an easter rabbit.

Ok, so for the past few months I’ve tried to go vegan(ish), but I couldn’t resist the idea of cooking up a lavish dinner of Lapin a la Moutarde just in time for Easter.  (I joked with my sister that I cooked the Easter Bunny.)  The process took a few hours, mostly because you use the least meaty parts of the rabbit to make your own rabbit stock.  But the end result was insanely delicious – tender pieces of rabbit, served with a side of vegetables, and lovely glasses of Aligote!

Rabbit with mustard sauce (Lapin à la moutarde)

Ingredients:

1 farm-raised or wild rabbit, cut into serving pieces, including the head if possible

1/2 c. smooth Dijon mustard (moutarde forte)

1/2 c. old-fashioned grainy Dijon mustard (moutarde à l'ancienne)

Kosher or flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 c. dry white wine, such as Chablis

1 c. crème fraîche

2 T. snipped fresh chives

1 T. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 leek, sliced

1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped

2 leafy stalks celery, sliced

Bouquet garni of 6 parsley sprigs, 1 bay leaf, and 6 leafy thyme sprigs

6 peppercorns

Optional: A dozen or more freshly pulled white onions 1-2 inches in diameter, peeled but left whole, cooked with water to cover, 1 T. butter, and 1 1/2 t. sugar until the water is evaporated and the onions starting to caramelize.

 Make the stock: In a heavy dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat, and brown the parts of the rabbit that have very little meat (the front of the rib cage) as well as the head if available. (Reserve the saddle, cut in 3 pieces, the thighs, and the forelegs for the dish.) When the rabbit pieces are browned on all sides, add the vegetables (except the bouquet garni), and brown lightly, stirring, for 5-10 minutes. Add the bouquet and water to cover. Bring to a boil and skim. Turn the heat to low and partially cover the pot. Simmer 3-4 hours. Strain, pressing down on the solids and discarding them. Return the stock to the dutch oven or medium saucepan if it is already somewhat reduced, place over medium heat, and reduce by 2/3. Pour into a small saucepan and continue reducing until 1/3 cup remains. Reserve.

Meanwhile, three hours before serving, combine the two mustards with a generous pinch of salt and grindings of black pepper. Smear the remaining rabbit pieces with the mustard, thoroughly covering them, and arranging them in a single layer in a gratin or baking dish. Set aside in a cool place for 2-3 hours.

50 minutes before serving, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the rabbit, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Open the oven and pour the wine and the reserved reduced rabbit stock over the rabbit, then bake 20 minutes more. Remove the dish from the oven and drizzle the crème fraîche over the rabbit. Return to the oven for 5 minutes more. If using the onions, gently strew them over the dish. Sprinkle with the snipped chives.

So Long, Sweet Summer...

As the fog and mist creep back into the Bay, I had to post some photos of summer desserts.  Two of my favorite things to make:  tarte aux quetsches, and a strawberry custard tart. 

 

FRESH SUMMER STRAWBERRY TART

Assembly:
1 fully baked sweet tart shell (recipe below)
1 batch pastry cream
1 lb strawberries

Fill the tart shell with pastry cream. Hull and slice the strawberries, reserving one perfect strawberry, and arrange in a circle on top of the pastry cream. Put the one reserved strawberry in the middle.

Sweet Tart Dough
(Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home To Yours)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (9 tablespoons; 4 1/2 ounces) very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk

9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom

rolling pin

Combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to mix. Toss the pieces of butter with the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in—you should have pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas. (If you don't have a food processor, you can use a pastry cutter, or, if you are really in a pinch - two knives.)  Lightly stir the yolk, and slowly add it, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses—about 10 seconds each—until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.
 

To roll the dough into the pan: Butter tart pan with a removable bottom.

* If you want to roll the dough, chill it for about 2 hours before rolling (unless you've used frozen butter and the dough comes out of the processor firm and cold, in which case you can roll it immediately). I find it easiest to roll this dough out between two sheets of plastic film – make sure to peel away the film frequently, so it doesn't get rolled into the dough.
* You may also use the press-in method - you can work with the dough as soon as it's processed. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan.

 Prick the bottom with a fork four or five times. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes (I do it for nearly and hour) before baking.  It will help prevent the crust from getting giant air bubbles.

To fully bake the crust: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.

Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon (or prick it with the tip of a small knife). Bake the crust for another 8 minutes or so, or until it is firm and golden brown. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool the crust to room temperature.

Pastry Cream
(Tartine - awesome, awesome book)

2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp sugar
2 large eggs
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla extract

Pour the milk into a heavy saucepan. Add the salt, place over medium-high heat, and bring to just under a boil, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, whisk together the cornstarch and sugar. Add the eggs and whisk until smooth.

When the milk is ready, slowly drizzle about 1/3 of the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking continuously. Pour the egg-milk mixture back into the hot milk and continue whisking until the custard is as thick as lightly whipped cream, about 2 minutes. The mixture must come just to the boiling point (slow bubbles, not boiling vigorously, or you will curdle the eggs, yuk). Remove from heat and immediately pour through a sieve into a bowl. Stir in the vanilla extract. Let cool for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cut the butter into 1 tbsp pieces and whisk into pastry cream 1 tbsp at a time until smooth.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto the top of the cream to prevent a skin from forming and put in the refrigerator to cool.

TARTE AUX QUETSCHES

Crust:

1 1/2 C of unbleached flour

1 stick unsalted butter (frozen, cut into small cubes)

1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbl. sugar

1 egg yolk

1 Tbl. ice cold water

egg wash (1 egg mixed with 2 tsp. milk)

Tart filling:

1.5 lbs. small plums, halved and pitted

2 Tbl. cassonade (raw sugar)

egg custard (2 egg yolks + 1 whole egg +1/4 cup sugar —- tempered with 2/3 cup of hot milk)

Directions for tart crust:

Cut the dry ingredients with the butter until you have pea-sized pieces. Add the egg yolk and cold water. Stir and combine. Add enough cold water until the mixture clumps in your hand.  Next, place the dough onto some plastic wrap and form a flat disk. Wrap and refrigerate for about 1/2 an hour.  Roll the dough to about 1/8 in. thick and gently place it on your tart pan. Using your fingers, gently mold the dough to fit the tart pan and crimp the edges. Put the whole thing back in the fridge for about 15 min. or so.

Then, in an oven preheated to 350F, blind bake the tart shell for 15 minutes.

Next, arrange the plums on the tart in whatever way you feel  - you can see how I've done it in the photos.  Bake the tart for 15 minutes – the plums will begin to soften.

Take the tart out of the oven and pour the custard into the tart, making sure it surrounds all the plums. Sprinkle the tart with cassonade.

Brush the outer crust with a little egg wash. Lower the oven to 325F and bake for another 30 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving.

Bon apetit!

RECIPE: Pork Tenderloin with Herbs de Provence

Before I started cooking regularly, I always wondered how my mom cooked without measuring anything. As a child, when I started learning how to cook by recipe, I was very precise at measuring and timing. But as time went on, I found myself using cookbooks more for inspiration than anything else, and becoming one of those people who adds a dash of this and a sprinkle of that. Tonight's dinner was pretty impromptu - I stumbled into Bryan's (an amazing butcher shop in SF's Laurel Village) and pondered over what meat to get. Chicken? Duck? Rabbit? Beef? I settled on a nice piece of pork tenderloin - about a pound - and went to work to make dinner for my friend Candice and I.

Ingredients:

Pork tenderloin (about 1 lb. for two people)
Two garlic cloves
Herbs de Provence
Sea Salt
Black Pepper (preferably freshly ground)
Olive Oil
Summer Squash, sliced
Onion, sliced very thinly
White wine


Chop up garlic and mix with a healthy amount (a tablespoon or maybe more?) of Herbs de Provence, fresh ground pepper, and sea salt. This is your rub for the pork. Heat an oven-proof pan, add some olive oil, and brown the outside of the seasoned pork tenderloin on both sides (just about a minute on each side). Then put the entire pan in the oven (set to 350 degrees), covered with foil. Take the squash, toss in herbs, salt, pepper, and olive oil, and then add to pan. Cook the pork for about 15 minutes, then remove the foil. Put the oven on broil and let cook for another ten minutes. Total cooking time should be about 30 minutes per pound, maybe slightly less depending on the thickness. (Don't overcook it!)

Take the pork out of the pan to rest, then put the squash aside. Add a little bit of wine into the pan to deglaze it, add salt and pepper, and a bit of butter. Add onions and reduce. Keep adding wine and reducing until the onions are softened and somewhat pickled.

Slice the pork thinly, and serve with squash. For color, I like to also serve it with a green leafy vegetable, like kale or chard. Top with onions and some of the sauce. Voila!

RECIPE: Duck Breast with Figs in Balsamic Reduction

Taking a cue from one of my friends who loves to cook, yet doesn't like measuring anything (or giving specific ingredients for that matter), I decided to try my hand at cooking duck breast. Granted, the best possible way to cook duck breast (or any meat, really) is by using the sous vide method, but I don't have the time, patience, or equipment for all that!



You will need:

duck breasts (fresh, with skin on)
balsamic vinegar
red wine (optional)
honey
fruit - I used figs (washed and quartered), but you can use fresh ripe peaches or pitted red cherries
salt
pepper


Season the duck with salt and pepper. Put a tiny bit of oil in a saute pan and sear the duck breasts, skin side down. Depending on the thickness, you can cook the duck 5-10 minutes on each side. Make sure to get the skin extra crispy, but don't overcook. Put the breast on a plate to rest, and reserve the juices in the pan.

Add a generous splash of balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan, then season with salt and pepper and a dollop of honey. Add figs and the optional splash of red wine and reduce until the figs are soft and sort of falling apart. Taste the reduction to make sure it's not too sour - adjust with honey and salt as necessary.

Slice duck breast thinly and serve with the reduction, accompanied by a potato puree and some vegetables (I prefer brussels sprouts or something else green, just for color on my plate). It is DIVINE.

Bon apetit!

NYC Food Adventures

Here are some of my recent Yelp reviews for a few restaurants I went to on my recent trip to New York!

Balthazar Restaurant & Bakery
80 Spring Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 965-1414

Neighborhood: Manhattan/SoHo


It was my first trip to SoHo, and my friend and I were walking very quickly, in the cold, towards the subway station to catch the 6 train uptown. We were thinking about going back to Les Halles, but instead I caught a glimpse of a familiar red awning. How could it be familiar? It was the same bright red color with simple lettering that spelled out a name I know well - Balthazar. I only knew Balthazar through the famous cookbook, and I was excited to find that we could get a table in this bustling, crowded restaurant - and it was a Wednesday night, mind you. The giant mirrors on the walls combined with a votive candle on every table filled the restaurant with a warm glow. We were seated at the tables for two - small cafe tables that are very very close together, lined up against a banquette - a common feature of NYC restaurants.


My friend and I decided to share a cheeseburger and fries and the pork belly. As we waited for our food, a waiter brought out an enormous tower of seafood on ice to the couple seated next to us. The woman commented that it was an "embarrassing" display, and her companion turned to us and offered us some. (He was dead serious.) My friend and I laughed and politely declined, but chatted with the couple while the server brought us the half bottle of wine we ordered (note: Balthazar only carries French wines), which was really delicious and medium bodied.

Our food came, the cheeseburger (cooked medium) accompanied by a giant pile of some really good fries (though Brasserie Les Halles is a bit better), the pork belly (the top part a glistening deep brown, was so succulent and moist that it really did not require a knife to eat) was set atop a bed of these incredible mustard lentils. I could have had an extra order of these lentils. We shared our fries with the couple next to us, and they shared some really fresh oysters.

The entire meal was perfect, even without dessert. The service was impeccable - servers should be like the stagehands during a play - you barely notice them, but they make everything run smoothly. Balthazar was a show for which I'd definitely request an encore presentation.


Caracas Arepa Bar
91 E. 7th Street
New York, NY 10009
(212) 228-5062

Neighborhood: Manhattan/East Village

Holy Guacasaca (that would be the name of the Venezuelan style guacamole they serve here) - this place is awesome.

For those of you who have never had an arepa, you MUST try it. Little corn pouches stuffed with deliciousness...I had the Los Muchachos, perfect for those who like the SAH-PYE-CEE - grilled chorizo, spicy white cheese, jalapenos, and grilled red peppers, and the La Surena, a chicken-chorizo-avocado orgasm in your mouth topped with chimichurri sauce.

