Homemade Pita Bread & Eggplant dip recipe

The Gourmandise School   of Sweets and Savories

This little eggplant went to the market. And then came home and sat in the crisper. And sat. And sat.... Until he hear us call his name. Hey! Aubergine! Split it and join us for a dip! Ah, the call from garlic and sesame were all too powerful and eggplant soon found himself cut, roasted and bathed in olive oil and his equally toasted pals. The party wouldn't be complete without a vessel to carry this powerful dip. So today, we give you our favorite late-summer lazy dinner sans plates and forks recipe: Eggplant with Homemade Pita. While we generally favor the smaller fruits and vegetables to late-picked ones, the advantage of the larger eggplant is that you'll be scooping out the flesh, so more is more here. Eggplant Dip 1 large eggplant (or two smaller) 1 red pepper 1 clove garlic, peeled 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 3 Tbsps tahini a little touch of salt and pepper, to taste 1. Cut the end off your eggplant and cut lengthwise in half. Rub the open halves with olive oil and bake face down on a parchment-paper lined cookie sheet. Repeat with your pepper. Wrap your garlic and pepper in a little foil or parchment and place these next to the eggplant. 2. Bake these in a 375 degree oven for 30-45 minutes, or until you just see the bottom of the eggplant beginning to brown and the skins buckle. 3. Let the eggplant cool a bit, then scoop out the flesh and place that in a food processor (if you don't have one, a blender will do, as will a little elbow grease and a potato masher). 4. Add the garlic and pepper, half the lemon juice and tahini and pulse until the mixture is smooth. 5. Transfer to a bowl and taste. Add more lemon juice if desired, and salt and pepper to taste. Homemade Pita Bread This recipe will make you a bonafide rock star. Place in the bowl of a stand mixer in this order: 1-1/2 cups room temp. water 2 tsps fine sea salt 3 Tbsps olive oil 3 cups whole wheat flour 1 envelope yeast (7 grams) 1. Using the dough hook, knead this mixture for 3-4 minutes. Let it rest for 10 minutes, then knead for another minute.  2. Let the dough rest, covered, for 1 hour. Meanwhile, place a pizza stone or upside-down cookie sheet in your oven and crank up the heat to 400. 3. Divide the dough into 12 pieces using a bench scraper or knife. 4. Lightly flour a work table and rolling pin. Roll each piece of dough as thin as you can. Remember that perfect circles belong in factory breads. You're going for the artisanal touch. 5. Open the oven door carefully and, using a floured spatular, pizza peel or a really great twist of the wrist, place your this pitas directly on the hot stone/pan. 6. Close the oven door and wait 3 minutes. Open and gasp. How cool, right? Don't get these too dark- just a little hint of golden. Remove and watch them deflate a bit. 7. Serve with eggplant dip. Wishing you a delicious day,  Clémence and Hadley

Whole Wheat Cookies

Quenching our  sweet thirst. Do you remember when L.A. was a dessert desert? When a few sparse bakeries that baked from scratch existed, and took an hour to get to in traffic? We've come a long way, sweet babies, and we have a handful of people to thank for it. I had the great pleasure. Nope. Let me rephrase this. I spent an evening pinching myself. I sat next to, across from and in shared space with bakers and food mavens I have admired for a decade. Transformative folks whose vision, above all else, is to elevate this city's sweet palate and teach us the ways of the craft. We talked bread, grain, chocolate, beer and the future. For the record, the future looks really, really yummy. We have loved hosting some of L.A.'s best pastry chefs in our kitchen, and this year, we thought we would invite them to teach the next generation of bakers. This fall, our Pro Pastry Series will be enhanced with guest Chef Instructors, from Evan Kleiman for our Pro Pastry 1 Pie class (morningsor evenings) to Cooks County's Roxana Jullapat as our Pro Pastry 3 Puff Pastry master. Our Pro Pastry 2 students will get a class with our favorite confectioner Valerie Gordon of Valerie Confections. So what now? Who is going to take it to the next level? Culinary students? Bloggers, bakers and tinkerers? You?   In the spirit of baking forward, we've got another recipe using the newest stone-ground, whole grain locally grown wheat. Our handful of Pro Pastry Intensive students were given a bag of whole grain flour at the farmers market yesterday with a challenge: Bake these cookies using Kim Boyce'schocolate chip cookies from Good to the Grain. Use good, dark chocolate. Um, ok.   Whole Wheat Cookies  Adapted from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce Place the bowl of a stand mixer: 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter 1 cup sugar (preferably unbleached) 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup muscovado sugar (or dark brown sugar) Set aside: 2 eggs 1 tsp fine sea salt 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or pecans (optional) Whisk together in a small bowl: 2-3/4 cups whole wheat flour (whole grain, stone ground is best) 1-1/2 tsps baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1. Cream the butter and sugars until lighter in color. Most recipes call for the butter to be room temperature, but straight out of the fridge will do so long as you cream it well. 2. Add the eggs and salt and combined until smooth. Add the chocolate (and nuts, if desired), and mix for a moment until combined. 3. Add the dry ingredients all at once. Mix until just combined. 4. Scoop onto parchment-paper lined cookie sheets at least 2" apart. Bake at 350 until just golden on the edges. Remove from the oven and let them finish baking and cooling on the cookie sheet. Wishing you a delicious day,  Clémence and Hadley

