Kitchen Conundrum

You Say Tomato, I Say Tomato. A Fresh Tart for Summer Entertaining!

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We threw this together for an annual brunch block party. It was gone in mere minutes and we only got one tiny slice to share. We love tomatoes in the summer.  And even though it’s not officially summer, it’s been such nice weather that we thought it was time to break out this simple and delicious tart.  The best is when we find the big, sweet Jersey tomatoes. Sprinkled with a little salt, they are amazing. We grow tomatoes in our garden and they have a very good flavor but nothing compares to those Jersey tomatoes. For this recipe we just used store bought tomatoes as it is still a bit too early in the season to find good local ones.

This tart can be made with most any cheese but Gruyère is the most common cheese to use. It would be delicious with an herbed goat cheese too.  We used shredded cheddar this time, as it was all we had on hand and it was already shredded. You can also drizzle a little bit of balsamic vinegar on top right before you serve but it’s not necessary. This is a perfect meal in itself when served with a handful of salad greens on the side or it makes a nice side dish.  Sometimes, we will make small individual ones for parties. It’s very versatile!

Ingredients

1 Par-baked Tart Shell (11” Tart Shell baked for only 10 mintues), recipe below

¼ Cup Dijon, Stone Ground, or Whole Grain Mustard

1 Cup Shredded Cheese (Gruyere, Cheddar, Goat Cheese, or any other cheese you may have)

3 large Tomatoes, thickly sliced

Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon Thyme

1 Tablespoon Parsley

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

Method

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In the bottom of the tart shell, evenly spread the mustard.

Add the shredded cheese.

Arrange the tomatoes in a circular pattern slightly overlapping them on one side.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake for 30 minutes or until tomatoes are fork tender.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, thyme, parsley and garlic.

Spread over the baked tart while it is still warm.

Tart can be served either hot or at room temperature.


Pâte Brisée (Pie/Tart Dough)

This buttery dough is our standard tart and quiche crust. It’s produces a firm crust, making it perfect to hold up well with weighty ingredients. The dough can also be made by hand by using two knives to cut the ingredients into one another or by food processor. We have given you the conversions to the weighed ingredients. It’s a good idea to make several batches at a time as it freezes really well and you will always have some on hand for a last minute meal. The key to a good crust is to use very cold butter and very cold water and to not overwork the dough.

Ingredients

200 Grams Flour

100 Grams Butter, Very Cold

5 Grams Salt

60 ml Water, Very Cold

Ingredients Conversion

2 Cups All Purpose Flour

7 Tablespoons Butter, Very Cold

1 Teaspoon Salt

¼ Cup Water, Very Cold

Method

In your food processor fitted with a dough blade, add flour and salt.

Cut butter into very small pieces and add quickly to the flour and salt. Pulse until the butter is well incorporated and resembles a fine meal, about 15 seconds.

Add the cold water and pulse a few more times until the dough comes together.

Turn dough out and form into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to rest for ½ hour. The dough can also now be frozen for future use.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to fit into an 11” tart pan. The key to making sure your dough is the right size is to turn your tart pan upside down over the dough and making sure there is at least another inch around all the sides still visible.

Transfer to the tart pan gently pressing the dough to the pan’s shape. Prick the bottom with a fork to prevent the dough from puffing during baking.

To prebake the crust, preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place rack in center of oven.

Line the unbaked crust with a round cut out of parchment paper or aluminum foil. Fill tart pan with pie weights or dry beans, making sure they are evenly distributed over the entire bottom surface.

Bake crust for 20 to 25 minutes or until the crust is dry and lightly browned. Remove weights and cool crust on wire rack. Proceed with your recipe that calls for a prebaked crust. To par bake, only bake for 10 minutes to set the shell and ready for ingredients.

Sour Cream and Crème Fraîche, Partners in Cream- Beef Ribeye Roast with Horseradish Crème Fraîche Recipe

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Open any refrigerator and you are likely to find a container of Sour Cream. It’s a long standing staple of the American diet. Dollops of the luscious white cream can be seen atop baked potatoes, adorning tacos and garnishing hearty bowls of chili. When combined with onion soup mix, it makes a quick and tasty dip for chips and vegetables. It adds that cool, slightly tangy finish to the spicy and cheesy foods we love to eat.

The Unsung Hero- Sour Cream

Sour cream is not just a great accompaniment. It’s often the unsung hero of many recipes. When used in baked goods such as muffins and cakes it adds richness and a softer texture. It also produces a sharper flavor in pancakes and cookies. In fact, when you add sour cream to your baked goods, you can reduce the milk and fat in your recipes. Sour cream adds a delightful smooth finish to sauces and soups. However, care must be taken since sour cream will curdle if overheated. It should be added right at the very end of the cooking time and just heated gently through.