It's cheap too - $7 or less per arepa. I also had some of the Yoyos - fried balls of sweet bread with plantains and cheese inside. It reminds me of a breakfast food - perhaps like stuffed French toast?

At any rate, thank you to AJ who recommended this place to me before my visit to New York...and buen provecho, y'all!


Brasserie Les Halles
411 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10016
(212) 679-4111

Category: French

J'adore Anthony Bourdain.

J'adore le steak.

J'adore les pommes frites.

J'adore le vin.

Par consequent, j'adore Brasserie Les Halles.

How fortunate that my icky hotel was located literally a block and a half away from Brasserie Les Halles, the famed eatery that celebrity chef and author Anthony Bourdain put on the map. I was looking forward to having dinner here ever since I found out I was going to NYC for business.

The reviews are true - the fries are absolutely delicious and crispy, probably some of the best fries I've ever had. I ordered the "Fitness Plate", a 6 oz. serving of steak served with various grilled vegetables, sauteed haricots verts, and a small serving of fries (enough to satisfy your pommes frites craving without making you feel incredibly guilty). I also had a bit of the wonderful French bread and butter that they give you with your dinner - the butter they serve with it is nice and softened, always a plus.

I would love to come back and try several other things on their menu - they have a classic cassoulet and confit de canard that sounded really good (two of my favorite French dishes). They also have a pretty extensive wine list, including champagnes and dessert wines.

Les Halles is also open at 7:30am-midnight, daily, so you can go and have breakfast (either 'petit dejeuner' - Parisian style, or New Yorker style - a heartier breakfast) or lunch or a late dinner - they have nonstop service, seven days a week. The restaurant is spacious, and at night, very dimly lit with candles at each table. I like the vintage French posters they have on the walls, and the checkered floor - great ambiance, and probably a really nice place for a date.

I think I will try to make it to Les Halles on every future trip to NYC (yes, it's THAT good).

BOOK: The French Chef Cookbook by Julia Child

I inherited a well-worn copy of this book many years ago from an ex-boyfriend (the same ex who got a copy of The French Laundry Cookbook for Christmas, and never attempted to cook from it during the entire time we were together). Published in 1968, this book was the result of the TV program "The French Chef", intended to teach as much French cooking technique as could be learned in several seasons of weekly half-hour programs.

Julia Child covers so many French classics: Coq au vin, Quiches, Crepes, Boeuf Bourguignon, Pates, Aspics, Cassoulet, Duck a L'orange, Brioches, Souffle....and goes on to describe techniques such as how to debone a leg of lamb, how to roast a suckling pig, basic sauces (Hollandaise, Bearnaise), blanching bacon, wine storing, chocolate melting, and so much more. I always go back through this book when I need a reference on how to do something. I am hardly a master at French cooking, but with Julia's helpful hints, I feel much less like une imbecile in the kitchen. This is definitely a "must-have" for any aspiring cook.

RECIPE: A Page From "Entre Nous": Gigot d'Agneau

I am not a trained professional. Everything I learned about cooking I learned from my mom, my ex, and TV. Certain things still scare me, like trying to make a souffle, making Hollandaise sauce from scratch, and cooking large pieces of meat in the oven (I just don't trust myself sometimes). However, there is one dish that I can say that I am able to do well. Gigot d'Agneau - sounds fancy, doesn't it? I don't have photos of this one, but trust me, it is quite good, and easy to boot.

Gigot d'Agneau

5 lb. leg of lamb, deboned
6 whole garlic cloves
5 T extra virgin olive oil
herbs & spices (I use Herbes de Provence)
12 small potatoes
8 whole garlic cloves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Use half the olive oil to coat the lamb, and rub it with garlic. Sprinkly generously with herbs, salt, and freshly ground pepper. Roast the lamb in oven one hour. Drizzle potatoes with remaining olive oil, season generously with herbs, salt, and pepper, and place potatoes and garlic around the lamb. Cook an additional 35-40 minutes, or until lamb is medium rare. Transfer lamp to a serving platter when done. Continue roasting potatoes until browned. Place potatoes and garlic together with the lamb on the platter.

I serve this with haricots verte and braised fennel topped with fresh Gruyere. Be careful not to overcook the lamb (very easy to do). I convinced one of my friends who swore she didn't like lamb to try it, and she totally liked it. Voila! Crowd pleaser!