Tatin Pie

The Gourmandise School   of Sweets and Savories     Merci. Gratitude sums it up pretty nicely. It's nearly 80 degrees by the beach, the market is bustling (insane, actually. the busiest farmers market day of the year) and we're making pies. SO many pies. This beauty on the right: not really a pie. She's a lovely galette, ready for the oven once the sun sets and temperature dips. Her Cameo apples have been cooked in a caramel bath and her crust is golden hued thanks to the locally milled Red Fife flour we've been tooling with. She's as simple and sumptuous as we are grateful to be so closely tied to her ingredients. This year, as with others before, we're opting for the few, the delicious and the well-sourced over the largess of the shopping cart and deeper discounts.  In keeping with sweet thanks, we'd like to offer you a three-for-two deal to kick off the season. Pick any three classes and enter the code on the right- our magic calculator will take 33% off your entire purchase of individual classes. La Galette Tatin Make it your own- I love adding freshly cracked black pepper to the caramel. Our favorite, super-flaky pie crust This recipe will yield you more than you need. You're welcome. Place in a food processor or large bowl if making by hand: 3 cups whole grain flour 3 Tbsps sugar 1 Tbsp salt Cut into small cubes and keep in the fridge or freeze until ready: 12 ounces cold butter Set aside: 1/3 cup very, very cold water, plus another 3-4 Tbsps nearby.   1. If using a food processor, pulse your dry ingredients for a few seconds.  If you're doing this by hand, simply mix them to disperse the salt and sugar well.   2. Add your butter and pulse until you no longer hear the large chunks bouncing around.  This should take between 10-12 quick pulses.  If doing this by hand, use your fingers to rub the cold butter into the flour or a pastry cutter to cut the butter pieces into the flour. 3. Once the butter has formed pebble-sized pieces (about the size of a fingernail), add the water.  Pour into the food processor as you pulse, just until the dough starts to come together in clumps.  If doing this by hand, pour the water in and using your hands as large scoops, gather and incorporate the water to create a shaggy dough.  You may need to use the extra water, as your hands will absorb some of it. 4. Gather the dough into a flat disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap or parchment paper.  You can also flatten into a large plastic freezer bag.  Chill for about 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375. 5. On a well-floured surface, begin to roll out your dough.  Once it is quite thin (a little thinner than cardstock paper), place it on a parchment or foil-lined cookie sheet. Fill the inside with the cooled filling (see below) and bend the edges over the filling, as much or as little as you like. Brush the edges with an egg wash (1 egg and a Tbsp milk or cream) and sprinkle them with sugar. Bake at 375 until golden. So golden. Apple Tatin Filling In a sautee pan, place: 1/2 cup sugar Set aside: 1 stick butter Slice up (we don't peel but you can): 4 apples 1. Cook the sugar, without stirring much, until it is golden brown.  2. Add the butter and stir until it has melted. 3. Add the apples and cook down until they are caramelized.  4. Remove from heat and cool before adding to cold, unbaked crust. Wishing you a delicious day,  Clémence and Hadley

SAVORY CHICK PEA PANCAKES WITH CUMIN YOGURT

The Gourmandise School   of Sweets and Savories

Count this cook in. Our food stories come from a place deep inside- from a heritage we might have heard only from our grandmother's stories, memories of unforgettable meal or an epic fail you knew you'd look back on and laugh. The richness of our past shapes our culinary identity. The tales and wisdoms accumulated are at the heart of every chef, and hearing them in a class creates a connection with the food, the technique and preparation of your dishes. I relish these stories and imagine these chefs at their kitchen table, making cream puffs (and a mess), creating those connections with family and futures. There are some culinary stories that can't be replicated. We recently added Roxana Jullapat, Pastry Chef and part owner of Cook's County, to our schedule. Her Costa Rican and Thai roots show up in so many ways, but the heritage she'll pass on is deeply rooted in the years she's spent working with heirloom grains and flours. We're beyond excited that she'll be tapping into her mama's side with two Thai classes, teaching classes in spanish and throwing in some wickedly delicious Whole Grain baking this Spring. We asked her to send in a signature dish- and it is so, so good.   From Roxana: I love this recipe because it is a collaboration between my partner Chef Daniel Mattern and I. He wanted to come up with a vegetarian option that was super tasty and satisfying. At restaurants, vegetarians are often asking for more interesting alternatives; something beyond the lazy pasta tossed with whatever vegetables are around. As a former vegetarian, I sympathized. We decided I should develop the recipe for a pancake batter, and Daniel would incorporate the rest of the elements to make it a complete dish. And since I'm constantly thinking of new ways to include multiple grains into our recipes, this savory pancake gave me a perfect excuse. Chickpeas, which are actually a legume and not a grain, were an obvious choice because they make a protein and nutrient rich flour. Then I added some coarse corn meal to add fibe (its sweetness also counterbalances the natural bitterness of chickpea flour). The pancake comes to life with sautéed shallots, squash (zucchini in the summer, butternut squash in the winter) and a few whole chick peas. Serve with a spoonful of cumin yogurt and garnish with a small salad of bitter greens. SAVORY CHICK PEA PANCAKES WITH CUMIN YOGURT Makes six 6-inch pancakes ½ cup olive oil 2 shallots, thinly sliced 1 cup diced summer squash (zucchini or patty pan work great) ½ cup chickpeas, cooked ¼ cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped 1½ cups chickpea flour ¾ cup all purpose 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon kosher salt 5 eggs 2¼ cups buttermilk ½ cup Greek yogurt 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)  1. Heat up a large skillet over a medium to high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sautéed the shallots for one minute. Add the summer squash and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, add the chickpeas and the cilantro. Transfer to a separate dish and let it cool completely. 2. Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center. 3. In a separate bowl whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and ¼ cup of the olive oil. Pour liquids in the well of dry ingredients. Using a wire whisk, slowly mix from the center out to draw the dry ingredients into the liquid ingredients. Whisk well to work any lumps. Add the sautéed vegetable mixture and stir to combine. 4.. To prepare the cumin yogurt, quickly toast the cumin seeds in a skillet over low to medium until they start to release their aroma; this will happen fast. Make sure to swirl the pan non-stop to prevent them from burning. Pound the toasted seeds with a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder. Combine with the Greek yogurt and set aside till pancakes are ready to be served.  5. To pan-fry the pancakes, preheat a 6-inch skillet or non-stick pan over a medium to high flame. Add about 1 teaspoon of the remaining olive oil to the skillet and swirl to coat it. Pour about 3/4 cup of batter and use the back of a spoon to gently spread it over the entire hot surface. Cook over medium heat until you can see little bubbles forming on the top of the pancake and flip with a spatula. Cook for another minute. Make 5 more pancakes with the remaining batter. Alternately, you may use a larger skillet and cook a few smaller pancakes in one swoop. Serve immediately with cumin yogurt. Wishing you a delicious day,  Clémence and Hadley

Easy vegetarian soup

 I build my flavours with olive oil, garlic, carrots, eggplant, squash, tomatoes, beans, herbes de Provence sea salt, pepper with some meatless balls for extra proteins 

Perfect for fall chill Vancouver weather

Another Successful Circle Craft

             

Thank-you for another fantastic successful Circle Craft Christmas Market 

We will be in Victoria Out of Hands

 November 28, 29 & 30 

at the Crystal Garden

This cake is bananas.

The Gourmandise School   of Sweets and Savories     This cake is bananas. I can't stand bananas. For real. But sometimes you have to put your big girl pants on and show your kids you're willing to try new things. Like bananas. In chocolate. We give you our new masterpiece: a whole-grain-super-ripe-banana-triple-chocolate-doubles-as-breakfast cake. A loaf cake, perfect for a slight-bit sweet start to your day. Or dessert. Or a spongy pick-up for the caramel sauce you couldn't quite get to with your ice cream spoon. Our recipes usually come with a "hey- you can customize any way you like it- add some raisins, or a dash of cayenne..". Only thing we want you to mess with is the addition of pretzels just before baking. You have our sweet friendJoy to thank for that. Chocolate Chocolate Whole Wheat (banana) Bread Make this in two medium loaf pans or a tall 8 or 9" cake pan. If you want to add pretzels, place them over the batter in the pan. When it comes to chocolate, use whatever best-quality chocolate you can get your hands on. In a large bowl, place: 3 super ripe, smashed bananas 2/3 cup olive oil 1 tsp vanilla 1-1/2 cups sugar 2 eggs In a medium bowl, whisk together: 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat flour (stone ground, whole grain is best) 1/2 cup or more chopped chocolate pieces 1/3 cup cocoa powder 1 tsp salt 2 tsps baking soda 1/2 tsp baking powder 1. Preheat your oven to 350 and line your pans with parchment paper. You can also bake these in muffin tins with cupcake liners. You're welcome. 2. Smash the smithereens out of the bananas and whisk these with the wet ingredients well. 3. Sift the dry ingredients over the wet and stir just until just combined. 4. Pour into pans and bake until the center is set. Don't stick your toothpick in there- just touch the center. You want it to just spring back on you a bit.  Wishing you a delicious day,  Clémence and Hadley