Blueberries muffins

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 to 8 ounces) frozen or fresh blueberries

METHOD

       1 Adjust the oven rack to the  middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin and set aside.

        2 Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.  Whisk the egg in a second medium bowl until well combined and light-colored.  Add the sugar and whisk vigorously until thick and homogeneous, about 30 seconds;  add the melted butter in 2 or 3 additions, whisking to combine after each addition.  Add the sour cream in 2 additions, whisking just to combine.

         3 Add the berries to the dry ingredients and gently toss just to combine.  Add the sour cream mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until the batter comes together and the berries are evenly distributed. (Do not overmix.)

         4 Using a large spoon sprayed with nonstick cooking spray to prevent sticking, divide the batter among the greased muffin cups. Bake until the muffins are light golden brown and a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, rotating the pan from front to back halfway through the baking time. Invert the muffins onto a wire rack, stand the muffins upright, and cool 5 minutes.

Piroshki (russian dumpling)

This is a traditional Russian dish that can be filled with pretty much whatever you like.

INGREDIENTS

Dough:

• 3 1/2 cup sifted flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cu butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup sour cream

Meat filling:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 med. onion, cut fine
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2 eggs
• 4 drops Tabasco
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 tbsp. minced parsley

METHOD

       1 Make dough: Sift together in large bowl, flour and baking powder. Cut in butter until particles like cornmeal. Stir in eggs and sour cream. Mix to form dough. Knead lightly until mixture is a smooth ball. Wrap in plastic and chill 3 hours.

       2 Make filling: Melt butter in large frying pan. Add onions and saute for 4 minutes until golden. Do not brown. Add meat and cook over medium heat 12 minutes until brown and crumbly. Drain off fat. Stir in parsley, salt, pepper, tabasco and eggs; mix well. Put mixture in bowl and chill.

       3 Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut 5 inch rounds, rerolling and cutting to make 18 rounds. Place about 2 tablespoons of filling in center of each circle. Using pastry brush, coat edges with beaten egg. Fold dough over and shape into moons. Press edges firmly together. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and brush tops with beaten egg.

       4 Chill 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350°F and bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Makes 15 piroshki.

Zucchini and goat cheese clafouti

INGREDIENTS

• butter (for the dish)
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup cornstarch or flour, sifted
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 zucchini
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 2 ounces plain goat cheese, crumbled

METHOD

      1 Set the oven at 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch baking dish or four 5-inch individual dishes.

      2 In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk, and cream. Add the cornstarch or flour and beat until the mixture is smooth. Salt, and pepper and mix well; set aside.

      3 With a mandoline, a hand-held slicing device, or a chef's knife, slice the zucchini paper-thin.

      4 In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Add the coriander and cumin and cook for 1 minute more.

      5 Add the zucchini slices and cook for 5 minutes or until they release their liquid. Remove from the heat. Add the parsley and chives. Toss gently and season with salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the zucchini mixture in the dish or dishes. Pour in the egg mixture. Sprinkle with goat cheese.

     6 Bake the clafouti for 35 minutes, or until the custard is set and pale golden.

Serves 4.

Millefeuille recipe

Millefeuille (also known as Napoleon) is a classic French pastry which is popular .

INGREDIENTS

Pastry

• 1 1/2 lbs. frozen puff pastry 
• 1 batch of  vanilla pastry cream 
•  icing sugar

METHOD

      1 Make the pastry cream. Once it has cooled to room temperature, chill it in the fridge until needed.

      2  Bake the pastry layers. Preheat your oven to 400° F (200° C). Roll out the puff pastry dough into an elongated rectangle the thickness of a thin piece of cardboard. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into three equally-sized pieces.
Transfer the dough to a baking pan (or pans) lined with parchment paper and pierce the dough all over with a fork. Cover the dough with another sheet of parchment paper and place a baking pan or pie weights on top to weigh down the dough as it bakes.
Transfer the dough to racks to cool completely. Assemble and Decorate the millefeuille.

     3 It's best to work on a flat surface for easy transfer of the finished pastry to a serving dish. Have everything at hand – the baked puff pastry layers, the pastry cream, and the ingredients for frosting and decorating. Don't worry if your baked pastry layers look unevenly sized; after assembly you'll be trimming the edges for a uniform look.

     4 Start by distributing half of the pastry cream over one layer of baked puff pastry. Top with another layer of dough, pressing gently to adhere it to the pastry cream below. Spread the remaining pastry cream over the second layer of pastry. Top with the third layer of pastry and again press down gently.

     5 Decorate with icing sugar or chocolate, for dusting.

     6   Now you'll want to trim the edges of the millefeuille to give it a cleaner, professional look. With a long, sharp knife, cut 1/4" off the edges of the pastry all around to make a neat, evenly proportioned rectangle. (Don't discard the scraps – save them to eat as well!)

     7 Carefully transfer the trimmed millefeuille to a serving dish and refrigerate. Allow an hour or two to chill before serving.

Millefeuille may be made a day or two in advance.

Pastry cream

Creme patissiere, or pastry cream, is a vanilla-flavored filling for French fruit tarts and pastries.


INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups milk
• 5 egg yolks
• 6 to 8 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise 

METHOD

      1 In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the milk with the vanilla bean almost to boiling.

      2 While the milk is heating, mix the egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl, then whisk in the flour and cornstarch until the mixture is smooth.

      3 Remove the vanilla bean from the milk, and gradually whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture. Strain the mixture back into the saucepan, and place over medium heat, stirring or whisking constantly until the mixture thickens and reaches a boil. Continue cooking for half a minute longer, stirring hard and constantly to keep the pastry cream smooth.

     4 Remove the pastry cream from the heat. Place a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to avoid a skin forming, and leave to cool.

     5 The pastry cream can be used when cool, or covered and refrigerated for up to several days until needed. Stir chilled pastry cream before using.

Cantonese rice

INGREDIENTS

• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 4 cups cold cooked rice 
• 2 tablespoons chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup ham, diced
• 2 tablespoons frozen peas, blanched 1 minute in boiling water and rinsed under cold water  
• 1/4 c. green onion, finely chopped 
• salt and pepper, to taste

METHOD

       1  Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in wok. When very hot, pour in beaten eggs and scramble briskly with spoon. Set aside.
       
       2 Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in wok. Add rice. Stir constantly over moderate heat, breaking up lumps with spoon. Add salt.

       3 Continue stirring until rice becomes hot. Pour in scrambled eggs. Stir-fry to mix. Add stock to moisten scrambled ingredients.
Add diced ham and  green onions. Stir-fry until thoroughly heated and mixed.

      4 Taste and season with extra salt and pepper if desired.

This is a very flexible recipe. You may vary it with leftover turkey, duck, chicken, pork, shrimp, crab or lobster.

Mango tarte tatin

INGREDIENTS

•     4  ripe mangoes, peeled and sliced   
•     1  cup sugar
•     1  tablespoon water
•     1/4  cup (1/2 stick) butter
•     1  (10 x 15-inch) sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

 METHOD

      1  Preheat oven to 400F.

      2 Cut mangoes into 2-inch-thick strips. Set aside.

      3 Place sugar and water in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet and cook over medium heat until sugar begins to caramelize, 8 to10 minutes. Add butter and stir to combine. Cook until caramel is golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.

      4 Place mango slices in pan in a circular pattern, overlapping slightly.
  
      5 Place pastry sheet on a floured surface and roll into a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Cut away any excess pastry. Place pastry round over mangoes. Tuck in or trim as needed.

      6 Bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F and continue baking 15 minutes longer, or until pastry is cooked golden brown. Let cool 1 hour.
Place a plate or tray upside-down on top of the pan and flip both together.