The French Market Cookbook (4 page)

ASPARAGUS

Look for firm and smooth stalks that stand upright, with tips that look like tightly closed buds, and a color that’s vibrant rather than dull. The cut ends shouldn’t look overly dry. I prefer thin asparagus to fat ones, but more important than their actual girth is that the bunch you pick be of comparable thickness, so they’ll cook evenly.

After purchase, remove the band that holds the bunch together and plop the asparagus like a bouquet into a wide-mouthed jar. Add a little water to the bottom, cover loosely with a plastic bag, and keep in the fridge for a day or two.

Pickled Swiss Chard Stalks

PICKLED SWISS CHARD STALKS

Tiges de blettes en aigre-doux

MAKES 2 CUPS / 480 ML

My grandmother used to make her own cornichons, the tiny gherkins pickled in white wine vinegar with pearl onions, tarragon, and coriander seeds. It is a labor-intensive process that involves rubbing the gherkins to rid them of their downy fuzz, macerating them in salt to drain out most of their juice, and patting them dry, lovingly, one by one. Then you have to pack the tiny cucumbers in vinegar, boil the jars, and let them ripen for months.

Much better suited to my impatient nature is quick-pickling: simply boiling vinegar with water, sugar, and salt and pouring that hot mixture over any crisp vegetable. I was once inspired to quick-pickle the thin stalks of a bunch of Swiss chard I’d bought to make a Swiss Chard Pie with Prunes and Pine Nuts. The multicolored stalks looked so pretty, in hues of pink, yellow, red, and cream, that putting them in a jar to hold onto seemed the way to go.

The resulting aigre-doux—the French term for pickle, combining the words for sour and sweet—is ready to eat within a couple of days and works wonders in a sandwich or an omelet, on a salad or a bowl of noodles, or as a snack, with a piece of hard cheese and a slice of crusty bread.

7 ounces / 200 g Swiss chard stalks, preferably from young multicolored plants

½ cup / 120 ml cider vinegar

2 tablespoons unrefined blond cane sugar (also sold as evaporated cane juice)

1. Have ready a clean 2-cup / 480 ml canning jar with a tight-fitting lid.

2. If the Swiss chard stalks are wide, cut them into two or three lengthwise strips. Slice crosswise into ⅓-inch / 8 mm pieces and pack them into the jar.

3. In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, and 1 cup / 240 ml water. Set over medium-high heat, stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved, and bring to a boil. (The smell of boiling vinegar is quite pungent. If you’re expecting guests or potential buyers for your house, avoid making this just before they arrive.)

4. As soon as the mixture boils, remove from the heat and pour into the jar. Close the lid tightly (the jar will be very hot) and let cool to room temperature before refrigerating.

5. The pickle will be ready to eat by the next day, but the flavor will be optimal after 2 to 3 days. Keep in the fridge for up to a month.

BRETON SHORTBREAD COOKIES (OR TART DOUGH)

Sablés bretons (ou pâte sablé breton)

MAKES 12 COOKIES OR ONE 10-TO 12-INCH / 25 TO 30 CM TART CRUST

The type of cookies you eat after school as a child informs your taste buds for life. When I was growing up, a family standby was the palet breton, a shortbread cookie from Brittany. Buttery, crisp, and dangerously crumb-prone, they had to be eaten over a plate held close to our chins, propped against the graphic novels we read avidly, cross-legged on the couch. I found out years later how simple they are to make at home, and it gives me great satisfaction every time I do, biting into one as soon as it cools and relishing the sensation of the cookie shattering into a thousand little crumbs on my tongue.

This is a two-in-one recipe that can be used to make cut-out cookies, like the ones I grew up eating, or baked into a thick crust for a fruit tart. In that case, you’ll either bake the crust first and then garnish it with fresh fruit, as for the Strawberry Tartlets, or bake the fruit directly on top, as for the Easy Fresh Fig Tart.

⅓ cup / 70 g unrefined blond cane sugar (also sold as evaporated cane juice)

6 tablespoons / 85 g high-quality unsalted butter, softened

1 small fresh vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup / 130 g all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and butter. (Alternatively, do this by hand in a bowl with a wooden spoon.) Split the vanilla bean lengthwise with a sharp knife, scrape the seeds from the inside of the bean with the dull side of the blade, and add them to the sugar and butter. Beat the sugar and butter at low speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat for 2 minutes.

2. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, stirring with a whisk to remove any lumps. Add to the mixer and mix at low speed for a few seconds, just until no trace of flour remains. The dough will be quite soft.

TO MAKE SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Transfer the dough to a container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. / 175°C. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of ⅓ inch / 8 mm. Peel off the top sheet gently and use a round cookie cutter, about 2 inches / 5 cm in diameter, to cut out circles of dough. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, giving them a little room to expand.

Gather the scraps of dough and repeat to cut out more cookies. As the dough warms to room temperature, it may become too soft to work with; place it in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up before cutting out circles again.

Bake the sablés until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. The sablés will keep for a few days in an airtight container at room temperature.

pantry gem

FRESH VANILLA BEANS

I used to avoid baking with fresh vanilla beans because they seemed pricey and hardly worth the trouble in terms of flavor, but that was because I had only ever known the gnarly old beans that most supermarkets sell for the price of gold. Then I started ordering them online, directly from a Tahitian producer, and although they’re still not cheap, these vanilla beans are so fat, fresh, and oozing with flavor that they’re worth every penny.

TO USE AS A TART CRUST

Transfer the dough to an ungreased 10-to 12-inch / 25 to 30 cm round cake or tart pan with a removable bottom. Alternatively, arrange eight 3-inch / 8 cm pastry rings (see below) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and divide the dough evenly among them. Press the dough into an even layer with a flexible spatula or the tips of your moistened fingers. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. / 175°C.

Bake until golden brown, 35 minutes for a single tart, 25 minutes for tartlets. Transfer to a rack to cool for 20 minutes before loosening and cautiously removing the sides of the tart pan or pastry rings. Let cool completely before topping. The crust may be prepared a few hours ahead; once cool, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel.

ABOUT PASTRY RINGS

A pastry ring is a ring made of stainless steel—imagine a cake pan with no bottom—that comes in different diameters, but is typically 2 inches / 5 cm in height. It is used by pastry chefs and serious home bakers to create cakes, tarts, and mousses with neat, straight sides.

Strawberry Tartlets with Breton Shortbread Crust

STRAWBERRY TARTLETS WITH BRETON SHORTBREAD CRUST

Tartelettes aux fraises, sablé breton

MAKES EIGHT 3-INCH / 8 CM TARTLETS, OR ONE 10-TO 12-INCH / 25 TO 30 CM TART

When strawberries come into season in the spring, I go through an initial period of wanting nothing more than to eat them plain, simply holding them by the ruffle of their tiny leaves and biting off the ruby flesh, to enjoy their juicy sweetness with no distraction. Once that phase is over, I get itchy for the most glorious dessert in the world: a strawberry tart. These tartlets, which emulate a popular style found in Paris pâtisseries, feature a thick Breton shortbread crust that crumbles in the mouth and a light pastry cream flavored with lemon.

Lemon Pastry Cream

Breton Shortbread Tart Dough, baked

1¼ pounds / 560 g strawberries, preferably small, hulled and halved or quartered depending on their size

2 tablespoons strawberry jam (optional)

1. Spoon the pastry cream onto the crust(s) and spread into an even layer. Arrange the strawberries over the cream in a circular pattern, starting from the center.

2. If desired, prepare a jam glaze to give the tartlets more shine: In a small saucepan, heat the jam with 1 tablespoon water until syrupy, without allowing it to boil. If the jam contains bits of fruit, strain it. Glaze the strawberries lightly with the syrup using a pastry brush. Let set for 10 minutes before serving.

STRAWBERRIES

Pick strawberries that are bright and evenly colored; turn up your nose at underripe ones that are white near the stem. A nose-tickling strawberry smell is a good indication that the flavor won’t disappoint.

