Recipes, Joan Nathan, Cookbook Author, Jewish Cuisine, Journalist, Contributor, New York, Times, James Beard Winner, Jewish Cooking In America, The New American Cooking, Leek Terrine, Onion Tart Lorraine, Hanukkah Polish Apple Cake, Alsation Pear Kugel With Prunes
JOAN NATHAN - FOUR RECIPES
JOAN NATHAN
WHAT
Four recipes from cookbook author, Joan Nathan: Leek Terrine, Onion Tart Lorraine, Hanukkah Polish Apple Cake, Alsatian Pear Kugel With Prunes.
WHO
Joan Nathan is an award-winning author of ten cookbooks and a journalist/contributor to the New York Times.
WHY
Two-time James Beard Award winner Joan Nathan is releasing her tenth cookbook called “Quiches, Kugels and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France.” Joan delves into the history and traditions of the Jews in France.
October 21, 2010
RECOMMENDATIONS
Joan Nathan’s recommendations for where to eat and shop in Vermont, Providence, Massachusetts, New York, Brooklyn, Ann Arbor, Houston, Dallas, Washington DC, and Paris.
COOKBOOK AUTHOR
Tarte À L’Oignon (Onion Tart Lorraine)
Adapted from Quiches, Kugels and Couscous : My Search for Jewish Cooking in France, by Joan Nathan
6 servings
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 5 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- Pinch of salt
- Dried beans for weighting the crust
Filling
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 pound (about 4) onions, peeled and thinly sliced in rounds
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- Salt to taste
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
1. To make the crust, put the flour, butter, vegetable shortening, and salt in a food processor and pulse until crumbly. Gradually add 2 tablespoons cold water, pulsing until the dough forms a ball. Remove, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to about 10 inches in diameter. Gently lay it in a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, pressing the dough into the sides and trimming off any excess dough. Line the pan with aluminum foil and refrigerate a few hours or overnight.
3. Heat the butter in a frying pan. Add the onions, sugar, and salt to taste and over low heat, covered, for about 30 minutes or until the onions are golden and soft. Set aside to cool.
4. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Fill the foil-lined pie crust with enough dried beans to cover the bottom. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375 degrees and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove the foil and the beans.
5. Put the eggs, cream, nutmeg, and salt and pepper in a mixing bowl and beat them together until blended. Fold in the onions, then transfer the filling to the pie crust. Return it to the oven and bake 30 minutes or until the center is set and custard-like.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Terrine De Poireaux (Leek Terrine)
Adapted from Quiches, Kugels and Couscous : My Search for Jewish Cooking in France, by Joan Nathan
8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
- 3-4 small leeks, white and light green parts only, roots trimmed (1 pound)
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 pound morels, trompettes de la mort, or conventional fresh mushrooms, diced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 cup milk
- 5 ounces white bread, crusts removed
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- Dash cayenne pepper or to taste
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 5-by-5 by-12 inch or 4-by-10 inch terrine pan and then line it with plastic wrap.
2. Bring a pot half full of water with a tablespoon of salt to a boil, add the leeks and boil for 10 minutes or until fork tender. Remove them gently from the water, and plunge them into ice water for about 10 minutes. Drain well, pat very dry, and cut the leeks in half lengthwise.
3. Sauté the mushrooms in the butter in a small frying pan, seasoning them with salt and pepper to taste, until they are golden brown—about 5 minutes. Spread half the cooked mushrooms and any remaining butter evenly in the bottom of the prepared terrine.
4. Pour the milk into a large bowl. Dip the bread in the milk and then squeeze it to remove the excess liquid. Place the bread, the eggs, the cream, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the nutmeg, and cayenne pepper in the bowl of a food processor equipped with the steel blade. Purée until creamy and uniform, and pour about a third of the mixture into the terrine. Press half of the leeks gently lengthwise into the terrine, covering with one third more batter and scattering on the remaining mushrooms. Repeat again with the remaining leeks and remaining batter.
5. Cover the terrine with aluminum foil and place it in a baking pan filled with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the terrine. Bake for about 50 minutes or until set and no longer wobbly in the center. Once it is cool enough to handle, unmold the terrine by flipping it over onto a serving plate. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature. You can also cut the mold into about 10 slices in the terrine. Then when ready to serve just microwave the slices and serve on individual plates.
Note: To substitute asparagus for the leeks, boil 16 large spears in salted water until bright green and barely cooked through. Remove the asparagus from the water, and plunge them into ice water for about 10 minutes. Drain the asparagus and pat them dry, cutting them to fit in the terrine. Then cover with the batter and proceed as with leeks.
Gâteau De Hanukkah (Hanukkah Polish Apple Cake)
Recipe courtesy of Joan Nathan
Yield
8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
- 5 apples (3 Fuji and 2 Granny Smith, or any combination of sweet and tart apples), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces, about 6 cups of apples
- Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 10 walnut halves, roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped almonds
- 1 1/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease a Bundt pan or a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
2. Toss the apples in a large bowl with the zest and juice of the lemon, the walnuts, and the cinnamon.
3. Pulse together the flour, baking powder, salt, almonds, and 1 ¼ cups of the sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. With the food processor running, add the eggs, oil, and almond extract, processing until just mixed.
4. Spoon half of the batter over the bottom of the pan. Scatter the apples on top, and cover the apples with the remaining batter. Sprinkle the top with the remaining sugar (you’ll need less if using a Bundt pan).
5. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Note: the cake will take a shorter time to bake in the shallow rectangular pan than in the Bundt pan.
Alsatian Pear Kugel With Prunes
Adapted from Quiches, Kugels and Couscous : My Search for Jewish Cooking in France, by Joan Nathan
6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 pounds ripe Bosc pears
- 2 small onions (about 1/2 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 loaf thick white bread, about 7 ounces
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 8 tablespoons butter or pareve margarine, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups pitted prunes
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Juice of 1 lemon
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-inch springform pan with 2 tablespoons of the oil.
2. Peel the pears and cut all but one of them into 1-inch cubes.
3. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of the oil over a medium-high heat in a skillet. Lightly sauté the onions until they are translucent. Remove from the heat, salt lightly, allowing them to cool slightly.
4. Soak the bread for a few seconds in lukewarm water and squeeze dry. Put in a large bowl and, using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix with 1/4 cup of the sugar, and the butter or pareve margarine. Stir in the eggs, onions, and half of the diced pears, setting aside the remaining pears for the sauce.
5. Pour the batter into the spring form pan and bake for 2 hours.
6. While the kugel is cooking, make the sauce. In a heavy saucepan set over medium-high heat, put 1 cup of water, the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, the prunes, cinnamon, lemon juice, and the remaining diced pears. Cook this compote mixture uncovered for 30 minutes.
7. Finely grate the remaining pear and stir it into the cooked compote.
8. When the kugel is done, remove from the oven and set on a rack to cool for about 20 minutes. Unmold from the pan onto a serving platter, and spoon half of the compote over it. Serve the remaining compote on the side.
Note: You can make this kugel using only prunes in the place of the pears.
Details of Joan Nathan’s recommendations for where to eat and shop in Vermont, Providence, Massachusetts, New York, Brooklyn, Ann Arbor, Houston, Dallas, Washington DC, and Paris.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France [Purchase on Amazon.com]
The New American Cooking [Purchase on Amazon.com]
Joan Nathan's Jewish Holiday Cookbook [Purchase on Amazon.com]
Jewish Cooking in America: Expanded Edition [Purchase on Amazon.com]
The Foods of Israel Today [Purchase on Amazon.com]
The Jewish Holiday Kitchen: 250 Recipes from Around the World to Make Your Celebrations Special [Purchase on Amazon.com]
The Jewish Holiday Baker [Purchase on Amazon.com]