A yummy winter galette recipe is below. You can serve it at brunch, lunch or dinner.

But first, some words about galettes (the term in Italian is crostata).

Galette (from the Norman word gale, meaning “flat cake“) is a French term for a flat pastry, usually round—i.e., a rustic pie.

The filling can be sweet or savory.
 
 
THE FIRST GALETTES

Galettes preceded pies.

Before pie pans became available and affordable, cooks would roll out a large circle of dough, placing the filling in the center. A large border of dough remained to fold up, the folded crust creating a border that keeps the filling in place.

There was and is only a bottom crust.

While the aim was to create a round shape, galettes could be less than a perfect circle but more free-form.
 
 
TYPES OF GALETTES

Modern galettes often use puff pastry as the base; but can also be made from a yeast dough like brioche, or a sweet pastry crust.

Different regions make pastries called “galette” that are different in concept; for example:

 
And there are other variations called galette, no doubt [source].
 
 
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GALETTES PIES & TARTS

We’ve just defined a galette: a free-form single-crust flat filled pastry made without a pie pan. Here’s how it differs from a:

 
As with galettes, pies and tarts can be sweet or savory.

Here’s the difference between pies and tarts.
 

RECIPE: WINTER GALETTE WITH ARTICHOKES & MUSHROOMS

This recipe is a “winter galette” because it uses vegetables that are easily available in the cold weather months: artichoke hearts, leeks and portabello mushrooms.

With lots of vegetables, salty parmesan cheese and a flaky crust, you can serve it for brunch, as a light lunch with a salad, as a bite with wine or cocktails, or as a first course at dinner.

Thanks to DeLallo for the recipe.
 
Ingredients For 4-8 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bay leaf and salt and cook gently until the onion is soft and aromatic, about 10 minutes.

2. ADD the leeks and cook, stirring, for three more minutes. Then add the pancetta, garlic, mushrooms and thyme. Cook for 5 more minutes.

3. ADD the wine and allow the mixture to simmer for 3 minutes. Then add the stock and simmer for another 3 minutes to reduce the mixture. Stir in the artichokes and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile…

4. MAKE a roux by melting the butter in a separate pan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and stir constantly for 3-5 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Add the roux to the artichoke mixture and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until it thickens slightly.

5. REMOVE the skillet from the heat and stir in the ricotta and parmesan. Set aside to cool slightly.

6. TAKE the puff pastry from the refrigerator. Flour your work surface and roll the dough to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut into a 9” circle or keep rectangular. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

7. TOP the dough with the artichoke mixture, leaving a 3-inch border around the edges. Fold the edges of the dough over the filling. Brush the crust with the beaten egg.

8. BAKE the galette for 45-55 minutes or until the crust is golden. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.

[1] Artichoke, portabello and leek galette. The recipe is below (photo © DeLallo).

[2] Another winter galette combines onions and apples. Here’s the recipe (photos #2 and #4 © Good Eggs).

[3] More winter galette: Here, beets and sweet potatoes. Here’s the recipe (photos #3 and #5 © Vermont Creamery).

[4] A summer galette; here, an individual-portion galette of zucchini and yellow squash.

[5] Another summer galette: heirloom tomatoes and goat cheese.

[6] Many galettes are filled with fruit (photo of cherry galette © Uliana Kopanytsia | Unsplash).

> THE HISTORY OF PIE

> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PIE & PASTRY
 
________________

*We used plain canned artichoke hearts not soaked in marinade.

†For a pancetta substitute, consider Canadian bacon, prosciutto, smoked ham or smoked sausage. For a vegetarian alternative, olives or cubes of portabello mushrooms are often substituted. Since the recipe already has portabellos, you can add more of them. Also consider chickpeas and Textured Vegetable Protein.

‡You can substitute yellow onions. Yellow onions are preferred for caramelizing, which draws out their natural sweetness. White onions are slightly sweeter, a bit milder in taste than yellow onions and can be used raw with salads and sandwiches. White onions shouldn’t be confused with sweet onions such as Maui and Vidalia. While these sweet onions are also white, sweet onions have a much higher sugar content and a lower sulfur content. The sulfur content creates the pungency in onions.

[1] Margarita cupcakes (photo and recipe © Santo Spirits).

[2] Yes, you can drink a Margarita with the cupcakes (photo © Casa Noble Tequila).

[3] Santo Fino Blanco Tequila (photo © Luekens Liquors).

National Margarita Day is February 22nd*.

If you need a recipe, here are 27 Margarita recipes, from classic to nouvelle.

Let’s add some food fun. Here’s a sweet bite to go with the cocktail: Margarita cupcakes.

The cupcakes and icing contain the ingredients of a classic Margarita: tequila, triple sec, and lime zest and juice.

Can you drink a Margarita (photo #2) alongside the cupcake? Absolutely!

Thanks to Santo Tequila (photo #3) for the recipe.

Speaking of recipes, here are some 30 Margarita cocktail recipes.
 
 
RECIPE: MARGARITA CUPCAKES

Make the cupcakes more festive with printed cupcake liners (photo #1).

Ingredients For 12 Cupcakes

For The Cupcakes

 
For The Glaze

 
For The Icing

1. PREHEAT THE oven to 325°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

2. SIFT together the flour, baking powder and salt.

3. CREAM the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time; mix well after each addition.

4. ADD the lime zest, lime juice, tequila, triple sec, vanilla and lime extract.

5. ADD the dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk. Mix until just combined; do not over-mix (it toughens the crumb‡).

6. DIVIDE the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick shows only moist crumbs. Meanwhile…

7. MAKE the glaze. When the cupcakes are done, remove the tin from the oven.

8. BRUSH the tops of the cupcakes with the glaze. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to cooling rack.

9. MAKE the icing: Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the zest, tequila, and triple sec. Add in the cream and beat for approximately 5 minutes more, until the icing is light and fluffy.

10. PIPE or spread the icing on the cooled cupcakes. Garnish with lime zest (zest the lime right over the icing) or a segment of a lime wheel.
 
 
> CUPCAKE HISTORY

> MARGARITA HISTORY
 
 
________________

*February 22nd is also the birthday of George Washington, who likely never heard of tequila. He drank beer and porter, which he brewed on his estate. He also liked Madeira, a fortified wine produced on the Portuguese island of Madeira. He also planted American grapes for wine. He had tried planting Madeira, but the grapes were not successful in the Virginia soil [source].

†Lime extract has a zesty lime flavor that is used most often in baking and beverages. The lime flavor in this extract comes from distilled lime oil pressed from the skin of limes. Just a teaspoon adds a zingy twist to dips, drinks, fudge, salsa, etc. If you don’t want to buy a bottle, here’s how to make it from fresh limes.

‡The crumb is the inside of bread or cake; i.e., that which is under the crust. The term refers to the interior texture and tenderness, among other characteristics.
 
 

Have some fun with potatoes this weekend: Make potato stacks in your muffin cups.

The potato slices have crisp edges, and can be eaten like a stack of pancakes, in single slices, or whatever way creativity guides you.

(We picked them up and ate them like chips.)

The recipe, from Wisconsin Cheese, uses romano cheese for its tangy flavor to dishes.

Romano is similar in texture to parmesan, but has a sharper, more assertive taste. There’s more about it below.
 
 
RECIPE: CRISPY POTATO STACKS

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. HEAT the oven to 400°F.

2. COMBINE the potatoes, butter and rosemary in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Romano; toss to coat.

3. EVENLY STACK the potatoes in six lightly greased muffin cups. (The stacks will be taller than the muffin cups.)

4. COVER the pan with aluminum foil. Bake for 35 minutes. Uncover; bake for 20-25 minutes longer or until the potatoes are golden and crispy around the edges.

5. RUN a knife around edges to loosen the potato stacks; plate.
 

ABOUT PECORINO ROMANO & ROMANO CHEESES

History

Few cheeses in the world have such ancient origins as Pecorino Romano.

For more than 2,000 years, flocks of sheep that graze freely in the countryside of Lazio, the region of which Rome is the capital. These sheep produced the milk from which the cheese is made.

In fact, it was made in Roman countryside until 1884, when a city council ruling over cheese salting in shops caused producers to move to the island of Sardinia.

Pecorino Romano was a favorite of the ancient Romans, from royalty to soldiers and everyday citizens.

 
The processing of sheep’s milk for cheese was described by Homer (c. 800 to c. 701 B.C.E.).

Columella (4 to c. 70 C.E.), a prominent Roman writer on agriculture, gives a detailed description of pecorino production in his “De re rustica” [source].

The method of production of the cheese was also described by Pliny the Elder (c. 23/24 C.E. to 79 C.E. [he died during the Pompeii eruption]).

Today’s Pecorino Romano is made from the same recipe, albeit with pasteurized milk.

A hard grating cheese, “pecorino” refers to sheep’s milk cheese (pecore means sheep in Italian). Romano indicates that the cheese is of Roman provenance.

While Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Pedano are the favorite grating cheeses of Northern Italy, Pecorino Romano is the choice in the southern portion of the country.

It’s a bit drier and saltier than northern Italian grana (grainy) cheeses.
 
 
Authenticity

[1] Yummy potato stacks with melted Romano cheese and fresh rosemary (photo © Wisconsin Cheese).

[2] Fresh rosemary is a “must” (photo © Burpee).

[3] Pecorino Romano cheese D.O.P. from Locatelli (photo © iGourmet).

[4] Don’t buy grated cheese. Instead, buy a wedge and grate it as you need it (photo © iGourmet).

[5] Cacio e Pepe, a famous spaghetti dish with grated romano and cracked pepper. Here’s a recipe (photo © Eataly).

[6] Roasted broccoli with grated romano cheese. Here’s the recipe (photo © Kalyn’s Kitchen).

[7] Tuscan bean soup with shaved Romano cheese (photo courtesy Lewis & Neal [now closed]).

[1] Cafe au lait (photo © Krups).

[2] In France, cafe au lait is also served in bowls. This is an older tradition, from days long ago, before potters knew how to add handles to vessels. These bowls are available from La Poterie du Chalet | Etsy (photo © La Poterie du Chalet.

[3] Caffe latte, the Italian version, is the same recipe but served in a kitchen glass (photo © Williams Sonoma).

[4] Look for a milk frother that also steams (photo © Miroco).

February 17th is National Café au Lait Day, a French term for coffee with steamed milk (photo #1).

Brewed French roast or Italian roast coffee is mixed in a 1:1 ratio with steamed milk (frankly, at home we often just heat the milk in the microwave—a “rustic” version).

Café au lait is different from a latte, which is made with espresso and steamed milk.

In cafés, the milk is steamed with the steaming arm of an espresso machine. For less than $50, you can buy a device that both steams and froths milk.

In France, café au lait is served in cups, but also in bowls (photo #2)

> The recipe for café au lait is below.

> Coffee terms and the different types of coffee drinks.

> Espresso terms and the different types of espresso drinks.

> The history of coffee.
 
 
CAFÉ AU LAIT VS. CAFFÈ LATTE

The drinks are the same, but the terms are used to indicate the way coffee is served.

 
 
STEAMED MILK VS. FROTHED MILK

Steamed milk is more widely used to make coffee and espresso drinks because the milk is easily steamed with the steam wand on an espresso machine.

The steam makes the milk very hot and slightly aerated. These very small air bubbles create a finer and more delicate foam called microfoam.

That’s the same foam that’s used to make latte art.

So what separates steamed milk from frothed milk?

Frothed milk is more highly aerated, giving it more volume and significant amounts of foam. Aeration—the addition of air bubbles—is what makes the froth (foam).

Frothed milk lends itself specifically to foam-filled beverages like cappuccino, where it adds a creamy, airy topping.
 

RECIPE: CAFÉ AU LAIT AT HOME

Simply pour half a cup of extra-strong coffee and finish filling the cup with steamed milk.

If you have a frother: Foam isn’t traditionally found atop a café au ait, but no one will report you if you use it.

Ingredients For 2 Cups

 
Preparation

1. HEAT the milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking until the milk is steaming and slightly foamy.

2. FILL two large coffee cups halfway with the coffee. Divide the milk between them and stir.
 
 
HOW TO STEAM MILK AT HOME

If you don’t have a steaming wand, you can froth the milk instead.

 
Quite frankly, often at home, we cheat by heating milk in the microwave.
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF COFFEE

> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ESPRESSO DRINKS

How about those flat plastic closures that close loaves of bread?

People all over the world get with their packaged bread—and they’re so much easier to use than wire twist-ties.

After the bread is gone, we keep them to use as closures for other plastic bags, like the produce bags at the market.

We even know parents who make art projects from them.

Who makes them?

The majority are made by a family-owned company in Yakima, Washington.

Kwik-Lok has been manufacturing the closures since 1954.

Founder Floyd Paxton, an engineer, saw that packaging technologies post-World War II were changing.

At the time, his company made machines to nail-close produce boxes and labeling machines, largely for the Washington State apple industry.

When apple distributors moved from boxes to bagging, they didn’t like the wire and tape closures in use at the time, and asked Floyd for help.

As the story goes, the flat clip came to Paxton in 1952, during a flight.

While he was on the plane, nibbling on a package of complimentary nuts, he realized he didn’t have a way to close them in order to save some for later.

He took out a pen knife and hand-carved the first flat closure from a credit card (in some tellings, it was an expired credit card [source]).

The Kwik-Lok closure prototype was born.

In its first year of production, the flat tab quickly became the preferred method for closing bags of apples.

It was not long before it was adopted by manufacturers who used polyethylene bags, like bread producers.

Today, Kwik-Lok is an international company that closes billions of bags a year [source].

So the next time you’re thinking of cutting up an expired credit card…think of what you can cut from it!
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BREAD
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF BREAD

[1] Is there anyone not familiar with these (photos #1 and #2 © Kwik-Lok)?

[2] They were invented to close bags of apples.

[3] Most Americans know them first and foremost, from the bread aisle (photo © Squid Ink).