Apples! Pommes! Tarts! July's bounty

While I was busy with another huge crop of Apricots my Anna apple tree's branches were getting heavy with beautiful fruit.  I would pick a few each day and share them with my goats.  They love apples.  Soon I realized that I had a huge crop and would have to think about preserving them too.  After the apricot production started to wane I started in on the apples.:

                                                           A bushel or a peck?

I think a peck is a basket that holds about 25 apples.

A bushel is 4 pecks

My childhood song lyrics:  "I love you a bushel and a peck.....a bushel and a peck....and a hug around the neck."

basket of apples

Apples are  best eaten whole but I have to find another route for them so my French cooking kicked in an I decided to make a simple apple tart.... galette pommes.  really very easy:

Mis en place

As American as Apple Pie?  No as French as an apple tart

Recipe:

Ingredients:

4 small apples

1 sheet of premade puff pastry

sugar enough to sprinkle the tops of the apples

butter - enough to drop a little on top of the sugar

apricot jelly or jam - to make the glaze after baking

Calvados ( or as you can see I used Pernod) to flavor the glaze

Method:

Defrost one sheet of frozen puff pastry in the fridge.

Cut into 4 pieces and place on a parchment lined baking sheet

Peel, core and slice the apples.  Place the slices on the small rectangle of pastry

Sprinkle with sugar

Dot with butter

Palace in fridge while oven is preheating

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Bake for 30-40 minutes until the apples are slightly caramelized and the pastry is golden

Cool slightly

The French ALWAYS glaze their pastries with an apricot glaze.  It leaves the tart shiny with a slight sweetness to the finish

To make the glaze:

Heat about 1/2 cup apricot jam or jelly (Yep- got lots of this after my bounty of apricots In June.)  with about 2 TBS of Calvados ( ar any other compatible liquor  or water)

Paint a thin layer of glaze over the apples

Bon Appetit!

Apples on puff pastry

Out of the oven and glazed

finished presentation  (I ate the fourth one - the edges were a little burned so it didn't make the photo shoot)

But wait!   There's more!

I have been pretty successful dehydrating my fruit and then can share or eat in the off season although I'm not sure there is an off season here in Southern California

Many people say that this variety of apples is not any good but I disagree.  I have pruned, fed, watered and cared for my little tree with lots of love and dedication.  She has rewarded me for my efforts and I can put up a good argument for the quality of these beauties.

Bullet and LuLu enjoying their breakfast

An addition:

A lovely tarte tatin

A tarte tatin is an upside down caramelized apple pie.  The crust is a puff pastry puff.  This is a simple tart

 to make:

Start with 5 apples, rich spices ( cinnamon, star anise, cardamom pods and ginger "coins"

You'll also want to use a cast iron skillet - 8" or 9", a melon baller and a knife for pizza cutter to trim the pastry

Peel, half and core the apples with the melon baller

See how pretty they are?  You will use the halves to fill the skillet after the caramel has been started

Melt 4 TBs butter and add 2/3 cup sugar.  Cook slowly to dissolve the sugar.about 5-6 minutes  When golden and the sugar has melted drop in the spices ( cinnamon sticks, star anise, cardamon pods and peeled ginger "coins"  Then add the apples cut side UP.   Coat all the apple by turning in the caramel.  It will take about 10-20 minutes to cook the apples.  Don't let the caramel burn so watch your heat and your pan

Roll out one sheet of prepared puff pastry.  Store in freezer but defrost in fridge.  Roll out when pliable to 2" larger than skillet. Then cut a circle with the pizza wheel or knife.  Keep in fridge until ready to add to the cooked apples.

When the apples are cooked enough remove from the heat and preheat the stove to 425.  Let the apples cool while the oven is heating.  

Remove the pastry circle from fridge and top the apples tucking about 1" into the side of the pan and over the apples.  Faire attention! The skillet and/or apples may still be hot enough to burn you.  Work quickly so that the pastry is still cold.  Piece the top with a fork and pop in the oven   Bake until golden - about 25 minutes 

Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes 

Run a knife around the edge of the pan to release any pastry that might be stuck.  Place a heatproof serving plate over the skillet and, using potholders, carefully invert them together--  Might be messy if the caramel leaks out in the flip

Serve warm or at room temperature.  Great with a dollop of sour cream.

Bon Appetit!

Recipe from a mixing of Zoe Bakes ( a fabulous muse) and Simple Tarts by Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen

Enjoy your July!

Ricotta and lemon thyme and lavender tart, recipe for ricotta cheese

I made this tart two weeks ago when I had ricotta cheese left over from making a batch of goat milk cheddar.  Well I still have ricotta and thought I'd try a different version.  This recipe is inspired by and modified from John Ash's cookbook "From the Earth to the Table".  This time I lined the crust with a paste of roasted tomatoes.  The crust itself is a slightly sweet cornbread based pastry made with cup 4 cup flour so it's also Gluten Free.  Give it a try with or without gluten.  Try the tart filling with any herbs you like:

crust ingredients

crust mise en place

Ingredients for cornmeal crust:

butter, 1/2 cup softened

sugar, 2 TBS

cornmeal, 1 cup

eggs, 2- at room temperature

salt, 1 tsp

all purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups - I use Cup 4 Cup whenever possible for a gluten-free choice

Method:

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the butter and sugar and beat until smooth

Add cornmeal, eggs, and salt

Beat until well combined

Add flour and mix until dough forms a ball.  The mixture should be soft and moist

Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour

Preheat oven to 350 deg. 

Butter a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom

On a floured work surface roll out the dough to fit the pan.  Transfer to the tart pan.

Press the dough into then pan, trimming any excess

Prick the dough with the tines of a fork

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until just lightly browned.

Any leftover dough can be rolled out and cut into biscuits

happens to the best of us

just pretend it's play dough

Meanwhile gather the ingredients for your filling.  I had fresh tomatoes ( Pineapple and Cherokee Purple) from the garden.....lemon thyme, a pinch of coconut thyme blossoms, and lavender buds.  The ricotta was from the last batch of cheddar cheese.

Ricotta Cheese:

Ricotta is usually made from the whey from a hard cheese process.  Assuming you don't have a lactating goat and you don't have any fresh whey on hand let's make the best of it.

Ingredients:

whole milk, 1 gallon, NOT ultra pasteurized

cream, 1 cup, not ultra pasteurized 

apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup

salt - sea or kosher - no iodine- 1-2 tsp

honey - optional - for sweet cheese

Equipment:

Instant read thermometer

cheesecloth

strainer

Method:

Bring milk and cream to 190 deg

Add vinegar and continue to stir 

Turn off heat

You will see the curds (solids) begin to separate from the whey (liquid) 

Line the strainer with the cheesecloth and place over a vessel large enough to collect all the whey

Lift cheese with cloth and hang to let remaining whey drip out. If you want it dryer give it a squeeze while it's still in the cheesecloth

After about an hour transfer the curds to a bowl and salt to taste

Will keep about a week in the fridge or you can freeze

I don't know how much this will produce.  When I use 2 gallons of goat milk I get about a pound or 3 cups.

Now we're ready to make the filling:   This will take a while because you need to reduce the sauce and cool it before adding the eggs.  I take a nap while the sauce is cooling.  Or you can use an ice water bain Marie to speed up the process- or both

Recipe for filling:

Ingredients: 

Butter, unsalted, 1 TBS

Shallots, 4 TBS minced  ( can use scallions - white and green parts)

Heavy cream, 2/3 cup

Wine, white, dry,  1/2 cup

Sea Salt, 1/2 tsp

Pepper, freshly ground, 1/4 tsp

Ricotta cheese, fresh, 3/4 lb

Eggs, 3

Herbs, fresh 1 1/2 TBS, I used lemon thyme, lavender and a pinch of the flowers from coconut thyme

Method:

In a medium sauté pan melt butter and add shallots until soft but not brown

Add cream, wine, salt and pepper

Bring to a simmer and reduce to half

The kitchen will smell marvelous!!!!

Cool

In the food processor add ricotta, eggs and herbs.

Add room temp or cooler reduction sauce and beat until smooth

Pour into crust with or without roasted tomato paste lining

Bake at 350 deg for 35-40 minutes or until filling is set and lightly brown.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

tart filling ingredients

tart filling mise in place

Roasted tomatoes:

These have wonderful flavor

Cut fresh tomatoes in half and place face down on baking sheet

Roast at 375 deg until brown (at least an hour).  This is what mine looked like after an hour:

roasted tomatoes

Remove the skins and smooth or rough chop in a small blender.
Use the browned bits too
Use a pastry brush and slightly cover the cooled crust

fresh chopped herbs

Bon Appetit!

Kate and her chocolate honey almond tart

Kate and her chocolate tart, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Gluten-free. Does this look like her world has been compromised? Not at all. Kate has celiac disease which makes her body very sick if she has gluten in her diet. So we, like many families, have figured out some solutions.
This chocolate tart is really delicious. It is an offtake of Giada de Laurentes' recipe. It is simple: a chocolate cookie and almond crust baked in a springform pan with a honey sweetened ganache filling.
With or without gluten you should try this one:
Chocolate honey almond tart:

Preheat oven to 350deg

chocolate cookies, Pamela's gluten free (or chocolate graham crackers) 5 1/2 oz.
2Tbs almond flour Or almonds
1/2 cup butter, room temp, cut into 1/2 inch squares
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup honey
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a food processor crush and mix chocolate cookies and almonds
Add room temp chunks of butter
Press into buttered springform pan
Bake for 12 minutes
Cool for 20 minutes
Meanwhile:
Heat cream and honey on stove until honey is melted and mixture is smooth and hot
Pour over bowl holding chocolate chips
Stir and whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth
Pour over crust
Place in fridge to cool- at least 5 hrs.

Bon Appetit gluten free friends!

Tourte Milanese

Tourte Milanese, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

A good choice for New Year's Eve dinner or brunch the next morning. We had this layered pastry on Christmas Eve. It baked while we were out and when it was time for dinner it was still warm and ready to eat.
I first made this dish about 35 years ago after taking a demonstration cooking class at Williams-Sonoma. I was dying to try it as soon as I got home. It was often the main feature of a brunch-filled with omelets and ham. Since fresh eggs are daily ritual at my house it only seemed perfect to include them in my Christmas Eve meal.
I do hope you can try this Italian tart for yourself

Tourte Milanese, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

and the inside

layering the torte, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

1st layer: omelet
2nd layer: kale (spinich, or Swiss chard)
3rd layer: 1/4 lb sliced ham
4th layer: 1/4 lb Swiss cheese
5th layer: red peppers, roasted and peeled
6th layer: 1/4 lb Swiss cheese
7th layer: 1/4 lbs sliced ham
8th layer: sauteed kale
9th layer: herbed omelet

Line an 8 inch springform pan with 2/3 pastry. layer away, top with the remaining 1/3 pastry dough and make an extra design on top.
Brush with a mixture of 1 egg yolk and 2 Tbs cream.
Bake at 375 deg for 1 hour 10 minutes
Serve hot or room temp