From Kimberly
We will be signing off for a few days as summer draws to a close. May your holiday weekend be full of yumminess and fun.
My plans include the Blue Hill Farmer’s market, lobster, Allagash White, garden tomatoes, dilly beans and hopefully lots of sunshine. I would like to take a moment to politely request that Hurricane Earl stay offshore.
Add comment September 3rd, 2010
From Barr
We got our tomatoes in late this year but the harvest promises a good yield - especially on leaves. One of my favorite fragrances is that of the leaf of the tomato plant.
While at the Harold McGee Lectures series at the French Culinary Institute in November of 2009, I was given print outs of many of the Curious Cook columns Mr. McGee writes for the New York Times. One of the many wonderful articles was about tomato leaves in cooking. Now, yes it is thought that they are poisonous, but it turns out that this has never actually been proven. To read the article click here.
I will freeze a few leaves too and see if in the heart of winter I can evoke some summer aromas into my tomato sauce. I tried putting tomato leaves in jarred pasta sauce and also in homemade. The results were nice. Overall the Paul Bertolli recipe wins.
To try that recipe click here. You can also put a few of your leaves into pesto. For Harold McGee’s procedure for this click here.
Add comment September 2nd, 2010
From Barr
While this is not a quick recipe, it is certainly an old favorite from the original Greens cookbook by "vegetarianista" Deborah Madison. This is a perfect vegetarian dinner, especially for a large group on a warm summer night.
Basically this roulade is a flat, filled souffle. You can fill it with anything you like, but I feel that less is more with a roulade.
This one was filled with drained ricotta cheese and pesto and the topped with a very simple salsa of fresh vine ripened tomatoes, some fresh chopped garlic and basil, a little EVVO and salt and pepper. Served alongside chard (stay tuned for recipe) and Israeli couscous with peas, our group of 12 had plenty to feast on.
For the Roulade:
10 eggs at room temperature
5 cups of milk
1/2 tsp nutmeg
8 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup flour
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put a few dabs of butter on the pan to help anchor the paper in. Lightly butter and flour the paper, knocking off any excess flour.
Separate the yolks and the whites; lighty beat the yolks and set them aside. Heat the milk and make the roux by melting the butter, add the flour, and, stirring cook for 1 to 2 minutes over medium heat until the roux is lightly colored.
Add the heated milk, and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring constantly; then remove from the heat and season with 1 teaspoon salt and the nutmeg. Gradually whisk some of the hot mixture into the yolks to warm them; then return to the pan and combine with the rest of the roux.
In a large bowl, whisk or beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until smooth firm peaks form. Stir about a quarter of the whites and half the grated cheese and the milk-egg yolk mixture; then gently fold in the rest of the whites. Pour the whole mixture onto the baking sheet, spread it to fill all the comers, and sprinkle rest of the cheese over the surface. Bake until the top is nicely browned and puffed, about 15 minutes.
Remove the souffle from the oven and let it cool. Carefully turn it out onto a large flat cutting board, with a tea towel on it, by turning over the pan. Remove the paper. It is now ready to be filled and rolled.
Filling: If you’d like an extra punch of basil, scatter a few whole leaves over the ricotta mixture before rolling the roulade.
1 lb. tub plus 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, drained
1 cup prepared pesto (or Marcela Hazan’s tried and true pesto)
salt and pepper to taste
Place the drained ricotta into a bowl and stir in the pesto. Season with salt and pepper.
Assembling the Roulade:
With the long side of the roulade facing you, spread the ricotta/pesto mixture across 2/3 of the roulade. Using the towel gently guide the the roulade into a log form. If possible, take the whole cutting board and place it into your refrigerator and let the roulade sit for about 20 minutes.
Otherwise, you can cut the roulade in half and place it on to 2 smaller plates and refrigerate. You can assemble the salsa a this point. Remove the roulade from the refrigerator and slice into 1/2 inch pieces. Arrange on a serving platter or directly onto your dinner plates, top with the salsa and enjoy!
Add comment August 30th, 2010
From Kimberly
Remember the Spicy Chorizo and Potatoes recipe we posted for a blog contest a few weeks back? We are finalists 
To vote, simply click on the link below and give the video a thumbs-up like vote. The finalist with the most like votes wins a $500 Williams and Sonoma Gift Card and to quote my precious Vincenzo "I waaaaannntt it." so please help us win it.
Many, many thanks and many wishes for a happy weeekend
There will be more summer sips coming for the weekend.
Add comment August 27th, 2010
From Kimberly
Looking for a lovely cocktail to sip as the summer winds down? Royal Combier is a an orange kissed brandy with delicate hints of cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg.
A Royal Jubilee (recipe below) uses lemon and mint to accent the classic, French elixir creating a cocktail that is so sippable and so refreshing.
2 oz Royal Combier
4 chunks fresh lemon (1/2 lemon)
6-8 minT leaves
Muddle mint leaves and lemon wedges in mixing glass. Add Royal Combier and ice and shake hard. Strain over ice in a rocks glass and garnish with a fresh mint sprig.
Add comment August 25th, 2010
From Kimberly
With all of the hot, dry weather this summer, eggplant is rivaling zucchini’s abundance! Besides babaganoush, what’s a cook to do? This recipe was originally published in Hannaford’s fresh magazine. I just love the combination of smokey eggplant and creamy mozzarella, all pulled together with store-bought sauce.
I know that garden tomatoes are bountiful right now and you certainly could use homemade tomato sauce if you have it on hand, but the idea behind this recipe was ease. Many folks in the south and west have already headed back to school; with only six ingredients, this recipe can be cooked up in about the time it takes to cook and drain the pasta. Love it!
Grilled Eggplant Parmesan Pasta
adapted from Hannaford fresh magazine, July-August 2009
1 lb. dry rigatoni
1 (24-oz.) jar favorite pasta sauce
1 eggplant, about 1 lb, peeled
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, diced
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
Preheat grill. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and stir well. Cook 10 to 12 minutes,stirring occasionally, until just tenderor al dente. Drain and return to pot. While pasta cooks, warm sauce in a saucepan over medium heat. When sauce is simmering, reduce heat to low.
While sauce heats, cut eggplant lengthwise into 1-inch-thick slices. Lightly spray both sides with cooking spray. Grill eggplant until well marked on both sides, 4 to5 minutes per side. Roughly chop grilled eggplant.
Add eggplant and sauce to cooked pasta. Toss well. For each serving, start with sauced pasta then add a portion of fresh mozzarella, top with more sauced pasta, Parmesan and parsley. Serve immediately.
Alternatively, the pasta, sauce and cheeses can be layered into a serving bowl and served family-style.
Add comment August 23rd, 2010
