The Cook's Atelier

Bonnes Fêtes

It's holiday central here at The Cook's Atelier.  We are baking cookies and glittering away.  The fancy German glass glitter finally arrived from La Poste and K has spent the afternoon making garland for the tree while I'm making chocolate-almond bark to share with our favorite food people in Beaune.  We've got some Christmas tunes playing on Deezer and petit Luc is reminding us of all our many blessings.

We are wishing all of you a Joyeux Noël and Bonnes Fêtes!

Chocolate-almond bark with sea salt

From Bon Appétit Magazine, December 2011 issue

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups roasted almonds

1 lb. good-quality dark chocolate (62% - 70% cacao), finely chopped

sea salt (for sprinkling)

 

Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or foil.  Combine sugar with 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan.  Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves.  Bring to a boil and cook, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until caramel is dark amber, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.  Immediately add butter; whisk until melted.  Add almonds; stir until well coated. Transfer to baking sheet, spreading out to separate nuts.  Let cool.  Break up any large clumps of nuts.  Set aside 1/4 of nuts.

Stir chocolate in a medium bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until metled.  Remove from heat, add nuts from baking sheet, and stir quickly to combine.  Spread chocolate-nut mixture on same baking sheet, keeping nuts in a single layer.  Top with the reserved nuts; sprinkle with the sea salt.  Chill until chocolate is set, about 3 hours.

Break bark into pieces and store between layers of parchment or waxed paper. Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep chilled.

Madame Milbert's cassis liqueur

One of my very favorite things about La Varenne was the potager and one of my favorite things about the potager was Monsieur Milbert.  Monsieur Milbert was somewhat of a cranky old Frenchman who oversaw the potager.  He was made "famous" in this favorite cookbook.  I remember the first day I arrived at La Varenne after reading this book and I felt as though I had fallen through the rabbit hole, right smack into a French fairytale.

Last summer, at our garden at Clos de la Cozanne, we ended up with buckets full of currants.  I called a chef-friend in Paris, who was a longtime resident at the chateau, to see if he had a copy of Madame Milbert's recipe for homemade cassis. After days of picking and separating little jewel-like berries from their stems, we made confiture and began the process of making our very first homemade cassis. After the currants were stemmed, we put them in French preserving jars and covered them with vodka to seep for the next few months in anticipation for bottling our cassis to enjoy during the holidays.

The time spent working at the chateau was life changing to say the least as I am now living in my very own French fairytale here in Burgundy.  If you'd care to join us, you can find out more about what we are up to here.

 

Madame Milbert's cassis liqueur

1 kg black currants

1 bottle 750 ml good quality vodka

400 grams sugar, or to taste

 

Remove the black currants from their stems by pulling them gently through the tines of a fork.  Wash and drain the currants in a colander and put them in a 2 quart preserving jar.  Pour over the vodka, adding more if needed to cover the currants completely.  Cover tightly and leave in a cool place for at least 4 and up to 6 months.  From time to time, open the jar and crush the currants with wooden spoon or potato masher.

After 4 to 6 months, put the currants and vodka in a saucepan and mash thoroughly again using the back of a ladle or a potato masher.  Heat gently without boiling, stirring often, until the currants soften and their juice is loosened, 10 to 15 minutes.  Work the mixture through a food mill to extract all the juice.

Return the juice to the pan.  Add the sugar and heat gently, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved, 10 to 15 minutes.  Take care not to let the juice boil or it may flame.  Remove the liqueur from the heat and taste it, adding more sugar if needed.  It should be rich and slightly tart or sweet, depending on your taste.  Let it cool, then bottle and seal tightly.  Store for at least 3 months so the flavor mellows.  

 

Apple upside-down cake

We are in full-swing, holiday decorating mode on this side of the pond. Recycled card stock has been cut into stars and waiting for the arrival of the German glass glitter via La Poste.  Our homemade cassis, made from black currents from our garden at Clos de la Cozanne,  is ready for gift giving.  We lean toward the non-commercial aspects of the season.  Lots of baking and festivities centered around good food and good friends.

I happened upon this cake recipe in the November issue of Bon Appétit while in the states.  The original recipe called for pears, which I am sure would be lovely, but I used apples inspired from our recent apple picking day at Clos de la Cozanne. This recipe is the perfect finish to an autumn supper and it's great for breakfast the next morning with a cup of tea.

Enjoy your holiday festivities!  Eat, drink and be merry...

 

Apple upside-down cake

Adapted from Bon Appétit Magazine, November 2011 issue

 

9 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided, plus more

3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons coarse yellow cornmeal or polenta

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup sugar, divided

2 medium apples (about 1 pound)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, separated

1/2 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter pan; line bottom with a parchment-paper round.  Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.  Stir 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves.  Increase heat to medium-high.  Boil syrup without stirring, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until sugar turns dark amber, 8-10 minutes.  Remove pan from heat; add 1 tablespoon butter (caramel will bubble vigorously) and whisk until smooth.  Pour caramel into prepared cake pan and swirl to coat bottom.

Peel, halve, and core the apples.  Place flat on a work surface and cut lengthwise into 1/4"-thick slices.  Layer slices over caramel, flat side down, overlapping as needed.

Mix remaining 3/4 cup sugar, 8 tablespoons butter, and vanilla in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add yolks, one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping bowl.  Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Using clean, dry beaters, beat egg whites on low speed in a medium bowl until frothy.  Increase the speed to medium and continue to beat until whites form soft peaks.  Fold about 1/4 of the whites into cake batter. Add in remaining whites; gently fold just to blend.  Pour batter over apples in pan, smooth top.

Bake cake, rotating pan halfway through, until top is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out with a few small moist crumbs attached, abour 1 hour.  Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes.  Run a thin knife around inside of pan to release cake.

Invert cake onto a plate; remove parchment paper.  Serve warm or at room temperature with Calvados spiked whipped cream or caramel ice cream, if desired.

 

Almond pear tart

This has to be an all time favorite autumn tart here at The Cook's Atelier.  It's easy to make and absolutely delightful.  I promise, you are going to love it!  It's perfect for the holdiays and gives you that little taste of France wherever you are.

It's quiet here today and I've been recipe testing and enjoying my holdiay preparations.  There are roasted vegetables in the oven, little votives are lit all over the atelier and I'm enjoying a nice glass of red wine.  It's good to be home.  Now that things have slowed down a bit, I promise to be back soon with some more recipes for your holdiay celebration.  In the meantime, you can follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

We are working away on the schedule for next season and will be offering a few five-day programs in addition to our cook's workshop series, market tours and cooking classes.  We'll be back soon with details, but if you're thinking about a visit to France, be sure to keep us in mind.  The Cook's Atelier really is something special and we'd love to share a little bit of magic with you.

 

Almond pear tart

Serves 6 to 8

 

1 recipe pâte sucrée

for the pears

4 cups water

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

4 medium pears, peeled

Bring 4 cups water, sugar and lemon juice to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.  Add pears and reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the pears are tender, about 20 minutes.  Cool the pears in the syrup.

 

for the almond filling

2/3 cups ground almonds

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

6 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 large egg

In a medium bowl, mix the ground almonds, sugar and butter until smooth.  Add the egg and mix until incorporated.  Cover and chill at least 3 hours.

 

to prepare the tart

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Position a rack in the center of the oven.

 

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface, and sprinkle with a little bit of flour.  Roll it into a 1/4-inch-thick circle, flouring as needed.  Starting at one side, roll and wrap the dough around the rolling pin to pick it up.  Unroll the tough over the 9-inch tart pan.  Gently press the dough into the pan, being careful not to stretch the dough as this will cause it to shrink when baking.  To remove the excess dough, work your way around the edge pinching off the excess dough with your fingers.  Chill the dough in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking.

Prick the bottom with a fork and line the shell with parchment paper.  Fill the lined tart with dried beans or pie weights and bake for 15 minutes.  Take the tart out of the oven and carefully remove the parchment paper and dried beans.  Return the tart to the oven, and bake until golden brown turning as needed to ensure even color.  Set aside on a rack to cool.

Spread almond filling evenly in crust.  Stem pears and cut each in half lengthwise; scoop out cores.  Cut each half crosswise into thin slices.  Gently press each pear half to fan the slices but keep the slices tightly overlapped and arrange on the tart.

Bake tart until golden and a tester inserted into the center of the filling comes out clean, about 55 minutes.  Cool tart in pan.  To serve, cut into wedges and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

 

Pâte sucrée

Makes enough for 2 tarts

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 large egg yolks

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

A pinch of sea salt

8 ounces unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Whisk the cream and the eggs together in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and butter.  Using your fingers, incorporate the butter until you have a coarse meal.  Gradually add the cream and yolks, and mix until just combined.  Be careful not to overwork the dough.  Bring the dough together with your hands to incorporate completely.  Divide the dough in half, shape into disks, and wrap one of them to freeze and use later.

If the dough is soft, put it into the refrigerator for a few minutes prior to rolling. Place it on a lightly floured work surface, and sprinkle with a little bit of flour. Roll it into a 1/4-inch-thick circle, flouring as needed. Started at one side, roll and wrap the dough around the rolling pin to pick it up.  Unroll the dough over the 9-inch tart pan.  Gently press the dough into the pan, being careful not to stretch it as this will cause it to shrink when baking.  To remove the excess dough, work your way around the edge pinching off the excess dough with your fingers.  Chill for 1 hour before baking.

 

 

In celebration of autumn

Seriously, did you think I fell off the planet?  It's been a whirlwind here at The Cook's Atelier.  We've just returned from a a fast-paced, fun-filled trip to the states. We visited family and friends, celebrated petit Luc's baptism and tried to visit as many "foodie" places in New York as possible.  The trip was magical and emotional as it was our first trip since we moved permanently to France in 2008.

Autumn is in full swing here in Burgundy and the market is filled with wild mushrooms, heirloom apples, pears, giant Cinderella pumpkins, an assortment of winter squash, celery root and the aroma of roasted chestnuts fills the air. Tonight, there is a light dusting of the first season's snow.  Lovely.  Breathtaking. I am getting excited about the holidays and hope you wil join me in the celebration.

In celebration of the season, slow down, pour yourself a glass wine and enjoy dinner with the ones you love. I can promise you, you won't be dissappointed.  Just for fun, I've added some photos of recent guests of The Cook's Atelier.  It's a magical place.  We hope you come to visit soon....

Last days of summer

It's been a whirlwind here at The Cook's Atelier.  We've been slicing, chopping, whisking and stirring our way through summer.  It's been an amazing season and we are blessed to be sharing what we love most with all of you.  I'll be back soon with a recipe or two, but in the meantime, here are some photos so you can see what we've been up to.

Wishing you all the best for last days of summer...

Summer at The Cook's Atelier

It's summer here at The Cook's Atelier which means we are knee deep in heirloom tomatoes, we're pickling and preserving and there's plenty of chilled rosé.  In between cooking classes, vide greniers and working in the garden, I thought I'd share a few photos of the new friends we've met this season and a peek of the cook's kitchen.

A favorite summer treat is to jump in the car (aka Madeleine) and travel down the vineyard roads to a village vide grenier (tag sale).  For those of you who have visited The Cook's Atelier, you may have noticed I have a thing for vintage kitchen items, especially silverware, cutting boards, and creamy, white French platters and soup tureens to use for props for my photographs.  Last week I visited a little village about 20 minutes from Beaune for their annual vide grenier.  The village was absolutely charming and I promptly filled an old baker's basket with treasures and a vintage teddy bear for Luc.  To make it even more special, these ladies were selling warm waffles drizzled in honey from the local beekeeper.  Heaven.

So, if you find yourself in Burgundy, be sure to let us know.  We'd love to see you in the kitchen at The Cook's Atelier.  In the meantime, if you'd like to see what we are up to you can visit us here.

Happy summer!

 

Heirloom tomato salad

By Suzanne Goin, Sunday Suppers at Lucques

Serves 4

 

1/3 pound country bread

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 small clove of garlic

1 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

3 pounds heirloom tomatoes, assorted sizes, shapes, and colors

1 teaspoon fleur de sel

4 tablespoons basil

1/2 pound Roquefort cheese

1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut the crust off the bread and tear the remaining loaf into rustic 1-inch size pieces.  Using your hands, toss the pieces with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, squeezing the bread gently to help it absorb the oil.  Toast on a baking sheet 12 to 15 minutes, stirring a few times, until the croutons are golden brown and crispy on the outside but still a little soft and tender on the inside.

Using a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and a heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt to a paste.  Transfer to a bowl and stir in the vinegars.  Whisk in the remaining 6 tablespoons of olive oil and taste for seasoning.

Cut the half of the tomatoes into wedges and cut the other half into 1/4-inch slices.  Season with fleur de sel and some freshly ground black pepper.  Place the slices overlapping on a large platter, spoon a little of the vinaigrette over them, and scatter a little basil on top.

Toss the heirloom wedges and small tomatoes gently in a large bowl with the sliced shallots, 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, a grind or two of fresh pepper, and 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette if you like.  Gently toss in the croutons.

Arrange the salad on the platter, piling it up in the center.  Crumble the Roquefort cheese over the tomatoes.  Scatter the parsley and remaining basil over the top of the salad.

 

Red currant jam

The markets are filled with fruit and berries just perfect for jams and jellies and at Clos de la Cozanne, we had a bumper crop of raspberries and currants. In between our cooking classes, we are busy making small batch confiture, homemade cassis and raspberry liquor to preserve the tastes of spring.  

There is really something special about homemade jam.  It is lovely on your morning's toast or swirled into a cup of fresh yogurt, but it is worth making just for the sweet fragrance that fills the kitchen.

 

red currant jam

From Christine Ferber, Mes Confitures

2 3/4 pounds [1.2 kg] red currants, or 2 1/4 pounds [1 kg] net

3 3/4 cups [800 g] granulated sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

 

Rinse the red currants in cold water; drain them and stem them.  In a preserving pan, mix the fruit, sugar and lemon juice.  Bring to a simmer, and then pour this mixture into a ceramic bowl.  Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and refrigerate overnight.

Next day, put the mixture through a food mill (fine disk) to separate the seeds and skins.  In a preserving pan, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring gently.  Continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Skim carefully.  Return to a boil. Check the set. Put the jam into jars immediately and seal.

Cook's note:  

Take the time to stem the currants carefully, because the bits of stem will give a bitter taste to your juice.

Raspberry tart

It has been a whirlwind in the kitchen at The Cook's Atelier, but I thought I'd share a favorite recipe for a perfect summer raspberry tart. It's even more special using homegrown raspberries from the garden at Clos de la Cozanne.

Today is a special day as we planted a pear tree in the garden in honor of petite Luc.  He is a dream come true and I am so happy for Mama and Papa.  Seriously, he is the cutest little man I have ever seen!  In between the Mamie  kisses (that's French for Grandma), we have been cooking up a storm here at The Cook's Atelier and meeting lots of new friends who are passionate about cooking and eating real food.

Thank goodness he has a good appetite!

Raspberry tart

Makes one 9-inch tart

 

1/2 recipe Pate Sucree (recipe follows)

All-purpose flour, for work surface

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon sugar

Pastry Cream (recipe follows)

4 cups raspberries

confectioner’s sugar for dusting

 On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a 12-inch round, about 1/4 inch thick.  With a pastry brush, sweep off excess flour, fit dough into a 9-inch round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, pressing into the edges and using thumb to remove excess dough.  Chill tart shell until firm, about 30 minutes.

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Prick bottom of dough all over with a fork.  Line with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang.  Fill with dried beans and bake until the edges are just beginning to turn golden. Remove parchment paper and weights; continue baking until golden all over, 10 to 15 minutes.  Cool tart shell completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, whip the heavy cream and sugar in a bowl until soft peaks form.  Working in batches, gently fold whipped cream into pastry cream; set aside. 

Spoon pastry cream mixture into cooled tart shell and spread evenly.  Top with raspberries; dust with confectioner’s sugar.  Tart is best served the day it is made.

 

Pastry Cream

Makes about 1 3/4 cups

 

1 cup whole milk

1/2 vanilla bean, split

5 tablespoons sugar

3 large egg yolks

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

 

Place milk, vanilla bean and 4 tablespoons sugar in a medium saucepan over high heat; cook until almost boiling.

 In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks with remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar until thickened.  Sprinkle in the cornstarch and flour and continue beating until well combined.

Remove vanilla bean from milk.  While whisking constantly, slowly pour heated-milk mixture into egg yolk mixture.  Pour mixture through a fine sieve back into saucepan, and cook, whisking constantly, over medium-high heat, until it thickens, about 2 minutes.

Transfer to a large bowl and whisk in butter until melted.  Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly on the surface of the pastry cream; refrigerate until completely cooled.

Pâte sucrée

by Suzanne Goin, Sunday Suppers at Lucques

Makes enough for 2 tarts

 

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 large egg yolks

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

A pinch of sea salt

8 ounces unsalted butter, cut into pieces

 

Whisk the cream and the eggs together in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and butter.  Using your fingers, incorporate the butter until you have a coarse meal.  Gradually add the cream and yolks, and mix until just combined.  Be careful not to overwork the dough.  Bring the dough together with your hands to incorporate completely.  Divide the dough in half, shape into disks, and wrap one of them to freeze and use later.

 

If the dough is soft, put it into the refrigerator for a few minutes prior to rolling. Place it on a lightly floured work surface, and sprinkle with a little bit of flour. Roll it into a 1/4-inch-thick circle, flouring as needed. Started at one side, roll and wrap the dough around the rolling pin to pick it up.  Unroll the dough over the 9-inch tart pan.  Gently press the dough into the pan, being careful not to stretch it as this will cause it to shrink when baking.  To remove the excess dough, work your way around the edge pinching off the excess dough with your fingers.  Chill for 1 hour before baking.

 

 

Charentais melon salad

It's that time of year when the market is filled with the sweet perfume of the Charentais melon.  A simple salad, using the finest ingredients, makes for the perfect cook's lunch on a hot summer day.

Melon and prosciutto salad with roquette and basil

Serves 6

 

3 ripe melons

6 thin slices prosciutto di Parma

2 handfuls of roquette

18 very pretty basil leaves

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

For the vinaigrette

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.

 

In a small bowl, add the balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Stir together to form a broken vinaigrette.

Cut the melon in half lengthwise, remove the seeds, and slice the melon into 1-inch-thick wedges.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, toss the roquette with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place the roquette in the center of chilled salad plates.  Arrange the melon over the roquette.  Drape a slice of prosciutto over and around them, leaving some of the melon and roquette peeking through.  Drizzle with olive oil balsamic vinaigrette.  Scatter the basil leaves on top, and grind a little black pepper over the salad.