French Christmas Cookies

 These French sugar cookies are so good with the orange zest and spices.  We used a simple powdered sugar glaze to frost them but next time I'll frost with the royal icing as suggested.  We also tripled the batch because the original recipe made a teeny, tiny batch.  (I've tripled the cookies below, so you don't need to triple it again unless you want a big batch, but I didn't triple the icing recipe since we didn't try it.)

French Christmas Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C. unsalted butter, softened
3/4 C. granulated sugar
1/4 + 1/8 C. powdered sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 + 1/8 tsp ground cloves
3 large egg yolks (save the whites for the icing)
3 tsp. vanilla extract
zest of 3 medium oranges (or lemons)
3 C. all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out the cookies

For the Icing:

2 egg whites, room temperature
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar, or a splash of fresh lemon juice
3 C. powdered sugar, sifted
1 drop of blue food coloring (or whatever colors you want)

Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.  Add the salt, cinnamon and cloves; mix to combine.  Now, add in the egg yolk, orange zest and vanilla extract and mix until the egg is completely incorporated.  Add the flour and mix just until the flour is incorporated; don't mix anymore than you need to.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and pat down  so that you get a 1-inch disc.  Refrigerate the dough until it's thoroughly chilled, about 1 hour. 

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.  Take your dough out of the fridge and let sit on the counter for about 15 minutes.  If you try to roll the dough right away, you'll end up with a lot of cracks in the dough. 

Dust your counter space with flour and place the dough on this surface.  Roll the dough to a 1/4" thickness, rotating the dough every once in a while; don't roll back and forth.

Cut dough with cookie cutters and place fairly close together on the prepared cookie sheets, as they will not spread much.  

Bake the cookies for about 11-14 minutes.  They should be golden along the edges. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes.

Transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.  Meanwhile, prepare the royal icing.  In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar or lemon juice just until the egg whites are frothy.  Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition.  Once the icing is white and thick, stop mixing.

Remove about 1/3 cup of the icing and pour into a separate bowl.  Add the drop of blue food coloring and whisk to combine.  Paint the icing onto the cookies and decorate with other embellishments as desired.  

Bone Broth

Bone Broth 

1 chicken or turkey carcass, cleaned pretty well of meat

a couple celery stalks, cut into large pieces (keep the leaves on, too)

1 onion, quartered (keep the skin on, too)

4-5 whole peppercorns

2 bay leaves

1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

Put the carcass and veggies in your biggest crockpot and pour the vinegar over the bones. Let it sit for 15 minutes (this helps to start drawing the minerals, etc. out of the bones). Add water to fill it to the top. Cook on low for 24 hours. Alternately, you can simmer it in a stockpot on the stove for 24 hours, too.

Pour the broth through a strainer lined with a double layer of cheesecloth. Add salt as needed. The broth can be pressure canned, frozen, or kept in the fridge to use sooner.

You can repeat the process with the carcass again if you want to get more broth out of it.

You can also add other veggies, like carrots, but I like to save as much room as possible for the water.

*When I did our turkey carcass it was too big for the crockpot, so I started it in a stockpot on the stove so I could see how much water to add, then I transferred it all to my roaster oven to simmer for the 24 hours.

French Lemon Tart

Use fresh lemon juice in this for the best results. I made it with 3/4 cup sugar and it was pretty tart, so if you want it sweeter, use 1 cup.

French Lemon Tart - Tart au Citron

1 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice (7+ lemons, depending on size)

grated zest of 2 lemons

3/4 - 1 c. sugar

12 T. butter, cut into cubes

4 large eggs

4 large egg yolks

1 pre-baked tart shell

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all the filling ingredients in a medium pan. Stir until the butter is melted, then whisk constantly until the mixture thickens. It should visibly mound up if you lift some with the whisk and drop it back into the pan. It doesn't take too long.

Pour the lemon curd into a fine mesh strainer placed over a bowl. Use a rubber spatula to press it through. (Don't skip this step or you'll get egg pieces in your filling)

Pour it into the tart, smooth it out, and bake it for about 5-6 minutes or until it is just set.

Let cool before serving.

DavidLebovitz.com

French Chocolate Tart

This is ganache in pie form and would really be best served with some lightly sweetened whipped cream or fresh raspberries on top to cut the richness.

French Chocolate Tart

1 French Pastry, cooked and cooled

1 c. heavy cream

8 oz good quality baking chocolate

2 T. butter

Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a bowl.

Heat the cream in a small pan over medium heat, stirring often, until it just reaches the boiling point. Pour over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute to soften. Stir with a rubber spatula until all the chocolate is melted. Add the butter and stir well to melt and incorporate.

Pour into the crust and refrigerate or put in a cool place until firm. Serve topped with whipped cream or fresh fruit, or both!

TheCafeSucreFarine.com

French Pastry Dough

This was cool! I've never seen pastry dough made this way. It makes a very flaky crust that you press right into the pan. It does get some cracks in the dough, so probably wouldn't be best for a really liquidy filling. I used salted butter and thought it was fine. It really works best to weigh the flour if you have a kitchen scale.

French Pastry Dough

6 T. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 T. vegetable oil

3 T. water

1 T. sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

160g flour (5.5 oz or 1 rounded cup)

Preheat oven to 410. In an ovenproof bowl, like Pyrex, combine everything but the flour. Place in oven and heat until it is bubbling and the butter has started to brown, about 15 minutes (but check earlier to be sure it doesn't burn)

Carefully remove from oven and add all the flour at once, stirring it quickly until it comes together in a ball (remember to use a hot pad while stirring). Transfer the dough to a tart mold or pie dish. Once it has cooled a little, pinch off a piece about the size of a raspberry and set aside, then press the dough out to fill the bottom and sides. Use a fork to prick all over the bottom and to press the dough against the side of the pan.

