Patty's Food

Coconut Friands or Friendly Little Coconut Cakes

2012-01-30T08:35:00.000-08:00

I don't know why I ended up with a huge bag of dried coconut in my pantry but that's one of the reasons I made these delicate melt in your mouth French style mini cakes called coconut friands, the auto correct keeps changing the word friands to friends so I'm going to try and write this post without typing friends or friands, there it goes again! The other reason I baked these little coconut cakes is that a friend of mine gave me a couple of those cool silicone baking molds and I was curious to give them a try, at long last!-I've only had them in my pantry for about 4 years. She gave me two different shapes, the one I used for these mini coconut cakes and the other shape is a little pyramid that I think would be good for small chocolate cakes. Maybe in another 4 years I'll give the other shape a try, just being honest but I know that sounds bad. The truth is that the older you get the more stuff you acquire and it kind of backs up, not as bad as I've seen on on a certain TV show that is pretty depressing to watch but all the same when you like to cook both the gadgets and ingredients in the pantry can build up in the kitchen. It's not always easy to lighten your load, sometimes you have to make tough decisions about what stays and what goes. There's always that thought that someday you might need one of those handy objects or unusual ingredients that you've got squirreled away but I've noticed that most likely if you haven't used something in a year you won't ever use it.
Writing about stuff, I should also mention that I found 4 place settings of the vintage silverware in the above photo on a shelf in my garage that I completely forgot about! It was in a jar and almost completely black so I polished it up and thought, maybe I should look on ebay for more of this pattern, it's so sweet with that spray of flowers on the handles. But I won't and I'm making a promise to myself to use the small pyramid shaped silicone molds this year and finish off that bag of coconut in the very near future!

Ingredients & Directions for Friendly Little Coconut Cakes
Adapted from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan

4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1&1/2 cups shredded unsweetened dried coconut
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1/2 cup or 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Preheat the oven to 350°F
Spray 2- 9 mini fluted cup silicone molds

In a large bowl whisk the egg whites until foamy, stir in the remaining ingredients one at a time and gently beat into a thick shiny batter. At this point the batter can be saved for several days in the refrigerator
before baking off the cakes. Spoon the batter into the prepared molds until just below the top. Place the 2 filled molds together on a baking sheet. Bake for about 20-24 minutes. They are done when slightly browned and spring back when touched. A toothpick inserted in the cakes should come out clean. The cakes should pop right out of the molds and be cooled on a metal rack. The top of the cake which will become the bottom can be trimmed so the cake stands up evenly when served. Dust with powdered sugar if you like.

I don't normally post recipes from Around My French Table but this recipe is on blogs all over the web so I decided that I would rather pass it on here where I can write the instructions myself. I did slightly adapt it by using the silicone molds instead of the original mini muffin pans called for in this recipe.

Makes 18 little coconut cakes

Broth Braised Yukon Gold Potatoes for French Fridays with Dorie

2012-01-26T15:40:00.000-08:00

Tonight I'm serving my Broth Braised Yukon Gold Potatoes on the side with New York strip steaks, roasted red peppers and arugula salad but I can also see these delicate cubed potatoes served alongside chicken or fish. The small cubes of peeled Yukon Gold potatoes cook in the broth to make their own creamy sauce which I think hits the spot served in a small bowl so as not to miss a single drop of the deliciousness. The recipe for broth braised potatoes infused with fresh herbs, garlic, lemon zest and olive oil from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan is a simple French comfort food that I will be adding to my repertoire of healthy potato dishes. Here is a link to the recipe which we have been asked not to print on our sites. Please follow this link to French Fridays with Dorie to check out all the Broth Braised Potatoes from the kitchens of Doristas sharing their dishes from around the world.

This week I received 2 blogging awards from fellow Doristas, I would like to thank Teresa at One Wet Foot for the Liebster Blog Award and Lizzy at That Skinny Chick Can Bake for the Inspirational Blog Award. Please check out their delicious blogs and thanks again Ladies for honoring me with these awards!

Honey Challah with Flax

2012-01-23T06:43:00.000-08:00

I baked a challah last week and thank goodness I took these pictures quickly because even with just the two of us it disappeared fast. One of my new year's resolutions was to bake more bread, that and lose weight, talk about unclear on the concept, oh well. This recipe for a healthier challah with spelt flour, honey and whole meal flax comes from King Arthurs Flour. I forgot how good fresh baked yeast bread makes the house smell and how wonderful a piece of warm bread drizzled with honey tastes. My challah didn't make it to the tailgate before the heart breaking 49ers game yesterday but it's just as well because even without fresh bread we shared an amazing spread with our friends and family in the parking lot before the game.
We left our house at 9:30am, made one stop in the city to pick up friends who came in from New Mexico for the game. By the time we arrived at the first freeway exit for the stadium around 10:15am for a 3:30pm game the traffic was already backing up. We made the right decision to get off the freeway and go around the back of the stadium to wait in traffic as the parking lot was still closed, everybody who stayed on the freeway was stuck in horrible traffic as they inched their way into the lot when it finally opened. It was pouring rain when we arrived but we weren't the first ones in our group and thankfully we had a pop up to stand under while the grill was fired up and a first course of barbecued oysters was served followed by tri tip, sausages, chicken and vegetable skewers. The rest of our group trickled into the lot and eventually we were around 20 people huddling together eating and drinking wine in the rainy, windy and flooded parking lot- a great bonding moment for all the tailgating 49er faithful fans. The people next to us were making tacos and generously shared one with me which made me remember to share my peanut butter truffle brownies and glazed truffle brownies, recipes from the brownie collection(35 recipes!!!) of Lizzy at That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!! They received rave reviews both in the lot before the game as well as in the press box.

As I mentioned earlier, the 49ers loss to the New York Giants was a heart breaker for all of us 49er faithful fans. To say the least the home crowd was subdued walking back to the car in the rain after the game. We were so close to ending our journey with a trip to the Super Bowl after such a winning season. I am very proud of the 49ers season, the efforts of the team and our son Taylor Price. We had a great run and once again I am very proud to be a 49 faithful, just sorry to see our season with this great group of guys end!

Ingredients And Directions For Honey Challah With Flax

Adapted From King Arthur's Flour

1/2 cup warm water

1/4 cup grape seed oil

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon raw local honey, I used Bee-Happy Honey

2 large eggs

1 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup spelt flour

1/2 cup whole flax meal

1 & 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1 package active dry yeast

Place warm water in a small bowl, stir in teaspoon of honey, sprinkle yeast on top and set aside for a few minutes to bubble up.

In another bowl stir together the flours, whole flax meal and sea salt, set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook pour in the yeast mixture, oil, the rest of the honey and the eggs and stir to combine. Dump in the flour mixture and mix on a medium speed until you have a smooth, slightly sticky ball of dough that climbs up the dough hook. Remove the dough from the mixer, place in a slightly oiled large bowl, cover and place in a draft free spot for about 2 hours. The dough should be double in size before you remove it from the bowl. Gently deflate the dough and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough in 3 equal pieces to make a three strand braided challah. Roll each piece into a rope and braid together. Carefully pick up your loaf of bread and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with a lightly oiled sheet of plastic wrap. Allow to rise until very puffy, not quite double in size, about 60-90 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350F towards the end of the second rise. For a darker brown shiny crust on your challah make an egg glaze by whisking an egg and a drop of water together in a small bowl. Brush this egg glaze over the top of your challah and sprinkle with sesame seeds if you desire. Bake for around 25 minutes until the crust is shiny and brown and the loaf sounds hollow when the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Remove your challah from the oven and allow to cool on a metal rack.

Makes one beautiful challah!

Meyer Lemon Quatre-Quarts with Berries & Cream for French Fridays

2012-01-19T17:20:00.000-08:00

As we get closer to the weekend and the SF 49ers playoff game against the Giants for a place in the Super Bowl- my heart is filled with pride for our team and my son Taylor. This has been a dream season for the team and their fans here in the Bay Area. Some of you know that my son Taylor is the Digital Media Coordinator for the team from what I share on Facebook and Twitter. My husband Scott, myself and our entire family have followed Taylor's career with pride this past few years and are thrilled that he is experiencing this incredible season with the 49ers. I'm preparing myself for the game by sticking to my routine of bringing goodies to the game for the press box and for sure wearing my lucky red boots. And you thought I was going to write about French cake, Meyer lemons or berries! Okay just a few notes.... I decided to flavor my cake with Meyer lemon zest and juice as I have a small stash of my favorite- Meyer lemons. I splurged and bought berries at the market because I knew immediately when I read the recipe that I wanted to serve them with my cake. I like this simple cake and will make it again possibly using cognac or rum instead of the lemon flavor. I also found this cake to be very photogenic. For the most part the French Fridays with Dorie recipes have all presented photography challenges in one way or another that have pushed me out of my box. I appreciate the simplicity of photographing food for my blog that is not melting, coagulating or drying out while I try to get that perfect shot. Please check out the other Quatre-Quarts at French Fridays with Dorie, an online cooking group working our way through Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan. Also consider picking up the book and joining this cooking adventure with our group.

This cake is not overly sweet which makes it perfect to enjoy in the afternoon with a cup of tea. I would love to find a similar recipe for a chocolate Quatre-Quarts cake. As simple as this cake is to make it's fun to spend a little time dressing it up to serve for company. I added a few berries, a sprinkle of powdered sugar, some lemon zest and a nasturtium flower on top of mine.

After cutting the cake I spooned creme fraiche, berries and a sprinkling of powdered sugar over each piece before serving. I had fun with this recipe and I'm looking forward to seeing what everybody else in the group did this week.

Sorry I couldn't find a link to this recipe(just found it!) and we've been asked not to give out the recipes from Around My French Table. I was surprised to find a few nasturtium flowers that I used to decorate my cake left in the garden after all our freezing cold nights.

Spiced Chai Tea Concentrate with Bee-Happy Honey

2012-01-15T17:01:00.000-08:00

We were thrilled to be recipients of a jar of honey from the first harvest of Bee-Happy Honey of Boulder, Colorado. In fact it couldn't have arrived at a better time for me. Like many people at this time of year I've been a little under the weather with a sore throat that I can't seem to shake. This jar of Rocky Mountain wildflower honey was part of a thoughtful gift box of goodies from friends who have started keeping bees at their home in Boulder, Colorado. My first thought was to stir a generous spoonful of honey into a hot mug of tea, open up a good book and get back in bed. But, then I started thinking about my blog and how I've never posted a hot drink sweetened with artisanal honey especially from Ginger's "Girls" first harvest. I actually started to feel better, isn't the power of positive thinking amazing? I searched for a hot drink using honey in wonderful little cookbook I have called, Covered In Honey by Mani Niall and there it was, a recipe for homemade Chai. I'm probably late to jump on the 'it's so good homemade' Chai Tea Concentrate bandwagon, but better later than never. I adapted the recipe to include spices and a tea blend that I enjoy. Thanks Ginger for the honey and the inspiration.

Ingredients and Directions for Spiced Chai Concentrate with Bee-Happy Honey
makes 12 servings

6 cups water
2 coin size slices fresh ginger, slightly crushed
2 sticks cinnamon
2 strips orange zest
12 whole cardamom pods, crushed
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
10 whole cloves
2 whole star anise pods
1/4 teaspoon pink peppercorns, crushed
3 heaping tablespoons loose Orange Pekoe Tea, I used Peet's Masala Chai tea blend
2-4 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup unpasteurized local honey, I used Bee-Happy honey

Bring the water to boil in a large pot. Add all the spices, orange zest and loose tea. Turn off the heat and allow to steep for 20 minutes. Strain using a fine strainer, add the honey and brown sugar(to taste). Enjoy your concentrated Chai tea by mixing one part tea with one part milk, I used soy milk. Store your Chai tea concentrate in the refrigerator for 2 weeks if it lasts that long!

This past week I was honored to be the featured blogger on America's Test Kitchen for my Meyer Lemon Rosemary Bar Cookies, just wanted to share what a thrill it was to be contacted and congratulated on my Twitter by America's Test Kitchen!

M. Jacques' Armagnac Chicken for French Fridays with Dorie

2012-01-13T05:08:00.000-08:00

Considering what a gorgeous day we had today, in the high 60s, it sure feels cold tonight. The next chance of rain we have is for the middle of next week, this warm dry unseasonable weather is weird but we could have solid rain next month so you just never know, best to enjoy this weather while we have it. Cold nights are perfect for comfort food especially French inspired comfort food like this Armagnac chicken recipe from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan. This chicken dish is a simple one pot recipe complete with vegetables and a sauce. Once you've placed all the ingredients in a heavy pot and placed it in a hot oven the whole thing cooks itself leaving you free to relax, read, take a walk or work on your to-do lists for the new year. Now that's my kind of low key chicken recipe for a cold Winter's night. I doubled up on the carrots and added garlic to the dish but other than those small changes I followed the recipe as written. I give it high marks in the everyday easy delicious French chicken recipe category and will be making it again soon. Please check out the other contributors to French Fridays with Dorie, an online cooking group working their way through the recipes in Around My French Table.

What piece of the chicken is your favorite? Can you guess which one is mine? The potatoes, carrots and sauce was pretty good too. Next week's recipe is for a French cake, Quatre-Quarts and I'm looking forward to dressing it up berries and whipped cream, so much for my new year's resolution. I know- I'll use fresh berries and low fat yogurt to dress it up, see it's not that hard to be good.

Meyer Lemon Bar Cookies with Rosemary

2012-01-10T11:30:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of baking light and healthier in January here is a reduced fat recipe for lemon bars that is so good you won't miss the extra calories. I adapted this lemon bar recipe from another new to me 'lightened up' cook book America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2012, I added finely chopped rosemary to the crust, used Meyer lemons and mixed the zest into the granulated sugar for the filling to pack a bigger lemony punch. I also used low fat vanilla yogurt instead of whole milk in the crust. I don't understand why they call for a tablespoon of whole milk in this recipe, who has whole milk in their kitchen?( especially when trying to eat lighter). Generally I would say that lemon bars are not safe anywhere near me, so I read the recipes, look at the pictures and drool over them in bakeries- all at a safe distance. But, I just read that if you walk for one hour a day you can add 200 calories a day to your say 1200 calorie a day diet and still lose weight. These lemon bars weigh in at 190 calories, wow 10 calories to spare! And they are really good, I gave my husband Scott one after dinner and he wanted another one, sorry only one a day if you walked an hour. They also have a good herbal flavor from the rosemary which compliments the lemon flavor. I could write all day but I need to get walking and I think you know why. The rest of these beauties are packed in a container to be shared later.

Meyer lemons and rosemary are two of my favorites, used in pasta, with chicken, on grilled vegetables brushed with olive oil or just in a bowl to admire on your table. What would you do with Meyer lemons and rosemary?

Ingredients and Directions for Meyer Lemon Bar Cookies with Rosemary
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2012

For the crust
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits and chilled
1 tablespoon low fat vanilla yogurt

For the filling
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg and 1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
6 tablespoons lemon juice from 2-3 Meyer lemons
1 tablespoon powdered sugar(for dusting on top)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare an 8" square pan by lightly spraying the inside of the pan with baking spray before lining it with 2 long sheets of aluminum foil folded to fit inside and placed perpendicular to each other in the pan. Cut the sheets long enough to hang over the sides to use as handles to lift out the baked lemon bars before cutting into squares. Spray the inside of foil lined pan with baking spray.

Please note- this is an extra step that I think gives the bar a more lemony flavor- in a small bowl mix the lemon zest into the granulated sugar for the filling and set aside.

For the crust process the flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, rosemary, baking powder and salt until well combined. Add all the butter and vanilla yogurt to the flour mixture at once and pulse at least a dozen times before turning out into the prepared pan and pressing into an even layer. See photo below (footprints in the sand!) notice the size of the butter pieces, they can be fairly big and press into a nice buttery but light crust.

Bake until evenly browned about 20 minutes. Cool the crust on a metal rack for at least 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Prepare the filling by whisking together the eggs, granulated sugar mixed with lemon zest, flour and the salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the lemon juice and pour over the cooled crust. Bake until filling is set- about 20 minutes. Cool completely on a metal rack before lifting the bars out of the pan with the foil. Cut into 9 squares(190 calories each) and dust with confectioners sugar.
Makes 9 bars

The garden is dry and the mornings are so frosty- I should water and cover my Meyer lemon tree today!

My Top 10 Favorite Links for French Fridays with Dorie in 2011

2012-01-06T02:40:00.000-08:00

The beginning of January is a time for reflection on what we've accomplished in the past year as well as a time to be inspired as we look forward to the new year. In that spirit and just for fun I'm sharing my favorites from French Fridays with Dorie beginning with the very first recipe I made back in March from Around My French Table, #1 Cheese and Chive Bread, One of my resolutions from last year was to join an online cooking group and become a regular participant. I chose to become a Dorista primarily because of my love of French cooking and the opportunity to cook/bake from Around My French Table with a group of like minded individuals. We have been asked not to share the recipes on our blogs but many of these recipes are available from various sources, most often from Dorie Greenspan, the author of Around My French Table on her blog or elsewhere. I do highly recommend picking up a copy of the book so you can have easy access to all the recipes and beautiful photos. Please follow this link to French Fridays with Dorie to check out the delicious weekly offerings from the rest of the group, affectionately known as 'Doristas', a name that I believe was coined by our very own member poet, Trevor at sis.boom.blog.

What I didn't realize at the time I started cooking with the group was that I was going to make wonderful connections with other French food loving people from all over the country and world! I would like to invite the group to my home for a cup of tea and a plate of my #2 favorite Salted Butter Break-Ups. I bake a lot of cookies and these are favorites because of 3 main things, #1 You get to use sel gris, french sea salt, in a cookie dough containing a small brick of unsalted butter(yum!), #2 You get to pound the dough with your rolling pin, some days that can feel pretty good and #3 Accuracy doesn't count, you can break up these cookies with reckless abandon.

Number #3, I'm starting to feel like David Letterman, is Chocolate Eclairs with Thick Ganache, one of the top ten signs your waistband is getting tight!

I can't forget about the recipe for #4 Bistrot Paul Bert Pepper Steak which includes flaming Cognac in the sauce! I did save a few calories by serving my steak with oven roasted wedges of potatoes, lightly coated with olive oil, of course.

I made #5 Tourteau de Chevre several times last year and was asked to share the recipe-seeing it again inspires me to make another one.

#6 Spinach, Potato and Bacon Quiche makes a satisfying offering to your guests as a starter, as well as a main dish for a lunch or brunch. How can you miss with such a versatile dish in your repertoire and that is why it earned a highly coveted space on my FFWD top 10!!

Arriving at #7 we have Melon Berry Soup with Triple Ginger Cookies which I enjoyed and enjoyed!

I put my own twist on #8 Corn Soup with Tomato and Sugar Snap Pea Salad by adding a crunchy salad as a topping on the corn soup. I can't wait until next Summer when fresh corn is available to make this again.

I guess it was just a few weeks ago that I was baking Christmas Cookies- feels like last year. One of my favorite new cookie recipes this year was...#9 Speculoos with Nutella Sandwich Cookies, the dough baked up like a charm and made my house smell like Christmas.

And last but not least... #10 Bubble-Top Brioches and A Weekend In Paris. What can I say about a weekend in Paris, it went by in a flash and the memories are like a delicious dream. Dorie's recipe for bubble top brioches also worked like a dream and I made these rolls several times around the holidays.

Bonne Année! Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed my Top 10.

Persimmon Spelt Tea Bread with Toasted Walnuts

2012-01-03T14:12:00.000-08:00

As most of us slip back into our post holiday routines I realize that simple baking is one of my favorite pastimes and that baking on Tuesday mornings makes the most sense as that is the day I pick up Noah, my grandson, from school. Noah has a sweet tooth, like me, and I really do enjoy how much he likes my homemade baked goodies. I used the last of my bowl of very ripe Hachiya persimmons, which easily made the cut for the tea bread I baked this morning. I adapted a recipe from Cooking Light's Way to Bake which I ordered sometime last month as part of my annual New Year's resolution to bake healthier. I found several simple recipes for cookies, breads, muffins etc, not too terribly fat-free, that I'm going to try over the next few months. My persimmon bread looks like banana bread in the pictures and frankly the texture is really not too far off. If you look closely at the slices of the bread you will notice, among the pieces of toasted walnuts, small orange flecks of the persimmons. The flavors of the persimmon, toasted walnuts and spices are pronounced in this not overly sweet tea bread which I found to be tender and very fragrant from the oven. I tried a slice still slightly warm with a cup of tea this morning, yum- one of the rewards of home baking!

Ingredients and Directions for Persimmon Spelt Tea Bread with Toasted Walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F and coat 2- 8"x4" loaf pans with baking spray

1&1/2 cups spelt flour

1&1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Penzeys baking spice(cinnamon, ground anise seed, mace, cardamom)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup ripe Hachiya persimmon pulp, from 2 persimmons

1/2 cup vanilla soy milk or 1% low fat milk

1/3 cup melted unsalted butter

1 tablespoon walnut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 cup walnuts, toasted & chopped

In a medium bowl combine the flours, baking soda, salt and baking spice. Whisk together and set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer combine the sugar, persimmon pulp, soy milk, melted butter, walnut oil, vanilla and eggs. Beat on medium speed until blended. Add the persimmon mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients stirring until blended, add the toasted walnuts. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pans and smooth out the top.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into bread comes out clean. Bread will be deep brown and pulling away from the sides of the pan. Cool in the pans for about 10 minutes and turn out onto a metal rack to continue cooling before slicing.

Another picture from my garden, I can't believe that these fall colored pink hydrangeas are still hanging on and look so pretty from my kitchen window.

Cauliflower Bacon Gratin with Cream and Fresh Herbs for French Fridays

2011-12-29T17:09:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of the holiday season and for French Fridays with Dorie I made one last dish full of cream, eggs, bacon and cheese before fat free veggies make their triumphant return next week to ring in the new healthier year. This classic cauliflower gratin is that 'Wow' dish for entertaining which can be prepared ahead of time and baked off in the oven right before serving. I added finely chopped rosemary and thyme to the cream mixture before pouring it over the cauliflower and bacon. The instructions in Around My French Table call for whisking the eggs into the flour which I did even though I had never tried this technique before. I thought the mixture looked clumpy with bits of flour so I strained it before adding the cream and milk. I baked my gratin for 25 minutes, it puffed and turned golden. I like this variation with the bacon and herbs to liven up the classic cauliflower gratin. If you like potato gratin this cauliflower version is a delicious variation and would also make a wonderful brunch or lunch dish served with a green salad.

Please check out the other links to this installment in the cooking schedule of our online group French Fridays with Dorie. A new year's resolution might be something like, I'm going to go out and pick up that Around My French Table and start cooking with the group next year....just a suggestion!! Sorry it's been requested that we don't share the recipes, another reason to pick up the book.

This is my 'before' baking the gratin picture taken outside before the sun sets and it goes down early here on our street in this part of the world at this time of year, but we still have enough light for a few blooming pansies in the garden. Once again I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

California Style Gougères

2011-12-27T15:10:00.000-08:00

Christmas day started out foggy here so when the bright sunshine burned through the heavy grey clouds it turned into a beautiful day. We haven't had any rain for quite a while and no snow in the mountains surely bummed out a lot of skiers over the holiday. I can't remember the last time I took something I baked out of the oven on a bright sunny day so I was pretty excited to grab my camera and head outside to snap a few pictures. Sun glorious sun shining down on my California Style Gougères, hallelujah it really felt like Christmas day! We entertained a small group of family this year, our son, daughter, son in law and their three children. I decided to make a few recipes from Dec 2011/Jan 2012 edition of Fine Cooking. I made the spice rubbed roast beef tenderloin with red wine sauce, the mashed potato and changed it to turnip gratin and the braised fennel with orange. We loved all of these dishes but my favorite was the braised fennel, I will make it again soon and post a few pictures and the recipe.
I make gougères often for an appetizer. I like to use Gruyère cheese although they can be made with different cheeses such as Comté or combined with Gruyère and Parmesan. They can be made small or larger, filled with mushrooms, or meat and served as a hot appetizer. We serve them as an hors d'oeuvre or starter with sparkling wine or Champagne- when we really splurge. Gougères are a French cheese puff which are originally from Burgundy. They are commonly enjoyed served with a Kir or Kir Royal which is white wine or champagne made with a small amount of crème de cassis.
This time I changed things up by using a regular size ice cream scoop to form the gougères and a slightly different recipe from Around My French Table' since I'm cooking my way through this wonderful cookbook. The recipe for gougères as well as cream puffs can be found here at All Things Considered Considers Cream Puffs and of course in Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan. I think the group made this recipe a year ago before I started because I can't imagine missing this one! I also made a batch of profiteroles with chocolate sauce for dessert using the cream puff dough which worked out nicely. We were given several pints of Graeter's premium ice cream which included chocolate and peppermint stick flavors so I just had to share the wealth with my kids.

Normally my gougères fresh out of the oven look like these in the photo below that I took on my kitchen table. I make these often using a generous rounded tablespoon of the dough but I was feeling so very generous, I guess, that I pulled the ice cream scoop out of the kitchen drawer and went to work forming the big bun size pictured above. I also used a little trick that I picked up from a friend of mine who is an expert gougère maker, that is to sprinkle a generous pinch of Gruyère cheese on top before placing the tray in the hot oven. They are fairly simple to make but there are a few things to note about the recipe to make things go smoothly especially the first time making these cheesy puffs. It's important to have all the ingredients measured correctly and ready by the stove before lighting the flame under your medium size heavy saucepan. After bringing the 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup milk, 8 tablespoons butter and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil, add all the 1 cup flour at once, lower the heat and stir with a wooden spatula for a few minutes until you have a smooth dough. Take the pan off the heat and if you're feeling strong you can beat each of the large 5 eggs in the dough, one at a time, with your wooden spatula until the dough is shiny. Turning the dough out of the pan into a standing mixer works very well, you can beat one egg at a time into the dough and beat for several minutes until shiny, then add the grated Gruyère cheese(about 5 ounces plus extra set aside for the tops) or combination of 3 to 1 Gruyère -Parmesan is also nice. It's important to form the dough into balls, which ever size you prefer, as soon as you're finished adding the grated cheese. Be sure to leave space between the dough balls on the baking sheet especially for the larger ones as they do expand a bit more than their smaller friends. Place the baking sheets lined with silpats or baking parchment into a preheated 425° oven, immediately turn down the oven to 375° and bake for 25 to 30 minutes for the larger gougères. I wouldn't open the oven to rotate the trays, until they've been baking for a good 20 minutes. I never rotate the trays when I bake these, they bake evenly in my oven but I know that's not the case with every oven, so check to see if the gougères are baking evenly in your oven before rotating the trays. Bake until they are nicely puffed and golden in color. Cool on a metal rack.

Normal Size Gougères makes 24- generous rounded tablespoon

Giant Size Gougères makes 14- standard size ice cream scoop

Glamour Girl Antipasti Pizza

2011-12-23T18:15:00.000-08:00

Maybe it was taking my grandson Noah to a matinee to see The Adventures of Tintin yesterday or spending a few days with him and an overnight with his brother JD last week but it started me thinking about having all three of them for New Year's Eve and what, of course, we're going to eat. Thank you Martha Stewart Recipes for being a great source of holiday ideas and for a creative recipe for Antipasti Pizza. I think mini pizzas make a nice appetizer for grown ups but it doesn't take too much effort to have a little fun with these guys to give them personality and a sense of humor. Glamour girl was sort of an accident but with her big luscious red lips, Gucci sunglasses and a thin wedge of artichoke sliding off her puffy face, I think she looks pretty good.

This guy on top looks a little goofy with his eyes both on one side, almost a look alike for Elmo. By the way try to see The Adventures of Tintin over the holiday vacation, it is such a creative action movie and we both loved it. This guy below definitely looks bummed out and also a little like a fish.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and a very Happy New Year!

Ingredients and Directions for Antipasti Pizza
Adapted from Martha Stewart Recipes

1 Pound prepared pizza dough (I used Williams Sonoma Recipe for pizza dough made in a food processor)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and ground black pepper
1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 Cup pitted halved nicoise olives
1/2 Cup marinated artichoke hearts, sliced in thin wedges
1/2 Cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes, cut into strips

Preheat the oven to 450F degrees

Drizzle a few teaspoons of olive oil on two rimmed baking sheets and brush to lightly coat the sheets. Divide the pizza dough into 32 pieces by first dividing into 4 equal pieces and rolling into ropes. Cut each rope into 8 small pieces and flatten into round pizza shapes with the palm of your hand on a lightly floured counter. Place pizzas on the baking sheets and brush with the remaining olive oil. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Divide up the olives, artichoke hearts and sun dried tomato strips on the mini pizza rounds. Place a large pinch of shredded mozzarella on top of each one.
Pop the trays in the hot oven and bake until the cheese is bubbling and the dough is golden brown, especially on the bottoms- about 12-14 minutes.

Speculoos with Nutella Sandwich Cookies

2011-12-14T20:26:00.000-08:00

The house smells like Christmas with spices like cinnamon, ginger and cloves from the speculoos cookies I baked today for a cookie exchange later this week. The idea for sandwiching these fragrant spicy cookies together with Nutella comes from the Bonne Idee note next to the speculoos recipe in Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan. I missed making these cookies with the online cooking group French Fridays with Dorie when they made them earlier this year but after my trip to Belgium where I tasted freshly made speculoos from a bakery in Brussels, I knew I would be making them this Christmas holiday season.

Speculoos is a spice cookie traditionally served with coffee and especially enjoyed during the Christmas season in Belgium. They are spicy in flavor similar to gingerbread cookies but their thin and crisp texture makes them completely different. They should be rolled out thinner if made into a sandwich cookie. The most important thing is to make sure the dough is thoroughly chilled, almost rock hard before cutting out the cookies.

The recipe for speculoos can be found in Around My French Table and here at In the Kitchen and On the Road with Dorie. On our recent trip to Europe we were fortunate to spend an afternoon exploring the historic city of Bruges which is a short train ride outside of Brussels.

Swiss Chard Stuffed Pork Loin Roast For French Fridays with Dorie

2011-12-09T06:53:00.000-08:00

I served this week's chard stuffed pork roast with last week's assigned recipe from French Fridays with Dorie for matafan or fluffy mashed potatoes pancakes. I'm playing a little catch up this week, in trying to cover more ground in my quest to chip away at trying all 300 recipes from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan. I like the look and taste of the crushed coriander seeds mixed with black peppercorns that you spread with olive oil over the roast before placing it in the oven. My pork roast didn't have a very deep roasted color when the internal temperature registered 140 degrees so after I pulled it out of the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes I spooned some of the sauce from the skillet over it before slicing. I don't have very much experience preparing pork his way, although I have previously used apricots to stuff a pork loin roast in a similar manner. This was a simple recipe to follow and as long as you use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of the roast and let it rest before slicing I think you'll be in great shape. After I took the pictures I kept thinking about applesauce served along side the stack of potato pancakes I served with the pork roast. I'm a lover of of Swiss chard from way back as well as all the other ingredients in the stuffing so I figured I would expand my culinary horizons by trying a pork loin roast prepared this way- which is what we do at FFWD! My festive stuffing is extra red from the dried cranberries I added along with the golden raisins to the Swiss chard mixture. I think the color of the stuffing gives a wonderful Christmas flair to this pork loin roast and it would be a perfect choice to serve over the holidays.

Please check out the other contributors to this online cooking group at French Fridays with Dorie as we cook and bake our way through Around My French Table. Also Please consider picking up a copy of the book to find the recipes and joining in the cook along fun.

Peppermint Chocolate Truffles and The 'You Are Special Today' Plate

2011-12-03T13:16:00.000-08:00

Today I have a simple and fun to make holiday style recipe for peppermint chocolate truffles to share with your family, friends or neighbors if you're really feeling the holiday spirit. I also would also like to put it out there that the holidays are a good time to remember to feel special about yourself. Being empty nesters we've had the house to ourselves for a few years now. This morning my husband Scott looked into our son Taylor's room and said I remember when he used to live here. I felt a pang of sadness and I guess a need to reach for the red 'you are special plate' if nothing else just for the sake of nostalgia. It wasn't that long ago that we had three children living at home, it sure does go by fast, now we have grandchildren coming by for a visit. We used the 'you are special plate' for all our children's birthdays and other special days. The kids loved this plate and would reach for it in the cupboard when they knew it was theirs to use for dinner. I think it's kind of Christmasy in a bright red and cheerful way, perfect for serving a batch of these peppermint truffles even if the family living under your roof has shrunk a bit over the years.

Ingredients and Directions for Peppermint Chocolate Truffles
Adapted from Bakers Royale Peppermint Crunch Truffles and Joy of Baking.com Chocolate Truffles Recipe

16 ounces dark chocolate, I used Ghirardelli Intense Dark 60% cacao, cut into small pieces
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons Peppermint Schnapps (optional)
2 1/2 cups crushed Peppermint Andes

Place the chocolate pieces into a medium size bowl. Heat the cream and butter in a saucepan until it comes to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream mixture over the chocolate and let it stand for a few minutes.
Stir with a rubber spatula until smooth, if you're adding the Peppermint Schnapps add it now. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight or until firm.

