I'm obsessed with the colors orange and deep purple right now. Maybe it's because I've been deprived of Halloween for three years here in Paris or that I'm craving antioxidant rich berries and fruit. Who knows? In any case, I love to make tarts. The crust takes about 10 minutes to prepare and the tart itself is a beautiful way to showcase seasonal fruit.
I often roll in chopped fresh herbs into the crust before baking to add a little je ne sais quoi to the flavor. For this one I rolled in some minced rosemary and it worked heavenly against the mouth puckering wild blackberries and sweet nectarines.
Depending on what I'm in the mood for and how hard I'm willing to work, I fill my tart shells with different fillings. Sometimes it's a simple baked almond cream other times I whip up a flavored cream cheese (like for this one). If I'm really pressed for time I'll just smear some jam across the bottom and if I've got loads of energy I'll make pastry cream.
What I'm trying to say is that it's really hard to mess up a tart! Once you've got the pastry shell down you can have fun with the rest.
My dream was so strange: I don't know what I was doing making a salad presented three ways for a Top Chef episode. But I remember in my dream I was so fascinated with the colors orange and deep purple that I lost track of the time and didn't finish my dish for the judges.
The first petit salad was made up of a fan of nectarines and black prince tomatoes with a tiny herb salad next to it and a sprinkle of fleur de sel. Then there was the nastursium, blackberry, and arugula salad which I've pictured above. And last... I can't remember... I know I was making three tiny salads all with similar colors and flavor profiles (whatever a 'flavor profile' is?) plated on a long white rectangular dish. It was elegant, fresh tasting, simple and colorful. If only I could remember the third one...
I was first introduced to nasturtiums by my Godmother who grew them in between her other garden vegetables. The forest behind her house was filled with tart juicy sweet wild blackberries and she would often send us kids out to pick berries and flowers until we couldn't carry anymore. Then she put everything into one salad bowl be it sweet, bitter, spicy, or sour. I always thought nasturtiums were just good for gardening – they keep pests away from other vegetables – until I tried one. They are sweet with a little bitterness to them, like blackberries. And they're so beautiful. Add some super spicy arugula and you've got a very interesting refreshing salad.
A nasturtium is a South American trailing plant with round leaves and bright orange, yellow, or red edible flowers. The origin of the name is Old English, from Latin, apparently from naris 'nose' + torquere 'to twist'. They don't last too long when picked, so make sure to put the stems in cold water until ready to use.
The recipe is simple: A bagful of spicy wild arugula, some ripe black prince tomatoes, a handful of freshly picked nasturtiums, 5-6 wild blackberries per person, some chopped fresh herbs (chives, basil, parsley, and even a little tarragon) and a red-wine vinaigrette made from 1 part vinegar and 3 parts olive oil. Sprinkle some fleur de sel over top to finish! I always dress my lettuce separate from delicate fruits and veggies so the colors don't mix up before plating.
Without fail, whenever I make a video on my terrace, it rains! Nonetheless, I think this video is still entertaining – in the same way rubber yellow chicken gags are entertaining. You'll see what I mean if you watch the video. I got the idea from ex-pat blogger Meg of La Blagueur À Paris who asked me if I would do a video on how to section chicken from a whole bird.
I prefer to buy whole chickens for many reasons: they are more sanitary and have had less contact with bacteria from packing facilities, I can make up to 8 servings and cut fancier sections for presentation, it's easy to make chicken stock from the carcass, it costs less per pound, and it takes five minutes extra of my time.
For this recipe the chicken was simply slapped on the grill with a little olive oil, salt & pepper, and some dried thyme. I like barbecue sauces, rubs, and marinades but I don't always think they're necessary if the product is great to begin with. My chicken was exceptional (mais oui, c'est français) and you can tell by the color of the yellow skin that it had a corn diet.
Different regions in France feed their chickens different diets and they are quite proud and protective of their particular poulet product. It is the French emblem afterall – Le Coq!!! France is probably most famous for it's Bresse chicken which is the only poulet in France to have it’s own Appelation Origine Controlée (A.O.C.). This means there are strict laws governing how and where these birds are raised. After thirty-five days exactly, the birds are range fed in a grassy area. This diet is supplemented with cereals and skimmed milk. The last phase of production is completed in ventilated wooden cages that are in a quiet and low-lit location in order to keep the chickens happy and calm.
I chose a yellow corn fed chicken from Landes, France for my recipe because they are hearty in texture (but juicy) and will stand up better to the smoke flavor from the barbecue. I find that chickens from Landes pair nicely with bacon, blue cheese, and other intensely flavored foods. I would never in a million years pair the delicacy of a Bresse chicken with anything so overwhelming in flavor as bacon or the value of the milk diet would be lost – quel horreur! However, poulet de Bresse does pair well with some rich foods including foie gras and truffles.
At the time I filmed this video new potatoes, chanterelle (girolle) mushrooms, and apricots were just hitting the farmer's market stalls in Paris. The grilled vegetable salad with mustard seed vinaigrette was a tribute to what started out as a promising hot summer. Oh well, at least we got a little sun in the beginning of the season! The apricots are simply brushed with a honey-basalmic glaze and grilled for a few minutes each side.
I think this video is pretty funny. I'm a total dork in it, so have a few laughs at my expense....
My California summer is coming to a close. I fly tomorrow back to Paris. (Sniff, sniff!) It's always hard to leave San Francisco – no more baseball games, Ferry building farmer's markets, long drives down highway one, or friends and family for awhile. I'm sure Paris will be as hot and humid as ever packed with tourists and traveling school groups. Oh well, I hope my windowsill herbs are still alive at least!
One of the perks of being an old teacher is getting invited over to students' houses for yummy meals. Now most of my students are in college, but their parents still seem to remember me and invite me over when I'm in town. The bruschetta above is Sharon's recipe. Made with tomatoes sun ripened from her garden. Lightly rub crostini with a garlic clove, top with with a melange of tomatoes and sea salt, broil with a little fresh mozzarella, and sprinkle freshly chopped basil over the top. Voilà!
Not wanting to show up empty handed I brought a Greek treat. It's a combo of watermelon and mansouria cheese with a squeeze of lime juice over top and a sprinkle of thinly sliced fresh basil. You get the whole salty, sweet, sour combo which I find refreshing on hot summer nights.
It's funny seeing old students. When I think of them and all the good times we had putting on musicals and plays or cooking recipes from around the world, I see them as teenagers. But when I come home and meet up with them in person I am reminded that they are now adults. (triple sigh!)
...and that they will soon be of legal drinking age which scares the bejeezus out of me! Maybe I am glad I'm leaving to Paris tomorrow...