Full fat sour cream contains from 18 to 20 percent butterfat and has been treated with a lactic acid culture to create the bacteria responsible for its distinctive tang. Full fat sour cream is thick, heavy and adds a definite weight to the spoon. It has a bright, cool and creamy flavor but it is also quite calorie rich, so its best used in moderation, especially for those who are keeping track. A teaspoon to top soup, a baked potato or to accompany enchiladas is all that is needed. Light sour cream contains about 40 percent less fat than regular sour cream because it’s made from half-and-half. The thick, smooth texture and rich flavor makes it nearly indistinguishable from the full fat varieties and you will save about 10 calories per tablespoon. Light versions are perfect for use in baking and can be used successfully whenever a recipe calls for sour cream. Non-fat sour cream, which is made from skimmed milk, is thickened with stabilizers such as corn starch or gelatin. It is often called a ‘Sour Cream Alternative’. Fat Free or Non-fat sour cream tends to be rather watery and needs to be stirred to reincorporate all of the ingredients for a semi-thick consistency. The best uses for non-fat sour cream or fat-free varieties are for dips for crudités, as a fruit topping or in salad dressing recipes. You can use fat free or non-fat sour cream whenever you want a much healthier replacement. Light or full fat sour cream tastes so much better than the non-fat varieties and unless you are seriously counting the calories, then it’s best to use the fatter varieties.

Soy sour cream is not actually a dairy product as it contains no cream but rather is soy based combined with a non-dairy lactic acid and thickened with guar and carrageenan gums. This is a suitable substitute for those who are lactose intolerant or maintain kosher or dairy-free diets.

Oh là là– Crème Fraîche

Similar in flavor, sour cream’s richer, smoother and more sophisticated French cousin, crème fraîche (pronounced ‘krem fresh’) can also be used as a substitute for sour cream. Meaning “fresh cream”, crème fraîche, originally hails from the coast of lower Normandy in Northern France. It’s so beloved by the French that many even have their favorite merchants  they always patronize for their weekly supply. They will even look for Crème d’Isigny, the only crème fraîche to be awarded the AOC, or Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée status, equating it to a fine wine such as Burgundy or Champagne.

Crème fraîche contains 28 % milk fat or more. Crème d’Isigny varieties have 40%, making it literally, the crème de la crème!  Crème fraîche has a slightly nutty, more subtle tartness than sour cream. It also has a much more substantial consistency, ranging from thick custard to being a soft solid like margarine.

Crème fraîche and sour cream both lend a tangy taste to a variety of dishes. However, crème fraîche is more like a butter,where as sour cream is, well more like a cream. While crème fraîche and sour cream can be interchanged in a lot of recipes, crème fraiche has many advantages over sour cream.  It doesn’t curdle when heated because of its high fat content, making it the perfect ingredient for lending a velvety finish to rich sauces and thick, creamy soups. It can also be whipped to soft peaks and mixed with a little sugar to become a delicious topping for desserts and fruits.

Crème fraîche is so incredibly versatile it can be flavored to be used in a multitude of recipes. It assumes both savory and sweet identities, from mixing in a bit of fresh dill to pair with salmon to adding honey and lime zest and whipped to a fluffy cream to fill buttery tuiles. It makes delectable ice cream and can even be used instead of mascarpone in some recipes. In baked goods, it adds an opulence to even the richest of chocolate cakes.  There are few flavors that wouldn’t meld well with crème fraîche.

Unfortunately, it’s difficult to find in the local supermarket, and when it is located, often at gourmet markets, it’s price tag is a little steep. The good news is it’s extremely easy to make at home, and the results are good enough to lick the spoon.

Crème Fraîche Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup heavy whipping cream, (preferably Pasteurized, not Ultra Pasteurized)

2 tablespoons buttermilk

Method

In a medium saucepan over low heat, warm the cream to 105 degrees F. Remove from heat and whisk in the buttermilk.

Transfer the mixed cream to a sterile glass jar and allow this mixture to stand in a warm place, loosely covered with plastic wrap for at least 24 hours stirring at least three times over the period.

At the end of the 24 hours, the cream should be somewhat thick. (See note below.) Stir one more time and cover the jar tightly with its lid.

Place the jar in the refrigerator for another 24 hours after which time, it should be thickened and ready to use.

It will keep up to ten days in the refrigerator continuing to age and increasing in sourness over the time.

Yield: 1 cup

Cook Time: 3 minutes

Inactive Prep Time: 48 hours

Ease of Preparation: Easy

Note: If you are unable to find just pasteurized heavy cream it may take an extra half day for the crème fraîche to set when using ultra pasteurized heavy cream. It is perfectly fine and safe to leave the jar in a warm spot for even 36 hours as the live cultures in the buttermilk protect the crème from harmful bacteria. Once you have a semi thick consistency, cover and move to the refrigerator as outlined above.

Here’s a printable recipe card.

Here is a nice way to use your Crème Fraîche!

 

Beef Ribeye Roast with Horseradish Crème Fraîche

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 (3 to 4 pound) beef ribeye roast

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

Horseradish Crème Fraîche, recipe follows

Method

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Season the roast with salt and pepper and sear on all sides until brown, about 7-8 minutes.

Transfer the roast to a platter. Drain the oil from the Dutch oven.

Pat the thyme and rosemary into the meat and return it to the pot.

Place the pot into the preheated oven. Roast for 30 minutes for rare, or 35 minutes for medium rare.

Meanwhile, prepare the Horseradish Crème Fraîche.

Remove the meat from the oven and transfer to a platter, cover with foil. Let it rest for 10 minutes.

To serve, slice the roast into thin slices, about ¼ inch thick. Arrange on platter and serve with Horseradish Crème Fraîche on the side.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 42 minutes

Ease of Preparation: Easy

Horseradish Crème Fraîche:

Ingredients

1 cup crème fraîche

2 tablespoons fresh grated horseradish or 2 tablespoons prepared white horseradish

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Combine crème fraîche, horseradish, thyme in a medium mixing bowl stirring well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Yield: 1 cup

 

Homemade Creme Fraiche on FoodistaHomemade Creme Fraiche

Test for Doneness. Filet With Garlic Roasted New Potatoes

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This is one of our favorite meals. It never gets old. It’s quick, easy to make and we clean our plates every time. It’s nice to make a peppercorn or Bearnaise sauce to accompany the steaks, but because the meat is so good on it’s own, its not a necessity. Add a bottle of wine and you have a nice dinner for two.

The key to making perfectly cooked steaks is a hot pan and a hot oven. Searing the meat on the stove first and transferring to a hot oven to finish cooking helps keep the juices intact and the meat retains its flavor and does not dry out. With this method, you should have perfectly cooked meat every time.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Place a high heat, oven safe pan into the oven to heat up while you prepare the potatoes.

Slice 1.5 pounds of red new potatoes into 1/8 inch slices.

Toss the potatoes in a bowl with two tablespoons olive oil, 5-6 peeled garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.

In a 9×13 baking pan or on a  cookie sheet, layer the potatoes to cover the bottom. Try not to over crowd them so they have room to crisp.

Place in the oven, keeping an eye on their doneness while preparing the steaks. They should cook in about 10 minutes. Remove the potatoes once they are browned and fork tender.

The steaks from our butcher come with a layer of fat held on with a string. We remove this before cooking.

Season the steaks with salt and pepper.

Remove the pan from the oven carefully. Place over a high flame on the range top.  Add a teaspoon of vegetable oil to the pan. Do not use olive oil as it will burn at a high heat. Add the steaks to the heated pan, searing the outsides for about 1 minute on the first side. Flip the steaks when you have a nice brown crust.

Leave on the second side for about 30 seconds before transferring the pan back to the oven.

Test for doneness by taking the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer inserted  into the center of the meat at a 45 degree angle to the flat surface. Depending upon the thickness of your meat, there will be residual heat and the internal temperature will rise during resting and cause the meat to continue cooking. This means the meat should be removed from the heat at an internal temperature of about 5 degrees lower than your desired final internal temperature, allowing the residual heat to finish the cooking.

For rare, a red cool to warm center with a very spongy feel , the temperature will be 125 degrees F. For medium rare, a red warm center and bit springy, it will be 130 degrees F. A medium steak, or a hot pink center with a little spring and will have a temperature of 140 degrees F. Medium well done has an internal temperature of 150 degrees F and only has a slight pink color and feels frim. A well done steak has no color and feels very firm with little to no give. It’s temperature is 160 degrees F.

You can also use the hand method of touching the steak to feel it’s firmness.

For rare, it should feel like the fat in between your thumb and first finger when your hand is relaxed. Stretch your thumb out a  little more for medium rare.

For well done, it should feel like the fat of your thumb on the palm of your hand.

Once your desired temperature is reached, remove the pan from the oven and place on top of the stove half on a burner so the pan is on an angle to rest the steaks for about 10 minutes.  Placing the pan at an angle will keep the steaks from sitting in their juices and loosing their crispy crust.  It is important to let the steaks rest as this lets the juices meld back into the meat and keeps it juicy.

Serve with the potatoes and a vegetable of your choice and you will have a lovely dinner.