Hojaldre

As strange as it sounds, this recipe could pass as an express one, even though we have to make a custard cream. And the secret of today’s recipe lies precisely in making that cream fast, easy, delicious, and in just 10 minutes. The trick: the microwave, that great forgotten appliance we only ever bother with to heat up the morning milk.

What do we need?

For the cream:

• 100 g (1/2 cup) sugar

• 40 g (1/3 cup) cornstarch

• 3 egg yolks

• 1/2 liter (2 cups) milk

• 1 tablespoon butter

For the tartlet:

• 1 sheet of puff pastry

• Sugar

• Cinnamon

How do we make it?

• First we prepare the custard cream. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together in one bowl, and the egg yolks with the milk in another.

• Then mix everything together and pop it in the microwave for 8 minutes at max power, stopping every 2 minutes to stir.

• Once the 8 minutes are up, add the butter, stir, and you’re done.

• Next, roll the puff pastry sheet out a bit with a rolling pin and sprinkle it with sugar and cinnamon.

• Roll the dough into a log, pressing it with your fingers so it doesn’t end up too uniform.

• Cut it into several pieces and flatten each one to form a sort of mini-pizza.

• Use a muffin tin (the kind with several holes, like little flan molds). Place each circle into one of the cavities and press it in to form a tartlet.

• Pop it in the oven, preheated to 180°C (350°F), for about 12 minutes.

• Keep an eye on it and press the dough down every now and then to keep the hollow where the cream will go.

• Once baked, fill them with the cream, sprinkle with sugar, and brown them in the oven or with a blowtorch.

Tips:

• Microwaves come in different wattages so the cooking time may vary. As you heat the cream, you’ll see it thicken until it reaches the consistency you want.

• If you want to use the custard cream for another recipe that calls for a thinner cream, just cut down on the amount of cornstarch.

Today we bring you another easy recipe you can make for any get-together. The recipe, taken from Directo al Paladar, is inspired by Italian cooking. Mozzarella, basil and tomato — a delicious combo that works not just in these little windmills but also in salads and, one of my favorites, on pizzas.

What do we need?

• 1 sheet of puff pastry

• 1 ball of mozzarella

• 2 ripe tomatoes

• Basil

• Olive oil

• Oregano

How do we make it?

• Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface.

• Cut it into squares about 8-10 cm (3-4 inches) on each side.

• Once you have the squares, make a cut along each diagonal, stopping before you reach the center, so you can fold the corners in toward the middle.

• Slice the mozzarella into strips and place a basil leaf and a piece of cheese on each of the “blades” formed by the puff pastry.

• Wash the tomatoes and slice them into strips too, then place them on two of the blades.

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).

• Sprinkle with a little oregano, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and put them in the oven.

• Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

• When you take them out of the oven, place them on a rack so they stay crispy.

Tips:

• This appetizer can be eaten warm or cold. If you decide to reheat it (in the oven or microwave) be careful not to let them get soft.

• If you don’t like this “filling,” you can swap it for any other flavor — even sweet.

And then we say the poor Brits have nothing in their cuisine beyond fish & chips and porridge… I tried this recipe at my aunt’s house in Edinburgh and it was honestly a surprise. A savoury tart whose main ingredient is garlic but which, contrary to what you might think, isn’t sharp or strong-tasting at all. It’s creamy, smooth and light on the palate. Hope you enjoy it…

What do we need?

• 1 sheet of puff pastry

• 3 heads of garlic (cloves separated and peeled)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar of Modena

• 220 ml (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) water

• 1 teaspoon icing sugar

• 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

• 1 tablespoon chopped thyme, plus a few whole leaves for garnish

• 120 g (4 oz) soft goat’s cheese

• 120 g (4 oz) hard, mature goat’s cheese

• 2 eggs

• 100 ml (scant ½ cup) heavy cream

• 100 ml (scant ½ cup) crème fraîche (can be replaced with heavy cream)

• Salt and pepper

How do we make it?

• Roll out the sheet of puff pastry over a round, shallow tart tin so it covers the bottom and the sides. Prick the dough with a fork, place a sheet of baking paper on top and add two handfuls of raw chickpeas (this stops the dough from puffing up while baking). Let it rest in the fridge.

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Bake the pastry case for about 20 minutes. Remove the paper and chickpeas and bake for another 5-10 minutes. Take it out of the oven and set aside. Leave the oven on.

• While the pastry is baking, make the caramelised garlic. Put the garlic cloves in a pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and blanch for 3 minutes. Drain well.

• Dry the pan and put the garlic cloves back in with the olive oil. Fry over high heat for 2 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and water and bring to a boil. Let it simmer gently for 10 minutes.

• Add the sugar, rosemary, thyme and salt. Keep cooking over medium heat for another 10 minutes, or until almost all the liquid has evaporated and the garlic cloves are coated in a kind of dark syrup.

• To assemble the tart, break up both types of cheese and scatter them over the baked pastry case. Then spoon the caramelised garlic and syrup over the whole surface.

• In a bowl, whisk the eggs, creams, salt and pepper. Pour this mixture into the tart, trying to fill the gaps left between the cheese and the garlic but without completely covering the ingredients (you should still be able to see them).

• Lower the temperature to 160°C (320°F). Bake for 35-45 minutes or until you see the filling has set and the top has turned golden.

• Remove from the tin and serve with a little thyme sprinkled on top.

Tips:

• To unmould the tart easily once it’s done, you can use a loose-bottomed tin, or otherwise place baking paper before lining it with the puff pastry to prevent sticking.

• It’s delicious served with a salad. Why not with a rocket and mango salad?

The recipe is from this website: http://britishfood.about.com/od/adrecipes/r/caramelisedgarlictart.htm

*[English version] CARAMELISED GARLIC TART

• **Ingredients:

• 1 puff pastry sheet

• 3 medium heads of garlic (cloves separated and peeled)

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar

• 220ml water

• ¾ tbsp fine sugar

• 1 tsp chopped rosemary

• 1 tsp chopped thyme, plus a few whole sprigs to finish

• 120g soft, creamy goat’s cheese

• 120g hard, mature goat’s cheese

• 2 free-range eggs

• 100ml heavy/double cream

• 100ml crème fraîche

• salt and black pepper

• Have ready a shallow, loose-bottomed, 28cm fluted tart tin. Roll out the puff pastry into a circle that will line the bottom and sides of the tin, plus a little extra. Line the tin with the pastry. Place a large circle of greaseproof paper on the bottom and fill up with baking beans. Leave to rest in the fridge.

• Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the tart case in the oven and bake blind for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and paper, then bake for a further 5-10 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Set aside. Leave the oven on.

• While the tart case 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 a 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’s cheese into pieces and scatter in the pastry case. Spoon the garlic cloves and syrup evenly over the cheese.

• In a jug whisk together the eggs, creams, 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 160°C and place the tart inside. Bake for 35-45 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 tin, trim the pastry edge if needed, lay a few sprigs of thyme on top and serve warm.

  Tips:- To take it out of tin in an easy way you can use a quiche pan with the bottom removable or you can just place some oven paper on the tin before rolling out the pastry. - Serve with salad. Why not with mango and rocket salad? Recipe from this website: http://britishfood.about.com/od/adrecipes/r/caramelisedgarlictart.htm

Comments

Sergio (2012-11-16 00:32:29):

Wow!!

This looks incredible. Who would have thought — what a surprise from the Brits.

Palstelera (2012-11-22 19:05:14):

Poor things, we really do underestimate them on the food front…

Knowing how little my dad cares for innovation in food (what he calls “chuminás” — fancy nonsense), whenever we put together appetizers for birthdays or special celebrations we always have to play the card of foods he considers “essentials”. So for my last birthday we went looking for appetizers he might actually like, and over at Directo al Paladar we found this one.

What do we need?

•   1 sheet of refrigerated puff pastry
  

•   100 grams (3.5 oz) of serrano ham
  

•   Oregano
  

•   1 egg
  

How do we make it?

• Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).

• Cut the puff pastry sheet into strips roughly 1.5 cm (0.6 in) wide and 10 cm (4 in) long.

• Brush them with beaten egg so they brown nicely in the oven, sprinkle oregano on top, and flip them over.

• Cut the ham into strips the same length as the pastry and lay them on top.

• Twist the sticks with the ham one by one. To do this, grab each strip by the ends and turn in opposite directions. Pop them in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Tips:

• Every oven is its own beast, so temperature and time may vary. We recommend keeping a close eye on them, especially at the start, so the heat stays high but the pastry doesn’t get scorched.
• The first time we made these we threw in two new versions: some with just oregano, and others with aged cheese. They were all delicious. That said, the serrano ham ones don’t need it, but for the others add a pinch of salt and you’ll see how much better they get.