Sylvie’s Tartines with Caramelized Onions, Emmentaler and Capers

A note from Sylvie:

Tartines are very popular in France at the moment. Think of them as small individual pizza and just let your imagination create endless possibilities with toppings. Here is my version using my favorite local onions.

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

3 Yellow Onions, chopped, I used Kings Crown Organic and local

1 Sweet Candy Onion, chopped, I used Rice Family Farms Organic and local

Salt and Pepper to taste

A pinch of Nutmeg

4 Slice from a loaf of sandwich bread, I used Zeppole’s Scallion, Cheddar Sandwich Loaf

1 ½ cups Emmentaler Cheese (Swiss Cheese), grated—reserve 2 Tbsp to top the tartines

2 Tbsp Capers, strained

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and cook on medium heat for 15-20 minutes, or until the onions start to brown an caramelize. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Place the slice of bread on a baking sheet. Put a small amount of cheese on each bread slice. Top with the caramelized onions, spread with the back of a spoon to create an even coat. Sprinkle the capers and top with the remaining cheese.Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and starts to bubble.

Serve immediately. These tartines are perfect served as an appetizer or with a green salad. Makes 4.

Gougeres (Cheese Puffs)

A note from Sylvie:

This is the ultimate traditional appetizer from the heart of Burgundy. It can be served with any apéritif. I like to use fresh herbs such as chives, parsley, thyme or basil and add them to the dough right after the eggs have been incorporated. You may make gourgeres as much as a month ahead of time and freeze them. To reheat, bake for 10-15 minutes in a 325 degree oven.

¾ cup Flour

½ tsp Salt

A pinch of Cayenne Pepper

A pinch of Nutmeg

¾ cup Water

6 Tbsp Butter, cut into pieces

3 Eggs

3 oz Swiss Cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper. Sift the flour, salt, cayenne pepper and the nutmeg together.

In a medium size saucepan, bring the water and butter to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the dry ingredients all at the same time. Beat with a wooden spoon for about one minute, until the mixture is well blended and starts to pull away from the sides of the saucepan.Cook for 2 minutes over low heat, beating constantly, then remove the pan from the heat.

Add one egg at the time and stir well to blend until the dough is smooth and slightly shiny. The dough should pull away and fall slowly when dropped from a spoon. Add the cheese, stir to mix well.

Spoon dough into a pastry bag and pipe onto the prepared baking sheet in 1- to 1¼-inch rounds, spacing 1 inch apart.

Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Cool slightly on a wire rack and serve warm.

Sylvie's Roasted Squash-Apple Soup

Apples add just a hint of sweetness to this velvety squash soup. Try it for your Halloween Party as a delightful, colorful first course. I use a Turbo Blend Vita-mix Blender, wonderful to achieve an incredibly velvety texture. It also does everything for you, blending and heating the soup at the same time!

3 cups Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded, cubed and roasted
2 large Sweet-tart Apples, cored, peeled, cubed and roasted
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
¼ small Onion
½ Garlic Clove
¼ tsp Thyme
1/8 tps Salt
1 ¼ cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth
½ cup Coconut Milk, optional
Preheat even to 450 degrees.

In a large bowl, toss squash, apples, olive oil, onion, garlic, thyme and salt together. Spread evenly on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast for about 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool slightly.

Place roasted mixture in the blender, add ½ chicken or vegetable broth and coconut milk, if using. Secure 2-part lid and select low speed. Turn machine on and then switch to high speed. Process for 5 minutes or until steam escapes through lid opening and the soup starts to thicken, then gradually add the remaining broth, running the blender for an additional 30-40 seconds. Adjust seasoning and serve immediately.

Makes 5 cups
This soup pairs perfectly with the Zellerkats Riesling.

Health and Safety in Your Kitchen

By Sylvie Ryan

Boise Co-op Culinary Educator

Proper hygiene and food handling, as well as cold storage and heating temperatures, are all important considerations when you're preparing food. We think of these practices as an essential in restaurant kitchens, but it is equally important to make some easy but vital efforts in your own kitchen, too. Here are a few reminders as the Holiday season approaches:

It Starts With Basic Kitchen Hygiene

I especially think of basic things such as washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water whenever preparing food. You also want to make sure to use different cutting boards and utensils for cooked and raw foods to prevent cross-contamination of bacteria, particularly when you are preparing poultry, meat or fish. Wash cutting boards and utensils well in hot, soapy water before and after each use. Changing and washing all dish cloth and towels regularly also helps in maintaining proper hygiene.

Some "Safe Food Preparation" Basics

You should completely thaw any frozen food, especially meat and poultry, before cooking. The best place to defrost food is in the refrigerator.

