La Fête de Julia, Part Trois

No celebration of Julia's perfection would have been complete without dessert, so voila: Peach Crumble.
Since peaches are in season, I wanted to make some sort of warm-bubbly-peach dessert to serve over vanilla ice cream. Given that I don't yet (please, Santa, please!) have a food processor, I thought pie crust or pastry dough would be tough. Though, even if I had one, I probably would still have gone the crumble route.

Let me tell you why:
1.) The crunch
2.) You get to heat butter, flour, sugar, brown sugar, oatmeal, almonds in the oven until they are golden and (did I mention this?) crunchy.
3.) Did I mention you get to have the mixture mentioned in 2.) with warm peaches and slowly melting ice cream.
4) Super easy to make. You almost always have these ingredients on hand. And no worries about whether the finicky pie crust or pastry will come out right.
5.) You can vary the amount of crumble easily, so you can adjust this recipe to fit an individual ramekin or a 13x9 dish for a crowd
6.) And, oh yes... THE CRUNCH

This particular crumble came out great. I made it in a 10 1/2 inch oval gratin. The peach filling was infused with lemon zest and lemon juice, giving it a wonderfully light feel. The topping was crumbly, crunchy, and oozing with peachy goodness (and, yes, I may have added more crumble about five minutes into baking it because how could you ever go wrong with more crumble?). I served it with Haagen-Dazs 'Five' Vanilla Bean. (Emmanuelle, you may be happy to hear that this new product isn't as hard as regular Haagen-Dazs ice cream).

And it was so easy to make.
For the filling:
The lemons: grate and juice a lemon or two.

The peaches: in order to get the skins off, just boil the peaches for a minute or so and the skins will then peel off easily.

Mix the peaches with lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and flour. Let that yum up for five minutes.

Meanwhile, for the crumble topping: mix together flour, sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Pulse or cut in butter. Stir in nuts and oats. Work with your hands until it coheres into large crumbles.

Spoon into baking dish and cover (smother?) with crumble.

Bake for 40 minutes, until it is bubbling deliciousness.

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Peach Crumble* Recipe
I cobbled together this recipe from two Ina Garten recipes: Plum-Raspberry Crumble in Barefoot in Paris and Peach-Blueberry Crumble in Barefoot Contessa at Home. I made half this recipe and used a 10 ½ inch oval gratin.

*Crumbles are also called crisps. Although lots of crisp toppings don't call for oats, which just seems tragic.

Ingredients
For the filling:
2 lbs firm, ripe peaches (6-8)
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup granulate sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
(Ina adds 1 cup (1/2 pint) blueberries)

For the crumble top:
1 cup flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar packed
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds, plus extra for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Immerse peaches in boiling water for 30 second to 1 minute, until skins peel off easily.Place them immediately in cold water. Peel the peaches, slice them into thick wedges, and place them in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour. Toss well. (Gently mix in the blueberries). Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Spoon the mixture into baking dish.

For the topping, place 1 cup of flour, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to combine (or just mix together in a bowl if you are using alternative #1 or #2 below). Add the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of peas (alternative #1: mix with a hand mixer, alternative #2: cut butter in with a fork or pastry blender). Pour the mixture into a bowl, add the oats, and work it with your hands until it is in large crumbles. Add 1/2 cup of the almonds and mix well.

Spread the topping evenly over the fruit, making sure the fruit is well-covered. Sprinkle with some extra almonds. Bake for 40 minutes or until the fruit is bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes: next time, I might add a pinch of spice (cinnamon, nutmeg?) to the crumble. And, I think it is always better to error on the side of more peaches than less.

***
Well, c'est tout pour La Fête de Julia 2009. But let's not despair, plans are already underway for La Fête de Julia 2010. Emmanuelle, I hear you are in negotaitions to be co-hostess.

Until then, here's to Julia, the inspiration she brings, and delicious meals to come! Sante!

La Fête de Julia, Part Deux

The Julia Child Holiday continues...

Part Deux is dedicated to my first Beef Bourguignon. I'm not going to lie, I loved making this recipe. I mean, you get to set the stew on fire. The whole, somewhat intricate process was a ball. And the meal was absolutely magnifique!

Here’s how I made it.

I am pretty sure my Dutch oven was made for this.

First, dice and brown the bacon. A sharp knife is key here. I began with a knife I hadn’t sharpened for a while and it took forever to cut even one piece. I then sharpened it and it made a world of difference. If I hadn’t the recipe would have taken at least an hour more.

Then, for the beef. This is the part that I found the most challenging. You start by cubing the meat. Then, you have to pat the meat dry with paper towels. This is because the meat will not properly brown unless it is dried (a lesson from Julie & Julia). After seasoning the meat, you start searing it in single layer batches. This is tricky for a couple of reasons. First, you have to constantly turn the meat so each side is browned, which involved a fair amount of tong-work. Second, you have to put the right amount of meat in each batch. I think the key is not putting in a dense single layer. I did one round where I almost covered the bottom of the Dutch oven and it took the meat longer to cook because the temperature of the oil dropped so much. I think doing about 6 batches would be perfect. So, the lesson: this part takes time.

Patting dry:

An appropriate-sized batch being seared:

Removed to plate with bacon:

After you have removed the meat, you saute the carrots and onions in the pan juice. Then you add the garlic.

Next, you get to set the stew on fire. Literally. You pour in the brandy, you stand back, you light a match, and the stew catches on fire. And yes this definitely required me thinking of Julia and her admonitions about courage when you are cooking. The flame was actually somewhat tame in spite of my trepidation. It doesn’t woosh up terribly high, it just lights the stew with a mellow flame. So mellow, you probably can’t see it in this picture. But if you zoomed in, promise, it is there.

Now its time to return the bacon and beef back to the pot. Cover with an entire bottle of wine and beef broth, add tomato paste, add time, and bring it to a simmer. Once you have it here you are ready to pop it in the oven for 1 ¼ hours.

Cover with an entire bottle of wine and beef broth, add tomato paste, add time, and bring it to a simmer. Once you have it here you are ready to pop it in the oven for 1 ¼ hours.

While you wait, why not have a cheese plate with some champagne?!

Finally, you get to remove the stew from the oven and add a flour-butter mixture to it to thicken it.

You then add in the frozen onions (this saves a lot of time).

In a different pan, saute up the mushrooms with butter and a sprinkle of salt. I love that you add the thickly sliced mushrooms towards the end because it ensures that they do not disappear.

Once the mushrooms are brown, add them into the pot.

Bring it to a boil, simmer for 15 minutes, and Beef Bourguignon is ready to be served. To serve, place a piece of garlic-rubbed toasted bread in the bottom of each bowl.

And spoon the stew over top. The bread on the bottom of the bowl is to die for. I know stew recipes often call for noodles in the bottom, but I am now convinced bread is the only way to go. It soaks up all the wonderful broth and simultaneously thickens the soup.

The result: pure deliciousness. The flavoring was just right, the broth was delicious and rich, and the vegetables and the meat were wonderfully tender. Perfect for a winter’s day. Perfect for a dinner party. Perfect for when you want a challenge.

And especially perfect for a weekend dedicated to Julia Child’s greatness.

Beef Bourguignon (from Barefoot in Paris)

Warning: this recipe took me about 4 hours to make. While worth every minute, I totally underestimated how involved it would be. I think my guess was 2 ½ hours, and I was trying to be ‘generous’.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 oz center cut bacon
2 lbs beef chuck, cut into 1 inch cubes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lb carrots, cut diagonally into 1-inch slices
2 yellow onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup Cognac (or very good brandy) (I used E&J VSOP) (see Part Un for notes on this)
1 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine (I used pinot noir)
2 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tsp fresh thyme (1/2 tsp dried)
4 tablespoons of butter, divided into 2 at room temperature
3 tablespoons flour
1 lb frozen small onions
1 lb mushrooms, stems discarded and thickly sliced
1/2 inch slices of rustic bread, toasted and rubbed with garlic
Parsley to garnish

Directions:

Heat oven to 250.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.

Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef for 3-5 minutes, browning on each side. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon, and continue until all the meat is browned. Set aside.

Toss the carrots and onions, 1 Tablespoon of salt, and 2 teaspoons of black pepper in the fat and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are slightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac, stand back!, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol. Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with any juices that have accumulated. Add the bottle of wine and enough broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover with a tightly fitting lid, and place in the oven for 1 1/4 hours, until the meat and vegetables are tender.

Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour in a small bowl with a fork and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes, until lightly browned and add into the stew. Bring the stew to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.

To serve, toast the bread in the oven at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Remove the toast and rub with garlic. Place a toast in the bottom of each soup bowl, spoon the stew over the toast, and garnish with parsley.

***
But the weekend was not quite finished yet… Part Trois: Peach Crumble

La Fête de Julia, Part Un

Apparently August 7-9, 2009 was a holiday weekend. The occasion: Julia Child and her wonderful ways. The festivities started Friday night with me making Julia's recipe for French onion soup from The Way to Cook. Saturday included seeing Julie & Julia, not being able to speak after the movie because I was so moved (inspired, in awe, amazed), and sitting down to a delightful French meal, complete with a cheese plate, arugula salad, French onion soup, Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs, and a Leoville Barton Bordeaux. But, that wasn't quite enough to celebrate Julia properly, so on Sunday I made my first Beef Bourguignon and a peach crumble. Couple that with another cheese plate, a Coppola Sofia rose and Pol Roger champagne, and it was an appropriate end to a weekend dedicated to la belle Julia.

Clearly, this is way too much deliciousness for one post. So I figured a 3 day holiday deserves a 3 part post. Part Un includes the recipe for French onion soup. Part Deux is all about the Beef Bourguignon (a la Ina Garten). And Part Trois includes the recipe for the peach crumble (aussi a la Ina Garten).

I suppose at this point there I can say nothing other than... Bon Appetit!

To start: French onion soup (adapted from The Way to Cook)

(I have kept the recipe the same, except I added a pinch of dried thyme.)

The ingredients

Now caramelizing the onions. I used a mixture of red, yellow, and vidalia onions. Chop them up and saute them until they are transluscent.

Raise the heat and cook them for 40 minutes, stirring frequently until they become a lovely, dark brown.

Then you sprinkle the onions with flour and let that cook for a few minutes.

Next you remove it from the heat and whisk in the hot stock.

Return it to the heat, bring it to a simmer and add the rest of the broth, brandy, and vermouth (you could substitute this with dry white wine).

Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. The longer it simmers, the better it gets.

For serving, how could you resist topping it with a crouton and Gruyere? Ladle the soup into oven-proof bowls.

Float a 1/2 slice of toasted bread on top.

Sprinkle with Gruyere.

Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted and golden.

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon olive oil

8 cups thinly sliced onions (2 ½ pounds) (I used Vidalia, red, and yellow)

1 pinch thyme (2-3 sprigs fresh thyme)

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

½ tsp sugar

2 Tablespoons flour

2 ½ quarts beef stock, 2 cups of which should be hot

4-5 Tablespoons Cognac or good brandy (I used E&J VSOP)**

1 c dry vermouth (or dry white wine)

1/2 inch slices of toasted rustic bread (I used Pugliese)

1/4+ cup grated Gruyere per bowl

Over medium heat, heat butter and oil. Once butter has melted, add onions and thyme. Heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently until translucent. Add salt and sugar. Raise heat to medium-high and let onions brown, stirring frequently, until they are a dark walnut color, 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle the flour and cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool a moment then whisk in 2 cups of hot stock. Return to the heat and bring to a simmer. Add the rest of the stock, brandy, and vermouth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer slowly for 1 ½ hours.

To serve gratineed:

Toast ½ inch slices of bread for 10 minutes at 400 degrees, turning once.

Ladle the soup into the bowls.

Place a toast on top. Cover with ¼ cup shredded Gruyere.

Bake in 450 degrees for 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden.

