It's Not A Cookie, It's A Fruit Newton

So today was a pretty good day! After having been behind since day 1, we finally caught ourselves up to the curriculum, thanks in part to a substitute chefessor named Chef Jae.

After a final review of Sanitation with Chef Tim, we worked in teams to make our tarte à l’oignon and our fig newtons. I worked on the tart, slicing the onions, and then cooking them very slowly over low heat to caramelize them. It took forever, but I think they came out really well! In the meantime, my teammate Sara worked on the filling for the newtons. She cooked them until they were tender over low heat with some sugar, water, and a splash of brandy. What could be bad, right?

After dinner (really good roasted chicken with spinach and pasta), we worked on assembling our fig newtons and our onion tarts. The fig newtons were definitely tricky, as the dough was a bit sticky and prone to breaking, but in the end we all had pretty even rectangles to work with. After filling them with the fig mixture, we  gently rolled them into logs. A quick stint in the oven, and voilà!

These are definitely better than the Nabisco newtons! The filling is so flavorful, and the crust just melts in your mouth. Yum!

Next, we put our tarts together. These were being made to look very rustic, so we didn’t use tart rings. Instead, after filling the center with onion, we carefully folded the ends of the dough over the tart to create a little package. A few slices of tomato, some crumbled bleu cheese and walnuts, and we were done!

The tart was so good. The onions were caramelized really well, and the cheese added just a little bite.

All in all, a good class! I felt good that we’ve caught up with where we’re supposed to be, so that we don’t have to rush, and as usual, I can’t wait for next class!