The Perfect Day

                  

Today in Los Angeles, at the beach where we live, it was 70 degrees.  It's January 13th!  This is why I love Southern California.  Days like this in January when it's warm & sunny.  We got up and decided to go for a long ride.  We biked from our house in Marina del Rey to Palos Verdes and around the PV peninsula (this picture is from the PV peninsula).  Round trip - 50 miles, 3 1/2 hours.  Right now my legs are a bit sore, but it was a perfect day for a long ride.  We had our 1/2 day fine art camps over the holiday break (3 weeks) and it sure put a wrench in my biking.  I was also sick (or is it allergies), not sure.  All I know is that one day I went for a ride with Bruce and after 8 miles I had to turn around and come home...just didn't have the energy.  But not today, I'm back!  I'm feeling great and had a great ride.  As I was biking, which was along the beautiful pacific ocean, about 45 miles out of 50, I realized how lucky I was.  Look at my view...can't beat it and the temp - oh my!  When I came home I had to check the weather in France, YIKES....40 and rain.  Can I really do 40 and rain in January?  I'm not so sure.  I love California for this weather in January, but don't like it for many many other reasons.

I also decided to try another recipe from my French Market cookbook.  This time is was "Gougere au Jambon"  which is a choux pastry filled with ham.  Another winner!  This cookbook rocks.  Very very happy with each dish I have tried.  I highly recommend this, if you like ham (which we do).  It's not heavy.  In fact we had it with salad and some red wine, it was perfect - we both had enough room for dessert.  Apple/cranberry turnovers (I had some puff pastry just laying around).

We had a lovely day today.  Great ride, great food, great wine and scrumptious dessert.  Wish every day was like today.  Try this dish.  I know you'll be pleased.  Would love to hear if you made it and what you thought.

GOUGERE AU JAMBON

    The traditional gougere, make from choux pastry is baked as a single large ring.  It's simple to make, and     works with a simple green salad or as an aperitif with a glass of wine.  I made this gougere in an                 ovenrpoof dish (that I bought in Aix-en-Provence) that roughly shapes the dough and makes an easy and     tasty supper dish.

For the cream puff dough

1 cup water
8 TB unsalted butter, thinly sliced
1 cup flour
4 large eggs, beaten, at room temperature
1/2 cup grated Gruyere (my favorite cheese)

For the ham filling

2 TB olive oil
1 TB unsalted butter
2 shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 TB flour
2/3 chicken stock
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 tspn. whole grain mustard
ground pepper, to taste
1 lb. cooked ham, roughly diced

Heat oven to 400F.  Butter an 11x8 1/2 shallow baking dish.

To make the cream puff dough, bring the water and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.  Remove from the heat and stir until the butter melts.  Add the flour and rapidly beat until the mixture is smooth.  Return to medium-low heat and beat constantly until the mixture pulls away from the pan.  Remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes.  Gradually beat in the eggs until the dough drops easily from the spoon.  Stir in the cheese.  Spoon the dough around the edge of the prepared dish (leaving a hole in the middle for the filling).  Bake until puffed and golden, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling.  Heat the oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the shallots and cook until tender, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Remove the pan from the heat, sprinkle in the flour, and mix well.  Return to low heat and gradually mix in the stock, then the wine, mustard and pepper.  Bring to a full boil, stirring constantly to avoid sticking.  Stir in the ham.  Spoon the filling into the center of the dish with pastry.  Reduce the heat to 300F and continue baking until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 25 minutes.  Serve hot.

Comments

[Betty C.]

Thanks for your visit to La France Profonde. I also have a cooking blog, so have left that as my URL. This Gougère looks great! I have made gougères but only in their basic, individual variety. I've never seen a "one-dish" version.

That's really interesting that you have visited Aveyron and see it as a possible place to live. Be warned, though: the weather this September was gorgeous! Winters are nothing like that, though...

Check out my archives -- I've written over 200 posts since December 2005.

I'll sidebar you in my "France Fanatics" column and drop in from time to time!