Photo by Fir0002/Flagstaffotos, via Wikimedia Commons
I’m a fan of Tasting Table’s semi-daily food distractions via email and was intrigued by this recipe when it hit my inbox: Creamy Roasted Cantaloupe Pops
YUCK. All I can say is, I think this would be a great treat for my friends’ teething toddlers. Because it tastes like butternut squash baby food.
Grilled muskmelon? More like grilled YUCKmelon.
Roasted vegetables are underrated, and grilled fruit is a hallmark of lazy summer desserts. With Chicago (and the rest of the country) being in a major heat wave, I decided to forego 45+ minutes of a 400-degree oven and just grill the fruit.
They call it “earthy, creamy, sweet perfection.” I find the flavor to be the antithesis of summer. I can see this being scooped and served as a side dish to a pork chop as part of a gastropub’s autumn menu.
One thing I will take from this recipe is the technique. Pureeing fruit, mixing with sweetened condensed milk and freezing to form a smooth, sherbet-like frozen treat. I just won’t use a fruit that’s best enjoyed in its raw, unadulterated form.
If you really want to enjoy muskmelon (what my mom used to call it), the best way is simple: fresh sliced, with maybe a sprinkle of salt (the way my mom used to eat it).
Ever heard of kudzu? We don’t have it in Chicago — but my arugula comes close.
The wild stuff is spicier, with spindly leaves.
What started as an innocent seedling bought last year from the Oak Park Farmers Market has taken over about 5 square feet of my garden patch.
Once it starts flowering, it tastes even more peppery.
“If you let it go to seed, it will sprout again next year,” the quirky plant guy told me. He wasn’t kidding. It was my first surprise harvest during the miserable month that was April 2013.
Now it’s stir-fried with other veggies; wilted into pasta dishes; ground into pesto; or simply tossed with lemon juice and olive oil for a basic side. There’s no way we will ever eat all of it. And it’s already flowering, which means it will make an appearance again in 2014.
It’s officially the first weekend of fall, and that means the return of Soupy Sunday!
This soup was inspired by Au Bon Pain’s 12-Vegetable Soup. After being drawn there for lunch three days in one week, I decided to make a pot of my own. And yes, I ate it for lunch three times last week.
Farmers market haul, with all the veggies for soup and some fruit, too.
Use whatever veggies you like; I went to my local farmers market and chose what looked good. Au Bon Pain’s soup is vegan, but this is decidedly not, using beef bones and beef stock for flavor.
11-Vegetable Soup Serves 6-8 1 extra-large zucchini 1 yellow squash 1 poblano pepper 1 Russet potato 4 carrots 1 pint shiitake mushrooms 2 shallots 2 ears corn 2 cloves garlic Soup bones (optional) Salt, pepper Olive oil 1 teaspoon coriander seeds 1 teaspoon dried rosemary 1/2 cup red wine 2 bay leaves 1 cup tomato sauce 1-2 cups stock (beef) 4-6 cups water, plus extra for simmering 1 pound fresh green beans, ends snapped and cut into bite-sized pieces 1 head kale, stalks removed and coarsely chopped
Roasting veggies smell wonderful!
Preheat oven to 425. Chop first 7 ingredients into bite-size pieces. Cut corn off cobs (reserve cobs). Smash garlic cloves and remove their skins. Spread chopped veggies and soup bones in even layers over 2-3 half sheet pans. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss. Roast 30-40 minutes. Rotate sheet trays and flip veggies with spatula halfway through.
Scrape roasted veggies, bones, leftover oil and any browned bits into soup pot. Use back of knife blade to milk corn cobs over pot. Crush coriander seeds and rosemary, and stir into veggies. Add bay leaves.
Turn burner to medium-high. When veggies start to sizzle, add red wine. Cook down wine, stirring occasionally so veggies don’t burn, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce. Cook and stir, another 2 minutes. Add water to desired soup consistency. Taste and check for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if necessary. Bring soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Drop in green beans and kale.
Reduce heat to low and simmer at least 30 minutes, and up to 2 hours, with no lid. Add water by the cup as necessary, continuing to check for seasoning every time water is
added.
We read the book “The Recipe Club” by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel, then brought a dish from the book to the event. The book was terribly written (Melodramatic pre-teens making frosted layer cakes? I don’t think so). To me, it was more of an excuse to share my cooking with other food lovers. So, I made the Golden Honey Cake:
Made with brewed tea, brandy and honey.
Here came another problem with the book: The recipe’s proportions were wrong. I had too much batter for the one cake it supposedly made. The cake rose so much, the batter seeped over the sides of the pan. Then, the middle sunk and the inside was gooey. I tried to make it look acceptable with garnishes of orange segments and thyme leaves.
Despite the problems, it tasted pretty good; I might make the Golden Honey Cake again, cutting the recipe in half for one cake. Here’s the recipe as written:
Golden Honey Cake 1 cup honey 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup warm, strong-brewed black tea 2 tablespoons brandy 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice Grated zest of 1 orange Pinch salt 1 cup dark brown sugar 2 eggs 1/2 cup slivered almonds, tossed lightly in 1 tablespoon flour
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degreees F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan or a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan and line with parchment.
2. In a large bowl combine the honey, oil, tea and brandy. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking sode, allspice, orange zest and salt.
3. Using an electric mixer, cream the brown sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Add the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Slowly beat in the dry ingredients. Fold in the almonds by hand.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until light golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes for the large cake, and about 5 minutes [sic] for the loaf.
For the [sic], I’m pretty sure they mean “5 minutes longer.” As a copy editor and avid cookbook reader, I noticed lots of problems like that throughout the book. One, for example, left off an entire ingredient.
Which begs the question: The story was ridiculous and the recipes inaccurate, so why is this book so popular?
Thankfully, many of the other Cooking Chicks felt the same way. We still got to eat and talk about our favorite thing: Food! It was a good time.
Just a quick post to tell you about something you MUST try: strawberries and balsamic vinegar over vanilla ice cream. Don’t cook the strawberries; don’t reduce the vinegar; don’t add any sugar.
We all know strawberries and balsamic vinegar pair up nicely. For me, balsamic goes with just about anything — I love the stuff so much, I could drink it. And that is just what I did last weekend, when I saw a strawberry-balsamic mojito on Barrio Urban Taqueria’s menu (PS- they have great ceviche and fish tacos, too!).
Real strawberries ... LOTS of rum ... could've used more balsamic, though!
Anyway, last night, I was finishing off my homemade vanilla ice cream. Thinking about that mojito, I topped my bowl with strawberries and a drizzle of balsamic. If it works in a drink, why not over ice cream?
My stash left over from a visit to Italy. I've been hoarding the stuff in this bottle for nearly two years now.
OH MY GOODNESS. It was one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. Vinegar over ice cream? Yes, please! It was sweet, salty and tangy. Go try it. Now!
Happy Memorial Day! While most people were grilling this weekend, I was in the kitchen whipping up some Pecan Tassies and homemade vanilla ice cream.
It should be noted that the pronunciation for these Southern cookies is "PEE-can Tassies." The other way -- "Pee-CON Tassies" -- just sounds snobbish.The tassie recipe uses whole and chopped pecans.
My childhood home had a backyard pecan tree that I didn’t appreciate. To me, the bearer of pecans was more useful for the treehouse we built in its limbs.
I’ve never been crazy about nuts in my sweets. I prefer them encrusting fish or adding crunch to a salad. But I acquiesced to my hubby, who loves all manner of pecan desserts. The cookies with a cream cheese “crust” could definitely grow on me.
Pecan Tassies Makes 12 large or 24 mini cookies | Adapted from Jim Hillibish
3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 1⁄2 cup butter plus 1 tablespoon, divided, at room temperature 1 cup flour 1 egg 3⁄4 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla Dash salt 2⁄3 cup pecans, some whole, some coarsely broken
For the pastry cups: Cream together cream cheese and 1/2 cup butter. Mix in flour. Chill about 1 hour.
Roll dough into 12 balls; place in ungreased muffin pans. Press the dough against the bottoms and up sides to make cups.
No vanilla bean? Double the amount of vanilla extract (the REAL stuff, please) for great-tasting ice cream.
For the filling: Beat together egg, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, vanilla and salt until smooth.
Drop half of the pecans into dough cups. Pour brown sugar filling over pecans. Sprinkle remaining pecans on top.
Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes or until filling is set. Cool, then remove from pans.
As an admirer of pastry arts, I was thrilled to spend my birthday last month at Mindy Segal’s Hot Chocolate. Here’s a couple shots of the work of art that is Thoughts on a Peanut Butter Cup.
From the menu: "Peanut butter mousse and 'peanut butter cup,' milk chocolate hot fudge, Concord grape syrup, peanut butter cookie dough truffles."Almost too pretty to eat ...Also sampled: Milk Chocolate Malt shake (pictured) and Cider Caramel shake.
I’m back! I’ve been readjusting to a new job, which didn’t leave much time for photographing and writing about my kitchen adventures.
I can’t wait to tell you about some of the dishes I’ve prepared and eaten over the past two months.
First, spring has FINALLY come to Chicago, and I jumped the gun with a summer fruit dessert: a raspberry-plum crostata.
Crostata = rustic pie
The idea came from this month’s issue of Bon Appetit, which originally used raspberries and rhubarb. I went to two markets and couldn’t find rhubarb. Plums still lent that tart-sweet quality that makes a great fruit dessert.
Raspberry-plum crostata Serves 4-6 | Adapted from Bon Appetit
For the crust: 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup whole wheat flour 3/4 Tbsp. sugar 1/4 tsp. kosher salt 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) of butter, cubed and chilled 1 egg yolk (save whites for egg wash) 1 1/2 teaspoons whole milk
For the filling: 2 tablespoons cornstarch 2 plums, sliced (leave skins on) 3 oz. (about half a container) fresh raspberries 1/3 cup sugar, plus extra for dusting 1 egg white, beaten with splash of water Sweetened whipped cream, for serving
Make the crust: Combine both flours, sugar, and salt in food processor; blend for 5 seconds. Add butter; pulse until butter is reduced to pea-size pieces. Whisk egg yolk and milk in a small bowl to blend; add to processor and pulse until moist clumps form. Gather dough into a ball; flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap; chill at least 1 1/2 hours.
Make the filling: Dissolve cornstarch in 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl; set aside. Combine plums, raspberries and sugar in a large heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until sugar dissolves and juices are released, about 4 minutes. Stir in cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil. Transfer to a bowl. Chill until cool, about 30 minutes.
Finish the crostata: Preheat oven to 400°. Roll out dough on floured parchment paper to 6″ round; brush with egg wash. Mound filling in center of crust; gently spread out, leaving 1 1/2″ border. Gently fold edges of dough over filling, pleating as needed. Brush border with egg wash; sprinkle with sugar. Slide parchment with crostata onto a large rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 45 minutes. Let crostata cool on baking sheet on a rack. Transfer crostata to a platter, cut into wedges, and serve with whipped cream.
I had a problem eating just one serving of this refreshing dessert.
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we could all use a bit o’ Guinness.
Even if you’re not a big fan of beer, like me, you’ll love these cupcakes. The Guinness is sort of like coffee — it just enhances the chocolate flavor. The basic idea for this recipe is all over the Internet, and I’m adding my own two cents with a special frosting.
There's a surprise inside ...... And it's ganache!
Guinness chocolate cupcakes Makes 12 1 stick unsalted butter 1/2 cup of Guinness 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/3 cup sour cream 1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup white sugar 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350. Grease muffin tins or fill with paper liners.
Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add Guinness and bring to simmer. Remove from heat and whisk in cocoa powder. One by one, beat in brown sugar, vanilla, sour cream, egg and egg yolk. Beat until smooth.
In separate bowl, sift together flour, white sugar, baking soda and salt. Dump flour mixture into wet ingredients and fold together until just combined.
Using 1/4 cup measure, fill muffin tins 3/4 of the way with batter. Bake 12 minutes. Rotate baking sheet, and bake another 12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.
Once cupcakes are cool, use apple corer to hollow out their centers and fill with chocolate ganache.
Awaiting the frosting.
You don’t have to do this part. Just keep in mind that removing the centers gives you an opportunity to sample the plain cake before it gets all dolled up. Plus, who wouldn’t want MORE chocolate in their cupcake?
Chocolate ganache 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate 1/3 cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 teaspoon Irish whiskey (optional)
Coarsely chop the chocolate and place in heat-proof bowl.
In saucepan, bring cream to simmer over medium-low heat. Pour cream over chocolate. Let sit 1 minute, then whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is shiny and smooth. Stir in butter.
Let ganache cool slightly, then scoop into piping bag (or plastic kitchen bag with snipped corner). Pipe ganache into cupcake centers.
Hint of mint cream cheese frosting 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 1/4 cup heavy cream 1/2 teaspoon mint extract 1-2 cups confectioners’ sugar Green food coloring (optional)
With electric mixer, beat cream cheese until soft and fluffy. With mixer on, slowly pour in cream. Add mint extract. With mixer still on, add confectioners sugar in 1/4-cup increments, until frosting reaches desired consistency and sweetness. Add 2 drops of food coloring for hint of green color. Use piping bag or offset spatula to frost cupcakes.
As my husband observes Lent, we’ll be eating meat-free for seven Fridays. Chop House Crab Cakes is a favorite at-home seafood dish. It’s adapted from The Chop House in Charleston, WV, whose chef shared his recipe with Charleston Magazine when we lived there.
These aren't 'no filler' crab cakes. I don't mind filler; it adds flavor!
Chop House Crab Cakes Makes 12 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 tablespoon minced onion 1/4 cup minced red peppers 1 pound lump crab meat, drained 3/4 cup bread crumbs 1 egg, plus one egg yolk 1/3 cup mayonnaise 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley and chives 1 teaspoon coarse salt 2 tablespoons canola oil
Melt butter over medium-high heat. Saute onion and red pepper until soft. Remove from heat and let cool.
In medium bowl, combine crab meat and bread crumbs. Set aside.
In large bowl, whisk together egg and egg yolk, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, lemon juice, cayenne, herbs and salt. Mix in red pepper and onion. Dump crab and bread crumbs into bowl. Fold gently into mayonnaise mixture to keep crab chunks in tact. Form mixture into patties and transfer to a large plate. Chill crab cakes for 1 hour.
To cook, heat canola oil in nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Cook crab cakes in batches. Add four patties to pan and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in 200-degree oven while you finish frying. Serve with Dijon Aioli and lemon wedges.
Dijon Aioli 1/3 cup Dijon mustard 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce Pinch of Tabasco sauce Salt, pepper
Combine all ingredients in small bowl. Serve atop crab cakes.
Tips
* These crab cakes freeze really well. Just wrap uncooked patties in plastic or foil and stash in freezer for up to a month. Thaw in fridge for a couple hours before frying.
* Try forming mixture into balls and deep frying. Delicious appetizer!
Nicole M. Markle 