The Little Paris Kitchen (12 page)

Remove the pastry from the fridge 30 minutes before using. Roll out the pastry between two sheets of parchment paper until it is ¼ inch thick, and use to line a 10-inch quiche pan that is at least 1¼ inches deep. Brush the pastry base with egg white. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Fry the lardons in a nonstick frying pan until golden brown, then lift out with a slotted spoon and leave to cool on paper towels. Meanwhile, lightly beat the eggs and egg yolks in a bowl, add the crème fraîche and seasoning, and continue to beat until mixed together. Scatter the lardons in the pastry shell and then pour in the egg mix. Bake for 30–45 minutes or until the filling is golden brown and set. Serve warm or cold.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Resting time: 1 hour
–
overnight
Baking time: 30
–
45 minutes

A lot of people think that the Provençal
pissaladière
is the French version of the classic Italian pizza. In fact,
pissaladière
gets its name from
pissala
, a salty fish paste originally used to flavor the dish. Nowadays, the pizza-esque base is topped with anchovies instead of the fish paste, together with slowly cooked onions and black olives.

SERVES 4–6

• 1 tsp active dry yeast •
⅓
cup warm water • a pinch of sugar • ¼ cups bread flour • ½ tsp salt • ½ tsp dried rosemary • 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing

For the topping:
1 lb large onions, thinly sliced • 8 anchovies,
*
drained of oil • 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling • a pinch of sugar • finely grated zest of 1 orange (optional) • 10 black olives, pitted

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water with the sugar. Combine the rest of the dry ingredients in a bowl, pour in the dissolved yeast and the olive oil, and mix to form a dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until silky smooth and fairly elastic (a good 5 minutes).

Brush a baking sheet with olive oil. Roll out the dough until it is
⅛
inch thick (like a thin pizza and any shape you want), then place it on the pan, pushing it a little way up the sides. Brush with olive oil, cover with a damp tea towel, and leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

MEANWHILE, MAKE THE TOPPING:
Gently fry the onions and 2 of the anchovies in the 1 tablespoon olive oil for 30–40 minutes. Once the onions are soft and have a marmalade consistency, mix in the sugar and orange zest (if using). Leave to cool for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spread the onions over the dough, followed by the remaining anchovies.
**
Drizzle some olive oil on top and bake for 20–25 minutes or until the base is golden. Take out of the oven and put the olives on top. Serve warm or cold.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: about 1 hour

Provence has
pissaladière
, while in Alsace they have
tarte flambée
, a pizza-style base topped with crème fraîche, lardons, and onions—popular ingredients in Alsatian cuisine.

Gluten-free is a concept that hasn't quite caught on in the land of baguettes, and it can be frustrating for anyone on a gluten-free diet who wants to try delicious French pastries and bread, so here I've replaced the regular wheat base with chestnut flour and tapioca starch. This means no kneading is required—just mix the ingredients together to form a ball.

SERVES 4–6

• 1
⅓
cups chestnut flour
*
• 1¼ cups tapioca starch • 1 tsp guar gum
**
• 1½ tsp baking powder • ½ tsp salt • 1 tbsp soft light brown sugar • 1 tsp active dry yeast • ½ tsp sugar • ¾ cups plus 1 tbsp warm water • 4 tbsp crème fraîche • 2 red onions, thinly sliced • 3½ oz lardons or cubes of smoked bacon • 4 sprigs of thyme, leaves only

Mix together the flour, tapioca starch, guar gum, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. When the yeast begins to foam, pour it into the well and mix everything together to form a ball. Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper until ¼ inch thick, then place in a baking pan that is large enough for the pastry to sit flat. (The shape doesn't really matter, it's the ¼-inch thickness that's important.) Remove the top layer of paper and trim off any excess paper from around the bottom edges.

Preheat the oven to 400°F and place a large baking sheet in the oven to get hot.

Spread the crème fraîche over the dough, then sprinkle the onions, lardons, and thyme leaves on top. Slide the baking pan onto the hot baking sheet and bake for 20–30 minutes or until the edges are crisp. The tart is traditionally eaten warm, but it's great cold too.

•
For a sweet topping, replace the onions and lardons with thinly sliced apples and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon and brown sugar.

Preparation time: 30 minutes Baking time: 20
–
30 minutes

A cake with cured sausage, pistachio, and prunes?
Pourquoi pas?
The French have been making savory cakes for quite a while. They appear in boulangeries and with a side salad on lunch menus in chic cafés, and they're most likely to appear at a picnic (my first encounter). They are super-simple to make and can be adapted to use whatever leftovers you have in your fridge—roasted vegetables, cold meats, cheese. Just follow the basic batter recipe and get creative with the fillings.

SERVES 4–6

• 2 cups all-purpose flour • 1 tbsp baking powder • 5 oz cured French sausage or salami, finely chopped • ¾ cup pistachios, roughly chopped •
⅔
cup prunes, roughly chopped • 4 eggs • ¼ cup milk •
⅔
cup olive oil • ¼ cup plain yogurt • 1 tsp salt • pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 1-pound loaf pan with parchment paper. In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, sausage, pistachios, and prunes. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until thick and pale in color. Gradually whisk in the milk, oil, and yogurt, then add the salt, season with pepper, and fold in the flour mixture bit by bit. Try not to overbeat (it's better to undermix).
*

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30–40 minutes or until a metal skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the pan.

The more the batter is beaten when the flour is added, the more the gluten gets developed. For cakes and pastries, too much gluten is not desirable (unlike for bread) as it makes the end result tough. To prevent overbeating when adding the flour, you may find it easier to use a rubber spatula rather than a whisk
.

Preparation time: 20 minutes Baking time: 30
–
40 minutes