Faceromance

Braised Beef with Aspic and Marinated Vegetables (Boeuf
à la Mode en Gelée)

This is great for a summer brunch or buffet main course.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 pounds beef rolled rump roast
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 envelope unflavored gelatine
2 tablespoons cold water
1 teaspoon instant beef bouillon
1 cup dry red wine
Marinated Vegetables

Heat oil in Dutch oven until hot.
Cook beef over medium heat
until brown on all sides; drain.
Add 1/2 cup water; sprinkle beef
with salt and pepper.
Cover and bake at 325 degrees F until tender,
about 1 1/2 hours.
Cool slightly.
Cover and refrigerate beef and
broth separately at least 8 hours.

Sprinkle gelatine over 2 tablespoons water in saucepan; stir in
bouillon and wine.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly,
until gelatine is dissolved.
Remove from heat.
Skim fat from broth;
add enough cold water to broth to measure 1 cup.
Stir into gelatine
mixture.
Place pan with gelatine mixture in bowl of ice and water;
stir until mixture begins to thicken, 5 to 10 minutes.

Remove string from beef; trim fat.
Cut beef into very thin
slices; arrange on large platter.
Coat entire surface of beef with
small amount of gelatin mixture.
Pour any remaining mixture into a
9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
Cover and refrigerate beef and gelatine
mixture no longer than 24 hours.
Prepare Marinated Vegetables.

Arrange vegetables around beef.
Cut aspic in loaf dish into
small diamonds or squares; arrange around beef or serve
separately.

Yields 10 to 12 servings.

Marinated Vegetables
8 medium carrots
1 pound green beans
1 (16 ounce) can whole onions, drained
2/3 cup olive oil or vegetable oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Cut carrots into 2-inch pieces, rounding the edges so that they
resemble baby carrots, if desired.
Cover and cook carrots and beans
in 1-inch boiling salted water, using 1/2 teaspoon salt to 1 cup
water, in separate saucepans until tender; beans 15 to 20 minutes,
carrots 20 to 25 minutes; drain.

Arrange cooked vegetables and onions in separate sections in
shallow glass dish.
Shake remaining ingredients in tightly covered
jar; pour over vegetables.
Cover and refrigerate, spooning marinade
over vegetables occasionally, at least 2 hours.

Brioche

This has a tender crust and a feathery interior.

1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 egg white
1 cup butter, softened
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large mixer bowl.
Add sugar,
salt 4 eggs, egg white, butter and 2 cups of the flour.
Beat on low
speed, scraping bowl constantly, for 30 seconds.
Beat on medium
speed, scraping bowl occasionally, for 10 minutes.
Stir in
remaining flour until smooth.
Scrape batter from side of bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in warm place until double, about
1 hour.

Stir down batter by beating about 25 strokes.
Cover bowl tightly
with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 8 hours.

Stir down batter which will be soft and slightly sticky.
Divide
batter into halves.
Cover and refrigerate one half until ready to
use.
Shape 1/4 of the batter into a ball on lightly floured
surface.
Shape remaining 3/4 batter into a 3 1/2-inch flattened
round.
Repeat with refrigerated batter.

Grease two 5-cup brioche pans or two 1 1/2-quart ovenproof
bowls.
Place large rounds in pans, patting to fit.
Make indentation
about 2 inches in diameter in center of each; Place smaller balls
in indentations.
Cover and let rise until double, about 1 1/2
hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Beat egg yolk and 1 tablespoon
water slightly; brush over tops.
Do not let egg-yolk mixture
accumulate around edges of pans.
Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30
minutes.
Immediately remove from pans.

Individual Brioches
Grease 24 individual brioche pans or 2 1/2 x 1 1/4-inch muffin
cups.
Divide chilled batter into halves; refrigerate one half.
Shape remaining half into a 7 1/2-inch long roll.
Cut into 15
slices about 1/2 inch thick.

