small chunks
Once again, the combination of cheese and allium knows no boundaries. The texture here should be wobbling and luscious, and with a crisp pastry shell holding everything together—but only just. Other firm blue cheeses may be used instead, but the deeply savory and complex Roquefort, once again, shines through.
For the pastry, please refer to the Quiche Lorraine (see page 170 ).
You may not need all of it, so freeze the remainder, wrapped in plastic wrap.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place a flat baking sheet in the oven, too, to help the cooking of the base of the pastry crust.
Roll out the pastry as thinly as possible and line a 8 in wide by 1½ in deep tart tin. Lightly prick the base of the pastry with a fork all over, and then bake blind. This is done by lining the uncooked pastry crust with a sheet of kitchen foil and filling with some dried beans, for instance. It is then cooked on the flat baking sheet for about 15–20 minutes, removed from the oven, the foil and beans transferred to a container for future use. Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes or so, until it is pale golden, crisp and well cooked through, particularly the base.
Now, melt the butter in a pan and add the leeks. Allow to quietly stew until soft, and with very little bubbling buttery juices left in the pan. Tip out on to a plate and leave until cool. Loosely whisk together the egg yolks and whole eggs in a bowl. Stir in both the creams, the chives, a little salt, pepper and nutmeg and set aside.
Strew the leeks over the base of the tart and then cover these with the nuggets of Roquefort, evenly distributed. Pour over two-thirds of the egg/cream mixture and slide the tart into the oven. Only now add the remaining mixture as high as you dare, therefore avoiding spillage caused by shaky transportation. Bake for about 40–50 minutes, or until lightly puffed and set, with a gorgeous golden surface. Serve warm, not hot.
wine
pork chops with white wine, mustard & cheese
serves 4
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 thick pork chops, rind removed
7 oz dry white wine
3 oz grated Gruyère or Emmenthal
1 level tbsp drained, rinsed and lightly crushed soft green peppercorns (from a jar or tin)
4½ oz double or heavy cream
1 heaped tbsp Dijon mustard
approx. 10 sage leaves, torn up into pieces
A rich and winy sort of assembly, here, that would be very good eating on a wet and wintry night. There is also something of a Swiss-chalet flavor about it, too, after a day out in the snow. A very nice accompaniment would be a side dish of big fat gherkins, which further affords a pleasing contrast to the lavish dairy notes of the dish.
Preheat the oven broiler.
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan. Season the chops and fry on both sides until golden. Tip off any excess oil, turn down the heat a little and pour in the wine. Allow to bubble and then reduce the heat to low, so that the wine simmers gently and reduces by about half. Turn the chops once again during this process, which should amount to about 10 minutes’ cooking time in all.
Meanwhile, mix together the cheese, peppercorns, cream, mustard and sage in a small bowl. Spread this paste on to the cooked chops and place the whole assembly under the broiler, until all has bubbled and melted to a golden finish.
Remove the chops to a hot serving dish, then take the pan and place it back on a low heat; some of the mixture will have slipped off the chops into the winy juices, so just whisk it in. Gently reheat this sauce and pour it around the chops. Plainly boiled potatoes are best, here, I think.
coq au vin
serves 4
1 bottle of decent red wine, preferably Pinot Noir
1 tsp (heaping) redcurrant jelly
1 small onion, chopped
2 sticks of celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled and bruised
3–4 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
4 large chicken joints: drumstick and thigh, skin removed
1 tbsp olive
Once again, the combination of cheese and allium knows no boundaries. The texture here should be wobbling and luscious, and with a crisp pastry shell holding everything together—but only just. Other firm blue cheeses may be used instead, but the deeply savory and complex Roquefort, once again, shines through.
For the pastry, please refer to the Quiche Lorraine (see page 170 ).
You may not need all of it, so freeze the remainder, wrapped in plastic wrap.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place a flat baking sheet in the oven, too, to help the cooking of the base of the pastry crust.
Roll out the pastry as thinly as possible and line a 8 in wide by 1½ in deep tart tin. Lightly prick the base of the pastry with a fork all over, and then bake blind. This is done by lining the uncooked pastry crust with a sheet of kitchen foil and filling with some dried beans, for instance. It is then cooked on the flat baking sheet for about 15–20 minutes, removed from the oven, the foil and beans transferred to a container for future use. Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes or so, until it is pale golden, crisp and well cooked through, particularly the base.
Now, melt the butter in a pan and add the leeks. Allow to quietly stew until soft, and with very little bubbling buttery juices left in the pan. Tip out on to a plate and leave until cool. Loosely whisk together the egg yolks and whole eggs in a bowl. Stir in both the creams, the chives, a little salt, pepper and nutmeg and set aside.
Strew the leeks over the base of the tart and then cover these with the nuggets of Roquefort, evenly distributed. Pour over two-thirds of the egg/cream mixture and slide the tart into the oven. Only now add the remaining mixture as high as you dare, therefore avoiding spillage caused by shaky transportation. Bake for about 40–50 minutes, or until lightly puffed and set, with a gorgeous golden surface. Serve warm, not hot.
wine
pork chops with white wine, mustard & cheese
serves 4
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 thick pork chops, rind removed
7 oz dry white wine
3 oz grated Gruyère or Emmenthal
1 level tbsp drained, rinsed and lightly crushed soft green peppercorns (from a jar or tin)
4½ oz double or heavy cream
1 heaped tbsp Dijon mustard
approx. 10 sage leaves, torn up into pieces
A rich and winy sort of assembly, here, that would be very good eating on a wet and wintry night. There is also something of a Swiss-chalet flavor about it, too, after a day out in the snow. A very nice accompaniment would be a side dish of big fat gherkins, which further affords a pleasing contrast to the lavish dairy notes of the dish.
Preheat the oven broiler.
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan. Season the chops and fry on both sides until golden. Tip off any excess oil, turn down the heat a little and pour in the wine. Allow to bubble and then reduce the heat to low, so that the wine simmers gently and reduces by about half. Turn the chops once again during this process, which should amount to about 10 minutes’ cooking time in all.
Meanwhile, mix together the cheese, peppercorns, cream, mustard and sage in a small bowl. Spread this paste on to the cooked chops and place the whole assembly under the broiler, until all has bubbled and melted to a golden finish.
Remove the chops to a hot serving dish, then take the pan and place it back on a low heat; some of the mixture will have slipped off the chops into the winy juices, so just whisk it in. Gently reheat this sauce and pour it around the chops. Plainly boiled potatoes are best, here, I think.
coq au vin
serves 4
1 bottle of decent red wine, preferably Pinot Noir
1 tsp (heaping) redcurrant jelly
1 small onion, chopped
2 sticks of celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled and bruised
3–4 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
4 large chicken joints: drumstick and thigh, skin removed
1 tbsp olive
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