FFWD: Pumpkin Flan

Pumpkin Flan with Brown Butter Fried Sage

Happy Friday everyone! This Friday marks the fourth recipe I have made with French Fridays with Dorie(check out the other members' posts using this link), from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, "Around My French Table". We were given free reign to choose the order that we want to cook the four recipes for the month of November. Being in the pumpkin mood, I decided to make the Pumpkin Gorgonzola Flans. Flan makes me think of Sabrina the Teenage Witch (anyone get that reference?) and delicious caramel. However, this recipe is for savory flan. Because I don't care much for gorgonzola, I excluded the cheese and the walnuts. Due to my substitutions, my flans could aptly be named "pumpkin flan with brown butter fried sage".

Frying the sage leaves in brown butter.

My flans had some cracks in them, but they were the perfect consistency.

These flans came together in a snap. You simply toss eggs, heavy cream, pumpkin, salt, and pepper (and my secret addition of nutmeg) in a blender and the flan is ready to be poured and baked.

Mmm savory pumpkin flan.

These flans were like a pumpkin pie without the sugar. AJ kept thanking me for making pumpkin pie for dinner! They were creamy, yet light. I loved the hint of nutmeg and the crunchy sage leaves. Really a wonderful meal, especially with the weather getting cooler. I served these with sauteed garlic kale and a Riesling. Delicious and by far my favorite dish thus far!

FFWD: Marie Helene's Apple Cake

Apple Cake

Marie Helene's Apple cake had a few simple ingredients: flour, eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, salt, baking powder and rum. I ended up subbing bourbon for the rum. Not sure this was an entirely good idea, although I think it still tasted pretty good.

Mixing up the apples.

Side view.

Lots of apples.

Another issue I had is that I didn't have a springform pan (I know I should just buy one!) I decided to use a regular cake pan instead. I lined it with wax paper as some other FFWDers suggested. My cake doesn't look as pretty as the one in the book, and I'm not sure if it could have used another 5 minutes in the oven. I also kept opening the oven (another no-no). I might try making this one again, as I loved the way the apples tasted, but was a little less enthused about the cake.

Warm slice.

FFWD: Hachis Parmentier

Hachis Parmentier - For One.

So I missed last week's French Friday's with Dorie (FFWD). Long story short, it was hot, I didn't feel like making soup. I apologize. But now that the temperatures are below 90 degrees, I'm feeling a little more in the comfort food mode. This week's dish is Hachis Parmentier - the French equivalent of Shepherd's Pie. Leave it to the French to make something simple like Shepherd's pie sound like something gourmet. "Hachis" refers to a dish in which the ingredients are chopped or minced (my French language friends can correct me if I'm wrong). And indeed this meal consists of chopped meat and veggies. I should note that traditional hachis parmentier does not have vegetables, but I enjoyed the added flavors from the mirepoix. Look at me using fancy french terms (mirepoix means carrots, celery, and onion)!

Filling ingredients - ground (grass-fed) beef, chicken sausage, celery, carrot, onion, garlic, tomato paste.

This dish is rather simple and comes together fairly quickly. I ended up making this dish for one. Don't look at me with those sad eyes, it was actually rather fun enjoying this meal by myself with a glass of merlot. That's right I had a glass of wine - by myself. No, I don't think that makes me an alcoholic. I think it makes me rather French! But back to the Hachis Parmentier! It essentially entails sauteeing ground beef, vegetables, and some tomato paste and topping it with mashed potatoes and cheese. Does that sound delicious? That's because it is delicious.

Sauteeing the mirepoix and tomato paste with the ground beef.

Now, I'm not usually a huge beef person. I think this is actually the first time I've made red meat at home since I moved to California. Don't get me wrong, I love a good hamburger. I had a burger a couple of weeks ago. But in an attempt to decrease my carbon footprint (ya da ya da ya da) I don't usually cook meat at home. I found this dish easy to make, especially because I went for the ground beef instead of the cube steak. The cube steak may be super amazing, but I didn't use it.

The filling goes into a casserole dish.

Once, the filling is done you start on the mashed potatoes. I boiled one potato (as this dish was for one person). You make the mashed potato and add it on top of the filling. Then you add some grated gruyere on top and bake. The flavors were rather wonderful, I think the herb and garlic sausage I used was a great addition. The mashed potatoes are nice and creamy and work well with the ground beef filling. I recommend eating this with a glass of merlot. As Julia Child would say, a little sherry for the soup, a little sherry for me! Replace with merlot and repeat.