**Notes on Cognac and brandy: Both the French onion soup and the Beef Bourguignon call for Cognac or very good brandy. Now, what's the difference between Cognac and brandy, you ask. Well, after some research I learned that Cognac is a specific type of brandy produced according to strict standards in the Coganc region of France. So while all Coganc is brandy, not all brandy is Cognac. And since Cognac must meet very high standards, it is a very, very good brandy. So I was faced with a dilemma: do I buy the cognac, which costs upwards of $25 a bottle, or do I substitute brandy? And, if so, what brandy is a good enough substitute? Being a graduate student, I decided to exercise some restraint and do research on the highest quality, least expensive brandy on the market. My research pointed to E&J VSOP Brandy. It is produced by Gallo in California and it costs about $10-15 per bottle. While not terribly expensive, this particular brandy has won all sorts of awards and is generally regarded as a mid-range brandy (good enough to drink on its own, or to cook with if you want really good ingredients). It has a very nice, complex flavor and I was pleased with how the substitution came out.

Still to come... Part Deux: Beef Bourguignon

Quick, Easy, and oh so Delicious: Salmon with Garlic, Mustard, and Herbs

Even though Emmanuelle is a vegetarian these days, I thought I would post this salmon recipe anyways. I simply adore the combination of Dijon and coarse grain mustard on sandwiches and, apparently, on salmon as well. The flavor of this dish was just great. Sometimes salmon can be boring, but the liveliness from the mustard, herbs, and garlic in this sauce guaranteed that this wasn't 'just another piece of salmon'. Bonus: it only took 10 minutes. Something tells me this might become one of my 'standards'.

First, mix the mustard-herb-garlic glaze.


Broil the salmon, sans glaze for a couple of minutes.

Top the salmon with the glaze and return to the broiler.

Five minutes later you have an interesting, delicious take on salmon.

Broiled Salmon with Garlic, Mustard, and Herbs (adapted from Giada's Family Dinners)
Serves 3

1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon whole-grain mustard
1/4 + tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary (if doubling recipe, use 3/4 tsp)
1/4 + tsp finely chopped fresh thyme (if doubling recipe, use 3/4 tsp)
1/2 Tablespoon (2 tsp) dry white wine
1/2 Tablespoon (2 tsp) olive oil
Non-stick cooking spray
3 (6 oz) salmon fillets
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
3 lemon wedges

In a small bowl, mix the garlic, both mustards, rosemary, and thyme. Mix in the wine and oil. Set aside.

Preheat the broiler. Line a heavy rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Place fillets on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil for 2 minutes. Spoon the mustard sauce over the fillets. Continue broiling until fillets are just cooked through and golden brown, about 5 minutes longer. Serve with lemon wedges.

Notes: the lemon is an absolute must.

I heart Mark Bittman

Here is another salad inspired by Mark Bittman's brilliant list.

Mixed greens, avocado, peaches, heirloom tomatoes, almonds (roasted and salted), feta, basil, and a light basil vinaigrette. Absolutely yum.

Fruity Green Salad

Inspired by Mark Bittman's 101 Salads for the Summer Season, and with a fridge full of bounty from Park Slope's 5th Avenue Farmer's Market, I decided to throw together some fruit and greens for dinner this evening. The result? Pure beauty.

Ingredients: Romaine lettuce
Nectarines
Blueberries
Basil (I threw about 10 leaves in there because our plants are becoming unwieldy)
Parmesan shavings
Splash of Balsamic Vinegar
Freshly ground pepper

It may not be pretty, but...

this mushroom-leek soup is delicious!

In an effort to use up all the leeks I bought, I decided to make one more leek-based soup. I thought the flavor was just terrific. The hints of sweetness from the sherry, the earthiness from the mushrooms and thyme, the delicacy of the leeks... not too heavy, but so very comforting.

Mushroom Leek Soup (adapted from 'Mushroom Leek Soup' on epicurious)
2 Tablespoons butter
2 leeks, cut into 1/4 inch rounds and rinsed
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 lb mixed mushrooms, sliced (I used Cremini and Shitake)
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken stock (you could use vegetable stock as well)
1 tsp dry thyme
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Heat the butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, saute briefly until garlic is warmed through. Add the mushrooms and saute for 8 minutes. Add the sherry and bring it to a boil for a minute. Add the stock, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer over low for 20 minutes. Remove about half of the soup and puree, and mix it in with the remaining soup.

Garnish with Gruyere, parsley, chives, or whatever you like.

Note: I really love that in order to thicken this soup, you don't add cream or flour. Instead, you puree part of the soup. Brilliant!