Radio Kitchen

One of Public Television's most welcome gifts of recent years has been "Downton Abbey."   Covering much the same ground as "Upstairs Downstairs," the series depicts the lives of the masters and servants in an enormous English stately home circa 1914.   As you might imagine, there's some pretty interesting food being served up at Downton Abbey.   We invited Chef Therese Harding of Classic Catering to discuss Mrs. Pattmore's kitchen.

Of course one of the standard treats at any stately house was afternoon tea, an elaborate affair featuring carefully brewed tea, sweet and savory treats, and more than a few calories.   Here are some key elements of a good High Tea.   

                     Instructions for a perfect cup of tea for one:

Use 1 tea bag or 1 ½ tsp of loose tea per cup.

1-Boil water on the stove in your tea kettle.

2-Pour some water in to heat the teapot where tea will steep, then pour the water out.

3-Add your tea and enough water to fill your cup.  Allow the tea to steep for 2 minutes.

4-Remove the teabag or tea ball.

Scientists have discovered that the key to the best tasting brew is to let it sit for six minutes before drinking.  This allows the ‘cuppa’ to reach its optimum temp of 60 degrees centigrade.

For stronger tea increase the amount of tea, but not the steep time:

    Green Tea      1 minute
    Black Tea    2-3 minutes
    Herbal        4-5 minutes
    Roobios        5-6 minutes
    Oolong          3 minutes

Remember: over steeping will make teas bitter.

             Earl Grey Crème Anglaise for Apple Charlotte

Ingredients:
¾ cup milk
2 egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 bags Earl Grey tea

Directions:

-Bring milk and vanilla to a simmer in a sauce pan.   Add tea bags and let steep for 10 minutes; remove tea bags from milk, making sure to squeeze out all of the liquid.

-Whisk egg yolks and sugar thoroughly until the mixture becomes pale yellow.   Whisk ½ the milk into the eggs, mixing constantly.

-Return mixture back to sauce pan with remaining milk and cook over medium heat.  Do NOT let boil.  The cream is done when it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

           Rock Cakes  (Drop Scones)

Ingredients:
1 cup Flour
2 tsp Baking powder
1/2 cup Soft Butter (margarine may be substituted)
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup Currants
1 medium Egg
2 Tbsp Milk
1/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

1 - Heat oven to 400F.

2 - Mix flour and baking powder into a large bowl; add softened butter; lightly rub together with fingertips until mixture resembles large crumbs.

3 - Add sugar and currants; mix until incorporated.

4 - Add egg and 1 Tbsp milk and mix to create stiff dough.  Add 1 Tbsp milk until smooth.

5 - Line 2 pans with parchment paper.

6 - Using a tablespoon, divide the dough into 12 mounds evenly spaced on 2 baking sheets.

7 - Sprinkle with dark brown sugar.

8 - Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

 
At this time of the year, as we ease into warmer weather, our instincts lead us to eating lighter foods.   High on the list of lighter fare are savory tarts, crisp flaky pastries filled with all sorts of good things.   These are great for breakfast, lunch or as an appetizer, and they are tasty without being too filling.

You have a lot of options with tarts.   You can make a full sized tart and cut it into modest slices, or you can make smaller individual tartlets, or tiny little tart cups filled with the featured ingredients.

The basic tart dough is Pate brisee, which is very easy to make, keeps well and is perfect for holding tart fillings.   It is a short dough, meaning it has a high ratio of fat to flour.  Fat, being butter in this case.   Flour, butter, salt, a touch of sugar, and ice water.   KEEP THE INGREDIENTS COLD!   Puff pastry is also used, and fortunately you can buy it pre-made.

Tart pans come in two basic models:  some are one piece, others have bottoms that lift out - very convenient.   There are also many variations in size for individual tarts,including a shallow muffin tin.   But they all have one common characteristic:  usually the sides are shorter than a traditional American pie pan.

One of the important techniques in working with pate brisee is "blind baking".   This is a technique which pre-cooks the tart shell so that it will stand up to liquid fillings.   Because the dough will rise, you need to weigh it down.   Tinfoil and "pie weights" are standard, but you can improvise with a mess of dried beans, a weighted down pie tin, or anything that will hold the bottom of the tart down.

One of the savory classics is the Alsatian onion tart.   The ones that are baked right on the street in Alsace are flat, and recall quiche lorraine.   The onion tart involves a flat sheet of puff pastry, rolled out on wax paper.   Thinly sliced onions are gently simmered in chicken broth, then mixed with a custard mixture of heavy cream and eggs.   You spoon this mixture onto the pastry, right up to the edge, and then garnish with crumbled bacon and shredded gruyere cheese.   Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, in the bottom half of the oven.

Full-depth savory pies are also fun to make.   Most involve creating an egg-based custard to blend in with the other ingredients.  Popular fillings include:  ham and spinach; mushrooms, onions and cream; variations on chicken pot pie; peppers, cheese and sausage; and vegetarian pies made with onions, leeks, fennel and early potatoes.

Our friend Chef Michael Salmon from Maine's Heartstone Inn has this recipe for for a Stilton cheese and shrimp tartlet with pine nuts and pears.

            Stilton Cheese and Shrimp Tartlet
               with Toasted Pine Nuts and Bosc Pears

2 sheets pre-made puff pastry
vegetable oil 1 tbs butter
12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (16-20 count)
4 oz. cream cheese
5 oz. Stilton cheese
2 egg yolks
2 tsps chopped parsley
3/4 cup heavy cream
kosher salt and white pepper to taste
1 batch chive infused beurre blanc
1 ripe bosc pear (or any other that you might prefer)
2 tbs roasted pine nuts

1.  You will be working with 4 inch tartlet pans with removable bottoms.  Roll out the puff pastry until it is about 1/8" thick.  Cut 6 circular 5 1/2" pieces.  Spray the pans with shortening, and evenly place the dough covering the bottoms and sides.

2.  Cut 6 6" rounds of wax paper.  Place one in each of the tartlet pans, and weigh down.  Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown.

3.  Cook the shrimp in the butter, one minute per side.  Remove from heat and cool.

4.  Mix the cream cheese and the Stilton in a bowl.  Add the egg yolks, a bit of the parsley, the heavy cream and mix well.  Season with salt and white pepper.

5.  Divide the cheese mixture among the tarts, and place two shrimp on each.  Put the tartlets on a cookie sheet, and bake at 350 for about 50 minutes.

6.  Core the pear and cut into 18 thin slices.  Place the tart in the center of the plate, and fan three pear slices beside it.  Drop two tablespoons of the beure blanc on the plate, and sprinkle pine nuts and parsley.

Passover and Easter are coming up soon, and it's a day of the year when families really like to get together for a lovely springtime meal.   I was thinking about this the other day, and I realized that we could recommend quite a few dishes that would be appropriate for both traditions.   Of course Passover is a a special meal with an abundance of ritual, including special foods, but there is always room on the table for something a little extra.   And Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Waterfront Kitchen points out, there are many recipes that are suitable both for a Kosher table and the Easter table as well.   Here are a few:
  

                    Asparagus and eggs in white balsamic vinaigrette

1.  Trim asparagus and blanch in simmering water.  When tender remove.

2.  Hard boil three eggs, peel and set aside.

3.  Prepare a vinaigrette with 2 parts olive oil to one part white balsamic vinegar, squeeze of lemon, a tablespoon of fresh chopped chervil and a pinch of kosher salt.

4.  Arrange three or four asparagus spears on a plate.  Drizzle the vinaigrette over them.  Mash the eggs with a fork, sprinkle a little kosher salt over them, and then garnish the asparagus with some of the mashed hard boiled eggs.

                               Quinoa apple salad

Olive oil for sautéing

1 sweet yellow onion, peeled and  minced
1 clove elephant garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups quinoa, cleaned and rinsed kosher salt
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup lightly roasted hazelnuts, roughly ground up
1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped up, then tossed in lemon juice
1/2 cup finely chopped basil leaves

1.  Sautee the onion in the olive oil until translucent.  Reduce heat, and add the garlic.  Cook for only about 30 seconds, stirring often.  Pour in the quinoa and cook it in the same skillet for about a minute, stirring to give it a bit of toasting.

