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It's a beauty isn't it? It was delicious too. I want to share this recipe with you all, but I can't just yet.
You see, this tart has issues. Crust issues and filling issues. It doesn't have flavor issues which is why I'm even willing to give another chance.
This recipe comes from one of my all time favorite cookbooks, Fields of Greens, written by Annie Sommerville, the chef at Greens Restaurant in San Francisco. It is a book I turn to when I want to make something special. The recipes are not difficult, but many require a fair amount of work. In my experience, that work has always been worth it because the payoff is something truly special and delicious. And the recipes always turn out.
The crust she suggests you use is a yeasted tart dough. I have used it for other tarts in this and Sommerville's other book, Everyday Greens, and I have decided that it's just not for me. It's easy to make and work with, but I don't like the texture. I expect my tart crust to be crisp, as a foil for the creaminess of the filling. The yeasted dough felt like I was eating tart filling on top of a slice of bread.
I had some galette dough in my freezer so I decided to try that. It wasn't quite right either, not crisp enough for me when made in a tart pan, although plenty crisp when used for the galette. Clearly, I need another option.
The biggest tinkering challenge I have ahead of me is the filling. The proportions are way off in this recipe - something I find very surprising coming from this extremely reliable cookbook. There is about one and half times too much filling so that, even though I held quite a bit of it back, it started to run over the top and outside the tart pan (read: onto the floor of my oven.) Yes, I had a baking sheet in there to catch the drips, but I was making two tarts and the baking sheet wasn't quite big enough to catch all the goop. Side note: you know how high end cars (like Porsches) famously don't have cup holders? My high end (Viking) oven does not have a timer or a self-cleaning option. Sigh.
So the recipe makes too much filling, and what it does make is too runny. Normally, if a recipe gave me this much trouble, I would just write in bold letters, "DO NOT MAKE AGAIN" in my cookbook. But this was really tasty and the flavor is haunting me. There is Gruyere cheese in there and chervil, people. This tart deserves another chance.
Belltown is a neighborhood in Seattle where it once was not safe to go. It is north of the famous Pike Place Market and, seriously, when I was a kid you steered clear of that part of town. Now it is known for having super-hip restaurants, pricey shops, and multi-million dollar condos. One of the people who is credited for beginning this change is Leslie Mackie. She opened a bakery and a few years later, a neighborhood was gentrified. Build it and they will come applies to bakeries too!
But this isn't just any bakery. It's really quite a special spot. In terms of the bread and baked goods, I have to honestly say that I think the quality has gone downhill. You can buy their bread almost everywhere in town now and I wonder if that diversification has hurt them. Still, whenever I walk into their original location in Belltown (there are now two others), I immediately want to start baking. Everything look so good.
For me, the best thing about Macrina is eating lunch there. They have about 8 small tables so it can be kind of tricky to snag one, but if you do you are in for a treat. Everyday, in addition to salads and sandwiches, they offer a meze plate. You get to choose three things from a list of five and your choices go something like this. Savory galette, some kind of grain or pasta salad, a large piece of crostini which in itself has three choices, soup, and green salad. The green salad stays the same, the rest change daily. I have never had anything there that wasn't lip-smackingly delicious - down the roasted onions, olives, and almonds they put on every plate.
Several years ago, Mackie came out with a cookbook called Macrina Bakery & Cafe Cookbook. I bought it right after it came out and was thrilled to find that there were three savory galette recipes in there. They are all phenomenal and real showstoppers if you want to impress company. This one, because I love squash so much, is my favorite. Although there is snow on the ground here today (again!), I feel that asparagus, peas, and artichokes are on their way. I don't feel like I gave winter squash it's due so last week I made these galettes for my clients.
If you are intimidated by things with crusts, this galette is a great place to start. The dough is incredibly easy to work with - it behaves the best of any I have made. And because the tart is free form, there is no rolling it or worrying about transferring it to a pan. The recipe as written makes one very large galette - I have been happier with it when I make smaller ones. Even if you are serving it for a dinner party, just make two smaller ones. They will look better and be easier to work with. Last week, I made two small ones for my clients and one medium sized one to eat with my parents and brother who came over for dinner.
The crust makes enough for two galettes so you can freeze half of it for up to a month and make another one another day. Or, you can use the dough as a double pie crust. I love versatility!
Butternut Squash and Apple Galette
Adapted from Macrina Bakery and Cafe Cookbook
Serves 8-10
I have made this tart with the fresh butternut squash and the canned pumpkin and they both taste great. Don't hesitate to take the canned short cut.
2 Granny Smith apples
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 cups Roasted Butternut Squash, or canned pumpkin
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh sage
1/2 recipe Flaky Pie Dough, chilled
Egg wash made with 1 egg and 1 tsp. water
2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Core and peel the apples and cut into 1/2 inch wedges. Place wedges in a medium bowl and toss with half of the allspice, half of the cinnamon, and half of the cloves. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, then add the spice apples and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, or until the apples are tender. Set aside to cool.
Combine butternut squash puree with the remaining allspice, cinnamon, and cloves in a large bowl. Add brown sugar, eggs, salt, and sage, and mix with a whisk to fully blend the ingredients.
Form chilled pie dough into a ball and place in on a lightly floured work surface. Cut it in half and reform each half into a ball. Flatten each ball slightly, then working with one ball at a time, roll it into an approximately 8 inch circle, about 1/8 of an inch thick. Carefully lift it onto the preapred baking sheet. Spoon half of squash mixture onto center of circle and spread to within 2 inches of the edge. Place a single layer of apples in concentric circles on top of the squash filling. Lift border over top of the filling, tucking and folding the dough to create a gathered, or pleated, finish. Lift each of the folds up and brush underneath with egg wash to seal the crust. Brush all exposed dough with egg wash then repeat with other half of dough and filling. (You may need to place it on another sheet.) Place the baking sheet(s) in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove tart from oven and bake on center rack of oven for 30 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with Gorgonzola and parsley, then return to oven to bake another 25-30 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet for 20 minutes. (DN: I add the cheese and parsley half way through to prevent them from burning. I have found you can bake this tart 4 hours ahead and reheat in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes before serving.)
