The Apple Tart

Sadly to date the the best thing that I have ever baked besides pizza is nachos... For some reason I have the need to bake an apple tart?!? No specific reason - I'm not even much of a dessert person - I just wanna...

So this is a two part entry - the before and after...

The Before:

I'm told that tarts are not too hard to make at home - that is if you're not the baking blunder that I am.

I've looked at a lot of recipes and they're all pretty close - I've put together the simplest recipe for an apple tart that I could come up with

Ready-made pie crust
Apples
Sugar
Apricot jam
Dark Rum (but I'm not sure on that one yet)

I'm off to the store...

The After:

Well I'm glad to report the tart really wasn't that hard to make. I went as simple as simple could be - With a pre-made pie crust the only real work was processing the apples. It was edible but there's really no way you could make this that it wouldn't be. I was hoping it would be better looking but I'm not done working on mastering this.

What you will need

1 Ready-made pie crust
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced thin
3 Tb sugar
1/2 Cup apricot jam

Spray a sheet pan with some non-stick spray. Put down your pie crust. Take a fork and poke some holes in the pie crust about every 1-3 inches. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the sugar on the bottom of the crust. Add your apples leaving a 1 inch or so border - fan them out and make them look pretty. Roll the border of the crust over the rest of the pie. Will be a bit rustic looking but that's a good thing. Wet with a touch of water and sprinkle the rest of the sugar over the edges and on top of the apples. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes then move to a rack to cool. Put the apricot jam in a small pan and bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes - you can strain the mixture but I really don't see the need to (some might argue here). Using a pastry brush, put the jam over the crust and apples - you don't have to use it all just make it look all shiny and pretty...


The Next:

My next attempt will be made with a homemade pie crust (which is really easy to do) - I think this will take the tart to a new level. I'm also going to do something to with the apricot glaze. I think this time I might use a spot of the dark rum and before putting it on the tart I'm going to run it through a fine mesh strainer...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup

Julia Child's last meal was French onion soup...

When I was in Paris last year I had French onion soup for dinner Thanksgiving night. I'll say the setting was perfect - window seat, Eiffel Tower right outside - romance - love in the air - and a bitchy Chinese maitre d' (he was pissed that he gave us the best table in the house and we only ordered soup and a cheese plate). Sadly the soup wasn't all that. The cheese plate was pretty dang good though...

1/2 Cup butter (unsalted)
4 Onions, sliced
2 Garlic cloves, chopped
2 Bay leaves
2 Fresh thyme sprigs
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper (white pepper sucks)
1 Cup red wine
3 Heaping tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Quarts beef broth
1 Baguette
1/2 Lb Gruyere, grated (or more if your a cheeseaholic)

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper - cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized. This will take about 25 minutes or so. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry - about 5 minutes or so. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Add the flour into the pot and stir in with the onions. Cook the mixture on a medium-low for a few minutes then add the beef broth. bring it up to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add a few pinches of salt and some pepper. Ladle the soup into oven proof bowls and float a few of the baguette slices in each bowl. Divide the cheese up and top the bowls well. Put the bowls on a baking sheet and stick them under a pre-heated broiler for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.




A lot of places in Paris gave you a little plate of olives to snack on before your meal...

I spent some time at the Eifel Tower before our dinner - it was a grand time. It was snowing up at the top but no snow was making it down to the ground. FREEZING

Not that it matters but my x-wife makes the best French onion soup I've ever had. She use provolone and mozzarella cheese on top of hers instead of Swiss though...

We will be doing a French onion soup video soon so keep coming back!

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

The Perfect Dinner

Pâté de Campagne
Tomatoes
Stilton Blue
Smoked Guda
Chev
Cucumbers
Radish
French olive mixture
Arugula
Peppadew
Brie
Peppered Sausage
Pine nuts
Homemade Dijon mustard
Olive oil
Nice crusty bread

Simple but so very good. It's fun to see what type of flavor combination you can come up with for every bite...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

Making Crepes In Paris France...

Is it possible to go to France and not have a sweet or savory delicious Crepe? I'm sure it's possible but We couldn't do it.

We had just finished enjoying the Notre Dame and found a little crepe stand right next door. It was cold day (the day after Thanksgiving 08) and a nice warm Nutella crepe hit the spot!

Here's a clip from start to finish on our crepe... (Not that you probably care but his video was captured using a Canon G10 Point-And-Soot camera)



We're going to do a video recipe of making crepes soon. I make them all the time for my dad who is a bona fide crepe junkie. He likes his with jelly... I like mine with cheese and other good things inside...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko