A few months ago I bought the book How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table by Russ Parsons. It is an invaluable resource for produce shopping and also introduced me to the fava bean. Last Saturday the Peaceful Belly stand at the Farmer’s Market had fava beans for sale and I bought ½ a pound to try. I decided to use them in an Orzo salad that I made tonight. They taste like peas fresh from the garden, only they are at least three times larger. They take some time to peel, but are worth the effort. Russ Parsons gives a great trick for getting the bean out of its protective shell. After shucking the beans place them in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Drain the water after 2 to 3 minutes, slide your fingernail along the seam, and pop out the bean.
Farmer’s Market Orzo Salad
1 ear corn
½ lb fava beans (weight includes the pods)
1 small red onion or 4 shallot lobes, diced
1 yellow crookneck squash, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
8 oz mushrooms, diced
¾ lb orzo
3 TBS olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 TBS red wine vinegar
½ tsp whole grain mustard
1 tsp brown sugar
½ c toasted walnuts, chopped
Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add orzo and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Shuck and peel fava beans. Cut kernels off corn and add to orzo with beans. In a large skillet heat 1 TBS olive oil and add onion, carrot, and pinch of salt. Sauté 3 minutes. Add mushroom and squash and sauté 4 minutes, or until tender. Add to orzo mixture and season with salt and pepper.
Whisk together remaining 2 TBS olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard and brown sugar. When emulsified pour over salad, stirring to combine. Top with toasted chopped walnuts. Serve warm or cold.
The original recipe calls for 3 TBS red wine vinegar and 1 ½ tsp whole grain mustard. When I tasted the salad I was blown away by the vinegar taste and ended up rinsing off the salad to reduce the amount of dressing which was much better tasting. I also think it would be quite lovely simply drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper to taste as this lets the different flavors of the vegetables make a statement. You can use whatever veggies you have on hand, just be sure to dice them into small pieces so that they blend well with the orzo. The walnuts are a must as they play nicely off of the sweetness of the vegetables and add a meatiness to the dish.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
I love zucchini
My brother insists that no one really likes zucchini, but I must admit that it is one of my favorite vegetables because of its versatility. Zucchini proved its usefulness again this past week in a quick frittata recipe that makes an excellent weeknight meal. All of the ingredients I use in cooking are organic, and most are local, which vastly improves the quality of flavor, especially with produce. At the Farmer’s Market last Saturday I picked up about 5 variegated green zucchini and 4 yellow crookneck squash from my favorite produce stand. The combination of the sweetness of the zucchini and carrot mixed with the saltiness of the Parmesan-Reggiano cheese is quite lovely.
Frittata for Two
1 TBS olive oil
½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 zucchini, grated and set aside to drain
2 carrots, peeled and grated
3 eggs, beaten
1 ounce Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the broiler. Sprinkle the onion with salt and sauté in olive oil over medium heat in a skillet for 3 minutes. Add grated zucchini and carrot and sauté until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. (Be sure to drain off as much of the moisture as possible from the zucchini before adding it to the onion!) Add the beaten eggs and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium low and let cook until top is almost set. Grate the Parmesan-Reggianno cheese over the top of the frittata and place the skillet under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, or until top is set and slightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool 3 to 5 minutes. Loosen the edges with a spatula and cut into quarters to serve.
I served the frittata with this simple salad.
1 ear fresh corn
2 c arugula
2 small tomatoes or 1 c grape/cherry tomatoes
½ c balsamic vinegar
Pour the vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced and the consistency of syrup. Remove from heat. Cut the kernels off of 1 ear of sweet corn (please buy organic, non GMO corn!) and toss with arugula and chopped tomatoes. Drizzle with a balsamic reduction and serve immediately.
Frittata for Two
1 TBS olive oil
½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 zucchini, grated and set aside to drain
2 carrots, peeled and grated
3 eggs, beaten
1 ounce Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the broiler. Sprinkle the onion with salt and sauté in olive oil over medium heat in a skillet for 3 minutes. Add grated zucchini and carrot and sauté until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. (Be sure to drain off as much of the moisture as possible from the zucchini before adding it to the onion!) Add the beaten eggs and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium low and let cook until top is almost set. Grate the Parmesan-Reggianno cheese over the top of the frittata and place the skillet under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, or until top is set and slightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool 3 to 5 minutes. Loosen the edges with a spatula and cut into quarters to serve.
I served the frittata with this simple salad.
