Xavier's Vinaigrette Revisited and Updated

Xavier and I welcome many people to Provence every year and absolutely every week we find ourselves explaining his vinaigrette and its' infinite number of variations.  Yes, it is in 'Mary James dishes it out', but there is so much more that I can say about it.  So here goes......

Base:
1 1/4 CUPS FRESH LEMON JUICE
2 TBS. DIJON MUSTARD
1/4 CUP RAW BLANCHED ALMOND BUTTER*(see note)

The base stores  in the freezer. I vary the size of the jars. 

2 1/2 CUPS OIL* (see note)
1 TBS. SALT
FRESHLY GROUND WHITE PEPPER 

Combine these ingredients and whisk to make an emulsion.

*The fact that the almonds are blanched i.e. no skin, makes a difference.  The almond butter should be almost white.  In fact, they call it Naked Almond Butter.  I order it online here.  Xavier also uses this same almond butter, instead of cream,  for thickening savory dishes.  

*For the oil, we use a combo usually.....sunflower seed oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil....Lately I have not used the grapeseed here in the USA as it is expensive and seems to have an almost rancid taste.  

Marinated Onions:
2 CUPS ONION, SMALL DICE

Place diced onions in a jar (yes, another jar).  Pour base on just  to cover and let stand for several hours before using to make vinaigrette.  Stores for 2 weeks refrigerated

VINAIGRETTE:
To make the finished vinaigrette, it depends on what he wants (his words, not mine....this is like hitting a moving target).  SO...ideally, you don't make up a batch ahead of time but rather mix it up in the bottom of the salad bowl that you are using.  For salad greens for 8-10 people, begin with about 1/4 cup base, add 3-4 TBS marinated onions, a splash of good red wine vinegar (see note below) and minced parsley.  Taste for acidity and seasoning and add more salt and pepper, or vinegar, or olive oil if needed.

Other things you could add:  minced garlic or chives or basil or pecans.....I have seen him add a diced hard boiled egg.  Possibilities are endless.  And you can also use the base just as it is.  Once you start using it, you'll get the hang of it.

Other uses for the marinated onions:

• Shred purple cabbage into a flat casserole.  Spoon marinated onions over the top...just here and there...don't cover completed...add some chopped parsley and gently stir around to evenly distribute onions.  Bake in a 325 oven until cabbage is just tender....long and slow ...45 minutes or so. 
• Shred 1 raw apple and 2 raw beets.....add marinated onions, a chopped hard-boiled egg, stir.  Serve room temp
• Xavier and MJ's stand-up 'no supper'.....a slice of baguette, a bit of your favorite cheese topped with marinated onions, maybe even a little piece of butter for overkill.......a glass of red wine.

A note about RED WINE VINEGAR:

It wasn't until I started making my own red wine vinegar that I felt like the vinaigrette was right.  I know many of you have seen the vinegar barrel at Xavier's and he is right....there is nothing like your own.  Such great flavor.

I purchased my 5 liter barrel and 'mother' online here.  I love using it. I love sharing it.  If you want to try it, give me a call or email me.

Don't want to go to this extent?  Then buy the best organic vinegar you can find, preferably one that you can see a bit of mother floating around.

FINALLY....this has to be more than you ever wanted to know about Xavier's Vinaigrette.....let us hear how you are using it.

Caramelized Garlic Goat Cheese Tart

This was a big hit with our Provence groups this 2013 season.  Go to the blog here for a better view.

I am giving you the recipe pretty much as it is in Yotam Ottolenghi's book "Plenty", but, of course, I have added some of my usual tips, hints, and observations.

 About the garlic:

•  the caramelized garlic keeps at least 10 days or so when sealed in a small jar  (love my jars)
•  or caramelized garlic can be done ahead and frozen, great to have on hand  
•  caramelized garlic is just sweet and unctuous, don't be afraid of the amount

Cleaning the garlic used to be the most time consuming thing about this recipe until I saw this video........IT WORKS like a charm.  You must try it.  Wish I had had this trick 6 months ago.  Thank you Saveur magazine...and to Undercurrent Restaurant for posting on FaceBook.  This works with the typical head of garlic we have here in the States but not on the fresh spring garlic of Provence.

