The Pithivier at Maison Sota: A pithivier is an arcane 18th-century
French dish that purportedly originated in a town of the same name, near Orleans, where bakers would enclose almond cream between two layers of
decadent puff pastry to create sweet shareable pies.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Pithiviers Of Rhubarb w/Strawberry Sauce
Categories: Pastry, Fruits, Dairy, Booze, Nuts
Yield: 6 servings

MMMMM-------------------------PITHIVIERS------------------------------
10 oz Rhubarb; trimmed
1/4 c + 2 tb sugar
1/4 c Ground blanched almonds
1 Teaspooon cornstarch
1/4 c + 2 tb sour cream
1 Egg yolk
1 ts Cognac
1/2 Vanilla bean; split in half
- again lengthwise
3 Leaves phyllo dough
2 1/2 tb Unsalted butter; melted
1 Egg yolk, lightly beaten;
- for glaze

MMMMM----------------------STRAWBERRY SAUCE---------------------------
1 pt Ripe strawberries; hulled
1 ts Fresh lemon juice; to taste
2 tb (to 4 tb) sugar

To make the pithiviers, peel any coarse strings from the
rhubarb with a vegetable peeler. Cut into quarter-inch
slices and place in a mixing bowl with a quarter-cup of
the sugar. Set aside for two hours at room temperature.

In a mixing bowl, combine the ground almonds, the
remaining two tablespoons of sugar, cornstarch, sour
cream, egg yolk and Cognac. Scrape the seeds from the
vanilla bean and add to the mixture, whisking gently to
combine. Drain the rhubarb in a sieve, pressing gently
to remove liquid. Stir the rhubarb into the custard
mixture.

Set the oven @ 400┬║F/205┬║C.

Cut leaves of phyllo dough in half. Place a sheet of
phyllo on a lightly buttered baking sheet and brush with
melted butter. Repeat twice, buttering each layer.
Gently spoon the rhubarb mixture into the center of the
pastry, leaving a 1" border unfilled.

Brush the edges of the pastry with egg yolk. Cover with
three sheets of phyllo, buttering each as before. With a
sharp paring knife, trim off the pastry edges, leaving a
neat 8" to 10" circle (use a dinner plate as a guide).
If desired, cut the pastry trimmings to form leaves and
lay them over the center of the pastry. Brush the leaves
with egg yolk to glaze, but do not glaze the top sheet
of pastry. Use the back of a small knife blade to trace
leaf ''veins.''

Bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool briefly.

While the pithiviers is baking, make the strawberry
sauce. Reserve one well-shaped strawberry for garnish.
Puree the remaining strawberries in a food processor
with the lemon juice and sugar until smooth, scraping
down the mixture as needed. Strain and correct seasoning
with more lemon juice and/or sugar if necessary. Chill
until needed.

Place the reserved strawberry in the center of the warm
pithiviers. Serve in wedges, with a little of the cool
strawberry sauce spooned alongside each serving. Pass
the remaining sauce.

By: Richard Sax

Yield: Six servings

RECIPE FROM: https://cooking.nytimes.com

Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives

MMMMM

... "Reason has always existed, but not always in a reasonable form" - Karl Marx
--- MultiMail/Win
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (1:18/200)