Spread the crushed Peppermint Andes out on a large plate. Remove the truffle mixture from the fridge. Using a small ice cream scoop or teaspoon form into balls, it doesn't need to be perfect! Roll the balls in the crushed Peppermint Andes and gently press in to the sides. Place in small cups or on a parchment lined baking sheet to store in the fridge until firm. Truffles can be made ahead and refrigerated for several weeks or frozen for a few months.

Makes 60 small truffles

Remember You Are Very Special Today!

Eggnog Cupcakes for JD's 4th Birthday Today

2011-11-29T19:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday JD! I love this photo of JD that my daughter Jen took and used on her evite invitation for his birthday party. I wanted to share it with everybody along with a few pictures of the eggnog cupcakes I made for JD's Pre K class. These eggnog cupcakes are probably more of a muffin than a cupcake but the eggnog glaze makes them sweet and perfect for a birthday boy who loves eggnog. I found the recipe for my cupcakes on Twitter, there are more good recipes passing through always attracting my attention. I bookmarked the recipe from two peas & their pod as I knew immediately that I would be making these for JD. Please find the link to the recipe below.

Happy Birthday JD!

Here is the link to the recipe for eggnog cupcakes at two peas & their pod where you'll find excellent step by step instructions to make mini size cupcakes. I stretched the recipe to make 15 on the smaller side average cupcakes for the number of children in JD's class. I also double dipped the cupcake tops into the bowl of glaze.

Bubble-Top Brioches and A Weekend In Paris

2011-11-19T18:38:00.000-08:00

I can't tell you how long I've wanted to make this recipe for Bubble-Top Brioches from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan. I guess I could try...
Not posting on my blog for over a month and missing My French Fridays with Dorie recipes inspired me to pick a recipe out of the book that works beautifully for Thanksgiving and makes me feel like I'm back in the saddle after a much needed break from the world of blogging. I have a lot to be thankful for and my blog always reminds me of that. I'm thankful that I have a blog to come home to- even a neglected blog can be brought back to life especially this time of year when we're all excited about celebrating the holidays. I'm especially thankful for my family, I can't wait to bake and share a batch of Bubble Top Brioches with them at Thanksgiving. They really are easy, fun, rewarding to make and one substantial dinner roll to round out a Thanksgiving feast.

I'm the Paris lover in the family but can always bribe my husband Scott with any number of treats to get him on board for a visit. Last time we visited Paris we stayed in the Marais and loved both the area and our hotel. So, this trip we decided to stay in the Saint Germain des Pres area in the 6th arrondissement and make that our base of operations for the weekend. We loved the location but not our hotel so next time we'll head back to our favorite in the Marais which also offers the added benefit of being close to Scott's favorite place to eat in Paris.

The Place des Vosges is the oldest and I think the most beautiful square in Paris so you do a little walking to get there from our hotel across town. It's always good to work up an appetite in Paris especially when the scenery is so pretty and there are Scott's favorite Parisian fallafels at the end of the trail.

Once in the Marais we headed over to our favorite fallafel stand to take our lunch in hand and savor every bite. Did I mention that this is Scott's favorite place to eat in Paris? Totally worth the wait on a Sunday afternoon, about 20 minutes. Yum, I love the roasted eggplant slices they put on top, they disappear quickly!

I should also mention that a box of macarons from Dalloyau is my favorite dessert in Paris. Especially these giant size ones which are really great for sharing but very expensive even when enjoyed on a park bench. The flavors were chocolate, pistachio, raspberry and caramel.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody, I hope you enjoyed a few of our favorite memories of Paris as well as some pictures of my new favorite Bubble-Top Brioche rolls for a holiday dinner.
The recipe for Bubble-Top Brioches can be found in Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan or by following this link to Dorie's recipe at Epicurious.com. Be sure to fit your stand mixer with the dough hook as called for in Around My French Table to beat the brioche dough. Also, make sure to do an extra good job buttering your muffin cups as the rolls have a tendency to stick in the pan after baking. I just linked this post up to French Fridays with Dorie's make your own choice from Around My French Table. Please check out the other links in this Thanksgiving weekend potluck of recipes.

Miss Patty's Iced Pumpkin Cookies with Bittersweet Chocolate, Cranberries and Walnuts

2011-10-14T17:26:00.000-07:00

I baked pumpkin cookies for a group of hard working accountants and staff in my husband Scott's office who are fueled by sugar and caffeine these last few days before the October 15th tax deadline. Adapted from Elinor Klivans book bigfatcookies I added a few extra goodies to these pumpkin cookies including chocolate which is, I think, is really good baked with pumpkin in a cookie, especially warm out of the oven. This is a fun book with over 50 recipes for gigantic cookies that have peaked my interest. I've always been a fan of a jumbo cookie with a cup of coffee as a meal especially around 2pm when you've missed lunch and need a little wake up call for the rest of the afternoon.

I don't like skimping on the icing so I went the extra step to make sure I covered every nook and cranny on the tops of my pumpkin cookies with a thick pumpkin spiced vanilla glaze. My dishwasher broke this week so in the middle of icing these cookies the repair man who was speaking in Russian on his Bluetooth trying to find a part for the dishwasher made in New Zealand, which he said I never should have bought in the first place, told me that the part has been discontinued. I didn't know they could do that! So, now I need to order a new dishwasher, does anybody have any suggestions?? I'm looking for a dishwasher that is quiet and really good at cleaning dishes especially ones covered with sticky stuff from baking.

Although we will be hard pressed to find anywhere with better weather than we're enjoying in the Bay Area this week, I'm getting excited about our trip to Europe and am ready to start packing a week before we leave! Summer has finally arrived in the middle of October and that's okay with me. In spite of the heat I turned on the oven, baked cookies and iced them last night to celebrate and share some of the good things in life.

Ingredients And Directions For Miss Patty's Iced Pumpkin Cookies
For The Cookies
2 Cups all purpose flour
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon sea salt
1 Teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, I used Penzeys brand
1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 Cup unsalted butter(1 stick)
1 Cup granulated sugar
2 Large eggs
1 Cup canned pure pumpkin
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 Cup chopped walnuts
1/2 Cup dried cranberries
1/2 Cup bittersweet chocolate chunks
For The Icing
1 Cup powdered sugar
1/2 Teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 Teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, softened and cut in small pieces
2 Tablespoons milk

Make The Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350F
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silpats
In a medium bowl stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon, set aside. In the bowl of a standing mixer on medium speed blend the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, a couple of minutes, scraping down the bowl at least once. Beat in the eggs and vanilla about one minute, scrape down the bowl, beat in the pumpkin and the flour. Mix in the chocolate, cranberries and walnuts.
Chill the dough for about 30 minutes to keep it from spreading too much. Use a small scoop, about 2 tablespoons, to form the dough into cookies at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake the cookies about 15 minutes or until the tops feel dry. Transfer to metal racks to cool.
Make The Icing
In a small bowl mix together the powdered sugar, pumpkin pie spice, butter, vanilla and enough milk to form a thick icing. When the cookies are completely cool drizzle on the icing and spread with a fork to cover each cookie. These cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container for up to 4 days on the kitchen counter.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Curried Chicken Nuggets and Fennel Apple Slaw with A Cinnamon Maple Vinaigrette

2011-10-10T11:12:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling a cooking and blogging break coming on as our vacation is only a couple of weeks away, but I still hope to bake something with pumpkin before heading out. For many reasons Fall is my favorite time of year, there is just something wonderful about the gentle cooling of the air after the heat of Summer. The acorns have begun falling from the oak trees with the leaves blowing around and covering the yard. This has absolutely nothing to do with chicken nuggets with a bite of fennel apple slaw or I don't know? maybe it does. I rarely eat fried anything but I'm more likely to fry chicken when the outside temperature is cooler. We normally take a vacation at the end of October when the weather starts to change here and we've made many golf trips to the desert in the Fall where it's still warm. This year we're flying to Amsterdam and taking the train with a few stops(Brussels, Paris, Zurich) ending in Rome the second week in November. I'm thinking about taking a month off with cooking for the holidays to lure me back to my regular schedule of posting when I return.

I feel like I'm showing off because I actually fried something, maybe there's a doughnut post me. Why is fried chicken so good? Apologies to MacDonald operators but homemade chicken nuggets made with skinless boneless chicken breasts from Whole Foods rock and are an entirely different bird than I've previously previously tasted after robbing my children's and grand children's Happy Meals over the years! Served with the chicken nuggets is another delicious recipe from Two Dudes One Pan, I just love the bites of fresh red grapes in the slaw and will serve this salad in the future with perhaps a more conservative baked chicken dish.

Ingredients And Directions For Curried Chicken Nuggets And Fennel Apple Slaw With A Cinnamon Maple Vinaigrette

For The Curried Chicken Nuggets

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup panko bread crumbs, quick whirl in the food processor to give a finer crumb
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon Maharajah curry powder, Penzeys Spices
1 tablespoon Garam Masala, Penzeys Spices
1/2 teaspoons cayenne powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Sea salt
vegetable oil for frying
2 eggs

Whisk the flour and spices together in a medium bowl. Place the panko in a separate bowl. Then put the eggs in another bowl and whisk with a little water. Cut the chicken into chunks. Toss the chicken in the seasoned flour, shake off the excess. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture, make sure they're well coated. Then roll the chicken in the finer ground panko. Pour vegetable oil 1 inch deep in a heavy pan, I used my dutch oven. Heat the oil until medium hot and fry the chicken nuggets in two batches until brown on one side, flipping once half way to finish cooking, about a minute and a half on each side. Transfer to a plate and season to taste with sea salt. You can hold the chicken nuggets on a baking sheet in a low 250F oven while you make the slaw.

Fennel Apple Slaw with Red Flame Grapes and A Cinnamon Maple Vinaigrette

For The Slaw
2 Medium fennel bulbs
2 Apples, like Pink Lady, Honey Crisp or Braeburn
1/2 Lemon, juiced
1/2 Cup halved Red Flame grapes
3 Tablespoons toasted almonds
2 Teaspoons chopped chives, extra for garnish
1 2-Ounce chunk Pecorino cheese, shaved with vegetable peeler

For The Vinaigrette
2 Tablespoons grape seed oil, or canola oil
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 Shallot, peeled and minced
1 Tablespoon Champagne vinegar
1 Teaspoon pure maple syrup
1/4 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste

Halve, core and trim the fennel bulbs. Peel and core the apples. Slice the fennel into very thin slices and then into bite size pieces. Slice the apples very thin and cut into matchstick size pieces. If you are making the salad ahead of time sprinkle on the lemon juice to prevent browning and set aside. Whisk the champagne vinegar, maple syrup, cinnamon and sea salt together in a large bowl. Add the shallots and drizzle in the oil while whisking. Add the fennel, apples, grapes, almonds and chives, toss to combine.
Serve on individual plates topped with cheese and chives for garnish. Don't forget to serve the warm Curried Chicken Nuggets along side.

I am honored to be featured in an interview on my friend Nancy/Spicie Foodie's beautiful blog in her 'Favorite Foodie Series' this week. If you haven't paid Nancy a visit at Spicie Foodie please treat yourself to a visit!
Nancy is a young Mexican expat living in Europe who brings us along on her extraordinary culinary adventure that spans several continents and features spicy dishes from all over the world. I have been a regular follower of Spicie Foodie for going on a few years now and I don't like to miss a post. Since I can't get enough of her blog I also picked up her cookbook, An Epiphany of the Senses which is available through her site at Amazon.com.

Crèpes with Brown Sugar Pears and Crème Fraiche

2011-10-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

I lost control of the crème fraiche here, I freely admit it. As I spooned the crème fraiche over these brown sugar pear crèpes a strange feeling came over me, I couldn't stop the flow and I didn't care. It became torture taking these photos as all I wanted was a forkful of warm pear crèpe covered with crème fraiche. Somewhere in the back of my brain I thought, what are you doing? You spent all this time putting these crèpes together and now you're covering your labor with an extreme flow of cream. Was it because of my reckless desire to enjoy crème fraiche over warm pear crèpes or was it my rebellious side kicking in, determined to do exactly what I want, or was it both? As you might imagine I don't keep any crème fraiche stocked in the fridge. When I decided to make crèpes with my pears this week I thought about serving them with a chocolate sauce but that sounded too heavy, maybe in a few months when it's colder outside, then my thoughts turned to my favorite sauce for every dessert with warm fruit I make, you guessed it, crème fraiche. Blame it on France where they're happy to sell you a large container of the stuff to pour over your fresh strawberries or Tarte Tatin, without any warnings from the Surgeon General informing you about it's addictive nature. Just a quick aside, if you visit France it's worth renting an apartment or a room where you have access to a fridge to keep your own stash of this luscious cream.

I love Bartlett pears sautéed in butter, brown sugar and lemon juice, they would also be good served over vanilla ice cream. But, the crèpes were fun to make and once you get into full swing with your production they go pretty fast. Any left overs are delicious warmed up served with jam or cinnamon sugar for breakfast or for an after school snack with chocolate milk. Ask my grandson Noah, he loved them.

Yes, I finally did take that first bite, was it worth all the angst? Yes, of course it was and I'm pretty sure I still have a small stash of crème fraiche in the fridge, at least enough for an omelette à la crème fraiche.

Ingredients And Directions For Crèpes With Brown Sugar Pears And Crème Fraiche
Adapted from Bon Appétit Desserts

For The Crèpes

1 & 1/2 Cups whole milk
1 Cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 Large eggs
2 Teaspoons sugar
1/4 Teaspoon sea salt
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for brushing the crepe pan

Combine milk, flour, flour, eggs, sugar and salt in a blender. Blend until smooth, scraping down a few times, about 2 minutes. Add the 1 tablespoon melted butter and blend for another 30 seconds. Cover the blender and chill for 1 to 4 hours. Reblend the batter for a few seconds when you remove from the fridge.

Heat an 8 inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Brush with melted butter, lift off the stove and add 1/4 cup of the batter to the skillet. One hand is going to pour in the batter and the other hand is going to tip and swirl the pan to evenly distribute it in the skillet. Cook for about 45 seconds until you can lift up a corner of the crèpe and see that it's dry and slightly browned. Flip over the crèpe using a plastic spatula to help. Continue cooking for about 30 seconds until the crèpe is brown in spots on both sides. Transfer the crèpe to a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with the rest of the batter, adding more butter as needed. Keep layering the crèpes in between the sheets of plastic wrap. You can seal the whole plate up and store in the fridge for a day before putting together the crèpes with the pears.

To Make The Brown Sugar Pears

1/4 Cup unsalted butter(1/2 stick)
1/2 Cup(packed) brown sugar
5 Large firm but ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced. I used Bartlett pears.
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the brown sugar, stir to help it melt and add the pear slices with the lemon juice. Cook and gently stir until the pears release juices and a syrup forms in the pan, about 3-4 minutes. Set aside, this can be done a few hours ahead and left to stand at room temperature. Gently rewarm before filling the crèpes.

To Put It All Together

Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil and brush with melted butter. Place one crèpe on the baking sheet and place 3 slices of brown sugar pears on a quarter of the crèpe, allowing the pear slices to extend out of the crepe, just to show them off. Fold the crèpe in half, over the pear slices. Place 3 more pear slices above the first 3 slices. Forming a triangle, fold the crèpe in half over the pear slices. Repeat with the remaining crèpes and pear slices, you should have 12 crèpes. Brush the top with some of the syrup from the brown sugar pear pan. Broil the pear filled crèpes until heated, golden and browned in a few spots on the edges. Be careful not to burn, not a good time to multitask!!!! Arrange 2 crèpes on each plate, use your own discretion to cover with crème fraiche and serve.

Serves 6

End Of Summer Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde with Grilled Skirt Steak

2011-09-27T16:35:00.000-07:00

My end of Summer veggie garden round up includes using up all the baby tomatillos left on the vine, similar to using up the hard green tomatoes that are left on tomato plants at the end of their season. Only instead of making fried green tomatoes I made roasted tomatillo salsa verde for the grilled skirt steak we enjoyed for dinner one night last week. In California we can buy tomatillos in the grocery store year round but growing your own is very rewarding as one plant can produce close to a hundred tomatillos. We didn't have a very warm Summer this year so I had dozens of baby tomatillos left on my plant but this recipe could be made with bigger tomatillos just cut the amount called for in half. This is not a very scientific recipe as you can tell. I put almost all the ingredients for this salsa on a sheet pan and run it under the broiler until everything is browned. Then I take the entire pan and dump it in the blender. I like mine blended smooth but you can leave it more on the chunky side if you prefer. This salsa is good over steak, chicken, fish or served with tortilla chips before dinner.

