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dulce de leche

Rustic Apple Tart with Dulce de Leche Glaze

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Apple Tart with slices of Roelli Cheese Dunbarton Blue- a cheddar Blue combination.

I’m not trying to rush Fall by baking with apples, I just had to create a vehicle for this gorgeous cheddar/blue cheese that I found. I may be crazy but I just think this cheese is gorgeous! It has a beautiful ombre golden color with an interesting and striking line of moldy blue cheese running through. It is of the earth, something created in time with an artisanal hand- a creation. If this was granite I would use it on my countertops.

 Roelli Cheese is located in Wisconsin, the land of dairy and cheese. The family heralds from Switzerland and for years produced high production cheeses of little note. In 2006 the newer generation took on the challenge of creating small production artisanal cheeses and experimenting with different and exciting combinations- this is one of them.  The cheeses are handmade and spend 4 months in the creamery’s underground cellar to mature. The gorgeous blue vein comes from an inoculation of Penicillium roqueforti, which is introduced a week into the the aging process.

The result is a dense cheddar with a gorgeous earthy quality. It’s not the sharp variety you find in mass plastic packs at the market, but rather it’s meaty and woodsy, it’s toothsome and delicately aromatic. The blue adds just a fine layer of muskiness to the cheese, which makes a flavor profile that is pure genius.

What got me to make an apple tart had to with with the fact that my Dad has been on my mind a lot lately. He passed almost 4 years ago now, and from time to time I just miss him. He comes around in my thoughts and sits on my shoulder and just hangs with me for a time. This was one of those weeks where he has been my ethereal companion. He was the one that got me thinking about an apple tart.

Phil could get into his sweets. He would deny it, but I remember many a morning watching him eat Entenmen’s coffee crumb cake with a pat of butter on each bite. Remarkably he did not die with high cholesterol, in fact he never had a cholesterol problem and tended to be too lean. A fact that I still find to be astonishing. Those genes I did not inherit, (I have my Mother’s Latina hips).

Dad liked apple pie fine, but he liked his with a slice of cheddar cheese on top. Something I never, I mean NEVER, understood as a kid. Ice cream- sure! but cheese? A sweet should have a sweet, no? Not a savory! As you can see I’ve come around.

The tart out of the oven and glazed while still warm.

Typically I make a nice old fashioned crust. In the old days when there was Crisco in my kitchen, I would have used that. I really can’t recommend it as a nutritionist, but it does make the flakiest crust. As always I tilt more to the healthier, so I did a little research to find a “better” crust. I landed on Eating Well’s site to this recipe which uses a little canola oil and low-fat sour cream, which lowers the saturated fat level and reduces the calories by 60%. This recipe also exchanges a little whole wheat flour for the white. Not bad- and the crust was quite enjoyable.

I won’t kid you, it does not rival the classic, but but it yielded a satisfying crunch and texture. The whole wheat is also a better foil to the cheese, and the caramel in the dulce de leche. A full on whole wheat crust can be too tough for me, I found this to be a healthy happy medium.

The tart is pretty easy to make. The crust is rolled out and hand rough formed. To be a good ecologist, I place mine on recycled brown paper bag “parchment”.  Layers of apples march down the middle, and then a healthy sprinkling of sugar and a few dots of butter get layered on top.  Then into the oven it goes.

A slice of apple tart with the gorgeous cheddar-blue on top

Phil would have liked this recipe. He pretty much liked hippie versions of things, and the crust makes this tart read this way. He could poo-poo desserts, claiming the evils of sugar, but I can imagine him having at least 2 slices. Probably with extra cheese. It’s that good.

Rustic Apple Tart with Dulce de Leche Glaze
makes two tarts, serves 8
 
This is as simple as they get. Choose a good baking apple that is tart with good body, and don’t skimp on the sugar on the apples either- it’s one of the best parts.
 
