Quince Tart Tatin

Quince are an odd fruit: they look a bit like an overgrown lemon, smell a bit like a banana, and, when cooked, taste like a tart apple-pear hybrid. What's not to love?

I first tried quince in DC; they were included in an apple pie. I loved the combination, but wanted to use quince as a featured ingredient in a dish, to give myself a better sense of the fruit's own unique flavor profile.

For one 10" tart, you'll need:

+ 1 10" round of pâte feuilleteé
+ 3-5 quinces (look for firm fruits and bright yellow skin)
+ butter, 4 tablespoons
+ sugar, 2/3 cup
+ salt, pinch

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Peel, core, and slice the quince. You should end up with about 4 cups, or enough for a single layer of fruit in a 10" skillet. Melt the butter in a cast-iron skillet*, add the quince and salt, and saute over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Remove fruit from pan.

Turn the heat down to medium-low, and add the sugar. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture constantly until the sugar melts and a caramel forms. Remove from heat.

Gently and carefully arrange the quince slices in a single layer in the skillet. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, top with the puff pastry, and bake for another 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from oven; cool for at least 10 minutes.

Invert onto a platter. Use tongs or other utensils to move any quince slices which stuck to the pan to their proper place. If the fruits look a bit "too dark," fear not: they're simply deeply caramelized and sweet. Traditional, apple-based tart tatins are served with a dollop of crème fraîche-- however, this isn't exactly a "traditional" dish, is it?

Enjoy!

* You can certainly use any skillet with an oven-safe handle, but a cast iron pan will impart more flavor and color to the dish.

Pâte Feuilletée

Ever wondered what puts the "puff" into puff pastry? It's the hundreds of layers of butter-- 729, to be exact. Though this recipe is a bit time consuming, it's worth your time; you'll never want to go back to frozen puff pastry again!

For one large sheet, you'll need:

+ flour, 1/2 cup & 1 1/2 cups, divided, plus extra for dusting
+ butter, 4 sticks, softened*
+ heavy cream, 1 cup
+ salt, 1 large pinch

First, whip the butter in a food processor or with an electric mixer. Slowly incorporate the 1/2 cup of flour. When thick and fluffy, place the butter mixture on a piece of flour-dusted plastic wrap. Roughly shape the butter mixture into a square (about 1" x 4" x 4"), secure with plastic wrap, and pop in the freezer.

While the butter is hardening, put the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour into the food processor with the salt. Slowly drizzle in cold heavy cream, until the mixture forms a dough. On a floured board, roll the dough into a rectangle, approximately 4" wide and 8" long. Deposit the butter mixture at one end of the dough, and fold the dough, basically creating a butter "sandwich." Wrap in plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

On a floured board, roll the dough to double its length. Fold the dough on itself three times (as if you were folding a letter), lightly roll to smooth, and return to refrigerator for another 30 minutes. This is the first of six turns; now, your dough contains three layers of butter. Repeat this step five more times.

Roll the finished product into a thin square, and use a paring knife to trim any rough edges away. Refrigerate for up to 2 days, or freeze for several months. Always thaw before using!

* Many recipes call for cold, minced pieces of butter, as is common in pie dough. However, by softening the butter, you make the flour easier to incorporate into the butter, allowing for a smoother, easier-to-handle final product.

Asparagus-Prosciutto Tart

(I feel like I've been using a lot of frozen puff pastry lately, which is a little embarrassing, since I know how to make it myself. When I'm home with proper cooking tools, I'll post a recipe for homemade Pâte Feuilletée.) In this particular dish, the mild fontina cheese mellows out the saltiness of the prosciutto and complements the sweet nuttiness of the asparagus.


For one (approximately 11 inches x 11 inches) tart, you'll need:

+ one sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed
+ one bundle of fresh asparagus (the thinner, the better)
+ fontina cheese, grated, 1/2 cup
+ prosciutto, about 7 sheets
+ olive oil, 2 teaspoon
+ S&P
+ balsamic vinegar, 5 tablespoons

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the woody ends from the asparagus, and slice the remaining portion into 1 inch pieces. Cut the prosciutto into thick ribbons (see this page on how to chiffonade).

Evenly spread 2 tablespoons of the cheese directly onto the pastry. Add the asparagus; drizzle with olive oil and lightly salt and pepper. Add the prosciutto and remaining cheese. Add a bit more pepper (you probably won't need any salt, because of the prosciutto), and slide it into the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the pastry golden brown.

While the tart is baking, reduce the balsamic vinegar by half. When you remove the tart from the oven, drizzle the reduction on top. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Puffs

These are so simple (and, I'll admit, a bit unoriginal) that I was almost embarrassed to post this recipe; however, they're just too yummy not to be shared!

For a plate of puffs (to serve several children or two famished "big kids" (yes, I refuse to admit that I'm a grown up), you'll need:

+ frozen puff pastry, thawed, 1 sheet

+ granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons

+ ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon

+ salt, 1 small pinch

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Cut puff pastry into small pieces of roughly equal size.  In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon and salt.  Sprinkle sugar mixture evenly over puff pastry, and press into the dough with the back of a spoon.

Bake for about 18 minutes, or until golden brown.  Enjoy- preferably with a glass of cold milk!

Saucisson en Croute

This rustic, French dish is really just a classier version of what we Americans call Pigs-in-a-Blanket, and the recipe couldn't be much easier.

For eight, you'll need:

+ 4 chicken sausages* (get the fully cooked kind) or 1 small kielbasa
+ 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed
+ 1 egg


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Beat the egg in a bowl; set aside. If using chicken sausages, slice each one in half. If using kielbasa, slice it into 8 3-to-4 inch slices. Cut the puff pastry into 8 rectangles of equal size, and shape one around each sausage segment. Arrange evenly on a baking sheet, making sure that none of the sausages are touching. Brush the tops with egg wash.

Bake for 25 minutes. Turn the broiler on (and the oven off, if your oven allows both to be on at once), crack the oven door, and broil for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before eating; enjoy!

Great as a finger food at a party, served with country-style coarse mustard, or alongside a cool salad or side dish. (I served mine with Balsamic Cucumber-Apple Relish: 2 cucumbers (halved, seeded and diced), 1/2 green apple (cored and diced), 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of honey and liberal amounts to S&P, to taste.)


* There are some chicken sausages in most grocery stores now with a huge variety of flavors: I used a smoked chicken sausage with apples and Chardonnay.

Simple Apple Tart

This rustic, classic dessert* is a breeze to prepare.

For one tart, you'll need:

+ 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed
+ 2 Granny Smith apples
+ 1 lemon
+ sugar, 3 tablespoons
+ butter, 1 tablespoon
+ apricot jam, heated and strained (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Peel, core and thinly slice apples. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over them to prevent browning. Sprinkle one tablespoon of sugar over the puff pastry. Arrange apple slices (in neat rows, or not, it's up to you) evenly on the pastry. Sprinkle remaining sugar on top of the apples. Bake on a baking sheet for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. If you want to add a French flair to your tart, brush the jam over the apples. Enjoy!


* J and I like this for breakfast, too. Add some bacon, and it's a great early-morning treat!

Chicken Pot Pie

I kept this recipe surprisingly similar to the ancient one my dad has always used. It's simple, familiar and comforting.

For four 1o ounce servings (in ramekins), you'll need:

+ 2 chicken breasts, trimmed
+ 1 1/2 cups of green peas, fresh or frozen
+ 2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks
+ 2 shallots
+ 2 cloves of garlic
+ olive oil
+ Worchestershire sauce, 4 tbsp
+ S&P
+ butter, 4 tbsp
+ heavy cream
+ dry white wine

+ frozen puff pastry, thawed

+ parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Blanch carrots (if using fresh peas, go ahead and throw them into the pot, too); set aside. Add olive oil to a skillet and bring to medium-high heat. Lightly coat chicken breasts in Worchestershire sauce; liberally add S&P. Pan-fry covered, until just cooked, approximately 7 minutes on each side. Set aside, and cut into large chunks when cool.

While chicken is cooking, mince garlic and slice shallots. After removing chicken from pan, add a liberal splash of wine to deglaze; whisk to remove the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Lightly saute garlic and shallots; melt butter into sauce.  Finish with cream, salt and pepper. Fold chicken and vegetables into sauce stir until just coated.  Evenly distribute mixture between ramekins, and top each with a round of puff pastry.  Sprinkle the grated cheese on top of each one, and bake until golden brown (anywhere from 10-20 minutes).  Enjoy!

Sticky Cinnamon Buns

They may not be the prettiest things, but they're delicious!

+ 2 sheets of frozen puff pastry

+ brown sugar (3/4 c.)

+ cinnamon (2 tbsp)

+ nutmeg (2 tsp)

+ heavy cream

+ butter

+ pecans (candied, toasted or otherwise)

(You can do this as far in advance as the night before, but at least 30 minutes before baking.)

Thaw puff pastry at room temperature for 5-10 minutes, or until pliable. Flour your work station to prevent sticking. (Work with one sheet at a time!) Brush a thin layer of heavy cream onto one side of the pastry; evenly cover with half each of the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Using (clean!) fingers or a paring knife, flake 1/2 tbsp of cold butter over the sugar. Break the pecans into small pieces, and evenly disperse over the sugar. Roll puff pastry tightly into a log. Flour the outside; wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 30 minutes. Repeat for the second sheet of puff pastry.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a square baking dish (I used an aluminum 8x8x2). In a small bowl, blend 2 tbsp of room temperature butter, 2 tbsp of honey and 1/4 cup of brown sugar.

Slice the ends off of each log; discard. Slice each log into 5 segments of equal length; stand spiral-end-up in the baking dish in a checkerboard formation. Top each of the 10 rolls with a teaspoon of the honey-sugar mixture.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. (Check them regularly.) Enjoy!