Chocolate Ganache and Raspberry Tart

At this time of year, when there is an abundance of fresh fruit (especially berries!), there's nothing better than a beautiful tart for dessert.  I think this one is sure to please both chocolate lovers and fruit fans alike!  I made up a simple chocolate tart shell and filled it with rich chocolate ganache and lots of fresh berries. This chocolate tart dough is a variation on my walnut tart crust- omitting the nuts and swapping some of the flour for cocoa powder.  It turned out great- good chocolate flavor without being overly sweet.  You get plenty of sweetness from the ganache and raspberries, after all!

Although the length of the directions may fool you, this is a fairly simple dessert to put together.  Plus it looks so lovely served on a nice plate!  It's one of those recipes that's great to do when you have other things going on in the kitchen- while the tart dough is chilling and baking, you can do the dishes or work on another recipe.  Once that shell is cooled, making the ganache and assembling the dessert couldn't be easier.  It is a fantastic summer treat!  

Chocolate Ganache and Raspberry Tart

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 1/4 cups of flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
4 ounces cold butter, cubed
2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons milk or cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache Filling:
8 ounces heavy cream

8 ounces chopped semi- or bitter-sweet chocolate

1 Tablespoon raspberry liqueur
Topping:
Fresh raspberries
Raspberry preserves

Raspberry liqueur

Special Equipment:
9 inch fluted tart pan
Rolling pin
Parchment paper or a large coffee filter
Pie weights or dried beans


Directions:

-Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and the salt. Place the dry mix in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment.
-Add the butter and pulse a few times- just until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is in pea-sized pieces.*
-Add the egg, milk/cream, and vanilla and pulse a few more times- just until the dough starts to come together.*
*Be careful not to overwork the dough in these steps! Overworking the dough will yield a tough crust!
-Shape the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic and chill.
-While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling for the tart. In a saucepan, bring cream to a boil.  Remove pan from the heat and add the chopped chocolate.  Whisk gently until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.  Add in the raspberry liqueur.
-Cool ganache at room temperature until needed.
-Once dough is chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-On a surface floured with cocoa powder, roll out the dough to a size slightly larger than the size of your tart pan (account for the height of the pan sides when rolling the dough).  Use the rolling pin and roll up the dough around it and unroll the dough over the tart pan.
-Press down lightly all along the bottom lip of the pan.  Roll the rolling pin across the top of the pan to trim off the excess dough.  

-Prick surface of crust a few times with a fork and chill the dough for a few minutes.
-Line the tart dough with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans.  Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.
-Remove parchment and weights and continue baking until crust is golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let the crust cool.
-Once it is completely cool and ganache has thickened slightly, remove tart from pan and fill with the ganache.  Chill for an hour or so in the fridge until ganache is slightly firm.

-Top with concentric rows of fresh raspberries.
-Warm raspberry preserves until fluid and stir in a splash of raspberry liqueur.  Brush over the top of the berries to glaze.
-Chill until ready to serve! 

Homemade Bread and Butter Pickles

Have you heard about this glut of tomatoes that we are currently experiencing?  I read in the Wall Street Journal recently that tomatoes have gone from shortage to surplus and I therefore eagerly anticipated this week's Farmer's Market.  I had a feeling it was a little early for perfectly ripe tomatoes here in this neck of the woods, but I hoped for some green tomatoes to use for pickling.  (If you've never had a green tomato pickle before, you are truly missing out on something good!)  Alas, not a tomato to be had- green or otherwise- but I did come home with a bucket of pickling cucumbers, among other things.  This was not a bad consolation prize as I had a pretty fantastic recipe for bread and butter chips laying around.

 

The recipe is taken from my binder of culinary school recipes.  I remember how delicious the pickles turned out when we made them in class, but there were a lot of holes in the directions that left me feeling confused.  So I prepped all my veggies, covered them with ice, and headed on over to my father-in-law's for a crash course in canning.  Vance Scarsella is an absolute pro when it comes to preserving and canning- his pantry is stocked with homemade jams, fresh tomato sauce, and jars and jars of veggies straight from his garden.  After looking at my recipe, he tweaked it a little and filled in all those informational gaps, resulting in a pickle that was even more amazing than I remember.  Plus, they weren't too hard to make either.  This is definitely one I'm holding on to for future use!

*If you are interested in learning more about canning, my father-in-law recommends The Ball "Blue Book of Preserving."  It is his go-to reference book for all things canning!

Bread and Butter Pickles

Yield: About 4 pints

Ingredients:

3 pounds of 4- to 5- inch pickling cucumbers

1 1/2 pounds of thinly sliced onions

1/4 cup canning or pickling salt**

2 cups white vinegar

2 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 Tbs. mustard seed

2 tsp. celery seed

1 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

**I've learned that pickling salt is somewhat hard to come by, and most people don't use it anyway.  You need a salt that is free of additives.  My father-in-law just uses Kosher salt, and I've read that others grind Kosher salt in a food processor to get the fine grain of pickling salt.  Do not, however, use table salt- it won't work!

Directions:

-Prep jars and canning equipment: Wash jars, caps, and bands in hot soapy water and rinse carefully.  Have a large pot of water ready on the stove.  Prior to canning, you will add the jars and lids to the water and bring to a simmer.  The water should be kept simmering until jars and lids are needed.

-Wash cucumbers thoroughly and slice off ends.  Cut cucumbers into 3/16-inch slices.

-Cut off the ends of each onion and peel.  Cut onion in half and slice into thin slices.

-Combine cucumbers and onions in a large bowl and stir in pickling salt until thoroughly combined.

-Cover vegetables with a 2-inch layer of cubed or crushed ice.  Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours, adding more ice as needed to keep vegetables covered.

-Drain and rinse vegetables.  Set aside until needed.

-Combine remaining ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil.  Boil for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

-Add the drained and rinsed vegetables to the pot and slowly reheat to boiling.  As the vegetables will be quite cold, this will take some time.  Once the mixture has reached a boil, remove from heat.

-Remove jars and lids from the pot of simmering water.  Keep the water simmering and fill jars with vegetables and cooking syrup, leaving 1/4- inch headspace at the top of each jar.

-Use a nonmetallic spatula to remove any air bubbles from the jar and wipe the rim clean with a damp cloth.  Place lid on the jar and tightly screw the band in place.

-Add jars to the simmering water and bring to a rolling boil.  Once the water is boiling, process for 10 minutes.

-Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.  Then, check for a seal.  Properly sealed jars can be stored in your pantry until ready to use.  

From the Kendall Files: Focaccia Bread

If you've ever thought about baking your own bread, this is a great recipe to get you started!  It was one of the first breads I made while in school and it helped me get over that silly aversion to yeasted doughs.  Why?  Focaccia is made with simple ingredients, boasts straightforward and fairly quick directions, and can be adapted in countless different ways.  It's like the little black dress of the bread world!

The original version is simple and so good- flavored with just a sprinkling of chopped rosemary and salt.  I had some roma tomatoes laying around, as well as some parmesan cheese, so they were used to jazz up this batch just a little.  Feel free to put your own twist on this recipe with the fresh ingredients you have on hand.  My recommendation, though, is to go easy on the toppings.  This bread is meant to be light and airy, and too much on top will weigh the bread down.  Focaccia is so good straight out of the oven, or leftover slices can be toasted lightly and served for up to three days afterwards.

Focaccia (Roman Flatbread) 

Ingredients: 
1 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 Tbs. active dry yeast
12 fl. oz. water, lukewarm
18 oz. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. coarse salt, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 cup onion, chopped fine
Olive oil
2 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
Additional toppings:
2-3 blanched whole roma tomatoes
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Line a half-sheet pan (12x18 inches) with parchment paper.  Use olive oil to grease the pan, paying special attention to the pan's sides.
2.  Combine the sugar, yeast and water in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook.  Stir to dissolve the yeast.
3.  Stir in the flour, 4 ounces at a time.
4. Stir in the salt and the onion.  Mix well, with the dough hook on low speed, until dough is smooth. Alternately, you can knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth.
5. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and set aside until doubled.  This will not take too long!
6.  While dough is rising, thinly slice the roma tomatoes and lay slices on paper towels to drain.
7. Punch down the dough, then flatten it onto the prepared sheet pan  It should be no more than 1 inch thick.  (I flattened my dough the length and width of the pan, but for a thicker focaccia, you may not want to flatten it this much).  Use your fingertips to make indentations across the surface of the bread dough.
8.  Brush the top of the dough with a tablespoon or two of olive oil.  Arrange tomato slices across the top and sprinkle with the chopped rosemary, parmesan cheese, and salt, to taste.
9.  Let the dough proof until doubled, approximately 20 minutes.
10.  Once the dough has doubled, bake in a preheated 400°F oven until lightly browned, approximately 20 minutes.

