This past week I read a book on the differences between French and American child-rearing (Bringing Up Bébé) and I found it pretty darn fascinating. While it's kind of a mixed bag in terms of actual research, the book does piggyback a bit on other books about the French lifestyle that I've always found appealing and mysterious, namely the ways that French children and adults enjoy food (and don't get fat). By and large, children eat with the adults, and they eat the same food. There are no "kids' meals" in France. Nor do parents bring emergency bags of Cheerios or goldfish crackers everywhere to console fussy kids. The French don't observe dessert like Americans do, either. If anything, they eat fruit and/or cheese at the end of the dinner meal. They believe that what you eat at dinner stays with you forever (they also eat dinner much later, around 8 or 9 p.m.), so desserts are avoided. It is acceptable, however, to indulge earlier in the day. This is where the awesome tradition of le goûter comes in, which is a snack that children and, sometimes, adults partake in mid-afternoon. It often involves something sweet, the most ideal being a piece of baguette with melted chocolate. (For adults, it's often just a cup of coffee. Lame.)
I am hereby adopting this French tradition of an afternoon indulgence and pledge to follow it religiously. If only for a little while. If only on the days I go to the gym. You're welcome to join me.
It's no pain au chocolat, but this was a pretty lovely Sunday afternoon goûter.
I had a total of four peaches ripening on the counter this past week, so this was a great way to treat them. I threw in a handful of blueberries at the last minute when I remembered I had them, too. You can make something like this with all kinds of fruit, of course, so if you're like me and just want to keep stuff from rotting, throw that stuff in a tart.
Peach and blueberry free-form tart
dough
1 1/2 c. flour
pinch of salt
1 T. sugar
9 T. butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
3 T. ice water
filling
3-4 ripe peaches, sliced
handful of blueberries
1-2 T. sugar, depending on sweetness of fruit
pinch of salt
finishing
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. water
course sugar (I've been using lemon rosebud sugar that I received as a gift, which is fun; any other special sugar that sounds yummy would work here, too)
whipped cream or ice cream (if you're feeling extra indulgent)
Place the flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a couple times to mix. Add the chilled butter and pulse until the dough starts to crumb up. Start adding the ice water, a little at a time, until the dough forms a decent mass with some crumbs on the outside. Remove from the bowl and press in to disk; wrap in plastic and store in the fridge for 30 minutes or more.
Place the fruit and sugar and salt in a bowl to rest for 30 minutes as well.
Preheat the oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll out the dough to a circle, approximately 12 in. Transfer to the parchment on the baking sheet and pile the fruit on top, leaving 1-2 inches around the edges. Fold up the dough over the fruit. Whisk the egg yolk with the water and brush over the dough edge with a pastry brush. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake 30 minutes or so, until golden brown.
Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream, or plain if you find that the cream in your fridge has spoiled...as was the case for me.
It's no pain au chocolat, but this was a pretty lovely Sunday afternoon goûter.
I had a total of four peaches ripening on the counter this past week, so this was a great way to treat them. I threw in a handful of blueberries at the last minute when I remembered I had them, too. You can make something like this with all kinds of fruit, of course, so if you're like me and just want to keep stuff from rotting, throw that stuff in a tart.
Peach and blueberry free-form tart
dough
1 1/2 c. flour
pinch of salt
1 T. sugar
9 T. butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
3 T. ice water
filling
3-4 ripe peaches, sliced
handful of blueberries
1-2 T. sugar, depending on sweetness of fruit
pinch of salt
finishing
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. water
course sugar (I've been using lemon rosebud sugar that I received as a gift, which is fun; any other special sugar that sounds yummy would work here, too)
whipped cream or ice cream (if you're feeling extra indulgent)
Place the flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a couple times to mix. Add the chilled butter and pulse until the dough starts to crumb up. Start adding the ice water, a little at a time, until the dough forms a decent mass with some crumbs on the outside. Remove from the bowl and press in to disk; wrap in plastic and store in the fridge for 30 minutes or more.
Place the fruit and sugar and salt in a bowl to rest for 30 minutes as well.
Preheat the oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll out the dough to a circle, approximately 12 in. Transfer to the parchment on the baking sheet and pile the fruit on top, leaving 1-2 inches around the edges. Fold up the dough over the fruit. Whisk the egg yolk with the water and brush over the dough edge with a pastry brush. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake 30 minutes or so, until golden brown.
Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream, or plain if you find that the cream in your fridge has spoiled...as was the case for me.
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