le sauce

burrata with pumpkin seed pesto and chlies

Not a recipe, just a suggestion.

I've sung the praises of burrata before. So good, I like to have it as simply as possible:

1. Grill or lightly toast a thick, airy slice of bread, rub it lightly with a cut clove of garlic and season with salt while it's still hot. 
2. Quarter a ball of burrata lengthwise, lay a slice on top and press/smear it over the crostini with the back of your spoon. 
3. FInish with some fresh, finely sliced or baby basil leaves, a drizzle of your best extra virgin olive oil, a sprinkle of Maldon salt and the tiniest bit of freshly cracked black pepper. 
4. Eat and ascend to the heavens simultaneously.

Pesto while all about intense flavour, is as simple too. I like to experiment with it--you take any nut, any herb, any cheese, even change up the oil and away you go.

I put the these two together when I want to spoil myself or someone else. A pumpkin seed pesto and a little chili oil on burrata is a great idea, if you need one. You probably don't though--whatever you're craving at the moment will be far more satisfying than anything anyone else suggests. I would only advise, if you're spurging on burrata, you might as well get yourself the best bread you can find and top it with the best salt you have on hand. Break the burrata apart any way you'd like, serve slivers even. And ok, one last word, pick this up and bite into it. Don't even think of denying your teeth the pleasure of sinking in.

One standard-size piece of burrata should serve 4 people who want a taste--6 even if you're serving this with bread, as suggested. It could also serve 3 greedy people. Or 2, very unwise people, who will not feel so great half an hour after eating too much of a too-rich thing. Trust me.

(See how this recipe fits into a lazy, Sunday, spaghetti dinner party menu!)

wild arugula salad with parmesan snow

So fussy, to say Parmesan snow! But the texture of the cheese is an essential component of this salad--our "house" salad if we had to choose one. And it's the only fussy part of this salad too--except I would encourage you to get your hands on fine, wild arugula which seems increasingly available, if you can. Use any young arugula in a pinch, and any young leaf of your choosing if you're not a fan of arugula.

If a gigantic bowl of salad seems too much for your table of 2 or 4, know that we still think that from time to time too, but know enough to serve "too much" anyway. There are never, ever any leftovers. It's light as air and endlessly enjoyable--and then it ultimately ends too quickly.

(See how this recipe fits into a lazy, Sunday, spaghetti dinner party menu!)

Wild Arugula Salad with Parmesan Snow

Grate the cheese with a rasp or microplane grater--it makes all the difference. I would encourage you to get your hands on fine, wild arugula which seems increasingly available, if you can. Use any young arugula in a pinch, any young leaf of your choosing if you're not a fan of arugula.

6 cups (loosely packed) wild arugula, washed and completely dried
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp Champagne or white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
A small wedge of lemon
75-100g piece of Parmesan

Plate greens in a large bowl. Combine oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper, whisk together until the dressing emulsifies (if you want to add the vinegar and Dijon to the oil in a steady stream while whisking--do it. I find dressings with mustard stay together or come back together so well, you don't need to make the effort). Set aside until ready to serve.

Whisk dressing again just before serving. Pour most of it over the greens and toss the greens with your hands to coat well with the dressing. Don't overdress the leaves but feel free to use more dressing if needed. Taste and add a touch of salt if needed. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over top. Grate Parmesan right over the leaves and be generous. When you have a decent pile of snow on top, serve.

Makes 4-6 side servings or 2 dinner servings.

 

jibaritos with guava paste

Months ago I learned what a jibarito was, when I came across it on a blog. I bookmarked the recipe for this grilled cheese sandwich that uses ripe plaintain in place of bread, but I could never make it--I was missing a key ingredient. And then a few weeks ago, my aunt walked into the kitchen with it: guava paste! Her friend brought it back with her from Guyana and gifted it to my aunt, who spread the jelly on toast as you might any other. And true to her generous nature, she brought some over with me, not knowing I'd searched for it in vain for some time now.

It was fitting that we made the jibaritos together--she cooks plantain but had never had it like this. Sections of the plantain roast in the oven before being pressed flat and pan-fried like a common grilled cheese sandwich. The guava paste is just the thing--brining out a little of the sweetness in the plantain and pairing so well the cheese as fruit preserves do. Having had it now, I can tell you that any jelly would make a decent substitute for guava paste, and jibaritos are special. The texture of the plantain, dense and almost fiberous, separates it completely from grilled cheese sandwiches in my mind. Jibaritos are a whole other new, delicious thing to enjoy and to crave suddenly and fixatedly a few times a year. You're welcome.

a l'orange

One rainy night in October, one bright idea for dinner.

Roasted butternut squash, pureed and slightly thinned into soup.

Orange, aged cheddar, grated coarsely and sandwiched between double-side-buttered bread. And more of that cheddar pressed onto the outside as it fries to form a crust.

'Tis the season for orange, after all. Less than a week until the spookiest night of the year...

LS baking academy: custards (& flans)

A custard is simply a liquid that has been combined with eggs or part of the egg...and then cooked until set or thickened. --From James Peterson's "Cooking"

I love James Peterson for breaking things down so simply. Now if only he or someone else (you?) could explain the difference between crème caramel and caramel flan to me, I would sleep so much better at night. No matter--at the moment, I just want to learn to do this right, by any name. Today, the le sauce baking academy tackles whatever it is that's described above.

First up, a savoury custard (surprise). This is a baking academy, and I'm interested in learning about temperature and cooking time, so although the recipe below originally calls for steaming the caramel on the stove, I chose to bake it and pay attention to how long it takes for caramel to set at a moderate 350F degrees. The recipe calls for this custard to be "lightly set", different than my family's caramel flan which is creamy but semi-firm. The latter is also served cool whereas this softer custard is served warm.

re-baking: biscuits & scones

I feel like I should apologize to those of you who'd like to see more dessert recipes turn up here, at least on the baking posts, for Pete's sake. I, on the other hand, get excited when I get to learn to bake something new and don't end up with a bunch of sugary things that after a bite or two are just too much for me and that I then have to pawn off. So I jumped on the chance to make scones and biscuits totally savoury with herbs and cheese. This time, it's Gouda buscuits to top mushroom and lentil pot pies.   

The stew (it really was a stew that you could enjoy even without the biscuit topping--but why would you deprive yourself?) was thick but still bubbled up and boiled over. It finally made sense then, that this biscuit called for a drier ratio of flour to butter than the scones had. They were a little more crumbly on top than most biscuits I'd had, and if you were making these to be enjoyed on the side, I would suggest you add more fat actually. But sitting atop this stew, the bottom of these biscuits almost steamed while baking which made me grateful for their drier texture and crispy cheese topping which stood up to all of that. The texture was also a perfect match for the softened mushrooms and lentils. After two attempts, I've already discovered that scones and biscuits are easy to manipulate, even for a non-baker like me, and also, probably discovered my Thanksgiving entree in this perfect little recipe.

grilled halloumi with grape-walnut relish

The whole summer went by and I didn't grill any halloumi! Quite remarkable since some summer's I do nothing but. We bought two bricks of the stuff to take to a barbeque a few weeks ago, that we ultimately couldn't attend, and the shrink-wrapped bricks have been sitting around in my fridge ever since. (Luckily, it's not a fresh cheese and in North America, its sold packed in brine and sealed air-tight so it lasts a long time if refrigerated and unopened.)

Halloumi gets ooey and runny when heated, while still holding its shape and without separating like some cheeses would. It's not like I need a recipe for it when it's perfection simply brushed with oil and heated in a pan. (Aaaand, as it turns out, I already have several recipes and ideas for halloumi to begin with.) But I've never paired it with something as strong as rosemary or as sweet as grilled grapes, so I found this recipe intriguing. It's a great balance of flavours and salty halloumi still gets to be the star, with walnuts and grilled bread adding texture and making it a meal. It's something that's ideal for summer when you're likely standing over a barbeque weekly, but I found it works perfectly well using a grill pan on your stovetop too.

