Broiled Tomatoes with Cheese

My brother, Christopher, came home for Labor Day, which always means a feast. This time was no exception; we enjoyed spinach, blueberries and strawberries tossed with raspberry vinaigrette, Keenbell Farms' spicy cheese brats, slightly over caramelized onions and peppers in gravy, mashed potatoes and Broiled Tomatoes with Cheese for lunch. It was a filling meal that was quick to put together and quick to clean up... So far so good on trying to keep things simple in September.

Whenever he comes home I start thinking of what we enjoyed eating as a kids and this time I remembered Mom serving broiled tomatoes with parmesan cheese. According to my memory they were warm, juicy, savory and comforting. All of those descriptors sounded good to me and I saw Mom's tomatos in the garden looking ripe, so I proposed we have them. She was thrilled, partly because it was such an easy request I'm sure.

Below is her rough recipe, which she emphasized can be adjusted to taste. It, or something like it, came from a cooking for two cookbook back when us kids didn't exist. While the source has been forgotten, then concept was clearly memorable as she made this without any references. 

If you like tomatoes, pizza and/or tomato sauce you will like this one. Its simple ingredients and short broiling time let the tomato's bright flavor shine. Next time I might sprinkle some oregano or basil on top to see how much I can make it taste like pizza sans crust. 

Broiled Tomatoes with Cheese
Serves 2

1 Tomato
Garlic Salt
Bread Crumbs
Parmesan Cheese (The grated sprinkles are fine. We used those when I was young!)

1. Turn on the broiler. Cut the tomato in half, do not core it, and place it juicy side up on the baking sheet.
2. Sprinkle the tomato with garlic salt, then the bread crumbs and finally the parmesan cheese.
3. Broil until the cheese gets slightly brown!

 

Cabbage, Squash and Spring Onion Pie

Way back in 2008 Deb at Smitten Kitchen raved about Tomato and Corn Pie, I didn't bookmark it. Leslie made the pie, substituting greek yogurt for mayo, and said it was amazing. Still I ignored the recipe, though I did bookmark an adapted version Jeannette at Everybody Loves Sandwiches made using her favorite biscuit dough. I guess I was afraid of pie crust after attempting a lattice on my first pie.

2011 rolls around, Leslie still says Tomato and Corn Pie is one of her favorite dishes and Rachel informs me Peter loves it too. So I finally decide to try it out, only at the time tomato and corn weren't in season. Since I had cabbage, squash and red spring onions courtesy of my farming internship, I changed the filling to include those items. The filling's bright lemon flavor, hint crunch from the cabbage and overall vegetal sweetness were a hit with my taste testers.

For trial one, I used Smitten Kitchen's Cream Biscuits for the pie's crust. If, like Jeannette, I had a favorite biscuit dough recipe I could make in my sleep this would have indeed been easy. Instead it was a bit messy to put together. That said the resulting pie "crust" was doughy and a little flaky. I also added a sprinkling of feta on top of the vegetables.

For trial two, I stuck to the original crust recipe and OMFG (remember that controversial ad campaign from Gossip Girl Season 2) the resulting flaky, golden crust was SO good. I don't think you can beat butter. It also was super easy since I used the food processor to assemble the crust and it rolled out nicely. As the feta hadn't added a significant flavor I skipped it.

Final thoughts... Take whatever produce you have, throw it in Epicurious' buttery crust and call it dinner, lunch and snack. The meal time won't matter; this pie and its original crust are a little bite of heaven and it reheats pretty well. I can't wait to try the tomato and corn version for the first time next week while vacationing. As for the heavy cream biscuits, I would make them again too if I had cream on hand but not butter and need a biscuit.

Cabbage, Squash and Spring Onion Pie
Adapted from Tomato and Corn Pie from Gourmet 2003 at Epicurious with reference to the recipes linked above

3/4 cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
1 3/4 teaspoons Salt
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus 2 teaspoons melted
3/4 cup Whole Milk
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
Zest of a Lemon and juice from 1/2 of it
1 medium to small Summer Squash
1/2 head Cabbage
4 Red Spring Onions
Salt and Pepper

1. Slice the summer squash into circles, I aimed for 1/8 inch or less, sprinkle it with salt and set aside. Slide the onions into circles. Chop the cabbage up thin ribbons, then go back over it to break it into small pieces. (You may not be able to fit all the veggies into your pie, if not they'll be great for stir fry.)
2. Add unbleached all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until it resembles wet sand. Add milk and continue to pulse until a dough forms, then remove from the food processor and make it into a ball. (This can be done by hand. See the original recipe for instructions).
3. Place one sheet of plastic wrap on the counter and place the dough ball on it. Divide the dough in half. Wrap half in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. Cover the remaining dough with a sheet of plastic wrap, then roll it out into an approximately 2-inch round that is 1/8 inch thick. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap and lift dough using bottom sheet of plastic wrap and invert into a 10-inch glass pie plate, patting with your fingers to fit. Set the plastic wrap aside.
4. Preheat oven to 400°F.
5. Stir together mayonnaise, lemon juice and lemon zest. Pat the water off the squash. Arrange a layer of overlapping squash in crust, then a layer of onions and finally the cabbage. Spread approximately half the mayo mixture over top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then repeat the layering process.
6. Remove the remaining dough from the refrigerator. Spread out the plastic wrapping it, place another sheet of plastic on top and roll it out into an approximately 2-inch round that is 1/8 inch thick. Fit it over the filling and pinch it into the bottom crust. Cut steam vents in the top and brush with melted butter.
7. Place the pie in the oven on the middle rack and bake until crust is golden, approximately 35 minutes, then cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

P.S. If you have any must try ideas for first time visitors to Cape Cod, please leave them in the comments. I leave Friday morning!

Spinach and Yellow Pepper Clafoutis

My love affair with clafoutis began in 2008 when I first made Nicole at Baking Bites' Cherry Tomato Clafoutis. I served it at a brunch I hosted, which I spent face down in my bed asleep among coats as I had worn myself out with vigorous cleaning and baking after a night out. My personal performance brought  laughter but the clafoutis brought raves. In fact I believe my former roomate, Tracey's, mom still makes it frequently. I also have tried Nicole's sweeter, still delicious, Pear Clafoutis with the twist of bacon crumbles and mint.

Yesterday morning I made a new version throwing together spinach, yellow peppers and oregano thinking of Greek food. I also substituted whole wheat flour for the all purpose flour just because. The active time is about 15 minutes, so clafoutis is perfect when you want something simple and filling with an impressive appearance. Think of a souffle, only with a third of the effort and the ability to travel well and reheat nicely (should you have any left).

Have you made clafoutis? What is your favorite flavor combination? I'm sure I'll be looking to make my next batch soon and would to hear your ideas.

Spinach and Yellow Pepper Clafoutis
Inspired by Nicole at Baking Bites' Cherry Tomato Clafoutis

1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt (I would skip it in the future as feta has enough salt.)
1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
3 Eggs, large
1 cup Milk (I used 3/4 skim and 1/4 whole)
2 1/2 tsp. Oregano, dried 

1/3 cup Feta Cheese
1/2 cup Yellow Bell Pepper, diced

1 cup Baby Spinach, packed into the measuring cup then torn

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly coat a 6.5" x 10.5" x 2" baking dish with oil.
2. In a large mixing bowl, a 4-cup measuring cup works, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, eggs and milk until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the oregano and cheese.
3. Place the yellow pepper and spinach at the bottom of your baking dish and pour the custard mixture over  them.
4. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake an additional 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick or sharp knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. Cool for 15 minutes before serving. Don't be alarmed - it will deflate.

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Roasted Green Beans and Potatoes with Dill

Today I spent almost 5 hours volunteering on a local, certified organic farm. It was my audition to participate in their work-share program during the growing season a.k.a. volunteer regularly and get a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share. If I'm not chosen, and I don't know how selection works, I'll just join the CSA since I like the idea of supporting the local economy and getting fresh produce.

Knowing that working on a farm is hard and doing the work itself are two very different things. I worked side by side with the employees and essentially was treated as one. It was a busy but peaceful day; I helped "pot-up" a large flat of leeks, packaged arugula, pulled and bundled overwintered carrots, planted cabbage and cauliflower and did a lot of shivering. I came home with a big smile, dirty nails, a tired back and bags of fresh arugula and spinach. While I can't wait to dig into those greens, I needed something warm quickly so I ate the exact meal for lunch that I had for dinner last night.

The food I post might seem complicated but I am more likely to eat something simple like these Roasted Green Beans and Potatoes with Dill over a a half cup of  reduced fat cottage cheese zapped in the microwave for 50 seconds most days. Roasted green beans get surprisingly sweet, the potatoes turn creamy and the dill adds a bright flavor to them both. If you go the cottage cheese route it adds a nice tang into the mix and makes it like a lazy soup.  

Roasted Green Beans and Potatoes with Dill
approximately 2 servings

3/4 lbs. Potatoes
1 lb. Green Beans
4 tsp Lemon Juice, fresh would likely be nice but I used Real Lemon
1 Tbsp. Dill, dried
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut the potatoes into chunks of relatively the same size. Place the potatoes in salted water with 2 tsp. lemon juice.
3. Snap the ends off the green beans and rinse them.
4. Drain the potatoes and add the green beans to them. Measure the 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, the tablespoon of olive oil, tablespoon of dill and the quarter teaspoon of salt into the bowl. Toss the mixture together with tongs or your hands.
5. Spread the green beans and potatoes out on a baking sheet and place the sheet in the oven. Set a timer for 15 minutes.
6. When the timer goes off move the vegetables around on the pan, tongs help here too. Set the timer for 20 additional minutes. If your green beans look brown, slightly blistered and have shrunk in size when you check the pan you should be good to go.

Hiyashi Soba and Tempura

First things first... Happy Valentine's Day! It may be manufactured holiday but I still enjoy it. There is nothing wrong with a reminder to say thank you and send "pink hearts" to those you love. Thank you to my friends, family and anyone who stumbles across this posts and reads it for your time and support. <3

The February 2011 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by Lisa of Blueberry Girl. She challenged Daring Cooks to make Hiyashi Soba and Tempura. She has various sources for her challenge including japanesefood.about.com, pinkbites.com, and itsybitsyfoodies.com. You can find her detailed notes on preparing the challenge foods and the provided recipes here.

Hiyashi Soba is a popular Japanese noodle salad that is served only during the summer. It is a flexible recipe - you can eat soba noodles just with dipping sauce and call it a day or serve up lots of veggies on the side to mix with the noodles and sauce. While I have made soba noodle dishes before, this was my first cold recipe and it was a pleasant change of pace that will be revisited.

I served the soba noodles with julienned cucumber, shitake mushroom slices (zapped for 30 seconds in the microwave), grated daikon and the spicy dipping sauce from the recipe Lisa provided. I especially loved the sauce's zingy flavor with the lightness of the cucumbers on the soba. As she says and, as I've learned the hard way, the most important thing with soba noodles is making sure they don't overcook and become a gelatinous clump. The big plate is snow pea shoots and mustard greens sauteed with sesame and veggie oil and some ginger. I found them a bit bitter so I'm not going to elaborate.

Instead of using the provided tempora recipe, I used the one listed on the back of my panko bread crumbs. The resulting tempora had a nice, crunchy breading that I was surprised to enjoy as I'm not a big fan of fried food, outside of corn dogs and funnel cakes. I preferred the sweet potato and broccoli to the squash and the decorative Sriracha was a fun way to spice up these bits. I don't think I will make tempora again as I find the cost of oil for deep frying somewhat prohibitive but at least I no longer feel the need to shun it. Thanks for a fun challenge, Lisa!

Panko Tempura

Vegetable Oil
1 package Panko Breadcrumbs (you won't use them all)
2 Tbsp Flour
1 Egg
2 Tbsp Water
Pinch Salt
1 yellow squash, cut into 1/3" slices
1 small sweet potato, cut into 1/3" slices
1 cup broccoli florets, separated into small bunches if necessary

1. Heat oil in a large pan to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. You should have 2 inches of oil present.
2. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet with a sheet of newspaper on top. Cover the newspaper with paper towels. 
2. Place panko breadcrumbs on a plate. Place 2 tablespoons of flour on a separate plate. Mix the egg with a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of water in a bowl.
3. Evenly coat each vegetable slice lightly with flour. Dip into egg mixture. Then dredge in the panko breadcrumbs.
4. Cook the breaded vegetables 4-5 at a time for about 2 minutes each until golden and crispy. Flip once or twice as they cook to get more even coloration.
5. Remove to the wire rack to let the oil drain. A long handled wire skimmer works well for this process as it lets excess oil drain off. It also is good for fishing out extra breading between batches.

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Quinoa Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash and Orange

I lied. This isn't cookies. It is a whole grain salad with greens -- much healthier! This Quinoa Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash and Orange, sourced from Veggie Num Num, was a bright spot on an otherwise dreary Saturday. The caramelized squash and orange's sweetness are balanced by the arugula's sharpness, the creamy tang of feta and balsamic reduction's punch. The variety of textures brought by the combination of ingredients also plays well on the palate.

The original recipe involved pumpkin and walnuts. I substituted a butternut squash and its seeds for these items as pumpkin wasn't available and nuts aren't sitting too well with me these days. To make the recipe easier, you could use pre-packaged cubed butternut squash instead of dicing your own squash or pumpkin. If you do that revert back to the walnuts instead of squash seeds or substitute another roasted nut or seed of your choice.

Due to a scent aversion to reheated oranges, that I will be kind and not mention to you, I ended up discarding the orange in my leftovers but I can tell you that overall this dish reheats pretty well and, for me, it yielded about 6 meals. I will make it again even though it uses more dishes than I prefer for a single course as I loved the flavor and presentation.

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash and Orange
very minimally adapted from Veggie Num Num


1 cup quinoa
1.5 cups vegetable stock
2 oranges
2 pounds Butternut Squash, diced with seeds rinsed and reserved
1 cup Chickpeas (canned is fine)
5 shallots, quartered
2 cups Arugula
1/2 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place the quinoa, stock and juice of 1 orange in a pot; bring to the boil. Turn down heat and simmer with the lid on for 10-15 minutes until liquid has been absorbed. Set aside.
3. Cut the remaining orange into wedges.
4. Place a large baking sheet drizzled with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the heated oven to warm the oil. Remove from the oven when oil is hot.
5. Place the butternut squash and its seeds, chickpeas, shallot bulbs and orange wedges on the tray the baking sheet; toss well to coat with oil.
6. Return to the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes until chickpeas are crisp and squash tender. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.
7. While the above mixture roasts pour the balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until reduced by half and vinegar is syrupy. Set aside to cool.
8. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl; dress with balsamic reduction to taste (2-3 tablespoons).
9. Serve over extra arugula with an extra balsamic reduction, if desired.

Yours will look even better if you don't overcook the quinoa. ;)

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This band is pure pop fun.

December 2010 Daring Cooks' Challenge: Poached Eggs

I completed the Daring Cooks' challenge on time, but my heart wasn't in creating a post. Clearly. Since  deciding to draw my time in NYC to a close by January 1 and finding myself in control of seemingly nothing, I have been racing around trying to see people, taste things and get myself together for the transition. But I am alive and once I'm settled back in Virginia I suspect I'll get back to eating in my usual manner, exercising and dabbling with this again. In the meantime, happy holidays!

Jenn and Jill have challenged The Daring Cooks to learn to perfect the technique of poaching an egg. They chose Eggs Benedict recipe from Alton Brown, Oeufs en Meurette from Cooking with Wine by Anne Willan, and Homemade Sundried Tomato & Pine Nut Seitan Sausages (poached) courtesy of Trudy of Veggie num num. A PDF with all their info and the recipes can be found here.

I opted to focus on the required egg poaching and assemble a simple, healthy meal of roasted Kabocha squash, almost caramelized leeks and a poached egg. It was a nice, savory mix with the yolk to sauce things up. My egg poaching certainly has improved since the debacle where the whole thing turned into foam but it still needs refining. My first eggs spun out of control as I had brought this too far past room temperature but the later one (pictured) was a pretty solid (and tasty) attempt.

Black Bean Salad with Fuyu Persimmon, Avocado, and Lime-Cumin Vinaigrette

If you can find persimmons you have to make Kayln of Kayln's Kitchen's Black Bean Salad with Fuyu Persimmon, Avocado, and Lime-Cumin Vinaigrette. My Mom's in love with it and I'm rather fond of it too. It is sweet and smooth yet it has a nice bite from the green onions, lime and salt. I followed her recipe exactly, but next time will decrease the oil as the result was a bit slick for my palate.

I wish I had remembered it earlier this year as I'm not sure persimmon's will be readily available at this point and I would love to eat the salad again before next year. We had a it a few times last Fall and tried to make it with mango, which was not quite as good, so if I can't find them I will have to wait.

FYI, Fuyu persimmons can be peeled and eaten while firm or soft...either way they are sweet. You'll want to use firm Fuyu's not Hachiya persimmons as they aren't tasty until they feel like jelly and therefore wouldn't hold up in this salad once ripe. 

Whole Wheat Pita Pizza with Roasted Apples, Sweet Potato and Caramelized Onion

Though I don't feel compelled to become vegan it intrigues me, so when The New York Times referenced vegan Thanksgiving dishes I clicked over to Chef Chloe's Web site to check them out. What really caught my eye once there was her Flatbread with Roasted Apples, Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion. I knew I had to make it immediately.

I wasn't disappointed by this decision in the least; it is seasonal and satisfying with the crunchy crust, garlic's bite and sweetness from the caramelized onions and roasted vegetables. This flatbread can be a meal on its own but I presented it as a first course and suspect it would also make a great appetizer.

I didn't follow Chef Chloe's recipe exactly as I was feeling lazy but I didn't change it substantively either. I substituted whole wheat pitas for pizza dough and a diced large sweet potato for butternut squash as they are a bit easier to handle. To make up for using pre-baked bread, I roasted my vegetables on their own while the onions caramelized, then topped the pita with everything and heated it for approximately 5 minutes.

Having prepared the components separately enabled me to enjoy fresh flatbread several days in a row, which is a plus! I managed to eek out 7 pita flatbreads from the ingredients. I highly recommend that you try this recipe out.

Whole Wheat Pita Pizza with Roasted Apples, Sweet Potato and Caramelized Onion
Adapted from Chef Chloe's recipe

Whole Wheat Pitas (alternately you can purchase or make pizza dough)
Garlic White Bean Puree
    1 (15-ounce) can Cannellini Beans, rinsed and drained
    1/4 cup Olive Oil
    2 tablespoons Water
    1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
    2 Cloves Garlic
    1/2 teaspoon Dried Thyme
    1 teaspoon Sea Salt
    1/2 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Pizza Topping
    4 tablespoons Olive Oil
    1 Onion, thinly sliced
    Sea Salt
    Freshly Ground Black Pepper
    1 large sweet potato, diced
    1 cup spinach
    1 apple, peeled and thinly sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and sprinkle them with salt. Saute until soft and lightly caramelized, about 30 minutes. If they are getting dry, yet haven't browned, you can add a tablespoon or two of water at a time instead of additional oil.
3. While the onions caramelize, toss remaining 2 tablespoons oil with sweet potato and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet and roast for 30 to 35 minutes until squash is fork tender, turning once or twice with a spatula.
4. While the onions caramelize and the sweet potatoes roast, place all the garlic bean puree ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. If you don't have a food processor, you could put them in a bowl and use an immersion blender. You probably could use a regular blender too.
5. Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and set aside. Place the whole wheat pitas on a baking sheet and spread a thin layer of the puree over each one's surface. Place the spinach, caramelized onions, sweet potato and apple slices on top.
6. Bake for 5 minutes, rotating midway, until the pitas warm.

Thomas Keller's Confit Byaldi

Last summer Leslie made Thomas Keller's Confit Byaldi when we viewed Ratatouille and in my frenzy to host the aforementioned Gossip Girl Season Premiere party I decided its deliciousness was the perfect way to incorporate peak seasonal produce and stay in theme. She warned me it took HOURS to prepare but as usual my denial about how long cooking projects will take caused me to think I was superhuman and could create this dish in a mere afternoon. Ha! I was wrong again.

The piperade, chopping and arranging alone took the afternoon... By the time I was ready to cook it at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for 2.5 hours (after which point I could hold it according to the recipe) I was already late leaving for Vika and Rafe's to watch True Blood's season finale. Into the fridge it went, instructions be damned. After I came home I cooked it overnight using my alarm clock at the appropriate intervals. My only change to the recipe was using my dutch oven instead of foil and a dish with lower sides. In the end, it came together and was as sweet and rich as I remembered, but I think Leslie's version was better. I blame my timing in combination with the dutch oven being too large to squeeze under the broiler.

To be honest, I probably won't make this again as I was perfectly content with Smitten Kitchen's simpler version last summer and/or any improvised ratatouille (adding things like radishes, peppers and whatever else might be in the fridge) I've put together since without writing about it. In this case, less time for a great taste wins for me. But if you make it...invite me over to enjoy it please!

September 2010 Daring Cooks' Challenge: Applebutter Canned!

The September 2010 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by John of Eat4Fun. John chose to challenge The Daring Cooks to learn about food preservation, mainly in the form of canning and freezing. He challenged everyone to make a recipe and preserve it. John’s source for food preservation information was from The National Center for Home Food Preservation.

This challenge was very intimidating! Canning has been an idea that interests me but also one I've found a reason to avoid. John's challenge left me with no excuse but to face my fear and his meticulous instructions must have left no room for error because I'm the proud owner of a pint of canned apple butter.

My biggest struggle was how to extract the canned applebutter, keeping it level, from my stockpot after the boiling and cooling... I'm very lucky it sealed as I dropped it on its side several times back in the water before realizing I needed to carefully use both the tongs and the spatula, which barely worked. Water creates a lot of drag. Any tips on how to get canned goods out of the water?

In retrospect, I should have purchased two 3 pound bags of apples if I was going to go through the whole process but even having one successfully canned item is exciting. Nevermind that I never want to open the jar as staring at it makes me so happy. Fortunately, I saved the other half of the applebutter and am enjoying it homemade baguette slices, plain yogurt and/or by the spoonful. It's a delicious, cinnamon spiced fruit spread that is perfect for Fall without any added sugar. Even if you don't want to can it, you should make some applebutter to celebrate the new season.

Sauteed Zucchini with Dill, Garlic and Almonds

Are you suffering from excess zucchini as summer races to its close? If so, or really even if not, Heidi at 101 Cookbooks has an amazing, simple solution: Sauteed Zucchini. This dish has tons of texture and is irresistible.

Browning the garlic, shallots, almonds and zucchini makes a rich base that is brightened by the unexpected dill. You can sprinkle the dish with goat cheese to make it creamier, but it isn't necessary and next time I'll skip it to save the calories for something else...probably a sweet knowing me.

My initial plan was to eat this in some puff pastry cups I've been meaning to use up, but it never got there. I couldn't stop eating it out of the pan and packed up the remainder for a decadent lunch. Perhaps it will make it into those cups another day or I'll just keep eating it just the way it is.

Homemade Pierogi's

Seeing how I'm due to fly out from JFK in, oh, less than six hours this will be the shortest Daring Cooks write-up to date. This month's challenge was versatile, affordable and tasty -- my favorite traits in a challenge. Thank you to Liz and Anula for hosting it. Now for the required text - the August 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by LizG of Bits n’ Bites and Anula of Anula’s Kitchen. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make pierogi from scratch and an optional challenge to provide one filling that best represents their locale.

My pierogi's won't win any beauty contests but they were delicious, especially when browned in olive oil for added flavor. They take some time to make but are well worth the effort. In the future I'm going to skip "simple" wonton ravioli's and make peroigi dough instead as it doesn't waste my time with egg wash or create a disasterous explosion of insides when you skip the said egg wash. Not that I've done that.

I chose to follow the Russian Style Pierogi dough recipe provided, free forming them by hand and filling them with the Heidi at 101 Cookbooks' fresh, light and lemony Plump Pea Dumpling filling. When my pierogi's wouldn't accept more than a half teaspoon of filling I made up for it by heating a bit of cream and adding the filling to it to create a simple sauce. On the side I mixed corn cut fresh off the cob, minced dill and lemon juice for a simple salad.

It was a great summer dish that reheated splendidly for work. If you don't like dill, don't mingle the pierogis with the simple salad as the dill takes over. Personally I liked the mingling as it added texture to the overall dish and an additional kick of flavor.

By the way, I'm experiencing the great outdoors in Big Sky Country i.e. Montana and Canada 8/13 to 8/24, so any responses will come when I return. Thank you for your patience and wish me luck seeing a moose with a rack.

Watermelon Sweets for a Jazz Age Lawn Party Picnic

Sunday I crossed off a MUST activity for my "While I live in NYC List:" the Jazz Age Lawn Party. I've wanted to attend this event since I first moved here 4 years ago, so my expectations were very high going into it and I'm pleased to say they were met 100%.

Meg, Leslie and I were transported into another time thanks to the Governors Island's sun-dappled peaceful atmosphere, enthralling period costumes, the enchanting music of Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra, Drew Nugent & the Midnight Society and Michael Cumella, phonograph DJ and the dancing. It was the best $7 I've spent in a long time and Meg and I already hope to go back in August in costume. Leslie's the only one who managed to dress in keeping with the theme this time.

In addition to taking everything in, we had a lovely picnic. Leslie brought a great quiche made with tomatoes, squash and basil from her CSA(!) and goat cheese. Meg brought pita chips, a yummy Brooklyn made hummus, prosciutto and melon. I brought the Cupcake Project's watermelon soda and watermelon butter, which I highly recommend making.

The watermelon syrup and butter are incredibly easy to make; you just need 6-8 hours at home to simmer the pureed watermelon over medium-low heat to remove the water and concentrate the its flavor. I used a seedless watermelon that I carried home in my tote bag, which likely weighed between 8-10 pounds, and ended up with a cup of watermelon butter and 2 cups of syrup.

Both items are very sweet, without added sugar!, so a little goes a long way. I diluted one cup of syrup with 2 cups of water (some carbonated) and found the result refreshing, though ice would have helped in the 90+ degree heat. We used the watermelon butter as a spread on pita chips and sprinkled it with goat cheese. The salty chips and cheese contrasted nicely with the sweet. My initial thought was to use the spread on a baguette but as Meg suspected the salt and crunch of the chips made a perfect appetizer.

All Leslie's photos can be seen here. A slideshow of my slots is below.

Using Up Miso Butter: A Radish, Miso Butter and Egg Roll-Up

I tried sauteing some thinly sliced heirloom radishes from the Greenmarket in the leftover miso butter to use it up, which should have been a great plan... Only the miso butter gummed up on the bottom of the pan and started to turn a nice charcoal. Fortunately the caramelized radishes were salvageable.

I pulled out a new pan, spritzed it with Trader Joe's Canola Oil and was good to go with the second half. Once the new radishes were hot I added them to the other radishes in the container with the leftover miso butter, a much better idea. It melted by the time my egg swirled with a little cream was done cooking into a little pillow (the pan was perhaps too hot).

I piled everything onto a Trader Joe's Whole Grain Tortilla, super soft and slightly sweet, and had a very tasty dinner than cleaned out several things on their way out in the fridge.I really like how the miso paste confuses my taste buds into thinking of cheese. I think it might work as a sandwich spread used sparingly, but I probably should compare the nutrition facts to other options before I try it.

Oh and if you aren't a fan of radishes and their bite but want to learn to eat them sauteing might be a good start! It really mellows out their sharpness.

How pretty were these? I had to have them! The lighting in my kitchen doesn't accurately reveal the colors but they were red, eggplant purple, fuchsia, yellow and white!

Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg and Miso Butter

Meg and I tried this variation on David Chang's Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg and Miso Butter for Gossip Girl Monday. It screamed Sarah ... Asian inspiration! Seasonal Vegetable! Delicious Egg Yolk coating the whole dish! And the presentation was lovely. I knew it had to be my first asparagus dish of the season and it was.

It's quite simple to prepare but requires a bit of inactive cooking time between the butter coming to room temperature and the asparagus roasting, so it isn't quick. The egg and butter are flavorful, creamy accompaniments to the roasted asparagus making for a rich, unique dish. But I have to admit I would have been just as happy eating the roasted asparagus on its own. Our pencil thin stalks were tender, slightly caramelized perfection thanks to Meg's excellent salting, oiling and roasting. For me, the sauce obscured this simple pleasure rather than complimenting it.

I won't be making this again but use your own judgment. If you are passionate about Miso this may be great for you! I've never been entirely sold on the soup and hadn't tried Miso Paste before. It was salty, intriguing and reminded Meg and I of Handisnacks Cheese, which shamefully was not such a bad thing. Any ideas for how to use of the remainder of the package?

Steamed "British" Pudding

The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet. I'm not going to lie... I contemplated skipping this challenge. The image of suet intimidated me as did the steaming, which was a foreign concept for anything other than vegetables. But when I saw the time and thought Esther put into addressing everyone's concerns I knew I had to at least try.

Luckily I had the day off work yesterday to recover from a long weekend visiting a friend in Minneapolis because between putting this together, which took me much longer than 20 minutes, and steaming the three little ramekins for 2.5-3 hours I needed the time. I replaced the suet with Spectrum's Vegetable Shortening to create a vegetarian version with a simple, improvised Pea, Shallot and Mushroom filling.

While totally edible (and I'm proud because for once I chose the savory side!), I'm not thrilled with my results. I suspect I did something wrong as my dough was super, super moist after a mere two tablespoons of water and that can't be right! I used the provided measurements though so what can a girl do? Perhaps I'll try the sweet version sometime in the future and have better success.

In the meantime I'll eat my remaining ramekin tomorrow. It is warm, filling and the crust is nice and flaky so that is satisfying enough for these rainy days.


Pudding Crust for both Savoury Pudding or Sweet Pudding (using suet or a suet substitute)

 Ingredients
(250 grams/12 ounces) Self-raising flour (Note* If you cannot find self-raising flour, use a combination of all-purpose flour and baking powder.)
(175 grams/6 ounces) Shredded suet or suet substitute (i.e., Vegetable Suet, Crisco, Lard...I used Spectrum's Vegetable Shortening.)
(a pinch) Salt and pepper (Note* If making a savory dish, can be replaced with spices for sweet if wished.)
(210 millilitres/a little less than a cup) Water (Note* You can use a milk or a water and milk mix for a richer pastry.)

Directions
1. Mix the flour and suet together.
2. Season the flour and suet mixture with salt and pepper if savory and just a bit of salt and/or spices if sweet.
3. Add the water, a tablespoonful at a time, as you mix the ingredients together. Make up the pastry to firm an elastic dough that leaves the bowl clean. The liquid amounts are only an estimate and most recipes just say water to mix.
4. Don’t over handle the pastry or it will be too hard.
5. Reserve a quarter for the lid and roll out the rest and line a well-greased bowl.
6. At this point add your filling. a couple of options are give below but have fun and go wild!
7. Roll the final piece of pastry out into a circle big enough to cover the top of the basin, dampen the edges and put in position on the pudding, pinching the edges together to seal.
8. Seal well and cover with a double sheet of foil – pleated in the centre to allow room for expansion while cooking. Secure with string, and place it in a steamer over boiling water.
9. Steam for up to 5 hours, you may need to add more boiling water halfway through or possibly more often. There is a lot of leeway in this steaming time and different recipes give different steaming times.

Pea, Mushroom and Shallot Filling
(This makes way more than enough to fill 3 ramekins. I plan to eat the rest in pseudo-quesadillas with brie and whole wheat tortillas.)

Ingredients
1 bag Frozen Peas
1 tbsp Olive Oil
3 Small Shallots, finely chopped
1 pint Pre-Sliced Baby Bellas, sliced in half away
1 tsp. Dried Thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste
1ish tbsp Flour to coat mixture

Directions
Steam frozen peas. Heat olive oil. Add finely chopped shallot and saute for 3-5 minutes until slightly brown. Add mushrooms and saute 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in thyme, salt and pepper to taste and flour.

Carrot Cumin Lentil Soup

Okay. My unofficial blog break is over! I went home for Easter and didn't cook a thing all weekend. Last week was using up frozen gnocchi, etc. and so this weekend I was ready to get back to the kitchen with lots of little projects.

Drawing inspiration from this Lentil, Carrot, and Kale Soup with Crème Fraiche and Dill, this Carrot-Ginger Soup and the previously enjoyed Carrot Soup (the Moosewood Cookbook version) I made Carrot Cumin Lentil Soup this weekend. This soup is economical to make, especially if you make the broth from scratch instead of using the pre-packaged kind like me.

It is very filling and nutritious with a rich, warm flavor. The carrots sweetness is toned down nicely by the spices and lentils. The soup has a lot of texture, which doesn't always happen with lentils. Should your lentils disintegrate from a lack of paying attention (my usual issue) and/or you don't want to get carried away dicing I advise cooking everything and pureeing the soup. It might not look as pretty but it will still taste nice!

I can't wait to eat this all week with a spinach salad on the side.

Carrot Cumin Lentil Soup
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Tbsp Cumin Seeds
1 Tsp Ground Coriander
1/2 Tbsp Fresh Ginger, Minced
2 cups Carrots, Diced (I made mine into small dice...just for fun...but that isn't necessary. I'm sure rough slices or whatever you prefer would work.)
1 Small Yellow Onion, Diced
2 Tsp Salt (SHOULD have stuck to one...be cautious)
6 cups Veggie Broth (I used a mix of Whole Foods and Trader Joe's; TJ's is more tomato based.)
1 cup French Lentils

1. Heat the butter and olive oil over medium high heat. Once hot add the cumin seeds, ground coriander and ginger. Stir then cover for a minute listening to the cumin pop like popcorn. Remove lid.

2. Add the onion and saute a minute or two. Add carrots tossing them with everything else. If necessary add a bit of water to create some steam. Cover the pot, turn the heat down and let the mixture sweat 15-20 minutes.
3. Remove the lid and add the 6 cups of stock and 1 tsp. salt. Bring the mixture to a boil.
4. Add 1 cup of lentils. Stir. Cover the pot and turn down the heat, let the mixture simmer approximately 35-45 minutes or until lentils are tender but not falling apart.
5. Dish and serve in approximately 1 cup portions.

Ginger Fried Rice

Leslie pointed out Smitten Kitchen's adaptation of Mark Bittman's adaptation of a Jean-Georges Vongertichten Ginger Fried Rice recipe* a while back. It was instantly printed yet I only made it last week. I too really liked the recipe. The dominant ginger flavor gives the rice a nice bite, which then is mellowed out by the egg yolk. It has an amazing, crunchy yet creamy mouth feel and a rich, savory flavor.

I adapted Smitten Kitchen's version of the recipe by substituting 1/4 cup canola oil for 1/2 peanut oil, low sodium soy sauce instead of regular and adding a touch of Sriracha** to the soy sauce and sesame oil mixture for spice. I took "salt to taste" a bit too far, each part tasted fine on its own but together I needed water while I ate, so I'll be toning that down next time. I used brown basmati rice cooked one day in a advance and I didn't bother to mold it into a beautiful presentation. Shocking, I know.

A plus to this recipe is you can get away with using a mere two dishes and really only one each day since the rice should be aged, which puts this recipe on par with its beloved cousin Sesame-Garlic Soba Noodles. I might one day seek out the original but for now it is safe to say this will go in my semi-regular meal rotation as is (which really means I'll make it once a month or something ridiculously rare like that).

*As I typed all the adapation's out I couldn't help but think of the numerous times in the Bible where they list genealogies of who begat who... They were always so tedious to read. I skimmed them.
**On a side note did you realize Sriracha is made in the U.S.? Fascinating. I really want to try the Jean-Georges Vongertichten recipe linked to that article as well.

Gnocchi with Red Cabbage, Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes and Garlic

Gnocchi's texture lets me imagine I'm eating cookie dough while feeling healthy since being savory it skips sugar. Obviously that's awesome and makes it one of my favorite foods. I received a potato ricer for  Christmas, requested with the goal of making my own gnocchi, and just put it to use Sunday night.

I followed 101 Cookbook's recipe for Cooking Gnocchi Like An Italian Grandmother and found the instructions easy to understand. Riced potatoes are light, fluffy and look like Play Doh hair. While time consuming making gnocchi was easier than expected... For a first attempt I figure the most important thing is that they floated after being cooked, didn't disintegrate and had the requisite doughy texture. :) I definitely need to keep practicing to get the appropriate size and shape.

Instead of keeping it simple and pairing the gnocchi with tomato sauce, I decided on Red Cabbage, Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes and Garlic, a tasty mixture on the slightly sweet side of savory. The cabbage's crunch, roasted garlic's richness and the slightly peppery, nutty finish of the Jerusalem Artichoke contrast well with  Gnocchi's smoothness but the "sauce" needed to be a bit thicker or to not exist. I'm not sure which yet.
Approximate recipe for my accompaniment... Preheat the oven to 475 while dicing a medium onion, not too finely, peeling and thinly slicing Jerusalem Artichokes and Garlic. Toss these items with Olive Oil, Salt and freshly Ground Pepper, then roast approximately 30 minutes until slightly crisp and caramelized. Set aside  Jerusalem Artichoke pieces to top the plated dish. Next add half a head of thinly sliced red cabbage to the roasting pan and pour in roughly 2.5 cups of Trader Joe's Organic Vegetable Stock, salt generously if you use low sodium broth. Roast this mixture in the oven for approximately 30 minutes taking it out and turning the cabbage occasionally so it cooks evenly.

Next time I will probably saute the onion and red cabbage, set it aside, and then use the broth to make a real sauce that would coat everything better. I may also try veggies that impart less natural sweetness. Anyway, if you decide to try the rough recipe don't put the gnocchi in until you are ready to eat as mine turned a bit lavender, which tasted fine but looked strange.