French Bread with Roasted Tomatoes and Cheese

 Last Year's Post: Spinach Puff Pastry Tarts
Two Years Ago:    Leek, Bacon and Gruyere Tart

I was thinking this week that breakfast doesn't have to be the same old boring thing.  In Europe, breakfast often involves bread and cheese similar to American breakfasts, but served in different ways.  I wanted to serve some French bread with cheese and roasted tomatoes, and I was inspired to use the idea as an excuse to try a new cheese.  I looked up a list of soft cheeses online and headed to my cheese shop, where I found a cow's milk cheese from southwest France called Chaumes.  The online list of cheeses said it was one of the most popular French cheeses so I decided to give it a try.  It's mild and buttery and tastes a lot like Brie.  As for the tomatoes, I found some nice dark ones at the store but decided to roast them anyway - unless you have perfect peak-of-summer tomatoes, roasting almost always helps intensify their flavor.

One of my friends recently told me she was looking for some 20 minute recipes.  If you count roasting the tomatoes this will take more like 30 minutes, but if you roast them in advance it's about 5 minutes to prep.  And it's so simple that it's basically a non-recipe:  roast some tomatoes and put them on a baguette with some nice soft cheese.  Add a little butter to the bread first if you want, and add some herbs to the tomatoes, and you have a really fast and simple breakfast, lunch or light dinner.  And a great excuse to try a new cheese.

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French Bread with Roasted Tomatoes and Cheese

Serves 2

4 small-ish tomatoes

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

French or Italian dried herb blend (optional but very good)

1 baguette

Butter

Interesting soft cheese (Brie or similar, I used Chaumes)

Chopped parsley, for garnish

To roast the tomatoes:  Preheat the oven to 400d.  Cut each tomato crosswise into slices.  Place on a baking pan and brush with a little olive oil, then sprinkle with salt, pepper and dried herbs.  Roast in the oven for 20 minutes until softened but not collapsed.  Remove and cool.

Cut the baguette crosswise into two pieces, and then cut each piece lengthwise in half.  Spread with a little butter and microwave for a few seconds to warm the bread and melt the butter.  Distribute cheese and tomato slices among the bread pieces and warm for a few more seconds in the microwave if desired.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Chicken with Fresh Corn Sauce and Wild Rice

Last Year's Post:  Mayan Quinoa Salad
Two Years Ago:    Wine Bar (or Brewery) Platters

This chicken and fresh corn sauce recipe recently caught my eye because it's still fresh corn season in many areas.  The recipe is courtesy of the esteemed French chef Pierre Franey, which inevitably means it contains butter and cream.  I debated whether to make the recipe healthier by replacing the cream with corn puree but ultimately decided that once in a while a treat is in order.  And am I glad!  This is a restaurant-quality dish, definitely worthy of company.  Just to give you an idea about the sauce, The Lawyer told me "do NOT throw out the leftover sauce".  When I asked him what he was going to do with it (the chicken and rice were all gone) he said, "I don't know, but I'll eat it straight up if nothing else".  Enough said, I guess.

When I first read the chicken recipe I envisioned it with one of my favorite recipes for wild rice on the side, thinking that the contrast in color, texture and taste would go well with the chicken and sauce.  It went so well that I'm including the recipe for the rice here as well.  If you don't want to make them together that's up to you but I strongly suggest it.  Both the chicken and wild rice are very fast to prepare as long as you cook the rice in advance; if not, add about an hour to the 20-30 minutes it takes to make everything else.

Yes, there is some butter and cream involved.  But what better way to celebrate fresh corn and the last fleeting days of summer?

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Chicken with Fresh Corn Sauce and Wild Rice

Serves 4

Note:  the wild rice needs to be cooked in advance; it may be prepared up to the day prior and refrigerated, covered.

For the chicken and sauce:

4 skinless, boneless chicken cutlets

Salt and freshly-ground pepper

1 large ear of corn, shucked and kernels cut off

1 tablespoon butter

¼ cup minced shallots

½ cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2/3 cup heavy cream

¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley

For the wild rice:

1 cup uncooked wild rice

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup coarsely chopped pecans

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/3 cup chopped roasted red pepper (from a jar)

1 teaspoon garlic salt

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

To cook the wild rice: rinse the rice in a strainer, then place in a medium saucepan and cover with water until the water is an inch or two above the rice.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover (the rice should be at a low simmer) for 45-50 minutes until the individual grains have mostly split but are not fully opened and curled.  Check the rice partway through cooking and add more water if it begins to get dry – there should be some left in the pan by the end of cooking.  Drain and set aside.

To prepare the chicken, rinse and pat dry.  Season both sides with salt and pepper.  Melt the 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the chicken.  Cook 2 minutes and turn, then cover for an additional 2 minutes until cooked through.  Remove and set aside.  Do not wipe out the pan.

At this point, start the rice: melt the 2 tablespoon of butter in a second large skillet over medium heat.  Add the pecans and lightly toast for a minute or two, then add the green onions and red pepper.  Stir for a minute or two, then add the garlic salt, cooked wild rice, and parsley.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes until the rice is heated through and slightly crispy.

While the rice heats, make the sauce:  add the shallots to the skillet the chicken was in and cook briefly.  Add wine and bring to a boil.  Add the corn and stir in the mustard.  Add the cream and stir to blend.  Bring to a boil for a minute or two to reduce slightly, then add the parsley.

To serve:  place a portion of wild rice on each plate.  Add a chicken cutlet and spoon sauce and corn over the chicken.

Salmon Nicoise Salad

Last Year's Post:  Muffuletta Sandwiches
Two Years Ago:    Chicken with Fresh Cherry Salsa

Nicoise refers to something from Nice, France.  In this case, it refers to a famous main-dish salad typically made with tuna, green beans, potatoes and eggs.  Salmon is a relatively common substitute and I wanted to use it here for two reasons:  fresh wild salmon is in season right now, and salmon has lower mercury levels than tuna.  Plus, salmon is really good for you along with the green beans, potatoes and olives.  Fresh salmon is preferable to frozen, and wild-caught is better than farmed.  Buy the best quality fish you can find - it really does make a difference.

This is a fabulous and pretty main dish salad suitable for company, and it's easy to make because you can do all the cooking in advance - all that happens at the last minute is assembly.  That makes it perfect for a summer meal.

There are four ingredients that you might consider a little fancy-schmancy, but they're worth it.  The first is haricot verts, or small French green beans.  You'll often find them pre-packaged as "French green beans" at the grocery store.  If you can't find them, use regular green beans.

The second is tiny multi-colored potatoes, which can be found pre-packaged in most stores these days.  They're really cute but if you can't find them use the tiniest potatoes you can find.

Frisee is a light green lacy lettuce that's very pretty (on the right in the picture below).  You can find it in some grocery stores or natural foods stores.  I found the red variety in a plastic container with three other types of lettuce in my local store and thought the combination of the two would be pretty, but you could always just use a bag of spring mix lettuce instead.

And finally, Nicoise olives are slightly smaller than their more common Greek cousin, kalamatas, but you can use kalamatas in a pinch - the taste is fairly similar.

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Salmon Nicoise

Serves 4

Note:  to make ahead, make the vinaigrette and refrigerate.  Cook the salmon, eggs, beans, and potatoes and refrigerate covered separately.

For the vinaigrette:

½ medium shallot, diced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1-2 mashed anchovy fillets or anchovy paste, optional

12 ounces skin-on salmon fillet, preferably fresh and wild caught

Olive oil, for brushing

Salt and pepper

4 eggs, room temperature

6 ounces haricot verts (thin French green beans), trimmed

12 ounces tiny multi-colored potatoes

6 cups frisee or other lettuce

1/3 nicoise olives, pitted

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained

For the vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously.  Alternately, add all ingredients except olive oil to a small bowl, then whisk olive oil in slowly.  Taste vinaigrette and adjust seasonings.

Season the salmon by brushing with olive oil and sprinkling with salt and pepper.  Grill on an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan over medium-high heat for 4 minutes on the first side and approximately 3 minutes on the second side, until the internal temperature reaches 140d.  Remove from heat and let rest.  Remove the skin.

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil, then gently submerge the eggs.  Boil for 9 minutes, then remove and immediately place in an ice bath.  Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and place in the ice bath with the eggs.  When cold, remove the eggs and beans from the ice bath and pat dry.  Finally, add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook for 15-20 minutes until fork-tender.  Remove, drain, and let cool.

When ready to serve, divide the lettuce between four plates.  Break the salmon into large flakes and place in a pile on each plate.  Cut the potatoes in half (or thirds, if larger) and place next to the salmon.  Divide the haricot verts and olive between plates.  Shell the eggs and slice or cut in half, and place on each plate.  Scatter the capers on top of each salad, drizzle with vinaigrette, and serve with any remaining vinaigrette passed separately.

Chicken Gaston Gerard

Last Year's Post: Grilled Shrimp with Cucumber Horseradish Dipping Sauce
Two Years Ago:  Grilled Shrimp Greek Salad

I've been wanting to try this recipe for over a year, ever since The Lawyer and I took a geat trip to France.  While we were in Burgundy I learned about the classic regional dish called "Poulet (poolay) Gaston Gerard", which translates to "Chicken Gaston Gerard".  It was created by the wife of the mayor of Dijon (Madame Gaston Gerard) in 1930 to commemorate a visit by the famous French "Prince of Gastronomy" Curnonsky.  If you're a foodie geek like me, that story alone is enough to get you hooked.  If not, maybe you'll get hooked when I tell you the dish includes a mustard (Dijon, of course) cream sauce with Gruyere cheese.  Now are you interested?  I mean, how could it taste bad?  Cardboard would taste good with that sauce.

I did some research and discovered that although there are some small variations from recipe to recipe, the standard ingredients are chicken, Dijon mustard, Gruyere cheese, creme fraiche or heavy cream or half in half, and butter,  Pretty simple.  Many recipes call for bone-in chicken pieces but I prefer to work with boneless skinless chicken just for the ease of cooking and eating.  I found truly giant chicken breasts at the store so I first cut them in half horizontally to form thinner chicken cutlets and then again crosswise to make 8 total pieces that were about 3"x 3" - much easier and faster to cook. Can you believe all this came from two chicken breasts?  The chickens must have been the size of small turkeys.

The recipe is surprising fast and easy.  First you brown the chicken, then place it in a casserole dish and make the sauce in the same saute pan.  I used half and half instead of heavy cream, and the resulting sauce was slightly thickened but probably thinner than you would expect from a sauce that contains cheese. I think it's probably because the sauce contains less cheese than a normal "cheese sauce" so the flavor of the mustard can shine.  (After all, it is from Dijon France.)  That was perfectly OK with me, but if you want your sauce thicker I would use heavy cream and simmer it for a little while longer, or maybe add a little more cheese.  The predominant tastes in the sauce are mustard, cheese, and cream in that order.  It tastes very French. The sauce is then poured over the chicken and quickly browned under the broiler.

It's wonderful served with rice pilaf, mushrooms and peas, or farro with asparagus tips.  I think it's certainly company-worthy and I would call it a special occasion meal if for no other reason than the cheese and cream probably take it out of your weekly rotation.  It would make a great birthday meal, for example.  And the story alone is worth it.  I wonder what that Curnonsky guy thought?

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Chicken Gaston Gerard

Serves 4

2 very large or 4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 bay leaf

1 sprig fresh thyme

2 tablespoons dry white wine

1 cup heavy cream or half and half

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

¾ cup grated Gruyere cheese

¼ cup dry bread crumbs (Panko preferred)

Cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally to make thinner cutlets, then cut in half crosswise (if the breasts are very large) to make relatively thin pieces of chicken that are approximately 3” wide by 2-3” long.  You should have 8 pieces either way.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat a sauté pan to medium-high and melt the butter.  Brown the chicken on the first side (approximately 4-5 minutes), then flip the chicken and reduce the heat to low.  Add bay leaf, thyme and white wine. Cook, covered, until the chicken is browned on the second side and fully cooked through, approximately 6-7 minutes.  Adjust cooking time depending on the thickness of your chicken pieces.  Do not overcook or the chicken may become dry.

Preheat a broiler.  Remove chicken from the sauté pan and place in a shallow casserole dish coated with cooking spray.   Discard bay leaf and thyme from the sauté pan and return to medium-high heat.  Add the cream and cook until it starts bubbling, then remove from the heat and stir in the mustard and all but 2 tablespoons of the grated cheese.  Pour the sauce over the chicken, add the rest of the grated cheese and the bread crumbs to the top, and place under the broiler for 30 seconds or so to brown.  Watch closely so the top doesn’t burn.

Excellent served with rice pilaf, mushrooms and peas, or warm farro with asparagus tips.