About bought puff pastry: 

• Pepperidge Farm works. It  is less expensive than Dufour and double the amount.  Dufour is great but not necessary for this
• In France , the Hyper U Bio feuilleté is perfect....Xavier has a stroke when I don't make my own. #justnotnecessaryforthis.
• Works best when thawed slowly overnight in refrigerator
• Pastry can be blind baked ahead, covered and refrigerated until filled

You will see my changes in parentheses.....More balsamic because I love the flavor....savory instead of thyme because I think thyme overwhelms and savory is a close, milder cousin.....I buy the 2-pack of Montrachet at Costco (for my French friends, I buy fresh goat cheese at Hyper U)......I find hard goat cheese at EarthFare but, if not, just use Comte (yes, I know that is cow milk).  In France, I use a goat tomme

This looks like alot of explanation.....once you have made it the first time, you will get the picture and find it soooooo easy....otherwise I would not have been making this every week for the past 6 months!

CARAMELIZED GARLIC TART

From Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

13 OZ. PUFF PASTRY (375 g)

Roll pastry to line bottom and sides of a 28cm (9") tart pan with removeable bottom.  Cover with parchment, add pie weights or beans and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350.  Bake blind for 20 minutes.  Remove beans and paper and bake another 5 or 10 minutes or until pastry is golden. 

3 MEDIUM HEADS OF GARLIC, separated and peeled

Place peeled cloves of garlic in a small saucepan and cover generously with water.  Bring to a simmer and blanch for 3 minutes.  Drain well. Dry the saucepan.  This step is not necessary if you are using fresh spring garlic.

1 TBS. OLIVE OIL

1 TSP. BALSAMIC VINEGAR (I use 1 1/2 Tablespoons)

1 CUP WATER

2 TSP. SUGAR

1 TSP. FRESH ROSEMARY, CHOPPED (I use 1 1/2 tsp)

1 TSP. FRESH THYME, CHOPPED (I use a 3/4 tsp. dried savory)

¼ TSP. SALT (I use 1/2 tsp gray salt)

Add olive oil to saucepan.  Add garlic and saute until nicely browned. Stir around to prevent burning.

Add water and balsamic vinegar.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add sugar, herbs and salt. Continue simmering on medium heat for 10 minutes or so or until most of liquid has evaporated.  Garlic should be coated in a dark caramel syrup.  Set aside.

4 ¼ OZ. SOFT, CREAMY GOAT CHEESE (such as Montrachet)

4 ¼ OZ. HARD GOAT CHEESE 

2 EGGS

½ CUP (100ML) HEAVY CREAM

½ CUP (100ML) CRÈME FRAICHE

SALT AND BLACK PEPPER

ASSEMBLY: Crumble the soft goat cheese over the cooked pastry.  Top with grated hard goat cheese.   

Whisk together eggs, cream, and crème fraiche.   Season.  Pour over cheeses leaving room for the garlic.  Scatter garlic cloves over all.  Drizzle with any remaining syrup (there won't be much)

Bake in preheated 325 oven for 35-40 minutes or until set and golden.

Serves 8 as first course.

P.S.  Did you notice the squash blossom in the center of this tart.....Didn't really add any flavor but love the look....If you want to make Squash Blossom Beignets next summer, go here.

Courge de Muscade (French Pumpkin Soup)....Made in the USA

I have a feature in this month's O.Henry magazine. It is one one of my favorite soups and I want to elaborate more on its preparation and give you a head's up about the difference between the pumpkins that I use in France vs USA.  

Left: The French Courge de Muscade pumpkin  Right: My Greensboro pumpkin (back left)   Almost the same....but not quite.           

Don't let that stop you.  You just need to make a slight adjustment.  It is  a simple soup and oh so good.  

Now that I am back in the USA, I shopped our local markets for the pumpkins.  I struck out in the grocery stores but found what I wanted at the Yanceyville Street Farmer's Market or so I thought.  They were not sure of the variety but it looked close.  However, when the pumpkin was cooked, it released soooooo much water.  With this in mind, you need to change the recipe as it is written in O.Henry magazine.  Instead of the 10 cups of water, just add 4-5 cups and if you need to add more later, you can. 

Finished product....made in Greensboro. Ready 

for the truffle oil drizzle. 

The chanterelle des pins add alot but you can certainly substitute fresh shiitake....choose small ones and sauté briefly before adding to soup at the end.  

Now for the recipe......

3 ½ - 4 LBS. MUSCADE *

OLIVE OIL

1 ½ CUPS ONION, COARSELY CHOPPED

4 CLOVES GARLIC, TRIMMED

4 SMALL POTATOES, PEELED

½ TEASPOON SAVORY

NUTMEG

BAY LEAF and PARSLEY BOUQUET GARNI

½ CUP CREAM

SALT and FRESHLY GROUND PEPPER

CHANTERELLES des PINS, lightly sautéed in olive oil *

TRUFFLE OIL

Garnish:  Homemade CROUTONS

    or a few pieces of POPCORN that has been tossed with truffle oil.

Serves 6-8

Cut muscade into large chunks and peel.  Set aside.

In a large pot, sauté onion and garlic briefly in small amount olive oil.  Add muscade, potatoes, savory, nutmeg, bay leaf, and bouquet garni.  Add about 4-5 cups water.  (I have found the American pumpkin releases much more water so less is better to start and add more if needed later).  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook gently until muscade is tender.  Remove bay leaf and bouquet garni. Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth.  Add cream. Season to taste with salt (don’t be shy, it needs alot) and pepper.  At this point, you can freeze or store. 

Just before serving, stir in chanterelles.  Serve hot garnished with croutons or popcorn and a drizzle of truffle oil.

Homemade Croutons:  Dice stale bread, baguette preferred, into petite squares.  Heat olive oil in skillet.  Add croutons.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and a bit of savory.   Toast,  stirring almost constantly until dry and crunchy.  Store in a tin or glass jar.

*USA SUBSTITUTIONS: 

For the muscade:  Hubbard Squash worked very well but not as fleshy so I purchased a 6 ¼ lb squash.  Great flavor and very similar to the muscade.  Be careful with the amount of water added.

For the chanterelles des pins:  Need a small mushroom that can be sliced thinly....small shiitakes work well...just need to saute a bit.   I have seen dried mushrooms at Whole Foods that appear to be like the chanterelles des pins. They would need to be reconstituted and also sauteed.

MENU SUGGESTIONS:   It is a ideal first course or use as part of a soup, sandwich salad menu.  See my Country Ham Past and Present blog for the perfect match. This soup freezes beautifully.

Some step by step photos....

And now just a bit of whimsy....photo taken in 2010 in the local market of Arlon, Belgium

Le Puy-en-Velay

In the 80's, I spent a week in the Auvergne, a region visited infrequently by Americans.  I was there with  Bob Noah who had arranged for a group of us to have private classes at the French National School of Pastry (Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Pâtisserie) in Yssingeaux.  That's a whole other blog. The region intrigued me and I had always wanted to go back. I got my chance this past Fall.


                                Xavier and I stopped in Yssingeaux briefly...had to see it again

then on to
 Le Puy-en-Velay
Not only is Le Puy known for being a stopover on the The Way of Saint James to Compostele (Chemin de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle), it is also well known for handmade lace and lentils.  

 

These volcanic peaks seem to just shoot out of the landscape....

We parked our car and began the walk up to Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Annonciation, a stopover on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain.  It was a climb and steeper than it looks!

Just when you think you are at the top, you enter the church and there are more steps.

I thought I was there.....

View from the top

    

Altar  

                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                                          Sacristy                                      

Read here about John Adams journey in 1779, 10 years before he was 2nd President of the USA.  

(For this story, scroll down this link to 'history' )

and then think 1779!!

Local granite dominates the architecture....

The lace making fascinated me....

How does one keep track of all these pins and bobbins?

And finally, something we all know about...the green Le Puy Lentils.  Les Auvergnats call them 'le caviar végétal'.

