Craig Claibornes Pastry Cream Food

QUICHE LORRAINE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Line a nine-inch pie plate with the pastry. By all means build a rim with the pastry and flute it. This is essential for the amount of custard indicated in this recipe.
• Cover the bottom of the pastry with a round of parchment paper and add enough dried beans or peas to partly fill the shell. Bake 10 minutes.
• Reduce the oven heat to 375 degrees. Remove and discard the beans and parchment paper and set the pastry-lined pie plate aside.
• Cook the bacon until crisp and remove it from skillet. Pour off all but one tablespoon of the fat remaining in the skillet. Cook the onion in the remaining fat until the onion is transparent.
• Crumble the bacon and sprinkle the bacon, onion and cheeses over the inside of the partly baked pastry.
• Combine the eggs, cream, nutmeg, salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce to taste. Strain the mixture over the onion-cheese mixture. Slide the pie onto a baking sheet.
• Bake the pie until a knife inserted one inch from the pastry edge comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Remove to a wire rack. Let stand five or 10 minutes before serving.

CRAIG CLAIBORNE'S PASTRY CREAM

Steps:

• Blend 1 cup of the milk and the cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
• As mixture is heating, put egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until pale yellow. Add cornstarch to yolk mixture and beat well. Add remaining 1/2 cup milk and beat until blended.
• When milk and cream are at a boil, remove from heat. Add yolk mixture, beating rapidly with a wire whisk.
• Return to the heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly with the whisk. When thickened and boiling, remove from heat and add Grand Marnier. Let cool, stirring occasionally.

PROFITEROLES (CREAM PUFFS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Lightly, but thoroughly, butter a jellyroll pan. Sprinkle the pan with flour and shake it around until well coated. Shake and tap out excess flour.
• Add the water to a saucepan and add the eight tablespoons of butter and salt to taste. Bring to the boil and add the flour, all at once, stirring vigorously and thoroughly in a circular fashion until a ball is formed and the mixture cleans the sides of the saucepan.
• Add one egg, beating thoroughly and rapidly with the spoon until it is well blended with the mixture. Add another egg, beat and so on. When all the eggs are added, fit a pastry bag with a round-tipped, number 6 pastry tube. Spoon the mixture into the bag. Holding the pastry bag straight up with the tip close to the floured surface of the pan, squeeze the bag to make mounds of pastry at intervals all over the pan. There should be about 24 mounds.
• The mounds may have pointed tips on top. To flatten these, wet a clean tea towel and squeeze it well. Open it up, fold it over in thirds. Hold it stretched directly over the mounds, quickly patting down just enough to rid the mounds of the pointed tips. Do not squash the mounds.
• Place the pan in the oven and bake 30 minutes or until the cream puffs are golden brown and cooked throughout. Remove and let cool.

CRAIG CLAIBORNE'S CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Rub a baking sheet all over with butter and sprinkle with flour. Shake sheet back and forth until surface is coated with flour. Shake off excess.
• Put water in a saucepan and add 8 tablespoons butter, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil.
• Add 1 cup flour all at once, stirring vigorously around and around with a wooden spoon until a ball is formed and no mixture is left on the sides of the saucepan.
• Add one egg, beating vigorously and rapidly with the spoon until it is well blended with the mixture. Add another egg, beat until incorporated, and continue with remaining eggs until all are beaten in.
• Fit a pastry bag with a round-tipped No. 6 pastry tube. Spoon mixture into the bag. Holding the pastry bag straight up with tip close to the floured surface of the baking sheet, squeeze it to make mounds of pastry at 2-inch intervals all over pan. There should be about 36 mounds.
• The mounds may have pointed tips on top. To flatten these, wet a clean tea towel and squeeze it well. Open it up, fold it over in thirds. Hold it stretched directly over the mounds, quickly patting down just enough to rid the mounds of the pointed tips. Do not squash the mounds.
• Place pan in oven and bake 30 minutes, or until cream puffs are golden brown and cooked through. Remove and let cool.

PASTRY CREAM (CREME PATISSIERE)

Steps:

• Place the milk and split vanilla bean, if used, in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and keep hot.
• Put the sugar and egg yolks in a mixing bowl (this may be done in a mixer) and beat with a wire whisk until the mixture is golden yellow and forms a ribbon. Using the whisk, stir in the cornstarch.
• Strain the hot milk into the egg and sugar mixture, beating constantly with the whisk. The vanilla bean may be rinsed off and stored in sugar.
• Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly with the whisk. Cook for one minute, stirring vigorously. Remove from the heat. Add the vanilla extract, if used. Cover and let cool. Fold in the whipped cream and Grand Marnier.

MUSHROOM STRUDEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Mince mushrooms and squeeze them dry in the corner of a towel.
• Sauté with minced shallots or green onions in butter and oil over moderately high heat, stirring frequently. Cook until pieces separate and the liquid has evaporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Blend in cream cheese.
• Spread a sheet of strudel or filo dough on a damp towel, narrow end toward you. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle on bread crumbs. Repeat with second and third sheets, stacking them on top of the first sheet, then butter, but do not crumb fourth sheet. Put half the mushroom mixture on narrower edge of the dough, leaving a 2- to 3-inch border at the sides. Fold in the sides, then, using the edge of the towel, roll. Prepare the second strudel.
• Put strudels on buttered baking sheet and brush with melted butter. Bake in oven until brown (about 20 minutes). The strudel cuts easily with shears. Strudel can be made and baked ahead, stored in the refrigerator or in the freezer overnight, and then reheated.

STRAWBERRY AND CREAM-CHEESE PASTRY CUPS

Steps:

• Arrange the pastry cups on a flat dish.
• Heat the jelly in a small heavy saucepan until melted. Brush the inside of each pastry cup with a light coating of jelly.
• Cut the cheese into 20 equal-size pieces, each about one teaspoon. Add one piece of cheese to each pastry cup. Flatten each piece to fill each cup and to smooth over the top.
• Top each cheese-filled pastry cup with a strawberry.
• Brush the top of each strawberry all around with the melted jelly.

CRAIG CLAIBORNE'S CHICKEN SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Place chicken, with giblets, in kettle. Add chicken broth to cover and salt to taste. Bring to boil and simmer until chicken is tender without being dry, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool. Remove chicken from broth and take meat from bones. Shred meat, cover, and set aside. Return skin and bones to kettle and cook broth down 30 minutes or longer. There should be 4 to 6 cups broth. Strain and reserve broth. Discard the skin and bones.
• Meanwhile, put tomatoes in saucepan and cook down to half original volume, stirring. There should be 1 1/2 cups.
• Melt 3 tablespoon butter in saucepan, add flour, stirring to blend with wire whisk. When blended and smooth, add 1 cup of reserve hot broth and the cream, stirring rapidly with the whisk. When thickened and smooth, add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
• If the mushrooms are small or button, leave them whole. Otherwise, cut them in half or quarter them. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in small skillet and add mushrooms. Cook, shaking the skillet occasionally, and stirring mushrooms until golden brown. Set aside. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in deep skillet and add onions. Cook, stirring, until wilted. Add celery and bell peppers. Cook, stirring, about 5 minutes. Do not overcook. Vegetables should remain crisp-tender. Add garlic, beef and pork. Cook, stirring, breaking up the meat. Cook just until the meat loses it red color. Add bay leaf. Add tomatoes and the white sauce made with chicken broth. Add the mushrooms.
• Cook spaghettini in boiling salted water until just tender. Do not overcook. Remember that it will cook again when blended with chicken and meat sauce. Drain spaghettini and run under cold running water.
• Spoon enough of the meat sauce over the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart casserole to cover it lightly. Add about 1/3 of the spaghettini. Add about 1/3 of the shredded chicken, a layer of meat sauce, a layer of grated Cheddar cheese and another layer of spaghettini. Continue making layers, ending with a layer of spaghettini topped with a thin layer of meat sauce and grated Cheddar cheese. Pour in up to 2 cups reserved chicken broth, or enough to almost but not quite cover the top layer of spaghettini. Cover and let casserole stand 4 hours or longer. If liquid is absorbed as the dish stands, add a little more chicken broth. When dish is baked and served, sauce will be just a little soupy rather than thick and clinging.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place casserole on top of stove and bring it just to boiling. Cover and place it in the oven. Bake 15 minutes and uncover. Bake 15 minutes longer or until casserole is hot and bubbling throughout, and starting to brown on top. Serve immediately with grated Parmesan on the side.

DELUXE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Make the crust: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine the flour, sugar and lemon zest. Cut in the butter until mixture is crumbly. Add the egg yolk and vanilla. Mix.
• Pat a third of the dough over the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with sides removed. Bake about 6 minutes, or until golden. Cool.
• Butter the sides of the pan and attach to the bottom. Pat remaining dough around the sides to a height of 2 inches.
• Increase the oven heat to 475 degrees.
• Prepare the filling: Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add vanilla and lemon zest.
• In a separate bowl, combine sugar, flour and salt. Gradually blend into cheese mixture. Beat in eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, and the cream. Beat well.
• Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 200 degrees. Bake 1 hour longer, or until set. Turn off oven heat and allow cake to remain 30 minutes in the oven with the door ajar. Cool on a rack. Chill at least 3 hours before serving. Adorn with fruit if you'd like.