Thursday, June 13, 2013

Rhubarb Nectarine Puff Pastry Tarts


Many years ago, we lived just south of Paris and were blessed with a large garden, most unusual, even in our neighborhood, because of the way our city block was shaped.  The front garden was wide, about 40 feet across, narrowing down by almost 20 feet by the time you got behind the house to the backyard, a large pie-piece shaped garden with the tip cut off.   In the front, we had all the hazelnuts we could eat, courtesy of the left side neighbor, Madame Coucou, so named by us because she would call to me from her porch, “Cou cou!”  In the back, we had a fabulous sweet cherry tree that produced more cherries than we could possibly use, no matter that we ate them steadily and made jam and pies and cherry bounce.   We gave them away to friends and neighbors.  What I didn’t know until our last year there, was that we also had rhubarb in the front yard.  My in-laws came to visit and pointed it out, all hidden under a large bush, so low to the ground.   How could we have missed it!  Rhubarb is one of our favorite things.  My excitement at the discovery was tinged with sadness for the years of missed crops.

Now every summer we eagerly await rhubarb season, when a few choice stalks can be purchased and pie can be baked.  Often it is apple and rhubarb, but occasionally sweet yellow nectarines also make their irresistible appearance.   Summer means a hot kitchen so cooking the fruit on the stove and quick baking puff pastry lets me crank the oven up and then turn it off rather than baking a whole fruit pie for an hour or more.  You could do this with any seasonal fruit.

Ingredients
3 stalks rhubarb
2 ripe nectarines
3-4 tablespoons vanilla sugar or normal sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Good pinch salt
2 sheets puff pastry (about 8in x 8in or 20cm x 20cm)
1/2 cup or 120ml whipping cream

Method
Preheat to 400°F or 200°C.  Fold your sheets of puff pastry in half and then in half again.



Cut around the square with a sharp knife or kitchen scissors to create a circle – or, honestly, leave it square if you want.  I just think the circles are prettier.  But do trim the edges off all around.  Freshly cut puff pastry puffs up way more successfully.


Use a large round cookie cutter to score a circle in the middle of the puff pastry.  Do not cut all the way through.


Dock the middle of the circles with the tines of a fork.   Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.



Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry has puffed up and is golden all over.  Meanwhile, chop the rhubarb into chunks.


Cut the nectarines in half and remove the pits.  Cut in chunks.


Put the fruit in a small pot with the 3 tablespoons sugar and salt.



Cook for about 10 minutes or until the rhubarb is completely softened and the nectarines are cooked.  Taste and add the extra sugar if necessary.  Set aside to cool.


When the puff pastry is done, remove from the oven and allow to cool.  Cut around the scored circle with a sharp pointy knife and then gently press it down, creating a hole for the fruit.  Set aside.



When you are ready to serve, whip the cream and fill the pastry shells with fruit and then top with whipped cream.



Enjoy!


Monday, June 10, 2013

Caramel Apple Bacon Muffins #MuffinMonday


During the first couple of years of our married expat life, we lived in Abu Dhabi and I was able to get an employment pass to work.  As editor and copywriter at a small publishing house and advertising agency, and the only native English speaker in the production team, I was responsible for everything written that went out from print ads to annual reports to the British Club magazine, which I edited.  The office was tiny so camaraderie was big.

My fellow expats, and we were all expats because it’s not often you find Emiratis in a regular office job, were a friendly bunch, but after the first year, I heard of a public relations manager position open at the InterContinental Hotel.   I applied and got the job, thinking to myself that no matter where we were transferred next for my husband’s job, the experience would be valuable because, hey, everywhere had hotels, right?  I guess you know where I am headed with this.  The next place was Balikpapan, Indonesia, a little oilfield town on the southeast corner of the island of Borneo.  While there was one relatively decent hotel, my passport was stamped Employment Prohibited.  For the rest of my expat life, that stamp or similar has been a permanent part of each move.  (Aside from Paris, but that’s another story entirely.)  So I volunteer.  I put my writing and editing and public relations skills to work for my daughters’ schools and non-profit organizations.  And through the years, I have found the camaraderie of that Abu Dhabi office in many places and many organizations.

This is a very long way around telling you that in Houston, Texas, I used a jam that was given to me by a fellow expat with whom I served on the board of directors at the American Association of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.  Times were tough a few years back and Kristy and her husband needed a home in Houston while he began treatment for brain cancer.   This jam was part of a thank you gift from her home state of Missouri and it has been in my refrigerator, unopened, just waiting for the right moment.  This is it.  I hope you have some good friends to work with who gift you with jam as well.  Use it for muffins.


Ingredients
5 slices or rashers streaky bacon
2 cups or 250g all purpose flour
3/4 cup or 170g sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup or 180ml milk
1/2 cup or 120ml canola oil
1/3 cup or 80ml caramel apple jam
2 eggs

Method
Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare a 12-cup muffin pan by greasing it or lining it with paper muffin cups.   If you have gingham cups your sweet daughter bought you at the Providence opening of Sur La Table, they would be perfect. (Thanks, Cecilie!)

Fry your bacon relatively crispy, drain on paper towels, then and chop it up with a large knife.


Combine your flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.


In another smaller bowl, whisk together your milk, egg and oil.


Add in the caramel apple jam and whisk to incorporate.



Pour your egg/milk mixture into your dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.



If you have a vegetarian or two in your household, like I do, you can scoop some batter into a couple of muffin cups right now, before adding the bacon.  This means that the other 10 muffins will have more bacon, but more bacon is always a good thing.

Now fold in the bacon bits, reserving just a few for topping, if desired.


Divide the muffin batter between the muffin cups.


Top each cup with a few of the bacon bits for decoration, avoiding those without bacon inside, of course.


Bake in your preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.


Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.  Remove the muffins and cool completely on a wire rack.


Enjoy!







Sunday, June 9, 2013

Grilled Fennel Salad

Grilled fennel and purple onions, simply dressed with lemon juice and olive oil, make a lovely fresh salad.

When I was a young girl, I didn’t know anyone with a food allergy.   By the time my own babies came along and grew to school-age, a couple of their classmates were mildly allergic to nuts.   Now it seems like allergies and intolerances are rampant and many have become life-threatening.  Which is rather scary.  I am in awe of the parents who work hard to make life normal for those children, working on recipes that eliminate the offending ingredients but still taste great.

Our host for this week’s Sunday Supper , Bea of The Not So Cheesy Kitchen, is one such mom.  Her daughters cannot eat milk sugar (lactose) in any form, so her blog is a fabulous dairy-free resource with delicious recipes.  Most posts include photos of her adorable daughters offering their opinion on the dishes with one or two thumbs up, which means that Bea’s recipes are not only healthy but kid-friendly and approved.  Which, I am sure you will agree, is very important to a successful Sunday Supper.

This week the Sunday Supper group explores “free-from” recipes, so there are tasty options for everyone, no matter what their food allergies or diet restrictions.

Ingredients
1 large or 2-3 small fennel bulbs, preferably with some fronds
1 small purple onion
Olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
Sea salt
Black pepper

Method
Cut the frond off of the fennel bulbs and set aside.  Trim the tough stems and discard.  Now cut the bulbs from top to bottom into slices which are a little skinnier than half an inch or 1 cm thick.



Slice the onion very thinly.


Put the onion in your salad bowl and sprinkle with sea salt.  Squeeze over the juice of your lemon.  Set aside.  This will take some of the sharpness out of the raw onion.



Heat your griddle pan till it is searing hot.  Lay the fennel slices on the griddle and weigh them down with something heavy, like a full kettle.  Cook for three to four minutes or until the fennel softens just slightly and there are lovely char marks on one side.



Turn the fennel slices over and weigh them down again.  Cook for another three or four minutes, making sure to get some charred lines on the other side.


Remove the fennel to a cutting board and allow to cool.


Chop the grilled fennel up and add it to the salad bowl.


Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.  Give the whole thing a good stir and add more salt, pepper and olive oil to taste.


Top with the chopped fennel fronds.


I served this alongside the smothered pork chops and potatoes from my recent Mothers' Day post.     It is a great fresh complement to a rich meal.


Enjoy!


Have a look at all the wonderful "free from" recipes this week.  It's a fabulous round up of flavor!

Breakfast

  • Dairy, Egg, Gluten, Nut & Soy Free Brown Rice Breakfast Pudding by girlichef
  • Dairy & Nut and Sugar Free Blueberry Tangerine Muffins by Vintage Kitchen
  • Dairy, Egg, Gluten, Nut, and Soy Free Homemade Mango Jam Recipe by Masala Herb

Main Courses

Sides

Breads

Treats

Drinks