Happy Bastille Day!

It's Bastille Day! The French call it  La Fête Nationale, and it's as big a celebration in France as Independence Day is in the United States. So, how better to celebrate the day than to go back to my French culinary school roots for inspiration.

My friends know that, long before I considered becoming a professional chef, I loved to bake, especially desserts. When I did decide to go to culinary school, I seriously considered focusing on pastry, but ultimately decided that I didn't want to specialize too early in my career, so I opted to go for the broader culinary program my school offered. It had a savory focus, but desserts and pastry techniques were a major part of the curriculum.

One of my favorite French pastry elements is frangipane. Frangipane is an almond filling that is used for tarts, croissants, and other pastries. It's so yummy and so easy to make. The first recipe I made in culinary school using frangipane was a pear tart. I can still remember that tart, the flavor of the almonds with the pears was lovely.

Pears aren't really in season right now, it's a bit early to get good ones, but peaches are coming in to their own. Peaches are one of my favorite summer fruits, I love eating them raw as well as cooking with them. So this week's recipe is inspired by Bastille Day and combines two of my favorite things, peaches and frangipane. Enjoy!

Peach and Frangipane Tart

Makes 1, 9 to 10 inch tart

For the tart crust:

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

pinch of kosher salt

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into tablespoon-sized pieces

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frangipane:

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

¼ cup sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons almond flour

zest of 1 lemon

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon almond liqueur, dark rum, or brandy

3 to 4 large peaches, pits removed and sliced very thin

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

To make the tart crust: place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the dry ingredients are mixed. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like damp sand with pebbles mixed through. Add the egg and vanilla extract to the food processor bowl, and pulse until the dough comes together into shaggy clumps. Remove the dough from the food processor and gently knead to bring it together into a cohesive mass. (Don't work the dough too much, you're just kneading it enough to bring it together.)

Take the dough and press it into the bottom of a 9 or 10 inch tart pan with a removeable bottom. Flatten the dough across the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Place the pan in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes. Once the dough is well chilled, line the bottom of the shell with foil or parchment paper, then fill the shell with rice, dry beans, or pie weights. (Weighing down the crust will ensure that the bottom of the tart stays flat as it bakes, otherwise it will puff up and you won't be able to fill it with the frangipane.) 

Transfer the tart pan to the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Lift the edge of the foil to check the crust, if it looks set, then remove the foil and the rice/beans/pie weights. Transfer the tart shell back to the oven and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until the edges just start to become golden brown. Remove the tart shell from the oven and allow to cool. 

To make the frangipane: place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process until the butter and sugar are well mixed and fluffy. Add the almond flour and zest and process until well mixed.  Add the eggs, vanilla and liquor of choice, and process until well mixed, scraping down the sides of the processor bowl as necessary.

To assemble and bake the tart: Pour the frangipane into the cooled tart shell. Starting from the outside edge of the tart, insert the peach slices cut side down into the frangipane,

overlapping them as you place them in the tart shell. As you add more slices, the peaches will start to take the form of an unfolding rose. Once you have reached the very center of the tart, place it in the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the frangipane is golden brown and puffed. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Remove the tart from the pan, slice, and serve warm or at room temperature.

So corny....

Nothing says summer like fresh corn on the cob--butter dripping down your chin and kernels getting stuck in your teeth. Corn is everywhere in the stores right now and incredibly inexpensive--I just bought corn at 4 ears for a dollar, and you can probably find it even cheaper at a farm stand. Needless to say, at that price, I bought way more corn than I probably should have, but hey, I do have a blog to write! 

Growing up, we always boiled our corn, but I actually prefer to grill it. Grilling can be done with the outer husk still on the cob, or with the corn shucked. Leaving the husk on holds more of the moisture in the cob, and the green husk leaves also give a little flavor to the corn. If you're going to leave the husk on, though, it is very important that you soak the corn in water for at least an hour before grilling, otherwise the husk could literally burst into flames on the grill. I usually peel back the top part of the husk and remove the majority of the corn silk, then close up the husk and plunge the corn into a large bowl of water. After grilling, simply peel back the outer husks, slather on some butter and sprinkle with salt.

There's a second school of thought on grilling corn, and that is to shuck the corn before grilling. This is actually the method I prefer. After removing the husk leaves and corn silk, I drizzle the kernels with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place the cobs on a hot grill or grill pan. As you see good grill marks develop on the kernels, turn the cob until it is well marked on all sides--and don't be surprised if some of the kernels start to burst. Grilling without the husk dries out the corn a bit as it cooks, you'll even see the kernels start to shrivel. But, I think it actually makes the corn taste better--you get more more smokiness, and the slight dehydration of the kernels concentrates the flavors and makes it taste more "corny" to me. I don't even put butter on corn grilled this way, I eat it just as it is off the cob.

Of course, there is so much more you can do with corn other than eat it straight off the cob--and yes, it is VERY delicious just that way. But, I was feeling inspired, so I put together a couple of other recipes that will give you new, tasty ways to enjoy your favorite summer vegetable.

Grilled Corn Salsa

Makes about 3 cups of salsa

4 ears grilled corn

2 plum tomatoes, cored and diced

1 large jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves

½ teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

juice of a lime

Kosher salt to taste

Cut the kernels off the corn cobs and place in a large bowl. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Season to taste and serve. It makes a great garnish to grilled chicken or fish, or eat it with chips straight out of the bowl.

Cheesy Corn Casserole

Serves 12

12 ears of corn, shucked and silks removed

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter

2 large shallots, finely chopped

¾ cup all purpose flour

4 cups whole milk

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

8 ounces cheese (I used half chevre and half white cheddar)

¾ cup fresh chopped herbs (I used basil, chives and lemon thyme from my garden)

1 ½ cups panko bread crumbs

½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon butter, melted, plus additional to butter the casserole dish

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9x13 inch casserole dish.

Place the corn on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake until the corn kernels are beginning to shrivel, about 45 minutes. You'll want to turn the corn about half way through baking. By baking the corn instead of boiling it, you will cook out some of the moisture. If you skip this step, the corn will release enough liquid during cooking in the casserole to make the sauce very watery. After the corn as cooled enough to handle, cut the kernels off the cob. You should have about 8 cups of corn kernels.

Melt the butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat. When completely melted, add the shallots and cook, stirring, until the shallots are softened and translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the shallots and mix into the butter and shallots until it is fully absorbed and beginning to bubble. Whisk in the milk, and stir well to evenly dissolve the butter and flour mixture into the milk--no lumps!  Mix in the spices and mustard and continue to cook stirring, until the sauce fully thickens, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the cheese and continue to stir until it is melted and mixed evenly through the sauce. Mix in the corn kernels and herbs. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Transfer the mixture to the buttered baking dish. In a small bowl, mix together the panko, parmesan and melted butter. Spread the panko mixture over the top of the corn mixture in an even layer. Place the casserole dish in the oven and bake until the bread crumbs are browned and the casserole is bubbling, about 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. Try not to lick the bottom of the casserole dish after you've served your guests. Although, what happens in the kitchen, stays in the kitchen.