Cucina DiBella

Brioche

As a self-proclaimed carb freak, I love starting my day  off with anything bread related.  Eggs, smoothies, they're ok.  But hand me a bagel, croissant, or muffin and I'm good to go.  So, the idea of brioche, a soft, buttery bread from Normandie, instantly clicked with me.

Brioche is pretty simple to make, though I'll admit that my Kitchen Aid stand mixer did a lot of the work.  It's also a really versatile breakfast food, lending itself to whatever you may have on hand.  I ate mine smothered in Nutella, while my sister topped her with some of our mom's home made peach honey.  You can make one large loaf of brioche, but I opted for individual sized loaves by putting the dough in a muffin tin.  This makes the bread perfect to bring to work or share with family and friends (if you don't eat them all yourself)! 

Brioche

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Makes 12 mini-brioche

*Note - requires dough to sit overnight

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups flour plus 1/2 cup extra

1 packet instant yeast

1/4 cup warm water

2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

5 eggs at room temperature

2 sticks butter, softened, cut into tablespoons

Process:

1. Put 1 1/2 cups of flour, the yeast, the water, and 4 of the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Mix until all ingredients are completely incorporated.  Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let sit for 45 minutes.
2. The mixture should have formed some bubbles at this point.  Add 1 1/4 cups flour, the sugar, and the salt.  Knead by hand or with a dough hook in an electric mixer for 10 minutes until the dough is no longer sticky.  If the dough is too sticky, add part or all of the extra 1/2 cup flour a little at a time.
3. If using a stand mixer, add the butter two tablespoons at a time while the mixer runs at a medium speed.  Wait until one piece of butter is thoroughly incorporated before adding the next.  Continue until all butter is added.  If hand kneading the dough, place two tablespoons of butter at a time in the dough, and knead it until the butter has incorporated before continuing with the rest of the butter.
4. In a greased bowl, cover the dough with a damp towel and let sit for 1 hour.  Then, put the bowl in the refrigerator to sit overnight.
5. Take the dough out of the bowl and divide into twelve even pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball and place in a greased muffin tin.  (If you want your brioche to look fancy, tear a piece the size of a marble off of each dough ball.  Make a dimple on the top of each dough ball once in the muffin tin, and place the marble of dough in this dimple.)
6. Let the brioche rise in the tin for 45 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
7. Use a fork to whisk the last egg in a bowl.  Brush the egg wash over the tops of the brioche.
8. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.  Serve warm.

Ryan's rating of Brioche - 4.

1 - Awful. If you make this again I'll shove a fork in my eye.

2 - Meh. It's not my favorite, but I won't threaten self-harm if it shows up again.

3 - Good. I wouldn't feel forced to order a pizza behind your back. 

4 - Great! I will fight you for the leftovers.

5 - Love it! Make it again tomorrow. Or immediately and I will bathe in it.

Stew Forestiere

Fist off, happy birthday to my awesome sister, Jeanne!

Ok for the question I know you're all thinking. What jackass decides that the perfect time to make a stew is smack dab in the middle of the obnoxiously humid weather we've been hit with on the East Coast? What is it about having the stove on for several hours that screamed "good idea"?  Seriously, this is what my cat has looked like for the last week. If he didn't strategically reposition his overly fluffy tail every few hours, I'd be wondering if he were still alive.

Well, I'm happy to report that 1.) my cat is not dead and 2.) despite some awful judgement on my part about the best time to make this dish (like when it's NOT 95 degrees outside), it was totally worth it.  This stew was one of the most delicious new recipes I've tried in awhile.  I can't imagine how amazing it must taste in winter when it's cold and nasty out and all you want is something warm and hearty to eat.

This Normande stew is really quite simple. It's traditionally made with veal, but as I've made clear in the past, I don't do veal. So instead, I used pork tenderloin, which was unbelievably perfect in this dish.  Now, in honor of my sister and other non-mammal eaters, I'd like to add that turkey is a great substitute as well.  When I was making this, I was tasting it along the way (and when I say tasting I mean I ate a full serving), and was tempted to stop after the stew had finished simmering and not add the cream as the recipe demands.  The stew was that good already. So, I added cream to a small amount of the stew in a seperate bowl and gave it a try.  Brilliance! I don't know where the hell I get off thinking I know better than the creators of these decades old French recipes, but I will fully admit that I was wrong on this one. No matter how good you think the stew is when it has finished simmering, make sure you add the cream! It adds layers of depth to the stew and really pulls it all together. And don't ask me to tell you about the gloriousness that is the crispy prosciutto added on top. It might make me cry since I've run out of prosciutto.

Ryan and I ate this stew with some rice and it made for a wonderful meal.  It would be even better alongside some potatoes!

Stew Forestiere

Adapted from Serious Eats: French in a Flash

-Serves 3-4-

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1 inch cubes

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 large shallots, diced

1 five to eight ounce package shiitake mushrooms, sliced

3 loose oyster mushrooms (or a full package if you want more mushrooms), sliced

2 1/2 cups beef broth

1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary (more if using fresh)

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon butter, room temperature

1 1/2 tablespoon flour

1/4 cup heavy cream

3-4 slices prosciutto

Process:

1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.
2. When the oil is hot, add the pork and cook just until brown on all sides. The pork will finish cooking later. (Note: you want a nice sear on the meat, so don't add too much at once. If you have too much pork for your pot, sear it in batches.  Doing it all at once and having your pot too full will make the meat steam, not sear.  So cook the pork in only one thin layer at a time.)
3. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside in a bowl.  Add the garlic and shallots to the pot.  Cook for about 4 minutes until the shallots begin to soften, but don't brown.
4. When the shallots are softened, turn the heat up to medium-high and add the mushrooms.  Cook about 6 minutes until the mushrooms are softened and begin to get a little brown on the edges.
5. Return the pork to the pan.  Add the beef broth, rosemary, salt and pepper.
6. Bring the stew up to boiling, then turn the heat down to low and let simmer for an hour and a half.
7. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Lay the prosciutto on a cookie sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes until it is crisp.  Set aside until the stew is finished.
8. When the stew has been simmering for an hour and a half, combine the butter and flour in a bowl until well mixed.  Add to the stew and stir until it is well incorporated.  This will quickly thicken the stew.
9. Remove the pot from the heat.  Stir in the cream.
10. Ladle into bowls and crumble pieces of the proscuitto that was set aside onto the top of the stew.  Serve with rice or potatoes, or on its own!

Ryan's rating of Stew Forestiere - 5. You may want to make a lot of this. Ry was NOT happy that we didn't have a week's worth of leftovers after this one!

1 - Awful. If you make this again I'll shove a fork in my eye.

2 - Meh. It's not my favorite, but I won't threaten self-harm if it shows up again.

3 - Good. I wouldn't feel forced to order a pizza behind your back. 

4 - Great! I will fight you for the leftovers.

5 - Love it! Make it again tomorrow. Or immediately and I will bathe in it.

Omelette Normande

As promised, I'm moving right into the second week of recipes from Normandie.  There are two different omelettes traditionally attributed to Normandie.  One is the Omelette de la Mere Poulard.  The patronne of a hotel on Mont St. Michel, Madame Poulard and her hotel were renowned for her wonderful omelettes.  People spent years trying to replicate her recipe, and it is thought that her secret was in separating the yolks from the whites and beating them separately before cooking the omelette, making the dish quite similar to a souffle.  However it was done, people came from all over the world to sample her delicious recipe.

The other type of omelette well known in Normandie is the Omelette Normande.  Like most signature dishes of the region, this omelette includes cream, apples, and Calvados (if you have it).  Since I didn't have any Calvados, I opted not to add anything and it was fine.  But I guess I should back up before people get too confused.  Yes, this omelette uses cream and apples as well as sugar and cinnamon.  It is meant to be a dessert omelette, though my husband and I both felt that it would be equally delicious as a sweet breakfast. No matter when you cook it, it will do wonders for the aroma of your kitchen.  For hours after making this, our kitchen smelled deliciously like french toast!

The instructions for the actual creation of the omelette are from my husband.  Not being very proficient with eggs, it took me two failed attempts before I got him involved to help me create a omelette that didn't burn on the bottom before it even cooked through, and that didn't stick to the bottom of the pan.  Ryan is a pro at all things eggs, so he was able to help me out and give me his secret for making great omelettes!  Hope his tips work as well for you as they did for me!

Omelette Normande

Adapted from France Monthly

-Makes 4 two-egg omelettes-

Ingredients:

2 large apples of your preference (I stood by Granny Smith), peeled and chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

2 tablespoons butter

6 tablespoons sugar

2 pinches cinnamon

8 eggs

4 tablespoons cream (or skim milk will do if you want to make this a little lighter!)

4 tablespoons Calvados or brandy (or nothing if you don't have either of these items)

Process:

1. Over medium heat, cook the apples, butter, 2 tablespoons sugar, and the cinnamon in a skillet for about 5 minutes or until the apples become soft. 
2. In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, remaining 4 tablespoons of sugar, and Calvados or brandy if you are using it.
3. Using a clean pan, spray generously with non-stick spray.  (Butter did NOT work in place of the spray.)
4. Heat the pan to a medium-low heat. When the pan is hot, pour in 1/4 of the egg mixture, enough for 1 omelette.  Let the eggs cook a few minutes until the mixture begins to firm up around the edges.  Once it begins to firm up, add 1/4 of the apple mixture to the egg, distributing the apple pieces evenly over the omelette.  Let cook a few more minutes until cooked through.
5. Fold the omelette in half and slide onto a plate. Garnish with extra apples and serve hot!

Ryan's rating of Omelette Normande - 4.

1 - Awful. If you make this again I'll shove a fork in my eye.

2 - Meh. It's not my favorite, but I won't threaten self-harm if it shows up again.

3 - Good. I wouldn't feel forced to order a pizza behind your back. 

4 - Great! I will fight you for the leftovers.

5 - Love it! Make it again tomorrow. Or immediately and I will bathe in it.

Tarte Normande Aux Pommes

Alright y'all. I'm back. For good this time, I promise. The house has been purchased, papers signed, and keys turned over. So I finally have my own kitchen and can start cooking again. Not only do I have my own kitchen, but it's got way more counter space than our apartment did, AND has a gas stove. And ok fine, the decor of the kitchen leaves something to be desired (think teal cabinets and flower drawer pulls from the '70s), but before too long I'll have my Mediterranean kitchen! 

So, in case you can't remember (which is more than likely since it's been so long since I've written anything), we left off on our first of two weeks of cuisine from Normandie.  Another refresher - apples abound in this northwestern region of France.  Like most people, I LOVE apple pie.  Sometimes though, it's nice to mix things up and make an apple pie that's a little different.  This apple pie from Normandy gives you just that.  A tart rather than a pie, Tarte Normande fills a pie crust with slices of apples and a custard.  This is almost a more sophisticated version of an apple pie.  It still packs a punch of pure deliciousness; my 8 year old niece even announced to her friend's family at a chorus concert that, "My Aunt Sue makes the best apple pie EVER!".  Now, I'm not vain enough to think that's anywhere near the truth, but this shameless self promotion really just makes the point that even kids won't be turned off if you go for a French apple torte rather than the normal apple pie.

So this torte is a Julia Child recipe and I assume it is wonderful just as she recommended it, but I had to make some adjustments since I baked this while living with my brother-in-law for three weeks and intruding myself into their kitchen.  First off, I totally cheated.  Not wanting to take over their kitchen too much, I bought a pre-made pie crust from the store.  Don't look at me like that! Baking a pie crust results in flour on every possible surface of a kitchen, and I didn't want to do that to them.  Also, Julia's recipe calls for powdered sugar to be sprinkled to the top of the pie.  My husband handed me some powdered sugar in a ziplock bag from his brother's pantry.  At least, he thought it was powdered sugar. Just to be sure, I tasted a little before adding it to the pie. Straight up baking soda. If I had used that I may have made him eat the entire ruined torte as punishment.  So, without powdered sugar, I added brown sugar to half of the torte, and regular sugar to the other half. Definitely go with the brown sugar. So there you go.  See the recipe for my modified version of Julia Child's Tarte Normande Aux Pommes!

