It Fig-ures

So, we probably all thought that at some point I'd forget to keep posting to the blog, but props to all of you who thought it would happen sooner rather than later because you were right.  But tonight (Eureka!), I remembered that I had multiple things I needed to post; in fact, Anne and I both do.  While we were away, we took our first culinary excursion together to a little place called Lynchburg, TN, toured the Jack Daniels distillery, and ate at the delicious Miss Bobo's Boarding House.  Sadly, this post isn't about that experience at all; you will have to wait for that one.  Meanwhile, I thought I'd tide you over with a recipe that I recently made for the first time, but will be making again and again.  Near the beginning of school I went on a lovely hike in the Great Smoky Mountains with friends, and, since we were waking up before anyone could possibly find it proper on a Saturday morning, I brought along a few slices of tart to express my gratitude for people putting up with my grumpitude.  This is that recipe, and, dare I say, it received rave reviews from others, too.  I apologize for not having substantial pictures of the process this time, but I only remembered to photograph it when it was done.

Recipe:  Fig Tart with Blue Cornmeal Crust

First, you'll want to make the crust.  Finely chop about 1.5 Tbsp. of rosemary.  I don't recommend using dried rosemary for this; fresh works far better.  Then, combine the rosemary, 1.5 c. AP flour, .5 c. blue cornmeal, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and .25 tsp. salt in a food processor and pulse to combine.  (You can obviously incorporate these together in a mixing bowl with a whisk or spoon, but the food processor makes the subsequent process of cutting in butter much easier; if you have a pastry cutter, you can always go about it in that way, though.)  Add a stick of cold butter (cut into cubes) to the food processor and pulse until the dough resembles coarse crumbs (with approximately chickpea-sized pieces of butter still visible).  Slowly add about 4 Tbsp. of water to the food processor, pulsing gently between the addition of each Tbsp., until the dough will hold its shape when squeezed gently by hand.  This dough will not (and should not) ball up like some other doughs.  If it isn't quite holding together when squeezed, add more water in half Tbsp. increments until it will hold together.  Once the dough has reached the right consistency, press it evenly onto the bottom and sides of a greased tart pan.  Chill the dough for at least thirty minutes to prevent the crust from shrinking during baking.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F.  Once the dough is chilled and the oven is preheated, blind bake the crust for 25-30 minutes until the center and edges are browned.  Cool the crust completely by placing the tart pan on a wire rack.

Now it's time to make the filling.  In a large bowl, whisk together 1/3 c. Greek yogurt and 8 oz. softened mascarpone cheese until well combined.  Then whisk in 1/4 c. sugar, 1.5 tsp. lemon (or other citrus) zest, and 1/8 tsp. salt.  Use a small offset spatula to spread this filling evenly into the cooled crust.  Thinly slice fresh figs (about 1.5# of fruit) and arrange the slices on top of the filling.  (You could also quarter the figs and place them upright on the tart for a more rustic, 3-d effect.)  Finally, gently heat 1 Tbsp. honey and 2 Tbsp. jam (any flavor, though fig or apricot would probably work best) until the jam melts (a few minutes over medium heat).  Because I was using a jam with a flavor that I wanted to mask somewhat (strawberry), I used an aged honey with a deep flavor that I had acquired at a local farmer's market; if you can get your hands on aged honey, I highly recommend it in this recipe.  Brush the figs with the glaze to help preserve their flavor and color.  Take a picture and enjoy!

The Fan-figgin'-tastic Final Product

 

While this tart would make an excellent dessert, the rosemary and cornmeal give it a slightly savory flavor that might make it appropriate for breakfast or brunch as well.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did; please comment below and let me know what you think if you do try it out.  Hopefully, I won't stay away as long before I post again; unfortunately, though, I can't make promises when I'm knee-deep in mid-semester essays.

 

-John

Personal Favorite: Challah German Toast

 

I've just returned home from a week at the beach, where we have a tradition of enjoying second breakfast.  Inspired by a hobbit aesthetic, second breakfast is served by yours truly a couple times a week.  Some of us are early risers: beach-goers, bike riders, runners, yoga-on-the-beach-ers, etc., and if we've had an early nosh, it's usually something light.  By 10:00, it's time for second breakfast. Sunday morning second breakfast, for something like five or six years now, is challah German (French) toast. (I'll post a sidebar note at a later time about the origins--documented and legendary--of the name French toast.  But for now, suffice it to say that I live with a man who makes his living teaching young people to speak German, so it's German toast. Here's a link or two to get you started on your own if you're curious.)

The toast part is easy--and delicious.  You really can make it with any kind of bread, and if the bread is a little (or a lot) dried out, that's fantastic.  All you really need are eggs and milk.  I've read a bunch of different recipes that also include salt, sugar, and a range of other spices.  I use the following recipe, given to my by a dear friend, for the basic proportions and multiply as needed:

For four slices of bread, whisk together 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 3 good shakes ground cinnamon, 1 good shake ground nutmeg.

And that's it.  Seriously.  All that's left is the toasting.  I love to use a cast iron skillet, sprayed with a little oil or cooking spray, on a medium heat setting, hot enough to sizzle nicely but not brown too quickly.  Soak the bread piece by piece in the egg and milk mixture, and place it cut side down on the hot skillet until it's golden brown, 2-3 mins or less, depending.  Flip and brown the other side.  Serve with a little confectioner's sugar dusted over the slices and a good maple syrup.

So you can do German toast with any old bread you've got.  But.  If you (1) really love the people you're serving, and if you (2) would like for one of those people to take a bite of your German toast and say "This is the first thing I'm going to eat when I get to heaven," and if you (3) want to have a ton of fun making the most delicious, beautiful bread ever, you should learn to make challah.  Julia Child has a great recipe in her book Baking with Julia, written with Dori Greenspan (1996).

Don't forget to check your local library--a great resource for sampling cookbooks before you invest.

It takes me 5 hours, approximately, from start to finish to make challah, but a good portion of that time is the dough working, rising and baking.  I'd say it's about 45 minutes to an hour of actual human work time.  The loaves last a long time and freeze well, especially if you slice them before freezing.  

Here's a photo step-by-step:

Milk, melted butter, sugar,  honey, salt.  If you don't have an instant-read thermometer, get one.

Yeast in a little luke-warm water with a pinch of sugar

It's the eggs!

Oh, how I love my Kitchen Aid mixer.  And yes, I use the dough hook, even though, . . . . well, that's for another post. However, it is entirely possible to make this dough without a mixer other than the ones god gave you (hands).

In fact, I do the last little bit of kneading by hand to incorporate the last 3/4 cup (or so) of flour and just because the dough feels soo soft and warm.  Also I love to use my bread board, a gift from my sister. A good flat, cool surface you can flour well will work just fine.  Use a sheet of waxed paper or two spread on a counter, lightly floured.

Gorgeous, and ready to rise twice: once for about 90 mins or until doubled, then it gets punched down and rises again for about 45 mins.

Buttered bowl. Buttered plastic wrap.

It's alive!

A mezzaluna and a scale are helpful but not essential. I have divided the dough successfully enough without them.

Divide each half into thirds for braiding.

Roll the thirds into long strands.

If you can braid hair, you can braid dough.  Julia recommends starting in the middle and working to one end then turning the bread around to complete the braid. I concur.  This method works. 

What would we do without parchment paper?

Before they go in the oven, they rise again a little, then get an egg wash, a sprinkling of coarse salt and poppy seeds.

Do it!  You will feel so proud of yourself!