1 ear fresh corn
2 c arugula
2 small tomatoes or 1 c grape/cherry tomatoes
½ c balsamic vinegar
Pour the vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced and the consistency of syrup. Remove from heat. Cut the kernels off of 1 ear of sweet corn (please buy organic, non GMO corn!) and toss with arugula and chopped tomatoes. Drizzle with a balsamic reduction and serve immediately.
Sushi for Two
I love sushi but do not feel qualified to handle raw fish at home. Thankfully I found a fantastic vegetarian sushi recipe in the May 2008 issue of Vegetarian Times that I was able to tweak to fit my preferences by replacing the green beans with shelled edamame. The squeak of the green beans while biting into the sushi is not ideal and the edamame adds protein. I may be able to someday survive a pregnancy-induced hiatus from ‘real’ sushi after all.
Maki Garden Rolls
Sushi Rice
1 ½ c sushi rice, uncooked
2 to 3 TBS rice vinegar
1 TBS Mirin
1 to 2 TBS sugar
1 TBS salt
Filling
2/3 c vegetable or chicken broth
3 TBS low-sodium soy sauce
1 TBS mirin
½ c shelled edamame
1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
10 shitake mushroom caps cut into thin slices
3 sheets nori seaweed
3 tsp toasted sesame seeds
To make the sushi rice: rinse rice under cold water until water runs clear. Bring rice and 1 2/3 c water to boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest an additional 10 minutes, covered. Whisk together vinegar, mirin, sugar and salt in a small bowl. Transfer rice to large bowl and drizzle half of vinegar mixture over the rice, incorporating it with a wooden spoon. Continue adding until all vinegar is absorbed. Cover with a damp cloth and cool.
To make the filling: Bring broth, soy sauce and mirin to a boil in a skillet. Add carrot and simmer 2 minutes, then add the mushrooms and edamame and simmer until tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from broth and let cool.
I usually double this recipe to make sure there is enough to satisfy our intense sushi cravings. I prefer to make inside-out rolls, but this obviously works traditional style as well. After rolling I top with the toasted sesame seeds and serve with the usual soy sauce wasabi combo. Mirin is my new favorite stir fry ingredient thanks to this recipe!
Maki Garden Rolls
Sushi Rice
1 ½ c sushi rice, uncooked
2 to 3 TBS rice vinegar
1 TBS Mirin
1 to 2 TBS sugar
1 TBS salt
Filling
2/3 c vegetable or chicken broth
3 TBS low-sodium soy sauce
1 TBS mirin
½ c shelled edamame
1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
10 shitake mushroom caps cut into thin slices
3 sheets nori seaweed
3 tsp toasted sesame seeds
To make the sushi rice: rinse rice under cold water until water runs clear. Bring rice and 1 2/3 c water to boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest an additional 10 minutes, covered. Whisk together vinegar, mirin, sugar and salt in a small bowl. Transfer rice to large bowl and drizzle half of vinegar mixture over the rice, incorporating it with a wooden spoon. Continue adding until all vinegar is absorbed. Cover with a damp cloth and cool.
To make the filling: Bring broth, soy sauce and mirin to a boil in a skillet. Add carrot and simmer 2 minutes, then add the mushrooms and edamame and simmer until tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from broth and let cool.
I usually double this recipe to make sure there is enough to satisfy our intense sushi cravings. I prefer to make inside-out rolls, but this obviously works traditional style as well. After rolling I top with the toasted sesame seeds and serve with the usual soy sauce wasabi combo. Mirin is my new favorite stir fry ingredient thanks to this recipe!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
When life gives you lemons . . .
I had originally planned to limit myself to only making one dessert a week for both health and financial reasons, but have not been able to stick to that resolution very well! I had leftover lemons from the lemon sorbet that I made to acompany the meringue chantilly cookies and decided to make lemon curd, which turned into a lemon curd tart, which ended up being served with a
delicious strawberry sauce. The lemon curd and strawberry sauce
go together perfectly.
Lemon Curd Tartlets with Fresh Strawberry Sauce
The Tartlet Shell:
1 1/3 c all purpose flour
1 TBS sugar
Pinch of salt
8 TBS unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2-3 TBS ice water
The Lemon Curd:
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
½ c sugar
¼ tsp salt
Zest of 2 lemon
½ c lemon juice
6 TBS cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
The Whipped Cream:
1 c whipping cream
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ c confectioner’s sugar, sifted
I do not have tartlet pans so I used a cupcake pan instead. Simply butter the pan and set aside. This can also be made in a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Heat oven to 425ºF.
