Quarks Community

One of the two fundamental particles in the Universe is called a Quark, the basic building blocks for the universe and one of the smallest known units of matter. It is so described that a certain number of quarks combined with an equal number of the other particle (Leptons) starts up everything in our readily observable world. The point of my slight bordering on physics for this post is: even the smallest of matter is rendered useless without the co-existence of another.

Why then do many of us so imagine that survival should be a solitary affair? Yes, each of us does need the space and time to be aloof from others but in order to keep life in a state of balance it is imperative that the need of another similar life form(s) be a part of your existence.

Community: A very strong word which by the mere mention strengthens the idea of existence. Not a lot of people realize this concept; the power of togetherness is multifold when there is a harmonious congregation of other beings. Infact, looking at current scenarios around the world including India where nuclear families are increasing and the notion of joint families is fast fading. The concept of ‘community’ is non-existent.

It’s been a while since I have experienced communal harmony. The only time I relived it was through the stories told by my grandfather and father of the times of joint families. The members would ensure meals were all together at one table, grand festivals would be celebrated under one roof with every single member present and contributing wholeheartedly, best of all there was never a sense of foreboding when stuck in the routine of life, there was apparently enough trials and tribulations as well as joy and excitement to keep one busy throughout.

The Mumbai Food Bloggers latest dinner was at a quaint and rustic little restaurant downtown of Mumbai called Le Pain Quotidien. A charming Belgian boulangerie and restaurant which serves up the freshest breads in town matched with an elegant yet easy fare in Mumbai. Rushina, who had planned the dinner around for the bloggers ensured that things got a little interesting and hands-on thus ensuring a ‘contribution’ from each and every ‘member’ of the blogger group. The team of Le Pain Quotidien had set a workstation of sorts for each of us to make our own Tarts. A host of ingredients, fillers and tart shells were laid out on a rustic wooden table and we were left loose to mix, match and create our own tarts.

There were preserves, sauces and pastes such as vanilla crèmes to blueberry preserves, chocolate sauce with tart raspberry jellies, shredded chicken and finely diced mixed vegetables, pesto sauces to balsamic and cheese fillers, it was all laid out for our creative minds to go for a wild ride. Each of us got busy within seconds and before long it was a mad-house communal gathering of foodies who got down and floury with ingredients flowing left, right and center.

I landed up making a savory tart filled with a pesto spread filled with shredded chicken, balsamic and topped with ricotta cheese and parmesan. But my favorite was the sweet tart which was a last minute concoction of whatever ingredients were leftover. I leave you with a nice tart-y recipe I am sure you would love to make over and over again.

You may use ready-made tart shells if available in your local store, but I am thoughtfully providing you with an easy-to-make tart shell, which can be made in a jiffy.

Blueberry Vanilla Crème Fraiche Tart

Ingredients

For the Tart Shell

• 1 cup All Purpose Flour
• ¼ cup Brown Sugar
• ¼ cup Butter (frozen)
• A pinch of Sea Salt
• 1 Egg

For the Vanilla Blueberry Crème Fraiche Filling

(*The Vanilla Crème Fraiche procedure takes a day, so make it a day prior)

• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 tablsp Buttermilk
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup Cream Cheese
• 1 tablsp Powdered Sugar
• ¼ cup Blueberry Preserve / Jam
• Fresh Blueberries
• Dark Chocolate Sauce

To make the Vanilla Crème Fraiche: Place the Heavy Cream and Buttermilk with vanilla Extract and Sugar in a glass jar, close the jar tightly with a lid and give it a good shake (about ½ a minute). Set overnight till set and stir it the next day. You may need to refrigerate atleast 6 hours after setting and before using.

To make the Tart Shells: Sift the flour and add the sugar and sea salt, work in the frozen butter by adding it in little cubes and lightly rubbing the flour with the butter till they resemble bread crumbs. Once all the butter has been rubbed in add a beaten egg and knead into coarse dough for a few minutes.

To proceed: press a little amount of dough into tart tins (moulds) and press firmly till it covers the base and the sides to about a ½ cm thickness. Proceed with the rest of the moulds the same way (you should get about 12 tart shells) and freeze for about an hour.

To bake: butter some foil and place it butter side down over the dough filled tart tins, place a simple tart weight or a smaller bowl onto the dough-buttered foil to hold it in place and bake in a 180C preheated oven for about 15 minutes. Cool the tart shells well before un-moulding. Proceed to use once cooled well.

The final step: Whisk the Vanilla Crème Fraiche well with a wire whisk till you get a smooth paste. Whisk in the blueberry preserves till you get a beautiful hue of lilac and a homogenous mixture. Add the cream cheese and whisk well till thick and pasty.

Smear the bottom and sides of the tart shell with dark chocolate sauce, pour the blueberry vanilla crème fraiche all the way to the top of the tart. Top with a few blueberries and chill in the fridge for atleast half an hour before serving.

Serve well chilled.

There were some interesting dishes chef laid out for us which would only be given justice if I showed you the pictures and wrote less about, after all a picture speaks a thousand words. The pictures are all courtesy Pranav Kacholia an avid food enthusiast, super photographer and blogger who has taken some beautiful snapshots.

Le Pain Quotidien had a section at the top level which held a beautiful wooden table the restaurant proudly proclaims as a ‘communal table’. This table is an open to all sixteen seater which allows a guest to sit with strangers or other unknown guests thus making it a unique place where people come together and break bread or linger around. A concept just like a joint family sitting together at one time and eating ‘at the same table’ but giving you a chance to mingle about with strangers or people occupying the other seats, though I don’t know how this would work in a place like Mumbai where people are always on the go, we as a group of boisterous foodies and bloggers made it one community party.

My Tart Picture Courtesy: Harini Prakash