Pain a l'Ancienne and Croque Madame or Toasted Ham and Cheese Sandwich!

Pain a l'Ancienne is another fermented recipe that I thoroughly enjoyed making for Bread Baker's Apprentice. It was an easy recipe with just mixing the dough, refrigerating over night and then forming the loaves in the morning. And it was a fantastic bread to eat!







Since this is football season I do try and make something for us to snack on during the Sunday games. Being I just made Pain l'Ancienne I thought I try to find a sandwich or something similar in the only Julia Child cookbook I have, "From Julia Child's Kitchen". I was shocked to find just how much this book is worth! I got it years ago as one of the free books when I joined the Book of the Month Club! Who'd a thought! But I did find a sandwich that I thought we'd enjoy..well heck who doesn't like toasted Ham and Cheese!







Julia says, "Some say Croque Madame is cheese flavoring only, some make it like Monsieur but substitute chicken for ham. I like ham and cheese, myself, but you should feel free to do what you wish since there is no set recipe and the process is the same whatever you choose. Here is an amusing presentation--a giant sandwich made from a flat long-oval loaf of French or Italian bread cut lengthwise. Present it whole, and cut it in crosswise pieces. The beer and cheese topping, by the way, same from my colleague, Simca; she sent me the recipe years ago, and now may not even remember her genial conception."


Croque Madame
Recipe adapted from "From Julia Child's Kitchen"

For each slice:
1 TBL flour
1/3 c beer (a slight 1/4 c. is plenty)
1 TBL Cognac (I skipped)
1 egg
1 c coarsely grated Swiss Cheese
Salt, pepper and Cayenne pepper
2-3 TBL melted butter
3-4 thin slices cooked ham or use leftover turkey

Cut the bread lengthwise into slices about 3/4" thick and lay on a baking sheet. Dry out for 20 minutes or so in a 350 degree oven, until quite hard and just beginning to color.

Place the flour in a small mixing bowl, gradually beat in the beer, then the Cognac and egg; stir in the cheese, and seasoning to taste, exaggerating a bit on the pepper. Brush the top of each slice of bread with melted butter, cover with slices of ham, then mask completely, out to the edges all around, with the cheese topping.

Bake in upper third of a preheated 450 degree oven 15-20 minutes, until cheese topping has puffed and browned.

To serve as a first course, cut in half lengthwise and crosswise, to make 4 pieces. To serve for cocktail appetizers, cut in half lengthwise, then crosswise into pieces of whatever size you wish.







I did start a new Bread Making Group, HBinFive and we will be baking our way through the new book "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg MD and Zoe Francois. It's a fun, freewheeling group that I'm sure anyone would enjoy. And we've even started a new side feature, Camp Breads, which is baking 5-minute breads in an outdoor grill or on a campfire.

To see a demonstration of Jeff and Zoe's bread making method, please watch the below video and if you are interested or have any questions, contact me at ms dot bigblackdog at gmail dot com. In any communication please include your full name and if you have a blog include the blog name and URL and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.









All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Sweet Potato Chips with Garlic and Lime

I am so developing a taste for lime!

A few days ago I was at my market and limes were on sale 10@$1 and I bought twenty limes. The man next to me bought sixty! And when he looked up he said "we like Margaritas"! LOL! I had no idea what I was going to do with twenty limes but slowly the little green gems are disappearing one by one.

Any ways, a few weeks ago I posted a Mexican Rice recipe served with a squeeze of lime and it was just so darn good! I liked the Mexican Rice but just a little squeeze of lime sent the rice from good to outstanding very quickly. Consequently, I've been giving a little squeeze of lime to many of my dishes and loving the results.

When I decided to try the Sweet Potato Chips I had every intention of following the recipe. But one thing leads to another and after one taste of the Sweet Potato Chips with Garlic and there I was squeezing a little lime over the top. OH MY...lime just takes food to an entirely different level. The bright, neon-like color of the Sweet Potato Chips would add a splash of color to any meal.







Sweet Potato Chips with Garlic and Lime
Recipe adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

2 large sweet potatoes
1 garlic clove, pressed through a garlic press
1 teaspoon very finely minced fresh rosemary leaves (I skipped)
2 tablespoons salt (I used Kosher salt)

My addition: 1 fresh lime cut into wedges

Special Equipment: V-slicer or Mandoline and a Deep Fryer

A few hours before you plan on making this recipe. In a small bowl combine the garlic and salt and mix well. Set aside until the salt and garlic is completely dry. If it's not dry enough the salt will clump up on the chips.

Heat up the Deep Fryer.

Peel the sweet potatoes. Trim 1-inch off the end of each sweet potato. Using the V-slicer or mandoline, slice the sweet potatoes into very thin slices, about 1/8-inch thick.

When the oil is hot add about a quarter of the sweet potato slices. Let fry until golden and the bubbling has almost completely subsided, about 2 to 3 minutes. Using a mesh sieve or slotted spoon remove the chips to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with some of the garlic and salt mixture. Continue with the remaining sweet potatoes.

Transfer to a serving plate and serve with wedges of lime which are squeezed over the Sweet Potato Chips. ENJOY!








All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

BBA - French Bread and a Delicious Brandy-flavored Crostini

I held off on baking the French Bread for Bread Baker's Apprentice because I wanted to try out my new Perforated Bread Pan and it was in the mail! So as soon as I received the pan and had a break in my schedule I got right to work.

I tried two different slashing techiques and I'm not happy with either of them. I really do need to get a good Lame but was wondering if an x-acto knife would work as well?





First of all I have never attempted to make French Bread and I'd heard horror stories about making baguettes. So I went into this recipe very hesitantly. I even read the recipe several times just to make sure I understood every single step. But from beginning to end, except for the slashing, I had no problems what so ever! I'm pretty much convinced much of my success was due to my new Perforated Bread Pan!






And I am so glad that my pan was delayed because in the mean time I found the most wonderful recipe for Crostini and it was perfect for the French Baguettes. I found reference to the Cognac-flavored Crostini recipe on Kate's blog, A Spoonful of Thyme, and she had a link to the original recipe on Ju's blog, Little Teochew. So I contacted Ju and asked for permission to reprint her recipe and the ever so gracious Ju said "yes". I was so happy because the Cognac-flavored Crostini is such a unique recipe and I will be making it again and again and I wanted to share it with all my readers. I served the Crostini with Romesco Dip while we watched the Sunday pre-season football games. The Crostini was delicious and we ate every crumb!







Cognac-flavored Crostini
Reprinted with permission from Ju of Little Teochew

1 baguette
4 to 5 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
a knob of butter, about 3 TBL
1 TBL cognac (or vodka) See **See NOTE
1 clove (or 2) garlic, sliced/smashed
Sea salt
Black pepper

1. Pre-heat oven to 200 degree Celsius. **See NOTE

2. Slice the baguettes into 1/2 inch thick pieces and lay out on a tray.

3. In a bowl, combine olive oil, butter, garlic and cognac, and microwave on high for about 2 minutes, so that the flavour of garlic is infused into the oil (butter should be melted by then). Stir well.

4. Brush both sides of all the baguette slices generously with the flavoured oil.

5. Toast in the oven for slightly over 1 minute, or when the sides start turning crusty and golden brown. Don't take your eyes off them! The bread should still be soft, chewy and pliable in the centre.

6. Take the tray of Crostini out of the oven, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Serve immediately.

**NOTE: I did not have any cognac so I used Brandy on half the Crostini and Mole Poblano Vodka, a slightly spicy but mellow hot pepper vodka, distilled right here in IL by North Shore Distillery. And to toast the Crostini I laid it out on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and popped it under the broiler on high until the edges were a nice golden brown.

And my favorite was the Crostini with Brandy. Although the Mole Poblano Vodka Crostini was very good, the touch of brandy with the toasted garlic butter on homemade French Bread was exquisite!






Below are a few of my fellow BBA'ers, please feel free to click on the links to see their interpretation of this recipe.


Cindy of Salt and Serenity
Sally of Bewitching Kitchen
Kelly of Something Shiny
Jenn of Pete Eatemall




All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

BBA - Italian Bread

This week for the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge we made Italian Bread. I like to serve breadsticks in place of crackers and since soup was on our menu that week I made breadsticks instead of loaves.







Of course I have to change the recipe a bit and so I added 1 TBL slightly crushed whole fennel seeds and about 1/2 c. sesame seeds. I know it looks more interesting with the sesame seeds sprinkled on top of the breadsticks but I can not make the seeds stay put and believe me I've tried every which way, egg wash, olive oil and even tried embedding the seeds into the dough with my rolling pin. But still the seeds fall off and make a mess. So now I just add the seeds right to the flour and no more sesame seed showers!


And who knows you might even organize a quick game of chopsticks!







Google Books has the entire book, "The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread", by Peter Reinhart, scanned and you can find the recipe on Page 172 by clicking here.




Below are a few of my fellow BBA'ers, please feel free to click on the links to see their interpretation of this recipe.

Emily of Flickr Photo Album.
Brandy of Flickr Photo Album.
Paul of Yumarama.




Gadgets that Work






One of my very favorite baking tools is my Flour Wand. I've had my Wand less then a year but it is one of my most used tools. The Flour Wand is very easy to use and securely holds the flour until you are ready to dust your pastry cloth.

To fill the wand just dip the Wand into your flour bin, press the handle together to open the coiled oblong spring and fill it with flour. And when you are ready to dust some flour, quickly flex and release the handles while waving the wand over your pastry cloth and the flour sprinkles out in an even dusting. I love my Flour Wand!

If you are wondering what the flowered cloth is that's a vintage tablecloth and I use it as a pastry cloth. The tablecloth is a very heavy 100% cotton and gives me a larger work area when I am rolling out any kind of dough. I do wash them in cold water and hang to dry. You can pick up the small vintage tablecloths at flea markets or garage sales for $5-10.


All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

BBA - Focaccia and a delicious Bruschetta

This week for Bread Baker's Apprentice we made Focaccia. I've made Focaccia Bread about a million times in my life and it is one of my favorite breads. It's quick and easy and makes a great last minute addition to any meal and it's very versatile. You can top with a large variety of items like cheese, basil, tomatoes and make a pizza type bread. Or you can slice it horizontally and toast it for the base for Eggs Benedict or a toasted tuna sandwich. I've used it for hamburger buns and even popped it under the broiler for a great garlic bread!

I always add about 1/2 cup sourdough starter to my Focaccia dough but decided to use fresh yeast instead. And I dearly love using fresh yeast! Also I added 1/2 cup mashed potato. The dough was silky smooth and so easy to work with and it rose beautifully!

Our tomatoes are slowly starting to come in and I was going to make BBLTs (Basil, Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato) sandwiches with the Focaccia but then decided to whip up some Bruschetta instead. See Recipe and **Note below.







Bruschetta with Spinach and infused Garlic
Recipe developed by Big-Black-Dog

4-5 plum tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/2 lb spinach, cleaned and torn into small pieces
1/4-1/2 c. shredded Parmesan
8-10 fresh Basil leaves, torn into small pieces
Abt 15 fresh Tarragon leaves, torn into small pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large garlic cloves
1/4 c. EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

In a small pan heat the EVOO until just warm. Add the cloves of garlic and simmer until the garlic is just golden brown. Remove garlic and set the oil aside to cool. On a cutting board smash the garlic with a fork.

In a small bowl add the tomatoes, spinach, Parmesan, Basil, Tarragon, smashed garlic and cooled EVOO and blend. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let this sit for at least 30 minutes so the flavors set.

**Note: I cut the Focaccia into about 3-5" pieces and then cut each piece horizontally. On a foil lined baking sheet lay out the sliced Focaccia and top each piece with Bruschetta. Set your oven on Broil and pop the Focaccia/Bruschetta under the broiler for about 5 minutes. Be careful because this will burn very quickly.







Google Books has the entire book, "The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread", by Peter Reinhart, scanned and you can find the recipe on Page 159 by clicking here.


Please feel free to visit some fellow BBA'ers and see their interpretation of this recipe.

Terri of Mustang Terri
Nico of Nico's Blog
Sally of Bewitching Kitchen
Txfarmer at Txfarmer (blog is in Chinese)




All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

BBA -- Ciabatta

Ciabatta; Ciabatta (Italian pronunciation: [tʃaˈbatːa], literally "carpet slipper") is an Italian white bread made with wheat flour and yeast. The loaf is somewhat elongated, broad and flattish and, like a slipper, should be somewhat collapsed in the middle. Since the late 1990s it has been popular across Europe and in the United States, and is widely used as a sandwich bread.

Ciabatta was first produced in Liguria, although at least one type of ciabatta can be found in nearly every region of Italy nowadays. The ciabatta from the area encompassing Lake Como has a crisp crust, a somewhat soft, porous texture, and is light to the touch. The ciabatta found in Tuscany, Umbria, and Marche varies from bread that has a firm crust and dense crumb, to bread that has a crisper crust and more open texture. The more open-crumbed form, which is usual in the United States, is made from a very wet dough, often requiring machine-kneading, and a biga or sourdough starter.

There are many variations of ciabatta. When made with whole wheat flour, it is known as ciabatta integrale. In Rome, it is often seasoned with olive oil, salt, and marjoram. When milk is added to the dough, it becomes ciabatta al latte. A toasted sandwich made from small loaves of ciabatta is known as a panino (plural panini).





Ciabatta is our eighth bread in the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge. I was looking forward to making Ciabatta! I am a very enthusiastic sourdough baker and I love using kefir in anything I am baking. I choose to make the biga version and substituted sourdough starter for the yeast and kefir for the milk and I did use EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil).

Generally I like working with a very wet dough, but as soon as I mixed up this recipe I knew it was not wet enough and my loaves would not have the large gorgeous holes that I wanted. Could I have added a bit more water or kefir? Yes, but since I'm involved in this challenge to learn I'm trying to stay as close to the Reinhart recipe as possible.





All in all, I was not disappointed in my Ciabatta as it was a good bread and it was fun to do the stretching and folding method during the rise. But next time I make it, I will be experimenting and definitely adding more liquid and a little bit more salt too.

I baked my Ciabatta on a Sunday and served it as an afternoon snack after a day of yard work for both of us. I served the Ciabatta with 2 dips, Romesco Dip and an Olive and Parmesan Dip. Since my husband was home and watched the entire bread process and then smelled the bread baking, he could not wait to give it a try. So I cut the bread when it was warm..so not a good idea!





Google Books has the entire book, "The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread", by Peter Reinhart, scanned and you can find the recipe on Page 135 by clicking here.


All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Do's and Dips

I don’t know if it’s because of the increase in temperature and gorgeous summer days but I’ve been making the best dips lately! They’re so delicious and colorful, it’s almost a shame to scrape the last bit from the bottom of the bowl!

Deeba, a friend on twitter and author of Passionate about Baking, told me about a wonderful dip that she had recently made. As soon as I saw the gorgeous color I just had to make it. I found a good recipe on Dinner with Julie and of course proceeded to change the recipe which I have to do. I think it was about 6 weeks ago that Deeba pointed out the Romesco Dip and I’ve made it four times already. We love it! The gorgeous intense color is just a preview to the fabulous taste!

My second dip is just something I threw together to serve along with the Romesco Dip. I wanted something light with a unique taste to contrast the 2 dips. My Olive and Parmesan Dip was perfect and very good with my homemade Breadsticks and Ciabatta Bread!

Both dips would be wonderful for an appetizer or an afternoon snack or even something to munch on while watching a football game.







Romesco Dip

1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds, or half almonds and half pine nuts
2 whole garlic clove, peeled
1 cup of unseasoned bread crumbs
2 sweet red peppers, roasted
1 TBL. red wine or sherry
1 TBL balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. paprika
salt to taste
1/4 c EVOO, you may need to add more (EVOO=Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

Turn the broiler on High and move a oven shelf closer to the broiler.

Clean out all the seeds from the sweet peppers. Cut each pepper into thirds and then slice so that pepper will lay flat. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil. Place the pieces of red pepper in the baking pan and put baking pan in oven to broil. I only broil until the peppers start turning dark. Careful that you don’t burn the peppers! I do not peel the peppers because so much taste is in the broiled skin.

While the peppers are broiling add 2 TBL EVOO to a small frying pan. Over medium low heat sauté garlic cloves until golden brown and soft. Remove garlic cloves to cutting board and mash with a fork. Set aside.

Add almonds to the small frying pan and toast for about 2-3 minutes until just slightly golden. Remove from pan and cool.

In a food processor add bread crumbs, broiled red sweet peppers, mashed garlic, toasted almonds, vinegar, wine, paprika, and EVOO. Pulse until everything is minced fine and well blended.

Makes between 1-2 cups.



Olive and Parmesan Dip
Recipe developed by Big Black Dog

1/2-3/4 c. EVOO (EVOO=Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
4-5 Black and Green Olives, sliced thin
1-2 TBL of grated fresh Parmesan Cheese
Freshly ground Black Pepper

Thinly slice the olives. Pour EVOO into a small serving bowl. Add sliced olives and pepper. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and freshly ground pepper.








All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

TFF -- Grilled Flat Bread with Blue Cheese and Crunchy Red Grapes

As soon as I saw the recipe for Tyler Florence's Grilled Flat Bread with Crunchy Red Grapes I knew I had to try it. There's just something about Tyler and Red Grapes that appeals to me!

Tyler suggests purchasing ready made flat bread but I made Focaccia Bread instead and used a recipe from my niece, Joelle. I also substituted green onions for the yellow onion which was the only change I made.

The Grilled Flat Bread Topped with Caramelized Onions and Blue Cheese, Mascarpone and Crunchy Red Grapes was absolutely delicious. I served this with Tyler's Wild Mushroom with Roasted Fennel Soup and although this soup is wonderful after one bite of the Grilled Bread I decided to save my soup for another day and just had Grilled Bread and a glass of De Bortoli Petite Sirah for dinner. I really can not tell you how good this bread was but I could not wait to take another bite!






Focaccia Bread
Recipe adapted from my niece, Joelle

1 1/3 c. warm tap water
2 1/2 tsp (1 envelope) active dry yeast
6 TBL. EVOO
3 1/4 c. flour
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Kosher salt for topping

In a medium sized bowl measure water and whisk in yeast and 3 TBL oil.

When yeast has started to bubble, mix in flour and salt. Cover bowl and let rise until at least double.

Spread 1 1/2 TBL EVOO on 10 1/2 by 15 1/2 jelly roll pan. Turn dough out onto pan and press into edges. Cover the dough with a piece of oiled plastic wrap and allow it to rise again, up to about an hour or until doubled in size.

Poke cavities into dough at 2" intervals.

Drizzle remaining 1 1/2 TBL EVOO over dough and sprinkle with Kosher Salt.

Bake at 450 degrees until brown on edges.

Note: Keep you eye on this bread as it bakes quickly. When it starts pulling away from the edges of the pan it is done.





Grilled Flat Bread Topped with Caramelized Onions and Blue Cheese, Mascarpone and Crunchy Red Grapes
Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence

extra-virgin olive oil
3 large onions, sliced (I used 5 Green Onions thinly sliced into coins)
1 large store-bought rustic-style flatbread (I made Focaccia Bread)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups mascarpone
1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
1 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
2 cups firm red grapes, halved
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley

In a large saute pan heat a 2 count of olive oil over medium-heat. Add onions and slowly caramelize until brown and creamy. Set aside.

Preheat the grill to high. Quickly and carefully wipe the grate with oiled paper towels to create a nonstick surface. Brush the flat bread with oil and season with salt and pepper. Reduce grill heat to medium. Grill bread on both sides until warmed through and brown with grill marks.

Quickly transfer flat bread to a platter and smear with mascarpone while still warm. Sprinkle with Gorgonzola, caramelized onions, toasted walnuts, and grapes. Season with a few turns of freshly ground black pepper, drizzle lightly with some additional oil, and top with a shower of fresh parsley.






Please visit Tyler Florence Fridays and see what the rest of Tyler's groupies are up too this week.








Gadgets That Work



Although I wanted a good pizza cutter for a long time, I did not own one until a few years ago. The Mario Batali Pizza Wheel has a polycarbonate, aka plastic, wheel and I picked this one up at TJMaxx for $9.99. I have a fear of large, sharp blades but I am very comfortable using the Batali Pizza Wheel and I'm sure it's because of the plastic blade. It has a slightly padded handle that easily fits my small hand and it is dishwasher safe.

I love my pizza cutter and use it for much more then just cutting pizza. Because of the round blade it makes a perfect, straight cut. It works wonderfully for cutting raw dough for breadsticks. The Pizza Wheel easily cuts though any warm sandwich, especially panini sandwiches, without crushing the bread and melted cheese. It also works well to rough cut herbs and parsley for garnishes.




All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Whisk Wednesday -- Huîtres Chaudes au Muscadet Incognito

This week for Whisk Wednesday we made Huîtres Chaudes au Mascadet or Poached Oysters with Mascadet Sabayon Sauce. I was looking forward to making this recipe but when it came time for me to buy the Oysters my market only had teeny tiny oysters which were hardly worth shucking! So I opted to substitute Octopus! I know it's a reach to substitute Octopus for Oysters but it turned out fabulously delicious and we just happen to love Octopus!

This was a fun recipe but most definitely "incognito" being I substituted Octopus for Oysters and it's served in a Clam Shell. But at least I kept my dish to under the sea! I first marinated the Octopus over night in EVOO, Basil, Garlic and Balsamic Vinegar. About 10 minutes before serving dinner I drained the Octopus and put it under the boiler for about 5-8 minutes. The Octopus was so tender and just delicious. I served it in a Clam Shell on a bed of saute spinach with onions and topped with Sabayon Sauce. In total I made 19 shells. I ate 6 and Mr. Tastebuds ate the remaining 13 and he loved it! The Sabayon Sauce was FANTASTIC and I will most definitely be making this again. I did follow the recipe for the Sabayon Sauce except I only used 4 TBL of clarified butter which was plenty.







My initial tasting of Octopus was while on a day trip to Tarpon Springs a large Greek Community on the Gulf Coast of FL. It was on a Sunday and we were attending the annual Tarpon Spring Arts Festival. I kept seeing people with plates of heaping orange, curley-cue stuff. Well, the curly-cue stuff was grilled Octopus. I just had to try it and from my first bite to the last it was delicious.

Tarpon Springs was established around 1905 by immigrants from the Greek Islands of Aegina, Halki, Kalymnos and Symi. By 1936, Tarpon Springs was recognized as the natural sponge capital of the world and there were approximately 2000 Greek immigrants living in the area. The 1953 movie "Beneath the 12-mile Reef" starring a very young, VERY macho Robert Wagner, was filmed in Tarpon Springs and highlights the Greek culture revolving around sponge diving. I remember first seeing the movie on TV when I was a child and oddly enough I just watched it again a few weeks ago!





Huîtres Chaudes au Mascadet
Recipe adapted from "Le Cordon Bleu at Home"

24 oysters (I subbed abt 1 lb of octopus)
2 lbs of spinach, cleaned, stemmed and rinsed
Salt

Muscabet Sabayon Sauce:

2 TBL butter
2 shallots, chopped fine
2/3 c. dry white wine, preferably Muscadet
2/3 c. creme fraiche
Freshly ground pepper
4 egg yolks
1/4 c. water
1/2 lb butter, clarified (I used 4 TBL)

4 TBL butter
Freshly ground pepper

Option: I used fresh spinach leaves to line the platter to stabilize the clam shells








All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Whisk Wednesday -- Bouchées aux Crevettes and some Poker Chips

This week for Whisk Wednesdays I made Bouchées aux Crevettes or Puff Pastry Shells Filled with Shrimp and Mushrooms. Really Puff Pastry is so easy to make and it is fun..fun..fun!!! But you can buy a package of Puff Pastry and find almost the same results and your food automatically takes on an air of "Gourmet" with a capital "G"!!

Although this recipe was easy and fun to make, I really did not care for this dish. Mr. Tastebud's had some late client meetings tonight but it was no problem reheating the shrimp and filling the pastry shells for him but he too did not really care for it.







I followed the recipe except I did add some green onion. It's difficult for me to make seafood without green onion and it added a much needed flavor and color to the over all dish. I cut out some small disks from the left over puff pastry. I called them poker chips and they worked out well to dip into the extra shrimp and mushroom sauce. If you're confused so was my husband! ;)








Bouchées aux Crevettes
Recipe adapted from Le Cordon Bleu at Home


For the Puff Pastry:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups cake flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/3 to 1 ½ cups cold water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
28 ounces unsalted butter
1 egg, slightly beaten, for glazing

For the Shrimp and Mushroom Sauce:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1¾ cups cold milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup crème fraîche or heavy cream (I would use sour cream instead.)
5 ounces mushrooms, trimmed, rinsed, dried, and chopped fine
1¾ pounds small cooked shrimp
3 tablespoons Cognac
Pinch of paprika

Chervil or parsley for garnish

Unsalted butter, softened, for baking sheet




All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog