LADY GOUDA

A Love of Whoopie Pies

2012-02-13T19:30:00.002-05:00

For me, nothing says love more than a whoopie pie.

When Mike first started coming to Maine with me, he was quickly introduced to one of my favorite pastimes: shopping at Sherman Farm. Yes, that’s right, one of my favorite things to do while I am spending time relaxing at our family’s home in Maine is to go shopping for produce at a farm stand. In New Hampshire.

The thing is, Sherman’s always has the best of everything. The best zucchini for stuffed squash; the best tomatoes for things like this delicious tart; the best local cheese (and cheese curds) for appetizers like stuffed peppadews; they even have the best ground beef, which make my favorite burgers in the summer, and the greatest chili in the wintertime. Actually, I would estimate that nearly half of the recipes I have put on this blog have ingredients sourced at Sherman Farm in East Conway, New Hampshire.

At first, I bet these rather long trips might have been a bit of a drag for my then-boyfriend. Shopping for food doesn’t always bring about such excitement in normal people. But then Mike realized that Sherman Farm also has the best baked goods: specifically molasses crinkle cookies and a wide assortment of homemade whoopie pies. Now, every time we go to Sherman’s, Mike gets himself a whoopie pie. And I get a bite, of course.

So when it came time to pick out our wedding dessert, it was pretty clear that I was not interested in a traditional wedding cake. Instead, we picked out regional treats that we both loved, like tiny apple pies, cider donuts with apple cider, and two kinds of whoopie pies. It also helped that there is somewhat of a whoopie pie creation myth dispute between the three places that I call home in this world. The Pennsylvania Dutch claim to have created the whoopie pie to feed hungry farm boys while out in the field (representing where I grew up). Here in Boston (where I currently call home), there is a factory building in Roxbury that still has “Home of the Whoopie Pie” painted on its smokestack. And finally, Mainers also claim that they invented the whoopie pie, even going as far as trying to make it their official state dessert in recent years, which only pissed off blueberry pie lovers. So yes, whoopie pies. They're everywhere I look, and I love ‘em.

I have known for a LONG time that I wanted to bake my own whoopie pies and share them with you here on Lady Gouda, but I kept putting it off, thinking that it might be complicated and involved. Um. It was so easy, that I am a bit embarrassed that it took me this long. We are basically talking about inverted cupcakes, after all. A simple batter, a quick filling/frosting, a little bit of assembly, and you have yourself an impressive stack of whoopie pies. Plus, you can make them holiday specific with just a few drops of food coloring to the filling, or a quick adornment to the finished product with some seasonal, edible décor like sprinkles or little candies. Get creative with those whoopies!

Whoopie Pies

Adapted from the Durkee Mower Yummy Book recipe (found in the Down East Magazine’s “Making Whoopies” book)

Note: just as there are many places that claim they have invented the whoopie pie, there are also many, many variations on the recipe for both the cakes and the filling. This version is adapted from the Durkee Mower Company, the creators of Marshmallow Fluff. I decided to go with this old-school corporate methodology, and I loved the taste. The Fluff makes for a slightly lighter filling (in taste, not necessarily calories), which I really liked. I also toned down the sugar content for both the cakes and the filling, as I am known to do. It was still plenty sweet.

Yield: 12-20 whoopie pies, depending on big/small you make them

CAKES

1 egg

½ cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

Filling (recipe follows)

Heat oven to 350° F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment and set aside. In a large bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat egg and vegetable oil. Gradually beat in sugar and continue beating until pale yellow in color.

In another bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In a measuring cup combine milk and vanilla. Add flour and milk mixtures alternately to eggs and sugar, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Once thoroughly mixed together, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This will allow the batter to stiffen up a bit and keep the cakes from spreading too thin while baking.

For smaller whoopie pies, drop a tablespoon of batter onto the cookie sheet. If you’d like them to be larger, aim for 2 tablespoons (about the size of a golf ball). These spread out, so leave room around them. I recommend only baking 6-8 per sheet.

Bake about 6-8 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched with finger. Remove to wire racks to cool. When cool, use filling and two cakes to make sandwiches.

FILLING

1 cup butter (two sticks)

1 cup confectioners' sugar

2 cup Marshmallow Fluff (or a 7 ½ oz. jar)

2 teaspoons vanilla

A few drops of food coloring (optional)

In a medium bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and remaining ingredients until light and fluffy. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring to the filling (red will make a pretty pink, perfect for Valentine’s Day, a drop of the blue and of the red will make a nice violet, which would be nice for Easter or Mother’s Day… you get the point!)

Spoon or pipe about 1-2 tablespoons of filling on to the flat side of one of the cakes. I recommend putting all the filling into the bottom of a plastic bag and cutting off the tip of one of the corners. This produces an easy, homemade piping bag, which allows for better control and a prettier end product.

Take another cake and place on top of the filling. Lightly push the two cakes together. Repeat with the rest of the cakes and filling.

Voila! Whoopie pies for all!

Store in an airtight container and eat within 3 days (there won’t be any left after one, I bet)

Love Birds: Chicken Wrapped in Pastry with Fig + Fontina

2012-02-09T12:30:00.001-05:00

A few Valentine’s Days ago, before I got engaged and married, Mike and I spent a romantic long weekend up in Maine together. It was extra romantic because my mom was there too. Not big on the whole Valentine’s Day thing to begin with, we certainly did not mind having her there, especially when she cooked up a special “love themed” meal. I just love that woman.

Already a budding food snob, I scoffed a bit when she told me she was making not one, but TWO Rachel Ray recipes for our big Valentine’s Day meal. The scoffing stopped quite suddenly when we dug into our meal of “You Won’t Be Single For Long” penne with vodka sauce (seriously) and chicken wrapped in pastry, that Rachel (and my mom) called “Love Birds”. {Note: I think there was also a salad involved, with heart-shaped carrot cut-outs. My mom loves a good theme dinner.} I was soon eating my words and eating up this delicious meal. Score one for mom—and Rachel.

Mike brings up that meal a lot. Needless to say, he loved the Love Birds. Chicken, browned with salt, pepper and rosemary, and then baked in a puff pastry package with fontina and fig jam? Who WOULDN’T love a meal like that?

So, a few weekends ago, we were back in Maine, this time joined by my sister, my cousin, and my dog-niece, Pippa. Searching for a bit of winter, we descended upon the lake for some snow, coziness, good food and—of course— some dog mushing.

Unfortunately the lack of a thick snow pack meant that the big dog sled races could not happen as scheduled that weekend, but we were still able to catch more casual dog sled rides, a polar bear dip, and lots of fun winter sightseeing as it can only occur in western Maine.

Once we had thoroughly soaked up a bit of winter, we came home, de-thawed, lounged around a bit, and eventually tucked into a romantic dinner of Love Birds for four (followed by this Bourbon Banana Bread Pudding, of course). I just love all my Valentines!

Love Birds: Chicken Wrapped in Pastry

Recipe adapted from Rachel Ray and the Food Network

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 to 3 sprigs fresh finely chopped rosemary

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 sheet puff pastry (11 by 17-inch)

4 oz Italian fontina cheese, sliced ½ inch thick (you won’t use all of this)

1/2 cup fig preserves or fig jam

1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the chicken breasts into 4-6 smaller pieces*, about 4 ounces each (think the size of a stack of playing cards). Try to keep each around the same size, so that they cook evenly. Season the chicken with salt, pepper and rosemary. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly brown the chicken on both sides, 5 minutes total. Remove from heat.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut pastry into as many pieces as you have chicken (between 4-6). Carefully slice the chicken breast length-wise, taking care not to go all the way through, so that it creates an envelope. Put a slice of the fontina cheese inside.

In the center of each of the pastry squares, add a small spoonful (about 1-2 teaspoons) of fig preserves or fig jam. Place the chicken (with the cheese inside) on top of the pastry square and pull the edges up around the chicken, sealing it by pinching the edges together. Repeat with the other pastry squares. Place on the parchment-lined baking sheet, pinched side up. Seal with egg wash, flip the pastry packets and brush the tops with remaining egg wash.

If you have any extra dough, feel free to get creative and cut out a little heart or other shape to add on top, for a little extra flare. Bake about 15 minutes, until golden.

*Since boneless, skinless chicken breasts come in all shapes and sizes, you might need to get a bit creative with how you cut this into pieces. Remember, just try to keep them uniform in size, and if they are bigger or smaller, just adjust cooking time a bit either way. You can’t really go wrong with this combination of ingredients, so just go with it! If you need to use that extra sheet of puff pastry to make up more Love Birds, no one is going to be upset. And just think of all the fun dough shapes you can make once you crack into that second sheet!

Bourbon Banana Bread Pudding

2012-02-06T09:13:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the best ideas come from around the big table at a board meeting. Sometimes they pop into your head while on a brisk jog or on a winter hike. And sometimes, they come from a long day spent with a lot of brainstorming, good food, plenty of caffeine, and lots of colorful chalk.

A few weekends ago, my friend Maggie (of Eat Boutique) and I were doing just that—spending a cozy Saturday at her house, laying out the editorial calendar for the next few months of Eat Boutique, when a great idea popped into our collective mind. It went something like this:

“Hmmm…. We need a good winter dessert”.

“ I think it should include booze. Bourbon!”

“Bourbon. Yes. I like bourbon…. a lot.”

“Bread pudding? Bananas? Bourbon?”

“Yes. YES!!!”

AND scene.

Really, sometimes it’s as simple as that.

Fast-forward to a few weekends later, when I found myself in Maine, there for a snowy weekend of relaxing with my husband, sister and cousin. After spending a great deal of time out on the snowy, frozen lake (more on that later this week), we were happy to retreat to comfortable couches and the roaring fireplace.

Happily, I had thought ahead earlier that morning and thrown together the simple ingredients that make up a bread pudding. I tore up a loaf of challah bread; mixed together the custard ingredients of eggs, milk and cream; and added sliced banana, a bit of sugar, some cinnamon. After a good soak in the fridge for a few hours, the pudding was ready to be baked that afternoon, while we warmed up with some wine and bananagrams (guess we have a banana theme here!).

We finally dug in after dinner, loving the cozy comfort of the smooth bread pudding, dotted with the sweet banana slices and covered with a thin and topped with slightly crackly cinnamon sugar crust. A scoop of vanilla ice cream perfected the dessert and made us all very happy campers. The bourbon, though subtle, was a very welcome addition. Thank goodness for great ideas!

For the recipe, check it out where it was originally published, over on Eat Boutique!

Jalapeño Corn Bread + Chili for a Crowd

2012-02-01T09:48:00.003-05:00

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Apparently, it is well known that people north of the Mason-Dixon line like their cornbread sweet, almost reminiscent of a corn muffin. As history tells us, it was tradition up here was to mix the cornmeal with molasses, since it was so readily available here in Boston (so available, in fact, that the stuff actually flooded Boston’s North End). As much as I like both corn muffins and molasses, I think I might have southern tastes when it comes to corn bread. Or maybe they lean a bit towards the southwest?

As I know now, I like my cornbread spicy. And in a skillet. Most of all, I like my spicy, skillet cornbread alongside this chili, which I shared with Eat Boutique today in preparation for this weekend’s National Eat Like a Crazy Person holiday, aka the Super Bowl.

If you take a look at the chili recipe, you might notice a few odd things, like that it calls for things not typically found in chili, such as Dijon mustard, lemon juice, dill, and red wine. You also might notice that the original recipe calls for 8 POUNDS of beef and 6 cans of tomatoes. This recipe, aptly named “Chili for a Crowd”, will serve nearly forty people. For my own little football party a few weeks back, (the same one where we dined on an appetizer of Spinach and Sausage Mini Calzones), I quartered the recipe, making enough for about 8-10 people. Those adaptions can also be found in the recipe on Eat Boutique, along with the original amounts.

Much like the chili is meant for a crowd, this cornbread will also serve a pretty big group of fans too. Fans who like their cornbread not-too-sweet and kind of spicy, just like me.

Jalapeño Corn Bread

Adapted from Saveur Magazine

2 cups yellow cornmeal
2 cups flour
1 1⁄2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
2 1⁄2 tsp. salt
2 cups milk (I used 1 cup milk, 1 cup buttermilk)
1⁄2 cup corn oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 cup sliced pickled jalapeños, chopped
2 tbsp. butter (*unless you go the bacon route)

Heat oven to 425°. Whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in milk, corn oil, and eggs. Using a rubber spatula, fold in corn and jalapeños; set batter aside.

Heat a 12" cast-iron skillet; grease with butter*. Pour in batter; bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

* If you were to have a use for some bacon, this would be extra delicious (and indulgent) if you were to cook it up and use that instead of butter to grease the pan. Actually, adding crumbled, crispy bacon to the cornbread batter would be pretty damn delicious.

SERVES 10

Made for Superbowl XLVI: Spinach + Sausage Mini Calzones

2012-01-25T20:12:00.006-05:00

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I feel like I can finally talk about the Superbowl. I won’t be accused of jinxing any team or getting ahead of myself. While some people love the big game for the football, others love it for the ads, and then there are those of us who love it because we can make a ton of food and not feel especially guilty about eating it. I actually like it for all three reasons, especially when my team is playing.

Quick disclaimer for those who care: for years after moving to New England, I maintained my allegiance to the Eagles and the Phillies. Then I slowly started letting the Red Sox into my life, as I love baseball and going to games at Fenway. Plus, let’s face it, it’s kind of hard NOT to be a fan here, especially when your first year in Boston coincided with the magnificent 2004 season. After years and years of disappointing Eagles seasons, I have finally started openly admitting my admiration of the Patriots. What can I say? I like the way they play and their whole schtick. It works for me. Besides, as an Eagles fan, I can tell you that you always root for the team playing the Giants. Actually, as someone who has spent most of her life either in Philadelphia or New England, I can tell you that you pretty much always root against the New York team, no matter what.

Are you still reading?

With all that said, it is interesting to note that this recipe for mini calzones was created with the Superbowl in mind, but it was first served to a hungry group of “game food” lovers while watching the Giants beat the Packers to clinch their spot in this past weekend’s AFC Championships. It was a raucous game, with the crowd split between Patriots fans (feeling smug about their self-assured victory the night before against those pesky Broncos) and my token Giants friends, Matt and Caroline. For those of you who read this blog carefully (or those of you who know these crazy kids), you might remember that it was these two who also inspired the buffalo chicken meatballs that I made for last year’s Superbowl. Apparently they are my muse for making delicious game-time treats. (You too, Dan!) And boy, were these EVER delicious.

I set out to make two different types of mini calzones: spinach and sausage, but with some encouragement from the crowd, I threw it all together and made a large amount of calzones featuring spinach, sweet Italian sausage, ricotta, mozzarella, onion, garlic and spices. It would be very simple to make one kind or the other, just divide the ingredients in half and make two different fillings. Also, feel free to make your own dough here with a recipe like this one, but I was pretty happy to skip that step on a busy day where I spent a lot of time with family and friends.

Go Pats! (Oh my god, did I just say that on my blog?!)

Mini Calzones

Yield: about 30-36 calzones

Ingredients

Olive oil (for the pan)

1 bag frozen spinach, 16 oz.

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ pound sweet Italian sausage (about 2 links), stripped of its casing

1 pint ricotta (about two cups)

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 tablespoon dried oregano

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 balls of pizza dough (either store bought or from this recipe)

2-3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 egg, beaten (if necessary)

Marinara sauce (for dipping) {this is a good recipe, but I won’t judge if you buy a good quality jar of the stuff}

Directions

Heat olive oil in a pan over a medium temperature. Add the chopped onion and sauté until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes; stir, allowing the garlic to turn slightly golden, about 1-2 minutes. Next, add the frozen spinach; place a cover on to the pan, allowing the spinach to cook down and wilt, about five minutes. Meanwhile, line a plate with paper towels. When the spinach is done, scrape the spinach/onion mixture onto the lined plate. Bring the paper towels together and squeeze the spinach to extract excess liquid. Continue this process until the spinach is very dry. Put the spinach mixture aside.

Add a bit more oil to the pan. Crumble the sweet Italian sausage into the pan and cook until the pieces are cooked through and slightly browned, about 7 minutes. Line a plate with paper towels (this is a theme), and when the sausage is done, drain it on the lined plate. Put the sausage aside.

Heat the oven to 400˚. In a large bowl, add the ricotta cheese, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste (it is hard to over-season here, but remember, the sausage that you are about to add is pretty salty). Mix it all together. Add the spinach and sausage to the ricotta mixture and mix it all together. Divide the mixture in half (so that you have enough for both pizza dough balls), and put it aside.

Next, roll out the pizza dough into a thin rectangle shape, about the size of a cookie sheet (don’t worry if it looks like a mess!). Using a biscuit cutter or the top of a glass, cut about 15-18 circles into the dough. If you have some dough leftover, make it into a ball and roll it out again into a thin sheet; cut more circles.

Take a spoonful of the ricotta mixture and add it to the center of each dough circle. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over top and fold the dough over so that the two edges meet, creating a crescent. Using the tines of a fork, push the two sides of the dough together. Add the mini calzone to a baking sheet; repeat until all calzones are formed. {Note: If you are having trouble closing the calzones, try beating an egg and using that to help “glue” them together. I found that the egg wash made this messier, but it will help if you are having problems.} When you are done putting together the calzones, and they are lined up on your baking dish, bake for about 13-15 minutes, or until they dough is golden brown.

