From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...These light and tender morsels are in danger of extinction. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to help keep this recipe relevant and make sure that these silky, egg rich pastries remain on our tables for years to come. Please understand, I have nothing against salsa or chips and dips and pesto. I've been known to down a beer or two and confess that beer nuts are not safe in my presence. There are, however, times when I want something a bit more classic, something with culinary chops and a history that commends its presence on my table. The French gougères has much to recommend it. These savory cheese puffs are made with the same pate a choux dough that is used to prepare cream puffs and eclairs, but the addition of cheese or other savories make them a wonderful appetizer or hors d'oeuvres to serve with wine or champagne. They are very easy to make and I also  serve them with more pedestrian meals of soup or stew. I must warn you that they are additive and the puffs should come with a "once bitten" warning attached to them. I've just finished making a gazillion of these to share with friends tomorrow. I know they will love them and I suspect you will too. These are best served directly from the oven, but I understand that that is not always possible, so I have a few tips to share with you. The dough can be refrigerated for a day before it is formed and baked. Once baked, the puffs can be frozen until needed. Frozen puffs should be thawed and reheated in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes before serving. If you plan to bake them ahead of time, make a slit in the bottom of each puff and turn them upside down to let moisture escape.  I make it a point to reheat the gougères before serving them. Five minutes in a 350 degree oven does the trick. While I prefer to use Gruyere cheese, cheddar or blue cheese can be substituted and, if you wish, a filling can be piped into the puffs. I bake my trays of gougère on the lowest rack of the oven and I only bake one tray at a time. It may be my imagination, but I think the puffs get better lift that way. I really hope you will give this recipe a try. I like to share my addictions with others. Here's how these simple cheese puffs are made.

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Monkey bread was popularized in the 1950's by James Beard. The first versions of this pull-apart bread were sweet affairs designed for breakfast or brunch. Given the nature of the bread, it was only a matter of time before aspiring chef's came up with a savory counterpart. While they never enjoyed the same popularity as their sweet cousins, they were the rage for a while and could routinely be found at cocktail and buffet parties. I hadn't made either bread for years, but I was up to my elbows in bread dough this weekend and decided to use some of it to make a savory bread for a soup and salad supper I had planned. It helped make the meal more special than it actually was. If you have time, and are looking for something to perk up a plain meal, you might want to give this a try. I made my bread dough, but a frozen commercial product would work nearly as well. I'm less enthusiastic about the use of tube biscuits that some folks use to make the bread. While, I've fashioned a recipe of sorts, it really reflects my flavor preferences.I hope you'll make the recipe your own by using the herbs and spices you most enjoy. I like to serve this bread warm from the oven. If you make the bread ahead of time, I suggest heating it before it's served. It is soft and lovely when its warm, but it can taste a lot like cold pizza if it sits around too long. The experts have myriad theories as to how the bread got its name. If you're curious you can find the information here. The recipe I used appears below.

Savory Monkey Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1-1/4 cups fat-free milk
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
1 egg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon each dried thyme, and rosemary, crushed

Directions:
1) Combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a large bowl.
2) Heat milk, oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan until it reaches a temperature of to 120 to 130 degrees F.
3) Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, beating just until moistened. Add egg and beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
4) Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning once to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
5) Combine cheese, sesame seeds, garlic salt, paprika and herbs in a small bowl. Punch dough down. Divide into 32 pieces; roll each into a ball.
6) Drizzle 2 teaspoons butter into a 10-inch tube pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with one third of cheese mixture. Top with 16 balls. Repeat layers. Drizzle with remaining butter and sprinkle with remaining cheese mixture. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
7) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Yield: 1 loaf (32 pieces).







One Year Ago Today: Sweet Raspberry Tea



















Two Years Ago Today: Uptown Hoe Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce









You might also enjoy these recipes:
Parmesan Garlic Bubble Buns - All Day I Dream About Food
Garlic Pull-Apart Rolls - Around My Family Table
Sugar and Spice Monkey Bread - girlichef
Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread - Confections of a Foodie Bride
Overnight Monkey Bread - Barbara Bakes

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...You know there's too much on your plate when green tomatoes, meant for relish, turn bright red on the pantry shelf while waiting to be used. While there'll be no chow-chow this year, there is an upside to all of this. Those no longer green tomatoes will give me an opportunity to share an old recipe with you. It was developed by Patricia Wells and while it's called a clafoutis, I honestly think it's texture is more like that of a frittata. I'll leave final judgment to those of you who experiment with the recipe. Whatever you chose to call it, rest assured that it's a nice entree for lunch or a light supper. The dish is far more attractive when it's made with uniformly sized Roma tomatoes. Unfortunately, I had to use those pesky no longer green tomatoes to make mine. This is more time consuming than most custard dishes. The tomatoes must be skinned before they are cored and seeded. They are then cut, salted and left to drain on paper toweling for at least 30 minutes to rid them of moisture. Too much juice can spoil the custard, so don't rush this step. I actually let mine drain for about 1 hour before proceeding with the recipe. Once the tomatoes are done, the remainder of the recipe is child's play. I hope you'll give it a try. Here's how it's made.

Tomato Clafoutis...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Patricia Wells

Ingredients:
2 pounds Roma tomatoes, peeled, cored, quartered, seeded and juiced
Salt
2 whole eggs + 2 additional egg yolks
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons fresh thyme

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 10-inch round baking dish. Set aside.
2) Salt tomatoes and drain on several thicknesses of paper toweling for 30 to 60 minutes.
3) Place eggs, cream, half of Parmesan cheese and half of thyme in in a small bowl. Whisk to
combine. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
4) Layer tomatoes on bottom of baking dish. Pour batter over tomatoes. Sprinkle with remainder of cheese and thyme.
5) Bake until batter is set, about 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Tomato, Zucchini and Goat Cheese Clafoutis - What's for Lunch Honey
Eggplant Clafoutis - Eating Club Vancouver
Rose Murray's Roasted Tomato Clafoutis - More Than Burnt Toast
Bistro Artichoke Clafoutis - Sippity Sup
Romanesco Claufoutis with Soy Ricotta - Vegalicious
David Boulud's Asparagus Clafoutis - La Belle Cuisine

I had no intent to bamboozle my reluctant vegetarian. He becomes suspicious when I do strange things, so it's always best to warn him. I put the flan on the table. He studied it, rotating his plate from one angle to another to get the best possible view. "It's pretty," says he, "but it sure is red! What's in it?" "Red lentils and bell peppers, nothing exotic," say I. He has a bite. "What's really in it?" We parried a bit longer, but in the end I'm happy to report he ate a hearty portion and actually enjoyed it. I'm not always so lucky with meatless meals. This is a great entree and if you're looking to replace some animal protein with greener alternatives I heartily recommend this vegan flan. You won't be sorry. It's quick and easy to prepare. The recipe was developed in Australia, so there is one ingredient that may confound you. The ingredient list calls for yeast extract. You'll be able to find it in most large grocery stores and health food shops where it's sold as Vegemite or Marmite. There is also a new vegetarian version of Bovril which can be used and may be easier to find. If you're going to go all out, vegan margarine can be found in the dairy case of major grocery chains. Let's start with the pie dough.

Vegan Red Lentil and Pepper Flan

Ingredients:
1-3/4 cups all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon vegan margarine, divided use
4 tablespoons ice water
3/4 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained
1-1/4 cups canned vegetable stock
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 large red bell peppers, stemmed, seed and cut in 1/4-inch dice
1 teaspoon yeast extract
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Pepper

Directions:
1) About an hour before serving, place flour in a medium bowl. Cut 1/3-cup margarine into small pieces and add to flour. Using fingertips, rub margarine into flour until it resembles cornmeal or fine breadcrumbs. Stir in water and bring together to form a dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
2) While the dough chills, place lentils in a small saucepan, cover with vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat: simmer for 10 minutes, or until lentils are soft and can be mashed to a puree. I didn't mash my lentils.
3) Melt remaining 1 tablespoon margarine in a medium frying pan. Add onions and red pepper and saute until just soft, about 6 minutes. Add lentils, yeast extract, tomato paste and parsley. Season to taste with pepper. Gently mix until combined. Set aside.
4) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Remove dough from refrigerator. Roll out on a lightly board. Line a 9-inch loose-bottom tart pan with dough. Prick bottom of pastry with a fork. Spoon lentil mixture into pastry. Bake for 30 minutes, or until filling is very firm. Yield: 6 servings.

I've made this tart for close to for 50 years and while I've tried others - including my beloved Julia's quiche Lorraine - this one always calls me home. It's simple to make and as close to fool-proof as a custard can be. The original recipe, which first appeared in Better Homes and Gardens magazine, appealed to me because it used a crumb crust. At some point I substituted a buttery pie crust for the crumbs and that added another dimension to an already delicious entree. We like this so well that I've developed another version of the pie that uses smoked salmon instead of bacon and over the years I've experimented with various types of cheese, including some combinations that make a lovely Southwestern-style tart. This makes a great entree for lunch or a light supper. It can also be cut into squares and served with cocktails. I hope you'll try this.

Swiss Onion Tart

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 pie crust
......or........
1 cup finely crushed cracker crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter
Filling:
6 slices smoked bacon
----------or----------
4 ounces smoked salmon
3 tablespoons canola oil (optional)
1-1/2 cups chopped onion
2 cups (8-oz.) Gruyere cheese, shredded
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 dairy sour cream
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 cup (4-oz.) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. If using crumbs combine with butter and pat into a 9-inch pie plate. If using a pie crust fit into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Set aside.
2) If using bacon, fry in a medium saute pan until crisp. Transfer to paper toweling and crumble. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons bacon drippings. If using salmon, shred and set aside.
3) Saute onions in reserved bacon drippings or 3 tablespoons canola oil until limp and caramelized. Cool slightly.
4) Place Gruyere cheese, sour cream, eggs, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add bacon or salmon and onions. Mix well. Pour into shell. Sprinkle top with cheddar cheese.
5) Bake in lower third of oven for 30 minutes, or until knife inserted into center of custard comes out clean. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes. If using a tart pan carefully remove sides prior to serving. Yield: 6 servings.