Monthly Archives: December 2016
Don’t Cry, It’s Just Onions
This week’s recipe for Cook the Book Fridays is for an easy appetizer called Pissaladiére, or Onion Tart. Talk about something that’s bigger than the sum of its parts.
This recipe starts by making an easy yeasted dough, similar to a pizza dough. While the dough rises, a huge pile of onions gets caramelized. In theory, the timing works out nicely. The dough should be ready to stretch out around the time the onions have the proper golden hue.
Unfortunately, I had a scheduling hiccup. I got a late start, and when the onions were done, I didn’t have enough time to stretch and rest the dough, arrange the toppings, and bake, before I had to leave the house. Disappointed, I put the onions and rising dough in the refrigerator, hoping for better luck the next day. I knew the onions would be fine but not as confident about the dough.
Next day, I approached the refrigerator with trepidation. I was surprised and delighted to find that the dough had continued to rise overnight. I feared the dough would be a lost cause, instead, I discovered that this recipe was more flexible than I expected. I let the dough warm up for about an hour, then continued with the recipe.
The dough patted out easily to fill the pan. I spread the caramelized onions on top, then had fun arranging anchovies into a crosshatch design and strewing the top with olives.
The pissaladiére is in the Appetizer chapter, but I found it worked well for lunch with soup. It was delicious! And, I also really loved figuring out that I can make the pizza dough the day before.
Definitely try this one. You won’t be sorry. It’s a winner. You can find the recipe on page 69 of David Lebovitz’s My Paris Kitchen. To read my blogging friends’ links about their own experiences with this recipe, check them out here.
Happy Holidays to one and all!
Great(ed) Carrots {CtBF}
I can’t believe that Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday of the year) has already come and gone. We had a lovely visit and feast with Howard’s sister and her family in New Jersey. Everything was delicious. I have some turkey stock stashed in the freezer that I made from the carcass, but otherwise, the leftovers are all gone.
After all the rich food and restaurant eating that goes with visiting, this week’s recipe for Cook the Book Fridays, the very French Grated Carrot Salad (or Carottes Râpées), is a perfect addition to a healthier diet for the week. Not only is it good for you, it is also super simple to put together.
Grated carrots are tossed with a lemony vinaigrette and some fresh chopped herbs. That’s it, that’s all. They’re great! In fact, this recipe is so easy, that I forgot to take any pictures!
I used carrots that I bought from Lexington Community Farm at the end of the season. These are carrots that I helped weed throughout their growing season, so they are particularly special to me.
I’ve made salads like this occasionally, and this time around, it leaves me wondering why this salad isn’t a regular visitor to my kitchen. I went back to compare this recipe from David Lebovitz’s My Paris Kitchen to the one I made from Dorie Greenspan’s Around the French Table. David’s recipe uses much less dressing, for a dried (though not dry), salad. I also loved the brightness of the fresh lemon juice. Dorie’s recipe uses a lot more Dijon mustard. I think when I revisit this recipe, I’ll add more mustard to David’s dressing for a bit more bite. Other than that, I hope to prepare this one again throughout the year.
To see what other bloggers in our group thought of their carrot salads, check out their links here. To make your own carrot salad, you can find the recipe on page 123 in David Lebovitz’s My Paris Kitchen or on-line here.
Quick note to the Doristas among you: I’m so excited about tonight when I’m going to one of Dorie’s local book signing events. I postponed getting my own copy of Dorie’s Cookies in anticipation of a signed copy. Just as exciting, Cher of The not so exciting adventures of a dabbler… will be joining me on this Dorie field trip.
A Plateful of Happiness 