Pumpkin Divine

By far one of my favorite holiday drinks! It's sweet with great fall spices and a pleasant kick. When making multiple servings I mix up a batch of the spices in a little bowl. Other than the pumpkin butter you should have all these things on hand!

Pumpkin Divine

(two servings)

3 oz vodka

3 oz pumpkin butter

1.5 oz triple sec

1.5 oz simple syrup

pinch each of: cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and ground ginger

1) Pour all ingredients into a shaker of ice.

2) Shake - a lot.

3) Strain into a martini glass and serve!

Pumpkin Butter

Pumpkin butter, like apple butter and just plain old butter is a great fall treat. Certainly good with breads, in our house it almost always ends up in a Pumpkin Divine.

Pumpkin Butter

1 (29 oz) can pumpkin puree

3/4 c apple juice

2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 1/2 c sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1) Combine pumpkin, apple juice, spices and sugar in a saucepan, stirring. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for half an hour. You will want to stir often to avoid bubbly splatters!

2) Store, refrigerated, in a clean container.

The Real Nog

An acquaintance was asking on Twitter what the best booze for nog is, which reminded me I should post this "real nog" recipe! (both recipes courtesy of Velvet Tango Room, via my Dad :) )

Single Serving

1 Egg

0.5 Oz. Simple Syrup

2.5 Oz. Hvy Cream (or Half & Half)

1.5 Oz. Rum

0.5 Oz. Brandy

2–3 Drops Vanilla Extract

Shake all ingredients in shaker filled with ice. Pour off and add ice cubes to cinnamon & sugar lined (rimmed) glass. Top with grated nutmeg.

For a crowd

2 c heavy whipping cream

3/4 c brandy

6 eggs

2/3 c sugar or less depending on preference

1/2 tsp Madagascar vanilla

1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated

2 c milk

1/3 c dark rum

1) Chill everything!

2) Using a stand mixer or blender, beat eggs til frothy.

3) Add sugar, vanilla and nutmeg. Slowly mix in liquor.

4) Slowly add cream and milk.

5) Garnish with nutmeg and serve!

Mini-Gyros

Originally called "lamb pizzettes" or something like that, these are really lamb on tiny pita rounds. Or, as Adam dubbed them, "mini gyros". Part of my weekly experimentation that I pass off as feeding the guys at Populi I thought these were particularly tasty and a good place to start blogging about the backlog of these Friday recipes.

You can use mini pitas split in two, but we don't actually have those in store around here so I bought two bags of five pitas and then used a 2" biscuit cutter to cut five rounds from each pita. Worked like a charm. And for locals wondering where to get some good ground lamb, I really recommend the Anderson Ranch ground lamb sold at the Co-Op.

Mini Gyros

(Yield: 50 rounds)

Olive oil

50 2" pitas

2 scallions, chopped fine

1/4 c chopped fresh mint

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin seed

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 tbs pine nuts

1 egg

1 lb ground lamb

1 c plain yogurt

2 tsp chile oil (or a good chile hot sauce)

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425

1) Combine the yogurt with the chile oil, 2 tbs of mint and season with salt and pepper. You can make this a day ahead and refrigerate.

2) Lay out the pita rounds on baking sheets and brush lightly with olive oil. Bake for about 6-8 minutes, or until just lightly toasted.

3) Combine half of the mint (2 tbs) with the scallions, cumin, cinnamon, pine nuts, egg, salt, pepper and lamb. Squish that until well mixed.

4) Spread a rounded tsp of lamb on each pita in an even layer. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the lamb is cooked.

5) Top the cooked mini gyros with a teaspoon of the yogurt mixture and serve.

Saving Sugar

Unless it's around the holidays, I don't cook very often with pantry items like brown sugar. That means that when I do want to use brown sugar in the "off-season" I buy a bag, use about 1/4 cup, and stash it back in the pantry. Sure, I put it in an "airtight container", but no matter the precautions by the time I need that brown sugar again it's hard as a rock.

There are a number of ways to revive your brown sugar, but I think the quickest and easiest is the microwave method. Simply, if you have time for the oven fix (also listed below), you probably have time to go get another bag of brown sugar, so the only deterrent is wastefulness.

Microwave

-Place the brown sugar in a bowl and cover with a moist paper towel.

-Microwave in 30 second increments, checking in between.

- You will want to do this close to use, as the sugar will harden after cooling and losing its moisture again.

Oven

- Put the oven at about 250

- place the sugar in a pan and bake, checking every five minutes.

There are other multi-day methods involving reintroducing moisture (sealing in a baggie with water, storing the sugar with a piece of damp clay pottery), but that...requires planning? Yeah, haven't ever used those methods! I do not recommend chucking the hardened sugar into a food processor/blender and pulsing til usable. It just breaks up the hard sugar without really making it mixing-friendly.

Mushroom Tartlets

Affordable, and rather hearty for an app, these tartlets take about an hour and a half to prep and are a great warm app for a party. Because they are so affordable, I tried them out on the Friday meeting guys (gave me plenty left in the budget for beer).

Mushroom Tartlets

(yield: 16 tartlets)

1 package frozen puff pastry sheets

2 c walnuts

4 yellow onions

6 tbs butter

1 1/2 lbs mushrooms (cremini or porcini), trimmed

chives, cut

kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

blue cheese

glug of evoo

Preheat oven to 350 F.

1) Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Let cool.

2) Roll pastry sheets to 1/8" thick, and cut into 16 four inch rounds. Place round on a parchment lined baking sheet, then prick them with a fork. Cover with another parchment sheet and place a baking sheet on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

(Increase oven temp to 400)

3) Melt the butter in a large skillet (or two - I don't have one big enough for four large sliced onions!), and cook the onions over medium heat for a few minutes. Turn the heat to low and stir, letting the onions cook until very soft (45 minutes). Let cool.

4) Combine the walnuts and onions in a food processor and pulse until they are a rough paste. Do not puree. Season with plenty of salt and pepper.

5) Blanch the mushrooms - 2 minutes should do it - in boiling water, then drain, dry and slice thin.

6) Spread the walnut and onion paste on the rounds and arrange the mushroom slices on top. Brush with a little olive oil and bake for 12-15 minutes. Garnish with chives and a tiny bit of blue cheese and serve!

Classic Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

I think it's because I didn't get to have hot dogs and go to a ball game on July 4th that I've been craving some all-American food. Burgers, chips, that sort of thing, and last night I made a solid burger and this simple salad. The choice of lettuce is up to you, I like to mix a couple different types like Romaine and green leaf. Also, if we weren't on a pinched budget I would have bought more blue cheese and made twice as much dressing - to save some for later!

There are all sorts of make ahead options here - the croutons, the bacon, the dressing - and if you can I suggest you make extra of all: prep twice as much bacon and croutons as you will need and you'll have two salads practically done for the week.

Classic Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

(serves 6-8)

3 c cubed baguette

1/4 c - 1/3 c veg oil

1/2 lb bacon

1 clove garlic

kosher salt

2 tbs mayo

3 tbs buttermilk

1 1/2 tbs red wine vinegar

1 tsp Dijon

4 oz blue cheese

1/2 onion, sliced thin into half moons

1 celery stalk, thinly sliced crosswise

dash of cayenne

few handfuls of lettuce, chopped

1) Toss the bread chunks with a glug or do of veg oil, then pop them under the broiler until golden.

2) Cook the bacon until crisp, then break into about 1" pieces.

3) Mash the clove of garlic with a pinch or two of salt in a bowl (you can use a fork but a muddler gets the job done more easily).

4) Whisk in the mayo, buttermilk, vinegar and mustard. Slowly add the veg oil while whisking then season with salt and the dash of cayenne.

5) Combine the lettuce, onion, celery, bacon and croutons then dress and serve.

Salad for Dessert: Watermelon and Cantaloupe

Salad for dessert, my attempt to come to a BBQ armed with a way out of the chocolate goodness I inevitably want to stuff myself with. A refreshing alternative on a hot day, this rather Italian dish even has the Mackenzie seal of approval (at least, she asked for the recipe and the woman doesn't even like cantaloupe!).

The recipe can easily be scaled up or down, I just scooped as much fruit as I had for the party, then made the dressing to suit! You could chop the fruit if you don't have a melon baller or similar utensil, but I recommend picking one up for a few bucks - the melon balls look like little ice cream scoops! I made it at the last minute, thirty minutes or so before we had to scoot out the door to the event, and still had time to pop it in the freezer for a quick cool down beforehand.

Watermelon and Cantaloupe with Mint and Amaretto

(servings: 8)

2 bunches of mint, leaves picked

1/2 c fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons)

1/2 tsp amaretto

4 c watermelon balls (1/2 of a large watermelon)

4 c cantaloupe balls (2 cantaloupe)

1/2 c simple syrup (1 c sugar, 1 c water, bring to a simmer and bubble for 5-10 minutes 'til sugar dissolves. Let cool. Save the extra for mojitos!)

1) Blend or process the mint, lemon juice, simple syrup and amaretto until smooth.

2) Combine the watermelon and cantaloupe in a bowl or the cleaned half of the watermelon, then dress. Serve, or chill and serve later.

Friday Meetings: Leek and Gruyère Tart

Just about every Friday I make food for about a dozen guys in what I'm pretty certain is a clever team-building scheme for their company. These guys are the best guinea pigs in town, and I try out all sorts of appetizers, finger foods and generally party-friendly concoctions with them as diligent taste-testers.

I really want to blog about the results and share with you some of the better recipes, but you will have to understand one thing: I pretty much never get a picture of this food! I start shopping and prep in the afternoon on Friday, and even hen I think I'm on track for delivery it always ends up being 3:50 p.m. and I am just scooting out the door. To see what these recipes look like, you will have to try them yourself!

First up, leek and Gruyère tart. The basic recipe is below, and the quantity makes two large tarts which I then slice, pizza style. You can easily halve it for smaller groups, but in my experience when I open a box of frozen puff pastry I may as well use it all! I baked the two tarts simultaneously, but you could easily prep them both then pop one in the oven while the other is being devoured by your guests.

Leek and Gruyère Tart

Handful AP flour

1 box frozen puffy pastry

olive oil

6 leeks, white and pale green halved and thinly sliced crosswise

2 tsp thyme, chopped

1 lb Gruyère, shredded

6 oz bacon

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 475 F

1) Roll out the slightly thawed pastry dough to two large rounds (13"-14") folding the corners to a pretty finish. Place on baking sheets and pop in the frig.

2) In a large skillet, lay out the bacon and cook 'til just done, but not wholly crisped. Remove and break into large pieces.

2) In the same skillet add a few glugs of olive oil if there isn't much bacon fat (or if you prefer to pour off the bacon fat, do that and add olive oil). Add the leeks, thyme and season generously with salt and pepper. Stir occasionally, letting the leeks soften (5 minutes).

3) Remove the pastry from the frig and sprinkle on the cheese. Top with the leeks and bacon then sprinkle on some salt and pepper.

4) Bake until golden, about 20-30 minutes. Slice and serve!

Urban Spoon

I don't get to use the Urban Spoon app much in Moscow. With a handful of restaurants in a given category, most of them Mexican, there just isn't a whole lot of culinary depth to be plumbed. On our recent trip to Annapolis, D.C. and Baltimore, respectively, I got to try some practical applications.

Thing is, I think I am Urban Spoon incompatible. Yes, it pulls up a bevy of nearby restaurants; yes, you can sort by neighborhood, cuisine, and price; and yes, you can read reviews. In a metropolitan area there are too many restaurants to easily sort through, too many dated reviews, and it is too hard to find a restaurant when you don't have specific neighborhood or cuisine hankerings - you know, when you just want something good.

We were booking for parties of six, typically, and each meal needed to be something special. If I were a local and just looking for a random eatery decision in a pinch, Urban Spoon might be a fun magic eight ball approach to the matter, even if I had been on slightly more familiar ground, like Seattle; but the reality is that when traveling in an unfamiliar city and booking meals for myself, family and friends I am way too particular for the level of variables Urban Spoon dishes up.

On the upside, Urban Spoon made it dead easy for me to make multiple reservations - and then cancel them.

Baltimore: Chameleon Cafe

On what we thought was the last night of our stay (that story is for a blog on travel disasters!), we went out with Rob, Bonnie, and the Kadan elders to Baltimore's Chameleon Cafe. After a few culinary near misses trying to find a dinner spot with Urban Spoon (a generally great app, it served up a dose of fail this time around) I finally got my MacBook on some WiFi and searched for Baltimore+best+chef. The name that came up most often was Jeff Smith, which settled things for us, off to Chameleon.

The specials were actually, well, special. I started with their pork rillettes, artfully prepared in the French tradition and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Think creamy pâté, the process purportedly takes weeks when done just right. I definitely appreciated the effort, it was fantastic.

Chameleon Cafe knows how to do a menu right - brief and focused. Their regular menu changes seasonally, and if the online version is to be trusted the handful of appetizers and seven or so entrees have already changed since our visit two weeks ago. We took a cue from the rillettes and Adam ordered the house made charcuterie for his starter. The staff were incredibly enthusiastic about the food, and rightly so. The sausage, pâté and terrine were all delicious. I had the leek wrapped confit of halibut for my main, which was wonderful (and yes, I have a halibut problem).

We have a bit of a travel policy for food that stipulates we only get one "repeat restaurant" each trip. There will be a lot of votes going to the Chameleon Cafe!

(photo courtesy of Rob Sentz, 2009)

Washington D.C.: Oyamel

Early on in our trip we went with the family to D.C. for a day of museums. Of course, we couldn't help but make the focus of our day a trip to Oyamel, which we had seen on No Reservations. Touting "small plates" and traditional Mexican food, my mouth was watering before we were through the National Gallery.

Our experience there was outstanding. Alex, our waiter, was helpful and the rest of the staff were like culinary ninja deftly clearly plates and making new delights appear in a marvelous dance. One of the highlights was lengua guisada, or beef tongue taco. Delicious - it was like creamy beef. Ok, it is hard to describe, I just encourage you to not be annoyingly stodgy and go all "eek, tongue!". You should not avoid something that is outright delicious!

Completing the fun: Alex told me I was sitting where Anthony Bourdain sat during the filming for No Reservations, and he didn't seem like the fibbing type. So, Anthony, I sat in the chasm left by your butt in the booth by the ceviche bar.

Mmm, lengua guisada! (and some cochinita pibil con cebolla en escabeche on the left)

Just as memorable as any lengua was the guacamole, and below is our best recapturing of the magic. It was made tableside, and in a rather peculiar portion (1 1/2 avocados?) so I went ahead and doubled the effort.

Oyamel Guacamole

(servings: never enough)

4 tsp red onion, diced fine

4 tsp serranos, diced fine

2 tbs cilantro, chopped

3 avocados, pits removed

1 lime, juiced

4 tbs tomatillos, diced

2 tsp salt

2 tbs queso fresco, or cotjia, grated fine

1) Mash the onions, serranos and cilantro to a rough paste

2) Add the avocados and mash to desired consistency

3) Add the lime juice, tomatillos, salt and fold. Top with the queso fresco.

Travelers and Meatballs

At the end of May we took a trip to Maryland to visit with family and generally tourist it up. We made an effort to have some culinary adventures, and I will break them down in coming posts by location. In the meantime, here is a truly awesome, hearty, recipe that is bound to make everyone you feed it to very happy. I hope my Dad isn't reading, because I plan on tricking him into realizing the awesomeness of lamb with this recipe next time he visits! I served it with a minty chickpea salad.

Lamb Meatballs with Chickpeas
(Serves 6-8)

3/4 c piquillo peppers (roasted red peppers, jarred)
2.5-3 c chicken stock
3/4 c plain yogurt, plus a few tbs for serving
2 lbs lamb, ground
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 rounded tbs garlic, minced
1/4 c flat-leaf parsley, minced, plus a handful for garnish
1 tbs thyme leaves
2 tsp paprika
3 rounded c chickpeas (canned, drained)
4 tsp kosher salt
few glugs olive oil or veg oil

1) Puree the peppers in a food processor, then move to a bowl and whisk in the yogurt and broth.

2) Combine the lamb, eggs, garlic, parsley, thyme, paprika and salt. Mix, and divide into sixteen meatballs.

3) Heat your largest skillet and bring the oil to a simmer. Cook the meatballs on medium-high heat until browned.

4) Push the meatballs to the sides of the pan and add the red pepper mixture as well as the chickpeas. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low. If you like, mash a few of the chickpeas up for a creamier sauce.

5) Simmer for about ten minutes, season the sauce to taste, and transfer meatballs and their sauce to a platter. Top with parsley with yogurt on the side!

Chickpea Salad

I love chickpeas, and I love the fresh meaty-ness of this salad. The brightness of the mint and lemon with the salty feta and the warm chickpeas just make for a perfect lunch, snack or dinner salad on a summer evening.

Chickpea Salad
(Serves 6)

1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 red chillies, deseeded and thinly sliced crosswise
3 handfuls red and yellow tomatoes, grape and cherry
2 lemons, juiced
evoo
sea or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 can of chickpeas, drained
handful of mint, chopped
handful of basil, torn
5 oz feta

1) Put the chillies and onions in a large bowl, then chop your tomatoes (halves and quarters) and add them with their juice.

2) Add the juice of the lemons and a few glugs of olive oil (to taste), then season.

3) Heat the chickpeas in a pan, mushing up some of them. When they are nice and warm add to the bowl.

4) Allow to sit for a few minutes while you prep other components of the meal, they flavors come together nicely at room temp. Add the mint, basil and feta just prior to serving.

Black Bean Quesadillas

I owe you all a few recipes, and I may as well continue on the Cinco de Mayo theme before blogging the amuse bouche I made last week! This black bean quesadilla takes about fifteen minutes from start to finish, and the ingredients are cheap. It is best topped with some salsa, and to save time I just buy Salsa Mendez from Rosauers (sorry, non-local types, this is produced by an area family so buy your equivalent of homemade, store-sold salsa?).

It yields about 4-6 servings for a meal, and tons more if served as an appetizer with more treats like guacamole. If you are cooking for only a few, just fill as many tortillas as you want and save the mix for the next day's lunch.

You don't have to mash half of the beans if you are feeling adventurous, but not only do I like the variation in texture between the mashed and non, it acts as a glue that keeps the quesadillas tidy. Without the mashed beans, things tend to sort of fall out and go all roly-poly.

Black Bean Quesadillas

(4-6 servings)

2 cans black beans, drained and one can mashed

8 oz "taco cheese"

1 c cilantro, chopped

3/4 c white onion, chopped

10 flour tortillas (10")

veg oil

1) Heat grill pan over medium heat

2) Combine beans, cheese, cilantro and onion.

3) Divide the mixture evenly over half of each tortilla, then fold tortillas in half.

4) Brush the grill with some of the veg oil, then grill the quesadillas, turning once. Takes about 2 minutes each side.

Cinco de Mayo and Pork Tacos

Happy Cinco de Mayo! I got hungry a little early, made pork tacos last night and told Adam we were celebrating Quatro de Mayo - on the plus side I get to give you the recipe in a timely way! I make the ancho chile powder by throwing some dried ancho chilis in a coffee grinder or food processor - it's the same principle as grinding your spices from whole spices. Also, don't forget the lime wedges, a squirt of juice gives it bright acidity.

Note: We had leftovers, and the second day was even better - this is definitely a "make ahead" recipe where the pork is concerned!!

Pork Tacos
(Serves 4-6)

1 1/2 tbs ancho chile powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground cumin
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of allspice
1 tsp salt
few grinds of black pepper
1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin, cut into 1/3" cubes
1 white onion, chopped
large handful of cilantro, chopped
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 c mozzarella, shredded
olive oil
6-8" tortillas (I like corn), warmed
two avocados, diced
shredded lettuce
lime wedges
salsa

1) Combine the ancho, salt, oregano, cumin, pepper, cinnamon, allspice, pork, onion, vinegar and a handful of the cilantro.

2) Add the olive oil to a heated (large) skillet, and stir fry the pork mixture until browned (a few minutes shoudl do it).

3) Top the cooked pork with the shredded cheese and remaining cilantro. Serve with the tortillas, avocado, lettuce, salsa and lime.

Mustard-Baked Chicken with a Pretzel Crust

Another one of the "April Fools" 5 ingredient wonder recipes from Food & Wine (below is how I did the recipe). The biggest trick is the pretzel crushing; I ran mine through my food processor but the Snyder's sourdough pretzels were just so heavy and dense that afterward I still had to run them through my old-school nut grinder to get the right consistency. If the chunks are too big, they'll never stick, but you don't want pretzel dust! I recommend giving them a blitz in the FP to break them up, then pound with a rolling pin or use a nut grinder to get the pieces smaller without obliterating them.

Also, if you make the mustard sauce ahead of time half the work is done and you can let the chicken marinate in it. If you don't get a chance to do that, just let the chicken breasts brine while you prep the rest of the recipe. I thought the mustard mix was too liquid, so I recommend blending without the water, and then adding as necessary.

Also, I loved the whole grain mustard as a dredge with the pretzels, but I loved using my standard honey mustard dressing (5 tbs honey, 3 tbs Dijon, 2 tbs rice wine or apple cider vinegar) as a dipping sauce so I made that and had both on the table!

Mustard-Baked Chicken with a Pretzel Crust
(Serves 6)

1/2 lb hard, sourdough pretzels, crushed
1/2 c canola oil
1/2 c whole-grain mustard
2 tbs Dijon
1/4 c water (add only as necessary)
3 tbs red wine vinegar

Kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
6 chicken breast halves

Preheat the oven to 400.

1) In a food processor pulse the oil, mustards and vinegar. Add water as needed, season with salt and pepper.

2) Reserve half the dressing for dipping, and coat the chicken breasts in the other half.

3) Dredge the mustard-coated chicken in the pretzel crumbs and transfer to a rack set over a baking sheet.

4) Bake the chicken int eh upper third of the oven for 25 minutes. You can slice and serve or just plate the individual chicken breasts.

Fettucini with Peas, Italian Sausage and Ricotta

Another really easy, really tasty recipe. The Italian sausage adds some great heat, and the cheeses are just so wonderful and creamy. I love peas, and frozen works just fine (flash frozen, preferably). With little effort it serves a crowd, and makes for a great low-maintenance Sabbath entree.

Fettucini with Peas, Italian Sausage and Ricotta

(6 servings)

1 lb of any wide, long pasta

1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed

1 lb peas

1 c ricotta (whole milk)

1/4 c Pecorino Romano, grated

3/4 c basil leaves, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

few glugs of olive oil

1 tsp salt

1) Set a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta, should take 8-10 minutes to cook. Stir occasionally, and in the meantime...

2) Heat an additional large pan over medium-high and add the olive oil, garlic and sausage, breaking the sausage up into pieces in the pan with a spoon.

3) When the sausage is browned, add the peas using the back of the spoon to mush them up a bit. Turn down the heat to low.

4) Add the cooked pasta and the ricotta to the pan with the sausage and peas.

5) Add the basil, Pecorino Romano and salt. Toss and serve.

Chicken Paillard and Warm New Potato Salad

One of the most recent Food & Wine e-mails included a feature on "April Fools" dishes - recipes that are impossibly simple but really impress. With only five ingredients in each, they make for really easy meals to pull off at the last minute (say, when I'm dead tired from work and can barely fathom making it up the stairs let alone making a nice meal!).

Since the ingredients are so focused, the recipes are very easy to scale up or down, and what follows are my recipes inspired by that same focus and scalability. If you like, you can find Food & Wine's recipes here.

Chicken Paillard with Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad

(4 servings)

4 chicken breasts, brined and pounded to an even thickness (about 1/3" thick)

1 c cherry tomatoes, halved

1 c grape tomatoes, halved

2-3 oz chevre, crumbled

3 tbs extra virgin olive oil

sea salt (a few very heavy pinches)

freshly ground pepper

1) Put the tomatoes in a colander over a bowl and salt liberally. Then toss and let stand (at least 15 minutes). Whisk 2 ounces of the goat cheese into the tomato juices that drain into the bowl. Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil and season with pepper. Crumble the remaining goat cheese and fold in.

2) Light a grill or heat up your grill pan. Brush the chicken breasts with the remaining olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Place on the grill, leave for about five minutes on the first side. Turn, and cook an additional two minutes (or until cooked through).

3) Transfer the chicken to plates and top with the tomato and goat cheese mix.

Warm New Potato Salad with Arugula

(Serves 4-6)

2 lbs new potatoes, cleaned

1/2 lb fromage d'affinois

4 handfuls arugula

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

salt

freshly ground pepper

Preheat the broiler

1) Place new potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Salt, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, then drain.

2) Toss the arugula with olive oil, then transfer to an ovenproof dish. Halve the cooked potatoes and place in a layer on top of the arugula.

3) Break up the cheese overtop of the potatoes, season generously with salt and pepper. Pop it all under the broiler for a minute to let the cheese met. Serve!

Green Beans, Better

I'm sorry, I owe you a lot of recipes. I've been cooking up a storm, so it will be like a regular flood of posts, I promise! To start, something I made last night - which is really a melding of my earlier green beans and my mushroom bruschetta. This recipe cooks up in about 8 minutes, tops, so I find it best to give everything that needs chopping or slicing a chop and slice beforehand. With each stage set out in bowls before me I can make this while a million other things are going on. It would make a great Easter side, really - it has more kick than your average green beans dish and you can make it in no time at all.

Note: When I clean my mushrooms I just dampen a paper towel and give them a quick rub.

Green Beans, Mushrooms and Pancetta

(6 servings)

5 crimini mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced

6 handfuls green beans, trimmed

3 oz pancetta, sliced (I just run scissors right through the stack about a half inch apart)

2 large cloves garlic, chopped fine

1/4 c packed Parmesan, shredded

red pepper flakes, to taste (about 1/2 tsp+ for me)

2 tbs butter

1/2 lemon

olive oil

salt and pepper

1) Set a large pot of water to boil. Heat up a saute pan over medium, and add a glug of olive oil. Salt the boiling water and add the green beans - set a timer for 7 minutes.

2) Add the pancetta to the saute pan, once crisped (couple minutes) remove.

3) Put a pat of butter in the pan, add the mushrooms. Add olive oil if needed so that none of the mushrooms look dry. After about a minute add the garlic and red pepper flakes.

4) Once the garlic is cooked turn the heat to low, squeeze the lemon over and scrape up any brown bits from the pan. Add the remaining pat of butter, and return the pancetta to the pan.

5) The green beans will be done about now; drain them and add them to the saute pan. Give a toss, season as needed, and move to a serving dish where you can top with the Parmesan.

Sans Chocolate Chip Cookies

Consider it a life dream fulfilled: the chocolate chip-free chocolate chip cookie. Before the disgruntled response revs up, I should make it clear that I love chocolate, love it. However, I'm supposed to be avoiding it at all costs and that combined with the fact that whenever I'm presented with a really delicious and gooey chocolate chip cookie I just end up eating around the chips has driven me to this conclusion: the world's greatest cookie is not the chocolate chip cookie, it's the sans chocolate chip cookie. Well, maybe not world's greatest but at least really tasty.

This has been a point of theoretical culinary fascination for me and I was struck with a cookie craving yesterday but lacked the Tollhouse component so I went all carpe diem and struck out into new cookie territory. Depending on how you like your cookies (gooey or chewy) you can make some minor modifications for example: beginning with cold butter makes for a flatter, gooey cookie, while replacing an egg white with a two tablespoons of milk makes for a chewier cookie. I also prefer to replace the traditional vanilla extract with almond extract and forgo the addition of nuts.

Sans Chocolate Chip Cookies
(yields 24+)

3/4 c dark brown sugar
3/4 sugar
2 sticks of butter
1 tsp almond extract
2 eggs
1 1/4 c AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 375

1) Cream the butter and sugars with the extract.

2) Add the two eggs and mix well.

3) Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl, then add in three parts to the wet mix.

4) Form balls of dough, well-spaced, on a cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes.

5) Let cool on the cookie sheet for a couple minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Easy Apple Tart

I am not exactly great about making desserts. Eating them is fine and well, but the whole making of them thing tends to fall off my priority list when I would rather be cooking up the rest of the meal. However, Adam made a very specific request for "an apple tart with Chantilly cream". Okaaay...So I googled, made the first apple tart I found, and as a complete apple tart n00b I can say with confidence this recipe is not only delicious, it's dead easy!  Note: I covered the tart with aluminum foil in the latter half of cooking to keep the crust from over-browning. 

Apple Tart
(serves 6-8 )

Crust:
1 1/4 c AP flour
1/2 c butter, room temp
2 tbs sour cream

Filling:
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
3 egg yolks
3/4 c sour cream
3/4 c sugar
1/4 AP flour

Glaze:
1/4 c apricot preserves
1 tbs orange juice concentrate
mint, garnish

*Combine preserves and orange juice, then brush the top of the warm tart with the mixture.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

1) Pulse the flour, butter and sour cream in a food processor until a ball forms.  

2) Press with floured hands into a 10 or 12 (ungreased) inch tart pan.  

3) Bake for 15-18 minutes - the crust should be set but not browned.  

4) Remove the crust, and place on a baking sheet while you prepare the filling. 

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

5) Arrange the sliced apple in concentric, overlapping circles in the crust (overfilling is key as the apples with shrink down during baking)

6)  Beat the yolks, sour cream, sugar and flour until smooth, then pour over the apples.

7) Place the tart in the oven and bake for about an hour, or until the custard is set and a pale gold.  

8) Glaze, then serve warm with the Chantilly cream and some mint

Chantilly Cream
1 c heavy whippng cream
2 tbs powdered sugar
1 large marshmallow, halved

1) In a chilled metal bowl whip the cream until frothy.

2) Add the powdered sugar and continue to whip until it begins to mound.

3) Pop the marshmallow in the microwave for ten seconds, then add it to the cream and continue to whip until soft peaks form.  Don't over-whip!!

Smokey Lamb Chipotle Stew

Adam found this blog through a Graphic Designer he follows on Twitter, Dave Shea.  Big thanks to Dave and his lamb stew!  Also worthy of food props is the Rosauers butcher, Mike (sold our bestie Mark his Mustang, incidentally), who went above and beyond not only deboning the lamb I needed but also cubing it - saving me some serious prep time!  He included the bones with the meat, and gave me instructions for a proper stock which I then used per his recommendation to supplement the liquid:

Lamb Stock

Put the bones in a pan with a couple inches of water, then let the water reduce pretty well down, strain and reserve the liquid - which is now lamb broth-y goodness!

It is worth stressing that the cheese isn't an optional garnish, the saltiness of the feta or stilton works magic on the smokey flavors of the stew (and the cheese's salt content is the very reason that the only salt added to the recipe is at the onion stage).  When you sear the lamb, be sure to not overcrowd the pan, and make sure you aren't timid about the heat.  Get the Dutch Oven hot, get the lamb in, and forget about it for a bit because fussing does a good sear no favors!

Smokey Lamp Chipotle Stew

(serves 4-6)

2 lbs stewing lamb, 1" cubes

2 yellow onions

1.5 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped

1.5 lbs carrots, peeled and sliced (2" in length)

5 slices thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces

1 bottle red wine

2 whole chipotle peppers from a tin (rinsed of adobo), chopped

1/4 c flour

1 tsp paprika

couple pinches salt

olive oil

optional: lamb stock

chives

feta or stilton cheese

Preheat oven to 350

1) In a Dutch Oven heat a few glugs of olive oil over medium.  Sear the lamb in batches on two sides, removing pieces to a bowl.  

2) When the lamb has seared, toss the bacon in the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, but don't let it crisp.  When done, remove to the bowl with the lamb.

3) Add the onions to the pan with a few pinches of salt, and give them a good push around as they'll snag some of those tasty brown bits off the bottom that the meat will have left behind.  Cook until translucent.

4) Mix the paprika into the flour, then put in all in with the onions and stir slowly for about a minute.

5) Add the chipotles to the pot and give a stir, then let cook for another minute.

6) Empty the bottle of wine and lamb stock right into the pot, then return the lamb and bacon as well.  Let it all reach a boil.

7) Place the Dutch Oven in the preheated oven, covered, for an hour and a half.

8) Remove from the oven and add the potatoes and carrots, then return to the oven for another 45 minutes.

9) Serve with a generous sprinkle of cheese and chives!

Chicken Salad with a Mint Dressing

This salad is refreshing, filling and oh so tasty! I love a nice salad for lunch, and this is by far one of the best recipes I have tried lately. The original calls for being a bit more luncheon-fancy with a serving of the dressed chicken mix over a single lettuce leaf, but I'm interested in getting plenty of leafy greens so I prefer taking a handful of the lettuce and tearing it up to make a proper salad. So simple, so easy and so rewarding!

Chicken Salad with a Mint Dressing
(serves 4)

Salad:
1 rotisserie cooked chicken, meat broke up (about 2 c)
1 c cucumber, seeded and chopped
2 round tbs red onion, diced
handful pecans, toasted
2-3 nectarines, seeded and chopped
red leaf lettuce, torn

Dressing:
1 c mint leaves
1/3 c sugar
1/4 white wine vinegar
1 tbs lemon juice
few pinches salt
few grinds of black pepper

1) To prepare the dressing either chop up the mint leaves and combine with the rest of the ingredients, or blitz the leaves in a food processor with the sugar and then combine with the remaining ingredients.

2) Combine the chicken, nectarines, cucumber, pecans and onion. Toss with dressing.

3) Serve over a handful of torn lettuce leaves.

Borscht (or, Why Eastern European Food is Awesome)

I made borscht - and it was awesome. That is by no means a declaration of my borscht prowess - I'd never had the stuff before last Friday! I'm sensing, however, that borscht is one of those foods so beloved by those familiar with it that there are as many permutations as there are Eastern Europeans around to eat the stuff. That said, I'm really pleased with this recipe, and plan on making it again (and again). A dish so hearty and filling just making it brightens up these dark January days, let it be known: I love borscht.

Borscht
(serves: 4-6)

2 tbs veg oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 parsnips, peeled and sliced thin
1 medium turnip, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 small celeriac or Yukon gold potato (3/4 lb), peeled and chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 15 oz can of diced beets, drained
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 lb kielbasa
3 1/2 c beef stock
3 c water
1/3 c chopped dill, reserve any remaining for garnish
4-6 tbs sour cream
few grinds of fresh black pepper
1-2 tsp salt

1) Heat the oil over medium low heat in a Dutch Oven or large pot, then add the onion and cook until translucent.

2) Add the parsnips, turnip, celeriac/potato and a teaspoon of salt, then cover and leave until the veggies soften a bit.

3) Add beets, tomatoes, water, stock and pepper then bring to a boil.

4) Reduce to a simmer and add the meat, then leave for 30 minutes. (This is a preference thing, I like it thick and chunky, leaving for less than 30 minutes will mean a brothier product, while simmering longer a thicker one)

5) Add the dill, then salt to taste. Serve topped with a tablespoon of sour cream and a sprinkle of dill.