Bouchons Au Thon

It was just a few weeks ago that I posted about the (never home)maker's Foodie Book Club. I am so excited that this month's selection was A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg of Orangette that I couldn't help but get an early start with a sneak peek mini-review. Plus, I've been wanted to try this recipe for awhile and I couldn't wait any longer!

I first read this book last summer and I loved it so much that when my copy was ruined after accidentally landing in a muddy puddle, I immediately went out and bought another. Each chapter is a short vignette of Molly's life, followed by a related recipe. She shares stories of her family and friends, living in Paris, and eventually meeting her husband through her blog. Her recipes are fantastic, and if possible, her storytelling is even better.

The story that accompanies this recipe is about college and studying abroad. Molly starts by saying "I am one of those people for whom college was just okay. I liked my classes and my professors and the peopel I met there, but I never felt completely at home. I always imagined college as a place where I would tumble, not unlike Alice falling down the rabbit hole, into some sort of lovely, wacky, self-contained world." I couldn't relate more. College was great, but it wasn't quite how I'd pictured it and by senior year, as everyone else was feeling nostalgic, I could. not. wait. to get out of there.

Molly's unmet expectations inspired her to spend a semester in Paris. Her host mother sold and tested silicone baking equipment and this was one of the many recipes she prepared in her silicone molds. Molly describes them as having "a texture somewhere between the filling of a quiche and a freshly made country pate." To me, they are kind of a cross between a tuna-version of the meatloaf cupcakes I made earlier this year and a cheese souffle. They were so delicious I ended up eating four of them.

I am planning on posting another mini-review and recipe at the end of the month along with the rest of the book club, but for now, enjoy these!


(I hate photographing on these yellow plates, but they are all I have. I am hoping to have a lovely cream set after the wedding this summer that will hopefully look a lot nicer!)

Bouchons Au Thon
From Molly Wizenburg's A Homemade Life

One 6oz canned tuna (either solid white or chunk light)
1 cup shredded Gruyere
1/3 cup creme fraiche*
3 tbsp tomato paste
3 large eggs
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
2 tbsp chapped parsley
1/4 tsp salt

*I must admit, I used to be scared for creme fraiche. I wasn't sure exactly what it was or where to find it, so I avoided it altogether. Then I found out it is incredibly easy to make. The day before you want to use it, combine 1 cup of heavy creme and 1 tbsp buttermilk (I put it in a jam jar). Let it sit out at room temperature for twenty-four hours, then refrigerate and use within ten days.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease 8 cups of a muffin tin.

Drain the can of tuna and put it in a medium bowl. Mash it with a fork to break it into dime-sized or smaller pieces. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until combined.



Divide the mixture among the 8 muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool for five minutes and then run a knife around the edge of each bouchon to remove it from the pan and serve. They can be served warm or at room temperature, but I prefer warm.


(The lovely oven in my new house)