GEORGE'S RECIPE of THE MONTH.
Recipe_jan12
George_jr
George has had a love of all things culinary from a very young age, and throughout his career, has worked with renowned chefs and food technologists. He discovered his passion for cooking at the age of five after spending time in his grandmother's restaurant. From then on, under his mother's guidance (who is a talented cook of her own accord) George recalls cooking anything his mother would let him, starting out with scrambled eggs and hamburgers and quickly moving on to fine Italian and French dishes.
After many years of honing and perfecting his culinary craft, George still enjoys what he humbly considers: "complimenting my family culinary experience," by taking courses in regional cuisines pertaining to the vegetable ingredient products his family specializes in, namely: Asian, French, Mediterranean, Mexican and Tex Mex.
Because of George's extensive knowledge and passion for food, he is a great resource to customers in helping them find the right ingredients for their recipe needs. "I need to understand what's happening in the kitchen," he explained. "If my client has an unfavorable flavor note, I need to be able to assess the situation to understand why." That extra level of service and care undoubtedly stems from his love of food and his work alike, which fortunately for George, go hand and hand.
Ingredients
For Dried-fruit compote:
3/4 cup grappa
3 1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup pitted prunes, halved
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup dried apricots
For Pastry Dough:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 to 5 tablespoons ice water
For Frangipane filling:
7 ounces almond paste (not marzipan; about 1 cup)
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Preparation
Print
Make Dried-fruit compote:
1 - Heat grappa with sugar in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Add fruit and gently simmer 1 min.
2 - Remove from heat and let macerate, stirring occasionally, 24 hrs.
Make Pastry Dough:
1 - Blend flour, butter, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture
resembles coarse meal with some small butter lumps.
2 - Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water over mixture. Gently stir with a fork until incorporated. Squeeze a small handful of dough – if it doesn’t hold together, slowly add more water until incorporated.
3 - Divide into 4 portions. With heel of hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together, press into a ball, and then flatten into about a 5-inch disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 1 hour.
Make Tart Shell:
1 - Set flan ring on a tart pan. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round, then fit into flan ring and trim excess dough. Chill until firm (at least 30 min.).
2 - Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Lightly prick bottom of shell with fork, then line with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until side is set and edge is pale golden, 18-20 min. Remove foil and weights and bake until bottom is golden, 10 min. Let cool 30 min.
Make Frangipane filling and Bake Tart:
1 - Beat almond paste, butter, sugar, extract, and salt in a bowl at medium speed 3 min. Add eggs 1 at a time, then beat in flour.
2 - Spread frangipane filling in shell. Drain fruit in a sieve set over a bowl, reserving syrup, and scatter fruit over filling, pressing in slightly.
3 - Bake until puffed and golden, 30-40 min. Transfer tart to a rack. Brush reserved syrup over tart and cool to room temperature.