Greek Orzo Salad

Although the current patch of bad weather would lead us to believe otherwise, summer is really upon us!    I'm definitely looking forward to the warmer weather, time at the beach, BBQ's, and picnics on the lawn at Ravinia.  Living just minutes from Ravinia growing up, packing a picnic and catching one of their concerts was a favorite summer tradition.  I've definitely seen Tony Bennett, the CSO, and Peter, Paul, and Mary more times than most would deem necessary!

Now, I'm not one of those intense glassware-and-candlebra-toting Ravinia goers , but I do pack a mean picnic.  This orzo salad is one of my favorite things to bring.  Easy to assemble, full of yummy stuff, and yielding enough for a crowd, it is well suited for a picnic, a party, or a barbeque.  I brought it along to Ravinia the other night to listen to Earth, Wind, and Fire with friends.  Despite almost getting washed away due to a burst of rainstorms, we had a great time and there was plenty of orzo salad for all.  I wish the same could be said for the lemon bars I made- they suffered a wet and soggy fate!

Greek Orzo Salad

Ingredients:
16 ounces orzo pasta
2 bell peppers, diced (I like to use either red, orange, or yellow peppers to add color to the salad)
1 medium cucumber, deseeded and diced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup sliced kalamata olives
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice and zest of 1 good-sized lemon
A couple tablespoons of finely chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon minced garlic
8 ounces crumbled feta cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  Cook orzo according to package directions.  When al dente, drain and set aside to cool.
2.  Prepare all veggies and stir into cooked and cooled orzo.
3.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, and dill.
4.  Pour over the orzo and veggie mixture and stir to combine
5.  Fold in the crumbled feta and season to taste with salt and pepper.
6.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Homemade Pasta

One kitchen tool I wish I made better use of is my pasta machine.  The ingredients used to make fresh pasta couldn't be simpler, the result is so good, and it happens to be pretty fun to make.  Pasta-making is a little bit of a process, though, and not something I tend to do after a long day of work when I want to get dinner on the table.  Over a long weekend when things are a little less chaotic?  Sure, no problem!  We made a few batches of pasta- a little to enjoy now, a little to keep in the fridge, and a lot to freeze.  I think that's definitely the way to do it, especially since fresh pasta will keep nicely in the fridge for about a week and in the freezer for a couple months.

If you decide to make your own pasta (which I think you should- it's lots of fun!), here are a few things to keep in mind:

-For the flour, you have a variety of options.  You can use a blend of all-purpose flour and semolina (about 2/3 AP flour and 1/3 semolina), type 00 flour (available at Italian markets), or just all-purpose flour.  King Arthur also makes a great pasta blend, but all of these options work just fine for home pasta making.

-Allowing the dough rest after kneading is really important.  Don't underestimate this step!  It allows the glutens you've developed to relax so your finished product will be tender.

-You can make fresh pasta by hand or a machine.  The machine is lots of fun to use and you can pick one up relatively cheaply at kitchen stores or Italian markets.  I've included links that show you the step-by-step for both handmade pasta and pasta made with a machine.

-You do not need to buy a special drying rack for pasta.  Thekitchn.com has some great ideas for drying pasta without a rack.  You can also take portions of cut pasta, twist slightly, mound into nests, and sprinkle with a little flour.  I like this method as it preportions the pasta and makes it easy to store.

Homemade Pasta

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

A pinch or two of salt

4 eggs

Directions:

1.  Sift together the flour and salt.

2.  In a large bowl (or on the counter, if you're brave) mound the flour.  Use the bottom of the measuring cup or the back of a ladle to make a well in the center of the flour.

3.  Crack eggs into the well and use a fork to beat the eggs lightly.

4.  Once the eggs are beaten, use the fork to draw flour into the eggs.  Continue incorporating flour into the eggs until a dough starts forming.

5.  Use your hands to bring the dough together and turn out onto your work surface.

6.  Knead the dough by hand until smooth and pliable, about 8-10 minutes.

7.  Flatten slightly to form a disk and wrap in plastic.  Put dough in fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes.

*To make the pasta by hand, click here for some great directions. 

*To make pasta using a pasta machine, follow directions for your machine or click here.

*When you are ready to cook the pasta, these tips are just great!