Potatoes au Gratin

 Potatoes au Gratin (Dauphinoise)

https://www.recipetineats.com/potatoes-au-gratin/#wprm-recipe-container-25838 

Recipe video above. The ultimate potato bake, created by the French!!! Potato + cream + cheese with a hint of garlic and thyme = pure heaven. Based on Julia Child's Potato Dauphinoise recipe.

This is THE perfect make ahead potato dish, the most luxurious of all potato casseroles, the better version of Scalloped Potatoes!

Authenticity note: traditional Dauphinoise in France does not contain cheese. But I could never imagine making it without..... It makes it better. You know it does!

Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 1 hour 30 mins Total time 1 hour and 45 minutes 

 Servings: 8 - 10 people Calories: 167cal Author: Nagi

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups cream , full fat (Note 1)
• 2 garlic cloves , minced
• 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
• 1.25 kg / 2.5 lb starchy potatoes , Russet, Sebago, Maris Piper (Note 2)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 1/2 cups gruyere cheese (colby, cheddar, havarti or tasty), freshly grated yourself (Note 3)
• 2 tsp thyme leaves , fresh (optional - but highly recommended)

Instructions

• Cream Mixture: Place butter, cream and garlic in a jug. Mix until combined.
  
• Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (both fan and standard ovens).
  
• Slice potatoes: Peel the potatoes and slice them 1/8"/3 mm thick. Or use a slicer!
  
• Layer 1: Spread 1/3 of the potatoes in a baking dish (Note 3), then pour over 1/3 of the Cream Mixture, scatter with 1/3 of the salt, pepper and thyme. Sprinkle with 3/4 cups cheese.
  
• Layers 2 & 3: Repeat for the 2nd and third layer, but do not finish with cheese on the top layer (will add later).
  
• Cover & bake: Cover with lid or foil, and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the potatoes in the middle are soft (use knife to test), it might take 1 1/2 hours. (Note 5)
  
• Top with cheese, bake again: Remove foil, top with cheese. Bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes until golden and bubbly. Stand 5 minutes before serving.
  

Notes

1. Cream - any full fat cream works great here. Heavy / thickened or even a full fat pouring cream are all great.

For a lighter version, use light fat, or half and half (or use 1/2 cream, half milk). But it won't have the same rich mouthfeel. Don't try this with just milk.

2. Potatoes - Australia: Use Sebago ("dirt" potatoes, sold everywhere), US: Russet, UK: King Edward or Maris Piper

OR any other starchy potatoes. Dutch creams, King Edwards or red delight. Great all rounders like golden delight, coliban and red rascal are also great.

3. Cheese - Gruyere is the best as it provides flavour and browns beautifully on top. Julia Childs uses gruyere. It's quite expensive so for everyday purposes, use your favourite melting cheese: colby, cheddar, havarti, tasty cheese, Monterey Jack or any other flavoured melting cheese.

Mozzarella will also work but I'd probably use a combination of 2 cups (200g) mozzarella plus 1 cup (100g) finely grated parmesan which will add flavour (because mozzarella doesn't have much flavour).

Always best to grate your own as it melts better - store bought pre shredded has anti caking agent which prevents cheese melting as well as it should.

4. Baking Dish Size - I use a 1.5L / 1.5 Qt / 6 cup, 18 x 26 cm x 5 cm / 7 x 11 x 2" oval shape, or thereabouts but it's full to the brim so a slightly larger one would be more ideal. A 26 cm / 11" skillet also works great. A 20cm/8" square pan is too small. Larger dish is fine - just means the potatoes au gratin isn't as deep

5. Baking time - Will differ depending on shape of dish, depth of potatoes, heat retention of baking dish, reliability of oven etc, 1 hour 20 minutes covered is consistently the time for me.

6. Make ahead: Near perfect for make ahead! The best way (in my experience) is hold back about 1/2 cup of the cream mixture. Bake covered in foil, then cool with foil on. Pour over reserved cream, top with cheese, cover with cling wrap. Refrigerate. Remove from fridge 1 hour before, reheat covered in foil in a 180C/350F oven for 20 - 30 min or until hot, then remove foil and bake until cheese is golden. To speed things up you can microwave it then pop it in the oven (this is dense so takes quite a while to reheat in the oven, depends on depth of baking dish you use).

Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge.