ARCHIVES

Recipe_thumb_nov22
Recipe_thumb_actual_size
Recipe_thumb_sep_22
Recipe_thumb_aug22
Recipe_thumb_jul22_2
Recipe_thumb_jun22
Recipe_thumb_may22
Recipe_thumb_apr_22
Recipe_thumb_mar22
Recipe_thumb_feb22
Recipe_thumb_jan_22
Recipe_thumb_dec21
Recipe_thumb_nov21
Recipe_thumb_oct21
Recipe_thumb_sep21
Recipe_thumb_aug_21
Recipe_thumb_july21
Recipe_thumb_jun21
Recipe_thumb_may21
Recipe_thumb_apr21
Recipe_thumb_mar21
Recipe_thumb_feb_21
Recipe_thumb_jan21
Recipe_thumb_dec20
Recipe_thumb_nov20
Recipe_thumb_oct20
Recipe_thumb_sep_20
Recipe_thumb_aug20
Recipe_thumb_jul20
Recipe_thumb_jun20
Recipe_thumb_may20
Recipe_thumb_apr20
Recipe_thumb_mar20
Recipe_thumb_feb20
Recipe_thumb_jan20
Recipe_thumb_dec19
Recipe_thumb_nov_19
Recipe_thumb_oct19
Recipe_thumb_sep19
Recipe_thumb_aug19
Recipe_thumb_july19
Recipe_thumb_jun19
Recipe_thumb_may19
Recipe_thumb_apr19
Recipe_thumb_mar19
Recipe_thumb_jan19
Recipe_thumb_jan19
Recipe_thumb_dec18
Recipe_thumb_nov18
Recipe_thumb_oct18
Recipe_thumb_sep_18
Recipe_thumb_aug18
Recipe_thumb_jul18
Recipe_thumb_jun18
Recipe_thumb_may18
Recipe_thumb_apr18
Recipe_thumb_mar_18
Recipe_thumb_feb18
Recipe_thumb_jan18
Recipe_thumb_dec17
Recipe_thumb_nov17
Recipe_thumb_oct17
Recipe_thumb_sep17
Recipe_thumb_aug17
Recipe_thumb_july17
Recipe_thumb_jun17
Recipe_thumb_may17
Recipe_thumb_apr17
Recipe_thumb_mar17
Recipe_thumb_jan17
Recipe_thumb_jan17
Recipe_thumb_dec16
Recipe_thumb_nov16
Recipe_thumb_oct16
Recipe_thumb_aug16
Recipe_thumb_aug16
Recipe_thumb_jul16
Recipe_thumb_jun16
Recipe_thumb_may16
Recipe_thumb_apr16
Recipe_thumb_mar16
Recipe_thumb_feb16
Recipe_thumb_jan16
Recipe_thumb_dec15
Recipe_thumb_nov15
Recipe_thumb_oct15
Recipe_thumb_sep15
Recipe_thumb_aug15
Recipe_thumb_jul15
Recipe_thumb_jun15
Recipe_thumb_may15
Recipe_thumb_apr15
Recipe_thumb_mar15
Recipe_thumb_feb15
Recipe_thumb_jan15
Recipe_thumb_dec14
Recipe_thumb_nov14
Recipe_thumb_oct14
Recipe_thumb_sep14
Recipe_thumb_aug14
Recipe_thumb_jul14
Recipe_thumb_jun14
Recipe_thumb_may14
Recipe_thumb_apr14
Recipe_thumb_mar14
Recipe_thumb_feb14
Recipe_thumb_jan14
Recipe_thumb_dec13
Recipe_thumb_nov13
Recipe_thumb_oct13
Recipe_thumb_sep13
Recipe_thumg_aug13
Recipe_thumb_july13
Recipe_thumb_june13
Recipe_thumb_may13
Recipe_thumb_apr13
Recipe_thumb_mar13
Recipe_thumb_feb13
Recipe_thumb_jan13
Recipe_thumb_dec12
Recipe_thumb_nov12
Recipe_thumb_oct12
Recipe_thumb_sep12
Recipe_thumb_aug_12
Recipe_thumb_jul12
Recipe_thumb_jun12
May12_recipe_thumb
Recipe_thumb_apr12
Recipe_thumb_mar12
Recipe_thumb_feb12
JAN 2012
Recipe_thumb_dec11
Recipe_thumb_nov11
Recipe_thumb_oct11
Recipe_thumb_sep11
Recipe_thumb_aug11
Recipe_jul11_thumb
Recipe_thumb_jun11
Recipe_thumb_may11
Apr11_thumb
Recipe_thumb_mar11
Feb11_thumb
Jan11_thumb
Recipe_thumb_dec10
Recipe_nov10_thumb
Oct10_thumb
Sep10_thumb
Ahi_kebab
Jul10_grilled_chicken_thumb
Seafood_paella_thumb
May_thumbnail
Marinated_strawberries
Mar_10_recipe_thumb
Feb_10_recipe_thumbnail
Turkey_meatloaf_jan_10
Ravioli_dec_09
Nov_09_recipe_thumb_copy
Moussaka_oct_09
Cioppino_sep_09
Penne_aug_09
Salmon_jul_09