The Short Stack Editions are a collection of single subject titles where retro design meets contemporary recipes. These books  are penned by well-known authors and available directly from the Short Stack Editions website. Each volume has a home-spun feel and always deliver a collection of recipes you will turn to time and again.  

Short Stack Vol 30: Butter by Dorie Greenspan is the edition every cook must own. Here, Dorie Greenspan gives us a spread of recipes with classic French roots that remind us why butter is the reigning champion in our kitchens. 

From delicious pastries to savory main dishes, there is something for everyone here. Just look at the cover, I was admiring the design and colors this morning, when I noticed that the pattern is comprised of sticks of butter. In my defense, I just received the book yesterday and was too busy enjoying the contents that I missed the obvious.

Dorie starts out with the basics before going on to recipes that include Cinnamon-chile caramel corn, Cornmeal waffles, Frontier clam chowder and Buttermilk biscuits. Anything by Dorie is a must-have and Short Stack editions are definitely keepers. 

The publisher is offering three copies of Butter to our members in the US. Please be sure to enter our contest at the bottom of this article. In the meantime,  try the Butter-browned onion galette which makes a great appetizer for the holidays.  

 

Butter-browned onion galette
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Onions are chameleons: Eat them raw and they're like apples; cook them lightly and they soften and sweeten; cook them for a long time in butter and they turn darker and sweeter still, and as they caramelize, the butter takes on a nutlike flavor. They're a marvel in this rustic open-faced galette, the French version of a crostata, which you could finish off with some lightly dressed arugula. Keep these caramelized onions in mind for other dishes. They're great as a topping for a burger, layered into a grilled cheese sandwich and served as a bed for mashed potatoes or grilled meat.

1⁄2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
2 large Vidalia onions-peeled, halved and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon sugar
3 rosemary sprigs
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 Sweet & Savory Butter Crust (*see recipe below), rolled out
Parmesan shards
Freshly ground black pepper


In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Turn the heat to low, stir in the salt, sugar and rosemary and cook, stirring often, until the onions color deeply, about 40 minutes. Don't rush it!

Season with pepper and remove the rosemary sprigs. Remove from the heat, set the skillet aside to cool and stir in the grated Parmesan. Preheat the oven to 400°. Lay the crust out on a parchment-paper- or silicone-mat-lined baking sheet. Spread the onions over the crust leaving a 2-inch border. Gently lift the border up and fold it over the onions. If the dough is too cold and cracks, wait a few minutes. The dough will pleat and be uneven, and that's just what you want.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the crust and onions are toasty brown.

Place the galette on a rack and let it cool for 10 minutes before scattering the Parmesan shards over the top. Cut the galette with a pizza wheel and serve. 

Sweet & savory butter crust
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Use this dough for any kind of tart or quiche or even galettes-and any time a recipe calls for pâte brisée. It's truly an all-purpose and truly delicious crust. Bake it to a good golden brown so that you can really appreciate the caramel and nut flavors that are the hallmark of an all-butter crust.

1 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
3⁄4 stick (6 tablespoons) very cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 large egg
1 teaspoon ice water

Makes one 9 in. tart or 1 galette

In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar and salt. Scatter over the bits of butter and pulse until they're coarsely chopped into the mix. In a small bowl, beat the egg and water together, add the mixture to the machine in three parts and pulse after each one. You want a moist dough that holds together when it's pinched. Turn the dough onto a counter, flatten into a disk and place between sheets of parchment or wax paper.

To make a tart crust: Roll out the dough and fit it into a tart pan. Chill (or freeze) the dough for at least 1 hour before baking.

Preheat the oven to 400°. Press a piece of buttered foil on top of the crust and fill with dry rice or beans. Place the pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Bake for 20 minutes, remove the foil and weights and bake for another 10 minutes, or until golden. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and let the crust cool to room temperature. To make a galette: Roll the freshly made dough into an 11-inch circle and refrigerate (or freeze) it for at least 1 hour before using.

Proceed with the directions for making the Butter-Browned Onion Galette (see recipe above).

 

The publisher is offering three copies of this book to EYB Members in the US. One of the entry options is to answer the following question in the comments section of this blog post.

Which recipe in the index would you try first?

Please note that you must be logged into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won't be counted. For more information on this process, please see our step-by-step help post. Be sure to check your spam filters to receive our email notifications. Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the publishers. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on December 23rd, 2017.