Basic Techniques

*** PRESERVED LEMONS ***

Ingredients:

8 lemons

5 tablespoons kosher salt

Lemon juice

Submerge the lemons in boiling water for 1 minute. Cut 4 of them into quarters but leave them attached by 1/2" at the stem end. Spread open the quarters and sprinkle on 1 tablespoon of salt.

Place remaining tablespoon of salt in the bottom of a glass jar. Pack all the lemons in tightly and cover with freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Store at room temperature for 30 days to ripen. Preserved lemons will keep up to 1 year, refrigerated, if lemons are covered with juice.

*** QUICK PRESERVED LEMONS ***

Ingredients:

Whole fresh lemons, organic preferred

Water

Kosher salt

Scrub and rinse the lemons. Use a razor blade to make 8 vertical cuts around each lemon. Place the lemons in a saucepan just big enough to hold them in a single layer. Measure the water you add to just cover them and add 1/2 cup salt for every 3 cups of water.

Simmer the lemons, lightly weighted to keep them submerged until the skins of the lemons are soft. Remove the lemons to a storage jar. When the liquid has cooled, pour on enough to cover the lemons.

Lemons will be ready to use in 5 days. Refrigerate between uses.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup whipping cream 

Combine sugar and water in a heavy saucepan. Heat the pan slowly, swirling the pan to dissolve the granules as the sugar becomes a liquid.  Do not stir with a spoon,  Cook the syrup covered for one minute; uncover and continue until it begins to darken.

Take the pan off the heat when it is a light tan color.  Stir in the butter and slowly add the cream over low heat until the mixture is smooth.   Pour into a glass container.

Store the sauce in the refrigerator between uses.  Reheat in a microwave on medium power for a minute or more

Ingredients for 1 1/2 cups:

3 hard boiled egg yolks,* sieved

1 large egg yolk at room temperature

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sea salt

Ground white pepper, to taste

1 cup Canola oil

2 tablespoons capers, minced

2 tablespoons cornichons, minced

2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley and tarragon, minced

3 hard boiled egg whites, cut in julienne strips

Whisk the sieved hard boiled yolks, yolk, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper into a thick paste. Continue whisking and add the oil in droplets at first, then in a thin stream as the mixture thickens. Stir in the capers, cornichons and herbs. Fold in the whites. Keep refrigerated.

PATE BRISÉE

Ingredients for an 11" springform tart shell:

9 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

1 large egg, at room temperature, beaten

3 tablespoons tepid water

2 cups flour

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon unsalted butter at room temperature for tart mold

Process the butter  in the work bowl of a food processor until smooth.  Add the egg, pulse, scrape down the sides  add the water and process until smooth.  Add 2 cups flour, minus 2 tablespoons and pulse to form a dough.  If the mixture remains creamy, work in the remaining flour.  The dough should break up into small balls.

• Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly dusted sheet of wax paper.  Lightly dust the top and flatten it out into a disk.  Wrap air-tight and refrigerate at least an hour.

• Thoroughly butter the  springform  tart shell.  Roll out the chilled pastry between lightly floured sheets of waxed paper until the diameter is 1"  larger than the shell.  Pull off the top sheet of wax paper and invert the dough over the mold.  Gently peel off the remaining sheet and carefully lift drop the edges of the dough against the side of the mold with out stretching it.  Trim the dough at the rim and prick it over the bottom.  Chill the lined mold at least 30 minutes.

•  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Remove the covering from the shell, place it on a bake sheet and bake for 20 minutes, until the edges of the mold lightly brown.  Cool for 10 minutes before filling.