 
   You can see where I tried topping it with different kinds of sugar - the right side is the winner with a brown sugar topping. 

 
The dark countertops in the background really make for a dramatic picture. I feel like I should be on PBS as the cooking version of The Joy of Painting. "Happy little tortes!"

 
Also, it makes me sad that my husband's phone takes better pictures than my camera.

Tarte Normande Aux Pommes

Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1, Simone Beck, Louisette Bertholle, and Julia Child, 1961.

Ingredients:

1 8 inch pie crust (bonus points if you don't cheat like me and buy it!)

2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled and sliced thinly

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and sliced thinly

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 egg

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 tablespoon almond extract

brown sugar to sprinkle over top

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the apples, 1/3 cup sugar, and the cinnamon.  Put the apples into the pie shell and bake for 20 minutes. (Note: don't worry if this seems like too many apple slices for the pie shell - they will shrink down a little while baking.)
3. While the apples bake, make the custard.  Beat the egg and the remaining sugar in a bowl until the mixture becomes thick.  Next, whisk in the flour until fully incorporated.  Finally, mix in the whipping cream and almond extract.  Whisk until everything is mixed together thoroughly.
4. When the apples are done baking, remove from the oven.  Pour the custard over the apples into the pie crust.  Carefully, return the crust to the oven and let bake for 10 minutes.
5. After 10 minutes, sprinkle the top of the pie with the brown sugar.  Return to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes.  When finished, test by inserting a knife into the custard. If it is done, the knife will come out clean.
6. Serve warm.

Ryan's rating of Tarte Normande Aux Pommes - 4

Sole Meuniere

When I first found the recipe for Sole Meuniere, the first thing that came to my mind is a scene from Julie & Julia.  It's one of the opening scenes in which Julia Childs is in a restaurant with her husband and she orders fish.  When her meal comes out she inhales deeply and says with pure pleasure, "Butter!".  Now, I don't know that this dish is the same as the one presented in the movie, but it sure is close. 

The fish, traditionally sole, is cooked in butter with some lemon juice and capers.  If you are looking for a light fish recipe, you should probably look elsewhere. This one is decadent and delicious, but not particularly light.  While this is traditionally made with sole, I chose to use haddock, which is more easily available in my area.  Though not traditional, really any white, flaky fish would work.

Sole Meuniere

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients:

4 sole fillets (or haddock, tilapia, etc.)

Flour for dredging

salt

pepper

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

6 tablespoons butter

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

1/2 tablespoon capers

Process:

1. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Dredge the fish in flour. Shake off any excess. 
2. Heat the olive oil and two tablespoons of butter in a large, heavy bottomed pan to a medium-high heat.  When hot, place the fish in the pan.  Cook about 3 minutes until the fish is golden brown on the bottom.  Carefully flip the fish and cook another 2-3 minutes until it is cooked through.  Remove the fish to a plate; cover to keep warm.
3. In a clean pan, add the remaining four tablespoons of butter and melt over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat and add the lemon, parsley, and capers.  Pour over the fish.  Serve hot.

Ryan's rating of Sole Meuniere - 4.5

Mussels Mariniere

Ok, change of plans.  Remember how I said in the last post that I was still going to try to cook dishes from Upper and Lower Normandy as two separate regions? Well forget that part.  In doing my research for these regions, it has proven to be VERY difficult to decipher between the two.  So rather than pass on mis-information by saying that a dish is from one region when it is in fact from another, I'm just going to do two weeks worth of recipes from the larger, joint region of Normandy.  Because, well, I'm making this up as I go along and that's what I feel like doing! 

So, being situated along a wonderful coastline, Normandy has an abundance of seafood to offer its culinary followers.  One of the classic recipes from Normandy is Mussels Mariniere.  This is a delicious dish of mussels cooked in a white wine sauce.  Another mussels recipe from Normandy, Mussels a la Normande, is basically a more fancy version of Mussels Mariniere, adding cream and sometimes substituting apple cider for the wine.  I went with the Mussels Mariniere version though, and I do NOT regret it. This dish is delicious and is absolutely perfect on its own with nothing but a hunk of fresh bread to dip in the sauce.  The pictures don't do the recipe justice, since you can't really see the sauce, so just trust that it is worth the time!

 
   
Mussels Mariniere

Adapted from Big Oven

Ingredients:

2 pounds mussels

3 tablespoons butter

1 shallot, diced

1 cup white wine

1 teaspoon chopped thyme

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

salt

pepper

Process:

1. Clean the mussels.  Let sit in a bowl of water with a palmful of cornmeal for 30 minutes to extract any remaining sand.  Discard any mussels that are already open
2. Put a large pan over medium to medium high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon of butter and let melt.  Add the shallots and let cook about 2 minutes until soft.
3. Add the mussels, wine, thyme and parsley.  Cover and let cook about 5 minutes until the mussels are open.  Take the mussels out of the pan and put in a bowl, leaving the broth in the pan.  Discard any mussels that did not open.
4. Add the remaining two tablespoons of butter to the pan.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a light boil and let the sauce thicken to your preference. 
5. Pour the sauce over the mussels.  Serve hot.

Ryan's rating of Mussels Mariniere - 5.

 

Baked Camembert

So to answer your question, no, I haven't forgotten about Cucina DiBella.  Things have been a little crazy the past few weeks.  My husband and I are buying our first home (eek!) and so we've been spending ungodly amounts of time dealing with that. 

I was also in Florida for a week for my mom's birthday, enjoying the sun and heat.  So while I don't expect sympathy since I was blissfully relaxed in the sun last week, don't think I quit writing altogether! 

 

The next region in France that I'm covering is Basse Normandie.  The region of Normandie is actually broken into two administrative regions; Basse (Lower) Normandie and Haute (Upper) Normandie.  Often these two regions are grouped together as one culinary region, I'm going to try to separate them as much as possible.  However, it's entirely possible (and likely) that something I write about under Basse Normandie may be equally prevalent in Haute Normandie.  Hey, it's great food either way, right?

On to the food. Oh my deliciousness.  This recipe from Basse Normandie is amazing.  It's a little individual sized puff pastry wrapped around thinly sliced apples and Camembert and baked to perfection.  There are a ton of recipes for Baked Camembert that include different fillings to complement the Camembert, but I chose to go with sliced apples because they provide just the right amount of sweetness.  Also, apples are another typical product from Lower Normandy, and so it seemed a fitting pairing for Basse Normandie's most famous cheese.  The other thing that I really like about this recipe is that it makes little individual servings of the Baked Camembert. I don't know about you, but I'm not great at sharing when it comes to food like this!

 

Baked Camembert

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

2 sheets/packages puff pastry

1 apple (Granny Smith or Golden Delicious work well), sliced thin

1 wheel Camembert cheese

brown sugar

1 egg white

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Lay out your puff pastry.  Cut out circles about 3 or 4 inches in diameter (a drinking glass works well for this).  You should get about 8 circles out of one puff pastry sheet
3. Line half of the pastry circles on a baking sheet.  Set the other half aside. Top each of these circles with a few slices of apple.  Be sure to keep about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of bare pastry around the edges to seal them later.
4. Remove the wax from the Camembert with a knife.  Cut the Camembert into thin slices.  Divide the slices among the pastry circles, placing a few slices on top of the apples. 
5. On top of the Camembert, sprinkle a little brown sugar.  Finally, take the half of the pastry circles that you set aside.  Place one pastry circle over each of the assembled pastries.  Seal well around the edges of the two pastries using your fingers the tongs of a fork.   
6. Brush the tops of the pastries with the egg white. Bake the pastries for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Serve as is, or with crackers.

Ryan rating of Baked Camembert - 4.5.