Fresh Tart

Socca (Chickpea Flour Pancakes) with Fried Eggs & Spinach

FreshTartSteph — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:49:38 PST

Somehow on my trip to Provence this summer I completely missed socca, or chickpea flour pancakes. I'm a little bit obsessed with them at the moment, hot off the griddle, topped with nothing more than a grind of black pepper. That's how they're served in Provence, as a snack, wrapped in paper, meant to be washed down with ice-cold rosé.

OK!

But they make terrific breakfast/brunch food as well, served as a savory pancake topped with a fried egg and garlicky spinach. Last year I posted a recipe for just one pancake as the perfect base for a fast lunch of leftovers. I declare that a crispy, savory pancake can transform any ho hum leftovers into something sublime.

And then, if you're home late from a holiday party, craving a new twist on grilled cheese, do this: Smear two pancakes with harissa, press haloumi cheese into the middle, and griddle for a few minutes to warm through. Seriously the most perfect after-celebration food ever.

Recipe for Socca (Chickpea Flour Pancakes) with Fried Eggs & Spinach at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

A Good Hash

FreshTartSteph — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:09:33 PDT

I'm a bit ahead of the curve here, assuming that you have leftover roast of any sort in early September. (Reveals my fatalistic if-summer's-over-then-it-must-be-winter attitude.) But just in case...

I personally had a few lovely slices of leftover boneless, skin-on turkey breast, which I'd rubbed with herbs and olive oil and grilled until nicely crispy. John and I hardly made a dent in it, but that's OK. We enjoyed hearty sandwiches and then...heavenly hash, God's gift to leftovers. Yeah.

Too many people picture hash from a can, I think, and assume that they don't like it. But really, what's not to like about aromatic vegetables slowly sauteed with a lovely bit of roast? The whole emerges crusty and tender and pretty much to die for, especially topped with a poached egg (which I did not include in the pic, my apologies). Hello Brunchy Autumn, aren't you a handsome fella?

I picked up parsnips today at Kingfield Farmers Market so in they went. Fresh parsnips are sweet and rich-tasting, snag a few if you see them. Roasted, mashed, tossed into stew (or hash!) the way you would potatoes. Outstanding.

A Good Hash
Adapted from The Tenth Muse, My Life in Food by Judith Jones
Serves 2

2 Tbsp. butter
2 fat shallots or 1 small onion, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
½ large green or red bell pepper, chopped
2 or 3 small mushrooms (optional), chopped
2 medium russet potatoes, diced small (1/4 inch)
About 8 oz. cooked beef, lamb, pork, corned beef, or poultry, cut into small dice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ c. lamb, beef, veal, or chicken stock (or even better, gravy)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
salt and freshly ground pepper

Optional: 2 poached eggs

Melt the butter in an 8-9-inch skillet and sauté the shallots, celery, bell pepper, and mushrooms (if using) until almost soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the potatoes and the meat, and season with salt and pepper to taste. When everything is beginning to sizzle, pour in the stock (or gravy), and cook over low heat, partially covered, about 10 minutes. Turn the hash over with a spatula, and cook, uncovered, another 5 minutes or so. By now the liquid will have evaporated and a crust should be forming on the bottom. When it is browned to your liking, turn the hash over again and brown the other side. Serve topped with a poached egg (if using) and parsley.

Judith’s note: it is always important to include some aromatic vegetables, to lend moisture and just a touch of sweetness, which helps to encourage the glazing. I sometimes include a little finely chopped carrot or parsnip or white turnip – whatever I may have on hand. It came as a surprise to me to learn from Julia (Child) that a good hash needs some stock or even gravy, if you have it, not only to keep it from drying out but, as with the vegetables, to form the slightly crusty glaze.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Buttermilk Pudding Cake

FreshTartSteph — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 07:23:30 PDT

My friend Susie & I headed back to the Minneapolis Farmer's Market this morning. This time we chose a Saturday so we could breakfast on a bratwurst (relish, mustard, thank you) while scoping out the bounty. We snagged pea pods, green beans, okra, cherry tomatoes, asparagus, dried black lentils, kale, and pork sausage. Suz was hoping to buy duck eggs as well, but we got there too late. Early bird gets the...eggs!

We of course (re)loaded up on strawberries. Can't get enough of the sweet, syrupy beauties, utterly spectacular right now. I picked up some more rhubarb too, thinking I'd try my hand at strawberry-rhubarb ice cream (later this weekend). And this strawberry-rhubarb buttermilk pudding cake, which I've had on my mind since I saw the recipe a couple of weeks ago on one of my favorite blogs, Sassy Radish. What's not to love about strawberries + rhubarb + CAKE? Good Lord. Yeah.

It's a simple little cake, just enough to fill out an 8-inch square pan (or a 9-inch round pan, which is what I used). I love small cakes - enough to share with guests without leaving dangerous leftovers lying around the house. This tender cake would be gorgeous for breakfast or brunch as well as dessert. It's as soft, juicy, and delicious as it looks.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Buttermilk Pudding Cake
From www.sassyradish.com
Serves 6

Stephanie's note: I baked my cake in a 9-inch round pan. Since the pan was dark, I lowered the oven temperature to 375F, which worked nicely. I also needed an extra 2 Tbsp. of sugar with the rhubarb to achieve a pleasant sweet/tart, so taste the cooked fruit and adjust as necessary.

1/4 c. water
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 c. plus 1/3 c. sugar (perhaps a bit more)
2 c. chopped rhubarb (about 3-4 stalks)
1 c. chopped strawberries
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large egg
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 stick butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 400F. Butter an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish, using the butter wrapper from your stick of butter if possible.

In a small saucepan, stir together water, cornstarch, and 1/2 c. sugar, then stir in rhubarb to coat evenly. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Once simmering, stir occasionally and let cook for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in strawberries. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 1/3 c. sugar.

In a large bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla. Whisk in the flour mixture until just combined - do not overmix.

Add 1/2 c. of the fruit mixture to the baking dish, spreading it evenly over the bottom of the dish. Pour batter over fruit, spreading it evenly. Spoon the rest of the fruit evenly over the batter.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a wooden toothpick or a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake (not fruit) comes out clean. Cool on a rack.

Serve the cake warm or at room temperature.

Father's Day...Brunch!

FreshTartSteph — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 13:47:30 PDT

If the father in your life loves a good barbecue, then by all means grill away. I'm right there with him. But if you're looking for a new twist...how about brunch?

(That's my Daddy-O, with me the day I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and my no-longer-so-little sis Etta.)

My husband (painting above by Maud Bryt) loves brunch, with all the trimmings - eggs, meats, sweets, mimosas, all of it. His perfect day would be to play basketball, come home to a fabulous brunch, then stretch out at the pool with a good book and some tunes. Little dip, little nap, all good. In fact, that's exactly what he'll be doing this coming Sunday.

Some Father's Day brunch ideas...

Eggs Baked with Scallions, Breadcrumbs & Cream with hot buttered toast
Rich, buttery Asparagus, Leek, & Gruyere Quiche
The killicious BLT I made below: BLT with Fried Egg & Avocado
Potato-Pepper Hash with Baked Eggs
Happy kids, Happy Dad with Buttermilk Pancakes, warm syrup, & a side of crispy bacon
Warm Cream Biscuits filled with fried sausages
Creamy Polenta alongside eggs & ham
Warm Scones with plenty of butter & jam

Add hot coffee or tea, mimosas or Bloody Mary's.

Here's a video of some of the pics I put together for my dad's birthday last year. Makes a good Father's Day montage! Happy Father's Day everyone!

