Recently Made

Looking through the pictures of food I've taken recently and the recipes I've been talking about, it occurred to me that I've been doing a good job of cooking and trying new things more frequently in the first few weeks of 2012.  Below are a few highlights and links to the new dishes I've made.  

The first two were technically put together on December 31, 2011, but the leftovers bridged the transition into the new year.  I wish I'd remembered to take pictures when everything was on display in pretty dishes, but we're stuck with the image of this awesome Asian Slaw in tupperware.

I loved all of the colors in this slaw, the crunch of the peanuts, and the abundance of edamame.  I'll eat just about anything with edamame.  The dressing was flavorful and coated the veggies lightly, and the leftovers retained the crunch from the first night we ate it.


For some reason, Gourmet Live's dairy-free chocolate layer cake recipe was especially enticing during the holiday season.  New Year's Eve was my excuse to make it, and though I didn't have quite enough corn syrup and the frosting was runnier than anticipated, the cake was incredibly moist, and the icing rich and chocolatey.  The "secret" dairy-free component is coconut milk, which I'd never worked with before, but it definitely gave everything a velvety texture, as seen below.

I'm blanking on where I first read about fromage fort, which is essentially a fancy-sounding way to use up the odds and ends occupying your cheese drawer, but it was a welcome alternative to cooking on a night that Davy wasn't feeling well and I didn't want to be in the kitchen.  


Based loosely on this method, I chopped the cheese, added some garlic and white wine, and let the food processor work its magic.  The fromage fort and slices of local bread, brushed with olive oil, all went under the broiler.

And no, this is not creme brulee. 

The cheese was warm and spreadable, just as I'd hoped, but the white wine flavor was a little bit sharper than I wanted.  I think next time I'd use less than 1/4 cup, or try sherry, which was suggested in different recipe.  I'm looking forward to making this again in the future as an alternative to using the cheese in sandwiches or eggs.  It's nice enough to serve to guests, and no one would ever know that it's made of neglected cheese pieces.


My original plan for the fromage fort dinner was pan-fried fish, and Davy and I were both glad that we didn't abandon it completely.  On the following evening, we assembled two breaded flounder filets using flour, egg, and panko, for a very quick meal.  This is especially good if the fish is extra fresh, and ours certainly tasted like it was - we didn't even need tartar sauce.

I also bought fresh fish, halibut this time, for a braised dish one of my friends  has been raving about.  I neglected to take pictures because I was so excited about how well it turned out, but I will say that it's pleasing both to the palate and the eyes.  We served it over whole wheat cous cous, but I'd love to try it over rice or pasta.  Using fresh tomatoes and basil made such a difference, and I'm guessing that it would have turned out even better when those ingredients are in season.  


My final offering is Bon Appetit's "Special Sunday Roast Chicken." It seemed like the perfect meal for a lazy Sunday, and its flavors were luxurious and healthy at the same time.  Instead of mustard greens, which weren't available at Ellwood Thompson's on Sunday, I purchased a large bunch of local chard, which held up nicely to the roasted root vegetables and chicken.  The picture below was an afterthought (literally taken after I'd already plated our food), but I think it represents the dish well.  It's served family style, and is intended to be nourishing and comforting.  Despite the fact that it looks like Davy and I ate nearly a whole chicken, that's not the case.  A lot of it was reserved because I knew it wouldn't fit on the platter.  
  

Here's to continuing to branch out and eat well in 2012! 

CSA Meals - Weeks 7 and 8

I don't fall for all of the pumpkin frenzy that goes on in October, though I'm not opposed to it.  I love squash and pumpkin; I just wouldn't choose them to flavor one of my daily treats if I had chocolate as an option.  


The overabundance of sweet potatoes hanging out on our bakers rack inspired me to bake outside of my comfort zone.  Jamie at Home, one of many in my collection of Jamie Oliver cookbooks, includes a recipe for Butternut Squash Muffins with a Frosty Top that I've had in the back of my mind since I saw him make them on his show. 


Sweet potatoes are close enough to butternut squash that I thought I could make the substitution work.  I used the same amount of potatoes by weight that Jamie calls for in his recipe, and steamed them for about five minutes to soften them a little before pulverizing in the food processor.  

I also cut back on the sugar (I used a scant two cups instead of 2 1/4) and used vegetable oil instead of olive oil.  The olive oil flavor would probably be a nice foil for the sweet potato, but Jamie made muffins, and I was making cupcakes, and vegetable oil just seemed more appropriate.  It made the cupcakes less orangey, which was a little surprising, but I found the color to be appealing.  They were fluffy but not too light in texture, and held up well to the icing. 

I love Jamie, but my cupcakes were not going to have a frosty, citrusy "top" like his muffins did.  The frosting I made was thick and flecked with cinnamon, and the base was cream cheese instead of sour cream.

We may or may not have dipped gingersnaps in the extra frosting after the cupcakes were gone - I tried to pile as much of it on top of the cupcakes as I could, but we still had some extra.


To counter the indulgence of the cupcakes, I made a veggie soup with the collard greens.  Until my mom made soup with collards, I didn't think they were a viable soup ingredient.  The leaves are tough, but as long as they're cooked long enough, they are delicious in soup.  

I sauteed chopped onion, carrots, and the greens in a little olive oil.  When they wilted down, I added chicken stock and a big cheese rind to the pot.  Everything simmered together, and sat overnight.  Before dinner the following evening, I added the remainder of a box of orzo and a can of white beans, and let the soup boil softly until the pasta was cooked through.  Unfortunately I forgot to photograph the finished product, but it was a hearty and pretty soup.


The roasted broccoli from earlier in the week turned out beautifully, and tasted as great as it looked.  I had it with some pasta and pesto when I was on my own for dinner one night.  


We ate the sweet peppers raw, cut into slices and dipped into hummus with the last of our homegrown cherry tomatoes.

I ate both of the Asian pears for my mid-morning snack, and I wasn't blown away by them.  The smaller one definitely had more flavor, but they were both fairly bland and it wasn't easy to get used to the texture.  I like them better than, say, eggplant, but wouldn't go out of my way to eat them again.


Our kohlrabi and turnips were neglected for over a week, so I decided to roast them with the massive sweet potato.  When I was chopping the turnips, I was surprised to see how beautiful they were inside.

I wish I could say that I liked them better than I have in the past, but I'm still not a big fan of their bitter taste.  Davy and I both preferred the sweet potato to the kohlrabi and turnips after everything was roasted.

We ate them with roasted red snapper and sauteed spinach.

I wish I could say that the subsequent meals were as healthy as that one, but the only vegetable we've eaten at home since them is sauteed broccoli rabe with leftover Belmont pizza.  Don't worry though, I'm still getting my daily (plus) dose of chocolate.