RECIPE: REC: Caralmelized Garlic Tart. I'm continuing to cook through Yotam Ottolenghi

RECIPE:
J

joe

Well-known member
"Plenty," and I seem to keep choosing the richest recipes (below). It will be our appetizer for New Year's Eve. Here is our menu for four, with some activities to help us stay awake till midnight:

HORS D'OEUVRES:

Caramelized Garlic Tart with goat cheese cream

Olives

Almonds

NEXT:

Everyone rolls out one sheet of pasta on my machine and hangs it to dry for a bit.

PRIMI:

Raw Oysters with Lemon. We are each going to have to open our own. We got a little practice on Christmas Eve. This may need to be done standing up while the chairs support the dowels on which the pasta is hanging.

MAIN:

Now we each run our sheet of pasta through the cutter to make noodles for:

Pasta with Salmon in Vodka Sauce

served with: Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

because: Trader Joe's was out of asparagus.

SALAD:

Garden Greens with Apple and Blue Cheese

DESSERT:

Hungarian Hazelnut Torte

Yotam Ottolenghi’s Carmelized Garlic Tart

Serves 8

Ingredients

13 oz puff pastry (I used regular pastry from my freezer.)

3 medium heads of garlic, cloves separated and peeled

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 cup water

¾ tbsp sugar

1 tsp chopped rosemary

1 tsp chopped thyme, plus a few whole sprigs to finishsalt

4½ oz soft, creamy goat cheese (such as chèvre)

4½ oz hard, mature goat cheese (such as goat gouda)

2 eggs

6½ tbsp heavy cream

6½ tbsp crème fraîche

black pepper

Have ready a shallow, loose-bottomed, 11-inch fluted tart pan. Roll out the puff pastry into a circle that will line the bottom and sides of the pan, plus a little extra. Line the pan with the pastry. Place a large circle of waxed paper on the bottom and fill up with pie weights or dried beans. Leave to rest in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the tart shell in the oven and blind bake for 20 minutes. Remove the weights and paper, then bake for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until the pastry is golden. Set aside. Leave the oven on.

While the tart shell is baking, make the caramelized garlic. Put the cloves in a small saucepan and cover with plenty of water. Bring to a simmer and blanch for 3 minutes, then drain well. Dry the saucepan, return the cloves to it and add the olive oil. Fry the garlic cloves on high heat for 2 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and water and bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add the sugar, rosemary, chopped thyme and ¼ teaspoon salt. Continue simmering on a medium flame for 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the garlic cloves are coated in a dark caramel syrup. Set aside.

To assemble the tart, break both types of goat cheese into pieces and scatter in the tart shell. Spoon the garlic cloves and syrup evenly over the cheese. In a jug whisk together the eggs, cream, crème fraîche, ½ teaspoon salt and some black pepper. Pour this custard over the tart filling to fill the gaps, making sure that you can still see the garlic and cheese over the surface.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and place the tart inside. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the tart filling has set and the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool a little. Then take out of pan, trim the pastry edge if needed, lay a few sprigs of thyme on top and serve warm (it reheats well!) with a crisp salad.

http://blogs.kcrw.com/goodfood/2011/06/carmelized-garlic-tart/

 
And my friend Gary's recipe for the Hazelnut Torte

HAZELNUT TORTE
Epicurious

INGREDIENTS

Cake
2/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, cooled
2/3 cup cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly

Buttercream
4 teaspoons cornstarch
2/3 cup whole milk
2 large egg yolks

1 1/2 cups hazelnuts, toasted, husked, cooled, plus 12 whole nuts, toasted, husked
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tbsp Grand Marnier
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces, room temperature
1 cup apricot preserves (without large chunks of apricot)
juice one lemon

PREPARATION

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Line bottom with parchment paper. Blend first 4 ingredients in processor until nuts are ground as fine as flour.
Using electric mixer, beat egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, and vanilla in large bowl until mixture falls in heavy ribbon when beaters are lifted, about 5 minutes. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/3 cup sugar, beating until stiff but not dry. Fold 1/4 of whites into yolk mixture to lighten. Fold in remaining whites. Sift half of flour mixture over; fold in gently. Sift remaining flour mixture over and fold in, adding any nuts from sifter. Drizzle butter over batter, folding in gently (do not overmix or batter will deflate).
Transfer batter to prepared pan; bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer pan to rack; cool cake 10 minutes. Cut around pan sides to loosen cake; release pan sides. Invert cake onto rack. Remove pan bottom and parchment paper. Cool.

For buttercream:
Place cornstarch in heavy small saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring until cornstarch dissolves. Whisk in egg yolks. Whisk constantly over medium-high heat until custard comes to boil and thickens, about 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Press plastic wrap onto surface of custard. Chill 30 minutes.
Finely grind 1 cup nuts with powdered sugar in processor, about 30 seconds. Using electric mixer, beat vanilla and Grand Marnier into custard. Beat in butter, 1 piece at a time, then beat in ground nut mixture in 4 additions. Refrigerate until firm enough to spread, stirring often, about 30 minutes.

Stir apricot preserves in small saucepan with lemon juice over medium heat for 1 minute. Place in a small bowl. Cool.

Finely chop 1/2 cup hazelnuts. Using long serrated knife, cut cake horizontally in half. Place 1 layer, cut side up, on 8-inch-diameter tart pan bottom or cardboard round. Spread evenly with apricot preserves. Top with second layer, cut side down. Transfer 3/4 cup buttercream to pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Spread remaining buttercream over top and sides of cake. Press 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts onto sides of cake.

Place whole toasted hazelnuts around the top of the cake. Refrigerate until buttercream sets, at least 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.)

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/hungarian-hazelnut-torte-107166

 
Love how your menu, interactive cooking and of course need to take a

glimpse of the hungarian tart. My FIL would Love this for his upcoming 85th, and I think I can do it....BUT, I think I will also be hosting, so it may be too much of an undertaking. Hmmmm Need to think about this. Hazelnuts / apricots are his favorite memories.....

So impressed w/ your menu. I am sure it was a very special evening!

 
It turned out really well, and the time flew by. Our friends made the torte

and while it does look a bit involved, I recommend it. It tasted great the day after and I can let you know after tonight how it holds up a third day. You would want to refrigerate it and then let it soften at room temp before serving. I'm also sure it could be done in stages--the cake and apricots made one day, the buttercream the next, etc.

Gary didn't bother with the piped buttercream--he just sprinkled the whole thing with chopped nuts and put a few whole nuts around, and a holly sprig in the center.

 
I bet the cake can be baked ahead and frozen. Some of the other bakers here could tell you

if the buttercream could be frozen--I've had mixed luck with that but I haven't made it with a cornstarch base before.

I'm rooting for you!

 
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