Tom and I recently hosted a small dinner party, and I put a lot of thought into what I wanted to bake for our guests. Since Tom always handles meat, we have a pretty predictable division of culinary labor; I of course make dessert, but I usually make the vegetarian entree as well, and also often an hors d'oeuvre or two.
I decided to make some savory items to be served along with the cheese course (Tom really knows how to put together a great cheese plate). The first item I made was Pierre Hermé's Olive Sablés; the recipe is printed in Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table. While I love the combination of sweet and salty and was counting on these to be a perfect pre-dinner nibble, Tom and I thought the cookies were just bizarre. They looked pretty and had an amazing melt-in-your-mouth texture, but quite frankly tasted like sugar cookies with cured olives in them. We decided they were unserveable.
My second attempt at a savory cracker was Dorie Greenspan's Smoked Cheese Cocktail Cookies (it was merely a coincidence that I picked another recipe from Dorie; I just happened to be browsing the Food and Wine website and this recipe caught my eye). The raw dough, full of smoked Gouda and cheddar cheese, smelled just heavenly. But after all the effort of rolling, freezing, cutting, and baking the cookies, they were just not up to par. Tom charitably said that they tasted like stale Cheez-Its.
I gave up on savory crackers and decide to just concentrate on the vegetarian main course and dessert. I am really a one-trick pony when it comes to main courses; I can never resist making a savory tart (see, e.g., Zucchini-Swiss Chard and Spinach Onion Tarts; Tomato Confit Crispy Tart; Tomato and Onion Tart; and Butternut Squash Tart). So I turned for a third time to Dorie Greenspan. Around My French Table has a recipe (and very pretty photo) of "Gérard's Mustard Tart." Apparently the traditional way to make this tart is with tomatoes, but Dorie's friend Gérard Jeannin made it for her with carrots and leeks in the fall after tomato season was past.
The crust for the tart is Dorie's standard "Tart Dough," which is made in the food processor from flour, sugar, salt, frozen butter, an egg, and ice water. You form the dough into a disk, chill it for at least three hours, roll it out, and blind bake it. I found the dough very easy to handle and it made a beautiful crust. You fill the partially-baked tart shell with a mixture of eggs, cream, Dijon mustard, grainy mustard, salt, and ground white pepper. Then you top if with batons of carrots and leeks that have been steamed with rosemary until soft. You bake the tart until puffed and lightly browned.
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The tart is definitely mustard-y, so you have to be a fan to enjoy it. I used Dijon mustard and Lakeshore whole grain mustard with whisky (okay, so the whole grain mustard was Irish and not French as Dorie recommends, but it is delicious) that I picked up at Cardullo's during a business trip to Boston a few days before the party. I added a little extra whole grain mustard to taste, and the mustard seeds exploded in my mouth with each bite of tart, much the way tobiko does when you eat sushi. I love that sensation.
Even though I struck out twice with Dorie's savory sablés and crackers, she totally came through for me with this delicious and memorable tart.
And as for the dinner party dessert, that also ended up being a distinctly mixed bag of baking results --- so I'll save that story for a separate post.
Recipe: "Gérard's Mustard Tart" from Around My French Table, by Dorie Greenspan, recipe available here at epicurious.com.
I decided to make some savory items to be served along with the cheese course (Tom really knows how to put together a great cheese plate). The first item I made was Pierre Hermé's Olive Sablés; the recipe is printed in Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table. While I love the combination of sweet and salty and was counting on these to be a perfect pre-dinner nibble, Tom and I thought the cookies were just bizarre. They looked pretty and had an amazing melt-in-your-mouth texture, but quite frankly tasted like sugar cookies with cured olives in them. We decided they were unserveable.
My second attempt at a savory cracker was Dorie Greenspan's Smoked Cheese Cocktail Cookies (it was merely a coincidence that I picked another recipe from Dorie; I just happened to be browsing the Food and Wine website and this recipe caught my eye). The raw dough, full of smoked Gouda and cheddar cheese, smelled just heavenly. But after all the effort of rolling, freezing, cutting, and baking the cookies, they were just not up to par. Tom charitably said that they tasted like stale Cheez-Its.
I gave up on savory crackers and decide to just concentrate on the vegetarian main course and dessert. I am really a one-trick pony when it comes to main courses; I can never resist making a savory tart (see, e.g., Zucchini-Swiss Chard and Spinach Onion Tarts; Tomato Confit Crispy Tart; Tomato and Onion Tart; and Butternut Squash Tart). So I turned for a third time to Dorie Greenspan. Around My French Table has a recipe (and very pretty photo) of "Gérard's Mustard Tart." Apparently the traditional way to make this tart is with tomatoes, but Dorie's friend Gérard Jeannin made it for her with carrots and leeks in the fall after tomato season was past.
The crust for the tart is Dorie's standard "Tart Dough," which is made in the food processor from flour, sugar, salt, frozen butter, an egg, and ice water. You form the dough into a disk, chill it for at least three hours, roll it out, and blind bake it. I found the dough very easy to handle and it made a beautiful crust. You fill the partially-baked tart shell with a mixture of eggs, cream, Dijon mustard, grainy mustard, salt, and ground white pepper. Then you top if with batons of carrots and leeks that have been steamed with rosemary until soft. You bake the tart until puffed and lightly browned.
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Because the baking temperature was very hot (425 degrees), some of the pieces of carrots and leeks got slightly singed. I served the tart at room temperature (the recipe says you can serve it hot, warm, room temperature, or chilled), and it was very tasty. The crust was nice and crispy, and when I ate a chilled leftover piece the following day, the crust was still not soggy at all.
The tart is definitely mustard-y, so you have to be a fan to enjoy it. I used Dijon mustard and Lakeshore whole grain mustard with whisky (okay, so the whole grain mustard was Irish and not French as Dorie recommends, but it is delicious) that I picked up at Cardullo's during a business trip to Boston a few days before the party. I added a little extra whole grain mustard to taste, and the mustard seeds exploded in my mouth with each bite of tart, much the way tobiko does when you eat sushi. I love that sensation.
Even though I struck out twice with Dorie's savory sablés and crackers, she totally came through for me with this delicious and memorable tart.
And as for the dinner party dessert, that also ended up being a distinctly mixed bag of baking results --- so I'll save that story for a separate post.
Recipe: "Gérard's Mustard Tart" from Around My French Table, by Dorie Greenspan, recipe available here at epicurious.com.
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