toolbox: béchamel

“Sauces” according to the maven of cookery Julia Child, “are the splendor and glory of French cooking”.


One of the sauces that I have in my toolbox and turn to most often is the traditional White Sauce or Béchamel. This basic sauce is referred to as the “Mother of Sauces” for it is the base for a roster of other sauces. It takes about 5 minutes to make, and can be used as is, or can be built upon with the addition other enrichments.

Béchamel is traditionally made by whisking scalded milk gradually into a white flour butter roux (equal parts butter and flour). I use this basic sauce as a layer within my Lasagna Bolognaise, or as the base for cream soups, and soufflés. With the simple addition of some nutmeg and white cheddar it becomes the vehicle that turns ordinary elbow macaroni into Mac n’ Cheese bliss.

So if this sauce isn’t in your ‘toolbox’ yet you might consider adding it, for as Julia says “It would be hard for the everyday cook to get along without these good simple sauces”.


Enjoy!
Shannon

Sauce Béchamel (White Sauce)
Adapted from Julia Childs'  Mastering the Art of French Cooking

2 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk, heated to the boil in a small saucepan

In a saucepan melt the butter over low heat. Blend in the flour, and cook slowly, stirring, until the butter and flour froth together for 2 minutes without coloring. This is now a white roux.

Remove roux from heat, and pour in the hot milk all the while beating vigorously with a wire whisk to blend the milk and roux together. Set the saucepan over moderately high heat and stir with a wire whisk until the sauce comes to the boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring.

Remove from heat, and beat in salt and pepper to taste. Sauce is now ready to be used as is or can have other final flavorings or ingredients added to it.

If not used immediately, float a thin film of milk or melted butter on top to prevent a skin from forming on its surface. Set aside uncovered, keep it hot over simmering water, refrigerate, or freeze it.

makes 2 cups

toolbox: pastry

For years I’ve heard the phrase “it’s as easy as pie” and thought “okay, clearly you have never made one”.

Why is the idea of making basic pastry dough daunt even the most cool, calm and collected types? Making them so nervous at even the thought of tackling a pie crust?

Well, if this is you then you never need fear pastry again. I have found a wonderful recipe for pastry dough, which is flaky, flavorful, and tender. It is also strong enough to be rolled out and molded into a free-form shape or a galette. You can use this dough to make any kind of pie or tart, sweet or savory, plain or fancy. By adding a little sugar and vanilla you have a beautiful pâte sucrée or sweet pastry. Throw in some thyme, lemon zest and grated parmesan and you have the base for a savory tart. Once you have mastered this recipe you can let your creative juice flow and create wonderful crusts for so many recipes.

I have made this recipe by hand with a pastry cutter, but have also found the food processor works great as well. This recipe is large and can be cut in half or even quartered, but since the dough can be frozen for up to a month, it’s practical to make the full batch. You can freeze the dough disks, rolled out in circles, or already fitted into pie pans or tart molds, ready to go into the oven-without thawing-when you’re in a crunch for a crust.

Enjoy!
Shannon


Pastry
recipe adapted from Leslie Mackie

5 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 ½ sticks (6 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 ¾ cups (11 ounces) solid vegetable shortening, chilled
1 cup ice water

To make the dough by hand, mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add the butter and using a pastry blender (or your fingers); cut it into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Be patient-this take a while. Break up the shortening and add it in bits to the bowl. Still working with the pastry blender, cut in the shortening until the mixture has small clumps and curds. Switch to a wooden spoon and add the ice water, stirring to incorporate it. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and fold it over on itself a few times-don’t get carried away. The dough will be soft, but it will firm up in the refrigerator.

To make the dough in a food processor, start with very cold ingredients and take care not to overwork them. Place dry ingredients in the food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse just to mix. Take the top off, scatter the chilled cubed butter and shortening over the flour, cover, and pulse again, working only until the fats are cut in and the mixture resembles slightly moist cornmeal. Add a little of the liquid and pulse a few times, then add more liquid and pulse again. Continue until the mixture has curds and clumps and sticks together when pressed between your fingers. Don’t process until the dough forms a ball that rides the blade-that’s overdoing it.

Chilling the dough; divided dough into quarters, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, any longer and it’s too difficult to roll out.

Storing; the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for 1 month. Defrost, still wrapped in the refrigerator.

Makes enough dough for four 9- to 10-inch tarts or open-faced pies or 2 double-crusted pies.

my toolbox

A toolbox in the kitchen is basically the ‘nuts and bolts’ of cooking. These are the building blocks of the cooks’ repertoire, the recipes upon which hundreds of dishes are based. As the seasons’ change and new ingredients present themselves, it is the toolbox I turn to for inspiration. The idea is too take one recipe or technique and master it, so then you have the freedom to take it with you through the seasons.

I thought I would take the next couple of weeks and share with you some of my favorite toolbox recipes that are tried and true. From infused oils, vinaigrettes, spice mixes, and stock.

We’ll cover the sweet side of the toolbox as well with my favorite pastry base on which I bake tarts, pies, galettes, and cobblers. We will touch on vanilla custard or crème anglaise which pairs beautifully with numerous desserts and is also used as the base for creamy ice cream, whether fruit, chocolate or caramel flavored.

Lastly, we will end with cake or génoise; a vital basic cake and a building block for many confections. It is sturdy, firm, adaptable, and amenable to almost any flavoring. The génoise is to the French baker what the sponge cake is to the American baker.

This toolbox really works for me and I hope it will for you too!

Enjoy!
Shannon