Grilled Halloumi with Rosemary-Grape-Walnut Relish and Garlic Bread

(Via Fine Cooking)

YS Note: *While this recipe instructs you to use an outdoor grill, you can easily make this on the stove using a seasoned or well-oiled grill pan or even a non-stick skillet. You can take all kinds of other liberties with this recipe too, like I did, opting for thyme over rosemary and using baguette slices.

1 medium red onion, cut into 3 to 4 thick slices 
2 Tbs. plus 4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
12 oz. halloumi cheese, cut into 3/8-inch-thick slabs (or aged provolone, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices) 
2 large cloves garlic, minced 
1 small loaf ciabatta (about 8 oz.),cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices 
1/2 cup walnuts 
1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary 
1 large bunch seedless black or red grapes (about 1-1/4 lb.) 
2 to 3 tsp. balsamic vinegar 

Prepare a high gas or charcoal grill fire.*

Drizzle the onion slices with 2 tsp. of the oil and lightly season them with salt and pepper. Pat the cheese dry and drizzle with 2 tsp. of the oil. In a small bowl, mix the remaining 2 Tbs. of oil, the garlic, and a pinch each of salt and pepper; brush the mixture evenly over one side of the bread slices.

Meanwhile, toast the walnuts in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden-brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Coarsely chop the walnuts while still hot and transfer them to a medium bowl. Mix in the rosemary.

Put the onion slices and bunch of grapes on the grill grate. Cover and grill, turning once, until the grapes are bursting and the onions are grill marked, about 10 minutes. Transfer the grapes to the bowl with the walnuts, and the onions to a cutting board. Use tongs to simultaneously pull the grapes from their stems and crush them, dropping them into the bowl. Chop the grilled onions and add them to the bowl. Season to taste with the vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Clean and oil the grill grate. Put the bread and cheese on the grate and grill uncovered, turning once, until marked on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes (about 1 minute if using provolone).

Divide the cheese, bread, and relish among 4 plates and serve immediately.

Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as a light dinner

LS baking academy: biscuits & scones

(sun-dried tomato, comté and tarragon scones, to be specific)

You know I welcome the chance to turn a sweet recipe savoury, but with the recipes I make for the le sauce baking academy, it's not always that easy. When I chose to focus on biscuits and scones, I knew I had my chance. I came across a scone recipe on Chocolate and Zucchini, and though that version with cheese and dried pears sounded lovely, I opted to tweak it to one that I'd find even more satisfying. It may not be a scone you eat at breakfast, but then again, why not? I have, twice this week. It's not overly complex--the sun-dried tomatoes are minced so you never trip over a chewy piece, and the tarragon adds an essence more than a strong flavour. Comté is, well, comté, it is bold. But that's what you want in a cheesy scone. 

 

And though this was my first time making scones, I can already see why everyone regards them as easy. No machinery, no real kneading, you sort of just coax the dough together. In the end, you have that familiar biscuit/scone texture: dense yet layered with an outside only slightly crisp. The fact that I felt I could play around with the recipe my first time out is indicative of how un-intimidating this is. But that doesn't mean that I don't want to hear from those of you who make scones every weekend!

This is, after all, the le sauce baking academy where those of us who can't, rely on those of you who do. Please leave tips about and links to your scone or biscuit pursuits in the comments on this post, and I'll be back on October 5 with a follow-up post and recipe based on that learning and more scone exploration. Thanks! 

Sun-dried Tomato, Comté and Tarragon Scones 
(Adapted from More from ACE Bakery via Chocolate and Zucchini)

180 g (1 1/3 c) all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
Pinch of ground cayenne pepper (or better yet, piment d'Espelette)
3/4 tsp kosher salt
75 g (6 tbs) unsalted butter, diced
85 g (1 c) coarsely grated comté (or another aged firm cheese like gouda or Parmesan)
20 g (2 tbs) minced, dry sun-dried tomatoes, or if packed in oil, drained, squeezed of any oil and blotted until dry
1 tbs finely chopped fresh tarragon (or basil, chives or dill)
100 ml (7 tbs) light (15%) cream
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tbs fresh water

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cayenne pepper and salt. Add the butter and rub it into the dry ingredients with the tips of your fingers or a wire pastry blender, until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Add the cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and tarragon, and blend with a fork.

Add the cream and mix it in gently with the fork until the dough comes together -- add a tad more cream or ice-cold water if the dough is too dry. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured work surface, gather into a ball, and roll out into a 2-cm-thick (3/4-inch) circle. Cut out circles of dough using a 6-cm (2 1/2-inch) cookie cutter or juice glass and transfer onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about an inch of space between each. Gather the rest of the dough into a ball and repeat the rolling and cutting steps until you've used up all the dough.

Use a pastry brush or the back of a teaspoon to brush the top of the rounds with the egg yolk mixture. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until puffy and golden, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the baking. Let cool on a rack for a few minutes and serve. The scones will keep for a few days at room temperature, wrapped tightly in foil. Reheat for five minutes in a warm oven before serving.

Makes 9 pieces.

tomato gratinée on fried toasts with serrano mayo

I wouldn't normally mess with perfection, and who would argue that you could improve on an ripe, late-August, heirloom tomato? In fact, these are still virtually raw, and it's the flaky Panko, Parmesan and herb topping that takes the brunt of a few moments under the broiler. I was just looking for another way to celebrate this fruit. Raw, halved, sprinkled with extra-virgin olive oil and Maldon salt is another version of perfection, as is the famous butter, mayonnaise, summer tomato sandwich that's made it's way across the internet for years. This is just that sandwich...but better, because,

it starts with frying bread. 

Bread that is buttered on both sides, generously, gets golden and lightly crispy in a hot pan, then hangs around--preferably on a grated surface so it doesn't get soggy while you carry on with the two other small tasks. A serrano chili has heat but also the flavour I wanted to spike my mayonnaise with (store-bought this time, but feel free to make your own). You can use a milder chili or even a drop of chili oil for a different but, I'm sure, delicious take. And change up the herbs if you'd like too--I used parsley and chives. But the Panko and Parmesan topping is the best combo for the topping, I think. The cheese is classic and the uncrushed Panko stays light though gently crisped, which is a nice bookend to the fried toasts on the other side of this open-faced sandwich. It's new favourite for this summer. Let me know if it becomes yours too.

so much pesto

I've lost any pesto inhibitions, if I ever had any. Since a traditional pesto is basil leaves, pounded or pureed with a little garlic, pine nuts, some grated Parmesan cheese and extra virgin olive oil, there's really not one element you can't swap out for something similar. I used every herb I could get my hands on to get very different pesto flavours, and in the case of the garlic scape pesto, the scapes served as both garlic and greens! I varied the nuts and cheeses in each pesto but you could even use different oils. Using a little hazelnut oil or a drop or two of sesame oil would change things pretty drastically, and herb-flavoured oils might be a nice way to add a certain je ne said quoi to a standard basil pesto.

Both the taste and the colour of pestos vary depending on what's in them, but a thin layer of oil on top of finished pestos (which freeze so well and thaw on the counter in just a couple of hours, by the way) helps keep oxygen away and your greens vibrant. They'll still dull and darken a little but it's nothing a good stir before serving can't fix. And speaking of serving, what can't you use pesto on, really? Pasta is obvious, crostinis are perfect for summer and no-cook nights, and they're great on grilled or roasted vegetables, polenta, in soups, stirred through couscous, eaten straight from the bowl...