It is helpful to have multiple cutting boards that serve different purposes. In my kitchen, I actually labeled each board with a sharpy, so as not to confuse them.

Discard any thawed juices from meat and poultry, do not use them in your dishes. It is also important to never reuse a marinade.

Do not leave any cooked food, even pasta, rice or potatoes, uncovered at room temperature of any length of time; harmful bacteria can quickly multiply, even on cooked food, so cover it as soon as possible and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Cooking

Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F as measured with a food thermometer before removing the meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.

Also, cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal temperature of 160 °F as measured with a food thermometer. Make sure you cook all poultry to an internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer.

Hot food should be held at 140 °F or warmer.

Cold food should be held at 40 °F or colder.

For Those Holiday Dinner Leftovers

Put leftover food into shallow containers and immediately place in the refrigerator or freezer for rapid cooling. Use cooked leftovers within 4 days. Reheat leftovers to 165 °F. Discard any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Proper Storage

Always refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours (1 hour when the temperature is above 90 °F).

Check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer with an appliance thermometer. The refrigerator should be at 40 °F or below, and the freezer at 0 °F or below.

Cook or freeze fresh poultry, fish, ground meats, and variety meats within 2 days of purchase; other beef, veal, lamb, or pork, within 3 to 5 days.

Safe and happy holidays!

Sylvie's Pumpkin Tagine

Sylvie’s Pumpkin Tagine—A Moroccan Stew

Serves 4-6

This vegetable tagine can be served with couscous or quinoa as a vegetarian meal, or as a side dish with chicken or lamb.

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Yellow Onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 Garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tsp of Ras el Hanout (recipe follows)
• 1 tsp Sweet Paprika
• 2 medium Pumpkin, about 3 cups, peeled, seeded and cubed (I used local Pie Pumpkin from Heath Farm)
• 1 cup Dried Apricots, finely chopped
• 1 cup Water
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Juice of ½ Lemon

Heat the oil in a tagine over medium heat, and add the onion and garlic. When the mixture starts to brown slightly, about 3 minutes, add the dry spices. Stir well for about a minute to coat the onion. Add the cubed pumpkin and apricots and stir to coat them, then add the water. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until the pumpkin has softened, stirring occasionally.Seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. To finish, add the fresh squeezed lemon juice and stir.

For serving, the consistency should be quite thick. If necessary, remove the lid and open cook for a few minutes to thicken it.

Ras el Hanout

Ras el hanout translates from Moroccan into “head of the store.” This seasoning mixture can sometimes contain as many as 50 different spices. It is also an excellent rub for beef or salmon. Here is my dad’s version.

Makes 3½ tsp

2 tsp ground Ginger

2 tsp ground Coriander

1 ½ tsp ground Cinnamon

1 ½ tsp freshly ground Pepper

1 ½ tsp ground Turmeric

1 ¼ tsp ground Nutmeg

1 tsp ground Allspice

1/4 tsp ground Cloves

Combine all ingredients; store in an airtight container.

Foodie Tuesday Special: Suzanne's Alsatian Spaetzle

This delicious dumpling recipe has been passed down in my family for many generations. We typically make them a day ahead of time and pan fry them in butter before serving, then sprinkle on some freshly chopped parsley for garnish. My mother's measure is 6 eggs to 1 kilogram of flour (2 pounds), but you may adjust as you wish. -- Sylvie Ryan

Serves 6

3 cups Flour

¼ tsp Nutmeg

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 ¾ cups Milk

4 large Eggs

In a large bowl, combine the flour, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg-milk mixture. Gradually draw in the flour from the sides and combine well; the dough should be smooth and thick. Let the dough rest for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator.

Bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large pot, then reduce to a simmer. To form the spaetzle, hold a large holed colander or slotted spoon over the simmering water and push the dough through the holes with a spatula or spoon. It is much easier to use a Spaetzle maker. Do this in batches so you don't overcrowd the pot. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the spaetzle float to the surface, stirring gently to prevent sticking. Use a large slotted spoon to drain them and place them in a buttered oven dish. Set aside until ready to use.

Spaetzle with Caramelized Onions and Gruyère

Pre-made Spaetzle

2 Tbsp Butter, cut into small pieces

1 ½ cups shredded Gruyère cheese

1 medium white Onion, thinly sliced

Melt the butter in a medium skillet and add the onions, cook to until they reach a golden brown, caramelized color over medium heat, about 15 minutes.

Pour the onion mixture over the spaetzle and sprinkle with gruyère. Bake for about 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees, or until the cheese has melted and has browned slightly.,