Free the Cheese!

One of the terrible things about America is that we don't allow the import of raw milk French cheeses.

OK, so that's not really the end of the world.

Anyway, raw milk cheese really is better than the bland, rubbery, pasteurized stuff we get here. At some point this week, some blog or tweet pointed me to this cool magazine, Gastronomica, with an article titled, "Illegal Cheese." Go check it out.

State Fair Prize Cake

I like a challenge in the kitchen, and it looks like this prize-winning cake might be one. I'm thinking about trying it out for a weekend treat.

Neapolitan Cake

A Louisville find

For Louisvillians, there is a treasure in Middletown. Highland Fish Market on Shelbyville Road (next to Paul's Produce) has a wonderful selection of fresh fish and shellfish along with a helpful and knowledgeable staff. Had poached cod last night that was great (cooked for eight minutes just below boiling in a court bouillion of water, carrots, onions, fresh thyme, fresh parsley, bay leaf, and peppercorns).

The real find is house smoked salmon that is out of this world. Had just a bite tonight on a green salad with my vinaigrette and homemade croutons.

Check out Highland Fish. They have an email list with weekly internet specials, too. You'll like it.

Gougères

One of the things we miss most about Paris is the small Bible study group we helped to launch. We gathered to pray, sing, study the Scriptures, and, yes, eat together. Jacqueline, who was one of the group's first participants, used to bring a tupperware bowl full of the most wonderful, airy, cheese puff pastries called gougères (pronounced goo-zher). I was always pretty intimidated by these little delights, but have since discovered how easy they are to prepare.

My recipe is a combination from several sources but leans heavily on James Peterson's Glorious French Food - one of my favorite cookbooks.

Here's what you'll need:

1 c. all-purpose flour (if you measure by weight, 125 grams)
1 stick (1/4 lb or 115 g) butter
4 eggs
2 tsp dijon mustard
1-2 teaspoons salt (see below)
1 c. grated cheese (Jacqueline used Gruyère or Emmental. Gruyère is expensive in the US, and American swiss is too bland. Peterson uses a strong hard cheese like Parmigiano Reggiano. This time, I used Kroger sharp cheddar and it worked great).

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and prepare a baking sheet (or two) either by buttering it well or with parchment paper. Buttering will give the gougères a nice brown and crispy base.

Put one stick of butter (REAL butter will always be the norm on this blog...) in a cup of water over medium heat. Once the mixture has come to light boil and the butter has melted, add one cup all-purpose flour all at once. Stir vigorously (Peterson recommends a wooden spoon, so I followed) until the mixture comes together and pulls away from the sides of the pot. This should take a minute or less.

Work quickly and transfer the mixture into a mixing bowl. Add four eggs one at a time, not adding another egg until the first is fully incorporated into the batter. The batter will be thick, forming a "soft peak" when you lift the spoon.

Stir in one two teaspoons mustard, a cup of grated cheese, and 1-2 teaspoons salt, depending on the saltiness of the cheese.

Drop the batter by teaspoons onto the cookie sheet, making dollops about one inch in diameter.

Finish the gougères with either a wash made up of one egg and a teaspoon of salt or by sprinkling a little of the reserved cheese on each gougère. I prefer the latter but haven't tried doing both.

Bake the gougères for 20-25 minutes, watching that they brown evenly. Try not to open the oven during the cooking or to take the sheets out too soon. If anything, reduce the heat if the gougères are browning too quickly, but only for the last few minutes.

--special thanks to my "food stylist," Rachel, for the photo!!

Bon appétit!

A new blog for an old love

Well, perhaps it's the inspiration of Julie & Julia, or perhaps it's just because I love cooking. It could be because I've tried unsuccesfully at blogging deep theological topics (though I'm relaunching my other blog soon). Whatever the reason, I'm launching this blog because I love to cook.

I'll be blogging little bits of information about my own cooking, my discoveries, and the joy of la cuisine francaise. Even now, a batch of gougères are turning golden brown in the oven...

There's not much that makes me happier than for my family to look at me and say, "oh, that's good." Except for the joy of sharing the gospel, that's the best.

Bon appetit!