City Cooks Recipes

Roasted Garlic and Goat Cheese Mousse with a Lemon Tomato Jam

Pastry

INGREDIENTS:

1. 225 g flour
2. 110 g butter
3. 65 ml cold water
4. 5 ml salt
5. 15 ml thyme, finely chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. Sift the flour and salt in a large bowl, mix in thyme
2. Add butter and rub it in with your fingers until the mixture resembles bread crumbs
3. Add the water and mix with a fork or your fingers just until the dough starts to come together
4. Bring the dough together and wrap with plastic wrap.
5. Chill for 1 hr
6. Preheat oven to 425 F
7. Roll out dough to ½ cm thickness
8. Line desired mini tart tins and poke dough with a fork
9. Blind bake for 10 minutes (line crust with cut coffee filters or parchment paper and fill with beans or rice)
10. Remove lining and beans and bake for another 5 minutes or until set and slightly golden
11. Cool completely before filling

Lemon Tomato Jam

INGREDIENTS:

1. 250 ml sugar
2. 250 ml tomato, seeded , medium dice
3. rind and juice of one lemon
4. 5 ml salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt sugar in a small pot over medium heat
2. Once sugar has completely melted and turns slightly brown add the diced tomatoes and salt
3. Cook over low-med heat until all liquid has evaporated and the mixture is thick and sticky
4. Add the lemon juice and rind
5. Cool

Roasted Garlic Goat Cheese Mousse

INGREDIENTS:

1. 2 heads of garlic
2. 150 g goat cheese, softened at room temperature
3. 125 ml whipping cream
4. 5 ml salt
5. Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut the top of the garlic, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in aluminum foil and roast for 30-45 minutes, cool
2. Mix softened goat cheese, salt and garlic in a medium sized bowl
3. Whip cream to soft peaks in a medium sized bowl
4. Add 1/3 of the cream to the goat cheese and mix until combined
5. Fold the remaining cream into the goat cheese

ASSEMBLING THE TARTS

1. Fill a piping bag with the goat cheese mousse, fill another piping bag with the tomato jam
2. Pipe the mousse into the tart shells and top with a bit of tomato jam

ALTERNATIVELY

1. Spoon the mousse into the tart shells and spoon the jam onto each tart
2. Sprinkle a bit of freshly ground pepper on each tart with your fingers

Seared duck breast with an apricot star anise sauce

INGREDIENTS:

1. 2 duck breasts
2. 4 pieces star anise
3. 3 inch piece lemongrass
4. 1 slice ginger
5. 1 clove garlic, crushed
6. 1/2 c dried apricots
7. 125 ml apricot nectar
8. 15 ml lime juice

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 F

1. Toast star anise in a dry medium sized pot until fragrant
2. Add remaining aromatics, apricots, apricot nectar and enough water to cover
3. Simmer for 10 minutes or until apricots are soft
4. Remove aromatics
5. Puree apricots and liquid in a blender until smooth
6. Return mixture to pan and reduce over medium heat until thick and glaze like
7. Stir in lime juice and set aside
8. Score the skin of the duck breasts (slice just through the skin in a grid pattern, being careful not to cut the flesh)
9. Season duck breasts with salt and pepper
10. Place breasts skin side down in a cold pan and place over low heat (do not use oil)
11. The fat will begin to render from the skin, drain periodically
12. Once there is about 1/3 of the fat under the skin remaining put the pan into the oven for 5-7 minutes
13. Remove breasts from the oven, and baste the flesh with the fat until slightly golden
14. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing
15. Serve with glaze

Financiers

INGREDIENTS:

1. 250 ml ground almonds
2. 400 ml powdered sugar
3. 125 ml all purpose flour
4. pinch of salt
5. 185 ml egg whites
6. 185 ml unsalted butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 F

Butter and flour molds (Financier or mini muffin molds can be used.)

1. Mix flour, salt, sugar and almonds in a medium bowl
2. Gently warm egg whites in a small pot over low heat until just warm, it should feel just slightly warm to the touch
3. Mix egg whites and dry ingredients with a whisk until blended
4. In a clean pot heat butter over medium/high heat until foamy, check constantly, remove once the foam subsides and the butter is a nutty brown. Take care not to burn the butter.
5. Immediately add butter to the batter and mix thoroughly
6. Pour into molds and bake for 10-12 minutes or until risen and golden brown

Photos