Fig Galette

The Gourmandise School   of Sweets and Savories

Dropping Figs. It's a 30 foot tree, and its roots are firmly planted smack in the middle of our chicken coop. For the next 6 weeks, and later again in early Fall, our sidewalk will be painted with shades of bright green and dark purple stains. The please-come-pick pleas are back (emailus if you want the cross streets), the fig recipes are everywhere from here to there and we need a vessel for these mediterranean jewels. Not too fussy, no tart pan required. Enter the galette. The I-can't-crimp-to-save-my-life alternative to a pie. Unlike traditional tarts, galettes are made from a flaky, rustic dough, are less sweet and more forgiving. It's like lowering the expectations on the cover of Martha's mag and surprising your palate with the hidden crags of flavor under the folds. Whatever your skill level, this dessert will.please.everyone.  Fig Galette This free-form flaky wonder is made from our classic pie crust, folded over like an envelope to create additional layers. Top with a dollop of mascarpone or serve it piping hot with a scoop of caramel ice cream. Have fun with this one! Galette Crust Place in a large bowl: 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour 2 Tbsps sugar 2 tsp salt 1-1/2 sticks (6 ounces) very, very cold butter cut into small cubes Set aside: 1/3 cup ice water, plus 2-4 more Tbsps, if needed   1. Work butter by flaking it into the flour until the pieces are roughly the size of your thumbnail. 2. Add the cold water all at once and shovel it in- try not to knead it- adding a little water if necessary- until it forms a shaggy mess of a dough that just starts to stick together when you squeeze it lightly in your palms. 3. Press the dough with a light touch into a rectangle. Fold it like a piece of paper you would place in an envelope- taking the right and folding it to cover 2/3 of it, and then folding the other flap over that. Roll just to flatten and wrap in paper or plastic.  Chill for 15 minutes-overnight in the fridge or freezer. Prepare the filling (below). 4. Roll out into a thin rectangle on a well-floured surface. Place on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Filling: Place in a medium bowl: 1 egg and 1 yolk 1/4 cup sugar 1 cup almond meal (or any other nut flour, such as hazelnut) 1/2 stick butter (2 ounces), melted* 1. Whisk all your ingredients together, adding extracts if you like.  2. Spread the filling over most of the crust, leaving 1" to fold over.  3. Slice 4-5 figs thinly, arranging them over the filling. Fold the sides over just to create a wall. Drizzle with 2 Tbsps honey, if desired. 4. Egg wash the exposed crust (1 egg and 1 tsp milk, whisked) and sprinkle sugar over the egg wash. 5. Bake in a 375 degree oven until nice and dark golden brown. *when melting the butter, leave it for another minute or so on medium heat to encourage browning for better flavor. Wishing you a delicious day,  Clémence and Hadley

Summer harvest foods joy

I love almost all Veggies outside of green pepper (really gross)

Just love Summer harvest at home and local farmers market

Nothing taste better

Wheat Berry-filled Roasted Vegetables

The Gourmandise School   of Sweets and Savories

You win! Thanks to everyone for catching the little typo in yesterday's recipe. Here it is, all fixed up. While our original recipe called for breadcrumbs and ground meat, we modified it with these delicious wheat berries. Hey! Let's have a contest! First person to snap a picture of wheat berries they've found in a store or at a farmers market wins a copy of Preserving by the Pint. To win, you'll need to share the photo on Instagram and tag us @gourmandisela . May the best berry hunter win! Wheat Berry-filled Roasted Vegetables We love these one-serving sides for their color and variety. Use whatever you've got in your vegetable bin! This makes enough for 6 servings and can easily be doubled to serve as a main dish. Cut in half lengthwise and hollow out, leaving a 1/2" of pulp in eggplant and squash: 3 small eggplant (keep pulp and set aside) 6 bell peppers 3 small zucchini or crookneck squash (keep pulp and set aside) 3 large tomatoes (keep pulp and set aside) Sautee together in a large pan: 1/4 cup olive oil 2 yellow onions, diced 2 cloves garlic or shallots Set aside: 1 cup cooked wheat berries * 2 eggs, beaten lightly 4 sprigs fresh thyme, assorted herbs you love 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan salt and pepper, to taste 1. Brush a cookie sheet or roasting pan with vegetable oil and place the halved vegetables face up. Roast for 10 minutes at 375 while you prepare your filling.  2. Sautee the onions, then the garlic and and vegetable pulp. Place this mixture in a bowl and toss in the wheat berries and herbs, followed by the eggs. Mix until this comes together. 3. Spoon into vegetable halves and sprinkle with parmesan. Roast for 30 minutes. *wheat berries are easier to cook when soaked for at least 6 hours beforehand. Either way, cook them like you would rice in a pot of simmering water, 3 parts water to 1 part rice for 45-minutes to one hour, depending on how soft or firm you prepare them. Wishing you a delicious day,  Clémence and Hadley

On my way to the Whistler Farmers Market

6AM Leaving Vancouver to Whistler 

 I unload my products and park my car, now I could get ready for you guys

 Thank-you to the Whistler Fairmont Hotel to received us every summer for the last 20 years 

 We are all excited to set up our wonderful work for you guys

 Here you are even under a very hot Summer day almost 40 Celcius today 

 I am all ready for you 

Thank-you for your Support 

 24 Hours Later at the Whistler Village

 Breakfast at Element  and it ti,e to hit the road back to Vancouver

See you again next Sunday 

See you in Whistler Every Sunday till Thanks Giving 

Classic Yellow Cake & Chocolate Mousse Frosting

The Gourmandise School   of Sweets and Savories

Inside out. I know. This isn't chocolate cake. It's a yellow cake, the perfect vessel for this chocolate mousse frosting. A deep, rich frosting so smooth it deserves the lightest crumb, none too sweet or dense, to carry it through. This cake is a hybrid of a hot milk cake and its yellow cousin. Yellow cakes, unlike white cakes made from egg whites, are made with whole eggs. Spongy hot milk cakes are have hot milk poured over the eggs once beaten, but we've notice a high rate of failure in hot milk cakes (especially for those of you with convection ovens), so we modified it for a spongy, buttery-but-not-heavy version. We baked this cake in 8" pans, and I doubled both the batter and frosting for a super-tall affair. We ate the big hunk of a slice and the rest went to a few lucky diners at Curious Palate. Feel free to add almond extract or play around with alternate layers of jam and frosting for a custom cake. Carry on! Classic Yellow Cake Melt in a medium saucepot: 1- 1/2 sticks butter   1 cup milk                 In a medium bowl, whisk: 2 cups flour                  2 1/2 tsps baking powder    1/2 tsp salt      In a stand mixer, place: 4 eggs 2 cups sugar 2 tsps vanilla extract (add a seeded vanilla bean for extra flavor) 1. Combine butter and milk in a saucepan over low heat until butter melts. Set aside to cool. 2. While the milk mixture cools, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 3. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until light in color, about 3 minutes. 4. Add the cooled milk mixture and vanilla to the eggs and beat until well combined. 5. Add the flour mixture all at once and mix just until it disappears. 6. Pour into two 8" or 9" cake pans lined on the bottom with parchment paper. Bake at 350˚ for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes lightly spring back and are golden. Chocolate Mousse Frosting Melt over a double boiler, then set aside to cool: 1-3/4 (7 ounces) sticks butter 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate     Whip to soft peaks: 1-1/3 cups heavy cream 3 Tbsps sugar            1. Once the melted chocolate has cooled, add it to the beaten cream.  2. Beat these together for another 3-4 minutes.  If the frosting is too soft, place it in the fridge or freezer for 10-20 minutes, making sure to beat it again before using. Assembly 1. Start by using or cutting out two pieces of cardboard- one the size of your cake and the other 2" larger. This will help move your finished cake onto a clean platter for serving without marring the bottom. Make some room in your freezer or fridge for a cake the size you baked. 2. Once cooled, split each cake into two layers.  3. Place the bottom layer on a cardboard round its same size. Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup or large ice cream/cookie scooper, place a mound of frosting over the cake layer. Using a few smooth motions, spread the filling all the way to the edges. 4. Repeat until all the layers are stacked. Spread half of what frosting is left to create a crumb coat around the cake. This is a thin coat of frosting meant to seal in the crumbs. Chill the cake for at least 15 minutes. When frosting a cake, it's really helpful to use a flat knife or offset spatula and hover just over the cake instead of scraping against it. 5. Spread the remaining frosting in the same way over the crumb coat. Chill to set for a few minutes. This cake should be serve at room temperature or slightly chilled. Wishing you a delicious day,  Clémence and Hadley

Today's vegetarian menu

 Large dumpling stuff with garden green

Stuff lavash with peanut butter cucumber, pesto spinach, and a good dose of chili sauce

Chickenless stew

Plants base protein, scapes, rice, chickpea, spinach, yellow, white and purple carrots, pecans & pumpkin oil

Black and White Pepper Price on the raise again

PEPPER MARKET REPORT

A few important comments are in order regarding Black and White Pepper. Market prices have soared during the past few weeks.  All origins have moved much higher during the past three months and Malabar (India) Pepper is trading at more than $1.50 per pound above other origins. Production from Vietnam’s February crop is drawing to a close and producers there are reporting very low inventories. There is a new Lampong (Indonesia) crop due out in the next few weeks but the crop is said to be smaller than last year and it is unlikely that a significant, if any, market correction will occur. White Pepper has followed Black Pepper’s track upward to higher levels.

Spice traders, dealers and producers worldwide remain very bullish about future Pepper prices. Although a market correction may occur, it is doubtful that we will see a return to low Pepper prices anytime soon. We expect market prices to remain very high at least for the next six to eight months. We have all become accustomed to paying more than $4 per gallon of gasoline even though a short few years ago we were paying half of the current prices at the pump. Just as a return to $2 per gallon of gasoline is unlikely, a return to low Pepper prices would be also be quite a surprise, albeit a pleasant one. We have increased our Pepper prices on our new price list. If the market continues to rise, there will be another increase coming your way in a short time. We urge you to cover your requirements for Pepper for at least the next three months. Six month coverage is perhaps even more prudent.

Vanilla Crop

"The crop should begin in June"

There is very little interest from our local vanilla farmers. The crop should begin in June, but once again after witnessing the past 10 years, it will be a poor one (around 100 MT). Though market prices have moved up in the past couple years, only a minority of farmers are really committed. Most farmers feel they can earn more money growing cocoa, chili, coffee … Besides a disappointing local crop there is still a large carryover inventory from previous years.

 The Price is still $25.00 per 1/4 LBS for our Madagascar Vanilla 

I will be at Whistler Farmers Market Sunday July 6

Whistler Farmers Market 

Upper Village at the Fairmont Chateau 

11 AM to 4 PM 

July 6