Breakfast, if we can't do it for 6 we should rethink our plan.

This morning as my family sleeps off a few too many bottles of wine and glasses of beer Robin is working in the kitchen making cinnamon buns.  For those of you who have had these yummy nuggets of delicious you know how good they are.  We are having cinnamon buns, pancakes, bacon, eggs, and toast this morning for breakfast.  Hope everyone is hungry.

I should go get the bacon prepped -  will let you know how it went later.

Mmmmmmm Fruit Tart

So I was needing a little cooking success so I made this fabulous Fruit Tart for dessert last night.  The crust is not like a flaky pie crust - it is harder more like a cookie, and the custard filling is super easy and yummy.  The first time I made it it turned out great so I tried it again last night for my mom and dad and aunt and uncle.  Everyone said it was good - but they all would say that no matter what.

Here are the directions if you want to try one yourself.

Makes one 9- to 9 1/2-inch tart

Chalazae are cordlike strands of egg white protein that are attached to the yolks—removing them with your fingers is easy and eliminates the need to strain the pastry cream after cooking. The pastry cream can be made a day or two in advance, but do not fill the prebaked tart shell until just before serving. Once filled, the tart should be topped with fruit, glazed, and served within half an hour or so.

Ingredients

Pastry Cream

2 cups half-and-half 1/2 cup granulated sugar pinch table salt 5 large egg yolks , chalazae removed (see note)

3 tablespoons cornstarch 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (cold), cut into 4 pieces

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract Tart Pastry (Pâte Sucrée)

1 large egg yolk 1 tablespoon heavy cream 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces)

2/3 cup confectioners' sugar (about 3 ounces)

1/4 teaspoon table salt 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), very cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Fruit and Glaze

Fruit , unwashed

1/2 cup red currant jelly or apple jelly

Instructions

1. For the Pastry Cream: Heat half-and-half, 6 tablespoons sugar, and salt in medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar.

2. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks in medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and whisk until sugar has begun to dissolve and mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds. Whisk in cornstarch until combined and mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.

3. When half-and-half mixture reaches full simmer, gradually whisk simmering half-and-half into yolk mixture to temper. Return mixture to saucepan, scraping bowl with rubber spatula; return to simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until 3 or 4 bubbles burst on surface and mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds. Off heat, whisk in butter and vanilla. Transfer mixture to medium bowl, press plastic wrap directly on surface, and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours or up to 48 hours.

4. For the Tart Pastry: While pastry cream is chilling, whisk together yolk, cream, and vanilla in small bowl; set aside. Pulse to combine flour, sugar, and salt in bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture; pulse to cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal, about fifteen 1-second pulses. With machine running, add egg mixture and process until dough just comes together, about 25 seconds. Turn dough onto sheet of plastic wrap and press into 6-inch disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 48 hours.

5. Remove dough from refrigerator (if refrigerated longer than 1 hour, let stand at room temperature until malleable). Unwrap and roll out between lightly floured large sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap to 13-inch round. (If dough is soft and sticky, slip onto baking sheet and refrigerate until workable, 20 to 30 minutes.) Transfer dough to tart pan by rolling dough loosely around rolling pin and unrolling over 9- to 9 1/2-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Working around circumference of pan, ease dough into pan corners by gently lifting dough with one hand while pressing dough into corners with other hand. Press dough into fluted sides of pan. (If some edges are too thin, reinforce sides by folding excess dough back on itself.) Run rolling pin over top of tart pan to remove excess dough. Set dough-lined tart pan on large plate and freeze 30 minutes (can be sealed in gallon-sized zipper-lock plastic bag and frozen up to 1 month).

6. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Set dough-lined tart pan on baking sheet, press 12-inch square of foil inside frozen tart shell and over edges and fill with metal or ceramic pie weights.(I use uncooked beans or rice for weights) Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes, rotating halfway through baking time. Remove from oven and carefully remove foil and weights by gathering edges of foil and pulling up and out. Continue to bake until deep golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes longer. Set baking sheet with tart shell on wire rack to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

7. To Assemble and Glaze the Tart: When tart shell is completely cool, spread cold pastry cream over bottom, using offset spatula or large spoon. (Can press plastic wrap directly on surface of pastry cream and refrigerate up to 30 minutes.) Arrange fruit on top of pastry cream.
8. Bring jelly to boil in small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to smooth out lumps. ( I microwave it for 20 seconds or so and this works just as good) When boiling and completely melted, apply by dabbing and flicking onto fruit with pastry brush; add 1 teaspoon water and return jelly to boil if it becomes too thick to drizzle. (Tart can be refrigerated, uncovered, up to 30 minutes.I suggest doing this as it makes slicing easier.) Remove outer metal ring of tart pan, slide thin metal spatula between bottom of crust and tart pan bottom to release, then slip tart onto cardboard round or serving platter; serve. 

Last night I used strawberries around the outside, wild blueberries in the second ring and raspberries for the center - red, blue, red.  Looked awesome.  I also use the apple jelly for glaze because we couldn't find red currant jelly anywhere.

Enjoy!

Skillet Pizza take 2.

Since we had all the ingredants Robin decided to try the pizza dough again.  Carefully following each direction, with a new package of yeast in hand there was sucess, at least dough success.  It rose beautifuly, he punched it down and it even rose some more in the refridgerator.  The dough is in the fridge untill this afternoon (it had to sit overnight).  I will report back on the finished product later tonight.

Trying out some new ideas - not a good day for cooking.

Saturdays are usually the day we test new ideas and tweak them until they are just right.  The day started off ok - I made coffee and had my breakfast, Robin got up and decided he was going to work on a Cinnamon bread recipe he has.  We are hoping to use it as the base for our cinnamon bun french toast.  I left him in the kitchen mixng and measuring and went off to the grocery store and to get a haircut.  I returned 2.5 hours later to a pan of tiny little tasty, yet mini cinnamon buns.  Something went wrong in the making.  Needles to say Robin was not very pleased with the product. 

We went out and ran a few erands and a few hours later I decided to try to make my recipe for the day - skillet pizza, could be an interesting lunch option.   I made my dough, left it in a warm draft free place to rise and went outside to paint our picnic table.  60 minutes later and all I had was a ball of dough in a bowl, nothing light and airy - the directions said it would double in size... ha.  Didn't do anything.

I guess it just wasn't our day for cooking.  Maybe tomorrow.

The begining...

Well, we have been in Thunder Bay for 18 months now and are back on track to get this restaurant under way.  The plan is to quit my job in 154 days (yes I am counting the days) and get under way.  What has to happen now?  Well, a lot of behind the scene stuff is going on through the summer.  Every weekend Robin and I are testing recipes, and as we find keepers I am recording them in the official FRESH recipe book.  We have our menu mostly figured out, one more edit session should have all the items sorted out, then we have to get our good friend and graphic designer Kerri-Lee to make it all pretty for us.

The concept is a regular topic of conversation as we have gone back and forth on this a lot - but I think after living in TBay for a year and a half we have a good idea of what our niche will be.

We are opening the premier weekend brunch and weekday lunch location in Thunder Bay.  We offer fresh, homemade breakfast with our own special twist.  Our ingredients are sourced locally and responsibly.  Nothing is premade, packaged, or processed.  If we can't make it fresh we won't serve it.

Look out Thunder Bay - here we come.