#david lebovitz

[jacquelinep21]

[binsofchaos]

Vanilla Flan Parisien Recette (10 servings)

French Pastries Made Simple: Foolproof Recipes for Éclairs, Tarts, Macarons and More by Molly Wilkinson

Vanilla beans can be very expensive but do make this dessert taste extra-special. You can use one or two, and I add some vanilla extract as well, although Romain suggested it would be good with a little rum in the batter instead. If you're one of those people who buries their used vanilla beans in sugar to make vanilla sugar, this is a good place to use that wonderfully-scented sugar!Note that this dessert should be made the day before serving to give it time to cool and chill thoroughly, which will make it easier to slice, too.

Ingredients

For the crust

1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon flour (210g) flour

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces, 100g) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

1 large egg

2 teaspoons water, plus more if necessary

For the custard

3 cups (750ml) whole milk

1 3/4 cups (430ml) heavy cream

1-2 whole vanilla beans, (see headnote)

pinch of salt

3 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

1 1/4 cups (250g) sugar

3/4 cup (90g) cornstarch

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

To make the crust, mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (You can also make it in a large bowl with a pastry blender or your hands.) Add the cubes of cold butter and mix on medium speed until the pieces of butter are the size of large corn kernels. Add the egg and water and mix until the dough begins to come together.At this point, even if I'm using my stand mixer, I use my hands to gather and shape the dough into a disk. If necessary, add another teaspoon of water if the dough resists coming together but don't overwork it. Wrap the dough in plastic or your favorite eco-friendly alternative and chill for at least 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 15-inch (38cm) circle. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch (23cm) springform pan so it covers the bottom and goes up the sides of the pan. Use your fingers to gently coax the dough into the corners of the pan (between the bottom and edges) then trim any dough overhanging over the top edges of the pan. Use your hands to patch and smooth any wrinkles or cracks. (The dough is quite forgiving once baked and filled so don't worry if it's not perfect.) Place the dough-lined cake pan in the freezer while you make the filling.

Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC).

Pour the milk and cream into a large, heavy-duty saucepan (or Dutch oven). Split the vanilla bean(s) vertically and scrape the seeds into the milk mixture and also add the vanilla pods and the salt. Warm over medium heat.

In a separate medium-size bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar, then whisk in the cornstarch.

When the milk mixture is very warm, working quickly, pour half of the warm milk mixture over the eggs and quickly, and confidently, whisk well until combined. If you have someone in the kitchen to help you, this is a place to ask them to. But if you do this step without hesitation, you should be fine. (If you're unsure, you could ladle in the hot milk while whisking constantly.)

Pour the warmed egg mixture back into the pan of warm milk and stir it leisurely with the whisk until it starts to thicken, which'll take about 5 minutes, but will depend on the heat. As it starts to thicken, things will move a bit more quickly and you'll want to whisk more vigorously to break up any lumps as it cooks. When the mixture comes to a full boil - a large bubble or two will break the surface - turn off the heat and pluck out the vanilla beans with tongs. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Remove the tart shell from the freezer, scrape the pastry cream into the tart shell, smooth the top and place it in the oven. Bake the flan for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350ºF (180ºC) and bake for another 50 minutes. The top may get close to black, which is normal and fine.

Let the flan cool on a wire rack. Once cool, chill in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

Notes/Storage: The tart dough can be made up to two days in advance and chilled. If made in advance, you may need to remove it from the refrigerator for a bit before rolling. The finished flan will keep 3-4 days in the refrigerator.

Follow Molly on Instagram and check out her online French pastry classes.

[lagrenouillere]

[allwayshungry]

Radish Leaf Pesto

1 cup (250g)

I strongly recommend using radish leaves that are organic or unsprayed. Radish leaves can harbor a lot of grit so you may need to wash them in several changes of water, until no grit remains, as I do. If you like garlic, use 3 cloves of garlic rather than 2. If you don't have a food processor you can also make this in a blender. You'll need to stop the blender a few times to scrape down the sides. However you make it, be careful not to over-puree it; I like it best when it's a little chunky and a blender can easily make it too smooth. This recipe makes enough to sauce 3-4 portions of pasta. You can easily double the recipe if you have a lot of radish leaves on hand and freeze leftovers. In addition to a sauce for pasta, it can be used a spread on crackers toasted for an appetizer, as part of a sandwich, spread with goat cheese, avocado, or roasted vegetables, or a dip for raw vegetables, such as carrots, fennel, celery, kohlrabi, and beets.

Ingredients

8 cups (140g) loosely packed radish leaves, preferably organic (well-washed)

2-3 medium cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

1/4 cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1-2 tablespoons, or more, if necessary

1/2 cup (45g) grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup (30g) whole almonds, unroasted, coarsely chopped, or 3 tablespoons untoasted pine nuts (30g)

3/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Coarsely chop the radish leaves and put them in the bowl of a food processor along with the garlic, 1/4 cup of olive oil, Parmesan, almonds or pinenuts, and salt.

2. Pulse the ingredients in the food processor, stopping to scrape down the sides, if necessary, until the ingredients come together in a cohesive paste. If needed, add 1 or 2 tablespoons or more olive oil, unless it's a smooth, moist paste.

Serving tip: If tossing with warm pasta, you may want to add a good pour of olive oil (or a few spoonfuls of the starchy pasta cooking water) after stirring in the pesto if the pasta seems dry. (Radish leaves can soak up a lot of oil.)

[universitybookstore]

Be honest. We all need this right now. New from Ten Speed Press and master chef and mixologist, David Lebovitz, Drinking French: The Iconic Cocktails, Aperitifs, and Cafe Traditions of France, with 160 Recipes.

[elvisomar]

My parents are dyed-in-the-wool Francophiles, and I've inherited from them a healthy appreciation for all things French. Today, I was delighted to receive a new reference book my father sent to add fuel to my fascination with cocktails, spirits, cordials, and liqueurs.

The first recipe I tried from it is an absolute delight. It's intensely bitter, with some lovely herbal notes, all balanced with sweet lemon. It is a very refreshing low-ABV cocktail, that surely will have the medicinal qualities needed to fight off the doldrums I've been feeling this afternoon (nothing at all serious, I just haven't been sleeping too well this week).

Quatresse 2 oz - Suze 1 oz - Lemon Juice ½ oz - Simple Syrup ½ tsp - Peated Scotch Whisky (I used Bruichladdich) 2 leaves - Fresh Sage, Muddled Shake until well chilled and pour over crushed ice

The Quatresse is the signature drink of a Parisian bar called Combat, as interpreted by David Lebovitz—pastry chef, journalist, and author of the book Drinking French (2020).

For the curious, Suze is a gentian root apéritif—bright yellow in color and intensely bitter and botanical. It is only 30 proof (whereas whisky, gin, and most spirits are in the 70 to 100 proof range). The only reasonable substitute for Suze I am aware of is an even less common French apéritif called Salers, which is higher in proof.

[cinematic-literature]

Late Night (2019) by Nisha Ganatra

Book title: My Paris Kitchen: Recipes and Stories (2014) by David Lebovitz

[sabonhomeblog]

French Roquefort & Honey