Cook me! Mushroom and Leek Tart of Savory Awesomeness

Want to cook something fairly easy but is impressive to your family? Make them a savory dinner tart!

The most difficult part of making this tart is that you have to work with the dough in several batches: putting together, refrigerating it, taking it out and rolling it out, putting it back in the fridge and waiting, etc. However, this was a fairly simple to construct item which is perfect for entertaining since you can do it all ahead of time and pop it in the oven as guests come in. Dinner will be ready in the 35-45 minutes it takes to bake, your guests will be impressed and your house will smell absurdly yummy.

MUSHROOM AND LEEK GALETTE WITH GORGONZOLA

Published January 1, 2012. From Cook's Illustrated.

SERVES 6

Cutting a few small holes in the dough prevents it from lifting off the pan as it bakes. A pizza stone helps to crisp the crust but is not essential.

INGREDIENTS

• Dough

• 1 1/4cups (6 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour

• 1/2cup (2 3/4 ounces) whole-wheat flour

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled

• 7 tablespoons ice water

• 1 teaspoon white vinegar

• Filling

• 1 1/4 pounds shiitake mushrooms , stemmed and sliced thin

• 5 teaspoons olive oil

• 1 pound leeks , white and light green parts only, sliced ½ inch thick and washed thoroughly (3 cups)

• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

• 2 tablespoons crème fraîche

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• Salt and pepper

• 3ounces Gorgonzola cheese , crumbled (3/4 cup)

• 1 large egg , lightly beaten

• Kosher salt

• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

1. FOR THE DOUGH: Process flours, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined, 2 to 3 pulses. Add butter and pulse until it forms pea-size pieces, about 10 pulses. Transfer mixture to medium bowl.

2. Sprinkle water and vinegar over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix until loose, shaggy mass forms with some dry flour remaining (do not overwork). Transfer mixture to center of large sheet of plastic wrap, press gently into rough 4-inch square, and wrap tightly. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.

3. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface. Roll into 11 by 8-inch rectangle with short side of rectangle parallel to edge of work surface. Using bench scraper, bring bottom third of dough up, then fold upper third over it, folding like business letter into 8 by 4-inch rectangle. Turn dough 90 degrees counterclockwise. Roll out dough again into 11 by 8-inch rectangle and fold into thirds again. Turn dough 90 degrees counterclockwise and repeat rolling and folding into thirds. After last fold, fold dough in half to create 4-inch square. Press top of dough gently to seal. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

4. FOR THE FILLING: Cover mushrooms in bowl and microwave until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to colander to drain and return to bowl. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add leeks and thyme, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are tender and beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to bowl with mushrooms. Stir in crème fraîche and mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

5. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position, place pizza stone on oven rack, and heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. Roll out on generously floured (up to ¼ cup) work surface to 14-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. (Trim edges as needed to form rough circle.) Transfer dough to parchment paper–lined rimmed baking sheet. With tip of paring knife, cut five ¼-inch circles in dough (one at center and four evenly spaced midway from center to edge of dough). Brush top of dough with 1 teaspoon oil.

6. Spread half of filling evenly over dough, leaving 2-inch border around edge. Sprinkle with half of Gorgonzola, cover with remaining filling, and top with remaining Gorgonzola. Drizzle remaining 1 teaspoon oil over filling. Grasp 1 edge of dough and fold up outer 2 inches over filling. Repeat around circumference of tart, overlapping dough every 2 to 3 inches; gently pinch pleated dough to secure but do not press dough into filling. Brush dough with egg and sprinkle evenly with kosher salt.

7.  Lower oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake until crust is deep golden brown and filling is beginning to brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool tart on baking sheet on wire rack for 10 minutes. Using offset or wide metal spatula, loosen tart from parchment and carefully slide tart off parchment onto cutting board. Sprinkle with parsley, cut into wedges, and serve.

ENJOY!


Ann's notes (and recommendations from Cook's Illustrated)

1. Yes, the dough will be crumbly and loose. It's okay. Resting the dough in the fridge allows the flour to hydrate apparently while minimizing gluten development so the crust stays tender and flaky rather than too chewy. It will be a bit hard to work with at first but just tough it out since it will get better as you fold it more and more.
2. I used a mix of Shitake and Crimini mushrooms since Shitakes are more expensive. Crimini mushrooms contain a lot more water so you need to ensure you drain the mushrooms properly after microwaving. You don't want the tart to be too soggy after all.
3. Save the mushroom stems instead of composting them. You can use them to make broth afterwards or mince them in a processor with roasted garlic and parsley for a bruschetta topping.
4. Whole wheat makes this healthier and lends to a nuttier, earthier flavor and better texture in the crust. I keep whole wheat flour on hand anyways since it's better for you.
5. Most people don't have a bench scraper - this just calls for something fairly sharp and flat. You can use the blunt end of a chef's knife to get under the dough and fold the dough over or something similar - perhaps one of those small, thin, foldable cutting boards or something.
6. Creme Fraiche is a lighter, milder, richer textured fancy french sour cream. They have it at Whole Foods next to the sour cream. I went to Top Food and the head of their dairy department gave me a puzzled look and had no idea what it was. Eff them for their lack of food-snobbery. :) And check out this South Park episode: http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s14e14-creme-fraiche

 

Cook Me! - Forbidden Rice w/ yogurt, lime, mango & banana.

We post a lot of food pics to Facebook. Yeah, it probably annoys some of you, and we should probably tone it down. But your tears of jealousy feed us too!

A few weekends ago, I had the pleasure of cooking for Ann, her mother, and our friend Karin. I decided to whip up a smoked salmon potato hash with horseradish sauce & fried egg (not pictured). I needed to add some citrus & sweetness to offset the savoriness of horseradish sauce & potato hash. So I riffed off a favorite breakfast dish of mine from Revel: Forbidden Rice with yogurt, mango banana relish & lime zest.

Now, Revel does theirs with puffed rice and kaffir lime yogurt, and it's totally awesome. But puffed rice is actually very hard to do if you don't have the proper equipment. And kaffir limes are fairly difficult to find, even in Seattle. So I did the best I could with what's available.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Forbidden Rice (black rice is super-nutritious, and has a really nice mild nutty flavor; can be found at Whole Foods, etc)
• 1 banana, diced
• 2 mangoes, diced
• 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste (also found in Whole Foods)
• 1 pint of yogurt (vanilla bean or plain are peferable; blend with lime juice and zest for super limey flavor)
• sugar, to taste
• 1 lime, zested (reserve juice if you need more sour to offset the sweetness of banana and mango)
• Serves 4
  

Boil water for rice. 2/1 ratio, per usual. Dump in rice, bring to a boil, and then set to low and let simmer. Here's a little cooking tip from Aragorn: DONT DISTURB THE RICE!Now, I'm pretty sure a giant octopus won't emerge from your boiling rice. But, you'll notice your rice will possess a better quality if you leave it undisturbed.

While your rice cooks, in a small sauce pan, combine your diced bananas, mangoes, sugar, vanilla bean paste and a small amount of water. Cook over medium heat until you get a nice simmer, then lower heat and let the fruit sauce reduce as well. Add more vanilla bean paste until you get the desired vanilla flavor. The natural sugars should be enough, but also feel free to add more sugar if you need to thicken it up.

Once both elements are thoroughly cooked, bowl a half cup of rice, then top with yogurt, and then banana mango relish. Zest lime for flavor and color. Serve.

It's a moderately healthy and ridiculously easy breakfast dish that will impress significant others, in-laws, friends, or late night acquaintances that are mysteriously still at your place in the morning.

It's not always June at June

Another fantastic Seattle Restaurant Week has just concluded which is fortuitous since I just suffered from a lisfranc dislocation of my foot and resulting surgery. It would have been difficult to hobble around to new eateries when I am supposed to elevate my leg but this gives me plenty of bed rest time to craft some res week blogs.

