Posts filed under 'Recipes'
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!
August 30th, 2010
A recent trip to Mexico preceded by Natural Products Expo inspired this post. Coconut water is a natural isotonic. Next to water it is the best way to rehydrate if you are dehydrated which is the main reason why athletes and weekend warriors alike are buying the retail brands Zico and O.N.E.
I’ve tasted most of the retail coconut waters and can safely say that aside from having fresh coconut water right out of the coconut, the two brands mentioned are the best -bar none.
This is because the water is extracted from young coconuts, or rather coconuts that are about 7 months into their maturing process. The meat of the coconut has not yet developed. Zico and O.N.E. are manufactured in their country of origin which is Brazil.
Coconut water takes a little getting used to which is why these brands are adding natural flavor. Believe it or not but coconut waters do vary in flavor, not only from country to country but from tree to tree,
The Mexican coconuts above were very different in taste. The one on the right, known as Naranja because of its orange color, was sweeter than the greener ones on the left.
On Cozumel, I saw many coconut water cocktails. There was one called Mexican Gatorade which was made with rum that claimed you wouldn’t get a hangover from it. Indeed because of its rich potassium content, it does make a great refresher if you over imbibe. I like to make agua frescas using coconut water. With all this hot summer weather, this recipe is worth a try.
.jpg)
Using fresh is great but then you are left with having to deal with getting the meat out. The coconut pictured above is actually a mature coconut that I used in Shanghai while developing drinks for a client.
The recipes below use O.N.E. brand in the quart size package. I chose watermelon as the Chinese believe watermelon to be very cooling. You can try using strawberries and mangoes. If you use frozen fruit, you can omit the ice.
Depending on the sweetness of the fruit, you might not need any simple syrup. Simple syrup is made easily by boiling 1 cup water with 1 cup of sugar until the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool before using. During the summer I store simple syrup in the refrigerator so that I can make homemade lemonade and agua frescas anytime.
Coconut Agua Fresca
2 cups coconut water
1 cup fresh watermelon or cantelope, no rind
a few cubes of ice
simple syrup, to taste (Kim’s mint syrup would be a great choice)
In a blender place the ice, coconut water and cut up melon. Process until all the ice is broken up.
Add simple syrup, 3 Tbsp. at a time, until you get it to your desired sweetness. Pour into glasses and enjoy!
August 6th, 2010
For my first born’s 14th birthday, a super fudge chocolate cake was requested. I decided to try a cake made with vinegar. Vinegar is one of the secret ingredients in Red Velvet cake. It is also used in vegan baking because vinegar reacts with baking soda creating carbon dioxide which causes cakes and cookies to rise.
I can’t say this cake was super tall, but it delivered on super fudge as I layered the cake with milk chocolate ganache and then topped the whole cake off with a fudge frosting. The result was a very rich, moist cake. Since the chocolate, sugar and butter are all melted together, the batter is very loose and pours like a liquid.
For the cake:
2 cups sugar
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 stick of butter (1/4 lb)
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
(At high altitude you need to decrease leavening by 1/3 otherwise the cake gets dry and tough)
1 tsp. sea salt
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 375 degrees( 350 degrees at high altitude). In a sauce pan melt together the chocolate, sugar and butter and stir well. Allow to cool.
In a large bowl sift together the dry ingredients. Pour the milk into a measuring cup and add vinegar and eggs and beat together so the eggs break up.
Once the chocolate is cool to the touch whisk it in the milk mixture. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Now slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry stir well and slowly until the batter is smooth.
Add the vanilla and stir again. Pour into 2 prepared 9-inch round cake pans. Bake until firm and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center – about 30 to 35 minutes. Allow to cool entirely before removing from the pan and frosting.
Milk Chocolate Ganache
1 cup heavy cream, heat to almost boiling
9 ounces milk chocolate chips
Pour the heated heavy cream over the chips and stir until all smooth.
Super Easy, Very Kid Friendly, Fudge Frosting
1 lb. powdered sugar, about 3 3/4 cups
1/4 tsp. salt
4 ounces butter, softtened
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
Place the powdered sugar and butter into the bowl of a food processor and process until combined. With the machine running, pour in the milk and vanilla and blend until smooth then add the melted chocolate. Use immediately.
To Assemble: Using a serrated knife, slice each cooled cake in half. You will have a total of four layers.
Place the first layer on a platter and pour some of the ganache on top. With a flat spatula or knife spread it to about 1/8 inch from the edges. Now add next 2 layers and repeat. Add the top, and it should be a smooth top piece from one of the 2 original cakes so that there are no crumbs present.
Spread the fudge frosting across the top and down and around the sides. For best results, allow this cake to sit together from a couple of hours so that the ganache permeates the cake.
Off to have a piece with vanilla ice cream right now!
May 19th, 2010
We are being teased here in Boulder with beautiful spring weather. The grill is enticing me outdoors and since there are only a few patches of snow left, I will embark.
This is one of my all time favorite treatments for fish. With origins from northern Africa, chermoula is good on any fish. I had it on halibut as it looked really fresh. I have also used it on chicken, eggplant and in couscous.
You can use limes, tangerines, blood oranges or regular oranges with the lemon too. Served on a simple couscous, the sauce permeates the fish and the grain for a tangy, spicy dinner for 2 to 4 depending on how much sauce you like.
1/2 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp. cumin
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 cup fruity EVOO
Salt and Pepper to taste
Place all ingredients, except for the oil, salt and pepper, into a bowl. Slowly whisk the oil into the bowl. Season to your liking.
For fish, salt and pepper your fish. Rub with a little oil on each side. You can spoon a little of the marinade on to the fish and allow to marinate for 20 minutes. Don’t go much longer as the acid in the lemon juice will start to "cook" the fish.
Depending on the thickness of your fish, grill it for 6 minutes per side. Swordfish, grouper, mahi mahi and cod would all be excellent choices. I used halibut which is pictured below. Place a portion of your grilled fish onto the couscous and then place a few tablespoons of the sauce directly on top of the fish and serve.
April 2nd, 2010
How to Roast a Lamb is written by chef and restauranteur Michael Psilakis of New York. I saw him in the fall on the Martha Stewart Show and decided that this was a book worth purchasing. As I mentioned before, I really don’t care for the title, but the contents deliver excellent meals. I took a few liberties with his recipe.
I am now fully committed to cooking beans in clay pots. It takes a bit more work, but the results are superb every time.
With the strange warm weather I am being seduced into thinking that we are through with winter. Spring just might be around the corner so here is a lovely menu for all those inclined to defy the groundhog. I loved the white gigantes beans as they are impressive, toothsome and tasty.
The first night I served the fasolada with a very simple roasted boneless leg of lamb with a pomegrante dried cherry reduction. We had leftover white beans and I served it as a soup with a fresh gremolata (recipe below) and feta cheese on top. It was outstanding in both presentations. This soup has just the right notes of herbs, onions and creamy beans.
Fasolada – White Bean Soup adapted from How to Roast a Lamb
1 lb dried cannellini beans or white gigantes, soaked overnight
2 Tbsp. canola oil or olive oil
1 large parsnip, peeled, woody interior stem removed, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 large fennel bulb, diced
1 white onion, diced
2 bay leaves
4 large sprigs of fresh thyme
1 cup dry white wine
1 leek, halved and thinly sliced
water
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Warm the oil in a large heavy bottomed pot. Add all the vegetables, except for the leek, and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with wine and allow to evaporate.
Add the beans, leeks, bay leaves, thyme and stir to incorporate. Now transfer the contents into the clay pot. Pour in the water to cover the beans by 1 1/2 inches and bring to a boil on the stove. Cover and transfer to a preheated 350 degree oven. Cook for about 2 hours, checking the beans after about 1 1/2 hours.
When beans are tender, remove from the oven. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the lemon juice. and chopped garlic. Take out about 2 cups of the soup and puree in a blender or in a food processor until smooth. Stir the pureed soup back into the pot. Cover and allow to cool, or place back into the oven with the heat off until you are ready to serve.
Gremolata -This is traditionally used on top of Osso Buco. I’ve started to use it on so many things from grilled fish to beans soups.
1/2 cup freshly chopped mint
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup minced garlic
2 1/2 Tbsp. lemon zest
Place all the minced/chopped ingredients together and toss together well. Serve a heaping Tbsp. on top of each bowl of soup.
March 19th, 2010