DARK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE, THREE WAYS

Mousse au chocolat noir de trois façons

SERVES 6

I’ve always been an ardent lover of chocolate mousse and I’ve tinkered with many recipes over the years, but the one I return to again and again is this pared-down formula that uses just chocolate, egg whites, and a little sugar—no cream, no egg yolks. Intensely chocolaty and almost truffle-like in texture, it is a purist’s chocolate mousse; a small serving is enough to satisfy.

Its beauty also lies in its versatility: the same mixture can be frozen to make sorbet without an ice cream machine, or baked in ramekins to make molten chocolate cakes.

9 ounces / 250 g good-quality bittersweet chocolate (about 65% cacao)

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

3 tablespoons / 35 g unrefined blond cane sugar (also sold as evaporated cane juice)

⅓ cup / 40 g cacao nibs (optional)

1. Melt the chocolate, transfer to a medium bowl, and set aside to cool.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a clean bowl using a handheld electric mixer), combine the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat the egg whites on medium speed until they are frothy throughout, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat on medium-high speed until they form stiff, glossy peaks.

3. Stir about one-sixth of the egg whites into the melted chocolate. Add another sixth of the egg whites and this time fold them in with a spatula, lifting the mixture from the center out and turning the bowl every time, until fully incorporated. Continue adding the rest of the egg whites in four additions, until they have all been incorporated. Halfway through, fold in the cacao nibs (if using).

TO MAKE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Pour the mixture into one 3-cup / 720 ml bowl or six ½-cup / 120 ml ramekins or glasses. Cover and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours, and preferably overnight.

TO MAKE MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKES

Grease six ½-cup / 120 ml ovenproof ramekins and divide the chocolate mousse mixture among them. Cover and reserve in the fridge until ready to bake.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. / 175°C.

Bake the ramekins until the tops are set and cracked, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving directly in the ramekins (warn your guests that they will still be hot). The sides should be cake-like and the centers custardy.

TO MAKE CHOCOLATE SORBET

Pour the chocolate mousse into a freezer container with a tight-fitting lid. Refrigerate until completely cold and then transfer to the freezer for a few hours or overnight, until frozen.

note Because the egg whites in the mousse and sorbet are not cooked, use the freshest eggs you can find. Even so, pregnant women, young children, and people with a weakened immune system shouldn’t eat preparations containing raw eggs.

MELTING CHOCOLATE

Chocolate doesn’t like direct, strong heat, and the best method for melting it is in a double boiler. It is easy to improvise with a saucepan filled with an inch of water, and a heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) the simmering water. Stir the chocolate often to ensure even melting.

Poached Rhubarb and Orange Salad

POACHED RHUBARB AND ORANGE SALAD

Salade de rhubarbe pochée et orange

SERVES 4

The Paris dining scene is rife with pocket-size restaurants owned by independent chefs who can’t afford anything larger but whose talents shine in such intimate, funky settings. Among these “micro-gastros” is one called Rino, run by Giovanni Passerini, a Roman chef who came to Paris seeking creative freedom and an appreciative audience. That he certainly found, and diners line up to fill his twenty seats, eager for a taste of his luminous, market-driven dishes.

This dessert is inspired by one he served on an April night: a rhubarb and orange salad—the rhubarb lightly poached, the orange segments peeled—topped with a handful of mixed nuts. It was a remarkably light and aromatic dessert that I immediately reproduced in my own kitchen, taking advantage of that precious time in the spring when rhubarb has arrived and oranges haven’t yet departed. I like to serve it with a smooth and creamy almond sorbet spiked with orange flower water.

1 pound / 450 g rhubarb

⅔ cup / 140 g unrefined blond cane sugar (also sold as evaporated cane juice)

1 small fresh vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

½ cup / 70 g whole almonds, toasted and roughly chopped

1. Cut the rhubarb stalks in ⅓-inch
8 mm slices, unless they are pencil-thin, in which case you should cut them in 1-inch
2.5 cm segments.