1 recipe for Healthy Whole Wheat Crust, found here
2 large baking apples, peeled and sliced into .25″ half rounds
1c granulated sugar
2T butter, diced
3T dulce de leche, my recipe can be found here
.25# Dunbarton Blue, that can be ordered here
Preheat oven to 425˚
 
Roll out the dough into two 6″ x 12″ strips and place onto lined baking sheet.
 
Lay down the apples, then sprinkle tops with sugar and dot evenly with the butter.
 
Crimp the sides of the tarts in to finish.
 
Bake for approximately 30 mins- keeping an eye on the apples. 
 
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
 
Prepare dulce de leche glaze by adding 1t of water and stirring smooth. Brush glaze over the apples.
 
Once completely cool, slice the cheese and lay on top of the tart and serve.
 
Best served and room temperature.
 

{Day 2} Candied Fruits For Sweet and Savory Treats

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The Winter fruits can become jewels under the right conditions. There is magic in the glistening, translucence that comes from the candying process. As the days grow gray and the light turns to darkness sooner and sooner I love the deep vibrant colors that sparkle on the plate.

The real miracle is it’s so easy to do and delightful to give.

I’ve come up with three different candied fruits. Pear Slices, Spicy Tangerine Sauce and Candied Ginger. Yeah, I know, the ginger is nothing really new- but the resulting leftover syrup you get from the process is going to be used for a future post for something I promise you will adore- so don’t discount the ginger.

Making jewels by candying fruit is basically a two step process. First the fruit is combined with sugar, either directly in the case of the pears, or in a syrup. Next comes the heat. The pears are baked for a short while and then flipped, and the ginger and tangerines simmered in the syrup until it reaches it’s translucency.
I’ve paired the pears here with some blue artisinal bleu cheese and toasted walnuts. A lovely gift is to put the trio into a package. But the pears are also great along with a chunk of high quality chocolate for a dessert plate. My friend Priscilla Martell, a cookbook writer, chef and all around exceptional person- shared with me a link to an artisanal cheese maker in Connecticut for Cato Corner Farm. She says, “One of those little local success stories.” If Priscilla recommend them I suggest you might give them a look see.
The tangerines are remarkable. I cannot begin to tell you how delectable they are. The sweet tangy orange is made bright with a hit of chili flakes. Shown here drizzled over a goat cheese log- but can I tell you? Set this up with some ice cream and your friends will get down on their knees and praise you.
I recommend packing the Tangerines in a jar with the slices ringing the outside of the jar and then fill the middle with the chunky syrup. The presentation is show stopping.
Packaging is always where it’s at and can transport the mundane into a delight. If you plan to put the pears into a bag I recommend using cellophane. This will prevent them from getting sticky, which is what happens when placed in plastic.
The same with the ginger. Though the ginger would be excellent in a jar as well.
*Check the Holiday Resource page to find links to find bags, bows and jars*
Pear Slices
recipe taken from Donna Hay Magazine
 
Slice pears on a mandoline or in even 1/8 inch slices.
 
Press each side into sugar and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet
 
Bake at 350˚ for 15 minutes~then flip the pears and bake another 15. Take care doing this since hot sugar can cause nasty burns
 
Once out of the oven carefully transfer the pears to a drying rack and allow the pears to fully dry. If you live in a humid place placing the rack in a turned off oven with a pilot light will do the trick.
 
 
Spicy Tangerine Sauce
a Gail Watson recipe
 
This recipe is in ratio, so you can make as little or great as you would like. I used 3 tangerines for the recipe shown
 
Slice top and bottom off of the tangerines and reserve. Make 1/8″ thin slices of half of the fruit and rough top the other half, including  the tops and bottoms.
 
Measure out the volume of fruit and place into a sauce pan.
 
Next add equal amounts of sugar and water to the pot- 
2c tangerines:2cups sugar:2cups water
 
Add a generous pinch of chili flakes and 3 star anise cloves to every 3 tangerines.
 
Bring all to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer. 
 