Flaky Pie Dough
Makes enough for 2 double-crusted (9-inch) pies, or 2 galettes
I always make pie dough in my food processor, but this amount is too much for it, so I do it by hand.
5 1/4 cups flour
1 tbsp. kosher salt
12 tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) butter, chilled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 3/4 cups solid vegetable shortening, chilled
1 cup ice water
Combine flour and salt in a large bowl and toss together. Add butter and cut it into the flour until the texture is coarse and crumbly. You can use a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingers. Cut the shortening up and add it in small pieces. Cut in the shortening until the dough is crumbly again. Add ice water and mix just until the dough sticks together when pinched. Pull dough from bowl onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a block. Cut it in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or wrap it again in foil and store in the freezer. One day before you are going to use frozen dough, transfer it to the refrigerator and allow it to thaw there.
Roasted Butternut Squash
Makes about 4 cups of pureed squash
1- 3 lb. butternut squash
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Wash squash, then cut it in half lengthwise and remove the seeds with a spoon. Place squash, cut sides down on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Pour 2 cups of water into the baking sheet, surrounding the squash. Bake for about 1 hour, or until the skin is dark brown and flesh is fork tender. Remove from oven and let cool for about 20 minutes. Scoop cooled squash out of its skin and puree in a food processor until smooth. Let the pureed squash cool completely, uncovered, then store it in an air-tight container. The squash will last for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or for up to 1 month in the freezer.
(While these cookies may not look "perfect", I think they are just that because my 4 year old decorated them.)
Thank goodness for the people at Cook's Illustrated. Do you know this magazine? It comes every other month and is very slim because it has no advertising. It also doesn't have color photographs or super trendy recipes. What it does have is tested-to-death recipes for relatively basic things. It also has equipment and ingredient testing. It's a great place to read about whether $200 is a good investment for a saute pan (turns out - yes, but they also give good moderate priced recommendations.) The magazine is anything but snobby.
I have had a like/dislike relationship with Cook's Illustrated. There is a lot of meat in it's pages so 75% of the recipes are ones I don't use. Sometimes the recipes are too basic for me - I most often looking to wow my clients after all. But the things I have made turn out great and I appreciate all the testing they do and the explanations of what they do and why. I have bought some equipment on their recommendation and have not been sorry. And now this cookie recipe.
I have written here before about how much I dislike making holiday cookies. After reading that post, my sister-in-law passed on her recipe (which she got off All Recipes), saying that she never had problems with the dough sticking. She gave me a couple for Randy to try and he didn't really like the flavor. (Sorry Amy.) I thought I was going to have to struggle with my dough again when I got the Holiday Baking issue of Cook's Illustrated. There, in among lots of recipes I would like to try, was a recipe for Easier Holiday Cookies.
The ingredients are slightly different than my very-tasty-but-pain-in-the-neck recipe. The biggest difference is that they stress the need for superfine sugar. I always use superfine in my baking but if you don't, you can easily find it in the grocery store (C & H makes it in a milk carton). If you don't want to buy different sugar, you can put regular sugar in the food processor for 20 seconds. The method here is quite different. And the result is fabulous. Amazing rich buttery taste and no sticking! This will forever by my go-to recipe for this type of cookie. Don't get me wrong, there is still quite a bit of fuss with this type of cookie, but when the result is this good and pain-free, I don't really mind.
Glazed Butter Cookies
Holiday Baking from Cook's Illustrated
Makes 3 dozen 2 1/2 inch cookies
They give a recipe for frosting which I didn't use - I just feel back on my trusted one. They also give you other options of what you can do with this dough, like Toasted Almond Cookies with Honey Glaze. Yum.
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces, cool room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. cream cheese, cool room temperature
1. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with flat beater, mix flour, sugar, and salt on low speed until combined, about 5 seconds. With mixer running on low, add butter 1 piece at a time; continue to mix until mixture looks crumbly and slightly wet, about 1 minute longer. Add vanilla and cream cheese and mix on low until dough just begins to form large clumps, about 30 seconds.
2. Remove bowl from mixer; knead dough by hand in bowl for 2-3 turns to form large cohesive mass. Turn out dough onto countertop; divide in half, pat into two 4-inch disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate until they begin to firm up 20-30 minutes. (Dough can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 2 weeks; defrost in refrigerator before using.)
3. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out 1 dough disk to even 1/8 inch thickness between 2 large sheets of parchment paper; slide rolled dough on parchment onto baking sheet and chill until firm, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, repeat with second disk.
4. Working with first portion of rolled dough, cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters and place shapes on baking sheet, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until light golden brown, about 10 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking time. Repeat with second portion of rolled dough. (Dough scraps can be patted together, chilled, and re-rolled once.) Cool cookies on rack to room temperature. Glaze and decorate as desired.
If you are a blog reader, you are probably tired of being told you should shop at Farmer's Markets. Enough with the local and seasonal song and dance, you may say. But look at these radicchio. You can't tell from this photo, but they were the size of heads of romaine. They had dirt still attached to the outer leaves and they lived for four days in my refrigerator and still seemed as fresh as the day there were picked. I paid $4 each for these guys which is probably less than they would have cost in the supermarket, assuming I could ever find anything this gorgeous in the supermarket.
From the same farmer, I bought a type of squash that I had never seen before. It is a close relative of the delicata but with a rosier color and a rounder shape. Most importantly, it has that lovely thin skin that, when cooked, is entirely edible. These beautiful examples of fall produce starred in a gnocchi dish that I got from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Suppers cookbook. I made some big changes to the method but used her advice for ingredients. It feels almost sacrilegious to try and improve on a recipe that one of the all-time great vegetarians wrote, but I think my changes impart a little more flavor and allow you to do some steps ahead of time.
Gnocchi with Winter Squash and Seared Radicchio
Adapted from Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison's Kitchen
Serves 4
If you can't find delicata squash, you can always use butternut, just be sure to peel it first. Per Deborah Madison, you can also make this with cheese ravioli or tortellini.
3 lbs. delicata squash
Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp. maple syrup
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 large head radicchio
2 garlic cloves, minced
Big handful parsley leaves, finely chopped
12 or more sage leaves, finely chopped or 1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 lb. potato gnocchi
Freshly ground Parmesan cheese and/or crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash(es) in half and remove the seeds and pulp. Slice cross-wise into 1/2 inch wide slices. Place on a baking sheet, then drizzle with a little olive oil, the maple syrup, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Mix well with your hands and bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven, turn slices over and bake another 10-15 minutes, until slices are nicely browned. Allow to cool, then cut into 3/4 inch pieces. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.)
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add just enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan and add the radicchio, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, tender, and no longer red, about 8 minutes. Add the squash, garlic, sage and parsley and cook for 5 more minutes, until the garlic is no longer raw.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the gnocchi and simmer until done, about 3 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove to gnocchi and place them in the skillet with the radicchio along with some of the cooking water. Add one or both cheeses and stir together, adding more cooking water as necessary to keep the dish moist. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
One of the joys of living in the Northwest is that this is mushroom country. The rain and damp that, admittedly, I often curse give us these wondrous delicacies. I have written about chanterelles here before so forgive me if I am repeating myself. There is just something about them that I find irresistible.
On Sunday mornings, as long as the weather is somewhat decent, Randy goes for a bike ride. The fact that he does this is a little hard on me. I am with the boys all week and come the weekend, I am really ready for a break. He works very long days and is not here much during the week, so to be gone an additional half a day is a lot. But I love him and he loves to ride. He is a much nicer husband when he has been on his bike and I also know it makes him very happy. I have reconciled myself to this routine but I do find I need to get out of the house with the boys.
This past summer, I started taking them to the West Seattle Farmer's Market every Sunday morning. There are many markets in Seattle, but this one is my favorite - even though it is not close to my house. It is relatively small, the best farmers are there, it is all food (no crafts), and not too crowded. We go, park the car, get the baby in the stroller, and then stroll through the stalls and make sure my almost 4 year-old gets a taste of everything. This week, they shared a croissant, had some Italian plums, some apple, and various other things that the older one filched out of the bins and I ended up paying for.
I hadn't planned on buying anything specific for the week, but managed to find Asian pears (which I needed for a salad), amazingly gorgeous raddichio and delicata squashes (which I needed for gnocchi later in the week), and these chanterelles. At $9/pound, I just couldn't resist. I spent $7 and got four huge perfect mushrooms and just next to the mushroom guy, I was able to pick up some fresh lemon pepper pasta. Guess what's for dinner tonight?
Apple desserts. They just scream fall, don't they? And winter and really even spring. But especially fall. I never make anything with apple in the summer because a) there are amazing short-seasoned fruits on offer and b) by then I've had it up to here with apples.
But as we enter October, I am excited to start filling my house with the smell of cinnamon, sugar and apples. We had a great group of friends over on Saturday for a big dinner. Big as in they all stayed past 1am and much alcohol was consumed. I actually took each couple (there were three) up on their offer to bring an appetizer, which is something I almost never do. I am not a control freak by any stretch, but I do feel that when I invite people over for dinner, I should make the food. But appetizers are something that always seem to be an afterthought for me, so I thought I would appreciate the help.
Since I knew we would have plenty to munch on, I decided to make a hearty soup, fall salad, and a flatbread. I originally thought of this as a more "simple" menu so I could focus more time and energy on a more elaborate dessert. I'm not sure how making 5 things (because of course I ended up making an appetizer) is simple, but there you go. At any rate, I knew exactly what I wanted to make - Country Apple Tart with Spiced Brown Butter. This is a dessert I have made twice now and it is a showstopper. Imagine an apple tart with a custard poured over top. This custard stars brown butter in which cloves, vanilla seeds, and star anise have been cooked. The smell is divine but is no match for the taste. And the presentation is lovely. The tart is not difficult but has several time consuming steps. If you are interested in taking on a long but very worth it project, you can find the recipe here.
For something a little more simple, and to give a final goodbye to baking with summer fruit, I made Dimply Plum Cake from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours for my clients this week. If you are a food blogger, you are probably tired of hearing about this cake as it was the Tuesdays with Dorie choice last week. (For those of you who are not food bloggers, there is a group that bakes something from this dessert tome each week and blogs about it.) I decided I would double the recipe and bake it in mini loaf pans so each of my clients could have their own cake, rather than a slice. I am no math student, I didn't really try and figure it out ahead of time, I just hoped doubling it would be enough and lo and behold, it turned out perfectly. Here is the recipe as it was orginally written.
Dimply Plum Cake
from Baking From My Home to Yours
Makes 8 Servings
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Scant 1/4 tsp. cardamom (optional)
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup flavorless oil, such as canola or safflower
Grated zest of one orange
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
8 purple or red plums
Center a rack in the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 inch square baking pan, dust in the inside with flour, tap out excess and put the pan on a baking sheet.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and cardamom, if you're using it, together.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until soft and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for another 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for a minute after each addition. On medium speed, beat in the oil, orange zest and vanilla. The batter will look very light and smooth, almost satiny. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are just incorporated.
Run a spatula around the bowl and under the batter, just to make sure there are no dry spots, then scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Arrange the plums cute side up in the batter, jiggling the plus a tad just so they settle comfortably into the batter.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top is honey brown and puffed around the plums and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 15 minutes - during which time the plums' juice will return to the fruit - then run a knife around the sides of the pan and unmold the cake. Invert and cool right side up.