For the tartlet shells: Combine the flour, sugar, salt and butter in a food processor or large bowl and cut together until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. If you do not have a food processor, put the butter, uncut, in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes and then grate on a cheese grater into the flour mixture. This makes it much simpler to combine the butter with the flour and produces a very tender crust! Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly until the mixture comes together.
Gently press dough together and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to ¼ inch thickness. If making the 9-inch tart, transfer dough to the tart pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes. For individual tartlets cut out dough into 3 inch circles and press dough into the cupcake pan. The dough should come up the sides almost halfway. Prick the bottom of each tartlet shell and line with either aluminum foil or cupcake liners and fill with dry rice or beans. Bake for 7 minutes. Remove the liners and beans and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. When cool remove from pan and place on serving platter.
For the lemon curd: Beat the eggs, yolks, sugar and salt in a small saucepan until smooth and lightly colored. Add the lemon zest and juice and butter and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the butter melts, about 2 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking and stirring for about 5 minutes, or until the curd in thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and your finger leaves a definite track when you draw it through the spoon. Remove from heat and pour into a fine-mesh strainer into a chilled bowl. Spoon into the tartlet shells and refrigerate for 1 hour.
For the whipped cream: Place mixing bowl in freezer for 15 minutes. Pour cream and vanilla into mixing bowl and whip at medium speed until cream starts to form soft peaks. Gradually add confectioner’s sugar and then increase the mixer speed to high and whip the cream until it holds firm but supple peaks. Spoon whipped cream into a pastry bag and pipe onto tartlets. Serve with fresh strawberry sauce.
For the strawberry sauce: Puree 1 c fresh strawberries with 2 TBS sugar and 1 TBS fresh lemon juice. Add more sugar or lemon juice as needed. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 day.
The Tartlet Shell:
1 1/3 c all purpose flour
1 TBS sugar
Pinch of salt
8 TBS unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2-3 TBS ice water
The Lemon Curd:
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
½ c sugar
¼ tsp salt
Zest of 2 lemon
½ c lemon juice
6 TBS cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
The Whipped Cream:
1 c whipping cream
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ c confectioner’s sugar, sifted
I do not have tartlet pans so I used a cupcake pan instead. Simply butter the pan and set aside. This can also be made in a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Heat oven to 425ºF.
For the tartlet shells: Combine the flour, sugar, salt and butter in a food processor or large bowl and cut together until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. If you do not have a food processor, put the butter, uncut, in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes and then grate on a cheese grater into the flour mixture. This makes it much simpler to combine the butter with the flour and produces a very tender crust! Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly until the mixture comes together.
Gently press dough together and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to ¼ inch thickness. If making the 9-inch tart, transfer dough to the tart pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes. For individual tartlets cut out dough into 3 inch circles and press dough into the cupcake pan. The dough should come up the sides almost halfway. Prick the bottom of each tartlet shell and line with either aluminum foil or cupcake liners and fill with dry rice or beans. Bake for 7 minutes. Remove the liners and beans and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. When cool remove from pan and place on serving platter.
For the lemon curd: Beat the eggs, yolks, sugar and salt in a small saucepan until smooth and lightly colored. Add the lemon zest and juice and butter and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the butter melts, about 2 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking and stirring for about 5 minutes, or until the curd in thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and your finger leaves a definite track when you draw it through the spoon. Remove from heat and pour into a fine-mesh strainer into a chilled bowl. Spoon into the tartlet shells and refrigerate for 1 hour.
For the whipped cream: Place mixing bowl in freezer for 15 minutes. Pour cream and vanilla into mixing bowl and whip at medium speed until cream starts to form soft peaks. Gradually add confectioner’s sugar and then increase the mixer speed to high and whip the cream until it holds firm but supple peaks. Spoon whipped cream into a pastry bag and pipe onto tartlets. Serve with fresh strawberry sauce.
For the strawberry sauce: Puree 1 c fresh strawberries with 2 TBS sugar and 1 TBS fresh lemon juice. Add more sugar or lemon juice as needed. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 day.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Sweet Beginnings
A magnet hangs on my fridge that reads Life is short. Eat dessert first. My mom slipped this wise adage in my Christmas stocking last year (yes, I still have stocking stuffers from my parents) and it quite simply sums up my philosophy regarding food. I openly admit to having a sweet tooth and think it is appropriate to begin this blogging thing with my most recent sweet creation. The texturally delightful treat pictured on the right is not a trifle, which is what I had intended to make for dessert last night, but a variation upon a recipe I found during a midnight reading of Paris Sweets Meringue Chantilly. This French dessert usually consists of Chantilly cream (sweetened whipped cream) sandwiched between two meringue cookies, and sometimes garnished with thinly sliced strawberries or chocolate shavings. I decided to use the components to form more of a tart rather than a cookie, using the meringue as a base, piping the Chantilly cream on top, and finishing it with fresh whole strawberries. Even Bryant who seems to be inexplicably opposed to meringue fell in love with this dessert, which I think is due to the caramelizing that takes place while the meringue bakes and manifests in a ring of sugar bubbles around the base of the meringue. Although this recipe seems time consuming and tedious it is actually quite simple and produces quite impressive results.
