French Classic

I made this heavenly dessert at my Sur La Table cooking class earlier this month and now I cannot stop thinking about it! It honestly is the best sweet I have ever made. My family can attest to that. I made it for Thanksgiving this year and all that was left in the pan were some crumbs that I took care of. 
I encourage you to test this out for yourself and master what Julia Childs calls a piece of history. 

The Way to Cook
by Julia Child, 1994, Alfred A. Knopf

“Tarte Tatin is the French name for this famous dessert invented years ago by
the Demoiselles Tatin, in their restaurant at Lamotte-Beuvron on the Loire River.
It is caramelized slices apples oven-baked in a skillet with the pastry on top; when done, it is turned upside-down so the crust is on the bottom and the apple slices – wonderfully brown, buttery, and glazed with caramel – remain in a design on top.
Historical Note. The following version is my fourth and, so far as I am concerned, definitive recipe for this wonderful tart. It can be tricky – the caramel juices can refuse to thicken, the apples can be either so loose the tart collapses when un- unmolded, or so stiff they stick to the pan, and so forth. But after numerous
trials with my colleagues Nancy Barr and Beth Gurney, I think we have
worked out the bugs.
As an example, Nancy and our television cooking team managed to present the making and serving of a tarte Tatin between 8:55 and 8:58:30 one day on “Good Morning America”. To show it all in our short amount of allotted time, we had prepared the tart in various stages – plenty of raw sliced apples at the ready, then caramel and butter cooking in one frying pan and apples going into it. Switch to ready-arranged apples in another frying pan, which had to be tipped to show the perfect thickness of the caramel syrup before the pastry went on top, and finally
the ready-baked tart to be unmolded successfully before the camera. In addition
and in case of disaster and retakes, there were three standbys – an apple-filled
frying pan and two ready-baked tarts – a real hassle to get all of that ready so
early in the morning. Whether many of our viewers were able to follow the final intricate proceedings, I don’t know – but we did it all in one take, in 3 1/2
minutes, and we felt triumphant."

I am using Julia's version instead of the recipe I received from Sur La Table. Both are pretty much the same. You might find somethings that work better for you that go against the recipe. I did at least on Thanksgiving, when I was pressed for time. Mine still turned out flawlessly and not one apple slice was left in that pan when I mastered that heart stopping flip that everyone dreads. Remain calm and act quick That's the best bit of advice I can give you. 

Let us stay true to Julia and rid all of fears when it comes to cooking! Challenge yourself and remember have fun! Bon appetite my friends!

La Tarte Tatin

For an 8-inch tart, serving 6

5 to 6 apples, Golden Delicious recommended –

the right apple is essential here…

The grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter,

cut into 1/2-inch pieces

8 ounces butter pastry dough

[about half of the recipe]

Optional accompaniment:

whipped cream, sour cream, or vanilla ice cream

Special Equipment Suggested: A heavy ovenproof frying pan,

such as cast-iron, 9 by 2 inches with fairly straight sides,or heavy no-stick aluminum; a bulb baster, a cover for the pan;a large enough flat-bottomed serving dish

Preparing the apples: Quarter, core, and peel the apples; cut the quarters in half lengthwise. Toss in a bowl with the lemon and 1/2 cup of sugar,and let steep 20 minutes so they will exude their juices. Drain them.

The caramel: Set the frying pan over moderately high heat with the butter, and when melted blend in the remaining [1 cup] sugar. Stir about with a wooden spoon for several minutes, until the syrup turns a bubbly caramel brown– it will smooth out later, when the apples juices dissolve the sugar.Arranging the apples in the pan. Remove from heat and arrange a layer of apple slices nicely in the bottom of the pan to make an attractive design [illustration in cookbook, essentially circling the apples slices around the circumference of the pan and then filling in the middle]. Arrange the rest of the apples on top,. close packed and only reasonably neat. Add enough so that they heap up 1 inch higher than the rim of the pan they sink down as they cook.

Preliminary stove-top cooking: 20 to 25 minutes. (Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F for the next step, placing the rack in the lower middle level.) Set the pan again over moderately high heat, pressing the apples down as

they soften, and drawing the accumulated juices up over them with the bulb baster- basting gives the whole apple mass a deliciously buttery caramel flavor. In several minutes, when the apples begin to soften, cover the pan and continue cooking 10 to 15 minutes, checking and basting frequently until the juices are thick and syrupy. Remove from heat, and let cool slightly while you roll out the dough.

The dough: Roll the chilled dough into a circle 3/16 inch thick and 1 inch larger than the top of your pan. Cut 4 steam holes, 1/4-inch size,1 1/2 inches from around the center of the dough. Working rapidly, fold the dough in half, then in quarters; center the point over the apples.Unfold the dough over the apples. Press the edges of the dough down between the apples and the inside of the pan [illustrated in cookbook].

Baking: about 20 minutes at 425 degrees F. Bake until the pastry has browned and crisped. Being careful of the red-hot pan handle,remove from the oven.

Verification: Tilt the pan, and if the juices are runny rather than a thick syrup, boil down rapidly on top on the stove, but be sure not to evaporate them completely or the apples will stick to the pan.

Serving. Still remembering that the pan is red-hot, turn the serving dish upside down over the apples and reverse the two to unmold the tart. If not quite neat in design – which does happen – rearrange slices as necessary. Serve hot, warm, or cold, with the optional cream or ice cream.

Variations: Substitute firm ripe unblemished pears for the apples –Bartletts, Comice, or Bosc.

My masterpiece from Thanksgiving

From my Sur La Table cooking class earlier this month. I mastered the flip.

Smile, you are beautiful

Seeing Yourself Through God's Eyes

God made you as you are.

Embrace His gift to you.

Accept the masterpiece

That He has given you.

He made you with His hands.

Try not to criticize.

For He makes no mistakes.

See yourself through His eyes.

You’re lovely and unique

Inside and outside, too.

As you accept yourself,

Your peace will show right through.

Replace your thoughts with His.

He’ll bless the one who tries.

He’ll honor your attempts.

See yourself through His eyes.

Holds freedom in His hands

He longs to grant to you;

Replace the bondage with

A peace and joy so true.

So focus on the truth

To put to death the lies.

Look to the Holy One.

See yourself through His eyes.

By Laurie Glass

In My Element

For the past few weeks I have been anticipating my very first professional cooking class through Sur La Table's culinary program. For years I have been involved in culinary classes throughout middle school and high school but never in a professional setting. This is one of my dreams that I can now cross off my list. 

The day had finally come. I was so antsy the night before that I spent an eternity just trying to pick out the perfect outfit. It's a must to look fabulous when you're cooking. Just look at the lovely Julia Child; She never was found in the kitchen without her precious pearls.

As I entered Sur La Table, I noticed I was the first student there. Perfect. I needed to make sure I had the best seat in the house. 

The kitchen was beautiful. The mise en place (ingredients) were all set up in stations and the butcher block top was impeccably clean. As I looked up above I noticed a mirror over the island to help the students study the chef's every move. One could only dream of being in a setting such as this everyday. The comforts of the kitchen left me feeling like I was at home.

Six-thirty came around and the other students started to arrive. There were four total in the class; One married couple and another gal and I. Chef Ben split us into two groups and went over all of the dishes that we were going to whip up for the evening. First on the agenda was of course my favorite meal, dessert. The apple tart tatin. This classic caramel apple dessert is said to have originated at the Hotel Tatin in central France. Legend has it that the dessert was created by accident when the filling for an apple pie was allowed to cook and turn caramel brown. I knew this was going to be my new favorite dessert. Combine caramel and apples and you have won my heart over. 

Apple Tart Tatin


While our tarts were in the oven, we started prepping the pan seared chicken breast with orange tarragon butter. Now I'm going to be honest. I get a little nervous when I am cooking any type of protein, whether it's chicken, pork, steak, etc. I am always afraid I am going to have an incident like in Christmas vacation where they cut the bird and a poof of smoke comes out, leaving something that looks like it should have belonged in the movie ALIEN. I was determined to perfect this chicken breast. I was not going to end up with a dry chunk of cardboard...not on my watch! 

Griswold Christmas dinner scene. CLASSIC.

What you don't want. The Grizwold turkey.

First thing I learned was that when cooking with proteins, always oil the meat first, not the pan. This creates that delectable crispy skin that we love so much. We seared the meat until we achieved that nice golden brown color, but still leaving the inside a little raw. For the perfect juicy breast you want your temperature to reach 150 degrees and then after 10 minutes resting, a final temp of 155. Do not, I repeat, do not cut that breast until it has rested! You will lose all those yummy juices. While the chicken finished cooking in the oven, we prepared the sauce. Nothing better than pairing the bright floral flavors of orange and tarragon with creamy butter. 

Pan Seared Chicken Breast with Orange Tarragon Butter

Next up was the side dish of butternut squash with shallots and sage. So simple and within 10-15 minutes you have a dish that tastes like it's been slow cooking all day. Perfect for those hectic weeknights or alongside your Thanksgiving turkey. The slow cooking allows for the natural sugars with the vegetable to caramelize, creating that candy like sweetness. 

As we were waiting on the rest of the dishes to finish cooking we started on our last dish of the evening. The steamed clams with chorizo sausage and fennel. Now fennel is one of those veggies that I have always been a little hesitant about cooking with. I never know what to pair it with or  how long to cook it for, but this dish changed all that and helped me appreciate the delicate flavors. The clams make for a wonderful warm and comforting meal. Just serve with rustic loaves to absorb all of the wonderful flavors of the broth. 

Clams with Sausage and Fennel

After two hours of cooking the time finally came to taste all of our delicious creations. I cannot even describe the feeling of eating something that you have put so much heart and soul into. It makes the dish taste that much better. Each one of these creations that we made that night, was one of a kind. The flavors were incredible and unlike anything I had had before. 

My full plate. And yes I did have two slice of the tart.
I could not reist. 

French cooking is absolutely beautiful. You are taking simple ingredients and enhancing their flavors. Do not let the skill sets of professional chefs intimidate you. Takes these words to heart from the famous Julia,“This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!” 

And I did exactly that. I took advantage of every opportunity that came my way in the class. Not only did I master the art of flipping the frying pan and creating the best darn apple tart tatin you have ever seen, but the chef even compared my cooking style to the famous Julia Child. BEST COMPLIMENT EVER. I was fearless with flipping that tarte! I guess the fact that I love taking risks in the kitchen makes for an excellent chef in the making. Who knew. 

That night one of my dreams came true. I was the star pupil in a professional cooking class.I am so incredibly blessed that I was given this opportunity and now I can check one more thing off my list. Thank you Jesus! 

Can't wait for next month's class, Cooking with Julia! Stay tuned. 

In my element.

Never give up on yourself

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground." Ephesians 6:13

Today marks two weeks since my last dietician appointment. It was really difficult at first to get into the swing of my new meal plan but as the days went by it became less stressful and seemed pretty normal. I abided by her recommendations and didn't fight the list at all.

This morning I boarded the max to visit Valerie for my second time. This visit was a little bit different because nerves took over. I felt sick to my stomach and was scared to see what these past 2 weeks have done to me. That scale scared the crap out of me. I still refuse to see the number and I don't think I will ever want to see it again. Why do we let that number dictate who we are?

She asked me how I handled these past 2 weeks and I told her everything from waking up with night sweats to having a breakdown over the amount of carbs I ate one day. She reassured me that night sweats were a sign that my metabolism was boosting into gear. Great news.

"The fact that you are already having those symptoms Shannon is great!" Positive feedback...wonderful...just what I needed to hear.

It then came that time, which I dread...time to check my weight. Once I stepped up, she paused and said, "Oh dear.""What does that mean?!" "It means that instead of gaining weight you lost 1 1/2 pounds." Huh...usually I would be jumping for joy over this news, but now I just wanted to cry. After all my hard work these past 14 days, and I have to hear that I' m going the opposite direction of where I should be heading. She had suspected that this would be the case, just with everything going in my life right now.

"Well Shannon, do not get discouraged! This just means we have to work a litte bit harder."
She continually gives me hope and reminds me that everything we are doing to my body is a science and has to be perfected. It's about finding that right balance that works for us.

If anything, this news has made me want to fight and destroy this disease even more!!! It will not defeat me. With God by my side I know I can get through this.

I have my new notes to go off of, we're mixing things up a bit, and adding more of the healthy fats to lunch and dinner. I'm really excited to try new meals and experiment with these new ingredients. Eating the same thing day in and day out gets old after while. It still amazes me that I was able to stomach eating Special K Cereal, every meal for over a year. It absolutely breaks my heart that I let it get to that point.

But now I am on to new and better things! Once again it all comes down to hope. Without hope in God, hope does not exist. God has blessed me with a wonderful dietician who supports me and gives me the encouragement that I need. I pray that God holds my hand these next two weeks. Out with the old me and in with the new!

Lord, cover me with peace, truth, faith, and salvation so I can stand firm in the battle.