On this edition of Take Five, Tony Foreman has a conversation with three guests about the holiday traditions that were present in their native countries and the traditions they now enjoy.
Foreman and the guests discuss the meats, desserts and wines that are on the table for Christmas and New Year's in Holland, France and Italy.
Foreman's first guest is Erik Oosterwijk, a co-owner of Fells Point Wholesale Meats. He grew up in Holland.
Then he is joined in the studio by Joseph Poupon, a Maitre Patissier who grew up in France. Poupon is the head chef and owner of Patisserie Poupon, which has a Baltimore location and a D.C. location.
Amanda Courtney works for Brezza winery in Barolo, Italy. While she was raised in the United States, she moved to Italy, where she now works and lives with her Italian husband. She spoke to Foreman by phone from Italy.
Chef Cindy Wolf will return for the next edition, but she did share her recipes for Gougere and Sand Tarts.
She wrote, "This is a very old family recipe and absolutely one of my favorites. It’s fun to decorate the cookies with all the family. I use red and green sparkling sugar."
Sand Tarts
1 1/2 cups, unsalted butter, soft
3 cups Sugar
3 egg beaten
6 cup Cake Flour
6 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 tsp kosher Salt
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Method
1. In a mixer beat the sugar and butter until smooth
2. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder and sift
3. Add the beaten eggs and the vanilla into the mixer and mix for a minute,
4. Now slowly in 3 batches add the dry ingredients to the mixer on LOW SPEED
5. Take the dough out and form into a square and cover with plastic and chill for an hour or two
To make the cookies:
Either dust your surface with flour or powdered sugar roll the dough out until its nice and thin cut with your holiday cookie cutters sprinkle with green and or red sugar and bake until just getting golden at 400 degrees.
Gougere
1 cup Whole Milk
6 Tbsp Butter, unsalted
1 tsp Kosher Salt
pinch Cayenne Pepper
pinch Black Pepper
1 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
4 Whole Eggs
3 oz Good Quality Gruyere Cheese, grated
1oz gruyere microplaned
Method
1. In a medium saucepan (preferably stainless steel, heavy duty) bring the milk, butter and salt and spices just up to a boil and turn off the heat.
2. Whisk in the flour.
3. Now using a wooden spoon begin to stir the mixture over very low heat. You want it to steam a bit and lose a little moisture. Stir around for about 2 minutes. Be careful not to scorch the mixture.
4. Now take the pan off the stove and using the wooden spoon and your muscles beat in each whole egg one at a time. Do not add the next egg until the first is incorporated. When all eggs are added then add 3 oz of the grated cheese. And mix in well.
5. Put into a piping bag with an open tip and pipe either onto a sillpat sheet on a sheet pan or on a pan lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake about 8 minutes at 375 - at 4 minutes rotate the pan and make sure they are rising and not getting to brown too fast. Should take up to 10 minutes to bake.
7. At 8 minutes take the pan out of the oven and very quickly put the microplaned cheese over the top of the pastry and get it back in the oven as soon as possible to finish baking.
What your end result is - puffed up with a hole in the interior and golden brown, and tasty! :) -Chef Cindy Wolf
