Stuffed Portabellos

my favorite author is Nicholas Evans, he wrote the Horse Whisperer. i didn't particularly care for the movie (tho, hello Mr. Redford) but when i read the book, oh mercy, his lyrical prose was moving. i even drove 2 hours to NoVa to meet him at a bookstore where he was promoting his book the Divide. (for reals, loverly brit-ish accent...) anyway, a few years ago he, along with a few members of his family accidentally consumed some poisonous mushrooms, they are now on a dialysis regimen and on the kidney transplant list. oh the horror!

i like mushrooms, i always have. but i've also always had a very healthy respect for not putting random things in my mouth when hiking or camping. (let's be clear, i haven't been camping in forever but if i ever go again, i'm avoiding any kind of foraging of wild vegetation blah blah blah...) for this month's challenge, i used portobellos, big & beefy, a perfect item as a side but really, capable of being a stand alone entree. which is what i had for dinner friday night.

Stuffed Portobellos

adapted from Bon Appetit Hon

once again, no exact measurements

2 big portobellos, gills scraped off

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 zucchini, diced

1/4 fennel, sliced thinly

1 heirloom tomato, diced

1 small apple, diced

splash of olive oil & balsamic vinegar

goat cheese

preheat oven 350F.

drizzle a splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar over mushrooms, both sides. bake in oven for 5 minutes, both sides. meanwhile, saute up onions in a bit of oil until softened. add in the apples and zucchini, about 5-7 minutes, until the zuchs are soft. put the cooked mixture in a bowl and cool slightly, add in the fennel and tomatoes, mix well, season with salt. throw in a bit of goat cheese, it'll a melt a bit.

take out the 'shrooms and scoop mixture on top. return to the oven and cook for another 5 minutes. top with a bit more cheese and serve.

just so you know, the 'shrooms shrink a smidge.

Shrooms

I recently spent a weekend with my vegetarian sister. And this week I'm taking off for a trip to WA for DMB. Both remind me of mushrooms for different reasons. That will be our challenge.

Slice it, dice it, whatever.

Deadline: September 30

Limencello Cheesecake

I adore cheesecake. However, I have to admit that when I have a slice I prefer it be simple. The less bells and whistles the better. I chose to use the limencello because it's one of my favorite flavors. Anything citrus-y really.

Thank goodness the girls at work aren't dieting because it's going to the office tomorrow.

Crust:

1 pkg of graham craker crumbs

6 tsp butter, melted

2 tsp sugar

Pulse graham craker crumbs in a food processor to a fine consistency. Add melted butter and sugar. Pulse to mix. Press the crumbs into the bootom and sides of your springform pan. Bake 15 minutes at 325. Let cool while the filling is prepared.

Filling:

3 8oz packages of room temp cream cheese

1 1/4 cup sugar

4 eggs room temp

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup limencello

zest of lemon

Using your food processor or stand mixer blend the cream cheese until smooth. Add in the sugar, vanilla, limencello and lemon zest. Mix until smooth. Throw in the eggs one at a time.

Pour prepared filling into crust. Bake 1 hour at 325. Turn oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another hour or so. Resist the temptation to open the door.

Let the cheesecake cool for a bit before chilling in the fridge overnight. Unless you have an impatient roommate like myself, you should not be cutting after only 1 hour of chill time. Matt was jonesing for some sugar.

We both loved it. I'm very pleased with this recipe...no cracks at all. It came out extremely creamy and was even better after proper chill time.

White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

do you see that cheesecake? it was delicious. i was lucky that i had an actual social event to attend to give me an excuse a valid reason to make it and not consume it myself. small blessings you know.

White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake
Crust:

1 1/3 cups vanilla wafer crumbs

3 tbsp sugar

1/3 cup melted butter (or veg oil)

Press into the bottom of a lightly greased 9” springform pan.

Batter:

3 8 oz packages cream cheese

½ cup sugar

3 eggs

3 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup whipping cream

1 cup good quality white chocolate chips

1 cup whipping cream

Heat the 1/3 cup whipping cream till scalding, pour over the white chocolate chips and mix well. Set aside. In a mixer, cream the cream cheese and ½ cup of sugar, being sure to scrape down the sides. Throw in an egg, one by one, again scraping down the sides. Add in the vanilla extract. Slowly pour in the melted white chocolate mixture, being sure to scrape down and mix well. Finally, add in the final cup of whipping cream.

Pour over the prepared base and bake at 325F for about 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave it in there until it cools down completely. Remove the cake from the oven and run a sharp knife around edge of pan. Allow to cool to room temp before putting it in the fridge over night.

White Chocolate Mousse

½ cup whipping cream

8 oz white chocolate chips

1 ½ cups whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup icing sugar

Heat the whipping cream to scalding but not boiling. In a bowl, pour the hot cream over the white chocolate chips.

Set aside for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth.

Whip the 1 ½ cup whipping cream till firm peaks. Add in the vanilla extract and icing sugar.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the chocolate into the whipped cream. Chill for a couple of hours or until firm before piping it on top of the cheesecake. Top with raspberries.

Cheesecake Throwdown

big k and i have discussed it. we've neglected this blog for too long. we blame pat. him and his chicken/biscuit challenge...

this month's challenge is Cheesecake.

deadline: August 15th.

Winter? What's Winter?

Subject line has nothing to do with anything, ok I'm kidding. It's the middle of winter and what warms you up better than a nice piping hot bowl of soup? Well, this month's challenge is not soup, or stew or anything like that.

This month's challenge is chicken AND biscuits. Not chicken or biscuits. Chicken and biscuits. Crispy, juicy delicious chicken. Flaky, soft buttery delicious biscuits. The combination that can't be beat.

Try different breading, panko, pulverized cereal, honey, hot sauce, but make it delicious ...

Deadline Feb 28th, 2010.

Finally...Fudge!

Many moons after the deadline, here is my post. I bring to you peanut butter and chocolate swirled fudge. PB and chocolate are one of my top favorite flavor combos. I could eat it daily.

Recipe:

1/2 cup butter

2 1/4 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup peanut butter (i chose creamy but i'm sure crunchy would be delish)

1 tsp vanilla (i used a combo of extract and vanilla bean)

3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Melt butter then add the brown sugar and milk. Bring to a boil stirring frequently. Let it boil for two minutes. Remove from heat and add the peanut butter and vanilla. Pour mixture into confectioners sugar and blend. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into 8x8 pan and chill.

The result is delicious. Matt, who doesn't like fudge, liked this kind. I kept a few pieces for us, but boxed up the rest to be sent to a friend. Better on his thighs than mine.

Packing Fudge

i used this recipe but added a bit of melted white chocolate on top to make it all marble-y. you know, cus it's kinda fancy looking etc.

this chocolate goodness tho, was not was for me to consume. all this chocolate-y goodness was sent to a friend for his birthday.

grow that ass.

And the kitchen sink!

Ok, first off, I've been really busy and sick in bed therefore my posting is 3 days behind - yet I'm still the FIRST to post?!?!

Second off, this challenge turned out to be a challenge. Not because the topic was hard, but was to pick to put into my fudge! Recipe was simple:

10 oz White chocolate chips
8 oz Milk chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp Vanilla
1 stick butter
4 peanut butter cups chopped
6 oreos chopped
1 cup of sugar

Combine all the ingredients except for the oreos and peanut butter cups into a saucepan and bring to a very gentle simmer, and then turn it down to low. Let simmer for 10-15 mins until the mixture is utterly smooth. Turn OFF heat and take off stove, let cool for 30 mins, occasionally stirring the mixture. After 30 mins, add in peanut butter cups and oreos. (I was going to add marshmallows too, but I didn't) Combine thoroughly and then pour into a baking sheet to set.

Challenge: Fudge

Make different flavors, colors, whatever. Make it interesting. I've never made it from scratch so who knows what will happen. And if you don't like fudge, it's a great office gift for someone (or you can send to charlotte!!).

Due date: Dec 31.

Good luck!

Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

Halloween starts the holiday sugar fest for me. When pumpkin was decided for this challenge, I knew the result would be something sweet coming out of my oven.

I bent the rules. I made a pumpkin cake, but it's not made of pumpkin....it IS a pumpkin!

The flavor is a basic spice cake baked in a bundt pan. The icing is maple syrup flavored. Basically, it's a package of cream cheese, 1/2 stick of butter, four cups of powdered sugar, and maple syrup....(not Aunt Jemima)....i probably used 3 or 4 tablespoons. Any more and it would be too runny.

