Date Night #2

This time around, I was feeling ambitious, and full of vigor; I wanted to make three different things from Plenty. In retrospect, it was a little much on the palate; all of the strong flavors were amazing individually, but a little overwhelming together. Next time we'll keep it simpler.

First up was Nutty Endive with Roquefort. This one was a lot of fun to put together, and I loved the result.  Ottolenghi suggests that the endive is bitter on its own, so the blue cheese/creme fraiche dressing needs to be smothered liberally, coating each leaf. He says getting your hands dirty is a necessity; it was  super fun to do that step. John toasted the pine nuts and walnuts for the topping, and their nutty sweetness paired perfectly with the rest of the dish. I couldn't imagine it working without all of those elements.

The only caveat is that it's a lot of strong flavors with the blue cheese.

Second were crusted pumpkin wedges with sour cream. Knowing pumpkins would be tough to find this time of year, I bought an acorn squash instead, and it worked perfectly. The coating is made up of parmesan, bread crumbs, lemon zest, and herbs, with a little bit of garlic. These little wedges knocked it out of the park. The crust had a wonderful crunch against the soft roasted squash.

 

Look at those beauties.

Lastly, we finished with the labor-intensive lemon and goat cheese ravioli. They took a bit of work; a turmeric and lemon-zest infused dough made from scratch, then chilled, then rolled out and filled with a mixture of goat cheese and spices and finished with pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, and a little chopped tarragon. These were incredible; the flavors were intense (mostly due to the goat cheese filling), and they were really filling (I only made it through 2 1/2 with all the other things on the plate).

Our only troubles with this one stemmed from our lack of a pasta roller; the dough was rather thick even with me rolling it as thin as I could. We never got the stereotypical Kitchenaid mixer as a wedding gift, so I didn't get to buy all those fun attachments. Some day, when we have real jobs, the pistachio green one will be mine...and I'll actually use it. All the time.

A plate full of insanely delicious flavors, in all its glory.

The Accidental Vegetarian, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Grocery Bill

It was already well into the New Year's Eve festivities when my husband pulled me aside and said, in his most serious tone: "My New Year's resolution is to be vegetarian. So don't buy me any more meat!" In the ensuing hilarity (dancing wildly to LMFAO and Lady Gaga), it could have been forgotten. Only later the next day, sitting on the couch with some Pedialyte (yay electrolytes!), finally home again in Columbus after two weeks with our in-laws, did John bring it up again.

And so I accidentally became (mostly) vegetarian.

Yet, there wasn't a battle cry. We didn't rush into this project out of ideology, nor was the shift all that sudden. This change had been percolating for more than a year, with food documentaries and Michael Pollan books, with the introduction of new vegetables and methods and attempts to make vegetarian entrees that didn't leave us hungry. We had been trying to consume less meat, and to ensure that the meat we did consume was the highest quality, most humane product we could find. So we became more aware, and tried to shift our focus away from the poultry and pork as we continued to explore new recipes.

Yet, I wouldn't call myself a vegetarian to anybody who asked. Not only because I've cheated several times (the carnitas enchilada at Mad Mex will always call to me), but because I don't feel that I fit neatly into that categorization. I wouldn't ask other people to cater specially to me, and I do still want to make exceptions for fish now and then, or the occasional plate of pulled pork.

It's more of an exercise, a fun test of our culinary creativity and a way to experience some new foods. It's a mental exercise; planning meals and finding ways to make vegetarian versions of favorite meat dishes (chili, shepherd's pie, pad thai). I should also explain: we aren't tofu vegetarians. What I mean by that is, we didn't just take out meat and substitute tofu and soy-based replacements. I don't believe that's any healthier than eating meat.

As a part of this endeavor, John gave me the world's best Christmas present. He decided instead of material things that are quickly forgotten, he would give me the gift of time. His letter to me on Christmas morning mentioned cooking dinner together, unplugging our phones and our laptops, and spending real time together without the distractions of technology (though I would amend that to say it's still ok to play video games together or watch an interesting documentary as part of our quality time, but I agree the phones and laptops can turn off for the night).

Soon after, we were wandering in a book store, hunting the after-Christmas sales, and John was eyeing vegetarian cookbooks. I had the proverbial lightbulb over my head and suggested that the goal of the twice-monthly (or so) date nights could be to cook our way through a vegetarian cookbook.

Thus, we bought the brilliant Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi. It has gorgeous pictures, and the recipes are all vegetarian, and rather daring. Some will be a test of our supermarkets (locating quail eggs, palm sugar, scarmorza cheese), some a test of our wallets (saffron, rare spice blends, expensive cheeses), but the results should be fascinating.

