Lunch with Oh Joy! and a Pip Studio Giveaway

One of my favorite columns on Oh Joy! is Lunch Lady where different artists share their lunch fares. So fun. So when Joy asked me if I would be interested in sharing one of my typical lunch meals, I jumped on the idea.

And here it is, one of my usual suspects. Mushroom and walnut quinoa with eggs and watercress. Creamy, crunchy and peppery.



One of the questions she posed was "dessert with lunch?" and my answer, "always a little something". In this case a quick pear, cranberry and hazelnut crumble. Why not.

When I make crumble topping, I always make a large batch so I can freeze some and that way I can have crumble whenever I want to. just toss some fruit together with a bit of sugar, spices, cornstarch and topped with the frozen crumble. Super easy. You can read the post here.



On another note, I wanted to tell you a little bit about Pip Studio. First I have to disclose that I have not been paid to write about them or have this giveaway.

Pip Studio is the work of Dutch artist Anke van der Endt, who happens to be one of my best friends' sister in law. I was introduced to the line a couple of years ago and I loved the feminine and flirty touch. Her line is now sold in major shops like Liberty and many high end boutiques and specialty shops.



They were kind enough to send me an enormous package of tableware a couple of months ago and because it is the holiday season and because I love it, I thought I'd share some pieces with you dear readers. So what do you say? All you have to do is leave a comment between now and Monday December 13 at 5pm EST to enter this giveaway.

Thank you Joy and thank you Anke!

Mushroom, Walnut Quinoa with Fried Egg and Watercress Salad

2 Tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup mushrooms (shiitake, oyster and baby bella)
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs mascarpone
1 Tbs walnuts, chopped
1 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbs chives, chopped
Eggs, to fry
Watercress to garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium pot, heat the olive oil and saute the garlic and mushrooms on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. Add the quinoa and stir for about a minute. Add the chicken stock and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and add the mascarpone, walnuts, parsley and chives. Adjust seasoning.

Gently cook the eggs in a little bit of olive oil and serve on top of the quinoa. Dress the watercress with olive oil and place on top of the egg.

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Lunch with Oh Joy! and a Pip Studio Giveaway

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https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2010/12/lunch-with-oh-joy-and-pip-studio.html

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Stone Fruits, Baking Tarts and the Giveaway Winner

I have to admit that every year, I have a hard time adjusting to the summer season here in the South. Once we enter the rainy season, it gets very, very hot, humid and stormy. We spend a lot of time in the pool and indoors away from the scorching sun. Baking becomes almost like a luxury as we try not to over-heat the house too much. But summer also means stone fruit season and that makes it all worth it.

This weekend we found the ripest and most beautiful nectarines and white peaches. I saved some for sorbet and used the rest for tarts. I couldn't resist.



Because I love both custard and frangipane tarts and because I cannot choose one over the other, I decided to make a little bit of both. I used the nectarines for these super simple nectarine and pistachio frangipane tarts and cherries for cherry and cinnamon flan tarts. Both creamy and very flaky.

Even though sometimes I like to experiment with flavors and I am very intrigued by new techniques and cooking methods, I have to admit that a slightly warm fruit tart with some vanilla ice cream is all I could ever ask for. My ideal way to end a meal for sure.



And finally, what most of you might be waiting for... the winner of the raspberry powder giveaway is ibb of Living in a Matchbox (please contact me so I can get all your information). Thank you everyone for participating and commenting. I should have little giveaways like this more often!



Short Dough

Makes enough for about 12 3-inch tart rings

250 grams butter, room temperature
125 grams powdered sugar
1 egg
Zest of 1 orange
370 grams flour
2 grams baking powder
3 grams salt

Cream the butter and the powdered sugar together. Add the zest and the egg and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl and paddle well.

Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until combined.

Divide the dough into two disks and wrap in plastic wrap. Flatten the disks slightly with your hands. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and if it's too hard to roll, let it come to room temperature for about 10 minutes. Roll to 1/8" thick. Cut circles that are larger than your tart rings. Fill the tart rings and place them on a sheetpan lined with parchment.

Let the filled tart rings rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours so the dough relaxes and doesn't shrink in the oven.

Pistachio Frangipane

200 grams butter, softened
200 grams sugar
2 eggs
60 grams flour
200 grams pistachios, ground to a fine meal

Cream the butter and the sugar together. Add the egg. Scrape and mix well. Add the flour and the ground pistachios and mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.

If you are only going to use a little bit of bit, you can freeze the leftovers for up to 2 months.

Assemble the Pistachio and Nectarine Tarts

Dock the bottom of the tarts lightly.

Place the pistachio frangipane in a pastry bag fitted with a pastry tip (#5) and fill the tarts about halfway.

Cut thin slices of nectarine and place them on top of the frangipane. Press them lightly into the frangipane.

Bake the tarts at 375F for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Cherry, Cinnamon and Vanilla Flan Tarts

100 ml heavy cream
100 mil whole milk
6 egg yolks
50 grams sugar
5 grams cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
Cherries

Use the same short dough recipe but this time, use ring molds that are a bit higher. Fill the ring molds with the rolled short dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Dock the bottom of the short dough, line the inside with parchment, fill with dried beans and blind bake for 15 minutes at 350F.

Prepare the flan filling by whisking together the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch. Add the heavy cream, whole milk, cinnamon and vanilla. Whisk until incorporated. Strain this custard through fine sieve.

Cut and pit the cherries. Fill the pre-baked tart shells with the cherries. Make sure you fill them to the top. Pour the custard into the tarts and bake them at 325F for about 20 minutes until bubbly and set.

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Stone Fruits, Baking Tarts and the Giveaway Winner

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https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2009/06/stone-fruits-baking-tarts-and-giveaway.html

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Madeleine Giveaway Winners

And the two winners of the Lemon and Olive Oil Madeleines are... Rachelle of Mommy I'm Hungry! and Eileen of Living Tastefully.

Thank you everyone for taking the time to leave comments and share your thoughts. Even the international bloggers that knew I couldn't ship any overseas. I loved reading every single one!




Thank you, thank you, thank you!

PS: I just wanted to clarify that the winners were picked by Random Number Generator. Someone asked me to clarify that. Thank you!

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Madeleine Giveaway Winners

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Lemon Olive Oil Madeleines and a Giveaway

I sprained my knee last night. My son woke up at 2am and as usual, he wanted to come downstairs so I could rock him back to sleep. As I was walking down the stairs, I slipped and fell on the floor. Luckily, I had my hand behind his head and he did not get hurt. But... I did. I have been limping all day and yes, I should go to the doctor, but I'm going to wait to see if the swelling goes down with rest.

I wanted something comforting. Something to go with my cinnamon tisane. My son was resigned to the idea that we were not going to be able to go outside much today because ama cannot walk very far, so he was good and let me bake some madeleines. One of my favorite sweet treats. I tried a new recipe with lemon zest and olive oil and it really worked well. They really had good "domes" just like I like them.





While I was sipping my tea, I thought "any excuse is good to bake and give". My friends always ask me what I do with all the stuff I make. "Do the three of you eat all of it?" . Well, I always save some for C to try and of course my curly haired boy always has to "snatch" a little bit of whatever I am making, but honestly, most of the treats I make end up in our neighbors', co-workers or lucky stand-by's bellies.

Today, sitting on the sofa with my leg resting on a pillow, I thought "why not share some goodies with the readers I have managed to capture in these three months?". Every time I bake, write and photograph something for this blog, I look forward to reading your comments and see what you have to say about what I made. Hey, I love compliments, what can I say!





So next week, I will be giving away two boxes of freshly baked lemon and olive oil madeleines. All you have to do is leave a comment briefly explaining what was going through your mind when you started your blog. What inspired you? What were you doing the day you sat down in front of the computer and created an account? I'm always curious about what drives people. And if you don't have a blog but like to read food blogs, don't worry, please let us know what interests you; what makes you read a blog over another one. Is it the photographs, the challenging recipes or easier recipes, articles, personal stories..


You have until Sunday March 30th at 3pm EST and I will announce the lucky winners' names that following Monday. Due to the delicate nature of the goodies and to preserve their freshness, I can only ship in the US (sorry rest of the world...).




Thank you for reading!

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Lemon Olive Oil Madeleines and a Giveaway

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