Subj : Top Parisian Noshes - 16
To   : All
From : Dave Drum
Date : Sun Mar 05 2023 06:09:17

The Pithivier at Maison Sota: A pithivier is an arcane 18th-century
French dish that purportedly originated in a town of the same name, near
Orleans, where bakers would enclose almond cream between two layers of
decadent puff pastry to create sweet shareable pies.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

     Title: Pithiviers Of Rhubarb w/Strawberry Sauce
Categories: Pastry, Fruits, Dairy, Booze, Nuts
     Yield: 6 servings

MMMMM-------------------------PITHIVIERS------------------------------
    10 oz Rhubarb; trimmed
   1/4 c  + 2 tb sugar
   1/4 c  Ground blanched almonds
     1    Teaspooon cornstarch
   1/4 c  + 2 tb sour cream
     1    Egg yolk
     1 ts Cognac
   1/2    Vanilla bean; split in half
          - again lengthwise
     3    Leaves phyllo dough
 2 1/2 tb Unsalted butter; melted
     1    Egg yolk, lightly beaten;
          - for glaze

MMMMM----------------------STRAWBERRY SAUCE---------------------------
     1 pt Ripe strawberries; hulled
     1 ts Fresh lemon juice; to taste
     2 tb (to 4 tb) sugar

 To make the pithiviers, peel any coarse strings from the
 rhubarb with a vegetable peeler. Cut into quarter-inch
 slices and place in a mixing bowl with a quarter-cup of
 the sugar. Set aside for two hours at room temperature.

 In a mixing bowl, combine the ground almonds, the
 remaining two tablespoons of sugar, cornstarch, sour
 cream, egg yolk and Cognac. Scrape the seeds from the
 vanilla bean and add to the mixture, whisking gently to
 combine. Drain the rhubarb in a sieve, pressing gently
 to remove liquid. Stir the rhubarb into the custard
 mixture.

 Set the oven @ 400ºF/205ºC.

 Cut leaves of phyllo dough in half. Place a sheet of
 phyllo on a lightly buttered baking sheet and brush with
 melted butter. Repeat twice, buttering each layer.
 Gently spoon the rhubarb mixture into the center of the
 pastry, leaving a 1" border unfilled.

 Brush the edges of the pastry with egg yolk. Cover with
 three sheets of phyllo, buttering each as before. With a
 sharp paring knife, trim off the pastry edges, leaving a
 neat 8" to 10" circle (use a dinner plate as a guide).
 If desired, cut the pastry trimmings to form leaves and
 lay them over the center of the pastry. Brush the leaves
 with egg yolk to glaze, but do not glaze the top sheet
 of pastry. Use the back of a small knife blade to trace
 leaf ''veins.''

 Bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 20 minutes.
 Remove from the oven and cool briefly.

 While the pithiviers is baking, make the strawberry
 sauce. Reserve one well-shaped strawberry for garnish.
 Puree the remaining strawberries in a food processor
 with the lemon juice and sugar until smooth, scraping
 down the mixture as needed. Strain and correct seasoning
 with more lemon juice and/or sugar if necessary. Chill
 until needed.

 Place the reserved strawberry in the center of the warm
 pithiviers. Serve in wedges, with a little of the cool
 strawberry sauce spooned alongside each serving. Pass
 the remaining sauce.

 By: Richard Sax

 Yield: Six servings

 RECIPE FROM: https://cooking.nytimes.com

 Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives

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