all photos and recipes in this post by Marjorie Taylor from The Cook’s Atelier

We serve a homemade sorbet as a little special treat before the dessert course at The Cook’s Atelier.  This blood orange sorbet is a favorite!

Blood orange sorbet:
From Bouchon, by Thomas Keller
Makes about 1 quart

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
3 cups strained blood orange juice or fresh orange juice (from about 12 oranges)

Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve he sugar.  Transfer to a medium bowl and allow the syrup to cool to room temperature.  Add the orange juice and refrigerate until cold.

Transfer to an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

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Gariguette strawberries are the first to appear at the spring market and are perfect for this simple tart.  The pâte sablée recipe is a new favorite from Tartine by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson.

Strawberry tart:

Pâte sablée
From Tartine Bakery, by Elisabeth M. Prueitte
Makes four 9-inch tart shells or twelve 4-inch tartlet shells

1 cup plus to tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Using a stand mixture, combine the butter, sugar and salt and mix on medium speed until smooth.  Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until smooth.  Stop the mixer and scrap down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Add the flour all at once and mix on low speed just until combined.  Be careful not to overwork the dough.

Transfer the dough to a large work surface and bring it together with our hands to incorporate completely.  Divide the dough into 4, shape into 1-inch thick discs.  Wrap well in plastic rap and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Place it on a lightly floured work surface, sprinkle a little flour over the dough, and roll it out into a 1/8-inch-thick circle, flouring as necessary.  Lift and rotate the dough a quarter turn after every few strokes to discourage sticking.  Cut out a circle 2 inches larger than the pan.  If using a 9-inch tart pan, starting at one side, roll and wrap the dough around the rolling pin to pick it up.  Unroll the dough over the tart pan.  Carefully ease the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan.  Be careful not to stretch the dough or the sides will shrink during baking.  If the dough develops any tears, just patch with a little extra dough, pressing firmly to adhere.  To remove the excess dough, work your way around the edge pinching off any excess dough with your fingers.  Place the pastry shell in the refrigerator or freezer until firm, about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Dock (make small holes) the bottom of the tart shell or tartlet shells using a fork.  Place in the oven and bake for 7 to 10 minutes for a partially baked large shell or 5 to 7 minutes for tartlet shells.  The pastry should be lightly colored and look dry and opaque. Check the shells during baking and rotate the pans if necessary for even color.

For a fully baked shell, bake until golden brown, about 5 minutes longer. Let cool completely on wire racks.

For the pastry cream…
Francois Payard’s Crème Patissiere

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

In a small saucepan over medium heat, scald milk, heavy cream, and vanilla bean by bringing the mixture just to a boil.  Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 10 to 12 minutes.  Remove vanilla bean.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg  yolks and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add flour and continue whisking until smooth.

Slowly pour the hot-milk mixture into the egg mixture.  Whisk until complete smooth and free of lumps.  Return the mixture to the saucepan, and place over medium heat.  Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, and cook for another 2 minutes.

Remove the pastry cream to a bowl.  Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on top of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

To prepare the tart…

Have the tart shell ready for filling.  Trim strawberries to about the same height.  Fill the tart shell with a layer of pastry cream.  Arrange strawberries in a single layer of the top, placing cut sides down.  Dust with confectioner’s sugar and top with a dollop of soft whipped cream.

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Recipe from Marjorie Taylor, The Cook’s Atelier

all photos and recipes in this post by Marjorie Taylor from The Cook’s Atelier

At The Cook’s Atelier, we support the small farmers and artisan producers. Monsieur Vossot is our favorite artisan butcher in Beaune…

Monsieur Vossot’s filet de canard recipe:

4 – 6 ounce duck breast halves, skin lightly scored in a crosshatch pattern
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

With a paper towel, blot any moisture from the duck breasts.  Season both sides of each breast with a pinch of sea salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

Pour some olive oil into two large ovenproof frying pans over medium-low heat.  (If you have only one large pan, cook the duck in 2 batches).  Add the duck skin-side down.  Move the duck breast every few minutes to help them brown evenly.  As the fat is rendered, carefully, remove the excess.  Be sure to move the pan away from the heat when you remove the fat, since if any fat hits the flame, it will cause a flare-up; tilt the pan, remove the fat with a large kitchen spoon, and transfer it to a metal bowl.  Cook the duck for a total of 20 to 25 minutes until the skin is an even rich brown and very crisp.  The internal temperature of the breast should be about 115 degrees F.  Flip each breast and cook on the other side for about 30 seconds.

Put the duck skin-side down in the oven and cook for about 5 minutes.  The internal temperature should be 125 degrees for rosy medium rare.

Put the duck breasts skin-side down on the cooling rack and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.  Taste for seasoning and serve on warm plates.

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Note from Pia: follow Marjorie’s cooking school adventures on instagram & her facebook page – I love her photos!

all photos and recipes in this post by Marjorie Taylor from The Cook’s Atelier

Marjorie Taylor’s Spring Menu:

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Gougères
endive salad with roquette, fava beans, garden radishes
and oil-cured olives
Monsieur Vossot’s filet de canard with Jerusalem artichokes, asparagus, fava beans, young spinach and herbs
Orange sorbet
Strawberry tartlet with soft cream

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Gougères recipe:
Makes about 30 1 1/2-inch hors d’oeuvres

Gougères are the perfect little bite served with a chilled glass of crémant from Burgundy…

1 1/4 cups water
10 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup all purpose flour
5 eggs
3/4 cup Gruyère cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

To make the choux paste, combine the water, butter and sea salt in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture comes to a full boil.  Immediately remove from heat, add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon.  Keep stirring until the mixture has formed a smooth mass and pulls away from the sides of the pan.   Beat the mixture over low heat for a minute or so more to dry it.

Make an egg glaze:  Whisk one of the eggs in a bowl and set aside.  With a wooden spoon, beat the remaining eggs into the dough one by one, beating thoroughly after each addition.  Beat just enough of the reserved beaten egg into the dough until it is shiny and just falls from the spoon.  Beat in the Gruyère cheese.  Transfer the warm dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip, and pipe onto the prepared baking sheet.  Brush the tops with the egg glaze and lightly sprinkle the top with a little cheese.

Place the gougères in the oven immediately and bake until they have puffed, are nicely browned, and feel light for their size, about 25 minutes.  These are delicious served warm straight from the oven.  Or, let cool completely, and store in an airtight container for up to a few days, and recrisp in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes.

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Endive salad with fava beans, roquette, oil-cured olives and garden radishes
Serves 6

This salad is a favorite at The Cook’s Atelier and the ingredients can vary depending on what looks good at the market…

5 Belgian endives, cores removed, separated into spears
1 handful of roquette
1 handful of radishes, thinly sliced
1 cup shucked fava beans
1/3 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted and thinly sliced length-wise
2 tablespoons chervil or flat-leaf parsley leaves
lemon slices (optional)
Parmesan, cut into thin slices using a vegetable peeler
A grind or two of black pepper and a sprinkling of fleur de sel

Lemon vinaigrette:

1 shallot, finely diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large bowl, place the shallot, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and set aside for 5 minutes.  Whisk in the olive oil.   Add a few grinds of pepper and taste for seasoning.  Add the endive, roquette, radishes and fava beans to the bowl and toss to gently coat in the vinaigrette.  Arrange the salad on chilled plates, piling it up in the center.  Tuck the lemon slices in and around the salad.  Scatter the chervil and olives over the top of the salad finish with a few slices of Parmesan.

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Recipe from Marjorie Taylor, The Cook’s Atelier

photograph by Marjorie Taylor

This apple tart is a classic.  It is not too sweet and the touch of vanilla is perfect.  You can serve this with chantilly cream with a touch of Calvados, or a spoonful of creme fraiche with a little vanilla, or of course, homemade vanilla ice cream. Bon appétit…

Apple tart
Serves 6 to 8

1 recipe pâte sucrée (recipe follows)
3 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and sliced into even 1/8 inch slices
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sugar

for the apple puree:

3 Golden Delicious apples, peeled cored and diced
1 vanilla bean pod, split lengthwise
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 375^o

Line the tart pan with the pâte sucrée.  Prick the bottom with a fork and line the shell with parchment paper. Fill the lined tart with dried beans or pie weights and bake for 15 minutes until the edges are set and lightly browned.  Take the tart out of the oven and carefully remove the parchment paper and dried beans.

To make the apple puree, put the diced apples, vanilla bean pod, sugar and butter in a saucepan with 3 to 4 tablespoons of water.  Cook gently, stirring often until soft, adding more water if necessary, for about 10 to 15 minutes. Using the tip of a knife to scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean, the discard the pod.  Transfer the mixture to a food mill or mash with a fork until smooth.

Heat the butter in a sauté pan and gently sauté the apple slices to coat them in the butter until just softened.

Spread the puree evenly in the partially baked tart shell.  Carefully arrange the apple slices in a neat circle around the edge, they should be tightly overlapping but not squished together.  Depending on the size of your tart pan and the apples, you can repeat to create an inner circle or just fill in the center in a decorative patter.  Sprinkle over the sugar.

Bake in the preheated oven until just browned and tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Pâte sucrée
Makes enough for 2 tarts

1/4 cup heavy cream
2 large egg yolks
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
A pinch of sea salt
8 ounces unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Whisk the cream and the eggs together in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and butter.  Using your fingers, incorporate the butter until you have a coarse meal.  Gradually add the cream and yolks, and mix until just combined.  Be careful not to overwork the dough.  Bring the dough together with your hands to incorporate completely.  Divide the dough in half, shape into disks, and wrap one of them to freeze and use later.

If the dough is soft, put it into the refrigerator for a few minutes prior to rolling. Place it on a lightly floured work surface, and sprinkle with a little bit of flour. Roll it into a 1/4-inch-thick circle, flouring as needed. Started at one side, roll and wrap the dough around the rolling pin to pick it up.  Unroll the dough over the 9-inch tart pan.  Gently press the dough into the pan, being careful not to stretch it as this will cause it to shrink when baking.  To remove the excess dough, work your way around the edge pinching off the excess dough with your fingers.  Chill for 1 hour before baking.

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Recipe from Marjorie Taylor, The Cook’s Atelier

This Winter market salad is one of my all time favorites.  I’ve been making it for years, but not sure where I may have seen the inspiration for it.  It is my “go to” salad in the fall and winter months.  I love the combination of the Roquefort with the pears.  Heaven…

Winter market salad

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
2 Belgian endives, cores removed, separated into spears
1 head of radicchio, torn into pieces
2 D’Anjou pears, cored, and cut into eights
1 bunch watercress, rinsed and leaves removed
1/4 pound of Roquefort, crumbled

Vinaigrette:

1 shallot, diced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

-Preheat the oven to 375^o degrees.

-Toast the walnuts on a baking sheet 8 to 10 minutes, until they smell nutty and are a light golden brown.  Remove them from the oven, when they have cooled, chop them coarsely and set aside.

-In a large bowl, add the shallot to the vinegar and let set aside for 10 minutes. Whisk in the olive oil and add the salt and pepper to taste. Add the endive, radicchio, pears and watercress to the bowl and toss to gently coat in the vinaigrette.  Add the blue cheese and walnuts and toss. Season with salt and few grindings of black pepper and serve on chilled salad plates.

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Recipe from Marjorie Taylor, The Cook’s Atelier