© 2010 Tony El Batal

serving portion: 24cm Tart Mold

ingredients

dough

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• 125g semi-salted butter, very soft

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• 1 egg + 2 yolks

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• 125g sugar

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• 1 tsp. baking powder

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• 250g flour

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pastry cream

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• 500ml milk

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• 6 egg yolks

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• 120g sugar

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• 1 vanilla pod or 1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

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• 40g cornstarch

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garnish

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• 175 g blueberries

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• 80 g icing sugar

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directions

Preparation of the dough

1. Place the soft butter and sugar in a bowl, whisk until creamy; Add the egg yolks then stir; Sieve over this mixture flour and baking powder then knead the dough.

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2. Make a flattened ball, cover it with plastic wrap then place it in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

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Preparation of the cream

1. In a sauce pan pour the milk and split vanilla bean; Bring to a boil.

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2. In a bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar then add the cornstarch. Add some of the hot milk and whisk; Then pour into the sauce pan and keep whisking until it boils, whisk constantly the mixture for another 30 seconds until it becomes very thick and it is hard to stir.

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3. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap in contact with the cream, so the surface won’t dry.

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Preparation of the tart

1. Remove the dough from the refrigerator 30 min before use; Preheat the oven to 170°C.

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2. In a non-adhesive pie dish flatten the dough with your hands until 1 cm thick, spread it until it rises along the edge; Prick all over the pastry bottom with a fork.

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3. Bake it at 170°C about 15-20 minutes; Remove pie crust from the oven and allow it to cool totally.

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4. Spread the pastry cream then delicately place the blueberries and garnish with the icing sugar. Bon appetit!

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reference

• Cuisine Actuelle

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© 2010 Tony El Batal

dedication: For my lovely mother who I will miss so much since I am immigrating to Montreal in 2 weeks. LOVE YOU (K)

serving portion: 6 persons / 2 large trays

ingredients

pizza dough

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• 1kg flour

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• 500 ml warm water

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• 1 Tbsp yeast

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• 1/2 tsp salt

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• 1/2 tsp sugar

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basic sauce

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• 4 fresh diced tomatoes

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• 3 Tbsp olive oil

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• 1 large onion, finely chopped

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• 1 tbsp, tomato paste

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• 200g ham

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• 1 Tbsp flour

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• 1 Tbsp mustard

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• 1 Tbsp thyme

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pizza topping

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• fresh mushrooms; sliced

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• green bell pepper; sliced

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• yellow bell pepper; sliced

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• 200g pepperoni; sliced

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• 500g mix shredded cheese

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preparing pizza dough

1. In a large bowl; Add flour, salt, sugar and yeast all together; pour slowly the warm water (around 40°C) above the mixture and knead by hand. If the dough seems wet, sprinkle more flour. Let sit in a warm place until it doubles in size, about 1 hour; Then knead the dough again and divide it into two balls and let it rest for another 30 min.

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2. Preheat the oven to 230°C for at least 30 minutes.

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3. Flatten the first ball with your hands on a slightly floured surface; Start stretching the dough with your fingers; Let the dough relax 5 minutes and then continue to stretch it until it reaches the desired diameter 25 cm; Add to the tray; Repeat the same procedure for the second ball.

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4. Baking both crust about 10 min; then pierce the dough so it doesn’t raise too much.

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directions

1. Heat two Tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan and fry the onions until translucent; Add diced tomatoes, ham and tomato paste; Bring to a boil.

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2. Mix 1 Tbsp of flour with a 1/2 cup of room temperature water then pour over the mixture to thicken; Remove from heat; Add mustard, thyme and 1 Tbsp olive oil.

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3. Once the crust is ready pour 1/2 of the basic sauce, bell peppers, mushrooms, pepperoni and cheese; Bake the pizza for 10 min; Place the pizza tray on the upper shelf for 2 min or until the cheese is golden.

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reference

• Ibtissam Tohmé (mamina)

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