My Plate Spoke To Me - #PLATESWAP

I love ideas, and I love an idea person. It may explain my background in Improvisational Theatre. Give me an idea and I'll run with it, build it, research it, and expand it further. That can be a good thing, and it can also drive people crazy.

A few weeks ago, a couple of talented Food Writers ( Elise at CowGirlChef, and Cheryl at Tiger In The Kitchen) came up with an idea for a blogger #Plateswap. I put the "hash" mark on the word because it was an idea hatched on Twitter and that's how they denote a topic. As Food Writers and Photographers of Food, we Bloggers often end up using a lot of our own props, dishes, backgrounds, etc... So, why not have a "Secret Santa" style Plateswap; each person will send another person a new plate, and in return will receive a new plate. Brilliant - and I don't know what was more fun: waiting to hear the response from the gift I sent to Kelsey at The Naptime Chef, or getting a gift in the mail from the adorable Steff at Omaha Chronicles and opening it.
Here's the beautiful vintage plate I received from Steff.
The idea was simply to prepare a food, photograph it on your new plate and blog about it on the appointed day (today). Here's where my "running with it" starts. I couldn't just prepare something/anything for my gorgeous new present - I wanted the PLATE to tell me what to prepare. OK, guess this is also where my "actress-side" shows up, too. I held the plate, examining it's well worn glaze, it's multi-valued blues, it's pattern that suggested both Asian influence and Puritan background. Then I flipped it over; Torbrex, Burslem, England.
Yeah...nothing.

So, off to Google and Vintage Cookbooks I go, and a few hours later I emerged with a whole world of knowledge about the importance of Oatcakes to the people of Staffordshire/Burslem England. My plate and it's pottery is well known there, and the oatcakes are taken very seriously; so-

STAFFORDSHIRE OATCAKES on TORBREX
The Oatcake is like a flat pancake, or a thick French Crepe and has been sold for over 200 years from little windowed shops along the streets. One worker in the area described these as "the national dish for the Potteries". Not very many of the small shops that served these from 6am til afternoon are still open; large Potteries and businesses have taken over the real estate. Like a lot of regional dishes in the world, the recipes and their exact amounts are held very close to the chest and families have guarded and passed their own recipes down through the years; sometimes with heated discussions about whose recipe was better.

The Staffordshire Oatcakes are served with jam and butter, or eggs and bacon/ham, and cheese, or filled with Nutella or other lunch meats. The filling part seems to be personal.

The recipe I used was a combination of several that I experimented with until I could find the right consistency for me (something that reflected the warm, healthy oat meal, but was still light and lacy).

This was so fun and I learned about a whole region and its foods that represented more than just "something to eat on the go" to them. That's one of the most amazing things about food - to me. It's why I'm interested in preserving and celebrating the source of foods, the farmers and the dairies, and the time spent together building our own traditions. It was a great honor to learn about the history of this Pottery, the people from that area, and the food that probably was served on this plate before the idea of sending it was even thought up.
So, when's my next plate arriving? Huh?

Staffordshire Oatcakes (as tweaked by me)

1 cup of oat flour (I ground oats in a food processor til fine)
1/2 cup of AP flour
1/4 cup of whole wheat flour
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 envelope (1/4oz) dry active yeast
salt to taste

In a bowl, add warm milk, sugar and yeast - stir to mix
Let sit for about 10 minutes til a bit frothy on top
Mix in the flours and salt well - cover with a towel and let sit for 1 hour.
Heat a crepe pan or wide (preferably stick-free) pan on medium heat. Butter or oil the pan slightly. Ladle a small amount of batter onto the pan and swirl the pan to create a plate size, thin pancake/crepe.
Cook for a couple minutes and flip with a spatula. Cook for just a moment more and empty onto a warmed platter to hold while making other oatcakes.
Serve with your choice (and experiment): jam/butter, cheese, eggs, meats, cinnamon and sugar, nutella, etc..

