FLORENTINE FOR THE GREEN

A few years back, I was asked to consult on the opening of an Italian American style restaurant in Branson, MO. which is known as Florentina’s, so I gave it a menu that resembled the culinary styles of the region of Italy known as Florence with American flare. Years later, like any restaurant, the menu is changed , but the essence of good food is still there and likely worth a visit when you’re in Branson There was a common question in formulating the menu at Florentina’s “Where is the spinach“, a great misunderstand lies within that question. Many assume the term, Florentine, or , alla Florentine”  refers to any Italian dish that contains spinach, not so. Let’s take a closer look.

The most common reference to “Florentine” is Eggs Florentine, coddled eggs on a bed of spinach finished with a classic Mornay sauce, then gratinated,  yet,  like Eggs Benedict they are not Italian, but rather, a French creation, Eggs Benedict a New York creation. Spinach is said to be the favorite vegetable of the fourteen-year-old Catherine de' Medici, became the wife of France's Henry II in 1533. Not caring for the cooks of the French court, she brought her own with her from her home area of Florence, who, by their mastery of the French kitchen formulated the dishes served to the liking of Catherine, many of which contained her favorite vegetable.  Therefore, over time, any dish that contained “properly” made spinach was titled as Florentine.

I use the word “properly” because most restaurants fail miserably in the making of simple Florentine dishes, like Eggs Florentine. They simply plop a pile of unseasonable steamed or boiled spinach on a plate, top that mess with a couple of over poached eggs and finish it with a Hollandaise sauce, wrong in so many areas.  At the very minimum the spinach should be gently poached in butter and lightly seasoned, yet a very good restaurant will prepare a proper “Spinaci alla Fiorentina” to create the classic dish or any other that may require a Florentine treatment to complete like the Chef K’s Butter Poached Salmon picture above. To make a classic Eggs Florentine, make the Spinaci alla Florentina, top with coddled eggs, the cover with the Mornay sauce and finish with lightly broiling (gratinated) in your oven or under a salamander, you may place the mixture first on a English muffin or a toast rusk if you desire, then serve at once. So to Florentine a dish, do it right, enjoy it well.

Try Chef K’s Butter Poach Salmon alla Florentine, the recipe follows.

Spinaci alla Fiorentina

6 tablespoons butter

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 1⁄2 cups milk

3 lbs fresh spinach

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large garlic clove, minced

4 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano

salt

white pepper

1 pinch grated nutmeg

butter, to oil the pan

DIRECTIONS

Make a balsamella by melting the butter in a heavy saucepan on low heat. When the butter reaches the frothing point add the flour. Mix well with a spoon and let cook until the color is a light brown -- don't over cook -- undercooking is preferable -- meanwhile heat the milk in a small pan -- when the milk is warm add a little at a time to the flour mixture -- the origional recipe calls for adding all the milk at once but I find I get less lumps if I add a little at a time whisking continuously -- your goal is a nice creamy sauce. Remove from heat an cover until needed.

Make sure spinach is clean and cut out any tough stems. Chop coarsely.

Place olive oil in a pan and warm on medium heat. Add the garlic and spinach. Toss and cook until wilted and the garlic is lightly browned.

Toss the spinach with the balsamella. Add the cheese, nutmeg salt and pepper to taste.

Butter the bottom and sides of a 13 1/2 X 8 3/4 inch baking dish.

Pour the spinach mixture into the dish and bake in a preheated 375 F oven for about 25 minutes. The top should be a little brown and bubbling.

Mornay Sauce (Omit the cheese for Bechamel sauce)

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk

pinch of ground nutmeg

salt and pepper

2 ounces (1/2 cup) grated hard cheese (Gruyère, Swiss, Cheddar, Parmesan)

Heat a medium sized saucepan over medium-high heat and when hot, add the butter. When the butter melts, add the flour and start whisking.

You want to be careful not to let the butter burn or the flour to turn brown. It's only going to take a minute to a minute and a half for the roux to start turning a pale yellow.

Slowly add the milk in a stream while constantly whisking and whisking some more. Bring the sauce to a boil and immediately lower the heat to a simmer and continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes, being careful not to let the sauce burn by whisking frequently.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the nutmeg, season with salt & pepper and stir. You now have a bechamel sauce.

Still off heat, add the grated cheese and whisk until all the cheese melts into the sauce. It should be thick and smooth.

