by | January 26, 2012

Topinambour-ing to you!

We’re always trying to vary our limited winter veg choices, so we’ve been happy to see tiny bags of Jerusalem artichokes available at our currently-only-on-Saturdays local farm store.  Known as sunchokes, topinambours and more, these gnarled sunflower tubers are great pan-roasted, or thin-sliced and sautéed with garlic. (Then again, just about anything is great sautéed with garlic.)

Looking for another way to use the tasty tubers, Michelle discovered a tart recipe in Ottolenghi: The Cookbook and decided we could wing it with the chokes and some ingredients we had on hand. Steve made another one of his buttery pie crusts, and Michelle busied herself peeling, cubing and boiling the chokes along with shredding cheese, chiffonading kale and making a creamy egg filling. The Jerusalem artichokes baked up better than potato, with a creamy yet sturdy texture. And, though the original recipe called for blander Swiss chard and tangier goat cheese, we thought the chokes went particularly well with our substituted slightly bitter Lacinato kale and a rich, salty Gruyère.

While it was delicious, Michelle thought the work put this tart slightly on the wrong side of the “ass pain/amazing taste” meter.  But while he’s agreeable to returning to the sauté pan, Steve hopes she finds the energy to make this one again.

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE TART

(adapted from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook) (makes a 9″ tart)

1 recipe pâte brisée or other pie crust
Approximately 1 lb. Jerusalem artichokes
Approximately 5 oz. Lacinato kale
3 TB olive oil
Salt & pepper
1/2 tsp. chopped rosemary
1 garlic clove, minced
Juice of half a lemon
3/4 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. crème fraîche
2 eggs
Approximately 4 oz. Gruyère cheese, grated
 

Roll out the crust and place in a 9″ tart pan with a removable bottom.  Prick the bottom with a fork.  Put in the refrigerator for at least half an hour (or for a shorter period in the freezer).

Blind-bake the crust in a 340° oven for 30 minutes.  Remove the weights and bake for 10 minutes more.  Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, peel the Jerusalem artichokes and cut them into 1/2″ to 3/4″ cubes.  Cover with salted water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes until tender.  Drain, rinse with cold water, then leave in a strainer to dry.

Remove the stems from the kale and chiffonade the leaves.  Heat the oil in a skillet.  Add the kale.  Cook until soft, tossing frequently.  Splash on some water if the kale seems to be getting too dry.  Season with salt and pepper.  Near end of cooking time, add the rosemary and garlic. Add lemon juice, then set aside to cool.

Whisk the cream, crème fraîche and eggs together, along with a bit of salt and pepper, in a bowl.

If the artichokes are damp, dry with paper towels.  Spread the artichokes and the kale on the partially-baked crust.  Sprinkle about 3/4 of the cheese over.  Pour the custard mixture over the vegetables and cheese, making sure not to fill too full.  (We ended up with a tablespoon or two more than we needed in our shallow tart pan.)  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes uncovered.  Then, cover with foil (making sure not to let the foil touch the tart’s surface) and bake for 45 minutes more until filling is set.  If the top of the tart needs more browning (as ours did) at this point, remove the foil and bake for a few minutes more.

Cool on wire rack.  Remove sides of tart pan.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

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by | January 16, 2012

Brownies, taking away the taste of failed muffins.

Brownies with Caramel Icing

Michelle was unhappy; Steve, somewhat stuffed. Several weekends of new recipes resulting in miserable muffin failures had wasted many cups of our precious frozen blueberries as well as other Gourmandistan goods. The first batch of blueberry muffins was too bland with an unpleasant, gummy texture. The second, tasty but too heavy. (Steve, like some sort of scavenger bird, picked the fruit out of the batter and baked remains before feeding Michelle’s castoffs to the chickens.) A third attempt abandoned blueberries for pears, ginger and walnuts, resulting in a tasty bite that still did not meet the grade for Michelle-level muffins. Michelle was getting a bit tired of unsuccessful baking, and Steve was getting a bit tired of having perfectly good berries snatched away because they arrived in things that were “meh.” The solution? More baking of sweets—but this time, something guaranteed to turn out well.

Michelle has been making these brownies since she was a teen, if not even younger. Combining a “one-pan fudge cake” from Nashville’s Junior League with caramel icing from New Orleans’ Junior League turns out a sweet, fudgy and nuttily satisfying brownie every time. Someday Michelle will find a muffin that meets her standards. Until that day, Steve will have to live with these brownies.

“NASHVILLE’S ONE-PAN FUDGE CAKE”

(adapted from Nashville Seasons)

1 stick (8 TB) butter
1 c. sugar
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
pinch salt
3/4 c. flour
1/4 t. baking powder
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
1 c. pecans or walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
 

Melt butter, sugar and chocolate together in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.  Sift flour, baking powder and salt into the same pan.  Add eggs, vanilla and nuts.  Blend with a wooden spoon or spatula (working quickly so that eggs incorporate into batter rather than cook) and pour into a well-greased 8″ square baking pan.  Bake at 325° for 30 to 35 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.