The Meringues
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
½ c sugar
1 c confectioner’s sugar, sifted, plus more for dusting
The Chantilly
2 c chilled heavy cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 confectioner’s sugar, sifted
Whole small berries, halved large berries, or chocolate shavings for topping (optional)
To make the meringues: Place a rack in the center of oven and preheat to 250ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat and fit a large pastry bag with a plain ½-inch piping tip.
Put the egg whites in a dry mixing bowl and beat at medium-low speed until whites turn opaque and start to thicken. Increase speed to high and when the whites form peaks add the granulated sugar in a stream. Continue to whip whites until they form firm, glossy peaks. Use a rubber spatula to gradually fold in the confectioner’s sugar. Be gentle so that the batter is deflated as little as possible!
Spoon the meringue into the pastry bag and pipe out into 12 plump mounds about 3 inches long by 2 inches wide and ½ inch high onto the prepared baking sheet. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and let stand for 10 minutes so that the sugar can pearl (form little beads).
Place baking sheet in the oven and slip the handle of a wooden spoon into the oven to keep the door slightly ajar. Bake for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until they are firm, dry, and very lightly caramel colored. Turn off the heat, close the oven door, and allow the meringues to dry in the oven for 4 hours or up to overnight. Transfer meringues to cooling racks and cool to room temperature. When cool loosen the meringues by running a spatula under the meringues. (Can be made up to 5 days in advance and kept covered, cool, and dry.)
To make the chantilly: Fit a large pastry bag with a ½ inch open star tip. Place mixing bowl in freezer for 15 minutes. Pour cream and vanilla into mixing bowl and whip at medium speed until cream starts to form soft peaks. Gradually add confectioner’s sugar and then increase the mixer speed to high and whip the cream until it holds firm but supple peaks. Can be whipped up to 2 hours in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator.
Spoon the cream into the pastry bag and pipe onto the meringue. Top with fresh berries or shavings of good-quality chocolate. Can be kept loosely covered in the refrigerator for 6 hours.
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
½ c sugar
1 c confectioner’s sugar, sifted, plus more for dusting
The Chantilly
2 c chilled heavy cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 confectioner’s sugar, sifted
Whole small berries, halved large berries, or chocolate shavings for topping (optional)
To make the meringues: Place a rack in the center of oven and preheat to 250ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat and fit a large pastry bag with a plain ½-inch piping tip.
Put the egg whites in a dry mixing bowl and beat at medium-low speed until whites turn opaque and start to thicken. Increase speed to high and when the whites form peaks add the granulated sugar in a stream. Continue to whip whites until they form firm, glossy peaks. Use a rubber spatula to gradually fold in the confectioner’s sugar. Be gentle so that the batter is deflated as little as possible!
Spoon the meringue into the pastry bag and pipe out into 12 plump mounds about 3 inches long by 2 inches wide and ½ inch high onto the prepared baking sheet. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and let stand for 10 minutes so that the sugar can pearl (form little beads).
Place baking sheet in the oven and slip the handle of a wooden spoon into the oven to keep the door slightly ajar. Bake for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until they are firm, dry, and very lightly caramel colored. Turn off the heat, close the oven door, and allow the meringues to dry in the oven for 4 hours or up to overnight. Transfer meringues to cooling racks and cool to room temperature. When cool loosen the meringues by running a spatula under the meringues. (Can be made up to 5 days in advance and kept covered, cool, and dry.)
To make the chantilly: Fit a large pastry bag with a ½ inch open star tip. Place mixing bowl in freezer for 15 minutes. Pour cream and vanilla into mixing bowl and whip at medium speed until cream starts to form soft peaks. Gradually add confectioner’s sugar and then increase the mixer speed to high and whip the cream until it holds firm but supple peaks. Can be whipped up to 2 hours in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator.
Spoon the cream into the pastry bag and pipe onto the meringue. Top with fresh berries or shavings of good-quality chocolate. Can be kept loosely covered in the refrigerator for 6 hours.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
