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Paul Brent, a seasoned and well-respected reporter in the Ottawa area, called me on Wednesday to see if I would like to be interviewed for a segment about blogging, cookbooks and Julie and Julia. The next day, he came to my home to film me making a recipe, as well as discuss my role as a food blogger in this new era of blogging and books. One of the questions Paul was exploring is this: Will blogging force cookbooks into extinction when you can click and cook from a laptop?
The food blogging world brings new stories and visuals to classic and well-loved cookbooks. Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I
is complete with directions, techniques, instruction, and information, but it doesn't have any pictures. Now, through food blogs, there are hundreds of photographs and stories from kitchens around the world that work as a companion to this hefty volume. The online food world is another resource for becoming a better cook. Television didn't replace books and neither will blogs.
What's your opinion?
Recipe: Charlotte aux Pommes, Crème Anglaise au Rhum (Apple Charlotte with Rum-Flavored Crème Anglaise)
adapted from Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link)Serves: 6
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Ingredients:
For the Apple Compote:
3 pounds Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and diced
¼ cup water
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter
¼ cup apricot jam (I used cinnamon crabapple jelly.)
2 tablespoons dark rum (I used white rum.)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
9-10 slices firm white bread
½-¾ cup clarified butter (I used regular butter.)
For the Crème Anglaise:
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum (I used white rum.)
Prepare the apple compote: Combine the apples and the water in a saucepan. Cover and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes. Stir the apples occasionally with a wooden spoon to keep them from sticking to the pan. Add the sugar, butter, jam, rum, and vanilla. Raise the heat to medium and continue cooking, uncovered, until all the moisture has evaporated, about 20 minutes.
Remove the crusts from the bread and trim the bread into 4-inch squares. Brush the pieces of bread on both sides with the butter and press into a tart pan (or square tart pan). Fill the bread shells with the apple compote.
Bake the charlotte 15 minutes, then cover with parchment paper or foil to keep the exposed ends of bread from burning. Continue baking until the bread is golden, about 20 minutes longer. Serve with crème anglaise.
For the crème anglaise: Heat milk and vanilla extract in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a boil. Remove immediately from the heat and let steep for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk the yolks and sugar until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is a pale yellow color, about 2 minutes. Continue whisking and slowly drizzle in a bit of the hot milk mixture to temper, or warm, the eggs so they won't curdle. Keep whisking and slowly pour in the remaining milk mixture.
Return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard coats the back of a spoon. Do not boil since it will curdle if boiled. (If it does curdle, either strain or blend in a blender, adding cream if necessary. Or, start over.)
Remove the crème anglaise from the heat and strain it into a bowl. Let it cool in a bowl set of an ice water bath to stop the cooking, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. It keeps for a couple of days.
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F.Remove the crusts from the bread and trim the bread into 4-inch squares. Brush the pieces of bread on both sides with the butter and press into a tart pan (or square tart pan). Fill the bread shells with the apple compote.
Bake the charlotte 15 minutes, then cover with parchment paper or foil to keep the exposed ends of bread from burning. Continue baking until the bread is golden, about 20 minutes longer. Serve with crème anglaise.
For the crème anglaise: Heat milk and vanilla extract in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a boil. Remove immediately from the heat and let steep for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk the yolks and sugar until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is a pale yellow color, about 2 minutes. Continue whisking and slowly drizzle in a bit of the hot milk mixture to temper, or warm, the eggs so they won't curdle. Keep whisking and slowly pour in the remaining milk mixture.
Return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard coats the back of a spoon. Do not boil since it will curdle if boiled. (If it does curdle, either strain or blend in a blender, adding cream if necessary. Or, start over.)
Remove the crème anglaise from the heat and strain it into a bowl. Let it cool in a bowl set of an ice water bath to stop the cooking, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. It keeps for a couple of days.
More to Explore:
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To see how the rest of the Whisk Wednesdays group fared with their recipe, click .jpg)
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roasting means food that's cooked with high heat and some fat (either from the meat or added to the pot). If the heat isn't hot enough, the food steams in its own juices.
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