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.

Roast Beef Pot Pie Recipe

As I expected, two people weren't able to finish the 1½ pound pot roast I prepared yesterday. So what to do with the leftovers? Make pot pie, of course! Especially since it's National Pot Pie Month.

I took the leftover beef and gravy and added frozen peas and carrots. I used store-bought puff pastry and made pot pies. The flakiness from the crust and the creamy filling made the most delicious meal. I prepared them in individual metal tins so each person gets more puff pastry. How could anyone resist?

I served the pot pies with whole baby corn. I was able to find some at my local Asian market despite the season (check for Melissa's baby corn brand).  

Beet Tart with Beet Green Pesto

My husband Lulu has been harvesting the most beautiful vegetables this season. I cook depending on what's available in our vegetable box, and today, I played around with red and golden beets. Nothing went to waste. I made a beet leaf (it's edible!) pesto that I used as the filling for a -- you guessed it -- beet tart. 

I recently discovered fellow blogger Béatrice Peltre's new cookbook that shares the name of her lovely website, LaTartineGourmande.com. I adapted her savory crust recipe for this dish, and I was very pleased with the result. The xanthan gum dough holds together much better, so I'm definitely going to keep this tip in mind.