SIMPLE FOOD: Spring Menu with Chef Paige Vandegrift

Asparagus & Gruyére Tart

Ingredients

  • 1 12 to 13-inch tart shell, blind baked (see recipe for Páte Brisée below)
  • 1 to 1 ¼ pounds asparagus
  • 4 ounces Gruyére cheese, finely grated
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • salt & black pepper
  • pinch nutmeg, freshly grated (optional)

Prepare the pastry and bake the tart shell (recipe follows).

Trim the asparagus into 5 to 6-inch lengths (depending on the size of your pizza pan). Starting about 2 inches down from the tips, peel the asparagus. In a pan of boiling, salted water, blanch the asparagus until tender, 2 or 3 minutes for thin; 5 minutes or so for thick. Drain and refresh the asparagus in an ice water bath or under cold running water. Pat dry.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Scatter about two-thirds of the cheese over the baked tart shell. Arrange the asparagus spears in the shell like the spokes of a wheel with the tips pointing outward. Whisk together the eggs and the cream. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, if desired. Pour the custard over the asparagus, jiggling the pan a bit so the custard will be evenly distributed. Scatter the remaining cheese over all.

Bake the tart until the custard is set, about 20 to 25 minutes. Slide the tart under the oven-broiler to brown slightly. Serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.

Summer Variation: Replace the asparagus with 1 ¼ pounds of small zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick on a long bias and grilled or broiled with olive oil and salt & pepper until tender. Sprinkle a few leaves of basil chiffonade over the first layer of cheese.

Jayni's wine recommendation: 2006 Elyse Rosé, California.

Páte Brisée (Short Crust Pastry)

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted (200g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 11 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces (150g)
  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup ice water

Combine the flour and the salt in a medium-sized bowl. Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle ¼ cup ice water over the flour and butter mixture. Using your hands, fluff the mixture until it begins to clump, adding more water if necessary. If, when you squeeze some of the mixture it holds together, the dough is finished. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and form into a mound. Using the heel of your hand, gradually push all of the dough away from you in short forward strokes, flattening out the lumps. Continue until all of the dough is flat. Using a bench scraper, scrape the dough off the work surface, forming it into a single clump as you do. Form the finished dough into a ball, press out into a thick disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

To roll out the dough, let it warm up for a minute or two. Butter a 12 to 13-inch pizza pan and set it aside. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a circle that is about 1/8 to 1/6-inch thick and is about 15 inches across. Trim any ragged edges. Brush off the excess flour and fold the dough circle in half. Transfer it to the prepared pan. Unfold the dough and ease it into the pan being careful not to stretch it. Fold the edges to form a ½-inch rim of a double thickness of dough. Chill for 30 minutes.

To blind bake, line the pastry with aluminum foil or parchment paper, pressing it into the corners and edges. Add a layer of pie weights or dried beans. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 to 18 minutes. When the pastry begins to color on the edges, remove the foil and weights and continue baking until the pastry dries out and turns golden brown, another 5 to 10 minutes or so.

Note: To make páte brisée for a standard 9 to 10-inch quiche pan, use 1 1/3 cups flour, 8 tablespoons of butter, a scant half teaspoon of salt and 3 to 4 tablespoons of ice water.

Salad of Spring Vegetables with Hazelnuts & Orange Vinaigrette (see recipe below)

Ingredients

  • ¾ pound beets, scrubbed and stemmed
  • balsamic vinegar, to taste
  • 1 pound fingerling potatoes, scrubbed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt & black pepper, to taste
  • 8 ounces haricot verts (slender French green beans), trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
  • 1 medium head of fennel
  • 6 handfuls (about 5 ounces) mixed lettuces
  • ½ cup pitted Nicoise olives
  • ½ cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked and coarsely chopped

Prepare the Orange Vinaigrette (recipe follows) and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the beets in a roasting pan and add ½-inch of water. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and roast the beets until they are tender all the way through, 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the size and age of the beets. When the beets are cool enough to handle (although they should still be a bit warm), trim the roots and stems off and gently rub the skins off using a paper towel. Leave baby beets whole; cut medium-sized beets in wedges; dice large beets. Place the beets in a bowl and toss with balsamic vinegar. Set aside.

