Waiting for Gordon

Today I did something totally irrational.  I bought a cookbook (I generally never read such things again after flicking through a few times), and queued for two hours to see the author.  That's right, Gordon Ramsey is in town.

Gordon at his book signing at Paper Plus Newmarket today.

People usually associate the man with swearing and abuse, but I have really only watched Kitchen Nightmares and found him to be genuine and helpful to restaurant owners in distress.  And he is just spot on with his advice.

With the title of his latest book being "Ultimate Cookery Course" (which sounded like I would learn something rather than just getting a book of recipes), the promise of a signature from the celebrity, and the chance to win a fancy dinner cooked by the man himself, I absconded from work to wait in line.

Finally got to Broadway after over an hour of queuing!

And what a wait that was!  The security guards at the entrance to the shop suggested that I buy a book first, so I went into the store and made my way to the counter, before joining the queue for signings.  It was only afterwards that I realised I could have joined the queue immediately, because there was a man there with a mobile Eftpos machine, carting a stack of the books around!

Although the signing session was supposed to be from 12 to 1pm, there was little movement in the queue until the celebrity chef presumably turned up at 12:50pm.  Twenty minutes later, I made it onto Broadway (the queue went from this street around the corner), and began to hope I would get my turn soon.  At 1:30pm, someone from the ZM radio station announced the winners of the dinner with Gordon, and ten minutes later I was inside!

Queuing inside Paper Plus Newmarket.

At 1:50pm, just as I was getting close to the table, the queue was suddenly cut off in front of me.  Gordon's signing hour was up, and everyone behind the arbitrary position would have to leave.  We were naturally outraged!  What?  You tell us this after we have waited two hours already?  And spent $50 on his book (or $100 in my case, as I got an extra one as a gift)?  After having been videoed waiting in line, and advertised to by opportunistic promo girls?

I refused to leave, and watched as the last of the lucky ones made it to the table.  Gordon, perhaps unaware of the situation, chatted cheerfully to each person, asking one about their studies, noticing another was their friend.  As soon as he was done, those of us behind the cut-off mark who did not already leave in disgust cried out for him to sign our books also.  He laughed and agreed, while the book store staff laid down the rules: no messages, no photos, just signatures and out the door.

It was an expensive price to pay for an illegible scrawl, but, well, I got my prize!

It's supposed to say "To Nom Nom Panda", but...

Favourite Recipes: Gordon Ramsay's Cheese and Leek Quiche

Gordon Ramsay is in Auckland, but unfortunately, we missed his tableware launch at Smith and Caughey's yesterday.  Apparently though, he advised a teenager that he shouldn't get a girlfriend, because they steal all your recipes.  Well, I have stolen a fantastic recipe of Gordon's, which appeared on the New York Times website, but no longer seems to be available.  I used up some fresh goat's cheese that was starting to go mouldy, rather than the cheeses he suggested, and the quiche was just amazing. If you don't have a food processor, I recommend grating the cold butter.

Beautifully soft, light and delicate quiche.

Cheese and Leek Quiche
by Gordon Ramsay
Retrieved from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/recipes/article2027449.ece on 1 July 2011

Serves 6-8

The quiche we enjoyed in Champagne was made with Chaource, a speciality cheese from the region that’s difficult to find here, so instead I’ve used Reblochon, an unpasteurised cheese from the Haute-Savoie region. Its creamy, nutty flavour goes well with the leeks.

For the shortcrust pastry

225g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp fine sea salt
140g cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4-5 Tbsp ice-cold water

For the filling

20g butter
300g leeks, trimmed, and white part finely sliced
Few sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large eggs
2 egg yolks
200mlL double cream
200m full-fat milk
4 Tbsp grated parmesan
150g Reblochon, rind removed

Method

1. Make the pastry: put the flour, salt and butter into a food processor and whiz for 10 seconds until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
2. Tip the mixture into a bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of ice-cold water and stir the mixture with a knife. Add another tablespoon of water if the mixture is too dry and does not come together. (Don’t add too much water because a crumbly pastry results in a lighter crust.) Press the mixture into a dough and wrap in clingfilm. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
3. On a lightly floured board, roll out the pastry thinly and use to line a deep 20cm tart tin with a removable base, leaving the excess pastry overhanging the sides of the tin. Place the tart shell on a baking sheet and prick lightly with a metal skewer or fork. Chill for 20 minutes.
4. Melt the butter in a pan and add the leeks, thyme and seasoning. Cook over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the leeks are soft and translucent. Leave to cool.
5. Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. Line the tart shell with foil and baking beans and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and lining and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes until the pastry is lightly golden and there is no greyness left. Using a small sharp knife, trim off the excess pastry level to the top of the tin. Reduce the oven to 170C/Gas 3.
6. Whisk together the eggs and the yolks followed by the cream and milk. Strain into a jug and stir in the parmesan. Season with the salt and black pepper.
7. Spread the softened leeks over the base of the tart. Cut or tear the cheese into small pieces and scatter all over the leeks. Pour in enough of the egg and cream mixture to fill the pastry case to the rim. (To make it easier, half fill the tart and place on the bottom shelf of the oven. Pull the shelf out halfway, making sure the tart is still level, and pour in the rest of the filling.) Bake for 35-45 minutes until the quiche is set and golden on top. It should still have a slight wobble in the middle. Leave to cool slightly before serving.

The first time I made this, I wondered why the pastry was baked with overhanging edges.  Surely it is easier to cut while it is still raw?  I think I now have the answer though: it stops the edges from caving in or shrinking away from the tin, and it means the bits you cut off are golden and crisp (yummy butteriness to munch on while you wait).

It's tempting to cut back on the chilling time, or the coldness of the water added to the pastry, but from what I've read, it's important that everything is kept cold to produce a flaky pastry.  According to Shirley O. Corriher in her book Cookwise, "a fat must remain solid in the hot oven long enough for the dough on either side of it to begin to set.[...] Butter must be very cold going into the oven to hold up long enough."  Letting the dough rest in the refrigerator also helps to "relax any gluten that you developed in pushing and pulling the crust into shape."

Imagine my surprise, then, to see that you can make a good tart shell using melted butter, and some people even prefer an oil pastry over a cold butter pastry!  No chilling required either.

I have made Gordon's quiche a couple of times now, and each time I was surprised by how great it tasted. I love the recipe the way it is, but I have to say I am tempted to try these other pastries out too (minus the sugar, of course).  In the interest of my waistline, this won't be happening just yet.  I'm too busy enjoying the tried and true.