Fig Tart made with Homemade Fig Jam

Blend 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp. salt in a separate medium bowl. In another blend one egg yolk with 3 T. half-and-half (or milk and heavy cream) and 1 tsp.of vanilla or black walnut extract. Finely chop 1/2 c. walnuts. Blend these with the dry ingredients. You will need at least a cup of your homemade fig jam. Slice 10 moist dried figs. Chop 1/2 cup walnuts.

Getting the Crust ready: Keep one cup of unsalted butter that is cut into small squares in the frig or freezer until you are ready to blend all of the above in a bowl.

With a pastry cutter, blend the dry crust ingredients in a large bowl and cut in the cold butter. Make a well in the crust mixture and add the egg/cream. Mix well, continuing to use the pastry cutter. Break up large clumps with your fingers.

Getting the Crust ready: Keep one cup of unsalted butter that is cut into small squares in the frig or freezer until you are ready to blend all of the above in a bowl.

You will need at least a cup of your homemade fig jam. Slice 10 moist dried figs. Chop 1/2 cup walnuts.

With a pastry cutter, blend the dry crust ingredients in a large bowl and cut in the cold butter. Make a well in the crust mixture and add the egg/cream. Mix well, continuing to use the pastry cutter. Break up large clumps with your fingers. 

Press the dough firmly into a large fluted quiche pan with a removable bottom, lined or unlined with parchment. Place the pan in the freezer for 15 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove from the freezer the chilled crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.

Cover the tart crust with a 1/2 inch layer of your homemade fig jam and sliced figs and 1/2 cup walnuts.

Bake for 35-40 minutes in the 350 degree oven. Cool before cutting.

Asparagus Soup

This is a delicate and pale soup and it is delicious. Serve it with blanched tips of the asparagus, and with a swirl of cream, creme fraish and fesh tarragon leaves.

2 pounds of fresh asparagus

3 T butter

1-1/2 cup thinly sliced leeks

3 T. flour or Wondra

4-6 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup light cream

1 T chopped fresh tarragon leaves plus more for garnish

salt and pepper

Cut the tops of the asparagus 2-1/2 inches off the asparagus spears and blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes. They must stay freshly green. Drain them and slice them into 2-4 pieces. Set them aside.

Trim the woody ends of the stalks. Chop the stalks into 1 inch pieces. 

Heat the butter in a Dutch oven. Add the leeks and cook over low heat for 5-8 minutes. Stir in the chopped asparagus stalks, cover and cook for 6-8 minutes longer. 

Add the flour and still well into the vegetables to blend and cook all 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the stock. Bring to a boil and stir until lowering the heat and simmering for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 

Cool and puree the food. Stir in the cream and tarragon leaves. 

Serve hot and garnished. 

Note: I got this from The Soup Bible edited by Debra Mayhew. It was suggested to serve cold but it was delicious hot.

Fig Jam from Dried Figs

 

Ingredients:

28 ounces dried figs covered with 4 cups water

½ cup fresh lemon juice
3 cups granulated sugar
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Add the figs to a Dutch oven or large saucepan. Add water and bring to boil. Remove from heat, cover and let stand until figs are plumped. Using a slotted spoon, remove figs and reserve liquid.  When the figs have cooled enough to handle remove and discard their stems with kitchen scissors or a sharp knife.  Chop the figs and set aside.
Add the lemon juice, sugar and reserved liquid to the Dutch oven and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until slightly thickened. Add the chopped figs and pinch of salt, bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Ladle hot fig mixture into jars. If you are canning them, see Savor the Best dot com for her suggestion.  I will be using the fig jam and giving it away with the instruction to refrigerate and use within 3 months. 
Yields: About 6 cups.

Butter Chicken in the Instant Pot

Butter Chicken or Murgh Makhani is one of the easiest Indian recipes, especially if you use the IP. It's quick and delicious and you can make it for a crowd.

I have found that many Indian cookbooks are easy on the spice, compared to the Indian restaurant cooking. I would double up the spices when cooking after you've made it at least once, or you've become familiar with the cookbook. This one I used is in the Indian Instant Pot Cookbook by Urvashi Pitre.

Serve it over basmati rice cooked with a few star anise pods and with sides of thinly-sliced cucumbers sprinkled with rice vinegar, cilantro and salt and some fresh naan.

1. 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes (not drained)
2. 5-6 garlic cloves, minced
3. 1 T. minced ginger
4. 1 tsp ground turmeric
5. 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
6. 1 tsp ground paprika
7. 2 tsp Garam Masala, divided
8. 1 tsp ground cumin
9. 1 tsp salt
10. 1 pound skinless and boneless chicken thighs or breasts
11. 4 oz butter, cut into cubes or 1/2 coconut oil
12. 1/2 c heavy whipping cream or full-fat coconut milk
13. 1/4-1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Remember, you might want to double the spices.

This recipe calls for you to make the sauce, cook the chicken and then save some sauce for later. I think that's great if you are using only a pound of chicken. I cooked two pounds of chicken thighs (about 12-14) and used 2 cups of basmati cooked in 3-1/2 cups water. There was still sauce left over but it's nice to have to sop up with the naan.

Place the first 9 ingredients (half the Garam Masala) into the instant pot. Mix and then place the chicken on top. Lock the lid in place (pressure not venting!) and pressure cook for 10 minutes.  Those of you who pressure cook know that it will take time to come up to seal and pressure. After pressure cooking, let the pressure release naturally, this might take 10 more minutes. So the complete cook is about 1/2 hour.

On a platter or in a dish with rounded or square sides, place the pieces of chicken on top of the cooked rice. Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce in the pot until it is smooth. Add the butter, the rest of the Garam Masala and cilantro. Cook for a few minutes on the saute setting in the IP. The sauce should be saucy, not watery. I actually added a few T of Wondra flour and cooked it until the sauce was thicker.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and rice and sprinkle with extra cilantro.

Yum!