Le Puy Lentils

2 CUPS Le Puy LENTILS

DUCK FAT  or OLIVE OIL

1 CUP CHOPPED PURPLE ONION

1/2 CUP CHOPPED CELERY

1 CUP FINELY DICED CARROTS

DUCK, CHICKEN, OR VEGETABLE STOCK

Wash lentils in several changes of water.  In a large saucepan, heat chosen fat and sauté onions, celery and carrots until tender.  Add lentils, and then stock to cover by 1-2 inches.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 - 30 minutes or tender.  Drain if necessary. 

Serve with sausages...How about a Toulouse sausage?

NOTE:  No need to soak lentils, a good rinsing is all that is necessary.  Be careful not to overcook.  Too many people put these into the dried ean category and think they need to be cooked for hours.  Lentils should be tender with a slight bite and you should be able to separate them with a fork....no mush!

Why ENGLISH MUFFINS in the South of France??

An unlikely topic but when there was one day after another of rain and cold, I thought it a perfect time to experiment with making English Muffins...

And since I am here in Provence, I decided to use the flour of grand épeautre, a grain grown in Provence since the 5th century BC.  And, yes, the flavor paid off big time.  Epeautre is  spelt in English and there is alot of misinformation about it. So, from about.com, we get this explanation "While not appropriate for individuals suffering from celiac disease, it is much lower in gluten than wheat and thus can be tolerated by many with minor wheat allergies. Its' taste is often described as nutty and sweet."

Enough technical stuff.  But I wanted you to know that this flour + the use of fresh yeast yielded the tastiest English Muffin I have ever had.  I will give you the alternative of dry yeast* as well. 

Here's the recipe which I adapted from several sources.  I began with a Momofuku recipe (3 pages long!) and then read and combined with others on the internet.

18 GMS (1/2 cube here in Provence) FRESH YEAST

1 CUP BUTTERMILK, ROOM TEMPERATURE

2 2/3 CUPS (300 gms) EPEAUTRE (spelt in English)

1 1/2 TBS. SUGAR

2 TSP. SEA SALT ( I use the gray salt)

2 1/2 TBS. BUTTER, ROOM TEMPERATURE

CORNMEAL (in Provence, I had to use polenta)

Combine yeast and buttermilk and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt.  Use a whisk to combine.  Make a well in the center and add yeast/buttermilk mixture all at once.  Stir vigorously to combine well.  The add small pieces of the room temperature butter and stir to incorporate.  Dough is sticky.

Leave at room temperature until double in bulk.  OR for slower fermentation, refrigerate for several hours (I found that overnight was too long for the fresh yeast).

Spread a thin layer of cornmeal on a sheet pan.  Remove risen dough from bowl to a very lightly floured counter and quickly (don't over knead) shape into a log about 2-3".  Using a dough blade, cut the log into equal pieces (about 2 ounce portions yielding 10 muffins) .  Place on the cornmeal and gently flatten into circle.  Turn over and do same on second side.  

At this point, I let them rest in the refrigerator for about an hour.  They will not have risen much.  That is ok.  

Preheat a flat griddle or cast iron skillet.  Sprinkle griddle or pan lightly with cornmeal and transfer muffins from sheet pan. Heat must be VERY VERY low.  Cook  until just beginning to brown....about 5 minutes.  Using an offset or flexible spatula, turn and cook other side for 4-5 minutes.  For the next 25 minutes or so, turn back and forth about every 3-5 minutes.  Transfer to preheated 250 degree oven and cook for another 10-15 minutes.  Cool on rack.

To serve:  Split with a fork and toast.

*Dry Yeast alternative:  Simply add 1 package dry yeast to your flour mixture, whisk with other dry ingredients before adding buttermilk. 

Extra added bonus for making these in X's kitchen... the French flat top stove was PERFECT for moving the pan around and keeping the heat where it needed to be . Hmmmmmm..wonder how an electric griddle would work....probably great! 

#butnomoreappliancesforme

Like many recipes, the first time you make these, you probably won't see the simplicity of them.  However, second time around, you will understand how little time they require.

The plan was to have a final photo of a toasted half with generous slab of butter and the season's homemade fig confiture! Sad to say for you, it was eaten before I realized I had not taken the photo.  Next time!