Archive | August, 2011

Rustic Almond Plum Galette + Creme Fraiche Ice Cream

2 Aug

Stone fruit is in full swing. Peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots, pluots, apriums, and all sorts of cross breeds like you couldn’t imagine!

I make galettes every summer. A galette is supposed to be rustic, so I don’t feel guilty if the dough is not perfectly and evenly crimped. Here is a quick look back at some sweet galettes that I have made in the past:

Nectarine Galette

(just follow this recipe but use nectarines instead of plums and nix the lemon zest)

Summer Peach and Blueberry Galette with Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Fresh Fig Galette

Today I made you a rustic almond plum galette. The almonds are ground and are spread on the bottom of the dough, underneath the plums. This helps hold all of the juices from the plums inside and adds a nice flavor palate to the open-faced tart. I paired this galette with homemade creme fraiche ice cream. Tangy and smooth, this ice cream is the ultimate hot summer day cure.

The plums offer a nice red hue when baked. They are soft but still hold their shape.

Creme Fraiche Ice Cream right out of the machine, super soft and creamy

I still can’t believe that I am turning on the oven in this insane New York summer heat, but it is all in the name of rustic pies and good eats.

Now excuse me while I go wipe the sweat off my forehead and dip into some homemade dessert…

Rustic Almond Plum Galette

from KissmySpatula, check out her gorgeous photos!

  • 1 1/4 cups + 3 tbsp all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
  • 1/2 cup very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp + 1/2 tsp sugar, plus more for dusting
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2-4 tbsp ice water
  • 1/4 cup whole, skin-on almonds, toasted
  • 5 to 6 firm plums, halved, pitted, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
  • zest of half a lemon
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

In a food processor, combine 1 1/4 cups flour, butter, 1/2 tsp sugar, and salt.  Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add ice water, 1 tbsp at a time.  Pulse until dough is crumbly, but holds together when squeezed.  Do not overmix. Remove dough from food processor and shape into a disk.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, wipe bowl of food processor clean and add almonds, 3 tbsp sugar, and 2 tbsp of flour.  Pulse until ground to a coarse meal.

In a large bowl, toss the plums with 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tbsp flour and zest of half a lemon.  Taste and add more sugar for desired sweetness and set aside.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 13-14 inch round, about an 1/8-1/4 of inch thick.  Transfer to a parchment-lined cookie sheet (preferably without sides) and spread almond mixture over dough, leaving a two-inch border.  Spread and arrange plums on top of almond mixture.  Fold and pleat edge of dough over fruit.  Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Take your galette out of the refrigerator and brush the crust with egg wash and sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons of sugar.  Bake until crust is golden and underside is cooked through, about 60-70 minutes, checking after 30 minutes and every 10 minutes thereafter.  Allow to cool before slicing.

Creme Fraiche Ice Cream

adapted from David Lebovitz and Crispywaffle

1 cup milk (preferably whole milk or 2%)

2/3 cup sugar

1/8 t. salt

5 large egg yolks

2 cups creme fraiche

First, make the custard. Warm the milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan over medium low heat until it’s steaming. Pour the milk over the egg yolks, whisking the whole time. Add the milk/egg mixture back to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula. When the mixture thickens (at around 190 F) and coats the back of the spatula, pour the mixture through a strainer into a bowl. Chill the mixture in the fridge for a few hours until cold.
When ready to freeze in the ice cream maker, stir in the creme fraiche. Chill in the ice cream maker as directed and the ice cream is thickened, about 20 minutes.

Quick Dinner: Charred Corn, Zucchini Slaw, Black Bean, and Feta Tacos

1 Aug


Last night I made some quick tacos for dinner. I think my go-to summer vegetable this year has definitely got to be corn. I’ve been using it in everything I make from savory to sweet. For the tacos, I charred the corn over and open flame on my stove-top. It sizzled and popped and suddenly there were beautiful char marks all over my corn. It was the perfect addition to my vegetarian tacos.

(blurry photo, delicious charred corn, about to be sauteed into an oniony garlic mess)

I love the crunchy zucchini match-sticks and the salty cheese. I love the “grilled” corn and onions and the creamy black beans. And the hot sauce definitely makes the tacos complete.

SmittenKitchen has got some nicer photos than I and she also has a nice array of mis-en-place and step-by-step photos for you to gawk at. Check her out!

These tacos are an easy throw-together dinner that you could make for 1, 2, 3, 4 people or a huge crowd. These won’t overheat your kitchen in the summer time (no oven necessary, just a quick saute and you are done) and are super filling (you won’t miss the meat).

Throw together some margaritas or a fruity Pimm’s cup to sip alongside your tacos, and you’ve got yourself a party.

And if you are left with loads of extra corn tortillas, you could make migas, which I am sooo wanting right now.


Quick Charred Corn, Zucchini Slaw, Black Bean, and Feta Tacos

adapted from SmittenKitchen

1 small zucchini

1-2 limes

salt

2 ears corn

a dollop of butter and a splash of olive oil

1/2 large onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic

1/4 tsp chilli powder

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

feta cheese, crumbled

black pepper

hot sauce

corn tortillas

1. Slice your zucchini into thin match-sticks. You can take a peeler and peel thick ribbons down the long side of the zucchini. Stack the ribbons and cut them crosswise into thin matchsticks. Toss in a bowl with the juice of half a lime and some salt. Set aside.

2. Take the husk off your corn. Heat an open gas-stove flame and char the two ears of corn until well-blackened but not completely burnt. You will probably, quickly, notice that corn likes to pop and snap, occasionally spraying you with splats of corn. It will all be okay, and the char-taste is worth it. Remove cobs from heat, and when cool enough to handle, shave off kernels using a large knife. Set aside.

3. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Melt a small dollop of butter and splash of oil together and once hot, add the onion. Cook the onion for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the corn kernels and sauté until corn is just cooked through, about three to five minutes. Season with salt and chilli powder. Squeeze more lime over it.

4. To heat the tortillas: Coat the bottom of a cast-iron skillet with olive oil and wipe it out so on the thinnest slick remains. Heat the skillet on high. Once hot, cook a tortilla for about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side, until lightly blistered. Repeat with remaining tortillas but if your skillet is well-seasoned, no need to repeat the oiling process.

5. Fill each taco with a bit of the zucchini mix. Fill with a few small spoonfuls of the corn mixture. Top with a spoonful of black beans and crumbled cheese. Add some fresh ground pepper. Serve with an extra lime wedge on the side and whatever fixings you like (sour cream, avocado wedges, hot sauce…).

Grimaldi’s Pizza, NY

1 Aug

Grimaldi’s Pizza. A New York institution. Right off the Brooklyn Bridge in “Dumbo” (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass).

After a good solid hour of waiting in an epic line, this classic oven-baked tomato, mozzarella, and basil pizza with pepperoni was eaten in about 10 minutes, maybe less.  It was pretty dang great, though.

I recommend taking the pizza to-go and eating it in the nearby park.

Because sometimes…you’ve got to be a tourist in your own city…

Some info:

-wear sunscreen on a hot day

-it takes about 20-30 min to walk across the bridge

-be prepared to wait in a LONG line for Grimaldi’s pizza, OR just eat ice cream for your meal from the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory

-to get back to Manhattan, you could walk back over the bridge, catch a ferry ride, or subway-it