Working quickly with floured hands (batter will be soft and
slightly sticky), shape 12 of the slices into balls; place in pans.
Flatten and make a deep indentation in center of each.
Cut each of
the remaining 3 slices into 4 equal parts.
Shape each part into a
small ball; place a ball in each indentation.
Repeat with
refrigerated batter.
Cover and let rise until double, about 40
minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Beat egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water slightly; brush over tops.
Do not let egg-yolk mixture accumulate around edges of pans.
Bake
until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
Immediately remove from
pans.

Cheese Souffle (Soufflé au Fromage)

Serve with a lettuce salad and crusty French bread.

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of ground red pepper
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded Swiss or Gruyère cheese
4 eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Heat butter in 2-quart saucepan over low heat until melted.
Blend in flour, salt and red pepper.
Cook over low heat, stirring
constantly until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat.
Stir in milk.
Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.
Boil and stir 1
minute.
Stir in cheese until melted; remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large mixer bowl until
stiff but not dry.
Beat egg yolks in small mixer bowl until very
thick and lemon-colored, about 5 minutes; stir into cheese mixture.
Stir about 1/4 of the egg whites into cheese mixture.
Fold cheese
mixture into remaining egg whites.

Carefully pour into greased 1 1/2-quart soufflé
dish or casserole.
Bake uncovered until knife inserted halfway
between center and edge comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.
Serve
immediately.

Yields 4 servings.

Cheese Straw Twists (Diablotins)

1 (17 1/4 ounce) package frozen puff pastry
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon paprika
1 egg, slightly beaten

Thaw pastry as directed on package.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Cover two cookie sheets with
parchment or heavy brown paper.

Mix cheese and paprika.
Roll 1 sheet of pastry into a 10 x
12-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface, using floured
stockinet-covered rolling pin.

Brush pastry with egg; sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of the cheese
mixture.
Gently press cheese mixture into pastry.
turn pastry over;
repeat with egg and cheese mixture.
Fold pastry lengthwise into
halves.
Cut pastry crosswise into 1/2-inch strips.
Unfold strips;
roll each end in opposite directions to twist.
Place twists on
cookie sheet.
Bake until twists are puffed and golden brown, 7 to 8
minutes.
Repeat with remaining sheet of pastry, egg and cheese
mixture.

Makes about 48 twists.

Lemon Madeleines

1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon salt
Confectioners’ sugar

Melt butter or margarine; set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 400
degrees F.
Grease a Madeleine pan.

In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat eggs, sugar,
yogurt, lemon extract, and vanilla extract until blended,
occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula.
Increase speed to
high; beat until very light and lemon-colored, about 5 minutes,
occasionally scraping bowl.

Reduce speed to low; beat in flour, grated lemon peel, salt, and
melted margarine or butter until blended.
Spoon 1 tablespoon batter
into each Madeleine shell.
Bake 10 to 15 minutes until Madeleines
are golden brown.

Immediately remove Madeleines from shells to wire racks to cool.
Repeat until all batter is used, greasing Madeleine pan each time.
Sprinkle Madeleines lightly with confectioners’ sugar.
Store
Madeleines in tightly covered container if not serving right away
to prevent them from becoming soggy.

Makes about 2 dozen.

Madeleines

2 eggs (at room temperature)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sifted flour
1/2 cup clarified butter, melted and cooled

Grease and flour well 12 Madeleine shells.

Beat eggs with salt until frothy; then gradually beat in sugar.
Beat the mixture at high speed until very thick and lemon colored,
about 15 to 20 minutes.
Fold in the flour, 2 tablespoons at a time,
and the lemon peel, if desired.
Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time,
and fold it in quickly.
Fill shells about 3/4 full and bake in a
preheated 400 degrees F oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden.
Remove from shells to wire rack to cool.

Makes 12.

Gateau St.
Honore

1 1/2 cups water
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 large eggs
Rich Pastry Cream
Melted semisweet chocolate or confectioners’ sugar

Heat water and butter to boiling in medium saucepan, stirring
until butter is melted.
Remove from heat; add flour and salt all at
once stirring until combined.
Return to heat, cook over medium
heat, stirring constantly, until dough leaves the side of the pan
and forms a ball, 3 to 4 minutes.
Remove pan from heat.
Beat in
eggs, one at a time, beating until well blended after each
addition.

Fill pastry bag with large plain tip and pipe dough onto cookie
sheets, or spoon dough onto greased cookie sheets, using about 1
1/2 tablespoons for each cream puff.
Smooth tops of puffs with a
wet spoon or finger.
Bake at 400 degrees F until cream puffs are
golden and dry, 30 to 40 minutes.
(Do not open oven door during
first 20 minutes.) Cool puffs on wire racks.

Cut cream puffs in half with a serrated knife; gently pull out
any wet dough in center of puffs.
Return puffs to oven and bake
until insides are dry, about 5 minutes.
Fill puffs with Rich Pastry
Cream up to 1 hour before serving.
Arrange puffs in a circular or
wreath pattern on serving dish; refrigerate until serving time.
Drizzle cream puffs with melted chocolate and/or sprinkle with
confectioners’ sugar.
Makes 3 to 4 dozen mini-cream puffs.

Rich Pastry Cream
8 egg yolks
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat egg yolks and sugar in large bowl until eggs are thick and
pale yellow, about 5 minutes.

Mix in flour.
Heat milk to simmering in small saucepan;
gradually whisk milk into egg yolk mixture.
Return mixture to
saucepan; cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until
sauce boils and thickens.
Remove from heat.
Add butter and vanilla
extract to pastry cream, stirring until butter is melted.
Refrigerate until chilled, 1 to 2 hours.

Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

Stuffed Beret Bread

Posted by Joyce’S 8/12/2001, 6:56 am

Source: From Francine, Charlesbourg - Cooking For Us

Comments: If desired, serve with a French bread stick, as it is
quite possible that you will need some more bread! Servings: 6 to
8

1 bag fresh spinach
1 pack dry vegetable soup mix
16 ounces [500 mL] sour cream
1 cup [250 mL] mayonnaise
1 onion, chopped
1 beret bread loaf

Microwave spinach for 2 minutes; wipe dry and chop.
Mix together
soup mix, sour cream, mayonnaise, chopped onion and spinach.
Refrigerate mixture until ready to serve.
Remove top part of bread;
cube inside part of bread (being careful not cut through the crust)
and arrange bread cubes all around bread loaf.
Pour onion/spinach
mixture into bread loaf.
Using long forks, each guest will dip
bread cubes, one at a time, into mixture before eating.
When loaf
is empty, break-up and eat the crust.

Bouquet Garni

4 sprigs parsley
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves

Put into a cheesecloth bag or place in a tea ball.

Croissants

Posted by artsycook

These take some time but are worth the effort!

1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup warm water, 105 to 115 degrees F
1 egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cold butter or margarine
1 egg , beaten
Poppy seeds (optional)

In a large bowl, add yeast.
Sprinkle with salt and sugar.
Add
water and stir until yeast is dissolved.

Add 1 egg and flour, a little at a time (save some flour for
rolling dough), kneading until smooth and satiny.
Put dough onto
floured surface and fold to a square, about 1/2-inch thick.

Slice butter thinly and cover half of the dough with sliced
butter.
Fold other half of dough over and Press together.
Roll
dough out again lightly to a rectangle.
Fold into thirds and let
dough rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Repeat step 3 twice
and let dough rest between rollings.

Roll dough out to a rectangle, 8 x 20 inches, and cut out 5 to
10 squares.
Divide each into a triangle by cutting diagonally.
Starting at the base, roll each to form a croissant.
Fold tips of
croissants slightly.
Put on baking sheets and let rise, covered in
a warm place for about 20 minutes.

Brush croissants with beaten egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds,
if used, Bake at 425 degrees F for 8 to 13 minutes, depending on
the size.
Even though it’s a little more time
consuming, these croissants are worth the wait! This recipe is even
better than most store-bought ones.

This makes 10 large or 20 small croissants so you might want to
make a double batch.