French Apple flan

This tart is one of the easiest and delicious tart i have ever made. It takes just few ingredients and can be made in minutes. Can be a great treat for your guests. It can be served as a starter as well as a dessert.
When cutting a round from puff pastry make a number of short cuts around the plate rather than drawing the knife around, as this can stretch the pastry.


Serves : 4

Ingredients required:

350gm puff pastry sheets
2 apples, peeled, cored and seeded
1 tbsp caster sugar
25 gm chilled unsalted butter

Apricot glaze, to decorate (any fruit glaze can be used)
2 tbsp apricot jam
4tbsp water

Method:

First of all, lets make the apricot glaze. Put the jam in a small saucepan with water and heat gently until the jam melts. Increse the heat and boil for a minute, remove from the heat and press through a fine sieve. Keep warm until it is needed.

Take the puff pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface and roll out a little bit. Using a 14cm (5 1/2 inch) plate as a guide, cut out four rounds and put each one on a baking sheet. Place a slightly smaller plate on each pastry and score around the edge to form a 1cm (1/2 inch) border. Prick the centers with a fork and chill for 30 minutes.

Arrange the apple slices in a circle over the pastry and scatter over the sugar. Grate over the butter and bake in a preheated oven, 220 deg C (425 deg F), for 20 to 25 minutes or until the pastry and apples are golden.

Reheat the apricot glaze until it is warm and brush over each tart while still warm.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

French Toast

Originally a way to bring anew life to stale bread. French Toast can be made with virtually any fresh or stale bread, including quick breads and even tortillas. European dtyle loaves require a bit more soaking to soften the crust, while hearty whole grain breads make more sunstantial slices. My favourite are soft thick slices of broiche or challah, which make a truly decadent French Toast.

Ingredients
4-6 slices Challah bread
2 Eggs
2 tbsp Sugar
2 tbsp Flour
1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tbsp Curd
1/2 cup Milk
1 tbsp Butter

Method
Mix in all the ingredients excepy butter and bread.

Heat a pan and spread butter on top.

Dip the bread slices one by one in the egg mixture. Dip each side for about 10 seconds and then place it on the pan.

Fry the bread on both sides till it turns golden brown.

Sprinkle some powdered sugar and maple syrup on top and serve..

Believe me, it tastes delicious.. Enjoy!!

Onion-Tomato-Cheese Galette

This rustic tart has the look of a mediteranean pizza. The crust is a wonderful cornmeal-crunchy dough, rolled into a thin circle and drawn up in pleats and rufles over the filling, caramalised onions and a blend of cheeses topped with sliced garden tomatoes, red and juicy. Because of the cornmeal in the dough, the crust will stay crisp enough for this galette to be served either warm or at room temperature. It will travel, so think of it when you're headed off on a picnic or want to bring friends a lovely something to have with drinks.




For this recipe you'll need..

1/4 recipe Galette Dough, chilled
1/2 cup Ementaler Cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Mozzarella, shredded
Few basil leaves, fresh or frozen
1 or 2 firm but ripe plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 Onion, medium sized, cut into slices, lengthwise
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 Egg
1 tbsp Milk

Here you start Position a rack in the lower third of the ovan and preheat the oven to 200 deg C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll in into an 9-inch circle. Since the dough is soft,you'll need to lift it now and then and toss some flour under it and over the top. Roll the dough up around your rolling pin and unroll onto the prepared baking sheet.

Making the filling Put the onions and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add a pinch of salt and keep stirring till the onions turn translucent and soft. Set aside and let cool.
Toss the cheeses and basil together in a small bowl and set aside.
Spread the onions on the rolled-out dough, leaving an inch order. Place the tomatoes in concentric circles, one slice slightly overlapping the last, on top of the onions.

Scatter the cheeses and basil mixture over the tomatoes.


Fold the uncovered border of dough up over the filling, allowing the dough to pleat as you lift it up and work your way around the galette. (Because you're folding a wide edge of dough over a smaller part of the circle, it will pleat naturally- just go with it.) Combine the egg and a tbsp of milk together. Brush on top of the pleated galette.



Baking the galette Bake the galette for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and crisp and the cheese is bubbly. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the galette rest on the sheet for 10 miutes. Servve warm or at room temperature, garnish with fresh basil leaves.




Storing The galette can be kept at room temperatute for several hours, but it is best served the day it is made.

Ratatouille

I was inspired to make this dish by the movie "Ratatouille". I loved the movie and just had a curiosity in mind about what this dish could be.. Being in India, i had never heard about this dish before. So i finally found a reason to try out this recipe..

A little info about this dish from Wikipedia, "Ratatouille" is a traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish, originating in Nice. The full name of the dish is ratatouille niçoise.

It was originally an everyday dish prepared in the summer with fresh summer vegetables. The original Ratatolha de Niça or Ratatouia Nizzarda used only zucchini (courgettes), tomatoes, green and red peppers (bell peppers), onion, and garlic. The dish known today as ratatouille adds eggplant (aubergine) to that mixture.

The original "What do we have in hand?" recipe: You combine vegtables, herbs and olive oil in various proportions and cook them on the stove or in the oven until very soft. Since its widely considered a dish from Provence, zucchini ( and/or eggplant) and tomatoes are frequently present, but there are really very few rules here, except longis, slow cooking and lots of good olive oil; herbs help too.

Recipe goes like this..

Ingredients
1 Eggplant, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 Large Onion, sliced
1 Zucchini, trimed and cut into large chunks
3 Tomatoes, chopped
1 red or yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced
5 tbsp Extra virgin Olive oil
1 tsp Dry Rosemary
1 tsp Thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 Cloves Garlic, peeled and chopped
Few fresh Basil leaves

Method

In a large heavy non stick skillet over medium heat add the oil, the onions and garlic, cook for 5 minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients (except basil), cook covered and stirring occasionally, over medium heat, adjusting the heat so that the mixture simmers in its own juices without browning. Cooking time will be just a litle shorter, perhaps 45 minutes or so and then uncovered until it's nice and thick.


Add basil leaves, mix well and serve.

Ratatouille is usually served as a side dish accompanied by rice or bread or can be used as a filling for savory crepes or to fill an omelette, but also may be served as a meal on its own.
Enjoy!!

Plum Galette

The simplest most rustic tarts are baked free form, without a tart pan. Called Galettes in France. Its called a Galette because its flat, open-faced and free form-- the crust is rolled into a circle, the filling is piled in the center, and the edges of the crust are turned in and ruffled over the filling. The cornmeal in this wonderfully buttery dough gives it a bit of crunch, it makes it crisp enough to stand up to soft and syrupy fillings and sturdy enough to be rolled to extreme thinness. This galette can be served either warm or at room temperature.




I was wanting to bake a galette from a very long time. And finally i made it. This galette can be served as a wonderfully sophisticated dessert. I'll assure you, it wont disappoint you or your guests.
Choose tart plums for a less-sweet galette, or very ripe plums for a sugary result. The filling used in this recipe is very dry and perfect because of the flour and ground almond used in it. Ground Almond gives a very distinct flavour to the filling. The filling is so simple and so much tasty. So here is the recipe..

Makes 1 Small Galette. Serves 2.

You'll need..

Ingredients

1/4 recipe Galette Dough, chilled

(You can use 1/2 recipe of the galette dough and double the quantities of the filling for a bigger galette)

For the Plum filling
4 Plums, halved, deseeded and cut into several thin slices
4 tbsp Ground Almond
2 tbsp All purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar

Topping
Few Sliced Almonds
1 tsp Sugar

For Brushing
1 egg
1 tbsp milk

Here you start; Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 deg F (200 deg C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Rolling the dough; Take one quarter of the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it into a 9 inch circle. Since the dough is soft, you'll need to lift it now and then and toss some more flour under it and over the top. Roll up the dough around your rolling pin and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.

Filling; Mix in all the ingredients for the filling. Spread the filling over the dough leaving an inch border.

Fold the uncovered border of dough up over the filling, allowing the dough to pleat as you lift it up and work your way around the galette.
Combine the ingredients for brushing. Dip a pastry brush in the egg and milk mixture and giv the edge of the crust a light coating and then sprinkle the sliced almonds and sugar.


Baking the Galette; Bake the galette for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and crisp. Transfer the baking heet to a cooling rack and let the galette rest on the sheet for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, cutting the tart with a pizza wheel or a sharp knife.



Storing; The galette is best eaten the day it is made.

Pain au chocolat

Pain au chocolat is a French pastry, consisting of a cuboid-shaped piece of yeast-leavened laminated dough similar to puff pastry, containing strips of chocoate.
Its light, flaky and sweety inside. It can be served as a great appetizer or as a great party starter.




Ingredients:

450 gm All purpose flour
1/2 tsp Salt
6 gm Dry yeast
30 gm Vegetable Margarine
1 Egg, lightly beaten
225 ml Lukewarm water
180 gm Soft unsalted butter
1 Egg, to brush
100 gm Chocolate, broken into 12 pieces
Powdered Sugar, to sprinkle

Method

1) Grease a baking sheet with butter.

2) Sieve all purpose flour and salt. Add in the yeast and mix well. Add in the egg and water and work well till you get a well defined, easy to handle soft pliable dough.


3) Roll the dough into a big rectangle of 38cm x 20cm. Apply butter in bits to the 2/3rd portion of the dough.

4) Keeping the wider side in front of you, fold the unbuttered portion over the middle portion and the other end over the first folded portion. Roll lightly over the folds using a rolling pin so that the folds stick together. Now rotate the dough to 90 deg so that the wider side is again in front of you. Now roll again and make the folds again but this time, its without butter. Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.


6) Now follow the 3rd and 4th steps again till all the butter is used up. And repeat keeping the dough in the refrigerator every time you fold. After all your butter is used up, roll the dough twice again folding it and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. More and more times you roll, fold and freeze, more beautifully the rolls are going to get their layers.

7) Roll the dough into a rectangle and divide the roll into half using a knife or a pizza cutter. Cut each half into 6 rectangles and brush egg over them.

8) Place a piece of chocolate over one end of the rectangle and roll it. Press the end with your fingers and place them on the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in a warm place for about 40 minutes.


9) Preheat oven to 220 deg C. Brush the rolls with the egg and bake for 20 - 25 minutes.


Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar before you serve.




Storing It is best served the day it is made.