The current selection in our Cook the Books reading club is Yes Chef, by Marcus Samuelsson. Today, Marcus is a celebrated New York chef, but his path to current celebrity has been a hard one. His mother and siblings died when he was young in rural Ethiopia and he was adopted by a Swedish couple, a colored child entering an entirely different world. The phrase that comes to mind in thinking about his story is “perseverance against heavy odds”. He made his way through European and US kitchens, a story of apprenticeship reminiscent of Jacques Pepin’s own recounting of his path to the mastery of chef skills during an earlier time.
I particularly liked his description of the head chef under whom he studied at the Victoria Jungfrau, a hotel restaurant in Interlaken in the Bernese Alps, Switzerland where he apprenticed for several years. I could just picture the chef and his entourage.
According to Marcus, “A door opened and in walked a man trailed by a half-dozen cooks. Never mind that beneath the skyscraper-high chef’s hat he was shorter and older than the others, slightly stooped and walking with a trace of a limp. He was in charge. You could tell by his bearing, the way he set the pace and the others fell in behind him, the way he stopped short, knowing that they were keyed into his every move. He wore a spotless white apron. His chef’s coat and knife- creased black pants were perfectly pressed. His name was embroidered on his jacket -- Herr Stocker, and sticking out from the breast pocket was the bowl of a small gold spoon."
I struggled thinking about what recipe to post with this story of personal achievement and insights about life behind the kitchen door. Finally I decided that the period that Marcus spent in Paris felt closest to my own feeling about cooking. So here I present a recipe for a French-styled tart made with peaches, which marries our favorite Delaware summer crop with the traditions of French cooking.
The tart crust is blind-baked, that is covered with foil laden with dried beans or rice and baked. The peaches are dunked in hot water so that the skins are easily peeled. Actually, it’s a very simple dish and those who enjoyed it served with vanilla ice cream at our community potluck recently were very appreciative.
Peach Tart
Pastry Dough:
1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
1 stick cold unsalted butter cut into small dice
Sprinkle of salt and 1 tsp sugar
5-7 tablespoons ice water
Using a food processor, blend together flour, butter, sugar and salt, pulsing till the mixture resembles course meal. Add ice water one tablespoon at a time until the dough holds together. Turn mixture out onto wax paper, compress into a 5-6 inch disk and refrigerate for one hour or until ready to make the tart. Remove dough from refrigerator, let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Roll out dough to size of tart pan including sides. Place dough in the tart pan, pressing out the sides and pricking with a fork. Cut off any extra dough with the rolling pin and discard or bake with sugar as a treat for the kids. Bake at 375 degrees with foil covered with dried beans or rice on top to keep from puffing up, for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
Peach Filling:
3-5 peaches with skins removed and pitted, sliced
½ cup white sugar mixed with ¼ cup brown sugar
Shake of cinnamon and shake of salt
2 tbs cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
An easy way to remove the skins on stone fruit is to place them in a pot of hot water for 3-5 minutes. Remove and place the peaches in a bowl of ice water. Skins will easily be pealed with a knife. After peeling, cut into thick slices.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, coat the peach slices with the sugar and seasoning. Layer the peach slices in concentric circles on top of the tart dough. Place butter pieces across the top of the peaches. Bake for 30-40 minutes until done. Remove from oven and if a glossy surface is desired brush top with melted marmalade. Serve warm with ice cream.
Yes, Chef, by Marcus Samuelsson (2012) is the current selection in the Cook the Books group, this time hosted by the lovely Rachel of The Crispy Cook.