Taste and adjust seasoning with salt & pepper and you now have Mornay sauce.

Coddled Eggs

Poached Eggs

Bring 1,5 inches of water, 1/2 tbsp of salt and 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice to a simmer in a deep saucepan. Carefully place an egg into the water, by cracking directly into the water or by cracking into a small bowl first and then place the egg to the hot water.

Stir the simmering water with a wooden spoon so it swirls gently around the egg. Allow the egg to cook for 2 to 3 minutes, so the white is set but the yolk has not cooked all the way through. Cook each egg separately. Use a slotted spoon to scoop each egg from the water and drain on a clean paper towel.

Chef K’s Butter Poach Salmon alla Florentine

A constructed dish,  first Shrimp Rissotto, topped with Spinaci alla Fiorentina, then the piece of salmon and finished with spiral fried beets.

Shrimp Risotto

4 Cups seafood broth

1 Teaspoon Saffron Threads

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup dry white wine

2 small shallots, minced

2 Celery stalks – finely chopped

2 Cloves of Garlic. minced

2 Cups Risotto Rice

20 asparagus, diced

7 oz raw peeled shrimp/prawns seasoned with salt and pepper

2 tablespoons lemon juice

A handful of flat leaf parsley – chopped

2/3 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Bring stock to a simmer in a saucepan; add the saffron and leave to infuse.

Blanch the asparagus in a pan of boiling water until just tender, refresh under cold water, then slice into lengths.

In a separate pan, saute the shallots, and celery in 2 tablespoons butter together until they are cooked and soft but not browned.

Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add all the rice in one go and stir it around with the other ingredients to toast the grains thoroughly without browning.

Raise the heat to high, add the wine and reduce it until nearly all of the liquid is absorbed into the rice.

Stir in half the stock, reduce the heat, stir and simmer uncovered 15-18 until the rice is just under cooked , add the remaining stock in small amounts allowing the rice to absorb the liquid, continue until the rice is cooked “Al dente” and very creamy.

Add the Shrimp, and cook until pink (about 3 minutes).

Add in the asparagus spears, lemon juice, and chopped parsley. Mix together, taking care not to destroy the asparagus spears or the Shrimp.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Before serving, mix in the remaining butter & the cheese.

Butter Poached Salmon

2 tablespoons Creole seasonings

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Soy sauce

4-6 oz portion, boneless, skinless salmon (Chinook Salmon / King Salmon, Coho Salmon / Silver Salmon, Pink or Atlantic)

6 ounces unsalted butter (divided use)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons finely diced shallots

Instructions

In a small mixing bowl, blend the seasonings with the Worcestershire and soy sauces. Place the salmon in a small square baking dish, spread half the seasoning mix over the fish, turn the fish over then spread the remaining mix over the fish, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Heat two tablespoons of the butter in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat. Add chopped shallots and cook until they are translucent. Make sure that the butter does not brown. Add lemon juice and remaining butter. When the butter has melted, add the fish. Gently place the fish into the pan. The cooking liquid should cover the fish 2/3 up the side of the fish. Turn the temperature high and allow the fish to cook for three minutes once the cooking liquid begins to boil. Turn the heat down and allow to cook on low for an additional minute.

Deep Fried Beets Strings

1 large, medium beet

4 cups Canola Oil For Deep Frying

Sea Salt

Preparation

Trim the ends from the beet. Place the beet in boiling water for 3 minutes, then cool in cold water. Blanching the beet this way makes it easier to peel.  Using a spiral cutter turn the beets in fine long strings, place in cold water for 30 minutes.Drain, then blot with paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible.

Heat 3 inches of oil in a deep fryer to 375°F. Add the beet strings without over filling the pan. Turn when the beet strands are golden brown. Brown the other side; remove and drain on paper towel. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve at once.

Chef K's Paella

The national dish of Spain literally means "for her" it is para ella in Valencia, a dish made by the men of the region to give the women a break from cooking. Paella is not so much the dish, but rather it is the pan in which the dish is cooked, its roots is in the Latin word 'patella' meaning pan. Originally made as a luncheon dish for farm workers cooked over an open fire and “without” seafood, now it is the name for as many as 200 differing dishes in Valencia Spain alone. There as many recipes for Paella as there are cooks, as common with most comfort foods, it was made with rice (arroz in Spanish) and whatever else was nearby,chicken, rabbit or even snails.

The rich yellow color of Paella is derived from the addition of saffron, which is the stigmas of very tiny crocuses which grows freely in Spain, although it is the most costly of the spice world ($75 US per ounce), it is very common in Spain and easily found. There are only 3 stamens per flower so it takes a lot of flowers to make that ounce, yet it takes very little to flavor and color your Paella or Bouillabaisse, it is also great in risotto. Look carefully at the stigmas it should be only that, some are attached to a long, slender “style” which is white when picked and turns yellow when dried, trust me, it is not your style, so do not choose it, it has no culinary value, that means no aroma, flavor or color, it simply is used to add to the weight. Be sure to use ISO approved saffron, you’ll want, Saffron threads (Stigmas) that are all red (no other color). Saffron threads must be dry and brittle to the touch. Saffron aroma is strong and fresh, never musty, remember you’re paying a high dollar even for a very small amount you should get a very high quality for the dollar spend. Like anything that is priced very high there are counterfeiters out there, yellow, streaking, uneven color of red, are indications of “styles” made to be passed off as stigmas. Look for Sargol saffron, it is pure, potent and aromatic and flavors a recipe just right.

Recipe

1 pound extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined

Salt and ground black pepper

Olive oil

2 tablespoons garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press 

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, each thigh trimmed of excess fat and halved crosswise

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut pole to pole into 1/2-inch-wide strips

8 ounces Spanish chorizo, sliced 1/2 inch thick on the bias (Chorizo, Spanish sausage)

1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained, minced, and drained again

2 cups Valencia rice

3 cups chicken broth

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled

1 dried bay leaf

1 dozen mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position; heat the oven to 350°F.

Toss the shrimp, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1 teaspoon of the garlic in a medium bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.

Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper; set aside.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pepper strips and cook, stirring occasionally, until the skin begins to blister and turn spotty black, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the pepper to a small plate and set aside.

Add 1 teaspoon oil to the Dutch oven; heat the oil until very hot. Add the chicken pieces in a single layer; cook, without moving the pieces, until browned, about 3 minutes. Turn the pieces and brown on the second side: transfer the chicken to a reserved plate. Reduce the heat to medium and add the chorizo to the pot; cook, stirring frequently, until deeply browned and the fat begins to render, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the chorizo to a plate with the chicken, reserve.

Add 2 tablespoons oil to the fat in the Dutch; heat over medium heat until very hot. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes; stir in the remaining garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes; cook until the mixture begins to darken and thicken slightly, about 3 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook until the grains are well coated with the tomato mixture, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, wine, saffron, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Return the chicken and chorizo to the pot, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Cover the pot and transfer it to the oven; cook until the rice absorbs almost all of the liquid, about 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the oven (close the oven door to retain heat). Uncover the pot; scatter the shrimp over the rice, insert the mussels hinged-side down into the rice (so they stand upright), arrange the bell pepper strips in a pinwheel pattern, and scatter the peas over the top. Cover and return to the oven; cook until the shrimp are opaque and the mussels have opened, 10 to 12 minutes.

When  soccarat is desired, set the Dutch oven, uncovered, over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, rotating the pot 180 degrees after about 2 minutes for even browning. (Soccarat, a layer of crusty browned rice that forms on the bottom of the pan, is a traditional part of paella.)

Let the paella stand, covered, about 5 minutes. Discard any mussels that have not opened and the bay leaf, if it can be easily removed. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve, passing the lemon wedges separately.

Today IS Pi Day

(Apple Crumble Pie)

Today is National Pie Day, what a great gift to give, finish a dinner with, or, just along side a great cup of coffee. Pie is always right, whether you serve a slice of warm apple with cinnamon ice cream, or a dinner pie like the Tourtiere, or, maybe a hand pie (turnover) like a Cornish Pasty, or the famous Canadian Butter tart you simply won’t go wrong.

Pies have been the “to go to” meal as far back as early Eygty, the Greeks and Romans had hand pies to travel with, while in the12^th century the crust of meat pies was known as a “coffyn". Fruit pies began to show up sometime in the 15^th century. Apple pies are served at nearly every county fair throughout North America, thanks to Johnny Appleseed. Apple trees were grown and prized for their fruit by the people of ancient Rome. It is believed that the Romans took cultivated apples with them to England when they conquered the country. Apple growing became common in England and many other parts of Europe.  Both the seeds of apples and the trees themselves were brought to America from England, probably in 1629. John Endicott, one of the early governors of Massachusetts Bay Colony, is said to have brought the first trees to America. The cultivated varieties of apples gradually spread westward from the Atlantic Coast. John Chapman is said to have helped spread apple growing in America. He carried apple seeds with him wherever he went, and planted them in thinly settled parts of the country. For this reason, he became known as "Johnny Appleseed".

