Bad Viking

Our dinner was a disaster adverted. We were cooking two separate dishes in our Viking Oven. First we were going to cook a Mushroom Tart then for the main course we were going to make chicken with figs. Cathy turned on the oven and it wouldn’t heat up. We checked and could see the gas flame, but the oven wouldn’t heat. I had recently bought a silicon splash guard to be placed on the bottom of the oven (I placed it on a lower rack). When the oven wouldn’t heat, remarks were made to the effect that I had broken the oven, etc. The next morning the Viking repairman appeared and announced the starter for the oven had gone out. He replaced the two of them. The splash guard was not at fault.
We decided to cook the tarts on the Egg outside and then braised the chicken on the top of the stove (the burners worked). One strange thing about the stove when the starters go out there is no warning. They either work or they don’t work. So you never know when it will go bad.

In late summer Chanterelle Mushrooms are at their peak. We made a Wild Mushroom Tart from a recipe in Sunday Supper at Lucques. The appetizers at Lucques are always fabulous. This recipe we modified slightly because we didn’t have any spring onions.

This is one of our favorite summer chicken dishes, we only make it when there are fresh figs at the market. The recipe is from The Zuni Café Cookbook. It is easy and very tasty. The dish is called. Chicken Braised with Figs, Honey & Vinegar. The name tells the story. You can get the recipe from out blog entry of June 23, 2008. To get the recipe click the link.

We served it with a great recipe from Saffron Rice from The Food of Morocco by Whitecap. We previously had always made this dish with cous-cous. The Saffron Rice was excellent and we will make it again.

wild mushroom tart with gruyere, young onions, and herb salad
Sunday Suppers at Lucques

1 sheet frozen all-butter puff pastry
2 extra-large egg yolks
1 ¼ pounds wild mushrooms, cleaned
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ cups sliced young onions, plus 1/4 cup diagonally slice young onion tops
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
½ cup whole milk ricotta, drained if wet
¼ cup creme fraiche
¼ pound Gruyere, thinly slice
½ cup flat-leat parsley leaves
¼ cup tarragon leaves
¼ cup chervil sprigs
½ cup 1/2-inch-snipped chives
A drizzle of super-good extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, for juicing
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Give me almost any combination of toppings, and I'll turn them into a deli-cious savory tart. The formula is always the same: the crispy, buttery puff pastry crust; a creamy base of ricotta and creme fraiche; a layer of oozing, usually pungent cheese; and then, of course, the topping. In this case, I saute an array of win¬ter wild mushrooms until they're tender, chewy, and still a little crisp. Since they seem to make everything taste better, I can't resist tossing in a few handfuls of sweet young onions with their spicy green tops. As they all bake together, their flavors unite into this decadent and sophisticated "pizza."

NOTE Assemble the tart in the morning, cover, and refrigerate. Bake just before you're ready to serve.

Preheat the oven to 4oo°F.
Defrost the puff pastry slightly and unroll it onto a parchment-lined
sheet. Use a paring knife to score a %-inch border around the edge of the pastry. Make an egg wash by whisking i egg yolk with % teaspoon water, and brush the egg wash along the border. (You will not need all of the egg wash.) Return the puff pastry to the freezer until you're ready to use it.

If the mushrooms are big, tear them into large bite-sized pieces. (Not too small, as they will shrink when they're cooked.)

Heat a large saute pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Swirl in 2 tablespoons olive oil and wait i minute. Add i tablespoon butter, and when it foams, scatter half the mushrooms into the pan. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a healthy pinch of pepper. Saute the mushrooms about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are tender and a little crispy. (The cooking time will depend on the par¬ticular mushrooms you use.) Transfer the cooked mushrooms to a baking sheet, and repeat with the second half of the mushrooms.

When the second batch of mushrooms are just cooked, reduce the heat to low and toss in the spring onions, thyme, and % teaspoon salt. Stir gently i to 2 minutes, until the onions are just wilted. Stir in the onion tops. Transfer to me baking sheet, and stir to combine with the first batch of mushrooms.

Place the ricotta, remaining egg yolk, and remaining tablespoon olive oil in the bowl of a food processor. Puree until smooth, and remove to a mixing bowl. Gently fold in the creme fraiche, and season with a healthy pinch of salt and a few grindings of black pepper.

Spread the ricotta mixture on the puff pastry within the scored border. Place the Gruyere over the ricotta. Arrange the mushrooms and spring onions on top. If you aren't ready to bake it yet, cover the tart with plastic and chill.

Bake the tart 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Lift the crust to peek underneath the tart to make sure the crust is really cooked through. (If you underbake the tart, it will be soggy.)

Toss the herbs in a small bowl with salt, pepper, a drizzle of super-good olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Let the tart cool a few minutes, and serve it on a cutting board at the table. Serve the herb salad on the side in a small bowl or scatter it over the tart.

wild mushroom tart with gruyere, young onions, and herb salad
Sunday Suppers at Lucques

1 sheet frozen all-butter puff pastry
2 extra-large egg yolks
1 ¼ pounds wild mushrooms, cleaned
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ cups sliced young onions, plus 1/4 cup diagonally slice young onion tops
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
½ cup whole milk ricotta, drained if wet
¼ cup creme fraiche
¼ pound Gruyere, thinly slice
½ cup flat-leat parsley leaves
¼ cup tarragon leaves
¼ cup chervil sprigs
½ cup 1/2-inch-snipped chives
A drizzle of super-good extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, for juicing
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Give me almost any combination of toppings, and I'll turn them into a deli-cious savory tart. The formula is always the same: the crispy, buttery puff pastry crust; a creamy base of ricotta and creme fraiche; a layer of oozing, usually pungent cheese; and then, of course, the topping. In this case, I saute an array of win¬ter wild mushrooms until they're tender, chewy, and still a little crisp. Since they seem to make everything taste better, I can't resist tossing in a few handfuls of sweet young onions with their spicy green tops. As they all bake together, their flavors unite into this decadent and sophisticated "pizza."

NOTE Assemble the tart in the morning, cover, and refrigerate. Bake just before you're ready to serve.

Preheat the oven to 4oo°F.
Defrost the puff pastry slightly and unroll it onto a parchment-lined
sheet. Use a paring knife to score a %-inch border around the edge of the pastry. Make an egg wash by whisking i egg yolk with % teaspoon water, and brush the egg wash along the border. (You will not need all of the egg wash.) Return the puff pastry to the freezer until you're ready to use it.

If the mushrooms are big, tear them into large bite-sized pieces. (Not too small, as they will shrink when they're cooked.)

Heat a large saute pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Swirl in 2 tablespoons olive oil and wait i minute. Add i tablespoon butter, and when it foams, scatter half the mushrooms into the pan. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a healthy pinch of pepper. Saute the mushrooms about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are tender and a little crispy. (The cooking time will depend on the par¬ticular mushrooms you use.) Transfer the cooked mushrooms to a baking sheet, and repeat with the second half of the mushrooms.

When the second batch of mushrooms are just cooked, reduce the heat to low and toss in the spring onions, thyme, and % teaspoon salt. Stir gently i to 2 minutes, until the onions are just wilted. Stir in the onion tops. Transfer to me baking sheet, and stir to combine with the first batch of mushrooms.

Place the ricotta, remaining egg yolk, and remaining tablespoon olive oil in the bowl of a food processor. Puree until smooth, and remove to a mixing bowl. Gently fold in the creme fraiche, and season with a healthy pinch of salt and a few grindings of black pepper.

Spread the ricotta mixture on the puff pastry within the scored border. Place the Gruyere over the ricotta. Arrange the mushrooms and spring onions on top. If you aren't ready to bake it yet, cover the tart with plastic and chill.

Bake the tart 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Lift the crust to peek underneath the tart to make sure the crust is really cooked through. (If you underbake the tart, it will be soggy.)

Toss the herbs in a small bowl with salt, pepper, a drizzle of super-good olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Let the tart cool a few minutes, and serve it on a cutting board at the table. Serve the herb salad on the side in a small bowl or scatter it over the tart.