Edible Odyssey In Paris
Along with being restaurant critic for the International Herald Tribune and the author of seven cookbooks, Patricia Wells is also proprietor of a cooking school.
Who better, then, to take CBS News Sunday Morning correspondent Martha Teichner on an edible odyssey of Paris' best markets. Together they put together a simple, yet elegant, three-course French meal.
Fig and Apricot Jam Tart
A recipe by Patricia Wells
8 Servings
Equipment
A nonstick baking sheet
A food processor or a blender
One rectangular 8 x 15-inch unbaked, rimless light flaky pastry sheet, on a baking sheet
Ingredients
1 pound ripe figs or as needed, rinsed
1 cup homemade apricot jam, pits removed and the jam pureed in the food processor or blender
confectioners' sugar, for garnish
Method
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F
- Place the pastry on a baking sheet. With a spatula, evenly spread the jam on top of the pastry shell. Slice the figs crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Starting from the outside edge of the pastry, overlap the fig slices on top of the jam. Repeat with remaining figs. Dust generously with confectioners' sugar.
- Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake until the pastry shell if puffy and browned and the figs juicy and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and dust generously with confectioners' sugar.
- This tart is best served slightly warm. To serve, cut the tart in half lengthwise, then into even squares.
Light Flaky Pastry
(For fig and jam tart)
Pâte Brisée Lègere
A recipe by Patricia Wells
Pastry for two rimless tarts
This is a lighter version of her classic pastry, using five tablespoons of butter rather than eight. Wells says she find that despite the reduced amount of butter, one still obtains a pleasantly flaky crust. And that, after all, is the goal!
Ingredients
1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
4 tablespoons ice water
Equipment
A food processor; a baking sheet.
Method
- Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process to blend. Add the butter and process until well-blended, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add the water and process just until the mixture resembles fine curds of cheese and almost begins to form a ball, about 10 seconds more. Transfer to a clean work surface, and with the palm of your hand, smear the dough bit by bit across the work surface until the dough is thoroughly incorporated. (This is called fraisage, the practice of mixing all the ingredients until every trace of water and flour have disappeared, at which point the mass becomes dough.) Divide the dough into two even portions. Form each into a flattened round. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 48 hours.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough into a 9-inch circle or into an 8 by 15-inch rectangle. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to use.
Classic Vinaigrette
A recipe by Patricia Wells
Ingredients
2 tablespoons best-quality sherry wine vinegar
2 tablespoons best-quality red wine vinegar
fine sea salt to taste
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Method
Place the sherry and red wine vinegars and salt in a bottle. Cover and shake to dissolve the salt. Add the oil and shake to blend. Taste for seasoning. The vinaigrette can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator for several weeks. Shake again at serving time to create a think emulsion.
Goat Cheese Wraps, Bouchette Charcutier
4 servings
Ingredients
About 1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs, such as chives, chervil, tarragon or thyme or a mixture
8 extra-thin slices smoked bacon, pancetta, or smoked ham (each about 8 x 1 1/2 inches)
4 small goat cheese rounds (each about 2 ounces; 30 g)
Method
- Sprinkle the herbs on each side of each goat cheese round press down lightly so they adhere to the cheese. Wrap two slices of bacon, criss-cross fashion, around each round of goat cheese. (The goat cheese can be prepared to this stage up to 8 hours in advance. Cover and keep the cheese in a cool spot.)
- Heat a large, dry, nonstick skillet over moderate heat. Add the wrapped cheese and cook until the meat is browed, about 2 minutes per side. Serve as a cheese course, with a tossed green salad alongside.
Wine Suggestions
Patricia Wells says she always associates goat cheese with the flinty flavor of a white Sancerre, for that's where — in the Loire valley — she tasted her first goat's cheese. She suggests that whatever you choose, make sure it is chilled, dry, and white.
LA MAISON DU FROMAGE
"MOLARD"
48, rue de Martyrs,
Paris 9.
Telephone: 01 45 26 84 88.
Métro: Notre Dame de Lorette.
Wild Mushroom and Walnut Tarte Tatin
Tarte Tatin aux Cèpes et Cerneaux de Noix
A recipe by Patricia Wells
8 servings
Equipment
A large ,nonstick frying pan
A 9-inch tarte Tatin pan or nonstick frying pan with ovenproof handle.
Ingredients
2 teaspoons goose fat (or substitute olive oil)
2 pounds large cèpe or porcini mushrooms (or substitute chanterelles or girolles, cremini, portobello, or standard cultivated mushrooms), cleaned, trimmed, and cut into thick slices
Fine sea salt to taste
1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme leaves
3 plump, moist garlic cloves, green germ removed, minced
3 tablespoons minced parsley
1/2 cup freshly cracked walnut pieces
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons walnut oil vinaigrette
Fleur de sel, for garnish
Walnut Oil Vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Fine sea salt to taste
4 tablespoons best-quality walnut oil
Method
One-half recipe Light Flaky Pastry rolled into a 9-inch round, placed on a baking sheet and refrigerated
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Heat the fat in a large, nonstick frying pan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Add the mushrooms, season lightly with salt, and sauté just until the mushrooms begin to give up their juices, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat, add the thyme, garlic, half the parsley and half the walnuts. Cook, stirring regularly, for about 1 minute more. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch tarte Tatin pan or nonstick frying pan. Place the Tatin pan or frying pan on a baking sheet. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and place it on top of the mushroom mixture, gently pushing the edges of the pastry down around the edge of the pan. Arrange the oven rack in the center of the oven. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until the pastry is golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the vinaigrette: In a small jar, combine the lemon juice and salt. Cover and shake to dissolve the salt. Add the walnut oil, cover, and shake again. Taste for seasoning.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Immediately invert a serving platter with a lip over the pan or frying pan. Quickly but carefully unmold the tart on top of the serving platter so the mushrooms are on top and the pastry is on the bottom. Remove any mushrooms sticking to the bottom of the pan, and place them back onto the tart. Sprinkle the mushrooms with the remaining tablespoon of parsley and the remaining walnuts. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle with the walnut oil vinaigrette, sprinkle with fleur de sel, and serve warm, cut into wedges, with a green salad alongside.
Wine Suggestion
Patricia Wells says she sampled this recipe with a stunning, chilled white 1998 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Château Rayas. The wine's touch of golden nuttiness enhanced even more the pleasures of the warm, steaming tart. Another great choice is a Cotes du Jura, Domaine Berthet-Bondet, 1997, made from the Savagnin grape. The wine has the aroma and the flavors of fresh walnuts and totally complements this mushroom tart.
Classic Pastry for Tarte Tatin
Pate Brisee Classique Pour Tarte Tatin
A recipe by Patricia Wells
Serves Two
Ingredients
1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
3 tablespoons ice water
Method
- Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process to blend. Add the butter and process until well-blended, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add the water and process just until the mixture resembles fine curds of cheese and almost begins to form a ball, about 10 seconds more. Transfer to a clean work surface, and with the palm of your hand, smear the dough bit by bit across the work surface until the dough is thoroughly incorporated. Form into two flattened rounds, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 48 hours.
- Roll each portion of the dough into an 11 1/2-inch circle. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to place on top of the tarte Tatin.
For more information about Patricia Wells, her books and her cooking school go to her web site at: www.patriciawells.com.
Originally aired: Nov. 23, 2002