Repeat with the second ball of dough and the second half of the ricotta mixture.

Serve the mini calzones with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

Last note: if there is any ricotta mixture left over at the end, it is absolutely delicious mixed into some pasta. Enjoy!

Sweet Orange Buns

2012-01-18T15:47:00.002-05:00

Sweet Orange Buns. As soon as I laid my eyes on them, I knew that they had to be mine. Which is a rather odd thing, because I have never before made any sort of “bun”. I haven’t attempted Joanne Chang’s famous sticky buns that are so famous in my neighborhood and beyond. I have never tried to make cinnamon buns or rolls. Nothing. A few months ago, I saw a reference to a “lemon bun", and thought to myself “doesn’t that just sound DELICIOUS!?” I scribbled it down on a piece of paper, which I promptly misplaced, and didn’t think of it again until I saw these Orange Buns featured in this month’s Saveur Magazine.

The magazine does this lovely thing called the “Saveur 100” where they simply feature some of their favorite food-related things: restaurants, chefs, kitchen tools, culinary destinations, and many, many recipes. The thing that I particularly loved (after the eye-catching photo) was that this was a recipe shared by a home cook, a friend of the editor’s. I quickly set about gathering what I needed to make these buns with the plan of trying them out on a few willing friends that were staying for the weekend. Well, they were sort of willing—January diets made this recipe a bit of a tough sell. I tried to lighten the load with a big fruit salad made with various citrus fruits, bananas and kiwi, but about half of the buns went into the freezer for another time. (I’m guessing that they will be a very welcome discovery one snowy morning when the blizzards finally decide to show up.) But I also agreed that these buns were a bit more indulgent than they needed to be, so I am sharing my lightened up version below, and plan to make it with less butter and sugar the next time around. I am confident that this will do nothing to the amazing flavor, but will actually just make these easier to enjoy.

I loved the simple fruit salad that we served, but these buns are really meant to be part of a larger brunch menu, so that the sweetness can be tempered by other savory dishes—and plenty of bacon. Plus, when you are entertaining a crowd before noon, it is always a great thing to have a few things made well ahead of time, and it’s even better when you can put this together on a Saturday afternoon, throw it in the fridge, and forget about it until just about a half hour before your guests arrive. Also, as it turns out, Sweet Orange Buns make your house smell incredible.

Sweet Orange Buns

Adapted from Saveur Magazine (January, 2012)

While I followed the original recipe to the letter, I found there to be too much sweet butter filling. Stick with Saveur’s recipe if you like that kind of thing (no judgment here), but next time I will make this recipe with a bit less butter and sugar, which I think will lend itself to a lighter, slightly less sweet orange bun. My suggested recipe below, virtual recipe box style.

Ingredients

Dough

1¼ cups milk, heated to 115°
1 ¼-oz. package active dry yeast
⅓ cup sugar
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. kosher salt 1 egg, lightly beaten
4 cups flour

Filling and Icing

8 tbsp butter, softened (1 stick)

½ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup orange zest (from about 2-3 oranges)

½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. orange extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. fresh orange juice

Directions

Make the dough: Combine milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook; let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in sugar, melted butter, 1 tsp. salt, and egg; add flour, and mix on low speed until dough forms. Increase speed to medium-high; knead until smooth, about 8 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap; let sit until dough doubles in size, about 1½ hours.

Make the Filling: Beat softened butter, brown sugar, and zest in a bowl on high speed of a mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add remaining salt, confectioners' sugar, and extracts; beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer ¼ cup filling to a bowl; stir in juice to make an icing. Set filling and icing aside.

Transfer dough to a work surface; using a rolling pin, roll dough into an 18″ × 10″ rectangle, and spread filling evenly over dough. Lift up bottom edge of dough and roll it into a log; trim ends and cut log into 12 rounds. Transfer rounds cut side up to a greased 9″ × 13″ baking dish; cover with plastic wrap. Chill 6 hours or overnight. (Note: if you are refrigerating the dough overnight, also put the icing in the refrigerator. You will need to take it out and bring it to room temperature before you are able to drizzle it, I even put it in the microwave for a few seconds to help loosen it up into “icing” consistency.)

Heat oven to 375°. Uncover rolls and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Drizzle icing over rolls before serving.

Update: these buns are highly freezable. After baking (and eating a few), I froze the remaining buns in a tupperware. The next weekend I took them out of the freezer, put them in a baking pan, covered it with tin foil and baked in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes. PERFECT!

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Roasted Beet, Carrot and Fennel Salad

2012-01-11T11:06:00.000-05:00

With the goal of keeping it bright and fresh well into January (you know, before we give it all up and start swimming in chocolate next month), I present to you my new favorite salad. For much of my life, “salad” was one that included leafy greens, chopped fresh vegetables, possibly something crunchy, like nuts or croutons. When I first traveled to France, I fell in love with the idea of the salade verte, which invariably was a pile of greens dressed with the best vinaigrette I’ve ever tasted. Seriously, every single French restaurant (and possibly every French person?) knows how to make a perfect vinaigrette. I have yet to master this, but I keep trying.

When I started writing this post, I labored for a bit over the name. What do I call a bowlful of yummy roasted winter vegetables? Thinking about it for a bit, I realized that roasting beets, carrots and fennel slices, and tossing them while warm in a citrusy vinaigrette was very much the definition of a salad. In fact, the methodology actually reminds me quite a bit of a potato salad that I adore. Which, of course, is also a “salad”. As is tuna salad. And chicken salad.

So then I started to google, because what the hell IS a salad anyways? It turns out that salad comes from the French word salade (they are the masters for a reason) or salata in latin, which means “salt”. As it turns out, the word “salad” in Roman times, because it referred to vegetables seasoned with brine or a salty oil-vinegar dressing. Which is pretty much what we have here with this recipe.

I’m glad we have all that cleared up. And now that you know that I am a word dork that is trying to eat healthfully this winter, let’s talk about the recipe below.

The sweet, earthy flavors of the beets, carrots and fennel are a great combination. And the addition of the citrus dressing brings brightness to the dish that makes it both hearty and refreshing. Plus, with just a little bit of work, you have a lot of food that you can eat for days. For us, we ate the salad first as a side dish alongside fish at dinner and then tossed into a larger green salad for lunch the next day. Hello, January!

Roasted Beet, Carrot and Fennel Salad

Yields about 4-6 servings

4 beets, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges (about 1 ½ pounds)

3-4 medium sized carrots, cut into thick coins

1 fennel bulb, top removed and sliced into medium-sized wedges

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 orange, juiced

2 tablespoons white vinegar

salt and freshly ground pepper

2 thyme sprigs

Optional additions: goat cheese, nuts (hazelnut or pistachio would be great here), capers (I pan-fried mine), citrus segments

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°. Toss the beets with the thyme, the water and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Spread into one layer on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet. Cook for about 35-40 minutes, or until tender. Let cool slightly. Discard the thyme.

Meanwhile, in a small baking dish, drizzle the fennel wedges and carrots with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until tender and lightly browned. (I put the fennel and carrots into the oven while the beets were baking).

In a small bowl, add the juice the juice of an orange and whisk in the vinegar. While the vegetables are still warm, add the citrus and vinegar mixture and toss well. Season with salt and pepper. If you think it needs a bit more brightness, add another splash of vinegar or squeeze more orange juice on top, and toss again. Serve warm or at room temperature.

(Note: this can be made ahead, but you may want to store the beets separately from the fennel and the carrots, as the beet juice will stain everything pink - though it IS very pretty that way!)

Taking it to the next level. Because of this household’s love of the beet, I made a LOT of this salad for just two people. The first night, we ate it as is, and loved it. The second night, I mixed things up a bit by adding toasted hazelnuts, fried capers, and goat cheese crumbles. Just delicious! And I even have some left for lunch. I swear, my insides must be stained beet-red by now.

Cutting Corners. Since you all seemed to appreciate my shortcuts in the last post, I will suggest them any time I can in the future. I certainly use them all the time! If I were craving this salad, but was short on time, I would definitely buy those pre-cooked beets that have been popping up in the produce aisle recently. The brand I have been buying is called “Love Beets”. They seem to be lightly pickled, perfectly tangy and sweet. I would roast the fennel and carrots the same way for about 15-20 minutes, cut up the prepared beets, add a squeeze of orange, and enjoy the heck out of them. I’m not sure canned beets would be a great solution, because they can be a little soft and cloyingly sweet at times, but these freshly prepared beets are a wonderful solution.

Light + Fresh: Enchiladas Verdes Casserole

2012-01-04T15:06:00.000-05:00

Like many of you, my eating patterns shift on January 1^st (after the black eyed peas, of course). Gone are the super-rich holiday meals, the cookies and cakes, the multiple glasses of wine and festive cocktails almost every night. Instead of looking at it with a doomsday attitude, though, I actually get really excited to revamp my diet and to plan out cleaner, healthier foods in January. What about you? Do you plan to stop eating sweets, bread, meat, or some other major food group? Maybe you are doing a cleanse or a juice diet. As for me? I’m eating enchiladas.

Yes. Enchiladas. For me, the key to eating healthier is often taking what I love and making it lighter, eating less of it, and bumping up vegetable-heavy sides. Do I want to eat an entire plate of salad in the middle of the winter? No, not especially (unless it were this one, that is). Do I want to eat a big salad alongside two small enchiladas made with chicken, corn tortillas, salsa verde and very little cheese? You bet I do!

What I might love the most about this recipe for enchiladas verdes casserole is the introduction of the tomatillo salsa into my life. Now, I have been eating tomatillos for a few years now (my sister and I mostly ate them chopped up and raw in salads), and I have certainly had salsa verde before—but somehow I never really realized that salsa verde was mostly just tomatillo puree. Now that I know, I can see this as the base of many future recipes to keep things fresh and bright during the cold winter months. Tomatillo puree as a base for a baked chicken dish. Tomatillo puree as a base for a really tasty posole. The possibilities, while not endless, are plentiful. I love that most of the flavor in this dish comes from the tomatillos, the jalapenos, the cilantro—and not heavy, melted cheese. The light sprinkle of a fresh cheese like cotija or feta is all this dish requires, and I feel a lot better afterwards.

If you have resolved to be healthier, save more money, and to simplify your life in 2012, I would say that cooking most of your meals at home will certainly touch on each of those goals. And with that, I have a little tip for those of you who are hoping to get more home-cooked meals on the table after a long day at the office or running after your kids: look for easy inspiration and plan ahead. I must tell you, I ADORE the Everyday Food magazine from Martha Stewart. While I am very excited to flip through the beautiful food magazines that arrive in my mailbox each month, it’s Everyday Food that provides me with ideas and inspiration for most of my weeknight cooking. If you are overwhelmed by the prospect of getting dinner on the table every night (and honestly, who isn’t?), I would definitely recommend getting a subscription to this little digest (or their new iphone/ipad app). Don’t get me wrong, those other magazines also inspire me a great deal, but pound for pound, I think Everyday Food may be my most valuable magazine.

Here’s to a happy and healthy New Year—one that is full of great food, inspiration, and a lot of fun in the kitchen!

Enchiladas Verdes Casserole

Adapted from Everyday Food

Serves 4-6

2 pounds tomatillos (husks removed), washed and coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 white onion, diced small

2 jalapenos, seeded and diced small

3 garlic cloves, minced

Coarse salt and ground pepper

12 corn tortillas

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 pound total), cooked and shredded (about 3 cups), using my preferred (but optional) spice rub: 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, 1/8 tsp cayenne

1 tbsp lime juice (about ½ of a juicy lime, squeezed)

2 ounces cotija cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup) {LG note: I used fresh feta here, because that’s what I could find, and it was delicious}

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 tablespoons sour cream or Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon lime juice (about ½ of a juicy lime, squeezed)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the spice rub and sprinkle over the chicken breasts, rubbing it into the skin. Bake, uncovered, until cooked through (this is a wide range, depending on how large the breasts are—mine were sliced thin this time, and were done in about 10-12 minutes. If they are bigger and thicker, they will take longer.) Let the chicken cool enough to be touched, and shred, using two forks (or your hands). Squeeze half of a lime over the chicken, toss, and put aside.

While the chicken is cooking, puree tomatillos in a blender or a food processer until smooth (I use my mini Cuisinart here). In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and jalapenos and cook until softened, 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add tomatillo puree and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce is thickened slightly, 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Briefly run stack of tortillas under cold water, turning to lightly dampen. Wrap stack in a clean kitchen towel and microwave until pliable, 30 seconds. Fill each tortilla with about 3 tablespoons chicken, fold in half, and arrange in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, overlapping slightly. Top with tomatillo mixture, cover with foil, and bake until bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream (or yogurt) and 1 tablespoon of lime juice. If it needs to be thinned more, add a bit of water. To serve, drizzle casserole with sour cream mixture and sprinkle with cheese and cilantro.

Time-Saving Tips:

If your New Year’s resolutions have you spending a lot of time in the gym, you might be searching for healthy recipes that are also very quick to make. This recipe lends itself well to short-cuts that streamline the prep without taking away any of the taste. Think: prepared rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and a jar of salsa verde (tomatillo salsa).

Happy New Year!

2011-12-30T15:55:00.001-05:00

Did you have a nice Christmas? Mine was lovely, full of family, food, gifts and many, many glasses of wine. We dashed around New England a bit, spending a few very quiet days up in Maine, before returning back to work and Boston mid-week. And now, all the sudden, it's nearly New Year's Eve, and once again, we have no set plans. This seems to happen pretty much every year with us—our friends and family make tentative plans, but avoid committing to anything. We are the worst offenders and therefore have taken a “let’s make this a non-event” approach once again. Which means at this moment, midday on December 30, we still don’t really know what we are doing tomorrow. One of my best friends will be in town this weekend, so I predict that there will be eating and drinking at home, with the possibility of finding a “non-event” bar full of like-minded individuals.

I'll tell you something.... I secretly wish we were hosting a big party. Over the past few days, I have seen great articles and blog posts dash across my computer screen that have left me yearning to entertain at home with bubbles, gougeres, and the perfect mix of sweet treats and salty snacks. We still may do some of this, on a smaller scale, but being so “fly by the seat of our pants” this year precludes me from going crazy with cooking and preparing today. Isn’t that funny? I miss that crazy, adrenaline-fueled, must-plan-NOW feeling.

So instead, here are a few things that I WOULD be cooking and preparing, if I were entertaining a crowd tomorrow.

I would start with champagne cocktails. Because I LOVE bubbly. This Cranberry Champagne Cocktail, brought to you by Denise and Lenny at Chez Us (featured on Eat Boutique this week) is made with a simple cranberry compote. I am imagining that this would be great with a little kick of fresh ginger... and the more I think about this, the more I think that I am making these tomorrow, even if it is just the three of us.

I am also loving the list of sparklers here on The Kitchn and the looks of this Blood Orange Gin Sparkler from Heidi at 101 Cookbooks. It looks SO refreshing (and reminds me a bit of this Sage Rush cocktail I made over the summer).

Then, I would make these snacks:

Gougeres, by Dorie Greenspan (little French Cheese Puffs. They are a perfect pairing for champagne. Have been wanting to make them for YEARS. Why haven’t I done it yet? New Year’s Resolution #1: bake up gougeres—often).

I love my friend Jess’s recipe for Crabbies. These easy snacks are cheesy, salty, and crunchy. They are best when made ahead of time and frozen. Just pop ‘em in the oven and then… into your mouth. They are irresistible and VERY addictive.

I can't throw a party without serving these buffalo chicken meatballs. I would make them tiny to allow for easier snackage. Also—the Spiced Rosemary Nuts that I made for Christmas gifts this year are always a great addition to the snack table at a party.

I would also have to make something with smoked salmon, a great cheese plate, and a few great dips. Hmm. I love appetizer parties.

I may not know what I am doing on December 31 yet, but I always know what I am doing on January 1: making my black eyed peas. I wrote about my family’s tradition last year at this time, but I think I might share this with you all each and every year on Lady Gouda. You see, I love love love black eyed peas. Last year I bucked tradition somewhat and used my slow-cooker to cook the stew instead of simply making it in a big pot. I think I had to, due to my pounding head caused by way too many bourbon & gingers (and a resolution to “loosen up in 2011”) the night before. Here's hoping to a clear-headed January 1st this year. But then again, with no set plans, who knows what kind of trouble we are going to get into tomorrow night?

And with all that, Happy New Year from Lady Gouda! Wishing you and yours a joyous and delicious start to 2012.

Cheers!

Rosemary Spiced Nuts

2011-12-22T13:24:00.001-05:00

Cookies, cookies everywhere, but not a salty snack in sight. While I am a big fan of all things cookie, candy cane and chocolate bark, sometimes a girl just needs a little crunch and savory goodness to get her through the hectic days before Christmas.

Our lady of entertaining, Ina Garten, to the rescue. In pure Barefoot Contessa fashion, this recipe is simple, quick and a crowd-pleaser. Whether you are looking to round out your stocking gifts with a few more little edible treats, or you are heading to your great aunt’s house for a pre-midnight mass cocktail party, this should be your go-to recipe.

