Tales of a Test Kitchen

Christmas cocktails

2011-12-20T09:07:00.004-05:00

//dusts off cobwebs.

Yes, there's plenty of catch up to be done here at TTK ... almost an entire year and a half of me living in the UK.

(I'll get there ... promise.)

But first, some Christmas cocktails recently featured at the Candlelight Club - and a photo of us from November's event. A nice change from the usual mulled wine and/or whisky sours (if you're doing a Thaney Christmas). Happy holidays :)

adding "curry" as a food group

2010-09-10T11:43:00.008-04:00

The "test kitchen" - or what's left of it - is still making it's way across the Atlantic to London on the SS Kaitlin, so not a whole lot of proper cooking is happening, unfortunately.

The upside of this? Becoming a frequent customer of the tasty curry shop up the road, Bombay Bicycle Club (HT to Adam), now my go to for those late nights at the office.

I promise there will be culinary adventures soon. But while we wait for that day to come, some curry shots. Yum.

stacy's kitchenaid inauguration

2010-06-29T16:27:00.016-04:00

I have to let you in on a little secret ... I have a serious case of kitchen gadget envy, stemming from this fella' pictured below.

It belongs to my friend Stacy, newly betrothed to MIT compatriot Albert. And yes, I have a case of the ooh-la-lah's for it, for all KitchenAid stand alone mixer owners actually. //swoon.

So it was only right for Stacy and I to throw the mixer it's own "welcome home" soiree, right? Right. Good blog reader. Just nod your head and smile and pretend we aren't crazy. :)

This past Saturday I headed over to Stacy's, armed with a bag o' wine (bag filled with bottles, mind you, not one of those bizarre-o deconstructed Franzia contraptions. e-gad, no). We had our sights on a recipe to make, and had the whole afternoon to spare. The recipe? Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova. Heavenly //double swoon, and maybe if we felt the urge, some pizza dough ... just so we could use this dough hook and I could snap this photo of dear ole Stacy.

:)

Some things just have to be done. Yarrr. Ay matey.

Anywho. On to the pavlova of heavenly proportions.

Nigella's Chocolate Rasppberry Pavlova
From Nigella Lawson, but of course.

6 egg whites
1.25 C white sugar
3 TB sifted cocoa powder
1 tsp balsamic (or red wine, we used balsamic) vinegar
50 g dark chocolate, finely chopped

for the topping:
homemade whipped cream
2-3 containers of raspberries
2-3 TB dark chocolate, shaved on top

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Beat the egg whites until there are satiny-sheened (yup, made up a word) peaks, and then slowly beat in the sugar one spoonful at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny. Thankfully, with the KitchenAid, this takes minimal effort. God bless you, mixer. Let's be best friends forever.

Go, go gadget ...

Sift in the cocoa like so...

Add the vinegar and dark chocolate, folding in gennnnntly. It'd be a shame to lose all that the mixer has done, right?

Mix together gently until all of the chocolate and cocoa is mixed in, then mound onto the baking sheet in a fat circle, smoothing the sides and top. Place in the oven, then *immediately* turn the head down to 300 degrees F and cook for 1 - 1.25 hours. When it's ready it should look crispy around the edges and be dry on top but have a bit of "squidginess" to it when you poke the center. Remove and let cool.

Behold.

Now, make the whipped cream as your mama taught ya'. Smear on top oh so gently (it's a delicate pavlova), then top with berries and chocolate.

Here's the finished product. Not too bad for two meringue n00bs, I'd say.

Oh, and we also made some incredible pizza. Why? Remember the pizza hook pirate pose above? Well, we wanted to try. We had a delicious day in store, let me tell you.

i've gone fondanting

2010-06-25T14:15:00.006-04:00

I can't help but giggle when I say "fondant-ing" (with an absurd emphasis on the second syllable, as if I'm embarking on an adventure of epic proportions and slinging a cape over my shoulder to make a dramatic exit. stage left.)

But that's exactly what I did - for the very first time - over Memorial Day Weekend. My brother's 30th birthday was coming up in June, and we were surprising him in our hometown with an old school pizza party, cake, and limo night out on the town. We're good siblings, that's for sure (well, and family, since my mother helped execute). He and I were both flying in for a weekend of May birthdays (my other brother's, father's, mother's), and to celebrate a new baby being born -- the perfect time to spring a surprise party on said brother.

Now, Michael is very much so a kid at heart, loves doing impressions and making people laugh, cracking jokes, and diehard Simpsons fan. Which leads me to the fondanting.

Max (brother #2, the non-surprise-party one here) had the brilliant idea of buying Michael a themed cake of some sort, and set out to see if anyone in his network of bakers and trusted pastry establishments could make one in the short amount of time we gave them. Sadly, no luck. Back to the drawing board.

Plan B ... in talking with my mother one day on the phone we set out on Google to look at Simpsons party supplies and stumbled on some very easy images for homemade character cakes.

// Lightbulb lights up over my head.

"Hey mom, I could do that," I said, sending her a few Bart Simpson images. I bake ... quite well in fact, and have a creative bone or two in my body. Game on.

And this is where the tale began, followed by botched flights, an hour to create Bart cake out of fondant and stowe away to hide from soon-to-be arriving brother, a perfectly executed surprise party for my brother's (pre-)30th, and a wealth of memories (and awesome sister points. Score!)

(Ladies, this stud is single. Inquire for more details. ;) )

Oh, and an Elmo cake experiment for my painfully adorable niece, Brigid. That girl has me wrapped around her little finger. :) And I'm more than happy with that arrangement.

I mean, do you blame me?

Next time, I may try to make my own marshmallow fondant instead of buying. Do you have a favorite recipe for fondant? Ever tried?

a tale of two tarts

2010-06-21T16:20:00.008-04:00

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times ... "

This is the tale of two tarts. Both have delicious potential, crowd-pleasing attributes, and flavor profiles that would elate any purveyor of tart-shaped-baked goods.

But in this tale, unfortunately only one dish will prevail. The other - the savory in this story - will need some future tweaking for me to like it. It was almost there ... but still quite a ways from a homerun, I'm afraid.

And so began my foray into well, using my beautiful tart pan more (it helps me justify the purchase way after the fact if I at least use it every once in a blue moon.)

The first tart was a potato, broccoli and cheese tart in a homemade saltine cracker crust. Easy to prepare, an ingredient list that didn't break the bank, and all components that you'd think would make an Irish gal swoon. But alas.

For what it's worth, I think with a few edits to the recipe here, this tart could be oh so tasty. The crust, very easy to prepare, but keep in mind we're talking saltines here ... so go light with the salt for the rest of the dish. In the future I may try to lighten it up a bit by mixing something else in, perhaps, or trying a different type of cracker.

Also, the diced potatoes, although I cooked them 3/4 of the way in the microwave first (a handy technique for quick baked potatoes), still had a strange chewy softness that was a bit off putting, and once again, the parsley was overpowering (crazy, I know, but as much as I love parsley, I'm going to be very hesitant to use it in this recipe again. ugh.). Next time, I may try using smashed potatoes in this, since the rest of the ingredients don't need much cooking ... hmm..

Before sharing the recipe, note that the ultra-tasty, beautiful winner in the tart-to-end-all-tarts contest (that I held with myself, don't judge) is coming right up after this mild disaster. It's a sweet tart - strawberry mascarpone with aged balsamic. Yep, I went there. Stay tuned.

But first ...

Broccoli, Potato and Gruyere Tart
Adapted from Veggie Belly

1 medium baking potato, 3/4 way cooked and diced
1/2 cup low fat milk
1 tsp flour
1 tsp dijon mustard
3/4 cup gruyere / fontina mix, cut into tiny cubes
1 cup broccoli florets, chopped
2 tablespoons parsley (I'm omitting this next time, fyi)
salt and pepper

Saltine cracker crust
1 sleeve of saltine crackers
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2-3/4 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 375f. Poke holes all over potato and place on a plate in the microwave on high for 1.5 - 2 minutes. Take out, flip over, then another 1.5 - 2 minutes.

Mix together the milk, flour, and dijon mustard. Then add the cheese, broccoli florets, potatoes, parsley (blech), salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

For the crust, whir up the saltine crackers in a food processor until they're a powder consistency. Mix together with butter and hot water until it comes together into a dough. Press into tart pan, making sure it comes up a bit on the sides.

Pour the filling mixture into the tart pan with the saltine crust. Place the pan on a foil lined baking sheet and bake on 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or just till the top of the tart starts to turn golden. Let it cool a bit when it's done, and you're all set.

Makes 6 small tarts or in my case, 1 big momma tart.

And now, on to the good stuff. I made this for a pulled pork party a friend was having (awesome friends, me has) and it was a sure fire hit. I could have done with just aged balsamic on strawberries, but the filling here is worthy of including, too. This comes together in less than a half hour, and is a perfect summer dessert.

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart with Aged Balsamic Glaze

Look at how pretty. Really, now. It doesn't get much better than that.

From Elise at Simply Recipes

1 pre-made pie crust (a good cheat, but go ahead and make by hand if you want)
2 lbs strawberries, stemmed and quartered
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 TB orange zest
1 tsp lemon juice
12 ounces mascarpone cheese (KT note: I used 8 oz. mascarpone, rest ricotta. It was delicious)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (or aged balsamic, if you have it ... which I did! m'm)

Bake off pie crust as instructed (and as needed). Set aside to cool.

In the meantime, mix the strawberries with half the orange zest and granulated sugar. Set aside to macerate for 30 minutes.

Mix together the mascarpone / ricotta with the powdered sugar, remaining zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Resist eating entire bowl. You've been warned. Refrigerate until needed.

Once the strawberries have macerated, strain their juice out and put in a small stovetop pan. Add to said pan the balsamic and reduce until it's a glaze consistency. (KT note: If using aged balsamic, you don't need to reduce much here. It'd be cruel to the product, trust me on that one. :) )

To assemble the tart, spread the cheese mixture on the bottom, arrange strawberries as you'd like on top of that, then glaze with the balsamic. It's that easy. And just wait until you try it. With minimal oven / stove time, this is an ideal dessert for those hot and humid days where you'd much rather be outside or sipping a frosty drink with your feet up.

one ingredient soft serve

2010-06-20T12:18:00.004-04:00

You heard me right. One ingredient soft serve. No dairy, no additional sweetners. Too good to be true? Not in the least.

Friends, I have a non-banana bread use for those bananas in your freezer. And it's delicious.

One Ingredient Soft Serve

Frozen bananas
Food processor

Puree the frozen banana (peel removed, if that's not painfully obvious), until you have creamy soft serve. It's that easy. I promise.

I grew up working in custard stands, pumping my body full of egg + cream laden rich custard, frozen yogurt and sundaes. Ice cream / custard is something I take very seriously. So I was a wee bit skeptical of this one ingredient banana concoction sweeping the interwebs.

The verdict: A- (A+ reserved for fatty, rich things that will take weeks off my life .. so A- is pretty darned good)

It has only a faint banana taste, and really is remarkable how creamy it becomes, given that there are no additional ingredients added. It's healthy, refreshing, easy, and a great base for additional toppings ... like peanut butter / other nut butters, cookies, sprinkles, nuts, or just on its own.

My waistline thanks you, interwebs. Well done. :)

moroccan-inspired couscous

2010-06-20T12:08:00.005-04:00

This recipe was a riff off a lunch a friend of mine let me taste years ago. It was a Moroccan-esque couscous, pairing vegetables, nuts with some spice and dried fruit. I had picked up some harissa (a North African chili paste), and marinated some beef cutlets, so figured I'd empty out my fridge a bit and make a healthy, colorful side dish.

I cooked up the couscous with stock to give it a bit more flavor, then mixed in some pre-cooked sweet potatoes, semi-toasted chickpeas for protein, and added some dried apricots. Add a bit of cumin, some of the harissa (only a little bit, it's potent stuff), and a dash of white wine to help plump the dried fruit, and voila - a marvelously easy dish to prepare packed with flavor, antioxidants, protein, etc. Topped with some pistachios and you have all the sweet, spicy, and texture you need.

And evidenced by the lack of photos ... the harissa marinated steak was divine. I gobbled it up before snapping a photo. Sorry, gang. Next time. If you like spice, I highly recommend playing around with harissa. It's also killer on steak sandwiches, either on its own, or mixed with some greek yogurt / mayonnaise.

Happy eating!

marathon monday chili 'n' fixins

2010-06-20T11:45:00.005-04:00

Every April, my neighborhood (and most of Boston) shut down on the third Monday in April for the Boston Marathon. The city declares it "Patriots Day" but really, I'm convinced it's just a free pass for the thousands of residents trapped by insane traffic, road barriers, and closed lanes due to the hordes of visitors in town that day.

Oh, and it's a helluva lot of fun to watch. The marathon that is. Did I mention that part? It's like the best of all block parties, but spanning the majority of the city.

I happen to live right at mile 23 on the route, right out my front door. So it's only right that I invite friends over for food, drink and general merriment, right? I think so.

This Marathon was a bit chilly here in Boston-town, so I decided to make up a heaping pot of meat-lovers chili with all the fixins, as well as some other dips and Albert's incredible crabcakes. (There's one thing I love more than Albert's crabcakes ... and those are his fruit tarts, but I digress. The boy makes a mean crabcake, let me tell you, and a tomatillo sauce that rivals no other.)

This recipe was a bit different and more involved than my usual standby turkey chili. I spruced up a recipe passed along for Boilermaker chili, using hot italian sausage as well as ground sirloin / ground beef mix. Chili is very forgiving, and I doctored this recipe by taste - so this recipe is just a guide. It was the perfect bit of heat, smokiness, and richness on that cool day though. I'll tell ya that much. This was the first time I added chocolate to chili - and I have to say - it really added a wonderful complexity to it, and played very well off of the smokier ingredients (chipotles in adobo, smoked paprika).

Marathon Monday Chili
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

2 pounds ground beef chuck / sirloin (I mixed)
1 pound bulk Italian sausage - casing removed
1 large can black beans
1 large can red kidney beans
2 - 28 oz cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 - 6 oz can tomato paste
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped with leaves
2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 - 2.5 diced chipotles in adobo
2-4 TB sauce from chipotles in adobo
3/4 bottle of beer
1/4 cup chili powder
2 TB Worcestershire sauce
2 TB minced garlic
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp smoked paprika
a few hefty handfuls of chocolate flakes from hot cocoa mix

Heat a large heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.

Pour in the beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the onion, celery, green peppers, chipotles and beer. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, cumin, adobo sauce basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, and paprika to taste. Once all mixed in, add a few hefty handfuls of chocolate. Don't be shy. Mix all together, cover and simmer for 2+ hours. The longer it simmers, the better it will taste.

Oh, and these little cornbread muffins are a perfect (and adorable) accompaniment.

easter dinner for one

2010-06-20T11:33:00.006-04:00

Back to the catch up game. Let me set the scene. It's Easter Sunday ... I'm hungry ... standard friend-base I'd cook for are pre-committed to other things or out of town, so I do what all normal people would do -- make a feast for myself. Win.

:)

On the menu for today was roast pork, smoked paprika smashed parsnips, roasted asparagus, and roasted garlic (just to round off the roasted theme here). Each of these components were almost mindless to cook, and came together beautifully as you can see above.

Let's take a closer look at the menu items, shall we?

FACT: I make a mean roast pork. Ask my friends. Only a few know the recipe. It's like Bush's baked beans commercials (minus talking dog) ... I'm not telling. :)

And we need some green on the plate. Roasted asparagus with a few spices and sprigs of thyme work marvelously here.

Some roasted garlic to ward off all of those vampires ... or potential kissing buddies. Some things are worth the sacrifice. So delicious and sweet. Perfect to just smear on dinner rolls. Strange? Not to me.

Finally, one of my favorite new combinations, using my latest (not so) secret ingredient from Ruthers - smoked paprika. Add a little bit of that stuff to roasted parsnips (smashed or not smashed) and some thyme and man oh man, you'll be in sweet parsnip heaven. It lends a bit of its reddish color to the dish as well.

