Cooking with Mom, Thoughts about a New Year and a Crispy Mushroom, Potato and Blue Cheese Galette

I cannot believe that this year will be coming to an end tomorrow. I was trying to make sense of everything that happened throughout the months and even though there was some bad in there, mostly health related, I would say 2009 was full of exciting projects, creativity, inspiration and time with family. I have always had difficulty balancing the time I spend on myself and the time I give to those around me, but I think this was the year that I managed to do that. I think I can say this year was that, the year of balance.

Now, I am thinking about the upcoming year and all the projects I want to start and all the travel I want to do, but mostly, I have decided this will be the year that I let go of some of the anxiety and worry that comes with the unknown. I am just going to live a bit more.



So let me get to the dish in hand. I have been dying to tell you about these crispy mushroom, fingerling potato and blue cheese galettes that my mom and I baked last week. We started the day with coffee and talking about the mushroom quiche my aunt was planning to bake for Christmas Eve back home. It sounded so delicious and made me think of the herb pie dough I had in the freezer. "I am pulling it out and we are making tarts", I told her.

We sauteed some shiitake, cremini, oyster and beech mushroom with garlic and herbs until they were crispy. We decided to add some blue cheese, but the best came when mom suggested we fry some fingerlings in olive oil and add them to the filling. That touch made this galette. We enjoyed it with a simple watercress and herb salad and let me tell you, it was delicious. Everything always tastes better when cooking with my mom.



So I hope you get to end the year with good food, surrounded by your loved ones, satisfied with what you have accomplished this year and with peace of mind. So here is to a new year where I plan to live more, worry less and continue doing what I love.

And of course, thank you for your constant support and coming back over and over to visit. This blog would not be the same without all of you. Thank you. I mean it.



Crispy Mushroom, Potato and Blue Cheese Galette

1 recipe herb pie dough
2 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 oz oyster mushrooms, sliced
2 oz beech mushrooms
2 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbs rosemary
2 Tbs purple basil
1 Tbs thyme
salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
6 oz fingerling potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 oz blue cheese

In a large sautepan, heat olive oil and saute the garlic and mushrooms in medium heat until tender and slightly crispy. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Add the herbs and toss for a few seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mushrooms cool.

In another sautepan, heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil and fry the potatoes until crispy. Transfer onto a paper towel and lightly season with salt and pepper. Let the potatoes cool.

Roll out the herb pie dough and cut into disks that are about 5-6" in diameter. Place some of the cooled mushrooms and potatoes in the center on the disk. Add some crumbled blue cheese. Fold the edges of the pie dough over the filling. let the galettes harden in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. This will allow the dough to keep its shape while baking.

Bake in a 425F oven for about 25-30 minutes until golden brown and the bottom of the galette is cooked.

Serve with a salad of watercress and herbs.

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Cooking with Mom, Thoughts about a New Year and a Crispy Mushroom, Potato and Blue Cheese Galette

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Sweets, Holidays and Wishes

We just delivered the last of our holiday treat boxes this morning with some last minute chestnut macarons in them. Now we have a full day of cooking ahead of us and the anticipation before Christmas Eve. Prawns, foie, rib roast, roasted root vegetables, chocolate mousse cake... all in the works. I am completely thrilled to be sharing the kitchen with my mom this year and to have my family close. That is the biggest gift I could ask for.

So whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I wish you all peace and laughter. Merry Christmas!...Zorionak!

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Sweets, Holidays and Wishes

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Chestnut Flan with Double Chocolate and Crystalized Ginger Biscotti

Forgive me if I have been a bit absent the last few days. The cold and flu season has hit us hard this year. We even had to spend three days in the hospital with little M. due to a virus she caught from her brother. Lesson learned here; do not let a 3 year old boy stick his nose in his sister's mouth. Yes, indeed. It was just a scare and M. is well. Thank goodness.



The cold weather finally arrived this week and as soon as we were released from the hospital, we came home and roasted some chestnuts. What would winter be without some roasted chestnuts with a bit of sea salt? Not the same. Reminds me of the tiny wooden stall that sits in the middle of my hometown square, which only opens during winter and exclusively sells roasted chestnuts. In brown paper bags, of course. The smell permeates every corner and puts us all in the holiday spirit.



We made these chestnut and rum flans that we ate after one of our daily walks. Nothing like custard in the middle of the afternoon.

The double chocolate and crystallized ginger biscotti are part of the holiday treat boxes we are making this year. Life is a bit crazy and unfortunately, time is a scarce resource around here. We haven't been able to do much in that sense, but a little something is better than nothing.

Hope you are enjoying this time a year whether you are covered in snow or lying on a beach somewhere.



Chestnut Flan

makes 4-6 oz ramekins

125 grams chestnut puree
125 grams chestnut paste
50 grams butter, room temperature
50 grams sugar
6 egg yolks
2 eggs
50 grams heavy cream
25 grams dark rum
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the chestnut puree, chestnut paste and butter until smooth and lump free. Add the sugar and mix.

In a separate bowl, lightly whisk together the egg yolks and eggs and add them to the chestnut base. Mix until combined. Add the heavy cream, rum and vanilla.

If it seems lumpy, you can strain the custard through a fine sieve. Pour the custard into the ramekins and bake at 325F for about 30 minutes or until center done.

Double Chocolate and Crystallized Ginger Biscotti

150 grams butter, room temperature
200 grams sugar
Zest of 1 orange
3 eggs, room temperature
415 grams flour
25 grams cocoa powder
12 grams baking powder
pinch of salt
70 grams crystallized ginger, small dice
50 grams chocolate chunks

Cream the butter, sugar and zest together. Add the eggs one at a time and scrape the bowl.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder,baking powder and salt and add it to the mixer. Mix until combined. Add the ginger and chocolate chunks until well distributed.

Transfer the dough into a half sheet pan lined with parchment and form into a log that is about 12"x4" approximately. Bake at 350F for about 25 minutes or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the log cool completely and then slice it into 1/4" thick pieces. Place the cookies on the sheet pans and bake at 325F for about 10 minutes. Then flip the cookies over and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until dry.

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Chestnut Flan with Double Chocolate and Crystalized Ginger Biscotti

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Winter, Florida Citrus and a Friend's Tree

As we were browsing through the weather channel today, we realized that the rest of the country was covered in snow or temperatures way below zero degrees. In the meantime, we are breaking record heat and walking around in sandals. I don't know if this is a good or bad thing as I spend six months out of the year anticipating the cool and sunny winter weather of South Florida. This year, the nice weather has been eluding us and I wish I could trade spots with some of you who are enjoying hot chocolate in front of a cozy fireplace.

On the other hand, we get this. Beautiful citrus fruit. I cannot complain, that's for sure. My friend N. down the street has a large lime tree in her front yard that produces more fruit than she can keep up with and she was kind enough to share some with us.

Candied kumquats, lime sorbet, clementine financiers, fruit salads... they are all in the works in our kitchen... and it smells like citrus heaven.

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Lady Apple, Grapefruit and Creme Fraiche Salad for a Light Afternoon Snack

This might not sound very exciting to many, but my mom and I love food shopping. We get giddy when we have to take trips to the market together, we write extensive lists and always look forward to whatever exciting things we will find. We even did this back home taking bi-weekly trips to Bilbao's "Mercado de la Ribera". We love talking to the produce guys at Whole Foods to find out what is coming that week and dig through their crates to find the best pieces. The apples with the leaves, the strawberries with the stems... whatever it might be.

This past week was particularly thrilling as we found a small shipment of lady apples that we instantly cleaned out. They were beautiful, crispy, very sweet and slightly tart. I couldn't decide what to make with them and as time passed by, we just kept eating them raw. One by one they started to disappear and soon I was left with a third of the original box.



We have been spending a lot of time at home and walking around our neighborhood. Every morning and every afternoon, we take M. out for a stroll, which she seems to really enjoy. She naps while my mom and I just talk about everything and anything. Food is always on our minds and planning daily meals is one of our favorite subjects.

It has been warm and humid the last few days and a fruit salad is what we were all craving for a snack in the afternoon. We came home, sliced some apples, segmented some Florida grapefruit, cut some fresh ginger, whipped some creme fraiche and picked some mint and stevia from my herb planters. This must be the easiest recipe I have ever posted here, but so fresh and delicious.



We still had some lady apples, so we decided to surprise J. with some candied apples when he came home from school that afternoon. "For me?", he said with a big smile. He was more excited about the idea of holding the stick than anything else and as I suspected, he ended with sticky hands and a messy face, but the apple was left untouched.



Candied Lady Apples

adapted from Martha Stewart

2 cups sugar
1 cup water
3/4 cup corn syrup
10 lady apples

Remove the stems from the apples and insert a wooden skewer in each one.

Mix the sugar, water and corn syrup in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook to a very light caramel (barely any color) to about 315F.

Lady Apple, Grapefruit and Creme Fraiche Salad

2 lady apples, thinly sliced
1 medium red grapefruit, peeled and segmented
Fresh ginger, thinly sliced
Pistachios, chopped
Vanilla simple syrup
Creme fraiche, whipped
Fresh mint
Fresh stevia leaves

Make the vanilla simple syrup with equal parts water and sugar. I used 1/2 cup sugar and 12 cup of water with half a vanilla bean. Bring to a boil until sugar dissolves and let it cool. Set aside.

Arrange the sliced apples, grapefruit segments and ginger on a plate. Drizzle with the vanilla simple syrup, sprinkle with the chopped pistachios and herbs and arrange some creme fraiche quenelles on top.

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