This is an excerpt from Tales From The Table: Dordogne Stories, to be published next year by Silverback Books. www.silverbackbooks.com
The Alchemists
The word "alchemy" evokes images of a robed wizard in an ancient kitchen, stirring his bubbling cauldron. The magician drops in a pinch of the essential ingredient and in a puff of smoke, the recipe for his magical elixir that turns metal into gold is complete. While this may seem more Harry Potter than Julia Child, in modern kitchens it is not that far fetched. We’ve all heard of El Bulli, the Spanish restaurant open six months a year, with the other six reserved for chef Ferran Adriá to create recipes in his Barcelona laboratory.
Here in the Dordogne there is nothing approaching this craze, but there is definitely something brewing in the tradition-heavy kitchens, and we are seeing gold…
…good news travels de bouche à oreille (by word of mouth) around here, and this was re-affirmed when Nicolas handed us small espresso spoons and invited us to dig into a tub of creamy white ice cream. One by one we tasted, and one by one we raised our eyebrows in delicious surprise. It was not coconut as we expected, or another sugary sensation, but goat cheese flavor made with the finest A.O.C. Cabécou… Thanks to Nicolas, we hunted down the ice cream’s creator.
… Don’t get us wrong---we love the epicurean stars that make the region sparkle. At last count we have had three duck confit meals this week alone. But for foodies who want to go beyond the boundaries of what is perceived as the typical Dordogne menu, we suggest you visit some of the area’s new culinary magicians. The recipes are guaranteed to cast a spell over you.
Read all about these kitchen magicians, and many others in Tales From The Table: Dordogne Stories, written by Kimberley Lovato and Laura Schmalhorst, to be published by Silverback Books. (feel free to email info@silverbackbooks.com and tell her you can’t wait to read it!)
Laura’s Lavender Creme Caramel with Wild Strawberries
The new Perigord Cuisine is all about tradition with a twist. Once described by a dear friend as “like having a bath and dessert at the same time”, this sinfully good dessert infuses the flavors of fresh picked Dordogne lavender and "fraise des bois” (wild strawberries), with the classic dessert. Eating in the bathtub optional. Recipe created by Laura Schmalhorst.
Preheat Oven to 325 degrees Serves: 6
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 cups (1 quart) heavy cream
1/2 cup picked lavender blossoms
8 extra large egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Pinch coarse salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 pint of small wild strawberries known as "fraise des bois".
6 9-oz ramekins
Optional: whipped cream for garnish
Large shallow pan for water bath
Custard
1. Heat cream and lavender in heavy 1 1/2 quart sauce pan over medium- low heat to just under a simmer, for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let steep uncovered for 1 hour stirring occasionally. Strain, discard lavender.
2. Beat egg yolks and sugar together in a small bowl until pale yellow. Add a small amount of warm cream to sugar and egg mixture and stir to dissolve sugar. Stir back into the pan of warm cream and stir until completely blended and smooth.
Pour into prepared custard cups and set in large roasted pan. Fill roasting pan with hot water to about 2/3 of the way up the cups, being careful not to splash water into custard. Bake for about 45-minutes to an hour or just until custard is set. Cool enough to remove from water bath and chill in the cups 45 minutes or overnight.
Caramel Lined Custard Cups
1. Heat sugar in small heavy sauce pan over medium heat until sugar begins to melt. Stir gently to evenly melt the small clumps and if necessary remove from heat for a few second while stirring.
2. When sugar has reached a dark brown caramel color pour into ramekins and tilt to cover bottom and sides of cups.
Assembly
Unmold custard and its sauce onto serving plates, garnish with small dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle wild berries on top.
The Alchemists
The word "alchemy" evokes images of a robed wizard in an ancient kitchen, stirring his bubbling cauldron. The magician drops in a pinch of the essential ingredient and in a puff of smoke, the recipe for his magical elixir that turns metal into gold is complete. While this may seem more Harry Potter than Julia Child, in modern kitchens it is not that far fetched. We’ve all heard of El Bulli, the Spanish restaurant open six months a year, with the other six reserved for chef Ferran Adriá to create recipes in his Barcelona laboratory.
Here in the Dordogne there is nothing approaching this craze, but there is definitely something brewing in the tradition-heavy kitchens, and we are seeing gold…
…good news travels de bouche à oreille (by word of mouth) around here, and this was re-affirmed when Nicolas handed us small espresso spoons and invited us to dig into a tub of creamy white ice cream. One by one we tasted, and one by one we raised our eyebrows in delicious surprise. It was not coconut as we expected, or another sugary sensation, but goat cheese flavor made with the finest A.O.C. Cabécou… Thanks to Nicolas, we hunted down the ice cream’s creator.
… Don’t get us wrong---we love the epicurean stars that make the region sparkle. At last count we have had three duck confit meals this week alone. But for foodies who want to go beyond the boundaries of what is perceived as the typical Dordogne menu, we suggest you visit some of the area’s new culinary magicians. The recipes are guaranteed to cast a spell over you.
Read all about these kitchen magicians, and many others in Tales From The Table: Dordogne Stories, written by Kimberley Lovato and Laura Schmalhorst, to be published by Silverback Books. (feel free to email info@silverbackbooks.com and tell her you can’t wait to read it!)
Laura’s Lavender Creme Caramel with Wild Strawberries
The new Perigord Cuisine is all about tradition with a twist. Once described by a dear friend as “like having a bath and dessert at the same time”, this sinfully good dessert infuses the flavors of fresh picked Dordogne lavender and "fraise des bois” (wild strawberries), with the classic dessert. Eating in the bathtub optional. Recipe created by Laura Schmalhorst.
Preheat Oven to 325 degrees Serves: 6
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 cups (1 quart) heavy cream
1/2 cup picked lavender blossoms
8 extra large egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Pinch coarse salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 pint of small wild strawberries known as "fraise des bois".
6 9-oz ramekins
Optional: whipped cream for garnish
Large shallow pan for water bath
Custard
1. Heat cream and lavender in heavy 1 1/2 quart sauce pan over medium- low heat to just under a simmer, for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let steep uncovered for 1 hour stirring occasionally. Strain, discard lavender.
2. Beat egg yolks and sugar together in a small bowl until pale yellow. Add a small amount of warm cream to sugar and egg mixture and stir to dissolve sugar. Stir back into the pan of warm cream and stir until completely blended and smooth.
Pour into prepared custard cups and set in large roasted pan. Fill roasting pan with hot water to about 2/3 of the way up the cups, being careful not to splash water into custard. Bake for about 45-minutes to an hour or just until custard is set. Cool enough to remove from water bath and chill in the cups 45 minutes or overnight.
Caramel Lined Custard Cups
1. Heat sugar in small heavy sauce pan over medium heat until sugar begins to melt. Stir gently to evenly melt the small clumps and if necessary remove from heat for a few second while stirring.
2. When sugar has reached a dark brown caramel color pour into ramekins and tilt to cover bottom and sides of cups.
Assembly
Unmold custard and its sauce onto serving plates, garnish with small dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle wild berries on top.
No comments:
Post a Comment