Around My French Table (32 page)

Pull the pan from the heat and stir in the reserved cream mixture, as well as the grated Parmesan. Serve immediately.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

SERVING
This needs to be served as soon as the cream-yolk mixture and the Parmesan are stirred in.

STORING
You can steam the onions up to 3 hours ahead, and you can cook the bacon ahead as well, but you need to serve this right away.

BONNE IDÉE
Spaghetti and Onions Carbonara.
Michel Richard created this dish to mimic spaghetti, but what he's created is a sauce that's spectacular over pasta. Try it and see if you don't agree.

M
Y FRIENDS SYLVIE ROUGETET AND GÉRARD JEANNIN
are the most gracious hosts, and you don't have to take my word for it—the people who've signed the guest book at Les Charmilles, their bed-and-breakfast just outside Dijon, echo my sentiments all the time. But they're not as lucky as I am. While they get treated to a hearty breakfast, as a friend, I get to stay for dinner and play sous-chef to Gérard in the kitchen.

Gérard hasn't had a day of culinary training, but he's an inspired cook and so organized that I think he could feed a battalion from the cozy confines of his galley kitchen. It's a pleasure to watch him work—he cooks with his nose, smelling every ingredient before he tosses it into a bowl, rubbing fresh herbs between his fingers to bring out their fullest perfume, and leaning over a pot on the stove to catch the fragrance of a broth as it simmers.

This is the tart Gérard made for Sylvie and me one evening. It's a play on a traditional tart starring Dijon's most famous export—mustard—and it's both creamy and piquant, comforting and surprising. It's also not as well known as it should be. When I returned to Paris, the recipe tucked into my notebook, I made the tart several times for friends, and each time it was greeted with delight and puzzlement—I was serving them something they'd never tasted before. In fact, as Gérard explained to me, the more traditional tart is made with tomatoes, but he, in his usual fashion, improvised, with carrots and leeks, since it was fall and tomato season was past.

The original tomato tart is delicious too, so I've included it under Bonne Idée. No matter which version you make, be sure to use strong mustard from Dijon. Gérard uses Dijon's two most popular mustards in his tart: smooth, known around the world as Dijon, and grainy or old-fashioned, known in France as "
à l'ancienne.
" You can use either one or the other, or you can adjust the proportions to match your taste, but whatever you do, make sure your mustard is fresh, bright colored, and powerfully fragrant. Do what Gérard would do: smell it first. If it just about brings tears to your eyes, it's fresh enough for this tart.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Cut the carrots and leeks into slender
bâtons
or sticks: First cut the carrots lengthwise in half, then place the halves cut side down on the cutting board and cut crosswise in half or cut into chunks about 3 inches long. Cut the pieces into ⅛ to ¼-inch-thick matchsticks. If your carrots were fat and you think your matchsticks don't look svelte enough, cut them lengthwise in half. Cut the leeks in the same way.

Fit a steamer basket into a saucepan. Pour in enough water to come almost up to the steamer, cover, and bring to a boil. Drop the carrots, leeks, and 1 rosemary sprig into the basket, cover, and steam until the vegetables are tender enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a knife, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the vegetables and pat them dry; discard the rosemary sprig.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs together with the crème fraîche or heavy cream. Add the mustards, season with salt and white pepper—mustard has a tendency to be salty, so proceed accordingly—and whisk to blend. Taste and see if you want to add a little more of one or the other mustards.

Put the tart pan on the lined baking sheet and pour the filling into the crust. Arrange the vegetables over the filling—they can go in any which way, but they're attractive arranged in spokes coming out from the center of the tart. Top with the remaining rosemary sprig and give the vegetables a sprinkling of salt and a couple of turns of the pepper mill.

Bake the tart for about 30 minutes, or until it is uniformly puffed and lightly browned here and there and a knife inserted into the center of the custard comes out clean. Transfer the tart to a cooling rack and let it rest for 5 minutes before removing the sides of the pan.

Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature (or lightly chilled).

MAKES 6 STARTER SERVINGS OR 4 MAIN-COURSE SERVINGS

SERVING
The tart is delicious just out of the oven, warm, at room temperature, or even slightly chilled—although that wouldn't be Gerard's preference, I'm sure. If you're serving it as a starter, cut it into 6 portions; if it's the main event, serve it with a lightly dressed small salad.

STORING
Like all tarts, this is best soon after it is made, but leftovers can be covered, chilled, and nibbled on the next day.

BONNE IDÉE
Tomato-Mustard Tart.
This is the original recipe and the one I think you'll make often when ripe, juicy tomatoes are in season. You'll need 1 super-large tomato, 1 or 2 regular-sized tomatoes, 2 or 3 plum tomatoes, or 15 to 20 cherry or grape tomatoes (this has to be approximate because I don't know how big your tomatoes will be). If you've got cherry or grape tomatoes, cut them in half; if you've got round or plum tomatoes, cut them into slices about ⅓ to ½ inch thick. Arrange the halves (cut side down) or slices in the filled tart shell, and don't worry when they sink into the filling; just take care not to put in so many halves or slices that the filling rises above the sides of the crust.

T
HE FACT THAT FRANCE IS THE HOME
of several magnificent blue cheeses, most notably Roquefort, hasn't stopped sophisticated French cooks and food lovers from falling in love with Gorgonzola dolce, the soft, mild blue cheese from Italy. Along with Parmesan and mozzarella, Gorgonzola turns up in just about every well-stocked
fromagerie
routinely in Paris and reliably in other cities. Gorgonzola has a milder, sweeter, less salty flavor and a softer, creamier consistency than Roquefort, and so it lends itself more readily to smooth concoctions like this quiche.

Like all quiches, this one looks and tastes as if it took a lot of time and skill; unlike many quiches, it offers a double surprise: the mild-sweet-salty pow of the Gorgonzola and the slight crunch of the lightly tart apple. If you're up for a third surprise, try adding some nuts to the mix—toasted walnuts or hazelnuts are especially good.

If you'd like a more traditional quiche—in fact
the
most traditional quiche, quiche Lorraine—take a look at Bonne Idée.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Melt the butter in a small skillet over low heat and toss in the onion. Season the onion lightly with salt (the Gorgonzola is salty) and white pepper and cook until it is very soft but not at all colored, about 10 minutes; remove from the heat.

Put the tart shell on the lined baking sheet. Spread the onion, with whatever butter remains in the pan, evenly over the bottom of the crust. Scatter the apple over the onion. Cut the Gorgonzola into small cubes and scatter it over the onion and apple. Beat the cream and eggs together until well blended, season with salt and white pepper, and pour into the tart shell.

Gently slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the filling is uniformly puffed (wait for the center to puff), browned, and set. Transfer the quiche to a cooling rack and allow it to cool and gather itself for 5 minutes or so.

Carefully remove the sides of the pan and slide the quiche onto a platter if you want to serve it hot, or onto a rack if you want to cool it. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

SERVING
The quiche can be served hot, warm, or at room temperature, as a starter or the main event at lunch or dinner. If you're serving it as a main course, think about having a green salad to keep it company.

STORING
You can keep the quiche lightly covered on the counter for a few hours if you're going to serve it at room temperature; if you want to keep it overnight, wrap it well and store it in the refrigerator. It's best to bring it to room temperature or to warm it briefly in a moderate oven before serving.

BONNE IDÉE
Quiche Lorraine
. Omit the apple and replace the Gorgonzola with 2 ounces Gruyère cut into very small thin slices—or grate the cheese. Cook the onion in butter, then transfer it to a bowl. Cut 3 strips cooked bacon into bite-sized pieces. (To be more authentic, start with a 2- to 3-ounce slab of smoked bacon, cut into short slender strips, called lardons. Cook in boiling water for a minute, drain, and pat dry.) To assemble, put the cheese in the bottom of the crust and top with the bacon. Beat together the 2 eggs, ⅔ cup heavy cream, and the cooked onion and pour the mixture over the bacon and cheese. Bake as directed.

W
HEN YOU SEE THE WORD
MARAÎCHÈRE,
you know market-fresh produce is in the mix. Here it's in a quiche packed to the brim with celery, leeks, carrots, and little squares of red pepper. It's an unusual quiche in that it's got lots more vegetables than custard and the cheese is on top of it, not inside.