7. Source: Adapted from Julia Child's Dauphinoise Potatoes recipe. Hers is slightly more involved, calling for scattering finely diced butter on each layers (which I simplified by melting), only rubs garlic on baking dish (I use 2 whole cloves), and she uses less cheese. Mine gradually evolved over time from her original recipe to what mine is today!

Nutrition assumes 10 servings.

Nutrition

Serving: 110g | Calories: 167cal | Carbohydrates: 14.2g | Protein: 5.7g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 281mg | Potassium: 364mg | Fiber: 2.1g | Sugar: 1.6g | Vitamin A: 300IU | Vitamin C: 23.1mg | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 0.7mg

Apple Tart

 

The Easiest French Apple Tart

• Author: Alexandra Stafford
 
• Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
 
• Yield: 1 tart

Dough recipe: This is the only pie dough, tart dough, galette dough, pastry I use. It’s foolproof. Here are five recipes I use it in.

Dough can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge or made weeks in advance and stored in the freezer. I typically make a double batch and freeze one round for a future use, but I’ve written the recipe below to yield one pastry round.

The filling for this French apple tart recipe is inspired by Sarah Copeland’s Every Day is Saturday, in which there is a lovely gluten-free variation.

Save your pie dough scraps and make cinnamon snails.

Ingredients

For the tart dough:

• 1 1/4 cups (160g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon (14 g) sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon table or kosher salt
• 8 tablespoons (114 g) cold, cubed butter, salted or unsalted
• 1/4 C. + 1 T. (71 g) ice water

For the apple tart:

• 3 to 4 apples, I typically use Honey Crisp; use what you like
• 1/4 cup (57 g) butter, salted or unsalted
• 1/4 cup (61 g) sugar

For serving:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• confectioner’s sugar to taste
• flaky sea salt, such as maldon, if you have it, kosher or other salt if you don’t

Instructions

1. Make the pastry: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar and salt together. Add the cold, cubed butter to the food processor. Pulse at 1-second intervals until butter is the size of peas—should be about 10 quick pulses. Add the ice water and pulse again about 10 times until the mixture is crumbly but holds together when pinched. Lay a clean tea towel on a work surface. Dump the crumbly dough mixture into the center of it.  Grab the four corners of the towel together and twist to create a beggar’s purse, pressing the dough into a round.
2. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 12- or 13-inch round. Use as much flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking, and every few rolls, flip the dough over. Transfer dough to a tart pan with a removable bottom. Fit the dough into the pan, trimming the edges. (Save the scraps; see notes above.) Transfer to freezer for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 425ºF and place a rack in the center of the oven.
4. Prepare the apples. Cut the “cheeks” of the apples off the core into four pieces — each piece will have one large flat side. Lay each piece on its flat side and slice thinly, keeping the slices together as you go. Arrange the slices around the tart in any pattern you desire, fanning the apples as you go. You may need to cut some of the apple fans to fit.
5. Sprinkle evenly with the 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup cubed butter. Transfer to a rimmed sheet pan. (I like to line with parchment paper for easy cleanup.) Transfer to the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, checking after 15 minutes: if it is browning too quickly, lower the temperature to 400ºF. I find 425ºF works perfectly, and I actually will turn the oven to convection bake during the last 2 to 3 minutes to get some more caramelization on the apples. This is unnecessary — the uncaramelized apple slices taste delicious, too — but I find it visually appealing and tasty.
6. Make the whipped cream. Place the heavy cream in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until soft peaks begin to form. (You can do this by hand, too, with a bowl and whisk.) Add confectioner’s sugar — start with 1/4 cup and add more to taste. Add a big pinch of sea salt and beat to combine and until the peaks begin getting firmer. Taste — the mixture should be slightly sweet and the salt should be noticeable, though the whipped cream should not taste salty.
7. Serve the tart warm or at room temperature with dollops of the whipped cream.

Find it online: https://alexandracooks.com/2019/09/13/french-apple-tart-revisited/

Mushroom Risotto

 https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/85389/gourmet-mushroom-risotto/

Lavender Shortbread Cookies

 Lavender Shortbread Cookies

Makes 2 dozen cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter, softened

½ cup sugar

3 tablespoons of honey, any variety

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons dried lavender (or 6-8 fresh blossoms, buds removed)

Pinch of salt

Powdered sugar topping (optional)

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

2 teaspoons dried lavender buds

Place the butter, sugar and honey in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Place the flour, lavender and salt in another large bowl. Whisk until well-combined. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. With the mixer on low, beat the flour into the butter until just combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape the inside of the bowl with a spatula and fold in any flour that wasn’t incorporated. 

Set out two 12- inch long sheets of parchment or wax paper. Take the dough and split it in half, placing each portion onto paper. Form each portion into an 8 inch log for round cookies or press into an 8 in square bar for square cookies. Wrap each log in the paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 F. Slice the cookie logs into slices about ½ in thick. Place onto a prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-20 min, until the edges are golden and the cookies are firm to the touch. Cool on the baking sheets. If using powdered sugar toppings, place powdered sugar into a small bowl and lavender and stir well. Sprinkle over cookies and serve immediately. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container on the counter top for up to 1 week.

Creamy Garlic Mushroom Chicken Thighs - Made Jul 26 2023

For The Chicken:

• 1 1/2 pounds (700g) boneless skinless chicken thighs (around 6-8 fillets)
• 1 teaspoon each onion powder and garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon each of dried thyme and rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

For The Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 8 ounces (250 g) sliced brown mushrooms
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tablespoon minced garlic)
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon each of dried thyme and dried rosemary (adjust to your taste)
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream / thickened cream (evaporated milk or half and half)*
• 1/2 cup fresh shredded parmesan

INSTRUCTIONS

• Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towel and trim off excess fat. Combine the onion powder, garlic powder, herbs, salt and pepper. Coat the chicken evenly with the combined seasoning.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat and sear chicken thighs in batches until browned on each side and no longer pink in centre (about 8 minutes each side, depending on thickness). Add remaining oil if needed for second batch. Transfer to a plate; set aside and keep warm.
• To the same pan or skillet, melt the butter and add the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and cook until soft (about 3 minutes). Add the garlic, parsley, thyme and rosemary; sauté until fragrant (about 1 minute).
• Stir in cream, bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and continue cooking until sauce has thickened slightly. Stir in the parmesan cheese and allow it to melt through the sauce for a further 2 minutes, while occasionally stirring.
• Return chicken to the pan. Taste test and season with salt and pepper to your taste. Garnish with fresh parsley. Serve immediately.

https://cafedelites.com/chicken-thighs/#recipe 

 

Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cake

Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cake

 Ingredients 

Toppings

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 large apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

Cake

• 1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs (room temp)
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• 1/2 cup milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg. Spray 9 -inch cake pan well with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. 

2. Make the topping - Add butter, brown sugar and cinnamon to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir well until the mixture is completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat and pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and evenly spread it on the bottom. 

3. Arrange the apple slides in an even layer on top. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Slowly add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one. Add the vanilla and mix until fully combined. 

5. Alternate mixing the dry ingredients and milk into the wet ingredients, starting with the flour and ending with the flour.

6. Pour the batter into the cake pan on top of the sliced apples.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. 

8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before flipping over onto a large plate. 

Tahitian Breakfast Treats

 

Directions

1. Add yeast to warm water and stir to dissolve; allow to sit until yeast has bubbled, 5-7 minutes. Add yeast mixture to warm coconut milk. In a large bowl, combine coconut, sugar, salt, yeast mixture and 1 cup flour; beat on medium speed until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough (dough will be sticky). Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours.
2. Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into 8 portions. Roll each into a 12-in. rope. Curl ends in opposite directions to form a figure 8. Tuck each end under where it meets center of roll and pinch lightly to seal. Place 2 in. apart on a parchment-lined 
3. 
   baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel; let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 375°. Bake until light brown, 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile, place sugar, cinnamon and ginger in a shallow bowl. Split vanilla bean lengthwise. Using the tip of a sharp knife, scrape seeds from the center; stir into sugar mixture. Brush warm pastries with melted butter; roll in sugar mixture to coat.
   

Test Kitchen tips

If you choose to fry: heat oil to 375°F, and fry until golden brown, about 1 minute. Omit the butter step and roll in sugar mixture. Serve warm.

Add chopped crystalized ginger to the dough when adding the flaked coconut.

Try drizzling with a glaze! Combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons dark rum and 2 tablespoons melted butter.