tarte Tatin

May 10th, 2015

 

chef morgan

Tarte Tatin
You can substitute the apples for another fresh fruit such as apricots, peaches, nectarines, rhubarb, or pears. You can make savory renditions as well. Pan-roasted cherry and basil tomato tart (with or without burrata or mozzarella cheese), cauliflower with almonds, or summer squash tart are a few of my favorites. For tomato or zucchini tarts, eliminate the sugar and butter, and use a little olive oil in the pan instead. For cauliflower, you can caramelize it as you would apples.

makes 1 10″ Tart 

ingredients:

7-8 apples (Rome, Pomme Reinette, Caville, Gala), peeled, cored, and halved
fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
pinch of kosher salt
1 pie dough, pâte sucrée, or puff pastry 

 instructions:

  • Preheat Oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Make Pastry Dough. Make enough pie dough, pâte sucrée or puff pastry for one 10 inch tart. Chill until ready for use. If using frozen puff pastry, defrost in the refrigerator until use.
  • Prepare Apples. Peel apples. Remove core and seeds. Squeeze lemon juice on the peeled apples to prevent browning. If apples are large, cut into quarters.
  • Cook Apples. Melt butter in an oven-proof sauté pan over medium heat. Pour sugar over the melted butter. Dissolve. Add apples. The apples will shrink when cooked, so at this stage they will be laying on their sides. Continue to cook until the apples are soft and the butter-sugar mixture is thick and bubbly. Use a spoon to baste the butter-sugar mixture over the apples. Be patient. It takes about 30 minutes (depending upon size of the apples) to cook them. Turn off flame.
  • Cover with Dough. Roll out the pastry dough slightly with a rolling pin. Cut dough into a circle to cover the pan. Arrange the apples in pan with flat sides facing up (or if cut, arrange them in a decorative way). Cover the apples with the pastry dough. Tuck the pastry inside the rim of the sauté pan (do not let it hang over the edge of the pan).
  • Caramelize (Bake). Place the pan in the oven. Bake until the pastry dough is brown about 20 minutes. CAREFULLY remove the pan from the oven using to use a potholder or towel. Let the tart slightly cool in the pan for about 10 minutes so the carmel can settle.
  • Invert. Place a plate over the pan (with the bottom facing up) and invert the tart gently onto the plate. The apples should be a deep caramel color. Remember to do this carefully and use a towel as the pan handle may still be hot.
  • Serve. The tart is best enjoyed warm and generally served with real vanilla ice cream. The tart tastes best the day it is prepared.

strawberry gazpacho

July 3rd, 2014

chef morgan

“It’s A Life”

Strawberry Gazpacho 

Julia Child said that, “You’ll never know everything about anything, especially something you love.” I believe that she was correct. 

With that thought in mind I left my comfort zone of classes or cooking privately in people’s homes or their offices, to work in a Parisian kitchen. It is not unusual for cooks to do this because seeing the way other people do things is often an inspirational springboard for your creativity and there is always so much to learn. And then there is the fact that it is fun (well, if you like this type of thing…working throughout the day and night and coming hone after midnight smelling of food.. it is not something that is attractive to the majority of people). “It’s a life.”  Read the rest of this entry »

stuffed zucchini blossoms

March 20th, 2014

chef morgan zucchini blossoms

spring has sprung

“GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK”

zucchini blossom farce with veal, spring greens and herbs

I knew the question was coming. Then it came.

