GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — The 2024 Olympic Games have shone the spotlight directly on the city of Paris, its culture and legendary cuisine.
Truth be told, you don't have to fly to France to experience it - just venture to your kitchen and embark on a food adventure worthy of The City of Light.
Karl Benson, co-owner of Cooks Bellecour, paid KARE 11 Saturday a visit to whip up a batch of Tomato Tarté.
Here's how it's done.
Cooks | Bellecour Tomato Tarté
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Preparation time: 45 – 55 minutes
Ingredients
1 sheet of store-bought puff pastry
2–3 tomatoes, cored and sliced to a thickness of 1/4"
2–3 fresh sprigs of thyme
High-quality extra-virgin olive oil
Coarsely-ground fresh pepper
Salt, preferably Maldon or another crunchy sea salt
Directions
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
If using store-bought puff pastry (which is already rolled out) lay it out on the baking sheet. Using the tip of a pairing knife, lightly score a border about 1/2 inch from the edge of the pastry. Prick the dough inside the border all over with the tines of a fork. This will prevent it from puffing up too much while baking.
Arrange the tomato slices on the pastry in a single layer (crowding or overlapping the tomatoes will make the puff pastry soggy). Strip the branches of the thyme and scatter the leaves over the tomatoes. Drizzle the tart with olive oil and season to taste with pepper.
Place the tart in your preheated oven and bake until the pastry is crisp and deeply browned on the bottom and around the edges, about 30 to 40 minutes. Season with salt and enjoy. We sure have!
Cooks | Bellecour Salade Niçoise
Serves 6
Ingredients-Vinaigrette
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon Calamansi Citron Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon mustard dry
1/2 - 2/3 cups olive oil
1 teaspoon pepper freshly ground
1 teaspoon fresh or dried herbs, such as basil
Salad
1 Tablespoon shallot minced
2 - 3 Tablespoons white wine
2 ounces anchovy fillets, in oil
2 - 3 Tablespoons capers
1# creamer potatoes (baby gold, or any smallish potato)
1 Tablespoon dry vermouth
1 head Boston lettuce, washed, separated into leaves and chilled
4 tomatoes, quartered or cherry tomatoes halved
1/2 pound string beans, blanched and chilled (haricot vert)
3 eggs, hard-boiled peeled, halved or quartered
1/2 - 2/3 cups black olives, preferably the small brine-cured Mediterranean type (niçoise)
7 ounces tuna (1 can in oil)
3 Tablespoons parsley, fresh and chopped
Steps in assembly
Vinaigrette
Whisk together garlic, lemon juice vinegar and mustard. Slowly whisk in the oil. Add the dried herbs. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Potatoes
Scrub the potatoes. Place in a vegetable steamer, set over a pan of boiling water, and cover closely. Potatoes should steam until just tender when pierced with a knife. Cut in half lengthwise, then into slices 3/8 inch thick.
Toss the warm potatoes gently in a large bowl with the minced shallot, sprinkling on 1/4 teaspoon of salt and several grinds of pepper.
Then toss with the wine. Let sit for about 5 minutes, tossing twice more, and allowing the potatoes to absorb as much liquid as they will.
Fold gently with 1/4 cup of the sauce vinaigrette. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.
Anchovies
Chop and add to the vinaigrette just before serving.
Capers
Soak the capers in vermouth until ready to compose the salad.
Green beans
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Add salt to the boiling water. Drop the beans in the pot.
Cook for 45 seconds to 2 minutes (depending on your beans) just until the beans are bright green and tender-crisp. Scoop out the beans and drop them in the ice water.
Eggs
Place eggs in a medium pot and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and turn the heat off. Let the eggs cook for 10 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water and chill for 14 minutes. Then peel.
Salad Assembly
Do this the moment before serving. Choose a deep round platter or a wide bowl. Toss the lettuce with several spoonfuls of sauce vinaigrette, and arrange the leaves around the edge of the platter or bowl. Turn the potato salad into the middle. Arrange groups of tomatoes around the potatoes; sprinkle with salt and droplets of sauce vinaigrette.
Toss the beans with a spoonful of dressing, plus a sprinkling of salt and pepper to taste; arrange in groups between the tomatoes.
Distribute eggs, yellow side up, at decorative intervals, and place anchovies and capers over them.
Ring the potatoes with a line of black olives; break up the tuna fish and arrange it in the center of the potatoes or at intervals around their edge.
Spoon a little of the sauce vinaigrette over the tuna, and dribble the rest over the potatoes. Decorate the tuna with parsley, and the salad is ready to serve.