Mushrooms. One of those polarizing vegetables. People either love them or hate them. My brother Alex will eat almost anything you put in front of him except, you guessed it, mushrooms.
I would have to put myself in the "like" category. I really do like most fungi but a few really put me off. Morels, for example. I can't get over their brain-like look and texture and also don't want to deal with eating whatever dirt and small creatures are living in the impossible-to-clean-grooves. Some of the meatier mushrooms also give me the willies - that chewy texture reminds me of meat and therefore grosses me out. I have made my peace with portabellos but others like lobster mushrooms, I just can't eat.
Chanterelles are another story altogether. In my opinion, they are the most lovely, subtle, and delicate of the mushroom family. Their texture is soft and the flavor almost buttery. We are so lucky to live in a climate where they are plentiful. I found them at a Harvest Fair in our neighborhood for $12 a pound which seemed like an incredible bargain. They don't weigh much, so you get a lot for your money.
Whenever I buy chanterelles, I make a risotto. I think it is the best way to showcase their soft flavor without overwhelming it with too many flavors. Every fall, I make several renditions of it and I think this version was the best so far. I have to share my favorite piece of mushroom advice which came directly from a forager. I asked him how to clean the chanterelles, which are always dirty, since I had heard that rinsing them made them absorb too much water and ruined the flavor. He looked at me like I was a total idiot and said, "Mushrooms grow in the forest. In this climate. They get rained on all the time. Just rinse them." And so that is what I do.
Chanterelle and Corn Risotto with Fresh Thyme and Basil
Serves 6
If you have the funds, or just really love chanterelles, feel free to use up to a pound for this amount of risotto.
1-2 tbsp. butter
1/2 lb. chanterelle mushrooms, ends trimmed and thickly sliced
3 ears corn, shucked and kernels trimmed from the cob, cobs reserved
Several stems fresh thyme, leaves stripped
salt
pepper
Olive oil
1 large leek, white and light green part only, cut in half, then thinly sliced
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
6-8 cups vegetable broth
1/2-1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, or to taste
1/2 cup basil, thinly sliced
For the mushrooms: Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle with the thyme leaves and saute until beginning to brown around the edges, about 8 minutes. Add the corn, stir and allow to cook until the corn is tender, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
For the rice: Pour broth into a large saucepan. Add the corn cobs and heat it until it is hot to the touch. Heat a large Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat. Add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan, then add the leeks. Saute until soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat. Pour in the wine and stir until it is absorbed. Begin adding ladlefuls of broth to the rice mixture, stirring until each one is absorbed. It should take about 20 minutes in all. Taste as you go and when the rice is softer, but still very al dente, add the mushroom mixture and a handful of Parmesan cheese. Continue adding broth as described above until it is the desired doneness. Stir in basil and cook for another minute. Add more Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste.
I'm sorry - how did it get to the end of August? I had all these recipes that I was thinking were really "summer" recipes, so I was going to wait for "summer" and now it's almost over. I have to keep reminding myself that it's not officially over until somewhere around September 21st, and the month of September really is lovely in Seattle. Still, if you ever went to school, you know that summer is, for all intents and purposes, over after Labor Day.
So, I'd better get to it with these recipes. I need to feature lots of peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, and corn until the farmers start bringing in the mushrooms and squashes. This Succotash recipe is perfect if you shop at the Farmer's Markets or if you get a CSA box because almost everything you need will be easily found with the possible exception of the celery.
A word about the cookbook this came from. It's called The Voluptuous Vegan and it probably, more than any other book, changed the way I cook. A vegan is someone who not only doesn't eat meat, but doesn't eat anything that comes from an animal - eggs, dairy, even honey. It can seem a little restrictive, but take a look at the pages of this book and you will see a whole new world open up. I am not a vegan but this is one of my favorite cookbooks and one of the first few I turn to when I want to make something special.
I got this cookbook before Randy and I got married, at a time when I was teaching yoga. I taught about 12 classes a week which, in addition to my own practice, was a lot of yoga. However, it left me a fair amount of free time and I used that time to cook. Up until that point in my life, I was a good and adventurous cook - I had made us some wonderful meals. But I was fascinated by the dishes I read about and, lucky for me, had the time to really experiment and try some of the more time consuming ones. The sheer bounty of the food made me re-think dinner. Why not make all the components incredible, not just the main course?
In The Voluptuous Vegan, rather than chapters focusing on ingredients or courses, the author (Myra Kornfeld) has compiled a series of menus with some lovely little notes about each one including the order you can make things in and how it looks best served. Usually I don't like menu cookbooks - I don't want someone telling me what to serve with what - I like to have that creative license. But the choices she has made along with the flavor pairings, and the simply startlingly delicious, incredibly full-flavored, beautiful-to-look-at meals made me trust everything she said.
The first think I ever made from it was a Paella for a dinner party. There were so many steps, so many different components - steaming tempeh, then roasting it with cauliflower and chickpeas, making a tomato sauce to go into the rice, and then another sauce to be served with it. Roasting cherry tomatoes as a garnish, and using silken tofu to make a roasted garlic aoli. It couldn't be worth all that work, right? Was it ever. Every other vegetarian paella I had had up until that point tasted like rice with vegetables and saffron with the exception of those I had in Spain on our honeymoon. Here was a dish that really stood on it's own and has impressed every single one of my meat-eating friends I have served it to.
If you make the whole menu, yes, this is a time-consuming (but not complicated) recipe. With the Succotash, you can make polenta squares topped with a homemade chile paste to spice them up. You can make (the best in my opinion) guacamole to dollop on top of the dish. Or you can just do your own thing and serve the Succotash with cornbread, grits, or even rice. It's fresh, light, and totally seasonal.
By the way, Randy didn't even notice the beet greens.
Succotash
Adapted from The Voluptuous Vegan
Serves 4
Kornfeld suggests you use dried lima beans here and give instructions for cooking them. Everytime I have made it, I have used frozen which saves you a lot in the overall cooking time. Don't be daunted by the long list of ingredients - it's just a lot of chopping. Here is the time to practice your knife skills!
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium carrots, sliced into 1/3 inch rounds
2 celery stalks, sliced 1/3 inch
1 each red and yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1 inch chunks
Olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 cup frozen lima beans
2 cups water
1 each medium zucchini and yellow squash, sliced into 1/3 inch rounds
2 ears of corn, kernels cut off the cob
Salt
Juice of one lemon
Pinch of cayenne pepper
In a large pot or saucepan, heat just enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Add the onion, celery, carrot, bell peppers, and a good pinch of salt. Saute over medium-high heat until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook an additional 5 minutes. Add the lima beans and another pinch of salt.
Pour in the water and bring to a boil. Add the zucchini, squash, and corn. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Squeeze the lemon over the stew and sprinkle with cayenne. Adjust salt to taste.
As I have mentioned here before, I am really a cookbook cook. I very rarely make up a recipe on the fly. When someone says something nice about my food, I always feel a little guilty taking the compliment - I didn't make up the recipe, I only cooked it. Oh, I realize I do have a knack for looking at a recipe and knowing whether it will be good or not, and I also put foods together well. I do wish that I was more adventurous when it comes to seeing what looks good at the market, and making something up on the fly once back in the kitchen.
I was recently reading an article in The New Yorker magazine about how inspiration strikes. There are scientists who are actually trying to figure out what happens in the brain when you have a "Eureka!" moment. In doing their research (I'm summarizing big time here), they found that when posed with a puzzle, a person either tended to reason out the problem, or it just came to them - inspiration striking.
For some reason, farro, corn and green beans just came to me this week. I don't believe I have had a dish like this any time in the recent past, but I couldn't stop thinking about it. I know, this isn't nuclear fusion - it's just vegetables and a grain, but this was big for me. I bought my star ingredients at the Farmer's Market and today I started playing. A good rule of thumb for combining vegetables is "if it grows together, it goes together". Thus, corn and green beans - great. Winter squash and mushrooms - yum. Asparagus and parsnips - not so much. So since both green beans and corn are in season, I figured at least that part of the dish would taste right. And if you have never had farro, you are in for a taste and texture treat. I have heard it compared to barley, but it has more nuttiness and none of the mushiness that I associate with barley.
To start, I blanched a bunch of the most beautiful green beans I have ever seen. They are Randy's favorite vegetable, so we eat a lot of them in our house, but usually I am picking through the pathetic offerings at the grocery store to find a few that aren't moldy. Every single one of these was pristine, skinny, and perfect. For $10 a pound I could have bought haricot verts which are even skinnier but, come on - $10 a pound? After letting them boil in salted water for a few minutes, I put them in an ice water bath. This is called "shocking" them and it stops the cooking and sets the brilliant green color. Yes, it's an extra step and totally worth it.
I sliced up a bunch of shallots into thin rings and sauteed them in a bit of olive oil. I added a bit of minced garlic and as the shallots started to turn brown, I added the corn from three cobs. Since corn is fresh now, it only needs just a short swim around the pan to cook through. Next went the cooked farro and the juice of half an orange. I was trying to think of an acid that would balance these flavors well and knew what I would think of vinegar if I tried that. I had a bunch of oranges left over from the Orange Pound Cake that I made as this week's treat, so I thought I would try that.
Off the heat, I added the drained green beans and some gorgeous purple basil that I found at the market. I drizzled in some olive oil, the juice from the other half of the orange, and plenty of pepper and salt. And do you know what? It was awesome! Farro is nutty and has a wonderful bite to it which contrasted wonderfully with the soft and sweet corn. I maybe would have cooked the green beans a little longer but they were great (so sweet!) and fit in with all of the other flavors. It looked gorgeous - especially with the purple basil - but if you can't find it, don't let that stop you from making this recipe. I actually found farro at the University Farmer's Market but you can find it in specialty shops (Whole Foods sometimes has it) or order it online from Bluebird Grain Farms.
By the way, the other dish in the photo is Lentils with Beets and Tarragon and I served both of these dishes with a cold Green Pea soup.
Farro with Green Beans and Corn
Serves 8
Like most grain dishes, I think this tastes best served at room temperature. You can make it up to 8 hours in advance but I would add the basil just before serving so it keeps it's color.
2 1/2 cup farro
1 lb. green beans, ends trimmed
3 ears fresh corn, kernels cut from the cobs
3 large shallots, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. fresh thyme, or 1 tsp. dried
Sea salt
Pepper
Olive oil
1 orange
10-15 large basil leaves, preferably purple basil
To Make the Farro and Blanch the Beans: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the green beans and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove them to a large bowl filled with ice water. Allow them to cool completely, then drain. Meanwhile, add the farro to the water and boil for five minutes, then lower the heat and simmer until tender but with a pronounced bite - 30-40 minutes. Drain well and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil to keep it from sticking together. (Both of these components can be done one day ahead, refrigerate separately.)
To Finish the Dish: Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Coat the bottom with olive oil, then add the shallots and a good pinch of salt. Allow them to cook until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the shallots start to brown. Add the thyme and stir just until it becomes fragrant, then add the corn, saute for 2 minutes. Add the farro, and the juice from half of the orange. Add a pinch of salt and stir just until heated through. Off the heat, add the green beans, the juice from the other orange half, and a drizzle of olive oil. Stir in the basil and taste for salt and pepper.
I wrestled a bit with what to write today. All week I have known that I wanted to share this recipe with you because it is seasonal and it is just so good and, I mean really, how cute are those zucchinis?
But last night I went to a memorial service for my lovely friend Sandy and I started to feel like maybe it was a little, I don't know, frivolous to be talking about stuffing squashes when a beautiful soul like hers is being mourned by many. Then I realized that if anyone would want me to write about something delicious, it would be her. Sandy loved good food and she, as my boss in the promotion department of a radio station many years ago, made me a better writer. Furthermore, the recipe comes from The Paris Cookbook and I know that Sandy loved Paris probably more than any other city. So it is with her in mind that I share this deliciousness.
I bought this wonderful cookbook in the Waterloo train station in London, waiting to get on the train to Paris. When I went to find this recipe the other day, I was momentarily confused because there was no "zucchini" recipes in the index. I then remembered that this particular edition is British so the recipe was listed under "courgettes" which is the French word for zucchini and the term that the Brits use as well. The Paris Cookbook's author is Patricia Wells and I truly love her recipes. At first glance, many of them don't look like much because they have few ingredients and simple instructions. Everything I have made from the three of hers that I own has made me re-think my attraction to complicated recipes with crazy ingredients and time-consuming steps. In her hands, simpler really is better.
This recipe is a little more involved than some of her others, but it is by no means complicated. It looks beautiful and the flavor is so complex with mint, curry, and goat cheese. I was able to find these amazing round zucchinis at the farmer's market but she says you can use regular oblong ones as well. I served these with a Corn Chowder and an Arugula Salad with Watermelon and Walnuts.
Zucchini Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Mint
Adapted from The Paris Cookbook
Serves 8
8 small round zucchini or 8 small oblong ones
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1-2 tsp. curry powder
9oz. fresh goat cheese
Several tablespoons cream or milk
4 tbsp. fresh mint, cut into thin ribbons
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut the top off the zucchinis. With a small spoon, carve out the the pulp of the zucchinis. Chop the pulp. Reserve both the pulp and the zucchinis and set aside.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the zucchinis and the tops and blanch until softened but still firm, about 5 minutes. Transfer the to a bowl of iced water to refresh, firm and help the vegetables keep their color.
4. In a small, heavy-duty frying pan, combine the onions, oil, and a pinch of salt. Sweat, covered, over low heat until soft and cooked through, about 5 minutes. The onions should not brown. Add the zucchini pulp and curry powder to taste and cook until softened, about 5 minutes more. Set aside. You may need to drain if there is a lot of liquid.
5. Mix the goat cheese with the cream in a bowl and stir until smooth. Add cream as needed to achieve a thick liquid consistency.
6. Place the zucchinis side by side in a large gratin dish. Spoon the curry mixture into the zucchinis, filling about 2/3 full. Sprinkle with half the mint. Spoon the cheese mixture over the curry mixture, filling all the way to the top. Sprinkle with the rest of the mint. Place the top on the zucchini.
7. Place in the center of the oven and bake until the zucchini are soft, about 15 minutes. (If you use oblong zucchini, I would cover with foil so they don't dry out.) Serve warm or at room temperature.
Even though I am not really a list-making person, I have found myself recently wondering what 10 cookbooks I would take with me to a desert island (provided that said desert island has my stove, my pots, and my knives waiting for me). A definite on that list would be Annie Sommerville's Everyday Greens. No, it is not a cookbook full of recipes for collards and kale, it is from Greens restaurant in San Francisco, a vegetarian mecca. Like Fields of Greens and The Greens Cookbook, this book is one of my go-to's when I want to make something special. Because don't let the "Everyday" part of the title fool you - these recipes are fairly, uh, involved.
For quite some time I have been eyeing the Artichoke Panzanella recipe in there and have, up until yesterday, been tripped up by the first step which is to prepare a completely different salad on a completely different page. This is how Sommerville gets you. You look at the list of ingredients and see only, say, six and think - not so bad. But then you realize that ingredients 1-3 are actually complete recipes found in other parts of the book and then you start to wonder, "Everyday Greens?"
This time I was determined and made the Simple (ha ha) Artichoke Salad so I could then make the Artichoke Panzanella. And when all was said and done, it was, as per usual with this cookbook, delicious and worth the effort. I have to confess though - it can be made a lot easier without sacrificing much in the flavor department. (Pardon me while I lock the door so the Food Police don't come after me). You can (click) use frozen artichokes and jarred roasted red peppers.
Now if you are a purist, or if you really really love artichokes, I would just go ahead and go for it. My advice would be to use the babies because there is no choke so they are a little easier to manage. If you have never broken down an artichoke before, there is a terrific photo tutorial here. I figured it out myself several years ago, but would have loved to have this advice at the time.
As for the peppers, if you do choose to roast them yourself, I find the best way to do this is to put them on a baking sheet into a 450 degree oven. Don't even bother brushing them with oil. Roast them for about 20 minutes, turning once half way through. Once they are browned in spots (it doesn't have to be all over), pull them out and either wrap a large sheet of foil around the whole baking sheet, or put them in a heat-proof bowl and throw a clean kitchen towel over the top. Either way, wait about 10 minutes, uncover and let them cool enough so that you can handle them - the skins will come off beautifully. I find this temperature and amount of time in the oven roasts them so they are wonderfully juicy (make sure you peel and de-seed them over a bowl so you catch all that wonderful juice) and tender without being mushy.
A note on the bread. I used a loaf that I had allowed to sit out on my counter for a few days so it was really stale. If you have fresh bread, take the step described in the recipe of baking the bread - if you have stale bread, you can skip it.
Panzanella with Artichokes, Olives, and Manchego
Adapted from Everyday Greens
Serves 6
If you are using jarred roasted peppers, drain them well, and cut enough to measure 1 cup.
Simple Artichoke Salad (see recipe below)
1 pound loaf of rustic bread, crust removed, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
2 tbsp. sherry vinegar
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 each large red and yellow pepper, roasted peeled, and cut into thick strips
24 Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
Large handful of arugula
2 oz. Manchego cheese, cut into very thin slices with a cheese planer
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Make the Simple Artichoke Salad and set aside.
Toss the bread cubes with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake until lightly browned and just crisp on the outside, about 10 minutes.
Combine the vinegars, 1/4 tsp. salt, and a pinch of pepper in a large bowl and slowly whisk in the olive oil. Add the bread cubes, peppers, olives, and artichokes and toss to coat with the vinaigrette. Set aside to marinate for 10-15 minutes. Just before serving, toss in the arugula and cheese and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. (The salad, without the arugula and cheese, can be made up to 8 hours in advance. Store in the fridge but eat the salad at room temperature).
Simple Artichoke Salad
Makes about 3 cups
If you are going to use frozen artichokes, I would add them, unthawed, to the poaching liquid as described below.
2 pounds small artichokes, trimmed
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. Champagne vinegar
2 garlic cloves, smashed with the flat side of a knife, skin left on
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt
Pinch of pepper
Combine everything except the artichokes in a wide non-reactive pan and bring to a boil. Drop in the artichokes and cover the surface with parchment paper or an heat-proof inverted plate to keep the artichokes submerged. Bring the liquid back to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until tender, 10-15 minutes depending on their size. To test whether they are done, stick the tip of a knife into the base and the leaves, make sure both are tender.
Once done, drain the artichokes and toss them with:
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste
One last note: To make sure the artichokes are done, I would taste one. You want to be able to easily bite through (and swallow the leaves). When I made this yesterday, the base was done but not the leaves so I ended up having to cut that part off and just use the base.
We had our lovely dinner party last night and I am happy to say that almost everything turned out as I wanted it to. First of all, the company was terrific. It's always so nice to meet new people and have great conversations with them. Their party of eight became a party of six, so we were able to sit down with all of them and really enjoy the conversation and, oh yeah, the food. Course by course, here we go...
The appetizer (Sizzling Halloumi with Fava Beans and Mint) was as simple and delicious as I remember it from last summer. The peas and beans were tossed with a little olive oil, lemon juice and mint, and then sauteed briefly just to lightly cook. The halloumi is just put in a hot pan until it gets a little crust on the outside and starts to soften. Put the two together and yum!
The soup was Summer Borscht and it hit just the right note since it was so hot yesterday. I really believe there is nothing like cold soup on a hot night. The company seemed to agree.
The salad was Wilted Greens with Roasted Mushrooms. This was a bit of a disappointment for me. The idea is that you toss your greens (spinach and escarole) with previously roasted Portabello mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, mint, and good balsamic vinegar. Then you heat up olive oil in a pan and pour it over the salad which should wilt the greens. Should being the operative word here since my greens did not really wilt and the salad wasn't warm like I wanted it to be. If I made it again, I would saute the greens in the olive oil on the stove and, once wilted, mix in with the other ingredients. Bummer.
For the main course, I made Shitake Mushroom and Gruyere Cheese Souffles with a Farro Salad with Zucchini and Pine Nuts on the side. The farro was good (everyone loved the texture) but the souffles were, I must say, delicious. I made similar ones, without the mushrooms, a few months ago and these were much better. The shitake mushrooms had been sauteed in a little butter with lots of thyme and that wonderful herb really came through in the souffles. Plus, this is a rich dish and the mushrooms cut through the richness a little bit - enough that I had no problem slurping down the entire thing.
And the dessert is where I kind of pulled a Barbara. Barbara is my mom's name and she is a very good cook and baker. Whenever she makes something for company - especially if it is a dessert - she will tell you the 45 things that went wrong with it and how it doesn't look at all like it is supposed to and how it probably won't taste good. So yes, on very rare occasions, there is one crumb out of place, but everything she makes is delicious and once she tastes it herself, she will finally let go of the idea that disaster has struck.
I am not quite as bad, but let's just say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Because I am not a super artistic person, my desserts don't always look the way I want them to. So I will complain to Randy that my dessert didn't turn out and he will say, "Did it really not turn out, or are you pulling a Barbara?" In which case, I am forced to admit that while yes, there is one crumb out of place... ok fine, it's going to taste great.
This dessert, well, what can I say about Fran Bigelow? Honey, you let me down. Fran is the owner of Fran's Chocolates which is a heavenly store I have been going to since my middle school days. A few years ago, she came out with a cookbook that has some of the most beautiful photographs that I have ever seen of my beloved chocolate. I have made several recipes and marvel at how simple the ingredients, how involved the process, how sublime the results, how worth the cost and effort.
Last night's dessert? Very tasty. Really, how could a tart with a walnut and butter crust (no flour!), a layer of caramel, and a layer of chocolate ganache be anything but delicious? It just didn't come together as it was supposed to. Once assembled, she advises to leave it out at room temperature for up to four days. It was clear that if it was ever going to set up, I was going to have to refrigerate it, which I did figuring I could serve it a room temperature. But that made it so soft that I could barely get the pieces out with out pulling the ganache right off the caramel. I know, the life I lead!! But it is frustrating to have the big ta-da! fall a little flat. Now I don't trust that cookbook which is a bummer because there are lots of other things I want to make from it.
All in all, one disappointing salad, a somewhat mushy dessert, and one burned arm (second-degree from the oven door) were greatly counter-balanced by the other great food, wonderful company and delicious wine. Amy and Mark - can't wait to see you guys again!
Before I give you the recipe for the Halloumi appetizer, let's talk about fava beans. They have kind of an intimidating appearance (what on earth do you do with that giant pod?) but they are easy to use once you know what to do. They are super fresh and in season here in the Pacific NW - you can find them at all the farmer's markets.
In the above photo, the pod on the left is what it will look like whole, the pod next to it is what it will look like once you open it. The first bean is what most will look like - large with kind of a waxy cover. These will need to be peeled so that they look like the second bean -nice and bright green. The last bean is a beautiful small and young bean that does not need to be peeled because it's skin will be nice and soft.
So, first things first. Fava bean pods are tougher than peas, so you will need a paring knife to split it open. Don't cut in too deep or you will cut the beans. Once open, just pull the beans out and discard the pods. Unless you are growing your own fava beans or are picking them yourself on a farm, you will need to remove the skin from most beans. This is because the beans most of us will get are older and tougher, but if you can get young pretty things, well, lucky you! Peeling them can be done by putting them in a pot of boiling water for about one minute. Drain, allow to cool, and then simply squeeze them out of their skin. They do have the annoying habit of sometimes splitting in half when you do this, but don't worry about it. Now your fava beans are ready for use!