Here are a few more lovely food bloggers who are participating in the **PLATESWAP**
Bell'Alimento

What's Cookin' Chicago?
Bodacious Girl Blog
Our Best Bites

Mah-valous Macarons - Daring Baker's October Challenge

Let's just say it: these are a bitch, n'est pas? So of course, only the most DARING BAKERS would try them.

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

Having made several different Macarons for catering events (including the CITY TEAS for Fete du The with Algabar), I added the personal challenge of using Muscavado Sugar (a moist brown sugar) and a Banana Cream for my filling. It took two trials before these worked. Oh, those finicky egg whites!

MUSCAVADO MACARONS w/BANANA CREAM FILLING

What else can be blogged about Macarons, at this point, that hasn't been blogged before? For those of us who read food blogs, think of food and recipes as stories, or find fascination in the world defined by what we eat; Macarons are touted as "the beast to be conquered". When we DO create these chewy, yet crunchy disks of bliss and they have FEET (a term used for the soft insides that bubble out as they rise and cook and are very desired as a mark of success), even quiet cooks will let out a "YES!" from their kitchens. That being said, there are plenty of people who have never heard of these sweets and haven't tumbled on the difference between these and the coconut yummies also pronounced "Macaroons". Just in case you are one of those, here are a few "quik notes" for you:

Both Italy and France claim origins for this cookie that traditionally used egg whites, sugar, and almond powders. Originally these cookies were single shells; crunchy on the outside and meringue like chewy on the inside. In the 20th Century the famed pastry chef, Laduree, created the idea of using ganache to make a sandwich of two Macarons. A couple of the most famed Parisian Pastry shops, including Pierre Herme and Laduree, experiment each season with both savory and sweet ingredients and colors for their famous Macarons. People line up on the streets to buy these examples of the most perfect Macarons. Although Italy, France and most of Europe love and know these cookies, the United States has only recently began to appreciate their exquisite design and taste.

I love a challenge, so even though the recipe as given for this month's Daring Baker's Challenge is not my favorite way to make these "bad babies", I stayed fairly close to it. My flavor changes were to incorporate the brown sugar to the powdered sugar ( I used half and half of each), and also half and half of brown sugar for the granulated sugar. In the first trial I think I used too much brown sugar (it contains a lot of moisture) so the egg whites fell flat. I also made sure the egg whites were fully whipped before I added any of the sugars to them. I also added a twirl of Banana syrup on the top of the shells as they dried. By far, the easier way to make Macarons is to use dried flavoring (teas, powders, and dried fruit flavoring) to sustain the volume in the egg whites, but with careful and patient timing some moisture (liquid or puree flavors) can be incorporated.

In the oven - feet rising - a yelp of "yes" is heard.

Baked, cooled and ready to fill

Banana Cream Filling

2 ripe bananas, puree
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. banana syrup
Whip together, adjust as needed for taste.
Pipe onto every other cookie and sandwich with another plain Macaron.

MACARON RECIPE (as given for Daring Baker's October Challenge)

Ingredients
Confectioners’ (Icing) sugar: 2 ¼ cups (225 g, 8 oz.)
Almond flour: 2 cups (190 g, 6.7 oz.)
Granulated sugar: 2 tablespoons (25 g , .88 oz.)
Egg whites: 5 (Have at room temperature)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C). Combine the confectioners’ sugar and almond flour in a medium bowl. If grinding your own nuts, combine nuts and a cup of confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a food processor and grind until nuts are very fine and powdery.
2. Beat the egg whites in the clean dry bowl of a stand mixer until they hold soft peaks. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
3. Sift a third of the almond flour mixture into the meringue and fold gently to combine. If you are planning on adding zest or other flavorings to the batter, now is the time. Sift in the remaining almond flour in two batches. Be gentle! Don’t overfold, but fully incorporate your ingredients.
4. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain half-inch tip (Ateco #806). You can also use a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off. It’s easiest to fill your bag if you stand it up in a tall glass and fold the top down before spooning in the batter.
5. Pipe one-inch-sized (2.5 cm) mounds of batter onto baking sheets lined with nonstick liners (or parchment paper).
6. Bake the macaroon for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and raise the temperature to 375°F (190°C). Once the oven is up to temperature, put the pans back in the oven and bake for an additional 7 to 8 minutes, or lightly colored.
7. Cool on a rack before filling.

Yield: 10 dozen. Ami's note: My yield was much smaller than this. I produced about two dozen filled macaroons.

Virtual Pot of Green Beans; Park Avenue Potluck

One of my favorite things about blogging is the people you meet. OK, not actually "meet", but virtually speaking, you "get to know them" through their Blogs, their Twittering, their Face Book pages - you get my electronic drift. I've only been blogging, at this point, for about 3-4 months; yet I've already been in several Cooking Challenges (preparing certain recipes, certain ways, for a certain time), a Plateswap (sending a new plate to another blogger ala: Secret Santa style), and now "Blogging for a Cause." It's an honor to be invited to prepare a recipe that will help bring awareness to a place that has helped so many. The recipe I prepared is called: Green Beans That Cooked "All Night".
These Green Beans were slow-cooked (no fuss-unattended) in caramelized bacon, onions and tangy sauce. Can it get any easier or more flavorful? They reminded me of my Southern Grandma's Snap Beans cooked in Fat-Back and Onions. This is a perfect side-dish for a busy dinner (maybe Thanksgiving) when you need to prepare so much in so little time. Another plus; they taste even better the second day after the flavors have marinated. The recipe was chosen for me by Kelsey, The Naptime Chef. The idea is extremely clever; promote a new cookbook, Park Avenue's Potluck CELEBRATIONS (written by The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and award-winning author and contributing New York Times columnist Florence Fabricant) by preparing recipes from the book and posting them like a virtual POTLUCK online. The cause is very worthy - "A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will provide funding for The Society's patient care, research, and education programs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center." To see the other beautiful and delicious foods that are a part of today's Park Avenue Potluck, check out The Naptime Chef. AND, order your copy of Park Avenue Potluck Celebrations: Entertaining at Home with New York's Savviest Hostesses" so you can actually taste these goodies for yourself - in the real world, real time, really.

Green Beans That Cooked “All Night”

Makes 8 servings

2 ounces smoky bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 pounds green beans, trimmed
6 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Place the bacon in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until the bacon and onion are lightly browned. Stir in the beans, vinegar, and 1 cup water and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer to a baking dish, place in the oven, and bake, uncovered, for
at least 2 hours, basting from time to time, until the beans are very tender.
Serve immediately or remove from the oven and reheat just before serving.

Nutella Toaster -Tarts

It's one of those mornings; what happened to the alarm? I know I set it. Now everyone is late (my son for school, my husband for work, me for a meeting) and we're all scrambling around in our own improvised French Farce. The doors are opening and shutting, water on and off, the dog sits in the hallway watching the chaos whining for his food. FOOD! There's no time for breakfast? Then, I remember; Homemade Nutella Toaster Tarts.
I made them 2 days ago, froze them on a sheet pan, then bagged them and placed them in the freezer for a day just like this one. I'm almost glad the alarm didn't go off, just so I can gloat in my own uber organizational skills (which don't happen that often). I trot downstairs, grab a few Nutella Toaster Tarts out of the freezer and place them on my toaster oven rack. I turn the toaster on to 300F, set the timer for 15" and run back upstairs to finish the express version of my morning prep. About the time the buzzer rings, my son is downstairs and hits the toaster button one time for a good crispy outside - it dings and we're all standing there ready with our napkins for a healthier version of fast food. I say healthier because I've added a little whole wheat flour and a pinch of flaxseed into the pastry for the Toaster Tarts, and although Nutella isn't like a plate of egg whites; it does have nutritional value (by far more than skipping breakfast would at least). Is it the BEST way to eat a breakfast? NO. Does it match my support for SLOW FOOD? Not really. Will it do in a pinch, supply some nutrients and taste amazing? ABSOLUTELY! In fact, these are so tasty my son's friends ask for them every time they come over. They'll never know that with each one they scarf down (and believe me those boys can put a few away) they are also getting a day's worth of fiber and nutrients.

