Lemon Sabayon Tart on a Pine Nut Crust

I brought this tart to my weekly girls' gathering to watch The Bachelor and it was a hit! The Boy had indicated that my American lemon tart last week was too sweet, so I decided to make a sabayon instead for a lighter, tarter flavor.

Sabayon is a light custard with Italian origins, usually made in a bain-marie. I use one of my metal mixing bowls over a simmering pot of water with a slightly wider diameter for the bain-marie. Also, if you watch the Food Network, they usually use a hand whisk and beat very fast. Sorry, I'm short and have to tip toe to look over my pot on the stove, so an electric whisk is my tool of choice here. You have to be a little careful in the beginning too though, and pulse the electric whisk. Otherwise your sabayon-to-be is going to fly all over the place!

This recipe is from Thomas Keller's 'Bouchon'.

PINE NUT CRUST
Cooking time: 30 mins
Equipment: 9 inch springform pie pan

2 cups pine nuts (I used a mix of pine nuts, almonds, walnuts and macadamias cos that's what I had left in the pantry)
1/3 cup sugar
3 cups all purpose flour
8 oz unsalted butter at room temperature
1 large egg (approx. 2oz/60g)
1 tsp vanilla extract

*****

1. Preheat your oven at 350F/175C.

2. Put the nuts in a food processor and pulse a few times until roughly fine. Transfer into your mixer bowl and add the sugar and flour. Mix well.

3. Add butter, egg and vanilla extact and mix well to incorporate all the ingredients. Divide the dough into 2 or 3 equal parts (I weigh each part) and wrap each piece in cling wrap. Refrigerate for at least 10 mins before using. If you are like me and like your crust a bit thicker - which is wonderful with this nutty crust - I divide the dough into 2 equal parts instead of 3. The extra dough can be frozen for up to 1 month.

4. Press the chilled dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of your pie pan. Trim off any excess dough. Bake in the oven for 15 mins, then rotate it and bake for a further 15 mins until pale golden brown. Take it out of the oven and let it cool while you make your sabayon.


LEMON SABAYON
Cooking time: 10 mins
Equipment: 1 metal mixing bowl, 1 pot with a slightly bigger diameter, 1 (electric) whisk

2 large eggs, cold
2 large egg yolks, cold
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (approx. 3 large lemons)
6 tbsp unsalted butter, cold

*****

1. Fill the pot with about 2 inches of water and bring to a boil.

2. In your metal mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar together well.

3. Set the bowl over the pot and whisk the mixture while you turn the bowl (for even heating - you will need oven gloves for this). After about 2 mins of whisking, when the eggs are foamy and have thickened slightly, add 1/3 of the lemon juice. Continue to whisk vigorously for approx 2 mins. When the mixture thickens again, add another 1/3 of the lemon juice. Whisk until the mixture thickens again and add the remaining lemon juice. Continue to whisk vigorously, turning the bowl, until the mixture has thickened and leaves a trail on the surface when you lift your whisk. The total cooking time should be approx 8-10 mins.

4. Turn off the heat and leave the bowl over the water. Divide the butter into 6 pieces and whisk each piece in one at a time.

5. Pour the warm sabayon into the tart crust. Give it a few small shakes so that the sabayon fills the tart crust evenly.

6. Preheat the broiler and, while the sabayon is still warm, place the tart under the broiler. Watch it as it browns in a few seconds, rotating the tart for an even color. Remove the tart from the broiler and let it sit for at least 1 hour before serving. The sabayon will thicken and set as it cools. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Stir fried Beef Tenderloin w/ Spring Onions and Ginger

Part of what drives me to blog is to demystify Chinese cooking. Chinese cooking doesn't have to be a big production, although it can be. It isn't difficult or inconvenient if you have the basic pantry items, which keep and keep and keep. You don't need a wok - a skillet will work - but why wouldn't you want a wok? =) Authentic Chinese food is exceedingly healthy (no cloying sugary Pei Wei sauces, although those are nice sometimes) and works with your body. And it is yummy.

For example, beef is great if you are tired and need an energy boost (roll call all pregnant moms out there). Ginger has many health benefits as well. It is invigorating, and great for postpartum moms who have a lot of 'wind' in their body that ginger can 'drive out' (although some doctors warn against eating too much ginger if your baby is jaundiced). During my own pregnancy, I have been craving (among other things) ginger, tofu and sweets. If you have lost your appetite due to morning sickness, ginger can revive it.

The Boy and I are also on a fat free kick at the moment. So I've inserted comments here and there how we try to get there. All suggestions are welcomed.

An easy method of Chinese cooking is stir fry, so let me get onto tonight's dish:

STIR FRIED BEEF TENDERLOIN w/ SPRING ONIONS AND GINGER

A - Meat and Marinade
10 oz beef tenderloin, thinly sliced
(Springerhill brand is the leanest and is recommended by nutritionist Keith Kline. It can be found at Smart Meals (Fountainview) and, I'm told, Randalls)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp light soya sauce (Korean brands are lower in sodium)
1 tbsp ginger juice (put a small piece of ginger in the garlic press and squeeeze...)
1 tbsp Chinese wine (vermouth or dry sherry works too)
1 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp oil

B - Vegetables
2" root of ginger, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
5 spring onions, cut into 5 cm strips

C - Seasoning
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp Chinese wine

*****

A - Marinate the beef with the ingredients (in order - dry ingredients first). Leave for 10 mins.

In a wok, heat 2 tbsp of oil (high heat). When the oil is smoking and very hot, stir fry the beef slices to seal in the juices. When the beef is cooked and not pink anymore, ladle it out and set aside.

B - Rinse and dry the wok. Then, in the wok, heat 1 tbsp of oil (medium heat). Add ginger and stir fry for a few seconds to flavor the oil. Add garlic and spring onions and stir fry until an aroma rises. Don't let the garlic brown as it will turn bitter - control your heat and add it last always.

(I also like to add 1/2 tsp of chili flakes at this point to give the dish a bit of kick.)

C - Mix in the cooked beef slices. Serve hot.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone! We've been in a flurry since Christmas and now that Junior (represented by the tiny red stocking) is hotting up mommy's belly. Here's a recap of what we've been up to:

The Boy cooked up a fantastic breakfast
with leftover post-Christmas black bean soup,
hash browns, eggs and his very own ranchero sauce.

Coffee with our Cousin Elizabeth,
who knows the coolest places in town.
The perfect rosetta, and pink shoes for Junior.

The Boy attempted some haute cuisine for his
cousinas, with a deconstructed peanut butter and jelly
that he saw Bobby Flay do on Iron Chef.

Back in Houston, TX, where The Boy
continued his culinary streak.
(I had a wee sip only)

The Boy's virgin roasted tenderloin. Perfection!

He also baked the most scrumptious butter almond cake
with chocolate glaze. I am so proud!

To top it off, this is a picture of our ridiculous
New Year's Eve Scrabble game --
there were at least three 7-letter words,
and the final score was an incredulous (for us)
425 pts to 357 pts!

Chicken Poblano Soup

Specially for my Bachelor girls. A quick and easy entree for laid back entertaining. Some tricks for making your food fat free as well.

CHICKEN POBLANO SOUP
Serves: 6
Cooking time: 20 mins

A - Aromatics
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 poblano chilis, seeded and finely chopped (I used jalapenos today cos that's what I had in the fridge)

B - Liquids
1 can chopped fire-roasted tomatoes (Muir Glen makes a good one)
4 cups chicken stock (store bought or homemade - if homemade, store in fridge overnight and skim the white layer of fat off before using)
2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp epazote, a Mexican spice (optional)

C - Meat
3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

D - Tortillas (OK, this is not fat free)
Corn tortillas (approx 12)
Grapeseed oil (or any other oil with a high smoke point)
Chili olive oil (optional - I like to use a bit of chili oil to add a kick.)

E - Other garnishings (pick and combine as you like)
Cheese, shredded (Monterey Jack, which you can find fat free) (I used the Butter Queso I had in my fridge today)
Scallions or cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, sliced
Romaine Lettuce, julienned
Lime wedges

*****

A - In a 5 quart dutch oven or other pot, fry the chopped onion in 1 tbsp of olive oil. Just as they soften and get translucent, add the garlic and poblano. The reason you add the garlic second is so that it doesn't brown and get bitter.

B - Stir in the canned tomatoes, stock, water and salt. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20 mins.

C - Add shredded chicken.

D - While the soup is simmering, prepare the tortilla strips. In a skillet, heat up a half-half combination of grapeseed oil and chili olive oil (if using) - about 1/2 inch high. Using a pair of kitchen scissors, cut each tortilla in half and each half in strips about 1/4 inch wide. Deep fry in the oil until crispy and slightly browning at the edges. Remove and rest on kitchen towels to drain the excess oil. You'll probably have to do this in 3-4 batches, depending on the size of your skillet.

E - Serve soup with garnishings on the side, so that your guests can pick and choose according to their tastes.