The Perfect Pantry®

Recipe for puff pastry tartlets with zucchini and slow-roasted (or sun-dried) tomato filling

Some people possess the elegance gene. Clothes, hair, pastry -- effortlessly elegant. I didn't get that gene, not even a tiny portion of that gene, and especially not the pastry portion of that gene. So, whenever I manage to make something ever so slightly elegant, like these puff pastry tartlets, it rates a celebration. Last week, I wanted to create a pretty vegetarian appetizer, and my pantry came to the rescue with store-bought puff pastry and the last of last summer's slow-roasted tomatoes, excavated from the freezer. A mandoline made the paper-thin zucchini toppers, but a good, sharp knife and a steady hand can do the same.

Recipe for a quiche like Lorraine

Alsace and Lorraine, two provinces in eastern France, haven't had an easy history. Until 1945, Germany and France wrested control of the region from each other several times, but fortunately, despite the political challenges, the culinary traditions remained intact. Alsace-Lorraine gave birth to the world's most famous quiche. Well, that's not entirely true. When it was part of Germany, Lorraine gave birth to the bacon, egg and cream quiche. Adding onions made it a Quiche Alsacienne. Adding gruyere cheese made it a dish that isn't one side of the Rhine or the other. This recipe takes a few liberties with tradition, but it's a quiche like Lorraine in taste and spirit, perfect for lunch or dinner with a crunchy salad and a glass of sparkling wine.

Goat cheese (Recipe: grilled vegetable and goat cheese puff pastry tart with zucchini, mushrooms, peppers and onions)

 

When I first opened the doors of The Perfect Pantry, I put Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese up on a pedestal (as well it should be), and lumped all of the other cheeses together as, well... assorted cheese.

I apologize for that.

I apologize to you, and to the cheese: to the salty bite of feta; to the nutty smoothness of Gruyere and Swiss; to the creaminess of brie and camembert; and to the tangy acidity of goat cheese.

Goat cheese does things few other cheeses can do -- it spreads and melts -- and for that it's earned its own place on my refrigerator shelf.

Puff pastry (Recipe: turkey and cheese in puff pastry)

Rachael Ray often says, "Take a little help from the grocery store," and while I'm not saying that every meal should be made in less than thirty minutes, I agree with her on this one thing.

The grocery store is your friend.

When I moved to a small town in Rhode Island, from the not-so-small town of Boston, I discovered that grocery stores have come a long way. Our local market (the independent that's trying to hold its own against the large chains) stocks more variety in every aisle, more ingredients we used to consider exotic or simply hard-to-find, and lately, an upgraded produce department. 

And -- hallelujah -- a healthy supply of frozen puff pastry.

I've made puff pastry from scratch, and proved to myself that it's not hard to do, but it's easier to buy it and keep a few boxes in the freezer. If anyone asks, you don't need to tell that you took a bit of help from the grocery store.