Monday, July 21, 2014

Wednesday, July 16, 2014







Mango salsa, enough for 50 ... with (more than) 50 salt cod cakes



summertime.
the bottom photo is by Frank Horvat.

. . .

via vivre.

Sunday, July 13, 2014


coffee on the stovetop.

and here's the tart.

Tomato Mustard Tart
from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table

for the pastry:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 large egg
1 tsp ice water

Put the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl and stir briefly to combine. Drop in the bits of cold butter and, using your hands or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour until it is evenly distributed. You'll have some large and some small butter bits, and that's fine - uniformity isn't a virtue here. Beat the egg and ice water together, drizzle over the dough, and, using a fork, toss the dough until it is evenly moistened. Reach into the bowl and, using your fingertips, mix and rub the dough until it comes together. Gather it into a ball (if the dough doesn't come together easily, push it, a few spoonfulls at a time, under the heel of your hand or knead it some more) and flatten it into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours. (It can be refigerated for up to 5 days).

When you're ready to bake the tart, butter a 9-9 1/2 inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom (butter it even if it's non-stick). Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
It's easiest to roll the dough out between 2 sheets of plastic wrap or waxed paper. Just be sure to lift the plastic or paper often to prevent the dough from working in, and turn the dough frequently. The rolled-out dough should be about 1/4 inch thick and at least 12 inches in diameter. Transfer the dough to the tart pan, easing it in without stretching it (what you stretch now will shrink in the oven later). Press the dough against the bottom and sides of the pan. Chill or freeze the dough for at least an hour before baking OR press a piece of buttered foil against the crust's surface and fill with dried beans (which will be inedible after this but can be used for baking for months to come) to keep the dough flat. Line a baking sheet with parchment or lay down a silicone baking mat and place the tart pan on the sheet.

Partially bake the crust for 20 minutes, then carefully remove the foil with the beans and return the crust to the oven and bake for another 3-5 minutes until it is lightly golden. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and allow the crust to cool before you fill it.

for the filling:
Beautiful, ripe tomatoes: 1 super-large, 1 or 2 regular-sized, 2 or 3 plum tomatoes or 15-20 cherry tomatoes (the number really depends how big the tomatoes are)
3 large eggs
6 Tbsps heavy cream
3 Tbsps Dijon mustar
2 Tablespoons grainy mustard, preferably French
salt, preferably fleur de sel, and freshly-ground white or black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 
Whisk the eggs together with the cream. Add the mustards and the salt and pepper - mustard has a tendency to be salty so proceed accordingly - and whisk to blend. Taste and see if you want to add a little more of one or the other mustards. If you've got cherry or grape tomatoes, cut them in half.; if you've got round or plum tomatoes, cut them into slices about 1.2 an inch thick. Place the tart pan on the lined baking sheet and pour just enough of the egg mixture to cover the bottom of the shell. Arrange the halves or slices in the shell, and finish filling the shell around the tomatoes, taking care not to go over the edges of the crust.

Slide the backing sheet into the oven and bake 30 minutes, or until the tart is uniformly puffed and lightly browned here and there and a knife inserted into the centre of the custard coems out clean. Transfer the tart to a coooling rack and let it rest for 5 minutes before removing the sides of the pan.

Serve hot, warm, at room temperature, or lightly chilled.



Friday, July 11, 2014


Beauties from the market. I was thrilled to see these guys today! knowing they'll go into a tomato and Dijon mustard tart tonight.

Thursday, July 10, 2014


Two dozen porcelain tasting cups soaking their retail labels off in a bowl of water. One of the preps for an event I'm catering next week.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014


A find at the frip. Moving Day brings out the treasures.



Last week i put together this little toy for Harvey. It's just many different lengths of ribbon in various colours of velvet & silk satin tied onto a maple ring. Of course he loves when we hold it in front the fan and the ribbons dance around him.