Goin' Nuts for Blue Cheese - Gorgonzola & Walnut Tart

 Every once in awhile, I get a hankerin' for something SUPER cheesy.  Normally, when this happens, I turn to Macaroni & Cheese in all it's myriad permutations.  After all, what better way is there to showcase cheese than pouring it's rich, gooey and melty deliciousness over a mound of pasta? 

But if you are a blue cheese lover, as I am, this tart that will roll your cheese wheel right out the door.  It's so rich, creamy and cheesy that even I can only eat a small slice, to be accompanied by Watercress soup and a very VERY large salad, to break up the cheesiness. 

This is a French tart that has no equal.  You can consume your whole daily caloric intake in one fell swoop with this one.  But it's sooooooooo good.  The filling is simply a cheese laden custard (similar to a quiche) that is them sprinkled with toasty walnuts to add some crunch.

I actually prefer Gorgonzola for this one.  It seems to me that Gorgonzola melts a little smoother than some other crumbly Blue Cheeses.  I also think that it's flavor profile better pairs with toasted walnuts and the peppercorns in the pastry crust. Which reminds me.  It's not simply the tart filling that is rich and high in calories, the crust I like to use for this is my infamous Sour Cream/Peppercorn pastry dough that I usually reserve for certain quiches and my Asparagus / Gruyere Tart. 

Gorgonzola & Walnut Tart

1 recipe for Sour Cream Peppercorn Pastry Crust
1 cup (100g) Walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 cup (236ml) Heavy Cream
3 large Eggs
2 large Egg Yolks
6 oz (170g) Gorgonzola, crumbled (you can use Stilton, Saga, or Roquefort if you prefer)
Salt & Pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F (200C) degrees.
Meanwhile, prepare the Sour Cream Peppercorn Pastry dough; roll the pastry out to fit a 10 inch quiche dish or a fluted tart pan and chill while the oven continues to preheat.

When the oven comes to temperature, toast the walnuts for 5 minutes.

When the Walnuts are finished, remove the pastry from the refrigerator, line with foil or parchment and fill with beans or weights then bake for 10 minutes.

Remove the foil and beans/rice/weights and bake for an additional 5 minutes. (just until the crust is cooked, but still very pale)

Reduce the oven temperature to 350F (180C) degrees.
Whisk the Eggs, Egg Yolks and Heavy Cream together in a small bowl.

Add the crumbled Gorgonzola and stir.

Season with Salt and Pepper, then pour the filling into the warm tart shell.

Sprinkle with toasted Walnuts.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, depending on your oven, just until the top begins to brown.

Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before attempting to cut.

Delightfully cheesy and UBER rich.  This is most definitely NOT a diet food, that is for sure.

Mangia!!
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Grits to Glory - Polenta Corn Bread

I have an extreme love/hate relationship with corn bread.  It can take a bowl of chili to intoxicating highs, when executed properly, or devastating lows when not.  Sadly, all of the cornbread I have consumed in restaurants has fallen short of my expectations.  Way short.  Like "careening down a depression spiral" short.  What is the obsession with sweet corn bread?  Why would anyone want Maple or Honey Butter to smear on something that is already so sweet it makes your teeth hurt? I just don't understand this "Cornbread" that is really more of a light and fluffy corn muffin.  Don't get me wrong, I LIKE corn muffins... for breakfast, not with my chili.

So how do I like my cornbread?  Well, it should have a dense, but tender crumb.  Crusty on the outside, moist on the inside.  Savory deliciousness should be the prevalent flavor, not sweet and cloying.  Inclusions of Cheddar, Onion, or Bacon are welcomed, but not a necessity. 

As a result of the above criterion for palatable cornbread, I have concluded that I like buttermilk based cornbreads that are baked in a cast iron skillet that has been liberally smothered with copious amounts of butter, which has been browned in the oven prior to dispensing the cornbread batter therein.  In order to facilitate a more dense crumb, only a SMALL amount of flour is necessary.  Just enough to keep the corn bread from crumbling in your hand.  To achieve a moist interior, I take a tip from the Italians.  I find that the addition of a polenta-ish mixture made with chicken stock fits the bill quite nicely.  True, it's more of a cornmeal mush than polenta, since I don't cook it nearly long enough, but polenta sounds classy, so I am sticking with it.  LOL

Luckily, I have Buttermilk left over from making Cultured Butter a couple days ago.  Woo Hoo!
But enough chewin' the fat.  Here is how I make my cornbread.

Polenta Cornbread

3 TB unsalted Butter, cut into pieces
118ml (4oz) (1/2 cup) Chicken Stock
280g (9.8oz) (1-3/4 cups) Medium-Grind Stone-Ground Yellow Cornmeal, divided (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
64g (2.25 oz) (1/2 cup) AP Flour  (just a little bit)
2 TB granulated Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
pinch of Cayenne
236ml (8oz) (1 cup) Buttermilk
5 TB Sour Cream
2 large Eggs, lightly beaten
optional - 85g (3 oz) (3/4 cup) Cheddar cheese

Heat the oven to 425°F and throw a 10-12 inch cast iron skillet in there.
In a small saucepan, bring chicken stock to a boil.

Divide up your corn meal by placing 80g (2.8 oz) (1/2 cup) in a small bowl, and the remaining 200g (7 oz) (1 1/4 cups) in a large bowl.

Add the Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, Salt, Baking Soda and Cayenne, then whisk to combine and set aside.

When the chicken stock comes to a boil, pour it over the cornmeal in the small bowl, whisking constantly, until it forms a polenta-ish mass (or puls, or mush, as the case may be).

Add the Buttermilk, Sour Cream, and Eggs to the cornmeal mush and whisk after each one is added.

Now is also the time to add any Cheese if you like. (always add to the wet ingredients, whether cheddar, green onions, bacon, diced jalapeno or all of them at once)

When the oven and pan are fully heated (about 15 minutes) remove the skillet from the oven and add the butter then throw it back in the oven (not literally, cause that would be messy) and let the butter melt and brown slightly.

While the butter is melting, add the Buttermilk/Polenta mixture to the dry ingredients in the large bowl, and stir, just until blended. (don't over mix, it doesn't need to be completely smooth)

Remove the cast iron skillet from the oven and tilt the pan to swirl the butter around to coat the pan evenly, then pour the butter into the batter and stir to combine about 6-8 strokes should be good.

Pour the batter into the hot skillet. (The sizzling is music to the ear)

Place back in the oven for about 18-20 minutes, or until the cornbread pulls away from the side of the skillet.

Remove the skillet from the oven and immediately turn the bread out onto a rack and allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges.

Serve hot, with a big bowl of chili. (though not necessarily as adorn with condiments as this bowl is).

mmmmmm  Crunchy exterior, dense, moist and totally tender interior... THIS is the stuff dreams are made of.

Mangia!!
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Wordless Wednesday - Hungarian Inspired Mushroom Soup

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Wordless Wednesday - Guilty Pleasures

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Leapin' Lepeshki - lep-YOSH-key

Since I have been on a scone kick lately, I thought it might be nice to travel to mainland Europe and touch on something rather scone-like.  After all, the English haven't completely cornered the market on tea time treats.

Meet the Lepeshki (lep-YOSH-key) of Eastern Europe.  A delicious Rye Flour based scone/cookie containing Sour Cream instead of the Cream and Butter of the English Scone.  The Sour cream is not merely an affectation of the region.  Just as with Rye Bread, the Sour Cream provides the necessary acid in the dough to prevent the Amylase from breaking down the starches in the Rye, thus allowing for a better rise.  There is a little bonus acidity provided by the honey that is used in the sweetening of these delectable pastries as well.

So in a nutshell, this is a rich whole grain (though there is some AP flour too) "scone" that has been lightly sweetened with Honey and delicately flavored with Almonds.  Yeah, delicious with Tea... or Coffee... or Milk... or Water....  hmmmm  or with a second Lepeshki.  LOL

Lepeshki

2 cups (8 oz) (235g) Dark Rye Flour
1 1/2 cups (6.7 oz) (190g) AP Flour; plus a little more for rolling
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 TB Baking Powder
1/4 cup (.8 oz) (25g) Sugar
1 tsp Baking Soda 
1/2 (4 oz) (112g) cup Honey
3/4 cup (3 oz) (90g) Sour Cream
1 1/2 TB Whole Milk
3/4 tsp Almond Extract 
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 large Eggs; 1 TB of the white removed
1 oz sliced Almond

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C)(GM 6).
Whisk Rye Flour, AP Flour, Salt, Baking Powder, Sugar and Baking Soda together in a medium bowl, making a well in the center.

In a separate small bowl combine Honey, Sour Cream, Milk and Extracts.

Crack eggs into a tiny bowl, separating 1 TB of white from 1 of the eggs into a separate bowl.

Beat eggs briefly with a fork and add to the Sour Cream mixture.

Pour this Egg/Sour Cream mixture into the well you have made in the flour.

Mix together with a fork or your finger, in a circular motion slowly incorporating more of the liquid as you mix until you have formed a soft dough.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and roll the dough to about 1/2 inch thick.

Using a round cutter, make 2 1/2 inch to 3 inch rounds and place on a parchment lined sheet pan.

With a dry pastry brush, remove any excess flour from the tops of the lepeshki.

Whisk the reserved egg white slightly to break it up a little.

Brush with reserved egg white onto the top of each round,

then lay sliced almond across the top.

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes; they will still be very light in color, but you do not want to over toast the almonds on top.

Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Try and wait until they are cooled before serving...  I usually can't wait that long.  :)

Mangia!!
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