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May 4

Mango Cream Tart With Mango Whipped Cream

Mango Cream Tart

The contest on Food52 is all about mango’s and this is my entry. I love that you can use mango in both sweet and savory applications. I chose to highlight a dessert. The mango cream is adapted from the genius recipe for lemon cream from Tartine Bakery. I really love how creamy and thick the curd is and it works beautifully as a filling for tarts or cakes, it is truly genius. When I think of mango, tropical flavors come to mind, so I added coconut to the pastry dough, its filled with mango cream and topped with mango whipped cream. The mango cream stabilizes the whipped cream and gives a subtle mango flavor, it’s not too sweet I just used a tbs of powdered sugar. I suggest serving with julienned fresh mango.

Mango Cream

2 large ripe mango pureed – Tommy Atkin mango are quite large or use 3 ataulfo mango’s

3 tbs lime juice

1/2 cup sugar

pinch of salt

3 egg yolks + 1 whole egg

8 oz cool but not cold butter cut into tbs size pieces

Set double boiler with a few inches of water to simmer on stovetop. Place all the ingredients in bowl and whisk to combine. Place over simmering water and bring to 175-180 degrees. It will be quite thick when done, remove from heat strain through a sieve and cool to 140 degrees. Add to blender, with blender running add the butter a tbs at a time making sure each tbs is incorporated before adding the next one. It will be very thick and creamy. Refrigerate at least 4 hours preferably overnight before using.

Coconut Tart Dough

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup shredded coconut (toasted coconut would also be delicious)

8 ounces cold butter chopped into pieces

3 tbs sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3 egg yolks

2 tbs heavy cream

Pulse the flour, coconut, sugar and salt in food processor, add the butter and pulse until it resembles fine crumbs. Add the egg yolks and cream and pulse until it forms a cohesive dough. Dump onto work surface and form into two discs, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least one hour. You can make this the night before and refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to assemble the tart remove dough from the refrigerator, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Press one dough disc into 9 inch tart pan or tartlet pans, prick bottom with fork. Put back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes you want the dough to be chilled before baking. Bake until golden brown approximately 25 minutes depending on your oven. Let cool before adding the filling.

Mango whipped cream

4 ounces very cold heavy cream

1/4 cup mango cream

1 tbs powdered sugar

Whip cream until it is thick and billowy, add the mango cream, powdered sugar and vanilla and continue beating until thick and soft peaks form. Fill tart shell with mango cream and pipe on the mango whipped cream.

May 3

14 Comments

Flank Steak On Texas Toast With Chimichurri

Flank Steak With Chimichurri Photo by Helen Conroy

This sandwich won last years Food52 flank steak recipe contest and will be published in the second cookbook in October of this year. I was thrilled to win the contest and have my recipe published. With Memorial Day right around the corner, warm weather approaching (or already here) grilling is one of my favorite ways to enjoy both meat and vegetables. For this recipe I made a chimichurri with both parsley and baby arugula and used it both as a marinade for the beef and as a condiment by mixing some of it in with mayonaise. I was given permission to post the beautiful top picture from Helen who made the steak for a Food52 Mozzarella potluck party in California. It really makes my day when my fellow cooks try and really like my recipes, it’s validation and I am pleased and honored. You can see the gorgeous picture taken by James Ransom on Food52, my less than beautiful picture is posted below.

Serves 4

The chimichurri and flank steak:

1 1/2 to 2-pound flank steak

1 cup flat leaf parsley cleaned and large stems removed, finely chopped (by hand or use food processor)

1/2 cup baby arugula (finely chopped by hand or food processor)

2 cloves garlic, minced (you can add to parsley and arugula in food processor)

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

For chimichurri, place all ingredients except flank steak into a bowl, stir to combine. For the steak, cover both sides of the steak with some of the chimichurri, put in ziplock bag and refrigerate for one or two hours. Cover and refrigerate the rest of the chimichurri.

