Blueberry-Meyer Lemon Marmalade

Marmalade isn't my favorite fruit spread because I often find it to be way too bitter and overpowering.  That's why I was delighted to find this recipe which combines blueberries and lemons in marmalade.  Although I suppose this recipe is a bit silly in that blueberries and lemons don't really have overlapping seasons, it did turn out to be very delicious with just a bit of bitterness and lots of great lemon flavor.  The color is also a gorgeous purple from the berries.

One word of warning with this recipe - it is a ton of work, probably the most effort of any preserves I've made.  You have to start it a couple of days ahead, and boiling the marmalade down so that it gels takes forever.  But, if you have the time to make it, it's a really lovely marmalade that's perfect even for those who don't think they like marmalade!  On the plus side, the recipe does make quite a lot, and (depending on fruit prices in your area) it is very affordable - mine worked out to just over a dollar a jar.

Blueberry-Meyer Lemon Marmalade (adapted from Honest Cooking, original recipe here)
Makes about 8 half-pint jars

8 medium to large Meyer lemons
3 liters water
1300 grams white sugar
300 grams blueberries (just shy of a pint, fresh or frozen)

1. Scrub the lemons and slice them very thinly, removing the seeds and any large pieces of pith (for example, you'll want to remove the big piece of pith running town the center).  You can leave the skins intact.  Be sure to reserve any juices from the lemons.
2. Combine the lemons, lemon juice, and water in a very large pot (seriously, you need a huge pot if you're going to make this in one batch!).  Cover and let sit in a cool place overnight.
3. The next day, simmer the water and lemon mixture for 20 minutes.  Cover and let sit in a cool place overnight.
4. The next day, add the sugar and blueberries to the lemons and mix to combine.  Bring to a boil and continue to boil, stirring often (and increasingly as the mixture reduces), until the marmalade passes the gel test.  This will take a really long time - mine took about two hours - so make sure you have someone to chat with or a book to read!  The marmalade will reduce by about two-thirds.
5. Ladle into sterilized jars and process in a boiling-water bath for 15 minutes.  Be sure to check that the seals have popped - if they don't, store the marmalade in the fridge or freezer.

Braised Fennel with Orange and Coriander

This is a delicious and elegant side dish that Tim and I served with steak au poivre.  Although it takes quite a while from start to finish (at least for a veggie side dish), most of that time is hands off while the fennel is braising in the oven.  Unlike most fennel dishes, this one cooks so long that even the cores become tender, so the trimming is minimal.  Before going in the oven, the fennel is browned and topped with lots of flavorful additions - white wine, orange juice, spices, and garlic - which makes for a fantastic final dish.  You could definitely play around with the flavors here, using a different citrus or alternate spices to go along with whatever main you're serving.  Since this dish can go right from oven to table with no extra fussing, it's a good side option if you've got a main that will take a lot of last-minute prep.

Braised Fennel with Orange and Coriander (adapted from Fine Cooking)
Serves 2

Olive oil
1 pound fennel bulbs (about 2 medium), talks trimmed and bulbs cut into quarters, cores left intact
1 smallish garlic clove, thinly sliced
2 T dry white wine or dry white vermouth
2 T vegetable broth, plus more for the baking dish
1 medium navel orange
Generous pinch whole fennel seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
Generous pinch whole coriander seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a non-stick 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the fennel, cut side down, and cook undisturbed until it is browned in spots.  Flip to the other cut side and cook undisturbed until browned (tongs are great for this).
3. Arrange the fennel browned sides up in a smallish baking dish, so that the fennel fits fairly tightly.
4. Add the garlic to the skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dissolve any browned bits.  Add the broth and simmer for about 2 minutes.  Pour over the fennel.
5. Peel three strips of orange zest from the orange and tuck the pieces of zest around the fennel.  Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice of half the orange over the fennel.  Sprinkle the fennel seeds and coriander seeds over, and season lightly with salt and pepper.  Check the amount of liquid in the baking dish and add vegetable broth as needed to come about a quarter of the way up the sides of the fennel.
6. Cover the dish tightly with foil and braise in the oven until the fennel has collapsed and a toothpick penetrates the cores with no resistance, about 75 minutes.  Serve warm or room temperature.

Merry Christmas!

Red Velvet Peppermint Blossoms

I first made these cookies a few weeks ago at a church cookie baking party, and I had to make them again now that I'm back visiting my family.  They're both beautiful and delicious - the perfect holiday cookie!  The base of the cookie is a lightly chocolate flavored sugar cookie dyed red with food coloring.  The cookies are then topped with a white chocolate-peppermint Hug.  These candies are worth seeking out (in case you haven't heard of them, they're basically Hershey's Kisses with two flavors swirled together).    Although these are very good after they're cooled, they're especially tasty when they're still a little warm since the candies are still slightly melted.  Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Red Velvet Peppermint Blossoms (adapted from Cuisine at Home)
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

36 white chocolate peppermint Hugs
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 T liquid red food coloring
1 tsp distilled white vinegar

1. Unwrap the Hugs and place them in the freezer while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.
3. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, and white sugar for a few minutes, until well combined.  Add the egg and whisk until creamy.  Add the food coloring and vinegar and whisk to combine. 
5. Stir in the dry ingredients until completely mixed.
6. Roll the dough into balls, about 2 tsp per ball.  Place on the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
7. Bake until the cookies are puffy with a cracked surface, about 10 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and immediately press a Hug into the center of each cookie.

Steak au Poivre

Tim and I wanted to do a fancy dinner to celebrate Christmas together before both taking off to visit our families.  This steak au poivre totally fit the bill - easy to prepare but so rich, delicious, and flavorful.  The steaks are covered in what seems like an insane amount of peppercorns, but fear not - the flavor isn't insanely peppery.  After the steaks are perfectly cooked (thanks, Tim!), the icing on the cake is an easy pan sauce made with shallots, brandy, and cream while the steak rests.  The original recipe actually called for Cognac, but after seeing the price in the store, we decided it was crazy to spend $30 on Cognac that we'd probably never finish - since the alcohol burns off anyway, a less expensive brandy is a perfectly reasonable substitution and we thought the finished sauce was absolutely amazing (both on the steak and soaked up with bread)!  We served the steak with braised fennel and buttermilk bread, which complemented it really well - recipes on those last two will be coming soon.

