Mushroom-Bacon Galette

Over at Cook The Book Fridays, the selected recipe from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook. Everyday Dorie, is Mushroom-Bacon Galette. A savoury free-from tart, with mushrooms, leek, bacon, walnuts for the filling.

Dorie's galette dough is a pleasure to work with. I did reduce the sugar to only 1 tablespoon.  The filling is very tasty, cooked using the following ingredients ; bacon, mushroom, leeks, garlic, white wine, heavy cream, walnuts, parmesan, fresh thyme (I've used rosemary), and black pepper. 

I did not sprinkle any parmesan over the baked galette, simply because i have forgotten ! But it was good too without the parmesan. The next time if I were to make this again, I will omit the walnuts, since we prefer the bites where there wasn't any walnuts.

Please visit CtbF to see the other bakers view on this galette.

This post is shared at Cookbook Countdown #42

Potato Tourte

This month's selection at Cook the Book Fridays where we are currently cooking from Everyday Dorie, is Potato Tourte. It is a double-crusted pie, with potatoes, herbs and cream for the filling. 

A couple of things which I've simplified, is to zest the lemon using the microplane zester. In the book, Dorie says to use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest, then slice into the thinnest strands. Seems like an extra work for me (I'm lazy!), so I use the microplane zester instead. For the potato, they are to be sliced very thinly, then drop into  a bowl of cold water, drain them and dry them well. I skipped the water and the drying part (told you I am lazy!). I sliced the potatoes using a sharp knife and use them directly. The herbs I've used are a combination of cilantro and scallions. 

I made 4 mini pies instead of one 9-inch pie. I constructed the pies (Dorie says this pie is a construction project) the evening before, keep refrigerated, then the next morning, brush with egg wash and bake. 

The pies are baked for 30 minutes, then pour some warm heavy cream into the vent hole at the top, then bake for a further 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Let the pie sit for about half an hour before serving. 

Yum! Yum!  So delicious! The potato are tender, so tasty with the herbs and cream. Another keeper recipe from Dorie! 

Creamy Leek Tart

This is another keeper recipe from Classic German Baking by Luisa Weiss. It is called Süddeutsche Lauchtorte in German (I cannot even pronounce those words!). This tart is very similar to a quiche.

The dough for the crust can be made a day earlier, wrap with cling wrap and keep refrigerated,  the next day, roll the dough to line the tart pan, then bake blind for 15 minutes. 

For the filling, I have replaced bacon with chicken meat. I've used a small piece of chicken breast meat, pan fry lightly in a little oil in the saucepan, seasoned with salt and black pepper, cook until the chicken is done. Let cool and chop to small dices, about 1 cup. And have used homemade chicken stock instead of white wine. The leeks are sauteed with butter until softened, season with salt, black pepper and nutmeg. Mix in a large bowl, eggs, sour cream and cornstarch and stir in the leek, chicken and cheese. I have used Cheddar cheese instead of Emmentaler cheese. Pour this mixture over the prebaked crust, smooth the top and bake until golden brown, about 40 minutes.

Delicious and very tasty filling, with buttery tender crisp crust. I made this tart in the morning, and enjoyed two slices for my lunch, warm from the pan, with a cup of tea. Yum!

The recipe can also be found here.

Creamy Leek Tart
(Classic German Baking, Luisa Weiss)
Crust
2 cups, scooped and leveled/250gm all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon/130gm unsalted high-fat, European-style butter, softened, cubed
1 egg

Filling
3-1/2 tablespoons/50gm unsalted butter
3 to 4 leeks, white and pale green parts only, halved and sliced into 1/4-inch/6mm thick pieces
1/4 cup (60ml) white wine (chicken stock)
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 eggs
1 cup (250gm) sour cream
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup (125gm) diced Speck or bacon (chicken meat)
4-1/2 ounces (130gm) grated Emmentaler (Swiss) cheese (about 1-1/2 cups) (1 cup Cheddar)

1. First, make the crust : Place the flour, salt, butter, and egg in a bowl and knead together until well combined. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Make the filling : Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until softened. Stir in the wine and cook for about 2 minutes. Season with the salt, plenty of black pepper, and the nutmeg. Remove from the heat. Let cool slightly.
3. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.
4. Unwrap the dough leaving the plastic wrap on the top side of the disk and placing the unwrapped side on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to 1/4-inch/6mm thickness. Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch(23cm) fluted tart pan with a removable bottom with the dough. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Place a piece of aluminium foil over the dough, pushing it gently out to the edges, and fill the pan with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and, using the foil as a sling, remove the pie weights or beans. Maintain the oven temperature.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream and cornstarch. Fold in the cooked leeks, and then stir in the Speck and cheese. Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the top. Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown.
6. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for 30 minutes before removing the tart ring. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into wedges. Refrigerated, the tart will keep for 1 day. It can be reheated in a 325F/160C oven.

