces) granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) PastureLand unsalted butter
Zest of one lemon, (preferably organic)
1½ teaspoons dried lavender blossoms, finely chopped

Sift flour and semolina into bowl.  Add sugar, lemon zest and lavender blossoms.  Rub in butter until mixture resembles fine bread-crumbs.

Press into a 7-8 inch round or square baking tin or floured shortbread mold.

Prick all over with a fork and sprinkle with additional sugar (pearl sugar) if desired.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes in 325° oven.  Cool slightly and score into wedges (if a circle) or squares so shortbread can be broken (cutting into pieces is thought to bring bad luck to the recipient).

Let cool completely and serve.

The recipe is also posted on the PastureLand co-op website.  Please check out all other recipes that I have created for them.