The Cook's Atelier

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.