Obviously I tinted the icing. I used my red and yellow tubes....then threw in a dollop of my orange paste. The paste really adds more depth in color. For the stem I used an ice cream cone....the kind you don't like to eat because they taste like styrofoam. I piped the green lines which I hope gives it a more round look.

I'm taking it to work tomorrow. I secretly hope that the icing turns everyone's teeth orange.

Until next time fellow doorknobs...keep those ovens and buns hot!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Bowlful of Fall: Pumpkin Gnocchi & Wilted Kale

like my cousin, i am not a fan of pumpkin. pumpkin pie makes me suicidal. ok, not really but i don't like the stuff. i've played with pumpkin before, making a soup and challah. when i decided to make pumpkin be this month's challenge, it was my intention to celebrate the coming autumn season (even tho i lament the cold), but also to play with an ingredient i normally avoid.

i went with pumpkin gnocchi, figuring that the pumpkin flavor wouldn't be overwhelming. i know Pat already did gnocchi for the roll challenge but whatever. i also decided to incorporate another ingredient i don't usually play with: kale. tis the season, yo. the finished product turned out well, the gnocchi wasn't too pumpkin-y, the kale was mild and a perfect complement to the gnocchi. success!



Wilted Kale

for this portion of the recipe, it's my typical angry asian style of dumping whatever is in my fridge into the pan.

a bunch of kale, cleaned and rough chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
handful of shiitake mushroom, sliced
a few sprigs of thyme
olive oil
salt/pepper to taste
lemon juice

in a large pan, heat up the olive oil. add in the onions and sautee till translucent. throw in the garlic and mix around, be sure not to burn it. add in the kale and maybe a splashful of water. i pulled some thyme leaves off the stem and added that too. i cooked this for about 20 minutes, or until i finished making the gnocchi, making sure to add a spoonful of water every now and again. at the last minute, i threw in the mushrooms.

Pumpkin Gnocchi

1/2 cup pureed pumpkin, either fresh or from a can
1 large egg yolk
12 Tbl flour, i divied it up 6 AP, 6 Whole Wheat

mix together the pumpkin puree and egg yolk in a medium sized bowl. add half the flour until incorporated. slowly add the rest of the flour, by tablespoon, until a dough forms. on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for a few minutes. if the dough is still too sticky, add more flour, but a little at a time. when it doesn't stick to everything anymore, divide the dough into four balls. roll them out, into snake-like formations. with a dough cutter, (i don't have one, i used my pizza cutter), cut out little 1-2" pieces. i've seen gnocchi with cute indentions and whatever on them. i wasn't interested in that, i was hungry...

to cook the gnocchi, bring a pot of water to boil. add about a tablespoon of salt. cook the gnocchi in batches. when they're first put into the pot, they sink right to the bottom but when they're cooked, they float up to the surface. easy.

add to the pan of kale and allow to mix thru.

to serve, i added a splash of lemon juice. separately, the kale came out great, i would've been happy to nibble on it sans gnocchi, which turned out nice too. but together, it was lovely. just like autumn in a bowl.

I'm not a fan of pumpkin ...

... but I did enjoy what I made! Maybe there's some hope for pumpkinisms.

This summer, I failed miserably at getting around to making vichyssoise, aka potato leek soup. Now that the temps have dropped and fall is here, it's the perfect time for soup, warm/hot soup! I scoured the internet for a good recipe, didn't find one that I loved so I started with one that I came across from Alton Brown ... well very loosely.

You're going to need:

6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
4-6 leeks, cleaned, green leaves removed
1/2 large onion (yellow/spanish)
Half (or more if you wish) small pumpkin
Cream
Buttermilk
Salt
Pepper
Worcestershire sauce
Chives
Garlic
Garlic powder
Vegetable stock
Butter

Preheat oven to 425. Cut up pumpkin into chunks, you'll need to remove the rind, seeds, etc. Place onto cookie sheet, drizzle with some olive oil, garlic powder, pepper. Place into oven and roast pumpkin for about 20 mins. You'll need to turn the pieces.



Clean the leeks, remove the tops and then make sure to remove all the dirt and grit from the stalk, I just soak in a bowl of cold water, it should fall to the bottom. Cut leeks in half stem-length and then into smaller pieces. Set aside. Peel and cube potatoes, set aside.

In a saucepan, add in 3 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp olive oil, sweat the chopped leeks with 2 cloves crushed garlic, and chopped onion until tender/translucent.

Add in 5 cups vegetable stock to the sauteed leeks, turn heat down to low/simmer. Add in potatoes and let simmer covered for 20 mins.

Take roasted pumpkin and cut into cubes, similar in size to potatoes, add to rest of ingredients in saucepan.



Continue to simmer for another 30 mins, until a bit of the stock has burned off. Add in 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce. Salt & pepper to taste. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 5 mins.

Place soup into a blender and blend until smooth. Add in 1 cup of buttermilk, 1 cup of cream, 3 tbsp butter. Blend until mixture is smooth. Serve while still hot, top with chives, or if you want to get crazy, some crumbled bacon.



I thoroughly enjoyed it, it was smooth, creamy, savory and delicious. It smelled like fall.

October Lurve

this month's challenge:

pumpkin.

deadline: October 31st.

make it happen.

Sun-dried tomato bread

I concur with Lan....where has the time gone? The summer has been so busy...the days flew by and my post is super late. However, it's here. I didn't follow the rules to the "t" b/c I didn't use fresh tomatoes. I know. I couldn't find what I wanted at the farmer's markets b/c the earlier birds snagged everything. So, following Lan's cooking techniques....I used what I had in the kitchen. What I had was a giant sized jar of sun-dried tomatoes (costco is my new love), basic baking ingredients, and one mother of a zuke that a friend brought me. I made a savory loaf of bread using my ingredients.

The recipe is basic:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup grated zuke (some say to squeeze the juice out, but i didn't)

dried herbs (i used rosemary and thyme)

crushed garlic

tons of sundried tomato cut into smaller pieces

baking soda

baking powder

salt

2 eggs

Bake at 350 for an hour-ish. maybe just 50 minutes. the house smelled like an italian eatery.

I made this just before the guys came over for dinner and they ate nearly all of it, so I didnt' get a chance to get any fancy pics...not that I really do much of that anyway.

Lan and Patrick, your posts look delish...nice job!

Until next time fellow doorknobs, keep those buns and ovens hot!

Fried Green Tomatoes

oh but i'm late this month. where has the time gone? i actually made this particular dish a month ago and procrastinated with the posting of it. oops. so without further ado... i present Fried Green Tomatoes. i've read the book and seen the movie countless times. i've scanned recipes that include bacon grease, chocolate (!), lard... oh the list goes on and on. i kept it simple. i wanted a crunch, i wanted some tartness and most importantly, i wanted a good dipping sauce that had a kick.

slice tomatoes on the thicker side, maybe half an inch. dredge in flour, egg wash and then cornmeal. fry it up in some hot ass veggie oil until golden brown. drain on paper towels.

for the sauce, i combined: mayo, horseradish, ketchup and maybe a pinch of salt. to thin it out, i add some water.

so until next time, keep your kitchen warm, your apron on and try to keep your jeans from getting too snug...
Angry Asian

Sometimes keeping it simple works ...

So two weeks ago or so - I ended up at the farmers market that sets up every week next to my office. The pickings were diverse and I started out with the following tomatoes (don't the look absolutely delicious?)





I stared at them, and frankly scoured the internet to possible new recipes to try or twist up - but I kept coming back to the how good they looked as is. All the recipes I found were either too convoluted, or frankly - too much work given the hotness of the weather the last two weeks. And so I asked my stomach what it really enjoyed with tomatoes and of course I ended up making things I like eating over three days. Relatively simple, delicious and won't work up a sweat by cranking on the burner or oven.

First up was a splendid caprese salad, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, lots of basil and a balsamic vinaigrette drizzled over top with a bit of extra virgin olive oil to top it. I solely used the heirlooms ...



Next up was, of course bruschetta. Dived roma's, heirlooms, basil, salt, pepper and of course a bit of the balsamic vinaigrette served atop toasted (w/extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper) crusty bread ...



And lastly - my epitome of summer salads. Spicy tomato, avocado, roasted corn salad. I used a sampling of all the tomatoes I bought including heirlooms, roma, cherry, grape, yellow and field tomatoes with large chunks of avocado, lots of jalapenos, roasted corn, ample cilantro and a tangy lemon, cider vinegar dressing.



Simple, but I thoroughly enjoyed every bite over three nights ...

What does summer bring?