The month of June evokes a sense of happy beginnings of a warm summer but as a restaurant, it's more than about that sunny season. Its chefs advocate fresh, seasonal food available at each season.

We ventured to Madrona - a neighborhood that's close but one we never ever go to in order to experience Seattle Restaurant Week try #1. This fun night was shared with a small posse of friends: the Strubs and the Williams who were out for their first night sans baby.

June is nested on a quiet street in Madrona near other shops and a Molly Moons. We started with some happy hour-priced wine since we were delighted to have arrived a little before our 7pm reservation time.

First Course

Nick's 'meh' salad

Nick opted for a salad that was very similar to one he's made in the past: endive, radicchio, mixed greens with apple, blue cheese and bacon lardons. This isn't anything extraordinary and something you'd see typically on menus; Nick thought it was average. But June's first courses had nice presentations.

It was a blustery day so the celeriac soup sounded like a good option for me. It was a good starter with some nice subtle flavors but again, was fairly typical. Steve had a beet salad which looked pretty tasty.

Celiarac soup

Beet Salad

 Entree

Pumpkin Gnocchi

I am both a pumpkin and gnocchi whore so put those together and I'm sold! If there is a dish with a fried or gooey egg, I will often go for runny egg as well. Just a note in case you know of a delicious combination of something involving runny egg, pumpkin or gnocchi....

All of the ladies ordered the pumpkin gnocchi which looked amazing when it arrived. The sauce and the gnocchi were delicious but I was missing that crunchy and chewy texture from the gnocchi when it has a nice sear on it. I prefer that dark sear to add additional texture to my gnocchi; folks who like theirs soft and pillowy may love June's. I am such a fan of gnocchi (and whenever I say it, I am reminded of Top Chef contestant Fabio saying in his Italian accent that they are "little soft peellows") so I am constantly disappointed when they aren't made exactly to my liking.

Nick had the chicken which he said had some sort of bacon sauce and brussels sprouts. The chicken was perfectly cooked although the bacon sauce was a bit salty.

Nick's bacony chicken & brussels sprouts

Dessert

As I mentioned, I am more than enthusiastic about pumpkin so I ordered the pumpkin bread pudding. Nick got the chocolate espresso terrine. The bread pudding had some good flavors, a delicious honey sauce although was a little on the sweet side. Regardless, I was a fan since it was pretty velvety and sumptuous.

Pumpkin bread pudding

Nick's chocolate espresso terrine was  also tasty. Not spectacular but solid. Which pretty much sums up our experience at June. It was cozy with friendly service and seasonable food made well but June isn't often the most spectacular month of the summer; August in Seattle typically trumps June in terms of weather, activities and product that's in season. Like the lovely month of August, other restaurants and more memorable dishes topped June in our November 2011 Seattle Restaurant Week adventures.

Chocolate terrine - nice presentation

Off the grid and on the spot - A secret Seattle shop of succulence

Any alliteration cannot do justice to the billowing boldness and befuddling brilliance of a new hole-in-the-wall gyro joint that has quietly graced Seattle with its presence. There's no sign announcing its presence. No carefully crafted press release mass-distributed to Seattle foodie culture. No quirky Twitter account bellowing out happy hour deals. It is an enigma - and dammit, we'll keep it that way...for as long as we can.

But it will get out.

The drippings alone made me lick my plate. Yeah, that's right. I went at this recycled cardboard plate like hungry happy Labrador, prepping dishes for the dishwasher. Inside this gyro, a voluminous variety of veggies viciously vexed in form, a volition so vivaciously violent that I asked the voluptuously pregnant server if I could have a bib. Or a feed bag. She smiled and brought me a wet bath towel. "This will help," she said. Methinks I'm not the first to ask.

The meat, though. Oh my sweet lord. What evil lord presided over these lambs and fed them nothing but rainbows and salted caramel ice cream?! And had Padma sing them lullabies as they drifted off to sleep, dreaming of meadows filled with chocolate torts and warm apple cider and cashmere bathrobes? Because I'm quite sure these are the only conditions in which such delightfully delectable lamb can be rendered.

So,I've pontificated enough, and most certainly have ran through my monthly allocation of SAT words, I've left one key piece of information out. The location...and the name. There is no sign. No menu. And I was disallowed from flash photography. I can tell you that a handy neighborhood search using the latest in check-in software might yield a result that *perhaps* looks like a house, or humble abode, of gyros, run by a man who may, or may not be named, Samir. That's it. I've probably said too much.

Restaurant Week reviews begin later this week. Sneak preview of the pads we're previewing:
Joule
June
Tilth
Spring Hill
A&O

-N

Got Me Black Keys Tickets

Lookie what I got!

I had to wait in line for an hour at the U-Village Microsoft Store grand opening for these bad boys and met some nice people including a man who said, "I have a 14 year old daughter. What band do you think she would like?" I told him, "14 year old girl? And you're trying to be a cool dad? I would go with OneRepublic." 

a) I actually think most 14 year old girls would prefer OneRepublic unless they are super super cool 14 year old girls who listen to real music. My little cousins are awesome but wouldn't know who the Black Key were and like my teammate David, would mistake the Black Keys for a Black Eyed Peas typo.

b) I also sort of told him to get OneRepublic tix to save more Black Keys passes for true fans. Ohh well.

I do admit that OneRepublic creates songs with good hooks. The 'Apologize' song is catchy and has gotten stuck in my head multiple times. Damn you Timbaland.

Friends' garage bands have come a long way...

Food often dominates this blog so here is a quick post about the musical passion.

People are often curious about the music profession and about bands that I know of personally or inquire about friends who are in bands. Despite my secret desire to be a blues and rockstar or a lounge singer, I don't have any real ties to the music industry other than some awesome friends who happened to sort of fall into it. I'm proud of them all and I love supporting local music that's

Here is the list:

• Out Like Pluto - I adore my friends in Out Like Pluto! I know four fifths of the band members really well and once got decked out in K$sha gear for one of their shows. Hey, they put on a fun live show and I just wanted to participate! They started as a jam project between my good pals Kari and Andy and spiraled from there.
• Kay Kay and His Weathered Undeground - One of my favorite local groups period. My friend JJ doesn't really play with them anymore (he and his wife just welcomed their first baby) but I am hoping he'll start again since I love going to their live shows and shouting at JJ like I am a crazed fan. The problem with them getting bigger and opening for other big bands is that their shows are often sold out... But I owe JJ big for getting me into a Cap Hill block party with a VIP wrist band - you have access to a lounge with food and get to sit on pillows!
• The Classic Crime - The MacDonalds are practically family and this is Matt's band. Imagine my surprise when their song popped on the radio as I was driving around - I immediately pulled over and texted Nate MacDonald to tell him his brother's single was playing on 1077.7 The End.
• Kris Orlowski - I have once sat at the Microsoft Commons to watch Kris perform... and heckle him a little. Kris' music is nice and folksy - perfect for some autumn music.
• The Fascination Movement - My cousin Jennifer recently started to help manage them and I dig their electronic vibe. Reminds me a bit of what I love about 80's new wave and electronica but is also modern with some tracks reminiscent of Washed Out.

Check out these bands and if you enjoy their music, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, go to their shows, download their music and support them in general.  These people rely on word of mouth buzz, honest feedback and support from their friends like me in order to continue doing what they love to do. I commend them for pursuing their passion and sharing it with the world!

Ba Bar - Fancy Vietnamese Street Food

Ba Bar's bright windows

Nick insisted that I wrtite this blog. "You're Vietnamese, you should write it. You have stronger opinions about the food, " he said. So here is my caveat: because I am Vietnamese and because I have eaten the most delicious of Vietnamese cuisine (which includes my parent's food, my grandmother's cooking as well as the best selections from the O.C. - heyyo Bolsa-, noshes from the Bay Area and dishes from Vietnam), you should either take my opinion with a grain of salt or absolutely take it as the word from a walking Vietnamese food bible.

Ok, glad we got that out of the way.

Ba Bar is cute industrial-chic restaurant in the revived area by Seattle U's no-man's land between proper Cap Hill and First Hill. It's also a block or two away from Nick's place so he had been tracking it for weeks before its opening, eagerly awaiting a place that was touting its refined approach to street food with classically well-made cocktails. We went during its opening week with our good pals C&H to see if it could measure up to its assertions.  

The service can be sketchy at times, depending on who serves you and how busy it is but at least the space is lovely to look at with an open kitchen at the front. I like the large, paned windows that allow a lot of light in without making the restaurant seem too open.

Nom Nom Time

At first glance, the menu seemed a bit steep and had a wide variety of Vietnamese dishes, unless you are a vegetarian. After coming to Ba Bar a few more times, they have corrected this issue by lowering the price of many of their dishes as well as adding some no-meat options. The menu is a refined take on some classic Vietnamese dishes rathered than street food but isn't meant to be super-fancy either. There is a little bit of everything to get a general taste of Vietnam which has a long and varied culinary history.  Menu here: http://www.babarseattle.com/BaBar-Food.pdf 

We started with the Hue Dumpling, which is a mung bean dumpling wrapped in a sticky, glutenous rice wrapper. It was average; the dumpling wrapper was a little too thick and sticky for my taste but the dish was presented beautifully.

Banh bot loc chay

Bun cha ca

I ordered one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes: bun cha ca or a seared Idaho catfish colored with tumeric, served over cold rice noodles. It was the only pescatarian option at the time but I was excited to enjoy something classically northern with high quality pacific northwest product. The first proper meal Nick and I had in Vietnam was this dish at Cha Ca La Vong in Hanoi, probably the most famous place for this particular dish (which is the only dish they serve there). When I finally got to tear into the dish, I was a little disappointed. The best thing about this dish is that the tumeric colors the fish but that the fish is infused with the taste of fresh dill. There was no dill in their version (which is a travesty) so the dish fell flat and lacked any depth of flavor. 

Nick had the claypot chicken which is not on the menu anymore. It's a southern dish and cooking chicken over a long time in the claypot should allow the juices and sauces to caramelize. However, Nick shrugged it off since it was dry instead of moist and sweet.

Claypot rice

Chris' pork belly and rice was the clear winner of the night with a good amount of spice and crisp. Hema duck soup (mi vit tiem) also got some raves although Hema noted that the duck leg was a little difficult to manage to eat in the soup.

Pork belly

Mi vit tiem - duck soup

Sip Sip Time

The drinks are something else entirely. Ba Bar had a bit of controversy with their original captain bartender who lied about his bartending credentials and liquored up on the restaurant's booze (read up on the drama here) but I enjoyed every drink we ordered including the pisco sours.

Cocktail time!

Nom Nom Redux

We've gone back several times since. I desperately wanted to give this place a chance because it's clear that there is a lot of love and passion that goes into this place, even if it's not great. Yet.

It has improved. As I mentioned, the menu is a bit more manageable in terms of selection and value. I am willing to pay more for delicious refined dishes as long as the food meets that bar; I just found Ba Bar's original pricing to be way off for their items originally. Their vegetarian vermicelli bowl is decently tasty and even the nuoc cham is really vegetarian, which most Vietnamese establishments do not regard.  Nick has been happy with the chicken over broken rice and considers the pho decent although unsure if it's supposed to be northern or southern-style pho.

One thing I have found disheartening is that every time we've gone to Ba Bar, the server informs us that something (or mostly many things) are no longer available. Once, we went early on a Tuesday night and they were invariably out of half of the menu items. While I understand that sometimes popular items are eaten up quickly, they need to get on top of their restaurant management in terms of inventory and product. If this proves difficult, they should have a daily or weekly menu that changes with the availability of items. Staples like pho should not run out. Period.

I will continue to go since it's so close to Nick's place and I can't wait to enjoy its late night menu. However, I think the next time I am craving Vietnamese, I will take him down the hill to go to Tamarind Tree. While maybe not as chic and hip as Ba Bar, the food is better and uncompromising.