Up this week: Caramelized Garlic Tart, with Caramelized Fennel with Goat Cheese as a side. Wish us luck!

Cooking and not cooking

I just finished this article: The Joy of Not Cooking. It made me sort of sad, even though it's all true. It talks about how people spend more money on their kitchens even as they spend less time in them.

The article said the average woman in the 1920s spent over 30 hours a week in their kitchens preparing meals, while today women spend only 5.5 hours a week on average.

It talked about how we buy silly gadgets and restaurant-quality everything even though we rarely use them, which made me feel a little guilty about our ice cream maker and our little deep-fryer.

But I think the difference is, John and I don't outfit our kitchen in order to keep up with the Joneses and their granite countertops. We do it because nothing is more exciting than a date night spent at home when we bust out the fryer to make vegetable tempura to make sushi rolls. We really enjoy cooking and eating well and exploring different recipes. It's something that brings us together.

Which brings me to some recipes:

How can you not love Strawberry-Nutella homemade poptarts? I don't know. But I know I couldn't resist them as soon as I saw this:

If that wasn't drool-worthy enough, today I was reading honey & jam (one of my fave blogs), and this recipe crossed my path: Honey & Rosewater Tapioca

They look so heavenly, and the photography just adds to that. I've never tried to make tapioca from scratch. I might have to try with this recipe, though!

Dreamy Cloud Doughnuts

What a beautiful idea, and the photography is lovely as well! This is from a post on Forty-Sixth at Grace.  The idea of taking a cloud cookie cutter and using it to make puffy fried doughnuts. Brilliant! They look so lovely covered in powdered sugar.

I want to make these little pillowy confections. This is the epitome of comfort, to bite a cloud. It's a nice reminder to find a little wonder in the mundane.

New Obsession: Vegan Fruit and Nut Bars

So my friend/fellow quartet member is vegan. She also happens to convince pretty much everyone around her that vegan food is amazing, because she is a really great cook. She debunks a lot of the stereotypes of vegan food (esp. with the sweet stuff; you know how vegan desserts can often taste really bland? Not hers!)

She recently shared a homemade version of those fruit and nut bars, like Larabars. Larabars are awesome, but kind of expensive. I had never really bought them, but Johanna gave me a taste of a homemade version with dried cranberries and cashews and I was so in love I immediately demanded the recipe.

Here is what I was given:

1 cup nuts (any)
1 1/2 cups dried fruit (any)
1 cup dried shredded coconut
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
Zest of 1 lemon or lime
1/4 tsp. salt

You just pulse it all together in a food processor, press it into a  9x9 pan, stick it in the fridge to firm up a little, then slice.

I have to say, I had a hard time getting to the 9x9 pan part...I kept eating the mixture!

I had a ton of dried fruit and nuts in my pantry; I always think I'm going to just snack on them, but never do. So, this was an exciting experiment!

Cherry/Almond
1 cup slivered almonds
1 1/2 cups dried cherries (I used a mixture that had dried Rainier and Bing cherries)
1 cup dried coconut (sweetened, because that's what I had on hand)
1 TBSP lemon juice (I didn't have a fresh lemon, so I just used what I had)
1/2 TBSP vanilla extract (I have fancy Sonoma Syrup Co. Vanilla Extract "Crush" which is a mixture of Madagascar Bourbon and Tahitian vanillas)

Shameless plug? No, seriously, I love this stuff.
I can't tell you how much I love this vanilla extract.

They were so amazing, I could barely stop eating the mixture before I put it in the 9x9 pan to firm up. So, I decided to immediately make a second batch.

Thai Inspired Peanut Bars
1 cup roasted peanuts
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dried currants
1 cup sweetened dried coconut (again, what I had on hand, but unsweetened would probably work well, too)
1 TBSP lime juice
1 TBSP vanilla extract
A few sprinkles of toasted sesame seeds
Pinch of cardamom

The second batch is awesome, too! I added more vanilla to these because they needed a little creaminess. Johanna wanted to try a curry powder with the peanuts and lime juice and coconut (and possibly dried mango), but I wasn't that brave yet!

I briefly contemplated making them non-vegan and adding sweetened condensed milk or coconut milk (which I also had in my pantry...), but I didn't want to open a whole can just to use a teaspoon or so, so that experiment will have to wait for another day.

There are plenty of ideas that I have...walnut+cranberry; thai style with crystallized ginger, dried mangoes, lime, and peanuts; pistachio+cashew+dried strawberry; pecan+apricot; slivered almonds+dried raspberries+dutch process cocoa...the possibilities are exciting!

Wedding Pies Validated!

I was browsing my wedding blogs this morning, when, lo and behold, I saw this image on Ritzy Bee:

via Tara Guérard's blog 

So I Immediately went to the blog, where I ooohed and ahhhhed over these miniature pies. I am so in love. They are so perfect I can't believe it.

via Tara Guérard's blog 

via Tara Guérard's blog 

The little flag labels are adorable, announcing the flavors. And the little mini pie tins? Swoon.

If we weren't having 150 people at our wedding, I might be convinced to bake up one of these for each of our guests. Luckily, I'm not that insane. I think regular sized pie should do just fine, and be just as delicious.

But, it certainly validates the wedding pie idea, don't you think?

Friday Night Festivities...

So I know at least the bridal party, my family, and John and I will be down at our wedding venue Friday night.

We met with our amazing photographer (post on him to follow), and he asked if we had anything planned for the Friday night after the rehearsal dinner since people might be around. I said, sort of off the cuff, "It might be cool to have a campfire in the woods and do a s'mores party."

Ah, that's the ticket. Though I think it looks to neat and perfect.
Why isn't the charred, molten marshmallow oozing out the sides?

The more I think about it, the most obsessed I am with this idea. I mean, come on! We're in the middle of a state park with all sorts of gorgeous forests and campgrounds. Although I am more than happy that our venue has a beautiful lodge to stay in, it would be so fabulous to get out and hang out in nature.

So, I think I'm totally going to plan it. It would be uber casual. Lots of bugspray, s'more makings, and bug juice. Grab some twigs, char them and stick a marshmallow on 'em, girl-scout camping style. Keep it simple, keep it full of childlike wonder, then hike back to the lodge to hit the hay before the big day.

 

Of course, just because we're having s'mores doesn't mean they all have to be Hershey's milk chocolate+ Jet Puff marshmallows...there might be some room for experimentation, by having an interesting chocolate bar as the base and perhaps doing some homemade marshmallows. Some interesting ideas: bacon+milk chocolate, black sea salt with caramel center, espresso+cocoa nibs+chicory, and Rooibos+cherries+vanilla (also, that is just about the prettiest label for a chocolate bar that I've ever seen...

So pretty, right?

Something to think about...though we would have the classics on hand no matter what!

Appeasing the Foodie in Me

Saveur released the Saveur 100, a list of great restaurants, foods, and cook's tools from the past year.

Some of my favorites?

Celery Bitters...sounds intriguing; I didn't know they had other flavors of bitters. I am used to the fresh, green, herbal sharpness of Angostura bitters. But they suggest throwing in bitters even in cooking, something I've never considered doing! Here's the whole line of flavored bitters, from chocolate to grapefruit!

This write-up about a tomato sandwich has me longing for summer...

Milk and Honey. Warm up some milk, add a few spoons of honey. Sounds comforting! I might have to try frothing the milk with my new Aerolatte frother (a wonderful Christmas present from John!).

The description of Sushi Shin makes my mouth water.

You know how foodies love to re-invent simple, low-brow dishes (I've seen things like mac and cheese with duck, savory cotton candy flavors, and wasabi ice cream)? This takes the cake: broccoli with Cheetos.

Blis Syrups. The vanilla-infused maple syrup sounds awesome.

Tequila hot sauce? Sounds fun to try!


And, some other links from around the web:

Adorable recipe cards via Etsy.

I made my first lasagne recently, based loosely on this recipe. The sauce was tweaked with handfuls of spinach, but the result was so flavorful and comforting, and there was no meat in it!

John's been on a big Michael Pollan kick (due in part to the fact that I bought him all his books for Christmas). I really enjoyed his snappy Food Rules: An Eater's Manual.

For more direct recipe cards, try "This Doesn't Taste Like Crap" and "Break Out the Fat Pants"

Adorable recipe cards with an Octochef (that's Octopus+Chef)!

A really practical idea, printable recipe cards mean you can add to your stack at any time!

Rainbows Cakes and Cupcakes!

So I'm generally not into food coloring. I think it adds unnecessary chemical agents into your food, so generally I avoid it whenever possible. But I am almost tempted to rush out and buy some just to try my hand at making these colorful little cakes:

I'll bet they were as easy on the stomach as they were on the eyes!

First I saw the little beauties above, made for a housewarming party whose theme was "Color Me Happy." Irresistible! The blogger mentioned that she got the idea from another post on rainbow cake, so of course I happily followed the link down the rabbit-hole:

Looks right out of a Dr. Seuss book!

That little happy tumblr post led me to the original tutorial, which made me really smile. The entire process looks like it is so much fun!

Batter, separated by color. So bright and cheery!

Even the dishes look cheerful!

This looks AMAZING.

Just a little cheer for a gray Tuesday.

Cardamom Buttermilk Pie

Cardamom. Buttermilk. Pie.

Enough said. I am making this decadent little confection as soon as I am free of end of semester hell.

Or, at least, I'll add it to the growing list of desserts that have caught my fancy of late...

How can you resist that smooth, creamy little shell filled with love and buttermilk?*

Photo from Saveur by Larry Nighswander

 

 *(You can't).

The Ultimate Gingerbread Cake

I've been on a gingerbread kick lately. I had a gingerbread latte recently and I thought it was excellent; spicy and not too sweet. It adds nice depth to a full bodied coffee.

So at the store today I bought some gingerbread latte creamer. This will either thrill me or disappoint me. I can't wait to try it!

For my father's celebratory birthday dinner a few weeks ago, I made him a decadent, dense gingerbread cake. It needs little else other than a sprinkling of confectioner's sugar like the first dusting of snow. However, I took the recipe's suggestion and made up homemade whipped cream. They suggested an unsweetened cream to combat the richness of the cake, but I cheated and added just the slightest hint of vanilla sugar*.

I can't endorse this cake enough. You can make it in a bundt pan as it suggests-which makes it look pretty-but I've had just as much luck pouring the batter into a loaf pan and serving thin slices with coffee.

*How do you make vanilla sugar, you ask? You buy expensive vanilla bean pods for one recipe for a friend's birthday present, you balk at the cost, you decide you need to re-use the pods in some way, you throw some sugar in a tupperware with sugar and let it sit in there until the sugar takes on a heavenly, perfect aroma and flavor. You leave the pods in and replace the sugar as you go. You put it in recipes, in coffee, in your famous french toast. Everyone is impressed with you because this seems like something Martha Stewart would do, not a busy graduate student.


PS This cake is incredible. I highly recommend you try it for the holidays. Impress your friends and family!

Gingerbread Caramel? Yes please.

Martha, you've done it again.

Gingerbread Caramels!

mmmm....

Not only do Gingerbread Caramels sound delightful, the packaging is perfection. I think I will have to take on this particular project for my holiday gifting.

In defense of dinner, and some delicious dishes.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/11/why-making-dinner-is-a-good-idea/

It seems so simple: making dinner for yourself is more rewarding and fulfilling because you took time to do it. This article explores the idea even further, suggesting we may be hard-wired to actually enjoy things we worked for more than the things that are easy to obtain.

I'm all for taking the time to cook dinner. Cooking is such an enjoyable activity, and something that is creative and sometimes relaxing after a busy day spent running from place to place. I love browsing epicurious.com and selecting new recipes to try. We often find ones we love; we rarely dislike the results of our culinary adventures.

In honor of this article, I present two recipes for my latest obsession: savory bread pudding. What could be better comfort food?

The first, Goat Cheese and Rosemary Bread Puddings, is in the oven as I type. I can't wait. I think it's physically impossible for this combination to taste bad. The list of ingredients is simple: bread, fresh rosemary, goat cheese, eggs, cream, and milk. I put it in little individual crocks and can't wait to taste the result!

The second is a smash hit in our household: Tomato Bread Pudding. Topped with a little freshly grated cheese, it becomes a one dish mixture reminiscent of tomato soup and grilled cheese.

However, I have to admit I don't follow the recipe as it is stated on epicurious. This is a little problem I have, called never following a recipe exactly as it's presented, ever. Oh well, here's my version:

Ingredients

5 cups of bread cubes, whatever you have on hand (I like anything without high fructose corn syrup).

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted

1 (14 1/2 oz) can organic tomato sauce (this is because I was lazy and didn't want to puree whole tomatoes)

2/3 cup water

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar (a huge reduction from the 2/3 cup suggested; I found it so scarily sweet the first time I made it I spent 20 minutes trying to rescue the tomato mixture by adding more salt and tomato paste. I've since realized it's much better less sweet).

1 TBS tomato paste

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce (Frank's Red Hot!)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss bread with melted butter in a 13 by 9 inch baking dish until coated.

Add tomato sauce, water, brown sugar, tomato paste, salt, and hot sauce to a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring to break up the tomato paste. Pour over the bread mixture, stirring to combine. Bake, uncovered, until edges are beginning to caramelize, 35-40 minutes.