Pucker Up: Tart au Citron

For some reason, I have only ever made this tart in the winter. It is a ray of yellow in the gray days the west coast seems to have. Its sweet and sour flavour seems to banish my winter blahs. Spring just hasn't taken over yet and the rain feels like a never ending phenomenon, so out comes the lemon tart!

In the bistro, tart au citron was the perfect finishing touch. It cleansed the palate after the deep flavours of the main course and was a light bright dessert option. For me this tart really goes with any occasion: breakfast, afternoon tea or late night with a glass of sweet, bright wine. It is also my grandmother’s favourite of the desserts I have made for her and so always means something a little extra to me.

Ingredients:

Crust:

175g flour

75g butter, cut into cubes and chilled

2 tsp water

1 egg yolk

Pinch of salt

Filling:

6oz white sugar

9 eggs

The juice of 6 lemons, 2 of them zested prior to all of them being juiced

6 oz cream

Method:

For the crust:

• Sieve the flour into a big bowl and toss in the well chilled butter. Use your hands to coat the butter with the flour and break it up into chunks. Run it between your hands to break up the butter to the smallest butter-covered chunks you can. This will make your pastry crumbly and delicious.
• When the butter and flour is a bread crumb consistency, add in the egg yolk, water and pinch of salt. Knead it all together in the bowl until well incorporated and evenly coloured  Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and put it into the fridge to rest.
• Preheat the oven to 325⁰
• Butter and dust a loose bottom tart pan with flour.
• Remove the pastry from the fridge and to prevent it from tearing, roll it out between two sheets of cling film. When it is about as thick as a loonie, take off the top sheet and flip it into the tart pan, pressing it evenly into all the nooks and crannies. If it tears don’t worry, you can always a)re-roll it if it’s bad or b)patch holes with little pieces of pastry.
• Pierce the pastry shell with a fork a couple of times and put it back in the fridge while you get the filling ready.

Filling:

• Whisk all of the eggs with the sugar in a big bowl until all of the eggs are blended in and it’s a bit frothy.
• Add in the zest, the juice from the lemons and the cream. Mix well.
• Taste. Does it need more sour? Add lemon. Does it need more sweetness? Sugar. Don’t be afraid of tasting a mix with raw eggs inside. It won’t be gross tasting and it won’t make you sick.
• Put the crust into the oven and then slowly pour the filling in. This prevents a spill with a full crust on the way to the oven.
• Bake 20 to 30 mins or until the majority of the filling is set but still has a slight jiggle. Don’t worry, it will finish setting as it cools.
• Serve at room temp or slightly cool with a dollop of whipped cream and maybe some raspberry sauce if you’d like: blend up a cup or two of raspberries and put the resulting liquid through a sieve to remove any seeds. Place in a pan and slowly heat with a bit of sugar to taste. Remove from the pan when the sugar is dissolved and cool completely before using. 

The Many Flavors of Pork Tenderloin

At this particular point in my life, work seems plentiful and weekends seem shorter. Free time is spent recovering and relaxing. A good book and a good cup of coffee take precedent over much else. Food and the cooking of it has always been a relaxing pastime for me. I read about it and on weekends I dive in, cooking things I have read about, thought about or seen during my free time during the week. During the weekdays should this really stop? Just because time is a little on the scant side should I be eating less as well? No.

This recipe is from a famous Canadian chef, Michael Smith. I love how flexible his cooking is and when I heard about his formula for pork tenderloin I knew I had to give it a try. Pork tenderloin is cheap, delicious and lean. It does well with marinades of all types and cooks very quickly, making it a perfect week night meal. Using his method, for each tenderloin you mix one tbsp sugar of any type, one tbsp mustard of any type and one tbsp herb or spice of any type, then marinade the pork and wrap tightly in bacon. The bacon crisps up but insulates the tenderloin to keep it juicy.

The flavor combinations are endless with this formula! The sugar could be white or brown sugar, maple syrup, honey or maybe even a marmalade or jam! The mustard used can be the typical yellow strong stuff or Dijon, perhaps whole grain or something a little special. The herb could be dried or fresh, the spice could be common like cinnamon or pepper or it could be exotic like sumac or za’tar. Let your mind run wild and feel free to experiment.