Simmer the fruit for 30 mins or until the rinds are soft and the slices are translucent.
 
Can properly into jars, or jar and keep in the fridge for 3 weeks.
 
Warm sauce over cheese is amazing.
 
 
Candied Ginger
 
This is another ratio recipe. Purchase ginger that is firm and thin skinned- which is spicier in the end. Older ginger is fine if that is all you can find, but nothing dried out and shriveled. The ginger shrinks as you cook it, so get triple the volume you will need.
 
Scrape the skins off the ginger using a teaspoon. This works remarkably well and preserves the most flesh. It’s also so much easier to work around the knobs and ends.
 
Slice the ginger into 1//8-1/4″ slices. I made coins, but you can do long strips etc.
 
As above, into a pan measure 1:1:1 ratio of ginger to water to sugar.
 
Simmer in pan on the stove until the ginger is tender. Mine took a good 30 minutes, but it will just depend on the thickness of your slices.
 
Strain the slices and RESERVE the syrup (I’ve got an great use of it in a future post)
 
Lay the slices on a drying rack and allow to dry to a tacky state. This is important. If you rush the sugaring process you can end up with a gooey mess, so be patient.
 
Once dry enough toss the ginger in some sugar and you’re good to go!
 
{btw-I used this gingered sugar for the pears- can’t say it really added anything, but it couldn’t hurt}
 
Keep the ginger in an airtight container so it doesn’t dry out. It will keep for 3 months if stored well.

 

Dulce de Leche for Breakfast makes me think of Alberto

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Not Valorie’s table- but a taste of heaven in my home.
In celebration of my recent birthday my dearest Pam and I trucked on down to New Orleans for the weekend. It was our first road trip with our new Mazda Miata- and let me tell you- two girls traveling in a car with a trunk the size of a Barbie suitcase has it’s challenges, but not without laughs and good times.
After a few days on our own enjoying a romantically fantastic and culinary time, we toddled over to my dear friends Valorie and Alberto’s house in the Irish Channel. Val and I go way back to our early years in the wedding business. She was an exceptional floral and event designer and we made instant friends when we met during a set up for a wedding in a big NYC loft.
She is now an even more exceptional interior designer in NoLa and you may know her as The Visual Vamp. Her blog is chocked with great thoughts, ideas, Val’s great writing and her sense of joy and life living. When you have a minute it is a must read. You may also know she and Alberto, her Argentine husband, as US National Tango champions and instructors. And let me tell you darlings- this is only a small scratch into Val’s fabulousness.
The last time we visited we woke to one of Val’s beautifully set breakfast tables. A small table tucked into the kitchen was covered in a beautiful linen cloth. Stack of china, silver, pots and plates of goodness and “objets” covered the table and made it too beautiful to think about making a crumb amongst. However Val’s tinkling laugh, ease and grace made this fantasy feel like we’ve always belonged here. So with napkins on laps and Cholo, their King Charles Spaniel, at our feet- we dove right in.
Amongst the delights was a luscious bowl of dulce de leche that had come from Alberto’s Argentina from their last trip there to Tango. Val toasted up some chewy sourdough bread and with the dulce de leche on top it was divine….. Sweet and creamy on top of crunchy chewy and the tang of the sourdough made it heaven. Such a simple thing elevated- such is the magic that is always Valorie.
Homemade Dulce de Leche
 
makes approx 1c
I dusted off my crockpot for this. The slow low temp cooking is perfect and no need to keep an eye on it.
 
Take 1 can of sweetened condensed milk and remove the label.
 
Submerge the can in water in your crockpot and set on low.
 
Leave to work it’s magic for 8 hrs. Cool before serving.
 
No fears about bursting cans but if it concerns you alternatively you can empty the contents of the can into a small heatproof bowl and cover with foil. Add water up the edge of the bowl and proceed as above.
 
If you don’t own a crockpot you can use the alternative method in a pan and place into a low oven- as low as it can go for 5-7 hrs.