Ingredients and Directions for Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde
Makes 3 cups

4 Dozen small tomatillos(2&1/2 pounds) remove the paper skin covering
1/2 White onion, chopped in large pieces, optional- because I forgot to put in(whoops!)
1 Jalapeno pepper, cut in half
2 Garlic cloves
1/4 Cup fresh Mexican lime juice
1/4 Cup Mexican oregano
Sea salt to taste

Preheat the oven broiler. Place the tomatillos, onions(if used), jalapeno and garlic on a baking sheet. Run the tomatillo mixture under the broiler until everything is nicely browned, you may have to move the pan around or give everything a few good stirs so it browns evenly. Dump the entire pan in a blender, add the lime juice, sea salt and oregano. If you like save a sprig of oregano to decorate the top of the bowl of tomatillo sauce.

For the Skirt Steak
serves 4 people

4 Lbs skirt steak
1 Closely guarded secret marinade like mine which includes Thai fish sauce, Tamari sauce, ground ginger, ground mustard, Penzeys BBQ 3000 or something similar and a few hours in the fridge.

My husband is the grill master and he says cook skirt steak on a high heat and flip it regularly. Personally I like it pink in the middle! He brings it in the kitchen where it rests for 5 minutes and then we usually slice it to serve. Honestly I leave the outside cooking to him and he always does a great job. I usually serve steak with a small salad and in this case with the freshly made tomatillo sauce, yum!

Honey Spiced Madeleines with Dark Chocolate Chunks for French Fridays with Dorie

2011-09-23T06:04:00.000-07:00

Last year for a dinner party I served Dorie's honey spiced madeleines with poached pears and loved them. This time I wanted to try something a little different and decided to add Scharffen Berger bittersweet baking chunks to my cookies. I have to admit that after I topped the madeleine dough with the chocolate I wondered if the cookies would rise under the weight of the chunks.

Success! After spending the night in the fridge the oven heated dough pushed up forming a golden cookie dome under the chocolate chunks. Don't you love it when cookie experiments, especially the ones that involve bittersweet chocolate turn out?

Madeleines are more like little cakes than cookies and I love that one recipe makes 12 servings which fit nicely in a large madeleine mold. One of these cookies with a cup of tea in the afternoon or with fruit or ice cream after dinner is just the right amount to satisfy a sweet tooth.

Cookies or a delicious science experiment?

I baked these in a convection oven that sits above my counter where it's easy to see the madeleines rising out of the pan, this is the oven I use for baking during the Summer when it's hot outside, it's small but works exceptionally well for a small batch of cookies. I also have a large gas fueled oven that can heat the entire house in the Winter if the heater goes out so I don't like to turn it on when it's hot to make 12 cookies even if they are like little cakes.

Last week I decided to give away a cookbook to one of my followers who left comments on both my smoked trout salad and apple spelt pound cake. I assigned everyone a number and let my husband Scott select the winner. As luck would have it Aimee from Clever Muffin won La Calabria, a lovely cookbook featuring rustic southern Italian cooking. Thanks to everybody who left comments and I plan on giving away another cookbook or two in the coming months.

The recipe for these honey spiced madeleines is in Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan and as we have been asked not to share the recipe I would encourage everyone to pick up a copy of the cookbook and cook along with the group. Please check out all the participants in this online cooking group here on French Fridays with Dorie. Please let me know if you like the idea of the chocolate chunks baked into the madeleines? I can tell you the chocolate tasted wonderful with the honey, orange and spice flavors in these cookies.

Scharffen Berger Bittersweet Fine Artisan Dark Chocolate Baking Chunks

Apple Spelt Pound Cake

2011-09-15T19:16:00.000-07:00

I'm a happy camper this year as I have more apples on my trees than ever before, enough for me and whatever animals are feasting on them at night. I feel like laying out a blanket and a picnic hamper, maybe some tooth picks or a few after dinner mints? The apples are tart and perfect for baking as well as eating, so I picked a basket full and baked my first apple cake of the season. This cake recipe was adapted from The World Of Cake by Krystina Castella. It's a recipe loosely based on a French Canadian version of pound cake which is called a Quatre-Quarts. The French name refers to it's traditional ingredients consisting of one pound each of flour, butter, sugar and eggs. Lucky me finding this recipe which calls for chopped apples, cinnamon and vanilla icing, which I spiced up with an additional touch of cinnamon. Who knew that a simple pound cake filled with apples could be so good? I swapped out a cup of all purpose flour for my favorite nutty flavored spelt flour but using only all purpose flour would be fine too. This is a simple cake to make at home and the perfect place to stash a few apples for your own enjoyment before all the critters that make noises in the middle of night get to them.

The cookbook that I'm giving away will be My Calabria by Rosetta Costantino with Janet Fletcher. If you like rustic Italian family cooking from southern Italy than this book is for you. All you have to do is comment on my apple cake and my smoked trout salad( which is my last post) to qualify for my very scientific drawing which will be preformed by the accounting firm of Scott B. Price & Co CPA's on September 20th, sort of like The Academy Awards but not really. I have to say that I'm very impressed with my fish loving followers and all their comments on my smoked trout salad post, I would like to give everyone a copy of this book but I only have one!

Ingredients and Directions for Apple Spelt Pound Cake
Makes 1 loaf cake (serves 8)

Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 175° C
Butter and flour an 8-inch loaf pan

For The Cake
3/4 Cup or 1 &1/2 sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter
3/4 Cup(90 grams) granulated sugar
3 Eggs, separated
1 Cup(120 grams) spelt flour
1/4 Cup(30 grams) all purpose flour
1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 Teaspoon sea salt
1 Generous cup(300 grams) peeled, cored and chopped baking apple, like Pink Lady

For The Vanilla Icing
2 Tablespoons(18 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1 Cup(120 grams) confectioner's sugar
2 Tablespoon milk
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 Teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a medium bowl mix together the flours and cinnamon, set aside. In the bowl of a standing mixer cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add the egg yolks one at a time- beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and gradually add the flours. Remove the batter from the mixer bowl and place in a large bowl. Clean the mixer bowl and return to the stand mixer. Add the egg whites and salt to the bowl and beat until stiff. Remove the egg whites, gently add to the batter and fold in the chopped apple. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes until tester inserted into cake comes out with a few crumbs. Cool in the pan for about 20 minutes and turn out onto wire rack to finish cooling.
Make the icing in a small bowl by mixing together all the icing ingredients until smooth, it should be thick. Drizzle the cake with icing or pipe on with a small piping bag. Let the icing set up before serving.

I submitted this recipe to Honest Cooking, an online cooking magazine that features 'down to earth' food loving cooks from all over the world, please check it out and consider subscribing to their weekly updates, if you haven't already done so.

Smoked Trout Salad with Key Lime Mustard Dressing and A Cookbook Giveaway!

2011-09-12T12:22:00.000-07:00

Today I'm making an apple pound cake because all I can think about is baking with apples, I think I've become obsessed. Baking with apples is one of my favorite things to do especially when I notice the birds and most likely raccoons are eating my apples from the back yard tree before I could get to them. They make a nice little meal out of the apples and leave the cores with a little unwanted skin on the ground under the tree, how thoughtful of them. Speaking of that I see pears on my neighbor's tree and I'm hopeful that many of them will begin falling over the fence into my waiting hands to make, I don't know what, maybe a pear pie. For now I'm sharing this smoked trout salad because I made it the other night and it's good. Left to my own devices I would live on salads and the occasional pastry preferably baked with some kind of seasonal fruit.
Anyway I'm posting this smoked trout salad because I'm kind of obsessed with it in a different way but I know that fish recipes on my blog are kind of like the kiss of death, comment-wise for the week. So I'll make a deal with you if you comment on my fish salad post and come back again later in the week for the apple pound cake I will enter you into a cookbook giveaway and I promise it will be a good one- so this week it's a comment for a mystery cookbook that I will decide on for next time! But remember you have to comment on how much you like fish before you get to the apple cake and I promise it will be worth it for the lucky winner. I'm already thinking of a really good brand spanking new cookbook I want to give away to one of my lucky followers who leave me comments.

Ingredients and Directions for Smoked Trout Salad with Key Lime Mustard Dressing
Makes 4 individual salads

2 Smoked trout, skin and bones removed, I used lemon pepper smoked trout
1 Small head radicchio, leaves separated
2 Handfuls arugula
8 small new potatoes, cooked, peeled and sliced
1 Gravenstein apple, thinly sliced
4 Radishes, thinly sliced
1 Small cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 Cup scallions, white and light green parts, minced
1/4 Cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons capers
1/4 Cup almonds, lightly toasted and chopped

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 Tablespoon Key lime juice
1/2 Cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a small bowl whisk together the mustard, lime juice, olive oil, and salt & pepper to taste, set aside.

Place the potatoes in a medium bowl drizzle in a little dressing and stir potatoes, evenly coating them. In a large bowl, toss together the radicchio, arugula, scallions, apple, cucumbers, cilantro and radishes, drizzle with the dressing.

Divide the salad using 4 individual plates. Start by evenly distributing the potatoes by making a small pile on each plate. Arrange the greens on top of the potatoes and breaking apart the trout place small pieces on top of each salad. Sprinkle the almonds and capers on top of salads and drizzle with more dressing if you desire.

Palm Springs Key Lime Pie

2011-09-09T06:19:00.000-07:00

I just had to do it- turn a small portion of my Key limes from friends in Palm Springs into a pie to celebrate my husband Scott's birthday over this past holiday weekend. I don't know about everybody else but with all the ~~running around~~ playing golf I do it's difficult to find time to put together a nice family meal over a weekend.
So as I searched for a good make ahead dessert I found a recipe from Nora Ephron via Martha Stewart for a frozen Key lime pie. One of the comments on the recipe said that this is an excellent Key lime pie that can be frozen for a number of days plus it calls for one cup of freshly squeezed lime juice which is about 20 of these baby limes-score! since I still had dozens in the produce drawer of my fridge. I took the pie out of the freezer about 10 minutes before serving and promptly became distracted so it became a little too melted, oh well- I piled on the whipped cream and it tasted incredible! This is such an easy recipe and like so many simple dessert recipes very fun to make and serve. Oh and the flavor of those Key limes in all that creamy indulgence, WOW! Let's just put it this way people are very quiet when they eat a piece of this pie.

I used this recipe for Frozen Key Lime Pie and followed it exactly using the whipped cream piled up on top of each slice, it feels slightly more decadent to me served this way with a slice of Key lime on top.

Today is French Friday with Dorie and the recipe is for a creamy cheesy rice which sounds wonderful but we've been eating too many rich foods, like Key lime pie that I decided to cook a little lighter this week. So sorry no creamy cheesy rice this week but feel free to check out this week's links for French Friday with Dorie here and have a wonderful weekend!

My Seven Links - A Challenge That Doesn't Involve Golf...

2011-09-06T15:41:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Susan at Create Amazing Meals to share seven links from my blog that challenge me to tell a story about my journey here at Patty's Food and then to pass the challenge on to 5 other bloggers. Susan is one amazing cook whose table you would count yourself very lucky to be a guest at as well as a fellow Dorista who regularly contributes to French Fridays with Dorie. I've also been awarded two lovely pink awards by another one of my favorite bloggers, Elizabeth at Food and Thrift. Elizabeth loves to cook and spend time with her sweet grandchildren so we have a few things in common! I'm going to pass the seven links challenge and the pretty pink awards on to five of my favorite bloggers at the end of my seven links, thanks again to Susan and Elizabeth for being so thoughtful and including me in their list of favorites.

#1 The post I think is the most beautiful, Cream Cheese Pie with Blood Orange Slices.

#2 The most popular post, Mini Chocolate Raspberry Love Tartlets. Because Blogger says it's so...

#3 The most controversial post just has to be The Love It Or Hate It Burger- with a name like that it just has to be controversial.

#4 The most helpful post, Spinach, Potato and Bacon Quiche because I added step by step photos to show how to make tart dough in a food processor, wasn't that nice of me??

#5 The most surprisingly successful post, Fresh Fig Bars with Bittersweet Chocolate Chunks and Brandy.
I thought this was an interesting combination of adult flavors and it seems that others did too!

#6 The post that didn't get the attention that it deserved, Tropical Scones with Honey Butter Glaze. I came home from a vacation to Hawaii and shared three posts at one time so I'm not sure if anybody really saw this one!

#7 The post that I am the most proud of was difficult to choose but Chocolate Eclairs with Thick Chocolate Ganache for French Fridays was a recipe that I had been wanting to try and I was very happy with my results.

Finally the two pink awards!!!!

Thanks again Susan and Elizabeth!!!!

I'm passing the seven links challenge and the two pink awards on to these favorites:

Tanantha from I Just Love My Apron

LeQuan from Luvtoeat

Hope from Katty's Kitchen

Laura from Sweet Savory Planet

Aimee from Clever Muffin

Corn Soup with Tomato and Sugar Snap Pea Salad for French Fridays

2011-09-02T06:29:00.000-07:00

Could there ever be too much ripe sweet corn? Sometimes at the end of Summer if feels that way when the corn is piled high in the market or overflowing in a large bin at a farm stand. There are a lot of things out there to make with fresh corn but one of my favorites is a pureed corn soup garnished with a tomato salad. Snip a few herbs from the garden to season your soup and gather up the last few stragglers from your tomato plants to add to the salad. Sugar snap peas add some crunch and along with jalapeno peppers, cherry tomatoes, raw corn kernels, minced scallions and fresh herbs your simple fresh corn soup becomes quite a satisfying meal all by itself. This week's choice for French Fridays with Dorie suits me just fine but I did make quite a few changes to the recipe. The biggest one was no milk in the soup, I'm not a lover of milk so I used chicken stock. I also left out the celery due to non-celery eating members of my family. The fresh salad served as a garnish on top of the soup is a perfect place to get creative and would be fun to switch up next time. I put my soup through the blender but didn't strain it as I like the texture of the corn but for a fancy dinner party a silkier texture would be lovely especially served in little cups. I hope everybody has a relaxing weekend filled with family, friends and happy cooking.

Please check out the other links to corn soup from the online cooking group, French Fridays with Dorie here and consider participating as we cook our way through Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan. I also submitted my adaption of Dorie's recipe to Honest Cooking, an online cooking magazine that features recipes and stories about honest food from all over the globe.

Key Lime Rosemary Jelly and Spiced Chocolate Mission Fig Scones

2011-08-28T10:29:00.000-07:00

Yes I'm having fun with my haul of Key limes, a big thanks to Paula and Diana for a generous shipment of limes from their garden in Palm Springs direct to my front door. Last year I made marmalade from their Key limes so this time I wanted to try making jelly. There is a process to jelly making that takes some time but it's well worth the effort as the finished product is a slightly tart spicy Key lime flavored jelly that is going to start my day spread on toast or scones in the coming months. I still have to finish juicing my limes for future baking and drink making projects but I have been enjoying the lovely fragrance coming from the bowl on my kitchen counter all week.

I started with 2 pounds of key limes that I sliced into cute little rounds placed in a dutch oven and covered with 12 cups of water that I soaked for 24 hours before bringing to a medium boil for about 45 minutes. The seeds or pips are loaded with natural pectin that cause this liquid to naturally thicken or jell when boiled so no added pectin is needed.

I strained this mixture and poured it into a homemade jelly bag which in my case was muslin yardage sewn into a bag large enough to hold several cups of liquid. The jelly bag gets suspended over a large bowl and the drip drip drip begins. Several hours later I measured out about 5 cups of liquid in the dutch oven to which I added 5 cups of granulated sugar. This mixture is brought to a medium boil until it reaches at least 220F and begins to thicken. I started to test my liquid for signs of jelling by placing a spoon full on a cold plate, you can also put the plate in the freezer for a 30 seconds, pull it out and check. If the mixture is thick and looks like jelly, Eureka! you've got it! Now comes the time to grab your fresh rosemary sprigs and give a few drags through the jelly. I also cut and placed a small sprig in each one of my sterilized jars. Then I ladled the hot jelly into the jars and put on the rings and seals. I set them on a towel to cool and after a while the seals make a popping sound as they seal. There was very little foam on top of the jelly, not enough to skim off.

Farm stand fresh figs inspired these spiced chocolate fig scones. I loosely followed a scone recipe to which I added chopped fresh figs, cocoa powder, Penzey's baking spice, crystallized ginger and vanilla yogurt. I reduced the amount of added liquid to compensate for the liquid in the fresh figs but it was really just guess work. My scones came out very moist, not crumbly like the normal scone texture but hey- the grand kids loved these and said, thanks for the brownies grandma! I could taste the lovely fig flavor mingling with the spices and chocolate in these scones, not bad for a scone baking experiment.

Ingredients and Directions for Key Lime Rosemary Jelly
Makes 6 small jars

2 pounds Key limes, sliced into rounds
12 cups water
5 cups granulated sugar
Rosemary sprigs, extra for jars

Place the sliced limes in a large dutch oven and cover with the water. Let sit for 24 hours. Bring to a boil for 45 minutes, strain the mixture and pour liquid into a suspended jelly bag. Let drip for several hours. Pour out 5 cups of liquid into the dutch oven and add the sugar. Bring to a medium boil until the liquid reaches 220F on a candy thermometer. Start testing for jelling by placing a spoon full of liquid on a cold plate until you see thickening or jelling. Drag a few sprigs of fresh rosemary through the jelly and add a sprig of rosemary to each jar. Carefully ladle the hot liquid into each jar, there is almost no foam on this jelly to skim. Seal the jars with lids and rings. Set on towel on kitchen counter to cool, you will hear the jar lids pop as they seal. Store in refrigerator for a several months, this is a good jelly to share!

Ingredients and Directions for Spiced Chocolate Mission Fig Scones
Makes 8 scones
Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

1 cup Spelt flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup natural cocoa powder, I used King Arthurs Flour Cocoa Rouge
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon Baking Spice, I used Penzeys brand
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into bits
2/3 cup vanilla yogurt
3 tablespoons crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1 cup fresh Mission figs, chopped
1 large egg, beaten with a fork
2-3 teaspoons granulated sugar

In a large bowl stir in the flours,cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, ground ginger and baking spice. Place the bits of butter into the flour mixture and rub together with your fingertips until you have fairly coarse crumbs, stir in the yogurt until you have a soft dough. Add the crystallized ginger and figs, stirring in with a light hand. This dough will be sticky, turn the dough out on to your parchment lined baking sheet. Pat it into an 8" circle with floured hands. Brush the top with beaten egg and sprinkle with a few teaspoons of sugar. Bake about 20 minutes until inserted toothpick comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool for about 5 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving. These are really good with the Key Lime Rosemary Jelly. The tart slightly herbal citrus flavor from the jelly spooned over the deep rich spicy chocolate scones fruity with the fresh figs are a deeply flavorful combination.

Love It Or Hate It Burger for French Fridays

2011-08-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

I know this French hamburger is sitting on a bed of black bean and corn salad which is not looking very French for French Fridays with Dorie. When I started to peel my red onion to make the onion jam for the burger I realized my onion was bad and I didn't want to go the store to buy another one. I also forgot to buy hamburger buns which I planned to buy at La Boulange so I could at least have French hamburger buns. My husband had seen a black bean and corn salad on the Honest Cooking site that he mentioned wanting to try so I had all the ingredients for that for dinner later in the week. I made a few changes to the burger which was to use half a roasted red pepper left over from the black bean salad instead of the sun dried tomatoes that were called for in the original recipe. I also used chopped fresh basil for my herb. I think that was it for changes to the Cafe Salle Pleyel hamburger recipe from Around My French Table. I put the slices of Parmesan cheese on top for the photo as the burger needed something on top but thought it tasted bad with the burger so didn't eat it. So why is this burger the love it or hate it burger? Because I had two very strong reactions to it, one very positive from my daughter Jen who liked it and the other a negative reaction from Noah, my six year old grandson. I had a feeling that he wasn't going to like it so I gave him a half a burger which he covered with mustard. He took one bite and his eyes got really big as he swallowed it, I really thought he was fighting not to spit it out, so I said, Noah you didn't like the hamburger and he said, Oh grandma I never eat a hamburger without a bun!

Please check out the links to more French Burgers here at French Fridays with Dorie.

French Apple Tart with Gravenstein Apples & Spelt Pastry

2011-08-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

If I had to pick my favorite apple it would be Gravenstein and my favorite way to eat it that would be easy- in a french apple tart. A generous slice of french apple tart is an ideal food for every meal, especially breakfast. I even made it healthy with Spelt flour. Actually I used Spelt flour because I like the slightly nutty flavor of it and the warm brown color it gives to the baked tart pastry. Gravenstein apples are a good eating and baking apple. They are also pretty apples to keep in a bowl on your counter. Last year I made a tart and gave a little information on Gravenstein apples, if you're interested please check it out here. If you like search my blog for other recipes for these lovely apples, including a simple pantry cake made with fig jam. They are the first apples of the season here and they don't last very long in the market so I always bring home a bag to enjoy. My grandson Noah starts first grade this Wednesday, the same week that we're supposed to get our first really hot weather of summer. I'm glad I did my tart baking today and will let my oven rest during our heat wave. The rest of the week in my kitchen will be dedicated to making jelly with the large bowl of Key or Mexican limes from friends in Palm Springs, oh and don't forget my upcoming French Friday hamburger!

Ingredients and Directions for French Apple Tart with Gravenstein Apples & Spelt Pastry
Adapted from Back To Basics by Ina Garten

For The Spelt Pastry

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup Spelt flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
12 tablespoons(1&1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1/2 cup ice water(scant)

For The Apples

6 Gravenstein apples
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1/3 cup apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam
1-2 tablespoons Calvados

Place the flours, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor with the steel blade. Pulse 3 or 4 times to combine. Add all the butter at once and pulse about 12 times, until the butter is in small bits. Pour half the ice water into the mixture with the motor running and pulse adding small amounts of water until the dough starts to clump together. Turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap and quickly knead into a flat disk. Chill in the refrigerator for about one hour.

Preheat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper.

Roll the dough out to about 10x14 and place on the parchment paper lined baking sheet pan.

Core and peel the apples. Slice the apples into 1/4 inch thick slices. Arrange the apples slightly overlapping in diagonal rows until the pastry is covered with apple slices. Sprinkle with the 1/2 cup sugar and dot with the butter.
Bake for about one hour until the pastry is browned and the apples are starting to brown on the edges. Rotate the pan half way through cooking. Don't worry when the apple juices start to burn on the edges, the tart will be caramelized on the edges. Mix together the apricot jam or jelly and Calvados in a small bowl. Pull the tart out of the oven and brush with the apricot jelly and Calvados mixture. Cool for 5-10 minutes and cut into squares to serve. This tart is also good served at room temperature for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Roasted Eggplant Salad for French Fridays

2011-08-18T19:29:00.000-07:00

Today is eggplant 'caviar' day for French Fridays and the first thought that came to me is that roasted eggplant is not that pretty-what do I do with it?? First off I peeled and sliced my eggplant before roasting- a little unclear on the concept but it still tasted good. I decided to layer my roasted eggplant with cucumbers, tomatoes, Picholine olives, capers, radicchio, pistachios and goat cheese to make a salad with an olive oil and sherry vinegar dressing. I like eggplant but my husband claims to have been traumatized by eggplant when he was a child and refuses to eat it. He said that his mother served him eggplant and told him it was chicken. After he took a few bites and decided it tasted weird his mother confessed that it was in fact eggplant whereupon he became a life long eggplant hater. He also has an aversion to celery because he saw bugs on some celery when he was in college and could not get it out of his mind. I think this might be a good night to order pizza!

Please check out the other contributors to this online cooking group at French Fridays with Dorie when it becomes available and consider picking up a copy of Around My French Table and cooking along with the group. Next week we're making Cafe Salle Pleyel Hamburger, so check out the recipe posted on NY Times Dining & Wine - I think it sounds delicious.

Dark Chocolate Mint Zucchini Cake

2011-08-16T13:34:00.000-07:00

This dark chocolate mint zucchini cake makes a wonderful birthday cake for anyone lucky enough to have a Summer birthday. When I came home from vacation the baby zucchinis in my garden had gotten bigger and multiplied, signaling the time to get serious about zucchini consumption. I've wanted to make a chocolate zucchini cake for the longest time and if you follow my blog you know I've got a thing for chocolate mint. This time, due to construction in the back yard, I had to dust off my mint before pulverizing with the granulated sugar for this recipe. We're putting in stone steps and a patio behind our house. The entire garden is covered with a light coating of light colored dust from cutting the stone, sort of like hosting our own aftermath of an eruption of Mount St. Helens. Making chocolate zucchini cake is pretty cool because you get to do fun things like fold grated zucchini into chocolate batter. You also make this cake minty by pulverizing fresh mint with sugar which makes pretty green sugar that reminds you of holidays like St. Patrick's day. The chocolate icing spreads on beautifully, all smooth and shiny. It's also fun to decorate your cake with fresh mint and best of all- this tender cake with a dark minty chocolate flavor is a great way to enjoy your Summer zucchini.

Ingredients and Directions for Dark Chocolate Mint Zucchini Cake
Preheat the oven to 350F
Grease and flour a 9" cake pan

For the Cake

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used Guittard Bittersweet Onyx Wafers)
1/4 cup grapeseed oil (or canola oil)
1&1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup natural cocoa powder (I used King Arthur's Flour Cocoa Rouge)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
1&1/2 cups seeded and finely grated zucchini
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint

For the Ganache Icing

1/3 cup heavy cream
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used Guittard Bittersweet Onyx Wafers)
1 tablespoon light corn syrup

In a small saucepan heat the oil and chocolate for the cake just until it starts to melt, pull off the heat and whisk to smooth. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside. Place the sugar and mint in the bowl of a food processor, pulse until sugar turns green and mint is blended into sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together the green sugar and butter on a high speed for about 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla. On a low speed add the flour to mixer in thirds alternating with half of the yogurt, beating until mixture is smooth. Add the melted chocolate/oil mixture. Gently stir in the grated zucchini. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, scraping the bowl as necessary. Bake for 35-40 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan onto the wire rack set on a rimmed baking pan. To make the ganache: In a medium saucepan heat the cream to a simmer, add the chocolate and the corn syrup. Whisk until mixture is smooth, let cool for a few minutes. Pour the ganache over the cake, smoothing top and sides with a spatula. Let the cake rest for about an hour until the ganache is set, before serving. Serves 8-10.

Slow Roasted Garden Tomatoes For Two

2011-08-04T21:24:00.000-07:00

This week's recipe from Around My French Table is a simple and delicious way to prepare tomatoes. A few generous handfuls of assorted tomatoes from my garden patch, sliced, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with fresh thyme, sea salt and thinly sliced garlic ignored for a while in a slow oven and there you have it. My above photo was shot right after I pulled the tomatoes out of the oven and I think it's real pretty, kind of like modern tomato art! The roasted tomatoes shrink quite a bit so start with more than you think is enough.

I seasoned a piece of halibut with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, white wine, olive oil and Thai basil. Then wrapped it in parchment before baking in the oven. I also picked zucchini from the garden, sliced and sauteed them in olive oil. I know this is looking pretty healthy but that's okay, we can not live on cookies alone even though sometimes I would like to try!

We enjoyed these slow roasted seasoned fresh tomatoes, I think it's is a great technique for concentrating the tomato flavor and it was quite good with the halibut. We're not supposed to post the actual recipe from Around My French Table as those of you know who've been following the online cooking group of Doristas from French Fridays with Dorie. Please check out the other links here, when it becomes available.

Chocolate Mint French Macarons

2011-08-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

It's easy to understand why french macarons have become our nation's first designer cookie, much like a Louis Vuitton bag they've arrived from France and are here to stay, at least if I have anything to say about it! They are famous for their "feet" and for performing a disappearing act right underneath your "nose". So move over chocolate chip cookies, don't worry- you can never be replaced, and say ravie de faire votre connaissance to our elegant cookie friends from France. Please indulge me as I give a big thank you to Gina (SPCookieQueen) for hosting a group of us eager to learn how to make french macarons. She gave us a hands on, up close and personal demonstration of the Italian meringue method for making french macarons that originally came from Debbie at Squirrel Bakes, who brought home the recipe after taking a macaron baking class at La Cuisine in Paris. I made a few changes to the original recipe which was to add peppermint flavor to the ganache because I have this thing for chocolate mint anything. I also used Trader Joe's Just Almond Meal for the ground almonds or almond flour for this batch which give the macarons flecks of almond skins. My next batch will have the finely ground almond meal from blanched whole almonds from Bob's Red Mill which cost about four times more than the almond meal from Trader Joe's(had to work up to that!) I've always been highly skilled at consuming french macarons but never gave much thought to making them at home until recently as I've noticed so many people making them quite successfully. I'm very encouraged by my first attempt at french macarons and guess what they're still amazingly good even if they're not perfect! With a little more practice, I'm thinking that these would be wonderful to make for gifts around the holidays. "In the cookies of life, friends are the macarons"

I'm thinking about pink and green colors for my next batch of french macarons!

Please follow the above links to the recipe and more info on making french macarons.

Blueberry Tarragon Crumble Bar Cookies

2011-07-30T07:49:00.000-07:00

I've grown French tarragon for years, it's easy to grow, thrives on neglect and is always good chopped on green beans which I make a steady diet of in the summertime. I also have a recipe for tarragon cookies which I could easily be persuaded to share. Recently I've been branching out with my use of herbs and my latest discovery is how much I like blueberries and tarragon together. Tarragon adds a distinctive flavor and aroma of anise to these humble blueberry crumb bars. Fresh tarragon could also be chopped and added to fresh blueberries for a pie or a blueberry compote served with a lemon pound cake. If you're interested in trying tarragon in your blueberries, you're probably wondering how much? I would start with a teaspoon per cup of blueberries and increase the amount from there depending on how strong you like the tarragon flavor. I used a scant tablespoon in this recipe which calls for two generous cups of blueberries which is a little more than my suggested more conservative amount because I like the stronger herbal flavor. I adapted this recipe from allrecipes.com which is a good source for simple blueberry recipes just waiting for some experimentation with tarragon. Just a quick note on my flowers in the photos, they are baby sunflowers and the herb feverfew that grows like a weed in my garden. I read that feverfew can be used as an insect repellent, I wish it would make the mosquitoes in my backyard go away!

Ingredients and Directions for Blueberry Tarragon Crumble Bar Cookies

Preheat oven to 375F/190C
Grease an 8"x 8"pan/20-cm square pan

For the Crumble Dough

1&1/2 cups(192 grams) all purpose flour
1/2 cup(64 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1 stick(114 grams) unsalted butter
1 egg

For the Blueberry Layer

1/4 cup(32 grams) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 generous cups(300 grams) fresh blueberries

1 tablespoon chopped fresh French tarragon

In a medium bowl mix together all the ingredients for the blueberry layer and set aside.

In another medium bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.

Add the unsalted butter and egg to the flour mixture, working in with a fork until crumbly.

Press half the crumble dough in the prepared pan. Cover with the blueberry layer and then with the other half of the crumble dough, carefully pat down- dough is a bit sticky.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown on top. Cool for at least 20 minutes on a metal rack before cutting into bars.

Makes 16 gooey bars

Tropical Rolled Spelt Cookies

2011-07-28T06:47:00.000-07:00

Spelt is an ancient relative of wheat, full of protein, fiber and iron, it's known for being kind to our tummies and it's nutrients are easily absorbed into our bodies. I just recently started using spelt flour in my baking which is very similar to whole wheat pastry flour. I like using spelt for cookies, muffins, breads and scones. Whole grain rolled spelt can be prepared like old fashioned rolled oats as a hot cereal or used in baked goods like cookies. Recently I found a recipe for cookies using rolled spelt on Angie's Recipes, her glowing description of the cookies "They are so freaking good" inspired me to find rolled spelt and substitute it in my own go-to oatmeal cookie recipe. I raided my pantry and went in a tropical direction with all my added goodies- using up the last of my giant can of macadamia nuts from Costco, signaling time for a Costco run! I can never get out of Costco for less than three hundred bucks and always come home with something like a set of luggage or a first aid kit that I don't need but it's worth it to bring home that big can of macadamia nuts. These cookies don't really spread on their own in the oven, they need a little help by being flattened with the back of a fork before baking.

I couldn't find rolled spelt at any of my local markets, including Whole Foods which surprised me so I ordered them online from Bob's Red Mill. I also ordered their finely ground blanched almond meal for my next cookie project. It's kind of a cool site with lots of different flours, cereals, mixes etc, definitely worth checking out. I also raided my sewing stash where I found this vintage binding which I cut with an old pair of pinking sheers- surprised me that they were still sharp! My sewing machine is one lonely camper since I started my food blog over two years and 200 hundred posts ago!

Tropical Rolled Spelt Cookies

Ingredients and Directions
makes about 48 cookies

Preheat the oven to 350F

1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup whole ground flax seeds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking spice, Penzeys brand(cinnamon,allspice,mace, cardamom,ground anise seed)
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups rolled spelt
1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
1/2 cup medium flaked coconut
1/2 cup dried pineapple(2 slices), chopped
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1/2 cup white chocolate chips, Ghirardelli classic white brand

Whisk together the flours, ground flax seeds, baking powder, spices and salt in a large bowl, set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer beat together the sugars and butter until creamy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Lower the mixer speed and beat in the flour mixture. Beat in the rolled spelt. Remove the bowl from the mixer and using a wooden spoon beat in the rest of the ingredients, macadamia nuts through white chocolate chips. Drop tablespoons of the dough onto parchment or silpat lined cookie sheets. Flatten the dough with the back of a fork if you like them flat or keep them round and they will turn out puffy. Bake for 16-18 minutes. Cool on metal racks and store in a cookie jar.

The Best Way to Enjoy Padron Peppers

2011-07-23T15:52:00.000-07:00

Padron peppers are Luis Castelero's pride and joy. He grows Padron peppers at his ranch in Lake County, California and likes to serve them in the purest way which is using the following recipe that he shared with me. It goes something like this, blistered in a heavy skillet coated with olive oil and then simply salted with the best sea salt you can get your hands on. Take hold of a stem and bite into the pepper, the small ones in one bite and the larger ones maybe in two. They literally melt in your mouth with a small amount of salty heat chasing a lingering Padron pepper flavor as you grab the next one and the next one.... The following recipe makes a fair amount, enough to fit comfortably into a good size frying pan, which in turn fills up a dinner plate to serve as a killer appetizer. My husband and I easily polished off the whole amount last night. While it's always more fun to enjoy Padron peppers up at the ranch with friends and a good bottle of wine on a hot Lake County Summer's night, here's Luis' recipe- the next best thing. I wish I could share the peppers too.

Ingredients and Directions for The Best Way To Enjoy Padron Peppers

serves 4

2 generous cups Padron peppers
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt for sprinkling

Add olive oil to a hot frying pan, when the oil is hot and shimmering add the peppers. Cook and stir the pepper until the skin is brown and blistered. Remove the peppers from the pan, place on a plate and sprinkle with sea salt to taste.

Coconut Lemongrass Braised Pork for French Fridays with Dorie

2011-07-22T05:49:00.000-07:00

Okay here's another one that I wasn't going to make because my husband is not a fan of pork. I thought about subbing in chicken or fish but decided on cubed pork loin because it really sounded good in this recipe and guess what?? Not a big surprise, it was good! This is a recipe for the online cooking group French Fridays with Dorie from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan, a cookbook that doesn't disappoint. For the most part the recipes are simple and can be tinkered with to get the flavors exactly the way you like them. I added a minced jalapeno pepper, garlic, saffron and a sprinkling of fresh baby Thai basil leaves to Dorie's list of spices. I also used sliced shallots, cubed pork loin and a somewhat assertive curry powder. The only complaint was not enough lemongrass flavor so next time I'll use more or maybe a milder curry powder. Our starter was also taken from Around My French Table, the minted zucchini tagliatelle with cucumbers and lemon salad. I'm giving you my adaption of this recipe because I've discovered that I like giving a recipe even when I'm not supposed to.. This salad recipe is one of my favorite from-the-garden recipes of the summer- you're going to love the freshness, the herbs and the crunch. You'll need one overgrown zucchini, one overgrown cucumber( the ones that hide in your vegetable garden underneath a big leaf), one cup of thinly sliced Vidalia onion, two cups of lightly chopped fresh herbs(I used Italian basil, Thai basil and mint), juice and zest of one lemon, a couple of tablespoons of walnut oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper. The zucchini and cucumber are each cut in thin(1/8") lengthwise strips until you reach the seedy interior, flip and slice the other side. Stack up the pieces, slice into noodle size strips and cut into bite size pieces. Toss or compost the big seedy center pieces. Whisk together the dressing, which couldn't be more simple with lemon juice, walnut oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Throw the zucchini, cucumbers, onions, lemon zest and herbs into a large bowl. Pour in the dressing, toss in the salt and pepper and chill for a few hours before serving. If you try this recipe you're going to love the freshness, the herbs and the crunch. Play around with the fresh herbs, type of oil, try lime instead of lemon juice and you're off and running. There is a picture of it and one of my favorite summer wines here somewhere!

Here it is- my favorite salad of the summer with the difficult to see/read Marsanny Rosé

A closer look at my new favorite salad and a link to check out the other contributors to French Fridays with Dorie. Please check back next Friday for the next installment in my cooking through Around My French Table adventure.

Summertime Peach Upside-Down Almond Cake

2011-07-18T07:16:00.000-07:00

I walked away from my local farmers market last week with a bag of luscious tree-ripened peaches, a treasured find of the morning. Fresh peaches, a favorite treat for breakfast, sliced to go on top of a bowl of oatmeal was the original plan, but reading a cookbook recipe for peach upside-down cake distracted me and sent things into a different direction. I'm easily distracted when it comes to cooking. Typically, I try to take inspiration from all walks of life. In this case, should I have made peach upside-down cake or peach ice cream or peach jam or all of the above? In all honesty, I think that summer is a time for simple recipes especially when ingredients like fresh peaches are available.

I won Spicie Foodies June YBR (Your Best Recipe) feature on Honest Cooking and submitted this slightly adapted post last week. It was pretty cool to see my name in lights on Honest Cooking. I will be submitting a few recipes there every month. So, with that said I'm sharing the following lightly sweetened simple recipe for Upside-Down Peach Almond Cake, adapted from America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2011 Cookbook.

Ingredients & Directions for Summertime Peach Upside Down Almond Cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C

For the Peach Topping

2 tablespoons(30 grams) unsalted butter
1/3 cup(60 grams) packed light brown sugar
3 large or 4 medium size peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced into 1/2" thick wedges

For the Cake

1/3 cup(50 grams) slivered almonds, lightly toasted
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup(120 grams) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup(150 grams) sugar
1/4 cup(45 grams) packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
6 tablespoons(90 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup(115 grams) sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

To make the topping: Place the butter in a 9"(22.5-cm) round cake pan and place in the oven for a few minutes to melt. Sprinkle on the brown sugar, evenly distributing it over the melted butter. Arrange the peach slices on top of the butter/sugar mixture in a circular pattern.

To make the cake: Place the almonds and salt together in a food processor, process until finely ground, about 10-15 seconds, remove almond mixture. Whisk together the almond mixture, flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. In a large bowl whisk the eggs and sugars together until mixture thickens, about a minute. Slowly stir in the melted butter, combine well, add the sour cream, vanilla and almond extracts. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined, don't over mix.

Carefully place spoonfuls of cake batter over the peach slices and smooth the top. Gently tap the cake pan on the counter to settle the batter on top of the peach slices. Bake the cake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few fine crumbs attached, about 35 minutes.

Cool the cake for about 15-20 minutes. Place a platter over the top of the cake, carefully invert the platter and cake. Slowly remove the cake pan , allowing the cake to release from the pan. Let the cake cool before serving on a favorite cake platter. Serves 8-10.

Melon Berry Soup with Triple Ginger Cookies for French Fridays with Dorie

2011-07-15T06:36:00.000-07:00

Melon Berry Soup with Triple Ginger Cookies

Good morning French Friday! I missed you last week but am happy to be back and in better form than last week. Dorie's cold melon soup could not have come at a better time for me as I have been recuperating from a major dental surgery which required eating only foods that are nourishing with little chewing.

I actually made a double batch of soup just for myself and gave away all the triple ginger cookies, sigh.
I made a dessert soup which is a Scandinavian tradition that is served both warm and cold. I found an inspirational recipe in my copy of Wonderful, Wonderful Danish Cooking for cold cherry soup that calls for a pint of sherry wine to be added just before serving. Now that is my kind of soup! Dorie's melon berry soup also calls for adding a sweet dessert style wine- just a spoonful to each bowl of soup before serving, a tad more conservative but I'm sure good all the same. This week, because of my surgery, wine tastes horrible to me but this melon berry soup tasted spicy and refreshing, next time I will add a splash of sweet wine to mine before enjoying. As those of you know who have been following our group of devoted Doristas know it has been requested that we don't share Dorie's exact recipe from her collection in her award winning cookbook, Around My French Table.
I will share a few notes on making this homemade fruit soup. Always start with a ripe cantaloupe and even then you may want to add a sprinkle or two of sugar to sweeten up your fruit broth, depending on your sweet tooth. I doubled the recipe and am planning on eating the entire amount myself, have to have something to look forward to... but I think it would make 6-8 small servings. I used one ripe cantaloupe, juice from a lime, a pinch of sea salt and a few teaspoons of grated fresh ginger placed in the blender to create the fruit soup. I used a second cantaloupe for my melon balls which were chilled and placed in a small bowl before pouring in the chilled pureed fruit mixture. I used a sliced strawberry and a sprig of mint to decorate my fruit soup but I think raspberries or blueberries would work equally well and look lovely with the cantaloupe broth. Please check out the other contributors to French Fridays with Dorie here. I am going to share the recipe for the Triple Ginger Cookies because they are a ginger lover's delight and go great with the melon berry soup.

Triple Ginger Cookies

Ingredients and Directions for Triple Ginger Cookies

from The Fearless Baker by Emily Luchetti

makes about 48 cookies

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger from a 2" piece of peeled fresh ginger

14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1&1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/4 cup mild flavor molasses

2&1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup finely chopped candied ginger

4 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, ginger, baking soda and salt. Stir in the candied ginger and set aside.

In a stand mixer beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy, scrape the bowl down and beat in the egg. Beat in the molasses and grated fresh ginger. Add the flour mixture and mix until everything is combined, being careful not too over mix the dough.

Place a rounded tablespoon of cookie dough, spaced a few inches apart on the cookie sheets. I used a mini ice cream scoop, it makes the job go much quicker. They do spread so make sure you leave some room between the dough balls on the cookie sheets. You may want to rotate the cookie sheets half way through the baking to make the cookies bake evenly.

Bake for about 14 minutes until browned. Wait until they cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheets and then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Mini Chocolate Raspberry Love Tartlets

2011-07-05T06:22:00.000-07:00

How much trouble can you get into with a bowl of raspberries, a recipe for chocolate press in tart dough, a jar of raspberry jam, a bowl of chocolate ganache, a box of mini tartlet pans, the color pink, love, and a little bit of time on your hands? The answer is a lot of trouble and a lot of delicious fun! I've been wanting to try Cindy Mushet's recipe for a chocolate press in tart dough from her 'Art & Soul of Baking' since I first picked up her cookbook over a year ago. If you like chocolate cookies you'll like this tart dough recipe. Unfortunately a few of the tartlets broke while I was removing them from the pans so I had to do some sampling, they tasted like sweet delicate chocolate cookies, which is just what I had in mind when I made these tempting tartlets.

Ingredients and Directions For Mini Chocolate Raspberry Love Tartlets

Easy chocolate press in dough

1 stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 cup all purpose flour
2&1/2 tablespoons dutch process cocoa powder

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour and cocoa powder, set aside.
In a stand mixer beat the butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk, beat until blended into the butter and sugar mixture, scrape down the bowl a few times during this process. Add the flour mixture all at once to the butter mixture and mix just until it all comes together, don't over mix. Finish mixing together by hand if you see a few clumps of butter not mixed into the flour. Chill the dough for about 15 minutes.
Spray the tartlet pans with a canola spray suitable for high oven heat. Break off chunks of the dough and press into the tartlet pans. This recipe makes enough tart dough for a 9" tart pan and enough for about a dozen mini tartlets. I used about a golf ball size piece of dough pressed into each mini tartlet pan. Chill the dough again for about 30 minutes before baking. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Cool after baking before filling.

Filling for the tartlets

1 basket of raspberries
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
4-6 tablespoons raspberry jam

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the heavy cream until it begins to boil and pour it over the chocolate. Wait 1 minute and whisk to blend.
Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of the chocolate ganache in each tartlet. Hold in fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up the ganache, you can keep the tartlets at this point in the fridge for up to 3 days. Bring the tartlets out of the fridge and swirl 1-2 teaspoons of the raspberry jam on top. Place 3 raspberries on top of each tartlet. You can store the finished tartlets lightly wrapped in the fridge, remove about 30 minutes before serving to allow the ganache to soften. Serve with Love.

Raspberry Love

Mini Chocolate Raspberry Tartlet Love

More Love

Mini Tartlet Pans-used with Love

Heirloom Beet Salad for French Fridays

2011-07-01T05:18:00.000-07:00

Heirloom beet salad with goat cheese, radish sprouts, icy red onions, pistachio nuts with a honey mustard vinaigrette is on the menu this French Friday with Dorie. This is a fun salad to make and serve as a starter for dinner or for lunch. The farmers market had a generous offering of heirloom beets, one that I could not pass up this week. I followed Dorie's recipe for the vinaigrette and the icy red onions but did my own thing with slicing and arranging the beets. I also used pistachio nuts, which were good with the soft goat cheese and radish sprouts to offer a small salad on top of the beets. I love beets in all sizes and colors so this was a really good French Fridays with Dorie week for me. Each Friday I post a recipe from Around My French Table with an online cooking group cooking and baking their way through Dorie Greenspan's wonderful cookbook.

Almost Guilt Free Rosemary Lemon Olive Oil Cake with Apricot Compote

2011-06-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

Searching for an olive oil cake to make for the weekend I came across a link to Catholic Guilt and Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Cake from Lora at The Cake Duchess. Please follow the link to find the recipe and her story. I love the story that goes along with her recipe but decided that my olive oil cake with it's apricot compote would be guilt free this weekend. As I drove to the store to buy lemons for the cake I couldn't get the idea of Catholic guilt out of my head, I think it's a deeper more intense type of guilt than your average every day kind of guilt. I'm not exactly sure but this weekend I wanted to be in a guilt free zone. I thought I could accomplish that by allowing myself to relax, cook, take walks, go to the farmers market and experiment with my camera. I bought Plate to Pixel by Helene Dujardin and also spent some time this weekend trying to decipher the chapter on shutter speed, aperture and ISO. That quickly became enough photography info for the weekend. It can be frustrating not getting the desired effects in my pictures so I decided to put some time into learning more about my camera in an attempt to break free from my picture taking ~~rut~~ routine, sort of like a New Year's resolution in June. Realizing that I might be suffering from photography guilt, one of the worst types- up there with Catholic Guilt, I decided to let it go and not intrude into my guilt free weekend zone. Let me also share with you that it's not easy taking pictures of food outdoors, the elements on what appears to be a lovely Summer afternoon can be harsh. Contending with ants, bees, mosquitoes, wind, bright sunlight, shadows etc. while trying to keep my cake looking fresh and stress free can be challenging. Kind of sounds like I was photographing my cake in a swamp and not in my backyard doesn't it? There were decisions to make about how much compote to put on the cake and does it look too gooey? A short drive back to the farmers market to buy more apricots to show whole in the photo to counter balance the gooeyness of the compote was a distinct possibility. It's much easier to eat a piece of cake than to take a picture of it and you can quote me on that. Anyway I did have a relaxing weekend and a wonderful rosemary lemon olive oil cake to enjoy and share with friends. I followed Lora's directions but didn't have a tube pan so I baked my cake in a bundt pan instead. It's a light flavorful cake that goes great with fruit like apricots and if you love rosemary you should consider giving this recipe a try.

Please follow above link to visit Lora at The Cake Duchess for her story and recipe for Rosemary Lemon Olive Oil Cake.

Ingredients & Directions for Apricot Compote

8 ripe apricots, sliced into wedges
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 strips lemon peel, use a vegetable peeler

In a medium saucepan combine the water, sugar, vanilla bean and lemon peel strips and bring to a simmer. Add the apricot wedges and simmer until the fruit is soft, about 15-20 minutes. Remove the lemon peels. If you use the vanilla extract add it to the fruit at the end of cooking.

Makes about 2 cups

Burrata, Tomato and Strawberry Salad for French Fridays with Dorie

2011-06-24T07:23:00.000-07:00

Small confession, my husband Scott and I have become obsessed with burrata cheese from Italy. Yes I know that Italy is not a region in France and that burrata cheese may be an unusual choice for French Fridays but this Friday it's on the menu. Burrata is a fresh tasting rich creamy cheese with an intense milky flavor which can be served drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil much like fresh mozzarella cheese. In fact burrata is made from mozzarella and cream, the outer shell is mozzarella and the creamy inside is made by adding cream to the left over scraps of mozzarella. We found it on the menu at A16 in San Francisco where it is served plain with crostini and now pretty much order it every time we see it. So last Saturday when I discovered it on the take out menu from Rosso Pizzeria at the Santa Rosa farmers market I admit to becoming a little giddy especially since the salad recipe this week for French Fridays with Dorie called for either mozzarella or burrata cheese. So of course it was my duty to buy the burrata to use for Dorie's salad recipe. The Saturday morning Santa Rosa farmers market is a big buzzing market with what seems like more vendors and booths every week. A few weeks ago I brought home herbs for my garden and last week I found red amaranth at the farmers market, an herb you don't normally see that has a slightly bitter beet like flavor which I hoped would offer an interesting contrast to the creamy burrata cheese. I have to apologize for posting two recipes in a row (Goat Cheese Muffins with Scallions and Chives-earlier this week) that featured creamy centers that I did not photograph showing off their interiors. I have no excuse other than thinking more about eating than photographing, we were hungry! In my defense I do think the exterior of this burrata cheese is interesting because you can see the envelope of mozzarella cheese in nice detail. Here is a link to a photo of a burrata that someone remembered to cut open, just scroll down to see the creamy indulgence. French Fridays with Dorie is an online cooking group that I have been participating in since March of this year. We are cooking our way through Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan. We have been asked not to give the recipes for the dishes we make but to refer you to the cookbook for the recipes, which is one you should consider adding to your collection. Please check out the other contributors here at French Fridays with Dorie.

Goat Cheese, Chive & Scallion Muffins

2011-06-20T07:14:00.000-07:00

These goat cheese chive and scallion muffins are the latest recipe I've made from the New Southern Garden Cookbook by Sheri Castle, an inspirational cookbook that is quickly becoming one of my favorites this Summer. I have quite a few recipes bookmarked and also made her delicious yellow squash muffins last week. Imagine a cookbook that inspires cooking from your vegetable garden or shopping at the farmers market, that would be The New Southern Garden Cookbook. Yes, there is even a recipe for a tomato pie that I will be trying when my own tomatoes ripen. A large flowering chive plant in my garden, a few freshly dug scallions and my love of soft fresh goat cheese made this recipe a natural choice for me this week. These muffins are wonderful served warm with a green salad.

Ingredients and Directions for Goat Cheese Chive & Scallion Muffins

Adapted from The New Southern Garden Cookbook by Sheri Castle

Vegetable oil spray
1 cup whole milk, divided
4 ounces fresh soft goat cheese
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup Spelt flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1&1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1/4 cup minced scallions and chive
1 teaspoon minced sweet basil or fresh dill

Preheat the oven to 400F

Spray the muffin cups with the vegetable spray and set aside.
In a small bowl mix together the goat cheese and 2 tablespoons of the whole milk.
In a large bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder, sugar and salt.
In a medium bowl whisk together the melted butter, egg and remaining whole milk.
Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Gently fold in the scallions, chives and fresh herbs.
Spoon half of the batter into the muffin cups and spoon a small ball of the goat cheese mixture on top of each muffin. Place a spoonful of batter on top of each muffin to cover the cheese.
Bake until the tops are golden and the goat cheese melts, about 20 minutes.
Serve warm.

Makes one dozen muffins

A little ball of soft goat cheese is layered into the muffin batter before baking

Goat Cheese Chive & Scallion Muffins Fresh Out Of The Oven

Overnight Buttermilk Pancakes with Spiced Roasted Rhubarb & Strawberry Compote for French Fridays

2011-06-17T05:38:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been thinking about things I like to eat, like pancakes, no big news flash here. When our children were younger and living at home I made more pancakes but the truth is that like Disney movies which I also like and saw more of when our children were younger, I miss making pancakes. So when I saw that this week's recipe from Around My French Table was roasted rhubarb, all I could think of making was a compote with strawberries and enjoying it over a stack of buttermilk pancakes. I know that rhubarb compliments many things but my all time favorites are strawberries. Roasted rhubarb and fresh strawberries is a marriage made in Heaven, in a crisp, in a crumble, in a pie, cobbler or over buttermilk pancakes, that's what I'm talking about. A Pyrex pie dish covered with about a pound of sliced rhubarb, about a half a cup of sugar, one cinnamon stick, one star anise and about a tablespoon of crystallized ginger placed in a medium oven will soon make your kitchen smell wonderful. I did adapt this simple recipe by changing the spices in the rhubarb, but you can find the original recipe in Around My French Table, a gem of a cookbook, by Dorie Greenspan. Check out the other contributors to this on-line cooking group here at French Fridays with Dorie.

A quick trip to the farmers market for fresh strawberries mixed into the roasted rhubarb and you have a wonderful compote to enjoy all by itself or on the following recipe for made in your blender Overnight Buttermilk Pancakes, recipe from 'Radically Simple' by Rozanne Gold.

Ingredients and Directions for Overnight Buttermilk Pancakes
makes about 14 pancakes

2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons olive oil
1&1/2 cups self rising flour**

Place all the above ingredients in the glass container of your blender and blend until smooth. Place in your fridge overnight(not more than 15 hours). In the morning bring it out and give it a whirl before using.

Heat up your griddle and brush with olive oil or cooking spray. Spoon or ladle the pancake batter in about 1/4 cup increments, smoothed into round pancake shapes and evenly spaced on your griddle. Cook until brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes, flip and continue cooking until golden brown on both sides. Stack up and serve with butter and serve with compote.

**Self-Rising Flour = 1 cup AP flour plus 1&1/2 teaspoon baking powder & 1/2 teaspoon salt, well combined.

Tuesday at The Barn in Novato & Lunch with White Rose Ranch

2011-06-13T08:53:00.000-07:00

A Tuesday morning trip out to Pam Garcia's Barn in Novato has my imagination soaring. First of all I can't wait to make my own fresh tomato pie, a Southern specialty served for lunch by White Rose Ranch that was such a delicious discovery. While browsing through all the country style decor in The Barn I may have also lucked out and found new pillows for my living room sofa. Clever ideas for your garden are everywhere, I loved the layout of the veggie garden, a small antique greenhouse and the white rose bushes in the river rock. I can't wait to come back to search for that perfect picture, table or rug for my home at the next Barn Event. So many ideas for the home in such a beautiful country setting, a short visit to soak in the sights at The Barn in Novato is truly a homebodies paradise. All this inspiration will captivate you and that's before lunch... Susan Lustenberger's White Rose Ranch serves up some amazing Southern style country fare to be savored with friends or family on a picnic table underneath giant oak trees within a few feet of the sweetest miniature ponies.

Pam Garcia owned The Feathered Nest in Novato for 12 years before closing the shop and concentrating her energy and talent on her barn sales, website and decorating services. The Feathered Nest was my favorite shop to find unique gifts and I was disappointed as were many of Pam's customers when she closed the doors. As much as I enjoyed Pam's retail shop and miss it, I have to admit that the scenery around the barn is spectacular and the perfect showcase for her talents.

Did I mention that Pam is an animal lover?

Would anyone like a tomato plant?

A Flower Lover's Paradise in Novato

Homemade fried chicken with blue cheese biscuits are as tempting as the country style farmhouse decor directly across the aisle in the barn.

These are the pillows I'm thinking about for my living room sofa, what do you think?

Lunch time with White Rose Ranch's country cooking and friends.

Fresh Tomato Pie and Pulled Pork Sandwich with Jicama Jalapeno Slaw were on the lunch menu.

Strawberry Shortcake for a sweet ending to a memorable visit, thanks Pam and Susan.

Coca-Cola and Apricot Jam Short Ribs for French Fridays with Dorie

2011-06-10T06:52:00.000-07:00

My husband Scott was looking forward to having Cola and Jam Ribs for French Fridays with Dorie this week. I didn't want to use the spareribs called for in the recipe so I substituted meatier beef short ribs, they turned out flavorful and tender with a deep colored glaze. I baked my short ribs closer to 2 & 1/2 hours total time, basting them the entire time, first with the marinade and then with the Coca-Cola for the last 30 minutes. I figured after a couple of weeks of French Fridays with poached eggs on asparagus over salad and veggies he deserved a piece of red meat with a few spuds. I liked the flavor of the Chinese five-spice powder from the marinade, it was pronounced in the short ribs and the glaze that formed on the ribs from basting with the Coca-Cola was strikingly dark in color. I used a large roasting pan which held about 4 pounds of meaty short ribs that I had the butcher cut in half for me. I had enough room in the pan to add a few pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes for the last hour of cooking. A mixture of Swiss chard and carrots sauteed in olive oil along with the marinade glazed potatoes complemented the tender oven roasted short ribs Please check out the other contributors to this on-line cooking group, French Fridays with Dorie as we cook our way through Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan.

Moroccan Mint Tea Shortbread Cookies

2011-06-06T06:26:00.000-07:00

We tried goats milk butter for the first time a few months ago at Cyrus in Healdsburg and couldn't get enough. I'm not sure if it was just the butter that was so good or spreading it on the house made selection of warm bread they brought to the table but I was definitely intrigued by the goats milk butter. When I found it at my local market I picked it up planning to use it in my baking. I thought that a good place to start would be with a simple butter cookie like shortbread. I guess I should also mention that I've been wanting to pulverize tea to use in shortbread so there you have it, goat milk butter and Moroccan mint tea together in one meltingly delicious shortbread cookie. This recipe is simple, it can be made with regular butter and any kind of loose tea that you would like to pulverize. I keep an electric coffee bean grinder that I only use for spices and that worked really well for this recipe. I rolled the dough into logs which I sliced but I think you could chill this dough, roll it out and cut it into shapes. I think the small coin shaped slices are cute and for sure the easiest way to quickly form and bake off these cookies.

Ingredients and Directions for Moroccan Mint Tea Shortbread Cookies

1&3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
1/4 cup white rice flour
2 Tablespoons finely ground Moroccan Mint tea, The Republic of Tea brand
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup Meyenberg European Style Goat Milk Butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon peppermint oil

Preheat oven to 350F
Line two baking sheets with silpats

Note: I pulverized loose leaf Moroccan Mint tea which is a mixture of green tea and peppermint tea in a spice grinder for this recipe.

In a medium bowl whisk together the all purpose flour, white rice flour, mint tea and sea salt.

In a stand mixer beat the butter with the confectioners sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the peppermint oil. Gradually beat in the flour mixture.

Remove the dough from the mixer and divide in half. Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap, form into a log using the wrap to help. Tightly wrap the dough and chill for about one hour or until firm.

Slice into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Place on the baking sheets and bake for about 15 minutes or until slightly brown on the bottom.

Meyenberg Goat Milk Butter is white as snow, doesn't really look like butter, does it?

Favorite Spring Vegetable Pot-Au-Feu for French Fridays with Dorie

2011-06-03T05:40:00.000-07:00

Change is in the air, nothing stays the same forever including a suggested recipe for warm weather vegetables from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan. Referred to as a springboard recipe and in my case it was also an 'everything but the kitchen sink' recipe as I reached deep into my fridge to pull out my jar of preserved Key limes and a leftover grilled corn on the cob from the holiday weekend. A handful of arugula with sliced radishes, a drizzle of arugula pesto and a poached egg completed my vegetable pot-au-feu. Thinking it might look like a déja vu from French Friday a few weeks ago when the poached egg was cut to show the runny yolk coating the asparagus, I decided to celebrate the whiteness of my poached egg by leaving it untouched in the photographs. I think it looks calmer, a bit more subdued in this state, what do you think?

Arugula Pesto

Radishes, Shallots, Garlic, Fennel, Potatoes, Leek, Eggs, Carrots, asparagus

My Favorite Radish

Roasted Corn, Minced Preserved Key Limes, Poached Egg, Arugula & Arugula Pesto

Please check out the Doristas contributing their links here at French Fridays with Dorie, just remembered I added sea salt with freshly ground black pepper and fearing blandness a few pinches of ground Aleppo peppers.

Honey Almond Tart with Red Wine Glazed Cherries

2011-05-30T07:10:00.000-07:00

Our cherry tree is covered with cherries, they are just beginning to turn pink which means that in just a few short days the birds will swarm all over it attacking and decimating the little hard sour barely pink cherries. So, no this bowl of bright red cherries are not the cherries from my tree, they are from the farmers market, the serious cherry growers who don't let the birds run the show. I suppose I could throw a big net over the tree, like a giant hair net to keep the pesky birds off my cherries but that would require setting up a tall ladder or rather paying someone to set up a tall ladder and that's just not going to happen anytime soon. I have a strong feeling that those cherries are not going to last much longer. Honestly our garden is so overgrown and shady that I can't believe that there would be enough sun for the cherries to fully ripen but I'll never know. Now that the sun is out the birds will soon discover my cherries and that will be the end of cherry season in my backyard. The cherries I picked up at the farmers market were better looking than they were flavorful so I made a red wine glaze for them which added just the right touch of sweetness. I found the recipe for this sweet pizza like honey almond tart in 'The French Farmhouse Cookbook' by Susan Herrmann Loomis. I've made quite a few recipes from her cookbooks but I think this one is my favorite, it's definitely up there with Around My French Table. My husband, Scott and I love toasted almonds so this recipe caught my eye and I though it would be wonderful with cherries in a red wine glaze. It is also good for breakfast with a strong cup of coffee, if you have any leftovers.

Ingredients and Directions for Honey Almond Tart and Red Wine Glazed Cherries

For the Honey Almond Tart

2 cups almonds
1/2 cup honey, I used blackberry
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons warm water
1 package active dry yeast
3 large eggs, beaten
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Preheat the oven to 350F

Toast the almonds on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes just until they are slightly colored. Remove from the oven and cool. Coarsely chop the almonds and set aside.

Gently heat the honey in a small saucepan, just until it melts and becomes spreadable. Remove from the heat and set aside on the stove top.

In the bowl of a stand mixer place the flour and salt, stir to mix. Make a well in the center of flour mixture and add the warm water, sugar and yeast, mix together. Add the eggs and begin beating the flour mixture to form a soft dough. Beat in the stand mixer for about 3-4 minutes until the dough is elastic and slightly sticky. Begin to beat in the soft butter until it is incorporated. The dough will become softer and slightly sticky. Cover the dough with a tea towel and let rise in a warm draft free spot until it is about a third larger, about 45-60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F and generously butter a deep 9" cake pan.

Punch the dough down, remove it from the bowl and gently spread it into the 9" pan forming a raised border all around the edges of the pan. Spread the honey over the dough and sprinkle with the almonds. Bake in the center of the oven until the dough is golden brown and the honey is bubbling hot, about 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool slightly before serving. This can also be served at room temperature.

For the Red Wine Glazed Cherries

2 cups Pinot Noir or similar red wine
1 cup sugar
1 star anise
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups pitted red cherries

In a small saucepan bring the red wine, sugar and star anise to a simmer. Reduce the heat and continue simmering until the sauce is syrupy, about 1 hour. Don't let the sauce caramelize- it should remain bright red. Strain the mixture and add the vanilla extract. Refrigerate until cool, it will continue to thicken. Bring the sauce out of the refrigerator to warm slightly before serving. Place a serving of cherries on the plate next to the tart and drizzle with the red wine glaze.

Lamb and Dried Apricot Tagine with Cardamom Rice Pilaf For French Fridays with Dorie

2011-05-27T05:54:00.000-07:00

I know there is a well known food blog that starts with the name White Rice and I know that white rice is a good thing but I for one am not minimalist enough to make a post just about white rice. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a beautiful thing but I struggled with the image of white rice in a white bowl on a white tablecloth for my blog post. Not that it's a bad thing. I can appreciate that image, it just makes me squirm a little bit and start to think about the colors that go with that white rice. I had been wanting to try the lamb and dried apricot tagine recipe in Around My French Kitchen by Dorie Greenspan. What I really wanted to do was make me and my white rice happy - I think that I accomplished that last night. I used the little seeds from the pod of a green cardamom, slightly crushed to coax out more flavor. I also added chopped shallots, lemon zest and some flavorful chicken stock to white jasmine rice but I'm not supposed to give the recipe so that's all I'm going to write on this topic. The lamb and dried apricot tagine was heavenly with the cardamom rice pilaf and the aroma from all the spices that filled the house does kind of drive you nuts as Dorie mentions in her description of this recipe but again you'll have to pick up the book to read the whole story.

Lamb and Dried Apricot Tagine with Cardamom Rice Pilaf with Glass of Red Wine

Close Up of Cardamom Rice Pilaf with Slivered Almonds, Lemon Zest and Sprig of Cilantro

Luscious Lamb and Dried Apricot Tagine

Please check out the other Doristas here at French Fridays with Dorie and have a nice holiday weekend.

Lavender, Rosemary and Cinnamon Candied Walnuts

2011-05-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

This is such an easy and good recipe. I made it a couple of years ago and promptly forgot all about it, until today. Both the Spanish and French lavender are blooming all over my neighborhood with the English lavender not far behind. On a walk this morning I was thinking about simple recipes using lavender and remembered this one. I use dried lavender in my cooking all year round, I love the way it smells, just a hint of lavender is a wonderful addition to savory foods as well as desserts. I added finely chopped fresh rosemary which just finished blooming outside my front door and a little ground cinnamon to add some spice.

Ingredients and Directions for Lavender, Rosemary and Cinnamon Spiced Walnuts

2 cups walnut halves

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1&1/2 cups sugar

1/2 water

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 rounded teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 rounded tablespoon dried lavender, culinary lavender can be purchased in the bulk section of Whole Foods

1 rounded teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350F

Toast the walnuts in the oven on a large rimmed baking sheet for about 8-10 minutes, until slightly browned. Pull the walnuts out of the oven and add the butter, stir with a large rubber spatula coating both the walnuts and the pan. Set aside on top of the stove.

Place the lavender in a mortal and pestle to give it a good crush to release the essential oils. This also releases some of the lavender flowers from the buds which is pretty in the finished candied walnuts.

In a medium saucepan combine the sugar and water, bring to a boil without stirring. Over a medium high heat continue boiling until the mixture reads 238F on a candy thermometer, this is the soft ball stage. Remove from the heat and carefully stir in the lavender, rosemary, cinnamon and salt, making sure it's well mixed. Again carefully pour the hot syrup over the walnuts and stir until you've coated all the nuts. Be careful not to take the syrup over 238F or it will clump on the walnuts and not coat them. Some of the walnuts will stick together, those are the really good ones!

Let the nuts cool before serving or store in an airtight container. Warning these are addictive!

Asparagus Salad with Bacon and A Six Minute Egg For French Fridays with Dorie

2011-05-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

Fresh locally grown asparagus has been in our markets for awhile, just in time to make this wonderful salad recipe from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan. The 6 minute eggs on top of the salad add the perfect finishing touch to the asparagus and the bacon. I used mixed baby greens, toasted hazelnuts and apple wood smoked bacon in my salad. I started the asparagus by dropping a handful in boiling salted water for just a few minutes. Then I roasted them in a hot oven coated with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt until lightly browned and tender.

Except for a few small changes this is a close rendition of Dorie's recipe for Bacon Eggs and Asparagus Salad from Around My French Table. I knew this recipe would be a keeper the first time I saw the beautiful photo of it in the book. Asparagus and eggs are a natural served on top of this green salad along with the smoky pieces of bacon and chopped hazelnuts, I could eat a salad like this one every week and not get tired of it. I did open a bottle of Ridge Chardonnay which complimented this salad wonderfully Just a note, I could open a bottle of Ridge Chardonnay every week and not get tired of that either!

Please check out all the contributing Doristas here at French Fridays with Dorie. Also, if you like these French Fridays with Dorie recipes consider buying Around My French Table and cooking along with us, don't miss out on all the fun!

Mother's Day Brunch at Estate in Sonoma

2011-05-16T07:34:00.000-07:00

Smiling faces, warm Spring weather and good food made for a wonderful family brunch to celebrate Mother's Day. We enjoyed our outdoor seating on the spacious deck at Estate in Sonoma. The last day of our staycation happened to coincide with Mother's Day, what a perfect way to end the week by spending the day with almost all my family including grandchildren. Estate is the perfect place to celebrate a birthday, anniversary or holiday with your family and we are lucky to have this restaurant almost in our own backyard, about a twenty minute drive from our home.

I started my brunch with a Mimosa and one of these soft polenta rolls to go along with all these flavorful share plates of antipasti.

Outdoor seating at Estate offers lots of beautiful and interesting things to look at and touch but the outstanding Mother's Day Bubbles & Brunch menu eventually brought everybody back to the table. The food at Estate is Italian inspired while the Girl & the fig, another of Sandra Bernstein's Sonoma restaurants offers a French themed menu. My husband, Scott asked the chef to sign my menu to add to my collection.

I know that I'm partial, being the grandmother and all, but look at the pink dress and that little dimpled hand- just as scrumptious as anything that was served at Estate.

My daughter Jen, the mother of all my sweet grandchildren and I ordered the artichoke-herb frittata which came with roasted potatoes and a green salad. Unfortunately my younger daughter who lives in Portland and attends college at PSU could not be there. Katie describes herself on Facebook as loving being a student and an Auntie to the most handsome, funny and smart boys, she hasn't updated this since Gracie was born!

She also says she misses her dog and wants another one, she now has a cat. She is homesick for the bay and addicted to gummy cola bottles. She loves to cook and next time she comes to visit she want to do a guest post, maybe her scalloped potatoes, yum. Back to the artichoke frittata, it was good filled with roasted baby artichokes.

My husband, son and son in law all ordered the breakfast pizzas which were delicious individual works of art with the fried egg in the center. We enjoyed everything including left overs from the little boy's plates of scrambled eggs and roasted potatoes, no-not me, I wouldn't do that.

The gardens at Estate are beautiful year round but particularly nice at this time. On a corner of the property in full sun the herb garden is already well established in a raised stone bed next to a beautiful espalier apple tree. The roses were blooming all around the Victorian mansion, which once belonged to General Vallejo's daughter but now is the home of Estate restaurant. The colors from the Spring blooming perennial flowers were bright and pretty in the flower beds and surrounding green fields.

My son Taylor who is the digital media coordinator at 49ers.com, helped me start my blog. He is with my oldest daughter Jen, who describes herself on Facebook as a wifey, mommy, cpa, gardener, cook, shopaholic, loves coffee and wine and is grateful for everyday with my family. These family pictures are for you LeQuan, one of my favorite bloggers, who asked me to show more family pictures in my blog.

A very sweet ending to a wonderful family meal.

Spinach, Potato and Bacon Quiche for French Fridays with Dorie

2011-05-13T15:42:00.000-07:00

I just came home after a wonderful lunch at The Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco with Gina from SPCookieQueen and believe me it's a good thing that I'm still on a high from meeting her because I was hoping to return home, find Blogger restored and post my link to French Fridays with Dorie. But, Quel Malheur! Blogger dumped my post and now I have to reconstruct it from the beginning, yes it was done but now it's undone, gone, vanished into thin air! Normally I post a few photos of the finished product and call it a day but this week I posted a series of photos on my tart dough making process complete with captions, again, let me repeat, Quel Malheur!!! Right now, and no I did not have wine with lunch but I should have, I wish I was on a game show where you win money$$$ for how many times you say Quel Malheur!! or a trip to France. I'm going to load up the photos again try to remember the captions and as they say, Keep Calm and Blog On! Please check out the links of the other contributors to this online cooking group here. If you would like this recipe and more please pick up a copy of Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan. Also consider cooking along with this group!

I also wanted to explain why I put potatoes in this bacon and spinach quiche. I didn't have enough spinach! By the time I steamed, rinsed and drained my spinach I had about 1/2 cup of spinach so not wanting to go to the market I looked in my pantry and decided to use potatoes. We loved the tart and enjoyed it for dinner with a green salad and a glass of wine. The next morning we had a slice with a cup of coffee for breakfast. This is not a cheesy quiche, it is a hearty flavorful meal of a quiche that I will definitely make again and again.

Just a quick note about the tart dough that I photographed for a Tourteau de Chèvre for my friend Christie's birthday party this weekend. The finished dough goes into a springform pan, I hope that's not confusing to anyone. I spent a lot of time on this post yesterday, I just rushed through it so I could still post it today.

Start with ice cold bits of butter and an egg mixed into a few teaspoons of chilled water

Place the bits of butter on top of flour, a small amount of sugar and salt that has already been blended together in the food processor

An exterior view, don't overdo the pulsing of the butter into the flour mixture

There should be fairly large pieces of butter in the flour mixture, now you can add the liquid ingredients

The dough starts to clump but don't let if form into a ball, again don't overdo it!

Reach inside the food processor and give the dough a good pinch- that's what I'm talking about!

Turn the dough out on top of the wrap and form into a disk, give it a few kneads with the heel of your hand

Wrap the disk and refrigerate for at least three hours, notice the bits of butter in the dough

Flour the rolling pin, as needed, also sprinkle flour underneath the dough

Roll out the dough from the center, lifting and turning as you go

Flip the dough over using the plastic wrap and fit into the pan, carefully peel off the wrap

Trim dough to fit the pan with a knife

Wrap and Freeze, Remember this tart dough is in a springform pan for my Tourteau de Chèvre

Wow, I really built up an appetite after all of that!

Our Staycation- Lunch and Shopping at Barndiva in Healdsburg- Who Needs To Go Away?

2011-05-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

Barndiva restaurant and studio in Healdsburg where beautiful objects for the home and delicious fare meet side by side for a unique shopping and dining experience. We opted to enjoy lunch first to fuel ourselves for the shopping right next door. Of course we had to peek into the shop on our way to the restaurant, how could you resist. I love the rocks placed inside a rusted metal sculpture in front of the studio. You select the size of the rusted metal shape and the artist builds it at your house. But first I was hungry for some modern country food and spirited spirits.

On a warm Spring day walking inside the restaurant was like arriving at an oasis with fresh flowers and friendly faces to great you at the front door, the towering wall of spirited spirits behind the bar doesn't take away from the relaxed mood either.

We were seated on the front patio and ordered a couple of glasses of bubbles to enjoy while checking out the new Spring 2011 menu. We were offered the goat cheese croquettes with house made tomato jam and lavender honey as a starter but chose a salad instead, I like to leave room for dessert.

Hearts of Romaine, Bacon, Avocado, Blue Cheese, Apple with Creamy Cabernet Vinaigrette

Herb Roasted Sea Scallops, Stinging Nettle & Ricotta Agnolotti. Peas with Sorrel Creme Fraiche

Warm Rhubarb & Frangipane Tart, Creme Fraiche Ice Cream with Almond Streusel

Rhubarb slices poached in a simple syrup with grenadine for color.

Shopping!

This metal rack is so cool!

We loved these sweet plates.

Check out the sterling silver straws!

Unique objects and art from all over the world.

This is a fun spot for lunch and shopping in Healdsburg, I will back for the Summer menu and a table outside in the back garden for dinner. Don't forget a specialty cocktail from the long ever changing list that always features seasonal ingredients or a bottle of wine from their excellent wine list. Make sure you leave room for dessert, it was exceptional, our server mentioned that their new pastry chef came from The French Laundry!

Tourteau de Chèvre for French Fridays with Dorie

2011-05-06T07:13:00.000-07:00

I feel like Sam I Am in Green Eggs and Ham, do you like tourteau de chèvre? But instead of saying, I do not like tourteau de chèvre, I would say right away, yes I do Sam I Am, I like tourteau de chèvre and I would eat it in a boat, with a goat, on a plane, in a house and I would serve this tourteau de chèvre for dessert with fresh berries and a drizzle of honey on the side as Dorie suggests. I would also serve it with tea or coffee in the afternoon, or as an appetizer with a glass of chilled white wine or rosé. I would not run away from a cheese torte with goat cheese because although it might sound different, it is wonderful and delicious. It looks like cheesecake but it's lighter in texture, drier and not as sweet. How can you miss starting with these ingredients, a roll of soft goat cheese, eggs, sugar, cognac and a scraped vanilla bean baked in a pastry. Easily cut into wedges that you can eat of of your hand. My husband just walked in the kitchen and snagged a piece, yum! I think he likes it best for an after work snack. But, he wants another piece after dinner. Me too! I like my routine of making and posting a recipe from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan every week. Please check out the other posts by fabulous Doristas here at French Fridays with Dorie. Consider picking up my new favorite cookbook, Around My French Table and cooking along with the group. I'm not supposed to give the recipe here, another reason to pick up the book.

Caramelized Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

2011-05-02T05:43:00.000-07:00

This is not the pineapple upside-down cake that I used to make back in the day, you know the one with the canned pineapple and maraschino cherries from the Betty Crocker cookbook. This cake is all grown up with a vanilla bean scraped into the cake batter and a splash of brandy. My pineapple upside-down cake is an elegant cake fit for a special dinner party or just for some seriously scrumptious dessert eating, preferably shared with family or friends. I spent some time doing a little research for an updated version of the recipe and ended up using a combination of ingredients that sounded good to me in all the recipes I found. The idea of using brandy and a vanilla bean in the batter came from "In The Sweet Kitchen" by Regan Daley. If you like to bake you should seriously consider adding this cookbook to your collection. I find myself using this cookbook as a reference for many things I bake as it is full of fabulous recipes for just about any kind of dessert as well as tips on techniques and tons of information on ingredients. I also went to a cookbook new to my collection, 'Flour' by Joanne Chang for her recipe for old fashioned pineapple upside-down cake as well as 'The Cake Bible', another one of my favorites by Rose Levy Beranbaum. I decided to leave out the sweet cherries as well as pecan halves and just go with the slices of pineapple in the topping. Why? Because that's my favorite part of the cake and I didn't want any of those cherry or pecan halves getting in the way of my caramelized pineapple slices. I sliced a fresh pineapple into thick slices then simmered them in caramel sauce on top of the stove, that would be good all by itself served on top of vanilla ice cream. An upside-cake can also be made in a cast iron skillet which saves the step of transferring the caramelized fruit into a cake pan before pouring in the cake batter and placing in the oven. I like to use a cake pan for this recipe just because it's how I've always done it so I guess I do honor some traditions, for sure the good ones.

Ingredients and Directions for Caramelized Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

1 pineapple

1 3/4 cups sugar, separated 1 cup and 3/4 cup

1/2 cup water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus 1/2 cup melted and cooled
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 eggs, at room temperature
3 egg yolks, at room temperature
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out
2-3 tablespoons brandy, or a very generous splash

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Generously butter a 9 inch cake pan

Slice off the top and bottom of your pineapple so it sits evenly on your cutting board. Using a heavy knife peel, halve and core the pineapple. Cut each half of the pineapple in half and then cut into slices 1/2 inch thick.

Put 3/4 cup sugar in the bottom of a heavy medium saucepan. Add the water, swirl pan to moisten the sugar.
Place the pan over a high heat and bring to a rolling boil. Don't stir just let it boil until the sugar bubbles all over and starts to turn brown. This will take 4-5 minutes. The sugar will turn brown, thicken and turn syrupy.
Carefully swirl the pan to evenly caramelize the sugar. Lower the heat and carefully whisk in the pieces of butter. Add the slices of pineapple to the bubbling caramel very carefully! Simmer the pineapple for about 10 minutes. Transfer the pineapple slices to the prepared cake pan arranging in a circular pattern, covering as much of the bottom as possible.

In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs and egg yolks until very well blended. Slowly whisk in the sugar, vanilla seeds, generous splash of brandy and melted butter. Using a large rubber spatula fold the flour mixture into the egg/sugar mixture until combined.

Pour the batter over the pineapple slices in the cake pan, making sure the batter fills in evenly around the slices. Bake for 45-50 minutes until the top is golden brown and the top of the cake springs back when lightly pressed with a fingertip.

Cool the cake on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before turning out upside down on a serving plate. Run a knife along the inside edge of the pan to help separate the cake from the pan. Place your serving plate on top of the cake and carefully flip upside down. Lift off the cake pan and continue to let the cake cool before serving. If a piece of pineapple sticks to the bottom of the pan just replace it back on top of the cake. The cake is best served the same day you make it, but can be stored for a few days in an airtight container at room temperature.

Bistrot Paul Bert Pepper Steak For French Fridays with Dorie

2011-04-29T06:13:00.000-07:00

Bistrot Paul Bert is a family owned restaurant in Paris that serves up a great piece of beef. Dorie Greenspan likes their pepper steak so much that she asked for the recipe and put it in her critically acclaimed cookbook Around My French Table. The online cooking group, French Fridays with Dorie liked it so much that they voted to make it together for this French Friday. I liked the recipe so much that I made it to share along with the rest of the Doristas who post their links here. There are more than 300 hundred excellent recipes in Around My French Table, including this pepper steak recipe. I'm not supposed to give the recipe so you should really consider picking up a copy of the cookbook, if you haven't already. At Bistrot Paul Bert the steak comes with fries or frites but I decided on a lighter alternative and made a pan of oven roasted Yukon Gold potatoes to serve on the side. The potatoes are covered in a light coat of olive oil and sea salt. I bake them in a hot oven until they are golden brown on the bottom and flip them until they are colored on both sides. The steak was fun to make using pounded mixed peppercorns that are pressed into the meat. After cooking the steaks in a hot cast iron skillet with butter and grapeseed oil. I removed the them from the pan and poured in the Cognac, which gives off a lot of smoke. You may choose to either simmer or ignite the Cognac by tipping the pan towards the flame on the burner. There will be a lot of smoke coming off the skillet from the hot butter, oil and meat, which makes it a good candidate for outdoor cooking. We have a burner on our outdoor gas barbecue so I asked Scott to fire it up while I was bringing everything outside to cook. While the steaks rest after cooking the sauce is finished with a swirl of gently bubbling heavy cream and a slight amount of sea salt. Don't be shy with those peppercorns, along with the sauce, they really make this dish.

This is a steak lover's recipe that could be paired with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon