Caramelized Fennel Tart

Ok, not the prettiest tart, and admittedly not the best I've had either. I do however, give this guy some points for using fennel. How many people really use fennel? How many people realize that the taste dramatically changes when it's cooked for a long period of time and is allowed to slowly caramelize? Let me tell ya, it changes. It becomes a really mellow flavor, very subtle. This one has been slowly cooked on a stove top for around an hour with olive oil, an onion and a few bulbs of fennel.

I remember when I had to travel into uni on the train. Fennel would grow wild next the railroad tracks. I always wondered if anyone actually picked it. At that time, I had no idea what I would use it for, nowadays I have a few ideas.

Oh! I was wondering if anyone else has noticed how much fruit surrounds them? I noticed plums in a local public park, no one picked them but the birds. I also saw a giant apple tree in an apartment complex, a fig tree on capitol hill (they are looking mighty ripe right now), there are blackberries a few hundred meters up my street... we need some sort of program that allows people to pick some of the bounty (of course I already obliged this with the blackberries a few weeks ago...)

Chard, Blue Cheese and Apple Galette

I was talking to a friend and fellow baker Sarah during the week and she was telling me about her rotation on doughs. She said that the only pastry she ever bought (that she made) was a galette with chard, onions, balsamic, apple and blue cheese. I thought I'd give it a burl at home. It was a magnificent combo. The crust is a simple one - I just got lazy. Originally I was going to make some snazzy yeasty thing, but then I couldn't be bothered and so I made a crust without yeast, made some fancy crusts. I then simply washed, chopped and sauteed some gorgeous chard with some red onion, added a ton of balsamic vinegar. I placed thinly slice granny smith apples on the base, placed the chard on top, then the blue cheese. Finally I put on some pine nuts, and then baked it until the crust was a smidge brown. That's it, so simple, and so very tasty!

Sauerkraut and Munster Tart

This is a beautiful tart, the smell of it baking was intoxicating in the best possible way (when isn't the smell of melting cheese intoxicating?). Once again from Mes Tartes, by Christine Ferber and amazing tart. 

I adore sauerkraut, totally love it. It's the sourness that makes my nose sweat that I appreciate, and the weirdly dank (for lack of a better word) taste that I totally adore. This recipe due to all the cheese in it kind of dumbed down that sour sauerkraut experience and made it a rich, crispy, textural experience.  Really amazing tart, but very very rich. 

It is made from sauerkraut (I simply use Bavarian wine sauerkraut, add a finely diced onion that's been sautéed until tender in a bit of butter and olive oil, some juniper berries and a few caraway seeds and call it good. If you eat meat you can and should use speck, or double smoked bacon instead of the oil and butter - it imparts a wonderfully rich flavor). Then you slice up some munster cheese place it on top of the sauerkraut, make a simple egg custard and pour it on top. Bake and voila! An amazing savory tart. Delicious!

Someone made it at school using a stinky cheese (maybe an aged Munster), but man did that stink up the kitchen. All morning people were asking what died. When we got to try a piece however, it was utterly amazing. Stinky cheese = good cheese. 

Hatchapuri

An easy, doughy, cheesy pastry. Feel free to add more cheese, or less, or even change the cheeses completely. A very satisfying savory pastry.

Ingredients: Dough

2.25 cups all purpose flour

1 cup plain yogurt

1 egg

1/4 stick butter, softened

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

Ingredients: Filling

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup Swiss cheese

2 Tbs. Parmesan cheese

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425F or 220C. Put in a baking tray to heat up.

2. In a large bowl tip in yogurt and break in eggs, with a fork mulch the butter into the mixture.

3. Add scoopfuls of flour, until a dough is made. You may not need all the flour. Keep working the mixture until it comes away from the bowl.

4. Sprinkle the salt and baking soda, a little at a time, working it in with your hands.

5. Put the dough in the fridge for 20min.

6. For the filling grate the Swiss and Parmesan, and combine together in a bowl with the ricotta cheese.

7. Divide the dough in two. Flatten out half the dough, and place the filling on it, leaving a gap of 2cm (around 1inch) from the sides.

8. Flatten the second half, and place over the first. Curl up the edges, and press with a fork to make the edges stick.

9. Put onto the heated baking tray, and bake for 15--20min.

Taken from Nigella Lawson “Feast: Food to Celebrate Life” pp. 306-309