Be sure that your guest, of course, will enjoy the pie you serve, make what they do like, I was once had Tony Orlando (super star musician) as a guest on Chef K & the Friends television show, we made a beautiful seven layer Lemon Meringue pie. He stirred the lemon filling, carefully spread it on each layer, made a prefect meringue, only to find out he was allergic to it.  Find out what they like was the moral of that story.

TIPS FOR PREFECT  PIE CRUST

Use Very Cold Butter or Fat

Butter, shortening, lard, or suet—whatever fat the recipe calls for should be well-chilled and cut into small pieces to start with for the flakiest crust in the end.

O Nuts

Many recipes call for you to work the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles peanuts, or crushed walnuts, do not overwork the dough,  this will toughen the dough,  your cardboard may be better.

Limit the Water

Start off using the minimum amount of water or other liquid called for in the recipe.

Make a Disk

Before you chill or rollout the dough, take the time to shape it into an even disk less than 1-inch thick and with smooth edges.

Chill the Dough

Chill the dough before you roll it out for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.

Roll, Turn, Roll, Turn

Roll out the dough on a very well-floured work surface with a well-floured rolling pin. Turn the dough 90 degrees, roll and turn again, this assists in sticking and it easy to use.

Chill the Lined Pie Pan

Cover and chill the lined pie pan (and any rolled out top crust) before blind-baking or filling the pie. This will help the pie keep its shape (and size!) when baked.

Complete the Baking,

Nice golden honey top, but the bottom crust is still not done, this is because people tend to believe the pie is done when it is golden like honey, leave it a little longer, it is supposed to be brown, then the crust is done.

The Rolling Pin is a Pick Up stick.

After rolling the dough, place a small amount onto the rolling pin, roll to wrap the dough on the pin, then unroll it over the chilled pie plate, prefect fit each time.

QUEBECOIS TOURTIERE

3 tbsp butter

2 fine diced onions

3 minced garlic cloves

2 cups peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes

¾ lb lean ground pork

¾ lb fine diced beef

1 cup beef stock

2 bay leaves

¼ tsp each of allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

⅓ cup fine bread crumbs

1 quantity double crust pie dough

3 tbsp milk

1 egg

In a large skillet, heat the butter and sweat the onion and garlic. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes covered. Add the pork and cook thoroughly. Add beef, stock, bay leaves and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the bread crumbs. Cool mixture to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 400◦F (200◦C).

Roll out the pastry, divide in two and line a 10" (250 cm) pie shell with one part. Fill with the mixture and, cover with the remaining pastry. Crimp edges and cut a 1" (2.5 cm) hole in top. Make a tin foil chimney and fit into hole.

Mix milk with the egg and brush over pastry.

Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350◦F (180◦C) and continue to bake for 25 minutes. Rest the pie for 20 minutes before cutting, or cool and chill and serve

SERVES 8

CORNISH STYLE PASTIES

1 pound beef sirloin tip steak, diced

3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced (3 cups)

3 green onions with tops, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Dash nutmeg

PASTRY:

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

Pinch baking powder

1 cup shortening

2 tablespoons butter

2/3 cup cold water

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the beef, potatoes, onions and seasonings; set aside. For pastry, in a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in shortening and butter. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 12 pieces; roll each into 6” circles. Moisten edges with water. Place about 1/2 cup filling on half of each circle. Fold other half over the filling; press edges together with a fork to seal.

Cut several slits in each pastry. Place on a baking sheet. Combine egg and cream; brush over pastry tops. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and bake 40-45 minutes longer or until golden brown. Yield: 12 servings.

LEMON MERINGUE  PIE

1 cup + 2 Tbsp cake and pastry flour

1 Tbsp sugar

½ tsp salt

½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3 Tbsp cold water

1 ½ tsp lemon juice or white vinegar

1 egg white, lightly whisked

Lemon Curd Filling

1 cup sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

1 cup water

6 large egg yolks

½ cup fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Meringue

4 large egg whites, at room temperature

½ tsp cream of tartar

⅓ cup sugar

3 Tbsp icing sugar, sifted

DIRECTIONS

Dough

1. Sift the flour, sugar and salt to combine in a bowl or using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cut in the butter by hand with a pastry cutter or on low speed until just small pieces of butter are visible and the mixture as a whole just begins to take on a pale yellow colour (indicating that the butter has been worked in sufficiently).

2. Stir the water and lemon juice together and add this to the dough all at once, mixing until the dough just comes together. Shape the dough into a disc, wrap and chill for at least 2 hours before rolling. Alternatively, the dough can be frozen for up to 3 months and thawed in the fridge before rolling.

3. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface until it is in a circle that is just under ¼ inch thick. Lightly dust a 9” pie plate with flour. Press the dough into the pie plate and trim away any excess dough, pinch the edges to create a fluted pattern and chill for 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line the chilled pie shell with tin foil and fill the foil with dried beans, raw rice or pie weights. Bake the pie shell for 20 minutes, then carefully remove the foil and weights and bake the crust for 8 to 10 minutes more, until the center of the pie shell is dry-looking and just starts to brown a little. Immediately after removing the pie shell from the oven, brush the hot crust with a little of the whisked egg white. This will create a barrier to keep the crust crispy once filled. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F.

Lemon Curd Filling

1. For the filling, whisk the sugar and cornstarch together in a medium saucepot, then whisk in the cold water. Have the other ingredients measured and nearby. Bring the sugar mixture up to a full simmer over medium-high heat, whisking as it cooks, until the mixture is thick and glossy.

2. Pour about a cup of this thickened filling into the egg yolks while whisking, then return this to the pot and whisk just one minute more. Whisk in the lemon juice and cook until the filling just returns to a simmer. Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the butter then immediately pour the hot filling into the cooled pie shell (the filling will seem very fluid, but it will set up once chilled). Cover the surface of the filling with plastic wrap to keep it hot. Immediately prepare the meringue topping.

3. Whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy, then increase the speed to high and gradually pour in the granulated sugar and icing sugar and continue whipping just until the whites hold a medium peak when the beaters are lifted.

Meringue

1. Remove the plastic wrap from the hot lemon filling, then dollop half of the meringue directly onto the filling (the filling will still be very soft, so work gently). Be sure to spread the meringue so that it completely covers the lemon filling and connects with the outside crust, then use a bamboo skewer or paring knife to swirl the meringue just a touch (this will secure it to the lemon curd). Dollop the remaining meringue onto the pie and use the back of your spatula to lift up the meringue and creates spikes. Bake the pie for about 20 minutes at 325 F, until the meringue is nicely browned. Cool the meringue completely to room

TIM'S KEY LIE PIE

INGREDIENTS

For crust:

7 (5-by 2 1/2-inch) graham crackers, broken into small pieces

3/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

For filling:

2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk

Grated zest of 2 Key limes

1 cup fresh Key lime juice (from about 2 pounds fresh Key limes)

4 large egg yolks

Accompaniment: sweetened whipped cream

PREPARATION

Make crust:

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter a 9-inch pie plate.

Pulse together graham crackers, almonds, and sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl and stir in butter. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and up side of pie plate. Bake until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely. (Leave oven on.)

Make filling and bake pie:

Gently whisk together filling ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth and pour into crust. Bake until just set in center, 15 to 20 minutes.

Cool completely (filling will set as it cools). Chill pie, loosely covered, at least 8 hours.

GRASSHOPPER PIE

CRUST:

2 cups   500 ml   chocolate wafer crumbs

 cup     80 ml     butter

¾ cup    180 ml   filberts   ground

Combine the ingredients.  Press into the bottom and sides of a 10" buttered pie pan.  Bake in a preheated 350F (180C) oven for 7 minutes.  Cool, then chill.

FILLING:

2 tbsp    cold water

1 tbsp    unflavored gelatin

2              eggs, separated

½ cup    milk

1-½         marshmallows   miniatures

2 tsp      mint extract

1 cup     whipping cream

1 tsp      green food coloring

1 cup     chocolate curls

In the cold water soften the gelatin, transfer to a double boiler.  Add the egg yolks and milk and cook to thick. Melt the marshmallows in a second double boiler, fold into the egg mixture and remove from the heat.  Stir in the extract.  Cool. Whip the cream with the food coloring.  Fold into the cooled mixture.  Whip the egg whites and fold into the mixture.  Pour into the shell.  Chill for 4 6 hours. Garnish with chocolate curls before serving.

APPLE CRUMBLE PIE 

2 unbaked 9” pie shells

Filling

7 large green apples

1/4 cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon (ground)

Crumble Mix

1 cup plain flour

3/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

3/4 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup coconut

1 tablespoon cinnamon (ground)

2 teaspoons nutmeg (ground)

2/3 cup butter (melted)

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

APPLE MIX

Peel and core apples, then cut into rough 1-2cm cubes. Place apples in large saucepan and cover with water. Simmer (but don't boil) covered with lid on med-high until apples are just tender but not too soft (usually 5mins once water is simmering). Drain apples well and place in large bowl

Combine caster sugar and cinnamon (ensures even spread), then toss through the apples. If you like the apples to be less sweet and more tart, you can omit the sugar in this step, though there may be excess juice as a result.

CRUMBLE MIX

Combine flour, brown sugar, rolled oats, coconut, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl until evenly mixed through.

Melt butter (do not burn or boil it) and add vanilla essence to butter, stir through.

Add butter mix to dry ingredients and mix well using a fork. Ensure all ingredients are moist and mixture has a crumbly texture.

BAKING

Place the apple mix evenly in the pie shells. Spread crumble mix over top of apple. Bake at 190°C 375°F for 30-45 minutes, or until crumble topping is slightly browned.

Serve with vanilla ice cream, cream, or custard

BUTTERTARTS

3/4 cup (175 mL) packed brown sugar

1/4 cup (50 mL) corn syrup

1 egg

¼ cup (60 mL) butter, softened

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla

1 tsp (5 mL) vinegar

1 pinch salt

1/4 cup (60 mL) currants or raisins

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).

Roll out chilled dough onto floured surface. Cut out discs of pastry about the size of a store-bought sour cream or yogurt container top. Press into muffin or tart tin wells carefully so as not to tear pastry. If possible, weigh shells down with dried beans or some other type of weight so the empty shells will keep their shape. Bake shells for 10 to 15 minutes until they're starting to brown but not totally brown. Remove from oven and remove weights.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Melt butter with brown sugar. Do not allow to boil. Whisk egg and set aside. Add salt, golden syrup, vinegar and vanilla to warm butter mixture. Whisk gently until smooth. 

Whisk in egg.

When tart shells are baked (and still warm), fill about two-thirds with filling mix. Bake for 12 minutes or until filling is mostly cooked yet not set. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Run metal spatula around tarts to loosen; carefully slide spatula under tarts and transfer to rack to let cool.

Tart Shells

1.375 l (5 ½ cups) all-purpose flour

2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt

250 g (1/2 lb) butter, unsalted, cold and cubed

125 ml (1/2 cup) cold water

In a large bowl, place flour and salt. Add cubed butter and rub into flour with fingers. The mixture should look like oatmeal, with butter-like slivers or pebbles. Make a well in flour. Add cold water. (Keep it cold in the refrigerator until ready to use.) Roll into balls, then, wrap ball in plastic wrap, flatten into a disc and chill overnight in refrigerator.

BACK TO THE BASIC’S IN TIMES OF STRESS

We will look over the next few articles how to refresh our winning attitude in our restaurant operation.

There has been a pestilence placed upon doing business in Ontario, it is called an interfering Liberal government, lead by professional disrupters, Kathleen Wynn and Justin Trudeau. High wages (and higher yet to come), heavy tax burdens as they give every special interest group “free”  whatever they demand, a new regulations that neither has reason or sensibility but designed as appeasement to more special interest groups, higher and then even higher utility costs, fuel surcharges, carbon taxes and list is an ever growing snake of destruction.

The politician; once the friend of the common person has become an adversary to those who just desire to live, provide for their family, and enjoy that which their hard worked has gained. Yet even the family has come under the politician gaze and is a target for their troublesome meddling as well.

In Ontario there was a loss in part-time jobs (59,300) in January 2018, could the fact the Wynn increased the minimum wage to 14.00 per hour have any bearing on this increase in job losses? The small business cannot endure such harsh increases. More small businesses are shutting down, fast food is acquiring ordering kiosks to eliminate employee’s, full service restaurants have placed unreasonable tip out demands on their servers so they supplement the wages of BOH staff, effectively eliminating the servers wage increase. Gas has increased by 0.30₵ per liter (or $1.13 per US gallon) as fuel companies’ deal with the wage and carbon charges. All these, of course, are past down to the average consumer, who did not get a substantial increase to assist in covering these additional and onerous cost of living expenses.

Some wonder why restaurants have placed a 25-30% increase on menu items, they believe that it just an opportunity to rip off the consumer and the consumer is left with but one choice, boycott the restaurant and find another place to spend their money with, yet the problem is universal as every restaurant contents with the new stresses. We need to remember that these increases were not handed one piece at a time, but were sudden, heavy and were across all industries.

So how did that menu price get increased by such a substantial increase? If we break it down, (in a rather simplified manner) the farmer incurs a labor cost and a transportation increase to get their product to the manufacturer or processor who incurs a labor cost and a transportation increase to get the product to the distributor who incurs a labor cost and a transportation increase to get the product to restaurant who now must pay substantially more now for that same product. The restaurant operator (or any business) must recoup these heavy increases or face the loss of the business. The only way is to increase the menu price; there is no other way. These costs were not small enough to just tighten the belt or bite the bullet, they are not small enough just to absorb, this time the bullet was aimed at the heart of business in Ontario by the government, business had little choice but to pass these costs on to the consumer and bullet hit them squarely in the wallet.

So how does the restaurant withstand a governmental onslaught or any other for that matter?   We must go back to the basics of a good operator:   When the sales income equals the cost for labor, overhead, and food, the breakeven point has been reached. Our formula is, the breakeven point sales = labor + overhead + food costs. However we are not in business to breakeven, we are in business for profit, profit is not a dirty word as some suggested, it is however the “paycheck” of the business owner/operator so our formula is: profit = sales – (labor + overhead + food costs).

The basics begin with using financial statements, measure progress and results, financial statement are the road map of where we begin (are at) and to the future, following it can prevent your getting too lost at a place where there is no returning from. The financial statement proves the ability of the manager, the efficiency of employees, where weaknesses exist and what the urgency to attend to them is.  In hard uncertain times your financial statement pinpoints what are problems you face so that you can make the right corrective decision.

However, in order for the truth to be shown on the financial statement the truth must be entered into it. Opening and closing inventories, every transaction entered, from the smallest cash transaction to every invoiced item. Look at every line item and then look again, a good operator will not wait until the month end P&L, they will know daily what their Prime Costs are.  Be sure all sales are accounted for, are cash sales handled exactly the same as charged sales, skimming is s scourge to a good operator, unrecorded sales make the financial statement worthless, as all consequential controls are lost in restaurant skim. Keep in mind too, an operator who cheats will (knowingly or not) employ staff that will also cheat, skim, and steal.

Speaking of the employee, do you keep them in the dark, or, do you train them to understand their business? Yes, their business, you are a team; no restaurant can be successful without a great operating team.  Those in BOH or FOH, to the very managers and owners, must become a single minded team, with the idea of providing the very best to their customer for fair recompense.  When the staff learn the cost of doing business, they begin work toward achieving profitable goals. When they think opposite they will work crosswise to the owner/operator.  Make it simple for them to understand, give them 100 pennies (if you can still get them here in Canada) 100 pennies= 1$, now have them break that dollar down as if they are in business.

$1.00, minus 33% for food = 0.33₵, 0.67₵, minus 32% of the $1.00 for labor=0.32₵, minus .10₵ for rent, 0.10₵ utilities, 0.02₵ insurance, 0.03 advertising/marketing, 0.02₵ taxes, 0.01₵ breakage & loss, when the employee sees seven little pennies left in their hand they begin to understand the operator and the problems they face to just keep that employee employed.  The good employee sees and knows the challenges faced by their employer and will work to be as valuable as any other “asset” in the business.

As a team, employees will give thoughtful acceptance of the operation, like exact portioning, reducing waste, controlling utilities, and the multiplicity of great and small steps a restaurant must make to control costs and having a shot at making a profit, therefore giving the operator a paycheck in addition to the employees own. Staff have a wealth of knowledge, they will often see solutions to problems management may not have considered, they are certainly in tune with the desires of the consumer so may provide a clearer perceptive on vital changes that are required.  You have a team make use of them.