I may have eaten almost this entire dish. Added benefit of making a feast just for me ... no one can slap my hand for eating all the parsnips. :)

pasta makin'

2010-06-15T12:42:00.016-04:00

My first jobs were in food service -- one in an italian family restaurant, the other at a frozen custard stand (m'mm delicious). The italian restaurant was a real learning experience, one of those jobs where you end up working almost every available position (whether directly or out of necessity) during your time there. Hell, I was even considered "senior staff" at 16.

I started off as the only female busser back when the restaurant first opened and we were on 2 hour waits each night. Within a week or two, I was doubling as busser and host, then server, add bartender, helping with the books, acting as fill-in dishwasher and helper cook when needed, to running the failed bakery experiment. I saw that restaurant through years of transition, from its most successful times to the day we shut the door. Over my time there I learned how to make gnocchi, soups, cannolis, breads, other italian delicacies, but never pasta somehow.

Now, I know that pasta is not expensive at the store, and for the headache making fresh pasta can be, it may not be worth it. I still wanted to try ... and armed with my italian hand-crank pasta maker, my handy dandy apron, a bottle of wine and a free Friday night, I decided to give it a whirl. Next time, I'll get more adventurous than egg fettuccine, but hell, I was hungry. :)

Homemade Egg Fettuccine
2 cups all purpose flour
3 eggs
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
water

Create a well with the flour on your counter. Crack the eggs into the well, add the olive oil and salt, and slowly mix in the flour with your fingers without breaking the well and causing a kitchen catastrophe. (My opinion, if you're going to make homemade pasta, you might as well mix by hand and have some fun, right?)

Once the dough comes together, begin to knead until it's elastic. If the dough is too sticky, add a little bit of flour, or a bit of water if its the opposite. Trust your instinct.

Once the dough is elastic, cut into 4 pieces and begin rolling through the pasta machine, decreasing the thickness of the rollers each time. Add flour if needed. Look at that pretty machine ...

Then drape it like old school wet laundry to dry on a clothesline ... or in this case, a pasta drying rack (I have a lot of cooking gadgets and toys).

Let it dry for a little bit so it can firm up. Then run it through the fettuccine roller and cut the pasta.

Fresh pasta takes only a few minutes to cook, much faster than store-brought pasta. Be careful not to overcook. Overcooking this after all this work is not fun at all. Unfun to the max.

Now, I wasn't going to eat naked noodles. That'd just be silly. And like I said above, I was Hungry with a capital H. So earlier when I started this process, I also put some sauce to work on the stove.

The magic ragu began with some sauteed garlic in olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot, a can of crushed tomatoes and a can of stewed tomatoes, some rehydrated porcini mushrooms and it's broth (plus half a mushroom bouillon cube I had. That stuff is MAGIC, btw. I digress), a bay leaf, some extra spices and oh ... country ribs. You know, because I can.

In all seriousness though, once the sauce had simmered throughout this whole pasta making process, the pork was falling off the bone, shredding itself into the sauce. Perfecto.

(Learned that trick by making Gourmet's Sunday Ragu ... m'mm pot 'o stewed braised meat, how I love you so. m'mm. // drool.)

Mix the two together and voila! Homemade egg fettuccine with a pork and mushroom ragu.

c is for chocolate crinkle cookies, clearly

2010-06-15T12:42:00.015-04:00

I credit my niece for the cookie monster reference.

Chocolate crinkles. chocolate crackles. Snowball cookies. Those chocolatey things with the powdered sugar -- however you want to refer to them, these things are DIVINE. Rich and cakey with just the right amount of sweet, and easy to prepare. These are a staple in almost every holiday baking magazine, particularly around Christmastime. The event this time around? Superbowl. Hey, why not.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 TB vegeatble oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups flour
powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Mix together all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Make sure it's well combined. Chill dough for anywhere between 2 hours - overnight.

Using a tablespoon or little cookie scooper (if ya have one), create a small dough ball using your hands and drop it into the powdered sugar. Roll to coat and plop on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake 12-15 minutes.

Allow cookies to cool, and sprinkle with a little bit more sugar if needed.

broccoli pesto with barley

2010-06-15T12:37:00.017-04:00

A few years ago, I stumbled upon this recipe from Heidi at 101 Cookbooks and fell in love with the dish. It was a tasty way to sneak in lots of greens, eat briny olives, and feel reasonably good about it for its health benefits.

I've since made it in its original form with whole wheat pasta countless times. But this time around, I had some barley on hand, and figured that may be an interesting switch. After checking with Heidi for her thoughts, I gave it a whirl, cooking up the barley with a mushroom bouillon cube for some additional flavor, then making the dish as the recipe states with a delicious broccoli pesto, wilted spinach, briny olives, and leftover broccoli florets.

The result was a nuttier version of the dish from the barley, but man oh man, this is the type of dish that would make becoming a vegetarian bearable. (Only entertaining that thought for a brief moment in time, look ... it's passed.) Highly recommend you all give it a try.

A break from your regularly scheduled programming ...

2010-06-15T12:37:00.002-04:00

... or lack thereof. Or possibly a 3-month span of annoying paid programming while this blog took a snooze on the interwebs.

Either way, my apologies. It's time, yet again, to play some catch up here at TTK. I promise it will be as painless as it can be, and heck, you may even have a little fun. I have a list of catch up posts, photos neatly organized in folders on my computer, and sleeves rolled up. Think of it like that rainy Sunday afternoon when you stumble on an old photo album and spend the day flipping through and reminiscing.

Yea, think of it like that. :)

in honor of St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T10:25:00.008-04:00

Some days call for corned beef, or in my case, weeks. The corned beef made its first appearance this past weekend at my St Patrick's Day (parade) brunch, stuffed into fresh ciabatta slider rolls with Irish cheddar slices and whole grain mustard on the side.

Then today, on the actual St. Patrick's Day, it came to life in homemade corned beef hash, made with yukon gold potatoes, shallots, corned beef and a little Irish cheddar to boot. Crisped until there was a golden brown crust, and served alongside a slow scrambled egg and a slice of last week's Irish brown bread. The end result? One happy, painfully pale, scotch-drinkin' Irish woman.

Now, I didn't make the corned beef. Before you start calling me a blaspheme and throwing rocks, hear me out. Some things you just need to go to the source for (especially when hosting 10-12 for brunch and up to your eyeballs in other work). In this case, the "source" was Michael's Deli in Brookline, known for it's corned beef and pastrami - an institution in the city. I even bought the goods from Michael himself, which made this all the more gratifying. :) Slainte, Michael. That was some incredible corned beef. I salute you.

The Irish brown bread I did in fact make (and froze, in part). It turned out better than I could have imagined, and for a yeast-free bread product is still moist and true to its kind. And it's quick to make up, leaving you no excused not to whip up some fresh bread for dinner. Here's how:

Irish Brown Bread
Compliments of the Mayo Clinic

2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading and dusting
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten

Set your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment (not required, but I did out of habit).

In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients Beat in the buttermilk and egg and stir just until moistened.

Turn the dough out onto a generously floured work surface and, with floured hands, gently knead 8-10 times. It doesn't take much. The dough will be sticky; that's OK. Form into a loose ball.

Transfer to baking sheet, dusting the top of dough with a small amount of flour. Cut a 4-inch X into the top of the dough, cutting about 1/2 inch deep. Bake until the bread splits open at the X and makes a hollow sound when the underside is tapped, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 1-2 hours and enjoy!

Now pour yourself a Guinness, put on some Enya or Dropkicks, and slainte everyone. Here's to another great year.

roasted tomato soup

2010-02-09T12:44:00.006-05:00

I'll be honest, I may or may not have made this in order to justify eating a grilled cheese.

And also because it looks scrumptious. Did I just use that word? I think I did.

This roasted tomato soup recipe comes from Heidi at 101Cookbooks. It couldn't be simpler, really, and may keep me from ever eating the canned stuff again. It was even easy enough for me to make before a 10 am conference call, which - if you know me at all - is pretty badass. Apologies for the cursing. I get really excited when I can multitask and not burn the house down.

Annnnyways, on to the goods.

Roasted Tomato Soup
From 101Cookbooks

5 tomatoes, quartered
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and quartered
3 medium yellow onions, peeled, quartered (I used 2 yellow, 1 spanish)
extra-virgin olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
sea salt
2 - 3 cups light vegetable stock or water (I used water, with half a mushroom bouillon)
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, my new secret ingredient, compliments of A.R.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Lightly oil 2 baking sheets, cut the tomatoes, onions and pepper, and put skin side down -- garlic and onions on one side, tomatoes and pepper on the other.

What can I say, I like things to be color coordinated sometimes.

Shower with a bit of sea salt, and pop in the oven.

Roast for 45 minutes or so until the goods are all roasted, checking partially through to make sure the onions aren't burning and are getting carmelized to your liking.

Once done, transfer all of that deliciousness to a pot / deep bowl, add the smoked paprika and put the immersion blender to good use, adding the liquid until it's your desired consistency. I made my soup a bit smoother, but puree to your hearts content. And voila, healthy, delicious, grilled cheese dip-worthy soup. All in less than an hour.

Wordless Wednesdays: Storytime

2010-02-03T09:16:00.003-05:00

sneak peek: last night's project

2010-01-30T11:31:00.003-05:00

new year, new me?

2010-01-30T10:44:00.008-05:00

OK, we can now jump forward to 2010. It's resolution time, which I have to admit, I've almost never been able to fully stick with for the entire year. I'm not alone, and thankfully as a result, don't feel as bad about it.

Notice I said almost never stick with it -- last year was that exception :) And probably one of the most important resolutions I've ever made, helping me be much healthier and happier - but not in terms of calorie counts and logged time at the gym.

This year, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and focus on the more traditional notion of being healthier -- changing eating habits, detoxing, and exercising more. A group of friends and I have signed up for the annual MIT getfit challenge, and I'm trying my damndest to swap in some healthier subs for old routines.

And I have to say, it hasn't been so terrible. Here's a few highlights from the first few weeks.

First things first, I have a new favorite snack ... Kale chips.

They're incredibly easy to make, a superfood, and honest-to-god a super sneaky way to eat an entire plate of big, leafy greens without really knowing. Think of these more as a vehicle for getting seasoning into your system.

I first saw these over at Steamy Kitchen, where Jaden recommends washing, making sure they are dry dry (otherwise they'll steam), drizzling a little bit of olive oil on and baking at 350 until they're shatteringly crisp. Note -- do NOT add seasoning until after they bake. Once they're crisp like chips, take out, sprinkle with salt and some red pepper flakes. And enjoy. :) They're irresistible, really, and kale remains one of THE cheapest things in the produce department. I dare you to find me something that's as cheap by volume. Yes, that's a challenge.

Then there was the homemade granola experiment, finally utilizing all of the half used packs of oats in my cupboard and the Kossen farm honey, which is just divine. I added pecans, some leftover walnuts and pistachios, wheat germ, flax seed, dried cranberries, and some candied ginger, pouring the honey, brown sugar and butter mixture over the dry mix and baking. Ever so delicious with some greek yogurt and fresh berry sauce as a parfait ...

And then on to roasted cauliflower with blue cheese vinaigrette. Sounds like a strange combo, but really, it's ever so tasty, and nice on the hips (making room for things like, operation homemade pasta, coming soon on TTK). The nuttiness of the cauliflower is wonderful in this dish. And it's a quick side / lunch.

a very new england thanksgiving

2010-01-30T09:35:00.011-05:00

Yes, I know ... it's almost February. Let's just say the last few months have been a bit zany in TTK, from mega tests that leave me wanting an entire bottle of scotch, travel, more holidays, work, etc ... To be honest, it was a blur of friends, boxes, suitcases, and modes of transportation.

So entertain me while I flip the calendar back to Nov. 2009 for a minute. You still there? Great. Glad you stayed.

This past Thanksgiving I offered to host - and cook - the beast of a Thanksgiving feast here in my Boston apartment for my family. Quite an undertaking, but all in all, what I love to do. My parents and older brother made the trek from Chicago and Rochester, and I spent the week prepping for the feast. The week started off with pork rillettes (part 1, part 2, part 3) - my special appetizer for the family, and lots of trips to various grocery stores and food markets. Needless to say, grocery shopping in a city without a car forces you to get creative, and accept that it may take a taxi or muscle man Randy Savage to get your ingredients to your apartment and into a 4th floor walk up.

Anywho, on to the good stuff -- the food.

Here's the big meals menu // cue drumroll, please.

- Pork rillettes - appetizer
- Green beans with a lemon vinaigrette and toasted walnuts
- my famous bacon braised brussel sprouts for the non-believers
- Sausage, butternut squash and kale stuffing
- Sour cream and rosemary mashed potatoes
- 19.5 lb turkey - brined with allspice berries, candied ginger, stock, and apple cider
- Cider sage gravy, with fresh giblet stock
- Homemade cranberry sauce with rum ;)
- Apple pie with cheddar crust
- Pumpkin cobbler with candied pecans

Outside of a minor hiccup involving a sharp knife and my left pointer finger, the meal all hit the table at the same time, stress was easily washed down with wine and gravy, and the feat was over. Next time, maybe not so ambitious ... or perhaps a larger house. :)

Here are some photos from the delicious day ... and I do mean, delicious. I'll gladly pat myself on the back for that. And as always, nothing beats being surrounded with family, even if that's a bit hair brained. It's what they're there for, and I'll eternally be thankful for them.

First there was the pie, adapted from the Gourmet recipe...

Which makes the most beautiful crust ... and reminds me of my Grandfather, who always had a slice of sharp white cheddar with his apple pie. Grandpa, this one's for you ...

Then Tom the turkey, which Michael so nicely carved after his lessons from the Food Network ...

The stuffing, made by browning sausage, then adding butternut squash, leeks, kale and some stock, and a mix of foccacia and pumpernickle bread. Put into a pan, drizzle with some stock, and top with some fresh Pecorino / sharp cheese, and bake. This ... was straight aces. And ... it's absolutely beautiful. So I like colorful food, that's not a crime. ;)

On to the brussel sprouts ... which oddly enough are requested in our family. With this preparation, they will soon be in your household too. First, render the fat from a few pieces of bacon, remove when crispy - you'll be using it later. Halve the sprouts and sear cut side down in the pan, making sure they have a good color to bring out the nutty flavor. Once they have a good color, add stock to the pan, cover and cook until the sprouts are practically falling apart. Remove from stock, serve with crumbled bacon on top. WIN. (no really, WIN.)

And then there was the cobbler, recipe compliments of my friend Abe. I could eat this every day and live a very happy, very overweight life. My mother pretty vehemently dislikes pumpkin pie, yet she loved this. Take that. High five! :) Based off of this recipe, though I highly recommend using about 2 cups of pecan goodness. You can thank me later.

pork rillettes ... (the long overdue)

2010-01-30T09:14:00.006-05:00

Picking up where we left off about 2 months ago (life gets busy, you understand) ...

Let's relive some Thanksgiving deliciousness all over again, shall we?

Let me jog your memory a little. It was mid-November, slightly cool here in New England, and a certain TTK cook had secured a 10lb block of pork belly leaving her as giddy as a school girl with a crush. She had chopped the meat, adding it with some garlic cloves and water to the stove, and rendered all the fat out. Then into the refrigerator it went. And then ... we wait.

And wait.

Well, if you're me, you slept.

After 8-12 hours in the fridge, the fat will have gelled a bit at the top. Poke a hole through the fat and strain the rest of the water out of the mixture. I found pressing down on it with wax paper really did the trick. Note - this is a sticky mess of pork fat ... wear gloves, and really ... use the wax paper :)

Once all the water is out, the fun begins. Start creaming the meat with your glove-covered fingers (this isn't just sticky, but cold - 12 hours in the fridge remember? Make sure you don't lose feeling in your fingers). There will be some grizzly pieces of pork back, considering how you're not crisping that up to make crackle (mmm CRACKLE. ::drool::) Anywho. Use your judgement. You want this to be toothsome, but not chewy. Once you've hand shredded the meat, mix with that beautiful fat. (For those health nuts, you may not want to be a part of this process. Ignorance is bliss sometimes.)

You'll want to season it with a heckuva lot of salt and a bit of pepper. The taste will settle over you chill it for another 8 hours, but don't be shy.

After it chills, I recommend serving it with either crusts of bread or water crackers, with some chunky whole grain mustard, reduced balsamic (both to cut the fat), and gherkins on the side (or cornichons. I have a soft spot for gherkins though.) I also served with some thin slices of sweet honeydew. Once it was taste tested by the ever so lovely, open science enthusiast and foodie friend CP who happened to be in town, I knew it was set to go.

Voila. You just got all french with yer bad self.

Wordless Wednesdays: Surprised coffee

2010-01-20T10:16:00.001-05:00

pork rillettes ... the beginning

2009-11-23T18:22:00.004-05:00

And it begins... It's time to start the 2 day process of making Jaques Pepin's Pork Rillettes, a delicious spread that my colleague jtw first introduced to me (and charceuterie. gasp, i know) in 2006. John's recipe is slightly different than Pepin's but tried and true, so while paying homage to the master chef (Pepin), I'm going to follow jtw's.

First things first, acquire a boatload of pork belly (4 lbs for jtw's recipe). Done (and oh what a marvelous sight it is. Gush gush gush).

Then chop into 2" cubes, and toss into a pot or Dutch oven with half a head of garlic, and enough water to cover the meat by about 1-2". Add a few TB of salt, but not too much, and a few shakes of pepper. You'll season this later. Now, put on a very, very, low simmer and cook for 6-8 hours until fat has rendered. There may be some skimming involved if you'd care to, but it's not vitally important (so says jtw).

Once the fat, refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

And that, my friends, is what I'm waiting for currently. Still with 2 hours to go of simmering, I'll be back tomorrow with more on Operation Pork Rillettes.

Do stay tuned. I highly recommend it. ;)

Coming soon ...

2009-11-22T13:39:00.003-05:00

Look at that beauty. I mean really now, 4.4 lbs of pork belly deliciousness, just calling out "rilletes! rilletes!" Or just calling out to me. Ya never know. Let me dream.

OK, maybe not, and maybe just maybe I should be focusing on buying my turkey for Thanksgiving (yes, I'm hosting/cooking this year), but really, let's just pause for a moment to appreciate the finer things in life.

Like this.

Take a moment with me now.

Oooo and ahhh. Get giddy (I sure am). Imagine the creaminess of the pork rillettes on fresh honeydew. Or the tang when served with reduced balsamic and whole grain mustard. Forget about the turkey and stuffing for a moment and just imagine with me.

Pork belly is one of the things in life that make me melt. Boys, take notes. This here is one of the few things that if done properly can woo me. Take that as a freebie. Who needs anything else, really?

THIS, my friends, is the life. Stay tuned for Operation Pork Rillette (ala Jacques Pepin, as modified by Wilbanks).

Wordless Wednesdays: Fall

2009-11-11T13:20:00.002-05:00

Halloween, continued

2009-11-02T08:39:00.002-05:00

As promised, costume #2 (less food related) ... a spelling bee. Yup, I went there.

Here's to November!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T19:10:00.002-04:00

From the first costume of the weekend ... Susie Homemaker. Happy to say this is often how I look, on non-Halloween themed occasions ;)

Happy Halloween foodies. Get your ghoul on.

(also, costume #2 coming tonight. stay tuned)

Turkey Hash

2009-10-30T10:03:00.003-04:00

I love using leftovers, especially when they're delicious ones like roasted turkey.

Kickin' off the morning with a hearty turkey hash, using some more of that slow roasted turkey, a quick cooked potato (poke holes, 2.5 minutes on high, then flip, 2.5 more minutes), red onion, turkey bacon, cheddar cheese and chives. Add a little broth or turkey drippings if you have it, some chili powder, salt and pepper and there ya go. Bliss on a plate.

Happy Friday :)

Soup, continued

2009-10-30T08:47:00.003-04:00

My endeavor earlier this week, and the subject of the last post here, left me with a Costco amount of homemade poultry stock (turkey + chicken).

Recipe #1 was inspired again by Elise's Mom's Turkey Soup, so I started to shred some turkey, chop up onions, carrots, celery and some tomatoes and let them become friends again.

The second soup I first made last year when I was living in the Back Bay, and just realized I may have inadvertently made it one year to the day that I first tried it. Either way, there's no reason we can't revisit favorites, and now we can add the photo (from last year, so apologies for the photo quality. I had yet to get my EOS xTI).

Last year, I used leftover frozen tom yum soup broth so it had a wonderful lemongrass undertone but also quite a kick from the Thai chiles Sam and I used. I really liked the spice, and replicated this time (sans chiles) with a few dashes of Sriracha.

Ten Minute Couscous Soup with a kick
Adaapted from Heidi @ 101Cookbooks

(KT note ... looks like I first made this soup the exact day Heidi posted it, then again this year, also on the 26th. Bizarre. Hm. :) )

7 cups great-tasting broth - in my case turkey/chicken (can eyeball this)
2 or 3 pinches crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup regular couscous
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets, cut into tiny pieces smaller than your thumb
1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets, cut into tiny pieces smaller than your thumb

Bring the stock to a boil with a few dashes of oil and the hot pepper flakes. When it comes to a boil, remove from heat and add the couscous. Wait two minutes, then add the broccoli and cauliflower. Wait another 2-3 minutes until the vegetables lose their raw edge and you're done! I added a few shots of Sriracha, but you can leave as is, add some sundried tomatoes and goat cheese or any other sort of topping you'd like. The soup is very forgiving, so have fun and play.

'Tis the season (for roasts and soup)

2009-10-30T08:18:00.008-04:00

I tried to be clever, I really did.

The weather has finally shed the last of the hot, humid lackluster "summer" here in Boston - a summer that I frankly don't really remember. It happens when you frequent airports regularly enough to know the waitstaff and flight attendants (slight over exaggeration, but only slightly).

The fall is by far my favorite time of year, with winter being a close second. Growing up in the closest thing Western NY has to the tundra, you either accept the snow and grow a fondness for it, or start crafting your escape plan to the Carolinas or Florida as soon as you pass basic word recognition in elementary school. I was one of the former, as you can tell.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, one that I'll actually be hosting here in my little Brookline apartment this year and more importantly cooking for my out of town family. So when I saw a 1/2 bone in turkey breast at the supermarket, I plopped one in my basket and thought I'd start the turkey season a bit early. Heck, why not.

The prep was simple. Rough chop up some onions, and lay in the bottom of the pan with carrots and celery to make a rack. Mix together melted butter, garlic, (some people even call for mayo ... which seems interesting) and some herbs and rub under the skin and over the bird. Pour a little bit of stock over so there's some liquid in the pan, and into the oven it goes.

After 2 1/2 hours or so (I googled temperatures by pound), this was the result.

And ... it was perfectly cooked. Even after my jetlagged self fell asleep sitting up before 9 pm. Thank god for kitchen timers.

I had a craving for one of my favorite cranberry dressings, as well, so I started to toss ingredients into the food processor. A friend had brought two different dressings to a big Boston-based Thanksgiving we had in 2006 (and made a 23-lb bird, to boot) - one the traditional jam like cooked down version, and the other this delightful, fresh cranberry and orange relish. Just wasn't right calling it a "dressing".

Cranberry-Orange Relish

1/2 - 3/4 bag of fresh cranberries
1 orange, with rind, chopped into small pieces (unless you have a beast of a food processor)
2 TB of sugar
1/2 cup (or more to taste) of chopped walnuts

Put into food processor. Turn it on. And look, you're done :)

The result should be tart, a little bit but not too sweet, and finely chopped. This is perfect for turkey sandwiches, adding to yogurt, hell - I even put on top of cranberry chocolate chip pancakes (oh heck yes).

I had saved a roasted chicken carcass in my freezer (ah, travel. Thank god for pre-roasted things at the supermarket) to make stock, and after picking at the turkey here, decided to combine them both to make the monster pot of all pots of stock.

I followed Elise's Mom's recipe for stock, including a few other things to just plain clean out the fridge.

So in went Mr. Chicken Carcass, the turkey bones with a bit of meat still attached (I had plenty, so a little lost was fine to me), an onion, carrots, celery, peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, a mushroom bouillon (more on this magic ingredient from Italy later), and water to cover. I even added some leftover red wine, mushroom and bacon gravy (from operation pork schnitzel) just for kicks. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 4+ hours. Strain and there you go. Sometimes it needs a bit more salt or some other missing ingredient.

Added benefit, the smell that perfumes your house. This was almost reason enough to make. :) Soup recipes to come in the next post.

Wordless Wednesdays: Non-cooking outlets

2009-10-28T11:42:00.002-04:00

Wordless Wednesdays: Italia (trieste, venezia)

2009-10-21T07:18:00.006-04:00

The tale of two zucchini breads - which one reigns supreme?

2009-10-21T07:07:00.004-04:00

I've been watching a wee too much Iron Chef. Secret ingredient here is zucchini.

It was the battle of sweet v. savory zucchini bread, one a recipe from Elise @ Simply Recipes, pitted against one from Hannah @ Honey & Jam.

I really wanted to like you, savory zucchini cheddar bread, I really really did. But it just wasn't in the cards. Was it the parsley + dill? The onions? Lack of sugar? I don't know. But alas, we're just not meant to be.

On the other hand, Elise's recipe for zucchini bread, which I put chocolate chips and dried cranberries in, was divine. And as a frequent zucchini bread maker with my trusted recipe, I can say that there's been a sub in the recipe card box, and Elise wins hands down.

Have a look for yourself ...

Here's the winning recipe, folks, brought to you by Elise at Simply Recipes. Well done, my dear. My hat's off to you (if I was wearing a hat). :)

Elise's Zucchini Bread

2 eggs, beaten
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups grated fresh zucchini
2/3 cup melted unsalted butter
2 teaspoons baking soda
Pinch salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix in the grated zucchini and then the melted butter. Sprinkle baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour, a third at a time. Sprinkle in the cinnamon and nutmeg and mix. Fold in the nuts and dried cranberries or raisins if using.

Divide the batter equally between 2 buttered 5 by 9 inch loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour (check for doneness at 50 minutes) or until a wooden pick inserted in to the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks to cool thoroughly.

Makes 2 loaves.

Group dinners - Moqueca de peixe

2009-10-21T06:24:00.008-04:00

So, blog readers (I'm going to pretend there are some out there. humor me), I have to let you in on a few tidbits about myself, and a secret. I swear, this'll be quick.

First off, I grew up with boys. Outside of two female cousins I saw quite frequently, the majority of my childhood was spent trying to fit in with my older brothers friends, and wondering why I didn't seem to be able to tolerate female nonsense. It took me years to accept that, treasure the select gal friends I had, and give up on the rest. :)

As a result, it's safe to say that about 75 - 80 percent of my close friends are men. No shocker there.

With that out of the way, on to the secret part. Not-so-secret part, we're busy people, between work, vacations, travel etc., it's often hard to get the same people in one room to catch up. My group of pals in Boston do this usually through some sort of orchestrated potluck or group dinner (once had a skirmish with a friend over negative connotations for the word "potluck". oy). And the secret here ... the majority of the guys out here are not only skilled engineers (I work at MIT) but incredible cooks.

I kid you not.

(photos compliments of mrwalter)

This past August called for one of these dinners, hosted at my place. I set out to make Moqueca de Peixe, a Brazilian fish stew, with saffron rice, and just for fun, some margarita cupcakes for dessert (recipe here). The moqueca couldn't be easier, as long as you have the special ingredient (dende oil, available in Latin markets) and we were good to go.

Also on the table was a barley mushroom risotto from Abe, a grapefruit and avocado salad from our french delegate Olivier :), a sweet corn + black beans + tomato salad from Matt, some guacamole from Sam and a number of desserts from Rick. In the past, they've brought whole roasts, fruit tarts made from scratch, pumpkin cobbler that was to die for, and the list goes on. We like good eats, what can I say.

All in all, one of my favorite way to catch up with people I love. Hands down.

With the story out of the way, on to the moqueca, which I highly recommend you try when you have a crowd to entertain.

Moqueca de Peixe (Brazilian fish stew)

Quantities in the recipe are relative, do what seems best for your pot. It's all about the layering in this one.

Serves 6-8 hungry men.

1.25 - 1.5 lbs of firm white fish and other seafood (I used swordfish tips, striped bass, and a few peeled jumbo shrimp at the end)
4 large tomatoes
2-3 peppers (I used red and orange)
A large onion, 2 if needed
Lime juice
Minced garlic (3 cloves or so)
2.5 cups coconut milk
3 TB dende oil
Salt and pepper
Spring onions
chilies, either diced, or use chile oil / hot sauce (I used chile oils from recent trip to Brazil)

Cut the fish into bite size pieces and place in a bag. Add the lime juice, salt, ground pepper, and minced garlic. Marinate fish 30 minutes to 2 hours (be careful it doesn't cook ceviche style).

Drizzle a bit of olive oil in heavy bottom pan. I used my pasta pot, which worked perfectly. Cut the vegetables into rings and layer half of them, peppers, tomatoes, onions, then some salt and pepper.

Add a layer of fish with the marinade (omitting the shrimp, since that cooks quickly, we can add that at the end).

Layer the vegetables again.

Meanwhile mix together the coconut milk, dende oil (it should be a nice reddish color), and chilies / chile oil. Pour over the vegetables and fish. I needed slightly more than 1 can of coconut milk, but you may not. The mixture cooks down, but you still want it to be stew-like.

Bring mixture to a boil, and simmer gently, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove cover and simmer for 25 minutes more, or until vegetables are well-cooked and tender. If you're adding shrimp, add in the last 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with chopped scallions before serving. Serve with rice (in my case saffron rice), fried plantains or whatever else you'd like as trimmings... like margarita cupcakes. Hell, why not?

Rainy days

2009-10-03T15:44:00.007-04:00

Today's one of those days in Boston where the sky repeatedly opens up and drenches the living daylights out of anything not covered. Best defined as a waterlogged day, where all you want to do is nap, in my case bake, and plunk yourself on a comfy sofa or chair with a hot toddy (above).

So instead of typing out the 3 recipes I tested out today (one I'm not so crazy about, but 2 for 3 ain't bad), I'm going to take a break from the regularly scheduled programming and do something fun... and a bit revealing about me. Are you excited? :)

And with that, time to go remove apron, wash flour off self, and change out of my PJs. I know, I'm sad about it too.

(borrowed from The Boastful Baker)

Last song I purchased from iTunes: Nomo's "Ghost Rock"

Made for dinner tonight: Well, for last night - spicy ramen to help kick my head cold. Sriracha has healing powers, I tell ya. Tonight I'm heading to a potluck / housewarming, relieving me of my dinner making duties for the evening.

Currently drinking: Actually just made myself a latte using a Tyler Florence method for frothing milk with an immersion blender, with a bit of vanilla sugar.

Playing on iTunes right this very second: "For Blue Skies" - Strays Don't Sleep

Currently reading: Study guides, and about 2 pages into Don Delillo's "Americana".

Laughing about: The fact that I started today with the intention of being really productive, and here I am at 4:27 pm wearing a frilly apron and pjs, covered in flour, and about to take another nap (#2 for the day) before heading to Rick's.

New to me, easy and delicious dessert I recently made: hands down, the Red Velvet double decker cake I made for my birthday. Not necessarily "easy" if you count being covered with food dye like war paint, but most delicious one of note made recently.

Song I can’t stop playing over and over and over again: "Colly Strings" - Manchester Orchestra

Currently knitting: Had a brief stint knitting when I was 19. And by brief, I mean maybe 2 weeks.

In need of: More hours in the day.

Playing on the iPod now: "Tonight" the acoustic version by Lykke Li (thanks to tfly).

Will soon attempt to learn: How to ace exams that will not be mentioned. Or to finally practice my guitar.

Not getting enough: Studying done. Sadly, life doesn't stop for that sort of thing. Oh, if I could just have a giant remote control for life.

Hyped up about: Fall. I love everything about it from pumpkin-related goodies, the weather, sweaters, hot toddies. Then again, hot toddies can almost always be justified.

Something I need to do tonight if it kills me: Get to Rick's housewarming pot luck.

Craving: Hmm, I just made what I was craving ... pork schnitzel with a red wine bacon mushroom gravy. And let me tell you ... it was awesome.

Trying to learn how to: better balance work and personal life, the latter not really existing much these days. But that's OK.

Something I thoroughly enjoy: Rainy days when all I have to do is nap, read, and nap some more. Mittens. Good single-malt. Surprises. Food-related / themed gifts.

Hell hath frozen over because: I've started running again. Started is loosely used here.

Best thing I’ve bought this month: Flyopen cardigans. Granted, they're just a heavier version of the other ones I have ... so my wardrobe is a bit bland, so shoot me.

What I might be for Halloween: I'm terrible at these sorts of things, outside of the year Nic and I went as the milkman (Nicole) and the pregnant house wife (take a guess).

Still bragging about: The four-course Christmas meal I made alone for 12. It's remarkable what a little anger can produce. Hopefully this Thanksgiving won't involve that component, but be just as delicious.

Looking forward to: Seeing Adam this week, Alex in 2 weeks in Italy, also ... for it to be December 6.

Not looking forward to: The impending aches and pains of my work schedule for the next 9 weeks. Body, please bear with me, and I apologize in advance.

Playing on the iPod now: "Lover, you should have come over" by Jeff Buckley.

Next up on the reading list: After Delillo, "Maggie Cassidy" by Kerouac.

Can’t believe: That it's almost time for Playoffs. :)

Absolutely, positively obsessed with: Trader Joe's Triple Gingersnaps (thanks to SJ), Dogfish Punkin, and the blue-cheese stuffed dates wrapped in fresh pepper bacon from Hop and Vine in Portland (thanks to Ross).

Must make time to: Study, clean, pack for the next two trips, and take care of a laundry list of items I've put off for the last mmm 6 months. Example: getting a bedframe / boxspring.

Trying to decide: Where and what I want to be in 5 years. Nothing like a big pie in the sky question for this rainy Saturday.

Last dessert I baked: Zucchini bread (and muffins) with chocolate chips and dried cranberries.

Ginger Miso Poached Noodles with Mint

2009-09-26T19:11:00.004-04:00

I'm a loyal follower of Heidi of 101Cookbooks, it's true, but often find myself grappling with the healthy substitutions of meatless products (ie., tofu, seitan, etc.)

Every six months of so, I like to challenge my distastes ... often to just realize why in fact I do not like them in the first place. Can't hurt to try, right?

Well, this is the tale of one of those nights, my friends. With extra-firm tofu in hand, I went about slicing and marinating with some soy sauce and other random seasonings, suggestions from one of my vegetarian friends, Steph. I'm sorry Steph, not even the delicious mix of flavors and grilling masked the texture. I tried though, I really did.

Anyways, chalking it up to a tofu loss, the rest of this dish was pretty damn fantastic and comforting, I must say. Rice noodles steeped in a ginger miso broth, dressed with some shelled edamame and mint. Summery, light, with a hint of a burn from the ginger and a shot of sriracha and a broth to slurp. Oh, and tofu that I quickly tossed. Can't win 'em all.

Ginger Miso Poached Noodles with Mint
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Ingredients:
Rice noodles
Shelled edamame
2 TB miso paste
Thumb size piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
Handful of mint
1/2 a lime

Heat water to cover the rice noodles on the stove, slowly incorporating the miso paste until well dissolved. Add the ginger slices to flavor the broth. When about to boil, add the noodles, take off the heat and leave covered for 7-10 minutes, until the noodles are cooked.

Meanwhile, cook and lightly salt the edamame. Shell if need be.

When noodles are cooked, drain a portion of the broth, leaving about a cup or two left. Add the edamame and the mint. Add a squeeze of lime. Stir and serve. I added a dash of sriracha, but that's just personal taste. Enjoy!

Mussels, mussels, mussels

2009-09-26T18:38:00.007-04:00

Properly cooked mussels + a bread-dip worthy broth + a side of crispy frites + fresh aoili = bliss for me.

That's just one of the many equations to my heart. Boys, take notes.

My love affair with mussels began back in Caen, France in 2006 on the coast. Entertain me for a minute while I have a flashback.

First things first ... blogosphere, meet my (Italian) sister-friend, Sab (and a curlier, more ginger looking me).

It was my first trip abroad with my best friend, Sab. We headed off with one of her cousins to go join forces with her other family members in Paris. Zal and Rina, former Rochestarians, had relocated to Florence, Versailles and then settled in Paris, where they were based in 2006. They had met and fell in love while at university in Caen, where we had traveled to see some of their friends, visit Mont St. Michel, and have an epic seafood dinner on the coast as the sun set.

It was one of the most memorable sunsets I've ever seen. Luckily Adriano caught it on camera ...

Sab and I both ordered the pot of mussels, faced with over a pound for each of us. Looking back, we should have shared ... but what can you do. Sometimes a mussel overdose after a long day at the beach is needed.

They were out of this world, and the first time I'd had mussels. My aunt had tried to get me to taste some seafood growing up, but it wasn't anything we were ever served at home outside of a fish fry in Lent (to which, to this day, I'm not sure was fish). My mother detested most forms of seafood, and the look of disgust she made when oysters went by to another table stuck in my head. I had a phobia for all things from the sea. I admit it.

But I fell in love with these little things, to the point that they now represent the best pick me up for me now. As they did back this past July ...

I was stressed ... and my colleague knew it, outside of my general frustration voiced for not being able to find good mussels at the store. Lo and behold, just before the day closed, he snuck off to his house and came back with mussels on ice and beer to steam ... my own little mussels kit. And I have to say, it was *just* what I needed to cut through the stress and bad mood. Thanks TN :)

The broth I made was basic, including beer, some sprigs of thyme, a splash of wine and a pat of butter. I added the butter to the broth afterwards. Odd combo, I know, but I was experimenting. Delicious nevertheless ... now if only I had frites and aioli. Next time, next time ...

Peach & Strawberry Cobbler w/ Lemon Crust

2009-09-26T18:06:00.006-04:00

Ah, cobbler. How I love thee. It's like the shepherd pie of desserts ... well, kind of. If you think of shepherd pie as the fridge-emptying solution that doesn't taste like complete garbage. Cobbler is somewhat like the fruity dessert version, IMO.

OK, so that made more sense in my head, humor me.

It was July, peaches were in season, strawberries were chopped and in my fridge, and as often happens, life during the week got surprisingly busy. Busy enough to throw my menu planning off and leaving me with produce about to turn.

I hate throwing things away or wasting food, by the way. It's a sort of affliction / mission in life, and leads to some very, um, interesting dishes and concoctions (ie., the jalapeno jam I have 6 jars of in my cupboard. Any takers? Please?)

The peaches were meant for a dinner party as dessert, with a fate including halving, a balsamic and brown sugar glaze, grilling and creme fraiche.

Then someone brought a pie. And I love pie. Sorry peaches. Next time.

I have to say though, this cobbler had the perfect mix of sweet and tang, with the lemon crust cutting the potential sugary sweetness of mixing peaches and strawberries. And a nice recipe to add to the cobbler section of the cookbook in my brain alongside the winter version -- the black 'n blue.

I made mine up in my paella pan brought back for an ex that needless to say stayed in my possession. His loss ;)

Peach 'n Strawberry Cobbler with a Lemon Crust
Adapted from a 1999 Bon Appetit recipe

Ingredients:
4 peaches, fresh preferred, canned are also OK. pitted and sliced
3 cups or so (eyeball it) of sliced strawberries
* rough estimates here ... fill the pan
1/3 cup sugar
dusting of cornstarch
sprinkling of lemon juice, about 1/2 a lemon

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
dash of salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Mix together the top set of ingredients so all fruit is covered. Dress with lemon juice.

Mix flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Beat butter and sugar together in large bowl until smooth. Beat in egg yolk, lemon zest and vanilla. Add flour mixture and make into a dough-like substance. Form loosely over the fruit. Don't worry, it doesn't need to completely cover the cobbler, and in fact, shouldn't. It'll spread a bit when cooking, and you want it to bubble through a bit.

Pop in the oven and cook until the topping is lightly browned and the filling is bubbly, approximately 55 minutes.

Every 15 minutes it's breakfast ...

2009-09-26T17:51:00.003-04:00

A colleague once told me this, after a brief moment commiserating with one another about how fast time flies. As time passes, this becomes even more true, and consequently, often leaving certain parts of my life poorly maintained. More often than not (or better yet, always) this is my personal life we're talking about. So is life.

Well, poor food blog -- you were the object of avoidance this time, I'm afraid to say. It's not that I *intentionally* lagged in posts. I've had a list of posts owed running for weeks, just in need of the time to sit down and focus. Time I thought would never come. My apologies for the silence, blog readers, if you're out there.

But never fear. I have a list, a plan (how I operate best), and with any luck, I can push through those and get the motivation to update this more often. The last few months have been oh so busy, with summer blowing past before I really realized it was ever *here*. There was the Alaskan trip to end all Alaskan trips, a milestone of a birthday, and more air miles in the past 3 weeks than a human should endure (16,500+?). All of which will be documented, I promise.

To start ... let's roll back the calendar a bit to July ...

Wordless Wednesdays: Margarita Cupcakes

2009-08-26T11:59:00.002-04:00

Wordless Wednesdays: Mussels, take one.

2009-07-29T10:04:00.002-04:00

Sally sells sea shells by the seashore

2009-07-23T10:28:00.006-04:00

Well, not quite. But I did have a craving for some sort of seafood - mussels or salmon specifically. Visions of the pot of mussels from Casa Delfin in El Born from my recent trip to Barcelona haunted me all afternoon. Ideas for super easy and delicious salmon dishes kept running through my head ... It was terribly distracting.

So, straight from work I headed to Whole Foods to check out what was available and scope some prices. Now, I don't cook seafood much if at all, so this was new territory to me ... but one I was determined to conquer. Oddly enough, for a place known for their pronunciation of "lobstaahhhh", Boston is relatively low on quality seafood restaurants and old-school fishmongers. Sometimes I wonder if I should move to the coast (and outside of the city) just to be closer to a dock. But I digress ...

Buying seafood is something I'm also a bit wary about. In lieu of going into Wulf's up further into Brookline, I headed to Whole Foods - in my book a worlds a difference from the offerings at Johnnie's (if their seafood counter even counts. gross.) and Shaws. For some reason, Whole Foods makes me feel a bit more at ease. Not sure why, but let's roll with it.

Sadly, after dreaming of the afore-pictured mussels, Whole Foods was completely devoid of them. Whether it was because of the latest area zebra mussel scare or just a slump in fishing in general, I have no idea. I tried not to cry too much at the counter, and pushed myself to still buy some formally living creature from the lagoon to make for supper.

Settling on a 7 oz. Atlantic salmon fillet, I trotted home, fish in hand, with some sage, thyme, and some yukon gold potatoes to roast ... prepared to recreate a recipe I saw on Paula Deen (with all fairness, it was her son Bobby's recipe) that looked easy, heart healthy (I'm shocked too) and scrumptious. Oh, and not even fried.

Lemon Herb Salmon in Foil

Ingredients:
(I made this for one, but can very easily be multiplied, and is a very flexible recipe.)

7 oz. Atlantic salmon fillet
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 TB of butter
2 sprigs of rosemary
3 or so sprigs of thyme, de-sprigged :)
2 large sage leaves
lemon slices* to just cover the length of the salmon
salt and pepper
aluminum foil

* you can also use oranges, and I'm sure other citrus would work well too.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Finely chop up the spices and garlic. Lay the salmon fillet on a sheet of aluminum foil, enough to seal at the top and sides like a little packet.

Salt and pepper the salmon, then put the dollop(s) of butter on top. Sprinkle the garlic and herbs on that, topping with the lemon slices. I squirted some additional lemon juice on top, but it's not needed.

Seal up the little packet and toss in the oven on a baking sheet (or can be done on a grill) for about 14 minutes. You want the fish to be flaky and opaque. Be careful not to overcook.

I quick roasted* up some Yukon gold potatoes, seasoned with a little salt, pepper, chili powder, olive oil and herbs used for the salmon. Delicious little meal, I must say, with rich lemony buttery goodness accompanying the herbed salmon.

* Quick roasting ala Kaitlin (though this idea is not really all that new or novel :) ) Poke some holes into the potatoes, place on a plate and put in the microwave for 3 minutes. Turn after that, cook for another 3 minutes (slightly less or more depending on size and amount of potatoes ... since you're finishing these in the oven, don't want them to be fully cooked). Take out of the microwave, dice, season, and pop into a 375 degree oven while the salmon cooks. Once they have a bit of color and crust, remove.

C is for Cookie

2009-06-28T10:20:00.004-04:00

Some days just call for chocolate chip cookies. This past Saturday was one of those days. I had two dear friends from college coming over for dinner, have been stressed over work, and hell - for some reason I really craved a fresh from the oven chocolate chip cookie with some ice cream. Or a chipwich. You get the point.

I decided to venture away from my mother's famous chocolate chip cookie recipe and try Alton Brown's Chewy recipe, found over at chaos in the kitchen. With a few substitutions, I was all set to bake.

The cookies were very buttery (2 sticks of butter will do that), and didn't seem to hold up shape very well, or at least in my attempts. Also, since I don't usually keep a lot of milk in the house, used 2 TB of buttermilk in the recipe (shh, don't tell) and cut down the melted butter count by about 1 TB. For the chips, I added about 1.5 cups of chocolate chips and the rest of the 1/2 cup of peanut butter chips.

My grandmother's standing rule for making cookies and when to take them out of the oven didn't kick in until after batch 1. Her voice then popped into my head, and I remembered my mother explaining to me why we take the cookies out just before they look done, as she covered 3 counters of chocolate chip cookies for my brothers and I. Now, this doesn't work for all cookies, but I swear, for my mother's, it was like the secret ingredient (that, or shortening), and boy could she make cookies. They continued to bake on the counter out of the oven, she'd say. A trick she'd learned from her mother, whom I didn't know very well but I took my mother's word on it.

All in all, the cookies were delicious, but I may stick to the family recipe from now on.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (w/ a splash of peanut butter for good measure)
Adapted from Alton Brown and chaos in the kitchen

Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp milk (* I used buttermilk, and took 1 TB out of the butter content up top ... try using the real stuff when ya can though :) )
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips.

Melt butter, add to mixing bowl. In another bowl combine flour, salt and baking soda. Add white and brown sugars to mixing bowl with butter. Cream butter and sugar together. I do this by hand (still haven't purchased the hand mixer). Mix in eggs, milk, and vanilla. Slowly add in flour until well incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips and peanut butter. Chill dough until firm enough to scoop.

Preheat oven to 375° F. I recommend lining the sheets with parchment paper. Greasing the pan leaves for oily or burnt bottoms of the cookies, and with this much butter in the recipe, it seemed destined for disaster.

Bake for 9-11 minutes and allow to cool. Or just pop in a bowl with some ice cream (hey, sometimes, it just has to be done.)

Repurposing old coffee grounds. Diana this one's for you.

2009-06-28T09:53:00.003-04:00

So, my yoga teacher's been on a bit of a compost rant for the last few weeks. She's phenomenal, and not too preachy or overly wacky - which some yoga teachers are. Her name's Diana and she's the tops. By far my favorite yoga teacher yet by a landslide.

She's been doing a lot of gardening, and recently discovered the world of self composting. It's garnered so much excitement that she's worked it into Sunday's classes as a lesson to "compost your soul". It makes me giggle, I'm not gonna lie.

Anywho, thought of Diana this week with all of her compost-ness, when I was making coffee of all things. My ex converted me to the world of french press coffee and electric kettles last year - a decision that not only freed up my counter a bit but also seems to have a bit more character. I dig. I was cleaning out the grounds as I normally do, when I got on the Googles and decided to see if there was something I could do with these. My apartment lacks a back yard, so composting in the traditional sense was out of the question.

What I did find was a facial treatment using the grounds and an egg white, that you let dry on your face. Supposedly the caffeine is supposed to work its magic, while the grounds exfoliate, all while helping you feel like a mud creature from a B-list horror movie. Hell, why not, right?

The texture was a bit coarser than usual, since I grind my own coffee a bit less than normal folks, but all in all an interesting experience. I'd recommend leaning over a sink or something for this whole process because it is a bit messy, with bits of coffee falling off your face, with the very serious potential of staining your clothes. But refreshing nevertheless, and a sight to see for anyone around, I'm sure. :)

Oatmeal cookie pancakes with dried cranberries

2009-06-27T14:56:00.006-04:00

Two things you may not know about me.

1. I often don a Susie-homemaker-polka dot-headband when I cook. And 2. I love Saturday mornings. Typically these two come together in some joyous union at the end of each work week. This was one of those weeks.

Depending on the week, I either get up and go to Haymarket early or go for a jog, then treat myself to a big breakfast. Sometimes it's Dutch baby pancakes, other weeks frittatas, or a breakfast burrito (if I happen to have a fiery salsa on hand).

Last weekend, I decided to give Joy the Baker's oatmeal cookie pancakes a try. I, like Joy, absolutely love pancakes of all shapes and sizes, from potato to buttermilk and beyond. I headed to the store to pick up some buttermilk, some eggs, splurging on some turkey bacon as well and headed home.

Now, buttermilk's a strange substance to me. I've never cooked with it before (shh, don't tell) and was really taken aback at the rich buttery smell of it. It makes sense, I realize, for butter-milk to have a buttery aspect to it, I know. I'm not that dumb. It's part of my liquid milk phobia, I swear.

(OK, the milk phobia for those that don't already know. Ever since I stopped drinking milk out of a bottle as a kid, the smell and the taste of liquid milk really give me the heebie jeebies, making me gag. Though I've gotten much better about cooking with it and what not, still, to this day, I cannot drink a glass of liquid milk. Flavor it however you want. I still can't take a gulp. Weird, I know.)

Either way, I gave this recipe a go, subbing in dried cranberries for the raisins. With a side of turkey bacon, this was top notch. Somewhat coma-enducing (even took an hour nap afterwards) but delicious nevertheless, and not overly sweet.

Alright featured ingredient ... let's put you to work.

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes w/ Dried Cranberries
Adapted ever-so-slightly from Joy the Baker

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
2 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon maple syrup
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
cooking spray

In a large bowl beat eggs. Add buttermilk, butter (cooled, or else you'll scramble the eggs), maple syrup and vanilla. Mix, mix, mix. Add flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Mix well until smooth, or as smooth as an oats batter can be. Fold in cranberries and let batter set for a few minutes.

Heat pan over medium heat. Spray the pan with some non-stick cooking spray and cook up the pancakes. It doesn't really get any simpler than that. Though, be careful ... if you're not used to cooking heartier pancakes, be careful the temp on the pan is just right, so that the pancakes don't brown while the middle is still raw.

The result:

Wordless Wednesdays: Countdown to La Boqueria

2009-06-24T16:26:00.003-04:00

A smattering of Monday goodness

2009-06-22T09:37:00.010-04:00

Some weeks I'm all about keeping the blog up to date. Other weeks ... well, it just doesn't happen. The last month or so has been one of those black holes of updating TTK.

So, here's a roundup of some of the tastier little things I've been making over the last few weeks. Some are staples (broccoli pesto pasta with spinach and olives), others were heartier first whirls (braised chard with white beans) ...

... to failed experiments that ended up being more delicious than initially anticipated (my take on "nut butter"), and a cocktail to help relieve some stress that reminds me of March's trip to Sao Paolo. Plus, it gave me an excuse to crack open a bottle of cachaca and use my tucan muddler. Who doesn't love a tucan muddler, I mean - really now.

The "nut butter", originally a spin on Andrea's Vanilla Cinnamon Almond Butter turned into more of a mix of ingredients. I had a bag of unsalted mixed nuts (almonds, peanuts, pecans, cashews and hazelnuts) that needed using up, so I gave it a whirl. As Andrea details in her post, getting this to become creamy and not just finely chopped nuts can take forever, so I finally gave up, added a bit more vanilla, a bit of oil (just a teensy bit), and some brown sugar. It's delicious, and while not creamy, it's delicious on toast, great topping for ice cream and really not that bad for a failed try. Better luck next time. Maybe I'll have found some patience by then ... maybe. ;)

All in all, not too shabby ... I still need to post the hot toddy pudding cake night to end all hot toddy nights (let's just say, copious amounts of scotch, baked goods and two close male friends can lead to some interesting stories ... ;) ) but that's to come. Oh, and the oatmeal cookie pancakes from this weekend with dried cranberries. Mmm, pancakes. Those'll come this week.

Stay tuned, and for a little happy Monday music, check out my friend's band Freddy & Francine. It'll sure help if you're stuck in this dreary grey rainy weather loop. And maybe you'll even learn how to do the Brownstone Alley ;)

Dear phyllo dough, I want a divorce.

2009-06-18T08:49:00.006-04:00

Dear phyllo dough,

We're fighting. I think it's best we stay away from one another for a while. You stay in the freezer section, I'll make dishes without you for a while, and maybe, mayyybbbee one of these days we can try this again. But for now, I'm mad at you.

Love,
KT
----------

Ya know ... some food experiments turn out well, some ... you just have to chalk up to a failed operation.

This is the tale of my vegetable tart with phyllo dough. It was a mild night in early June. I had a variety of ingredients already that needed to be used, the concept seemed brilliant, the meal sounded delicious and healthy, and all it would take would be a bit of phyllo dough.

I chopped up all of the artichoke hearts and tomatoes and put them in a bowl. I marinated the veggies for an extra kick in a lemony mustard vinaigrette. It tasted wonderful. While those flavors married, I got out my baking dish and pulled this phyllo dough out of the freezer. How hard could this be, right?

Wrong. So very, very wrong.

Somehow, I forgot that I wasn't working with puff pastry or something manageable, instead very thin, easily teared pieces of flakiness. I started laying this out over the pan, leaving ample over the edges to wrap up over the filling, brushing with oil.

Then, I got lazy ... stopped doing this sheet by miserable sheet, and started lumping 2-3 sheets together. Hell, I've got places to be, what can I say. And regardless, it was just a few bits of flakiness, right?

Wrong, again.

I filled with the drained tomatoes and artichoke hearts, crumbled feta cheese over it, squeezed some extra lemon over, wrapped this all up, brushed with oil (before it started to tear ... again) and popped in the oven.

This, was the outcome ...

Pretty enough, right? That's what I thought. Now if only the dough had any taste, but it was like eating thinner, crispier construction paper.

So Mr. Phyllo Dough, we're not friends right now. I think it's best we keep our distance for the time being. I'll call you when I'm ready for you again.

Have suggestions for how I can reacquaint myself with this frozen pastry nemesis? I'd love to hear. Otherwise, I'll stick to store bought tart shells and frozen spanakopita. ;)

Wordless Wednesdays: Cupcake Love

2009-06-17T16:21:00.001-04:00

A 10 minute animated short by Kirsten Lepore. :)

Sweet Dreams from Kirsten Lepore on Vimeo.

Wordless Wednesdays: Lilies

2009-06-10T13:29:00.004-04:00

Dutch Baby Pancake Bliss

2009-05-17T20:01:00.004-04:00

After doing my daily RSS check, scrolling through the latest from my favorite foodie blogs, I stumbled on this. My eyes got all wide, and after a few oohs and ahhhs, I said "WANT" and put it on the weekend docket.

This recipe got tested out yesterday, an eggier pancake batter with butter that then gets poured into a preheated skillet with more butter and popped in the oven. It's incredibly easy, leaves the house smelling like a Saturday morning in a New England bed & breakfast, and just makes me smile.

I sprinkled some powdered sugar and cinnamon on mine after it came out of the oven, reminding me a mix of what my family called "Indian Ghost bread" (it was just thin pieces of fried dough, really) crossed with a crepe. Thin, but doughey and absolutely divine. I had a few mangoes in the fridge, so I added that as my topping, including some of the mango juice from the remaining flesh around the pit.

Opportunities are endless here for toppings, and would be a great brunch food, me thinks. Here are the details:

Dutch Baby Pancakes
adapted ever so slightly from Kitchen Wench

Ingredients:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 TB of sugar

(I always put sugar in my pancake batter, whether out of the box or not. Usually some vanilla too, though I omitted here)

Preheat an oven to 350 F with a pan inside to heat. Mix together the eggs, milk, melted butter, salt and sugar. Slowly add the flour. Add the unmelted butter and let that coat the pan. There should be a bit more in there than usual pan-coating amount. Don't be alarmed.

Add the batter, pop in the oven for 20-30 minutes. It'll cook up a bit (and in my case fold over a bit, which I don't mind). Take out when browned to your liking.

Down with the sickness

2009-05-17T19:28:00.007-04:00

Being sick in the pits. I think there's global agreement on that. After a few back-to-back weeks of planes, trains and automobiles, my immune system finally waved a white flag and took a vacation, leaving me congested, exhausted, and feeling somewhat deathly. Lo and behold, this was right when swine flu mania began, making my explanations of a) heavy travel b) allergies that kicked in when I was in the UK and c) nasty headcold somewhat moot.

Thankfully, after a few days of drowning myself with lemon, ginger, and honey concoctions and spicy miso ramen soup, I was feeling a bit better, and looking for some food with substance. My cravings were somewhat bizarre, as if I was a pregnant woman eating sour pickles and peanut butter.

The result:
- spicy veggie curry with cauliflower and tomatoes
- white bean spinach soup
- cutlets, just like sab and her mom used to make.

Not too shabby, eh? Lots of protein, a good amount of spice, and relatively healthy.

The curry is an old standby, this one including garbanzo beans, cauliflower, 1 potato and a can of stewed tomatoes. Add a bit of garam masala, some cumin, stock and garlic. Then simmer away until it's mushy-like. That's the scientific term for it too. :)

Very similar in procedure as the curry I made a few months ago.

Serve with some naan, rice, or, as I did later in the week, a side of cottage cheese. Odd, I realize, but healthy and cuts the heat of the curry.

Beans were the main ingredient of the day ... what can I say. Tasty, and also cheap as all get out. Win win.

I first spotted this soup - the white bean spinach soup - over at Not Quite Nigella. I chose to make this without the chorizo, which is a decision I don't regret, to tell you the truth. The basics include a mirepoix to start, adding about 10 oz. of spinach and stock, 2 bay leaves half a pint of stock. Simmer for 20 minutes, then puree using an immersion blender. This is a thicker soup, but great comfort food. Yum.

Oh, and the cutlets ... not Agro cutlets (my best friend and her mother make, by far, the best cutlets EVAR. no joke.) These were just craving food. Delicous, slightly salty, breaded craving food.

Getting to know KT

2009-05-04T15:23:00.006-04:00

From last summer in Sitges, Spain, courtesy of the lovely M, available under a CC-BY-NC-SA license.

Who doesn't love a good meme, especially one about food quips and what not. I spotted this over on Boastful Baker (who spotted in on Brownie Points), and figured I'd give it a try. The questions are bolded, my answer following. Hopefully this will give you a better insight into the cook behind Tales of a Test Kitchen.

Link back if you re-post this too. Let's see how many people we can get to try :) And with that, here goes:

GETTING TO KNOW YOU QUIZ

Metal or non-stick? non-stick. it makes my life easier.

Cast iron or stainless? if i didn't have a flat electric range, then cast iron, in a heart beat. but for now, stainless.

Cutting board: silicone or wood? silicone. easy to fold and use to transport chopped items to the stove.

Knife: carbon steel or stainless? Carbon steel. but I have some of both.

Kitchenaid or hand mixer? ha, i usually go without appliances together and do it by hand. yes, i realize this isn't practical or efficient, but a damn good way of getting out stress. try hand whipping whipped cream or a meringue. TRY it.

though, all things said and done, a mixer is next on the kitchen supply list, and i drool of the kitchenaid mixer + attachments.

Cooktop: gas, electric, induction? currently, electric. dreaming of a gas range once day.

Side-by-side, freezer on top, fridge on top? freezer on top, though i grew up with that in the reverse.

Apron or whoops? often whoops, though i have an adorable anthropologie apron from my last birthday that's printed and ruffly. just what i'm not, but that's what makes it fun to wear. :)

Mashed potatoes: by hand, ricer, or mixer? by hand. i like the hard work.

Sandwich or wrap? sandwich, with homemade bread. and good cheese. or if you're the mervines, a meatball sammy (sorry, inside joke)

PB & _________ ? chocolate. or apples. or bananas and honey. or strawberry jelly on potato bread. or even weirder, my old childhood staple ... PB and bacon sandwiches.

Pancakes: syrup or applesauce? unless they're potato pancakes, real maple syrup.

Cake: scratch or mix? scratch. even made a small one last night. mmm, devils food cake. mmm.

Chili: beans or no? beans, but more fun when it's not just traditional red beef chili with kidney beans. white chili and 3 bean chili are some personal favorites.

Napkin: cloth or paper? cloth, though mine are currently in a box somewhere from the move in desperate need of being ironed. so paper for now.

BBQ: takes the whole weekend to make or take out? homemade, though mine rarely is a whole weekend operation. get me a smoker and a backyard and that'll change.

Chicken: white or dark? not too picky, but lean more towards white meat.

Ice cream: cone or dish? dish, or a waffle cone. for sure.

Operation cleanout, moving, dusting off the cobwebs

2009-05-04T10:11:00.006-04:00

Apologies for the long silence here on Tales of a Test Kitchen. In the last month, I've packed up my little Back Bay kitchen, moved across the line just barely into Brookline, and been traveling like a mad woman ever since.

Excuses, excuses, I know, but it's tough to really get back into the swing of cooking - and enjoying it - when the kitchen still has boxes in it, is missing appliances and what not. Slowly but surely, this will be remedied, I assure you. I've promised a few people updates on here, so lets kick the tires. I'm at home with a nasty head cold from my latest travels, and maybe this will get my brain moving.

This post is about a month old, but good nevertheless. Pre- my move, I was in the midst of cooking to clean out my fridge and pantry, part of Operation Cleanout. Day 3 of this process brought us a delicious vegetarian pasta with chard, lemon cream sauce and toasted pine nuts, as well as a lemony asparagus soup that's to die for.

The pasta was an interesting endeavor, to say the least. I had half a container of sour cream to use, lemons, spring onions, chard, whole wheat pasta and a number of other miscellaneous ingredients. The sauce was a mix of the sour cream, sauteed garlic, some chili flakes, lemon zest and lemon juice. I had toasted some pine nuts and sauteed some chard separately. Once all of the components were complete, just tossed them all with the sauce and voila. Topped with some chopped spring onions. This was just aces after a long day of work, and kicked any alfredo sauce or pasta roni kit you can get at the store.

The Lemony Asparagus soup that joined the night's menu was spotted on Dishing Up Delights, and was not only supremely easy, but light and delicious.

And even better, I had a few burners left on my stove to make it, while still tending to the pasta mentioned above.

Lemony Asparagus Soup
From Dishing Up Delights, adapted from Food and Wine

1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
2 cups chicken stock (could also use veggie)
one 1-inch wide strip of lemon zest, plus 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest for garnish
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
salt and freshly ground pepper

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, and cook the asparagus for about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.

In a clean saucepan, add oil and cook the onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Add chicken stock and lemon zest strip. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes or so. Add asparagus and cook for another 5 minutes until tender. Discard lemon zest and use an immersion blender to puree.

Operation cleanout - Day 2 - Strawberry Ice Cream

2009-04-08T22:58:00.004-04:00

... in a blender.

I don't have an ice cream maker, though after trips to Albert's I often dream of one. His roommate, Jen, makes by far the most innovative flavors I've seen, from curry ice cream (oh, it was delicious. don't knock it until you try), pear and gorgonzola ice cream, to various sorbets and other dessert-ish flavors.

Operation pantry/fridge/freezer cleanout (shortened to "Operation cleanout") continues ... this time with dessert on Day 2. Moving is extremely stressful, and hell, my lack of a Y chromosome may be what leads to my inherent comfort by sweets. Or, maybe I just have an affinity for them at certain times. We'll leave that up in the air.

ANYWAYS. I'm determined to at least lessen slightly my pantry / fridge / freezer contents (there's a lot, and I'm not looking for miracles) and had 1 carton's worth of heavy cream sitting in the fridge. I can't drink liquid milk as is, so I have to get creative. The result of this challenge: homemade strawberry ice cream ... made, in a blender.

Homemade Fruit Ice Cream in a Blender

Ingredients:

10 oz. frozen (very frozen) berries ... I used strawberries
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream

Start by putting the fruit and sugar in the blender ... and pulse. And pulse some more ... This may take a while due to the frozen state of the fruit.

Once this starts to turn into a frozen slush, start to slowly add the cream, scraping down the sides. You may need to shake the blender a bit, depending on how much of the frozen fruit may get stuck in the blades. Once it starts doing it's thing, you'll know ... you can see from the outside the fruit go from slushie to a creamier texture.

You can freeze this up to a week, or serve immediately. Be careful, it melts quickly ... but oh so delicious.

Operation pantry/fridge/freezer cleanout - Day 1 - Miso Ramen

2009-04-08T22:33:00.005-04:00

OK, news alert for those of you following Tales of a Test Kitchen (which may just be Steph ;) ) -- I'm moving. I'll soon be leaving my Back Bay kitchen to move essentially down the road, mayyyyybe a mile and a half away. Likely less.

Due to the pending move, I've restricted myself to basic ingredients bought at the market this weekend and what i only have in stock here. And after a month of very very heavy travel ... the pickins are SLIM. But, I like a challenge ... and this one forces me to do some research and be creative. The results ... delicious. Who'da known?

On to Day 1 of the challenge -- what to make for the week? I made walnut miso noodles over the weekend, have a ton of miso (does Super 88 sell small packs of miso? or just lifetime supplies. meezcha.)

So, on to cooking for the week. After a month of indulging in Brazilian and Asian delicacies, Tales of a Test Kitchen could use a little detox, and with the move, wallet-friendly dishes are added bonuses.

The result for Sunday's cooking... miso ramen with leftover walnut miso noodles from the potluck @ albert's, bok choy, ground pork and slightly spiced with thai chilis. So incredibly easy to do, yet so satisfying. This soup is up to interpretation, so feel free to alter. Here's what I used.

Miso Ramen

Ingredients:
1.25 lb ground pork
roughly 2 cups chicken stock
entire bag of bok choy
3 Thai bird chilis - finely diced
Leftover walnut miso noodles (including chard and asparagus)
soy sauce
spring onions
miso
water
garlic

To start, brown the ground pork with a little oil, diced garlic, and some soy sauce in a medium-deep pan, enough to cook down the bok choy in. Once that's browned, add the bok choy (rinsed, be very careful ... often carries some dirt) and about a cup of chicken stock. Eyeball it, you need enough to cook down the bok choy.

Meanwhile, head a pot of water until it's warm, but not boiling. Mix in 1/4 cup or so (to taste) of miso, whisking in until nicely combined. You want the broth to be flavorful, and everyone has a different taste for miso. Use accordingly.

Once bok choy is cooked down, add to miso broth.

Let these all combine, then add the leftover noodles. I diced up some spring onions to top the ramen, and grabbed my set of chop sticks. Dinner, finisimo -- with enough to last me through the week. :) And really, what's more comforting than a big bowl of miso ramen?

Walnut Miso Noodles with Spring Vegetables

2009-04-08T22:17:00.009-04:00

I spotted this recipe over at 101Cookbooks and had to try. This past weekend brought just the occasion -- a potluck with the theme "Winter is over (hopefully)". The noodles seemed like a fitting dish, featuring some spring vegetables and also continuing my Asian kick a week after my travels. (What can I say, it's a touch eating habit to kick ;) )

The noodles were a hit, and a wallet-friendly dish. You can top the noodles with anything your little heart desires. I followed Heidi's lead on this and lightly sauteed some red chard stems that were absolutely beautiful, some spring onions, asparagus and toasted walnuts. And I have a bit of the dressing to spare, making it easy to whip up a batch during the week. Since you can top with anything you'd like, it's a fantastic way to feature certain vegetables or toppings.

The key to these noodles is the dressing. Mine came out like a slightly saltier version of a peanut sauce ... similar in texture. Absolutely delicious though, and seemingly healthy.

My only subs to Heidi's recipe were a) tripling the recipe b) adding a few thai bird chilis to the sauce and c) using Japanese vermicelli - a purplish brown noodle that really stood out. Other than that, recipe's pretty straightforward, and quick to make with a little multi-tasking with the food processor.

Have other ideas for toppings or variations? I'd love to hear them. Leave your recipe tweak in the comments :)

Spaghetti All'Ubriaco for One

2009-04-02T20:24:00.008-04:00

After spending practically all of March away or eating take out between trips, dinner options around here are slim pickins. I spotted this recipe for spaghetti all'ubriaco or "drunken spaghetti" on Serious Eats and dreamt of it all day. I had about 1/3 of a bottle of a Malbec sitting on the counter and decided to give it a go.

The result, a rich, but not too heavy purplish pasta with a little tang and heat from the pesto and pepperocinis. Meal completed with some simple greens and spinach with just a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar that RJ brought me back from Mendoza, Argentina (and dang, it's GOOD).

Oh, and one of my favorite beers, the only one left in my fridge - Dogfish I.B.A. Time to kick up the feet and relax for the night. Mission, complete.

Spaghetti All'Ubriaco

Ingredients:
whole wheat spaghetti
equal parts red wine and water to cover the pasta
salt for pasta water
TB or so of basil pesto
4 or 5 pepperocini rings, or 1 whole pepperocini
2 cloves of garlic, minced
extra virgin olive oil

Heavily salt and the heat the water and wine in a pot until it reaches a boil. Cook the pasta, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn't stick. Meanwhile, toast the garlic in the olive oil with the diced pepperocinis. When the pasta is done, drain so that there's still just a little bit of liquid, reserving the remaining liquid. Mix together with the garlic and pepperocinis.

Add the pesto to flavor, about a tablespoon. I added about 2/3 of a cup of the pasta water / wine since I didn't have any remaining wine (add raw wine if you have it), the simmered for a few minutes to let the flavors combine.

Annnnnnnd, serve. Delish.

National Grilled Cheese Month

2009-04-02T17:17:00.003-04:00

Apparently April is National Grilled Cheese Month, which I could really go for right now amidst the weird post-travel jetlag cravings. I'm still weening myself off noodles and dumplings, resisting the urge to go to Hei La Moon for dim sum.

Maybe this is just what I need to kick the cravings (well, somewhat kick).

No photos just yet, though I will point you to an interesting grilled cheese sammy over at bitchincamero with capicolla, sweet gherkins, and Saint Andre cheese. M'mm, sweet gherkins remind me of the ones my Grandmother used to make for the summer. God I could go for those right now, too. Damn cravings.

Also reminds me of a tasty grilled cheese I made in the winter months of 2008, which was a crowd pleaser for those with a taste for jalapenos. It involved sweating some finely diced red onions and a hefty amount of diced jalepenos, seasoned with a little salt and pepper, then melted with grated Monterey Jack cheese and pressed. Easy breezy, but just what the doctor ordered, and perfect with a bowl of tomato soup for an afternoon relaxing in the Back Bay.

OK, now I'm on the hunt for the most creative and delicious grilled cheese sammys. This ain't yer old Velveeta back up ... Let's see what you've got. Stay tuned. :)

Interesting eats in Asia

2009-04-02T09:43:00.006-04:00

(OK, so I didn't eat at the Temple, but it does help set the scene for this post. :) )

March has been a blur of hotels, planes and different continents, starting with my trek to Brazil for a wedding, then returning to Boston to do laundry and then hopping another plane to Asia. These tired bones returned late Sunday night / early Monday morning, hazy in the cabeza from the hours on a plane, time zone difference and the jam-packed week of speaking engagements throughout China Mainland and Taiwan.

I have to say though, there were some very, very interesting eats while in China - go figure. From experiencing Chinese breakfast in Qingdao and Beijing, to banquet style dinners served on giant lazy susans, to visiting "Snake Alley" in Taipei, I think I had a relatively comprehensive sampling of Chinese and Taiwanese food.

There's much to write about, as you can probably imagine, but for the time being, I'll just leave you with a few photos from Taiwan.

The photo below is a dessert soup-like substance made from red beans, rice and tapioca pearls. The tapioca and red bean combination made for a very rich, almost cocoa tasting flavor, though not too sweet. Red bean paste is a common staple used in desserts, this being just one variation, but also commonly used in cakes and pastries. Another delicious light dessert was something that looked like a pancake, filled with red bean paste, then topped with another layer of thin dough, encrusted with sesame seeds and served warm. Delightful. I even lugged back some of these red bean cakes (at RJ's request) to the states. Yum.

Very different from the dessert soup we had in Beijing, consisting of sticky rice balls and a syrupy substance ... extremely sweet. Food in Mainland China tends to be more noodle-heavy, slightly more oily and often sweeter, in terms of sauces and the like. The food in Taiwan consists of more rice-dishes, given their rice production, is fresher tasting with less sauce and oil, and consists often of more seafood dishes.

The night market we went to by Langshan Temple was a complete trip. We went at an off time so we didn't get to see the place bustling as it usually is, but did get to see the famous snake tanks (though no snake demonstrations). Thankfully, I'm told, no one asked me to drink snake blood or snake soup. Thanks indeed. This night market is just one of maybe 10 in Taipei city (or so I'm told).

I could really go for some acai right now

2009-03-18T10:12:00.003-04:00

More to come about my latest trip to Brazil later, but for now, I'll just dream of acai.

Saturday Ragu

2009-03-04T10:36:00.005-05:00

Preceding the cupcakes from the previous post at last Saturday's dinner was a main dish I'd been aching to try ever since I saw it in January's Gourmet. I'd been craving meat, after cooking largely vegetarian dishes (with a few, delicious slip ups ... a girl's got needs, ya know) and decided to give this a whirl. This was the last weekend I'd not be on a plane or on a different continent until April, so I decided to spend the day in the kitchen, prepping for a dinner of hungry guys.

The main gist of this recipe ... braise meat, add drippings and meat to pot of homemade sauce, brown more meat, add drippings and meat to sauce, and so on and so forth. Then, simmer for at least 2 1/4 hours until the meat's falling off the bone / tender. I omitted the braised pork shoulder and braciole from this meatlover's paradise, due to space constrictions (without, I had my 5 qt pasta pot filled TO THE BRIM) and also time, but it was still unbelievably tasty.

For the full recipe, click here. Below is my version ... just some minor tweaks.

For the tomato sauce base ...

I used 4 cans of whole tomatoes (28 oz) and one can of stewed tomatoes, blending so that it's relatively smooth but with a few pieces of tomato in tact. Blend these in a side container, while you sweat a large onion, chopped, and 5 cloves of chopped garlic. Once those are translucent, add the tomatoes, some salt and crushed red pepper flakes and a Bay leaf. I added some lemon zest, following the recipe of one of my favorite quick tomato sauces from 101cookbooks. You surely can go without, though. Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes ... the sauce will start to thicken, and will continue to beef up (literally and figuratively) once you start adding meat and simmering even longer.

On to the meat ...

Here's what I used for this bottomless pot of meat sauce:

Polpette (also from this issue of Gourmet) - though mine were more round.
1 lb of sweet italian sausage
1 lb of hot italian sausage
2 1/2 lbs of pork ribs

Mix up polpette ingredients (I followed Gourmet's recipe to a tee), and fry until they have a nice golden crust, and are cooked through.

Transfer to paper towel to drain, and save some for lunch / to freeze. You'll have a hefty amount, and about half needs to go into this recipe, but you can for sure add more / less. These are great things to snack on as they come out of the pan ... so make sure you save some for the sauce. They disappear quickly ;)

Once those have drained, add to the sauce, add any drippings, but reserve the oil for remaining frying.

Brown up the batches of italian sausage, add to sauce as well.

Pad dry the ribs and cut into 2-3 rib sections. This makes it a bit easier to brown the meat. Salt and pepper both sides liberally, and brown in a pan. You want the meat to be cooked through for the most part ... and I found cutting these into smaller sections helped me better sear the ends to prevent it from going into the sauce too raw. Then, as is old hat by now, add to the sauce with the drippings. (Note: pictures below were the first batch of ribs I cooked ... I then cut into smaller hunks to better brown ...)

Cover the pot, put it on a simmer, and let that bad larry slow cook. I probably had this on for 3 or 3 1/2 hours on simmer as my guests were arriving / having a few drinks / noshing on apps. Cook up some egg fettuccine to go with and serve. If I had extra time (this is an all day affair, btw) I would have made some homemade tagliatelle or fettuccine myself. But alas, for another day.

By the time you serve, the meatballs, which were incredibly flavorful from the start, take on an even richer taste, while the rib meat falls off the bone.

Very, very happy guests, wonderful aroma lingering in the apartment, and killer leftovers. This sauce gets better each day it sits, giving me ample to freeze as well. Dinner, success. Served with a microgreens salad with some blue cheese, pecans and a light grapefruit dressing, also with a vegetarian pasta (not pictured) featuring a lemony mustard cream sauce with tarragon and asparagus.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

2009-03-01T20:22:00.010-05:00

I stumbled on this idea over at Smitten Kitchen ... and was intrigued. A friend's birthday gave me just the occasion to try this out, and also gave me a reason to sip on some of the ingredients as I was baking. Blissful, really.

The basic gist to these wonderful confections are the following: moist Guinness chocolate cupcakes, filled with a Jameson laced chocolate ganache, topped with a creamy Baileys Irish Cream frosting. The result - FAR better than I imagined. I may never make chocolate cake without Guinness and sour cream again. Bold statement, but man alive, these things made me believe. They were a huge hit with the my dinner guests, and gave us a reason (who needs one though, c'mon) to toast the birthday boy with real liquid Irish Car Bombs. M'mm.

Enough gushing, on to the goods.

Makes 20 - 24 cupcakes. For me, 22.

Ingredients:

Guinness Chocolate Cupcake Base:
1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Jameson Ganache
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
3-4 tsp Jameson (I liked mine a bit stronger, and I eyeballed. This is optional, and Smitten Kitchen uses 1-2 tsp ... trust me, the whiskey flavoring adds a tang that's hard to describe, and absolutely divine.)

Baileys Frosting
2-3 cups confections sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 - 6 tablespoons Baileys (I added more, originally calls for 3-4 TB. More Baileys = creamier frosting and stronger taste.)

First, make the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in cocoa powder and mix until mixture is smooth. It will have a dense, chocolate, slightly bitter taste. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl, using an electric mixer or just a bit of dedication. I don't own an electric mixer, and frankly use this as a way to relieve stress :) But I'd imagine the mixer would make this process and frosting-making easier. Eh, it's kind of like a mini-workout ;)

Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and mix just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way.

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes completely.

On to the best ganache I've ever had ... and I love ganache:

Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined. It should have a rich tang to it and the faint smell of Jameson. M'mm Jameson. :) Happy KT.

I used a small melon baller for this. You want to scoop out almost all the way down, maybe 3/4 of the way into the cupcake. Highly recommend saving these scraps for a little treat for the chef and drizzling with remaining ganache ... It provides a delightful mental health break while these cool ;)

Spoon the ganache into a piping bag / ziploc bag. Pipe the filling into the cupcakes. There should be enough to fill to the tops. My ganache was a little runny when I tried this due to the Jameson but it was manageable. I just popped into the freezer after that so this would set.

Almost done ... making the frosting:

Again, out of all the kitchen gadgets I have, an electric mixer isn't one. This is quite laborious without one, but hey, I had some time to kill ... and a bicep to tone. ;)

Whip the butter in a bowl with the mixer / brute strength, until it's light and fluffy. Mix in the sugar tablespoon by tablespoon, to help prevent a grainy texture or lumps. Once I had mixed in about a cup of the powdered sugar, I started to add little by little the Baileys ... it makes this mixing process, especially if by hand, MUCH easier. I probably used 2 cups of powdered sugar (original recipe calls for 3-4, but I didn't use it all.) I made mine a bit creamier by adding more Baileys ... play around with it. Should be a lightish brown color, with a noticeable Baileys taste and a frosting consistency.

I chose to put this in a bag, snip the corner and decorate the cupcakes as seen above. Not much frosting was needed, IMO, since these cupcakes are sweet enough as is ... just a little added pizazz. I sprinkled some shaved chocolate over the top, and watched as these got gobbled up. You know, after properly "Cheers!"-ing them, post the *other* Irish Car Bombs ... ;)

A new look

2009-03-01T17:35:00.003-05:00

Thanks to the newest addition to my family ... my Canon EOS XSi ;) ... Tales of a Test Kitchen has gotten a new look, with a photo from this past weekend's cupcake makin' (recipe to follow.)

Better pictures to come ... As always, you can keep up with them on my Flickr page.

Making use of leftovers -- Pan-fried Lemon Ricotta Gnocchi

2009-02-22T22:18:00.006-05:00

I bought a big tub of ricotta cheese to use in my winter greens lasagna last week, and had a good amount left over. Somewhat by chance, I stumbled upon this recipe over at Steamy Kitchen for pan-fried lemon ricotta gnocchi with a brown butter sauce, and had to try. And hell, it helped clean out my fridge.

The end result were light lemony gnocchis sauteed in a garlic oil and tossed very lightly with wilted spinach, garlic, a few spoonfuls of crushed tomatoes and some grated cheese. Perfection.

I'm a huge fan of making unconventional gnocchi (aka not white potato based), although I love those as well, having worked my high-school years in an Italian restaurant. In the past I've spent a few hours making roasted butternut squash gnochhi and sweet potato gnocchi, livening it up a bit ... and boy, are those killer with a brown butter sauce with a bit of fresh orange juice, some zest and a little bit of brown sugar. Oh man.

Anyways, these were phenomenal, and from pulling the flour out of my cupboard to sitting down eating only took 45 minutes ... which is astonishing for homemade gnocchi. I highly recommend you give them a whirl.

Pan-Fried Lemon Ricotta Gnocchi
Compliments of Steamy Kitchen, with a few minor tweaks

a cup of ricotta
1/2 cup of parmesan
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup all purpose flour, sifted
1 TB chopped parsley (I used dry ... not the same, but still good)
3 cloves of garlic, rough chopped
extra virgin olive oil
a good pinch of hot pepper flakes

Mix the ricotta, parmesan, lemon zest, salt, hot pepper flakes, parsley, and egg yolk in a large bowl. Mix in half of the flour, then gradually a bit more, saving about 1/8 of a cup. Once the dough has come together, flour your hands and work into a bowl, and put on a floured surface. Mix in the remaining flour but be careful not to overknead ... it shouldn't take much. Cut into 4 sections, rolling each out into long strands.

Flour your knife, and cut these into little inch long pieces. Some choose to roll on a fork to give a different texture, but since these are pan fried, I kept mine looking like pillows.

Heat a skillet with about 2 TB of olive oil. Put the chopped garlic in the skillet, stirring until fragrant, but not browned ... about 45 seconds. Remove the garlic. You can use it for a sauce later (which I did). Add the gnocchi, shaking the pan after they're in to make sure there's enough oil underneath to keep residual flour from sticking. You want these to have a nice brown on both sides. Make sure they're cooked thru, taste test too. Does it taste too wet in the middle? Does it need a little more color? You be the judge.

Right before they come out of the pan, I squeezed some fresh lemon juice over them, then finished cooking the second batch. And, you're done. Steamy Kitchen made a brown butter sauce to accompany, but be creative. I had spinach to use, so I took that route, wilting it with a bit of lemon juice, some crushed tomatoes, and browning up the garlic - just enough to complement the gnocchi, but not overpower -- they're flavorful enough to stand alone. :)

Happy carnivore, if I do say so myself

2009-02-22T21:29:00.006-05:00

The majority of the meals I've been making ahead lately have been vegetarian -- chock full of beans and other forms of protein, but lacking any form of meat. I don't know why I've neglected this section of the grocery store lately, it's bizarre.

So this past Saturday I woke up from a delightful afternoon nap with a sudden get-out-of-bed-and-run-to-the-store kind of craving. The options: salmon or steak.

Steak won this battle, calling the salmon fillets at Whole Foods wimpy contenders and reigning supreme in this decision. I picked up a 1.34 lb (to be precise) fresh cut sirloin, grabbed a triangle of bleu cheese and skipped home with a gleeful smile on my face just thinking of the meal I was about to make.

The result, sirloin with a bleu cheese crust and a little bit of garlic compound butter (the rest of the compound butter used on my baked potato) and some greens. Oh, happy Kay.

I cooked the steak on the stove, in a Julia Child amount of butter, bathing it with the butter after it got a good sear. It was barely a medium rare when I spread a little bit of the leftover compound garlic butter on top, sprinkled it with bleu cheese and popped in the oven to finish.

Now, before you think that I resemble Jabba the Hut after seeing the plate, I did not eat all of this in one sitting. God, that's a lot of meat (famous last words) even for someone who loves a good hefty steak.

But delicious. Carnivore's delight. M'mm.

Chipotle White Beans with Kale and Chard

2009-02-22T20:19:00.006-05:00

So, if you haven't picked up on this already, I'm tend to be a creature of habit when it comes to cooking. A few things to know about me:

1. I'm a regular at Haymarket - Boston's big public market - on Saturday mornings for produce, dairy and bread needs. I've maintained this routine largely for 6 years, including going in sub degree weather when they have heaters on. Yup, dedication.

2. I usually cook for the week on Sundays. There's something about it that relaxes me and I love the hours I'll spend in the kitchen on a Sunday afternoon / evening cooking, knowing that I will always have great food to come home to or bring for lunch without any real thinking.

OK, now that that's out, on to the second kale related recipe for last week's eatings, compliments of Heidi at 101cookbooks.

Giant Chipotle White Beans
Adapted from 101cookbooks

1 lb white beans, soaked overnight
kale / chard, mmm greens - finely chopped, about 2/3 cup
chipotle in adobo sauce, with 2 TB of sauce reserved
14 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 cup queso fresco / feta
pinch of red pepper flakes
extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
breadcrumbs
1 TB fresh oregano
salt

** Heidi serves this with a cilantro pesto, which I sadly didn't try, after forgetting to buy cilantro at the market ... Highly recommend giving that a whirl though. Visit her site for the recipe.

After soaking the beans overnight, cover with 1-2 inches of water, bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for 1-2 hours, until they are tender, but still maintaining a big of rigidity. Mine took an hour and 45 minutes.

Once cooked, add a hefty amount of salt to the water so it's a salty broth to taste. Let them sit in this broth for 10 minutes before draining and setting aside.

Now, make your sauce. Put oil, red pepper flakes, salt and garlic in a pan, heat until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and the oregano and stir. Remove from heat, add adobo sauce and diced chipotle (I like it spicy, so I added the chipotle). Toss the kale in the sauce.

Add the beans, then put in a casserole dish. Break up cheese into the beans.

Toast up the breadcrumbs with a bit of oil in the pan. Sprinkle on top of the beans and pop in the oven for about 25-30 minutes.

So yummy. The cilantro pesto then goes on top. I'll have to give that a whirl later.

When all else fails, use Kale

2009-02-22T19:49:00.004-05:00

Kale was the featured ingredient of last week, something I was first introduced to in my young days of working as a waitress at Pizzeria Uno. Hey, I needed the money, don't judge me. Mandatory for all new Uno's employees was 15 hours of "pizza school" - kid you not - on top of on the floor training that most food services people are used to. As I was running my usual expo shift at the food window, the following phrase was ingrained in my mind ... so much that it's the title of this post -- "When all else fails, use kale." The trainer had a slightly annoying southern twang as this phrase rolled off her tongue, then followed by me non-chalantly rolling my eyes and counting the hours down until I could have a stiff drink. Not my proudest days, but hell, it was money.

Regardless, kale is often only known of as that annoying ruffage on your plate, under an orange slice or some other garnish. To counter that, I looked for a few recipes for last week featuring leafy greens, so here goes. Both were delicious, and let me tell you ... kale is cheeeeeeap at the grocery store, so if you're looking for a way to save some dough, go kale. Woo! Like, less than two dollars for over 2 lbs kind of cheap. Won a spot in my heart RIGHT THERE.

Ahem. Onwards.

On the menu for the week:
- Giant Chipotle White Beans with Kale and Chard, from Heidi at 101Cookbooks
- Winter Greens Lasagna, compliments of Chowhound

Both were insanely good, and not only fed me but also a number of co-workers, with some still to freeze. Can't wait for that night of no-cooking when I pull out a serving of this lasagna and bring it back to life. Nothing beats a good meal without the effort during the week.

So, starting with the lasagna ... which, I justify as being healthy due to all the kale and chard. Trust me, I can justify anything in this little head of mine ;)

Winter Greens Lasagna
From Chowhound

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium white onion
3 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups heavy cream
1 pound kale, washed, tough stems removed, and coarsely chopped
1 pound Swiss chard, coarsely chopped

(KT: After making this, I'd even use a bit more greens ... hard to believe, but it really cooks down ... And I love chard stems, so I include ... but up to you )

1 1/2 cups crème fraîche

(KT: I had to use sour cream due to lack of creme fraiche at the store ... it works, but go for the real deal if you can find)

1 (9-ounce) box no-boil lasagna noodles
1 pound fresh ricotta
2 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400. Meanwhile, in a heavy bottom pot, heat up some oil, and cook the garlic and onions, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes. Then, add the cream and start slowly adding the kale / chard. It takes a while to tame ... be patient. Season with salt and pepper for each layer you add as it wilts. Cook down until all greens are in the pot, about 10 minutes. Take off the heat.

Meanwhile, spread a cup of the creme fraiche / sour cream on the bottom of the pan.

Layer with noodles, then greens mixture (without added liquid), then top with ricotta and parmesan. I mixed the ricotta and parm together to kill two birds with one stone, but can do separate if desired. Keep layering, noodles, greens, ricotta + Parm until you run out of greens.

Pour the remaining creme mix over the top of the noodles. Then mix remaining sour cream / creme fraiche + Parm together and spread over the top. It's a messy process. Have fun with it.

Cover with foil and cook for 45 minutes until browned and bubbly. Yum.

Potlucking, part II

2009-02-22T19:22:00.006-05:00

The second dish I made for the potluck last weekend is one of my all-time favorites -- a baked macaroni and cheese with a tomato bechamel-esque sauce, courtesy of Jamie Oliver. I have a bit of a starcrush on Mr. Oliver, despite his inavailability, beautiful children, etc etc. Let a girl dream. (Jamie ... call me. ;) )

Annnnnnnyways, ahem, I first made the mac'n'cheese, out of his cookbook "jamie's dinners", for a girls dinner on my deck last June. It's the ultimate comfort food, and pairs really well with the pesto pea salad mentioned in the last post. It's creamy with a thyme and breadcrumb crust ... divine. When I have some more time, I'm going to give another Jamie recipe a whirl and break out my new pasta machine ... stay tuned for that.

On to the goods ... I made a few changes from Jamie's original, just for the sake of time / availability.

Tomato Macaroni and Cheese
Adapted from "jamie's dinners" by Jamie Oliver

12 oz macaroni (I use campanelle)
hefty amount of breadcrumbs (or 6-7 slices of stale bread)
25 oz (large can, then half a regular sized can) of whole tomatoes, reserve the juice
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 large handfuls of fresh basil
2 oz. sundried tomatoes
2 anchovies (I've left these out in the past at vegetarian friends' request)
sea salt, fresh ground pepper
3 hefty handfuls of Parmesan cheese
2.5 cups light cream
1 TB red wine vinegar
1/2 a nutmeg, grated
14 oz cow's milk mozzarella
handful of fresh thyme
extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. While that's heating up, get a pot of salted water going and cook the pasta.

Meanwhile, it's time for a little food processor fun. Blend up the whole tomatoes (without juice), garlic, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, anchovies, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Once that's whizzed up a bit, add 2 handfuls of Parm (love that measurement), cream, vinegar and nutmeg. I then add a bit of the tomato juice. The pasta really absorbs a lot of the sauce, and can get dry if there's not enough liquid, so dont be shy. This time when I made it, I used almost all of the reserved juice. Don't be shy. Jamie uses some of the pasta water, but I like the tomatoey taste more.

Drain your pasta, toss into casserole dish. Pour the tomatoey saucey goodness over the pasta and then break up the mozzarella over the dish. Mix the last handful of Parm with the breadcrumbs and liberally spread over the dish. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the top, and drizzle generously with olive oil. It'll help get that crunchy crust you're looking for :)

Place in the oven for about 15 minutes - until the dish is bubbly and the crust has a nice golden color. (**New camera is in the mail ... apologies for the dimly lit photos.)

By the way, this is supposed to serve 4 (says Jamie) ... I don't know about the people he's feeding (FEED ME, jamie. seriously, call me ;) ) butttt this definitely served 10 potluck style with some leftovers. Or at least 6-8 portions otherwise.

Potlucking ... part I

2009-02-16T09:37:00.006-05:00

Last night, in sunday dinner fashion, a group of my close friends and I threw a potluck to end all potlucks. Added benefit ... the majority of people in said group are astounding cooks, so the end product of traditionally miscellaneous and random potluck goodies was delicious - and oddly enough all worked very well with one another.

Included in the spread were homemade hummus with crudites and chips, a goat cheese dip with sun dried tomatoes, succulent wild salmon cooked in a white wine sauce with chopped onions and topped with a horseradish sauce, a delicious roast, pesto pea salad, tomato macaroni and cheese with thyme, homemade fruit tartlets with fresh whipped cream and berries, pumpkin cobbler with pecans and banana bread.

My contributions were the pesto pea salad with fresh lemon mint pesto (to follow) and the tomato macaroni and cheese - adapted from the Jamie Oliver cookbook. Oh, how I love Jamie Oliver. :)

Traditionally for the pesto pea salad, I make a basil pesto and add some mint, but my basil fell ill in my crisper whose temperature has been fluctuating from normal crisper temp to the death freeze. Lo and behold when I pulled out the fresh bunch of basil last night it was partially covered in frost, a dark brownish green and looking very sad. C'est la vie, life goes on, and the lemon mint pesto was just as delightful.

Pesto Pea Salad
Adapted from Ina Garten

Ingredients:
2 cups of peas, fresh or frozen
2 TB pine nuts, toasted
Spinach or mixed greens with spinach for the base of the salad
Pesto

-----
** OK, to make the pesto:
Couple hefty handfuls of mint (yes, "hefty handfuls" is a measurement in my kitchen)
A smaller handful of basil, if yours hasn't been killed in the fridge :(
3 cloves of garlic
1 TB lemon zest
juice from 1 lemon
olive oil
hefty handful (see, it works) of Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup pine nuts, give or take
salt and pepper
* Optional - fresh parsley if you have it. mine's right on my windowsill.

Blend together. Season as needed.

End result should be this color and consistency :

-----

Now, back to the salad.

First, bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the peas for about 15 seconds (no joke), then remove and put in a cold water bath to stop cooking. Once they've cooled, drain the water, pad dry, set aside.

Here's the easy part - the assembly. Take your greens, toss the peas and toasted pine nuts in, add the pesto, mix. And serve. Voila.

And, plates cleared ... on to the main course ...

Split Pea Soup

2009-02-04T17:20:00.005-05:00

I actually made up a pot of this while I was getting ready this morning. Unbelievably simple, healthy, and perfect for a bitter cold day like this one was. My friend had told me about this incredibly painless and fast way to make split pea soup, so I gave it a whirl - this version without a ham bone or meat for flavoring purposes.

Note - not everyone is a fan of split pea soup. Some, it reminds them too much of the first time they saw Linda Blair's head spin in the Exorcist, others just never developed a taste for it.

Me? First off ... Exorcist is one of my favorite movies as a child ... and think this soup is delightful. So THERE. :) Onwards ...

Split Pea Soup
Adapted from Miss Sab's kitchen

Ingredients:
1 medium onion (I used a red onion, since it was what I had)
1 potato
bag of split peas
3 peeled and chopped carrots
3 smashed garlic cloves
water
s & p (plus other seasonings to taste)

Rough chop the potato and carrots and put in a pot. Cut one end off the onion, leave the other on and cut down into sections - but not all the way through. Think onion bloom. This helps you avoid fishing out pieces later, and hell ... it looks pretty :) Can chop if you want. Pour the bag of split peas in, as well, and the smashed garlic cloves.

Fill the pot with water to cover all the elements. Can use stock, if you'd like. Add salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until peas and other veggies are beyond fork tender.

You can cook this down until it starts to become mush (as Sab prefers), or use an immersion blender to puree it down. I left mine slightly chunky but pureed down the big chunks. I like the added texture. Then, add any remaining seasonings it may need to taste. And voila. Early morning soup.

Veggie Curry - jtw style

2009-01-31T11:58:00.003-05:00

This one comes compliments of my colleague jtw, and is a simple and affordable recipe. And to boot, it will feed you for a week - if not providing you with some to freeze. Yum.

I made a pot of this for last week, as well as some chicken tikka masala. I had some flatbread and naan on hand, and some mango ginger chutney in the fridge. Put together for an easy, delicious indian feast. :)

jtw's Veggie Curry
Jar of garam masala (curry paste comes in diff heat levels. i usually use hot, but keep medium on hand, just in case i need to bring it back a few heat notches.)
olive oil or canola oil
head of cauliflower, cut into florets
6 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 medium onion, rough chopped
3 or 4 potatoes
chicken stock (or veggie, doesn't matter ... i've even used water before)
three handfuls of green beans
2 medium heads of broccoli, cut into florets
can of garbanzo beans (* optional, but i add for protein)

Muddle a heaping amount of the curry paste / garam masala with a good amount of olive oil in the bottom of a heavy, deep pot until the oil renders. You're going to be frying the cauliflower in this, so make sure there's enough muddled paste with oil to keep the veggies from sticking to the bottom or burning. Remember, you're building the dish from this, so it will seem fiery hot at the cauliflower stage ... but it will mellow a bit.

Add the cauliflower and fry in the paste / oil until soft.

Add the smashed garlic and the onion. Cook until the onion is limp.

Remove from heat, and chop in the potatoes until halfway up the pot. I use a deep deep pasta pot, so this takes a while :) also feeds an army ... Cover with water / chicken stock / can use bouillon until 1/2 inch above the veggies.

Continue to stir and cook down until the potatoes are fork tender and it turns into mush. Don't be afraid to even mash a few large pieces of veggies ... it's OK and frankly, kind of the point of the dish.

Meanwhile, stir fry the green beans and broccoli in a separate pan. Once the curry starts to take on a mush consistency (attractive, I know ... but this is absolutely delicious), add the broccoli and green beans. You can also blanch the beans and broccoli - whatever you prefer.

Add the can of garbanzo beans, stir and serve. Your house will have a wonderful spicy aroma ... one I really enjoy.

Beating the blues - Black and Blue Cobbler

2009-01-28T16:10:00.005-05:00

There's something about warm baked goods and vanilla ice cream that takes the chill out and puts a smile on my face. It does wonders to curb a funk, end a bad mood and has a relaxing quality all its own.

I had a craving for sweets, and only a few things in the fridge / freezer. In order to now have to go outside into the snow / sleet / rain mix, I whipped this up ... yum.

Black and Blue Cobbler

Ingredients:
roughly 3 cups of blueberries
about 1 - 1 1/2 cups blackberries
1 Tb lemon juice
6 Tb melted butter
1 egg, beaten
1 cup flour
1/2 cup raw cane sugar
1 Tb vanilla extract
sugar for sprinkling
pinch of cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375. Spray down a pan (I used my paella pan ... hey now, love improvising) and pour the berries into the pan. Sprinkle the lemon juice and vanilla over the berries.

In a separate container, combine the beaten egg with the flour and raw cane sugar. It should make a loose, grainy kind of clumpy dough - but still very dry. Take it into your hands and squeeze little clumps to put over the berries.

Sprinkle leftover flour + sugar mixture over the berries, some should be poking through. Drizzle the melted butter over the top, and then sprinkle over the top a spoonful of the raw cane sugar. Sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon over the top. Bake for 30 minutes.

Serve with a scoop of good vanilla bean ice cream and enjoy :)

Bacon ... it's what's for dinner.

2009-01-28T16:03:00.003-05:00

I love bacon and miscellaneous pork products as much as the next girl, but this is a bit much. Someone please pass the Lipitor and schedule me for a triple bypass.

Spotted on nytimes.com, recipe from BBQ addicts ... the Bacon Explosion.

Hell ... cutting and pasting will not do this justice. BBQ Addicts details this step by step. Check it out.

Fighting off the cold ... part II - a take on a pasta fagiole soup

2009-01-28T14:40:00.002-05:00

I traditionally do the majority of my cooking on Sundays ... it's therapeutic, gets me set for the week, and makes good meals on weeknights feasible, since it's all there.

Well, this past Sunday ... I broke routine. Leaving me with other things to cook up this week, things I'd been planning on noshing on this week, without the effort. It happens.

So when it came to lunch today, with the dreaded "wintry mix" falling outside (snow, rain, a mix of both, wind, ice -- all the nasty stuff), I reached for the shell pasta in my cupboard and just started putting things into a pot on the stove. What I ended up with was a hearty pasta fagiole-esque soup that took minimal effort and cleared out some ingredients in my fridge. This is somewhat unconventional, but hell - it's delicious.

First, drop some medium shell pasta (or something similar, I like the shells for this but feel free to play) into a pot of salted boiling water. Once those are cooked, drain all but a cup or two of liquid off (just slightly less than covering the pasta). Wilt some spinach into the pot, add a can of stewed tomatoes with liquid, a partially drained can of kidney beans, a spoonful of pesto for flavoring, and about a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of tomato sauce if you have some on hand.

I often add pesto to pasta I'm cooking, even if I'm dressing it with sauce or something else. It lends a delicious saltiness to the pasta that I just crave for some reason. I added the tomato sauce here a) because I had it handy and b) because it helped thicken the sauce, outside of the starchy cooking liquid and the liquid from the beans.

Seasoning wise, I added some fresh cracked garlic salt, ground pepper, a bit of chili powder, some chicken bouillon powder since I didnt't have stock on hand, and then a bit of Parmesan cheese.

Stir, season as needed, and serve. Absolutely delicious, and take about 15-20 minutes.

Fighting off the cold ... part I -- risotto

2009-01-28T14:30:00.003-05:00

It has been one helluva winter here in Boston, the coldest I remember since the dry, brainfreeze of a freezing winter in January 2004, and more snow than I've seen consecutively than January 2005 when the city shut down.

To beat the cold, I've been trying to hit the gym more to counter some comfort food recipes that help fight the cold and assist in me destressing.

I gave this creamy parmesan risotto a whirl last weekend, being a huge risotto fan but oddly enough, never making it myself. I had some leeks in my fridge from the public market, so I subbed out I medium onion for 1.5 leeks that I cut in half then sliced super thin. It made for a beautiful, heaping pot of risotto (could have fed easily 6 people from this). I served it with some dressed spinach with a quick grapefruit dressing. Oh, and of course a glass of the sauvignon blanc I cooked with :)

Creamy Parmesan Risotto

3 to 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1.5 leeks, or 1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Blanc or Sauvignon Blanc
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer and keep warm over low heat. In a separate medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the onion is transparent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until it is well coated with the butter and starts to turn translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and simmer gently until all the liquid is absorbed, 3 to 5 minutes. Ladle 1/2 cup of the warm broth into the rice mixture and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the broth is absorbed.

Repeat, adding 1/2 cup of broth at a time, until the rice is cooked through but still firm, 20 to 25 minutes total. Add the remaining butter and the salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Stir to incorporate. Adjust seasoning with more salt to taste. Serve immediately, topping with additional Parmesan.

Voila! Enjoy :)

A snowy sunday brunch

2009-01-21T08:00:00.005-05:00

Over MLK weekend, my best friend Sabrina from my childhood joined me in Boston for a girls weekend. I hadn't seen her since I was in her wedding this past April, so we planned for the ultimate relaxation weekend, full of wine, silly movies, and good food.

As part of this, we co-hosted a Sunday brunch here in my Back Bay apartment, inviting over some of my closest friends here for good food and an array of brunch related cocktails. The menu included some of my favorite items, some part of my family's Christmas day tradition.

On the docket was my family's sausage and ham strata, Sabrina's monkey bread, fresh fruit, cranberry mimosas and my Great Grandpa Max's whiskey sours. Recipes follow. We amply fed 10 with the following portions, with some to spare. These recipes are simple, can be made ahead, and make for very happy brunch guests. Just ask my friends :)

Breakfast Strata -- serves 12
(you can put anything in this strata, which is basically a take on a breakfast souffle. we always opt for half sausage / half ham, but I have made this vegetarian or made a dinner dish by substituting in hot italian sausage and peppers. have fun.)
Ingredients:
10 eggs
13 pieces of bread
3 cups of milk
1/3 cup half and half / heavy cream (can eyeball it)
1 lb velveeta cheese, cubed
1 lb breakfast sausage (if you buy the ones with their casings still on, you'll need to remove them)
1/2 lb ham steak, already cooked, cubed.
salt + pepper

- Cook up the sausage and put on a paper towel to drain.
- Spray a casserole dish with a non-stick coating.
- Rip up about 9 slices of the bread, mix in a casserole dish with meat and cheese.
- In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and half and half.
- Pour the egg mixture over the bread, cheese and meat in the pan.
- Crack some fresh pepper and a small bit of salt over the dish (more liberally on the pepper, since the meat itself is very salty.)
- Tear up the remaining 4 slices of bread and toss over the dish.
- Cover with foil and let sit in the fridge for 12-24 hours before cooking.
- Cook uncovered in a 350 degree oven for an hour and a half, or until a knife comes out clean. It should be lightly browned on the outside and gooey. Delicious.

Sab's Monkey Bread -- Serves 12
Ingredients:
3 cans of pillsbury flaky rolls
3 cups of sugar
6 TBSP cinnamon
1 stick of butter
1 cup of brown sugar
1 container of whipped vanilla frosting
bundt pan

To make:
Grease bundt pan liberally. Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon. Open cans of rolls, and divide each roll into 4 pieces (I just cut them into an x). Roll each into a ball, and roll in the sugar/cinnamon mix, and place into the bundt pan. Continue until bundt pan is 3/4 full. In a small sauce pan, melt stick of butter and brown sugar together, and then pour the mixture over the rolls in the bundt pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes. It'll puff up like this:

Let cool for about 10 minutes before flipping onto a dish. Add the frosting into the center of the bread and serve.

And as for the whisky sours, Great Grandpa Max style, they may need their own post ;)

Big Kitchen cooking show - with 5-year-old Julian

2009-01-07T13:16:00.003-05:00

From BoingBoing ...

Julian Kreusser is an adorable foodie five-year-old with his own cooking show, "The Big Kitchen With Food" on Portland cable access TV. He cooks others' recipes and his own ("Yummy Yummy Citrus Boy") and he's absolutely fabulous. BrooklynTwang sez, "his story is full of win - there is the coolness of a 5 year old boy who loves cooking, the refreshingness of a cooking show with an awkward host, and what appears to be some very cool free range parenting, encouraging the kids enthusiasm for something and letting him use food processors, stoves, etc. to follow his muse. I just watched an episode and it was rad. It even included a plug from Julian to buy your food locally because its better for you!"

----------

This kid's incredible and absolutely adorable. Foodie WIN. ;)

soup, it's what's for dinner (cont'd)

2008-11-02T18:08:00.001-05:00

added visual :)

soup, it's what's for dinner

2008-10-26T20:29:00.002-04:00

so, i was originally planning on making a big pot of spicy vegetable curry or else a sweeter pumpkin / sweet potato curry this week, but i changed my mind.

to follow up on last week's heartier meals (french onion soup with cognac and hearty beef stew), i decided to slightly tweak a recipe from 101 cookbooks for a couscous soup with vegetables.

i have a good amount of leftover broth in my freezer from when i made tom yum soup this winter with sj, that i'm going to defrost to use as the base for this super simple soup. the broth has quite a kick, with a thai bird chili and lemongrass flavor.

the basics for this soup are as follows:

- start with a great tasting stock (veggie, usually. i'm switching it up with the aforementioned broth). heat the broth with a few Tb. of good extra virgin olive oil, and a few crushed red pepper flakes (i'm leaving this out since my broth is already kicked up a few notches)
- bring the broth to a boil, then remove from the heat, and add a box of couscous. wait about 2 minutes.
- after those 2 minutes, stir in broccoli and cauliflower (cut into bite sized pieces, about 1.5 cups of each for a 6-7 gallon batch, but more the merrier). then wait another 2 minutes.
- after that, ready to ladle into soup bowls, topping with some finely chopped sun dried tomatoes and a few crumbles of goat cheese and green onions. voila!

heidi @ 101 cookbooks offers some wonderful variations for the broth -- adding curry paste, harissa, or like i'm trying, using a different stock altogether.

i can't believe i haven't thought of this sort of concoction before. my curries are going to have to wait a few days ... ;)

picnic for 2 -- photos

2008-09-24T20:06:00.005-04:00

(( pictured above, sauteed green chard - which i slightly tweaked, instead sauteeing in evoo, a dash of red wine vinegar and a few red pepper flakes; grilled goat cheese, fig and honey sandwiches; and the unREAL steak sandwiches. recipes below ))

the picnic was a smash success, eaten on my deck out of sheer exhaustion on both our ends. fall came a bit early, so it was also a bit chilly.

my apologies for not getting a photo of the dessert. to be honest, the dumplings were consumed before i could grab my point and shoot.

all in all, a romantic, delicious night for two. and a memorable one, as well.

mission, accomplished.

a little gourmet picnic

2008-09-11T11:37:00.001-04:00

i've always wanted to go on a picnic, sit down by the harbor or on the banks of the charles and nosh with a friend / loved one. so i finally put my money where my mouth is, and put together a little gourmet picnic (aka not your average pb&j sandwiches and soda) for my special someone for tonight.

before i forget and lose the links, here's what's on the docket for tonight. all he knows is that i'm cooking and that we're not eating at the house. let's hope he enjoys it!

menu:
to start, a sampling of two sandwiches, one sweet, one savory --
... the sweet: a grilled goat cheese, fig and honey sandwich on cinammon raisin bread, dusted with confectioner's sugar.
... the savory: grilled flank steak, sauteed onions and a blue cheese sauce on grilled ciabatta loaf. the steak, marinated in soy sauce, dijon mustard, and a bit of lemon juice. the onions, mixed with a dash of red wine vinegar after sweating, and the blue cheese sauce made with blue cheese crumbles, lemon juice and greek yogurt.

next, a take on horta, with poached green swiss chard, dressed with lemon juice, olive oil and s & p.

followed, possibly, by a dry nutty cheddar.

with the last item being homemade baked apple dumplings with vanilla icing, made with puff pastry. mine slightly opened, so they look more like apple turnovers, but delicious nevertheless.

recipes:
grilled goat cheese, fig and honey sandwiches

grilled flank steak, onions and blue cheese sandwiches

baked apple dumplings

---------------------

drink wise, i'm bringing a bottle of sparkling water and a nice bottle of red from the wine rack ... not sure just which one yet. here goes nothing!

why a blog?

2008-09-11T11:27:00.001-04:00

so, why a blog, you ask? well, because recording this stuff by hand is arduous and would be a disastrous mess should a candle tip over, or should my apartment flood.

((kidding))

all kidding aside, i wanted a way to stitch together the countless recipe emails i send and forward, the photos taken on flickr and my semi-regular experiments in my teensy back bay kitchen. much of this is for my own benefit, allowing me to record not only the recipes and slight tweaks i may make, but the images, the stories etc. think of it as my own digital cookbook -- documenting my successes and failures, great meals created, and great meals purchased. cooking and food in general are passions of mine ... and after being encouraged to blog for my day job and while on the road, this is more of a personal blog detailing my passion -- food.

enjoy!

- kay