Fresh Tomato Velouté Soup

 A great way to  use up some of the last tomatoes from your garden, and it has a nice fall flavor with the cloves.  I only used the hot pepper flakes, not the cayenne pepper.  Delish!

Fresh Tomato Velouté Soup

Serves: 4-6 people Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

    1 tbsp (20g) unsalted butter
    1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
    3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
    4 cups (800g) ripe tomatoes, diced
    ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
    4 cloves
    ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
    ¼ tsp hot pepper flakes (optional)
    2 cups (500ml) stock (vegetable or chicken)
    2 tbsp(40g)  unsalted butter
    2 tbsp all-purpose flour
    ½ tsp salt, or to taste
    1 tbsp honey, or to taste

Crème fraiche or heavy cream, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1 - In heavy bottom pot, over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. When the butter is foaming, add the onion and garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent but not caramelized yet. Add the diced tomatoes, black pepper, cloves, cayenne pepper (optional), hot pepper flakes (optional) and stock (vegetable or chicken). Stir and bring to a gentle boil. Cover with a lid, turn the heat to medium-low and gently boil for 20 minutes.

Step 2 - After 20 minutes, remove the cloves and discard.  Carefully pour the soup into a large bowl, using a rubber spatula to get as much of the soup from the pot as you can.  Purée the soup until smooth, using a food mill, immersion hand blender or working in batches using a regular blender.  Set aside.

Step 3 - Place the empty pot back onto the stove top, over medium heat. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Sprinkle with the flour and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until a thick paste forms (a roux) that leaves the edges of the pan clean. Switch to a whisk, and start adding the soup slowly, and whisking well to avoid any lumps.

Step 4 - Once all the soup is back into the pot and smooth, season with salt and stir in 1 tablespoon of honey. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed, with more salt and/or honey.

For serving, pour the soup into bowls and top with a dollop of crème fraiche or heavy cream.

Optional: Garnish with fresh herbs (ie. parsley or basil) or micro-greens (as pictured).

https://www.pardonyourfrench.com/fresh-tomato-veloute-soup/

Sticky Bun Kouign Amann

 Sticky Bun Kouign Amann

(recipe from Pastry Love, page 99)

1 1/4 teaspoons/3.5 grams active dry yeast

2 3/4 cups/385 grams all purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon/15 grams butter, melted

1 cup/225 grams unsalted butter, warmed to a spreadable, but not liquid, temperature

3/4 cup/165 grams packed brown sugar

3/4 cup/150 grams granulated white sugar (plus more for dusting)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cups/175 grams toasted and chopped pecan halves

directions

In your stand mixer using the dough hook attachment, mix together yeast and 1 cup/240 grams of room temperature water. Make sure your yeast is not expired but sometimes I get a lot of activity in my yeast and sometimes I don’t so don’t worry too much. Life is a mystery. Give it a stir and let it sit for a few minutes.

Add in your flour, salt, and melted butter – mixing on low speed until the dough comes together in about 3-4 minutes. If the dough seems too wet, add a tablespoon of flour at a time. If it seems too dry, add a tablespoon of water at a time. The dough should be soft and pull away from the sides of the bowl when the mixer is on, but I still had some stickiness happening and it turns out just fine.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Let proof for one hour in a warm environment and then move it to the fridge to proof for another hour.

Dust your countertop with flour and roll out the cold dough into a rectangle 16×10 inches. The long side should be parallel to the counter edge in front of you. Using your fingers (get in there!) smear the butter directly onto the right half of the dough (this might be impossible – if so, just slice thin pats and cover the entire half of the dough), spreading it in an even thin layer all the way to the edge of that half. Fold the left half over the right and press down to seal the butter between the two halves.

Rotate the dough 90 degrees clockwise so that the rectangle is 10 inches parallel to the counter. Flick more flour over and under the dough and press down on it with your palms before rolling out to a rectangle 24 inches by 12 inches. Flour as needed since the dough might be a bit sticky.

Brush extra flour off the dough before performing a letter fold. Fold the right third of the dough into the middle and then fold the left half of the dough over that, the same way you would fold a piece of paper into an envelope.

Rotate this block of dough clockwise another 90 degrees and repeat the process by rolling it out to a 24×12 inch rectangle. It will be a bit tougher but flour it as needed and flip it upside down once to keep it even. Perform another letter fold and then place the dough block back on the baking sheet, tucking the plastic wrap loosely underneath the edges of the dough to keep it sealed. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

While the dough is in the fridge, combine your brown sugar, granulated sugar, and toasted pecans in a small bowl. Once the dough has chilled for a half hour, flour your surface again and roll it out into another 24×12 inch rectangle.

Sprinkle half the sugar mixture over the dough and press down with your hands or a rolling pin to help the mixture stick to the dough. Give the dough another letter fold, tucking back in any nuts or sugar that spill out. Rotate the dough and roll it out again into a long rectangle (you get the deal by now), sprinkle and press in the rest of the sugar/pecans, and perform one last letter fold. Place the dough on the baking sheet and cover again with the plastic wrap to refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Spray a 12 cup jumbo muffin tin (or two regular muffin tins) with cooking spray. Sprinkle your work surface with sugar (mixing it up!) and roll out the dough one last time into a rectangle 24 inches by 8 inches this time. Cut the dough in half (or thirds if using regular muffin tin) the long way, so you have two long strips of dough. Cut each strip into 6 squares, 4×4 inches each.

One square at a time, fold the corners into the center and press down so they stick in place. Cup the dough into a muffin-y shape and press the bottom and top in sugar before placing in the muffin pan. Repeat with each square.

Cover the dough in plastic wrap and let proof in a warm place for 2 hours. You can also extend this step by proofing in the fridge overnight, but don’t go longer than 8 hours or they might overproof.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the baking tray on the middle rack, turn the temperature back down to 350 degrees and bake until deep golden brown, about 30-35 minutes.

Remove from the oven and quickly, using a fork to help you, pop them out of the tin and onto a wire cooling rack. If you leave them in too long, the sugar will cement them to the muffin tin. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before eating.

Slow-Cooker Ratatouille

I'm posting this for you, Mandy;)

Slow-Cooker Ratatouille

Ingredients
2 pounds eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and seeded
3 zucchini or yellow squash (about 8 oz each), quartered lengthwise and cut into 1 inch pieces
1-2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 onions, roughly chopped
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons Herbs de Provence*
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Pasta to serve

If you don’t have any herbs de Provance, you can sub 1 teaspoon each of dried rosemary and dried thyme.

Instructions
Adjust oven rack 4 inches from broiler element and heat broiler.  If you have different heat settings available on your broiler, set it to medium.  Line extra large rimmed baking sheet with foil.  In a very large bowl, combine egg plant, zucchini, bell peppers, onions, olive oil, sugar, garlic, and herbs de Provence.  Toss until combined.

Divide vegetables evenly between prepared sheets and spread into a single layer.  Broil, 1 sheet at a time, until vegetables begin to brown, about 10 minutes (or faster, if your broiler has only one heat setting and it’s super hot!)  While the veggies are broiling, turn them a couple times during the cooking process to evenly cook them.  Transfer broiled vegetables to slow cooker and add tomatoes.

Stir flour, 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper into vegetables in slow cooker.  Cover and cook until veggies are tender, about 4 hours on low. Stir in balsamic vinegar, Parmesan, and basil.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and serve over pasta
Yields: about 8, 1-cup servings.

 

Brioche Buns

 Brioche Buns

FOR THE TANGZHONG (Japanese method for moist bread):

·        18 grams (2 tablespoons) bread flour (or all purpose)

·        60 grams (¼ cup) whole milk

·        25 grams (2 tablespoons) water

FOR THE DOUGH:

·        180 grams (¾ cup) whole milk, lukewarm

·        9 grams (1 tablespoon) active dry yeast

·        30 grams (2 ½ tablespoons) sugar

·        415 grams (3 ¼ cups) bread flour (or all purpose)

·        10 grams (1 ½ teaspoons) kosher salt

·        1 large egg

·        1 egg yolk

·        43 grams (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter

TOPPING:

·        Egg wash: 1 egg white + 1 tablespoon water

·        butter

MAKE THE TANGZHONG:

·        Combine all of the tangzhong ingredients in a small saucepan, whisking until no lumps remain.

·        Place the saucepan over medium heat, whisking or stirring constantly, until thickened, about 3 minutes.

·        Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.

MAKE THE DOUGH:

·        In the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook, combine the lukewarm milk (between 98 and 105 degrees F), yeast and sugar. Whisk the flour and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the tangzhong, followed by the egg and egg yolk (save the egg white for the egg wash later on). Mix until a shaggy dough forms. Start kneading and add the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Do not add the next tablespoon until the first one is fully incorporated. Once all the butter is incorporated, let the stand mixer knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Form a ball with the dough and place it in a greased bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and place it in a warm spot (like your oven, turned off) for 1 to 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

·        Gently punch the dough to deflate it. Using a bench knife, portion the dough into 10-12 equal pieces, about 95g each. Form the dough portions into small balls and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, making sure they have space to double in size. Cover with the towel and let it rise again, for up to 1 hour or until puffy. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F for at least 15 minutes. Brush the buns with egg wash (1 large egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon water), then bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the buns from the oven and immediately rub tops with stick of butter. Allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

 https://www.oliviascuisine.com/fluffiest-brioche-buns/

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.  

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