Paris In New York

Recipe : Pizza with Cherry Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella

Here's a recipe I tried yesterday that I'd like to share with you as we all liked it very much.

 

Ingredients

. a pizza dough or a Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheet

- a basket and a half of cherry tomatoes, cut in half (12-15)

- 1 ball fresh mozzarella in water, diced

- 1 garlic 

- 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed with a rolling pin

- olive oil

- salt and pepper

- basil leaves

Preparation

Preheat your oven at 425 F. 

In a very hot skillet, add oil, cherry tomatoes, garlic chopped (as much as you like), salt and pepper and sauté tomatoes until they are breaking down (between 3-5 minutes). Transfer to a large bowl and add fennel, more garlic if you like. Take a fork and crushed tomatoes in the bowl, leaving some large chunks intact. Mix with cubes of mozzarella (adjust mozzarella to the size of your pizza). The Pepperidge sheet will give you a pizza for 2 persons (2 slices each).

Roll the dough with a little bit of flour to the shape you like. Fold over edge to make a nice border. Take a fork and make tiny holes in the crust. Spread the preparation on the crust and bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes on the top rack. GArnish with basil leaves.

Delicious to serve with Arugula salad.

How to Make French Vinaigrette

I was looking on how to explain clearly how to make French Vinaigrette and I found this great recipe by David Lebovitz.

David Lebowitz has appeared on national television programs such as Gourmet's magazine Diary of a Foodie on PBS, the Discovery Channel, NBC's Today show and Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern on the Travel Channel

His latest book, The Sweet Life in Paris is a food-based memoir, filled with humorous and delicious stories about Paris with French-inspired recipes that are both sweet and savory.

David has been living in Paris since 2002.

 

How to Make French Vinaigrette

115 comments - 11.22.2009

One assumption that I'm going to make about the French is that they're not afraid to make things au pif, or "by the nose".

I don't know if a precise recipe for sauce vinaigrette actually exists. But if there is, I bet few people follow it very closely. And Romain is no different from his compatriots when it comes to recipes, and rules.

They are both for other people—and don't apply to him.

 

Vinaigrette is just one of those things. It's a few simple ingredients which come together so well, when done right. Anyone can make it: you just pour, stir, marinate, then taste until it's just right. But the salad dressings in France always taste better to me than elsewhere. So thought I'd follow Romain when he made a true vinaigrette. He was surprised at the idea of measuring anything, so I follow him through the steps, taking a few notes along with way (see Recipe, at the end) and along the way, I learned two French secrets for a great salad dressing.

To read more on How to Make French Vinaigrette

Rendez-vous Gourmands with Chef Paul…

This is the second post in a series of conversations with Chef Paul from the Miette Culinary Studio.(www.mietteculinarystudio.com). "Summer fruits" was posted on June, 15th.

Eggplants.....

Their season is from mid summer until the end of fall as they are sensitive to cold weather. Botanically eggplants are considered as a fruit because of the presence of seeds, but technically are categorized in the vegetable family. Eggplants was originated in India about 4000 years ago. They made their way from India to Europe through the Middle East via Arab traders, which accounts for so many eggplant preparations from India to Morocco.

What I like about eggplant is that it is very versatile; you can stuff eggplants, cube and stew eggplants, fry eggplants, and use in almost anything from appetizer to main course. Eggplant is also easy to handle when in presence of vegetarian people

Salting: Do only salt eggplant flesh when your eggplant is oversize and full of seeds to take the bitterness out. Today’s eggplants are almost seedless so no need to salt them before cooking.

Some Recipes:

Eggplant caviar

2 eggplants (medium size, cut into small cubes
1 garlic clove crushed
1 tea spoon smoked paprika
1 tea spoon cumin powder
1 pinch of sugar
Lemon juice to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive oil for frying

In large frying pan, add olive oil, place over medium heat and fry the eggplants in batches for 3 – 4 minutes or until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towel and set aside in a bowl of food processor. Add garlic, cumin and sugar, smoked paprika. Pulse food processor till ground paste. Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.


Eggplant Arugula Salad
(Serves 10)

3 eggplants
3 shallots
½ bulb garlic
2 bunches arugula
5 ounces Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
Fresh cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degree. Slice the eggplants in half lengthwise. Peel and finely dice the shallots. Peel and mince the garlic. Clean and dry the arugula. Shave the Parmesan into thin curls using a vegetable peeler.

Rub the eggplant with the 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place the eggplant halves face down in a baking pan and roast for approximately 45 minutes, until soft. Toast the pine nuts in the oven on a baking sheet until lightly brown. Allow the eggplant and pine nuts to cool.

To prepare the vinaigrette, blend the extra virgin olive oil and vinegar.

Scoop out the eggplant flesh and toss with the shallots and garlic. Mound on serving plates. Arrange the arugula and cheese. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts and black pepper.

To know more about Chef Paul's cooking classes, go to www.mietteculinarystudio.com

Rendez-vous Gourmands with Chef Paul…

This is the first in a series of conversations with Chef Paul from the Miette Culinary Studio.(www.mietteculinarystudio.com)

Summer fruits……

As we approach July, I love to take a nice walk to the Farmers’ Market on 14th street at Union Square and get some of those delicious fresh summer fruits: peaches, cherries, apricots, tomatoes, berries…

Let me guide you on how to select them and on what desserts to make with those tasty and colorful fruits.

First of all, I go very early to get the “cream of the crop” on Fridays or Saturdays, best days of the Market…

Then, no matter what fruits you are looking for, smell the fruit by the stem, which indicates where it was picked. The smell is a sign of ripeness. Never press the fruit!

Keep your fruits outside in a bowl, as the fridge cut the process of ripening or leave them in a newspaper under your sink.

July is the month of tomatoes in New York. Go for the local tomatoes from the sandy soil of New Jersey…They are excellent!

Peach Dessert: Poached Peaches

Cook the peach in a simple syrup of one cup of water for one cup of sugar. Add one cup of Riesling. Poach them for 10-12 minutes and let the syrup cool down. Serve with ice cream.

If the fruit is not yet ripe, poach them for 20 minutes.

Add some ginger at the end to bring the freshness of summer.

Apricot Dessert: Tarte Fine

Roll the Puff Pastry. With a fork, dot the dough with holes. Sprinkle with sugar and cook in the oven 20 minutes at 350°.
Cut the apricots in half and place them on top of the puff pastry with the curved side on the top. Add a little bit of crème fraiche with a mint leaf for decoration.

Cherry:

My grandmother served them with the stems on a bed of crushed ice cubes and topped with mint leaves. This is my whole childhood! Simple but delicious…

I also love the “Roasted Cherries in Red Wine”

1 ½ pounds of cherries, with stems, rinsed
¾ cup of red wine
¼ cup sugar
1 bay leaf

Set a rack on the second to lowest shelf in the oven and preheat to 450°.
Place the cherries in a baking dish large enough to hold them in a single snug layer.
Combine the wine, sugar and bay leaf in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour the wine over the cherries and roast for 15-20 minutes until the cherries are tender, basting occasionally.
Serve with crème fraiche, sour cream or ice-cream. Warm or cold.

For more information about Chef Paul, go to my post “a Delicious experience at Miette Culinary Studio” in the Food and Drink category, written in march 2007.