1 recipe pie dough (see Pâte Brisée recipe)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
1 pound assorted mushrooms, quartered or sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs
Pinch nutmeg
6 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)
Method
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Fit into a 10-by-1 1/2-inch round tart pan (with or without a removable bottom), pressing dough into corners. Transfer to freezer to chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°. Line pastry with parchment paper, wax paper, or aluminum foil, pressing into the corners and edges. Fill at least two-thirds with baking weights - dried beans, rice, or aluminum pie weights. Bake first for 15 minutes, remove from oven and let cool a few minutes. Carefully remove parchment paper and weights. Poke the bottom of the pie pan with the tongs of a fork and return to oven and bake an additional 10 minutes or until lightly golden. (Fork holes are for any air to escape.) Transfer to a wire rack to cool while making filling.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add shallots, and cook, stirring, until translucent but not brown, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms first release their liquid and then liquid evaporates and mushrooms are dark golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
Place tart pan on a baking sheet to catch any run-off there might be (especially if you are using a pan with a removable bottom.) Sprinkle half the cheese evenly over the bottom of the crust. Spread mushrooms over the cheese and then top with remaining cheese. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, cream, and eggs. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Pour over cheese. Transfer to oven, and bake until just set in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before slicing.
Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes).
While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 a stick) in large frying pan.
Sauté onions in butter until tender over medium heat (10 mins). If you are adding vegetables, add them according to cooking time. Put any carrots in with the onions. Add corn or peas either at the end of the cooking of the onions, or after the meat has initially cooked.
Add ground beef and sauté until no longer pink. Add salt and pepper. Add worcesterchire sauce. Add half a cup of beef broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, adding more beef broth as necessary to keep moist.
Mash potatoes in bowl with remainder of butter, season to taste.
Place beef and onions in baking dish. Distribute mashed potatoes on top. Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. You can use the fork to make some designs in the potatoes as well.
Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes). Broil for last few minutes if necessary to brown.
This egg pie is called tortilla in Spain. Wonderful at breakfast or brunch, but also perfect for a late supper or anytime snack, and therefore appropriate for weekday cooking; in fact, it makes the basis for a great quick dinner.
Ingredients
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound waxy red or white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 large onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, peeled if desired, seeded, and sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
6 eggs
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
Method
Place about half the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet, preferably non-stick, and turn the heat to medium. Add the potato slices and season liberally with salt and pepper. Cook, turning gently from time to time, until they soften, about 20 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.
Add the remaining oil to the pan, followed by the onion and red pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until nice and soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Return the potatoes to the skillet and turn the heat to medium-low. Continue to cook, turning with a spatula, for about 5 more minutes. Beat the eggs with the parsley.
Turn the heat to low and pour the eggs over the potatoes. Shake the pan to distribute the eggs evenly and cook, undisturbed, for about 5 minutes. Transfer to the oven and bake until the mixture is set, about 10 minutes more. Remove the pan and cool to room temperature before cutting into chunks or wedges; serve.
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (145 grams) blanched whole almonds, toasted and chopped coarsely
Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Toast almonds for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and then chop coarsely. Set aside.
Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl lightly beat the eggs and extracts together. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer) combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat until blended (about 30 seconds). Gradually add the egg mixture and beat until a dough forms, adding almonds about halfway through. With floured hands divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface roll each half of dough into a log about 10 inches (25 cm) long and 2 inches (5 cm) wide. Transfer logs to the prepared baking sheet, spacing the logs about 3 inches (7.5 cm) apart, and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until firm to the touch (logs will spread during baking). Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
Transfer logs to a cutting board and, using a serrated knife, cut log into slices 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick on the diagonal. Arrange evenly on baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes, turn slices over, and bake another 10 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container.
Note: Can substitute hazelnuts or walnuts for the almonds. If desired, add 1 tablespoon (5 grams) of orange or lemon zest to the egg mixture.
You can put a chocolate glaze on the biscotti. Melt 3 ounces (85 grams) of semi-sweet or white chocolate and 1 teaspoon (5 grams) vegetable shortening in a small metal bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. When melted, place chocolate into a parchment triangle or small plastic bag with one edge cut. Pipe onto the biscotti in a decorative pattern. Alternatively, you can dip or spread with a small metal spatula one side of the biscotti with chocolate and let dry on a clean baking sheet.
