Hokkaido Squash Soup

Do you remember when I told you I was very intrigued obsessed with winter squash? It seems to me it is the quintessential winter comfort food, putting you instantly in the right mood to enjoy the cold crisp air outside (and the warmth of your home). The possibilities are endless (galettes, salads, pies, risottos, etc…), and I’ve got so much to catch up!
So, as I attempted to cook for myself de bons petits plats (tasty little dishes), I naturally turned to the tempting Hokkaido squash at the farmer’s market. As long as making comfort food, why not going to the end of the concept, with a warm meal, simmered for hours… A SOUP. I know, I maybe watched Top Chef too much, and the continuous repetition of “Soup is good”, “Soup is love”, “Soup is the best test for a chef” finally totally brainwashed me, because I made my 4th soup in 2 weeks yesterday evening. Or I’m very cold. Or both actually…

Anyway, when my guests asked for second helpings, I felt my mission was accomplished. And now, this is for you...

Roasted Hokkaido squash soup

1 2-pound Hokkaido squash peeled, seeded, chopped (about 1 pound once peeled and roasted)
1 celery stalk, chopped
½ onion, chopped
1 shallot
1 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
2 cups (or more) canned low-salt broth
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Roast squash, cut sides down, in an oiled roasting pan in middle of oven until tender, about 30 minutes. When cool enough to handle, scrape flesh from skin.
Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and shallots; cook until softened, about 2 minutes, before stirring in celery until tender. Add squash, broth and coriander seeds. Cover and simmer until pumpkin is very tender, about 20 minutes.
Purée soup in blender.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.


Soupe au potimarron rôti

Le fait de rôtir le potimarron avant de le cuire à l’eau fait ressortir son goût de noisette, et permet un épluchage bien plus facile.
1 petit potimarron (environ 1kg entier – 500g de chair rôtie au four)
1 branche de céleri
½ oignon jaune
1 échalote
1 cuillère à café d’huile
1 cuillère de graines de coriandre
50 cl d’eau
1 bouillon cube dégraissé
Sel et poivre

Préchauffez le four à 200°.
Coupez le potimarron en 2. Videz les graines, et posez le dans un plat à four, face découpée en bas, en ajoutant un fond d’eau. Faites rôtir le potimarron pendant environ 30 minutes, jusqu’à ce que la chair soit tendre.
Pendant ce temps, émincez finement l’oignon, l’échalote et le céleri. Faites chauffer l’huile dans un fait-tout sur feu vif-moyen. Une fois chaude, versez-y les oignons et échalotes et faites revenir 2 mn avant d’ajouter le céleri. Baissez le feu, et laissez cuire.
Creusez la courge avec une cuillère et placez les avec les oignons, la coriandre et le bouillon-cube dans la casserole. Couvrez d'eau aux deux-tiers, et portez à ébullition.
Posez un couvercle et laissez cuire 20 mn à feu moyen.
Passez ensuite au mixer et rectifiez l'assaisonnement en sel et poivre.

La suite, please

A sweet new start with tiramisu tartlets

Well…. Ahem…[akward moment]… Hi everyone!..?

I’m so sorry I was absent for almost 2 months… Explaining my silence and the different phases I went through would be booooring, but let just say it involved many cookies and other sorts of meals, to bake and to eat! So much that I actually thought I’d never want to be in a kitchen again. Yes, that much!
I needed to rest (and to lose weight) and believed I could live on fat free yogurt and skim chicken forever (ok, at least for a few months). But who am I kidding? Cooking is what I love to do. I love the sound of the knife on the cutting board. I love to imagine what taste two ingredients would have together. I need to put my love and care into something others will enjoy. And therefore, this is what I’m going to do this year. My challenge will be to do the same when it’s only me sitting at the table. This means more healthy dishes to share with you. Would you be interested?

This is what I’m wishing for this new year, and what I wish you too : success in obtaining what you want and what you’re working for. And a year full of little moments of joy, smiles, surprises, laugher with friends and family. Making lots of sweet memories for the future. And for those of you who’ll have a life-changing year (moving in a new place, getting married, becoming a parent…) I just wish you all the possible happiness in this new adventure!

Now, enough with all these gooey thoughts, and let’s get back to the serious stuff. The tartlets! They actually are the one who made me go back into the kitchen. The idea formed into my head during a whole week, until I could not resist anymore before I tried them.
I wanted to obtain the taste of a tiramisu, but with the nice presentation of a one-plate dessert. I longed for the crispy, sandy texture of a tart crust, but still needed the moist and coffee taste from the “real” tiramisu. This is why there is an almond soft cake imbibed with coffee syrup, over the chocolate flavored crust. The whole is topped with a light mascarpone mousse, dusted with Dutch cocoa. Another advantage is that it avoids the raw eggs usually used… The result was beautiful, and quite a different sensation than for a tiramisu, but packed with all the good flavors!

Tartamisu
For 6 4-inches tartlets

For the tart crust
6 Tbsp butter, room temperature
1 egg yolk
½ cup + 1 Tbsp confectioner sugar
1/8 cup almond powder / flour
1/3 cup + 1Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp cocoa
1 pinch salt

For the almond - coffee soft cake
1 egg white
¼ cup almond powder
2 Tbsp instant coffee powder in 2 Tbsp boiling water
1/8 cup melted butter
1/8 cup + 1 tsp sugar

For the mascarpone mousse
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp gelatin + 1 Tbsp water
20 cl heavy cream
3.5 oz. mascarpone
¼ cup sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa

Prepare the pie dough :
First mix almond powder and confectioner sugar. Add cocoa, flour and salt. Add the butter and pulse for a few seconds, until the dough resembles coarse crumbs. It is very important not to mix the dough too long. Mix in the egg yolk and, with your hand palm, press the dough about 3 times, just until it forms a ball that holds together. Flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
Preheat oven to 340°F.
Roll out dough into a on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Cut out 6 (5-inch) rounds and fit each round into a tartlet mold. Prick bottoms all over with a fork and bake 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, almond powder, melted butter and half of the coffee. In another bowl, beat egg white until it forms soft peaks. Fold white in the almond-coffee mixture with a rubber spatula. Pour over the baked pie crust and bake 15 to 20 minutes.
Transfer tartlets to rack; cool completely.
Using a brush, moisten the almond cake with remaining coffee.

Prepare the mascarpone mousse :
Sprinkle the gelatin over the water, stir and let sit to bloom. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the mascarpone with the sugar. Heat the milk and add gelatin so that it melts. Quickly whisk it in the mascarpone batter. Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks, and fold into the mascarpone.
Place it in a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe mascarpone mousse on top of the tartlets. Sprinkle with cocoa and let sit in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours.

Tartamisu
Pour 6 tartelettes de 11 cm

Pour la pâte sablée :
75g de beurre à température ambiante
1 jaune d’œuf
85g de farine
15g de cacao
60g de sucre glace
20g d’amande en poudre
1 pincée de sel

Pour le fondant café
1 blanc d’œuf
50g de poudre d’amande
2 cuillères à soupe de café instantané diluées dans 2 cuillères d’eau bouillante
25g de beurre fondu
30g de sucre

Pour la mousse mascarpone
2 cuillères à soupe de lait
2g (1 feuille) de gélatine
20cl de crème liquide
100g de mascarpone
45g de sucre
2 cuillères à soupe de cacao

Préparez la pâte à tarte :
Mélangez d'abord le sucre glace, les amandes en poudre, la farine, le sel et le cacao. Ajoutez le beurre et mélangez quelques secondes, le temps de former une pâte grumeleuse. Incorporez le jaune d'œuf. Il ne faut pas trop travailler la pâte. Fraisez (c’est l’action de travailler avec la paume de la main) rapidement et formez 1 boule de pâte. Aplatissez et enveloppez ce disque dans un film plastique pour reposer au frais pendant au moins 1 heures.
Préchauffez le four à 170°.
Farinez abondamment le plan de travail ainsi que le rouleau à pâtisserie, puis étalez la pâte sur 2 à 3 mm d'épaisseur. A l’aide d’un verre d’un diamètre légèrement supérieur à vos moules, découpez des disques dans la pâte. Foncez les moules avec ces disques et mettez à cuire 15 minutes.

Mélangez dans un bol le sucre, les amandes, le beurre fondu et la moitié du café. Dans un deuxième bol, battez le blanc en neige ferme, puis incorporez le délicatement au mélange d’amandes. Utilisez pour cela une spatule souple : il ne faut pas tourner autour du saladier, mais de haut en bas en inclinant celui-ci.
Versez cette préparation sur les fonds de tartelettes et remettez au four pour 15 à 20 minutes.
Laissez refroidir, puis, à l’aide d’un pinceau, imbibez le biscuit du café restant.

Préparez la mousse de mascarpone :
Laissez la feuille de gélatine ramollir dans un bol d’eau froide.
Battre ensemble le mascarpone et le sucre afin d'obtenir un mélange homogène.
Égouttez la gélatine et ajoutez-la au lait chaud pour qu’elle fonde. Versez-la ensuite rapidement sur le mascarpone tout en fouettant pour l’incorporer.
Fouettez la crème en chantilly et incorporez-la au reste délicatement.
Utilisez une poche à douille pour répartir la mousse sur chaque tartelette de manière décorative. Saupoudrez de cacao et laissez au réfrigérateur pour au moins 2 heures avant de servir.

La suite, please