A Couple of Things

December 19, 2008    |    Print Print

In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve added a “Foodie News” heading to my blog. The links are articles that I find out on the net. I hope they are of interest to you.

Also, I temporarily took off the Cornbread in Cast Iron Skillet recipe. Jon tested the recipe again and we realized that I forgot to list a couple of ingredients — like Baking Powder for example. As soon as I test the recipe again, I’ll post it. I do have to say that not adding the baking powder gave the cornbread and interesting texture; very dense for sure. (12/23/08 – Recipe is posted again.)

I hope to do some serious cooking next week as I will be finished with most of my cooking classes until January. Check back to find more recipes from Bret’s Table.

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Skillet Cornbread – Revised Recipe

December 6, 2008    |    Print Print

Thanksgiving dinner gave our household many leftovers including the remains of a boned-in ham from Farm on Wheels (Saint Paul Farmers Market). What does one do with the next days’ ham, but make a northern bean and ham soup of course.

What could be better to go with soup then cornbread made in a cast iron skillet?

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups (8 ounces) yellow cornmeal
½ cup (2 ¼ ounces) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 medium shallots, minced
2 medium jalapeños, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoon butter, divided
1 cup sour cream
¼ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup milk
3 eggs

Heat oven to 400ºF and place 9-inch cast iron skillet in hot oven.

With a whisk stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together sour cream, oil, eggs and milk and set aside.

Heat small sauté pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter. When butter is sizzling add shallots and peppers. Cook about one minute or until shallots are translucent. Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Add mixture to dry ingredients.

Before adding wet mixture to dry ingredients, carefully remove heated skillet from oven and place 2 tablespoons butter in it. Return skillet to oven and remove again once butter is melted.

Working quickly, stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients, mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into prepared skillet.

Return skillet to oven and bake about 25 minutes or until light golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Serve warm.

12 servings

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Bûche de Noël Class

November 30, 2008    |    Print Print

Buche de NoelI spent the morning making a chocolate and mocha Bûche de Noël. This is the same cake that I will be teaching at Cooks of Crocus Hill in Edina next Saturday, December 6, from 1:00p – 4:00p. There are still a few seats available in this hands on class.

Each student will make a roulade to take home. I will also be demonstrating how to make the chocolate and mocha buttercream frosting and the mushrooms made with Italian Meringue.

On Thursday, December 17, I will be a guest on Showcase Minnesota. My demonstration will focus on making the meringue mushrooms and how I decorate this French yule log. If you can’t be a part of the class, be sure to tune in to Showcase Minnesota between 10:00a – 11:00a on December 17th.

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Biscotti di Vino Rosso

November 15, 2008    |    Print Print

I’m teaching a cooking class soon called Italian Holiday Appetizers. It is being held at Cooks of Crocus Hill, Edina Minnesota.

Here are the results of one of the recipes that I tested again for the class. They’re called Biscotti di Vino Rosso and are made with both olive oil and Marsala. I think they would be delicious while sipping the same Marsala used in the recipe; a Port or even dipped in a cup of freshly brewed espresso.

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Gateau Breton

November 8, 2008    |    Print Print

I met Susan Herrmann Loomis last May while we were in Paris. She had just finished a cooking class at Patricia Wells’ Studio and we had a chance to chat for a few minutes over a cup of tea.

I recently pulled her French Farmhouse Cookbook off the shelf again to prepare recipes for a series of French Immersion classes at Bret’s Table. Here is the recipe for the Gateau Breton. Use the best butter you can find. I used Pastureland unsalted butter and local organic eggs.

7 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons water
1 ¼ cup sugar
8 ounces or 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
10 ounces or 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 325° F. Butter and lightly flour a 9-inch cake pan.

In a small bowl, whisk one of the egg yolks with the water. Set this aside for the glaze.

In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 6 egg yolks and the sugar until the mixture is thick and pale yellow; this will just take a minute or two. Slowly whisk in the butter and the vanilla extract if you’re using it. Then sift in the flour and whisk until combined. Don’t overmix the flour, or the cake will be tough, but be sure it is thoroughly combined.

Turn the batter, which will be quite stiff, into the prepared pan and smooth it out. Lightly but thoroughly paint it with the egg glaze. Using the back of the tines of a fork, deeply mark a crisscross pattern in the top of the cake, going three times across it in one direction, then three in the other. (The marks in the cake will fade, leaving just their trace on the top of the cake).

Bake in the center of the oven until the cake is deep golden on the top and springs back slowly but surely when it is touched, 50 to 55 minutes. Using a knife or cake tester isn’t recommended as it always comes out looking slightly damp because of the amount of butter in the recipe.

Remove from the oven, transfer the cake to a wire rack, and let it cool thoroughly before serving.

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Cooking Pleasures Magazine

October 3, 2008    |    Print Print

Last Fall I was fortuante enough to be asked by Cooking Pleasure Magazine to create two recipes using a cast iron skillet. They are published in the October/November 2008 issue of the magazine. Check out the Chicken Pot Pie and Seared Autumn Vegetables recipes.

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This time to Southwest Minnesota

September 29, 2008    |    Print Print

It wasn’t exactly a three hour tour, but a three hour drive down to Southwestern Minnesota to the farm of some friends called Prairie Marsh Farm. At close to 900 acres they have returned about 500 of it back to native prairie.

We hiked in the fields, with our hosts pointing out the many different native plant varieties and soil conditions that exist. After waiting out a rain shower, we harvested vegetables from their garden for a feast that we would prepare that evening.

Sitting in front of the potting shed, not far from the water pump, where he had washed the recently harvested vegetables, we enjoyed appetizers including cheeses from LoveTree Farm, purchased from the Saint Paul Farmer’s Market. As the sun was setting we decided we’d better get dinner started if we were going to eat before midnight.

We assembled a Tian using many of the vegetables from the garden and made the creamiest mashed potatoes using freshly dug fingerlings. A venison tenderloin, simply rubbed with fleur-de-sel and some freshly ground black pepper was grilled to perfection. The wines from the Chateau-neuf-du-pape region of France were the perfect beverage for this autumn menu. After a delightful meal, individual Rhubarb and Walnut Bundt cakes were served with vanilla ice cream.

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Caramelized Tomato Tarte Tartin

September 29, 2008    |    Print Print

The tomatoes have been piled high these last few weeks at the farmer’s market; overflowing the tables with abundance. As I walk the aisles, I realize their days are numbered. Soon I will be longing for another Big Boy, Italian Ice or Roma, knowing all to well that it will be another year before they return to their glory.

Last week we cooked down a bushel and a half of romas to make a roasted tomato paste. We also canned about 18 pints of salsa. This week, I decided it was high-time to test a recipe from the New York Times, created by Melissa Clark for a Tomato Tarte Tartin. I figured my days were numbered if I was to use my yellow pear and cherry tomatoes for the recipe about which she wrote.

Clark is such a wonderful writer, always explaining her inspiration, and giving credit to the New York chefs that she may contact to answer questions she may have. Her diligence in testing results in recipes that are always delicious. Now is the time, before it’s too late, to cook this simple yet delectable  Caramelized Tomato Tarte Tartin.

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