The sweet and lovely Laura Calder from AFC’s ‘French Food at Home’ made her debut in Malaysia in May by appearing in a series of dinners and demonstrations. I was lucky enough to attend the press gathering where she cooked up a few of her favourite dishes; the asparagus with orange sauce, steak au poivre with potato gratin, and an apple cream tart.
Having lived in France for over a decade and as a student at The Dubrulle Culinary Institute in Vancouver and at L’Ecole de Cuisine LaVarenne in Burgandy, Laura has embodied a passion for pleasure when it comes to food. The food she cooks is simple rustic French food. She firmly believes that anyone can cook French food and that it’s not all haute cuisine.
Her personality is extremely engaging and she’s funny too! When she first walked on set she said, “I’m a lot taller than you’d imagine huh?” as the crowd could only ooh and aah in agreement. During the demonstration she chatted away about herself while making teeny tiny mistakes in her recipes. She joked that people are intimidated to invite her over to dinner until they have seen her cook in person and then they no longer worry.
All her dishes were simple yet well prepared. I enjoyed the crisp asparagus with the soury sweet orange sauce...would have never thought to pair those ingredients together. She also taught us a vinaigrette trick where you soak the shallots in vinegar and then drain away the liquid and just use the soaked shallots. They look more pink after soaking and the dressing is not too sour but still has a vibrant tang. The steak was tender and peppery but the potato gratin was my favourite. The way she does it keeps it crisp and soft at the same time. The apple tart was rich and creamy with a lovely crumbly base.
It is her charm and down to earth nature that makes her endearing, and her recipes are delicious and easy to follow. I made her apple cream tart just a few days after watching her do it and it was a simple crowd pleaser.
Apple Cream Tart
Tart Shell:
1/2cup Butter
1/3cup Sugar
1/2tspn Vanilla
1cup Flour
Cream Filling:
1 egg
1/2tsp Vanilla
8ounces Softened Cream Cheese
1/4cup Sugar
Topping:
3 Apples (peeled and thinly sliced)
1/4cup Sugar
1/2tsp Cinnamon
1.4cup Slivered Almonds or Chopped Walnuts
Tart Shell: Preheat the oven to 200C. Cream the butter and sugar. Stir in the vanilla. Mix in the flour to form a smooth dough. Press into the bottom of an 8inch pan, giving it about a 1 inch rim. Bake for about 15minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Beat all the ingredients for the cream filling together until smooth. Make the topping by tossing the apple slices with the cinnamon, sugar and nuts.
Spread over the cream mixture on to the tart shell. Arrange the apple slices on top, then scatter over the nuts. Bake until apples are tender and golden about 40minutes.
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