Easy Granola

The Gourmandise School   of Sweets and Savories     Get your bag into it. Drat. Hooray!  The back to school bittersweet blues have arrived. Yes, waking up early to get kids out of bed is a drag, but no, we won't miss the i'm-bored-no-structure-who's-coming-to-the-beach-today-i'm-hungry nonsense. Summer is winding down and we're easing into a familiar routine. The secret to consistent cooking at home is planning. And just to be clear, I hate planning (it's mostly the thought that someone thinks I should plan that puts me off, but that's for another email). So let's think of them as strategies. Keep a pantry stocked with a few essentials, and then let your hair down at the farmers market or grocery store and pick out whatever strikes your culinary fancy. Have beans and onions? Grab leeks, carrots and a little uncured bacon for a stew that you'll serve over rice, with polenta, or as a breakfast burrito (or all three if you make enough). Have a half a bottle of vinaigrette? Pick up a bag of potatoes, roast 'em, cool and toss them with the dressing, or grate 4 carrots and a beet and let them sit overnight with the vinaigrette for a salad that tests better after a day of rest.   Better yet? Give yourself a day of rest. Or two. Spend two hours a couple nights a week with your haul of produce and make a few dishes. Label them and conduct your lunch packing and dinner operations from the couch, instructing the tired, homework-avoiding crews to warm up, toss or scoop your strategic planning by pointing to the fridge. Remind them of the cardinal rule: (s)he who does the cooking doth not do the dishes. If you need some inspiration for these meals, we've got a class for that. Hadley just posted her Healthy and Fast Fall Meals and Gill Boyd's Pro Chef series begins in a couple of weeks. And with that, we'd like to serve you our favorite do-ahead breakfast-or-snack meal: Granola. Make it your own, adding anything from currants to chocolate and coconut. We make a big batch once a month and fill tiny 4 ounce jars, stacking them in the pantry for an easy tossing into backpacks. Granola Place in a large bowl: 4 cups rolled oats Assorted fruits and nuts of your liking Place in a small pot: 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt 4 ounces unsalted butter (or coconut oil) 1 cup honey 2 Tbsps brown sugar Set aside: 2/3 cup olive oil 2 egg whites, whisked 1/2 cup chopped mixed chocolate (roughly chopped, not too small) Options: I find that two extra cups of nuts and 1 cup dried fruits work best: -Hazelnuts, Almonds and Currants -Pistachios, Golden Raisins and Dried Apricots -Pine nuts, Rosemary and Dried Apricots, finely chopped -Coconut, Macadamia nut and Dried Mangos 1. In a large bowl, toss your oats, nuts and dried fruits together. 2. Bring the butter, honey and brown sugar to a simmer.  Remove from heat and stir in the oil, salt and vanilla. 3. Whisk your egg whites just to get them foamy. 4. Pour the butter mixture over the oatmeal and mix with a wooden spoon until coated.  Using your hands (it helps to add a little bit of oil to your hands), fold in the egg whites, making sure they are well incorporated (this helps form clusters). 5. Pour onto parchment or foil-lined cookie sheet.  Bake at 250, stirring once or twice for even browning, for 40-50 minutes, or until everything is evenly toasted. 6. Once cooled, add in your chocolate, if desired.  Wishing you a delicious day,  Clémence and Hadley

Your pick of peppers.

The Gourmandise School   of Sweets and Savories

Your pick of peppers. Forget funnel cake, fried candy bars and popcorn. Peppers are here, and we're loving them roasted, toasted, broiled, fried, on a stick, in a cone and on the grill. They're a full meal kind of food, especially when they're stuffed. Don't believe us? Visit Alex Weiser's stand next Wednesday, where he'll be roasting them in his barrel, along with the best okra this side of the South (except maybe the fried ones from the Ace hotel downtown).  Before you fill your bag with mystery peppers, be sure to ask which are mild, spicy and shoot-t0-kill. Pasillas are on the hot side of mild and easy to stuff, smaller and thinner than Poblanos, but you can use either for this recipe. If you're going to use a larger pepper, double the filling ingredients, and no matter which pepper you go with, be sure to wash your hands before rubbing your eyes after scraping the insides. Please. Hadley's inspiration this week came from a unique dinner party being thrown by Dinner Lab on the 14th. Their take on Mexican cuisine, an ode to the Michoacan region and supporting Mexico Unido, will be presented by 6 local chefs, from Jason Fullilove to Francisco Guzman. Book your tickets now- have you seen the menu!? Fresh Corn-stuffed Pasilla Peppers Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as an appetizer  1 tbsp olive oil 2 ears corn, grated, with juices  1/2 yellow onion, diced  1 carrot, grated  1 cup spinach  2oz (1/2 cup) Jack Cheese  1/2 tsp salt.  2 pasilla peppers   1 oz Queso Fresco  2 tbsps cilantro   1. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 5 minutes until tender and translucent.  2. Add corn with juices and cook down for 1 minute until liquid evaporates.  3. Add carrot, spinach and jack cheese and cook until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat and season with salt.  4. Cut a slit lengthwise on the top of each pepper. Gently scrape out the seeds from the inside the peppers and discard. Stuff each pepper generously with the mixture, careful not to tear the pepper.  5. Cover peppers with foil, parchment or another cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350. Remove from oven and turn oven up to a broil.  6. Sprinkle peppers with queso and broil for 2-3 minutes. Garnish with cilantro. Wishing you a delicious day,  Clémence and Hadley

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