Once the beets are in the oven, toss the potatoes with a tablespoon or so of olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the potatoes in a shallow roasting pan just large enough to hold them in a single layer and add a splash of water. Cover the pan tightly with foil and place in the oven. Check the potatoes for doneness after about 40 minutes. They should be tender to the tip of a small knife. When the potatoes are done, remove the foil and set the pan aside until the potatoes are cool enough to handle. Halve the potatoes lengthwise unless they are very small. Toss the potatoes with just enough Orange Vinaigrette to coat. Set aside.

Bring a pan of salted water to a boil. Add the haricots verts and cook until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Pat dry and set aside.

Trim the fennel bulb and cut it in half from top to bottom. Cut out the core and remove the outer layers if they appear to be tough and stringy. Slice the fennel very thinly across the grain using a mandolin slicer.

To serve the salad: Place the salad greens in a bowl. Add the fennel, haricot verts and olives. Drizzle with some of the Orange Vinaigrette and season with salt & pepper. Gently toss to make sure all of the components are lightly dressed with the vinaigrette, adding more vinaigrette as necessary. Arrange the dressed greens, beets and potatoes attractively on individual plates, or on a large serving platter. Sprinkle the toasted hazelnuts over all. Serves 6.

Orange Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • juice of 2 Valencia oranges
  • ¼ cup sherry vinegar
  • 1 medium shallot, finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seed, toasted and crushed
  • salt & black pepper
  • ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil (if available, substitute ½ cup walnut or hazelnut oil for ½ cup of the olive oil)

Strain the orange juice into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the juice is reduced to a syrupy consistency. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the reduced orange juice, vinegar, shallot and fennel seed. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Gradually whisk in the oil, adding it in a thin stream. Taste and correct the seasoning and the vinegar balance.

Salmon Baked with Herb & Anchovy Butter

Ingredients

  • Herb & Anchovy Butter:
  • 4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 to 3 anchovies, smashed to a paste
  • 1 tablespoon each minced tarragon, minced chives and minced parsley
  • juice and zest of ½ lemon
  • salt & black pepper, to taste
  • 6 fillets of fresh salmon (about 5 to 6 ounces each)

Herb & Anchovy Butter: In a small bowl, cream the butter and add the anchovies, herbs, lemon juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the salmon fillets, skin side down, on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Pat each fillet with a paper towel to dry the surface. (The herb and anchovy butter will not adhere if the fish is wet.) Spread each fillet with 3 or 4 teaspoons of the butter.

Bake the salmon in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 6 to 10 minutes for medium-rare, or to desired doneness. Serves 6.

Suggestion: Serve the baked salmon alongside the Spring Salad for a substantial salad entrée. The salmon may be served hot as is, or cooled and flaked over the salad.

Jayni's wine recommendation: 2004 Clancy's Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend (by Peter Lehmann).

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

Ingredients

  • 20 ounces fresh rhubarb, cleaned & trimmed, cut into ¾-inch pieces
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 ¾ cup sifted cake flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • whipping cream, lightly sweetened and softly whipped

Line the bottom of a 9x3-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. If using a spring-form pan, wrap the outside in a double layer of aluminum foil. Combine the rhubarb and sugar in a medium-sized bowl, then spread the mixture in the bottom of the pan. Set aside.

Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter with the brown sugar until light and fluffy for 3 to 4 minutes at medium-high speed using the paddle attachment. Stop the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides. Beat in the eggs and yolk, one at a time, scraping down the sides before each addition. Add the vanilla to the milk. Fold in the dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Spread the batter evenly over the rhubarb in the prepared pan. Bake in a 325 degree oven until the cake is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let the cake rest for 20 minutes in the pan. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan, invert the cake onto a serving platter and remove the parchment paper.

Slice the rhubarb cake and place a dollop of whipped cream along side each serving. Serves 10 to 12.

Recipes by Chef Paige Vandegrift.

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