Sizzling Halloumi Cheese with Fava Beans and Mint
Serves 6
Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine
You can find Halloumi cheese at Whole Foods, Metropolitan Market, and even Safeway. Look for it near the feta cheeses. It costs about $8 for a 8 oz. package, so if you see it for more than that, shop somewhere else (I have seen it for as much as $14). This recipe says you can use frozen peas and frozen fava beans. I have never seen the latter so I would imagine that shelled edamame would be a good substitute.
1 1/2 pounds fresh fava beans, shelled
1 1/2 cups shelled English peas
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. fresh mint, plus extra for garnish
grated zest of one lemon
2 8oz. packages Halloumi cheese, each sliced lengthwise in to 6 slices
juice of one lemon
1 lemon, cut in to 6 wedges
Blanch and peel fava beans according to above instructions.
Place fava beans, peas, olive oil, 2 tbsp. mint leaves, and lemon peel in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat until warmed through, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and squeeze lemon juice over. Cover until cheese is ready.
Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add cheese slices and fry until golden, about 2 minutes per side.
Divide vegetable mixture among six plates. Arrange two slices of Halloumi atop vegetables on each plate, and garnish with lemon wedges and a couple of mint leaves. Serve immediately.
(Oh! I almost forgot to mention that I somehow got it into my head that I wanted to serve this wonderful bread from the Fields of Greens cookbook topped with herbed butter, thinly sliced (purple!) radishes, and a sprinkling of sea salt as an hors d'oeuvre. I am not sure where I got this idea but it actually turned out beautifully. Even Randy, who made a face when I described it to him, loved it. So, if you are looking for an easy nibble buy (don't make it like I did) a dark hearty loaf of bread, slice it thinly and spead it with an herb butter which you can buy or make, then top with thinly sliced radishes and a sprinkling of sea salt.)
Of the four tastes available to a person, bitter is my least favorite. Well, right, like I was going to say sweet? But really, I'm not a fan of some of the things that other people love. The chicory family for example. Endive, radicchio, escarole? Not so much. Brussel sprouts? Just too bitter for me.
Or so I thought. I recently grilled radicchio for use in a salad and the heat brought out more sweetness in a vegetable that I had, up until recently, only tolerated. Similarly, I thought I disliked brussel sprouts having only had them boiled or undercooked - in other words, bitter. Last Thanksgiving, a certain recipe where you saute them until brown and sweet turned me in to a brussel sprout supporter, and now I find that I actually crave them.
I used to think turnips were on the black list. Bitter bites again. But I was wrong wrong wrong and it wasn't even that I needed to blast them with high heat, or saute them with an indecent amount of butter. I just needed to use different turnips. When all you have tasted are those big fat turnips you find in the grocery store roughly the size of baseballs, you can forgive yourself for thinking you don't like them. Now I'm sure those have their place in the culinary world, or are the favorite vegetable of someone who loves bitter food. But the adorable little ones that you can find in the local farmer's markets now, those are something else entirely. So tender and delicate that you don't even need to peel them and, when cooked, just clean and light with a hint of earthiness.
Today I made a Turnip and Leek Gratin with Blue Cheese to highlight these beauties.
It is a lovely and simple recipe and it fills your house with the most amazing creamy and cheesy aroma. Along with the Gratin, I made a Rice Pilaf with Chickpeas and Currants, and an Arugula Salad with Strawberries and Hazelnuts. You might be wondering...arugula? That's awfully bitter for someone who says she doesn't like bitter. I know. But arugula is #11 on my Top 10 Food List - maybe even #10, I don't know. (I might need to do some shuffling). It is bitter but in a way that I love. I also really like radishes so I definitely can't write bitter off for good.
Anyway, I am going to start a feature in this blog called "Let's Talk About..." where I will de-mystify an ingredient or technique. So, let's talk about leeks for a moment as they are an important part of the Turnip and Leek Gratin. Leeks are one of my favorite vegetables period and so under-used. What are you looking for when you buy a leek? Most recipes will tell you to only use the white part or, at most, the white and very pale green part. So you will want to look for leeks that have a long white part. Sometimes, that will not be an option so I would suggest buying more than you need so you will have enough white.
What can you do with those pale green parts that you are not using but that you paid good money for? My best suggestion is to use them for a vegetable stock. If you can't be bothered to make a stock right this minute, just wrap them well and put them in the freezer. I suppose you could use the dark green leafy parts in the stock too, but they are awfully sandy and I just haven't ever had the energy to wash them well enough. Most recipes will tell you to slice the leek in half lengthwise and wash it under running water. This is to remove the grit that can become lodged in the lovely leek layers (say that 10 times fast).
Turnip and Leek Gratin
Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
Serves 4 modestly
1 garlic clove and butter for the dish
1 cup half-and-half
6 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
3 large leeks, white parts only, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
1 1/2 pounds turnips, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
2 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Rub a 2 quart gratin dish with the garlic, then with butter. Heat the half-and-half with the remains of the garlic, 2 sprigs of thyme, and the bay leaf. When it's close to boiling, turn off the heat and set aside.
Cook the leeks in 2 quarts of boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Scoop them out and allow them to drain in a colander. Add the turnips to the water and cook for 4 minutes. Remove the leeks to a bowl and drain the turnips well in the colander.
Layer the vegetables in the dish, intersperse the remaining thyme sprigs among them, season lightly with salt and pepper, and add the blue cheese. Pour the half-and-half through a strainer over the top. Bake, uncovered, until the cream is absorbed and the top is browned, about 30 minutes.
Dana's Note: I doubled this recipe and baked it in 4 mini-loaf pans. I baked it for 45 minutes total.
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