Fresh Tart

I posted this recipe a few weeks ago at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine.  It's hard to say much more about Sweet Potato Fries than: They are easy.  They are delicious.

I spotted sweet potatoes at the farmers market the other day and immediately imagined sweet potato "fries," roasted in the oven until tender and just-browned, served with plenty of crunchy salt, mmmm...  While I enjoyed the image, I also pictured my husband and teens turning up their noses at the sight of them (sigh), so I only bought a few, just enough to make a pretty photo to share with you.

As I peeled the potatoes, both kids asked what I was making.  I know how this goes - I say tomato salad, or green beans, or roasted cauliflower, and they at best say no thanks.  But tonight, they both said, "Great, I love sweet potato fries."  Huh?  While it was tempting to remind them that no, they don't like sweet potato fries (I enjoy being right more than I enjoy most things), not even I am that thick.  So I raised only one eyebrow, not two, and smiled to myself as they cheerfully split the last fry.

It was...awesomely weird.

So if you're in the mood for odd teenage behavior, as well as easy, delicious sweet potato fries, this recipe is for you.  The crispy sage only takes a minute to prepare and makes the potatoes particularly addictive (and in fact will have you fantasizing about other dishes to crumble it on).

Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic & Fried Sage
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, November 2008
Serves 4

1/4 c. olive oil
12 fresh sage leaves
2 large garlic cloves, minced to a paste
1 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled, halved, and cut into 1/2"-thick pieces
coarse salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F with rack in upper third of oven.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Heat oil in a small heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then fry sage leaves in 2 batches, stirring, until crisp, 30 seconds to 1 minute per batch.  Transfer with a slotted spoon or tongs to paper towels to drain.  Remove pan from heat, reserving oil.

Put potatoes and garlic in a large bowl. Toss with reserved oil, sprinkle generously with coarse salt, then toss again.  Spread potatoes evenly on the lined baking sheet and place in the oven.  Bake for 10 minutes, turn potatoes over, and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until potatoes are tender and browning and spots.

Roughly crumble fried sage over the potatoes, add more coarse salt to taste, and serve immediately.

Gorgeous, hip, fun, smart, and famously delicious - San Francisco is my dream town.  I regret that I was so busy with the BlogHer Food blogging conference I attended that I didn't get to do much sightseeing.  But I did enjoy several fantastic, not-Minnesota meals, and of course incredible California wine.

Here's the overview in case you're heading to Cali any time soon (and if you are, I am deeply jealous)...

Our first night, John and I hit Incanto, in the Noe Valley, on Andrew Zimmern's recommendation.  Chef Chris Cosentino tweets as @offalchris, a nod to the fact that, as their website notes, Incanto "almost always includes one or two dishes featuring 'odd cuts' and offal because serving these parts of the animal honors the whole animal and helps preserve an important, yet increasingly overlooked, part of our culinary heritage."

And also - because the parts are delicious!  Especially in Chef Cosentino's talented, adventurous hands.  John and I enjoyed heavenly crispy pork liver, tender and rich.  The "best bits" chicken risotto with gizzards & crispy skin is the essence of chicken, pure and intense, melting into creamy rice.  It's serious risotto, not to be missed, so leave room for it.  We also fit in slabs of silky-sweet foie gras (so rich, so full, so lucky), washed down with one of the best series of wines I have ever - ever - enjoyed.  Big credit to our our fantastic waiter for an unforgettable meal.  If you're interested in cooking the "odd cuts," and you can handle the visuals, check out Chef Cosentino's blog Offal Good.

Saturday night we headed to Namu, a Korean-fusion spot recommended to us by Andrew, as well as my friend Danielle from Bon Vivant.  Let me back up and say...San Francisco is not a cab town.  But John and I got lucky with a ride to Namu with the coolest, smartest guy - Felix - who gave us his card and told us to give him a call after dinner.

John and I walked into Namu and dug the vibe immediately: relaxed, comfortable, with a fascinating menu.  From the pickled vegetables to fried tofu (dream about, crave, inspired the recipe below) to the grilled okra to the braised beef short ribs - Eat. Here.  And then if you're lucky, call Felix for a ride, because that is the only way you're going to get home.

Sunday we were free!  Conference over, we rented a car and planned a scenic drive.  While John picked up the car, I had brunch with my friend Denise of Chez Us.  I first met Denise last spring at the Penny de los Santos food photography workshop I attended in San Francisco.  It was a blast to see her again and catch up!  She suggested we meet at Cafe de la Presse, a lovely spot for a delicious French brunch.  As fun as it was to be in San Francisco with John, he couldn't really talk shop with me.  After two days of the conference, I was ready to gossip and put it all in perspective.

After brunch, we said good-bye to Denise, and John and I set off to drive most of the famous 49-Mile Scenic Drive.  That's our thing, taking great drives together, and as you might imagine, touring San Francisco is seriously stunning.  We put an iPad to good use - Google maps are knockout on an iPad, especially with the ease of zooming in and out.

We broke away for a drive over the Golden Gate Bridge (see previous post) and a mid-afternoon bite at Fish in Sausalito.  Fish tacos and a catfish po-boy with slaw tasted mighty fine along the water front, in that glorious California sunshine, oh yeah...

And then Sunday night, the biggest treat of all.  It turned out that our friend Maud was going to be in San Francisco visiting her brother Arthur, his wife Heidi, and their daughters Sadie and Sophia.  When we figured out that we were overlapping each other, Arthur and Heidi graciously offered to host John and me for dinner.

Yes!

I've "known" Arthur online (Facebook, Onsugar) for years but never actually met him.  Needless to say, it was a huge treat for John and me to relax with the whole group in Arthur and Heidi's lovely home, especially after several days of eating in restaurants.  Arthur is a total foodie and a great cook - he made a beautiful dinner for us.

Before we arrived, Arthur had already marinated a butterflied leg of lamb with garlic and herbs, ready to grill until crusty and pink.

My pic doesn't do the Lacinato kale salad justice, which is too bad, it was an intense and vibrant green.  To make the salad, Arthur stemmed and chopped the kale into a fine chiffonade.  He whisked together lemon juice, olive oil, and red wine vinegar and tossed it into the kale a couple of hours before we ate, allowing the acid in the dressing to "cook" the kale.  Right before serving, he tossed in crumbed feta cheese and toasted walnuts, and salt and pepper to taste.

He also made a delicious saute of rainbow chard.  He separated the stalks from the leaves, chopping both.  He sauteed the stalk with chopped onion for 30 minutes or until deeply caramelized.  Just before serving he stirred in the leaves, tossing until the leaves wilted.  He finished with a vinaigrette of honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and toasted sesame seed oil, as well as a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.

Needless to say, both dishes were out of this world, a little salty, a little sweet, the perfect sides for the tender lamb.

He also shared a big pot of beans that he makes on Sundays for the week.  I hope we left him some, they were fabulous with rice, exactly what you'd want to take to work for a filling lunch or to warm up for a quick dinner.  Pure comfort.

For dessert, we gouged bites of chocolate off of a hunk of bittersweet Scharffenberger, alongside slices of ripe pear.  A feast!  A colorful, healthy, unforgettable feast!  With great wine, top-notch advice for my blog, and the best possible company, it was just a perfect way to end our trip.

So there it is.  Man, I am still wiped!  And yet still able to make fried tofu for lunch today, in honor of the delicious tofu we had at Namu.

I'll just declare that fried tofu is one of my favorite dishes, I think even Top 10.  There's something about the hot crispy coating around the silky interior and the way it all soaks up the garlicky, salty sauce it's often served with.  As a bonus, it's really easy to prepare - pan-fried vs. deep-fried, with a coating that's just a quick dusting of rice flour.  You could be swooning over it in less than 20 minutes, no problem.

Crispy Fried Tofu
Serves 2-3

1 block firm tofu
rice flour
oil suitable for high heat frying (refined almond, safflower, peanut, etc.)
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. mirin
1 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. rice wine vinegar
2 scallions, sliced thin

Drain liquid from tofu container, then wrap tofu in paper towels.  Press down on the tofu to remove as much liquid as you can.  Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes.  Dredge cubes in rice flour.

Pour oil 1/2-inch deep in a large skillet.  Heat over medium-high heat.  While oil heats, put garlic, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, mirin, water, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and scallions in a small sauce pan.  Simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes, then set aside.

When oil is hot, fry cubes until golden brown on one side.  Using tongs, turn and brown on the other side.  Drain on paper towels.  Serve cubes with warm sauce for dipping.

Where do you buy fish?  A tricky thing, in Minnesota, at least to find consistently fresh choices - I've bought nice fillets and some real stinkers from every major outlet in the Twin Cities.

If you're willing to shop online, I can say that I've been extremely pleased with the sustainably caught king salmon and halibut I've bought from VitalChoice Wild Seafood.  This was our first batch of halibut and I could have eaten all the pieces in one week!

But I didn't.  Two 6-oz. fillets went into the Quick Coconut Curry with Halibut & Broccoli that I posted last week at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine.  Heavenly, that dish, I'm on a big coconut milk kick as a result.

A few days later, two more fillets found their way into this fish soup, thick and rich with tomatoes, garlic, and fresh herbs.  You might notice that this is the first recipe I've posted in awhile calling for canned tomatoes instead of fresh.  I felt a little sad about it, until I tasted the tomatoes and remembered that good-quality canned tomatoes are fabulous too.  Go for a good Italian brand - the ripe, meaty Romas are what gives the soup its beautiful color and texture.

Fish Soup with Tomatoes
4 servings

2 Tbsp. olive oil, more for drizzling
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 8-oz. bottle clam juice
1 24-oz. can whole Italian tomatoes
2 6-oz. fillets halibut or other firm, white fish, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 c. chopped Italian parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper

toasted baguette slices

Heat a large saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add olive oil, then onion, and slowly saute onion until softened but not browned, about 15 minutes.  Add garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for 5 minutes.  Turn heat to medium.  Add white wine and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add clam juice.  Crush tomatoes by hand into the soup, adding the remaining juices.  Turn heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.  Stir in fish and parsley and simmer gently for 5-10 minutes, until fish is just cooked through.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.  Serve immediately, ladled over toasted bread, and drizzled with a little olive oil.

What's this?  Why, it's the best (insert your favorite curse word) breakfast you've had, like, ever.  You'll see the list of ingredients, and you might freak out a little bit, thinking that it's awfully rich for breakfast.  But bear with me, as I'm a big fan of small jolts of dear ingredients, the best possible way to eat healthfully without dying of boredom.

This baby has it all, and I'm not just talking a nice balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fat.  I'm talking crunchy, creamy, salty, spicy, even a hint of sweetness from the tomatoes.  I realize that I'm claiming no new territory here - huevos rancheros fans will be all over this.  But I might be able to shake you egg-&-buttered-toast fans out of a rut, and for that I'd be thrilled.  (This totals around 250 calories, for those who care, and in my experience will leave you nicely satisfied until lunch time.)

Best part - ready in 10 minutes or less.  Yes!  I say breakfast, but I make this for lunch (and dinner!) all the time too.  I'm not sure why I haven't shared it with you before, probably because it feels like sharing a bowl of yogurt, as in, I eat this all the time.  But there was something about the way this morning's gorgeous fall sunlight fell on that equally golden yolk that made me think, Hey, this is blog worthy!  Right?

Oh, I keep forgetting to say (because I keep forgetting that I'm going)...  I'm heading to San Francisco later this week for BlogHer Food '10, a big annual food bloggers conference.  Food bloggers know all about it but the reaction from family and non-blogging friends has been mostly pleasant confusion.

Oh cool.  Wait - why?

I can't say exactly, yet - I've never attended a conference like this before - but I'm expecting serious networking as well as conversations about photography, writing, social marketing, monetizing, recipe writing, web design, niche/audience, on and on.  And on.  This will be two full days of conversation with hundreds of assertive, talented, successful, motivated women, after all.  (There are male food bloggers of course.  Food Wishes, David Lebovitz, Michael Ruhlman, Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, and Amateur Gourmet are all favorites of mine.  But as the world goes, so does blogging...  Women are taking over.  Just kidding.  A little.)

John is going with me, so I'm not sure how much blogging I'll do from San Francisco.  We have drives to take and restaurants to scope!  Also, I'm the type that needs to mentally digest a bit before I summarize.  But despite prolonged exposure to excellent food and wine, I'll most certainly glean nuggets of wisdom which I'll be anxious to share.  Stay tuned for raves...  (And if you're going - email or DM me!  I'd love to meet you!)

Fried Egg Tostada with Sausage, Spinach & Tomatoes
Serves 1

Note: If you're avoiding grains, just skip the tortilla and serve the egg over the spinach & sausage, with the slice of avocado as garnish.  Delicious.

