Red Wine & Fig Jam

Figs and I have a history.

Back in the day, figs used to hang out with my sister quite a bit. She liked them as Fig Newtons or their French equivalent, Figolu, so that was their deal. I used to let them do their thing--I didn't want to bother their thriving relationship in any way.

And then, at some point, figs starting spending more time around me, too. I was a lot older, I guess that's why--they didn't really think I was that cool when I thought I was Superman and tried jumping off the stairs. Gradually, figs and I became friends. I tolerated their presence, and they didn't seem to mind me, either. One day, we got a little closer when I discovered I really enjoyed figs in perfume. Also, when fig jam appeared alongside cheese, I didn't even glance further than the glass jar. Figs and I were just about to embark on what seemed to be a long-term relationship.

This summer, we were having drinks and a light dinner at our family friend Noreen's house, shortly before I returned to France. You may think it was me being all emotional about leaving the country, but my relationship with figs got really serious right then and there. Fig jam is one thing, but Noreen's red wine and fig jam?

Other-worldly.

I could have eaten it on anything--bread, scones, apples, celery, who knows, maybe even French fries. Imagine this with goat cheese gougères, or with anything your heart desires, really.

So, with Noreen officiating, I would like to show the world that my relationship with figs has bloomed. Yours will, too, if you give this recipe a try. Try to hide it from your significant other, though--they might start thinking about figs a little too much for your taste.

Red Wine and Fig Jam

recipe courtesy of Noreen

1/4 c. fresh lime juice

1 c. raw sugar
12 oz. Turkish figs, cut into large pieces (if using Black Mission Figs, you may need to decrease the sugar as they are noticeably sweeter)
about 1/3 c. Chardonnay

Place figs in a food processor and grind until you obtain small pieces.

Place ground figs, lime juice and raw sugar in saucepan. Mash together using the back of a large spoon, and let sit for an hour and a half to two hours.

Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat and stir. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. If the jam begins to thicken before the 30 minutes, then remove and let cool. After jam has cooled, place in saucepan with chardonnay and heat until jam is thick but spreadable.

The jam may stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. If serving from the refrigerator and the jam is too thick place some chardonnay in a saucepan and add the jam until it becomes spreadable but not thin.

This Gougère is no Goujat

French vocabulary can get a little tricky.

When is a "g" pronounced like a "j"? When do you pronounce a "t" or "d" at the end of a word? If you're French, chances are you learned all that in school, or never even asked yourself these questions. If you're not French, well, the intricacies of spelling in the "language of love" may seem a little unclear at times.

Here's my tip: if you're having a cocktail or dinner party with people likely to be swayed by great French skills, fake it. The best way to do so? Make them gougères.

Gougères are the masculine, savory version of the extra-cute chouquettes. But as I said in the title, gougères are no goujat. A goujat is a man who acts in a rude manner, especially towards women. This gougère right here does no such thing--trust me. It is small, cute in its own way, and just bite-sized enough to make everyone feel good about having one. But here is the magical side: you can put everything and pretty much anything in or on a gougère. Traditionally, gruyère gets first dibs on topping rights, but feel free to switch things around every now and then.

Last time I had friends over, gougères were the perfect accompaniement to my favorite goat cheese-green fig mix. Feel free to go anywhere with the base recipe for gougères: add some truffle oil, top with poppy seeds or sesame...or stuff them with what you'd like, from an umami-packed tapenade to tomato whipped cream.

Really, girlfriend, this gougère knows his way to a woman's heart. Next time someone quizzes you on some tricky French, stick a gougère in their mouth. They'll shush up and love you for it.

Gougères

makes approx 40 small puffs

1 cup water

1/3 cup (80g) butter

1 1/4 cup (125g) flour

4 eggs

salt

Optional toppings: gruyère, poppy seeds, sesame seeds...
Optional fillings: goat cheese, tapenade,...

Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F.

Bring water to a boil, add salt, then add butter.

Once the butter has melted, add all the flour at once and stir until you get a dry dough.

Remove the saucepan from heat, and add eggs one at a time, stirring (your arms might hurt a little) until you end up with a nice dough that's not too liquid.

Pipe dough onto a baking sheet, making little pyramids/cones for each. Sprinkle with topping, if using.

 

Bake until golden (approx. 20 minutes), opening oven door as little as possible. Let cool on a rack. Slice gougères open to pipe filling inside.

Goat Cheese and Green Fig Wonton Cups

Have you ever gone into a frenzy in a tableware store or on target.com, staring at cake trays and serving platters? I'd say it happens to me about once every two weeks. I start deciding which platters I want, what I would put on them, and who I would serve it to. I end up with a "small selection" of ten or so trays, which somehow are completely unmatched but that's alright.

And once I've made my list, I...don't get anything. See, if I were to actually give in to my love for oversized serving dishes, I think I would just have to move out on the street. My apartment can hardly handle the three serving plates I actually have, so I'm thinking that four-tiered turquoise cake platter wouldn't make it in. Well, it would, but it would also be replacing my bed/couch. Then again, would I rather sleep on the floor if it means having a flurry of cake stands? I might, actually--you already know I'm a little strange. Plus, that would mean more space for my guests, for those serving platter-filled parties. Nobody would be able to sit down, but I'm sure they'd be too busy jumping face first into my cookie dough fondues to mind. Before you start saying I have Oompa-Loompa scale culinary fantasies, I'll gladly confirm that I do. 

For now, though, I don't give in to any of them. Just wait and see until the day I get a 200 square meter loft in the center of Paris. Um...I forgot to mention my real estate fantasies too, didn't I?

Having a small apartment doesn't really keep me from having parties: standing in the middle of a small cookie-filled apartment isn't so bad for most people. This time around, I wanted to celebrate the beginning of May...well, no. I actually had a few ideas for little appetizers I really wanted to test and try on a dozen guinea pigs. Sorry, guys! 

One of these recipes came all of a sudden when I was back in Saint Dié, shopping in a newly-opened Turkish supermarket. I came across green figs in syrup, and it all came together in a flash: wonton cups filled with fresh, creamy goat cheese, green fig syrup, and pink peppercorns. I had never tasted this combination before, but somehow I just had a feeling it would taste pretty good.

Back in my Paris kitchen, I rounded up all the ingredients and went to work--not that there was much work involved, because this is pretty much the easiest recipe ever. I taste one of the finished products and was pretty pleased. But since this was right in the middle of getting ready for a party, I also had red bean dip, fudge, and dirt cake (I know, I'm not eight years old anymore, but still) to taste. So it was good, but I couldn't have enough to actually decide if I loved it or not. 

Enter my first guests, which I could label the hungry ones. There were thirty-four little wonton cups set out, and fifteen minutes later, they were all gone. I think they pretty much averaged nine or ten wonton cups per person, so I'll let that speak for itself.

 Wonton cups, pre-disappearing act.

I'll also let it speak for the fact that next time, I should make a couple hundred more. New serving plates, anyone?

Crispy Wonton Cups with Goat Cheese, Pink Peppercorns and Green Figs

makes 35 small wonton cups

1 package refrigerated or thawed frozen wonton wrappers
1 1/4 c. fresh goat cheese
1/4 to 1/3 c. green figs in syrup, chopped (syrup is included in the measurement)--this depends on how much sweetness you want
2 TB pink peppercorns, plus 1 TB for garnish
1 TS salt
1/2 TS pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C. With a large round cookie cutter, cut wonton wrappers into rounds. Lightly brush one side of each wrapper with oil and place in a mini-muffin pan, pressing down to form a cup. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. Let cool in pan or on a wire rack.

In a medium bowl, mix goat cheese, 2 TB peppercorns,salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until use.

Note: Fill wonton cups the day they will be served--otherwise they might get a little soggy.

Spoon goat cheese mixture into cooled wonton cups. Using a very small spoon, top with green figs and syrup. Add one or two pink peppercorns as a garnish.

Delight in the contrast between the crunchy wonton, creamy cheese and figs, and the end pop of the peppercorns!

Best Salsa Ever...Really.

I may have mentioned this before, but one thing I really miss about the Midwest is Mexican, or "Mexican" food. Sure, Paris has great condiments but I don't like mayonnaise and as much as I enjoy good mustard, I don't really eat it by the spoonful. 

That's why I miss going out to the Mexican restaurant in Urbana for chicken enchiladas. I love--no, adore--chicken enchiladas and there's only one thing that makes me more excited than a plate of them in front of me. And that thing is the bowl of salsa that arrives before the main course. I have a notorious sweet tooth, but I could eat fresh salsa all day long, with or without chips. Imagine my delight when in Palm Springs, I tasted one of my favorite salsas yet, made by my cousins. The recipe comes from their Mexican grandmother, and lucky for me, I got a copy of the recipe.

Now, there are probably a million debates about what makes salsa "authentic", but I don't really care about that. No, this salsa hits the spot for me. When I taste it, it's 1996 again. It's my birthday, and I'm in the only place I could imagine celebrating at: the Mexican restaurant with chicken enchiladas. My favorite part? Dipping chips into our first, then second, bowl of salsa with my parents while we wait for our food to arrive.

Salsa really is the best way to start a meal. I'll skip the mayo.

Montez Salsa

Note: I made a couple changes according to what I had on hand, in italics

2 cloves garlic (I used one)
6 jalapenos (I only had chopped jalapenos in a jar, so I used those and it turned out fine)
2 cans of chopped stewed tomatoes
1 fresh lime
1/2 bunch cilantro, washed
1/2 TS salt

Drain tomatoes and place in blender.

Cut and wash jalapenos--don't seed them--and mince garlic. Blend both ingredients in a food processor with salt and lime juice. Pour mixture into blender along with tomatoes, and blend until you reach desired consistency.


If you make the salsa a day ahead, it'll be even better: the flavors have time to blend together and the result is really amazing.

Spicy Cheddar-Chipotle Madeleines

In France, madeleines are pretty much the one sweet thing everyone has had before. They're as famous as La Joconde, and you can find them in most bakeries at any given time. Thanks to Marcel Proust, who wrote in length about them, they've come to represent sweet memories you associate with childhood. In fact, most people had their first madeleines as a four o'clock snack when coming home from school as children.

The best madeleines are often thought to come from Commercy, a town in the Eastern Lorraine region of France where they originated in the late 18th century. One thing Commercy madeleines aren't, however, is savory.

But hey, why not?

I wanted my savory madeleines to be the perfect snack for the apéro, the French tradition of having a drink in the early evening before dinner. Once the weather gets nice, you can walk along any street in Paris and you'll probably see loads of people having a glass of wine before dinner, around 6 p.m. A nice savory madeleine shouldn't be bland; it should have bold flavors, something that sticks around in your mind. 

I looked around my freezer and noticed I still had some chipotles in adobo lying around. Unconventional for a madeleine, sure, but I imagined it could only be delicious if you added a little cheddar alongside the chipotle. And delicious it was!

Seriously, if you're looking for a super simple snack for a cocktail party or buffet, try this. The shape is a nice change from mini-muffins and the like, and the taste is really something. Pair it with a strong glass of red wine and it'll be perfect. Even Proust might have enjoyed it.

Spicy Cheddar-Chipotle Madeleines

makes 10 large madeleines

2 eggs, separated
1/3 c. + 1 TS (80g) all-purpose flour
1 TS (5g) baking powder
4 TB oil
scant 1/4 c. (50g) cheddar, chopped into tiny cubes
1 chipotle pepper, chopped
1 TB adobo sauce
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 230°C / 450°F.

In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and egg yolks. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg whites by hand.

Mix egg whites and oil into the bowl. Add remaining ingredients and blend until just combined.

Spread batter into greased madeleine pans. Bake for 4 minutes, turn oven temperature down to 180°C / 350°F, and bake another 6 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of a madeleine comes out clean.

Cool on a rack, and eat the same day if possible: the fresher they are, the better.

Anytime Snack Mix

Back when I first made this snack mix, we were in the midst of the holiday season. It was my version of the traditional "Holiday Nut Mix", and I handed it out to friends in small bags. I then forgot about it until today.

With two weeks of living alone with my two broken wrists coming up--six days from today--I've been keeping an eye on any kind of finger food that will make my life easier. Sure, friends have offered to cook for me, but I don't really want to be a bother to anyone. Although, now that I think about it, I'd enjoy some homemade enchiladas when I get back to Paris. Got it, friends?

(Obviously I'm kidding, although enchiladas do sound pretty good. For now, I'm going to practice my right-handed chopstick skills for storytelling sessions with friends at the sushi place. You know, so I can tell them about how I just landed wrong after attempting a 360° jump with both hands behind my back. Ha. Right.)

Anyway, I'm planning on eating soup and hummus, but being able to eat finger food really makes it easier. Wait a second--cupcakes are officially a finger food! So is a chocolate bar! However,   do realize that I can't spend two weeks eating sugar, sugar, and more sugar, so I'm looking at healthier options.

This nut mix isn't really healthy per se, but not really unhealthy either. There's a minimal amount of butter and not so much sugar, and you can always say the nuts are good for you. It's a nice blend of sweet and spicy that can be appreciated at any moment of the year, not only for the holidays. I was inspired by David Lebovitz's recipe and adapted it to my tastes and what I could find in my neighborhood supermarket.

Easy to make, easy to eat. Enough to win this temporary penguin over.

Anytime Nut Mix

2 c. raw nuts of your choice - I used almonds, cashews and pecans

1 TB butter, melted

2 TB dark brown sugar

1 TS cinnamon

1 TS mild chili powder

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 1/2 TB maple syrup

1 1/2 TS large sea salt, such as fleur de sel

1 c. mini pretzel twists or normal pretzels broken into pieces

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.

Toast nuts for 10 minutes, stirring twice.

In a medium bowl, stir spices, melted butter and maple syrup together. Fold in nuts and stir until coated. Add salt.

Add pretzels, mix and spread on a baking sheet. Return to oven for 15 minutes or until toasted without being burnt, stirring twice.

Remove from oven and cool, making sure no clumping occurs. Mix can be stored one week in a glass jar or any other airtight container.

A Party is Always a Good Excuse to Cook

Most people have parties when they have something to celebrate, or at least when they have a reason to. I basically function in the opposite way: I feel like cooking, so why not have a party?

This led me to organize a little get-together last weekend with a dozen friends--who don't only enjoy eating chewy chocolate chip cookies, mind you, so I had to be a little creative. But creative is good, and exactly what I was looking for.

Obviously, I started with the sweetest things--not a reference to this past Sweetest Day--cupcakes and the like. I wanted to have the usual cupcakes, and mark a change from the cookies I usually have alongside them. Oh, that was difficult. Saying no to my favorite cookies is never easy. That is, until the idea of replacing them with M&M blondies comes along. Add some fudge to that and it's pretty easy to fathom, actually.

Then came the hard part. How much will people want to eat? Will they have had dinner beforehand? With these questions in mind, I set out to make some easy to munch on, savory bites. This is hopefully the last time I use the term "savory", which for some odd reason really gets to me.

Anyway, I immediately settled, as usual, on what we call un cake in French, customized to meet my chorizo and sundried tomato cravings. A creamy quiche wouldn't hurt either, I decided, and a get-together isn't really one without any veggies. But veggies don't go without a dip, and that's when I remembered the out-of-this-world black bean and chipotle dip my Maman made at a neighborhood cocktail party when I came home to visit in June. Making it just made me want to make it again and again and again--it's like a funner party version of vegetarian chili, which is perfect for the upcoming cold fall days.

With my shopping list on hand and a clear idea of what my get-together would look like, I set about making all of this. Thursday afternoon and all of Friday went by in a flash, but it was all for a good cause...seeing friends and satisfying my cooking craving!

Here are the "savory" (I'm waiting for the annoying word police) recipes, more to come later on my sweet adventures...

Cake au Chorizo et aux Tomates Sechées

4 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 pink bag of baking powder (11g, or approx 4 teaspoons I think?)
4.5 oz grated gruyère or emmental
1/2 of a full chorizo, skin removed and cut into thin slices
4 large sundried tomatoes, chopped
Pepper

Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F.

Mix eggs, oil, wine, and a pinch of pepper together. Beat until frothy.

Add flour, baking powder, cheese, chorizo and sundried tomatoes. Mix until just combined.

Bake in a loaf pan for about an hour, until a toothpick comes out clean. Since the chorizo and sundried tomatoes give off oil, don't be alarmed if you see oil bubbling around the edges--it will stop doing it after a few minutes!

Two-Pepper Quiche

Note: You could make your own pâte brisée, and that owuld probably be even better, but using a prepacked pure butter pâte brisée from the grocery store was fine for me!

1 tart shell
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 TB butter
2 eggs
3/4 c. milk (skim is fine)
1 c. crème liquide, i.e. whipping cream
as much grated cheese as you want (I used around 1/3 c. emmental)
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 370°F.

In a buttered tart pan, bake tart shell for 15 mins covered with parchment paper and pie weights.

Cook bell peppers in a pan on stovetop with 1/2 TB butter until softened, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Beat eggs, milk, cream, cheese, and any extra herbs you want to add.

Place bell peppers in tart shell, and cover with egg mixture. Bake 30 minutes, until golden.

Warm Black Bean & Chiptole Dip
serves 10-12

2 TB olive oil
2 med. tomatoes, cored and diced
2 TS salt
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 TB chili powder
2 15.5 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed (I used red beans because black beans don't seem to exist over here)
2 canned chiptoles, minced + 3 TB adobo from can
3 TB cider vingar (or red-wine vinegar)
1 1/2 c. fresh corn (I used canned in a pinch)
1 1/2 c. grated Cheddar (I used Mimolette)
1 1/2 c. grated Monterey Jack (I used mozzarella...I know)
3/4 c. fresh cilantro

Heat oven to 425°F. Grease 1 1/2 Qt. baking dish with oil and line baking sheet with foil.

Set tomatoes in a colander and sprinkle with 1 TS salt.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high until simmering. Reduce to medium, add onion and 1 TS salt. Cook until softened, 4 to 6 minutes.

Add garlic and chili powder, cook 1 minute. Add half of the beans, the chipotle, adobo, and 3/4c. water. Bring to a boil.

Cook until liquid reduces by half, about 5 minutes. Transfer to food processor, add vinegar, and process until smooth.

Transfer to a large bowl. Add beans, tomatoes, corn, 1/2 of each cheese, and 1/2 c. cilantro. Mix and season to taste.

Transfer to a baking dish and sprinkle with remaning cheeses. Bake until cheese melts and browns around the edges, for around 15 minutes.

Sprinkle with remaining cilantro, serve with veggies and tortillas.