What I love most about this recipe for spiced nuts (besides how delicious and easy they are) is how adaptable it is to what you have on hand. Don’t have a huge bin of cashews lying around? Bump up the pecans or almonds. Have a random container of hazelnuts taking up space in the pantry? Throw them on in. Don’t have chipotle powder in your spice rack? Try Spanish paprika or ancho chili powder. Stick with the general guidelines of the recipe, and you’ll be fine. The most important parts of the recipe are the brown sugar, fresh orange juice (though I’m sure you can use what’s left in the carton, too), the rosemary and salt. Oh, and the nuts. You do need nuts to make spiced nuts. Ok then.

This year I even thought ahead enough to pick up cute little bags for this exact purpose, but brown paper bags, cellophane, a little box, parchment or wax paper will also work well. Tie it up with a pretty bow and you are ready to roll!

P.S. These nuts would also make a great snack for a New Year's Eve party. Sweet and spicy nuts go GREAT with bubbles!

Rosemary Spiced Nuts
Recipe by Ina Garten, from Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That? Fabulous Recipes & Easy Tips

Vegetable oil
3 cups whole roasted unsalted cashews
2 cups whole walnut halves
2 cups whole pecan halves
1/2 cup whole almonds
1⁄3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons ground chipotle powder (or another spice, like ancho chili pepper or Spanish paprika)
4 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves, divided
Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Brush a sheet pan generously with vegetable oil, or cover with parchment paper. In a large bowl, add the different kinds of nuts. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, the maple syrup, brown sugar, orange juice, and chipotle powder (or other spice) and mix well. Pour the mixture onto the nuts and toss well. Add the chopped rosemary and 2 teaspoons of salt and toss again.

Spread the nuts in one layer on the baking pan. Roast the nuts for 25 minutes, stirring twice with a large spatula, until the nuts are glazed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with 2 more teaspoons of salt and the remaining 2 tablespoons of rosemary.

Toss well and set aside at room temperature, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking as they cool. Taste for seasoning. Serve warm or cool completely and store in airtight containers at room temperature.

Peppermint and Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

2011-12-18T12:07:00.001-05:00

Apparently I can’t get enough of the peppermint and chocolate flavor combination this holiday season. First there were the super rich, dense, and ultra chocolate-y brownies that I made for my mom’s birthday. They were fantastic on their own, but it wasn’t until we added creamy peppermint ice cream that they became good enough to be a celebratory dessert. And now, I present to you my version of Christmas cookies this year: the Peppermint-Chocolate Crinkle Cookie.

In Christmases past I have obsessed over my ultimate cookie—the molasses crinkle. (It was also about the 5th thing I ever blogged about, hence the very poor photography and writing skills.) While I love it so, it is also true that it’s a cookie that is very welcome any time of the year. So last year I pushed my beloved crinkle aside and became infatuated with these “Orangette” cookies, which were really citrus-laced sables mixed with dark chocolate bits. Oh lordy, are those tasty. If I have time, I might need to put those on my to-do list this week, I know a few family members that would like a little bag of those in their stockings this year.

This year, I took another “year-round” cookie and made it a little bit Christmas-y by adding crushed candy canes to the topping and a small drop of peppermint extract to the dough. They still have the same snow-kissed look of the Chocolate Crinkle, but with a little something special for the season.

This is a chilled dough recipe, meaning that you will quickly put together the very simple cookie dough, throw it in the fridge for at least four hours, clean your kitchen and be on your merry way. During that time, you can cook other things, finish your shopping, go to work, clean your house, whatever. Though it requires a bit of planning ahead, I much prefer a chilled dough cookie recipe as it breaks up the task into very manageable steps. Don’t skimp on the chilling people, or your chocolate crinkles will end up more like chocolate puddles.

Enjoy!

Peppermint and Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Adapted from a similar recipe on The Little Brown Pen

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon peppermint extract (optional)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3-4 candy canes, crushed into oblivion until powder-like

In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla, and peppermint extract (if using). In a separate, small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour half of the flour mixture into the bowl with the cocoa mixture. Using a wooden spoon, stir until the flour is incorporated. Add the rest of the flour to the cocoa mixture, mix until completely combined. Cover dough, and chill for at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Put 3-4 large candy canes in a plastic bag, seal, and crush using a rolling pin or another heavy object. Crush the candy canes until they are nearly a fine powder (if there are a few chunks of candy cane left, that’s fine!). Add the crushed candy canes to the confectioner's sugar, mix together well.

Roll dough into one-inch balls. Coat each ball in confectioners' sugar and candy cane mixture before placing onto prepared cookie sheets.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.

Sweet Potato Spoon Bread

2011-12-13T21:29:00.001-05:00

Do you know about spoon bread? I have long been obsessed with this dish, though I rarely encounter it in my adult life here in New England. Falling somewhere between grits, cornbread and polenta, spoon bread is an amazingly tasty dish that is popular in the South. While my mom is a Mainer, she took to many of the food traditions of the south, where my dad’s family is from. She is a culinary adventurer like that.

I have wanted to post about my mom’s spoon bread here on Lady Gouda for a long time now (did you know that I have been blogging here for two years now? Whoa!), but always forget to get the recipe out of the Gasparilla Cookbook that lives at my parents’ house. Someday. But for now, I will share this slightly jazzed-up version that my mom made over Thanksgiving weekend. When the two of us were menu planning for the big meal, she kept bringing up this recipe that she wanted to try, but in the end, we decided to stick with the tried and true classic Thanksgiving dishes, not wanting a riot at the dinner table if someone missed the mashed potatoes.

We ended up making the spoon bread as a breakfast dish later that weekend, and it was a huge hit. The sweet potatoes added a beautiful color and a nice earthy flavor to the dish, and the whole thing was scarfed up in minutes flat (I had to move quickly to take a few final photographs of it before it disappeared for good.) It made me think of all the other things one might add to spoon bread, and I began to poke around the internet. It turns out, people do some crazy stuff with their spoon bread, which makes sense, because I often see grits as something of a blank canvas. Deb from the Smitten Kitchen makes her spoon bread with fresh corn, while Heidi from 101 Cookbooks also uses sweet potatoes, but adds shallots and goat cheese (yum!). There were recipes using buttermilk, chipotle, ham, and many other delicious additions. I can’t wait to get wild with my spoon bread this winter.

I think this would be a fine choice for a Christmas meal side dish, especially alongside a big ham or a roast. To save some time, roast the sweet potatoes ahead of time, and be sure to use a heavy hand with the salt, pepper and spices—a bland spoon bread is never a good thing.

Sweet Potato Spoon Bread

Recipe by Sara Foster from Better Homes & Gardens

4 tablespoon (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

2 sweet potatoes (about 1 lb.)

2 1/2 cups milk

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

2 teaspoons coarse sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup finely ground white or yellow cornmeal

4 eggs, separated

2 teaspoons baking powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously grease a 2-quart soufflé or casserole dish with about 1 tablespoon of the butter; set aside.

Wrap potatoes in foil. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until soft to the touch. Remove from oven; discard foil. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard peels. In a large bowl, mash potatoes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. In a large saucepan, bring milk, thyme, brown sugar, salt, and pepper to a low boil over medium heat. In a slow, steady stream, whisk cornmeal into milk mixture. Cook, whisking constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes, until mixture is thick and pulls away from bottom of pan. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Add potatoes, egg yolks, remaining 3 tablespoons butter, and baking powder to cornmeal mixture; stir to thoroughly combine.

In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Leaving obvious swirls of egg white, gently fold egg whites into the potato-cornmeal mixture.

Spoon batter into prepared dish. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Edges will be firm and the center a bit soft. Remove from oven. Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Tip: This recipe can also be made in a 9 x13 baking dish, then baked for 30 to 35 minutes, until internal temperature registers 165 degrees F with an instant-read thermometer.

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Rosie's Award-Winning Brownies, and the Eat Boutique Holiday Local Market!

2011-12-08T08:42:00.000-05:00

Delicate, meticulously decorated sugar cookies are just not my thing. When Maggie asked if I would make something holiday-esque out of Judy Rosenberg’s new cookbook, The Rosie’s Bakery All-Butter, Cream-Filled, Sugar Packed Baking Book, I went straight for her award winning, super rich brownies. Turns out I’m not the only one who goes directly to the brownies during December. This weekend, as I was happily devouring the new issue of Bon Appetit, I discovered that Zooey Deschanel also prefers and recommends baking treats in bar-form during the holidays. And wearing velvet frocks. How a-dorkable!

Still not convinced that brownies can be a great holiday treats? Do as we did for my mom’s birthday: add a nice big scoop of peppermint ice cream. So make someone you love a big plate of chocolate-y brownies this year for Christmas. They won’t be disappointed. Or perhaps Santa might be interested?

For the recipe and more information about this great baking book (which would also be an excellent gift for the baker in your life), see my original post on Rosie’s Award Winning Brownies over on Eat Boutique.

Looking for more gifts for the food-lovers in your life?

Visit the Eat Boutique Holiday Local Market this Saturday at the Made in Fort Point Gallery on Farnsworth Street (next to the Fort Point Flour) in Boston. Some of your favorite vendors (plus many you may not even know about yet) will be there, sampling and selling their delicious wares. Be sure to visit the Fat Toad Farm table—their caramel is ridiculously good.

Judy Rosenberg will be there to sign her cookbook from 11am- noon. And who knows, maybe she will bring a few of those brownies along!

Erin Byers Murray, author of Shucked: My Life on an Oyster Farm, will be signing books from 12-1. Read my review of this great book over on Eat Boutique. We are thrilled that Erin is joining us, and that she is bringing along the Island Creek Oyster team, who will be at the market, shucking and giving out their oysters from 12-4!

See the flyer and click over to Eat Boutique for more details! It’s sure to be a GREAT day.

Spicy Indian Tomato Soup with Pilsner

2011-12-05T06:32:00.002-05:00

I wasn’t planning on sharing this recipe with you. I have already shared a sweet potato soup this fall, and countless soups before that. I think it’s pretty clear that we go through a great deal of soup around here, and personally, I think you can never have too many recipes under your belt.

The recipe comes from Draft Magazine of all places, and it’s a winner. We picked up a copy over Thanksgiving weekend while checking out a new beer store near our little Maine town. Mike convinced me we needed it when he listed off a few of the beer recipes he saw in the table of contents, particularly when he got to the beer soup section. Yum. I love adding a bottle of beer to my chili or tortilla soup, but wanted new ideas of how to add the taste of hops to my meals. This section had plenty of good ones: Smoked Gouda Soup with IPA, French Three-Onion with Lager, Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup with Stout. The one that really caught my eye, though, was the Spicy Indian Tomato Soup with Pilsner. Healthy, hearty, and with a ton of flavor and spice, this soup has quickly risen to one of my favorite soups.

I changed up the recipe just a little—it was pretty great as printed. When I made it, I had an enormous sweet potato and only one can of plum tomatoes, so my soup appears to be a bit more orange than red, but I’m confident that I will be making this recipe quite a bit this winter, so I will get it right next time. You can’t really go wrong with this combination of ingredients: the sweet and spicy combination was smoothed out by the slightly bitter taste of the pilsner, and it was all brightened by the taste of lime. I added some cooked basmati rice to the mix at the end, which thickened the soup and made it a bit heartier. Cheers to cooking with beer!

Spicy Indian Tomato Soup with Pilsner

Adapted (only slightly) from Draft Magazine, recipe by Jennifer Brulé

Serves 6-8

1tablespoon vegetable oil

1 small red onion, peeled, roughly chopped

3 large cloves garlic, peeled, roughly chopped

1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 12-ounce bottle pilsner (such as Notch Session Pilsner or Victory Prima Pils)

2 28-ounce cans whole plum tomatoes with juice

½ lime

1 tablespoon hot curry powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lime juice

plain yogurt (optional)

Serve with basmati rice, if you’d like.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, garlic, and sweet potato. Sauté until fragrant, about 4-5 minutes.

Add tomatoes, beer and lime half. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.

Remove the pot from heat. Discard the lime half and add in the curry powder, cayenne, salt and lime juice, then puree with an immersion blender or in a stand blender. Serve immediately with a dollop of plain yogurt, or refrigerate for up to three days.

A Trip to Newport, Rhode Island (and beyond)

2011-11-30T22:48:00.004-05:00

The weekend before Thanksgiving, Mike and I took a much-needed mini-vacation to Newport, Rhode Island to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. We had batted around a few different ideas of where we could go for this trip, but the promise of a rather short drive, lots of great food and wine, and plenty of places to explore won us over. As always, I became a bit obsessed with knowing everything there was to know about Newport and environs, reading up the history of Newport in Gilded: How Newport Became America’s Richest Resort (fun read, if you’re interested in Newport and the Gilded Age) and doing a great deal of internet research, of course.

Happily, I was also able to go beyond standard internet research and reach out to a Rhode Island friend, David Dadekian. While I have briefly met David in real life at the Bondir luncheon that Maggie put together last spring, I mostly know him as a Rhode Island food, drink and photography expert, and author of this extremely helpful site. This was my first stop in reading up on Newport restaurants, and his suggestions on twitter were invaluable.

Much like I did for this summer’s trip to Camden, Rockland and Rockport, I wanted to share my experiences here in case I can be helpful to anyone out there seeking to plan a fun trip to Newport. While I truly enjoy the research goes into planning one of these escapes, the recommendations I trust the most are from like-minded travelers who love food, drink and culture.

When we first arrived on Friday night, we quickly dropped off our bags and went looking for two bar stools and a menu full of comfort food. It had been a LONG week and we wanted beers and a satisfying meal. We wandered around a bit, and finally settled on the funky Salvation Café, where we got exactly what we were looking for (and more). Lime ceviche tacos, a beautiful chopped apple salad, and a bowlful of pork and oxtail ragout over pappardelle for Mike and a heaping portion of pancetta mac and cheese for me more than took care of our cravings (and sent us home with big doggie bags).

The next day, we were so full from a big breakfast (or dinner from the night before?) and distracted by our jaunts around Aquidneck Island (more on that later), that we forgot about lunch. Upon our return to downtown Newport, we stopped by the Newport Wine Cellar and Le Petit Gourmet, where we picked up provisions for a hotel room picnic. A nice half bottle of wine, a bit of quality fresh-baked bread, a creamy triple crème and a tasty gouda made for a very nice late lunch/early hors d’oeuvres on Saturday. They also supplied us with a great wine to bring along to dinner later that night.

We planned to “officially” celebrate our anniversary at Thames Street Kitchen, a cozy BYOB that opened within the last year. From the bread, to the butter, to the salads, entrees, dessert and coffee—it was spectacular. I particularly enjoyed my sweet, tiny bay scallops, and I think we both swooned over our dessert choices: fresh cinnamon sugar donuts with brown sugar cinnamon house-made ice cream. It was a great dining experience.

Our day time activities took us from visiting The Breakers (I need to go back to see a few more mansions), on a drive across the bridge and over to Jamestown, where we visited the grave of my great, great grandfather, Pardon Tucker (I have Rhode Island roots!) and all the way down to the tip of Beavertail, where we came across a gorgeous lighthouse and crashing surf. We also conquered much of the Cliffwalk and saw some pretty spectacular sights along the way. Whew.

Last, but definitely not least (I hope you’re still reading!), I want to tell you about our time at Greenvale Vineyards in Portsmouth, about five miles north of Newport. Part of the Coastal Wine Trail, Greenvale is definitely a place you should plan to visit. Perfectly situated on the banks of the Sakonnet River, Greenvale Vineyards is simply a stunning place to grow grapes.

We made it just in time for the daily tour. Bill Wilson led us around the property, sharing humorous anecdotes and imparting a grape education to us as we trekked through the vines. It was fascinating to walk around a vineyard a few weeks after the harvest. The vines were mostly bare, giving us a unique look at the infrastructure of the plants. There were a few stray bunches of grapes to be found, and Bill was quick to pull them off and let us taste them. With two playful dogs running around and the unseasonably warm November weather, I think all of us were ready to pick up and move to Greenvale that day—at least, I know I certainly was!

After the tour, we went back into the beautifully restored barn-turned tasting room, where we tasted seven different wines. While I had tasted Greenvale’s Skipping Stone white before, I had never experienced the full spectrum of their wines, and I was very impressed. I liked the Chardonnay Select and Mike really enjoyed the summery Vidal Blanc, so we went home with a few bottles of each (and the Chardonnay made it to the Thanksgiving feasts for both of our families). We loved everything about this experience: the excellent wine, great jazz band and singer, a fun crowd, and the gorgeous surroundings. I am hooked and plan to return soon.

In the meantime, I suggest you start planning a Newport trip of your own!

Cranberry Multigrain Pancakes

2011-11-27T12:07:00.002-05:00

I meant to put this post up yesterday morning, so you might have the opportunity to use up extra cranberries from your Thanksgiving feast. But then, I played outside, hung out with my family and a certain little brown dog, and cooked a lot. Then I got caught up in a massive bananagrams session, of course.

Besides, doesn’t Thanksgiving already seem SO long ago now? We have had the balsam candles lit and the Christmas music blasting since Friday around here. It might also be that I am a bit thrown off because there is still quite a bit of snow on the ground here in Maine.

So now these multigrain cranberry pancakes are going to take on more of a Christmas-y feel, and I am ok with that. After all, this would make a fantastic meal before you went out searching for the perfect tree, or on a marathon shopping spree, or even as a festive brunch dish on Christmas morning.

I first encountered the cranberry pancake at my neighborhood diner, Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe in Boston’s South End. Despite the name, I have never once been there for sandwiches. Nope, I stick with the classics: they have been serving up the world’s best flapjacks and turkey hash for over fifty years. I don’t get there often enough as I would like, since they are closed on Sundays and there’s usually a line down the sidewalk on Saturday mornings. But when I do go, you better believe I cozy up to the counter on one of those red, cushy stools, and order up a tall stack of these tart flapjacks.

They always taste a bit heartier to me than the average pancake, and the cranberries do a great job of cutting through the inherent sweetness of the pancake. In my version, I added more whole grains and went with the yogurt-pancake method, which makes for a super satisfying and delicious breakfast.

Here’s my version of Charlie’s Cranberry Flapjacks, which are probably a lot healthier, but no less delicious.

Multigrain Cranberry Pancakes

Inspired by these Blueberry Yogurt Multigrain Pancakes from Smitten Kitchen

2 large eggs
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
6 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup oat flour (* see note)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup fresh cranberries, rinsed, dried and roughly chopped

Whisk egg, milk and yogurt together in a medium bowl. Mix in zest and vanilla extract. In a separate, small bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir dry ingredients into wet only until dry ingredients are moistened. A few remaining lumps is fine—this will be a thick batter, but if it seems VERY thick, go ahead and add another tablespoon of milk or two.

Preheat your oven to 200°F and have a baking sheet ready (to keep pancakes warm).

Heat your skillet, saute pan or cast iron pan to medium heat. Coat the pan well with either butter or cooking spray. Gently drop about a 1/4 cup of batter at a time, leaving at space between each pancake.

After about 3-4 minutes, or when the pancakes are dry around the edges and you can see bubbles forming on the top, flip them and cook for another 3 minutes, until golden underneath. If the pancakes begin cooking too quickly, lower the heat. Transfer pancakes to warm oven as they are done cooking, where you can leave them there until you’re ready to serve them.

Serve them with butter, maple syrup or apple compote. Enjoy!

* For oat flour, I simply ground some rolled oats in my mini food processor. For the ¼ oat flour, I started with about ½ cup of oats. This added a bit of heft and tastiness to the pancakes, and I plan to use oat flour in my pancakes from now on—I loved the taste and texture!

Thanksgiving Cheese Plate

2011-11-20T08:00:00.005-05:00

Are you deep in Thanksgiving menu planning right now? As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am lucky enough to celebrate two Thanksgivings this year. To Thanksgiving #1, I am bringing this cranberry relish, and I’m currently working on a few dessert ideas. I am thinking an apple pie or crumble, and something with pumpkin, potentially a touch of bourbon. Grampa Vesey, if you are reading this, feel free to give me your opinion! To Thanksgiving #2, I have been instructed by the head cook (my mom) to bring this apple, pomegranate and arugula salad and these zesty Brussels sprouts with cranberries, despite the fact that she hates them.

But what about appetizers? With all the focus on the big meal, I often think that the appetizers are somewhat ignored. Sure, we all want to save our appetites, but that doesn’t mean we can’t nibble on a few delicious cheeses and sip a bit of (apple) bubbly, right?

A few weeks back, my good pal Jess (of Eating the Rind) and her husband hosted us at their beautiful new home with a bit of a cider and cheese party (the best kind of party, really). I brought the cheese, Jess served up the cider from Farnum Hill. For more about the cider, the cheeses we chose, and a few other little snacks that we created to round out the spread, please read my original post here on Eat Boutique. If you are just too busy to click over, know this: the people at your local cheese counter are your friend. Ask for help. Let your cheese come to room temperature before serving. Find yourself some really great apple cider, like Farnum Hill. But really, I think you should click on over to Eat Boutique for more cheese plate ideas, little snacks to round out the appetizer spread, and a few other cider suggestions.

So while you are all plotting and planning the menu for the big day, be sure to assign the task of “creating a lovely cheese plate” to one of your fellow eaters. Send them our suggestions if they need some help!

Courtesy of Emily Sterne Photography

As it turns out, at the moment, I am not doing any menu planning at all (though I really do need to figure out what I am baking for Thursday). I am down in Newport this weekend, celebrating our first anniversary as a married couple. I am still in a bit of shock that it has already been a year, but it certainly has been a wonderful one. With that, I would like to say happy anniversary to my husband, Mike. When we first met, you didn’t really like cheese. Now you are so enthusiastic about a good cheese plate, you go after it with a sword. We've come a long way!

Cranberry Relish and Thanksgiving Thoughts

2011-11-16T08:38:00.003-05:00

This is the first Thanksgiving that I will be spending with another family (don’t worry, I will also be spending Thanksgiving #2 with my own family the following day--- helloooo elastic waistband!). You see, even though Mike and I got married a year ago (this weekend!) we spent last Thanksgiving next to the Caribbean, eating turkey while enjoying the warm breezes of the Bahamas. This will be the first time I spend the holiday with his family.

I am very excited about Thanksgiving #1 and learning all about another family’s Thanksgiving traditions. While so much about this meal is pre-destined, I find it endlessly fascinating (and delicious) to see how other families tweak the great meal. Apparently my father-in-law makes a mean lobster bisque to start the meal off right, which I am very much looking forward to. But what should I bring along to represent some of my own Thanksgiving traditions? My mom’s amazing stuffing? My dad’s legendary mashed potatoes? Nope, this year I am bringing along my favorite Thanksgiving day condiment: cranberry relish.

Yep, that’s right, my special family Thanksgiving dish comes from the back of the Ocean Spray bag of cranberries. Here in Massachusetts, I have access to all sorts of fresh cranberries, which are actually easier to find than that familiar bag from the freezer aisle of my youth. I am ok with that. But I did have to do a bit of research online to see if that back-of-the-bag recipe had resonated with someone else enough to put it up on the internets. Thankfully, it had. Though I am sure I could have figured this one out of my own, since it only contains cranberries, oranges and sugar.

And with this, I am starting my own personal campaign to eat cranberry relish on at least a few of the other 364 days out of the year. Tonight, I plan to spoon it onto my roasted chicken that I am serving for dinner. I’m also contemplating trying it alongside salmon later this week. A bit of cranberry relish on turkey sandwiches this weekend? Yes yes yes. After all, my favorite use of cranberry relish is always on that famous day-after-Thanksgiving sandwich.

Cranberry Relish

2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)

1 naval orange, cut into eighths, peel left intact

½ to ¾ cup sugar (the original recipe calls for closer to a cup, but I like it tart)

In a food processor, add cranberries and orange segments. Pulse until evenly chopped into small bits. Transfer to a bowl and add sugar to your taste. Stir in well, and place in the refrigerator to rest for at least an hour.

The relish is better the next day, making this a great make-ahead recipe.

For more ideas to fuel your Thanksgiving this year, here are a few dishes from Lady Gouda and tasty things I have found elsewhere that are inspiring me this season. What has caught YOUR eye? I am still looking for a few new recipes, so leave your ideas and links in the comments below! Happy almost Thanksgiving!

Sides:

Apple, Pomegranate and Arugula Salad with Apple Cider-Honey Vinaigrette

Zesty Brussels Sprouts with Shallots and Cranberries

Sweet and Spicy Acorn Wedges

Squash and Apple Gratin

Desserts:

Pear and Cranberry Crostada

Pumpkin Buttermilk Bundt Cake, from Pixelated Crumb

Roasted Pumpkin Pot de Crème, from Chez Us on Eat Boutique

Cocktails:

Boozy Apple Cider with Port

Thanksgiving Cocktail Recipe Roundup from The Kitchn

The Elegant Fall Salad: Apple, Pomegranate and Arugula Salad with Apple Cider-Honey Vinaigrette

2011-11-09T09:01:00.002-05:00

This past weekend, I attended the perfect dinner party at my perfect friend’s perfect house. Remember these refreshing Sage Rush cocktails I posted about early this summer? Yep, that was him. Perfect, I tell ya. Happily, Jeff allowed us to be a bit more helpful this time around, and we all were assigned dishes to bring.

Needless to say, when we decide to bring the party TO the perfect house, we all stepped up our game a bit. Since I was assigned to bring an “elegant salad”, I knew I had to seek out a new recipe. The truth is, my salads have become a bit tired lately. This is a common problem with me, so much so that I had purchased a pretty cookbook a few summers back that was dedicated JUST to the salad: Raising the Salad Bar by Catherine Walthers. I went looking for some inspiration, and I found it with a recipe that included pomegranate seeds, goat cheese, and apples.

This was a great make-ahead salad, and I would think that it would be a very welcome addition to any fall or holiday dinner party, including the big ones at Thanksgiving and Christmas. The lightness of the ingredients, the clean taste of the vinaigrette, and the altogether attractiveness of this salad makes for a great side to things like roasts, scalloped potatoes, and all the other good stuff we like to eat this time of year.

But you also don’t need to wait for a party to make this salad either. Though my typical weeknight salads are usually thrown together in the last 30 seconds before we sit down to eat, I found that with a little bit of prep at the beginning on the week (seeding the pomegranate, toasting the spiced nuts, and making a large batch of vinaigrette), we’d be eating an “elegant” salad all week long.

Apple, Pomegranate and Arugula Salad with Apple Cider-Honey Vinaigrette

Adapted from Raising the Salad Bar by Catherine Walthers

I made a few adjustments to this salad, including switching out the nuts and going beyond toasting them by making quick spiced nuts. For my method and for a tip on seeding a pomegranate, see the notes below the recipe.

Ingredients

1 crisp apple (I used Honeycrisp)*

fresh lemon juice (if needed)

6-7 cups arugula, washed and dried (or mix in other micro greens- I added some pretty mache)

¼ cup pomegranate seeds**

¼ cup pecans, toasted and chopped***

Goat cheese, crumbled (about 1/3 cup after crumbled)

Apple Cider Honey Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 ½ teaspoons honey

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 pinches of salt

a few grinds of fresh black pepper

Directions

Wash the apple and cut into quarters, leaving the skin on. Put half the apple aside for another use (or to snack on while cooking). Chop the apple in small cubes—if prepping the salad for a later use, use a bit of lemon juice to keep the apple from browning.

In a small bowl, make the vinaigrette by whisking together the vinegar, honey, olive oil and salt.

Prep the rest of the ingredients: seed the pomegranate (see below for tips), candy or toast the nuts, crumble the goat cheese. If you aren’t planning on serving this salad right away, put each ingredient in its own small container or plastic bag to keep fresh.

Just before serving, toss the greens, apples, nuts, goat cheese and pomegranate seeds together with just enough dressing to lightly coat the leaves. If you are looking to serve this elegant salad to a group, reserve a small portion of pomegranate seeds to sprinkle on top of the salad so that they really stand out!

*As we move past Thanksgiving and towards Christmas, you might try swapping out the apple for pear in this salad, which would be just delicious (and gorgeous!)

**To seed a pomegranate, use a paring knife to cut just through the thin skin in a complete circle. Twist the two halves in opposite directions, gently splitting apart the pomegranate. Fill a large bowl with cold water and submerge the pomegranate half, working to release the seeds from the pith with your fingers. The pith will float, making it easy to discard. The seeds will sink to the bottom. When all the seeds are released, drain the seeds in a colander and allow to dry on a paper towel.

***To make quick spiced pecans, heat a pat of butter in a pan over medium heat. Once melted, add a cup of pecan halves (walnuts are also great here). Stir so that the pecans are coated in butter, add a tablespoon of brown sugar, about a ½ teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. For a bit of a kick, add a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper. Toss together and stir every 30 seconds for about 2-3 minutes. These nuts will cook quickly and can burn very fast—pay attention and let cool on a plate before serving. You will have extra on hand for snacking purposes or for future salads.

Boozy Apple Cider with Port

2011-11-02T23:33:00.003-04:00

Sometimes it takes out-of-town visitors to make you fall back in love with your city. Don’t get me wrong, I have no beef with Boston these days, but I have certainly been guilty of falling into a bit of a routine, visiting the same familiar bars and restaurants in my own neighborhood. That type of behavior should only be allowed in the dead of winter, not while we are still in the throes of a lovely fall (despite that nasty, snowy glitch last weekend).

With a pair of lovely pals straight from Louisville, KY, in town this weekend, though, we set about planning 48 hours of classic Boston and Cambridge food/wine/beer bliss. Sure, there were plenty of cultural landmarks and long walks around my favorite city ‘hoods throughout the weekend, but it certainly felt like we spent significant time gobbling up tasty food and imbibing loads of drinks.

Friday afternoon saw a visit to the North End, where we stopped in for a late lunch at Pizzeria Regina (the original). Do you promise not to judge me when I tell you that this was my FIRST time at this outpost? I have lived in Boston for 7 years now, and had never been. Blasphemy, I know. As much as I like the fancy-schmancy thin-crust gourmet stuff that most places are selling these days, I gotta tell you—Regina’s thick, doughy crust that manages to have such a nice crispy bottom is now my pizza yardstick to judge all other pizzas against. Try the eggplant and ricotta, you won’t be sorry.

The rest of the weekend saw trips to Russell House Tavern for lots-o-meat; Legal Harborside to watch the Nor’easter roll in while nursing chowder and oysters; Gaslight for it’s lovely ambiance and fantastic large group dining; the South End Buttery for a simple breakfast and delicious coffee.

But I still haven’t told you about my favorite destination. This past weekend, I went out of my way to bring my friends to Shay’s Pub + Wine Bar specifically for their hot, boozy, mulled cider. You see, I have had a thing for this warm mug of cider for years now. Each fall, as those trees start to change color and I transition from sandals to boots, I start thinking about this cozy Cambridge bar’s perfectly spiced cider. I make my own boozy cider at home from time to time—it’s pretty simple, after all, but the version at Shay’s is different. Warmed in a large crock pot and ladled into pretty glass latte cups, the key to the perfect boozy cider is that they actually use port, not the typical rum or bourbon (do other people put bourbon in their cider or is that just us?) We loved it just as much as we remembered from last winter.

Even though I vowed never to drink again after our marathon weekend, there I was on Sunday afternoon (after a long nap), mixing up some mulled cider to get my fix. I added just a touch of port this time (like I said, long freaking weekend), but next time plan to make it as directed by Shay’s bartendress herself, Amy. That’s right, I tweeted at Ms. Amy earlier this week to find out the Shay’s cider secrets, which she very nicely shared (see below). Amy also told me that Shay’s is introducing half-price appetizers in a few weeks, once of which—their baked brie— goes particularly well with boozy mulled cider. (See you there.)

So, without further ado, cheers to fall! Cheers to breaking out of your routine and re-visiting some of your favorite spots around your hometown. Get out there and drink up!

Shay’s Mulled Cider

Yield: 4-6 servings

2 quarts apple cider (about 8 cups)

1 teaspoon whole cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

a few wedges of a lemon or an orange

Port, such as Quinto do Infantado Tawny Port

Warm the cider, cloves, cinnamon and citrus in a pot over medium heat. Allow for the cider to simmer for at least 20 minutes to let the cloves and cinnamon fully infuse the cider. When ready to serve, pour the port into a glass and top with the mulled cider (leaving the solids behind). Amy suggests pouring roughly a 2:1 ratio of cider to port, but that part is entirely up to you. Use the cinnamon sticks to stir and serve. Enjoy!

P.S No one was taken to Durgin Park this weekend, I just like the picture.

Zesty Brussels Sprouts with Shallots and Cranberries

2011-10-27T06:30:00.006-04:00

I find it to be fascinating that certain vegetables go in and out of vogue. Case in point: Brussels sprouts. Growing up, these tiny green balls seemed to be the quintessential “I’m a kid and I hate vegetables and Brussels sprouts are the worst of them all” veggie. I always felt vaguely lucky that my mom hated the sprouts so I was never forced to eat the mushy, stinky vegetable that was the bane of TV sitcom kids’ existence.

Now? Brussels Sprouts are seeing a revival. They are everywhere, gracing the covers of cooking magazines, prominently featured at farmers markets and on the menus of my favorite restaurants. How did this happen? Why are Brussels sprouts suddenly in fashion again?

Maybe it’s because people figured out that roasting the sprouts made them crunchy, earthy and a touch sweet. You know, instead of being mushy and over-boiled. And maybe it’s because people started doing things like adding bacon, onions, apples, cranberries, and lots of butter. Those sorts of things certainly never hurt when attempting to jazz up any vegetable.

Inspired by this new-found proliferation of Brussels sprouts and the gaggle of great recipes for the vegetable out there, I have become a big convert in recent years. I also just like to see them on their stalks at the market. It makes me smile. And if a vegetable makes you smile, you buy it. (Case in point: see my similar reaction to kale earlier this fall.)

I decided that I wanted to roast up my sprouts and to combine them with the flavors of cranberries, shallots and orange zest. While I also love rendering a bit of bacon fat and adding the crispy bits to my Brussels sprouts, I decided that this time I would make it a vegetarian-friendly affair. This may be a new rule for me—if your food tastes REALLY good without bacon, maybe you don’t need it after all. Maybe.

I took inspiration from a Food & Wine recipe that I had flagged a few years ago, but took it in my own direction, using the more readily available dried cranberries in my pantry, a heck of a lot less butter, and a bit more shallot and orange zest. This simple preparation is a delicious way to get a dose of fall vegetables this season. Better yet, it’s easy enough for a weeknight meal, yet “jazzed up” enough to also make its way into a Thanksgiving spread. Just think—bring these Brussels sprouts as a Thanksgiving side dish and you will be SO fashionable!

Zesty Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Shallots and Cranberries

Inspired by Food & Wine

2 pounds Brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup dried cranberries

2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 large shallots, minced

1 teaspoon chopped thyme

Preheat the oven to 400°. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the brussels sprouts with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the sprouts are tender and browned in spots.

In a medium skillet, cook the butter over moderately high heat until deep golden, about 4 minutes. Add shallots and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add thyme, orange zest and dried cranberries, allow to warm through. Add the Brussels sprouts and toss. Season with salt, if necessary, and serve.

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P.S. As I mentioned earlier this week, I have finally put Lady Gouda up on Facebook. After almost two years of relying on twitter, google, and my sister to post Lady Gouda updates on HER facebook page, I realized that many of my friends and loved ones head to Facebook first to get the majority of their news and info! So, if you're interested, go ahead and "like" Lady Gouda on Facebook -- you will see when I update the blog as well as when I share the delicious things that I find while perusing the interwebs. THANKS!

Curried Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

2011-10-23T08:00:00.004-04:00

If you’re like me, you need an arsenal of quick, healthy, and hearty recipes to get you through the wildly busy times. For me, this is particularly true when it comes to lunch. Whether I’m bringing lunch to work in a Tupperware or quickly gulping something down that I threw together while working from my desk at home—speed is often key.

More often than not, particularly from October-April, this means soup. I think I may be considered a soup fanatic, eating it several times a week for the majority of the year. Sometimes I have soup for two meals a day. Nothing else can be made so inexpensively and still be so healthy. Of course, there are soups out there that take ages to make or feature incredibly unhealthy ingredients, but I don’t really make those.

It may be no surprise then, that when Maggie from Eat Boutique lent me the cookbook Dishing Up Vermont earlier this fall, I was immediately drawn to the soup recipes. I soon settled on this pretty Curried Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup recipe and quickly whipped up a batch. It was hearty, flavorful, and healthy. The best thing about this soup? While it has the beautiful orange color that screams FALL!—it is actually made up of vegetables that do very well into the winter. When things start getting really sad in the local vegetable department, you will pretty much always be able to locate carrots and sweet potatoes. The splash of orange juice also brightens the whole thing in a way that I think I will really appreciate come January. So go ahead, make this soup this fall, but don’t forget about it this winter. Once that snow starts falling, I suspect that this beauty will make the regular soup rotation around here. For the recipe, go check out my original post on Eat Boutique.

True to my word, apparently I have blogged about soup a great deal over these past two years. Here are some of my favorites—please excuse the early photography attempts. Wowza.

Curried Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

Asian Ginger Chicken Soup

Tomato-Basil Soup

Springtime Fresh Pea Soup with Mint

Mexican Tortilla Soup

Black Eyed Peas

White Bean Chile Chicken Verde

White Bean, Kale and Sausage Soup

Also! I have a little announcement to make: I have finally put Lady Gouda up on Facebook. After almost two years of relying on twitter, google, and my sister to post Lady Gouda updates on HER facebook page, I realized that many of my friends and loved ones head to Facebook first to get the majority of their news and info! So, if you're interested, go ahead and "like" Lady Gouda on Facebook -- you will see when I update the blog as well as when I share the delicious things that I find while perusing the interwebs.

Pumpkin Loaf

2011-10-18T20:39:00.003-04:00

I try really hard not to be an emotional eater. But sometimes, you really just need to eat your feelings. (Did I just write that?) For me, this has mostly taken place during work hours in recent years, when the following things happen:

a) I’m starving, and forgot to bring lunch or snacks, particularly if I had gone to the gym before work (nice way to erase all that good work you did...“I deserve this!”)

b) I’m wildly stressed out (drama queen) and working on the later side, and the thought of a late dinner gnaws at me until I have to do something about it (gotta keep the blood sugar up in order to work, right?)

c) I come down with general moodiness or I’m upset because of something that went wrong at work (pretty rare)

Nine times out of ten, this would translate into a trip to the Starbucks downstairs from my former office, because it was easy, close, and I could also get a caffeine boost while I was there. And when I couldn’t resist getting myself a treat, it would pretty much always be the pumpkin loaf. Any season—if I were grumpy, and I saw pumpkin loaf, I knew I would have to have it. I’d bring it back up to my desk and nibble at it slowly, to fully appreciate its tastiness. Yes, the pumpkin loaf from Starbucks is my secret guilty pleasure.

Nowadays, I don’t have three Starbucks within a block of my office. That’s ok with me. I much prefer the coffee sold at the tiny café outside the train station where I now commute. I actually don’t really love the coffee at Starbucks at all (though it sure can be convenient), and will seek out a locally owned shop if possible. (Not trying to be preachy here one bit, this is just a goal of mine—recently I have been trying to get to Appleton Café or the Buttery in my South End neighborhood as much as possible. They have new owners and they have really improved the quality of their coffee. Also looking forward to the new Render Coffee opening up on Columbus Avenue later this fall. Ok, sorry non-Bostonians, I’ll stop my local coffee talk now!)

I digress. Pumpkin loaf. I had to figure out how to make my own. There are many upsides to this little project:

a) It’s much cheaper—a slice of this stuff goes for 2 bucks at Starbucks. Yikes.

b) It’s healthier—I figured out how to successfully lighten up this recipe without losing any of the great taste)

c) It was fun—it’s always satisfying to experiment with a recipe and come up with some great results.

(What’s up with my list making today? I must still be in work mode!)

Without further ado, I present to you my new version of pumpkin loaf. I adapted a recipe from one of my go-to baking bibles, a cookbook from King Arthur Flour. I traded in some applesauce for oil, took out some sugar, added some more spice, and played around with two different versions. This recipe yields two delicious loaves, so you can mix things up a bit. I decided to make one look like the Starbucks version, with toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), and the other I mixed in some chocolate chips. I froze the chocolate chip version to be eaten in a few weeks when we host some fun house guests. I love recipes that keep on giving!

Pumpkin Loaf

Inspired by the one at Starbucks, and based on this recipe from King Arthur Flour

Yields: 2 loaves

Ingredients

½ cup vegetable oil

¾ cup apple sauce (unsweetened)

2 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

2 cups (or one 15-ounce can) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

3 1/3 cups flour (I used about half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour)

½ teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves (optional)

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Optional additions

½ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), lightly toasted, to sprinkle over top

½ cup chocolate chips, to stir in

½ cup walnuts or other nuts, to stir in

½ cup raisins, to stir in

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two loaf pans.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. In a large bowl, beat together the oil, applesauce, sugar, eggs, and pumpkin. Slowly add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, stirring until it all comes together.

Mix in the chocolate and/or the nuts into the batter, if you are using them. If you are making two different kinds of loaves, separate the batter into two halves and add the optional ingredients as you like.

Carefully pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pans. If you are making the “Starbucks” loaf, sprinkle the top of the plain batter with the toasted pepitas.

Bake the bread for about 60 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it in the pan on a rack. When it's completely cool, remove it from the pan, and wrap it well in plastic wrap. Eat within a few days, or freeze, carefully wrapped, for up to 2 months.

Sweet and Spicy Acorn Squash Wedges

2011-10-13T08:04:00.003-04:00

Sometimes you just have to jump in your car and go west. I felt the pull last weekend, so we set out to join the legions of leaf peepers as they traveled towards the Berkshires in search of color. While we certainly enjoyed the colors along the way, we were headed to the Happy Valley for other reasons: quality sister time, hiking, a dog, beers, and great food.

It was a perfect whirlwind trip. There was a walk around bustling Northampton, dipping in and out of cafes and funky shops. That afternoon, we hiked up a small mountain and strolled around the very pretty Cranberry Pond with a very naughty puppy. We even managed to squeeze in a trip to my beloved Book Mill, where we recovered from the hike with a local cheese plate and a couple of beers. There were more beers—and dinner—at Northampton’s The Dirty Truth, a fantastic beer bar that happens to serve up excellent food.

What may have excited me the most, though, was the abundance of farm stands and markets that dot the beautiful Connecticut Valley roads. Without a highly scheduled agenda, we pulled up to several of these stands to get our hands on hot cider, fresh apple cider donuts, and lots and lots of fall produce. Oh, and a few mums—I can’t resist those vibrant fall colors. The next day we returned to Boston, laden with a peck of crisp Macoun apples and a load of winter squash. Worn out from our short trip, I decided to keep things simple and bake up an acorn squash with my favorite quick and easy method: slicing it into wedges, coating it with a bit of olive oil and spice, and roasting it until the edges are nice and crisp. To give the squash a bit more oomph, I added a bit of apple cider vinegar, sweet maple syrup and a pinch of cayenne to give it a kick.

Needless to say, we are now addicted to acorn squash baked in this fashion, and I have nearly depleted our stash. While I might be tempted to get back in the car and head west to re-stock (it’s a good excuse, right?), I am fortunate enough to have access to this great food here in the city, as many of those Western Mass farms bring their produce right to my local farmers’ markets. Now if only they could bring me those apple cider donuts….

Sweet and Spicy Acorn Squash Wedges

This recipe is also easily doubled, which I often do. You'll be surprised at how fast these wedges are eaten up, and they stay good in the fridge for several days. Plus, cut up, they are excellent in salads or in fall pasta dishes. This is definitely one of those "a little bit of work will help you all week-long" recipes...

1 acorn squash, cut into 1-inch wedges (lengthwise)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp sea salt

dash of cayenne

Pre-heat the oven to 425˚. Prepare a baking pan with parchment paper.

Cut an acorn squash in half, length-wise. Scoop out the seeds and stringy insides with a large spoon. Following the naturally ridged shape of the squash, cut into long slivers (about 1-2 inches wide). Put the acorn squash slivers in a large shallow bowl (I use a cake pan for this).

In a small bowl, mix together the apple cider vinegar and maple syrup. Add the pepper, salt and the dash of cayenne, mix well. Slowly stream in the olive oil, mixing well with a whisk. Pour the oil mixture over top the squash slivers, tossing to evenly coat the squash. Place the squash on the prepared baking pan and put into the heated oven. Bake for about 30 minutes, flipping the squash over after about 15 minutes. The squash should be golden with slightly crispy edges. Enjoy!

Spiced Hermit Bars

2011-10-04T19:33:00.002-04:00

Hermit Bars are one of those quirky New England things that seem to have a fuzzy history, both in the provenance and the name. According to King Arthur Flour, Hermit Bars were often baked for sailors heading off to sea on clipper ships, due to their hardiness and long-keeping qualities. The note in Dishing Up Maine, the recipe I used for these Hermits, also shared that tidbit about clipper ships and the spice trade, but suggests that they might be called “Hermits” because they can be hidden away like a hermit for several days. My photocopy of my mom’s Fanny Farmer cookbook shares nothing but a quirky, old-fashioned recipe.

I wonder if I would even know about Hermit Bars if it weren’t for my mom. She’s pretty much obsessed with them. But then again, she’s a Mainer. What’s more, when I think of Hermit Bars, I also think of the children’s book series The Boxcar Children. I’m not sure if this association comes from the fact that those crazy kids get involved with a hermit in the Yellow House Mystery, or if I can just simply picture those savvy orphans being really into eating New England classics like Hermit Bars. Either way, thanks for letting me explore my Boxcar Children memories here! (I was a dorky kid, if that hasn't been clear here.)

ALL that being said, I still wonder if many of you know about Hermit Bars. Perhaps a description is in order: they are bars made with molasses, spices, dried fruit and nuts, and baked in a pan much like brownies. They are then cut into bars (my mom would always cut them long and thin—as traditional) and they keep for days and days. They travel extremely well and are hearty enough that you can enjoy them as either a wholesome snack or as dessert. I have also been known to crumble up the last of the Hermits and toast them until they’re warm and crunchy; then sprinkle the crumbs over vanilla ice cream.

I have several recipes for Hermit Bars in my possession. I have tried—and liked—them all, but I found that a variation of the Dishing Up Maine recipe was the most straightforward and modern version that still tastes like what Hermits are supposed to taste like. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with using older recipes, but for purposes of sharing them here, I wanted to give you something simple and clear! I adjusted matters a bit, particularly when it comes to the dried fruit part. Instead of using the traditional red/brown raisins, I decided to try ½ cup dried cranberries and ½ cup golden raisins here. I loved the slight tartness that this combination imparts to the bars, and plan to follow the same route in the future. I also wanted to give you a bit of a reprieve on the mace--it seems that I only have it in my spice rack to make this one recipe, and can’t recall using it to make anything else. While it does give the Hermits a nice kick, I don’t want that to dissuade you from making these this fall and winter. Lastly, many say that the Hermits don’t actually have to be made into bars; but could also be made into cookies. Personally, I disagree. I think you’ve got something else entirely if you make these into cookies, but I won’t be one of those snarky food judgers here. After all, I’m way too busy looking up old Box Car Children books!

Spiced Hermit Bars

Adapted from Dishing Up Maine, by Brooke Dojny

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly ground, if possible)

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground mace (optional)

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

½ cup sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup molasses

1 cup dried cranberries, raisins, or a combination of the two

½ cup chopped walnuts

Pre-heat the oven to 350˚ F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with butter.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and mace in a medium bowl.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl, until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs and molasses and beat until smooth. Using a wooden spoon, stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Fold in the dried fruit and the walnuts- the batter will be stiff. Scrape into the prepared pan, spreading it into a consistent layer and smoothing the top.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack before cutting into 2-inch squares. Store in a tightly covered container for up to 5 days, or freeze up to 1 month.

Provencal Kale and Cabbage Gratin

2011-09-28T08:20:00.002-04:00

My mom used to tell me that one day I’d care about having a clean house; that I would want to make my bed everyday. I didn’t believe her back then, but now I see what she means. For years, my sister would insist that one day, I would take pride in paying my own way, and not relying on my family to take care of me. I didn’t believe her either, but sure enough, I now know what she means. And when we’re younger, we can’t even fathom the day that we would LIKE vegetables, let alone go out of our way to source them and make them a huge part of our diets.

I had a moment the other day, at my farmer’s market, where I was shopping for lots and lots of apples, that I found I could not resist a beautiful bunch of kale. KALE. Green, leafy, oh-so-good-for-you kale. Just had to buy it.

Remembering that I used to be adverse to many foods, it makes me smile that I now cannot resist a gorgeous bough of green leaves. Seriously—meat and vegetables alike—I used to hold my nose when I ate such things at the dinner table. I’d pop the bite into my mouth (there was no way I was leaving the table unless I ate my dinner) and then “wash it down like an ocean” with my cup of milk. This, of course, was inspired by the scene in Pinocchio where Geppetto is swallowed by the whale. I was an odd kid. I also used to peel my food, but we won’t get into the specifics of that right now.

So even though the kale was not on my list, and I had no plans for the kale at that given time, I went ahead and bought it anyways. I carefully loaded the massive bunch into the fridge that evening and planned to do something interesting with it, rather than just sautéing it with garlic and olive oil, or putting it into one of my favorite soups.

Apparently, I still had gratin on the brain after last week’s Apple and Squash Gratin. I also had a pretty head of red cabbage kicking around in the crisper, so I decided to find a recipe that might include both. This New York Times recipe from a few years back popped up in the google, and having all the ingredients on hand, I decided to take a shot. Gratin repetition and all.

I loved it. In fact, I’m still loving it, as it has produced enough of a vegetable side dish for us to eat for several meals. It is a great alternative to a green salad, which is my typical go-to vegetable at dinnertime. I can see it becoming a mainstay in my fall and winter cooking, as it’s nice and fresh, but also warm, comforting and hearty. I plan on trying out a few different variations over the next few months: possibly trading in white beans, barley or potatoes for the rice. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

As for this meal, I served it alongside simple chicken breast braised in white wine and roasted red peppers, and a slice of crusty bread. It was very helpful to make ahead on a Sunday afternoon and have it available for a few quick dinners this week, while also knowing that it wasn’t completely weighed down in cream and cheese. Though, I do love cream and cheese—and no one ever had to convince me of that.

Provencal Kale and Cabbage Gratin

Adapted (barely) from Martha Rose Shulman of the New York Times

Yield: six large servings

1 pound kale, preferably cavolo nero, stemmed, washed thoroughly and cut in slivers

1 pound cabbage, preferably savoy cabbage, quartered, cored and cut in slivers (I used red here, it was great)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed

6 leaves fresh sage, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 eggs

1/2 cup rice, preferably a short grain rice like Arborio, or brown rice, cooked

3 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (3/4 cup, tightly packed)

3 tablespoons breadcrumbs (fresh or prepared, either will work)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a two-quart gratin. Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender and translucent, about five minutes. Stir in the garlic, sage and thyme, and cook for another minute until fragrant. Stir in the kale and about 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook in the liquid left on the leaves after washing until the kale begins to wilt. Stir often, and when most of the kale has wilted, add the cabbage and salt to taste. Add 1/2 cup water, and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes until the water has evaporated; the kale and cabbage should be wilted and fragrant but still have some texture and color. Add pepper, taste and adjust salt.

2. Beat the eggs in a bowl, and stir in the cooked vegetables, the rice and Gruyère. Stir together well, and scrape into the baking dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top, and drizzle on the remaining olive oil. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until firm and browned on the top. Allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Serve hot or warm.

Advance preparation: This can be made a day ahead and reheated, as I did. It will keep for four or five days in the refrigerator.

Variations I plan to try: instead of adding rice, which does act as a nice binder, I might try potatoes, barley or white beans next time, just to see how it goes. If you try one of these variations, let me know in the comments!

PS: It was so nice to meet many of you at the Eat Boutique Local Market last weekend. Thank you so much for saying hello!

Squash & Apple Gratin from The Apple Lover's Cookbook

2011-09-23T08:29:00.004-04:00

A few summers ago, before I started Lady Gouda, I responded to a tweet from food writer Amy Traverso. She was writing a cookbook, and needed a few people to test recipes. I wrote back something that was likely embarrassing and very over-excited. She gave me a recipe to test, and that weekend, up in Maine, I made an Apple Dutch Baby for my family. My mom and I poured over the recipe, trying to find ways to improve it, places to edit, to add SOMETHING to this already great recipe. There was really nothing to add—it was fantastic. I took pictures (remember, this was pre-blog), which I now think are laughably terrible. I do recall my mom urging me to style the Dutch Baby more, to take it with different backgrounds and locations throughout the house. (I started Lady Gouda just a few months later, and she still tries to help me style my photos. Thanks mom!)

It was my first real move in putting myself out there in the Boston food community, and once I started, I found that I really could not stop. Now that cookbook is all done, and I get to sit next to Amy tomorrow as she signs her book at the Eat Boutique Local Market. That is pretty damn cool.

When I heard that her Apple Lover’s Cookbook was about to be released, I knew that we should cover it on Eat Boutique. It's a quintessentially New England topic—apples—and I knew from my experience with the testing that it would be a well-written book with plenty of great recipes. Flipping through the book earlier this month, I began to get VERY excited for fall and knew that I would use the book as a guide through the season. While I was tempted by some of the amazing sweet apple dessert recipes, and couldn’t wait to remake the Apple Dutch Baby, I wanted to try my hand at a savory apple dish. I picked the Squash & Apple Gratin, which was a great choice. It made for a delicious fall dish that fed the two of us for days. I think it could be a great thanksgiving side dish, or as Amy suggests, a solid vegetarian main course. Also, as it turns out, Lady Gouda loves Gruyere. Squash, apples, onions, gruyere. Can’t go wrong with that!

I invite you to head on over to Eat Boutique to see my original post and Amy’s recipe. I ALSO invite you to come by the Eat Boutique Local Market tomorrow at Twelve Chairs in Fort Point, from 1-5. I will be there the whole afternoon, and Amy will be there signing and selling her fantastic Apple Lover’s Cookbook from 2-3. Trust me, if you love fall in New England, you need this book on your shelf and in your kitchen.

Pumpkin Granola

2011-09-19T18:50:00.001-04:00

I’VE REALLY DONE IT NOW, GRANOLA LOVERS!! Pumpkin granola. Made with pumpkin puree and pumpkin seeds. Yes, it is as delicious as it sounds. I fixed it up late last week to bring down to the Cape for easy (and affordable) breakfasts while we were down there over the weekend. Layered with some thick, Greek yogurt, vibrant gold local honey and sliced up nectarines, it the perfect breakfast.

Ok, so this is the third time I have featured granola on Lady Gouda. I can’t help it, I’m obsessed with making the stuff. Oddly enough, my granola obsession began in France of all places. I’ve mentioned my less-than-traditional French home-stay experience here before. As the story goes, I managed to escape extreme weight gain while studying abroad because my French family there was VERY healthy and obsessed with dishes that included a lot of baked endives. I thank them for this, though at the time, I was a bit miffed that I was missing out on some incredible Alpine cooking that my friends were enjoying with their elderly French ladies.

Perhaps those healthy dinners were the reason why I was so famished each morning at breakfast. And perhaps it was those breakfasts of enormous bowls of granola that kept me from actually slimming down that semester. You see, this was back before people had warned me against eating granola like it was the same thing as cereal. It was also a time that I thought that eating the granola with dark chocolate and rich, thick, full-fat French yogurt was a perfectly acceptable breakfast. Damn, that stuff was good.

While I am still obsessed with granola, I typically only eat my own homemade version these days. I suppose I have become a bit of a granola snob. I think I have been disappointed too many times by crappy store-bought stuff that tastes more like broken up cookies, or even worse, tastes like nothing at all. Also, do you know how good your house smells while you are baking granola? I think the pumpkin version may have trumped all others, and will now be making this version for the next several months.

While I now refrain from eating entire bowl-fuls of granola, and try very hard not to add chocolate chips to my breakfast, I won’t deny that one of my favorite weeknight nightcaps is the following: small scoop of vanilla ice cream, sprinkled with granola and chopped up dark chocolate. SO GOOD.

Pumpkin Granola

5 cups multi-grain flakes or old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup walnuts, chopped
2 Tbsp untoasted sesame seeds
2 Tbsp flax seeds (optional)

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon dried ground ginger
1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 300F.

In a very large bowl, mix together the oats, pepitas, almonds, walnuts, sesame seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and salt.

In a small saucepan, warm the fruit puree with the syrup, honey, and oil (I also add a bit of vanilla extract here- perhaps a half teaspoon, just for a little taste)

Mix the fruit mixture into the dry ingredients until thoroughly dispersed, then divide and spread the mixture evenly on two baking sheets. (I used two baking sheets and then smaller round pans too, you don't want to pile the wet granola up too much on the pans, or it will never crisp up!)

Bake the granola for about 45 minutes, stirring every ten minutes, until the granola is deep golden brown. (Even if it is still soft, take it out after about 45 minutes, it will harden more once outside of the oven)

Remove from oven, then cool completely.

Store the granola in a large, airtight container. It will keep for up to one month.

Note: I love to mix in dried fruit into my granola (especially dried cranberries). However, if stored together, it can soften the granola. I typically add mine to my bowl as needed.

My Tomato Jam Failure... Turned Sauce Success

2011-09-15T06:31:00.003-04:00

I’ve been buying tomatoes by the bushel- or some other large unit of measurement that applies to tomatoes. I squeeze ‘em everytime I walk by the farmers’ markets, happily take them from my in-laws’ garden- really, I will take the tomatoes any place I can get them. Here in Boston, they are still prevalent, but I know soon that won’t be the case. So I keep stocking up- making sauce, soup, and my new favorite way to take down a huge load of ‘maters: this sweet and tangy slow-cooked tomato-jam sauce.

Right- great name. You see, I set out to make tomato jam, which I planned to use on burgers, grilled cheeses, and egg sandwiches throughout the fall and winter. I wanted to slow cook this tomato jam of my dreams, but wasn’t able to find a good (and still interesting) recipe. So I set out on my own- as I am known to do. I figured if I slow cook anything long enough, it will become sort of jam-like. Any maybe that’s the case, but I wasn’t in this for a 20 hour slow cooking session.

Inspired by these tomato jam recipes from the White on Rice Couple, I threw some ingredients into my trusty slow cooker and let it cook away during the hurricane a few weeks back (yes, while also baking up these tasty peach and pecan muffins- I’m a multi-tasker in the kitchen). A few hours later, the result was more of a thickened tomato sauce than any jam I’ve ever encountered. But the taste?! Oh goodness. This was delicious. The warming spices of cinnamon and cloves added a really interesting taste to the back ground; the vinegar and lemon juice gave it a nice tang; and the brown sugar made me think a tiny bit of bbq sauce. Not having an immediate plan for the failed jam, I put it in a large mason jar and into the fridge.

A few days later, I went digging in my freezer and pantry for dinner help. I decided to braise some chicken thighs with the sauce, and put it all over a bit of polenta. It was better than I had imagined. The next night, looking for a bit more greenery, I added zucchini. Score. When I made this all over again the next week to better photograph the jam-sauce (this stuff ain’t pretty), I discovered that adding goat cheese certainly was not a bad idea. A new late summer/early fall dish had been born and we were smitten.

It still isn’t pretty (hence the lack of stellar photos in this post) but boy, is it good. Too good not to share right now, before all those tomatoes disappear!

Tomato Jam Failure Sauce

This sauce has similar components and taste to the Northern African/Israeli Shakshuka recipe, if you’ve had that before. Like Shakshuka, this is also a really good as a base for baked eggs.

Makes 1 quart of Tomato Jam Sauce

3 lb tomatoes, roughly cut, but not peeled (about 5)

1 onion, chopped

1/2 serrano chili, seeded and finely diced (or whatever chili you like)

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar

Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)

Saute the onions in a pan just until fragrant and slightly browned. Core and chop the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes and the onions to the slow cooker. Add diced chili, the brown sugar, the cloves, the cinnamon, the vinegar and the lemon juice. Set the slow cooker on low and cook for 6-8 hours (you can cook the sauce for less time, but it won’t thicken quite as much- no big deal).

Refrigerated, the sauce will stay fresh for 1-2 weeks.

Recommended uses:

· As a sauce to braise chicken (also great with zucchini and goat cheese), served over polenta or couscous.

· To use as a braising agent in a baked egg dish.

· As a sauce for meatballs (try different kinds of meat and spices here too)

· Make up your own recipe- even if it’s different than expected, it probably won’t be a failure!

Did you come here actually expecting to find a recipe for tomato jam? I don’t blame you. Here are some great ones:

Mark Bittman’s Tomato Jam

Sassy Radish’s Tomato Jam

White on Rice Couple’s Tomato Jam

Fall Events in Boston: Food, Books, History and Film

2011-09-12T11:29:00.010-04:00

So… the leaves are changing. I know. I have been holding onto summer as much as possible, doing the whole “guys, it’s not fall until the third week of September” thing. I have avoided pumpkin beers and spiced baked treats. I pushed this blueberry sangria on you just a few days ago. But, last weekend, on my drive to Western Mass to visit my sister, I saw it: red and orange tipped leaves. Fall is not just on its way—its pretty much here.

I haven’t checked in here as much as I like to recently, which really stinks, since this is the best time of the year for food. I’ve had my nose to the grindstone on a few different projects that are coming up this fall, both day-job related and “other-things-that-interest-me” related. I thought that I might tell you about a few of them here, in case you were in the Boston area and looking for some fun and different things to do this fine season. Looks like we are covering three of my favorite topics this fall: food, books, and history!

Eat Boutique Local Market | September 24, 2011, 1-5 pm

Consider this the antidote to those big, indoor markets and convention hall free-for-alls that have become popular in recent years. For those of you who don’t know- Eat Boutique is an online magazine and gift box business run by my friend Maggie. (You may have noticed that I share stories and recipes over there quite a bit- it’s a warm and cozy place to be.)

Held in the chic and comfortable Twelve Chairs shop in Boston’s Fort Point neighborhood, we hope that it will feel more like an afternoon open house spent with friends. Maggie has lined up a great collection of people to share their food with you- think: cookies, caramel sauce, whoopee pies, wine, fine salts and sugars, and much, much more. You will also be able to meet a few of my favorite cookbook authors (I am very excited about this)- Joanne Chang will be there to sign Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston’s Flour Bakery + Cafe; Amy Traverso will bring her brand-new book The Apple Lover’s Cookbook; and Amy McCoy will be on hand to sign and chat about her great book, Poor Girl Gourmet.

The Boston Local Market will take place on Saturday, September 24 from 1-5 pm at Twelve Chairs in Boston’s Fort Point neighborhood. At this local market, you’ll….

· Meet local handmade food purveyors and cookbook authors

· Taste their delicious sweet and savory treats

· Shop for gifts for your friends and yourself, as everything will be available for sale

So come one, come all- and bring your friends. Maggie has really done it this time! Register here (free- but we need to know how many to expect!)

Boston Book Festival | October 15, 2011, 10am-5pm

The third annual Boston Book Festival is a free one-day event, combining a street festival with an array of authors and other literary presenters from around the world. The action centers around Copley Square, and ranges from big-name author events at cool indoor venues to the outdoor fair in the Square where bookstores, authors and publishing companies (like Union Park Press), will be selling books and talking to book lovers. The schedule is now being updated almost everyday, so keep checking in and be sure to stop by our booth and say hello!

South End House Tour | October 15, 2011, 10am-5pm

There are house tours… and then there are HOUSE TOURS. As someone who has been on her fair share of house tours over the years (what can I say? I love history and I am somewhat of a voyeur), I present you with the granddaddy of them all. The South End House Tour is presented each fall by the South End Historical Society, a group that came together in the 1960s to advocate for the future of a great neighborhood that had experienced decades of decline. There was a real fear that the South End would suffer a similar fate to the Boston’s West End, which had been clear-cut and rebuilt under the auspices of Urban Renewal just years before.

During that time, young people began to move into the neighborhood and bought up whole row houses, which were centrally located to downtown, were very inexpensive, and often falling apart. The newcomers began to educate themselves about the South End row house and what it would take to restore the buildings- the House Tour was a great way for people to share ideas and show off their hard work.

Now in it’s 43^rd year, the House Tour showcases some pretty spectacular South End single-family homes. Having visited and explored each household (I was charged with writing a profile on each home for the tour’s program), I can honestly say that I think this is an event that EVERYONE would enjoy. Buy tickets here, and I hope to see you there! (Yes, I am going to try and be in two places at once that day, sitcom-style.)

Photograph courtesy of DeKona Photography

The Jazz Singer at the Modern Theatre | October 18, 2011, 7pm

There’s just something about watching an old movie in an old movie theatre… expect that I have actually never done that. But it sounds awesome, right?

Some of you Bostonians may have noticed things a-changing on Washington Street in the Theatre District these past few years. Many theatres along that once vibrant stretch had long been shuttered, several so severely damaged by neglect and the elements that they were extremely close to demolition- or simply falling down. No longer. The Opera House, the Paramount Theatre and now the Modern Theatre have all experienced a renaissance, much in part due to area colleges and universities.

The Modern Theatre has a very cool claim to fame. In 1928, it was the only Boston venue able to premiere The Jazz Singer, Hollywood’s breakthrough “talkie,” because of the theatre’s advanced sound amplification features. With this event, you will have the chance to see the transformation of the Modern Theatre up close, while enjoying a screening of a classic film.

This event has been organized by Suffolk University and Boston Preservation Alliance to showcase this classic film and to celebrate the first anniversary of the restored Modern Theatre. I can’t wait to see what it looks like inside!

This event is free for members of the Boston Preservation Alliance members and members of the Suffolk University community; $5 for non-members. Seating is limited and advance registration is required. Please click here for tickets.

Last Gasp of Summer: Blueberry White Sangria

2011-09-09T11:09:00.001-04:00

Whoa. What just happened? There I was, shuffling along in a busier-than-usual August, and BAM! September hit. Things got crazy. I kept cooking, but nothing was written down, photographed, or even remembered the next day. Bad blogger!

I do have something to share with you today- and even more next week (think: lots and lots of tomatoes). Consider this my last gasp of summer post. Sure, technically it's still summer for a few more weeks, and after days of rain we are actually going to see the sun and 80 degrees today, but you can feel it in the air. You can see it in the way people are walking through town a bit faster. Summer is on its way out.

This cocktail might have been a bit more appropriate in late July or in the thick of August, but according to my sources, there are still wild (or native, or lowbush) blueberries to be found in northern states. Or, if you're like me, you might have stashed a few pints away in your freezer a few weeks ago, when you weren’t using them to make ridiculously tasty treats like blueberry bread pudding.

Ok- so get your hands on some blueberries. Some lemonade. Some mint, ice cubes, and yes, get out your bottle of vodka. Mine was made with Maine potatoes, because I am extreme like that- but yours doesn’t have to be. It’s almost the weekend, and we all need to slow down just a bit to squeeze every last second out of these late summer days. Make yourself this last gasp of summer cocktail, put your feet up (preferably outside with a nice view), and enjoy.

For more about how this cocktail came to be and to see the recipe for Blueberry White Sangria, please visit Eat Boutique!

Peach Pecan Streusel Muffins

2011-08-28T10:41:00.001-04:00

This one is going to be quick. And it’s not because I fear that Hurricane (Tropical Storm) Irene is going to blow me away or that I am going to lose power. Nope, it’s because I have over-committed my “hurricane day” with all sorts of side projects and cooking plans. With the promise of a full day of no plans, lots of cancellations, and no sunshine beckoning me outdoors- I made a killer to-do list, much of it including food.

First up was this peach-pecan business that I have been dreaming about for weeks. I don’t know where or when this got into my head, but I couldn’t get past it. With the wind whipping the trees outside and a steady rain hitting against my windows, I decided that today was the day.

There’s nothing like a stormy day to encourage a bit of streusel-making.

This is a great recipe, people. I loved that the finely chopped pecans added an extra crunch up top and that the sweet peaches remained intact and moist below. Like I proclaimed with my blueberry bread pudding last week, I can definitely see this translating well with fall fruits and flavors, and can see an Apple-Walnut Streusel Muffin on the horizon. And I won’t even require a hurricane/tropical storm to make time to bake them!

Peach-Pecan Streusel Muffins

Adapted from Southern Living Magazine

Ingredients

Pecan Streusel

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup milk

1 large egg

1 cup fresh peaches, peeled and diced

cooking spray

Directions

Prepare Streusel: Stir together pecans and next 4 ingredients until crumbly.

Prepare Muffins: Preheat oven to 400º. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Stir together butter, milk, and egg; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Gently fold in peaches.

Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray. Spoon batter into cups, filling two-thirds full. Sprinkle with Pecan Streusel.

Bake at 400º for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Blueberry Bread Pudding: A Late Summer Treat

2011-08-24T09:08:00.001-04:00

On my recent trip to Maine, I think I ate upwards of five pints of blueberries, BY MYSELF. I ate them in the car on my way home from Sherman Farm, our favorite farm stand (we love it so much that we're willing to drive the 20 miles and cross state lines to get there). I ate them standing up at the sink, just after I had rinsed them. Each morning, blueberries made boring bran flakes taste incredible, and each night, they were an obvious topping for vanilla ice cream after bbq chicken or lobster dinners. I couldn't get enough. Which is why it was kind of shocking, looking back, that I managed to part with a enough of those little sweet-tart orbs to make this blueberry bread pudding for my friends and family one night. I'm glad I did- because it resulted in what has become my favorite dessert of the summer.

You have a few weeks left of summer to try this great blueberry (or blackberry?) bread pudding for yourself- but don't fear, as I wrote on Eat Boutique, I'm thinking this will also make a perfect cinnamon-spice apple bread pudding this fall. For the recipe and more, visit Eat Boutique!

Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart: An Ode to Martha Stewart

2011-08-18T18:53:00.004-04:00

As I was scrolling through twitter last night, avoiding writing this blog post, Martha Stewart asked the twitterverse “Am I hip”? Apparently she was seeking feedback for a new media strategy or some such thing. I thought about this for a moment, and decided, no, Martha Stewart was not hip. But that’s ok. Hip, to me, implies something a bit trendy maybe, or at least something- or someone- who doesn’t necessarily have staying power.

So no, I don’t think Martha Stewart is hip. But I also don’t think she needs to be. Or that she should ATTEMPT to be hip. To me, Martha is solid, she is classic, she is my go-to. I trust Martha Stewart— and I trust her recipes. I frequently head to her website to pick out good, solid meals that I know will satisfy and that falls in line with the way that I cook (healthy, interesting, creative twists on traditional classics). I like her style. I like that she is slightly bitchy to her guests on her show and that no one calls her out on it. I think Martha rocks.

I am happy to say, though, that I think I may have one-upped Ms. Stewart this last time- all because of a cheese choice. I first spotted these adorable tomato tartlets in one of Martha’s magazines earlier this summer and I knew right then that they WOULD be mine. A blogger friend of mine covered them next- and I was happy to hear that she had great success with the recipe. I finally got my chance to try them out myself last week in Maine, where simple tomato side dishes are always in demand to go along with burgers, lobsters, or really anything we make for dinner.

The first night, I followed the recipe closely, except that instead of making cute, individual tartlets as Martha instructs (which truly are adorable, and I would love to make these sometime when I am entertaining), I made one large tart that I would treat almost like a pizza. It was great and very well received by the crew.

Since I had a second sheet of puff pastry waiting for me in the freezer, I decided to make it again the next night. This time though, I went off the grid a bit from Martha’s recipe and used some fantastic goat cheese that we had on hand for the goat cheese stuffed peppadews that I had earlier in the week. I softened the cheese and spread it in a thin layer on top of the puff pastry, and then added the tomatoes. The result was FANTASTIC.

So, you see, I am totally as great as Martha Stewart, because I improved her recipe. Right? Ok, maybe not. But I am pretty happy to have an amazing new tomato side dish in my repertoire that I will serve for many summers to come. If last summer was all about the delicious Tomato Pie, this summer, it’s all about the simple Tomato Tart. And if there’s one thing I know, there is nothing more hip than having a solid tomato side dish repertoire in the summertime. Thanks, Martha!

P.S. I might not have as MANY houses as Martha, and mine may not be as beautifully decorated as her’s- but the view from my family’s spot in Maine sure is nice :)

P.P.S I wouldn’t mind being invited to Skylands, though. I bring make Martha my Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart as a hostess gift. She’d like it, since Seal Cove Farm is pretty much just down the road from her Mount Desert Island abode.

P.P.P.S in case you were wondering (and didn’t feel like clicking through to Martha’s recipe, since mine kicked its butt), Martha used white cheddar. As you can imagine, it was also very good. The goat cheese was just better.

Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Tomato Tartlet recipe

Ingredients

All purpose flour, for rolling

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

about 3 ounces good quality goat cheese ( I used Seal Cove, available in much of New England)

3 medium tomatoes, cut into thin slices

Ground pepper

Handful of fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips (chiffonade)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray or parchment paper. On a lightly floured work surface, carefully roll out puff pastry until it is thin and nearly the same size as your rectangular baking sheet. With a fork, prick the pastry all over.

Bring the goat cheese to room temperature so that it becomes spreadable. If it is too firm, sprinkle a few drops of water on the cheese and microwave for 10-15 seconds. This should soften it right up. Meanwhile, slice the tomatoes and place them on paper towels to soak up a bit of the moisture. Spread the goat cheese evenly over the puff pastry sheet. Place tomato slices on the cheese-covered puff pastry, fitting as many on as possible. Grind fresh black pepper over top and put into the oven until the edges are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool the tart on a wire rack. Sprinkle fresh basil over top the tart and cut into sections, using a pizza cutter or a large knife. Enjoy!

Baked Stuffed Peppadews, plus a baby Pippadew

2011-08-15T16:02:00.002-04:00

When I left you last, I intended to follow up on my Mid-Coast Maine write-up straight away. I had tempted you with talk of these fantastic, yet simple restaurants and dishes that had blown me away- and it was only fair to share something substantial with you here. But, you see- something got in my way that afternoon. That was the day that a teeny-tiny, soft, brown little puppy named Pippa entered my life.

Sure, I had met her weeks ago (pictured above), before she could go home with my sister, when she couldn’t even open her striking greenish eyes. She was just a little lump of brown fur back then, one that wouldn’t stop squeaking all day and all night. She was already named Pippa by then (my family- we love the royals), so she earned the nickname Pipsqueak, both for the noises she made and because she was the darling runt of the litter.

Now I have a new name for her, and it has to do with the recipe I am sharing with you all today and the one I was making when she arrived in Maine last week (I do have a recipe, I promise): PIPPADEW.

I fell in love with a straightforward appetizer last week while we were dining at In Good Company in gritty/artsy Rockland. So what was it that blew us away? Just a few tangy, bright red peppadews stuffed with soft goat cheese, then baked. That’s it. Sure, the quality of the goat cheese should be very good. They drizzled a bit of olive oil over top the stuffed peppers before baking. But it was one of those moments where I thought- OH HEY I could do this!

So there I was, preparing these stuffed peppadews for my family last week, piping goat cheese into tiny peppers, when I realized I was downright anxious to meet my little dog-niece. This was beyond regular excitement. I needed to get to know this puppy IMMEDIATELY. When she bounded through the front door of our Maine house, I knew it was love at first (or second, for me) sight. It was my PIPPADEW!

Here’s the skinny on Pippa. She is very, very cute, and she is also very naughty (sorry, Holls). I am so glad she is part of our family, but I am also happy that I am the dog-aunt and not the momma. I think I will be a great dog-aunt. For now, I like my magazines and my shoes too much to be a dog (puppy) mom. Some day….? Who knows. For now, I will stick with blogging.

Stuffed Peppadews

Inspired by In Good Company Restaurant, Rockland, ME

24 peppadew peppers

4.5 ounces of goat cheese

olive oil (for drizzling)

3 or 4 basil leaves, chopped (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place your peppadews on a baking sheet (you may want to line it with parchment or foil for easy cleanup- this can get a bit messy). If the goat cheese needs to be softened, sprinkle a bit of water on top and microwave for 15 seconds- this should work well. Chop up the basil if using, and add to the goat cheese, mix together.

If you have a piping tool, add the goat cheese to the bag and pipe into the peppadews. If you don’t have a piper, do as I did and add the goat cheese to a baggie (I actually had to use plastic wrap for this, since my bags were very heavy duty- hey, I was in Maine…), push the goat cheese to a corner, and snip a small hole. Pipe the goat cheese with your impromptu piper. Sprinkle a bit of olive oil over top the peppadews and place in the oven. I took them out after about 8 minutes, when the cheese was lightly browned on top. A few peppadews fell over and their cheese melted out, but we didn’t mind.

Notes:

· I found peppadews at the olive counter at our local grocery store. I have also seem them in jars at other spots. Either will work!

· Because this recipe is so simple, it really is important to use the best quality goat cheese you can find. I used Seal Cove, which was being served everywhere in the Rockland-Rockport-Camden area, as it comes from a town just north of there. I wish I had brought some home to Boston- this stuff is the real deal.

· These also taste great if you DON’T bake them. Your choice!

· I suspect a good feta would also rock here. I would just cube and insert into each peppadew- no need to pipe the feta, which is a more solid cheese.

A Summer Trip to Mid-Coast Maine: Rockland, Rockport and Camden

2011-08-12T12:40:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite ways to spend my vacation time is to come up to my family’s spot in Western Maine. It is a very relaxing place, situated on a mostly quiet lake in the foothills of the White Mountains. It’s the type of place where you can sleep late, paddle around on a tube on the calm lake, and then catch a late afternoon nap on the shady porch. Sometimes it can be a bit too relaxing for me- and I get antsy. That’s when it’s time for the two of us to go on a “mini-vacation” and explore other parts of Maine.

In years past, that has included day trips to Portland, and a quick, but fun-filled trip to Mount Desert Island. This year, I set my sights on a trio of towns in Maine’s mid-coast region, Camden, Rockport and Rockland. Though I had driven through all three towns on previous trips up and down the Maine coast, I had never paused there for more than a sandwich and a bathroom break. I looked forward to exploring the area’s picturesque harbors and lighthouses; to hiking some rocky trails that led to incredible views; and to eating some great meals.

And oh, did we eat. Armed with a little guide put out by Maine Magazine that I had received as a stocking gift from my sister last Christmas, we ate extremely well.

A few spots that are worth noting:

In Good Company, Rockland

We descended upon this restaurant, located along Rockland’s cool main strip, on our first night there. We scored a nice front table and proceeded to stuff ourselves with incredible appetizers (more later!) and delicious entrees. We even managed to fit in a few bites of their dessert special: blackberry rhubarb crisp. Oh, and that’s where we discovered a new beer obsession- Penobscot Brewery’s Humble B, which we have since procured and have been drinking happily ever since.

Camden Deli, Camden

This turned out to be the only place in Camden where we dined. We went the first day because I knew that they had good sandwiches, a nice view, and probably served a good local beer. I was right on all accounts. The next day, I researched nearby towns to find a similar spot to grab lunch (and a beer) post-hike. In the end, we just returned to Camden Deli and had even better sandwiches than we had the day before. Moral of the story: sometimes it's okay to go with what works.

Home Kitchen Café, Rockland

Oh my goodness. I think I need to head back to Rockland this fall JUST FOR THEIR BREAKFAST. In recent months I have sort of been “over” going out to breakfast. I don’t know what it is, but I think it’s because I usually feel gross after eating the heavy items that are usually offered. Not the case here- oh no. Even Mike’s corned beef hash seemed amazingly light, fresh and… healthy? This is the type of place that makes you want to start looking for nearby real estate. I would move to Rockland because of the Home Kitchen Café. Go there.

Shephard’s Pie, Rockport

This was a restaurant experience that reinforced my idea that I should trust my gut. We had reservations somewhere else in Camden for our second evening in the area, but after passing Shephard’s Pie several times in tiny, quiet Rockport, I ended up cancelling those and heading to this spot instead. And we loved it. After nabbing two spots at the bar, we enjoyed a great meal (oysters to start, fried clam tacos for me, a pork belly sandwich for him), excellent drinks, and really good company and conversation with fellow diners and the awesome bartender. This is another spot that I want to re-visit in another season (I think it would be incredibly cozy on a chilly fall or winter day) and that makes me want to move straight to the coast. This is the type of place where I wish I were a regular.

Though this blog is very much focused on food, I wanted to share a few ideas of what you can do in the area when you AREN’T eating and drinking. When heading from restaurant to restaurant, it’s important to work up a good hunger. Luckily, there’s a ton to see and do in the area that will help you build up your appetite. It’s a proven fact that food simply tastes better after you’ve climbed a mountain.

Hike! Visit the Camden Hills State Park and traipse up one of the many trails systems within the large park. We didn’t always know where we were going exactly, but we knew the rewards would be huge. We were right- the view from Ocean Overlook on Mount Megunticook was stunning. I loved seeing the church steeples, the shops, and the boats dotting the harbor below. Mount Battie is the most popular hike in the park, and it’s peak can also be reached by an auto road, if that’s more your speed.

Explore Lighthouses! From Curtis Light in Camden Harbor, to Marshall Light in Port Clyde to the Rockland Harbor Breakwater Light- this place is a lighthouse lover’s paradise. I loved exploring Jameson Point, next to the fancy Samoset Resort. The breakwater that leads to the lighthouse is almost a half-mile long, made up of rough-hewn granite blocks. The views back towards Rockland and out to the open ocean are stunning.

See Maine Art! In artsy Rockland, make sure you visit the Farnsworth Museum. For me, it was high on the list: I’ve got a thing for the Wyeths. Big time. Since this family of artists is famous for painting both Pennsylvania landscapes (my real home) and Maine scenes (my adopted home), they’ve got me covered. I managed to leave the museum having only purchased one Andrew Wyeth print, Squall.

This post was supposed to feature a recipe of one of the fantastic things we ate while exploring the Mid-Coast region, but apparently I have gone off the deep-end telling you about all that we ate and did while we were there. This just means I will have to tell you more about Rockland in my next post! Stay tuned for a recipe and more…

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies: A Little Something Special

2011-08-03T19:44:00.001-04:00

My intern ate five of these cookies in one sitting yesterday. They are seriously addictive, which is why I brought them into work. I knew that I could not be trusted to have them in my apartment any longer. There's just something about chocolate chip cookies.

It used to be that way with the inspiration for this cookie, too. The chocolate chip pudding served at my summer camp was (and likely still is) the stuff of legends. I don’t know what it was about this dessert- it was such a humble combination of mass-produced vanilla pudding with chocolate chips and a bit of Reddi-Whip whipped cream, but we went wild for the stuff. I’m talking seconds, thirds, “just let me lick the entire bowl” wild. Our counselors would have to ration it out equally, and we would race back into the kitchen to see if they’d have any extras to dole out.

It was a camp friend of mine, years later in college, who first introduced me to the vanilla pudding meets chocolate chip cookie recipe. I thought it was genius then, and she would gift me an entire box of the addictive little monsters from time to time. It wasn’t until this past week, though, that I tried my own hand at adding vanilla pudding mix to chocolate chip cookies.

It remains a fantastic idea. Remember those “soft-batch” packaged cookies that came to be very popular a few years ago? I recall that along with the movie Clueless and cheetos, they were mainstays on the slumber party scene. These are like those cookies, expect a million times better.

Soft is an understatement. The cookie dough comes together with a noticeably silky and smooth texture. They bake up like little pillow-y clouds of vanilla-scented heaven, dotted with bittersweet chocolate chips. Their softness lasted for a few days, and I suspect would have lasted longer, if the cookies themselves had. While I have previously blogged about another favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe (of the brown butter variety), this one is now a firm contender for my #1 cookie, a title I don’t give out freely.

Huckins girls and summer camp lovers of all ages, here’s a hint. While you can’t send chocolate chip pudding to each other in the US Mail throughout that long, cold winter—these chocolate chip pudding cookies make for an excellent care package. Just don’t send them to your friends while they’re AT camp. You know that’s against the rules!

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

Adapted from Natalie's Killer Cuisine
yield: 24-30 cookies, depending on size

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups AP Flour
1 packed of vanilla pudding mix (3.4 oz)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a mixer, cream together the butter and both the white and brown sugars, about three minutes. The mix should be light and fluffy. Next add the eggs (one at a time) and the vanilla.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, dry pudding mix, baking soda and salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Toss in the chocolate chips and combine again.

Prepare your baking sheet with either pan spray or parchment paper. Scoop out tablespoon sized scoops and roll in a ball, leaving space between each cookie.

Depending on the size of your cookie, bake them for 8-12 minutes (check around 8 minutes, cookies should just start to show a bit of golden color- you don’t want to overbake these, they’ll lose that great softness!) Remove from the oven. Let cool on the baking sheet 2 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. ENJOY!

Dealing with Dill: Mustard-Dill Dip and Baked Salmon with Dill

2011-07-27T08:00:00.006-04:00

I have been thinking a lot about food waste recently. I know, not exactly the most exciting or sexy of topics, but one that I think about each time I open my fridge. How am I going to use up that blue cheese before it turns COMPLETELY blue? Will I be able to make enough salads to conquer that enormous container of spinach before it takes a turn for the worse? I think the worst offender might be fresh herbs- I can almost never use them all up before they become a sad mess in the bottom of my crisper drawer.

This is especially true with dill. Have you ever noticed HOW MUCH DILL they give you at the grocery store? I bought some a few weeks back when I was making my all-time favorite herb-y French Potato Salad, which only calls for two tablespoons of the stuff. Because I am an herb fiend, I doubled that, but really… four tablespoons of dill is still just about a 16^th of the massive bunch I am required to purchase at the grocery store.

This time, however, I had a plan. Yep, I planned ahead for my herbs, and warned my husband that we were about to have a very dill-y week ahead. Besides the potato salad, I also made a ridiculously tasty dill sauce/dip that I used throughout the week in a number of different ways.

First up, I used the dill sauce as a way to dress up some salmon I was serving along side the French Potato Salad. Very dill-y indeed. Good thing we like the stuff around here. It was great paired with a nice pink sockeye salmon, and even better the next day when eaten cold atop a lunch salad.

Next, I used the dill sauce as a dip for an appetizer plate I had put out for a friend who came over for dinner after work one night. I pulled out some carrots, celery and broccoli, and we were in business. The dill dip was a huge success, so I wanted to share the very simple recipe with you here (as well as the accompanying baked salmon recipe), which are both below.

I was happy to enjoy the dill all week long, in a variety of dishes. I have also learned a few things for the next time that I have a ton of dill on hand—apparently, it is also really easy to dry dill. Next on my list? Attempting to make some homemade crunchy dill pickles. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Here are some good tips about working towards avoiding food waste from Slate. I do many of these already, like try to do a lot of menu planning, and sticking to one “cuisine” a few days in a row to use up all my goods, but a few of the other tips on the list were especially helpful.

Creamy Dill-Mustard Dip

1 cup sour cream
1/3- ½ cup chopped fresh dill (aim for a ½ cup if you love the stuff)
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together sour cream, dill, shallot and mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the dip sit for about an hour to allow all the flavors to become more pronounced. Serve with carrots, celery, broccoli or other vegetables.

Baked Salmon with Dill-Mustard Sauce

serves about 4

1 ½ pounds salmon

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Dill sauce (see above)

Turn the oven on to 400 degrees F. Place salmon skin down onto an oiled baking sheet. Rub the garlic, salt and pepper on the salmon. Top with about a 1/3 cup of the dill sauce and spread it evenly across the salmon. Place the salmon into the oven and cook for about 15-20 minutes until just opaque in the center (depending on the thickness of the salmon). Enjoy!

Hot Weather Meals: Antipasti Salad

2011-07-22T10:35:00.001-04:00

Heat Dome. Thundersnow. Nor’easters. Haboobs. People, I just love weird weather. I have spent many very happy moments on my family’s couch, fixated on the weather channel with my dad. We could watch radar for hours. I got my hands on a book about clouds at some point in my childhood, and to this day, I remain fascinated by them and try to predict future weather by what I see. I don’t know what it is exactly, but something about the weather just fascinates me. I think one reason is that it’s something that people experience together. There’s nothing like a huge weather “event” to bring people together- whether it’s a big snow storm that brings neighbors out of their cozy houses to shovel out their cars or complaining with colleagues about a massive heat wave- the topic of weather can get anybody talking.

[Disclaimer: I realize that weather can destructive and in some extreme cases can destroy land, homes and create terrible and dangerous driving conditions. Weather can hurt people. I don’t take any of this lightly.]

However, with all this love of weather, I’m not a great “hot” person. There’s a reason why I have settled in New England (among other things)— I could never handle the soupy summers of my mid-Atlantic upbringing. We are generally lucky here in Massachusetts, and rarely experience very bad heat waves. Even now, we are only getting a few days of this one, while much of the rest of the country has been suffering for weeks.

Perhaps that’s why this salad has become a major mainstay in my dinner repertoire over the past two weeks. This salad, inspired by an antipasti platter, requires no cooking and can be adapted a thousand different ways. Have white beans or chickpeas in the pantry? Throw them in. Do you still have half of a rotisserie chicken languishing in the fridge? Dice it up and toss it in the bowl. Like olives? They’re great here. Same goes for artichoke hearts. Never before has there been such a great combination of fresh ingredients and super tasty pantry staples. And, I should repeat- none of this requires turning on the stove or oven.

Here, I provide a template for this antipasti chopped salad. There’s not much technique involved here either- with just a bit of chopping and mixing up an easy vinaigrette- you’re in business. Feel free to make it entirely your own and ride out this never-ending heat with the most versatile salad around.

Antipasti Salad

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

2 heads of romaine lettuce, washed and chopped into 1 inch strips

½ cup pepperoncini, chopped

½ cup roasted red peppers, chopped

1/3 cup Provolone, cubed (or fresh mozzarella)

¼ cup (or a few slices) of salami, diced (prosciutto also would be great)

2-3 medium sized tomatoes, cubed

Handful of basil, torn into small pieces

1 cup of croutons (fine, I made my own, but I did it last week when it was only in the 80s- you can also just serve this salad alongside a nice baguette)

Dressing

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon or 1 clove minced garlic

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Optional add-ins

Artichoke hearts

Olives

White beans

Chickpeas

Roasted chicken (but only if it’s already been cooked and is waiting to be used up)

Good quality canned tuna

Directions

Mix together balsamic vinegar, pepper and garlic. Slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking it all together briskly to create an emulsion. Put dressing aside.

Chop the ends off the romaine lettuce heads and chop into one inch ribbons. Place the lettuce into a large bowl. Slice up the tomatoes and place into a small bowl. I typically season the tomatoes now, sprinkling a bit of the balsamic dressing and some salt and pepper and tossing together, which helps bring out the flavor of the tomatoes.

Chop up the pepperoncini, the roasted red or yellow peppers, the cheese, the basil, and meat and whatever else you’re using— place into individual bowls or piles. If you’d like to make a “composed” chopped salad, keep them separate. However, if you’re feeling hot and lazy and plan on tossing it all together before serving, then by all means- throw them all into one medium sized bowl.

Right before serving, I like to toss my homemade ciabatta croutons into the tomato bowl and allow them to soak up a bit of the juices- but that’s up to you!

If you are making a composed salad, toss half of the remaining salad dressing into the romaine lettuce and place onto the center of a large serving platter. Arrange the other ingredients in piles around the lettuce. Drizzle the remaining dressing overtop the entire prepared platter.

Alternatively, you can just toss everything together - which is what I do when it’s just us. Enjoy!

The Barefoot Contessa's French Potato Salad

2011-07-16T12:11:00.001-04:00

I’m going to keep this one short and sweet, my friends. I am here on gorgeous Cape Cod, and there are beaches to be strolled and lobster rolls to be eaten. You don’t want to be inside reading long blog posts, nor do you want to be slaving over the stove cooking up complicated meals while others are outside enjoying the sunshine.

This is a potato salad for the mayonnaise-adverse. I am not one of them. I actually love the stuff, and would slather it on pretty much anything if I could. I try not to, of course, both because I might get strange looks and it doesn’t always translate into the most healthful decisions. This potato salad, though, is perfect for those who won’t touch mayonnaise-y potato salad with a ten-foot pole. As for me, despite my love for mayo, I actually think this is my favorite potato salad recipe of all time.

With the taste of fresh herbs and the tangy vinaigrette, this potato salad is a lighter and more sophisticated potato salad. I have been meaning to share it with you for some time, as it tends to get rave reviews whenever it’s served, and I have emailed the recipe to many friends over the years. It’s not mine, of course- it belongs to the formidable Ms. Ina Garten- the queen of simple summer meals.

If you have your own herb garden, make good use of it here. While this recipe calls for basil, dill, parsley and scallions, I think that it would also be amazing with different herbs, such as tarragon, mint or fresh oregano. Or keep it simple and just stick with one or two herbs- as I note below, I once made this potato salad with just basil and scallions and it was fantastic. If I'm feeling it, I will also double up on the herb amounts here- I personally can never get enough. I have mostly kept Ina's original recipe intact here, adding notes where I change things or tips for how I have adapted the recipe. Sometimes I imagine that here on Lady Gouda, I am simply showing you a page of my own cookbook that I have marked up with notes over time, and this recipe is a perfect example of that.

So go ahead, plan on making this potato salad first thing in the morning, or the night before- and get outside. Assign somebody to grill up some burgers, bbq chicken or salmon, as we did here. Have someone else bring a big green salad and many, many ears of corn. Dinner is done!

French Potato Salad

Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Ingredients

1 pound small white boiling potatoes

1 pound small red boiling potatoes

2 tablespoons good dry white wine

2 tablespoons chicken stock

3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

10 tablespoons good olive oil (Lady Gouda note: I usually use less here, more like 8)

1/4 cup minced scallions (white and green parts)

2 tablespoons minced fresh dill

2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves

Drop the white and red potatoes into a large pot of boiling salted water and cook for about 20 minutes, until they are just cooked through (if your potatoes are bigger, they made need more like 25-30 minutes, smaller potatoes should be good around 20 minutes.)

Drain in a colander and place a towel over the potatoes to allow them to steam for 10 more minutes. As soon as you can handle them, cut them into bite-sized pieces (in half if they are tiny potatoes and into quarters or eighths if you have bigger potatoes). Place in a medium bowl. While they are still warm, toss the potatoes gently with the wine and chicken stock. Allow the liquids to soak into the warm potatoes before proceeding. Lady Gouda Note: I often don’t have chicken stock in the house during the summer months- usually I just double up the white wine and add a bit of salt to the potatoes at this stage.

Combine the vinegar, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Add the vinaigrette to the potatoes. Add the scallions, dill, parsley, basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss. Lady Gouda Note: sometimes I don’t have all of these herbs on hand- don’t let this stand in your way. I once made this with just basil and scallions, and it was still fantastic.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Lady Gouda note: I think it’s best served if you make it ahead of time, so will often make it in the morning before serving it that night, or even the day before. The potatoes taste amazing after they’ve soaked up more of that vinaigrette. Tip: take the potato salad out of the fridge about an hour before serving, toss, and allow it to get closer to room temperature. Enjoy!

Teaching an Old Banana New Tricks: One (or two, or three) Ingredient Ice Cream

2011-07-08T09:48:00.001-04:00

We have a bit of a banana problem in this household.

In the wintertime, my go-to breakfast usually includes an English muffin with peanut butter and bananas. It’s hearty, affordable, and simple enough to make while I run around the house, grumbling that I am always about five minutes late. As spring turns to summer, though, I am quick to change my breakfast routine to include raspberries, then strawberries, then blueberries… and onto peaches and plums come August. I take my time with these delicate, seasonal wonders- carefully picking them out and washing them in my favorite ceramic colander that makes me feel like Martha Stewart (probably because it’s MS brand-weirdo). I wake up early for fresh berries.

But my husband is still eating bananas. Every morning. He doesn’t seem to get sick of them, and resists my encouragement to try some of my delightful berries. Nope. My husband- he says he’s “not a raspberry guy.” Um, what? Ok.

For some reason, we keep buying the same amount of bananas that we bought over the winter. And by the weekend, they are starting to look a bit rough around the edges. And then they sit there- nobody wants to eat a very, very, very ripe banana.

So I do my duty as a domestic goddess wannabe and unpeel those babies, put them in Ziploc bags and toss them into the freezer. Where they sit. Supposedly waiting for me to make them into this banana bread. And while that banana bread is very, very good, is not a sustainable solution for many reasons. Mostly because I really don’t need to have a big delicious banana bread around all the time, tempting me to toast it up and spread butter all over it. (By the way, for those of you asking- “why don’t you just buy fewer bananas?” Well, I guess you are way smarter than me… we can’t seem to help ourselves.)

Happily, I have come across a better (and much healthier) solution in recent weeks: one ingredient ice cream. I first saw this post on one of my favorite sites, The Kitchn, last year. I was intrigued, but sort of dismissed it as something that wouldn’t really work, and forgot about it. It resurfaced recently in a post that offered several solutions for old bananas (my banana problem as been on my mind for awhile now) and I decided to give it a go.

At first, I was still pretty skeptical that some frozen banana slices were going to create anything remotely like ice cream. But soon, with my mini-cuisinart doing the work, it really began to come together. The small amount of fat in bananas makes for a really creamy, smooth taste. Because it has been frozen, it stays nice and cold and creates a consistency that truly rivals ice cream.

Since then, we have tried straight banana “ice cream”, chocolate and banana, and then last night tasted raspberry banana (which we BOTH liked… who’s a raspberry guy now?). When we have added other ingredients, the banana taste has really gone to the background, leading me to believe that even if you aren’t really into bananas, this still might be something you should try. After all, what’s not to love about using up some old bananas to create a healthy, economical, and seriously good dessert?

One (or two… or three) Ingredient Ice Cream

Adapted from The Kitchn

Ok, so this was probably one of the most popular post of all time on this website, and it got ALL SORTS of comments- many were very excited, many were skeptical, and some wondered by people didn’t just go buy real ice cream. Having tried this a few times now, this is my version with my recommendations.

Original

Makes two large servings

Peel two 2 bananas and slice them into small chunks. Place them on a plate or a cake pan and freeze for at least an hour or two. FYI: I have left the bananas in the freezer for a few days to freeze and it has also worked well. Using a food processor (I have used both my big Cuisinart and my mini) whir the bananas until they begin to form an ice cream-like consistency. Pause to scrape down the sides of the bowl when it sticks, or if only the bottom is becoming creamy. If you are having trouble getting that creamy texture, let the bananas sit for a minute or two to defrost a bit. Once the bananas turn into that creamy ice cream, go ahead and eat then, or re-freeze to enjoy it at a later time. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.

Berry

2 bananas

1 cup berries, frozen (any type works, or try mixing different kinds)

Follow the instructions above.

Banana Chocolate

2 bananas

2 teaspoons cocoa powder

Follow the instructions above, and add the cocoa powder in once the bananas start to become creamy in the food processer.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter

2 bananas

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

1 tablespoon peanut butter

Follow the instructions above and add the cocoa powder and the peanut butter in once the bananas start to become creamy in the food processer.

Bananas Foster

2 bananas

1 teaspoon dark rum

1 teaspoon brown sugar

Follow the instructions above and add the rum and brown sugar in once the bananas start to become creamy in the food processer.

Lady Gouda Makes a List: Favorite Summer New England Craft Beers

2011-07-03T19:53:00.002-04:00

Happy Fourth of July! It has been a wonderful weekend so far here in western Maine, with lots of visiting, swimming, kayaking, and plenty of good food and drink. Yesterday's sunshine and warm temperatures brought forth some freckles and slightly sunburned shoulders, but it also encouraged a bit of beer drinking while bobbing in the cool waters of the lake. Today is a bit overcast and drizzly, and yet I am still about to crack open a cold one as I write this - I am pretty much required to, since I am checking in today to tell you about some of the great beers I have been tasting this summer.

It all started over Memorial Day weekend, when my sister had a few of her friends up to the lake house. No longer relegated to "little sister" status as I have been my entire life, I am also lucky enough to now be able to call these very fun people friends of my own. Happily, this means I was allowed to use them as beer-drinking guinea pigs, and to succeed in my goal of testing over ten different kinds of New England beers. As you can see from this photo, nearly everyone got into the task at hand.

With their help, I pulled together some of my favorites and shared them over on Eat Boutique last week. Check them out there, and share your own favorite summer beers in the Eat Boutique comment section, or below on Lady Gouda. Enjoy- and have a safe and happy Fourth!

Peppery Cucumber Crackers

2011-06-28T08:00:00.002-04:00

Last weekend, I hopped on the train to visit some of my favorite people in the world- many of who happen to live in Manhattan or Brooklyn. Jerks. We spent Saturday evening checking out my friend's new digs in Brooklyn, and decided to walk to a neighborhood spot close by for some light, summery, Italian food and cocktails. As we were walking down a quiet brownstone-lined street, I spotted a couple crossing the street about twenty feet ahead of us- and thought I recognized an old friend. Without hesitation, I shouted out her name, even though in hindsight, it would have been very likely that this was a case of mistaken identity. After all, we were in Brooklyn, not my familiar Boston. It was twilight. I haven't seen this friend more than once or twice since we graduated from college many years ago.

I always think I recognize people when I am in New York. I am constantly asking friends "is that...?" or "doesn't that person look a lot like ....?" Funny thing is, I usually do run into someone I know while I am in that huge city. It makes me wonder how many people I actually DO pass without noticing, or how many people I miss by just seconds. Life is strange, no?

Anyways- back to that quiet Brooklyn Street, last weekend, with me shouting at potential strangers, embarrassing my New York friends. I was right, it was an old college friend of ours. We caught up a bit as we walked down the street (turns out- we were all heading to the same restaurant), and the conversation briefly touched on this blog. This friend, who is a lawyer, said that she had seen my blog before, but took one look at the recipes here and thought that they had too many ingredients and were too complicated. Oh no!

While I try to mostly include recipes here that are straightforward and simple enough to make on a harried weekend- I understood. Our lives are so busy. Many of our kitchens (and fridges and pantries) are so small. Today's recipe is for my busy, busy friends. It's an appetizer that I happened to nibble on later that night at a lovely housewarming party I attended in the West Village, where the hostess is a master of cocktails, punches, and tasty bites of food. It only has three ingredients (or five, if you include the freshly ground salt and pepper). I was floored by its simple, fresh and clean taste. I imagine this would also be incredible with tomatoes, still warm from the sun.

I think I will be making this one all summer long.

Peppery Cucumber Crackers
Straight from the kitchen of Sarah Conde

water crackers (such as Carr's)
thin cucumber slices
cream cheese (I experimented with spreadable goat cheese here, and liked both versions. )
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt, to sprinkle over top

Spread a spoonful of cream cheese (or goat cheese) on a water cracker. Top with a cucumber slice. Repeat until you run out of ingredients or until you have the desired amount of snacks. Grind pepper and sprinkle a bit of sea salt over top the cucumber topped crackers. Enjoy!