Caramelized Onion and Pear Galette

I just now realized that the date for this month's Daring Bakers challenge was moved forward a couple days (i.e., today), and I have yet to make the recipe. I also noted that, because the date was changed, we can post on the original date - so if you're here looking for the Daring Bakers recipe, please come again in two days. I already know what I'm going to make, I just need to get around to making it. So that aside, I decided this was as good a time as any to post up a recipe I've been hoarding for a while.

This galette is perfect for the season - pears are coming fresh into the market, and the caramelized onions mix with Gorgonzola cheese and walnuts to provide a dish that, for lack of a better term, is somewhat refreshing. Think of it as an early spring treat.

I served this as an appetizer, and it's fairly rich in its flavors so I can't think off the top of my head any dishes to which it could serve well as a side dish, but it could be a vegetarian main course. That's how I ate the leftovers, at least.

Recipe:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large onions, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon fresh minced thyme
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 recipe puff pastry dough
1 ripe pear, cored and sliced thinly
4 oz. Gorgonzola or other blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375ºF. In a large heavy skillet (I prefer cast iron) over medium-low heat, melt butter and add onions. Season with salt and pepper, add thyme, sugar, and vinegar. Stir and sweat until the onions have lost most of their liquid and are soft, about 30 minutes. Turn off the stove-top and add cream cheese, then stir to incorporate. Roll the puff pastry dough into a circle (or your galette could be a different shape, if you wish) and place onto baking sheet lined with parchment. Alternatively, you could use a buttered pie pan. Place the onion mixture into the center. Spread out evenly, leaving about three inches from all the edges. Top with the pear slices, creating a circular pattern. On top of this, place the Gorgonzola cheese crumbles and walnuts. Fold the edges towards the center of the galette, and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Can be served warm or at room temperature. Serves 8.

This is a fairly easy recipe to put together, and is a definite treat. I'm thinking this would be a great dish to bring to a potluck, once spring rolls around. Or maybe a 4th of July appetizer. Something about this dish just fits that atmosphere for me. Anyways, this is definitely one that all of you should try.

Delicious Dip

I've made this dip on several occasions, and every time it's unveiled everyone tends to turn voracious. I've never had this dip sit around for long without being completely consumed. Add the simplicity of the ingredients, and the quickness with which it's made, and you've got a great appetizer.

Recipe:
2 (8-ounce) sticks cream cheese, room temperature
1 can chili
1 1/2 c. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 bunch green onions, rinsed

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In an 8x8 inch baking dish, spread the cream cheese evenly across the bottom using a spoon. Pour the chili on top and spread evenly. Sprinkle the cheese on top - it doesn't have to be the exact amount, just eyeball it to get good coverage. I keep the green onions in the store-bought bunch (8 or so stalks) and cut them over the top of the cheese using scissors - it's a lot faster than using a cutting board. You don't have to use all of the onions, just enough to lightly cover the cheese. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the cream cheese is heated through. Serve with tortilla chips. Serves 6+.

The type of cheese and amount can vary, as can the types of chili. I typically go with something spicy to give the dip more flavor, but it can just as easily be mild or vegetarian. If you want the top to brown a little, you can remove the foil in the last 10 minutes of baking. And below is a picture of how everything typically looks a few minutes after being surrounded by people.

As I said, I've never had people ignore this dip. If you need a quick recipe that will please everyone, this is the one for you.

Leek Pasties

While in Mammoth, I wanted to have a relatively heavy dish to accompany the vichyssoise, and I knew that I was making the mushroom appetizers and therefore would have plenty of pastry dough. I decided to make something like a calzone using pastry dough, and soon found out that these are actually called Cornish Pasties (though the filling is completely nontraditional)

Recipe:
1/2 Puff Pastry recipe
2 leek whites, halved, cleaned, and sliced
goat cheese
balsamic vinegar

Cut large rounds out of the pastry dough. The size is really up to you, but mine were about 5 inches in diameter. In a pan over medium-high heat, add some olive oil, the leeks, and a little salt. Cook the leeks until lightly browned, then spoon into the center of each circle. Splash balsamic vinegar on top of each pile of leeks, then top generously with crumbled goat cheese. I never really measured the amount that I used, but you should be able to get close with the pictures.

Carefully fold over the dough. Mine were stuffed pretty densely, so I had to fight back escaping filling using a fork. With the tines of a fork, crimp the edge of the dough to seal it. There is no need to cut holes in the dough to let steam escape, as you would if you were using pie or pizza dough. Bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes, then allow to cool 10 minutes or so before serving. Yielded 5 pasties for me, but depending on how you cut the dough you can probably get 6.

The crust comes out nice and crispy, and the filling is full of flavor. If made in a smaller size, these would make great appetizers, or they could be a main course if a bit bigger. There are many various fillings you could use, but I don't think anything greasy would work well with it (i.e. a lot of cheeses).

I nearly forgot - I got my first award, thanks to Elle at Elle's New England Kitchen. Thanks, Elle!

Mushroom Pastry Appetizer

This past weekend was our first family reunion, held at Mammoth here in California. That's about 6 hours away from where I live, and since I was cooking appetizers and a dinner, I planned out ahead of time so I could bring as few things as possible. Bringing something that can multi-task in that situation is great, so I made myself a big batch of puff pastry (see Butter Croissants - I doubled the recipe) and used it for a few different things.

First on the list was the appetizer. Using about 3/4 of the dough I brought, I made 3 dozen pastry...things. I still don't know what to call that shape. I rolled them out and shaped them the night I got there, and when I went to bake them the next morning they felt a bit dry. I was worried they might not rise, but they still puffed nicely in the oven.

Recipe:
1 1/2 Puff Pastry recipe
1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
8 oz. mushrooms - whatever type you feel like
1 medium lemon, zested and juiced
Olive oil
Gruyere cheese, aged and shredded

Roll out the pastry dough and cut 36 squares. Folding over to make a triangle, make two cuts along the edges almost to the end of the dough, but not so close that it cuts through the edge or a previously made cut. This is similar to making snowflakes in elementary school - when you unfold it, you should have two points (top and bottom) that are still connected. Take the left and right sides, braid them so you get the shape shown above. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Once you have all the shapes made, lay them onto parchment paper and bake for 25 minutes in the lower third of the oven.

Throw the mushrooms into a dry pan and warm over medium heat. Once all the water has cooked off, add the onions and a little olive oil. Once everything is nicely browned, add the lemon zest and juice, then toss for a few seconds before setting aside.

Spoon this mix into the pocket of each of the risen pastries. This doesn't have to be pretty - you can have mushroom filling falling off the sides. Top with a pinch of Gruyere, and serve.

This can be easily adapted to use whatever filling you feel like. More items made in Mammoth will be posted later in the week.