Coq au Vin

Last Year's Post: Lobster with Pasta and White Wine-Butter Sauce
Two Years Ago:  Lemon Chicken and Fennel Pot Pies

Coq au Vin (coke oh vah) is one of the most famous chicken dishes in the world, and justifiably so.  Made with red wine, bacon, mushrooms and garlic, really, what's not to like? Julia Child often made Coq au Vin on her cooking show and it was considered her signature dish.  Although a traditional Coq Au Vin uses a whole cut-up chicken and takes a really long time to make, I was happy to discover this recipe that uses boneless skinless chicken thighs and has very authentic flavor even though it only takes about 1-1/2 to 2 hours to prepare.  Still, 2 hours are 2 hours so this is probably best made on a leisurely Sunday afternoon, say, when the windchill is about zero.  It reheats beautifully so you could then enjoy it any night of the week and it's a perfect winter comfort dish.

Having said that, we decided to make it on a Monday night for some reason.  It took even longer than 2 hours because when we bought the giant package of chicken thighs at Costco we neglected to notice that they were skin-on and bone-in.  How could we not notice that?  We were probably distracted by the display of car tires in the next aisle, or the giant screen TVs on the other side.  Really, you gotta love Costco.

The Lawyer spent a fair amount of time learning how to bone and skin chicken thighs that night and is not looking forward to the other four packages in the freezer.  If you actually look at the package and manage to buy boneless skinless chicken thighs successfully (unlike us), the recipe is really quite easy.  The reason it takes a while is because you brown different ingredients in succession in the same pot, then simmer everything together for a while, then reduce the sauce some more.  Believe me, it's so worth it.  The flavor is rich and deep and just begs to be served with mashed potatoes to sop up the sauce.

For one small minute I considered buying fresh pearl onions after noticing them in the produce aisle at the grocery store.  Luckily, the original recipe stated that frozen pearl onions were just as good in the finished dish and much easier to deal with.  Can you imagine peeling 24 teeny tiny onions that are about 1/2" in diameter?  Having done some equally silly things in my past (peeling individual chickpeas for hummus comes to mind.....vividly) I don't want to go down that road again.

First you start simmering the sauce with some herbs.

While the sauce simmers, you cook the bacon and then brown the chicken in the same pot the bacon cooked in.

Then you remove the chicken and brown the onions and mushrooms in the same pot.

The sauce, chicken and bacon go back into the pot with the mushrooms and onions to cook until the chicken is tender.

Finally, you remove the chicken one last time and reduce the sauce even more before serving the delicious finished dish.

If you've ever enjoyed Coq au Vin at a French restaurant or just want to up your game with a classic French recipe, give this one a try.

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Coq au Vin

Serves 4-6

1 bottle (750 ml) red wine (Pinot Noir or Rhone Valley Grenache), divided

2 cups chicken stock

10 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley plus 2 tablespoons minced parsley, divided

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

4 ounces bacon, cut into ¼” pieces

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut in half crosswise

Salt and freshly ground pepper

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

24 frozen pearl onions (about 1 cup) thawed and patted dry

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, cleaned, stems trimmed, halved if small, quartered or cut into 6 if large

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 tablespoons flour

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine all but 1 tablespoon of the red wine (reserving for later use), chicken stock, parsley sprigs, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a simmer.  Cook until mixture is reduced to 3 cups, about 20 to 25 minutes.  Discard herbs and reserve the wine mixture.

Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, cook bacon stirring occasionally until browned, 7 to 8 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.  Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon fat in a small bowl and discard the remainder. 

Lightly season chicken with salt and pepper.  Return Dutch oven to medium-high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon of bacon fat and heat until almost smoking.  Add half of the chicken in a single layer and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes per side.  Transfer cooked chicken to a bowl.  Add the remaining tablespoon of bacon fat and heat until almost smoking, then repeat with the remaining chicken.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in the now-empty Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  When foaming subsides add pearl onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally until lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add tomato paste and flour and cook, stirring frequently until well-combined, about 1 minute.

Add reduced wine mixture, scraping the bottom of the pot with a spoon to loosen browned bits.  Add ¼ teaspoon pepper, cooked chicken (and their juices) and cooked bacon.  Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot and simmer until chicken is tender, about 25 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a large bowl and tent with foil to keep warm.  Increase heat to medium-high and simmer until sauce is thick and glossy and measures about 3 ½ cups, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter and reserved 1 tablespoon wine.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Return chicken to pot.  Top with minced parsley to serve.

Halibut Provencale

Last Year's Post:  Greek Shrimp and Orzo
Two Years Ago:   Double Chocolate Biscotti with Walnuts

I recently read a very interesting interview with Michael Pollan, a best-selling author who writes about food (The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food).  I think of him sort of as a foodie anthropologist - he writes about our relationships with food and how they're evolved over time.  Anyway, he was interviewed as part of a PR tour for his most recent book "Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation".  The most interesting part of the interview for me was his concept of mindful cooking.  I had heard of mindful eating - the concept of paying attention to what you are eating and stop doing anything else at the same time - but not as it applies to cooking.

Here's a short excerpt from the interview:
I have always cooked, it’s not like I just learned how to cook, but I've always approached it with a great deal of impatience, and always kind of fought against it. Learning to be in the kitchen and not try to be multitasking, aside from conversation or listening to the radio, has been a great gift. I mean I approach it with a very different spirit. One of the most important life lessons of this book is “When chopping onions, just chop onions.” ..... Slow down and you’ll enjoy it more and you’ll squeeze more out of the experience. 
(Reprinted with permission. You can read the entire interview here.)

If you pay attention while you're prepping and cooking, you can learn some pretty interesting things about smell, taste, texture and the transformations that cooking can cause.  For example, this recipe includes fennel.  If you haven't worked with it much, it's an interesting lesson in how to cut it up, what it smells like (licorice), what it tastes like raw (crunchy, with a slight anise flavor), and what it tastes like cooked (mild and sweet).  Be sure to smell and taste as you go, and you'll find all kinds of new foods that you like.  This is a great approach to take with kids also. (Not to smell and taste kids before cooking them, but to include kids in the food smelling, tasting and prepping process.)

Anyway, this is a great light and healthy recipe for baked halibut from Provence that includes tomatoes, fennel, white wine, olives and plenty of herbs.  The mild, sweet fish is complemented beautifully by the Mediterranean flavors and stays very moist because it's covered in sauce while it bakes.  You could also use sea bass. tilapia, cod or any other mild white fish if you prefer.

Here's how to prepare the fennel - start by cutting off the long skinny stems and fronds and just use the bulb.

Cut the bulb in half and cut out the solid core by making diagonal cuts.

Slice and chop the fennel (be sure to smell and taste the raw fennel so you can compare it later to the taste and texture when cooked).

The fennel, onion and garlic are sauteed, then tomatoes are added and cooked briefly before adding the herbs.

Half the tomato mixture goes into the baking dish, then the halibut and the remaining sauce are added.  Isn't halibut pretty?

After baking, a breadcrumb/olive topping is added and browned briefly.

It's an easy, foolproof and very healthy dish.

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Halibut Provencale

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 fennel bulb, cored and chopped

1 ½ cups chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt, divided

4 cups diced tomatoes with juice

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

4 (5-6 oz) halibut fillets

1 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons chopped pitted Kalamata olives

1 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence or French herb blend

1 teaspoon olive oil

½ teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 450d.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds.  Add fennel, onion, and ½ teaspoon salt; sauté 8 minutes or until lightly browned.  Stir in diced tomatoes and juices; cook 2 minutes.  Remove from heat; stir in fresh basil and parsley.

Spoon half of tomato mixture into a baking dish large enough to hold the fish fillets in a single layer.  Place fillets over tomato mixture.  Pour wine into dish; sprinkle fillets with ¼ teaspoon salt.  Spoon remaining tomato mixture over fillets.  Bake at 450d for 15 minutes.  While the fish bakes, combine the breadcrumbs, olives, herbes de Provence, 1 teaspoon oil, pepper, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl.  When 15 minutes have elapsed, remove the fish from oven; preheat broiler.

Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the fillets.  Broil 5 minutes or until lightly browned, watching closely so the topping doesn't burn.  Serve immediately.

French Rhubarb Tarts

Last Year's Post: Scandinavian Muesli

We just returned from two weeks in France, which was very inspirational from a food standpoint.  Although all the food was delicious, the breads, cheeses and pastries were absolutely the best.  Looking at all the pastries in the shops was fun even without eating them because they're all so beautiful. I was making a list of new blog ideas throughout the trip, excited to try them all out. I thought I would start by celebrating France and springtime together with rhubarb tarts from La Bastide Odeon Restaurant in Paris.

What I like about this recipe is how beautiful the tarts are, as well as their intense rhubarb flavor. I love rhubarb, but I've been disappointed with other rhubarb tart and pie recipes in the past because they seemed somewhat bland. These tarts have the double whammy of a pile of tender rhubarb pieces as well as intense rhubarb syrup.  The rhubarb is placed on top of a flaky puff pastry circle with a thin layer of sweetened ricotta cheese, so you have the contrasts of sweet-tart-flaky-creamy all in a dessert that tastes surprisingly light.

The tarts aren't difficult to make (they only have six ingredients) but they look so darn impressive. I read a review of the recipe where someone stated they used red food coloring to make the rhubarb and sauce the "right color". Say what?  Just make sure you buy nice red rhubarb in the first place.  No food coloring here!

You start by cooking the rhubarb the day prior to serving, which I always like because it's one more thing out of the way in advance.  The rest of the cooking can be done an hour in advance so you can do that before your guests arrive.  Then all you need to do is assembly work when ready to serve. A little sprig of mint and a dusting of confectioner's sugar is really all you need as a garnish, although La Bastide Odean serves the tart with almond ice cream.  To me that seems like gilding the lily, but to each his own.

The rhubarb actually goes through a double cooking process. First you simmer the rhubarb and some brown sugar together until the rhubarb pieces are tender, then you drain the rhubarb pieces over a bowl (to catch the syrup) and refrigerate overnight.

The next day you cut and bake the puff pastry circles, broil the rhubarb pieces with a little sugar, and reduce the syrup. I adapted the recipe slightly by using an easier technique for baking the puff pastry and by shrinking the size of the tarts from 6" to 5" because it seemed about right to me.  I rummaged around in drawers and cabinets, trying out various saucers and bowls until I found the right size bowl to use as a guide for cutting the puff pastry circles.

If you put a second baking sheet on top of the puff pastry when it bakes, it comes out nice and flat and golden. (I forgot to take a picture of them after they get baked a second time with the ricotta on top, sorry.)

The rhubarb gets broiled while the sauce reduces to a deep red and thick wonderfulness.

All this gets done in advance so it has time to cool.  When you're ready to serve, just pile the rhubarb on the tarts and drizzle with syrup.

Add your garnish (go very light on the confectioners sugar so you don't cover up that beautiful red rhubarb color) and serve to oohs and aahs.

printable recipe

French Rhubarb Tarts

Serves 4

1 lb rhubarb, sliced ½” thick (the reddest you can find)

1 ¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons packed golden brown sugar

1 sheet (half of a 17.3 ounce package) frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 egg, beaten

Mint sprigs and additional powdered sugar for garnish, optional

Make Ahead:  combine rhubarb and 1 ¼ cups brown sugar in a large saucepan.  Cook over low heat until syrup forms and rhubarb is tender but not falling apart, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes.  Pour rhubarb mixture into a sieve set over a bowl.  Cover sieve and bowl and chill rhubarb and juices overnight.

Day of:  Preheat oven to 400d.  Roll out the puff pastry sheet on floured surface to a 12 inch square.  Using a 5” diameter plate or bowl as a guide, cut four pastry rounds.  Place rounds on ungreased baking sheet and cover with parchment paper and a second baking sheet.  Bake 15 minutes and remove, maintaining oven temperature.

Remove the top baking sheet and parchment paper from the pastry rounds.  Blend ricotta and powdered sugar in a bowl.  Brush each crust with egg glaze.  Leaving a ½” plain border, spread ¼ of the mixture on each crust.  Bake tartlets again until topping is set, about 10 minutes.  Remove and let cool.

Preheat broiler.  Pour rhubarb syrup into a small saucepan and boil about 8 minutes, until slightly thickened; cool (syrup will thicken further as it cools).  Spread the rhubarb pieces ¾” thick on a rimmed baking sheet covered with foil.  Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar and broil for about 4 minutes, until the top is browned in spots.  Cool.

Pastry, syrup and rhubarb may be made up to one hour in advance.  Let stand at room temperature. 

When ready to serve, spoon rhubarb over tartlets and drizzle with syrup.  Garnish with mint sprigs and a light dusting of powdered sugar if desired.  Serve immediately.

French Chicken Salad

Last Year's Post:  In Praise of Asparagus

Look For Beautiful Ingredients
Someone once said we eat with our eyes first, which is kind of an annoying phrase but true.  Never under-estimate the wow factor of a few beautiful ingredients like the french haricot verts (arh-ee-koh vair) and artisan lettuces I found at the store this week.  Haricot verts are simply a smaller and thinner version of regular green beans with really cool pointy ends.  Don't cut off the ends -they're part of the appeal.  The beans are very tender compared to larger green beans and don't take long to cook - you want them to be crisp-tender.

I've never seen such deep red lettuce before.  There was enough lettuce in this container for at least four huge salads and it was really fresh.  It all got a quick cold rinse and spin in the salad spinner, then off to the refrigerator wrapped in paper towels and sealed in a plastic bag to stay fresh.  If your lettuce is slightly wilted, this treatment will even refresh it back to crisp again.

I always keep my eye out for beautiful and unusual ingredients (especially produce) whenever I'm at the farmer's market or stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or the local high-end grocery store.  I file any discovered treasures away in memory until I come across a recipe that would showcase them.  For example, I found the most fabulous teeny-tiny deep red carrots at the farmer's market last year that I plan to showcase in something when I find them again this summer.  (The Lawyer always asks me how I can remember stuff like that.  He, who can quote winners and scores from NCAA tournaments from 10 years ago.  Men.)

I like to save money on groceries as much as anyone, so when I plan meals for the week I buy as much as possible at the local discounter and then head to the higher-end store for a few special ingredients such as these.  You're still saving money compared to going to a restaurant, and eating a lot healthier too.  Speaking of healthier, warm weather is coming and so are shorts and swim suits.  Great time for salads, don't you think?

This type of salad is called a composed salad because it's, well, composed as opposed to tossed all together.  If you have great ingredients, taking the time to arrange them will make your salad look more beautiful.  Group ingredients side by side to make the most of contrasting colors.  Leaving ingredients whole (such as the haricot verts) also makes the salad more spectacular - the diners can cut everything up and toss it all together if they want (after they stop admiring it, of course).  I debated about leaving the walnuts whole also, but they're kind of difficult to chop up with a table knife and fork so I compromised by leaving them in large pieces instead.  Flying walnuts would undoubtedly be amusing but also messy.

Another tip about making pretty salads - wait until the meat is fully cooled (and preferably refrigerated for a few hours) before slicing for the most perfect slices.

Enough about making food pretty, it has to taste great too.  As with many other foods, one of the most attractive aspects of this salad is its interplay of textures and flavors - juicy chicken, crunchy walnuts, creamy cheese and crisp fresh beans all brought together with a tart lemon-Dijon dressing.  If you don't have the time or inclination to search out fancy ingredients the salad will certainly still taste just as good with regular green beans and a bag of salad greens. You can also use another kind of cheese if you prefer - I used Monterey Jack but Colby, goat cheese, Fontina or feta will also work well.

What makes this salad french?  The lemon-mustard dressing, fresh thyme, walnuts, green beans and chicken are all traditional french ingredients plus the emphasis on visual appeal is very french.  It tastes completely delicious and it's very healthy, plus you can prepare the walnuts, chicken, vinaigrette and beans in advance so all you have to do when you're ready to eat is arrange everything on the plate and drizzle with the vinaigrette.  Yum.  Salad never looked so classy.

printable recipe

French Chicken Salad
Serves 4

For the salad dressing:

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon minced shallots

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme, plus more for garnish

For the salad:

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup olive oil

Freshly ground pepper

16 oz haricot verts (French green beans)

1 1/3 cups Monterey Jack (or Fontina, Colby, or feta) cheese, cut into small cubes

1 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Red leaf lettuce

  

Make Ahead:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a baking pan with foil.  Place the chicken breasts in the pan, and brush both sides with soy sauce and olive oil.  Sprinkle both sides with pepper.  Roast to an internal temperature of 160 degrees (165 degrees after resting a few minutes), about 20 minutes.  Cool completely in the pan, then place the chicken breasts and pan drippings in a sealable plastic bag.  Shake the bag to coat the chicken breasts with drippings, then place in the refrigerator for an hour or two.

Combine the mustard and vinegar in a medium bowl.  Gradually whisk in oil.  Add shallots and thyme, then set aside.

Cook beans in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes for haricot verts or 5 minutes for regular green beans.  Drain and immediately place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.  Drain again and pat dry.  (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.  Cover chicken and beans separately and refrigerate.)

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and thinly slice crosswise.  Add a small amount of dressing to the beans and toss to coat.  Place the leaf lettuce on plates, then top with groupings of cheese cubes, beans, chicken slices and walnuts.  Drizzle the salad with additional dressing and top with the reserved thyme.