Ice Cream anyone? How about Brandied Sour Cherries, Chocolate Chunk and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream?

July 18, 2011    |    Print Print

I was riding home on the train recently during which time I got a phone call from Jon.  “Hey meet me at the 38th Street Station”, he said.  Pourquoi I inquired?  We need to go downtown to pick up 23 dozen eggs from our farmer friends, Curt and Paul.  23 dozen eggs?  Immediately visions of ice cream popped into my head.  The reason for this “sugar plum” thought is thanks to my friend Zoë François and her recent delicious looking post for making, “The Best Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream“.

Though, we will be distributing many eggs to friends, who also enjoy the golden organic yolks and sturdy whites, we will be left with plenty.  Therefore, using almost a dozen to make an ice cream base will not even make a dent in our storehouse.  I also had a quart of sour cherries that I dried last year still in the freezer.  These are the cherries from Maple Leaf Orchards, Spring Valley, WI, which by the way, will be at the Saint Paul Farmer’s Market, July 23, 2011.  Anyway, I pulled out some, made a quick simple syrup in which to simmer them and then added some ameretto for soaking them.

Okay, note that if have looked at Zoë’s blog via the link above, I make my ice cream base slightly different than she makes her base.  Whereas, she adds the sugar to the milk/cream mixture, I whisk the sugar into the egg yolks and then temper them with the hot milk.

What I have heard is that adding the sugar to the milk/cream helps in preventing the mixture from boiling over. Adding the sugar to the yolks, helps in preventing the yolks from scrambling when the hot milk/cream is added.   Personally, I would rather keep an eye on the milk and take more precautions in not scrambling the eggs.  Either way, one of the steps will require a watchful eye.  However, you will get the same results.

After it was all said and done (making the ice cream I mean), I’ve come to the conclusion that there are at least two schools of thought as far as sweets.  The first school is for folks who enjoy tart and sweet together.  The other is for people who enjoy only sweet.  If you use dried sour cherries, as I did,  you will be in the first school.  You will taste the sweet of the ice cream and chocolate.  Then, you will bite into the cherry, which will cause you to want to take another bite of the ice cream to taste the sweetness again. Is that really such a bad thing?  If you are in the second school, I would recommend, instead, using dried sweet cherries.  These would be folks that have a serious sweet tooth.

Brandied Cherries:
4 ounces dried sour or sweet cherries
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
½ cup brandy or ameretto

Bring the water, sugar and cinnamon to a boil in a small saucepan.  (The goal here is to rehydrate the cherries before all the liquid evaporates.  Therefore, a saucepan is favored over a sauté pan.)  Add cherries and simmer 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the brandy or ameretto.  Let cool, topping off with extra Brandy if needed.  I didn’t need to add any additional this time.  Cover and allow to steep over night or longer.  Strain the cherries from the juice just before ready to use.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Base:
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 large vanilla bean, scraped
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
10 large egg yolks (180 grams)

4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks (reserved for the final step)

Combine milk and cream in heavy medium saucepan.  Split the bean down the center and lay open two halves.  Taking the back of the knife, scrape the seeds from vanilla bean.  Add the seeds and the bean to the milk mixture.  Bring to a simmer, which will take about 5 minutes.  Don’t walk away as there is nothing worse than cleaning-up cream that has boiled over the pot.  Remove from heat and let steep for up to an hour.  The flavor will become more pronounced the longer it sits.  If the mixture has cooled bring it back to a simmer before proceeding.

Whisk together the yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined.  What you don’t want to do is pour sugar onto eggs and then not stir together, as the sugar will draw out the moisture from the eggs, causing bits of the egg to become hard and will never dissolve.

After the cream has come to a simmer, remove from the heat and whisk a small amount of cream into the egg mixture, adding enough cream to warm the eggs.  Once the eggs are warm, add them back into the pot with the remaining cream.  If you ever see the phrase, “tempering the mixture”, this is what you are doing.

With a heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon, (one that has not been used to sauté garlic) gently stir the custard over low heat until it thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when your finger is drawn across, about 5 minutes.  Do not let it boil!

Have an ice bath at the ready.  Strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer or chinois into a bowl.  Set the bowl into the ice bath and stir to cool.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.

For the most delicious results, allow the custard to sit in a refrigerator for anywhere from 6 to 12 hours.  If you want only vanilla ice cream freeze this custard in an Ice Cream Maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

If you are adventuring beyond vanilla, churn the custard in the ice cream maker.  Then, scrape the churned ice cream into a freezer-proof bowl.  Mix in the strained brandied cherries and chocolate chunks.  Cover and place bowl in the freezer until good and hard.

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Saffron Restaurant & Lounge, Take Two!

July 16, 2011    |    Print Print

Earlier this month we traveled to Saint Louis to visit family and friends.  While we were mostly “unplugged” from the net, thankfully we did have some connectivity via our cell phones.  As Jon was scanning through the emails coming in, he noticed an email from his absolute FAVORITE restaurant in the Twin Cities, Saffron Restaurant and Lounge!  Intrigued, he opened the email and to our delight discovered that we had been invited by the owners, Saed and Sameh Wadi, with an invitation to a private event to view their newly redecorated space and to experience the new menu that was to be released.

He immediately acknowledged the email with an affirmative attendance and then turned to me and said “you get to tell Carolyn that we won’t be able to attend the Twins game that we were scheduled to attend.  ”Upon our arrival back in the Twin Cities, we chose an early reservation (5:00pm) thinking that we could take our time at Saffron and still make it to the game.  That didn’t work out as well as we had hoped but the dining experience totally outweighed the loss of attending the game.

To begin: the décor.  The restaurant has made some noticeable changes to the space.  New tables, chairs, and chandeliers that have been placed beautifully throughout the space.  The Saffron logo is also painted onto the back wall behind the bar in a vibrant royal blue.

Once seated, we were greeted by both owners who thanked us for our willingness to participate and provide them with candid opinions on the food, presentation, service, etc.  Now, anyone familiar with us knows that we can be strongly opinionated when it comes to food – perhaps even too much so when given the opportunity.  Based on our conversations with the Saed and Sameh we knew that they were looking for an honest critique of the menu and service.

We began with drinks and appetizers; I had the Arrak and Roll, a faux citrus “arrak”, apricot liqueur, egg white and dry vermouth ($10.)  This was my favorite of the evening though having an entire slice of orange floating in the glass was a bit disconcerting.   Jon ordered the non-alcoholic Twist & Shout, a roasted lemonade with mint ($4.5).  Both were quite enjoyable but the lemonade in particular was extremely tart – but very pleasing to the palate.

Mezze-Tapas-Snacks (To Share)

Sultan Hummus:  a puree of chickpeas with tahini, lemon, garlic and Palestinian olive oil; served with a house cured bastirma (a dried beef, Turkish style) ($9). I could have easily enjoyed a plate of the bastirma by itself.  It was perfectly seasoned and house cured.

Fried Beef Kubbeh:  bulgur shell stuffed with spiced beef and pine nuts served with cucumber yogurt ($6).  This is not a new dish but the first time either of us has tried it.  I’m not sure how we missed it all these times, but it was truly an amazing dish.

Chicken & Porcini Mushroom Croquettes ($6) is Saffron’s take on the classic Spanish dish.  Again, amazing flavors with a fluffy cloud-like texture – definitely a MUST try!!

Octopus “A La Plancha”:  octopus cooked on a hot plate with toasted garlic, smoked paprika and sherry ($8).  This was an unexpected treat. It had some “tooth” but was not “tough”.  It had superb flavors and melded well with the Chicken & Porcini Mushroom Croquettes.

Marinated Olives and Pickles ($5):  This dish was less than stellar – it was rather heavy on the vinegar and lacking in other spices and flavors.  We put this in our notes with the hope that the recipe can be tweaked.  I’d like to hear too, if anyone had a different take on these.

Crispy Potato Chips:  Chips served with za’tar yogurt and spicy piquillio pepper sauce ($5).  Jon tends to be a chip snob – He tries chips everywhere we go.  His two favorites can be found at Buster’s (28th Avenue South & 42nd Street East) and The Citizen Café (38th Street East & 24th Avenue South).  According to Jon, the Saffron chips were good, but could have been cooked a little longer (He likes his chips very crisp).  Also the chips themselves could have used a little spice on them.  The dip, however, was awesome!!

Salads – Apps – Sides:

Quail:  stuffed with mirqaz sausage and served with a farro salad – another surprising dish.  The flavors were a mix of spicy sausage contrasting with the subtleties of the quail itself.  To lay it atop of the farro salad was brilliant ( $14).

Crispy Soft Shelled Crab with watermelon “curry” and cilantro:  All we can say is WOW!  Keep in mind that soft shelled crab is a seasonal offering and may not always be available.  It is a must-have when available.  The flavors and textures all blended into a heavenly delight of deliciousness, with the flavors swirling around from a multitude of spices as you’re savoring this dish ($14).

Entrées – Big Plates:

Whole Roasted Branzini:  A Mediterranean sea bass with crispy grape leaves, olive oil, lemon and herbs ($MP).  If you have any qualms about eating the whole fish then you might choose something else, as this dish comes out as the entire fish – head and all.  Not the most “appealing” presentation for Jon, but I did not find this bothersome at all.  The flavors and textures of the dish outweighed any presentation squeamishness whatsoever for him.

We chose to add the Grilled Sweet Corn (from the Salad-Apps-Sides) ($5) but were disappointed with the preparation and taste.  For me, it was grilled corn, meets State Fair and north Africa.  Mentioning this visual to Sameh, this was exactly the idea for which he had in mind.

Desserts:

Pineapple Semolina Cake with pineapple & yogurt sorbets and berries ($7).  Unfortunately, the cake was a little too dry.  Upon mentioning this to our waiter, he had Sameh taste it as well and he concurred.  I’m sure he’ll make this correction toot sweet.

The Blueberry & Peach Trifle with vanilla baked peaches and blueberry/hibiscus preserves layered with lemon cake and candied ginger ($7).  Traditionally, trifles are made with “day old” cake that may be a little dry.  That’s not a bad thing as the cake is then allowed to absorb the juice of maybe some berries or a simple syrup.   A little more of either will make this a perfect summer treat.

Chocolate Ganache Cake with the flavors of Arabic coffee ($8).  With an intense flavor of chocolate and coffee ice cream, this was definitely my favorite of the evening.

Service:

The servers did a great job of keeping us informed about the different foods; describing them, having a willingness to discuss their favorites, and offering suggestions for wine pairings.  Again, because this event was a trial run – there were some minor glitches but overall the staff made every effort to ensure we had a great experience.  This is one of the many reasons that Jon, in particular, enjoys going to Saffron.  Service has almost ALWAYS been spot on.  The servers are members of the staff who’ve been with the restaurant for some time; they remember your names; they remember the drinks you prefer; all of those little nuances that make the experience that much more enjoyable.

I encourage everyone to experience Saffron and their new menu and décor.  Though I personally will miss the white-tablecloths, the new Saffron is more causal but just as welcoming as always.  It’s a place to visit a couple of times a month, if not every week. It’s an easy stop before a Twins game, after work for a quick bite, or to enjoy a two hour dinner on a Saturday night.

Your culinary windows will be opened and the opportunity for Sameh Wadi to expand your palate will amaze you.  And I am quite certain that your front of the house experience will be just as perfect as it always is – especially knowing that Saed is directing traffic.  His warm smile, his gentle hand shake and his genuine love of people always makes one feel so at ease when coming to dine with them.

I hope you enjoy the entire experience as much as we did.  And oh by the way, I was able to catch the last inning of the game, which was the most exciting anyway as we hung on to the win.

Saffron Restaurant & Lounge, 123 North Third Street, Minneapolis, MN, 612.746.5533

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Off to the Farmhaus, Saint Louis

July 11, 2011    |    Print Print

We headed to Saint Louis for a weekend trip recently.  While in transit via Southwest Airlines, I had a few minutes to peruse the July issue of Food & Wine magazine.  Low and behold there was an article featuring their top chefs for 2011.  And one of them, Kevin Willmann, has a restaurant called Farmhaus not all that far from downtown Saint Louis.  I couldn’t let this opportunity pass, so I immediately made an 8:15pm Saturday reservation for four.

Shortly after the reservation, we posted our intent to go on Facebook.  Almost immediately, a farmer (and friend of our hosts for the weekend) wrote to say that he supplies the restaurant with their blackberries. Another friend wrote saying “Save room for dessert.”  Between the magazine article and their posts I was looking forward to a delightful evening.  Missing a turn, we arrived shortly after our reservation to a bustling, but cozy space with clean lines, an attentive waitstaff, and to my delight no blaring music.  We settled in and began looking at our menus with the urge to order one of everything.  Enjoying our beverages, our waiter let us know that the plates would come out from the kitchen as they were ready and they were meant to be shared.  In other words, what was to come from the kitchen would not be timed.

I’m not sure if it was audible to anyone else, but I heard myself say, “oi”.  Unless it is a Tapas bar, I find this restaurant format rarely works.  Either the portions are really too small to share or they are constructed in such a way that it makes it very difficult to divide without conquering, i.e. destroying.

Given this new revelation of sharing, we decided to each order a first course,  one of which was the “Summer Salad”.  It arrived in a mason jar on top of which was a hefty portion of Baetje Farm’s goat cheese.   At the table our waiter poured the contents onto a rectangular plate; a whimsical presentation for sure.  The jar was filled with grilled okra, yellow wax beans, grilled local corn, heirloom tomatoes, grilled torpedo onions, roasted carrots, shaved fennel, cucumber, thyme; all tossed with a sweet Moscat vin (“vin” equals their term for ‘vinaigrette’) and served with house made lavash. $11.

Farmhaus SaladsThen there were the Nachos, which were house made chips from local sweet potatoes, Salemville blue cheese, cherrywood smoked bacon lardons, and fire-roasted red pepper catsup, $8.  Unfortunately, they weren’t anything about which to write home.  I did however, twist Jon’s arm to order the Conch fritters with grilled corn, jalapeno and Sriracha mayo, $11.  They are light and fluffy and something that I could imagine eating in south Florida.

The best of the bunch however was the Roasted Mushroom Salad with locally foraged wild mushrooms, hearty Terra Bella Farms greens, Baetje Farms goat’s cheese, and toasted Missouri pecans, all tossed with a warm house bacon vin. $12.  Since I didn’t order this particular salad, I was sure happy that one of our dinner companions was willing to share.  It was so good, we almost ordered a second one!

Collectively we decided that we really shouldn’t order another round of first courses and decided to press on with our main courses.  These included Seared Scallops with Creamed Norma’s sweet corn, house bacon, butter poached chanterelle mushrooms. $18.  The scallops were one of those dishes that didn’t fare very well in the sharing department.  I’m afraid that by the time the plate got back around to Jon, who had ordered the dish, he found that there wasn’t much left.

Robb chose the Escolar with Chaumette Traminette, dill and butter poached, grilled Pacific Blue prawns, and roasted Weidner Farms yellow French beans.  I enjoyed the Keta River Salmon with spoonbread, creamed Keller Farms corn and tomato concassé.  The Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf, that Greg ordered, with Sweet and Yukon Gold smashed potatoes, sous vide pearl onions, tomato merlot reduction, while delicious, seemed like a lost soul coming out of the kitchen as it did after three of us had finished our entrees.

Since the dessert menu was recited instead of written down, I’m relying on memory and a quick sms text to Robb to remember what it was we shared.  Between the two of us, we could only remember two of them.   The first was a Pecan Financier with mint ice cream and pecan croutons.   It was great fun seeing a “financier” in cylindrical shape, instead of the traditional barquette.  Even better, it had the same tender, buttery flavor as the traditional, which doesn’t always happen when you start futzing and changing things when baking.  The second was something that accompanied a berry compote.  It was less memorable, partly due to the fact that there were no blackberries.  The dessert we enjoyed the most was in the style of a  peanut butter cup.   It was a thin round chocolate shell filled with light peanut butter mousse sitting on top of a thick peanut butter bottom.  There’s a reason why peanut butter and chocolate are a classic combination — more often than not they work and in this case the flavors were perfect.

All in all everything that came out of the kitchen was beautiful to behold and delicious on the palette.  Also from everything that I have read Willmann takes seriously the notion of sourcing as much as possible locally, sans the fish and seafood, and that’s a beautiful thing.  My only negative of the evening was the lack of timing.  If everything is meant to be shared than give the appropriate time to allow each dish speak for itself.

Being from out of town and from what I have read, that there are a plethora of excellent restaurants in Saint Louis, I’d have to try some others before returning to Farmhaus.  However our hosts, who are local boys, would return for another visit.

Farmhaus, 3257 Ivanhoe Avenue, Saint Louis MO 63139 – 314.647.3800

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Strawberry Bread

July 9, 2011    |    Print Print

Strawberry BreadMy friend Elise was gracious enough to share this recipe with me.  If I remember correctly, it’s actually a recipe she got from her mother.  I had every intention of  making it back in June, but somehow that month got away from me.

However, according to the u-pick farms, we still have at least two more weeks to enjoy the local berries here in Minnesota.  Now’s the time to save a couple of pints to slice for this delicious recipe.  I’m guessing that it would make a wonderful French Toast with additional fresh berries on top.

4 cups (1.2 pounds) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ cups (10 ½ ounces) granulated sugar
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs, (5 1/4 ounces) room temperature
2 ½ cups (14 ounces) washed, dried and sliced fresh strawberries
2/3 cup (6 ounces) whole milk sour cream, room temperature

Position a rack in center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF.  Lightly butter the bottom and sides of two 9x5x3 loaf pans and line the bottom and two long sides with parchment paper.  Butter paper and lightly dust with flour, shaking out excess.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment on medium speed, cream together the sugar and butter until smooth.  Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating each before adding the next.  Remove bowl from stand mixer and fold in the strawberries.

Return the bowl to the stand mixer, and on low speed in three additions, alternate adding flour mixture and sour cream.

Divide batter between the 2 prepared loaf pans and smooth the tops.  Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool 20 minutes in pans then remove and cool completely before slicing.

Serve with softened cream cheese as a spread.

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Blue Cheese Pecan Crackers with Cocoa Nibs

June 19, 2011    |    Print Print

Here is another recipe for a delightful cracker that is great to serve with an apéritif.  Originally, I served some thinly sliced smoked salmon with a little crème fraîche on these, but I have sense discovered an absolutely delicious alternative.  It’s smoked trout from Brook Park Fish Farm.  Todd, who owns Brook Park is at the Saint Paul Farmer’s Market.

The trout is out of this world.  It is so dense and flavorful, as well as being a feast for your eyes.  You’d think you were enjoying salmon.  It’s an organic product that he takes great pride in sharing with anyone who is lucky enough snag a package.

Seek him out if and when you are able to get over to the market and enjoy it with a batch of these crackers.  As far as I know, the Saint Paul Farmer’s Market is the only place where it is available.

¾ cup (2 ounces) pecan halves
¾ cup (4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons cocoa nibs
¼ cup cocoa powder, optional

Pre-heat oven to 375ºF.  Place pecans on baking sheet and bake until fragrant, approximately 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.

Combine flour and butter in bowl of a food processor and using the metal “S” blade pulse until mixture resembles course meal.

Add the cooled pecans and pulse until roughly chopped.  Add the cheese and nibs and process until dough comes together and is well combined.

Transfer dough to a piece of parchment paper and shape the dough into a 2-inch-wide log.  Wrap log in parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

When ready to bake-off the crackers, pre-heat oven to 325ºF.  Remove dough from refrigerator and unwrap.  Pour the cocoa powder on the parchment paper in a line the length of the dough and roll the dough so that the cocoa powder covers the log of dough completely.

Slice the well-chilled log into 1/8-inch thick slices.  Transfer slices to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake immediately, rotating sheet halfway through cooking, until crackers are golden brown and firm in the center, 25-35 minutes.  Transfer to a rack to cool and serve.

Photography by David Schmit

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Gâteau Basque

May 29, 2011    |    Print Print

There are many variations of this cake from the Basque region of France.  My version was originally created for PastureLand and I hope that it will still be published on their site.  However, this great company is in jeopardy of closing its doors, which will be a huge loss for all of us that enjoy this fabulous butter.  Therefore, I decided to go ahead and publish it here too as another way of keeping the hope alive that a solution will be found to keep their doors opened.

Gateau BasqueOf course with most everything I do, I’m always pushing the envelop.  In this case since there was almond flour in the freezer gilding the lily was in order.  I substituted some of the all-purpose flour with almond flour and bumped up the flavor even further by adding a little pure almond extract.  Almonds and cherries are a classic combination.

I realize that not everyone is going to have brandied cherries in their refrigerator, but if you have some at hand, add a few to balance the sweetness of the jam.  I have a couple of jars of said cherries as I made a sour cherry apéritif  last summer using the fruit from Mark and Sue Christopher’s trees of Maple Leaf Orchard, Spring Valley, WI.  I talked to Mark last Saturday at the Saint Paul Farmer’s Market.  He said that if the abundance of flowers are any indication, it should be a great crop of fruit this year.

I’ll try and post the recipe for brandied sour cherries and the Sour cherry Apéritif come July when the fruit will be plentiful.

1 ½ cups (6 ¾ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup (1 ¾ ounces) ground almond flour or 1 ¾ ounces sliced blanched almonds, processed to powder
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
10 tablespoons (5 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (7 ounces) organic cane sugar or granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon pure almond extract
¾ – 1 cup (6 – 8 ounces) thick cherry jam
1/3 cup of brandied sour cherries, cut in half (optional)
1 large egg, beaten with about 1/2 tablespoon of water for glazing the cake
Crème Fraîche or Vanilla Ice Cream (optional)

Whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until smooth. Add the egg and egg yolk and beat another 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the extracts and mix for about a minute more.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in two or three additions, mixing only until they’re fully incorporated.

The entire weight of the dough is about 1.6 pounds. Divide the dough approximately in half and place each half between large pieces of plastic wrap.  One can be a little larger than other other as you will need one piece dough to be rolled to an 8 1/2-inch diameter round and the other to 8-inch in diameter round.

Place the doughs on a baking sheet and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours.   When you’re ready to assemble and bake the gâteau, center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350ºF.  Generously butter a 8 x 2-inch round cake pan.  Line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper.

Remove one of the pieces of dough from the refrigerator.   Cut out a round of dough 8 1/2 –inches in diameter.  Fit the round in the bottom and up the sides of the pan by ½-inch.  If it tears a little, just press the piece together.   Spoon the jam onto the dough, starting in the center of and leaving 1/2 -inch of dough bare around the edge.   Using a pastry brush, moisten the bare edge of dough with a little water.

Remove the second piece of dough from the refrigerator and cut out 8-inch round of dough.  Set this piece on top of the jam filled piece.  Gently slide an off-set spatula down against the outside of the dough and push the ½-inch piece over on top of the piece that was just placed on top of the jam.  The goal is to seal the top dough to the bottom one.

Brush the top of the dough with the egg glaze and use the tips of the tines of a fork to etch a cross-hatch pattern across the top.

Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and let it rest for 5 minutes before carefully running a blunt knife around the edges of the cake. Turn the cake over onto a cooling rack and then quickly and carefully invert it onto another rack so that it can cool to room temperature right side up.

The cake is delicious eaten plain or enjoy it with a dollop of crème frâiche or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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Terrine de Lapin

May 26, 2011    |    Print Print

Two years ago, I spent the month of June participating in a charcuterie class at the culinary school of the Saint Paul College.  It was a fascinating experience and I learned a tremendous amount of information.  It also have me a greater appreciation for the skill that it requires to produce and excellent charcuterie.  Here’s my take on a rabbit terrine that I learned in the class.

Rabbit Terrine (French country-style pork and rabbit terrine)
Serves 8 – 12

2 ½ pounds Pork shoulder
1 pound Rabbit meat, including loins
¼ cup Shallots
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup flat leave Italian parsley, finely chopped
Nutmeg, Salt and freshly ground black pepper — to taste
½ cup heavy cream
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
½ cup pistachios
3 bay leaves

Trim the pork shoulder of some of its fat and cut it into 1-inch chunks.  Place the pork butt, shallots, parsley, nutmeg salt and pepper into a large bowl and mix well. At this point you can chill the ingredients overnight if you like.

Working in batches, add the meat mixture (except the rabbit) to a food processor and pulse until the meat is well chopped but still chunky. Remove all but 1/3 of the meat mixture to a large bowl and process the remaining until it is smoother, but still has some texture. Remove the smoother mixture to the mixing bowl that contains the other meat.

Combine the cream, eggs, flour, and cognac or brandy in a medium bowl and beat with a whisk until smooth. Stir this egg mixture into the meat mixture, stirring well to combine and blend.

Make a small patty with some of the meat and cook it in a hot skillet. Allow to cool and then taste the patty.  Adjust the salt and other seasonings of the remaining meat mixture to taste. Note that the meat should be well seasoned.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of a pâté or terrine mold or a 1 1/2-quart glass nonreactive loaf pan with bacon, leaving the extra bacon to hang over the sides of the pan.

Place half the meat mixture into the terrine mold. Next layer the rabbit pieces in one layer.  Add the pistachios down the center.  Add in the remaining half of the meat mixture on top of the rabbit pieces.

Smooth out the meat and tap the mold on the counter to get rid of any air pockets. Place the bay leaves across the top and bring the extra bacon up over the top of the pâté. Cover the terrine with the lid or a piece of aluminum foil.

Place the terrine in a heatproof baking dish large enough to hold it and pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the sides. Place in the oven and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the pâté reaches an internal temperature of 160°F.

Remove from the oven, cool completely and then refrigerate overnight or for up to 1 week. Unmold and serve with baguette, cornichons and Dijon mustard.  It would also be delicious with a green salad and a glass of chilled Chardonnay or a Rosé on the patio some summer evening.

Photograph by David Schmit

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Next-up, Rabbit!

May 16, 2011    |    Print Print

Up until recently, I envisioned rabbit as something that would be served during the Autumn or Winter months.  However, with the crazy weather we have been having here in Minnesota, where one day it’s 80 degrees and the next day it’s 40, it seems that May is a good time to cook and serve rabbit as well; at least this year.

I am also very fortunate that the same friends that provide Bret’s Table with copious numbers of fresh, organic, free-range eggs are slso the ones that raise delicious rabbits. And no, we are not talking about Fluffy or Bugs though occasionally, some people say that I laugh like Elmer Fudd.  Anyway, enough with the innuendos, get your hands on my rabbit and enjoy this Provençal inspired recipe.

Yield: Makes 8 servings
Notes for greater success:

Although rabbit is frequently compared to chicken in terms of cooking methods and times, be careful not to overcook it. Unlike chicken, perfectly cooked rabbit meat should still be slightly pink near the bone.

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup Dijon mustard
2 cups bread crumbs from day old French baguette
2 (2 ½  to 3-pound) fryer rabbits, cut into 8 serving pieces each, rinsed and patted dry
2 cups French Chablis or other dry white wine, more as needed
2 cups pearl onions (frozen)
One bouquet garni (fresh thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and parsley with stems tied together with butcher’s string)
3 pounds new or fingerling potatoes
½ cup Niçoise olives (optional)
1/3 cup crème fraîche
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, (optional)

Over a medium fire, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large enameled cast iron French Cocotte until hot but not smoking. While oil is heating, season rabbit pieces with salt and pepper. Sauté pieces on both sides until brown.  This can be completed in batches so as not to crowd the pot.  After browning, remove rabbit pieces to a platter.  Coat one side of each piece with mustard and top with the bread crumbs, dividing evenly.  I actually used brioche bread crumbs that I had in the freezer.

After all the rabbit has been seared off, reduce heat to medium and melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the Cocotte.  Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Add ½ cup wine to pot and scrape up any browned bits.  Return rabbit pieces to the same pot, along with the bouquet garni, olives, and potatoes.  Pour in remaining wine, being careful not to pour it directly on the rabbit.  Drizzle remaining olive oil over rabbit pieces.

Cover and cook in a 350ºF oven, until rabbit is just tender, about 20 – 25 minutes.  Remove rabbit to a warm platter.  Discard bouquet garni.  Reduce liquid to desired consistency.  Remove from heat and stir in crème fraîche and parsley.  Serve rabbit and potatoes with sauce along side it.

Photograph by David Schmit

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