A Whole Lotta Crostata

I love Jam. I swear preserves are one of the greatest achievements of mankind. There is just something awesome about fruit smeared over toast, croissant or crumpet. There is only one problem with this delicious innovation. Due to my slightly obsessive behavior, OK, forget the slightly... My refrigerator tends to accumulate an excessive amount of 'Jars du Jam'. When I can no longer open the door without a plethora of crashing glass, it is time to clean house. The fastest way I know to eliminate a mound of marmalade, is to bake Crostata.

Crostata is a delicious free form jam tart from Italy. Wonderfully simple, charmingly rustic and absolutely delicious. I'm crazy about them. (Much to the relief of my refrigerator) Thus is was, this evening, that I cleaned out the reminants of 5 Jams... On the list this evening was the last of what had been my frozen Meyer Lemon Curd as well as the disturbingly green Key Lime Curd from a couple months ago. These were closely followed by some Swedish Cranberry, Black Currant Jelly and Strawberry. I am now Jam free, which leaves plenty more room for any new and interesting preserves I... er, um... OK, maybe I will hold off ---- for just a little while.

Crostata

1 recipe Pâte Brisée
Jam, Marmalade, Jelly or Curd of your choosing
1 large egg or egg white ; well beaten (whole egg produced more golden color, white alone produces shine)
Sanding Sugar or Demerara sugar

First prepare the Pâte Brisée.
Once the dough can be gathered together, cut into eight pieces.

Roll each piece into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap; chill for 30 mintues.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Remove 1 pasty ball and turn out onto a floured surface

Roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. (it doesn't have to be a perfect circle, this is rustic)

Spread about 2-3 TB of Jam/Jelly/Marmalade/Curd in the center using an offset spatula; leaving a 1/2 to 3/4 inch boarder for folding.

Begin folding the edges over, allowing them to wrinkle as you are going.

Move to a parchment lined baking sheet (I use 2 spatulas)

Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and brush with egg or egg white.

Sprinkle the edge with Sanding or Demerara sugar.

Return to the oven for 12-15 minutes.
Move to a rack to cool completely, cause hot jam REALLY burns.


And there you have it...
Key Lime and Meyer Lemon Curd

Top left - Strawberry; Top right and Bottom left - Swedish Cranberry; Bottom right - Black Currant.

Mangia!!
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Jambalaya, Crawfish Pie... Blackened Catfish!

This is really the only way I eat Catfish anymore... I recommend Channel Cat, as it has a very mild flavor, almost like Tilapia. I made the mistake of eating Mud Cat before and I understand why it was given that name. I have many fond memories of childhood trips to Oxbow Dam on the Snake River bordering Oregon & Idaho, to go Cattin'... Staying up till the wee hours of the morning, hauling huge Catfish out of the river, of course there was the occasion Carp, which eats catfish eggs or anything else that gets near it greedy maw. Breakfasts of Crapy, caught during the previous day.... With pancakes cooked on the Coleman. Ah, the good old days...
I usually make a quadruple batch of this rub to keep on hand. But for a family of four, 1 lb of catfish is plenty.

Blackened Catfish

Blackening Rub:
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Sweet Paprika
1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
1/4 tsp Dried Marjoram
1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
1/4 tsp Cayenne – or to taste, I use just a pinch more than 1/4 tsp
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper

With a mortar and pestle, grind oregano, Marjoram, Thyme and Kosher Salt
In a small bowl, combine all the herbs, spices, and sugar.

Blackened Catfish:
1 recipe of rub
2 Catfish Fillets about 8 oz each
1 large Clove of Garlic, sliced thin
1 TB Olive oil
1 TB unsalted butter

Pat your catfish dry and lay out on a bleach-able surface.

Sprinkle the spice mixture on both sides, go ahead and rub it in to ensure complete and even coverage.

In a large skillet, sauté the sliced garlic in olive oil over moderately high heat, just until golden.

Remove garlic from pan and throw it away,
Add butter to the pan;

Once the foam subsides introduce the fillets to the pan.

Sauté for 4 minutes on each side or until almost cooked through (They will finish cooking after you remove them from the pan)

Serve with vegetable Jambalaya, as I did above.

Although I have to admit, my Jambalaya was not from scratch, I had help from Zatarain's... But if you would like to try an excellent homemade Jambalaya, look no further than Spryte's Place. Incredible!!

Mangia!!
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