Now that the kitchen is fully in action, it's been party, party, party over here. We are incredibly happy to be using the space and cooking again, and we have been bursting with excitement to cook and cook and cook. Of course we had the birthday parties and an Oscar party, and, most recently, we had a party to thank all of the kind and generous souls who fed us during the construction.
Those nights that friends invited us into their homes or dropped food off for us sustained us throughout the project. Escaping our dust-filled house into the calm and comfort of another home fed more than just our bellies. And eating a meal that we knew had been kindly made and delivered to us was so very nourishing.
When we were brainstorming about what to make for the thank-you party, the children each enthusiastically volunteered to make something, getting right into the spirit of choosing foods they thought their friends would enjoy. Chloe suggested suppli, one of our favorite party treats. Oscar volunteered to make our standard macaroni and cheese, a particular favorite and specialty of his. And Olivia decided to make lemon meringue pie, one of her favorites to make and eat.
For our part, Gabe and I wanted the dishes that we made to be celebratory, beyond our usual day-to-day repertoire. This broccoli-Gorgonzola pie was the star of the show. We had made it once before and found it very tasty, although the second time out, we tweaked the texture a bit.
The recipe is adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbook, Plenty, which has been one of my favorites lately (True Confession: I gave Gabe this cookbook for Christmas; he has been sharing very nicely). The recipes are all vegetarian (although he is not himself a vegetarian), and he has an incredibly imaginative approach that elevates vegetarian cooking. It has inspired me to take things up a notch, too, and has been an excellent source of ideas for party meals.
This pie beautifully pairs the fresh, healthiness of the broccoli with the richness of the Gorgonzola and pastry. As Ottolenghi points out in the cookbook, it is not a light dish, but it is an excellent special occasion meal. It will undoubtedly go into our rotation of party foods. More party food recipes are coming. Apparently, I cook faster that I write.
Cheers!
2009: Potato-Leek Soup
2010: Pressure Cooker Saffron and Artichoke Risotto
2011: Coco-Choco Pudding
Broccoli-Gorgonzola Pie
Adapted from Plenty
Serves 8-10
30-45 minutes preparation time
60 minutes baking time
Blanching the broccoli for just a couple of minutes before assembling the pie gets the final result to the perfect consistency -- thoroughly cooked, but still bright green and not the least bit mushy.
1 pound broccoli, washed and cut into bite-sized florets
1 pound puff pastry
2 tablespoons butter
3 leeks
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup chopped chives
1/3 cup chopped fresh tarragon or 1 tablespoon dried
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
a few grinds of black pepper
6 ounces Gorgonzola
1 egg, lightly beaten
If the puff pastry is frozen, follow the instructions on the package for thawing it. I generally move it from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before I plan to use it.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and blanch them for about 2 minutes. At this point, the broccoli should be vibrant green and just beginning to tenderize. Drain it in a colander and set it aside to cool.
Roll out the puff pastry until it is about one and a half times its original size. Place a tart pan with a removable bottom on top of the dough and cut around it so that you end up with a circle that is large enough to cover the bottom and the sides of the pan (it will be an inch or two larger than the diameter of the pan). Transfer the dough to the tart pan and push it into the corners. Trim off any dough that is higher than the sides of the pan.
Roll the remaining dough back into a ball and then roll it out again. Cut out a piece for the top of the pie that is just a bit -- a half inch should do -- larger than the tart pan. Put both the top and bottom pieces into the freezer for at least 10 minutes.
After the dough has chilled, remove just the bottom piece. Line the dough with parchment paper or tin foil and fill the shell with dried beans. Bake the pastry until it begins to turn golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and take out the beans and foil or parchment paper. Return the tart shell to the oven and cook it until the pastry turns a golden brown, about 10 minutes more. Remove it from the oven. If it has puffed up, poke the top layer of the bubbles with a sharp knife to deflate them. Set the shell aside until the filling is ready.
In a large saute pan, melt the butter and add the leeks. Cook them until they are wilted and soft, about 10 minutes. Add the cream, chives, tarragon, mustard, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup of water. Stir to combine, and then remove the pan from the heat and set it aside.
To assemble the pie, first pour the filling into the bottom pastry crust. Next, arrange the broccoli florets, pushing them gently into the filling. Crumble the Gorgonzola in large chunks evenly over the top of the broccoli. Brush the sides of the bottom crust with the egg.
Remove the top pastry crust from the freezer and place it on top of the pie. If it has been in the freezer much longer than 10 minutes, give it a few minutes to soften up. Trim off all but about an inch of any crust that hangs over the side of the pan. Tuck the sides of the top crust along the out side of the pan, pushing down on the edges to join the top crust to the bottom one. Brush the top crust with the egg.
Bake until the pie is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes before cutting into it to serve.
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