CARAMEL ICING

(adapted from The Plantation Cookbook)

8 oz. light brown sugar
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/2 stick (4 TB) butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
 

Boil sugar, cream and butter to soft-ball stage (238°) in a small saucepan.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Beat until thick and cool enough to spread over brownies.

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by | January 9, 2012

Granola Opry

There is opera, and there is “Opry.” There is granola, and there is “Granola Revisited” from Lorna Sass’ Whole Grains Every Day Every Way.  We Gourmandistanis often find granola too sweet, too cinnamony or just too junked up. Carob chips are Satan’s chocolate and, being purists, we believe even Amedei chocolate would ruin a good granola (and vice versa).

This granola is simple, light and still plenty sweet—especially when you ramp up the coconut ration (perhaps, for example, after discovering an aging cache of the stuff hidden in your freezer). If you’re an opera fan, you could Melba it up with dried peaches. Opry fans could add sequins and little cowboy hats, or combine it with Greek yogurt and fruit like these guys and Steve do for a slightly less sugary alternative to breakfasting with Taylor Swift.

“GRANOLA REVISITED”

(adapted from Lorna Sass’ Whole Grains Every Day Every Way) (makes about 7 cups)

2/3 c. maple syrup (preferably Grade B)
1/4 c. neutral oil
1 TB vanilla extract
3-1/2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 c. toasted wheat germ (optional)
3/4 c. unsweetened coconut flakes
1-1/2 c. unsalted nuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. currants or raisins
1/2 c. other dried fruits, chopped (dates and/or cherries, for example)
 

Preheat oven to 225°.

Mix syrup and oil in a small saucepan.  Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until warm.  Add vanilla and remove from heat.

Mix together oats, optional wheat germ, coconut and nuts in a large bowl.  Add syrup mixture, stirring until the dry ingredients are evenly coated.

Spread mixture evenly onto a large rimmed baking sheet (i.e., a jelly roll pan).  Bake for about 90 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes with a flat spatula and rotating baking sheet occasionally so that the oats are evenly toasted.

Cool mixture on the baking sheet.  When cooled, sprinkle dried fruits over and toss a bit.  Store at room temperature in a covered container.

 

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by | January 6, 2012

A bulgur display of powder.

This Curried Bulgur from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything (“The first one. The yellow one, with the fat Bittman,” Michelle said) makes a nice base for a bunch of lunches. One of our household staples is a jar of curry powder, because even though we take what many consider ridiculous steps with food (Steve was recently mocked for wondering if he could make his own analog to cheap canned crescent rolls for pigs-in-blankets), we see true Indian spice prep as a Himalaya we are not yet prepared to climb. Bulgur, carrots, stock, slivered almonds, currants and a few other Gourmandistan household staples go together in a snappy, sweet and crunchy pile that’s perfect with a runny bit of olive oil-fried egg on top.

In our opinion, everybody but the gluten-avoiding should keep some bulgur around the house. The wheat cereal has a nutty, rich flavor that can stand in for rice or barley. It supposedly has all sorts of health benefits, but we like it more for its quick cooking time. After all, even we who dream of becoming our own Poppin’ Fresh need a quick meal every so often.

CURRIED BULGUR WITH NUTS, CARROTS & CURRANTS

(adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything) (serves 4)

2 TB olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 TB curry powder
1 c. medium-grind bulgur
2 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1-3/4 c. chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 c. currants or raisins
1/2 c. frozen peas
1/4 c. blanched slivered almonds, toasted
Salt and pepper to taste
 
Place the oil in a medium skillet (one that has a lid) over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally until caramelized. Add the curry powder and continue to cook for another minute or so, then stir in the bulgur and coat the grain with the oil. Stir in the carrots. Add the stock and currants, cover and cook over low heat for 10 more minutes. Turn off the heat, add the peas and let the covered pan sit for 15 minutes more. Uncover, stir in the toasted almonds, and season with salt and pepper.  Serve as a side dish.  Or, make a more substantial main by topping with an egg fried over easy in olive oil.

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by | January 1, 2012

A not-so-short hop away from Hoppin’ John

We Gourmandistanis generally pride ourselves on maintaining a humanistic, progressive point of view, striving to reject superstition and magical thinking. However, given Steve’s totemistic use of blue clothing and fervent belief in the power of both hexing (and reverse hexing) as applied to UK basketball, we cannot say we’ve completely left superstition out of our lives. Plus, especially for Michelle, Southern traditions hold strong, and here in our wintry homeplace black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day are as expected as arguments over whether the world’s best point guard was Richie Farmer or Travis Ford. (Sorry, Michelle.)


But no matter how much hot sauce you put on it, Hoppin’ John is sort of boring, and we felt that if we were going to place our hopes for luck and fortune on a hill of beans, we might try to make them a bit more entertaining.

