Fresh Tart

Perhaps it's cliche that I read MFK Fisher's The Gastronomical Me and wanted to immerse myself in the world of food, but that's OK. Who wouldn't want to do exactly that after reading that sexy, scrumptious book? My goodness that woman could write, my mouth waters (and my heart swoons) just thinking about it.

There's one passage in particular that has had me making simple cauliflower gratins for years. I purposely don't look back at the specifics, I just count on how incredible she made cauliflower roasted with cream and Gruyere sound, swiped through with crusty bread and enjoyed with cold wine.

Lord.

So here's my version, so simple, so completely gluten-free, so much better than the pasta dish I served to Nathan and John tonight (in my opinion). I threw in some arugula leaves this evening because I had them, but you wouldn't need to include them.

Cauliflower Gratin
Serves 4 as a side or 2 as a main course

1 head cauliflower, cored, separated into 1-inch florets
1 Tbsp. soft butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 c. heavy cream
fresh whole nutmeg
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Smear soft butter into a tart pan. Sprinkle minced garlic across the bottom of the pan.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the cauliflower and boil for 3-5 minutes, until cauliflower is tender-crisp. Drain thoroughly in a colander, then transfer cauliflower to tart pan, distributing evenly.

Pour cream over cauliflower. Grate a bit of fresh nutmeg over the cauliflower, then sprinkle lightly with salt and several grinds of black pepper. Top with cheese.

Bake gratin for 40-45 minutes, until light golden brown. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

So I had fried cheese for both breakfast and dinner today.

I am ridiculously obsessed with the stuff right now, to such a degree that I kind of embarrassed myself a couple of weeks ago raving about the gluten-free fried cheese curds at Red Stag in NE Minneapolis to Ryan Petz of Fulton Beer. When we ended our conversation with plans for a group brunch, he wryly suggested that maybe we'd best head to Red Stag to assuage my fried cheese craving.

So that's exactly what we did! And the crispy, salty little treats were so good that I ordered a few more rounds while at Red Stag again this past week with a group of the girls.

Apparently my years at the University of Wisconsin taught me well that There is Never Enough Fried Cheese. And that Beer is Food, although that's a different post.

But since I can't very well go running off to Red Stag every time I have a craving for fried cheese, and because tasty cheese curds aren't completely easy to obtain, I created the version pictured with slices of fresh mozzarella coated with egg and almond flour. The trick for cheese contained within - not exploding out of - a golden crust is to freeze it for a bit before frying.

Serve the melty, golden loveliness with marinara sauce and lots of basil for an almost-summer treat.

Fried Cheese with Almond Meal Crust (Gluten-Free)
Makes 4-6 slices

1 ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced into 4-6 slices, a bit less than 1/2-inch thick
2 c. almond meal
1 tsp. salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten in a flat bowl
olive oil for frying
warm marinara sauce & fresh basil for serving

Line a large plate with parchment paper.

Combine almond meal and salt on a large plate. Dip one slice of cheese in the beaten egg, then dredge the cheese slice in the almond meal mixture. Lay the cheese slice on the parchment paper. Do the same with the remaining cheese slices.

Put the uncovered plate of cheese in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Add 1/4-inch deep olive oil to a medium skillet and heat over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, fry the cold cheese slices a couple at a time, until golden brown on both sides. Transfer slices to a paper towel-lined plate and fry the rest of the cheese. Serve cheese hot with warm marinara sauce & fresh basil.

I made this colorful dish for Christmas dinner and am just getting around to sharing it with you now. I'd like to say that I sat down and thought about everyone's favorite vegetables and what would be pretty with the rest of the meal but honestly...I got rushed, and behind, and realized awfully late that I'd said I would bring a vegetable dish out to my Aunt Mary's farm. I was grateful to find a kabocha squash, a head of red cabbage, and a spot of Parmesan cheese in the cooler.

Merry Christmas to me! Seriously.

When I bring a dish to someone else's home, my goal is for it to be at least partially prepared ahead of time to minimize freaking the hostess out with the need for a cutting board, pans, and precious space on a crowded cooktop. I also knew that our meal was going to be awfully rich - standing rib roast, creamy potatoes, all the goodness of a holiday meal. This gratin exists in the realm of a pan of sauteed vegetables, with just a bit of cheese to tie it all together.

If you haven't roasted a kabocha squash before, you're in for such a treat! The rind is quite soft - edible even, although I confess I have yet to eat it myself - and the flesh is flavorful, smooth, and just-sweet. I predict it will be your favorite new squash. The play of smooth, sweet squash with still-crunchy cabbage is lovely with a roast. Or atop polenta for a meatless dinner.

Recipe for Red Cabbage & Squash Gratin at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

Tender chicken and shrimp wrapped around sugar cane, grilled, then topped with spicy peanut sauce. Wrap in lettuce leaves and devour, preferably less maniacally than I did, I could not get enough of these.

Recipe for Golden Coin Chicken-n-Shrimp Skewers with Peanut Sauce at Andrew Zimmern's Kitchen Adventures/Food & Wine Magazine.

Happy Valentine's Day!

For someone who digs the savory over the sweet, it's not my usual to post two desserts in a row. But I couldn't resist sharing these perfect Valentine's Day chocolate souffles, from Alice Medrich's marvelous chocolate cookbook BitterSweet.  Despite their decadent, chocolate-y goodness, these souffles are really rather light (around 200 calories without whipped cream), which makes them the perfect end to any menu you can dream up.  No flour (gluten- and grain-free!), a small amount of butter, and a splash of milk mean these are mostly chocolate and eggs.

Everyone - and I mean everyone - adores them, hot from the oven, topped with a dollop of whipped cream.  If you have leftovers, make sure to reheat them in the micro for a bit, since they really must be warm to shine.

You can make these up to two days ahead of time - I'm not kidding.  Just cover and refrigerate, then bake for 15 minutes before you serve.  I make them so often that I have the recipe memorized.

Recipe for Not-Too-Heavy Chocolate Souffles at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

Two days until Thanksgiving! I'm freaking out a little bit! I do have a turkey, yes. And a loose plan for filling out the rest of the meal, including generous family members bringing a good number of dishes. But if you're sitting at your desk today, sweating a little at the thought of how much there is to do before sitting down on Thursday...I am too.

I suggest not sweating the appetizers, however. To me, Thanksgiving is about the meal, not loading up on heavy snacks, so I'll be offering these nuts, which are massively addictive, and nice to nibble with drinks, but are not appetite-killing.

Recipe for Maple Roasted Almonds at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

My son Nathan and I spent our summer Sundays eating our way through Kingfield Farmers Market. We did it last summer too and got in such a fun groove of eating together, visiting with friends, and stocking up on all of our favorite treats for the week.

It's worth noting that it was a much less expensive endeavor last year, when Nathan was around my height and was satisifed with a Chef Shack hot dog. Uh, not this year, not at 6'4" and counting, when he still ate a Chef Shack hot dog, but added their soft-shell crab sandwich, mini-donuts, and Arnie Palmer; Gai Gai Thai curry; Cafe Palmira iced coffee; Foxy Falafel curry falafel with a load of perfect pickles, extra hummus to go; Sun Street Bakery turnovers and sourdough loaf; and Bogart Loves maple-bacon donuts.

I scored plenty of bites, of course, and a good portion of it all we brought home to share with John...but I'm telling you, Sunday became a day for feasting.

So damn cool.

One of my favorites toward the end of the season was Gai Gai's Thai omelet served in a curry broth. On a chilly morning, perhaps after being out too late the night before, that crispy omelet in creamy coconut broth tasted spicy-sublime.

I was out too late last night, in fact - hey! - and could think of nothing but that omelet around lunchtime today. So I made up a fast one, nowhere near the beauty of Kris' lovely coconut curries, but flavorful enough to feed the beast. I made one for John for dinner. His conclusion: I'm dying.

See you in the spring, Kingfield.

Thai Omelet in Coconut Curry Broth
Inspired by Gai Gai Thai
Serves 4

1 can coconut milk
2 Tbsp. Thai green curry paste
1/2 c. chicken broth
2 Tbsp. + 4 tsp. Thai fish sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
handful of finely chopped vegetables, optional (I had cabbage and mushrooms on hand)
juice of 1/2 lime
4 eggs
2 Tbsp. chopped scallions
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro or basil
4 Tbsp. peanut oil

more chopped scallions & herbs for garnish
hot rice (optional)

Open the can of coconut milk and spoon some of the fat off into a medium saucepan set over medium heat. When the fat is hot, stir in the Thai curry paste and fry for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the rest of the can of coconut milk, chicken broth, 2 Tbsp. of the fish sauce, brown sugar, and vegetables. Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in lime juice. Set aside and keep warm.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs with 4 tsp. of fish sauce, scallions, and cilantro. Set a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 Tbsp. of oil. When the oil is very hot, add 1/2 c. of the egg mixture to the pan. Swirl the egg around in the pan and when the edges start to brown, which will be pretty quickly, use a spatula to fold the omelet in half and then in half again. Cook for a few more minutes then transfer to a bowl. Ladle some broth over the top.

Repeat the process with the remaining egg mixture. Serve hot, with rice if desired, topped with more chopped herbs.

It's chowder season, yay! I'm a bit maniacal about chowder and all its briny, creamy glory.

Recipe for Montauk Oyster & Scallop Pan Roast at Food & Wine Magazine/Andrew Zimmern's Kitchen Adventures.

Recipe for Pan-Roasted Cornish Hens with Calvados & Apples at Food & Wine Magazine/Andrew Zimmern's Kitchen Adventures.

This dish is inspired by a roasted squash dish I had at 112 Eatery a few years back.

If you love butternut squash as much as I do, I suggest planning to have this as an entree, perhaps with a salad. It is not a light dish, although it doesn't have to be heavy if you go easy on the duck fat and blue cheese. Ha! I loved writing that sentence.

Or go for broke and serve it alongside a braised roast for a cold night's hearty fare. It definitely works both ways.

Recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash with Blue Cheese & Sage at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine.