Fresh Tart

Almond Triangle Cookies

FreshTartSteph — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 06:03:14 PST

What to bake when you prefer the salty over the sweet? And you're busy? (And you can't eat gluten?) These easy beauties, which have become everyone's favorite Christmas cookie, including mine.

The original recipe caught my eye a few years ago as the Minneapolis Star Tribune's 2009 Cookie Contest Winner. If you love almonds and caramel and butter and Christmas, you'll be as smitten by these decadent cookies as the Strib'stasting panel clearly was (their verdict: "love" and "beautiful").

As a gift to the baker, these are bar cookies, which Minnesotans know are the most magical (and easy!) of all. Other than allowing time for the shortbread crust to chill before baking, they come together in minutes. After they cool for awhile, cut them into tidy triangles, pour yourself a glass of milk, and dig in.

Despite their simplicity, the triangles are elegant on a cookie plate AND disappear blessedly quickly. You can focus on how nutritious almonds are to lull yourself into cookie complacency, but a cookie isn't Christmas without a hearty dose of butter and sugar, and these are no exception.

Thank goodness!

Recipe for Almond Triangles at TC Taste/Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

Crunchy Wild Rice Salad with Citrus Dressing

FreshTartSteph — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 10:30:23 PST

Happy Almost Thanksgiving! If you're searching for a refreshing, flavorful salad for the holiday table, I've got just the dish. This wild rice salad has been a Meyer family favorite for years and I'm always happy to see it on my plate. Right when the richness of buttery stuffing, buttery mashed potatoes, and buttery gravy threatens to tank your palate, slide your fork over for a bite of this salad, snappy and downright refreshing with orange zest and the crunch of toasted pumpkin seeds.

Bonus 1: It tastes even better the next day, which makes it a perfect do-ahead dish as well as a leftovers treat.
Bonus 2: It can easily be made vegan.
Bonus 3: You can play with the ingredients to your heart's content. Pine nuts instead of pumpkin seeds. Pomegranate seeds instead of golden raisins. Add cubes of roasted squash. Add cubes of apple. Just don't add marshmallows...

Enjoy a lovely meal, everyone!

Recipe for Crunchy Wild Rice Salad with Citrus Dressing at TC Taste/Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

Party Popcorn!

FreshTartSteph — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 14:59:16 PST

As we head into holiday entertaining and craziness, don't forget about popcorn! I am NOT talking about microwave popcorn, I'm talking about the real deal, popped in a pan, which takes about 5 minutes to make and tastes 50 million times - maybe 100 million times - better. When you're done, you have a bowlful of fragrant crunchiness ready to be tarted up for a party (or plopped in front of the TV with a glass of wine aka dinner).

When I was a kid, we were butter-and-salt purists, preferring plenty of both. Don't get me wrong - browned butter with sea salt to this day makes up 80% of my popcorn consumption. I make it for my son's friends, I set it out at our pool for swim parties, I make a batch after a night out with the girls. But it's great fun, and almost as easy, to play around a bit with creative flavor combinations, which are both addictive and gorgeous, and tend to blow guests away for very little effort.

Recipe(s) for Pumpkin Seed/Brown Butter/Crispy Sage, Bacon/Caraway Seed/Bay Leaf, and Curry Powder/Honey/Lime Zest popcorn (and other ideas too) at TC Taste/Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

Almond & Orange Cake with Poached Plum Compote

FreshTartSteph — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:16:19 PST

Given lusty poached plums and a hint of orange, this cake would be stunning on the Christmas table.

Recipe for Almond & Orange Cake with Poached Plum Compote at Food & Wine Magazine/Andrew Zimmern's Kitchen Adventures.

Turkey a la King

FreshTartSteph — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:40:08 PST

Um, I'm a bit late putting this up, I'm very sorry. This dish is of course is perfect for leftover Thanksgiving turkey...perhaps you froze some? Then you're in luck! A creamy, delicious topping for rice, or filling for a luscious pot pie.

Perhaps you're roasting a turkey for Christmas? I'm trying...

Recipe for Turkey a la King at Food & Wine Magazine/Andrew Zimmern's Kitchen Adventures.

Swedish Meatballs

FreshTartSteph — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 14:21:32 PST

Swedish meatballs make a scrumptious main dish or festive party appetizer - your call. Tender, fragrant with allspice and nutmeg, and bathed in a lightly creamy sauce, everyone goes wild for them. Only you need to know that they're not complicated to make, and as a bonus, they're pretty cheap eats, too.

