Category Archives: French Fridays with Dorie
caramel-almond custard tart {ffwd}
I’ll admit that I was skeptical about this week’s recipe for French Fridays with Dorie. The choice was a Caramel-Almond Custard Tart. The recipe reads like a sweet quiche with nuts on top and that just didn’t seem appealing. However, I enjoy my Fridays with the Doristas, so I soldiered on.
Each time we use it, I remember that the sweet tart crust is one of my favorite discoveries in Around My French Table. The cookie-like crust comes together easily, and I love the press-in method, with no rolling or waiting required.
The filling starts with a simple caramel. I think I’m gradually losing my fear of molten sugar. This caramel is slower to brown than others. I think because it’s more like caramelizing a heavy sugar syrup than just plain sugar. That also made it less scary. It boiled madly for a few minutes and then turned a lovely shade of brown and was ready. My caramel did seize up when I poured room-temperature cream over it, but it smoothed out, just as Dorie promised, after sitting for a few minutes.
While the caramel rested, I whisked eggs with sugar, salt, and milk to make a custard base, then added the caramel cream. At this point, I was still reminded of quiche filling.
Toasted sliced almonds are scattered over the tart crust, then the filling gets poured on top. The tart was practically overflowing, so it was challenging to move the pan to the oven. I did manage to do it without spilling a single drop.
The tart needed to bake for a long time. After 35 minutes, it had not puffed at all. After 45 minutes, it started to puff on the edges, but not the middle. After 55 minutes, the middle was puffed but still very jiggly and not feeling firm. I finally decided it was enough after about 65 minutes, which was 20 minutes more than the recipe said.
It was also much later than I anticipated. I was hoping the tart would cool down to close to room temperature so we could try it before bedtime. Wanting to taste won out over waiting for it to reach the ideal temp, so the first try was on the warm side. To my surprise, it didn’t taste quiche-y at all. In fact, it reminded me of a warm pecan pie made with almonds, even though the fillings are drastically different. I really liked it. Howard was less sure.
I had a cold piece with breakfast to see if the texture changed after the tart cooled down. I found the filling smoother this morning and still delicious.
To see what the other FFwD participants thought of this tart, follow their links here. I can’t find the recipe online, but you can always find it in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table.
boeuf à la mode {ffwd}
True confessions. Up until six months ago, I had never eaten pot roast. When I was growing up, my mom cooked a lot of beef because my dad wouldn’t eat chicken. Her dish for home cooking comfort was brisket. This was my sister Jane’s favorite, and she always requested it for her birthday or other occasions when she got to pick the meal. Me, I didn’t love it. But that’s about brisket. I’ll get back to pot roast.
In April, we had dinner at my friend Lauren’s. She made her family’s version. I think it was her grandmother’s recipe. She even had a special roasting pan just for this recipe. It was delicious, so moist and tender. It made me wonder why it was never part of my own mother’s repertoire. So I finally ate pot roast!
Still, I had never cooked pot roast. When this week’s recipe for French Fridays with Dorie was selected, boeuf à la mode (aka the great pot roast), I knew the time had come.
Dorie’s pot roast involved several steps, but nothing complicated. First of all, you need to plan ahead. The roast and vegetables needs marinate overnight in a bottle of hearty fruity red wine (I chose Merlot). The next day, the roast gets seared, the wine gets reduced, plus, the vegetables get sautéed, and the wine is supplemented with beef broth, anchovies, and tomato paste for a boost of umami in the sauce. Everything goes into a Dutch oven and baked for several hours.
This is one of those recipes where I wish technology supported Smell-o-rama. While the pot roast cooked, the house smelled amazing. That same “comfort food” aroma even greeted me for a day or two after the pot roast had cooked.
Because the pot roast benefits from a rest, I cooked this in the morning and let it rest for the day before serving it for dinner. I served my first home-cooked pot roast with the fall’s first batch of mashed potatoes and some sautéed broccoli rabe.
Unfortunately, I think I used the wrong cut of meat again. The recipe gave rump roast as an option. We’re still working our way through the quarter of a cow we purchased a while back, so I was able to pull a rump roast from my Mary Poppins freezer (that’s for you, Rose).
In the end, even though it seemed fork tender when I pulled it out of the oven, it was dry and a little tough when it came time to serve. The pot roast smelled so appealing and the sauce was so delicious that we were extra disappointed by the texture of the meat. I’m wondering whether a chuck or something else from the front of the cow would have worked out better. I won’t write off this recipe completely. I’m going to ask my friend Lauren which cut of meat she used for her pot roast. I’m thinking that’s the secret to move this into the “loved it” category.
To see whether the other Doristas’ pot roasts were great, check their links here. We don’t post the recipes, but you can find it in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table.
A Plateful of Happiness 