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #28 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Pear Pandowdy

This week's theme at I Heart Cooking Club (IHCC) is, Monthly Featured Ingredient Challenge : Apples and Pears ! There's definitely no shortage in recipes when it comes to these two ingredients, especially apples! Could not decide which one to make as there are tons of recipes using apples or pears.  I've decided to use them both in Nigella Lawson's Pear Pandowdy, recipe from her cookbook Nigella Kitchen.

This is super easy to make, chunks of pears and apples are cooked in butter with some sugar and lemon zest for about ten minutes of so. I have used brown sugar instead of white. Then the pan is removed from the heat, keep aside while you make the pastry. Heat the oven to 200C.

The pastry is easy and quick to put together. There's butter and some vegetable shortening used, but I omitted the vegetable shortening and use all butter. Mix the flour and butter briefly, add some cold milk a little at a time until the dough binds. I did not use all of the milk, the dough needed only a quarter cup to bind together. Transfer the dough to a floured counter and roll out the dough until it is big enough to cover the top of the skillet over the cooked pears and apples. Make three slits on top, sprinkle some sugar and bake for 25 minutes. Nigella says it will turn to a pale golden crust. I prefer it to be darker, so I have baked an extra 5-7 minutes longer but the colour still remains pale. I then took it out of the oven, afraid that I'll end up over baking the crust.

We had this with ice cream, and both the son and daughter like it very much. I thought this was Ok, but if I do make this again, I would make a couple of changes. For the filling, I thought that it needed something to bring out the flavours of  the pear and apples. I would add some spice, cinnamon or nutmeg maybe a touch of ginger too, and just a teaspoon or so of lemon juice, just to bring the flavours together. I might throw in some dried cranberries or raisins to be cooked together with the apples and pears, would add some delicious flavours that sometimes dried fruits are good at!  As for the crust, to get the lovely golden brown on the crust, I would brush the pastry with some egg wash before baking. But overall, this is quite lovely with a generous scoop of ice cream!

Pear Pandowdy
(Nigella Kitchen by Nigella Lawson)
serves 6
4 Bartlett pears
2 Golden Delicious apples
3 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar, plus 1/2 teaspoon for sprinkling
finely grated zest of 1 lemon

for the pastry :
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
pinch salt
5 tablespoons very cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening (I've replaced with butter)
1/2 cup cold whole milk (I only need 1/4 cup)
heavy cream, to serve (optional)

1 x cast iron skillet or ovenproof frying pan, 9 or 10 inches diameter

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Peel the pears and apples, then quarter them, slice out the cores, and cut the pears into 3/4 inch pieces and the apples into 1/2 inch pieces, dropping them into a bowl as you go.

Using a skillet or frying pan that can go into the oven later, melt the 3 tablespoons soft butter over a medium heat, then add the diced fruit, sugar, and lemon zest, and cook over a lowish heat, stirring occasionally,  for 10 minutes, by which time some of the fruit will have begun to caramelize gently. Take off the heat while you get on with the pastry.

Put the flour and salt into the bowl of a freestanding mixer fitted with the flat paddle, add the very cold cubed butter and, using a teaspoon, drop in little lumps of cold shortening, then slowly mix to cut the fat into the flour, or just do this by hand.

Still with the motor running, and the paddle turning slowly, add the milk a little at a time, just so that the dough binds, then remove from the bowl, squish it together with your hands, and drop it onto a lightly floured surface ready to roll out.

Bring the pan of cooked fruit nearby (but not so near as to warm the dough), and roll out the dough until you have a rough circle about the diameter of the skillet. Drop the dough circle on top of the fruit, tucking in the edges a bit, and remember that the ramshackle look of this is the whole point. Make 3 slashes with the tip of a sharp knife, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, and put in the oven for 25 minutes, by which time the white dough will have turned into a pale golden brown.

Remember that the handle will be searingly hot, so transfer carefully to the table, and preferably cover the handle. Serve with heavy cream.

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Other apples and pears recipes which I've made before from IHCC past featured chefs :

Apple and Blueberry Jelly (Diana Henry)

very refreshing and fun to eat!

Skillet Apple Charlotte (Jacques Pepin)

yummy! 

Yolanda's Apple Fritters (Yotam Ottolenghi)

We really enjoyed this!

Chocolate Pear Pudding Cake (Nigella Lawson)

Chocolate and pear, this is delicious! 

Apple and Cheddar Salad (Yotam Ottolenghi)

It's an Ottolenghi recipe, so it must be good!

Blue Cheese, Hazelnut and Apple Salad (Jamie Oliver)

Different textures and flavours, lovely combination!

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

Monthly Featured Ingredient Challenge : Apples and Pears !

and

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #23 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Chocolate-Dulce de Leche Tart

This week at Cook The Book Fridays, the selected recipe from My Paris Kitchen cookbook, is Chocolate-Dulce de Leche Tart. A chocolaty dessert with dulce de leche sandwiched between a chocolate crust and dark chocolate filling on top.

Dulce de Leche is one ingredient that I have not seen over here before. So I have made my own by baking condensed milk in a water bath, using David Lebovitz oven method recipe, which I have posted here before, more than two years ago!

I've been making lots of baking lately and did not want to over indulge in desserts, so I've made only half a recipe, for two mini 4-inches tarts. Which is just nice for the four of us. 

Since it was only half a recipe, I've mixed the dough crust by hand, it was easy and takes only minutes. After filling up the base and sides of the mini tart pan with the chocolaty dough, they are blind bake, then spread with a layer of the dulce de leche and top with the chocolate filling. I've used dark chocolate for the filling, which is melted over the stove, then the cooked custard of eggs and milk is poured over the melted chocolate over a sieve, add some vanilla, whisk until smooth. Either vanilla extract or rum can be used here. Well, I've used my homemade vanilla-rum extract.

The tart is then baked in the oven for 20 minutes, and with the oven turned off, leave the tart for another 25 minutes, then remove from the oven. The chocolate filling sets up nicely. Once the tart comes to room temperature, I placed them in the refrigerator to chill.

There's some salt which is sprinkled over the chocolate filling before baking, but I skimped on the salt, as I was afraid that it might be too salty, as there's also some salt sprinkled on the base of the bottom crust. After baking, when I ate a slice later, I could not taste the salt (I've used kosher salt), and wish that I have sprinkled more! 

Two mini tarts. That's half a tart per person! How often did you serve a whole half tart for one? Haha! But I've sliced each mini tart into 8 little wedges. Makes very cute elegant dessert for entertaining! The chocolaty crust is lovely and the dark chocolate filling goes perfectly with the sweet dulce de leche. I was expecting a very sweet dessert, but I was pleasantly surprised that the sweetness was just right, a contrast with the bitter chocolate filling. A lovely desssert, but best served in small servings.

We are cooking through David Lebovitz's cookbook, My Paris Kitchen. If you have the book or thought of getting one, please do, and join us! Full details here.

Apple-Cinnamon Hand Pies

I bought some Fuji apples a few weeks ago, and maybe I bought too many! Got to use them up and what better and delicious way than an apple pie? In this case, it's hand pies! Recipe is from Home Baked Comfort by Kim Laidlaw, and so far I have had success with all the recipes I've tried.

I started by making the flaky pie dough in the morning, and by late afternoon, we have warm fragrant apple pie for tea time treat. Fuji apples, it's one of my favourite apples to use for baking. The apples are peeled, cored and cut into small cubes, then mixed with some brown sugar, ground cinnamon, lemon juice and a tablespoon of flour. Once the dough is done, it is rolled out and cut out into 6 or 7 inches rounds, using a bowl as a guide. Brush some egg mixture along the border of half of each rounds. Scoop some filling and place in the centre of the round, bring the sides of the dough together and press to seal. Use a fork to press the borders. Brush the top of the dough with more egg mixture. The recipe did not say anything about slashing the top, but I made a couple of slashes, to allow steam to escape during baking. I've used a 5-1/2 inch bowl as a guide to cut out the rounds and the dough yields 9 rounds for 9 pies.

Bake until golden brown, and the juices are bubbling and oozing from the slashes.

Freshly baked, still warm, about to be served!

Yum! The pie crust is flaky, buttery and crisp tender. Juicy soft apple filling and fragrant from the cinnamon. There's a vanilla glaze which is drizzled over the baked pies, (given in the recipe), but I have omitted the glaze. I let the baked pie rest for 10 to 15 minutes before eating. So good when eating the still warm pie, but be careful when biting into the filling, it's hot! We did not miss the glaze at all, the pie is very good even without it. With a mug of warm tea, this is the perfect afternoon snack.

Apple-Cinnamon Hand Pies
(adapted from "Home Baked Comfort", Kim Laidlaw)
makes 8 hand pies
Flaky pie dough for double crust * refer below
4 baking apples, peeled, cored, and cut into small chunks (scant 3 cups/12 oz/375gm)
juice of 1/4 lemon
1/3 cup (2-1/2oz/75gm) light brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 large egg, beaten with 1 tsp milk

for the glaze (optional)
1/2 cup (2 oz/60 gm) confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Prepare the flaky pie dough and chill as directed.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375F (190C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a large circle about 1/8 inch (3mm) thick. Using an inverted bowl, cut out eight 6 or 7-inch (15 or 18-cm) circles of dough. You'll have to gather the scraps and reroll the dough a few times. Alternatively, you can divide the dough into 3 equal pieces and roll each piece into a circle. Place the circles on the prepared sheet and refrigerate for about 10 minutes.

In a bowl, toss together the apple chunks, lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour. Remove the dough circles from the refrigerator and place in an even layer on your work surface. Brush a thin layer of the egg wash around the border of half of each circle. Divide the filling among the dough circles, placing it in the middle of each circle. Fold the dough over the filling to make a half moon and press the edges with a fork to seal. Brush the tops with the remaining egg wash.

Bake until the hand pies are puffed and golden brown and oozing juice, 25-30 minutes. Set aside to cool on a wire rack.

To make the glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon water. Brush the glaze over the pies as soon as they come out of the oven while they are hot.

Serve the pies warm or at room temperature.

Flaky Pie Dough
2 cups (10 oz/315gm) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp sugar
3/4 cup (6 oz/185 gm) very cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
8 tbsp (4 fl oz/125 ml) ice water, plus more if needed

In the bowl of a food processor, stir together the flour, salt, and sugar. Sprinkle the butter over the top and pulse for a few seconds, or just until the butter is slightly broken up into the flour but still in visible pieces. Evenly sprinkle the water over the flour mixture, then process just until the mixture starts to come together. Dump the dough onto a work surface, press it together, then divide it in half. Press each half into a disk, then place the disks in a large lock-up plastic bag. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes or up to 1 day, or freeze for up to 1 month.

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I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown Special : BAKE! hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Cookbook Countdown is a monthly cooking/baking event, which I'm co-hosting with Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray.  Everyone is welcome to join us. How does it work? To summarize, you may select a cookbook from your own cookbook collection, to cook or bake from each month. That selected book shall be your cookbook of the month. You may cook any recipes and as many recipes as you want from your selected book of the month. This is a fabulous way of using your cookbooks at least once! For more information on how to join Cookbook Countdown, please click here. 

Grab a cookbook and join us!

To link to Cookbook Countdown #11, click here
To link to Cookbook Countdown Specials : BAKE, click here

Rustic Tomato & Mozzarella Tart

Cookbook Countdown is a monthly cooking/baking event, which I'm co-hosting with Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray.  Everyone is welcome to join us. How does it work? To summarize, you may select a cookbook from your own cookbook collection, to cook or bake from each month. That selected book shall be your cookbook of the month. You may cook any recipes and as many recipes as you want from your selected book of the month. This is a fabulous way of using your cookbooks at least once! For more information on how to join Cookbook Countdown, please click here. 

To link to Cookbook Countdown #10, click here
To link to Cookbook Countdown Specials : BAKE, click here

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My selected cookbook for this month,

Williams-Sonoma, Cooking From The Farmers' Market 

by Jodi Liano & Tasha DeSerio

The star ingredient : Tomatoes

I have a few slices of frozen puff pastry which I want to use up. Found this Rustic Tomato Tart recipe and made them for brunch. Recipes uses both yellow and red tomatoes, but I have used all red tomatoes as I could not find any yellow tomatoes.

Simple and quick to make. I have added slices of sandwich ham in some of the tarts, and leaving a few without. 

Bakes up really crispy and crunchy, and the tomatoes, with the garlic butter and cheeses, tastes really  yummy! 

Rustic Tomato & Mozzarella Tart
(adapted from "Williams-Sonoma : Cooking From The Farmers' Market)
makes 6-8 servings
2-3 ripe red and yellow tomatoes, about 8 oz (250gm) total weight, cored and cut into slices 1/4 inch (3mm) thick
salt
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
8 by 10-inch rectangle of frozen puff pastry, cut in half and thawed in the refrigerator
3/4 cup shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese
4 tbsp good hard cheese, such as Parmesan
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
olive oil for drizzling

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400F (200C). Place the tomato slices on paper towels, season with salt, and let drain, 30-60 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic and butter. Place the puff pastry rectangles on a baking sheet lined with parchment (baking) paper. Brush with the garlic butter and season with salt. Leaving a 1/4-inch border, sprinkle the pastry evenly with the mozzarella and 2 tbsp of the Parmesan. Arrange the tomato slices on top. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tbsp Parmesan. Bake until puffed and golden, 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil and drizzle with the olive oil and serve right away.

Grab a  cookbook and join us!

