Culinary Tidbits---Jalousie
Yes, I know it has been over a week or so since the last edition of the Culinary Tidbits but I have been busy with the new job and all. Hopefully I'll be doing this on a daily basis...
Here goes... since each definition sometimes leads to other terms that may need defining, this entry makes use of the cut tag for those of you who choose not to delve so deeply into the lingo.
Today's Culinary Lingo
jalousie
[JAL-uh-see; ZHAH-loo-zee; zhah-loo-ZEE]
A small cake made with flaky pastry, filled with a layer of ALMOND PASTE topped with jam. A latticed pastry topping allows the colorful jam filling to peek through.
almond paste
Used in a variety of confections, almond paste is made of blanched ground almonds, sugar and GLYCERIN or another liquid. ALMOND EXTRACT is sometimes added to intensify the flavor. Almond paste is less sweet and slightly coarser than MARZIPAN. It should be firm but pliable before use in a recipe. If it becomes hard, it can be softened by heating for 2 or 3 seconds in a microwave oven. Once opened, it should be wrapped tightly and refrigerated. Almond paste is available in most supermarkets in 6- to 8-ounce cans and packages. Bitter-almond paste is used to flavor the famous AMARETTI cookies.
glycerin; glycerine
[GLIH-ser-ihn]
The commercial name for glycerol , a colorless, odorless, syrupy liquid - chemically, an alcohol - obtained from fats and oils and used to retain moisture and add sweetness to foods. It also helps prevent sugar crystallization in foods like candy. Outside the world of food, glycerin is used in cosmetics, inks and certain glues.
almond extract
A flavoring produced by combining bitter-almond oil with ethyl alcohol. The flavor is very intense, so the extract should be used with care.
marzipan
[MAHR-zih-pan]
A sweet, pliable mixture of ALMOND PASTE, sugar and sometimes unbeaten egg whites. It's often tinted with food coloring and molded into a variety of forms including fruits, animals and holiday shapes. Some fancy commercial marzipan fruit is colored so convincingly that it can almost be mistaken for the real thing. Marzipan is also rolled into thin sheets and used either to cover cakes or to cut into strips to form ribbons, bows and a variety of other shapes. Marzipan is available in most supermarkets, packaged in cans or plastic-wrapped logs.
amaretti
[am-ah-REHT-tee]
Intensely crisp, airy MACAROON cookies that are made either with bitter-ALMOND PASTE or its flavor counterpart, apricot-kernel paste. In the United States, pairs of paper-wrapped Amaretti di Saronno (made with apricot-kernel paste) are sold under the label of Lazzaroni. Amarettini are miniature cookies with the same flavor.
macaroon
[mak-uh-ROON]
A small cookie classically made of almond paste or ground almonds (or both) mixed with sugar and egg whites. Almond macaroons can be chewy, crunchy or a combined texture with the outside crisp and the inside chewy. There is also a coconut macaroon, which substitutes coconut for the almonds. Macaroons can be flavored with various ingredients such as chocolate, maraschino cherries or orange peel.
All of the above are © Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.
Today's Recipe
RHUBARB-RASPBERRY JALOUSIE
This modern take on a classic French dessert saves time by using frozen puff pastry.
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
4 cups 1/2-inch-thick slices fresh rhubarb (from about 2 pounds)
1 cup raspberry preserves with seeds
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed
1 large egg, beaten to blend (for glaze)
Vanilla ice cream
Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add rhubarb. Cover and simmer until rhubarb is tender and falling apart, about 10 minutes. Add preserves and 1/4 cup sugar. Cook uncovered until very thick and reduced to 2 cups, stirring frequently, about 35 minutes. Refrigerate filling uncovered until cold, at least 1 hour. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out pastry on lightly floured surface to 16x12-inch rectangle. Cut pastry in half lengthwise, forming two 16x6-inch rectangles. Place 1 rectangle on prepared baking sheet. Leaving 1-inch plain border, spoon filling onto pastry. Brush border with glaze. Top with second rectangle; press edges firmly to seal. Brush edges with glaze. Fold edges over, forming 1/2-inch border. Press border with tines of fork to seal. Brush top of pastry with glaze; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Using sharp knife, cut 1 1/2-inch crosswise slits down center of pastry at 2-inch intervals, exposing filling.
Bake pastry until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool pastry on sheet to lukewarm, about 45 minutes. Cut crosswise into 6 pieces. Serve with ice cream.
Makes 6 servings.
NOTE: You may substitute apples for the rhubarb if rhubarb is not in season or you don't like it. You may also substitute a different type of fruit preserves if you wish. Strawberry would work nicely with the flavor of the rhubarb.
© Copyright Bon Appétit--April 2001
Today's Etiquette Guide--Pastries
Usually, a fruit tart is eaten with a fork. But if you are offered one along with both a fork and a dessert spoon, secure the tart with the fork and cut with the spoon; then eat it with the spoon.
Pie is eaten with a fork - unless it's served à la mode, in which case both a fork and spoon are used.
If you are offered a creamy pastry, such as a napoleon or cream puff, it's advisable to use a fork rather than your hand, in order to keep the good stuff from oozing out the other end.
Today's Culinary Tip
Before rolling puff pastry, quick-chill your rolling surface with self-sealing bags full of ice.
Madeleine Kamman, adapted from the TV series "Madeleine Cooks," Maryland Public Television (as published in 1,001 Secrets of Great Cooks, by Jean Anderson; The Berkley Publishing Group: 1995).
Here goes... since each definition sometimes leads to other terms that may need defining, this entry makes use of the cut tag for those of you who choose not to delve so deeply into the lingo.
Today's Culinary Lingo
jalousie
[JAL-uh-see; ZHAH-loo-zee; zhah-loo-ZEE]
A small cake made with flaky pastry, filled with a layer of ALMOND PASTE topped with jam. A latticed pastry topping allows the colorful jam filling to peek through.
almond paste
Used in a variety of confections, almond paste is made of blanched ground almonds, sugar and GLYCERIN or another liquid. ALMOND EXTRACT is sometimes added to intensify the flavor. Almond paste is less sweet and slightly coarser than MARZIPAN. It should be firm but pliable before use in a recipe. If it becomes hard, it can be softened by heating for 2 or 3 seconds in a microwave oven. Once opened, it should be wrapped tightly and refrigerated. Almond paste is available in most supermarkets in 6- to 8-ounce cans and packages. Bitter-almond paste is used to flavor the famous AMARETTI cookies.
glycerin; glycerine
[GLIH-ser-ihn]
The commercial name for glycerol , a colorless, odorless, syrupy liquid - chemically, an alcohol - obtained from fats and oils and used to retain moisture and add sweetness to foods. It also helps prevent sugar crystallization in foods like candy. Outside the world of food, glycerin is used in cosmetics, inks and certain glues.
almond extract
A flavoring produced by combining bitter-almond oil with ethyl alcohol. The flavor is very intense, so the extract should be used with care.
marzipan
[MAHR-zih-pan]
A sweet, pliable mixture of ALMOND PASTE, sugar and sometimes unbeaten egg whites. It's often tinted with food coloring and molded into a variety of forms including fruits, animals and holiday shapes. Some fancy commercial marzipan fruit is colored so convincingly that it can almost be mistaken for the real thing. Marzipan is also rolled into thin sheets and used either to cover cakes or to cut into strips to form ribbons, bows and a variety of other shapes. Marzipan is available in most supermarkets, packaged in cans or plastic-wrapped logs.
amaretti
[am-ah-REHT-tee]
Intensely crisp, airy MACAROON cookies that are made either with bitter-ALMOND PASTE or its flavor counterpart, apricot-kernel paste. In the United States, pairs of paper-wrapped Amaretti di Saronno (made with apricot-kernel paste) are sold under the label of Lazzaroni. Amarettini are miniature cookies with the same flavor.
macaroon
[mak-uh-ROON]
A small cookie classically made of almond paste or ground almonds (or both) mixed with sugar and egg whites. Almond macaroons can be chewy, crunchy or a combined texture with the outside crisp and the inside chewy. There is also a coconut macaroon, which substitutes coconut for the almonds. Macaroons can be flavored with various ingredients such as chocolate, maraschino cherries or orange peel.
All of the above are © Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.
Today's Recipe
RHUBARB-RASPBERRY JALOUSIE
This modern take on a classic French dessert saves time by using frozen puff pastry.
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
4 cups 1/2-inch-thick slices fresh rhubarb (from about 2 pounds)
1 cup raspberry preserves with seeds
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed
1 large egg, beaten to blend (for glaze)
Vanilla ice cream
Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add rhubarb. Cover and simmer until rhubarb is tender and falling apart, about 10 minutes. Add preserves and 1/4 cup sugar. Cook uncovered until very thick and reduced to 2 cups, stirring frequently, about 35 minutes. Refrigerate filling uncovered until cold, at least 1 hour. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out pastry on lightly floured surface to 16x12-inch rectangle. Cut pastry in half lengthwise, forming two 16x6-inch rectangles. Place 1 rectangle on prepared baking sheet. Leaving 1-inch plain border, spoon filling onto pastry. Brush border with glaze. Top with second rectangle; press edges firmly to seal. Brush edges with glaze. Fold edges over, forming 1/2-inch border. Press border with tines of fork to seal. Brush top of pastry with glaze; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Using sharp knife, cut 1 1/2-inch crosswise slits down center of pastry at 2-inch intervals, exposing filling.
Bake pastry until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool pastry on sheet to lukewarm, about 45 minutes. Cut crosswise into 6 pieces. Serve with ice cream.
Makes 6 servings.
NOTE: You may substitute apples for the rhubarb if rhubarb is not in season or you don't like it. You may also substitute a different type of fruit preserves if you wish. Strawberry would work nicely with the flavor of the rhubarb.
© Copyright Bon Appétit--April 2001
Today's Etiquette Guide--Pastries
Usually, a fruit tart is eaten with a fork. But if you are offered one along with both a fork and a dessert spoon, secure the tart with the fork and cut with the spoon; then eat it with the spoon.
Pie is eaten with a fork - unless it's served à la mode, in which case both a fork and spoon are used.
If you are offered a creamy pastry, such as a napoleon or cream puff, it's advisable to use a fork rather than your hand, in order to keep the good stuff from oozing out the other end.
Today's Culinary Tip
Before rolling puff pastry, quick-chill your rolling surface with self-sealing bags full of ice.
Madeleine Kamman, adapted from the TV series "Madeleine Cooks," Maryland Public Television (as published in 1,001 Secrets of Great Cooks, by Jean Anderson; The Berkley Publishing Group: 1995).