amaretto

A Parisian Double Smack on Both Cheeks- Pear & Almond Tart

19 Nov 2010
Pear & Almond Tart

Vous êtes magnifique. Vous êtes beau, vous êtes tres joli.

Sorry for slipping into French, I do that when I feel overwhelmed. Not that I'm French. It's just an affectation I picked up in high school (to make me seem more interesting). That's a different (long, dull and pathetic) story altogether. Still, overwhelmed is the word for the day. Je suis accablé et suis humilié.

Oops- there I go again.

But I do feel the need to thank you for keeping me in the FoodBuzz Food Blog 2010 Competition. I actually feel I need to get down on my knees and thank you. Though that affectation I mentioned earlier makes me think that something more continental is in order. Like a kiss on both cheeks. So very French, n'est-ce pas?

But this is a food blog, right? So my thank you this week really needs to be an edible metaphor, don't ya think? I mean food is my oeuvre (sorry, I couldn't resist).

May I present the very French and very edible version of a kiss on both cheeks. It's a classic Parisian Pear Almond Tart. Merci beaucoup!

Sippity Sup Continues »
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Pear & Almond Tart

Pear & Almond Tart
By jgreghenry Published November 19, 2010
Prep time: 5
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 4 firm bosc pears
  • 4 c water
  • 1.5 c sugar, plus 2 teaspoons for filling
  • 1.5 T lemon juice
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • 0.5 c powder confectioners sugar
  • 0.25 t coarse salt
  • 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
  • 1.25 all-purpose flour, plus 2 teaspoons more for filling
  • 0.5 c blanched almond slices, divided
  • 13 T butter, cubed
  • 6 oz almond paste
  • 1 egg, at room temperature
  • 1 egg white, at room temperature
  • 2 t almond liqueur

Directions

Prepare the pears: Peel the pears and halve them lengthwise. Using a melon baller remove the core. Bring 4 cups water, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and lemon juice to boil in large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add split vanilla bean and pears. Cover with a round of parchment paper, with a small hole cut in the center. Keep the liquid at a very low boil and simmer the pears until cooked through, 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the pears. Remove from heat and let the pears cool in their liquid. Prepare the crust: Pulse the powdered sugar, 1/4 cup almond slices, and salt in a food processor until nuts are finely ground. Add 8 tablespoons butter and process until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Mix in egg yolk. Add 1 1/4 cup flour. Pulse the machine several times until dough comes together in clumps. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 3 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.) Prepare the almond filling: In a stand mixer, beat the almond paste with the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar and the remaining 2 teaspoons flour, until smooth. Gradually beat in the remaining butter, until smooth, then beat in the egg and the egg white, and the liquor. Cover and chill at least 3 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.) Bake the tart shell: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Roll out chilled dough on floured sheet of parchment paper to 12-inch round, lifting and turning dough occasionally to free from paper. Using paper as aid, turn dough into 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom; peel off paper. Seal any cracks in dough. Trim. Pierce crust all over with fork. Freeze crust 10 minutes. Line crust with parchment paper, then fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake crust until sides are set, about 20 minutes. Remove parchment and beans. Bake crust until sides are golden and bottom is set, pressing with back of fork if crust bubbles, about 10 minutes longer. Cool crust in pan on rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Pepare the tart: Spread almond filling evenly in crust. Cut each pear half lengthwise into thin slices. Gently press each pear slice in an attractive pattern slightly overlapping each other in places into the almond filling. Sprinkle the top with the remaining almond slices. Bake tart until golden and tester inserted into center of filling comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool tart in pan on rack. Push pan bottom up, releasing tart from pan. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Cut tart into wedges; sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired, and serve.

Notes:

serves 8 Source: I stole a little from David Lebovitz & a little from Paule Caillat, so sue me!

Do I Smell "Thank You" Chocolate Cherry Ganache Cookies? #PFB2010

01 Oct 2010
Chocolate Cherry Ganache Cookies

I have been baking again! As you know I only pull out sweet treats as a bribe or a thank you. Well count these cookies as both a bribe and a thank you!

Last week I was so thrilled to have been chosen to move forward in the FoodBuzz Project Food Blog competition. As soon as I got the good news I ran straight to the kitchen (with a a small sidetrack to a neighbors house to purloin the last of their summer figs) and poached up a batch of them in Lambrusco. It's true I may have technically stolen those figs, but I prefer the term 'urban foraged'. Or better yet– 'double poached'. HA!

Well guess what? It's happened again.

You in your infinite wisdom have given me one more week to prove myself in this contest. I am advancing to Challenge #3! Now I am not one to mess with success. So just in case the sweet treats from last week had any influence on your decision,  I thought I better whip up something dark, rich and chocolatey. I mean why tempt fate? What if it's the sweets you like, and not really me? See my point?

Besides you like chocolate don't you?

Sippity Sup Continues »
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Chocolate Cherry Ganache Cookies

Chocolate Cherry Ganache Cookies
By jgreghenry Published October 1, 2010
Prep time: 5
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 1.5 c semisweet chocolate chips
  • 0.5 c unsalted butter, cut into chunks
  • 0.5 c all-purpose flour
  • 0.5 t baking powder
  • 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
  • 1.5 c granylated sugar
  • 3 T dutch process cocoa powder
  • 2 T amaretto liqueur, or similar
  • 1.5 c dried-cherries
  • 0.5 T salt

Directions

In a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water melt the unsweetened chocolate, 1 1/2 cups of the chocolate chips, and the butter, stirring until the mixture is smooth, and remove the bowl from the heat. In a small bowl stir together the flour, the baking powder, and the 1/2 teaspoon salt. In a bowl beat the eggs and the sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is thick and pale and beat in the cocoa powder and the Amaretto. Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, fold in the flour mixture, and stir in the dried cherries. The dough will be quite wet, almost like cake batter. Cover the dough with plastic wrap pressed against the mixture and refrigerate at least 3 hours, or overnight. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Using a small scoop form the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet, about 2-inches apart. Bake the cookies 10-12 minutes, or until they are puffed and shiny and cracked on top. The should be very soft when they come out of the oven. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets, transfer them to racks, and let them cool completely. They will firm up as they cool, and are even better the next day.

Notes:

I have made these both in convection and regular ovens and the convection produces a crackly crust far superior to the regular oven. Though I did not adjust my baking times at all.

Hello/Goodbye Red Snapper Shooter

02 Dec 2009
Red Snapper Shooter

It’s funny how cathartic the simplest things can be.

Cooking Red To Remember. At first “blush” it seems like a beautifully simple way to honor and remember the many millions of people affected by AIDS/HIV. So when Angela at SpinachTiger (shyly) asked me if I would participate. It was easy to answer, “Yes, of course”. It’s a noble gesture and a great way to raise awareness about a disease that is still horrifying in global proportions.

But when I sat down to write the introduction to my first entry, Oysters with Red Mignonette, I was surprised by the emotions that came boiling to the surface.

You see what I remember about AIDS, especially during those early years was the public condemnation too many of the first victims had to face as an added burden to the bewildering and overwhelming process of dying.

Sippity Sup Continues »
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