IRON CHEF

Another Iron Chef celebration coming up!

Remember when we cooked from Eric Gower’s cookbook, The Breakaway Kitchen, on May 31, 2008? We were hoping that Eric would be able to join us but he was out of town that weekend. Since then several of us in the Cookbook Club have been getting his Breakaway Blog regularly. He is definitely into experimenting with different flavors and combinations!

I just got an email from Eric announcing that his Iron Chef competition will be aired on Sunday, September 20, 2009 and probably at 8 p.m. He competed 13 months ago so it sure takes a long time before those events are actually aired. I haven’t heard back from him yet to see which chef he competed against.

Back to my kitchen…well, I tried the Tripe Terrine today. Although I thought it was good, my husband didn’t like it. You have to like pig’s feet and tripe to like this dish. I think I’ll alter it a bit and add some diced tomatoes to cut the richness of the dish, cut the tripe into smaller pieces and debone the pig foot to make it easier to eat. I was debating whether or not to take it to our next cookbook club dinner next weekend but I think I will. It’s an interesting dish and since we’re only serving small portions, it will be a good experience for the members. But, I’ll wait to see what everyone else is bringing in case a course needs to be filled in.

It's a good thing I baked a great dessert for the Tripe Terrine dinner because it saved the meal! My next door neighbor was harvesting his Sugar Plum tree and offered me a bagful so of course, I had to make a tart out of it since we can’t eat that many plums before they spoil. I made a Plum Tart with Lemon Shortbread Crust from the Fine Cooking magazine, July 2008 issue. As the creator of the recipe, Kimberly Masibay, said. This tart crust is every pastry-phobe’s dream: you pat it into the pan—no rolling! Several reviewers stated that they thought it was too lemony so I reduced the lemon zest from 2 tsps. to 1 tsp. and used Meyer Lemons instead of Eurekas. I didn't bother with arranging the plums in a concentric circle since it was a mini-tart for just Bill and I. The bottom line is that this recipe is fabulous! Remember I mentioned that I made a “Basic Plum pie” for the fourth of July BBQ? I was so disappointed in the result…it was delicious but not outstanding. This tart is OUTSTANDING!! You will get rave reviews if you make it!


Plum Tart with Lemon Shortbread Crust
by Kimberly Y. Masibay Fine Cooking, July 2008
Yields one 9-inch tart. Serves eight.

For the filling:
1/3 cup plus 1/2 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 Tbs. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
6 ripe medium black or red plums (about 4 oz. each), each pitted and sliced into 16 slender wedges
For the tart shell:
4 oz. (8 Tbs.) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes; more softened for the pan
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp. firmly packed finely grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
5-1/2 oz. (1 cup plus 3 Tbs.) unbleached all-purpose flour; more as needed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. table salt
Cooking spray
2 Tbs. plum or apricot preserves

Begin the filling:
In a medium bowl, whisk 1/3 cup of the sugar and the cornstarch, kosher salt, and lemon zest. Add the plums and gently toss with your hands to evenly coat with sugar. Cover the bowl and put it in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Make the tart shell:
Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9-1/2-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.

Put the butter cubes in the freezer. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk, lemon zest, and vanilla. Put the flour, sugar, and table salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly and mealy, about 25 short pulses. Add the egg yolk mixture and blend, using long pulses, just until it forms a moist, crumbly mass, about 15 three-second pulses. The dough won't come together on its own, but it should hold together when squeezed.

Transfer the dough to the tart pan. Dip the bottom of a flat-bottomed cup measure in flour and use it to press the dough onto the bottom and sides of the pan in an even layer. Start with the sides, which should be 1/4 inch thick. Re-flour the cup whenever it starts to stick to the dough. Wrap the pan in plastic and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Blind bake the shell:
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F. Unwrap the tart shell and prick the bottom and sides several times with a fork. Spray one side of a piece of parchment or foil with cooking spray. Line the shell with the sprayed side down and fill the lined shell with pie weights or dry beans. Set the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the liner and pie weights. Should any dough stick to the liner, simply peel it off and patch it back into the shell. Reduce the heat to 350°F and continue baking until the sides and bottom of the shell are golden brown and dry, 10 to 15 minutes more. Cool on a rack for about 20 minutes.

Finish the tart:
Drain the plums in a sieve or colander set over a medium bowl for a few minutes. Pour the juice into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until very thick, about 3 minutes. Scrape into a small bowl and let cool for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the preserves in the saucepan over medium-low heat until syrupy. Pour the preserves into the tart shell and evenly brush them over the bottom and sides. With a rubber spatula, spread the thickened plum juice over the preserves on the bottom of the shell.

Starting at the edge of the shell, arrange the plum slices cut side down and tightly overlapping in concentric circles. If you have more slices, keep tucking them in wherever they fit. You can also pile a few in the center of the tart.

If any juice remains in the mixing bowl, drizzle up to 1 Tbs. over the plums. Discard the rest. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 Tbs. sugar over the plums.

Bake the tart directly on the oven rack until the plums are tender when poked with a paring knife and caramelized along their edges (a few tips may even blacken), the crust is a deep golden brown, and any juices look syrupy and bubbly, 40 to 50 minutes. After you remove the tart from the oven, moisten the plums by dipping a pastry brush into the juices between the plums and brushing any surfaces that look dry.

Cool the tart in its pan on a rack for at least 2 hours before unmolding and slicing with a very sharp knife.

Make Ahead Tips
You can toss the plums with the sugar mixture and chill the unbaked tart shell up to a day in advance.

Enjoy!