Today, 26 Fructidor, we celebrate the bitter orange! Also known as the Seville orange, I couldn’t manage to get a hold of either, so I used some nice orange marmalade instead.  According to a Telegraph article,

The story goes that marmalade was invented in 1700, when a storm-damaged Spanish ship, carrying Seville oranges, sought refuge in Dundee harbour. The cargo was sold off cheaply to James Keiller, a down-on-his-luck local merchant, whose wife turned it into a preserve.

Further research informs me that there is an annual marmalade festival at the Dalemain House in Penrith, England, (it skirts the very edge of the Lake District). Next year, it will be held on March 16, 2019, so we have plenty of time to plan where to stay.

From last year’s competition – only entries from Commonwealth countries were permitted:

His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, on his visit to Ullswater Steamers in Cumbria on Monday 26th March tasted the winning marmalade and Jane Hasell-McCosh, founder of the World Marmalade Awards, announced it as the winner. His Royal Highness thought it was delicious.

To celebrate bitter orange marmalade, I surrounded it with something extra sweet – cheese danish. The dough is yeasted and laminated with butter, much like the croissants we made in Ventôse. I used a dough recipe from the Joy of Cooking and a sweet cheese recipe from the New York Times.

Marmalade Danishes

For the dough

2 sticks of butter

2 tbs flour

1/2 cup warm whole milk

2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

1 tbs sugar

2 cups plus 2 tbs all-purpose flour

2 tbs sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

For the cheese filling 

8 ounces cream cheese

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 large egg yolk

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbs whole milk

I don’t think laminated dough lends itself to a verbal description very well and I forgot to take pictures while I was pounding and folding butter, so here are some good tutorials: a four-part YouTube video and a photographic tutorial.

I rolled the dough out to 18 x 9 inches and cut it into 3 x 3 inch squares. Using an egg wash, I pinched the corners in, as you can see in the first picture below. After that, I covered them with plastic wrap and let them rise for about an hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 425. For the sweet cheese, let the cream cheese come to room temperature and then beat it along with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, an egg yolk, a pinch of salt and the vanilla. Mix until smooth and then put the mixture into a zip lock bag. When the danishes have completed their last proof, cut a half inch hole in the corner of the sweet cheese bag and then pipe the filling into the center of each dough blob. Brush the tops and sides of the dough with an egg wash. I added the marmalade in the middle of each blob at this point, but I think it would be better to wait to add the marmalade until after the danishes come out of the oven.

Bake the danishes for 10 minutes, rotate the sheets, lower the temperature to 375 and then bake (watch closely!) until they turn golden brown.

Whisk the remaining powdered sugar with the milk. Remove the danishes, let them cool and then add your marmalade or jelly of choice. Drizzle with the powdered sugar glaze and enjoy! His royal highness thought they were delicious.

Mes amis, we near the end of our adventure! We are five days away from finishing the month of Fructidor and after that we will have six complimentary days to finish our French Republican Calendar experiment. Though I have taken some significant breaks and not adhered strictly to pairing the French Republican Calendar to the Gregorian calendar, I find a sense of accomplishment nonetheless.

Today, we celebrate the crawfish! While visiting the Gulf Coast in Texas, we bought a 31 pound bag of live crawfish and had ourselves a boil. Scale the recipe below to the amount of people at your boil.

Crawfish Boil 

live crawfish (2-3 lbs of live crawfish per adult), well washed

Zatarains

corn on the cob

new potatoes

onion

sausage

lemons

1 huge pot

First, bring a very large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the Zatarains, salt, pepper, cayenne (if desired), lemons, potatoes, onion and sausage. Cook until the potatoes are almost done (about 10 minutes), then add the corn. Cook for a minute or two more and remove the vegetables and sausage and reserve. With the water still boiling, add the crawfish and cook for 8 minutes, or until the shells turn bright red. Remove and serve with the vegetables and sausage. Enjoy!