"A little sherry for the soup, a little sherry for me!" - Julia Child

Mashed potatoes.

Top with gruyere.

Golden out of the oven.

Enjoy!

French Fridays with Dorie (FFWD) - Gerard's Mustard Tart

Mustard Tart with carrots and leeks.

Happy Friday everyone! I recently joined a cooking blog called "French Fridays with Dorie." Every Friday I will be posting about a different recipe from Dorie Greenspan's book "Around My French Table." I am excited about this new venture as it will expand my recipe book and give me a better hand on french cuisine. AJ says he doesn't like French food, but I am convinced that I will prove him wrong!

This week's recipe is called "Gerard's Mustard Tart." If you have ever made a quiche before, then you will be familiar with the steps. The crust was the first step, which was a pate brisee - made with flour, butter, a little sugar, salt, egg, and water. My typical pie crust leaves out an egg, so I was interested to see how different this would taste. I made the crust a day in advance and I would recommend you do the same. It needs to chill for several hours.

Food processor makes this easy.

Turn out onto a clean surface and then...

Form into a nice disc and chill.

Then you end up with something like this - ready to bake!

Whisking together the filling.

The filling came together in a cinch! And once you have the dough baked this comes together in just over 30 minutes. The mustard adds a tanginess that compliments the custard very nicely. The sweetness of the carrots and leeks really brings this together! I wasn't sure if the mustard would be too overpowering, but I really enjoyed this. I have lots of tart to eat for brunch on Saturday - yum.

Layering the steamed carrots and leeks on top of the filling.

Fresh out of the oven!

The Blue Fig

The Blue Fig - Blue cornmeal waffle with bananas, whipped cream, fig reduction.

One of the joys of moving to San Francisco has been the plethora of restaurants to choose from. Last weekend we went to Yelp in search of a breakfast/coffee place and landed upon The Blue Fig. The Blue Fig opened up in the Mission district a couple of weeks ago. This quaint cafe has some steep competition what with being right next door to Ritual Coffee. But the Blue Fig's emphasis is more on the food than the coffee - serving up waffles, pastries, and sandwiches.

Chai Latte and Soy Latte.

The Blue Fig was hopping when we arrived around 10am on Saturday - with every table taken but one. Not that there are a ton of tables - approximately 12-15 seats in the place, with an extra 4-5 outside. They were a little shortstaffed, with one woman serving as cashier, barista, and waitress all in one. The chef was right behind the counter, making waffles and eggs. He helped out, delivering our food to our table himself.

We ended up choosing the signature "Blue Fig" waffle, bacon waffle, and a soy and chai latte. The lattes were rather standard, reminding me somewhat of Starbucks. Our food took a little longer than usual, but came off hot from the griddle. The Blue Fig is a blue cornmeal waffle served with bananas, whipped cream, banana syrup, and fig reduction. I was expecting more of a bright blue, than the lavendar waffle that appeared. The sundae that was served on top also took me by surprise - there was enough whipped cream for an episode of Double Dare! But I digress, the waffle was rather interesting, with a spongy texture. The fig reduction was incredibly tangy and complex, which worked well with the sweet bananas and whipped cream. I'm not sure I would order it again, as I prefer my figs whole, but it certainly was a different experience.

The bacon waffle was more traditional, but just still unique in its own right. A buttermilk cornmeal waffle is made with bacon inside of it, which is then topped with bacon and scrambled eggs. The salty bacon worked really nicely with the waffle and eggs. Drizzled with maple syrup - this really hit the spot.

I like the vibe of Blue Fig - a neighborhood joint with some decent eats, and friendly staff. On our way out we asked the chef to recommend some good bakeries. He pointed us to Arizmendi's bakery a couple blocks away, which was serving up free goodies that day! Waffles plus baked goods = an excellent start to the weekend.

The Blue Fig

990 Valencia St.

San Francisco, CA

Heat Wave in Northern California - Dishes to Help You Cope

Virgin mojito - my relief from the heat

This summer has generally been rather cool, only occasionally rising above 80 degrees. As a former Virginian a typical summer day is in the mid-90s combined with unbearable humidity. So you can see why I don't usually bat an eye when the thermometer creeps up to the upper 80s. However, as the months go by the wussier I seem to get. This weekend's high of 90 degrees had me begging for A/C.

Green bean, zucchini, tomato, chickpea salad.

Now in Virginia I could crank up the A/C all I liked, but in the San Francisco Bay area A/C is a rarity. With no respite from the heat, I prefer to keep my oven and stove off. But a girl gets hungry (and thirsty), so here are some nice dishes (and drinks) to keep you cool.

The green bean salad was a concoction I threw together when I got home from work. I had just gone to the farmer's market on Saturday so I had some nice green beans, zucchini, and heirloom tomatoes. But trust me, this salad would be just as lovely with some broccoli or maybe some cucumbers and bell pepper. The key is the simple dressing which adds such depth of flavor (BONUS: and little fat). I serve this salad with a nice loaf of multigrain bread (from the store, because who wants to bake in this heat?)

My favorite drink to accompany this beauty of a salad is the virgin mojito. Now don't get me wrong if you're feeling the need for some rum, I enjoy those too. But when it's really hot alcohol will just make me sleepier. The combination of mint, lime juice, club soda, and just a shot of sprite is so refreshing.

Green Bean Salad

1 zucchini

1/2-3/4 lb green beans (trimmed of ends)

1 heirloom tomato (diced)

1/2-3/4 can of chickpeas (6-8 oz)

1 clove garlic (minced)

1-2 tbsp mint (chopped)

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

zest of one lemon

juice of one lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

Place an inch of water into a large pot with a steamer to place the vegetables on. Bring to a boil. Take the zucchini and cut into 1/4 in rounds and slice those into half moons. Cut green beans in half or thirds. Place vegetables into pot and steam for 5-7 minutes (depending on how crunchy you like your vegetables). Set aside to cool for a couple minutes. Chop tomato, mint and mince garlic and set aside. Zest the lemon and pour lemon juice into a large bowl. Add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper and mix until thoroughly combined. Drain chickpeas. Add steamed vegetables, tomato, chickpeas, and mint to the vinaigrette in the bowl. Toss to combine. Serve with bread and cheese.

Virgin Mojito

1 lime

3 ice cubes

couple sprigs of mint

club soda

sprite

Take a glass and fill with juice of half a lime, torn mint leaves, and a shot of sprite. Muddle in glass with a spoon. Add ice and club soda. Enjoy!

Perfection in a glass.

When the soup's in the cup...

Sip it like its hot, sip it like its hot. Oh Justin Timberlake, you crack me up. If you haven't seen his SNL skit as the Cup O' Soup, you must check it out:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2159391/cup_o_soup/

Now that September is upon us, what better way to mark the beginning of the fall season than by cooking up a batch of butternut squash soup! Katy and I took one evening this week to make ourselves a warm, comforting and quick meal. We used a Giada De Laurentis recipe and I have to say she really does know her stuff. We've tried a bunch of her dishes and they've never failed. I don't always love that she must pronounce every word with the proper Italian accent, I mean we get it, you're Italian, you don't need to force these words, "paahnchettaahh, mooozaaahrellaaa and parmaahgeeaahnoo reggiaahhnoo!" down our throats, okay?

Butternut Squash soup with Sage

That being said, I love that Giada uses fresh simple flavors with just a few ingredients. Don't you love when you don't have to buy 15 million ingredients for just one dish? I was skeptical about how just a few veggies, herbs and some olive oil could make such a rich and tasty soup, but it really was one of the best soups I've ever tasted. No cream required! It tastes so earthy from all the sage, and the onions and garlic really bring out the sweetness and nuttiness of the squash and carrots. The color of the soup was a beautiful orange with little flecks of green from the herbs. What really kicked this soup up a notch was the fontina and sage crostini Giada pairs with the soup. It just adds another level of flavor and a nice gourmet touch. All you have to do is cut up a nice Italian loaf or whatever bread you have on hand into rounds, sprinkle with olive oil, shredded fontina cheese, chopped sage and sea salt and pop it into the oven. The bread gets golden and crusty and the cheese is melty and delicious. I loved sopping up my soup with the crostini. Yum!

Please give this soup a try, I plan on making it again soon! It's the perfect starter course or light lunch or dinner meal. I might even put this on our family's Thanksgiving menu!

Recipe courtesy of the Food Network and Giada De Laurentis

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/butternut-squash-soup-with-fontina-cheese-crostini-recipe/index.html