This salad from Susan Spicer’s Crescent City Cooking fit the bill nicely. The cornmeal-crusted oysters were crispy, hot and sweet, the celery root and chiffonaded greens indeed fresh and crunchy, and the jalapeño dressing indeed killer. But making it took us (OK, mostly Michelle) all morning—not 45 minutes as the cookbook claims. That was not bad, though, as we had blood orange mimosas to drink.

Like most of you, we certainly hope this year brings us good fortune and good luck.  But if this year’s tribute to the spirit world is any indication, we’re only going to get it with a fair amount of hard work.

(The recipe, should you be inclined to spend a long morning cooking, can be found here.  We made only a couple of changes. Because Michelle doesn’t much like raw peppers, she quickly charred the chopped red peppers in a bit of olive oil.  And, we substituted watercress for the spinach.)

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by | December 28, 2011

A small, citrusy step away from the treacle.

It’s almost the end of the holidays, and we’re starting to be just a bit sick of sweet. While eating our way through what remains of Michelle’s cookie cavalcade (reduced by gifts, get-togethers and Steve’s occasional late-night rustling), we started to think of slightly less sugary finishes to our meals. We make this dish only occasionally, as it requires wonderful winter citrus and restaurant-level pith removal that is beyond Steve’s skill set to meet Michelle’s standards for fresh fruit consumption. Sweetened with honey and spiked with rosemary, it’s pretty simple to put together (unless you, like Michelle, are relentlessly pithaphobic). And it’s more refreshing, herby, earthy and tart than it is sweet.

At a recent dinner with some longtime friends, it made an excellent counterpoint to an assortment of Michelle’s cookies. After all, while we like many may have some “healthier” resolutions and plans, it’s not quite the new year yet.

CITRUS WITH ROSEMARY HONEY

(adapted from Judy Rodgers’ The Zuni Cafe Cookbook) (serves 4)

1/4 c. honey
4 tsp. water
a dozen or so rosemary leaves
4-6 oranges, preferably of different colors (you can also substitute one or two oranges with a ruby grapefruit)
 

Place honey and water in a tiny saucepan.  Chop rosemary leaves and add to pan.  Heat over low heat until warmed but not boiling.  Set aside.

Section citrus as described here.  Make segments about the same size.  If using large fruit, such as grapefruit, you will want to divide the segments into smaller pieces.  Place fruit segments, alternating colors, in 4 small bowls. Squeeze juice from remaining pulp into a bowl and pour over the fruit segments.  Can be prepared ahead of time, covered and refrigerated.

Just before serving, drizzle cooled honey and rosemary over fruit segments.

 

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by | December 17, 2011

Linzer Hearts still beating after all these years

Michelle’s spattered and battered paperback edition of The Silver Palate Cookbook is full of notes, as during the Eighties it was one of our most-used volumes. We don’t turn to it much these days, as it seems a bit dated (Brie cheese baked in phyllo and a pound of butter, anyone?) and a bit embarrassing (why on earth did we note that baked garlic was “strange”?).  But we keep the volume on our bookshelves, in large part because of these marvelously nutty, buttery sweet delights that Michelle’s friend, Carla, pines for every Christmas.

Perhaps at another time we will return to the Silver Palate, reflecting on how much has changed since we had big hair, wore immense shoulder pads and were made to endure Huey Lewis & The News (although, come to think of it, we could probably still find all those things at the casino downriver).  While we still shun “The Heart of Rock & Roll,” we always welcome this delicious cookie—even after all these years.

LINZER HEARTS

(adapted from The Silver Palate Cookbook) (makes about 4 dozen)

3/4 lb. (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 c. confectioners’ sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
2-1/3 c. all purpose flour
2/3 c. cornstarch
2 c. finely grated walnuts
1 c. red raspberry preserves (seeds strained out)
extra confectioners’ sugar for rolling and dipping
 

Cream butter with 1 c. confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy.  Add egg and beat a bit more.

Sift together flour and cornstarch.  Add to butter mixture and mix well.  Mix in walnuts.

Divide dough in half.  Form each half into a flattened circle.  Wrap in wax paper.  Chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Roll dough to 1/4″ thickness.  Cut out cookies with a small (approx. 1-1/2″) heart-shaped cutter.  Place on ungreased cookie sheets.  Chill in freezer until hard.  Re-roll remaining scraps as many times as you need to, using confectioners’ sugar rather than flour to keep from sticking.

Preheat oven to 325°.

Bake cookies for 10-15 minutes.  They should be only very lightly browned.  Remove and cool on a rack.

Match cookies into pairs that are about the same size and shape.  (If rolled to same thickness and properly chilled before baking there shouldn’t be too much variation.)

While still warm, hold a cookie in one hand and spread the under side with a thin layer of preserves, keeping a bit away from the edge.  Cover with another cookie (under side to preserves) and press together gently.  Repeat until all cookies are made into sandwiches.

Sift some confectioners’ sugar into a bowl.  Press the cookies, top and bottom, into the sugar to coat.

Merry Christmas, Carla!

 
 
 

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