Moveable Feasts: Lunch

Showing posts with label Lunch. Show all posts

4.19.2015

Cherry Tomato and Goat Cheese Cobbler

A savory cobbler....topped with some delicious biscuits. Serve it for lunch or a side dish with dinner. The only thing I'd change is next time I'd add some shallots or green onions to the tomatoes while they were on the stove. This dish can be cooked and baked in one oven-proof saute pan. (Aside from the biscuit dough.) But I poured the tomatoes with all their juices into the casserole and topped with the biscuits. It just made presentation and serving a tad prettier.
Note: Biscuits need to be in the freezer a couple hours before baking.

Cherry Tomato and Goat Cheese Cobbler
From Huckleberry by Zoe Nathan

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3 1/2 tablespoons cornmeal
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold, cubed
3 1/2 tablespoons buttermilk

Filling:
5 cups cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4-6 tablespoons goat cheese
Egg wash

Method:
For the biscuits: Combine both flours, the cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the cubed butter and with your fingers, work the mixture until the butter pieces are all pea sized. Add the buttermilk and lightly toss to distribute.
Pour the mixture on a clean surface and with the heel of your hands, toss and squeeze the dough it holds together. Do not overwork, you should still see pieces of butter. Press the dough into a disk about 3/4 inches thick. Cut out biscuits, place them in a pan and place in the freezer for two hours.

For the tomatoes:
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine the tomatoes, olive oil, 2 sprigs of the thyme and salt in an oven proof saute pan. Cover and cook over high heat until the tomatoes begin to soften. Uncover and cook until all the tomatoes burst slightly.
Top with the frozen biscuits. Make an egg wash with an egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream. Brush the biscuits with it. Place in oven for 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and dollop the goat cheese over any exposed tomatoes. Place back in the oven, increase temperature to 475 and bake another 10 minutes or until nicely browned. Serve at room temperature with some extra sprigs of thyme.

3.17.2015

Ricotta Fritters with Pea and Mint Dip

This was basically a lunch of leftovers. I had some ricotta I wanted to use up and half a package of fresh mint. Donna Hay magazine included this recipe in issue #77 and I thought I'd see how it turned out. We all have frozen peas in our freezers so I was all set.

The Pea and Mint dip turned out a tad firmer than I'd like, but only because I didn't have enough sour cream and no yogurt or milk in the fridge so I made do. More of a spread, it worked fine, but I'd hardly call it a dip. You can adjust the texture when you process it and hopefully, you won't have run out of sour cream like I did.

The fritters were easy enough, but don't flip them too soon as they'll fall apart. Treat them like pancakes and look for those bubbles to show through, at least around the sides. Pretty tasty lunch for one or two and a great recipe to use up some odds and ends in the fridge.

Ricotta Fritters with Pea and Mint Dip
Donna Hay, Issue 77

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh ricotta

1/2 cup mint leaves, shredded

2 tablespoons self rising flour

2 egg whites

extra virgin olive oil for brushing

snow pea tendrils and lemon wedges for garnishing

Pea and mint dip:

2 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind

1/2 cup mint leaves

salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:

To make the pea dip: combine ingredients and process in a food processor, or use a hand held blender.

Mix the ricotta, mint, salt and pepper and flour

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold into the ricotta mixture.

Brush a pan with olive oil and cook two tablespoon portions of the ricotta mixture for 3 minutes or so on each side or until golden brown.

Serve with the pea dip.

3.05.2013

Nancy's Roquefort Quiche

My dear friend for more than 30 years gave me this recipe. She passed away 10 years ago and I don't imagine I will ever get over missing her. She was amazing, such fun, a true conch (someone born and raised in the Florida Keys) and loved by all who knew her. Nancy's work was in the fundraising field, so as a result, she knew everyone in town, remembered everything and you could call and say...what do you know about this or that...and she'd have the complete skinny. Always. I'm still in touch with her youngest daughter (via Facebook....it does have its uses) even though she moved away.
When Nancy served this quiche years ago for a luncheon, we all took a deep breath. Quiche Lorraine was the big thing back then, so a quiche made with Roquefort was a walk on the wild side. Typical Nancy. Ever the trailblazer. We loved it.

I've always served a fruit salad with it, which makes perfect sense...fruit and cheese. Unfortunately, I only had some leftover cantaloupe in the house when I made the quiche for this post, so that's what I used. But for company, my suggestion is to make a colorful salad with a variety of fruits and a nice light poppy seed dressing.

Nancy's Roquefort Quiche

Ingredients:

6 ounces cream cheese, soft

4 ounces Roquefort or blue cheese

1/2 cup light or heavy cream

3 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion (I grate it)

freshly ground black pepper

1 baked pie shell

Method:

Preheat oven to 375. Beat cream cheese, Roquefort and cream until smooth with electric mixer. Add eggs, onion and pepper. Pour into baked pie shell and bake 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature.

10.02.2012

Jamie Oliver's Welch Rarebit with Chili Pepper Chutney

I thought I'd interject this in the middle of all my apple and pumpkin recipes. After all, we do need to eat something for lunch and supper! I seem to be over-laden with dessert-type recipes this fall. I'll try to do better after Christmas.
Every generation has a recipe for Welsh Rarebit; my mother did and I made it for my kids too...the whole trick is using a really fine cheddar. My favorite was made with cheddar, flour, butter, dry mustard, dark beer, Worcestershire and cayenne. And we always ate our rarebit with my great Aunt Irene's homemade chili sauce. OMG, it was divine. I have her recipe, but never have made it. It was an all day event. She used to have two women friends in to share the work and they'd make a HUGE amount and split the results. Totally impressive assembly line.

Anyway, The Two Fat Ladies made a rarebit on one of their shows (makes sense, as it's a traditional British dish) and I remember the egg addition and how it puffed up a bit, but if you've seen their shows, you know their recipes are always a little vague. And I never bought their cookbooks.

Then I saw Jamie Oliver make his rarebit with spicy chutney; it puffed up too and I thought it looked fabulous. I'll include lots of his directions. He's fun, isn't he? Frankly, I think it's one of the best football, late night or New Year's Eve snacks I know. You could use your own chili sauce, but this one was perfect and well worth the effort.

Welsh Rarebit
From Jamie at Home

Ingredients:

3 slices sourdough bread, 1-inch thick

5 1/2 ounces creme fraiche or 5 1/2 ounces sour cream, by weight

2 egg yolks

1 cup shredded Cheddar, Double Gloucester or other English cheese

1 pinch ground black pepper

1 pinch kosher salt

1 teaspoon mustard powder

3 teaspoons chili pepper jam

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Method:

Toast both sides of bread under broiler until lightly browned.

Stir together remaining ingredients except chili pepper jam and Worcestershire sauce.

Spread 1 tablespoon, or to taste, chili jam (recipe follows) on each slice of bread. Divide cheese mixture evenly between slices and spread to edges. Return to broiler until top is brown and bubbly, 2-3 minutes.

Crisscross the top of each slice with the edge of a knife, just to cut through the crispy cheese. Sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce and serve.

Jamie's Cheeky Chili Pepper Chutney
From Jamie at Home

Ingredients:

8-10 fresh red chillies

8 ripe red peppers

olive oil

2 medium red onions, peeled and chopped

a sprig of fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped

2 fresh bay leaves

a 5cm piece of cinnamon stick

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

100g brown sugar

150ml balsamic vinegar

Method:

If you want your chutney to last for a while, make sure you have some small sterilized jars ready to go.

Place your chillies and peppers over a hot barbecue, in a griddle pan or on a tray under a hot grill, turning them now and then until blackened and blistered all over. Carefully lift the hot peppers and chillies into a bowl (the smaller chillies won’t take as long as the peppers so remove them first) and cover tightly with clingfilm. As they cool down, they’ll cook gently in their own steam. By the time they’re cool enough to handle, you’ll be able to peel the skin off easily.

When you’ve got rid of most of the skin, trimmed off the stalks and scooped out the seeds, you’ll be left with a pile of nice tasty peppers and chillies. Finely chop by hand or put in a food processor and whiz up. Then put to one side.

Heat a saucepan and pour in a splash of olive oil. Add the onions, rosemary, bay leaves and cinnamon and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook very slowly for about 20 minutes or so, until the onions become rich, golden and sticky.

Add the chopped peppers and chillies, the sugar and the vinegar to the onions and keep cooking. When the liquid reduces and you’re left with a lovely thick sticky chutney, season well to taste. Remove the cinnamon stick and the bay leaves. Either spoon into the sterilized jars and put them in a cool dark place, or keep in the fridge and use right away. In sterilized jars, the chutney should keep for a couple of months.

7.29.2012

Fresh Tomato Clafoutis and the Giveaway Winners

Much as I like recipes from Patricia Wells (our 11th Game Changer), this one was not exactly what I expected. I was all for trying a savory tomato claufoutis with some Roma tomatoes I had on hand but was surprised the clafoutis base ended up like a custard. Well, Mary from One Perfect Bite did mention the recipe resembled a frittata rather than a clafoutis and there's no flour, so I shouldn't have been surprised. The flavors are really good...all that Parmesan, thyme and lovely summery fresh Romas. For a light lunch, it can't be beat, but I don't think males in your family are going to like this much. Not enough substance.

The tomatoes MUST be dry...that is key. Which requires a lot of tomato preparation before you get to the simple recipe. After I drained them for an hour on paper towels, I wiped them dry, squeezing a bit. Once the tomatoes are prepared, the ingredient list is short. If you're having a friend or two over for lunch, this would be ideal served with some lightly dressed greens or a lovely fruit salad.

Tomato Clafoutis
From Patricia Wells via Mary at One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:

2 pounds Roma tomatoes, peeled, cored, quartered, seeded and juiced

Salt

2 whole eggs + 2 additional egg yolks

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 10-inch round baking dish. Set aside.

Remove the skin from the tomatoes by dipping them in boiling water. Remove the seeds and as much juice as you can. Salt the tomatoes and drain on several thicknesses of paper toweling for 60 minutes. Wipe dry and sqeeze lightly to remove most of the juice.

Place eggs, cream, half of Parmesan cheese and half of thyme in in a small bowl. Whisk to

combine. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Layer tomatoes on bottom of baking dish. Pour batter over tomatoes. Sprinkle with remainder of cheese and thyme.
Bake until batter is set, about 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

The winners of the Make It Now, Bake It Later cookbooks are:
1) Lisa from Lisa is Cooking and
2) Rocky Mountain Woman
Please contact me at bsmithw@gmail.com with your name and mailing address.
Have fun with them!

5.06.2012

Roasted Tomato and Brie Tartlets

While my daughter was here a few weeks ago, I made these tarts for lunch. I found the recipe on Caitlin's blog Roost, which I love. Her husband has Crohn’s disease so they follow a diet eliminating many major carbohydrates in addition to all sugars, processed foods, grains and starches. She uses her blog to showcase her recipes and her photography is brilliant. We don't follow a gluten free diet at my house, so I adapted the recipe a bit by making my regular pie crust (with a bit of chopped rosemary added) instead of the almond flour tart crust. You'll find the recipe for her almond-based crust at the end of the post. I also added a couple cloves of finely chopped garlic to the tomatoes before I roasted them. I used some little heirloom tomatoes I had in the fridge and we found some of the skins rather tough. You might want to skin yellow heirlooms before roasting by briefly dropping them in boiling water, but using all red grape tomatoes would probably eliminate this problem. I just liked the color combination.
Is anything more lovely than warm melting brie?

Roasted Tomato and Brie Tartlets

(Makes about 8)

Ingredients:
2 pints cherry tomatoes
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
a small wheel of brie cheese
a big bunch of fresh basil, chopped
8 almond herb tartlets (I doubled the recipe below to make 8)
aged balsamic for garnish

Method:
Make the tart shell of your choice. Bake and cool.
Next pour the tomatoes onto a foil lined baking sheet, sprinkle with the chopped garlic, add salt and pepper and toss with olive oil. Roast in a 350F oven for about 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Leave oven on.
Place two or three slices of the brie into each tart shell (the tarts should be removed from their tart pans at this point) Top with several cherry tomatoes and place each tartlet into the oven for about 5-10 minutes or until the tartlets are warm and the cheese is nice and gooey. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with chopped basil and drizzle the aged balsamic on top.

Caitlin's Rosemary Almond Tart Shell

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon water

Method:
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, and rosemary. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Press the dough into a 9-inch tart pan or 5 mini tartlet pans (I spray my tart pans with nonstick spray to help them come out easy!!)
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until lightly brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Then place tarts (still in the pans) in the fridge for 30 minutes...getting them cold will aid in removing them from their pans.
Remove the tarts from the fridge. Flip each one upside down, hold it in your hand and tap the bottom with a spoon or knife and the tart should slide right out. If it doesn't keep tapping and gently squeeze the tart pans.
Once out of the pan carefully place each tart right side up on a baking sheet. Be careful these tarts are crumbly!

12.09.2011

Gourmet's 50 Women Game Changers in Food: #27, Anne Willan

We're now more than half way through Gourmet's list of Game Changers and while choosing a recipe to feature, once in a while you happen upon an absolute gem, one that really stands out.....one you're going to make again and again. For me, this tart is IT. And don't for a minute think it's your ordinary tomato tart. Oh no. It was slightly time consuming to make, but after that first bite, it was one of those roll your eyes moments...Mmmmmmm....savoring the ambrosial flavors. A drizzle of vinegar highlights the caramelized tomatoes and garlic in this, yielding an intense, savory tart to serve with crisp greens as a first course or light main dish.
Just to make it easier, Anne suggests using frozen puff pastry.
It's always rewarding when you tell me you've made one of these recipes and loved it, but this time, you've simply got to make this tart at the first opportunity. It is perfection.

But first, let me tell you a little about Anne Willan.

British-born Anne Willan was raised in a life of privilege. She graduated from Cambridge in 1959 with a master's degree in economics. But that life was not for her. Encouraged by an early employer while teaching at a finishing school, she took classes at London's famed Cordon Bleu cooking school. Then, after graduating from that school, she went to Paris to finish her studies, earning the coveted Grand Diplome in 1963.

Ms. Willan put an ad in the International Herald Tribune: "Cordon Bleu cook will give lessons and cook for dinner parties". One of the replies was on embossed stationery from the Château de Versailles. Willan remembers that it said: "I have Mexican cooks. I am starting to entertain at the Château de Versailles so I want my cooks to learn French cooking. Please come to see me." The note was from the American-born philanthropist and socialite Florence van der Kemp, whose husband was the curator of Versailles. Willan started out by giving twice-a-week cooking classes and wound up living at Versailles,in an attic over the servants' quarters.

While working for Van der Kemp, Willan cooked for the duke and duchess of Windsor, Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco and the flamboyant Countess Mapie de Toulouse-Lautrec. At one party, a guest was Cherniavsky, a young World Bank economist. The two fell in love and when Cherniavsky was transferred to Washington, D.C., Willan followed him and moved to New York. With the assistance of Van der Kemp, she landed a job as an editor at Gourmet magazine. She married Cherniavsky a year later and moved to Washington. For the next decade, the two went back and forth between the U.S. and France.During this time, Ms. Willan edited Cordon Bleu's 20-volume Grand Diplome Cooking Course encyclopedia.

In 1975 she opened La Varenne in Paris. In 1982, she and Cherniavsky bought Château du Feÿ, near the town of Joigny in Burgundy and in 1991 they moved the school there. Her intention for La Varenne, she says, was to offer the culinary equivalent of a college education. Willan became an authority on the cooking of France and its' history.

Willan's husband's poor health prompted a move back to the US, to Los Angeles. "We always thought we'd end our days in France. But I think we'll be fine. This is such a great place for food. It's a wonderful place to cook. The ingredients are outstanding, and there is so much going on. I do miss the cheese, though."

Ms. Willan has written a couple dozen well-received cookbooks, including two that have become culinary bibles: "La Varenne Pratique" and "French Regional Cooking." To read about Anne's books, click here.
Anne was elected to the Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America in 1986 and was honored in 1995 as Grande Dame of Les Dames d'Escoffier International. In 1999, the International Association of Culinary Professionals recognized Anne with their prestigious Lifetime Achievement award.

Anne Willan's Tarte Tatin à la Tomate
Excerpted from THE COUNTRY COOKING OF FRANCE

Ingredients:
6 ounces/170 g store-bought puff pastry
2 pounds/900 g plum tomatoes, cored and halved lengthwise
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup/60 g sugar
1/4 cup/60 ml red wine vinegar
1/4 cup/60 ml olive oil, more for the pan
2 or 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 or 3 dried bay leaves
1 head garlic, divided into cloves, unpeeled
1/4 cup/60 ml red wine
Few leaves arugula or frisée, for garnish

Method:
Heat the oven to 275°F/140°C. Sprinkle the cut sides of the tomatoes with salt and pepper and set them aside. Sprinkle the sugar in a large frying pan with an ovenproof handle and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar melts and toasts to golden caramel, 3 to 5 minutes. Take the pan from the heat and at once add the vinegar, standing back as it will sputter and fume. Return it to the heat, stir to dissolve the caramel, and then stir in the oil. Again take the pan from the heat and add the tomatoes, cut side down, packing them tightly so they all touch the bottom and pushing the rosemary and bay between them.

Roast the tomatoes until they are very tender and wrinkled, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Forty-five minutes before they are done, add the unpeeled garlic cloves to the pan. If liquid remains at the end of cooking, evaporate most of it by cooking the tomatoes briefly over high heat, taking care they do not scorch.

Oil a second frying pan with an ovenproof handle and transfer the tomatoes to it, arranging them snugly cut side down in a pattern. Discard the herbs and leave the garlic behind, along with any juices, in the first pan. Add the wine to the garlic and heat it, stirring to deglaze the juices and boil them down to 2 to 3 tablespoons. Pour the liquid and garlic through a strainer over the tomatoes, then push through the garlic pulp. Set the tomatoes aside to cool. The tomatoes may be cooked up to a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator.

Heat the oven to 400°F/200°C. On a floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry to a 10-inch/25-centimeter round and prick the dough so it rises evenly. Transfer it to the pan to cover the tomatoes and tuck any excess dough down around the fruit. Bake the tart until the dough has risen and is crisp and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let the tart cool for 5 minutes, then turn out it onto a platter and garnish with the arugula. Alternatively, let it cool in the pan, then turn it out and serve it at room temperature. Tarte Tatin à la Tomate may also be cooked up to 8 hours ahead and kept in the pan. Warm it briefly in the oven before turning it out.

Join Mary from One Perfect Bite and all the other participants in this fun series.

Val - More Than Burnt Toast
Joanne - Eats Well With Others
Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed
Susan - The Spice Garden
Claudia - A Seasonal Cook in Turkey
Heather - girlichef
Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney
Jeanette - Healthy Living
April - Abby Sweets
Katie - Making Michael Pollan Proud
Mary - One Perfect Bite
Viola - The Lif e is Good Kitchen
Sue - The View from Great Island
Kathleen Van Bruinisse - Bake Away with Me
Kathleen - Gonna Want Seconds
Martha - Lines from Linderhof
Amy - Beloved Green
Linda - Ciao Chow Linda

Nancy - Picadillo
Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits
Veronica - My Catholic Kitchen
Annie - Lovely Things

Claudia - Journey of An Italian Cook

2.26.2011

Creamed Tomatoes on Toast

When I was a kid, we went home for lunch. No school lunches back then. We lived in a little town called Algonac in Michigan. Dad drove us to school in the morning and again after lunch but we walked home, weather permitting of course. It was about a mile. I've often thought since: my poor mother. The entire family (including my dad) came home for lunch. She had to plan three meals a day. And she fussed, too. It wasn't just a bunch of pb and j's on the table. We had hot lunches....and some kind of fruit or pudding. I always remember stewed prunes being served with mac and cheese. Who knows why that one particular lunch stayed in my mind?

So here I am, with just me to worry about, still looking around for innovative luncheon ideas. We tend to get repetitive, don't we? Probably the time element. I even wrote a post about it a while back. But every once in a while, a friend may be coming over, or I feel like rewarding myself and I really want something special. What to make that's fast and delicious?? In the summer when tomatoes are at their best, my favorite company go-to sandwich is a tomato sandwich à la Ina Garten. I like her dressed up version. But for speed (and just for me) I take those lovely, garden-fresh red tomatoes, add some butter lettuce, real mayo and plunk it on some fresh country bread. Heaven, for sure.

Unfortunately, it's officially still winter so I'll save those two sandwiches for summer. Even when we can get lovely tomatoes this time of year, they just don't taste the same as the ones you get in the summer at the farmer's markets. Then I ran across this super recipe in Simon Hopkinson's book, Roast Chicken and Other Stories. I really love this cookbook. Last August it was listed in the top 10 cookbooks by the London Observer. I've started reading it again, wondering how I missed this gem of a recipe the first time around.

This dish is simple with tons of flavor. You don't have to have perfect summer tomatoes, either. I love the garlic in the cream. (And watch it, it boils over in a flash.) I used the full 1 1/2 cups of cream called for. Way too much. It was still good, but 1 cup would have been better. As it turns out, I didn't use plum tomatoes either, but bought the nicest tomatoes I could find. The dish was every bit as good as I expected. Lovely on a chilly or rainy Saturday.

Creamed Tomatoes on Toast
From Simon Hopkinson's Roast Chicken and Other Stories

Ingredients:

8 ounces heavy cream (the original recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
6 ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise and cored
Salt and pepper
12 basil or mint leaves, torn into pieces (I used basil)
4 slices of French country bread, grilled or toasted and brushed with a little olive oil

Method:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Simmer the cream with the garlic and reduce by one-third. Put the tomatoes, cut-side uppermost, in an ovenproof dish and season them with salt and pepper. Strain the cream into a bowl and stir in the basil or mint. Lightly season and pour over the tomatoes.

Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cream is reduced and is thick and the tops of the tomatoes are slightly blistered. Meanwhile, have ready the toast on 2 plates and spoon a few tomatoes onto each slice. Spoon some residual cream over the top. Serves 2.

12.26.2010

Faith's Vegetable Fritters

Even after all these years, I'm still amazed at the amount of time we spend planning and organizing for the holidays when it seems to be over in a flash. Children open everything so quickly, even when you try to slow them down. Mine are now adults, so we take turns opening, but you just can't do that when they're younger. As it was, we barely got them through brunch, they were in such a rush to get back to playing. Food? No time for food.

But then I've always loved the planning part....the organizing, the decorating, the cooking, finding surprises for everyone. No doubt there were times when my kids were really little that the mass confusion pre-Christmas wasn't quite so much fun, but I always remember enjoying the preparations.

We had adults only chez moi this year; my Michigan kids decided to stay north as it's my granddaughter's first year in college and she wanted to be home to see her old high school friends. This was also, at 4 years old, my grandson's first year to understand what Christmas is all about. I was sorry to miss that. But they have their own traditions to make.

My NY daughter was here, so this year we kicked back and took our time enjoying every minute. Not always easy....my Florida son works nights in the ER, so he comes right from work for our gift-opening and brunch, and he's exhausted. Then he goes home, sleeps and comes back around 6 for dinner. Not always the case. He's always here for Santa, but if he has to work that night, he misses Christmas dinner. Luckily, this year he got Christmas Day off. I am so grateful to all our emergency services people who are working holidays, while we enjoy ourselves. The ER, no matter the day or time, must deal with patients who are hurting, panicked and worried. I am in awe of people like my son David and so proud of him.

Fortunately, this year, we were able to reward him with our traditional Christmas brunch, our love for him (and each other) always there in the background and then, later that evening, a lovely dinner....together.

Now that the wrappings are all stowed away, we are perusing our new books, trying to figure out various electronics, admiring new clothes and polishing off leftovers, I often feel the need for quick and light dinners the week following Christmas. Company is still here and we do have to eat, after all. Faith from An Edible Mosaic came up with the perfect answer. It seems like a summer dish, but you can adapt the recipe no matter where you live. I increased the corn (use frozen corn if you need to) and use any veggies you want, but it was perfect just the way Faith made it.

Thank you Faith! I've been making it on a regular basis!

Vegetable Fritters
Ever so slightly adapted from An Edible Mosaic

Ingredients:
1 medium zucchini, diced small (about 2 c diced)
2-3 ears cooked corn, cut of the cob (about 1 cup corn or more and you can use frozen)
3 spring onions (white and green parts), thinly sliced (reserve 2 TB of the thinly sliced green parts)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream (or use low-fat)
1/4 cup plain yogurt ( I use Fage, and low-fat if you prefer)
1/4 tsp seasoning salt
Canola oil ( I used a tiny bit of butter and olive oil)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200F.
In a small bowl, toss together the zucchini, corn, spring onions, flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Stir in the beaten eggs just until combined.
Pour enough oil into a large skillet to generously coat the bottom. Heat the skillet over medium to medium-high heat, then drop the vegetable batter by the rounded tablespoonful into the hot oil and cook until golden brown on both sides, flipping once (about 5 minutes per side). Turn the heat down if the fritters start to brown too quickly.
Once the fritters are cooked, transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil, then transfer them to a baking sheet and keep them in warm the oven until all the fritters are made. Repeat this process until all the batter is gone.
In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, yogurt, seasoned salt, and 1 TB sliced spring onion greens.
Serve the fritters garnished with the sour cream mixture and the remaining 1 TB of sliced spring onion greens.
Serves 4 as a side dish or 2 as a main.

4.28.2010

Hot Browns and Hats (plus a giveaway winner!)

Derby Day is always such fun...whether you are a diehard racetrack aficionado or just like to people watch and peruse the extraordinary hats. I've only been once, but the excitment is something I'll never forget. Now I never miss it...even though it's only on the big screen.

Everyone knows about the mint julep, but how many of you know about Kentucky Hot Browns?

There's a hotel in Louisville called The Brown Hotel. During the 20's it would draw as many as 1,200 guests for its' dinner dance. In the wee hours of the morning, the guests would grow tired of dancing and would want a little something to eat. They were getting bored with ham and eggs, so Chef Fred Schmidt set out to create something new to tempt his guests' palates. His unique creation was an open-faced turkey sandwich with bacon and a delicate Mornay sauce. Enter The Hot Brown!

Now a Louisville tradition, the Hot Brown has been featured in Southern Living Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, NBC's Today Show, The Wall Street Journal, as well as being included in many cookbooks. So if you want to be part of a Derby tradition, here's the original recipe, right from The Brown Hotel.

The Legendary Hot Brown Recipe

Ingredients: (Makes two hot browns)

2 ounces butter
2 ounces flour
1 quart heavy cream
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
14 ounces sliced roasted turkey breast
2-4 slices of Texas Toast (To make your own, a recipe follows)
4 slices of crisp bacon
2 Roma Tomatoes, sliced in half
Paprika, parsley, tomato for garnish

Method:

In a two-quart saucepan, melt butter and slowly whisk in flour until combined and forms a roux. Continue to cook roux for two minutes over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Whisk whipping cream into the roux and cook over medium heat until the cream begins to simmer, about 2-3 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and slowly whisk in Pecorino Romano cheese until the Mornay sauce is smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
For each Hot Brown, place one or two slices of toast in an oven safe dish and cover with 7 ounces of turkey.

Place the tomatos on top of turkey and toast. Next, pour the Mornay sauce to completely cover the dish.

Sprinkle with additional Pecorino Romano cheese. Place entire dish under a broiler until cheese begins to brown and bubble and is heated through. Remove from broiler, cross two pieces of crispy bacon on top, sprinkle with paprika and parsley, and serve immediately.

I can find Texas Toast in my market.

But if you can't here's how to make your own: start with some good bread; smash a couple cloves of garlic and mix them with some butter. Spread on the bread, sprinkle with salt and pepper and then toast it.

And now something just for the ladies. I collected some photos of fun and fabulous Derby Day hats. Pick out your favorite! Which one would you love to wear?

Last, but not least, The Mother's Day Giveaway: The lucky winner is: Faith from An Edible Mosaic. Congratulations! Please email me your address at bsmithw@gmail.com so I can get your cookbook in the mail ASAP!

Hat photo source: http://www.deescrafts.com/hats/

7.27.2009

Ina's Little Tomato Tarts

No doubt you’ve all seen this recipe in Ina Garten’s latest cookbook. Hope I am not repeating something you have already tried, but in my humble opinion, she is the best of the Food Network chefs and her latest cookbook showcases some lovely new recipe ideas. I just happen to like her style- her food- her ideas. She’s fun to watch, has a nifty sense of humor and often puts a new twist on her old recipes, although I don’t see her repeat things too often. One to drool over example: her sticky buns ( a previous post) - which she used to make the old fashioned way with yeast- Ina now uses puff pastry and I’m here to tell you these are FABULOUS and EASY. And FATTENING. Oh my.

Sticky buns aside, (although just writing about them makes me want to make some) I had some company for lunch recently and thought her little Tomato Tart recipe would be the perfect answer- I could get them all ready to go, stick them in the refrigerator and pop them into the oven when we were ready to eat. Don’t you get tired of salads all the time? With a little fruit on the side, this tart wraps things up in a clever, delicious and fun luncheon package.

Have you noticed that Ina is using a lot of puff pastry dough lately? And I read recently on somebody’s blog NOT to buy Pepperidge Farm puff pastry but to go to Whole Foods and get Dufour Classic Puff Pastry. Never dreamed I would actually find it, but there it was, in the freezer area. I really didn’t think it would make a big difference, but it was fabulous- as good as if you made it from scratch. I think for special occasions I will use it but for everyday and family cooking I will use the Pepperidge Farm puff pastry; nothing really wrong with it.

I am not a huge fan of onions for lunch, even caramelized, so I substituted shallots- which I think are milder and work just as well in this recipe and cook faster too. I bet you’re sick of my talking about Ina’s recipes, but when I find one I use a lot and it receives raves from everyone, I really want to make sure you give it a try.

Tomato Goat Cheese Tarts
(Adapted from Ina Garten)

Ingredients:1 package (17.3 ounces/2 sheets) puff pastry, defrosted
Good olive oil
2-3 cups thinly sliced shallots
3 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons dry white wine
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, plus 2 ounces shaved with a vegetable peeler
4 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese (recommended: Montrachet)
1 large tomato, cut into 4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices
3 tablespoons julienned basil leaves
Method:Unfold a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll it lightly to an 11 by 11-inch square. Using a 6-inch wide saucer or other round object as a guide, cut 2 circles from the sheet of puff pastry, discarding the scraps. Repeat with the second pastry sheet to make 4 circles in all. Place the pastry circles on 2 sheet pans lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 425°.
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and add the shallots and garlic. Saute, stirring frequently, until the shallots are limp and there is almost no moisture remaining in the skillet. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the wine, and thyme and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, until the shallots are lightly browned. Set aside.
Using a sharp paring knife, score a 1/4-inch-wide border around each pastry circle. Prick the pastry inside the score lines with the tines of a fork and sprinkle a tablespoon of grated Parmesan on each round, staying inside the scored border.
Place 1/4 of the shallot mixture on each circle, again staying within the scored edge. Crumble 1 ounce of goat cheese on top of the shallots. Place a slice of tomato in the center of each tart. Brush the tomato lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with basil, salt, and pepper. Finally, scatter 4 or 5 shards of Parmesan on each tart. (I was overly generous here.)

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. The bottom sheet pan may need an extra few minutes in the oven. Serve hot or warm.

2.23.2009

Yorkshire Pudding and Sausage

My mother loved going to the Original Pancake House for one simple reason: her craving for a Dutch Baby. I took her there for lunch at least once a week and I bet Dad took her once a week for dinner. Her appetite as she got older was negligible, but she could put an entire Dutch Baby away- no problem- and I promise you they are colossal. I never understood how she did it. Some people like apples, fruit jams or even syrup on top, but purists like my mother just want confectioner’s sugar and a fresh lemon to squeeze over everything. The batter is about as simple as it gets… equal parts flour and milk with eggs, whipped smooth but not too fluffy. It's then poured into a cast iron skillet over melted butter and stuck into a hot oven.

Another twist on this recipe is the English version called Yorkshire Pudding. Everyone knows about Yorkshire Pudding; the British love it with their roast beef. It’s basically the same batter as a Dutch Baby- eggs, milk and flour. The British use the roast beef pan drippings for flavor. Then after the roast is cooked and while you are letting it settle, you have your batter ready, pour it over the roast beef drippings, stick it in a hot oven and voila! You have Yorkshire Pudding. If gravy was made with some of the drippings, you can also pour gravy on top. It is delicious.

Basically, the same batter is used for popovers. Doesn’t everyone love a popover? Neiman Marcus is famous for serving one with every meal- always accompanied by strawberry butter. It’s worth having lunch there just to enjoy one of their popovers.
I have a recipe from an old cookbook entitled No-Fail Popovers where you put the batter in a cold oven then turn the heat on. It works too. I used to serve them for luncheons. Everyone was so impressed. If your oven has a glass insert, your kids will have fun watching the popovers puff up.
The very same batter that is used in both popovers and Yorkshire Pudding is also used in a Dutch Baby; but as I previously mentioned, butter is used in the pan instead of beef pan drippings. Rather than a savory, it is a sweet. Mother loved popovers too (she couldn’t wait to have one at Neiman Marcus) but for some reason she never made them at home.

I bring all this up because frequently Mother did cook something which she referred to as Yorkshire Pudding and Sausage. I have no idea where she found the recipe, but it obviously was a favorite with her- it sure was with the rest of us. In fact, it's a treat for all Yorkshire Pudding and popover lovers. In fact, if you are British you have another name for this particular dish: Toad in the Hole.

Mother’ s recipe uses sausage (the “toads”) for flavor. I prefer bulk sausage but have used links as well; I just don’t think links are as flavorful- or perhaps they don’t produce as much in the drippings department. Or perhaps I am buying the wrong kind. However I think links are prettier to the eye - as in the photo below. (I even tried bacon once instead of sausage- no doubt I didn't have sausage in the fridge and must have been longing to make the dish- but I didn’t like it nearly as well.) I can think of any number of things you could add to this recipe if you want to be inventive- scallions, mushrooms- but I have always loved it exactly the way it was served to me as a child- with sausages and a touch of Worcestershire sauce for flavor. One more tip: if you have one of those fabulous cast iron skillets, use it- it’s perfect for this dish, but I have made it in other pans with no problem.

I have never tried to make a Dutch Baby with this recipe, eliminating the sausage and Worcestershire and using butter instead of pan drippings. Oddly enough, considering how she loved them, neither did my mother. But I see no reason why you couldn’t try it if you love Dutch Babies as much as Mother did. As far as I am concerned, Yorkshire Pudding and Sausage should be served for dinner while Dutch Babies are a breakfast or lunch dish.I bet you have all the ingredients in your refrigerator so if you are looking for an easy dinner, try it tonight. I have to confess, this is way up there on my comfort food list!

Yorkshire Pudding and Sausage

Ingredients:3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
salt
bulk sausage- whichever brand you prefer, or links

Method:Preheat oven to 400°.
Slice the sausage and fry in a large oven proof frying pan. Leave a generous coating of the sausage oil in the pan along with the sausage.
Beat the eggs with milk and flour until smooth. Add the Worcestershire sauce and a dash of salt. Pour everything over the sausage and place in the oven. Bake for about 25 minutes; keep checking. It will puff up like a popover. Serves 4.