If you serve the meatballs for dinner, make sure to offer a mountain of fluffy mashed potatoes alongside. (I offer a gluten-free adaptation below - and pictured!)

If you serve the meatballs as an appetizer, make them no more than 1-inch in diameter. I like them even a bit smaller so they can be neatly skewered with a toothpick.

For another New Year's Eve appetizer idea, see the gougeres (aka cheese puff pastry) recipe I posted at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly magazine this week. Easy, do-ahead, and utterly addictive! Serve them hot and cheesy from the oven, or cool to room temperature - lovely with a glass of wine.

Swedish Meatballs
Adapted from a recipe by Alton Brown for Food Network
Serves 4 as a main course, or makes 30 1-inch meatballs

Stephanie's note: The original recipes calls for 1/4 tsp. of allspice, but I find 1/8 tsp. much more to my liking. I have also prepared the recipe with all beef, very tasty.

2 slices fresh white bread
1/4 cup milk
4 tablespoons clarified butter, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
A pinch plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 pound ground chuck
3/4 pound ground pork
2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups beef broth
1/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

Tear the bread into pieces and place in a small mixing bowl along with the milk. Set aside.

In a 12-inch straight sided saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat until the onions are soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bread and milk mixture, ground chuck, pork, egg yolks, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, black pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and onions. Beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.

Using a scale, weigh meatballs into 1-ounce portions and place on a sheet pan. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds.

Heat the remaining butter in the saute pan over medium-low heat, or in an electric skillet set to 250 degrees F. Add the meatballs and saute until golden brown on all sides, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the meatballs to an ovenproof dish using a slotted spoon and place in the warmed oven.

Once all of the meatballs are cooked, decrease the heat to low and add the flour to the pan or skillet. Whisk until lightly browned, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the beef stock and whisk until sauce begins to thicken. Add the cream and continue to cook until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. Remove the meatballs from the oven, cover with the gravy and serve.

* Gluten-free: Use gluten-free bread for the breadcrumbs; I used Udi's white, worked well. For the gravy, skip the flour and whisk 2 Tbsp. of cornstarch into the cold beef broth. Once the meatballs are cooked, whisk the cornstarch mixture into the pan until the sauce begins to thicken. Continue as directed.

The Prep Ends, Eating Begins!

FreshTartSteph — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 09:56:19 PST

To me, it's not Christmas without my mom's fabulous 1970s appetizer platter. I use it all the time, this time for fondue vegetables.

The smooth, tangy cheese...

...and rich beef tenderloin fondue were both amazing. Fried beef. Yes.

But I think my very favorite were the crispy cauliflower fritters - ridiculously good.

I used two fondue pots - one for the cheese, the other for the oil. We dipped bread and vegetables in the cheese fondue, then fried the beef and cauliflower in the oil and dipped them in tomato-truffle and horseradish sauces as we went along. If you were feeling really decadent, you could dip the cauliflower fritters in the cheese. We missed that marvelous little move.

Next time.

Any of these would be delicious fun for New Year's Eve!

Cheese Fondue
From The Book of Fondues by Lorna Rhodes
Serves 6

1 Tbsp. butter
1 large shallot, minced
1 c. light ale (I used gluten-free beer)
4 tsp. cornstarch
5 Tbsp. half & half
4 c. (1 lb.) freshly shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Serve with any combination of:
baguette cubes
small pickles
radishes
red bell pepper
mushrooms

Melt butter in a large saucepan and cook shallot until soft. Whisk together the ale, cornstarch, and half & half. Whisk ale mixture into the shallot butter until hot and thickened (do not boil). Turn heat to low and gradually stir in the cheese. Continue to stir and heat until mixture is hot and smooth (but again, do not boil). Transfer to a warm fondue pot and serve with bread and vegetables.

Cauliflower Fritters
From The Book of Fondues by Lorna Rhodes
Serves 6

1 lb. cauliflower, cut into florets
1 c. water
2 1/2 tsp. salt, divided
3/4 c. fresh bread crumbs (I used gluten-free bread)
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
peanut oil or other high heat oil

Serve with one or more dipping sauces:
Tomato-Truffle Sauce
Cheese Fondue

Combine water and 1/2 tsp. salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, add cauliflower, and cook for 3-4 minutes (tender-crisp). Drain well and spread on a baking sheet to cool. (Can be done up to 3 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)

Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, 1 tsp. salt, and several grinds of black pepper in a medium bowl. In a pie plate or shallow bowl, lightly beat the eggs with the remaining 1 tsp. of salt. Dip cauliflower florets in beaten egg, coat in bread crumb mixture, placing on a serving platter as you go. (Can be done up to 1 hour ahead. Cover and chill.)

Heat oil in fondue pot (amount varies according to your individual pot and instructions; I use an electric Rival fondue pot, half-filled with oil) to 350 degrees F. Spear cauliflower florets and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Serve with dipping sauces.

Beef Tenderloin Fondue
Serves 6

2-3 lbs. of beef tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
salt
peanut oil or other high heat oil

Up to two hours before serving, lay the beef cubes out on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt and let sit at room temperature. Before transferring to a serving platter, blot any moisture from the cubes with paper towels.

Heat oil in fondue pot (amount varies according to your individual pot and instructions; I use an electric Rival fondue pot, half-filled with oil) to 350 degrees F. Spear tenderloin cubes and fry to desired doneness. Serve with warm tomato-truffle sauce, horseradish sauce, or other dipping sauces.

Tomato-Truffle Sauce
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 14-oz. can imported Italian tomatoes
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. Thai fish sauce or anchovy paste (optional)
salt & freshly ground black pepper
truffle oil or truffle salt

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and when it's hot, stir in garlic and oregano. Saute for a minute or two, then one tomato at a time, crush tomatoes with your fingers into the pan, adding all of the juices from the can as well. Stir in sugar and fish sauce (if using) and bring sauce to a simmer, turn heat to low, and cook gently for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until nicely thick and rich-tasting.

Remove from heat and stir in truffle oil or salt to taste (intensity varies widely, so you'll have to taste to decide, depending on the type of oil or salt you're using). Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Sauce should have a nice amount of saltiness to it since you're using it as a condiment. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead; cover and chill. Reheat before serving.)

Horseradish Sauce
Makes about 1 cup

1/2 c. whipping cream
1/2 c. creme fraiche
1/4 c. grated fresh horseradish (or more, to taste)
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. salt

Whip cream to soft peaks. With mixer on low, add creme fraiche, horseradish, parsley, and salt. Adjust seasoning to taste. (Can be made 1 day ahead; cover and chill.)

Yet Even More In Progress...

FreshTartSteph — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 11:43:09 PST

The table is set.

The Alice Medrich chocolate souffles - not too rich, nicely chocolatey - are ready for the oven. They're both gluten-free and do-ahead. If they washed dishes, they'd be perfect. (That giant one in the back is for John!)

Cauliflower is blanched. It still needs a coating of breadcrumbs, then it will be ready for the fryer we fondly call "fondue." (Recipes for fondues and sauces are here.)

It's kind of crazy how perfectly Christmas-y all this snow is! After Christmas, it's just...a lot of snow. But for now, it's lovely.

Yeah.

Even More In Progress...

FreshTartSteph — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 09:17:05 PST

Ooh, here's another quick crowd-pleaser from the lovely blog Jenn Cuisine: Pan-Roasted Almonds with Thyme & Truffle Oil. They take mere minutes to make and whoamygoodness, they are insanely delicious. I'm putting these away now so there are at least a few left for my guests.

Yikes.

The skaters arrived!

And both sauces are now done: Softly whipped cream with freshly grated horseradish, minced scallions, and a generous pinch of salt folded in, as well as the tomato sauce from below. (Recipes for sauce and fondues are here.)

I'm having fun - I hope you are too! More to come...

More In Progress...

FreshTartSteph — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 07:30:06 PST

If you're scrambling today, wishing you'd made Christmas cookies, I offer this fast and delicious chocolate almond coconut bark. It takes 10 minutes to prepare! And just try to keep your hands off of it. If you hate coconut, or almonds, substitute crushed toffee, or peanuts, or whatever you do like - this bark is whatever you want it to be. Recipe at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly magazine.

So far this morning, the house smells of garlic and truffles after making a quick tomato dipping sauce for this evening's beef fondue. Here's our whole menu, by the way, forgot to put it up yesterday.

Cheese fondue with radishes, peppers, pickles, and cubed bread

Escargot in mushroom caps with garlic cream sauce
Roasted asparagus with fresh lemon

Beef tenderloin and cauliflower fritters fondue
Dipping sauces: tomato-truffle, horseradish cream

Chocolate souffles

What are you cooking today?

Even I have to admit that the winter wonderland out my window is gorgeous. We have a neighborhood hockey rink which one of my neighbors is kindly snow-blowing so everyone can skate today. It'll be a Norman Rockwell painting of skaters as soon as he's done. (While we enjoy this lovely view, exactly none of us skate...although we stopped feeling guilty about it years ago and now happily watch the fun.)

Merry Christmas Eve!