2.  Add the chicken broth to the skillet, bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and let it absorb the broth, about 15 minutes.

3.  Remove the skillet from the heat, uncover and allow the quinoa to cool down a  bit.  Sprinkle with salt and stir in the nuts, apple and basil leaves.  Toss well, and set aside to cool to room temperature.  Serve well tossed in a bowl, and garnish with parsley sprigs.

                 Couscous stuffed chicken with olives and  Meyer lemon
(From Joyce Goldstein's "Saffron Shores", one of Al's favorite cookbooks.)
(Note:  you can substitute turmeric for saffron, but don't use too much.)

1 large cooking hen (4-5 pounds)
1 lemon, cut in half
salt to sprinkle

For the stuffing:
1 cup couscous
3/4 cup salted water
2 tsp olive oil
2/3 cup blanched almonds, toasted and chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 tsp saffron threads, crushed and steeped in 2 tbs hot water
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger

For the sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 small hot red peppers
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp saffron threads, crushed and steeped in 2 tbs hot water
salt and black pepper to taste
1 whole head of garlic, with paper husk removed as much as possible
1 bunch of fresh cilantro sprigs
2 cups water
4 cups cracked green olives
3 Meyer lemons, cut lengthwise into quarters, seeds removed

1.  Rinse chicken inside and out, pat dry, rub with the lemon halves, and sprinkle with kosher salt.

2. For the stuffing:  Steam the couscous over boiling water for about 10 minutes, sprinkle with the olive oil, and continue to steam for another 10 minutes.  Remove from heat, and let it cool.  Fold in the almonds, raisins and spices, and stuff the bird's cavity.

3.  To cook the bird and make the sauce:  In a Dutch oven or large deep sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat, and sauté the onions until tender.  Add the red peppers, ginger, saffron, salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring for a few minutes.  Place the chicken in the bottom of the pan, and brown in on all sides, turning frequently.

4.  Add the garlic head, the coriander and the water to the pot, and over medium heat bring the liquid to a simmer, reduce slightly, and cover the pot.  Allow the chicken to cook for about 1 1/2 hours, until tender. During the last 15 minutes, add the olives and the Meyer lemons.

5.  Uncover the pot, transfer the chicken to a warming plate, and turn up the heat to reduce the remaining sauce.  Before serving, discard the garlic, red peppers and coriander sprigs.  Check the seasoning.  Remove the stuffing from the bird, then cut the bird into serving pieces.  Place a mound of stuffing under the chicken, and ladle on the sauce, being sure to serve everyone olives and lemon pieces.

I have to confess that I have a weakness for a little piece of pastry every now and then, and the lighter the better.   Mine must not be a rare preference, because pastry chefs everywhere have a special concoction that plays right into this craving, and that would be something called the Genoise Cake.   Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Waterfront Kitchen loves making this light spongy bit of pastry.

If you're not certain what it is, Genoise Cake, native to Genoa, Italy, is a light sponge cake similar to the cake part of a Hostess Twinkie.  Here's a basic recipe, which closely resembles making a soufflé.

                       Simple Genoise Cake

8 large whole eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 tbs honey
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups pastry flour, sifted

1.  Make a double boiler by placing a large metal mixing bowl over a large pan of simmering water.   Place all the eggs, sugar and honey into the mixing bowl and whisk vigorously for about 8 minutes until it thickens and falls off the whisk in a thick ribbon.

2.  Off heat, beat the batter with an electric hand mixer set on medium speed.   The volume will increase threefold, and it will cool.  Do not stint on this step of the recipe or the batter will be too dense.

3.  Working with one third of the flour at a time, very gently fold it into the egg mixture, using a spatula and cutting down to the bottom of the bowl.   Do not be the least bit vigorous, as it will cause the egg mixture to deflate.

4.  Pour the batter into round cake pans, buttered and lined with buttered wax paper.   Fill the pan about 3/4 of the way to the top.  Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for about a half hour, or until the cake is golden brown on top.

5.  After baking, remove cake from the pan and cool on a wire rack.