*Adapted from Vincent Guerithault Ingredients: 1 pkg. Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets, thawed (2 Sheets) Almond Cream 6 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced 3 oz. melted butter 1 oz. granulated sugar … i didn’t know

Source: http://www.mykitchennotes.com/2007/07/fresh-peach-tart-with-almond-cream.html

New Orleans chefs dream up endless ways to serve the city’s fresh salty oysters. Susan Spicer wraps hers into crisp filo packets, managing to include wine-mushroom ragout and spinach leaves along the way.

Serves 4

1 dozen fresh oysters
2 shallots, chopped
1 cup dry white wine
2 leeks (white part only), carefully washed and chopped
4 ounces oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped (button mushrooms may be substituted)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 to 5 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup cream
Pinch freshly ground nutmeg
Squeeze of lemon juice
12 to 18 whole spinach leaves, blanched
1 pound filo dough
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Salt and white pepper to taste

Champagne Butter Sauce (recipe below)

Drain the reserve any oyster juice (liquor(). Marinate the oysters with the shallot and 1/4 cup of the wine for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a saute pan. Add the leeks and oyster mushrooms and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in enough flour to absorb the butter. Add the remaining 3/4 cup wine and any oyster juice. Bring the mixture to a boil. Pour in the cream. Add the nutmeg and lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until firm.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a shallow pan. Add the oysters and marinade. Poach just until the edges of the oysters start to curl. Drain on towels and chill. Spread the blanched spinach leaves on paper towels. Refrigerate until cool and dry.

Spread 1 sheet of filo on a dry work surface. Brush one half with melted butter. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Fold in half and coat with melted butter and a light sprinkling of bread crumbs. Fold the filo into a triangle.

Using your hands, wrap one oyster with about 1 tablespoon of the leek mixture, then cover with a spinach leaf. Brush the filo triangle with butter and place the oyster packet in the center. Fold the corners of the filo around the oyster, trimming off any excess dough. Turn the packet over and brush with butter. Pat into a smooth oval. Continue the procedure with the rest of the oysters. If any are very small, place two oysters together in one packet.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Arrange the oyster packets on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

To serve: Serve each person 3 oyster packets as an appetizer, accompanied by Champagne Butter Sauce.

Champagne Butter Sauce

2 large shallots, finely chopped
1 cup champagne
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1 ounce salmon roe (optional)
Minced chives
Freshly ground white pepper to taste
Salt (optional)

Combine the shallots and champagne in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until reduced to about 3 tablespoons of liquid. Add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, whisking constantly as the butter melts into the sauce. When all the butter has been incorporated, remove from heat and stir in the salmon roe and chives. Season to taste with white pepper; add salt only if not using salmon roe.

Peppercorn mélange and jalapeno give chicken a real kick. This chicken is marinated in the pepper mixture with onion, thyme, and Worcestershire, among other things, picking up heat along the way. Simply grilled with melted butter, they can be the mainstay of an outdoor dinner. Note the chef´s tip that leftovers ‚Äî should you have any ‚Äî are great for chicken salad.

Serves 6

2 tablespoons peppercorn melange (red, green, white, and black peppercorns)
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded, deribbed, and chopped
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 chicken breast halves
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Put the pepper melange in a food processor and pulse to crack the peppercorns. Add the onion, jalapeno, thyme, sugar, Worcestershire, and vegetable oil. Process until well-blended, 5 to 10 seconds.

Marinate the chicken breast halves for at least 10 minutes, or up to 1 day (refrigerated,) in the pepper mixture.

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill. When the fire is hot, take the breasts out of the marinate and dip in the melted butter. Grill for 4 minutes, or until the edges turn white. Turn one-quarter turn with tongs and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the breasts over and cook for 3 minutes, until done through but not too black. Serve immediately.

Note: The chicken can marinate for up to 1 day, but it should be grilled just before serving. Leftover chicken is wonderful in a salad.

Makes one 9-inch pie

Crust
1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling
3 egg yolks
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice

1 cup heavy (whipping) cream, beaten to soft peaks

To make the crust: In a 9-inch pie pan, toss the graham cracker crumbs with the sugar and melted butter. Press the mixture onto the bottom and sides of the pan, then refrigerate 30 minutes before filling.

To make the filling: Beat the egg yolks about 10 minutes, until they turn pale yellow and are thick enough to form a ribbon. Do not underbeat. Add the condensed milk and beat at slow speed just until smooth. Incorporate the lemon juice at low speed. The mixture will thicken almost immediately. Beat briefly, then pour the filling into the chilled crust. Refrigerate the pie overnight.

To serve: Cut into individual slices. Top slices with whipped cream.

Excellent phyllo dough can be purchased frozen. Keep it frozen until ready to use. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Dampen a cloth dish towel or similar piece of cloth with warm water and wring it out. Unfold the phyllo on a lightly floured surface. Lifting gently, separate into layers and place the first layer on your work surface. Keep the other layers covered with the dampened cloth until you are ready to use them. Lightly brush the first layer with melted butter. Cover with a second layer and brush again. Continue in this manner until you have built up the desired number of layers.

The phyllo may be cut out with cookie cutters or a sharp knife. Cut out desired shapes and proceed according to the recipe. If you are making something sweet, sugar may be sprinkled lightly over each layer as the stack is built, and again on the top layer to glaze. The phyllo triangle directions are an example of using sugar.

Phyllo Triangles

6 sheets phyllo dough

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

1 cup granulated sugar

To make the pastry triangles: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough on a large cutting board. Keep the remaining dough covered with a damp towel to keep it moist. Lightly brush the phyllo with melted butter and sprinkle with some of the sugar. Repeat to make 6 layers of phyllo. Cut the dough in half lengthwise, then divide each half into 8 equal squares. Cut each square in half diagonally, making 32 triangles. Transfer the triangles to the prepared pan. Cover the pastry with another sheet of parchment or foil and set a second pan on top. (The additional pan helps the triangles to keep their shape and helps to caramelize the phyllo dough.) Bake the triangles for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. The pastry burns easily, so watch carefully. Remove the top pan and paper or foil and let the pastries cool completely.