Bacon Studded Polenta with Tomato Gravy - Ciao, Yawl!

Bacon Studded Polenta with Tomato Gravy~

Some of us were born to color outside the lines, inside the lines and sometimes draw our own lines.  Combining Italian Polenta with crispy bacon bits, then smothering it with a deep Southern Tomato Gravy is one of those meals where the lines between the countries get blurred.  What comes out of this marriage of "Ciao and Chow" is good country eating, no matter what country you're talking about.

And speaking of countries, this month the Lets Lunch Bunch (my virtual lunch buddies from all over the globe) are celebrating a very special debut of a new cookbook:

Cowgirl Chef: Texas Cooking with a French accent.

Ellise (Cowgirl Chef) is a true Texan who has been living, learning, teaching, growing and loving in Paris, France for the last few years.  Her story of how she embraced her authentic and true self, talents and dreams by meeting the challenge of a brand new environment is inspiring (and the recipes are down right "must-makes.")  Ellise is one of the original foodbloggers to start our unique monthly lunch meeting online several years ago.  I was there for the very first one and we all made our own versions of a BLT sandwich.  It's a great example of one of the good things that come from our tech-driven journey.

This month's challenge was to create and share a meal that represented our own past experiences and another country, too (ala: Texas and France.)  

Picking something Italian was a no-brainer for me.  I've been obsessed with all things Italian for many years and will be fortunate enough to be packing this week to visit our good friends in Cossignano, Italy and stay at their Organic Agriturismo (Fiorano.)  Paolo and Paola are part of the Slow Food Movement and are very active in Organic wines, foods and conservation. 

Agriturismo Fiorano in Le Marche

I speak a little Italian from years of studying and soaking it up, although it seems to be with a good ol' Southern twang no matter how hard I try to pretend.

My grandmothers in North Carolina made Tomato Gravy and poured it over biscuits, toast, rice and grits.  It's a poor man's marinara sauce and it's packed with tomato bits, bacon flavor and rich roux.

Polenta is ground corn meal and considered an Italian comfort food.  Depending on the region, it's served warm and loose like soupy grits, or thick and cut into sections or even baked.  If you've seen the pre-made tubes of something they call Polenta in grocery stores, please don't judge Polenta by that gross congealed yellow tube food product (smiling, but serious.)  

Making Polenta is as easy as rice. There are just a few tips for making it successfully:

1)  When the liquid begins to simmer, rain in the Polenta grains.  This means do NOT pour it all in (that makes it clump.)  Rain it in, sprinkling it gradually and stirring while it goes.

2)  Reduce heat and stir often so not to scorch the Polenta.

3)  Keep in mind, it's easy to add a little more liquid if it's too thick, but not so easy to make it thicker if you add too much liquid too quickly.

4)  Adding butter makes it a little bit looser, cheese will make it a bit thicker.

The liquid used in Polenta, like rice, can be water or stock, milk, or something in your imaginative recipe developing "coloring book."

When I made this Bacon Studded Polenta smothered in Tomato Gravy, I also ate almost the whole plate of it.  So, be careful. :D

Check below to see the many varied and delectable recipes of country fusion cooking from other Let's Lunch pals: 

Chery's Goin Pork Curry Tacos at Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan
Eleanor‘s  Wok Picadillo at Wok Star
Ellise‘s Salty Lime Sablés (Margarita Cookies) at Cowgirl Chef
Emma‘s Kimchi Bulgogi Nachos at Dreaming of Pots And Pans
Felicia‘s Mexican-Lebanese Hummus at Burnt-Out Baker
Grace‘s Taiwanese Fried Chicken at HapaMama
Jill‘s Southern Pimento-Stuffed Knishes at Eating My Words
Joe‘s Grilled KimCheese Sandwich at Joe Yonan
Karen‘s Ukrainian-German Cabbage Rolls at GeoFooding
Leigh‘s Venezuelan-Italian Cachapas Con Queso at Leigh Nannini
Linda‘s Project Runway Pelau: Rice & Beans Trinidad-Style at Spicebox Travels
Linda‘s Edible Salad Totes at Free Range Cookies
Lisa‘s Sunday Night Jewish-Chinese Brisket at Monday Morning Cooking Club
Lucy‘s Coconut Rice Pudding with Mango at A Cook And Her Books
Nancie‘s Chili-Cheese Biscuits with Avocado Butter at Nancie McDermott
Rashda‘s Mango Cobbler at Hot Curries & Cold Beer
Renee‘s Asian-Spiced Quick Pickles at My Kitchen And I
Steff‘s Chicken Fried Steak at The Kitchen Trials
Vivian‘s Funky Fusion Linguini at Vivian Pei
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Recipe: Bacon Studded Italian Polenta-

3-4 pieces of Bacon

1 cup Nonfat Milk

1 cup Water

2 Tbls. Butter

salt, pepper

1)  In a skillet, cook the bacon on Med. until crispy, remove and chop into small pieces. Pour off the fat/grease and save for the Tomato Gravy.  Save the bacon coated skillet for cooking the gravy in also.

2)  In a deep saucepan, bring the water, milk, salt and pepper to a low simmer, stirring so the milk doesn't curdle.

3)  Rain in the Polenta, stirring constantly until the Polenta is creamy.  

4)  Reduce the heat to low, stir often so it doesn't scorch.  Now is when to add a bit more liquid if needed. Stir in the bacon pieces now.  Cook and stir often for about 15 minutes.  The Polenta should be thick for this recipe.

5)  Stir in the butter and turn out into a buttered 8x8 baking pan. Leave to room temp or chill for later.

Press into a buttered baking dish

6)  Before serving, cut into squares and triangles and broil or fry for just a couple minutes until crisp on the outside. *It can also be used without this step.

Recipe:  Tomato Gravy

1/4 cup Bacon fat (use butter if there's not enough bacon fat)

1/4 cup Flour

2-3 Tomatoes (peeled, chopped)

2 cups Stock (veggie or chicken) warmed

salt/pepper

1) Using the same pan the bacon was cooked in, add the bacon fat/butter and the flour, salt and pepper.  Cook and whisk on Med. until light brown and a nice roux has been created.

 

2)  Add the chopped tomatoes and any reserved juice from chopping.  Lower heat to Low/Med and Whisk together.

3)  Slowly whisk in the warmed stock and continue cooking on Low for about 15-20 minutes.  If it's too thick, add a little water or more stock a little at a time.  Season to taste.

4)  Serve poured over the Polenta or biscuits, rice or scrambled eggs. Mmmmm.

Congrats to Cowgirl Chef!  Hope to see you on tour!

Pesce con Pomodoro Burro (Fish with Tomato Butter) - Simple Saturday

Here's a quick, fresh idea for dinner tonight! This is so simple, yet you will be spinning from all the compliments about what an amazing cook you are and how good the food tastes!

Pesce con Pomodoro Burro(Fish with Tomato Butter)

For our dinner, I used a nice Red Snapper because it was fresh and local, but any solid fish fillet will do: Tilapia, Flounder, Halibut - whatever is sustainable and fresh for you.

On the bottom of a deep-sided baking dish, sprinkle a few slices of onion, a few cut up olives, a heavy drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. On top of that, lay a nice size fish fillet that has been seasoned with salt and pepper and a drizzle of Olive oil. On top of the fish, lay a few slices of lemon.

Cook in a preheated 350F oven for about 20 minutes.

While the fish is cooking, mix about 2 tbls of softened butter with 2 tbls. of tomato paste. Remove the fish from the oven after 20 minutes and brush the Tomato Butter all over the fish.
Return the fish to the oven and cook for about 8 minutes more for the butter to caramelize and help create a buttery sauce for the fish. Remove and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Serve the fish with the sauce from the pan. It's healthy, fast, fresh and looks a lot more complicated than it is; as they applaud, just smile and nod.

Cowboy Tomato Jam

Cowboy Tomato Jam

Ahhh, tomatoes. Is there a vegetable/fruit that tastes more like summer than a vine ripened tomato? On my Grandparent's farm, we kids would pick a tomato, lick the outside, then dip it into a palm full of Morton Salt. Then we'd take a slurpy bite out of the sun-heated tomato as if we were eating an apple. You would never want to do that to a winterized grocery store chain tomato, but there is nothing sweeter than a farm grown, garden grown, patio grown summer variety.
It's hard to believe, the tomato used to be thought of as poison many centuries ago. Then, it was grown as only ornamental garden decor, and finally - some brave people realized they were passing up a great BLT sandwich. I re-created that sandwich with Smokey Tea Tomato jam last summer right here.

When tomatoes were first brought to Italy, it's thought they were probably the yellow ones as the Italians and Spanish named it Pomi d'oro (now known as Pomodoro) meaning "apple of yellow/gold). The French (not too surprising) called them Pommes d'amour (apples of love) because they thought the tomatoes were aphrodisiacs. But, don't the French think air is aphrodisiac, too? Love that about the French!
So, this month's canning challenge for Tigress Can/Jam was the glorious TOMATO; chosen by Julia of What Julia Ate.
Here's my adaptation of a recipe from the Minimalist for Tomato Jam:

COWBOY TOMATO JAM:

1 lb. Garden fresh tomatoes (peeled, cored and chopped)
12 oz. sugar
1 lime (juice and zest)
1 Tbls. fresh ginger zested
1 whole Jalapeno (minced)
1 tsp each: cumin, black pepper and cinnamon
1 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in a deep saucepan. Cook on low until the sugar dissolves, stirring often.
Bring to a boil on Med., continue to stir, for several minutes.
Increase heat and boil until temp reaches 220F or check for jam set with a chilled plate (a dollop should have a little rise to it, and leave a space when you drag your finger through it).

Fill sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace for food expansion. Seal immediately, and hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove, carefully, and leave for 12-24 hours without moving. Label and store in a cool, dry place.

If you are new to canning, be sure to read over the correct process. Otherwise, you can make this jam, pour into containers, leave to cool, then refrigerate for consuming. Yipee, Cowboys and Cowgirls - this jam has a little bite back!

Duck & Mushroom Pot Stickers in Tomato w/Wasabi Cream (Paper Chef #52)

What would you have created with these four ingredients: Duck, Tomato, Wasabi and Cream? That's what Paper Chef, one of the longest running Food Blogger challenges around, is all about. Each month there is another set of random ingredients just waiting for imagination and execution to meet on a plate.

Pan Roasted Duck Pot Stickers
in Tomato Broth w/Wasabi Cream Sauce

One of my other spinning plates (aka: jobs) is teaching Improvisational Theatre. It's an art-form that, among other things, uses audience suggestions to create a story or character. I've been teaching and loving it for years. The challenge of creating something out of random ideas, being resourceful, developing and designing are all areas that get my spirit tingling. Like cooking, there are techniques that make the creations work better; the most talented make it look effortless.

Like cooking, not every time out is successful, but it feels/tastes/sings/sparks when it really works and at least teaches you something when it fails. I am truly excited by this dish.

For one, Asian inspired food is new to me and I love experimenting in new arenas. One of my favorite bloggers (Rachael of La Fuji Mama) has lived in Japan and cooks completely approachable Asian cuisine effortlessly. I've been making her hand-made Gyoza wrappers for months (added my little cheat of rolling the dough out with a pasta maker.)
Duck is not always an inexpensive item, but with this recipe you can use just a couple breast pieces and make it go a long way, yet still enjoy the earthy taste and the elegant opportunity.
If you have never made Pot Stickers before, this is a really easy way to give it a try. The first time I made them (with minced shrimp a few months ago) I think I made about 20 and feared they would go to waste. My son and husband ate 16 by themselves (I got 4). In a restaurant we would maybe split an order with friends and each of us have 1 - 2, but those guys made a meal of them. Like most things, home-made can't be beat.

Recipe: Pan Roasted Duck Breasts Duck Filling:
2 cooked breasts chopped fine
2 scallions white and green chopped fine
3 med. mushrooms chopped small
1 Tbls. soy sauce
1 Tbls. Mirin
1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger (easier to do if ginger is frozen first)
1 tsp. red chili paste pepper to taste

On the fatty skin side of the duck breasts, make several slits so the meat will not curl. (refer to picture above)

Preheat the oven to 375F.

On the stove-top, heat an oven-proof skillet on Med. with no oil. Add and Cook the duck breasts fat side down for about 5 minutes. You want to slowly render the fat. As the pan gathers fat, carefully pour it off and save it for another use. (Cooking with the skin on will give the meat a great flavor, so don't remove it first.)

Turn the duck breasts over and sear the other side for about 2 minutes.

Turn back so the fatty side is down and place the pan in the oven for about 10".
Remove the duck to rest and cool. Remove the skin and chop the meat.

In a bowl, add the meat and all the other ingredients, mixing well. Use about a teaspoon of filling in each wrapper.

RECIPE: Gyoza wrapper: fresh made using recipe and guidance by Fuji Mama here:
Or/ use wonton wrappers or frozen gyoza wrappers from store



RECIPE: Cooking the Pot Stickers -

In a skillet, heat several Tbls of oil on Med/High and add the pot stickers (fold side up). Cook til the bottoms of the pot stickers are browned. Remove skillet from the heat and carefully pour in 2 cups of Tomato Broth. Return skillet to heat, cover and lower heat to steam the pot stickers for 5 minutes.
Remove cover, and using tongs, remove the pot stickers to a serving platter. Add more broth if needed to make a soupy sauce and stir. When ready, gently ladle the broth onto the platter to surround the pot stickers.

Drizzle the Wasabi Cream as preferred. Serve to the delight of your peeps.

RECIPE: Tomato Broth-
1 can tomatoes chopped
1 small bunch cilantro chopped (optional - could us basil leaves also)
1/2 shallot
2 tsps. olive oil
salt/pepper to taste
Puree ingredients in a blender til smooth, and heat.

RECIPE: Wasabi Cream -
2 Tbls. Wasabi Powder
1/2 cup Sour Cream
(1 Tbls of heavy cream if needed )
Mix together for drizzling.


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Paper Chef is open to anyone - no sign ups, or commitments, just a spirit of self-challenge. Hope to see you there next month.

WHEN BEING FLAKY IS GOOD- Daring Bakers Puff Pastry: Vols au Vents

This is my second challenge with The Daring Baker's, and I had a kitchen party, all by myself, playing with these Vols au Vents. I turned flakier than the dough trying to decide: how do I want to fill them, how could I add my spin to the dough flavor, do I like them crispier or softer, are they better warm or at room temperature? Ultimately I made about 8 different kinds of Vols au Vents, and then used the scraps (we really need a better word for such luscious leftovers) to make Cinnamon Twirls and Cheese Buttons.


The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

When I was a child, my Southern Grandma made biscuits twice a day: early in the morning before the sun came up, and early in the afternoon before the sun went down. She was a farmer and the eggs were so fresh they were still warm, the water came from a well, and the milk was poured from bucket to bowl. Her biscuits were tall and flaky and sweet without using any sugar (I think it was the milk, but I've never been able to achieve this). Sometimes for our dinner she would lay a biscuit on a plate, pull the middle out of the biscuit, fill it with chicken stew and place the top back on. The chicken stew would ooze over the top. I'm sure she never heard of Vols au Vent, but that's what they reminded me of and it was a sweet, sweet memory. Isn't that one of the best things about cooking and food?

Many things are better when they're home-made, and Puff Pastry is at the top of that list. Not only is this buttery, million-layered dough amazingly tasty; there are unlimited ways to use it, both savory and sweet. OK, maybe it takes you a day (on and off) to create this super-rise "omni-dough", but it freezes really well and when you present it...we're talkin' out-loud ohhs and ahhs. Take pictures just in case you need proof you created it yourself.

My Sweet and Savory Favorites were:

The Basic Puff Vols au Vent with Chicken in Honey Tarragon
with Dried Cranberries and Pecans

Vols au Vent with Seckel Pear in Caramel

Whole Wheat Vols au Vent
w/ Yogurt Lemon Pastry Cream & Blueberries

Whole Wheat Vols au Vent
w/Herb Roasted Heritage Cherry Tomato

Dill Vols au Vent
w/Scrambled Egg & Salmon

Here's a visual guide to the steps, (using my Whole Wheat version) and the basic recipe after that. Below the Basic Recipe will be the tweaks I used for Fresh Dill-Puff Pastry, Whole Wheat Puff Pastry and all the fillings.

Vols Au Vent: w/ Basic Puff Pastry

Michel Richard’s Puff Pastry Dough
From: Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan
Yield: 2-1/2 pounds dough

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups (12.2 oz/ 354 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups (5.0 oz/ 142 g) cake flour
1 tbsp. salt (you can cut this by half for a less salty dough or for sweet preparations)
1-1/4 cups (10 fl oz/ 300 ml) ice water
1 pound (16 oz/ 454 g) very cold unsalted butter
plus extra flour for dusting work surface

Mixing the Dough:
Check the capacity of your food processor before you start. If it cannot hold the full quantity of ingredients, make the dough into two batches and combine them.
Put the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse a couple of times just to mix. Add the water all at once, pulsing until the dough forms a ball on the blade. The dough will be very moist and pliable and will hold together when squeezed between your fingers. (Actually, it will feel like Play-Doh.)
Remove the dough from the machine, form it into a ball, with a small sharp knife, slash the top in a tic-tac-toe pattern. Wrap the dough in a damp towel and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the butter between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and beat it with a rolling pin until it flattens into a square that's about 1" thick. Take care that the butter remains cool and firm: if it has softened or become oily, chill it before continuing.

Incorporating the Butter:
Unwrap the dough and place it on a work surface dusted with all-purpose flour (A cool piece of marble is the ideal surface for puff pastry) with your rolling pin (preferably a French rolling pin without handles), press on the dough to flatten it and then roll it into a 10" square. Keep the top and bottom of the dough well floured to prevent sticking and lift the dough and move it around frequently. Starting from the center of the square, roll out over each corner to create a thick center pad with "ears," or flaps.
Place the cold butter in the middle of the dough and fold the ears over the butter, stretching them as needed so that they overlap slightly and encase the butter completely. (If you have to stretch the dough, stretch it from all over; don't just pull the ends) you should now have a package that is 8" square.
To make great puff pastry, it is important to keep the dough cold at all times. There are specified times for chilling the dough, but if your room is warm, or you work slowly, or you find that for no particular reason the butter starts to ooze out of the pastry, cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it . You can stop at any point in the process and continue at your convenience or when the dough is properly chilled.

Making the Turns:
Gently but firmly press the rolling pin against the top and bottom edges of the square (this will help keep it square). Then, keeping the work surface and the top of the dough well floured to prevent sticking, roll the dough into a rectangle that is three times as long as the square you started with, about 24" (don't worry about the width of the rectangle: if you get the 24", everything else will work itself out.) With this first roll, it is particularly important that the butter be rolled evenly along the length and width of the rectangle; check when you start rolling that the butter is moving along well, and roll a bit harder or more evenly, if necessary, to get a smooth, even dough-butter sandwich (use your arm-strength!).
With a pastry brush, brush off the excess flour from the top of the dough, and fold the rectangle up from the bottom and down from the top in thirds, like a business letter, brushing off the excess flour. You have completed one turn.
Rotate the dough so that the closed fold is to your left, like the spine of a book. Repeat the rolling and folding process, rolling the dough to a length of 24" and then folding it in thirds. This is the second turn.

Chilling the Dough:
If the dough is still cool and no butter is oozing out, you can give the dough another two turns now. If the condition of the dough is iffy, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. Each time you refrigerate the dough, mark the number of turns you've completed by indenting the dough with your fingertips. It is best to refrigerate the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns.
The total number of turns needed is six. If you prefer, you can give the dough just four turns now, chill it overnight, and do the last two turns the next day. Puff pastry is extremely flexible in this regard. However, no matter how you arrange your schedule, you should plan to chill the dough for at least an hour before cutting or shaping it.

Forming and Baking the Vols-au-Vent
Yield: 1/3 of the puff pastry recipe below will yield about 8-10 1.5” vols-au-vent or 4 4” vols-au-vent

In addition to the equipment listed above, you will need:
-well-chilled puff pastry dough (recipe below)
-egg wash (1 egg or yolk beaten with a small amount of water)
-your filling of choice
Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
Using a knife or metal bench scraper, divided your chilled puff pastry dough into three equal pieces. Work with one piece of the dough, and leave the rest wrapped and chilled. (If you are looking to make more vols-au-vent than the yield stated above, you can roll and cut the remaining two pieces of dough as well…if not, then leave refrigerated for the time being or prepare it for longer-term freezer storage. See the “Tips” section below for more storage info.)
On a lightly floured surface, roll the piece of dough into a rectangle about 1/8 to 1/4-inch (3-6 mm) thick. Transfer it to the baking sheet and refrigerate for about 10 minutes before proceeding with the cutting.
(This assumes you will be using round cutters, but if you do not have them, it is possible to cut square vols-au-vents using a sharp chef’s knife.) For smaller, hors d'oeuvre sized vols-au-vent, use a 1.5” round cutter to cut out 8-10 circles. For larger sized vols-au-vent, fit for a main course or dessert, use a 4” cutter to cut out about 4 circles. Make clean, sharp cuts and try not to twist your cutters back and forth or drag your knife through the dough. Half of these rounds will be for the bases, and the other half will be for the sides. (Save any scrap by stacking—not wadding up—the pieces…they can be re-rolled and used if you need extra dough. If you do need to re-roll scrap to get enough disks, be sure to use any rounds cut from it for the bases, not the ring-shaped sides.)
Using a ¾-inch cutter for small vols-au-vent, or a 2- to 2.5-inch round cutter for large, cut centers from half of the rounds to make rings. These rings will become the sides of the vols-au-vent, while the solid disks will be the bottoms. You can either save the center cut-outs to bake off as little “caps” for you vols-au-vent, or put them in the scrap pile.

Dock the solid bottom rounds with a fork (prick them lightly, making sure not to go all the way through the pastry) and lightly brush them with egg wash. Place the rings directly on top of the bottom rounds and very lightly press them to adhere. Brush the top rings lightly with egg wash, trying not to drip any down the sides (which may inhibit rise). If you are using the little “caps,” dock and egg wash them as well.

Refrigerate the assembled vols-au-vent on the lined baking sheet while you pre-heat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). (You could also cover and refrigerate them for a few hours at this point.)
Once the oven is heated, remove the sheet from the refrigerator and place a silicon baking mat (preferred because of its weight) or another sheet of parchment over top of the shells. This will help them rise evenly. Bake the shells until they have risen and begin to brown, about 10-15 minutes depending on their size. Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF (180ºC), and remove the silicon mat or parchment sheet from the top of the vols-au-vent. If the centers have risen up inside the vols-au-vent, you can gently press them down. Continue baking (with no sheet on top) until the layers are golden, about 15-20 minutes more. (If you are baking the center “caps” they will likely be finished well ahead of the shells, so keep an eye on them and remove them from the oven when browned.)
Remove to a rack to cool. Cool to room temperature for cold fillings or to warm for hot fillings.
Fill and serve.
*For additional rise on the larger-sized vols-au-vents, you can stack one or two additional ring layers on top of each other (using egg wash to "glue"). This will give higher sides to larger vols-au-vents, but is not advisable for the smaller ones, whose bases may not be large enough to support the extra weight.
*Although they are at their best filled and eaten soon after baking, baked vols-au-vent shells can be stored airtight for a day.
*Shaped, unbaked vols-au-vent can be wrapped and frozen for up to a month (bake from frozen, egg-washing them first).


WHOLE WHEAT VERSION:
(whole wheat flour is heavier than all-purpose so using half and half of whole wheat pastry flour helps the layers to rise as the butter steams inside)

124 g. Whole Wheat Flour
124 g. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

5 oz. ice water
8 oz. unsalted butter
(follow directions as per Basic Puff Pastry above)

LEMON YOGURT PASTRY CREAM w/Blueberries
1 cup plain yogurt
2 egg yolks
2 Tbls. Agave syrup
2 tsps. Flour
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
pinch of salt

Heat yogurt in small saucepan, on Med., just til very warm. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, Agave, Flour and salt together until pale and thick. Temper the eggs into the warm yogurt by adding a little egg to the yogurt mixture (whisking continuously), then adding all the egg to the warm yogurt. Whisk in the zest and lemon juice and heat again on Med., stirring constantly until the mixture has thickened. Chill to set with plastic wrap clinging to the pastry cream to avoid a covering film. Spoon pastry cream into the Whole Wheat Vols au Vents. Top with fresh blueberries (optional: toss the blueberries in a Tsp. of Agave before using them as topping.)

CHERRY HERITAGE TOPPERS
1 basket of Heritage Cherry Tomatoes
Fresh herbs
Salt/Pepper
Olive Oil
Cut tomatoes in half and put on a parchment lined baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and fresh herbs. Bake at 350 F. for 20 minutes. Remove and cool. Use one tomato (or two depending on size of your pastry circles) as a topper for the Whole Wheat Vols au Vent. Garnish with fresh herbs. (Optional: if using a really nice Olive oil, add a drizzle to garnish)


DILL PUFF PASTRY:
Create a compound butter by mixing 1Tbls. of fresh, chopped dill and 1 Tbls. of fresh lemon juice into room temp. butter. Then, chill the butter in block form and continue recipe as per Basic Puff Pastry above.


EGGS AND SALMON:
3 eggs
1 Tbls. heavy cream
1 tsp. fresh chopped dill
pinch of salt
1 Salmon Fillet (cooked) I sauteed Salmon fillet in Olive oil, s&p, then cooled.
Whisk eggs with cream, salt and dill until light and frothy. Pour into heated skillet (on Med/High) that has a drizzle of olive oil. Let eggs cook for a moment then gently turn over in lumps with a large spoon. Remove from heat while still a little runny, as the eggs will continue to cook while off the heat.
Cut Cooked Salmon into small cubes/pieces and fold into the scrambled eggs.
Spoon mixture into the Dill-Vols au Vents and garnish with a sprig of fresh dill.


PEARS in CARAMEL
Cut Pears in half.
Place in a baking dish, cut side down. Add a few Tablespoons of water to the dish and bake pears for 15-25 minutes depending on kinds of pears and size.

Chill pears or hold at room temp. while preparing the Caramel.

In a saucepan, heat 3 Tbls. Butter, 1/3 cup Sugar, and 1 Tbls. Brown Sugar on Med/High heat until Caramel Brown.

Stir in 1/4 cup heavy cream, and 2 tsp. lemon juice. Stir til thickened.

Put a small amount of Caramel sauce in each Vols au Vent, then place pear half on top in a tilt. Optionally: sprinkle with chopped nuts or drizzle with more Caramel.

CHICKEN w/HONEY TARRAGON
1 cup of cooked chicken, cubed
2 TBLs. Whole Grain Mustard
2 TBLs. Honey
2 TBLs. Fresh Tarragon, chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 celery, chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1/4 cup chopped, toasted pecans
1/4 cup diced, cooked bacon
(optional: 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese)

In a saucepan on Med. heat, add the mustard, honey, cream and tarragon. Salt to taste while heating and stirring until thickened. Cool and hold.
Combine cubed chicken, celery, cranberries, and bacon with enough dressing to coat well. Add pecans and feta, fold together. Spoon into each Vols au Vent and drizzle more dressing to taste.



Be sure to check out the other gorgeous, delicious ways to use Puff Pastry by our fabulous other Daring Bakers.

Puff Pastry is worth the time and effort. Do the Puff!

You Say Tomato, I Say Tomato Jam

This post is about my first virtual lunch with virtual friends whose names start with @, and although I don't know them-know them...I know them. I joined in on the wonderful idea to "create a BLT with your own spin on it, photograph it, and blog about it". Mine is a BLTea ~I'm kinda new to the social media scene, twitter schmitter, life in 140 characters or less, but I'm hooked! I'm trying hard to catch up with some of the big guns in the foodie/chef/cooking online world. I have to say, most of the time I've found them to be amazingly intelligent, creative, passionate, and generous with info and time. I'm having a blast and so thrilled to be playing. This #BLTlunch idea was one of those twitters that I read between @cowgirlchef and @cheryltan88 and @pinchmysalt. They explained briefly (because that's all you can do on twitter) about doing something that sounded like a virtual picnic, a Friday web-lunch, a Recipe Roundup where BLT sandwiches were the star of the moment. I loved the idea and also knew that it would get me off my canister with the blogging thing.

I cook - every day. I think about food - every moment. I take "sorta" good photos - every meal. My family is already so used to eating food that has to be warmed up after it has starred in its own 15 minutes of fame. I wrote to each one of those well established and extremely talented bloggers and said, "count me in". They responded as if we had been friends forever, excited that I was aboard and anxious to see what BLTea was about.

Well, my BLTea is about making a Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato sandwich that would be good in all seasons - made with seasonal and farmer's market heritage tomatoes. To do that, I turned the tomatoes into a savory, just a bit spicy, jam infused with smokey tea.For about a year now, I've been developing recipes for the very highly respected ALGABAR, a Home and Tea Salon in Los Angeles. I'm Executive Chef for their catering division, Fete Du The, and I've grown to appreciate the healthy, spiritual, sensual qualities of truly great tea-- like the ones they have in the shop on La Brea in Los Angeles. Gail and Robb are more than retailers, they are passionate artists and connoisseurs of taste and style. It's rare to be able to say such great things about people that you work with, and I think of them as friends. But before I throw-up the sandwich I just ate (and loved) with all this mushy talk - let me finish with the bullet points of my BLTea sandwich and I hope you will try making the jam. There is such a self-loving feeling that happens when you spread your own, home-made jam on a piece of bread. You feel - no matter what else - I can survive. I can make jam! Jam on.

SMOKEY TEA TOMATO JAM for a BLTea-

300 grams (about 8) Farmer's Market Heritage Tomatoes (red, zebra, yellow, etc. peeled, cored, seeded, chopped)
200 grams (about 3) Apples (peeled, cored, sliced)
300 grams (about 1 1/4 cups) sugar
1 tsp. minced serrano chili pepper
1 lemon (zest and juice)
2 Tbls. Smokey Tea

In a deep sauce pan combine the tomatoes, apples, sugar, minced serrano, lemon zest and juice. Heat just to boiling then remove the pan and let cool.
Meanwhile, wrap 2 Tbls. of smokey tea leaves in a cheesecloth and tie tightly with kitchen string. Place the wrapped tea into the pan with tomatoes and push into the liquid. Cover the pan and place in refrigerator over night to infuse.The next day, heat the pan of tomatoes and tea to just before boiling. Remove the wrapped tea and continue boiling the tomato mixture til it reaches 224F. and is concentrated. This should take about 20 minutes. Check the set and carefully pour into prepared jars immediately and seal properly. If not preserving, this can be sealed and kept in refrigerator for 1 week.

My BLTea is prepared by spreading the Smokey Tea Jam on one side of dark, multi-grain Russian Rye bread. Add crisp Bacon on top, then wild Rocket Arugula and the second slice of bread. This is a great sandwich for traveling.

Let me hear about your jamming, too. Enjoy!