Wanderlust Cooking: Parisian Recipes

Instructions

For the meat:

1. Stir together the pork, liver, salt, thyme, bay and diced bacon in a large mixing bowl.

2. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Dispose of the bay leaves (or reserve them to decorate the surface of
the pâté ).

3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Fill a large, deep baking dish halfway with water (this is called a bainmarie), then slide it onto the middle oven rack.

For the binder:

1. Combine the shallot, garlic, parsley, thyme, pepper, coriander, quatre épices and brandy in a medium bowl. Beat the egg and cream together in a separate bowl, then stir in the bread crumbs to form a panade. Let this rest (to thicken) for 10 minutes.

2. Use a stand mixer or sturdy wooden spoon to slowly and thoroughly stir the shallot mixture, and then the panade, into the meat mixture until well combined. Continue to stir until the mixture is emulsified and sticky; listen for a thwap-thwap sound, when the meat mixture begins pulling away from the side of the bowl. Gently fold in the crisped bacon, pistachios and prunes, making sure they are well distributed throughout the meat mixture.

3. Line the glass or ceramic terrine or baking dish with foil then the caul fat, leaving plenty to fold back over the top of the pâté .

4. Add the meat mixture in layers, packing the baking dish completely and taking special care to avoid air pockets. Fold the bacon or caul fat over the top of the meat, then place a piece of parchment paper on top.

5. Wrap the dish in aluminum foil to seal it tightly. Carefully place the wrapped dish in the bain-marie in the oven. Cook for 1 hour, then remove the parchment and foil. Put back in the oven (still in the bain-marie) for another 1 - 2 hours, until the pâté is slightly browned and pulling away from the sides of the pan and a thermometer plunged into the center of the pâté measures 155 degrees F.

6. Remove the terrine from the bain-marie and place it inside another dish (to catch any drips). Cool for 5 minutes, then cover the pâté with a piece of parchment and wrap in plastic wrap. This seals in the heat and ensures that the fats are reabsorbed into the meat; it's what makes a moist, perfect pâté and avoids a dry and crumbly loaf. Place a flat plate or cutting board on top of the terrine and add a 2-pound weight—cans of tomatoes or beans work perfectly—to compress the pâté into a cohesive loaf. Refrigerate overnight. *Do not skip this step! Weighting down the pâté ensures the fat doesn't seep up and out of your pâté—you want to keep all of the fat in so that the pâté is rich and flavorful.

7. Remove the pâté from the refrigerator. Fill the sink with about 2 inches of very hot water. Dip the
bottom of the terrine into the sink for about 10 minutes. Invert the terrine over a board to release the
pâté.

8. Wrap the pâté in plastic wrap and then in foil. Refrigerate for 3 days to let the flavors develop. Well wrapped pâté will keep in the refrigerator for a week. Slice it as you need it, or freeze.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven for 375 F.

2. Slice the eggplant, tomatoes, squash, and zucchini into approximately ¹⁄₁₆-inch rounds, then set aside.

3. Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, garlic, and bell peppers until soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add the crushed tomatoes and stir. Remove from heat and add the basil. Stir once more, then smooth the surface of the sauce with a spatula.

4. Arrange the sliced veggies in alternating patterns, (for example, eggplant, tomato, squash, zucchini) on top of the sauce from the outer edge to the middle of the pan. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Make the herb seasoning: In a small bowl, mix together the basil, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Spoon the herb seasoning over the vegetables.

5. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover, then bake for another 20 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.

Instructions

1. Remove steak from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking to bring it to room temperature.

2. Pat steak dry and then rub all over with olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides.

3. Place cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat. Test by sprinkling water on the skillet and if it sizzles, it's ready.

4. Sear steak for ~4 minutes on each side for a rare steak. Add another minute per side for medium-rare. Use a thermometer to check the internal temperature, which should read 135 F.

5. Remove from heat and add butter, garlic, and rosemary and baste the steak with this sauce.

6. Let steak rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes prior to cutting. Make sure to cut against the grain.

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker, add the gin, St. Germain, lemon juice, and enough ice cubes to fill half the shaker (add the ice cubes last so you don't dilute your drink). Shake it until your hands are very cold, about 15 seconds.

2. Strain the liquid into a coupe glass and top with prosecco, orange bitters, a lemon peel, and a maraschino cherry.

Instructions

Sweet almond pastry for tart shell

1. Cut the butter into small pieces and place into a mixing bowl or stand mixer with paddle attachment. Work the butter to homogenize and then add the following ingredients one by one, making sure to fully incorporate each one into the mixture before the next addition: sifted confectioners' sugar, almond flour, salt, vanilla extract, egg, and flour. Combine ingredients just until the dough comes together. Do not overwork the dough.

3. Form the dough into a ball and wrap in a plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before using it, but if possible, prepare the dough one day ahead as it will be easier to roll out.

4. Butter a 9.5 inch tart pan. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to 1/10 inch thick and press into buttered pan. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

5. Preheat the oven to 340 F. Remove tart shell from the refrigerator. Using a fork, prick the surface of the dough to keep from puffing up during baking. Fit a round piece of parchment paper over the dough, carefully pressing into the corner and working up the sides so it will stay in place in the oven. Place dried beans or pie weights on top, spreading them out in an even layer.

6. Bake for approximately 20 minutes until lightly colored. Take out of the oven and remove dried beans/pie weights and parchment paper. If the pastry is still pale, return to oven uncovered, just long enough to finish baking and to color slightly. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Note that you will have dough leftover. Ladurée's recipe says not to try to cut the dough recipe in half, because the recipe revolves around the proportions that go with 1 egg (I told you French recipes are particular). So instead, use what you need and then roll out the dough to 1/10 inch and cut out small biscuits. You can spread leftover mascarpone and jam on them for breakfast and thank me later.

Mascarpone cream

1. In a saucepan, bring the cream and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in gelatin. Allow to cool completely.

2. Using a spatula, or a KitchenAid with the paddle attachment on low, first mix the mascarpone by itself in a bowl until smooth. Continue to mix and little by little, pour in the cold cream and sugar mixture.

Assembly

1. Fill the cooled baked tart shell with the mascarpone cream. Freeze for 20 minutes until the cream is firm.

2. Rinse the strawberries and drain. Hull and slice in half lengthwise. (The strawberries we had were huge, so I sliced them more thinly then halving them). Finish the tart by arranging sliced strawberries in a decorative pattern on top of the cream.

Instructions

1. Prepare the cremè chantilly (whipped cream) by pouring the cream into a mixing bowl. You can do this by hand if you have a strong arm like my husband and you're down to really energetically whip, or use a hand mixer or KitchenAid. Using a mixer only takes a couple minutes until the cream becomes whipped, so be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn't turn into butter!

2. Add the sugar and continue to whip until cream is firm.

3. Prepare a cup of coffee and pour into a large cup. Spoon sweetened whipped cream on top.