Good Muffin Morning

FreshTartSteph — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 09:43:03 PDT

A sunny Sunday morning, coffee brewing, puppy lazing, paper waiting... Yep, time to bake...something. Not sure exactly what I was craving, I reached for one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, Marion Cunningham's The Breakfast Book. A treasure, this book, packed full of clever breakfast ideas and perfect recipes. Today, based on available ingredients, and because they sounded just right, I chose Peerless Corn Muffins.

As with most muffin recipes, these stir up in just a few minutes. Why don't I bake muffins more often? Mostly because there are so many meh muffin recipes out there, right? And they have to compete with pancakes, French toast, coffee cake, biscuits...

Anyhow, these made it into the rotation. I confess that I made a few changes to the recipe. For one, I didn't have cake flour, so I used just shy of one cup of all-purpose; worked just fine. Also, I used only 2 (vs. 4) Tbsp. of oil. And, I threw in some blueberries (and an extra tablespoon of sugar since the berries were quite tart), which turned out beautifully.

I fried some crispy bacon to have alongside, which got Nathan and me thinking... We decided that next time I'd put the bacon in the muffins (in lieu of berries). Yeah. The smell of bacon had Puppy Louis at the back door in no time (he has discovered alone-time in the back yard and is loving it). I smell bacon! (That's Whole Foods brand nitrate-free, thick-cut, applewood smoked bacon - it's fantastic.)

The muffins baked up notably light and tender for cornmeal muffins, and not-too-sweet, which made them extremely honey-friendly. Split open a warm muffin, add a bit of butter, when it's melted, drizzle away. Warm honey, warm berries, warm butter, warm muffins. Strong, hot coffee to wash it all down. Now that's what I was craving. (When I make them next, with bacon, we'll drizzle with a bit of warmed maple syrup. Lordy.)

Suitably fortified, it's time for a walk in the sun. I am so happy that winter is over. Have I said that yet? No less than 100 times? Lalalaaa!

Peerless Cornbread Muffins

Adapted from The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham

Makes 12 muffins

1 egg, room temperature

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, melted

1/4 c. vegetable oil (I used 2 Tbsp.)

1 c. milk, warmed

1 c. cake flour (I used 1 scant c. all-purpose)

2/3 c. yellow cornmeal

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. sugar (I used 2 Tbsp., since I added berries)

Optional:

3/4 c. blueberries (add 1 Tbsp. sugar; before stirring in the berries, toss them with a bit of flour so they don't sink to the bottoms of the muffins)

4 slices bacon, fried until very crispy, crumbled into small pieces

Serve with:

butter and honey (or maple syrup)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease the muffin tins.

Beat or whisk the egg, melted butter, and oil in a mixing bowl until well blended. Stir in the warm milk. Combine the cake flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and sugar in another bowl and stir with a fork until well mixed. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir until blended. This is a light, medium-thick batter. (Stir in blueberries or bacon, if using.)

Spoon the batter into the muffin tins so each cup is 3/4 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges of the muffins are slightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center. Remove from tins and cool a little on racks, or simply serve in a basket, hot from the oven.

Saturday Brunch: Baby Artichokes with Ham, Baby Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

FreshTartSteph — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 11:28:01 PDT

Saturday brunch! It's my special John-n-Stephanie thing, and I love it like I love puppies and sunshine and champagne and straight hair. And I love those things very, very much, so now you know how much I love Saturday brunch.

We don't have our kids on Saturday mornings (divorce stinks, but a couple of days a week to yourself is not necessarily a bad thing), so we make the best of an otherwise ungood (my nephew Cooper's word - ungood - which according to him means very, very not good) situation and put on some tunes, crack some eggs, make plans for an afternoon movie, and read the paper. And, in my case, take pictures and write blog posts, which I also love (see above list).

We're not all about breakfast pastries on Saturdays (that's for Sundays), it's more about the savory. Today, in fact, I didn't even crack an egg, but instead trimmed artichokes, and sliced bread and cheese, and made a panful of baby artichokes braised with ham, served alongside mini-grilled cheese sandwiches. It seemed all brunchy to us, even if it doesn't to you. And I admit - it would make a perfectly lovely lunch or dinner. You could slice the artichokes more thinly and toss them with pasta, maybe a handful of peas, and a shower of Parmesan. That would be not ungood. Or, you could serve the artichokes with softly scrambled eggs - mmm - which would take you right back to brunch. Or dinner. These things are flexible.

The recipe for artichokes is below. The baby grilled cheese sandwiches - just thin slices of (whole-grain, although any type would work) baguette, olive oil (or butter) on the outsides, cheese on the insides (I had some tomato sauce in the cooler that I also added; mustard is good, or nothing but cheese - your choice), toasted in a pan until crispy & melty.

The movie? Greenberg, about to leave for it, I'll let you know how it is. (Later: back from the movie - I loathed it, ah well, but that's just me, don't go by what I think. I hate a lot of movies.)

Artichokes Sauteed with Ham

Adapted from Tapas, A Taste of Spain in America

Serves 4 as tapas, 2 as dinner

9 baby (one package of Melissa’s brand) or 5 large artichokes

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, with 1 Tbsp. chopped parsley reserved

5 Tbsp. Spanish (or other) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

2 Tbsp. tomato paste diluted in 1 ½ c. water OR 1 ½ c. juice from canned tomatoes (I buy tomato paste in a tube, allows you to use a bit at a time)

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 pinch sugar

¼ tsp. sea salt, plus more to taste

2 Tbsp. dry white wine (lemon juice)

1 oz. jamon seranno (Spanish cured ham) or other high-quality, lightly-smoked ham, diced (about 4 thin slices)

1 bay leaf

Optional:
Several thick slices of baguette, toasted and rubbed with half of a garlic clove and drizzled with a bit of olive oil

Prepare a large bowl of cold water, and toss in the bunch of parsley (prevents artichokes from oxidizing). Using a serrated knife, cut off and discard the top half of each artichoke. Using your fingers, remove and discard the first few layers of leaves, until you reach the tender, pale leaves beneath. Cut the artichoke in half and use a sharp paring knife to remove and discard the white, hairy interior. Peel and discard the tough outer layer around the base of the artichoke, until you reach the soft white flesh. Peel the stalk until you reach the white flesh again. Don’t be afraid to remove most of the artichoke. Cut baby artichoke halves in half again; cut large artichoke halves into 3-4 slices. Put artichoke slices into the parsley water, and repeat with all the artichokes.

Heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil in a small pan over a medium flame. Add the diluted tomato paste or tomato juice, garlic clove, and sugar. Simmer for 15 minutes, until the juice is a deep red.

Heat 3 Tbsp. olive oil in a sauté pan over a medium flame. Add the artichokes, making sure they lie flat, and the salt. Saute until golden, then turn and sauté until golden on the other side, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 30 seconds. Add the reserved tomato juice and bay leaf and turn heat to low for a slow simmer. In the pan the tomato sauce was cooked in, add the remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil and heat over medium heat. Stir in the ham and sauté for 2 minutes until starting to brown. Add ham to the artichokes, and continue simmering for another few minutes, until artichokes are tender and sauce is reduced, another 3-4 minutes. Remove crushed garlic clove and bay leaf. Add salt to taste. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

Eggs Baked with Breadcrumbs, Scallions & Cream

FreshTartSteph — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 11:36:10 PST

These are technically shirred eggs, which are eggs baked whole out of the shell. But since I don't like the word shirred, I'm just calling these baked eggs. This recipe is based on another beauty from Marion Cunningham's The Breakfast Book (I've said before that it's a lovely book; I still mean it). I riffed on the original and added the toasted breadcrumbs and scallions.

These are the easiest eggs this side of pie - oh wait, I already used that one. Well then, they're as easy as a slap (that's Czech, I looked it up online, it's my new favorite "easy as" phrase, so expect to see it again). As Marion says, "Shirred eggs are a convenient dish to serve when you have invited a number of people over for breakfast; you might try cooking a number this way using buttered muffin tins instead of ramekins." Fabulous advice, especially since they're so pretty.

And creamy and good, so you will definitely want two for each person (the four pictured were gone in four minutes; I've clearly recovered from last night's over-indulgence and in fact found these rather restorative). You could serve them with hot, buttered toast, but I think they don't need it, given the buttered breadcrumbs at the bottom of the dish. Up to you, of course. John wished for crispy bacon as a side and that did make sense to me. Next time. (Tomorrow).

Eggs Baked with Breadcrumbs, Cream & Scallions

Adapted from a basic recipe by Marion Cunningham from The Breakfast Book

Makes 4 eggs (honestly, serves 2)

1 Tbsp. butter

1 c. fresh breadcrumbs (from approximately 2 slices of bread)

2 scallions, minced

salt and pepper

4 medium eggs

8 tsp. whipping cream (2 tsp. for each egg)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and a sprinkle of salt and stir around until nicely toasted and browned, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the minced scallions.

Put four small ramekins on a baking sheet. Divide the breadcrumb/scallion mixture among the ramekins. Crack one egg into each ramekin, then drizzle 2 tsp. of cream over each egg. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 12 minutes (or up to 15 minutes, which is how long it took for our eggs to no longer have any clear whites, yet still-runny yolks; but start peeking at 12 minutes - once they're over-cooked, there's obviously no going back...).

If you're making toast and/or bacon, do it while the eggs bake, because you'll want to eat them immediately (they continue to cook in the hot ramekin).

Crêpes Farcies et Roulées (Stuffed and Rolled French Pancakes)

FreshTartSteph — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 10:16:59 PDT

Well, John and I abandoned moderation yesterday in the name of Julia Child crêpes stuffed with ham and mushrooms, napped in sauce Mornay, and run under the broiler. I came to the idea in my typical way - I, er, stole it. We had a version of a similar dish the night before, at Bar La Belle Vie, which planted a little craving in my brain, and as luck would have it we had some good ham in the cooler...and crêpes are really so easy to make... So voila, crêpes with ham. A little paging through Mastering the Art of French Cooking got me thinking mushrooms too, as well as sauce Mornay (cheese sauce made with a roux), and pretty soon restraint flew out the window, the butter was on my cutting board, and the blender was whirring away (crêpe batter is a cinch in a blender).

The only actual recipes I used were for the crêpes and sauce Mornay; the ham and mushroom filling, I just winged. I sauted a small, minced clove of garlic in some melted butter for a few minutes, then stirred in about 3 oz. of thinly sliced wild mushrooms. When they were tender and starting to brown, I add about 6 ounces of chopped, shaved ham and stirred until warmed through. By then I had also made the sauce Mornay, so I stirred in a generous spoonful or two to bind the filling, seasoned the whole with salt and pepper, and was ready to roll (literally).

After prepping the crêpes (I made six and saved the remaining batter for later - it keeps perfectly in the fridge for a few days, ready to go, a rather dangerous convenience), I put 2-3 Tbsp. of warm filling on each crêpe, rolled them up, and laid them out in a buttered casserole dish. To finish, I topped the rolled crêpes with sauce Mornay and ran the pan under a moderate broiler until lightly browned. We ate them - tender, salty, lightly cheesy - with a glass of champagne and felt fine. And full. Salut!

From Mastering the Art of French Cooking, re: Crêpes Farcies et Roulées:

Every French household makes use of crepes, not only as a festive dessert for Mardi Gras and Candlemas Day, but as an attractive way to turn leftovers or simple ingredients into a nourishing main-course dish. Crêpes may be rolled around a filling of fish, meat, or vegetables, spread with sauce, and browned under the broiler. More spectacular is a gâteau de crêpes in which the pancakes are piled upon each other in a stack of 24, each spread with a filling. This is then heated in the oven and gratinéed with a good sauce. Or the crêpes may be piled into a soufflé mold with alternating layers of filling, heated in the oven, unmolded, and coated with sauce. Whatever system you decide upon, including rolled crêpes, the dish may be prepared in advance and heated up when you are ready to serve.

Happy, Healthy Mother's Day Brunch

FreshTartSteph — Sun, 10 May 2009 13:23:32 PDT

Happy Mother's Day! It's been a terrific one for me. My mom and sister Stacey stopped by for a light, simple brunch and some good chat over coffee. I tried a new crustless quiche recipe that completely rocked - only 150 calories/slice but you'd never know it. Loaded with the flavor of Canadian bacon, onions, spinach, and cheese, I'll definitely be making it again. Recipe, from Cooking Light magazine, is here.

We filled out the rest of the meal with good ol' (lowfat) Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage (brown it on a parchment-lined baking sheet in the oven for no mess, no fuss), fresh fruit, and Baby Buddhas (streusel coffee cakes) from Lucia's. A little sweet, a little salty, none of it too rich, that's my kind of brunch.

(I haven't tried it specifically with this recipe, but I'd bet that this quiche would freeze beautifully. Wrap individual pieces tightly in layers of plastic wrap. Reheat in the microwave for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.)

FreshTartSteph — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 10:30:00 PST

Happy President's Day!? Actually, very happy because Nathan is home from school, always fun. We celebrated more yesterday than today, first with brunch at Stacey's with my mom. We pulled it together pretty quickly (our original plan was to go out, which we bagged when we realized how much more fun little Cooper Cuteness would have at his own house). And as often occurs under those rushed circumstances, something rather delicious happened. Stace set out for Isles Buns for the most killerest cinnamon rolls on the planet - huge, soft and dangerously yeasty, studded with soft pockets of cinnamon and dripping with gooey, creamy icing. And that was brunch, all good. Oh wait! Nope, that was the end of brunch, right, although those lovely buns would have sufficed as the entire meal, quite handily. But heck no, this is me - and the family that made me who I am - we're talking about here, so there was plenty more, plenty!

Including a pissaladiere - basically a savory French tart, but not a quiche, since it doesn't contain eggs. How did I settle on a pissaladiere? Well, I started thinking quiche, and flipped through Mastering the Art of French Cooking for inspiration and a good short pastry recipe. Then I started thinking that Nathan does not enjoy eggs (to put it mildly), and that I had some delicious sausage that could make an interesting tart filling on its own, and so into pissaladiere the concept evolved. And what a treat! Buttery crust filled in this case with browned sausage, caramelized onions, and tomatoes. No cheese, no eggs. Really rather fabulous if I do say so myself (and apparently, I do)! The crust is quite rich, so needs a good chill before quickly rolling it out. But it's worth the wait. We had it alongside a simple salad, which kind of hilariously served as a palate cleanser before... Those damn buns! My goodness we were full, not very moderate (despite my silly Valentine's Day pledge), uff. (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

Then we rushed home to greet the Shubert family! Yay! As many of you already know, wherever the Shuberts go, fun follows... In this case, they were here as a huge favor to me - the Coreman sweetly agreed to help me set up my new Mac system. Yes, I have made The Leap, this is my first official post on a Mac, not a PC. (Pause and listen to the singing angels...) I have a bit of a learning curve ahead of me, since of course we have made things as complicated as possible with our music and photo libraries, network, incompatible email, and printing with a printer that doesn't much like Macs, but we're pretty well on our way. Hey, at least I'm posting this! Much faster, much prettier (gorgeous, in fact), much more fun. And blogging was already fun! So woo hoo for additional fun! (Now I just need a kickin' new camera to take better food pics with...but don't hold your breath on that one, awww shucks.)

Suz and the kids tagged along to make for a very fun afternoon! A little beer, a little buttery popcorn, some major video-game playing for the kids, some major Mac Magic for us adults, not our typical Sunday by a long shot - as in, very productive! Hopefully today will yield the same progress, and tasties (of course), stay tuned...