Sometimes you just don't care if you look ridiculous.  When the temperature falls to minus 40 degrees with the wind chill and my French Bulldog Pipi needs to take care of business, she is not bothered by what she looks like or who sees her.  I have decided to stay indoors during this recent arctic blast and have become very creative with what I am finding in my refrigerator.  One thing that is helpful during our harsh Minnesota winters is to have fresh flowers in the house.  In addition to the bouquets of flowers I am always bringing home, I have amaryllis bulbs blooming.

I like white amaryllis against the strong orange walls of my sun room.

Last February it was warm enough in Paris for the florists to display their amaryllis outdoors on the sidewalk!  Not possible here in Minnesota.

My daughter was in NYC over New Years.  She was born 18 miles from Manhattan, across the George Washington Bridge, when we lived there for two years in the 1980's.  I spent much of those two years exploring NYC.  I rarely would take the subway.  I preferred walking so I could see everything there was to see.  One day I covered 112 blocks.  When friends came for a visit, we would go into the city and the first place I would take them was a food emporium.  My favorites were Zabar's, Balducci's and Dean & DeLuca.  Luckily, most of my friends felt the same way about food as I did, but occasionally there would be the visitor who was wondering why we weren't at the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty.  So, when my daughter was planning her trip to NYC and asked me for suggestions on where to eat, knowing how I roamed and combed that city, I realized the names I gave her were restaurants I have read about and would like to try the next time I visit NYC.  Many of the places I frequented when we lived there almost 25 years ago no longer exist.  The average life expectancy for a restaurant in NYC is 2 years.  But it got me thinking about the places I used to go and one of my favorites was the DDL Foodshow on the Upper West Side.  DDL stood for Dino De Laurentiis, movie producer, restaurateur  and grandfather of Giada De Laurentiis of Food Network fame.  My favorite item on the menu was the pizza rustica.  I had never eaten it before and this one was really good!  Giada has a pizza rustica recipe on the Food Network site.  I don't know if it's the same one that was served at the restaurant, but it is very good.  The pizza rustica that is shown above was made from a recipe out of the King Arthur cookbook.  I like this recipe a lot and will add sliced cooked sausage.  Be sure to let the pizza rustica cool completely before unmolding!

When I go to Paris it is all about pastry.  O.K., there is the occasional shopping spree and sight-seeing but that usually happens on my trek to the pastry shops that are on my "I can't go home until I've been there" list.  I have to describe my baking as more "rustic" French.  That, I feel, allows for imperfections.  Pastry in Paris is usually anything but, and I always have a camera in hand to photograph these exquisite creations.  On my last trip to Paris PIERRE HERME (72 rue Bonaparte, 6e), JEAN-LUC POUJAURAN (20 rue Jean-Nicot, 7e), and STOHRER (51 rue Montorgueil, 2e) were all patisseries I needed to see.  Either I have read much about the shop or have obtained a recipe from that patisserie and want to compare my baked goods to theirs. 

One patisserie I must visit every trip to Paris is GERARD MULOT (76 rue de Seine, 6e), and for many reasons.  I have baked several items from that patisserie (Brioches aux Gouttes de Chocolat, Tourte au Saumon, Tarte au Chocolat, and most recently Tarte au Clafoutis aux Cerises) and all have had excellent results.

You will never be disappointed with anything purchased at Gerard Mulot (Catherine Deneuve is a regular).  AND, they let me photograph inside the shop!  That's a rarity anywhere in Paris, and I have learned to always ask first (unless I want to be reprimanded in French) before I pull out my camera.  I am not quite as brave as Carol Gillott.

Gerard Mulot's popularity is quite obvious on Saturday afternoons when lines of Parisians extend out the door and down the block to make purchases before the shop closes that evening not to reopen until Monday morning.

Lately, my friends and family have been enjoying Gerard Mulot's Tarte au Clafoutis aux Cerises (mine shown at left) from the book, Paris Sweets by Dorie Greenspan.  The recipe calls for either creme fraiche or heavy whipping cream to be used in the custard.  I recommend the creme fraiche for that wonderful tanginess it achieves.  Clafoutis is usually baked in a dish without a crust, but having made it as a tart, as Patisserie Gerard Mulot does with a shortbread cookie-like crust, I cannot imagine it any other way.

Here is my recipe for using the leftover chocolate bread from yesterday's post.

           CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING with DRIED CHERRIES

3/4 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup Grand Marnier or brandy
12-16 oz. chocolate bread,cut into 1-inch cubes
3 large eggs at room temperature
2 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
butter for greasing the dish
1.  Place dried cherries in a small bowl and cover with Grand Marnier.  Let soak for 30 minutes.
2.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish and fill with chocolate bread cubes. Scatter soaked cherries over bread. 
3.  Beat the eggs, milk, sugar, salt and vanilla together.  Pour over the bread.
4.  Bake in the upper third of the oven for approximately 40 minutes, until golden brown.  Serve warm with whipped cream or in a pool of creme anglaise.

This recipe for chocolate bread is the first of a two-part post.  I clipped this recipe many years ago from the Sunday New York Times magazine and it has been a favorite ever since.  In my opinion, to truly appreciate this bread is to eat it toasted and slathered with the vanilla butter.  After enjoying it this way for several days, I take the remaining loaf and turn it into a chocolate bread pudding with dried cherries (Post #2).

                          Chocolate Bread With Vanilla Butter

1 cup milk
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pkg. yeast, dissolved in 1/4 cup tepid water (110 degrees) with            1 tbsp. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional when kneading
2/3 cup sifted cocoa
    Vanilla butter (recipe below)
1.  Scald the milk and remove it from the heat.  Add the butter, stirring until it melts.
2.  Add the sugar and vanilla.  When the mixture is lukewarm (no more than 115 degrees), add the yeast.  Add the beaten eggs and stir.
3.  Measure the flour and cocoa into a large bowl.  Add the yeast mixture and stir.  Turn out onto a floured board.  While the dough is resting, clean and butter a bowl. 
4.  Knead the dough gently for five minutes, adding flour as necessary to produce a smooth dough.
5.  Put the dough into the buttered bowl, cover with a damp towel and put in a warm place until the dough doubles in size (one to two hours).
6.  Punch the dough down and knead again 8 to 10 times.  Pat it into a loaf shape and place it in a well-buttered 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.  Cover the dough and let it rise again, but not so much that it doubles; 45 minutes is plenty.
7.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
8.  Bake one hour on the oven's middle rack.  After 30 minutes, cover the top of the loaf with aluminum foil so it does not burn.
9.  Remove the loaf from the oven and let it cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn it out onto a wire rack.


                                     Vanilla Butter

12 tbsp. sweet butter
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tbsp. vanilla extract
1.  Cream the butter and sugar.  Slowly beat in the vanilla.
2.  Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl, cover it and chill.  Remove from refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving.

There is an abundance of pears right now in the grocery stores.  I just purchased 6 pounds of organic anjou and plan to use them in a salad with Maytag blue and toasted walnuts and a breakfast loaf bread with poppyseeds.  But what I always think about first when I see pears is the pear tarte tatin I have created over the years by combining a recipe for the crust from Saveur and the pear filling from a NY Times article.  You will not find a pastry crust recipe better than this one!  Serve with whipped creme fraiche or the best vanilla ice cream (this tarte deserves homemade!).

FOR THE PASTRY:
1 1/2 cups flour
6 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
10 tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg, lightly beaten
*  Combine flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to combine.  Add butter and pulse until the size of peas.  Add the egg and pulse only until the dough just starts to come together.  Do not over mix!  Flatten and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. 

PEAR TARTE TATIN:
6 firm, large pears (or about 8 small)
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
pastry (recipe above)
*  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Position rack in bottom third of oven.  Peel the pears, cut them in half lengthwise and core them.  Place in a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice.  Set aside.
Place the sugar in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over low heat.  When sugar begins to melt, begin stirring with a wooden spoon until all of the sugar is melted and begins to turn golden. 
Remove the pan from the heat and arrange the pear halves in the pan, cut side up, as close together as possible. 
Cut the butter into small pieces and scatter over the pears.  Place the pan over medium heat and cook until the sugara turns a deep caramel color, about 15 -20 minutes. 
Roll the pastry dough slightly larger than the diameter of the pan.  Carefully place the pastry over the pears in the skillet.  Tuck the overhanging dough in around the fruit.  Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.  Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
Run a small knife around the edge of the tarte to loosen.  Place a large plate over the skillet and holding the plate and skillet together  with towels or potholders, quickly invert the tarte onto the plate. 

I make gratins frequently for dinner.  I love the brown crustiness that develops on top from the bread crumbs, cheese or butter, and occasionally nuts, that are combined and sprinkled over the filling before baking.  This cauliflower-broccoli gratin is a great accompaniment to a roasted chicken or grilled steak, but I am also completely satisfied eating this gratin as the main dish along with sauteed apples and a loaf of bread.

Cauliflower is low in fat, high in fiber, folate and vitamin C, and shares with broccoli cancer-fighting properties.











               Cauliflower at produce market on rue Montorgueil, Paris.

                               Cauliflower & Broccoli Gratin
         (adapted from Irresistible Cheese Dishes by Laura Chenel)

1 large head cauliflower florets
1 large head broccoli florets
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup Nicoise or Kalamata olives, coarsely-chopped
1 cup bread crumbs
Salt & freshly-ground pepper

*  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish.  Cook cauliflower and broccoli in a large pan of salted, boiling water until crisp-tender.  Drain thoroughly. 
   In a large skillet, heat 2 T. of the oil.  Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook until just fragrant.  Off the heat, add the cauliflower and broccoli and toss.  Add half of the cheese and the olives and toss to combine.  Transfer to the gratin dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
   In a small bowl, combine the crumbs with the remaining olive oil; season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle the crumbs over the cheese.  Bake in the upper third of the oven for about 12 minutes, or until the crumbs are brown.

I have been making my own marshmallows now for eight years, and once you have eaten a homemade marshmallow, you will never be able to return to the bagged, grocery store variety.  I started out by using a sheet pan to spread the mixture which resulted in a mini marshmallow, but after a visit to City Bakery in New York City (3 W. 18th St.) that all changed.  I went for one of Maury Rubin's renowned 4" tarts, but I also found the hot chocolate (which was kept in constant motion by a ferris-wheel-like contraption) and City Bakery's gigantic marshmallows irresistible.  It was a vision of what hot chocolate should be... extremely rich and bittersweet, and topped with a floating cloud of confection. 

I have now scaled down my pan to create the same impressive size marshmallow as served up by City Bakery.

I give these a lot as gifts and no one has ever been bashful about asking for more!

                               MY MARSHMALLOW RECIPE
                       (as adapted from Gourmet Magazine)

confectioners' sugar
3 1/2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup hot water
1/4 tsp. salt
2 lg. egg whites
2 tsp. vanilla
*  Butter bottom and sides of a 9 by 9- by 2-inch metal baking pan and dust bottom and sides with some confectioners' sugar. 
   In bowl of a standing electric mixer sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let stand to soften.
   In a 3-quart heavy saucepan cook granulated sugar, corn syrup, hot water, and salt over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until sugar is dissolved.  Increase heat to moderate and boil mixture, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 240 degrees F.  Remove pan from heat and pour sugar mixture over gelatin mixture, stirring until gelatin is dissolved. 
   Beat mixture on high until thick and nearly tripled in volume.  In a large bowl with cleaned beaters beat egg whites until they just hold stiff peaks.  Beat whites and vanilla into sugar mixture until just combined.  Pour mixture into baking pan, spreading top to smooth, and sift with confectioners' sugar over top.  Chill, uncovered, until firm, at least 3 hours. 
   Run a metal spatula around edges of pan, and pulling gently, let marshmallow drop onto a cutting board dusted with confectioners' sugar.  Dust marshmallow with more confectioners' sugar and using a large, sharp knife, cut marshmallow into 1 1/2-inch cubes.  Toss marshmallows with additional confectioners' sugar before storing in an airtight container.  Makes 36 large, luscious marshmallows. 
  

A meal that can be prepared quickly.  Rub the pork with the dry marinade early in the day, then grill or bake.  The sweet mango in the salsa complements the hot chili powder in the dry-rub very nicely.

DRY MARINADE FOR PORK
1-3 T. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground thyme
1/4 tsp. freshly-ground pepper
2-1 pound pork tenderloins
* Marinate 2-4 hours.  Grill 15 minutes per side.  Or bake in a 375 degree oven until done.

BLACK BEAN-MANGO SALSA
1 ripe mango, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
2 avocados, diced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
juice of one lime
cilantro, chopped
salt, to taste
* Gently combine the first 6 ingredients.  Add the cilantro and salt, to taste.  Serve with the pork tenderloin.  If you're lucky enough to have any leftovers, enjoy with blue corn chips!

There is probably nothing I would rather do than put on a Counting Crows CD and go into my kitchen to bake tarts, both sweet & savory.  And different seasons demand different tarts.  Mid-May when my rhubarb is finally ready to cut, I search for local organic strawberries and combine the two into a custard tart.  In June I begin baking apricots layered upon a coating of apple butter in an almond pastry shell that is served with homemade vanilla ice cream.  This leads to August when my 15-plus heirloom tomato plants begin producing and I bake my favorite savory tart from a French recipe that includes my Purple Cherokee tomatoes, gruyere cheese and nicoise olives.  Individual free-form apple tarts appear in September.  When January arrives I crave citrus and that means my lemon tart.  This is what my daughter Whitney requests for her birthday instead of a cake. 

I have a large selection of tinware to choose from when I make my tarts. 

                         
                           My Favorite Lemon Meringue Tart

Tart pastry
2 T. sliced almonds
1 cup unbleached flour
1/4 tsp. salt
5 1/3 T. very cold butter, 1/2" dice
3 T. ice water

Filling
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup water
3 T. cornstarch
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 T. butter
2 tsp. grated lemon rind

Meringue
4 egg whites
3/4 cup sugar

Make pastry dough and chill for 2 hours.  Line a 9-inch tart pan and bake blind at 400 degrees until golden brown. 

Dissolve sugar with salt in 3/4 cup of the water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Mix the cornstarch with the remaining 1/4 cup water and stir into the sugar-water mixture.  Stir constantly until thick and clear.  Remove from heat.  Beat egg yolks with lemon juice until slightly thickened and stir into cornstarch mixture.  Return to heat and bring back just to a boil.  Take from heat and stir in the butter and grated lemon rind.  Cool slightly and fill the baked tart shell.

To make meringue:  In a double boiler, beat egg whites and sugar constantly until mixture feels hot to the touch.  Beat with the whisk attachment of an electric mixer until glossy.  Either spread onto the tart or pipe with a pastry bag using a 1/2-inch tip.  Brown in a hot oven or use a butane torch.