1 small, fresh corn tortilla
olive oil
1/2-inch-thick slice of ripe avocado, mashed lightly with a pinch of salt (about 1 Tbsp.)
1 oz. (about the size of a 1-inch meatball) of pork breakfast sausage (I love Blue Gentian, available at Minneapolis Farmers Market)
3 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 c. spinach leaves
chipotle chili powder
1 large, organic egg
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Rub a few drops of olive oil into both sides of the tortilla.  Toast the tortilla in the hot skillet until lightly browned and crispy on both sides.  Set tortilla on a plate.

Crumble pork sausage into the hot skillet and stir around until nicely browned, about 3 minutes.  Add cherry tomatoes, spinach, a sprinkle of salt, and a dash of chipotle chili powder and stir until spinach is wilted.  Remove pan from heat.  Spread avocado on tortilla, then top with the spinach mixture.

Return pan to heat.  Add a a few drops of olive oil if there is no fat in the pan, then crack egg into the pan.  Sprinkle egg with a little salt and pepper and fry egg to desired doneness (I like an over-medium egg).  Nestle egg on top of tortilla and serve immediately.

Here's a...thing.  Due to health problems I'd been experiencing for the last couple of years (puffy eyes/hands, fatigue, joint pain), and given that I'm otherwise totally healthy (blood pressure and cholesterol-wise), I started experimenting with eliminating various foods from my diet.

I started with nuts, then eggs, then dairy.

I felt exactly the same.

And then...I eliminated gluten/wheat, about a month ago, and I haven't looked back.

Puffy eyes - gone.  Fatigue - gone.  Joint pain - gone.  I feel fantastic, I look like myself again, and so far at least, it's been the easiest dietary change I've ever made.  It helps that I'd developed a subconscious aversion to pasta, bread, and even beer, because it was making me feel like hell.  I watch my son & stepdaughter tear into a baguette, and while they're happy as clams, I feel sick to my stomach for them.

For those of you who feel not only fine but great eating wheat and other grains, don't worry - I'm still going to include the same variety of foods here on Fresh Tart that I always have.  The rest of my family eats plenty of grains without consequence, and it's not hard for me to make them the dishes they still love and just adapt them for myself.

I'm personally coming to the conclusion that there is no one right way to eat, that diet is very individual.  Some people thrive on grains, others feel awful (like me!). Some are sickly without meat in their diets, some can't tolerate it at all.  (Everyone likes fruit and veggies, right?  Ha!)  I think we should all skip daily doses of sugar, soda, and processed and junk foods, but I've always felt that way (therefore this blog!).

I'm alone in that thought in this household, by the way...

Bottom line: You'll still find all varieties of fresh, real foods here.

In the meantime, if you're a coconut lover like I am (obsessed!), check out these grain-free, gluten-free coconut pancakes that I found from the Mark's Daily Apple website (a great resource for grain-free, gluten-free ideas).  They have an almost macaroon-like texture, lightly sweet from the coconut itself, and are utterly heavenly with ripe berries.  I layered in some cottage cheese because that's always how I eat pancakes, but you could easily skip it and just go for the berries.

On another note, I was recently Twitterviewed (interviewed on Twitter!) by Joel E. Carlson, a local social media guru and consultant.  I had coffee with him a couple of weeks ago and he is one of the nicest, easiest to chat with people in town.  Follow him on Twitter @JoelECarlson.

And if you're interested, check out the transcript of my interview on his site, Joel's Views.

Grain-Free Coconut Pancakes
Adapted from a recipe by Adam Kayce on Mark's Daily Apple
Serves 8

2 eggs
1 can coconut milk (not the light version; Taste of Thai brand is nice)
1 c. unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 c. almond meal
1/2 tsp. of almond extract (or cinnamon)

sliced berries
cottage cheese (optional)

In a medium bowl, lightly beat eggs with a fork.  Add coconut milk, coconut, almond meal, and almond extract, and stir until evenly incorporated.

Cook pancakes on a greased nonstick griddle, keeping in mind that 1) it's easier to handle smaller pancakes; I make them silver-dollar size, 2) the pancakes need to be cooked on the first side until they're almost dry, with nicely browned egdes, before flipping them, and 3) the pancakes are very tender, so flip gently.  After the first one or two, you'll have the hang of them, they're not difficult to handle, just a bit different than a typical pancake.

Serve hot with sliced berries, and cottage cheese (if using).

Note: If you don't use all of the batter, it keeps nicely in the fridge for up to a week.

I hated applesauce as a kid.  (I realize how many blog posts I begin by mentioning a food I hated as a kid.  I do it to reassure you, and myself, that picky children often become enthusiastic cooks and eaters.  So hang in there if you're feeding the seemingly impossible.)

I hated its grainy, watery texture. I hated its unappetizing pinky-grey color.

I hated that it didn't taste like apple pie, which I loved.

And then I made homemade applesauce and like many things homemade, it blew my mind a little bit.  Smooth and almost creamy, thick and not-too sweet, scented with cinnamon and tasting fully of apples.  Like apple pie, in fact, warm and comforting.  Yes.

It's the only applesauce I'll eat.  Bonus: It's one of my son's favorite foods, especially alongside pork (in particular, no-fail barbecued ribs, tonight's din).

I feel like I'm cheating calling this a recipe, since it's nothing but apples, a splash of water, and cinnamon.

So I'll give you this rough outline, and then say this: Make some immediately.

For another twist on the pork & apple theme, check out the Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Apple Salsa recipe I posted a couple of weeks ago at the Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine blog.

Homemade Applesauce
Makes several cups

About 20 apples (I picked up two bags at the farmers market, one of Cortlands, one of Honey Crisps)
1/4 c. water
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
Sugar (maybe, but you likely won't need it)

Peel, core, and slice apples, tossing them into a stock pot or Dutch oven as you go.  When all the apples are sliced, add water and cinnamon to pan and cover.  Bring to a simmer, turn heat to low, and stir occasionally, recovering, until apples break down into a thick sauce, about 20 minutes.  Taste applesauce and add 1-2 Tbsp. of sugar if needed (I didn't need to add sugar, but it does depend on 1) how sweet you like your applesauce, and 2) how sweet the apples are that you're using).  When the apples are dissolved, continue simmering over low heat, half-covered, sitrring occasionally, until sauce is quite thick, about 20-30 minutes.  Serve warm or cool.  Store remaining applesauce in the refrigerator for up to one week.

I posted this recipe a few weeks ago at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly.  It's no longer hot & humid in Minnesota - in fact, we turned on the heat this morning, brrr! - but there are still piles of fat, ripe tomatoes around, just perfect for making this addictive sauce.

Thanks to my seasonal pessimism, my counter-top is groaning with tomatoes.  Even as I complain about the humidity and grumble about watering parched flowers, I feel winter's death-grip closing in fast.  When you spend your formative winters in Grand Forks, North Dakota, you know of winter.  And you sure as heck appreciate summer tomatoes.

So if you, like I, have planted too many plants, or if you, like I, compulsively buy tomatoes from every produce stand you pass, then this sauce is for you.  I've never frozen it, because it's so good that we eat it all in one or two sittings.  If you make and freeze the sauce successfully, let me know.

This recipe is via the excellent blog Chez Pim.  It's a perfect tomato sauce, pared down to the essence of tomato.  It also takes only 15 minutes to make.  Roll up your sleeves and crush the tomatoes with your hands.  It's fun.

I tossed the sauce with pasta for the photo, which is completely delicious, but my truly favorite way to eat it is with good, crusty bread.  Tear off pieces, scoop up as much sauce as the bread will hold, close your eyes, and enjoy a huge bite of summer.  Or, take a note from Jamie Oliver and pour the sauce in a pan, nestle in mushroom caps filled with cheese, sprinkle with fresh herbs, and bake until the cheese melts.  However you eat the sauce - winter will just have to back off.

For a minute.

Fresh Tomato Sauce
Adapted from Chez Pim www.chezpim.com
Makes about 2 cups of sauce

2 lbs. fresh, ripe garden tomatoes
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, chopped; or none at all
1/4 c. olive oil, you can use less or barely any at all
salt to taste
1/2 Tbsp. of balsamic or sherry vinegar
freshly ground black pepper

Put a large pot of water on to heat.  With a sharp knife, make a cross mark at the bottom of each tomato.  When water is hot, add the tomatoes and let sit for just a minute or so, until you can see the skin come a little loose at the cross mark.  Remove the tomatoes from the hot water and give them a quick rinse in cold water.  (You can leave the hot water in the pot if you're going to make pasta to go with the sauce.  Add salt, bring to a boil.)  With a small knife, peel the skins from the tomatoes - they should slide right off.  With the tip of the knife, cut around each green crown and remove it.

Over a medium bowl, squeeze the tomatoes, crushing the pulp with your fingers to break it up into small chunks.

Add olive oil and garlic to a large skillet.  Heat over medium heat until garlic just starts to sizzle, then add tomatoes (keep the bowl handy) and a big pinch of salt.  Cook for a few minutes, until you can see the pulp breaking down and releasing the juices.  Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the chunks of pulp and put it back in the bowl, leaving the juices in the pan.

Continue cooking the juices until they thicken and are no longer watery.  Add the pulp back to the pan, as well as the vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper (and a little more vinegar if you think it needs it).

It is so dark today (in Minnesota), I'm lucky I was able to take a recognizable photo.  Flash flood warnings abound, as apparently we're about to be deluged with days of cold, fall rain.

Good times.

To cheer myself up, I just add pork, to just about anything, and really, I feel better.  I made a big pan of Swiss chard for a dinner party last Friday night, with raisins, pine nuts, and...pancetta.  I bought an extra slice, knowing I could put it to good use somewhere this week.

Needless to say, when I started thinking about what to make for dinner tonight, all I could think about was that pancetta.  I decided that this round it would rock with roasted cauliflower.

I stirred in minced garlic, fresh thyme, and grated Parmesan cheese at the end for an extra boost of flavor.  I pretty much had this for dinner, crusty and rich, but it would be perfect tossed with pasta or alongside steaks or salmon as well.

I also enjoyed a glass of the lovely wine I received last night at the grand opening celebration for Surdyk's Wine Flights, a wine market & bar newly opened at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport.

Yes, John & I made our way out to the airport, and through security, to attend a party!  Really fun, especially to sample truly delicious food & wine (at an airport!) and to chat with food writers Crystal Grobe (Cafe Cyan, WCCO Bite of Minnesota), Maja Ingeman (Heavy Table), and Kate Sommers (Fork, Knife, and Spoon, Heavy Table, CityPages Foodography).

I arrived at the party several mintues later than John, stressing a bit that he wouldn't know anyone there...and discovered him happily chatting away, full plate of food and glass of wine in hand.

Next time you're at MSP, stop in for a pre- or post-flight glass of wine and snack.  Or even better - I'm a bit obsessed with this idea - buy yourself a baguette, gorgeous cheese, and a bottle of wine to enjoy on the plane.  A plane picnic!  How cool is that?

And oh, check out yet one more pork idea, the Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Apple Salsa I posted this week at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly magazine.  The only thing better than pork is pork with apples.

Stay dry, friends!

Roasted Cauliflower with Pancetta, Garlic, & Parmesan
Serves 4

1 slice pancetta, 1/4-inch thick, cut into 1/4-inch dice (substitute bacon, if you like)
1 head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets
1 Tbsp. olive oil
coarse salt
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  In a small skillet over medium-low heat, saute pancetta until evenly golden brown.  Using a slotted spoon, remove pancetta to a paper towel, reserving drippings.

Place cauliflower florets in a large bowl.  Drizzle pancetta drippings over cauliflower, add olive oil, and toss to coat.  Add a generous sprinkle of coarse salt and toss again.  Spread cauliflower evenly on a baking sheet, making sure that all the cauliflower is touching the pan.  Place pan in oven and roast cauliflower for 15 minutes.  Turn florets and roast for another 10 minutes, or until cauliflower is nicely brown in spots.

While cauliflower roasts, stir together garlic, Parmesan cheese, and thyme in a small bowl. When cauliflower is done, sprinkle garlic/cheese mixture over cauliflower and stir.  Return to the oven for 2 minutes, or until garlic is fragrant and cheese is just browning.  Season with additional salt if necessary, top with pancetta, and serve hot.

OK, I gave in, but just a teeny tiny bit.  I'm still grilling, but I was so chilly last night and today that somehow a chuck roast found its way into my grocery cart and lo, a pot roast was born.  We need some braising birth control around here stat - aka sunshine! warmth! - or I'm going completely over to the dark side of soups, stews, and all things slow-roasted.

In September.

This can't happen.

This honeymoon baby is pretty straightforward - browned, braised until falling apart, and finished with vegetables.  I added sherry to the pot, along with thyme, and finished the pan sauce with a little sour cream.  All completely recognizable, with perhaps a bit extra flavor.

There are three keys to a terrific pot roast: 1) season liberally with garlic and salt, 2) brown deeply and thoroughly before adding liquid, and 3) cook as low and slow as you can.

I've found that I can achieve the lowest, slowest braise in a 225 degree F oven, even with extra low burners on my cooktop.  I also like that it's out of sight, if not out of smell (what a fragrance!), and I tend to leave it alone for a solid three hours before I start poking at it.

When it's falling apart tender, it is not only irresistible...but also, of course, done.

Yes.

Pot Roast with Sherry, Onions, Thyme, & Sour Cream
Serves 6

3-4 lb. chuck roast
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced into slivers
coarse salt
1 Tbsp. oil
1 medium onion, peeled, trimmed, quartered
1/2 c. dry sherry
1/2 c. chicken or beef broth
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
3 large carrots, peeled, cut into 2x1/2-inch sticks
4 medium red potatoes, quartered
2 Tbsp. sour cream
freshly ground black pepper
handful of fresh parsley, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.  Poke chuck roast in several places with a small sharp knife and press slivers of garlic into the holes.  Sprinkle coarse salt generously over roast.  Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add oil to pan and brown the roast thoroughly on all sides.  Remove roast to a large plate.  Add onion to the pan, sprinkle lightly with salt, and saute for 2-3 minutes.  Settle roast on top of onion, pour any accumulated juices into the pan, then pour in sherry and broth and add thyme and bay leaf.  Bring to a simmer, cover, and transfer to the oven.

Bake roast for 3 hours (make sure it's gently simmering; if not, increase heat a bit), until falling-apart tender.  Add carrots and potatoes to the pan and cook for another 30 minutes, until vegetables are just tender.  Remove roast and vegetables to a serving platter, cover loosely with foil, and transfer to a warm oven.  Skim fat from pan juices, remove bay leaf, and whisk in sour cream.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Slice roast, top roast and vegetables with fresh parsley, and serve with pan sauce.

I'm supposed to be preparing for a dinner party we're hosting this evening, so this post is going to be short-n-sweet!  Which is fine, since these quiches are short-n-sweet too, and really, what's to say about quiche?  Eggs + cheese = heaven.  There you go.

Oh wait, I do have one note of explanation: I love pie crust as much as the next person, but one of many great things about quiche is that the filling alone is so delicious - and satisfying - that it's damn tasty without the crust.  What a nice way to enjoy something pretty and even celebratory without sweating the calories.

Of course if you can't imagine quiche without the crust, absolutely include it.  The filling below nicely fills a pie shell, or a pie plate if you want to bake it crustless in one dish, or as I wrote it below, baked in 6 4-oz. ramekins (cool leftovers and chill; micro reheat).  Really, whatever you like best.

These quiches come together in about 15 minutes, which means dinner (or brunch) on the table in less than an hour. Tonight's dinner, on the other hand, requires a bit more effort, so I'd best get chopping!  If you're interested, I'm making steaks with herb butter, Swiss chard sauteed with pancetta, raisins, & pine nuts, roasted new potatoes, and light (eggless) chocolate puddings.

Crustless Spinach & Leek Quiches
Makes 6 individual quiches

4 oz. cream cheese, softened (I use Neufchatel/light cream cheese)
1/4 c. milk
3 eggs
freshly grated nutmeg
salt & freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp. butter
1 leek, white & pale green part only, halved lengthwise & sliced thin
1 5 oz. package fresh spinach
1/2 c. grated cheddar
1/4 c. grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease 6 4-oz. ramekins and set them on a baking sheet.

Beat cream cheese in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy.  Slowly beat in milk, then eggs.  Add a few gratings of nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. of salt, and a few grinds of pepper.  Set aside.

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add butter and when it melts, stir in leeks.  Add a sprinkle of salt and saute leeks for 5 minutes, until softened.  Add spinach all at once, another light sprinkle of salt, and cover.   Let spinach steam for 3-4 minutes, or until spinach is wilted.  Saute for another 5 minutes or until most of the liquid is evaporated.

Divide leek-spinach mixture among the 6 ramekins.  Top each with cheddar cheese.  Top with egg mixture and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until eggs are set and golden brown on top.  Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve.