I've sunk back into a lull of not blogging; but I did want to share a very easy pasta recipe that I made when the family was in town.
Overwhelmed with the harvest of tomatoes, and also a request for pasta on a steak night, I threw together something entirely from the garden.
It's a light, tangy, tomato sauce, and perfect for a late summer evening. The best part of it? It only takes 5 ingredients & 15 minutes!
Summer Fresh Tomato Pasta
Serves 4
2 cups Tomatoes, diced/halved if cherry
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 ea lemon, zested & juiced
1/2 cup Basil, chiffonade
2 tbs Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
4 servings noodle pasta, cooked according to directions
Heat olive oil in a heavy pan, add garlic, and cook till tender, but not browned
Add the tomatoes, lemon juice & lemon zest
Cook on high until tomatoes are soft, and liquid is mostly cooked down, depending on how thick you like the sauce
Season to taste
Stir in the basil chiffonade
Toss with pasta & serve
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Happy Birthday Chef Laura!
Oh yes, and Chef Laura had birthday over the weekend with Princess Cake (genoise, custard, jam, meringue and marzipan)!
- It makes no sense because iPad spellcheck is dense
- It makes no sense because iPad spellcheck is dense
Frozen Fish and Flowers
Been doing some interesting cooking lately, what with the tomatoes in our garden in full harvest -we're getting about a quart of tomatoes a day now, and full sized zucchini and squash every few days. I've also started ordering from Farm Fresh to You in hopes of becoming a healthier eater now that I'm actually obliged to cook for three.
I've been on a 3 week cooking rampage - Cook through the weekend that I get my delivery, then wait 3 weeks before cooking again. It's been working out with me freezing a stash of food, so that all we have to is heat it up for a quick and nutritious meal. Maybe I'll start a series called 'Eating well for the busy mom' or something; although I'm still not done with my 101 pasta series!
Jumping on the frozen food bandwagon, I decided J would benefit from eating organic, and unprocessed food. I just couldn't stand the thought of him chowing down that jarred stuff - I don't care if it costs $15 an oz. It can't be that good for you if it is stored in a jar on a shelf!
I wanted to see if he could be a raw vegan for the first year of his life, but as I conjured up recipes in my head, it just became so tiring. Besides, how would he ever get enough carbs that way?
So, I instead put out my IQF skills, and for his first home cooked meal, whipped up brown rice porridge and steamed green beans. Everything ended up being processed eventually but I can live with it if I'm doing it myself.
I also froze everything in cute little shaped ice trays - so now we have green bean fish and starfish and flower snapped brown rice porridge. I figure it might help him make eating veggies and rice fun, although he might be too young to tell the difference yet.
We'll see how he likes it, he gets to try some tomorrow!
- It makes no sense because iPad spellcheck is dense
I've been on a 3 week cooking rampage - Cook through the weekend that I get my delivery, then wait 3 weeks before cooking again. It's been working out with me freezing a stash of food, so that all we have to is heat it up for a quick and nutritious meal. Maybe I'll start a series called 'Eating well for the busy mom' or something; although I'm still not done with my 101 pasta series!
Jumping on the frozen food bandwagon, I decided J would benefit from eating organic, and unprocessed food. I just couldn't stand the thought of him chowing down that jarred stuff - I don't care if it costs $15 an oz. It can't be that good for you if it is stored in a jar on a shelf!
I wanted to see if he could be a raw vegan for the first year of his life, but as I conjured up recipes in my head, it just became so tiring. Besides, how would he ever get enough carbs that way?
So, I instead put out my IQF skills, and for his first home cooked meal, whipped up brown rice porridge and steamed green beans. Everything ended up being processed eventually but I can live with it if I'm doing it myself.
I also froze everything in cute little shaped ice trays - so now we have green bean fish and starfish and flower snapped brown rice porridge. I figure it might help him make eating veggies and rice fun, although he might be too young to tell the difference yet.
We'll see how he likes it, he gets to try some tomorrow!
- It makes no sense because iPad spellcheck is dense
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
The Easy Date
When it comes to pastries and desserts, I definitely hang up my apron strings. The long standing feud between dessert & savory chefs is most likely true - I have never met one who is an expert in both.
However, it's imperative that every savory chef have a couple of desserts on their repertoire, and vice versa. It makes no sense to say to your dinner guests, "sorry, I don't do dessert" after a nice meal. It's almost as sacrilegious as not serving wine with dinner.
I've worked to perfect a few desserts that I can call on for any occasion, and am striving to extend myself as a dessert chef (apprentice is a more appropriate word) as well.
One of my favorite dessert ingredients to work with is the ancient date. It's no wonder the date has been a staple and favorite in many cuisines of old, what with the sticky, chewy, and sugary flavor. Most of the dates that we get over here are dried, which concentrate the flavor even more; although I did have the opportunity of savoring a fresh date when I was in Israel, and it is quite delicious as well.
It's an extremely versatile fruit to work with, and not only that, but as there are so many different varieties, just using a different type of date can give dessert a new twist.
One of my stock date desserts is the sticky date pudding, first introduced to me in Australia, where the dessert is exceedingly popular, although I first attempted this only a few years back.
I do not make my pudding particularly sticky. I kind of relish the lighter, spongy texture; but this is because the butterscotch/rum/brandy/toffee sauce that it's served with is severely thick and rich that it works for a nice balance.
It's also such an easy dessert that you can make it just hours ahead to serve it warm or at room temperature. If you're in a pinch and want to do this ahead, it's not a big deal. Just make sure the sauce is thoroughly warmed before generously lathering it over a slice of pudding.
Here's the recipe:
Sticky Date Pudding
Serves 8
1 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1 1/4 cup Dates, pitted & chopped
1/2 tsp Baking soda
3/4 cup Boiling Water
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Salt
3/4 cup Brown sugar
2 ea Eggs
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
4 Tbs Butter, melted
Preheat oven to 300F
Combine dates and baking soda
Pour water over baking soda and leave to soak for 15 minutes
Remove half of the dates and set aside
In a blender, combine the remaining dates and liquid, as well as all the other ingredients, except the flour
Blend until mixture is well combined
Pour liquid mixture into flour and stir until batter is uniform
Stir in the reserved dates
Pour batter into well buttered 8" cake tin, and place tin in a water bath
Cover water bath tightly with cling wrap (yes it can go in the oven)
Carefully place pudding in oven and bake for about 40 minutes or until pudding is puffed and springs back when lightly pressed
Serve with Toffee sauce (recipe below)
Toffee Sauce recipe
16 oz Butter, chopped
1 1/2 cup Brown sugar
1 cup Heavy cream
In a heavy saucepan melt the butter until it foams
Add the brown sugar and stir until sugar dissolves
Add the cream and cook until sauce thickens slightly or to desired consistency
This post is especially for Laura S my Bar Method instructor!
- It makes no sense because iPad spellcheck is dense
However, it's imperative that every savory chef have a couple of desserts on their repertoire, and vice versa. It makes no sense to say to your dinner guests, "sorry, I don't do dessert" after a nice meal. It's almost as sacrilegious as not serving wine with dinner.
I've worked to perfect a few desserts that I can call on for any occasion, and am striving to extend myself as a dessert chef (apprentice is a more appropriate word) as well.
One of my favorite dessert ingredients to work with is the ancient date. It's no wonder the date has been a staple and favorite in many cuisines of old, what with the sticky, chewy, and sugary flavor. Most of the dates that we get over here are dried, which concentrate the flavor even more; although I did have the opportunity of savoring a fresh date when I was in Israel, and it is quite delicious as well.
It's an extremely versatile fruit to work with, and not only that, but as there are so many different varieties, just using a different type of date can give dessert a new twist.
One of my stock date desserts is the sticky date pudding, first introduced to me in Australia, where the dessert is exceedingly popular, although I first attempted this only a few years back.
I do not make my pudding particularly sticky. I kind of relish the lighter, spongy texture; but this is because the butterscotch/rum/brandy/toffee sauce that it's served with is severely thick and rich that it works for a nice balance.
It's also such an easy dessert that you can make it just hours ahead to serve it warm or at room temperature. If you're in a pinch and want to do this ahead, it's not a big deal. Just make sure the sauce is thoroughly warmed before generously lathering it over a slice of pudding.
Here's the recipe:
Sticky Date Pudding
Serves 8
1 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1 1/4 cup Dates, pitted & chopped
1/2 tsp Baking soda
3/4 cup Boiling Water
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Salt
3/4 cup Brown sugar
2 ea Eggs
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
4 Tbs Butter, melted
Preheat oven to 300F
Combine dates and baking soda
Pour water over baking soda and leave to soak for 15 minutes
Remove half of the dates and set aside
In a blender, combine the remaining dates and liquid, as well as all the other ingredients, except the flour
Blend until mixture is well combined
Pour liquid mixture into flour and stir until batter is uniform
Stir in the reserved dates
Pour batter into well buttered 8" cake tin, and place tin in a water bath
Cover water bath tightly with cling wrap (yes it can go in the oven)
Carefully place pudding in oven and bake for about 40 minutes or until pudding is puffed and springs back when lightly pressed
Serve with Toffee sauce (recipe below)
Toffee Sauce recipe
16 oz Butter, chopped
1 1/2 cup Brown sugar
1 cup Heavy cream
In a heavy saucepan melt the butter until it foams
Add the brown sugar and stir until sugar dissolves
Add the cream and cook until sauce thickens slightly or to desired consistency
This post is especially for Laura S my Bar Method instructor!
- It makes no sense because iPad spellcheck is dense
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Baptisms and Breakfasts
I've already learned that there are a multitude of proud moments even as a young parent, starting with, of course, the actual birth itself. However, some occasions rank higher than others, and Jadon's baptism definitely counts are being somewhere quite high up there.
We were anxiously awaiting this day (and a wardrobe) and wanted our closest family & friends to be there to witness this event as well. After a very touching service and outstanding behavior by this little man (who didn't cry at all, and looked in amazement at the congregation from the stage), everyone headed back to our home for a breakfast.
I knew we were going to be gone about 2 hours at church, and seeing as service was at 8am, realistically I knew that there was little chance of doing any prep work the morning of, what with feeding and dressings two people and all.
As with all my entertaining my famous motto prevails - make it easy on yourself. Everything that I served at breakfast was a make ahead, but the piece de resistance was the breakfast casserole.
When I think of stratas, I'm overcome with thoughts of heavy cheese, and bread drenched in fat, so it wasn't the first thing to come to my mind when conjuring up a spring breakfast menu. However, I worked my way into making it more delicate, simply by using a rich recipe for the egg mixture, and using fresh & simple ingredients like ham & corn.
I also used a really low oven (280F) for the time that we were gone, and this slow cooking method really worked well for a soft pudding soaked in luxurious egg custard with the flavor seeping in from the tasty ham.
The best part of the dish was that it was make ahead of course, and so all I had to do the morning of was to stick it in the oven.
The rest of the menu was just as tasty, and easy. We had two large fruit plates, which I had sliced and plated the day before, and an arugula salad with marinated-ahead mini mozzarella balls and cherry tomatoes as a dressing. For the entrees, there were meatballs, frozen ahead, recipe here, and the casserole which was also assembled the day before.
The perfect spring breakfast dessert was an olive oil cake (I think I taught this at one of my classes) served with sweet lemon ricotta.
Needless to say, it was a huge success, but of course Jadon was the star of the moment, so who really cares what the food was like? ;)
Here's the recipe for the casserole (which is really no more than a savory bread pudding)
Tip 1: If you're assembling the casserole ahead, you do need to croutonize the bread. If you're doing it day of, you can just use stale bread
Tip 2: If you're in a hurry, you can cook it at 350F in under an hour, but please use a water bath!
Ham & Corn Breakfast Casserole
serves 6-8
3 cups croutons (recipe below)
4 ea eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 cup ham, diced
1 cup corn kernels, frozen or fresh
1/2 ea onion, diced
1 tbs olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Sauté the onion in the olive oil until translucent and lightly browned
Scald the milk and cream, and whisk into the beaten eggs
Season the egg mixture to taste
Combine the croutons, onions, ham and corn into a well oiled 8x8 casserole dish
Pour the egg custard over the bread mixture, being careful to allow the liquid to soak the bread
Let stand for about an hour, or cover and refrigerate over night
Bake at 300F for about 1.5 hrs, or until casserole is lightly puffed, and slightly spongy when pressed
Broil for 1 minute to brown the top if necessary
Croutons
3 cups Bread, diced
1 tbs Olive oil
Toss bread in olive oil. Bake in a single layer at 350F for about 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
We were anxiously awaiting this day (and a wardrobe) and wanted our closest family & friends to be there to witness this event as well. After a very touching service and outstanding behavior by this little man (who didn't cry at all, and looked in amazement at the congregation from the stage), everyone headed back to our home for a breakfast.
I knew we were going to be gone about 2 hours at church, and seeing as service was at 8am, realistically I knew that there was little chance of doing any prep work the morning of, what with feeding and dressings two people and all.
As with all my entertaining my famous motto prevails - make it easy on yourself. Everything that I served at breakfast was a make ahead, but the piece de resistance was the breakfast casserole.
When I think of stratas, I'm overcome with thoughts of heavy cheese, and bread drenched in fat, so it wasn't the first thing to come to my mind when conjuring up a spring breakfast menu. However, I worked my way into making it more delicate, simply by using a rich recipe for the egg mixture, and using fresh & simple ingredients like ham & corn.
I also used a really low oven (280F) for the time that we were gone, and this slow cooking method really worked well for a soft pudding soaked in luxurious egg custard with the flavor seeping in from the tasty ham.
The best part of the dish was that it was make ahead of course, and so all I had to do the morning of was to stick it in the oven.
The rest of the menu was just as tasty, and easy. We had two large fruit plates, which I had sliced and plated the day before, and an arugula salad with marinated-ahead mini mozzarella balls and cherry tomatoes as a dressing. For the entrees, there were meatballs, frozen ahead, recipe here, and the casserole which was also assembled the day before.
The perfect spring breakfast dessert was an olive oil cake (I think I taught this at one of my classes) served with sweet lemon ricotta.
Needless to say, it was a huge success, but of course Jadon was the star of the moment, so who really cares what the food was like? ;)
Here's the recipe for the casserole (which is really no more than a savory bread pudding)
Tip 1: If you're assembling the casserole ahead, you do need to croutonize the bread. If you're doing it day of, you can just use stale bread
Tip 2: If you're in a hurry, you can cook it at 350F in under an hour, but please use a water bath!
Ham & Corn Breakfast Casserole
serves 6-8
3 cups croutons (recipe below)
4 ea eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 cup ham, diced
1 cup corn kernels, frozen or fresh
1/2 ea onion, diced
1 tbs olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Sauté the onion in the olive oil until translucent and lightly browned
Scald the milk and cream, and whisk into the beaten eggs
Season the egg mixture to taste
Combine the croutons, onions, ham and corn into a well oiled 8x8 casserole dish
Pour the egg custard over the bread mixture, being careful to allow the liquid to soak the bread
Let stand for about an hour, or cover and refrigerate over night
Bake at 300F for about 1.5 hrs, or until casserole is lightly puffed, and slightly spongy when pressed
Broil for 1 minute to brown the top if necessary
Croutons
3 cups Bread, diced
1 tbs Olive oil
Toss bread in olive oil. Bake in a single layer at 350F for about 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday, May 23, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Hors D'oeurves in 15 Minutes
I love Easter - traditionally I've always done a big lunch, or contributed with an entree, like last year, where, as a guest I signed up for the roasted lamb; marinated in fennel and green garlic (my favorite lamb recipe)and quinoa salad.
This year, with the little monkey to attend to, I was asked to make hors d'oeurves instead. Not having very much prep time, and also low on my tank of energy, it was imperative that anything I make would be simple, tasty, and of course live up to my reputation as Chef Laura.
It didn't take me too long to figure out that bacon wrapped dates and gougeres where the two best options.
Bacon wrapped dates have, for a long time been a perennial favorite. I love the sweet salty taste of it, and usually combine it with a blue cheese garlic sauce that adds some good kick to it. Also, the name of the dish really describes the recipe. That's all there is to it - except that, of course, you have to bake it until the bacon is cooked. (I like using the uncured bacon from Trader Joes)
Gougeres, or cheese puffs, on the other hand, do require a recipe. They are the epitome of an amuse bouche. Light, yet whetting your appetite, causing you to want more! The first time I made these were way back when I was in junior high. Not having very much experience, they were crunchy for all of two seconds, and then immediately sagged after coming out of the oven. Regardless, they were delicious. The nutty cheese and the light dough (chewy instead of crunchy) actually resulted in me making them the wrong way more than once!
Years later, (without engaging the recipe again) I finally learned the proper way to make them. The secret lies in two thing. One, cooling off the dough before adding the eggs, and two, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before the next one is added. Make sure that you no longer can see steam coming from the dough before the eggs are added. This excess moisture is what contributes to the "sagging". When adding the eggs, you want to quickly beat it into the dough, lest it cook from the heat before incorporating.
You'll get the most success using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, but it is sometimes too cumbersome to break out the mixer just for this. As an alternative, you will need some very good fore arm strength, either yours or someone else's. If you do it the manual way, use a wooden spoon to do the whole thing, beating very vigorously throughout the whole process.
As an added bonus, after the gougeres are cooked, turn the oven off, and leave the door cracked with the gougeres still in them to let them dry out a bit. This also helps them retain their crunchiness after coming out of the oven.
Here's the recipe:
Gougeres
Makes about 4 dozen hors d'oeurves
1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Milk
4 oz Unsalted butter
1 cup All Purpose flour
4 ea Eggs
4 oz Hard cheese (Gruyere, cheddar, semi soft blue will work too)
Large pinch of Salt, Pepper and ground Nutmeg
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a saucepan, combine the water, milk, butter and salt and bring to a boil.
3. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms
4. Stir over low heat until dough leaves a film on bottom of pan; about 2 minutes
5. Scrape the dough into a bowl; beat vigorously with wooden spoon or in a mixer with the paddle attachment until no longer steaming about 1-2 minutes.
6. Add one egg into the dough, quickly stirring or beating until egg is properly combined
7. Repeat with remaining eggs, making sure that each egg is fully incorporated before the next is added
8. Add the cheese and a pinch each of pepper and nutmeg and combine
9. Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip and pipe quarter sized mounds (or 1 teaspoon each) onto the baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Press peaks down with a wet finger to prevent brown spots
10. Bake for 22 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.
11. Serve immediately
After dough is portioned and piped (step 9), it can be frozen, then stored.
Place frozen dough on baking sheet when ready to cook, and bake for an extra 5-10 minutes, lowering heat to 375 after 25 minutes if tops get too brown
This year, with the little monkey to attend to, I was asked to make hors d'oeurves instead. Not having very much prep time, and also low on my tank of energy, it was imperative that anything I make would be simple, tasty, and of course live up to my reputation as Chef Laura.
It didn't take me too long to figure out that bacon wrapped dates and gougeres where the two best options.
Bacon wrapped dates have, for a long time been a perennial favorite. I love the sweet salty taste of it, and usually combine it with a blue cheese garlic sauce that adds some good kick to it. Also, the name of the dish really describes the recipe. That's all there is to it - except that, of course, you have to bake it until the bacon is cooked. (I like using the uncured bacon from Trader Joes)
Gougeres, or cheese puffs, on the other hand, do require a recipe. They are the epitome of an amuse bouche. Light, yet whetting your appetite, causing you to want more! The first time I made these were way back when I was in junior high. Not having very much experience, they were crunchy for all of two seconds, and then immediately sagged after coming out of the oven. Regardless, they were delicious. The nutty cheese and the light dough (chewy instead of crunchy) actually resulted in me making them the wrong way more than once!
Years later, (without engaging the recipe again) I finally learned the proper way to make them. The secret lies in two thing. One, cooling off the dough before adding the eggs, and two, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before the next one is added. Make sure that you no longer can see steam coming from the dough before the eggs are added. This excess moisture is what contributes to the "sagging". When adding the eggs, you want to quickly beat it into the dough, lest it cook from the heat before incorporating.
You'll get the most success using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, but it is sometimes too cumbersome to break out the mixer just for this. As an alternative, you will need some very good fore arm strength, either yours or someone else's. If you do it the manual way, use a wooden spoon to do the whole thing, beating very vigorously throughout the whole process.
As an added bonus, after the gougeres are cooked, turn the oven off, and leave the door cracked with the gougeres still in them to let them dry out a bit. This also helps them retain their crunchiness after coming out of the oven.
Here's the recipe:
Gougeres
Makes about 4 dozen hors d'oeurves
1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Milk
4 oz Unsalted butter
1 cup All Purpose flour
4 ea Eggs
4 oz Hard cheese (Gruyere, cheddar, semi soft blue will work too)
Large pinch of Salt, Pepper and ground Nutmeg
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a saucepan, combine the water, milk, butter and salt and bring to a boil.
3. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms
4. Stir over low heat until dough leaves a film on bottom of pan; about 2 minutes
5. Scrape the dough into a bowl; beat vigorously with wooden spoon or in a mixer with the paddle attachment until no longer steaming about 1-2 minutes.
6. Add one egg into the dough, quickly stirring or beating until egg is properly combined
7. Repeat with remaining eggs, making sure that each egg is fully incorporated before the next is added
8. Add the cheese and a pinch each of pepper and nutmeg and combine
9. Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip and pipe quarter sized mounds (or 1 teaspoon each) onto the baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Press peaks down with a wet finger to prevent brown spots
10. Bake for 22 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.
11. Serve immediately
After dough is portioned and piped (step 9), it can be frozen, then stored.
Place frozen dough on baking sheet when ready to cook, and bake for an extra 5-10 minutes, lowering heat to 375 after 25 minutes if tops get too brown
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Gateau a la Royale
Jumping on the royal wedding bandwagon, I was tasked with making the royal wedding fridge cake for a tea party.
Having lived in England for a brief period of time, I am ashamed to say that I had no idea what the cake was supposed to be like; texture, taste etc. Online research also did not indicate whether it was supposed to be extra sweet, crunchy, etc.
So, I winged it, envisioning a chewy fudge with a slightly crunchy inside, the sweet more coming from raisins. Some of the recipes called for nuts, but I omitted it since I'm not particularly a fan.
Here's my recipe:
1 package Mcvities Digestive Biscuits
12 oz Bittersweet chocolate chips
1 can Condensed milk
3/4 cup Heavy cream
1/4 cup Light corn syrup
4 oz Butter, unsalted
1 cup raisins
Makes 1 cake
Method
1. Line an 8" square pan with cling wrap
2. Soak the raisins in hot water for about 20 minutes, then drain the liquid off
3. Place the biscuits in a large gallon zip lock bag, seal it, and bash it with a rolling pin, leaving some quarter sized pieces (do this step manually, and don't use a food processor)
4. Combine the condensed milk, cream and corn syrup in a saucepan and bring to a boil
5. Chop the butter up into smaller pieces and place it in a bowl with the chocolate chips
6. Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate, and stir until well combined
7. Leave the chocolate mixture to cool until room temperature
8. Combine the crushed biscuits, raisins and chocolate mixture until everything is well coated with chocolate
9. Pour in the pan, level the top and freeze for about 2-3 hours, or until firm
10. Slice with a sharp knife to serve
*Photos by Mikee (Thanks!)
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