Blanching Vegetables

Here's a quick and easy way to prepare vegetables without oil or all those extra calories.  Use vegetables that are typically crunchy and in a single piece, like green beans, asparagus, or carrots. 

Directions:

1.  In a large pot, bring lightly salted water to a boil (like if you're going to cook spaghetti). 
2.  Once the water is boiling, add your desired about of vegetables for 3-5 minutes, just until tender.
3.  Pour the vegetables out in to a colander and let drain.  Serve warm.

Bearnaise Sauce

This bearnaise sauce is a great accompaniment to fish, poultry, and egg dishes.  It's similar to a hollandaise, but without the lemon and WITH the addition of wine, vinegar, and savory herbs. 

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 tbsp. finely minced shallots (substitute red or green onions, if desired)
• 1/2 tbsp. dried tarragon
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• Pinch of salt
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp. cold butter, divided
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• Additional 1/2 tbsp. dried tarragon

Directions:

1.  In a small saucepan, boil the vinegar, wine, onions, herbs, and seasonings over medium heat until reduced to about 2 tbsp of liquid.  Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl

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2.  With a hand mixer in a small bowl, beat the eggs until they become thick and creamy.  They will appear light in color.  Transfer the eggs to the small saucepan, strain the vinegar mixture in to the eggs, and beat until well mixed.  Over low heat, add the first tbsp. of butter.  Using a wire whisk, mix the butter by hand so that it melts and begins to thicken.  Add the second tbsp and continue to whisk and thicken.  Slowly add the melted butter, one tbsp. at a time.  **Be careful not to add too much too soon or it may curdle.  It may also curdle if the heat is too high.**  Once all the butter is incorporated, continue whisking until the sauce is nice and creamy.  Remove from heat.  Stir in the extra tarragon.
3.  Add as desired to your fish, poultry, or egg dish.  Enjoy!

Master Fig Galette Recipe

I have been waiting the past year for figs to come in to season. With so much built-up anticipation of their arrival, I knew that I once I bought the little fruits, I would want to use them in more than one way. I started brainstorming easy, versatile dishes when it dawned on me - why not a galette?

Galettes are indeed versatile. Originating from French cuisine, there is a lot of latitude in how they can be prepared, as they can be served either savory or sweet. If you haven't tried a galette before and are trying to understand the dish, envision a cross between a pizza and a pie. The best way I can think to describe it is as a rustic tart. Since galettes can be savory or sweet, the combinations of fillings are endless, and the crust can range from soft and pastry-like to much more crispy.

My plan in constructing the fig galettes was to utilize them in both a sweet and savory rendition. To save time and allow the dishes to be served together as a dinner and a dessert, I wanted to create a dough that would function equally well as a backdrop for both presentations. The result was a crispier, whole wheat crust which provided the perfect canvas for showcasing the mouthful of flavors in each galette.
Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup blue cornmeal, finely ground
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 10 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut in to 1/2" cubes
• 3 tbsp. sour cream
• 4 tbsp. ice water
• Fig galette filling

Directions:

• Finely grind cornmeal in a spice grinder or food processer. In the large bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, and sugar. Mix until well combined.

• Sprinkle the butter cubes over the flour mixture. Turn the mixer to medium-low speed and mix for 2-3 minutes, or until large crumbs begin to form. Turn the speed up to medium and beat for an additional 30 seconds, so that the crumbs flake apart and begin to resemble coarse sand.
• In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and ice water. Make sure you remove the ice cubes! With the mixer off, drizzle half of the sour cream and water over the flour mixture. Turn the mixer on to medium-low speed and beat for 15 seconds, until the crumbs become moist. Allow the mixer to continue mixing and gradually add in the rest of the sour cream and water. Mix until the dough forms a large mass and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl.

 

• Divide the dough in to two even disks. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

• Place a rack in the center of your oven. Pre-heat the oven to 400 ̊ F. If using a baking stone, sprinkle lightly with cornmeal and place in oven to warm while the oven pre-heats.

• Roll out the chilled dough disks to rounds that are 1/8" thick (approximately 14" diameter). Place the rolled dough on either the heated baking stone or a non-stick baking sheet. Place the fig galette filling in the center and spread evenly across the dough, leaving a 1 1/2" border. **See my Savory and Sweet posts for the filling recipes.** Fold the border over the filling, rotating around the galette so that the foldings overlap. Bake for 30 minutes, until crust becomes lightly brown on edges and the bottom appears crispy when gently lifted.
• Allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting with a pizza wheel. Serve warm.