Searing the Steak and Making the Sandwich

1 brioche pullman loaf or if you prefer a white pullman loaf

1/4 cup mayonaise

1 beefsteak or heirloom tomato, sliced

Soft butter for bread

salt before you sear and pepper after

2 tablespoons Chimichurri to mix with mayonnaise

Remove steak from refrigerator approximately 45 minutes before you are going to cook it. Scrape off some of the chimichurri, salt the steak and let rest. While steak is resting prepare the other ingredients: slice tomato, slice bread in 1-inch thick slices, mix the mayonnaise and chimichurri.

To sear the steak: First with a paper towel pat the steak to remove any excess moisture. In a very hot fry pan lay steak, let it sear without disturbing it. Cook approximately 3-4 minutes on each side for a medium rare steak. (You will have to judge exactly how long to sear based on the thickness of the steak.) Remove from pan, lay on cutting board, pepper the steak now, let rest 5-10 minutes.

While steak is resting, heat a fry pan (if you have one with ridges it will make nice grill marks on the bread). Spread butter on each side of bread, place in hot pan and grill, about a minute per side.

When steak has rested, slice thinly, cutting across the grain. To put your sandwich together, spread the chimichurri mayonnaise on each side of bread, lay meat on bread, then add the tomato, put the other slice of bread on top and enjoy.

May 2

8 Comments

Pickles And The Grinding Truck-Brooklyn Small Business

Clinton Hill Pickles

I love where I live, row after row of historic homes, Mom and Pop businesses, a real sense of community and pride in our neighborhood. Brooklyn, NY, specifically the Fort Greene and Clinton Hill neighborhoods were a well kept secret, not so much anymore, people are moving in by the droves, housing prices have skyrocketed and with that many of the small shops we cherish are no longer able to stay in business because of high rent. I decided to feature two small businesses that still hold onto time honored traditions and offer products and services as they did in bygone days.

Pat in her tiny shop, see all the barrels!!

Clinton Hill Pickles is a tiny shop at 431 Classon Avenue. The proprietor, Pat is surrounded by barrel after barrel of pickles, pickled beets, sauerkraut and other wonderful products that she either makes herself or has other artisans make for her. She greets you with a smile, offers you a pickle to taste and remembers who you are. You see, Pat has been in the pickle business almost all of her life, some of you may know about the lower east side of Manhattan and the wonderful array of foods that you can purchase from pickles to bialy’s to knishes. Pat ran the family pickle business, the famous Guss’ Pickles on Orchard Street until she had to close shop, so she decided to make the move to Brooklyn. The pickles and pickled vegetables are in barrels, reminiscent of old times, I always think of the movie “Crossing Delancey” and the pickle man (great movie!). I remember the shop on the lower east side, it was so charming and I was happy to find her so close to where I live. After looking in each barrel, containing sour pickles, half sours, hot pickles, fresh pickles (very crisp), it was hard to decide, but I finally chose some sour pickles, beets, sauerkraut, homemade sweet pickle relish and some real deli mustard. I can’t believe how good it all is, each item home made no additives and everything is made with love and care.

Sour pickles,beets sauerkraut,deli mustard and sweet pickle relish

If you live in Brooklyn or are just visiting stop in and see Pat, you’ll be glad you did!

Love the sign

Every month or two the green grinding truck arrives on my block, ringing a bell, announcing that he is here to sharpen your knives, scissors,or even lawnmowers. Bob’s Grinding Services has been in business, using the same truck for years and years. He rings his bell to let you know he is there and stops mid block so people can bring their items for sharpening. His name isn’t Bob, I actually think it could be Henry, he greets everyone with a smile and happily sharpens whatever you bring to him, you can tell he loves what he does and it makes me smile when I see and hear his truck moving slowly down the street. We are all so busy with our contemporary lives, and seeing these businesses that are basically doing things the same way they were done many, many years ago makes me want to slow down and remember kinder, gentler times. He was here on Saturday and sharpened my chef’s knife and paring knife and did such a great job, I could split a hair!!