One last point I should mention is that this recipe is exactly the type to try during the week and then bring out on the weekend for a party. Marinate two or three at a time! Serve with a big tray of mixed roasted veg and it really is a dish you can throw in the oven and get everything else together without worrying!

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

2 Pork tenderloins, Trimmed of silver skin (but not fat!)

2 Tbsp sugar (in this case I used honey)

2 Tbsp mustard (in this case I used whole grain)

2 Tbsp herb or spice (in this case I used a dried rosemary and thyme mix)

5 rashers of bacon (maybe more, it depends on the size of your tenderloin, see method)

A ½ cup white wine mixed with a ½ cup chicken stock

Olive oil

Method:

• Let’s start by marinating the pork. Mix the sugar, mustard and herb or spice of your choice together in a bowl and massage it into the pork. This can be done a day before, an hour before or 10 minutes before. The bacon will hold the marinade and the flavor in.
• When you are ready to start cooking, preheat your oven to 500. I know this is hot but trust me, crispy bacon with moist pork ahead.
• Lay out a piece of plastic wrap onto the counter and lay your rashers of bacon out flat on top. Lay one of your tenderloins onto the edge facing you. Tuck the tail of the tenderloin under so it is all the same thickness. Take hold of the plastic underneath and tightly roll the tenderloin in the bacon. Tight is key! When you have rolled it over and the bacon is about to overlap, let it cover itself by about 2-3 cm. Cut the bacon and wrap the whole package tight in plastic wrap so it takes on a sausage shape. I was able to get to tenderloins wrapped with five slices (half lengthways for each) but you might need more depending on bacon size and pork size.
• Let the pork chill in the fridge while you get your side dishes ready. I used some crispy potatoes that were boiled then fried. Check out this recipe here for a delicious method: Hashbrown-Style Fried Potatoes
• When you are ready to go and your oven is hot, take the pork from the fridge, unwrap and place on a tray lined with parchment paper overlap faced down. Push a little on the top of the tenderloin so the bacon won’t unravel in the oven.
• Pour the water and wine mixture into the tray. Make sure your tray is large; you want the heat to get all around the bacon and crisp it up. The wine is just there for a little moisture.
• Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until crisp and delicious.
• Remove from the oven and rest on a side board for about 5 or 6 minutes. Plate everything up and topped with sliced medallions of bacon wrapped pork drizzled with pan juices!

Waffles: The Ever Changing, Not Just Breakfast Food

I know what you are probably thinking: Waffles? Is that a bistro style dish? What about crepes? Haven’t waffles been kind of Americanized?

Do you know what I'm thinking: who the heck cares? Waffles are an unbelievable food and perfect vessels for flavour  They go great with the bistro style: they are quick, easy and cheap to prepare and can be coupled with other flavours from the kitchen to suit any meal. Obviously there isn't a lot of technique here but there is a really good recipe that can be left open for interpretation. To me that is the essence of bistro cooking: simple recipes that create great flavour using whatever is around and fresh. Have some beautiful seasonal fruit? Throw it on top with a spoonful of yoghurt. You want a savoury brunch option? Throw some chopped cooked bacon, cheese and chives into the batter. Feel like stocking your freezer with some quick breakfast options for the week? Make up a boat load of waffles and freeze them like I do!

You’ll notice that this recipe uses both baking soda and baking powder, this ensures that the waffles get a crisp outer coating and soft interior, don’t try and go without one or the other. This combo makes the waffle.

Classic Waffles

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 1/3 cup milk

6 tbsp oil

2 eggs

Method:

• Don’t fuss around: mix all the ingredients together and whisk like a mad man until all the eggs are incorporated and everything is smooth.
• Let rest five minutes. Not four. Be patient.
• As its resting preheat your waffle iron. If your iron comes with settings for heat, you want to aim for medium so they won’t cook too quickly and achieve the delicious texture you want.
• When its preheated and ready to go, spoon batter onto the press (it depends on the size of your machine how much batter to use but always leave a ½“ border around the outside to allow for expansion)
• When it’s all crisp and delicious, top with whatever you’d like!

If you can't decide like me sometimes, go both sweet and savoury with a little crispy bacon (or in this case crispy pig cheek) and maple syrup as pictured here.