Spring Party

Just when I was starting to feel comfortable in a gorgeous 70° F. weather, it got cold again. It has been a roller coaster between hot and cold but at least it hasn't been raining. 

This week, I'm sharing not one but three recipes. In case you missed this post back in February,  I was invited by Glam Media to be a part of Foodie.com, a new website that showcases and features recipes from food bloggers. I happily accepted and worked on these recipes and decided that it is time to also publish them here. 

I made an onion tart with goat cheese, this recipe is so good, you won't be able to stop eating (if you are and onion lover like me). Next, I made a broccoli soup with homemade Parmesan croutons wait, I guess that makes it four recipes! :). And last but not least, chocolate pot de creme with orange cream. This menu is perfect for Spring gatherings. Simple, light food yet delicious.

Have a Fabulous Weekend!!

Ingredients:

For the Onion and Goat Cheese Tart

For the Crust

1 3/4 cups flour

6 oz unsalted butter,

well chilled and diced

1 large egg yolk

a pinch of salt

Cold water

yellow mustard

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Line a 9 1/2"x12" sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. Sift the flour and salt and place the mixture into a food processor, pulse a few times, just to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and 2 teaspoons of water and pulse until the dough comes together. If the dough is not coming together, add 1 or 2 teaspoons more of water. Bring the dough together with your hands forming a disk and Wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface, about 1/8" thick. Arrange the dough in the prepared sheet pan and place it back into the refrigerator for another 20 minutes. Brush the tart with mustard, just enough to cover. Pierce the base of the tart with a fork and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until slightly brown. Set aside to cool. 

For the onions

3 once butter 

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 large onions, sliced

2 fresh thyme springs

3 garlic cloves

salt and pepper

In a large pot, melt the butter and add the olive oil. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the thyme and set aside.

Goat cheese spread

4 oz goat cheese

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 large egg

salt and pepper to taste

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse few times until mixture is smooth.

To assemble:

Spread the goat cheese in to the tart crust. Spread the onions evenly on top and bake the tart for 25 minutes more. Let it cool for 5 minutes and transfer the tart to a cooling rack.

For the Broccoli Soup 

1 large head of broccoli or 2 small,

cut into florets and steamed

olive oil

2 shallots

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 

2 potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-inch dice

1 carrot, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch dice

1 sprig of thyme

salt and pepper

Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a saucepan. Add the potatoes and carrot, cook for 5 minutes then add garlic, shallots, broccoli, salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes. Add enough hot water to just cover the veggies and add thyme. Cover and let it simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are very tender. Turn off the heat, remove the thyme and puree the vegetables with an immersion blender until smooth. I didn't add heavy cream to this soup but if you are a fan of it, now is a good time to add about 1/3 of a cup. Taste and adjust seasoning and liquid if needed. 

Parmesan Croutons 

day old baguette

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 tbsp dried herbs

pinch of salt and freshly 

ground black pepper

1/2 cup freshly grated 

Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Cut bread into cubes and place in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and with a spatula, mix to coat the cubes. Add dried herbs, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, mix well. Spread bread onto a sheet pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until browned. Let cool completely. 

Chocolate Pot de creme whit orange cream

7oz  60% dark chocolate, chopped

1 cup heavy cream

1  1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 large whole eggs

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the whole eggs, egg yolks and sugar  until they lighten in color, set aside. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, make sure the bowl is not touching the water, stir until smooth, set aside. In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine the milk, heavy cream and vanilla, bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and carefully temper the hot mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. Then add it to the chocolate and mix until smooth. Divide the mixture into 6-6oz ramekins. Place ramekins in to a roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins and bake for 35 minutes or until chocolate sets. Let cool completely, cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.

For the Orange Cream Recipe Click HERE

To Assemble:

When Ready to serve, top the chocolate pot de creme with the orange cream and serve with whipped cream and orange zest.