Base
1 cup flour
3/4 cup dashi (or water, see below)*
1 egg
1/8-1/4 of a cabbage
Toppings - any of the below
Chicken
Roast pork or beef
Squid, Octopus, other seafood
Corn
Mushrooms
Onion
Garnishing - any of the below
Katsuo-bushi (dried bonito flakes)
Sakura-ebi (dried shrimps)
Beni-shoga (red ginger)
Ao-nori (green seaweed)
Sauces
Okonomiyaki sauce (which is 3 tbsp ketchup, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce)
Mayonnaise
Method
So firstly grab that cabbage and chop it up finely. Better to have too much than too little because it shrinks a little as it cooks, and it’s mega cheap anyway. Get out as much of the white stem parts as you can.
Now break an egg into a large bowl and pour in the dashi/water, and the flour.
Then beat with a whisk until smooth.
Now add some of the finely chopped cabbage and mix as best you can. It should end up looking like this.
Heat up your skillet, electric frypan, grill, whatever you’re going to use to cook this baby. Preferably use something that’s got teflon on it
Now prepare your toppings. I’m using Chinese BBQ pork slices, a little bell pepper, some onion, mushrooms, parsely and spring onion. Just chop it all up good.
Throw it all in the frypan with some oil (sesame is good) to keep it all well-lubed. Cook until either heated through or in the case of raw meat or veges, for a few minutes until it’s getting close to being cooked.
Arrange the nearly cooked toppings in a round…
Then throw the cabbage/dough mixture on top, also in a round!
Turn up the heat a little to medium and let that bad boy cook through for 5 minutes or so. Then flip it. In the picture below, I had to cut the round in half to flip it, which doesn’t matter because we’ll be cutting it into pieces later anyway. You could always make two okonomiyaki instead!
Let it cook for another 5-10 minutes. You can break away a bit of the dough bit when it doesn’t look raw any more and see if the cabbage and dough is cooked through.
Flip it out onto a plate and cover liberally with Okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise!
8 ounces shrimp, cooked, small
4 tomato, ripe, diced
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 loaf Italian bread
Method
Preheat oven broil. Rinse shrimp and let drain in colander. In a mixing bowl, combine tomoatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, black pepper, basil and lemon juice. Mix well.
Slice bread 1/4 inch thick, brush with olive oil and toast under broiler until lightly brown. Remove from oven. Spoon shrimp mixture on top of toasted bread and serve immediately.
2 tomatoes, cubed
1 teaspoon dried basil
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
seasoning salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
Method
In a medium bowl, mix tomatoes, dried basil, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, garlic, seasoning salt and ground black pepper. Cover and chill in the refrigerator 8 hours, or overnight, before serving.
2 whole chicken breasts, split
coarse salt
freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 onion, peeled
1 sprig parsely
1 egg, beaten
bread crumbs
oil for frying
Bechamel sauce:
5 tbsps butter
6 tbsps flour
3/4 cup milk
salt
freshly ground pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
Method
Remove the small rib bones from the chicken, leaving the large breast bone intact.
Cook the breasts in water to cover with the salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaf, onion, and parsley. Add also the bones that have been removed. Cook about 15 minutes - do not overcook.
Remove the chicken and continue cooking the broth another 30 minutes. Reserve 3/4 cup of the broth for the bechamel sauce. cool, then chill the chicken.
To make the bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour, and cook a minute or so. Stir in the reserved broth, the milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook until the sauce is thickened and smooth. cool, stirring occasionally.
Dip the cold chicken pieces in the bechamel sauce, coating them completely on all sides.
Place the breasts on a plate and refrigerate until the sauce hardens, at least 1 hour.
Dip the breasts in the beaten egg, then into bread crumbs to coat. Fry immediately in hot oil, at least 1″ deep, until the chicken is golden on all sides. drain.
The trick lies in chilling the bechamel so that during frying it clings to the chicken.
