Monaco

 Welcome to Monaco!  In 2014, 30% of the population were millionaires!  Monaco's defense is the responsibility of France, and Casino Monte Carlo was established in 1863.  If you are a native of Monaco, you are not allowed to gamble at the Monte Carlo!  Fascinating.  There ae so many interesting facts about this country - it was great to research!  You'll have to look it up yourself for more.  According to Google, the population is 38,000 people and the capital is Monaco (it is a city-state and has no designated capital city).  Their national dish is...

Barbajuan!

It is a greens and cheese filled crispy pastry.  Which, if you make gluten free, is not easy.  So, because I am a glutton for punishment, I decided to look for a dessert to make too.  I found something called Fraise Millefeuille, which is a strawberries and cream dessert.  It was said to be Prince Albert's favorite dessert.  What could possibly go wrong with strawberries and cream?!  Here's what we did:

BARBAJUAN

Pastry

1 2/3 C gluten free flour

Pinch of salt

3 tbsp + 1 tsp avocado oil

1 egg, separated

3 tbsp + 1 tsp water

Oil, for frying

Filling

1 tbsp avocado oil

1/4 C finely chopped onion

1/4 C finely chopped leek (white part only)

2 Swiss chard leaves (green parts only), shredded and chopped

2 C chopped fresh spinach

Pinch of dried oregano, crumbled

1/4 C ricotta cheese

1/4 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg yolk, beaten

1. For the pastry
2. 1.  In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, avocado oil, and the egg white.  
3. 2.  Add just enough water to bring the pastry together as a firm dough.
4. 3.  Turn this out onto a lightly-floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.
5. 4.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
6. For the filling
7. 5.  Heat the avocado oil in a shallow pan over medium heat and add the onion and leek and fry until golden.
8. 6.  Add the chard, spinach and oregano and fry until the chard is tender.
9. 7.  Transfer the contents of the skillet to a bowl and then mix in the cheeses and the egg yolk from the pastry.
10. 8.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
11. Putting it together
12. 9.  Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface to about 2mm thick.
13. 10. Use a large cup and cut into as many rounds as you can.
14. 11. Gather the scraps, re-roll out and cut again. You should end up with about 20 circles.
15. 12. Place 1 tsp of the filling in the center of each pastry round and brush the edges with water.
16. 13. Fold the dough over to form a semi-circle and press the edges with the ends of a fork to seal.
17. 14. As you complete each pastry, transfer to a baking tray lined with foil.
18. To Cook
19. 15. Pour oil into a deep pan and heat to fry.
20. 16. Working in batches, add the pasties to the oil and fry until brown and crisp.
21. 17. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen towels using a slotted spoon.
22. 18. Enjoy!

(Source: Barbajuan)

FRAISE MILLEFEUILLE

2 C milk

3/4 C sugar

4 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla

3 1/2 tbsp corn flour

1/4 C butter

2/3 C whipping cream

Other needed ingredients

1 1/2 lbs fresh strawberries, thinly sliced

3 gluten free puff pastry sheets

1/2 C white frosting recipe follows:

White Frosting

1 C milk

1/4 C gluten free flour

1 C butter

1 C white sugar

1 tsp vanilla 

1. 1.  Add vanilla to a pot along with the milk and 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar. 
2. 2. Bring to a boil over medium heat. 
3. 3.  Meanwhile, beat together the egg yolks and remaining sugar in a bowl. 
4. 4.  Whisk corn flour into egg mixture. 
5. 5.  Remove milk from heat and add the egg mixture, whisking constantly and return to low heat. 
6. 6.  Cook, stirring constantly, for two minutes. 
7. 7.  Pour mixture into a bowl and add the butter one small cube at a time. 
8. 8.  When butter has been incorporated, set aside to cool. Stir occasionally so mixture cools and thickens evenly.
9. 9.  Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. 
10. 10. Roll out puff pastry into three sheets. 
11. 11.  Layer with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to chill for at least thirty minutes. 
12. 12. Layer each pastry sheet on parchment paper and set on baking trays. 
13. 13. Place in oven and bake for thirty-five minutes. 
14. 14. When pastry rises and turns golden, remove from oven. 
15. 15. Set a plate on top of each pastry sheet and set aside to cool.
16. 16. In the small saucepan containing the milk mixture, add flour. 
17. 17. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil. 
18. 18. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. 
19. 19. When milk mixture is cool, add butter, sugar and vanilla. 
20. 20. Beat with an electric mixer for ten to twelve minutes, scraping the bottom of the bowl occasionally. 
21. 21. Refrigerate frosting about thirty minutes before using.
22. 22. After pastries have cooled, spread frosting on smoothest side of each pastry sheet. 
23. 23. Place in a preheated 425-degrees F oven. 
24. 24. Bake for about four minutes, or until lightly caramelized. 
25. 25. Allow the pastry to cool, then proceed to assemble the cake. 
26. 26. Whip the cream and fold through the custard mix.
27. 27. Place a sheet of pastry on a serving plate and add layer of cream. 
28. 28. Add a layer of strawberries. 
29. 29. Repeat layering until three sheets of pastry have been assembled. 
30. 30. Slice and enjoy!

(Source: Fraise Millefeuille)

The verdict?  This was a hard one.  The barbajuan did not turn out well at all.  The pastry was hard and very bland.  I didn't add xanthan gum, which would have helped.  I also probably didn't roll it out thin enough.  The pastry filling was tasty, and there wasn't a lot of it leftover, like there usually is with fillings.  I think the filling would have been a tasty pasta topping or a lasagna filling!  The fraise millefeuille was a disappointment too.  The puff pastry sheets worked great, but the icing never caramelized and the custard did not set in a way that we could add it to the cake.  It was incredibly runny.  So, we didn't add that part to the cake, and instead just added whipped cream and strawberries.  It was very tasty - we enjoyed it!  It was strange to put flour in the frosting, but it ended up working just fine!  We turned the custard mixture into ice cream the next night.  It was good, but the corn flour gave it a bit of a gritty taste.  So, my thought is that if we made it again as ice cream, leave out the corn flour!  Overall, we were disappointed in this country's meal, but it wasn't a total loss!

    

ME

Taste of Barbajuan (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 5

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 5

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Barbajuan (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 6

ME

Taste of Fraise Millefeuille (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 6

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Fraise Millefeuille (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 6

Join us next time in Guiena!