These are simple; made with the basic 3-2-1 pie pastry, dolloped with nutella, covered and poked, then frozen.
I first experimented with these for a monthly Nutella Challenge that started a few months ago with Paula at Bell'Alimento. Nutella is so loved and versatile that many talented food bloggers have joined in the fun of developing new recipes each month using this chocolate/nutty spread. Check out the other recipes right here: Nutella Challenge Players Obviously, these Toaster Tarts can be filled with jam (I used my own Plum and Cinnamon and it was rich and warm). I've also loved them with a filling of: 1 Tablespoon of Brown Sugar, a sprinkling of raisins, and a pinch of cinnamon. Let me know if you have other ideas. By the way, these make a great breakfast actually placed on a plate beside a cup of coffee, still in your pajamas and the morning paper spread out, too.
Nutella Toaster-Tarts

4 oz. All Purpose Flour
2 oz. Whole Wheat Flour
3 oz. Butter (chilled, cubed)
1 oz. Flaxseed milled
3 oz. cold water
pinch of salt
pinch of sugar
1 egg beaten for wash
Nutella

Combine the flours, salt, sugar and flaxseed milled thoroughly. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips til you have the texture of course meal.
Add the water and mix just until the dough comes together. Pat into a thick disk, wrap in plastic and chill for about 20 minutes (or up to 1 day).
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and roll out to a rectangle, and about 1/8 inch thick.
Cut even squares about 4inch (or you can use a large cookie cutter).
Place a dollop of Nutella in the center of every other square (it will take two squares to make a tart).
Brush the edges of the squares with egg wash, and cover with the matching pastry square. Press slightly to secure the Nutella center.
Using a fork, press around the edges to secure a seal, and poke a few holes into the tops.
** At this point you can freeze the Pocket Tarts for several weeks, and bake straight from the freezer***

If baking now, brush the tops of each tart with egg wash (optionally: sprinkle with cinnamon)
and bake 350F for 10-15 minutes.
Enjoy!

PHO is "Fuh?" - Daring Cooks October PHO-N!

This month's cooking challenge with the Daring Cooks was to make the Vietnamese Chicken Soup known as PHO (pronounced "fuh?") GA. I'm not sure how you say "OH MY GOSH THIS IS TASTY" in Vietnamese, but you get my point.
The October 2009 Daring Cooks’ challenge was brought to us by Jaden of the blog Steamy Kitchen. The recipes are from her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.

I've been getting to know Jaden in the virtual world of blogging and twitter, and hope to meet her in person soon. She's one of those gals who makes you feel that you're in her circle of friends immediately; never too busy to answer a question, return a gesture, offer generous help. Her experience and talent is obvious and I'm betting her new book will be hugely successful. So, it was no surprise to find this PHO GA recipe to be simple, authentic and full of warm flavor.
There are a few secrets to this dish: toast the spices, roast the onion and ginger, use real fish sauce, and simmer on low for a good length of time.

Your reward will be a light amber pot of cozy soul-full soup that you and your friends/family can customize with the fresh add-ons: chicken, cilantro, mushrooms, carrots, chilies, bean sprouts, lime slices, etc.

Living in Los Angeles, there are many Pho Noodle Bars or Restaurants for me to choose from; some better than others. This was my first experience in making my own and it may have ruined me for many of the trendy places I used to think worth their over-priced over-cooked Pho (rhymes with DUH.)
After reading a little about the history of this centuries old dish, I can appreciate how many variations have evolved. In the poorest of times and villages this soup often had no meat, or used less cuts, and certainly was served in smaller bowls than Americans are used to. I feel sure this will become a go-to for my family and friends.

*********
The recipe below is a quick version (included in the book), and the longer version (which I made) that includes making your own Pho Chicken Stock (which I think makes all the difference in SO many foods) can be found on Jaden's site here: Steamy Kitchen.

Chicken Pho - Pho Ga

Servings: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

For the Chicken Pho Broth:
2 tbsp. whole coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
2 whole star anise
2 quarts (2 liters/8 cups/64 fluid ounces) store-bought or homemade chicken stock
1 whole chicken breast (bone in or boneless)
½ onion
1 3-inch (7.5 cm) chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of knife
1 to 2 tbsps. sugar
1 to 2 tbsps. fish sauce

1 lb. (500 grams/16 ounces) dried rice noodles (about ¼ inch/6 mm wide)

Accompaniments:

2 cups (200 grams/7 ounces) bean sprouts, washed and tails pinched off
Fresh cilantro (coriander) tops (leaves and tender stems)
½ cup (50 grams/approx. 2 ounces) shaved red onions
½ lime, cut into 4 wedges
Sriracha chili sauce
Hoisin sauce
Sliced fresh chili peppers of your choice

Directions:

1. To make the Chicken Pho Broth: heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, cloves and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Immediately spoon out the spices to avoid burning.
2. In a large pot, add all the ingredients (including the toasted spices) and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently.
4. Use tongs to remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat with your fingers, discarding the bone if you have used bone-in breasts.
5. Taste the broth and add more fish sauce or sugar, if needed. Strain the broth and discard the solids.
6. Prepare the noodles as per directions on the package.
7. Ladle the broth into bowls. Then divide the shredded chicken breast and the soft noodles evenly into each bowl.
8. Have the accompaniments spread out on the table. Each person can customize their own bowl with these ingredients.

To go along with the October Challenge; an original Dessert WonTon Recipe (or 2 or 3).

Cinnamon WonTon Choc-Sticks -


12 wonton wrappers
2 tbls. butter melted
1/4 cup cinnamon and sugar equally mixed
1/2 cup dark chocolate, melted
Canola oil for frying


Brush each WonTon with melted butter.
Sprinkle just the centers with a large pinch of Cinnamon/Sugar.
Roll up tight, from corner to corner; just before the end, brush the edges again for a good seal (you may opt to replace using more butter with water at the end for a seal).

In a large, deep, heavy skillet; heat about 2 inches of canola oil to 325F.
Fry each WonTon stick, turning to brown evenly, just for a few moments.
Using tongs, remove and drain on paper towels.

Dip tips in melted chocolate and place on parchment to set.

WonTon Pickup Strips
Cut each Wonton Wrapper into strips of about 1/4 inch wide.
Drop into 325F oil for just a few moments, then remove with tongs onto paper towels to drain. While warm, sprinkle with Powdered Sugar and serve. (Optionally, sprinkle with salt, pepper, or spicy rub for a savory garnish on soups)

WonTon Blueberry BonnetsUsing a 1 1/2 inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles from each WonTon wrapper.
Fold each circle around a blueberry and secure with a toothpick.
Drop the toothpick skewered WonTons into the heated oil at 325F til gently toasted.
Remove with tongs and drain on paper towels. Remove the toothpicks.
While warm, sprinkle with Powdered Sugar and serve.

I've typed myself into hunger - MO-PHO-Fuh-ME!

And check out the other amazing Daring Cooks right here: DC#6

DINNER? It's a SNAP-PER ~

One of the one million reasons I love Italian and generally Mediterranean cooking is the simplicity. A familiar attitude of the Italian Chefs is; Use fresh, simple, whole ingredients and try not to screw it up. In other words, let the food speak for itself and don't get in the way. When my local seafood market had a special on this gorgeous Red Snapper - I knew Dinner was a cinch.Red Snapper is a hardy white fish that can take hot or sweet spices and fresh or dry herbs and make them sing. The thicker skin on the Snapper keeps the fish well intact and makes it great for grilling, barbecue, roasting and frying in a whole form. The taste is nutty, filling and oh so healthy. And nothing could be easier than placing the fish inside a parchment envelope, throwing in a few aromatics, olives, lemons and a dash of white wine, closing it up and within minutes - Dinner is served! This is a perfect dish for working folks on a time budget, and it has enough WOW-factor for a dinner party. Ask your butcher/fish monger to gut and scale, but leave the rest to you. Choose a specimen that has bright eyes, tight skin and a fresh smell (good advice for a date, too, right? ) Stuff the fish with lemon slices, dash of salt, pepper, a few olives and a couple wedges of tomatoes or a squash vegetable is good. Preheat the oven to 375 F. On a large baking sheet, place an equally large sheet of parchment paper down and drizzle a little olive oil in the center. Then place the fish in the middle. Add, to your tasting, a few sliced onions, olives, capers, tomatoes, chopped parsley or dill and/or large chopped squash veggies on top of the fish. Season all over with salt and pepper (add a few red chili flakes too, if you like.) Then loosely drape another sheet of parchment paper over the fish and begin to fold three of the four sides up twice into an envelope. Before closing up the last side, add a couple tablespoons of dry white wine (or use lemon juice) to the inside. Fold up the last side twice. At all four corners, fold the corners over toward the middle creating a security lock for the side folds. Place the whole pan with the enveloped fish into the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the pan and let the fish and steam settle unopened for about 5 minutes. Carefully tear the parchment open from the middle. The fish can be served table-side and the au jus spooned over rice, or pasta - OR remove the fish from the bones and serve presented with the roasted olives and veggies. You may also want to pour the pan juice off into a sauce pan and reduce by a third, then whisk in a tablespoon of butter for a nice sauce. One last idea: save the bones for making fish stock - you'll love yourself later. You go! Snap, snap, snapper!

PEACH CAPRESE SALAD

The Italian Caprese Salad takes on a California Fall twist with the peak of the season's PEACHES and a Balsamic/Almond Reduction Drizzle. Confession: I ate the first plate of these all by myself. It was supposed to be a taste, but oh those peaches were just so full and the basil balanced the sweet so well.

I made my LET'S LUNCH FALL SALAD a few days ago, because I knew I'd be so busy this week. I have a girl-friend visiting me. Not just any friend, but a friend that I haven't seen in over 20 years. We were baton twirling Majorettes together in High School - yep, you guessed it, I'm from the Southern United States. My friend, Teresa, and I lost contact and then one day found each other on Face Book (where else). Instead of the usual, "oh sure, I'll accept the friend, I think I remember her" - we actually continued emailing and discovering we had more in common now than ever and it turned into a visit that has been full of laughs, memories, creating new memories and forming a wonderful bond that I look forward to having forever.

I didn't want to miss posting this Let's Lunch Fall Salad event as I have so enjoyed meeting new food-friends like TIGER IN THE KITCHEN, BONVIVANT, COWGIRL CHEF, NAPTIME CHEF, etc.
The Peach Caprese is a simple and colorful salad, and I hope you'll give it a try or be inspired by the taste combinations.

PEACH CAPRESE: uses equal slices of Buffalo Mozzarella fresh cheese and Peach.
Overlap those and add fresh basil leaves along the way. The Balsamic/Almond Reduction is made with 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar, 3 Tbls. sugar in a saucepan, cooking on Med/High and reduced by at least 1/3 til it coats the back of your spoon. Then, add 1TBLs of almond extract and continue to stir to mix. Drizzle over the composed salad. Can be chilled or served room temp.

So, forgive the short post, while I reconnect with a wonderful friend that reminds me that life can be a healing and magical circle.

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!