Read the rest of this entry »

the perfect Madeleine

February 5th, 2013

 the perfect Madeleine being handed off to another girl

dear Madeleine, please be mine !

how to bake the perfect Madeleine 

So it is like this: a half-birthday celebration, a reduced-sugar school policy, and several requests for a favorite snack recipe (just in time for your Valentine’s celebration) which all inspired this week’s simple pleasure: vanilla bean Madeleines.

girl eating the perfect Madeleine  

Read the rest of this entry »

vanilla bean Madeleines

February 5th, 2013

vanilla bean Madeleines for valentines day

vanilla bean Madeleines

makes 2½ dozen

what you need:
9 tablespoons (4.5 oz) unsalted butter, melted 
1 cup (7.5 oz) granulated sugar
4 large eggs (7 oz.), room temperature
1½ tablespoon vanilla bean paste
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup 2 % milk, room temperature
1½ teaspoon lemon zest Read the rest of this entry »

home for Valentine’s Day

January 29th, 2013

 

black and white, girl in wedding dress with artichoke bouquet

 

home for Valentine’s Day;
cooking for the important person or people in your life:

la blanquette d’amour

 

In honor of  Saint Valentine’s Day (a little early), I share something with you beyond a great recipe, the words of author Leo Tolstoy. It is Tolstoy’s “pursuit of life” which inspired this week’s simple pleasure: la blanquette de veau (veal stew in a white wine-crème fraîche sauce with mushrooms, pearl onions, and artichoke hearts served on garlic-rubbed toasted French bread). I also call it “blanquette d’amour” because cooking is all about what you put in the cocotte, namely, a little love with hand-chosen ingredients. Read on.

 

 black and white, girl in wedding dress with artichoke bouquet

  

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falling leaves in Paris and autumn simplicity on your plate

November 30th, 2012

 

paris fall leaves man with dog

falling leaves in Paris and autumn simplicity on your plate:
scallop “macarons” with chanterelles and thyme

I have only seen it snow once in Paris and the snow didn’t stick. This year while Paris has seen a couple rainy and “see your breath” chilly days, overall it has been beautiful and 5 or 6 degrees Celsius warmer than usual for late November. Parisians have been out in droves, profiting from the gift of warmer weather. Although the holidays are approaching, right now it is not holiday decor which covers the city, but blankets of golden leaves. Watching Parisians play in the leaves (and the city workers haul mounds of the leaves to compost piles) I thought of the poem Gathering Leaves by Robert Frost where he talks about the lightness and the “harvest” of falling leaves. I wanted to “harvest” leaves. In particular, I wanted to capture  the color scheme and lightness of these golden leaves and the flavors of autumn and put it on a plate in a simply way. That thought inspired this week’s simple pleasure: seared scallop “macarons” with chanterelles and fresh thyme. 

scallop “macarons” with chanterelles and thyme

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seared scallop macarons with chanterelles and thyme

November 30th, 2012

 seared scallop macarons with chanterelles and thyme



seared scallop macarons with chanterelles and thyme

serves 4

what you need:

sauté
1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter
 cups sliced chanterelles and champignons de Paris (or white mushrooms) 
½ teaspoon fresh French thyme leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh Italian parsley
⅛ cup dry white wine (or Grappa)
kosher salt (as needed)
freshly ground black pepper as needed

Read the rest of this entry »

comfort food perfect for the season: spaghetti squash à la carbonara

November 21st, 2012

 spaghetti squash carbonara

from a special cheese to a brasserie on Saint Dominque, 
comfort food perfect for the season:
spaghetti squash à la carbonara  

I held in my hand a beautiful ewe’s (sheep) milk Italian cheese, Pecorino Rustico Pepato, I got from Norbert (The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills). The cheese, spiked with black pepper, reminded me carbonara. Eager to use the cheese but hesitant to use it on routine spaghetti pasta with little nutritional value, a basket full of winter squash caught my eye. Inspiration for this week’s simple pleasure was found: spaghetti squash à la carbonara. 

spaghetti squash

  Read the rest of this entry »

spaghetti squash à la carbonara (spaghetti squash carbonara)

November 21st, 2012

squash carbonara with egg 

spaghetti squash à la carbonara (spaghetti squash carbonara)
(une carbonara pas commes les autres !)

(remember to read through the entire recipe to
understand the sequence of events. There are only a few steps, 
but its best to do them
in the suggested order)

 serves 6-8

what you need:

1 spaghetti squash (approx 2 pounds, 5 ounces)
fresh thyme sprigs Read the rest of this entry »