Smoked Eggplant Tart Recipe

I had one leftover smoked eggplant from the weekend. I used large, heavy, firm eggplants that I brushed with a bit of oil so the oil could absorb the smoky flavor from the hot charcoals. This evening, I peeled the paper-like skin and processed it with sesame chutney (til chutney in Urdu). I fried a shallot, added a little mound of butter, then added ground beef, fresh dill and tomatoes. This preparation made the perfect filling for a savory tart.

If you do not have a grill, you could replicate similar flavors using an Indian cooking method, which was my husband's grandmother's. Simply heat a piece of charcoal, preferably natural charcoal, directly over a flame until it's bright red and transfer it to small metal tin that you place in the center of a saucepan filled with the puréed eggplant. Drizzle a little oil over the hot coal to provide smoke, then immediately cover the saucepan with a lid to trap the smoke and let infuse into the spread.

Cherry Chicken Tart Recipe

The filling of this tart is as delicious as it sounds. Cherry roasted chicken breasts are shredded into fairly large pieces and mixed into a creamy sauce.

The tart is sealed with a thin layer of Monterey Jack cheese. I made the flaky crust with fresh herbs: chives, creeping red thyme and Italian parsley. You could prepare the crust in advance and store it in the freezer until you're ready to bake. I served the savory tart with a large arugula salad to complete the flavorful meal. 

Reminder: I'll be giving a cooking demonstration (complete with samples!) of one of my potato creations at the Los Altos library. On Saturday, May 25th, starting at 2 pm, I will be talking about my first cookbook, Haute Potato, and cooking, and we'll have the opportunity to chat afterwards. This event is free and open to the public and my cookbook will also be available for purchase and signing. So as to be able to serve enough food for everyone, I would greatly appreciate an RSVP so you may be added to the guest list: send an email to events{at}PhamFatale{dot}com with "Haute Potato Reservation" as the subject, indicating the number of people you'll be coming with. Please spread the word; the more the merrier. I'm so excited, can't wait to meet you!

Event Type: Adult Program
Age Group(s): Adult, Teen
Date: 5/25/2013
Start Time: 2:00 PM
Santa Clara County Library District
Los Altos Library |  www.sccl.org
13 S. San Antonio Rd. | Los Altos, CA 94024 

Indian-Inspired Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Tart Recipe

If you love aloo gobi, which is an Indian potato (aloo) and cauliflower (gobi) dish, I'm confident that you will adore this Indian-inspired savory tart. When I first got married, my husband's grandmother taught me a lot of Indian dishes. The traditional dishes on their own are great, but I also enjoy playing around with them, and incorporating elements into French dishes. I find that the aesthetics of French cuisine works very well with the bold flavors of Indian food.

This particular recipe combines a French onion tart with my twist on the aforementioned aloo gobi. I created a homemade fine-herb tart shell and filled the bottom with onion compote topped with a flavorful Indian cauliflower and sweet potato preparation. The two elements are connected by the natural sweetness of the onions and sweet potatoes. A little Munster cheese on top finishes the dish, though you can substitute with any mild, melt-able cheese.

Mushroom Crostata Recipe

I think a mushroom-filled crostata would work wonderfully. The rustic look of the free-form savory pie and the earthy flavors of the five londs of mushroom used go hand in hand. I also added a bit of sharp Cheddar cheese for its melty, stringy and delicious qualities.

The reason I used that many mushrooms (shiitake mushrooms, Portobello mushrooms, beech mushrooms, Boletus mushrooms and fresh white button mushrooms) is because we're going on a family vacation for Spring break to San Antonio , Texas --follow me on Twitter and Facebook to see more pictures-- and my mission was to "empty" our refrigerator. You could add pancetta to the mushroom filling if you don't mind the dish being non-vegetarian. It gives a subtly sweet, salty note, which is very pleasant.

Grilled Eggplant Tartlet Recipe

I love grilling vegetables. They can be served as is as a side dish or coarsely chopped in a salad. They also can act as the basis of flavorful spreads. Recently, I opted for the latter and created a smoky eggplant spread flavored with onion, garlic, grape molasses, tahini, a few herbs and sea salt; to ensure the eggplant would blend smoothly in the food processor, I added delicious Chardonnay cider I discovered at Trader Joe's. The result is out of-this-world delicious. You could stop the work right there and serve the spread in a bowl with lavash bread or pita bread, but I fancied it up by using it as a filling in mini-tartlets. 

This appetizer is not only cute, it's very easy to prepare. I let the girls prepare the eggplant spread and assemble the one bite-sized appetizers while I was preparing dinner.  I had two goals in mind. First, it kept them occupied and they had fun at the same time, instead of asking "is dinner ready yet?" The second main reason is that now since they now know how to make this, they can help out with very little supervision whenever we have guests over. I find it very valuable to get the girls involved in the kitchen. They appreciate food more when they know where it came from, and as I keep reminding them, they'll be thankful to know basics when they're on their own at college.