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #10 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Pumpkin Crumble

The selected recipe for this week at Cook The Book Fridays is Butternut Squash Crumble. I have used pumpkin instead of butternut as pumpkin is more readily available in the area where I live. Cook The Book Fridays, a group of bloggers, are currently cooking through David Lebovitz's cookbook, My Paris Kitchen.

Pumpkin is peeled and cut to 1/2 inch pieces, then sauteed in a little oil and butter, with some fresh thymes, season with salt and pepper, stir occasionally until the pumpkin begin to brown on several sides. I did not brown the pumpkin, (too lazy to wait!!). I stir-fry for a few minutes. Add some sliced shallots, cook until softened, add some chicken stock and cook until the stock reduce a bit. Transfer to a well-buttered shallow baking tray. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes until the squash are tender.

The crumble topping is made by processing in a food processor, the bread crumbs, cornmeal, Parmesan, sage (I use dried oregano), sugar and salt together until crumbly. Add the chilled and cubed butter, and lastly the egg, pulse until mixture starts to clump together in bits. Remove the tray from the oven, and scatter the crumble topping all over. Return the tray to the oven with a slight reduction in the oven temperature. Bake for about 20 minutes until the topping is golden brown.

This savoury crumble is quite nice. Crispy topping with soft tender squash. But the Parmesan cheese is a little too strong for my taste. I think that it would work better for me if I have used Cheddar instead as I originally intended. I have always prefer Cheddar over Parmesan, just my personal preference. This would make a nice side dish, but I would go for small portions, as it is quite filling. 

Do stop by CtBF to view everyone's take on this savoury crumble. If you have the book or thought of getting one, please do, and join us! Full details here.

Pepperoni and Egg Breakfast Tart

Cookbook Countdown Specials : Bake is a baking event, which I'm co-hosting with Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray.  This is a "spin-off" from our on-going monthly Cookbook Countdown. Cookbook Countdown Specials : Bake is for baking desserts ; pastries, cakes, cookies, pies, tarts, breads. While the monthly Cookbook Countdown is to use from one selected cookbook each month, for CC Specials : Bake, you may use any baking cookbooks of your choice, either from one single cookbook or from numerous books. The link is open from July to end September. You may link your post here. Do join us, everyone is welcome!

To link to Cookbook Countdown Specials : BAKE, click here

To link to Cookbook Countdown #9, click here

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A savoury bake that is perfect for brunch or as a light lunch. It is quick, easy and delicious. If you have a pack of frozen puff pasty in the freezer, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, and by breakfast or lunch time the next day, you will be able to serve this savoury tart in less than half an hour.

The actual recipe is named Bacon-And-Egg Breakfast Tarts, but I do not have any bacon. However, I do have a pack of pepperoni which I wanted to use up. The pepperoni makes a delicious substitute. Or even slices of ham will be good too.

I've made this tart before with bacon, when I first purchased this book. And we really enjoyed it at that time. Definite worth a repeat! I've used a 4 inch square of puff pastry sheet bought from the supermarket, makes it so much easier, as there's really no need to measure and cut to size. Perfect size for individual serving.

The puff pastry is scored on all sides to make a border, then spread in the centre of the pastry to the cut lines,  with a mixture of cheddar cheese and sour cream. Bacon or pepperoni slices are pan-fried just until barely crisped. Place a few pieces on the cheese mixture and bake the tart in a preheated oven until the pastry is puffed, crispy and golden, takes about 15-18 minutes. Meanwhile fry the eggs to your liking.

When the pastry is ready, place a fried egg on top of each one, sprinkle some black pepper and chopped chives over, and serve immediately. With a cup of warm tea, would be very nice.

I drizzled some hot sauce over my eggs. Yums! Enjoy!

In the author's own words "Make these for a special brunch, especially if you want to impress your friends or in-laws."  

Pepperoni-And-Egg Breakfast Tarts
(adapted from Home Baked Comforts, by Kim Laidlaw)
makes 6 tarts
1 sheet purchased frozen puff pastry, about 10 x 14 inches (25x35cm), thawed
3/4 cup (3oz/90gm) shredded white Cheddar or Gruyere cheese
1/3 cup (2-1/2 oz/75gm) creme fraiche or sour cream
12 thick slices applewood-smoked bacon
1 tbsp olive oil
6 large eggs
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh chives

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400F (200C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry into a rectangle about 12x15 inches (30x38cm). Trim the edges (I like to use a pizza wheel and a ruler to cut puff pastry). Cut the rectangle into 6 equal rectangles, each about 5x6 inches (13x15cm). Using a small, sharp knife, cut a line around each rectangle about 1/2 inch (12mm) from the edge. Do not cut all the way through; you just want to create a ridge when the pastry is baked. Using a fork, prick the pastry inside the line all over. Lay the rectangle on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate while you prepare the toppings.

In a small bowl, stir together the shredded cheese and creme fraiche. In a large frying pan (it's best to choose a nonstick pan with a lid, so you only have to clean one pan), fry the bacon over medium-low heat until just barely crisped, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Discard the fat in the pan.

Dollop a spoonful of the cheese mixture in the center of each pastry rectangle and spread it out to the cut line. Roughly chop the bacon and sprinkle it over the cheese mixture. Bake until the pastry is puffed, crisp and golden, about 15 minutes.

While the pastry is baking, fry the eggs. In the large frying pan, warm the olive oil over medium-low heat. Crack the eggs into the pan. Sprinkle with salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cover the pan (this is a handy trick for making beautiful over-easy eggs) and cook until the whites are cooked through and the yolks are still a bit runny.

Place the tarts on warmed plates and top each with a fried egg. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown Specials : Bake
 hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Apricot Crumble Tart

This week's selected recipe at Cook The Book Fridays (CtBF), is Apricot Crumble Tart. CtBF is an online group of bloggers who are currently cooking through David Lebovitz's cookbook, My Paris Kitchen.

Apricot Crumble Tart is a delicious tart, which has a base made with buttery dough, the filling with fresh apricot slices and the top is a crumble made with whole almonds, sugar, flour, butter, vanilla extract and ground cinnamon.

For the dough, I have reduced the amount of sugar by half, as I prefer my tart bases to be less sweet. With the reduced amount of sugar, the dough turns out really well too. Secondly, I have used canned apricots for the filling instead of fresh. I did not reduce the sugar for the filling, using the full amount of 3 tablespoons as mentioned in the recipe. Even though the canned apricots are soaked in syrup, I was very surprised to find that the apricots are very tart and not sweet at all and have even sprinkled an extra tablespoon of sugar. I have omitted the almond extract for the filling. (my seldom used little bottle of almond extract has expired!  oops...)

The crumble topping is made by processing whole almonds in the food processor along with flour, brown sugar, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon until the almonds are broken up into very small pieces. Chopped cold butter is added in, and pulse until the mixture clumps together. Refrigerate until needed. 

I have omitted the salt for both the dough and the crumble topping since I've used salted butter.

The dough is press on the bottom of a greased 9" springform pan, covering a little less than halfway up the sides. Place the pan in the freezer for 30 minutes before blind bake by covering the dough with foil with pie weights for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and weights, then continue to bake for another 5-10 minutes until the dough is brown.

Add the filling to the baked shell evenly. Then crumble the topping over the apricots and continue to bake until the crumble topping is browned.

This tart smells incredibly delicious from the cinnamon, vanilla and the nutty almonds. I thought that this tart is really good! The base of the tart is buttery and tender. The apricot filling is tart and not too sweet, which is really nice. I love the crumble topping. It was fragrant from both the vanilla and cinnamon, buttery and nutty. The three layers are so perfect together! 

Served with a scoop (or two!) of vanilla ice cream! Yummilicious!

To view everyone's lovely tart at CtBF, the link is here. If you have the book or thought of getting one, please do, and join us! Full details here.

Blueberry-Almond Crisp

Cookbook Countdown Specials : Bake is a baking event, which I'm co-hosting with Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray.  This is a "spin-off" from our on-going monthly Cookbook Countdown. Cookbook Countdown Specials : Bake is for baking desserts ; pastries, cakes, cookies, pies, tarts, breads. While the monthly Cookbook Countdown is to use from one selected cookbook each month, for CC Specials : Bake, you may use any baking cookbooks of your choice, either from one single cookbook or from numerous books. The link is open from July to end September. You may link your post here. Do join us, everyone is welcome!

To link to Cookbook Countdown Specials : BAKE, click here

To link to Cookbook Countdown #7, click here

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Made this delicious Blueberry-Almond Crisp, and I thought that this sounds like a crumble to me. When I googled from the internet, I am even more confused! LOL! Some articles mentioned that topping for crisp contains oats, butter and flour and a crumble usually do have use any oats. And some articles mentioned that the topping for crumbles usually have oats, butter and flour, occasionally some nuts are added. Whatever it is called, both are served with scoops of ice cream! At least everyone agrees on this! 

The recipes uses blueberries, but I do not have enough of blueberries, so I have added some chopped ripe mangoes. Toss the fruits together with some sugar and flour. I've made half a recipe to serve 4.

The topping is a mixture of granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, butter, oats and flaked almonds, Sprinkle the mixture over the fruits and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the fruits are bubbling. Let it cool slightly before serving.

Serve the Blueberry and Mango-Almond Crisp while still warm, with a scoop (or two!) of ice cream. We had this with my homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. What can I say, this is one delicious dessert! So good!

Blueberry-Almond Crisp
(adapted from "Williams-Sonoma : Home Baked Comfort" by Kim Laidlaw)
makes about 8 servings
about 6 cups (1-1/2lb/750gm) fresh blueberries
3 tbsp granulated sugar plus 1/4 cup (2oz/60gm)
1 tbsp all-purpose flour, plus 3/4 cup (4oz/125gm)
1/2 cup (1-1/2oz/45gm) rolled oats
1/3 cup (2-1/2oz/75gm) firmly packed golden brown sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup (4oz/125gm) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into chunks
1/2 cup (2oz/60gm) sliced almonds, lightly toasted
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375F (190C). Have ready a 9-inch (23-cm) square or 2-1/2-quart (2.5lt) baking dish.
In the baking dish, toss together the blueberries, the 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, and the 1 tablespoon flour.
In a bowl, stir together the 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the 3/4 cup flour, the oats, brown sugar, and salt until well blended. Sprinkle the butter over the dry ingredients and use a pastry cutter or 2 kitchen knives to cut in the butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in the almonds. Sprinkle the topping in an even layer over the blueberries.
Bake until the blueberries are tender when tested with a toothpick, the juices are bubbling, and the topping is golden brown, 35-40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cook for 10 minutes. Serve warm with scoops of ice cream.

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown Specials : Bake
 hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Ham, Leek and Cheddar Quiche

Cookbook Countdown is a monthly cooking/baking event, which I'm co-hosting with Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray.  Everyone is welcome to join us. How does it work? To summarize, you may select a cookbook from your own cookbook collection, to cook or bake from each month. That selected book shall be your cookbook of the month. You may cook any recipes and as many recipes as you want from your selected book of the month. This is a fabulous way of using your cookbooks at least once! For more information on how to join Cookbook Countdown, please click here. 

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I made a savoury bake, Ham, Leek and Cheddar Quiche from my selected cookbook for this month, at Cookbook Countdown #6, Williams-Sonoma : Home Baked Comfort by Kim Laidlaw.

According to the author, "Quiche is one of the most versatile dishes you can make. It can be varied with the seasons; accomodate a spectrum of cheeses, vegetables, and meats; and be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. This is one of my all-time favourite quiche combinations."

Quiche is a favourite in my house, and I have made many versions of quiches, with different meats and vegetables. When I saw the photo of this recipe in the book, I knew that I will have to give this a try sooner or later! I like how the long slices of leeks arranged over the top, sprinkled with cheese and bake to a golden delicious colour.

Long slices of leeks sauteed in butter, is arranged on top of the filling.

The crust is pretty easy to handle. I've used a rectangular tart pan with dimensions 8x12-inch. The flaky pie dough in the recipe is for a single 9" round crust. So I have made one and a half recipe for both the dough and the filling to fit my pan. Follow the usual steps for making the crust dough as instructed in the recipe, and the steps for blind-bake.

The filling is made by sauteing the sliced leeks until wilted and the diced ham is added in. An extra leek is sliced lengthwise and then saute in butter until wilted. In a large glass measuring jug, whisk the eggs, milk, sour cream, a pinch of salt and black pepper. Scatter the leek and ham mixture onto the prepared crust, pour in the milk mixture, then arrange the long leek slices, followed with the sprinkling of cheese over the top. I have used Cheddar cheese as Gruyere cheese is not easy to find over here. Bake for about 30 minutes until the top is golden.

Sprinkle some Cheddar cheese over the top. 

 Freshly baked and smells good!

Delicious quiche! Really nice when eaten warm, with a few slices of cucumbers and tomatoes. This would be great for lunch and even dinner with some other side salad. Just as the author says, it is the most versatile dish, for any meal of the day.

Ham, Leek, And Cheddar Quiche
(adapted from "Williams-Sonoma : Home Baked Comfort", Kim Laidlaw)
makes one 9-inch (25-cm) quiche
Flaky pie dough for single crust *
1 small leek, white and pale green parts
1 tbsp unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 thick slice Block Forest Ham, about 6 oz (185gm) diced
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (4 floz/125ml) whole milk
1/2 cup (4 floz/125ml) creme fraiche or sour cream
Heaping 1/2 cup (2oz/60gm) shredded Gruyere cheese

Prepare the pie dough and chill as directed. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into an 11-inch (28-cm) round about 1/8-inch (3mm) thick. Drape the dough over the rolling pin and ease it to a 9-inch (23-cm) tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, then fold over the edge over on itself and press together. Put the pan in the freezer and chill for about 15 minutes. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400F (200C).

Prick the bottom of the pie shell with a fork, then line with foil. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the crust is set but not browned, about 12 minutes. Remove the foil and weights. Prick any bubbles with a fork. Continue to bake until the crust is firm and very lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack. Position the rack in the upper third of the oven and reduce the temperature to 375F (190C).

While the crust is baking, quarter the leek lengthwise and slice; you should have about 1 cup (4oz/125gm). In a frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the leek and a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks starts to brown and becomes tender, about 3 minutes. Toss the diced ham into the pan, stir to combine with the leek, and remove from the heat.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, creme fraiche, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Scatter the ham and leeks evenly over the crust, pour in the egg mixture, and sprinkle the cheese on top. Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the quiche is puffed and lightly golden and a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. If you like, slide the quiche under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top a bit more. Let the quiche stand on the wire rack for about 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Baker's Note :

To give this quiche a special flourish, buy an extra leek, preferably a small one. Thinly slice the white and pale green parts lengthwise, and saute them in butter until wilted. Lay the long leek slices on top of the quiche before you sprinkle it with cheese and bake.

Flaky Pie Dough : Single Crust (makes enough for one 9-inch (23cm) pie or tart
1-1/4 cups (6-1/2oz/200gm) all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp kosher salt
7 tbsp (3-1/2 oz/105gm) very cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
5 tbsp (3 fl oz/80ml) ice water, plus more if needed

In the bowl of a food processor, stir together the flour and salt. Sprinkle the butter over the top and pulse for a few seconds, or just until the butter is slightly broken up into the flour but still in visible pieces. Evenly sprinkle the water over the flour mixture, then process just until the mixture starts to come together. Dump the dough into a large lock-top plastic bag, and press into a flat disk. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes or up to 1 day, or freeze for up to 1 month.

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Ham, Blue Cheese and Pear Quiche

Cook The Book Fridays, a group of foodie bloggers, is currently cooking from David Lebovitz's cookbook, My Paris Kitchen. This week's assignment is Ham, Blue Cheese and Pear Quiche, and it is extra special this week, because CtBF is participating in Food Revolution Day. As everyone knows, Food Revolution is created by Jamie Oliver.  A food movement which aims to inspire people to learn about food and how to cook good, honest and affordable food.

This week, CtBF has selected this quiche recipe, as Mardi Michels, who is the Food Revolution Ambassador for Canada, says, " we're all going to be cooking the dish we've deemed a "must know" starter French recipe - QUICHE!".  

Ham, Blue Cheese and Pear Quiche for Food Revolution Day at CtBF.

We love quiche and I've made them many times, but have never made the pastry with a mixture of flour and cornmeal before. I've always use a tart pan to bake quiche, in this recipe, DL has indicated to use a springform pan instead, so I figured that the filling for this quiche must be quite thick compared to others that I've made, especially so when I've read that the dough is to be pressed halfway up the sides of a springform pan.  The springform pan that I've used is 9" diameter, and I did not wrap the pan with aluminium foil around the outside, since it is going to be placed on a rimmed baking sheet before baking. The dough breaks in some places when I transferred the rolled dough into the pan, but the tears are easily patched up by using some of the dough pinched from the sides to cover the tears.

I've made a few changes to the amount of ingredients used, as folllows :

For the crust : use 1/4 tsp of salt instead of 1/2 tsp. The pastry needed less than 1 egg for it to come together. I beat the egg lightly in a small bowl and added a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together. There's about slightly more than a tablespoon of the egg left.

For the filling : 1 cup heavy cream instead of 1-1/2 cups, 5 ounces cream cheese instead of 8 ounces, 100gm crumbled blue cheese instead of 150gm, 4 large eggs only and did not include the extra 2 egg yolks.

Use fresh oregano leaves from my garden pot, and bake the quiche for 70 minutes. 

The amount of filling fills the pan exactly to the level of the dough top. I sprinkled some black pepper over before baking. 

I was afraid that the taste of the blue cheese might be too strong. But the taste kinda mellows out during baking, mixed with all the other flavours in the filling. The pear makes an interesting addition, with a nice light crunch, and would not have guessed that there's pears in the quiche. With cream cheese and heavy cream in the filling, this is one very rich quiche. And very, very filling! Nice quiche, but not our favourite. As for the cornmeal crust, I like it.  Tender, flaky, and buttery. 

To know more about Food Revolution, click on the following link :

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/foodrevolutioncommunity
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/foodrev
Google+: http://www.google.com/+foodrevolutioncommunity
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/foodrevolution
Instagram: @foodrev

Stop by Cook The Book Fridays to see everyone's take on this quiche.