Feast

We had the privilege of hosting a sunday supper this weekend in honor of our friend Sarah Copeland's new book entitled "Feast." It is a beautiful book (available here) - dedicated and inspired by cooking healthful and meatless dishes. Sarah created a wonderful menu - filled with grains and winter produce and all the robust flavors that go along with it. In the festive spirit - our setting was wintery - greens and whites - a garland overhead and a minimalist tabletop (by Fox Fodder Farm).

The result was a spectacular evening. Sarah (a natural born teacher) led the class as we made: Crudités with Romesco  | Roasted broccoli, kale and chickpeas with ricotta | Barley Risotto with Radishes, Swiss chard and Preserved lemon

And for dessert a Pear Frangipane Tarte. Guests went home with a few pears and below are recipes for the pear tart as well as the broccoli and ricoota dish. For the others - you'll have to buy the book !

    

RECIPE | PEAR FRANGIPANE TART recipe adapted  from Feast: Generous Vegetarian Meals for  Any Eater and Every Appetite by Sarah Copeland

CRUST

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Pinch of fine sea salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

FILLING

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup unbleached sugaR

1 cup ground almonds (or almond meal)

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 tablespoons oat flour (ground oats) or all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

2 ripe D’anjou or Bartlett pears, cored and sliced

Pine nuts, for garnish

ice cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 375˚F/180°C.

crust: whisk together the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the flour and stir until it feels like damp sand. Press the dough evenly along the bottom and up the sides of an 8-in/20-cm square or 9-in/ 23-cm round tart pan/flan tin with a removable bottom. Prick the crust all over with a fork and chill in the fridge until ready to bake, about 30 minutes.

while the crust chills, make the frangipane: Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add ground almonds (or almond meal) and beat together. Add in the egg and yolk, one at a time, and then vanilla extract. Stir in the flour, and sea salt, scraping the bottom for any dry or unmixed bits, until the mixture is evenly fluffy and smooth.

tart: spread the frangipane into the bottom of the prepared crust and line with sliced pears. Top with cinnamon, turbinado sugar and pine nuts, if desired. Bake until set and golden brown, and the center springs back lightly when touched, about 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool slightly, cut into pieces and serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

RECIPE |  ROASTED BROCCOLI, KALE, AND CHICKPEAS WITH RICOTTA

recipe from Feast: Generous Vegetarian Meals for  Any Eater and Every Appetite by Sarah Copeland

At Il Maialino in New York City, where I’ve spent many Sundays brunching with friends, the pastry and coffee are addictively good. But it’s a plate of crispy, roasted broccoli and kale topped with a poached egg that was on special one Sunday that I can’t stop thinking about. I’ve made a dozen versions of it since, usually with Lacinato kale (though any kale will do) and broccoli or broccolini, sometimes topped with a soft-cooked egg, other times garnished with milky fresh ricotta. I’ve landed on this version—amped up with chickpeas and red pepper flakes, which as a midday meal is just right.

SERVES 2 TO 4

1 bunch broccolini, or broccoli, cut into thin florets

1 bunch Tuscan or Lacinato kale, stemmed and cut into 2-in/5-cm pieces

1½ cups/240 g cooked chickpeas (see instructions below) or canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

¼ cup/60 ml extra-virgin olive oil

Fleur de sel or Maldon sea salt

1 lemon, cut into wedges

8 oz/250 g fresh ricotta cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Finishing oil for drizzling

Preheat the broiler to high. Toss the broccolini, kale, chickpeas, and garlic with the olive oil. Season lightly with fleur de sel and divide between two rimmed baking sheets. Broil each sheet, tossing halfway through cooking, until the kale is crispy and the broccoli just tender and charred but still bright green, about 5 minutes, rotating the trays top to bottom if two don’t fit side by side in your oven. Squeeze the juice from two lemon wedges all over the top and toss together.

Divide between two to four small plates and top each with a dollop of ricotta. Sprinkle the ricotta with black pepper and red pepper flakes and drizzle each plate with finishing oil. Serve warm or at room temperature, with more lemon wedges for squeezing over the top.

SOAKING AND COOKING CHICKPEAS: Start with one 1-lb/455-g bag dried chickpeas and soak them in water overnight in a medium soup pan or saucepan. The next day, bring them to a boil and skim off the white foam after 5 minutes of cooking. Drain, rinse, and return them to the pot. Cover with 4 cups/960 ml fresh water and aromatics (carrot, celery, and onion) for extra flavor for preparations like Lentil-Chickpea Burgers with Harissa Yogurt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer, add ¾ tsp salt, and cook until completely tender, about 45 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup/240 ml of the cooking liquid for preparations like Hummus. You should have about 6 cups/985 g of cooked chickpeas.

reprinted with permission from Chronicle Books

Credits

Farm: Good Eggs NY 

Flower: Fox Fodder Farm

Styling + Photography: Karen Mordechai