It's the middle of July which means the farm stands around here in Boston are in abundance with local fruits, vegatables and herbs. Everything is ripe for the picking and every summer I spend countless days perusing the markets hoarding vast amounts of fresh goods. It's peak tomato season, so this month's challenge is tomatoes! Cold gazpacho soups! Summer salads! Grilled with your steaks! Or simply paired with some very fresh mozzarella and basil. Let's get creative. Try new varieties, cherry, grape, heirloom, yellow, orange ...

Deadline is August 30th!

Apple of My Eye

For this month's challenge I stuck to tradition. An apple pie. It felt appropriate for July 4th. This, along with some baseball and fireworks (beer too!) and I'm happy.

I used two types of apples: Red Delicious and Braeburn. I gave Granny Smith a thought, but decided against the old gal.

The crust, which I anticipated, was my real challenge. However, this time it was easier to roll and deal with. I have to remind myself to move a little faster though b/c it warms quickly and likes to stick to the counter.

Basic crust:

2 cups flour

1 tsp of salt

3/4 cup chilled crisco (i had butter but wanted to save it for my brownies)

Filling:

5 apples peeled (any mixture you'd like)

1 cup of white sugar (i decreased this and added brown. i like mee dang)

healthy dashes of cinnamon

pinch of salt

quite a few grates of nutmeg (which i freakin' love btw)

2 tb flour

I tossed my apples with the dry ingredients and immediately the kitchen smelled of fall. it seemed fitting b/c although it's July, it was fairly cool for us NC folk.

I rolled out the bottom portion of the dough and layed it in the pie dish, then filled it with the apple mixture. For the top, I attempted the lattice look. Again, I wasn't moving quick enough so the strands started to break on me. I don't have the easy cut out tool that Sandra Lee. My pie has the more rustic look like Grandma Walton would have baked. I was out of eggs so I brushed milk on the crust and gave it a slight sprinkle of sugar.

Bake at 375 degrees for one hour and voila!

Until next time, fellow doorknobs, keep those ovens and buns HOT!

Blueberry peach tart (not pie!)

Ok - so I was wrestling with a few different possibilities this month and my intentions were to make a pulled pork coleslaw pie, but I thought that was a bit over the top, so I decided on using fruits of the summer. Blueberries and peaches are in season, why not make a tart out of it. And yes, I didn't make a pie, pies and tarts are essentially the same to me, except I'm not a huge fan of too much crust, a tart was the next logical choice. I've made apple tarts, pear tarts, even peach tarts in the past, except this time I decided to twist it up a bit in the prep of the peaches and blueberries instead of just throwing them into a crust and baking w/sugar.

Here's what you'll need:

Crust:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
pinch of salt
3 oz cold cold butter cubed
cold water

Combine flour, salt into a food processor, add in cold (cold!) butter until you get breadcrumb consistency. Add in cold water a bit at a time until the dough comes together, roll out on floured surface and gently lay into your tart pan. Trim off the edges. I opted to try out a new silicon tart pan this time instead of using a generic metal one. I like it a lot, non-stick!

Filling:
5 semi-ripe yellow (or white but I prefer yellow) peaches
1 container blueberries
1 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon (split into 2)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoon butter

Bring a quart of water to boil and add in 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar. Place peaches into the pot once it starts to boil and let simmer for 5-7 mins depending on how firm your peaches are. Remove and run under cold water immediately. Halve peaches to remove pit and the skins should come right off. Set aside on a plate. Preheat oven to 425.

Take the other 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar, combine with 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon, ginger mix thoroughly, add to the bottom of your pie tart covering the bottom of the pan.

In a sauce pan, add 1 tablespoon of water with 1 cup light brown sugar set to medium high until the brown sugar begins to dissolve and lightly bubble and add in 1/2 tablespoon remaining cinnamon. Once sugar begins to bubble, place halved peaches into the pan being careful not to splash hot sugar. Let simmer, flip cut site down occasionally for 5-8 mins, until peaches become tender.



Remove the peaches from the syrup placing them cut side down into the dough. Add into the syrup the package of blueberries and let simmer for 2 mins. Turn off heat, and add blueberries into tart pan covering gaps. Drizzle some of the syrup onto the top of the tart before placing into oven. Bake for 20-25 mins.



Remove from oven, let set for 30-40 mins. Serve warm plain or with a bit of vanilla ice cream!