AIMWELL KITCHEN TEST SESSIONS
28 April 2020
Wild Blackberry Rustic Galette
Wild Blackberry Rustic Galette
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Jon and I love to forage. We are certified mushroom foragers and endlessly hunting for seasonal edibles. Wild blackberries are one of the easiest and most delicious finds. We pick berries in full sun and carry them home to settle in a large wooden bowl in our kitchen and let rest overnight. We bake our galette the following day, in morning with coffee or late afternoon with wine. Even simple baking takes time and we linger through it because the devouring lasts roughly 4-7 minutes. Then, even the crumbs are gone.
INGREDIENTS + PREP
Gallete Dough/Crust
1 Stick Very Cold Unsalted Butter
1 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour (Suggested : Anson Mills Colonial Style Cloth-Bolted Pastry Flour)
1/2 Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
1/4 Cup Ice Cold Water
1/2 Teaspoon White Vinegar
1 Whisked Egg (to brush on the crust just before baking)
Cane Sugar to Sprinkle on Crust
Blackberry Filling
2 Pints Wild Blackberries
1/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup Cane Sugar
2 Teaspoons Fresh Lemon Juice
Optional : Pinch or Two of Fresh Orange Zest
1. Cube the unsalted butter and place in the freezer.
2. Stir together the flour and salt and place in a food processor.
3. Wash the wild blackberries, drain and place in a mixing bowl.
4. Incorporate the flour, sugar and fresh lemon juice into the berries with your hands and let stand room temperature until ready for baking.
5. Return to the food processor and pulse the very cold butter cubes into the four mixture until course meal or small peas form.
6. Slowly, add the very cold ice water to the flour and butter mixture and finish with vinegar. A ball of dough should have nearly formed in your processor.
7. Remove and finish forming the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap or a flour sack towel, and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
*Preferred method : Mix and form the dough by hand which is sexier, but takes practice and is less forgiving.
8. While you wait for the dough to chill, this is a good time to make ice cream for serving--or tidy the kitchen pantry.
9. When you are ready to finish preparing the galette and bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
10. Once the dough is confidently chilled, unwrap and place on a lightly floured cold work surface (marble or metal is excellent).
11. Use a rolling pin to swiftly spread the dough to a 14' round measuring about 1/8 inch thick. Don't overwork!
12. Roll back the 14" round of dough back onto the rolling pin, and unroll onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
13. With your hands scoop the sitting berry mixture into the center of the dough leaving a 2" border around the edge.
14. Fold the dough around the berries and pinch to make a few pleats.
15. Brush the top of the pleated dough with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
16. Place in heated oven and bake for 45 minutes, give or take a few. Bake until the crust is golden and the berries are bubbling.
17. Remove and cool for 20 minutes.
18. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream or a bottle of Bourbon.
Gallete Dough/Crust
1 Stick Very Cold Unsalted Butter
1 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour (Suggested : Anson Mills Colonial Style Cloth-Bolted Pastry Flour)
1/2 Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
1/4 Cup Ice Cold Water
1/2 Teaspoon White Vinegar
1 Whisked Egg (to brush on the crust just before baking)
Cane Sugar to Sprinkle on Crust
Blackberry Filling
2 Pints Wild Blackberries
1/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup Cane Sugar
2 Teaspoons Fresh Lemon Juice
Optional : Pinch or Two of Fresh Orange Zest
1. Cube the unsalted butter and place in the freezer.
2. Stir together the flour and salt and place in a food processor.
3. Wash the wild blackberries, drain and place in a mixing bowl.
4. Incorporate the flour, sugar and fresh lemon juice into the berries with your hands and let stand room temperature until ready for baking.
5. Return to the food processor and pulse the very cold butter cubes into the four mixture until course meal or small peas form.
6. Slowly, add the very cold ice water to the flour and butter mixture and finish with vinegar. A ball of dough should have nearly formed in your processor.
7. Remove and finish forming the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap or a flour sack towel, and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
*Preferred method : Mix and form the dough by hand which is sexier, but takes practice and is less forgiving.
8. While you wait for the dough to chill, this is a good time to make ice cream for serving--or tidy the kitchen pantry.
9. When you are ready to finish preparing the galette and bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
10. Once the dough is confidently chilled, unwrap and place on a lightly floured cold work surface (marble or metal is excellent).
11. Use a rolling pin to swiftly spread the dough to a 14' round measuring about 1/8 inch thick. Don't overwork!
12. Roll back the 14" round of dough back onto the rolling pin, and unroll onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
13. With your hands scoop the sitting berry mixture into the center of the dough leaving a 2" border around the edge.
14. Fold the dough around the berries and pinch to make a few pleats.
15. Brush the top of the pleated dough with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
16. Place in heated oven and bake for 45 minutes, give or take a few. Bake until the crust is golden and the berries are bubbling.
17. Remove and cool for 20 minutes.
18. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream or a bottle of Bourbon.
28 March 2020
Crepes On the Fly
Crepes On the Fly
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I spent many holidays in the 70's helping my Grandad to make Crepes Suzette and it was one of the greatest memories of my childhood. We would first make a very dry martini for him, a Shirley Temple with extra cherries for me, and get to work in the kitchen. It's a very easy and crowd pleasing dish to make, but slightly labor intensive and therefore requiring good music, good drink, a little patience, flair and a blow torch for final presentation (look it up).
Since that time period, I have made hundreds of crepes. They are fancy, celebratory, forgiving and hold limitless possibilities for what delicious bits to tuck inside of them. Sweet or savory, anytime of the day or night, these French staples are just plain wicked + melty in your mouth. Enjoy playing with various cuisines and presentation--and don't be afraid to fail. It takes many flips and flaps to make a good looking crepe. Eat the messy ones along the way.
Since that time period, I have made hundreds of crepes. They are fancy, celebratory, forgiving and hold limitless possibilities for what delicious bits to tuck inside of them. Sweet or savory, anytime of the day or night, these French staples are just plain wicked + melty in your mouth. Enjoy playing with various cuisines and presentation--and don't be afraid to fail. It takes many flips and flaps to make a good looking crepe. Eat the messy ones along the way.
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INGREDIENTS + PREP
Sweet
2 Large Eggs 1 Cup Raw Milk 1/3 Cup Water 1 Cup All-Purpose Flour, Unbleached 2 Tbsp Cane Sugar 1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract 1 Tbsp Grand Marnier (Optional--we use Whiskey) 2 Tbsp Good Butter, Melted Side : Good Butter for melting in the pan Savory 2 Large Eggs 1 Cup Raw Milk 1/3 Cup Water 1 Cup All-Purpose Flour, Unbleached 1/4 Tsp Fine Sea Salt 2 Tbsp Good Butter, Melted Side : Good Butter for melting in the pan Preparation Sift flour into a bowl and add the sugar (for sweet) OR salt (for savory) and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy, add all liquid ingredients and whisk until blended. Next, whisk the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and finish with melted butter. Cover and refrigerate for 2-12 hours. To Cook Bring crepe mixture to room temperature. Heat a sauté pan, crepe pan or cast iron griddle to medium-high and add butter to sizzle. Ladle crepe mixture into pan in single batches. One crepe at a time. Tilt and rotate the pan to cover the surface or use a pastry scraper to gently circle the top of your crepe for a thin and even distribution. Flip at about 1-2 minutes depending on the heat and finish for another minute or so. Feel it, and make adjustments. Your first 3 crepes will most likely be a mess. Laugh, and keep going. Reserve and stack each crepe in a 200 degree oven until ready to serve. To Serve Liberate yourself. You can fold, roll or pouch anything you want into these finely stacked crepes! From leftovers to lobster to another dollop of butter and sprinkled sugar--anything can happen in there. Flambeed Lighting food on fire is pure theater, and it's very simple. YouTube it. |
SIDEWINDER BITS
For this kitchen session we made :
Lemon Zest Sugar Whiskey Sugar Cinnamon Sugar Jam Butter Shaved Good Chocolate Toasted Almonds Good Honey And pulled out of the fridge : Dijon Mustard Good Ham Packaged Swiss Cheese Picked from the field : Wild Greenbriar If you are making sweet crepes, don't forget to dust with confectioners sugar for a final puff + pow. |