Mes amis! It has been far too long, but here we are back at it again. Today, 24 Fructidor, we celebrate sorghum. I’ve taken a traditional shoofly pie recipe and substituted the molasses for sorghum syrup. I had to order my sorghum syrup online and it just so happened that it was made by the Lancaster Amish – the very same folks who invented shoofly pie to begin with. Wikipedia and Atlas Obscura have the origin of the name of the pie as deriving from a popular molasses brand at the time, “Shoofly Molasses” which was named after Shoofly, the boxing mule, a locally popular circus attraction in the 1880s.

Shoofly Sorghum Pie 

For the crust

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup chilled water

For the filling 

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp salt

1 stick butter

3/4 cup sorghum syrup

3/4 boiling water

1/2 tsp baking soda

For the crust, either by hand or in a food processor, combine the flour, salt and butter until only pea-sized pieces of butter remain. Add the cold water and mix until the mixture starts to come together. Roll out for a 9 inch pie tin. Heat the oven to 425.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt for the crumb topping. Cut in the butter with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the butter is in pea-sized pieces.

Bring 3/4 cup of water to a boil and then add in the sorghum syrup and baking soda. Whisk together and then pour the liquid mixture into the pie crust. Spoon the crumb topping over the liquid and brush the remaining edges of the pie crust with an egg wash, if you so desire. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 and then lower the heat to 350 and bake for 20 more minutes. Enjoy with ice cream or whipped cream!

Today, 22 Fructidor, we celebrate hazelnuts! And, mes amis, this one took some experimenting. I attempted to capture a dark chocolatey/fudgy/strong hazelnutty moment and I think I finally ended up with it below. You’ll note this is not the first, nor the second time we’ve celebrated hazelnuts this year. Églantine incorporated hazelnuts three times into the French Republican Calendar – once as avelinier (14 Pluvôise), once as noisetier (22 Pluvôise) and now as noisette. Back in Pluvôise we made hazelnut ice cream and hazelnut tart.

Hazelnut Caramel Brownies

1 cup hazelnuts

For the brownies 

6 tbs butter

12 oz dark chocolate chips

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the caramel 

2 tbs butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 350. In a medium pan, melt the butter. When it is completely melted, turn off the heat and add in the 12 ounces of dark chocolate chips. Mix well so that the chocolate completely melts. Add to the bowl of an electric mixer along with the sugar. Mix until well incorporated and then add in the eggs, one at a time. Mix on medium-high until the matter has paled in color and increased in volume. Add the vanilla, mix until incorporated. Add the flour, cocoa powder and salt and mix until just incorporated. Add the 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips and mix slightly. Spray an 8 x 8 pan with baking spray and then place parchment paper along the bottom with about an inch overhang on two sides. Spray the pan again. Add the batter and cook for 30 minutes.

While the brownies bake, make the caramel. In a medium pan, mix together the butter, brown sugar, heavy cream and salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Keep stirring and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Let cool.

After removing the brownies from the oven, let them cool completely before adding the caramel and nuts. Chop the hazelnuts roughly. Mix the hazelnuts into the caramel sauce and spread over the cooled brownies. Enjoy!

Today, on 21 Fructidor, we celebrate the wild rose! In the French Republican Calendar, today is Églantier day, which is translated in the English version of the calendar as “wild rose.” Though, upon closer inspection, it seems as though it translates to wild rose generally but also to rosa canina / “dog rose” specifically. In truly amazing news, a cathedral in Hildesheim, Germany claims to have a “thousand-year rose” growing in its courtyard. And… it’s a dog rose. It is believed to have been planted in 815 and is found in early depictions of the cathedral. Here is a lovely video of the Tausendjährige Rosenstock in bloom.

The legend of the rose bush, according to the UNESCO, site naming the Cathedral a World Heritage Site and to Wikipedia is as follows: In 815 Emperor Louis the Pious, son of Charlemagne, became lost and disoriented while hunting in the Hercynian Forest. While deer hunting, he became separated from the other hunters and his horse. He searched for the hunting party and in his search came upon a mound covered with wild rose. He was carrying a reliquary containing relics of the Virgin Mary and prayed over them before falling asleep. When he woke, the blooming rose bush was covered in snow even though it was the middle of summer. His reliquary was covered in ice and stuck to the branches of the rose bush. When his hunting party finally found the Emperor, he pledged to build a cathedral on that spot to honor the Virgin Mary. The cathedral was built in a way to protect the rose which now grows at the apse.

In 1945, the city was bombed by the Allies and the Cathedral was completely destroyed. Seven weeks after the bombing, several sprouts were found growing from the roots of the rose bush. The Cathedral was rebuilt and the rose grows there to this day.

Thanks to Rose Levy Beranbaum, I was able to convince myself to use yet another amazing Nordic Ware pan – the rose-shaped bundt pan. Here is Rose’s full recipe, excerpted from The Baking Bible. Enjoy!

Joyeux Lemon Day! On 16 Fructidor, we are celebrating citron. You guys! The lemon festival of Menton is happening right this very moment! La Fête du Citron! It appears to be like the Rose Parade, but with lemons and oranges used for decoration. The video of this year’s decorations is… unbelievable. Please watch. Menton is located on the French Rivera and is the last city in France before the Italian border. At any rate, their theme for the 2018 fête is Bollywood. Last year’s was Broadway. I would very much like to attend the 86ème fête next year.

Our own lemon fête centered around lemon meringue pie on a very snowy day. I made this in a tart pan with Rose Levy Beranbaum‘s tart crust and America’s Test Kitchen lemon filling and meringue.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Crust

6 tbs butter

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp fine sea salt

3 tbs turbinado sugar

1 large egg yolk

2 tbs heavy cream

Filling

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/8 tsp table salt

6 large egg yolks

1 tbs grated lemon zest

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 tbs unsalted butter

Meringue

1/3 cup water

1 tbs cornstarch

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

4 large egg whites

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Using a food processor, pulse the butter and the sugar until the sugar disappears. Add the flour and the salt and pulse until just combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and cream, then add it to the flour mixture and pulse a few times. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes. In between two sheets of plastic wrap, roll out the dough and carefully lift into the tart pan. Rose suggests that you fold over any over hanging dough back into the sides of the crust. Place the tart shell back in the fridge. Rose says it should stay in the fridge for at least an hour. Let’s just agree she is correct. Set the oven to 425 and gently place some aluminum foil in the tart shell and fill with baking beads or beans. Cook for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375. Cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the foil and beans and cook until the crust is golden brown – perhaps 5 minutes more. Rose has a great tip for filling in any cracks that might have appeared during baking – using egg white, gently brush over the holes and place the tart back in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes more or just until the egg turns white.

For the filling, in a medium pan, bring the water, sugar, cornstarch and salt to a simmer while whisking constantly. When the mixture starts to turn translucent, whisk in the egg yolks, two at a time. Then, whisk in the lemon zest, juice and butter. Simmer for a bit more and them remove from heat. Lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the top of the filling in the pan and keep warm while you make the meringue.

For the meringue, bring the water and cornstarch to a simmer in a small saucepan and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened. Remove from heat. In an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites and vanilla together. Add the cream of tartar and then the sugar, one tablespoon at a time while whisking at medium-high. Whip until shiny soft peaks form. Add the cornstarch mixture, one tablespoon at a time and continue to whisk until the eggs are at the stiff peak stage. Heat the oven to 325.

Remove the plastic from the filling and reheat until just simmering. Pour the filling into the baked pie shell. Immediately after that, add the meringue to the top of the pie, attaching some to the edge of the crust so it won’t shrink while baking.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown. Enjoy!

Mes amis,

Today, 15 Fructidor, we celebrate trout! This particular ingredient was a bit challenging to get. I couldn’t find any smoked trout at my usual grocery stores, so after a snow day, we were able to make it out to Calumet Fisheries for some lovely smoked lake trout. This article about a disputed record for the largest lake trout is one wild ride. I used a recipe from Amy Thielen‘s lovely The New Midwestern Table for this hash.

