Showing posts with label FFWD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FFWD. Show all posts

10/8/10

FFWD: Gerard's Mustard Tart




I have always, always loved quiche. I know a lot of people think it's the cliche vegetarian entree, but honestly, if it were on a menu along with three or four other vegetarian options, I'd probably still get the quiche! My mom used to make it from time to time when we were little, but because she always made a homemade crust it was mostly on a weekend when she actually had time for measuring, blending butter, and rolling out her standard Better Homes and Gardens pie dough. If only my mom had known back then that she could have made the dough, rolled it out, fitted it in the tart pan, and frozen the whole thing for up to two months! We could have been eating quiche on Tuesdays!

This week's French Fridays with Dorie recipe was for Gerard's Mustard Tart and I had a feeling I would love it the moment I read the recipe. A flaky, buttery crust topped with a creamy and intensely mustard-y filling, topped with steamed carrots and leeks and a sprig of rosemary makes for an amazing quiche! This is not your standard vegetarian quiche. It is so flavorful that I can't imagine anyone who eats meat would even think about the fact that it doesn't contain ham or bacon. My only suggestion is that if you are only able to find big fat leeks (like me) instead of the supple, thin ones that Dorie recommends, really slice them very thin and only use the center of the base because mine were just a little tough. Of course the quiche was delicious warm but it was seriously good cold too! I cannot wait to make this in the summer with Dorie's alternative directions for using tomatoes in place of the carrots and leeks!

10/1/10

French Fridays with Dorie!! Gougeres!


Yay!! The very first French Fridays with Dorie is finally here! This new, wonderful group will be cooking through Dorie Greenspan's brand new book Around my French Table and posting our results each Friday. I am so excited because I really don't know much about French cooking and I know this group is going to do for my cooking what Tuesdays with Dorie did for my baking. Please take a chance to check out the marvelous French Fridays with Dorie website and since there is no participation requirement, feel free to join the group even if you can only cook along from time to time!


The October recipes were chosen by Dorie Greenspan herself and the first one up was gougeres. Gougeres are basically little cheese puffs! I was a little worried because I've never made pate a choux before but it is really simple! Butter, water, and milk are brought to a boil in a saucepan then flour is whisked in for about a minute and a half over medium heat, after a brief cooling time in the mixer bowl, eggs and cheese are beat into the dough and the dough is spooned out onto a sheet and baked up. I used a tablespoon to scoop the dough and it seems to be the ideal size because they puffed to a golden perfection in exactly 24 minutes! My only mistake was that I completely forgot the salt! I used a sharp cheddar for the cheese so the flavor is still relatively strong but I think the salt would have made these absolutely perfect. I baked 9 puffs and froze the rest for later. I can't wait to try these with all types of different cheeses! Very impressive looking for a pretty minimal effort!