Bake the tart for 15 minutes or until golden brown. If there are any cracks you want to fill, pinch off a little bit of the reserved dough and gently press it into the cracks with your pinky finger. Let cool before filling.

DavidLebovitz.com

Apple-Frangipane Galette

This is a really easy way to make an apple pie-like dessert. I recommend watching her facebook live video in the link below that shows you an easy way to make the pie crust. (And it worked!!) It makes a double crust and is an easy way to have a pie crust ready in the freezer, or you can just cut the pastry recipe in half.

Apple-Frangipane Galette

INGREDIENTS
FOR THE PASTRY:

• 2½ (320g) cups all-purpose flour

• 2 T. sugar

• ½ tsp. table salt

• 2 sticks (16 tablespoons | 8 oz | 227g ) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

• ½ C. + 2 T. ice water

FOR THE FRANGIPANE:

• 1/2 cup almond flour

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• pinch salt

• 2 tablespoons butter at room temperature

• 1 egg (small if possible)

• 2 teaspoons vanilla

for assembly:

• 1 to 2 apples, I like Honey Crisp or Fuji, peeled and thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons melted butter

• 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar, turbinado is nice

Preheat oven to 400.

Add dry crust ingredients to food processor and pulse together. Add the butter and pulse about 10 times until the the butter is the size of peas. Add 1/2 c. ice water and pulse again until the mixture is crumbly but holds together when pinched. Add more water 1 T. at a time if needed. Lay 2 clean tea towels out. Put half of the mixture in each towel. For each towel, gather up the corners then twist and squeeze/pat the dough into a disk. (The video helps explain this)

Using the same food processor (no need to wash it first), Add everything for the frangipane but the vanilla. Pulse to combine, then add the vanilla. Puree until smooth, scraping as needed.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll one of the pastry doughs into a 12-13-inch round, flipping the dough over every few turns and adding flour as needed. Transfer to a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Spread the frangipane, leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange the apples in concentric circles, starting at the outer edge of the frangipane. Fold the exposed dough over the edges. Brush the edges with butter and drizzle the remaining butter over the apples. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake 35 minutes or until golden. Serve as is or with vanilla ice cream.

From AlexandraCooks.com

Chocolate-Orange Sables

 We made these for Christmas Eve Eve in France and they were tasty. I cut back the amount of pistachios so I'd only have to use one bag of shelled nuts and there was plenty. Also didn't have almond flour but all-purpose worked fine. I've made those adjustments in this recipe. 

Chocolate-Orange Sables

 

Orange dough:

¾ C butter, softened 

1 orange, zested 

1 C powdered sugar

1 large egg

1 Tbsp orange juice 

2 ¾ C all-purpose flour 

¼ tsp salt

¾ C chopped roasted salted pistachios

 

Chocolate dough:

1 C butter, softened 

1 C powdered sugar 

1 Tbsp orange juice 

1 tsp vanilla

1 ½ C all-purpose flour 

¼ tsp salt 

½ C unsweetened cocoa powder 

¾ C chopped, roasted salted pistachios 

 

1 C turbinado sugar 

 

Line an 8-inch square baking pan with plastic wrap with enough to hang over the edges on two sides. 

 

For orange dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter, zest, and powdered sugar until fluffy, 3-4 minutes.  Add egg and orange juice, beating to combine.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and pistachios. Change stand mixer to paddle attachment.  Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating just until combined.  Press dough into prepared pan, and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. 

 

Meanwhile, make the chocolate dough: In bowl of stand mixer, beat butter, powdered sugar, orange juice, and vanilla until fluffy, 3-4 minutes.  In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, cocoa, and pistachios together.  Change stand mixer to paddle attachment.  Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating just until combined.  Spread chocolate dough over orange dough in pan, smoothing as much as possible.  Cover layered dough and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. 

 

Heat oven to 350°.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Place turbinado sugar in a shallow dish.  

 

Remove pan from refrigerator.  Using excess plastic wrap as handles, remove dough from pan.  Cut into 2 x ¼-inch slices.  Roll edges of dough in turbinado sugar to coat.  Place on prepared pans at least ½ inch apart. 

 

Bake until firm and just beginning to brown at the edges, 10-12 minutes.  Let cool completely on wire racks.

 

 

Makes about 72 cookies

 

 

 

Adapted from BakefromScratch.com

French Grated Carrot Salad

If you have a food processor it will make the carrot shreds thicker than a box grater will, and they'll have a better texture and keep longer. Also, if you're using dried herbs, make the salad, or at least the dressing, ahead so that they can blend.

French Grated Carrot Salad

1 pound (450g) carrots, peeled

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more, to taste

1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

1/2 teaspoon Dijon or stone ground mustard

1/4 teaspoon honey or sugar

1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, tarragon, chives, or chervil

1. Grate the carrots in a food processor, rotary grater or box grater.

2. In a mixing bowl, stir together the olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, salt, mustard, and honey or sugar. Add the carrots and chopped herbs and toss thoroughly with the dressing.

3. Taste, and season with additional lemon juice, salt, or other ingredients.

Serving and storage: The salad is best served at room temperature. It can be made up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerated until ready to serve. 

davidlobovitz.com