French Cooking

Hope you'll enjoy!

Pie Crust (Pate brisee)

For 2 medium quiches (9’’) or 12-15 mini quiches

· 2 cups flour

· ½ cup soft butter/margarine

· ½ tsp salt

· 1/2 cup water

Combine flour, salt and soft butter (preferably not liquid) using a fork or a whisk. Add about 1/3 cup water and gather into a ball with your hands (or shake the bowl gently so you’re sure you’re not overworking the dough and you don’t get your hands all sticky). You’ll have to finish with your hands though. If it’s too dry add more water, 1 Tbsp at a time. Do not over work! Flatten to form a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 30 min. before rolling out the dough.

Can be stored in the fridge 2-3 days, or frozen.

Cheese Quiche

• 1 single pie crust
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3-4 oz grated gruyere or swiss cheese
• ½ cup bacon crumbs or sliced bacon precooked
• 3 eggs
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg or pepper
• salt to taste

Pre-heat oven to 400 F.

Combine all ingredients to make quiche mixture (keep the eggs for last if you want to taste the mixture for more seasoning before adding the eggs).

Roll out pie dough and place in 9” pie pan. Pour the mixture over the dough and cook immediately (otherwise the dough will get soaked) for about 35-40 min or until the top gets brown.

For mini quiches, use large tea mug to shape circles of dough, place in muffin pan. Pour quiche mixture in. Cook for 15-20 min.

For a spinach quiche omit bacon crumbs and add one can of spinach to the quiche mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Tomato tart

· 1 single pie crust (9”)

· 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

· 2 Medium tomatoes sliced

· ~ 4 oz mozzarella cheese cut in small slices

· salt, pepper, Italian herbs, optionally 1 tbsp olive oil and grated parmesan

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Place the pie crust in a pie pan. Spread Dijon mustard over the pie crust (uncooked). Cover with slices of tomatoes and mozzarella (one slice of tomato, one piece of mozzarella and so forth…). Season with salt, pepper, Italian herbs and sprinkle parmesan cheese and olive oil over the top.

Cook for 20 min. Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 15-20 more minutes.

Serve with green salad and vinaigrette for an authentic French experience!

BON APPETIT!

Easy French-style fruit tart

• 6 Mini Graham Cracker Pie Crust
• Raspberries/Strawberries/Blueberries/Kiwi/Grapes etc…

For the crème pâtissière
(pastry cream or vanilla pudding)

• ¼ L milk (about 1 full cup)
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tbsp flour

In a saucepan bring milk and vanilla to a boil (watch carefully, it will foam up to the top quickly). Meanwhile beat vigorously sugar and egg together with a whisk, add flour and beat a few more seconds (make sure to use a heat resistant container). Remove milk from heat and add slowly to the egg mixture, constantly stirring with a whisk. Place the mixture back in the saucepan and cook over medium heat until it thickens and starts boiling. Cover with plastic and let cool down before using.

Once the cream is cool (do not use if warm otherwise the crust will get too wet), pour a couple of spoonfuls on the piecrust and arrange fruit on top.

Bakers usually put a jelly topping over the tart to make it shine. This kind of topping is hard to find in the US, so I’ve used Jello (dilute 1 tbsp Raspberry/Strawberry Jello in ¼ cup boiling water, add 2 ice cubes, pour one spoonful over the tart and refrigerate at least an hour).

For better results use 2 Tbsp Red Currant Jelly (Safeway/King Soopers), mixed with 1 Tbsp water, heat up in the microwave (or on the stove) and let cool before putting on the tart. Use a cooking brush to spread evenly. Let set in the fridge for about 30 min before eating.

For much better results make your crust yourself using “Pâte Sablée” recipe (sweet tart pastry):

· 2 cups Flour

· 2/3 cup Sugar

· ½ cup soft butter

· 1 egg

· ½ tsp salt

Combine flour, salt and soft butter using a fork. In a separate container whisk egg and sugar together. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the egg mixture. Combine the two together without working too much. Gather into a ball , cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 min. Then roll it and place it in a pie pan. Refrigerate 30 more minutes. Cover with aluminum foil or parchment paper and fill with dried beans or rice and pre-bake at 375F for about 15 min or so.

*Pastry cream is used as a filling in a lot of French desserts, like éclairs, choux à la crème (puff pastry), Mille-feuille (Napoleon), cakes etc… It can be flavored (vanilla/chocolate/coffee/rhum etc…).