Trout Hash 

5 small Yukon Gold potatoes

3 tbs canola oil

1 onion, diced

1 tsp fine sea salt

1 leek, white and green parts sliced

1 bunch scallions, sliced

6 cloves garlic, sliced

4 tbs butter

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 cup flaked boneless, skinless smoked lake trout

In a medium pan, place the potatoes and then cover with water so that the potatoes are submerged. Salt generously. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the potatoes and chop into quarters or eighths. In a heavy, large pan, heat the oil at medium-high. Add the potatoes, onion and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the bottom of the potatoes are turning golden brown. Add the leek, scallions, garlic, butter and remaining salt. Flip everything and then cook for another 10 minutes, or until the bottom potatoes are dark brown. Add the fish and cook for a few minutes more. Serve with a fried egg and enjoy!

Mes amis,

Today we celebrate the walnut! 14 Fructidor brings us Noix Day and we are making walnut brownies by adapting Rose Levy Beranbaum‘s delicious recipe for black and white pecan brownies from The Baking Bible.

In researching walnuts, I found that in China nearly symmetrical walnut shells are highly prized. There is a custom, dating back to 200 BCE where a person palms two walnut shells and moves them around in their hand, to promote circulation, seemingly like worry beads. Over time, the shells take on a polished and darker hue and a few years ago, walnut selling reached record highs in China. From the Reuters article:

“Walnut investments go up every year. A pair of walnuts at 350 yuan ($55) 10 years ago can sell for 3,500 yuan or even 20,000 or 30,000 yuan,” Hu said.

According to my Googling, that’s about $4,700. ALSO, walnut shells are used as canvasses for miniature carvings called “hediao.” The briefest of internet searches leads me to believe that “hediao” can be applied to any nut or fruit pit carving, but is mostly associated with walnuts. Check out these amazing carvings here and here.

UPDATED to bump up a truly wonderful comment:

So a little word lesson fun! 核桃 (he tao) means walnut in Chinese. “He” (核) means pit or stone. “Tao” (桃) means peach. Walnut means: stone peach. 核雕 (he diao) translates to pit or stone carving. And you are right! It can apply to any carving on a pit. 🙂

Walnut Brownies

1 cup of walnut halves

14 tbs of unsalted butter

3 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate

2/3 cups of unsweetened (alkalized) cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup cream cheese at room temperature

1/2 cup plus 2 tbs of all-purpose flour

pinch of salt

Set the oven to 325. Melt the butter and the chocolate either in a double-boiler, or in my  usual super cheat-y way: Melting the butter first in a pan, turning off the heat and adding the chocolate and stirring until the chocolate is melted. As in all of my Rose Levy Beranbaum recipes, many shortcuts were used.

In an electric mixer, beat the melted chocolate mixture with the cocoa powder and sugar. Then, beat in the eggs and vanilla until just incorporated. Add the cream cheese in chunks, then the flour and salt. Mix until the flour is just incorporated – less than 30 seconds. Sir in the walnuts with a spoon.

In a 8 x 8 square pan lined with parchment paper and sprayed with cooking spray, pour in the brownie batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes until a knife inserted one inch from the edge of the pan comes out clean. I continued with Rose’s black and white brownie recipe which called for a white chocolate butter cream and then a chocolate ganache. The brownies themselves are delicious on their own. Enjoy!

First, add the flour, salt, butter, eggs and 1/4 cup water into the bowl of an electric mixer and mix for about 5 minutes. Then, add the Parmesan, sun-dried tomato paste and fennel seed and mix until well-incorporated.

In between two sheets of parchment paper, roll out the dough until it is 1/4 inch thick. refrigerate for 30 minutes. When cool, preheat the oven to 350. Using a round cookie cutter, cut out the crackers from the chilled dough and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the crackers with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy!