French Friday with Dorie ~ gerard's mustard tart w/dinner

The kitchen is uncomfortably warm. The oven has been baking away for over 3 hours. Both Shadow and Fluffy are fully extended on the couch "and" ottoman with paws curled over their eyes while they nap. The aroma of a warm tart crust fresh from the oven fills the house. Tomorrow is French Friday with Dorie and our second choice for the month of October; gerard's mustard tart.

Many thoughts circulated through my head while looking at the recipe for this savory tart last weekend. Two types of mustard, one grainy; leeks and carrots, julienned and steamed; and a filling resembling a quiche. Creme Fraiche is already waiting in the refrigerator. What could the tart possibly taste like? Is mustard going to be the dominant flavor? Dorie says to add according to taste. I was not sure what the taste should be. Then there is the dinner menu; one of my favorite past times, meaning get out old and new recipes to find ideas to match the tart.

An hour later, recipes spread across the couch, ottoman, floor, on top of the cats (they love playing hide-and-seek with loose paper), my menu was assembled on my menu notepad.

I am sticking with Dorie's exact measurements for the ingredient list along with baking the tart shell from page 498 of our French Table cookbook. I am also baking Dorie's Banana Cream Pie out of Dorie's Baking from my home to yours cookbook (I missed the week the banana cream pie was baked in TWD.).

Dinner for Early Evening:

Dorie's recipe of gerard's mustard tart

Feta-Stuffed Shrimp

Sirloin Steaks with Blue Cheese and Mushroom Wine Sauce

Roasted Broccoli w/Herb Lemon Butter

Dessert:

Dories recipe for Banana Cream Pie

Feta-Stuffed Shrimp

(adapted from a recipe by Paula Deen)

Ingredients:

8 jumbo shrimp

1/3 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped roasted red pepper

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup butter plus 3 tablespoons, melted and divided

1 large egg yolk, beaten

1/3 cup white wine

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spray a shallow baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Peel shrimp, leaving tails intact. With a sharp knife, carefully slice the spine of shrimp from head to tail, cutting almost all the way through the shrimp; remove the dark vein, and rinse shrimp. With your fingers, carefully spread apart the shrimp, and flatten the halves on a flat surface. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, parsley, red pepper, garlic, feta, lemon zest, lemon juice, ¼ cup melted butter, and egg yolk; stir well.
Spoon about 1 tablespoon of bread crumb mixture onto each butterflied shrimp, mounding the mixture, if necessary.
Place the stuffed shrimp in prepared dish.
Pour wine and remaining 3 tablespoons melted butter around shrimp in baking dish.
Bake for 20 minutes or until shrimp are pink and firm.
Transfer shrimp to serving plates, and drizzle with pan juices.

Issues along the Way:
*My crust baked up to more of a chocolate brown, just past golden, and I had yet to add my filling. I made a foil circle and covered the edging while baking the tart filling. Worked out perfect.

*I was planning on making this dinner Wednesday night before I realized the tart dough is chilled for 3 hours, assembled and chilled again, then baked and cooled before adding the filling. For pre-planning purposes, the tart shell dough is a breeze for baking the next day.

Verdict: The mustard was not over-powering. We were pleasantly surprised at how mellow the flavor actually was. The crust was crisp and flaky while the filling was firm and moist. We both loved it!

I can not wait to try the mustard tart recipe again with fresh tomatoes. I already bought them to try this weekend.


Dorie's banana cream pie filling was quick and easy to put together. I wasn't sure about the sound of cinnamon with banana but the flavors mingle perfectly. Hubby had two pieces after dinner. Where he fit them, I am not quite sure. =)

We both are up at 4 a.m. so a special dinner can make the long day melt away.

Thank you Dorie for choosing another dish that will not be forgotten in our kitchen.