Steak au Poivre (adapted from Fine Cooking)
Serves 2

2 boneless beef strip steaks (about 1 pound total)
Kosher salt
1-1/2 T black peppercorns, very coarsely crushed
1 T olive oil
2 T unsalted butter
1 small shallot, minced
1/4 cup brandy (or Cognac if you're feeling fancy)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and season both sides lightly with salt. Coat both sides with the peppercorns, pressing so they adhere. Heat the oil in a 12-inch heavy-duty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Add the steaks and cook to your desired doneness (2 to 3 minutes per side for medium rare). Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and tent them with foil. Pour off and discard any fat left in the pan, but not the brown bits.

2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter to the skillet. When the butter is melted, add the shallots and cook until softened, about 1 minute.

3. Remove the skillet from the heat and carefully add the brandy. Return the skillet to medium heat and cook, whisking, until the brandy reduces to a glaze, 1 to 2 minutes. Note: Be very careful here!  We have a gas stove and our brandy ignited in a very tall and exciting flame!  If you also have a gas stove, you'll definitely want to stand back while the alcohol is cooking off just in case this happens.

3. Whisk in the cream and simmer until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley and season to taste with salt.

4. Transfer the steaks to dinner plates and top with the sauce.

Pear-Chocolate Yogurt Cake

I love yogurt cake, as my mom can attest to - when I was a teenager, she once came back from an evening event to find I'd eaten half of a yogurt cake she'd just baked!  Luckily, now I can make my own yogurt cakes to devour, and this one is certainly a tasty one.  The moist cake is studded with chunks of pear and milk or dark chocolate (I've made it both ways, and both are fantastic).  I think the pears go especially well with the slight tang of a yogurt cake, and the chocolate makes the cake feel a bit more decadent.  This is sweet enough for dessert, but since it has fruit it feels like an acceptable breakfast option as well!

Pear-Chocolate Yogurt Cake (adapted from food 52, original recipe here)
Makes one loaf cake (and possibly some extra batter, which you can bake up in ramekins)

1-1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup plain yogurt (low fat is okay)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 large firm-ripe pear, peeled and diced
3.5 ounces good-quality milk chocolate (I used 44% cacao milk chocolate), chopped or 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a loaf pan.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Beat together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla with a rubber spatula.  Beat in the yogurt.  Beat in the flour mixture gradually, being careful not to overmix.
4. Add the oil and fold into the batter with the rubber spatula until combined.  Gently fold in the pears and chocolate.
5. Scrape the batter into the loaf pan.  Make sure to leave room for the batter to rise without overflowing the pan.  If you have too much batter, you can bake some of it in ramekins or another small baking pan.
6. Bake 55-60 minutes, checking any ramekins earlier as they will cook more quickly.  The cake is done when a tester comes out clean.

Spicy Pumpkin Wontons

I was attracted to this recipe because I find that many 'savory' recipes involving pumpkin are way too sweet for me - I don't want my ravioli or lasagna to be sprinkled with amaretti cookies, for example!  These pumpkin wontons go in a different flavor direction with creamy cheese, tarragon, and spicy red pepper flakes.  The end result is just slightly sweet from the pumpkin.

The original recipe calls these ravioli, but I wouldn't really top these with tomato sauce like I would most ravioli.  Something about using the wonton skins just doesn't feel like ravioli to me - but, these are still a really delicious lunch or dinner!  The wontons are boiled and then fried up in a little butter until crispy, which makes for great textural contrast between the creamy filling and crispy exterior.  I ate the wontons with just the butter for sauce and a salad on the side, but you could also add some sauteed veggies in the sauce - leeks or fennel would be delicious.  One word of warning - don't try to freeze these as the wonton skins are too thin - they simply fell apart when I tried to boil a few that I'd frozen and I lost about half the wontons.

Spicy Pumpkin Wontons (adapted from My Bizzy Kitchen, original recipe here)
Makes 20-25 wontons

For the filling:
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 T Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

To finish:
Wonton wrappers
Butter

1. Whisk together the filling ingredients and chill for at least 15 minutes.
2. Lay out wonton wrappers and place a small amount of filling in each (the amount will depend on the size of your wrappers - I used about 1-1/2 tsp per wonton).  Brush the edges with water and fold over into a triangle.  Try to seal the edges as tightly as possible and to squeeze out as much air as possible.  Lay out finished wontons in a single layers. At this point you can freeze some of the wontons if you like.
3. Boil a pot of water and salt it.  Boil the wontons in batches, about 2 minutes per batch, being careful not to, overcrowd your pot.  Once the wontons are boiled, lay them out in a single layer, being careful not to overlap them.
4. Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet until bubbling.  Arrange the wontons in a single layer (working in batches), browning until the wontons are as crispy as you like. 

Baguettes

Baguettes are delicious, but many recipes take upwards of 8 hours or even multiple days to complete.  While most of that time isn't active time, it does make it difficult if you decide you want baguettes with dinner!  This recipe certainly isn't instant, but you can decide on baguettes in the early afternoon and still have dinner at a reasonable hour.  Despite a shorter fermentation than many baguette recipes, this bread still delivers really wonderful flavor and a great chewy texture.  The ice cubes added to the oven while the bread is baking make for an extra crisp crust.  If you have leftovers, you can wrap them in foil and reheat the next day - the crust won't be quite as crisp, but the bread will still be amazing.

Although this bread involves more work than a regular yeasted sandwich bread, none of the steps are particularly difficult.  It's also really cool to see the transformation of the dough from a shaggy mess after it's just been mixed to a smooth bread dough after all the folding.  I'm sure you would get better results if you have a baguette pan, which would allow you to make longer and thinner baguettes than what I was able to achieve by hand-shaping the loaves on a cookie sheet, but my method worked out just fine and didn't involve going out and buying yet another pan.  We served this bread with soft cheese and pickled figs, plus some with chocolate hazelnut spread for dessert.  Two of us devoured an entire loaf along with our dinner, so this is super addictive, especially warm out of the oven!

Baguettes (adapted from Pass the Sushi, original recipe here)
Makes two smallish baguettes

383 grams bread flour
282 grams lukewarm water
1-1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp instant yeast
Ice cubes (about one tray)

1. Combine bread flour with the water in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitter with dough hook. Mix on low speed until blended. Stop the mixer and let sit 15 minutes.
2. Add the salt and yeast to the flour mixture.  Mix on low speed for five minutes.  The dough will be very wet at this point.  Scrape the dough into an oiled container, cover, and let rest 20 minutes.
3. Uncover, fold the dough over itself a few times, and let rest another 20 minutes.  Repeat this process one more time for a total of two times folding the dough and three 20-minute rest periods.  Fold the dough over one more time, and then cover and let rest for 2 hours.  At this point the dough should look very smooth and be sticky but much less 'wet' feeling than it was when first mixed.
4. Divide the dough into two pieces and shape each one into a log.  Set on your work surface and cover with plastic.  Let rest 15 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 470 degrees and place a metal sheet pan on the bottom rack.  Place the other oven rack in the middle of the oven.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
6. Shape each piece of dough into a long baguette shape, turning the dough under with your hands to create as smooth a surface as possible.  Place each baguette on the parchment-lined baking sheet (side by side).  Spray with oil and cover with plastic.  Let rise for 30 minutes.
7. Open the oven and quickly dump the ice cubes onto the hot baking sheet.  Place the baking sheet with the baguettes on the middle rack and quickly close the oven.
8. Bake 20-25 minutes, until the loaves are nicely browned but still have some give when gently squeezed.  Let cool slightly before cutting into the bread.

Orange-Chocolate Chip Macaroons

I've made these coconut macaroons for two church events lately, and both times they were a big hit.  The best part is that the cookies are so easy to make - mixing up the batter takes just a few minutes and you don't need to pull out a stand mixer or even more than one bowl!  The cookies are a bit crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside with fantastic coconut flavor, a lovely orange scent, and bits of chocolate.  They'll soften a bit if you keep them overnight, but I think this makes them even tastier (I haven't managed to hold onto any longer than overnight!).  Another bonus of this recipe is that it's naturally gluten free, so it's great to prepare for events where you're don't know everyone's dietary restrictions.  Although I've made this chocolate orange version both times I made the recipe, I think this recipe could be infinitely adaptable - you could use pretty much any citrus zest and change up the mix-ins if you like.  I think a lime zest-white chocolate or a lemon zest-slivered almond version would be amazing! 

Orange-Chocolate Chip Macaroons (adapted from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book)
Makes about 3 dozen

14 ounces sweetened coconut
Zest of one orange
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3 egg whites

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment or foil.
2. Combine the coconut and orange zest in a large bowl and rub together with your fingers until the mixture is fluffy and uniform.  Add the sugar and chocolate chips and stir to combine.  Add the egg whites and mix with your hands until the mixture is uniform.
3. Scoop out the coconut mixture with a tablespoon, compacting the mixture into the scoop and then sliding each cookie onto the baking sheet, round side up.  Repeat with the remaining coconut mixture.  Bake 25-30 until the cookies are lightly browned.
4. Let cool completely before peeling the cookies off of the foil or parchment.
5. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days (the cookies will soften over time, which I think is a nice thing!), or freeze for up to three weeks wrapped in plastic and then foil.

Above, a photo of Tim, me, and Katy sipping wine at the wine and cheese fundraiser where I served a batch of these delicious macaroons.  Everyone brought a bottle, we covered up the labels, and then we all tried to guess which wine was which - Tim managed to guess all of the wines!  We also snacked on delicious cheeses from Cheeseboard - Delice d'Argental, Ewephoria, Swiss, Besace du Berger, Drunken Goat, Ossau-Iraty, and Cambozola.  We also devoured this gorgeous fruit tart from my friend Erin:

I'm sending this post off to the These Chicks Cooked Link Party!  I'm also sending these cookies off to the Cookie Party at the Secret Recipe Club.

Cardamom-Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Cardamom is one of my favorite spices, especially as fall rolls around, and this cake is full of it - in both the cake batter and in the streusel.  The flavor is pretty intense here, so if you're not such a big fan, you could probably reduce the amount (I thought it was perfect, though!).  The streusel includes a sprinkling of chocolate chips and walnuts - depending on your taste, I think you could probably double the amount of one or the other if you want more of either flavor.  Even with the smaller amounts, this was a delicious, festive coffee cake that definitely made breakfast feel extra special.

Cardamom-Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake (adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours and The New Moosewood Cookbook)
Makes 1 loaf cake

For the cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cardamom
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup vegetable oil

For the streusel:
1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 T (packed) brown sugar
1 tsp cardamom

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan.
2. Make the cake.  Whisk together the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and cardamom.  Whisk in the yogurt, eggs, and vanilla.  Add the flour mixture and fold in with a rubber spatula until just combined.  Fold in the vegetable oil.  Some lumps are okay., but the oil should be completely incorporated.
4. Make the streusel.  Stir all the ingredients together until well combined.
5. Pour half the cake batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle over half of the streusel.  Pour the remaining cake batter over, and top with the remaining streusel.
6. Bake 50-55 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.

Fresh Ginger Custard Pumpkin Pie

This was one of the pies I made for Thanksgiving, and it was delicious despite a fairly ugly crust!  It has a traditional pumpkin pie flavor, perfect topped with a little (or a lot of) whipped cream.  Although this pie uses fresh ginger, cinnamon sticks, and fresh cream instead of sweetened condensed milk, I would have to be honest and say that I couldn't really tell the difference from a normal pumpkin pie (although I didn't taste them side by side).  So, this is one case where I'd have to say maybe it's easier to just use the traditional shortcuts rather than going all out.  In any case, this was a really delicious pie and definitely hit the pumpkin pie spot! :)

Fresh Ginger Custard Pumpkin Pie (adapted from Serious Eats, original recipe here)
Makes one 9-1/2 or 10 inch pie

1 pre-baked 9-1/2 or 10 inch pie shell (such as this one)
One 6x1-inch piece fresh ginger, unpeeled, coarsely chopped
2 cinnamon sticks, crushed
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 cups pumpkin puree

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place the pie shell on a larger baking sheet to catch any overflows.  If you're using a 9-1/2 inch pie plate, you'll probably have a little extra filling, so you can set out a ramekin to bake it in - cook's treat!
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the fresh ginger, crushed cinnamon sticks, heavy cream, and milk and heat until scalding. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for about 10 minutes. Return the saucepan to medium heat and bring back to scalding.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, yolks, sugar, and salt in a separate bowl and have ready.
4. Gradually whisk the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.  Strain into a clean container (preferably something with a spout).
5. Briefly whisk the pumpkin puree in another bowl until loosened.  Whisk the custard mixture into the pumpkin puree.  Pour into the prepared pie shell.
6. Bake for 60-70 minutes, until the center no longer jiggles.  If you've baked some of the filling separately in a ramekin, be sure to pull it out early so it doesn't overbake.  Cool the pie on a wire rack.
7. Store tightly wrapped - overnight at room temperature, or in the fridge if storing for a few days.

Cranberry-Lemon Quick Bread with Pecans

For this month's installment of the Secret Recipe Club, my secret blog partner was Vanderbilt Wife.  I was instantly tempted by her recipe for Blueberry-Lemon Ricotta Muffins - they looked perfect for a tasty snack.  Of course, it's not blueberry season anymore, so I substituted in tart dried cranberries and some chopped pecans instead, making this a perfect fall recipe.  (Also, I was feeling lazy so I cooked the recipe up in a loaf pan instead of a muffin tin, which worked well although the cook time was quite a bit longer.)

Unlike many of the coffee cakes and 'breakfast' breads I've baked, this one is actually healthy enough that you can feel good about eating it for breakfast.  The only added fat comes from the part-skim ricotta cheese and a couple of egg yolks - no oil or butter!  You could make it even healthier by using white whole wheat instead of all purpose flour.  Despite being low in fat, the bread is nice and moist from the ricotta and tastes really delicious.  I love the bright bursts of flavor from the cranberries and the crunch from the pecans.  Perhaps because the cranberries are so intense, I thought the lemon flavor could have been stronger, so I would probably add some zest in addition to the lemon juice next time.  Definitely a real winner - thanks Jessie a/k/a Vanderbilt Wife!

Cranberry-Lemon Quick Bread with Pecans (adapted from Vanderbilt Wife, original recipe here)
Makes one loaf

1 cup part-skim milk ricotta cheese (don't use fat free)
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup skim milk
2 T lemon juice
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour (plus 1 T for tossing with the fruit and nuts)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and oil a loaf pan.
2. Whisk together the ricotta, sugar, eggs, milk, and lemon juice.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
3. Toss together the cranberries, pecans, and about 1 T flour (enough to lightly coat).  Fold the fruit and nuts into the batter and scrape into loaf pan.
4. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

Pulled Pork with Mango Sauce

Aarti hits in another home run with this fantastic pulled pork recipe.  I've had great luck with her recipes in the past, and this one was no different.  Super tender pulled pork is stirred into a sweet and spicy mango sauce - the original recipe called it a BBQ sauce, but we didn't really think it tasted like BBQ.  That didn't make it any less delicious - topped with a tangy coleslaw (recipe here), this pork makes a fantastic lunch or dinner.  I really enjoyed all the different spices going on in this recipe - it made for a unique dish that didn't taste like the usual pulled pork sandwich.

Pulled Pork with Mango Sauce (adapted from Aarti Party)

For the meat
4 pounds bone-in pork butt
2 T brown sugar
2 T kosher salt
1 T paprika
1 cup chicken stock

For the sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 onion, finely minced
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced ginger
2 cups mango puree
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 T brown sugar
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1. Combine the brown sugar, salt, and paprika in a small bowl.  Rub all over the pork, and then place in a large bowl and cover with plastic.  Marinate overnight, in the refrigerator.
2. In the morning, place the pork into a slow cooker, along with any accumulated juices.  Pour the chicken stock over, and then cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the pork is falling-apart tender.  You may want to flip the pork once or twice during the cooking process.
3. Meanwhile, make the sauce.  Heat the oil in a large saucepan over low heat, until shimmering.  Add the cumin and fennel seeds.  Once the sputtering subsides, add the onions, garlic, and ginger.  Saute until they soften but don't let them brown.
4. Add the mango puree, lime juice, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes.  Bring to a boil, and then cover and reduce to a simmer.  Simmer the sauce for about 3 hours to let the flavors develop.
5. When the meat is ready, remove from the slow cooker and shred with two forks. Add to the mango sauce and let simmer for about 30 minutes to let flavors combine.  Taste and season with salt and pepper as necessary.

Honey-Oat Sandwich Bread

You know how you're never supposed to go to the grocery store when you're hungry? Well, that's probably because you'll come away with three kinds of fancy cheese.  :)  And since I don't like to eat fancy cheese with boring supermarket sandwich bread, I definitely had to make some homemade bread to go along with it.  I found this one in my list of bookmarks and decided it was just the ticket. The bread is soft in texture and has good flavor from the honey and butter without being overly sweet.  My favorite way to eat it was spread with the fig-goat cheese spread that I bought on my cheese splurge, and then topped with lightly dressed arugula (tossed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil).

Honey-Oat Sandwich Bread (adapted from King Arthur Flour)
Makes 1 loaf

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
2-1/4 tsp instant yeast
1-1/2 tsp salt
4 T melted butter
3 T honey
1 cup lukewarm water (more as needed)

1. Whisk together the flours, oats, yeast, and salt.  Stir in the butter, honey, and water until combined.  Cover and let sit 20 minutes for the oats to absorb some of the moisture.
2. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, adding more water if the mixture seems too dry.
3. Cover and let rise 60-90 minutes (the dough may not double but should be noticeably risen).  Punch down, shape into a loaf, and place in a greased loaf pan.
4. Cover and let rise another 60-90 minutes.  Toward the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Bake the loaf 30-35 minutes, or until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.  While the bread is still hot, rub with butter.  Let cool before cutting into the loaf.

Yogurt Cake with Asian Pears and Cinnamon Swirl

This is a quick and delicious coffee cake that's easy to mix up and even easier to eat!  Although the original recipe called for apples, I went with Asian pears since that was what I had on hand - they cooked up similarly to apples but definitely added a unique and tasty flavor to the cake.  Since I was using Asian pears, I subbed in cardamom for some of the cinnamon - it's one of my favorite spices, and I think it combines beautifully with pears.  There's no better way to start the morning than with a coffee cake full of pears and warm spices!

Yogurt Cake with Asian Pears and Cinnamon Swirl (adapted from the kitchn, original recipe here)
Makes one 8-inch square cake

3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used 2 percent)
1/3 cup olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
2 Asian pears, peeled and coarsely chopped
1-1/4 cup all purpose flour
1-1/4 tsp baking powder
Scant 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Generous grate of fresh nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 T unsalted butter, very soft

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. Whisk together the yogurt, oil, lemon juice, sugar, egg, yolk, and vanilla.  Add the chopped pears and stir to combine..
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cardamom.  Stir into the wet ingredients until just combined.
4. Stir together the cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter until well combined in a small bowl.
5. Scrape about half the batter into the prepared baking pan.  Using your fingers, sprinkle about half the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the batter.  Top with remaining batter and remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture.
6. Bake about 30 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.  Cool 15 minutes before cutting.

Swiss Chard Gratin

I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving!  If you need to detox a bit today, this veggie dish might be just the ticket - I ate it as a main dish with some bread and butter, though you could certainly also serve it in smaller portions as a side.

This was a great dinner put together with food from the farmer's market.  I came across this recipe on an afternoon when I had almost no real food in the house but just didn't feel like running out to the grocery.  Luckily it was a Tuesday, when there's a farmer's market about 2 blocks from my house! As you might expect from an Alice Waters recipe, this step has quite a few steps - making breadcrumbs from fresh bread and then toasting them with oil in the oven, blanching the chard and then adding it to a white sauce that's been made separately, and then finally layering everything in a baking dish.  However, the results are very tasty - the greens taste rich and flavorful without a ton of added fat and no added meat (though I'm sure some crispy bacon would be excellent here), and the breadcrumb topping is so much crispier and yummier than sprinkling over pre-made breadcrumbs or even panko.

Also - I'm now on Google+!  Feel free to check the page out here and follow me if you like.

Swiss Chard Gratin (adapted from the Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters)
Serves 2 as a main or 3-4 as a side

Butter (a few tablespoons all together)
1 large bunch Swiss chard
Salt
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (grind up good-quality, crustless bread in the blender or food processor)
2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 tsp flour
1/2 cup milk (I used non-fat)
Splash of cream (optional)
Freshly grated nutmeg
Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a smallish baking dish.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Wash and stem the chard.  Save half the stems and thinly sliced them, and cut all of the leaves into large pieces.
3. Add a generous amount of salt to the boiling water and stir to dissolve.  Add the chard stems and cook 2 minutes.  Add the leaves to the pot and cook for 3 more minutes.  Drain and allow to cool. Gently squeeze out the extra liquid and set aside.
4.  Toss the breadcrumbs with the olive oil and spread onto a baking sheet.  Toast in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.  When you remove the breadcrumbs, leave the oven on.
5. Meanwhile, melt 1-1/2 T butter in a large skillet.  Add the onion and cook over medium heat until translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the chard and season with salt.  Cook 3 minutes.  Sprinkle the flour over and stir well.  Add the milk and a few grates of nutmeg.  Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  If the mixture gets too thick, add a splash of cream or more milk.  The chard should be moist but not floating in liquid.  Taste and add salt if needed.
6. Transfer the chard to the buttered baking dish.  Dot the top with a couple of teaspoons of butter.  Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the chard, and then sprinkle over a bit of Parmesan cheese, if desired.  Bake for 20-30 minutes, until golden and bubbling.

Bourbon-Chocolate Pecan Pie

This pie was my contribution to our (pre-)Thanksgiving dessert table last Saturday, and it was a huge hit.  Although I love traditional pecan pie, it can sometimes be way too sweet.  In this version, the brown sugar and corn syrup are counterbalanced (and the pie is made much more adult) with the addition of bittersweet chocolate and bourbon. The chocolate flavor is much more pronounced than the bourbon - if you're a big fan of bourbon, I think you could probably add more and be very happy.  I found that I had a bit too much filling for my pan (I used a fairly shallow 9-inch pie plate) - if you have excess, just stop pouring when the pie looks like it's getting full and you'll still get a really delicious pie!  I would imagine that you'll be fine if you use a larger/deeper pie plate.  I can definitely recommend this pie for your Thanksgiving table if you're still deciding on desserts for Thursday.  It's full of nutty pecan goodness, sweet syrup-y filling, and rich chocolate.

Bourbon-Chocolate Pecan Pie (adapted from Fine Cooking)
Makes 1 pie

For the crust:
1-2/3 cup flour
2 T sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
5 to7 T ice water

For the filling:
8 large egg yolks
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 T bourbon
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1-1/2 cups pecan halves, toasted, cooled, and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate

1. Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the largest pieces are about the size of peas. Drizzle 5 tablespoons of the ice water over the flour mixture and pulse until the mixture becomes a moist, crumbly-looking dough that holds together when squeezed in your hand, 4 to 6 pulses. If the dough is still dry, add another tablespoon or two of ice water and test again - be careful not to add too much water or the dough will be very hard to work with.
2. Form the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic.  Chill at least one hour.
3. Cover your work surface with wax paper and place the (unwrapped) dough on the wax paper.  Cover with another sheet of wax paper, and roll out until to about a 13-inch diameter.  Be sure to peel the wax paper off the dough every so often so it doesn't get stuck!
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased 9-inch pie plate.  Trim the edges to about 3/4 inch, fold the remainder under, and crimp with your fingers. Freeze for at least 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Line the piecrust with foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights.
6. Bake 15 minutes.  Remove the foil and weights, and reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.  Bake until the bottom looks dry and the edge are golden, 5-7 more minutes.  Cool the crust.
7. When ready to prepare the filling, preheat the oven to 325 degrees and place a large, rimmed baking sheet on the oven rack.
8. Make the filling.  Place the egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl set on a kitchen towel and add the vanilla.
9. In a 1-quart saucepan, whisk together the sugar, butter, corn syrup, cream, bourbon, and salt.  Heat over medium heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot but not boiling, 3-5 minutes.  Whisking vigorously and constantly, slowly pour the hot sugar mixture into the yolks.  Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl.
10. Spread the pecans evenly over the pie crust.  Sprinkle the chocolate over the pecans.  Slowly pour the filling over in a spiral motion to avoid disturbing the pecans and chocolate.
11. Place the pie on the baking sheet and bake 35-40 minutes, until the center of the pie is slightly firm and the filling does not wobble.  Let cool at least 1 hour before serving.  Pie is best on the day it is made.

I'm sending this post off to the These Chicks Cooked Link Party.

Thanksgiving 1.0

This year, my housemates and I decided to do a pre-Thanksgiving celebration the weekend before we all go our separate ways for the holidays.  Everyone contributed a couple of dishes and we had an absolutely amazing spread!  Definitely food coma-inducing.  Here's a photo of my overflowing plate:

Cider-Brined Turkey; Mashed Potatoes; Apple, Onion, Sage, and Sour Cream Dressing; Turkey Gravy; Green Bean Casserole; Salad with pears, blue cheese, sprouts, and blackberries; Rolls from La Farine with homemade blackberry jam; Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes; Happy Girl pickles; Port-Balsamic Cranberry Sauce; and Sour Cherry Chutney.

 Caitlin, Tim, me, and Nina - plus six more not in this photo!

I think my favorite dish was the stuffing; I typically don't love stuffing that's not baked in the turkey, but this one was super moist and flavorful.  My housemate Andrea said the key is to keep basting it while it cooks, either with turkey drippings or with a mixture of vegetable broth and butter to keep it vegetarian.  I'll post about desserts later this week - we had pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and hot spiced apple cider!  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving later this week if you celebrate...I'll be enjoying Thanksgiving 2.0 on Thursday with my boyfriend Tim and his housemates!

Chocolate Gingerbread Loaf

With the chilly fall weather we've been having lately, I've definitely had a hankering for gingerbread.  And really the only thing that can improve on gingerbread is adding chocolate!  This cake includes chocolate in two ways - cocoa in the batter and chocolate chips stirred in at the end.  Ginger also shows up twice - dried and fresh.  While crystallized ginger is often the norm for cakes like this, I'm not a huge fan of it.  I much prefer fresh ginger, especially as used here - rather than being grated, it's minced so that there are little bursts of intense ginger flavor scattered throughout the cake.  This is an absolutely delicious cake, and the flavors feel very festive to me - they definitely put me in a holiday spirit!

Chocolate Gingerbread Loaf (adapted from Lara Ferroni, original recipe here)
Makes 1 loaf

135 grams (1 cup plus 1 T) all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 T natural cocoa powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
Generous pinch ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup molasses
2 T minced fresh ginger
3/4 cup chocolate chunks

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter and flour a loaf pan (or use the oil spray that includes flour).
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and salt in a small bowl.  Set aside.
3. Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Beat in the egg.  Beat in the buttermilk and molasses. The mixture will look curdled; that's ok.
4. Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined.  Add the fresh ginger and chocolate and stir just to incorporate.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake 30 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

Lemon Bliss Bundt Cake

Happy National Bundt Day!  The Food Librarian has done a really fun baking project the last few years: I Like Big Bundts! It's a bundt-baking extravaganza, and this year I decided to get involved. I made a super lemony bundt from the Food Librarian's archives, and it was super delicious. The cake itself is moist with a tight crumb - it came out of my somewhat finicky pan easily, which is always a gamble! After the cake comes out of the oven, a tart lemon-sugar glaze is poured over the whole thing, which makes the cake extra moist and adds a lot of great lemon flavor (this was my favorite part of the cake).  My roommates and I loved the cake and devoured it in less than 24 hours...so yes, it was definitely a hit! 

Meyer Lemon Bliss Bundt Cake (adapted from the Food Librarian, original recipe here)

For the cake
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk (non-fat is ok)
Zest of 3 Meyer lemons (a microplane works well)

For the glaze
1/3 cup freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
3/4 cup sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients and milk in alternating additions (flour-milk-flour-milk-flour), beating well after each.  Beat in the lemon zest.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out.  Bake 55-65 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
6. While the cake is baking, make the glaze.  Stir together the lemon juice and sugar and set aside.
7. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes all over with a wooden skewer.  Brush the glaze all over with a pastry brush until it has all been used (it will seem like more than the cake can absorb, but just keep going).
8. Let cake cool completely and then remove from pan.

Chocolate Waffles

I bookmarked this recipe because it sounded too good to pass up, even though I don't have a waffle maker.   Luckily, I found out that one of my boyfriend's housemates has one, so I was able to make this recipe without shelling out for a waffle maker!  These waffles cook up crisp and tasty, but they aren't overly sweet or overly chocolate-y.  So, I recommend adding those elements in the toppings - a good sprinkling of chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate if you're feeling fancy) takes these waffles over the top!  (They'll melt slightly from the warmth of the waffles, without getting your waffle iron messy as might happen if you mixed the chips into the batter).  I like these with salted butter since I'm a sweet-salty fiend, but you can also use regular butter if you prefer.

Chocolate Waffles (adapted from Waffleizer, original recipe here)
Makes 6-8 medium waffles (depending on the size of your waffle maker)

2 large egg yolks
1-1/2 cups milk (low fat is fine)
1-1/4 cups self-rising flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 T (1/2 stick) butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 large egg whites
2 T brown sugar
Chocolate chips and softened salted butter, to serve

1. Preheat your waffle maker.
2. Whisk together the yolks and the milk.  Whisk in the flour and the cocoa powder.  Whisk in the butter until smooth.
3. Beat the egg whites until foamy.  Add the sugar and beat until soft peaks form.  Gently fold into the cocoa batter.
4. Cook the waffles in the waffle iron.  Serve with chocolate chips and butter.

Spaghetti with Steak, Endive, Butternut Squash, and Balsamic Sauce

You know how you're not supposed to make a recipe you've never made before when cooking for a dinner party?  Well, I never follow that rule because I love making new recipes!  And it generally works out just fine, as with this very tasty pasta dish - really, you can almost never go wrong with Mark Bittman's recipes.  I made this pasta for a recent gathering of my book club (this past month's selection was Moneyball).  I had to make a few substitutions because I was shopping at Trader Joe's - as you may know if you shop at this store, they stock lots of really cool and unique items, but the produce section is sometimes pretty lacking.  Since the store didn't have radicchio, I subbed in half the amount of endive and some butternut squash -- not totally sure why I picked the squash, it just seemed like it would go with the other ingredients!

Overall, we all really liked the pasta (served with a big salad on the side), but I would definitely try to find radicchio next time and use the full amount (four pounds) as I felt the dish was lacking a bitter element - the endive definitely got lost among the other flavors.  Radicchio's purple color would also make the dish a bit prettier, which is never a bad thing!  You could also probably add more balsamic vinegar than the recipe calls for as the flavor wasn't super strong.  Although I don't often like whole-wheat pasta, I thought it worked really well here with the other flavors and made the dish feel a bit more hearty.  I loved coming across pieces of steak throughout the pasta - skirt steak worked well here but you could use any inexpensive cut that cooks relatively quickly.

Spaghetti with Steak, Endive, Butternut Squash, and Balsamic Sauce (adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook)

Serves 8

Salt

1/4 cup oil

1-1/2 to 1-3/4 pound skirt steak

Pepper

1 pound butternut squash, peeled and diced

2 pounds Belgian endive, cored and thinly sliced

2 red onions, halved and sliced

2 T minced garlic

1-1/2 pounds whole wheat spaghetti

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 cup roughly chopped fresh basil

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta until just shy of al dente, reserving 1 cup pasta water.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium-high heat in a skillet.  Add the steak, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook 2-3 minutes per side until browned but rare.  Remove from skillet and cover with foil; let rest at least 5 minutes before slicing.

3. Add the butternut squash to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, until softened.  Add the radicchio, onion, and garlic to the skillet and lower heat from medium.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, 5 minutes.  Lower heat and cover.

4. Thinly slice the steak, capturing all the drippings.

5. Add the vinegar to the skillet, stir, and let bubble until it thickens slightly but does not evaporate, just a few seconds.  Toss in the pasta, steak and juices, basil, and a generous grind of black pepper, as well as just enough pasta water to keep the mixture moist.  Taste and adjust seasoning, and then serve hot or room temperature.

Sausage, Panna, and Scallion Pizza with Cornmeal Olive Oil Crust

Wow, this is one decadent pizza, but it is so good!  Notice the "panna" in the title - sounds sort of innocent, maybe like it's a kind of cheese?  At least that's what I thought when I read the recipe title.  Actually though, it's unsweetened whipped cream, which is used on this pizza instead of a sauce!  Sounds crazy, but it makes for a super rich and delicious base for the other toppings (and actually you're not using an insane amount, just 1/4 cup per pizza).  The cream base is topped with sauteed fennel sausage, thinly shaved fennel, scallions, and fresh mozzarella - use a light hand with toppings as this is a thin crust pizza and you don't want to weigh it down.  Plus, everything is so rich that you don't want the pizza to be overwhelming!

All these amazing toppings are scattered on top of a no-knead pizza crust with cornmeal and olive oil.  I honestly couldn't really taste the cornmeal, but it did make for a really lovely yellow color.  This dough was easy to put together, and you can keep it in the fridge for a few days before using.  It was somewhat more difficult to stretch into thin crust pizza than some other crusts I have tried, probably because the combination of all-purpose flour and cornmeal isn't super high in gluten (it was also a fairly moist dough). However, once I got it stretched it crisped up really nicely and was a great base for the toppings.  This crust is definitely best the night it's cooked as it becomes somewhat soggy hanging out in the fridge overnight - although you can reheat it in a 500 degree oven and get fairly good results.  You can freeze the extra unbaked dough if you like -- as with other dough I've frozen, it's a little less elastic once it comes out of the freezer (and so harder to stretch), but still perfectly delicious!

Sausage, Panna, and Scallion Pizza with Cornmeal Olive Oil Crust (adapted from Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day and the The Mozza Cookbook)
Serves 2-3
Makes enough crust for four thin crust pizzas and toppings for two pizzas (double the toppings if you want to make four pizzas, or save two portions of dough for later)

For the cornmeal olive oil dough
11 ounces lukewarm water
1-1/2 tsp instant yeast
1-1/2 tsp kosher salt or sea salt
1-1/2 T sugar
3 ounces olive oil
15 ounces all-purpose flour
2 ounces yellow cornmeal

For the toppings
8 ounces sausage, preferably with fennel
2 T good-quality olive oil
Kosher salt
1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks
Thinly sliced/shaved fennel (about half of a small bulb)
6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into thin rounds
4 scallions, sliced thinly on the bias
Finely chopped fennel fronds


1. Combine all the dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until combined (or stir together in a large bowl).  There is no need to knead.
2. Cover and let rise at room temperature for 2 hours, or until the dough has risen and then collapsed.
3. Stick the dough in the fridge for up to ten days in a covered but not airtight container.
4.  Prepare the toppings: saute the sausage in a non-stick pan until browned and cooked through, and get everything sliced and ready.
5. When ready to cook the pizza, preheat the oven to as hot as it will go.  Shape the dough into four half-pound (8-ounce) balls.  You can pop some of the dough back in the fridge or freeze some (in an airtight container, for up to 3 weeks) at this point if you like, or shape as many as you like into pizzas.  The amounts listed for toppings above are for two pizzas.  For each pizza you want to cook immediately, stretch into a 12-inch round and place on a pizza pan (or you can use a pizza peel/pizza stone if you're fancy like that!).
6. Brush 1 T olive oil on the rim of the crust and sprinkle the entire thing with salt.  Spoon half the cream in the center, and spread evenly, leaving a rim around the edges.  Scatter with half the shaved fennel.  Scatter half the sausage over the pizza, and top with half the mozzarella.  Scatter on half the scallions.
7. Place the pizza in the oven and bake until the crust is nicely browned on the bottom.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the fennel fronds.

I'm sending this post off to These Chicks Cooked!

Eggplant Parmesan Pasta Bake

This month, my partner for the Secret Recipe Club was Isabelle of Crumb Blog.  I definitely had a hard time picking which of her delicious recipes I was going to try, but eventually I decided on this fantastic baked pasta dish. It really does mimic the flavors of Eggplant Parmesan, but it's far easier to make - no breading or frying in sight!  A richly flavored eggplant and tomato sauce is stirred together with parboiled pasta and then layered under gooey fresh mozzarella and nutty Parmesan cheese.  All the flavors combine perfectly to create a satisfying and filling pasta dish that's perfect for chilly fall weather.  The only change I might make would be to make this in a deeper dish next time as some of the edges didn't quite get covered in sauce.

Eggplant Parmesan Pasta Bake (adapted from Crumb Blog, original recipe here)
Serves 2-4

1/2 medium globe eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 scant tsp salt
Vegetable oil, for the pan
1 small onion, minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 pound pasta
14-ounce can of whole tomatoes, roughly chopped, with juices
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
Generous pinch red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
About 1/3-pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Place the eggplant in a collander and sprinkle with the salt.  Toss, and let sit 20 minutes to drain.
2. Put water on to boil (for the pasta).  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and oil a 2-quart baking pan
3. Heat some oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden brown.
4. Rinse off the eggplant under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.  Add to the onion and garlic, adding more oil if necessary, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10-12 minutes or until softened.
5. Add the tomatoes with their juices, the red wine, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes to the eggplant mixture.  Cook uncovered for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Meanwhile, cook the pasta until just shy of al dente (about 6-7 minutes) and drain.
7. Taste the sauce and add salt and/or pepper as needed.  Add the pasta and stir to combine well.  Pour into the prepared baking dish.
8. Distribute the sliced mozzarella cheese evenly over the pasta, and then sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.
9. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is starting to brown.  Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

Killer Scalloped Sweet and White Potatoes in Smoky Hot Sauce

I've totally fallen in love with this easy and healthy version of scalloped potatoes.  These definitely don't taste like the creamy, cheesy scalloped potatoes that often appear on holiday tables, and while I do love that version, these are a nice change of pace (and much healthier to boot).  The cream is replaced with a spicy chipotle-tomato sauce, and half the white potatoes are subbed with sweet potatoes.  I added a bit of goat cheese sprinkled on top just for fun, which adds a great tangy element to the dish.  Even without all the cream and cheese, this is still great comfort food for cold weather.  These potatoes are great as a main dish alongside a big salad or with some crusty bread, or you can serve it in smaller portions as a side along with something like roast chicken.

Killer Scalloped Sweet and White Potatoes in Smoky Hot Sauce (adapted from Mollie Katzen's Vegetable Heaven)
Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side

1 pound ripe Roma tomatoes
Oil
Generous pinch kosher salt
1/2 tsp minced canned chipotle chiles (more to taste)
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 ounces soft goat cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees (or as hot as it will get), and move the oven rack to the top slot.  Line a baking sheet with foil.
2. Cut each tomato in half and scoop out the seeds.  Oil the baking sheet and place the tomatoes upside down on the sheet.
3. Roast the tomatoes for 15-20 minutes, until the skins are browned and blistered and the tomatoes are very soft.  Remove from the oven.
4. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees and move the rack back to the middle level. Oil a 1 to 1.25 quart baking dish.
5. Let the tomatoes cool slightly, then slip off the skins.  Combine the tomatoes, a generous pinch of salt, and the chipotle chiles in a blender and blend until smooth.  An immersion blender also works well.
6. Stir the milk, 1/2 tsp salt, and garlic into the hot sauce until combined.  Toss the potatoes together in another bowl.
7. Layer one third of the potatoes into the baking dish.  Cover with a third of the sauce. Repeat with another layer of potatoes and sauce.  Dot the goat cheese all over the potatoes.  Finish with a final layer of potatoes and sauce.  Press down slightly with a rubber spatula and make sure the potatoes are completely covered in sauce.
8. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Turn the oven down to 350 degrees and remove the foil from the potatoes.  Bake for another 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender.  Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Slow Cooker Beef Brisket with Fennel and Carrots

I promised myself that I would use my slow cooker more often this this fall, and this recipe was a great way to kick things off.  The beef is super tender with fantastic flavor, and the sauce is rich and warm.  The fennel and carrots cook the whole time the beef is cooking, so they do get very soft.  I thought that was nice in this dish, but if you want the veggies to have more of a bite, you could add them later or even cook them separately.  I might double the carrots next time as there didn't seem to be quite enough to me.  I served the brisket over extra creamy potato puree - Yukon golds mashed with lots of butter and milk.  I thought this was the perfect accompaniment to the beef and veggies, but you could also serve this with noodles or something else on the side -- I ate some of the leftovers over a baked sweet potato, which was really tasty. 

Slow Cooker Beef Brisket with Fennel and Carrots (adapted from Haute Apple Pie, original recipe here)

Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
2 pounds beef brisket
3 medium cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
6 ounces lager (about half a bottle)
1 large bulb fennel, cut into large pieces
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into large pieces
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 small can tomato paste
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 T spicy brown mustard
3 T Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp paprika
Beef or chicken broth

1. Heat a few good glugs of vegetable oil a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season the brisket all over with salt and pepper.
2. Brown the brisket on all sides in the oil.  Remove from the pan and place in the slow cooker.
3. Add the garlic to the oil and saute for a minute until softened  Add the lager and simmer for about 1 minute.  Pour over the beef.
4. Place the pieces of fennel and carrot around the meat.
5. Whisk together the brown sugar, tomato paste, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and paprika.  Pour over the brisket.  Add broth as needed so that the liquid comes most of the way up the meet (not necessary for it to be totally submerged).
6. Cook on low for 8 hours, flipping the meat halfway through.  Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.