Yearly Archives: 2008
Orange Blossom Brioche with Orange Marmalade
| April 25, 2008 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Breads, Breakfast, French, Fruit |
This Orange Blossom Brioche with Orange and White Balsamic Marmalade is part of a floral-themed picnic for Foodbuzz’s April 2010 24, 24, 24 event. For more information, click here.
Orange Blossom BriocheOrange Blossom water adds a fun twist to this brioche, which is delicious served warm out of the oven and slathered with your favorite jam. A mixture of white and wheat flower gives the brioche a slightly nutty flavor, while retaining the light texture.
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole white wheat flour
- 1/6 cup sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp yeast
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 2 Tbs orange blossom water + enough skim milk to yield 1/4 cup
- 1 stick butter, softened and cut into 8 pieces
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the two types of flour, sugar, and yeast. Add in the eggs and the orange blossom/milk mixture. Switch to the dough hook and let the mixer run for about 4 minutes, or until the mixture is thoroughly combined. It will still be very wet at this point. Slowly add in the butter, one piece at a time, until incorporated into the dough. After all of the butter is incorporated, let the mixer run until the mixture comes together into a very soft dough that leaves the sides of the mixing bowls clean – this will take about 8 minutes at medium speed.
Form the dough into a ball, cover and let rise for one hour. Punch down, and let rise for another hour.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place in a muffin tim. Bake at 375 for 18 minutes.
Yields 8.
Orange and White Balsamic Marmalade
- 1 naval orange
- 3 Tbs sugar
- 2 Tbs white balsamic vinegar
Cut the top and bottom off the orange and discard. Cut the orange in half. Remove the meat and roughly chop. Remove the white pitch from half of the orange peel, then slice into ery thin strips. Cut the strips into thirds, length-wise. Discard the remaining orange peel. Combine the orange meat, peel, sugar, and vinegar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts and the mixture begins to thicken into a jam. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. For best results, eat immediately.
Yields 1/4 cup marmalade.
Lavendar Creme Brulee
| April 25, 2008 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Desserts, French |
This Lavender Creme Brûlée is part of a floral-themed picnic for Foodbuzz’s April 2010 24, 24, 24 event. For more information, click here.
Lavender Creme Brûlée
The addition of lavender adds a subtle but inviting floral flavor to this classic creme brûlée. It’s topped with caramelized vanilla sugar, which was made by storing granulated sugar in an airtight container with a vanilla bean pod for several days.
- 1.5 cups whipping cream
- 2 Tbs dried lavender
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 Tbs vanilla sugar
Add the cream and lavender to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks and white sugar until the mixture is pale yellow and forms a thick ribbon when the whisk is lifted from the bowl. Slowly stir a little bit of the cream into the yolk mixture to raise the temperature. Then add the yolk mixture into the cream. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens like a custard and coats the back of a spoon. Stir in the vanilla. Divine between four individual ramekins and chill thoroughly. Sprinkle the tops with the vanilla sugar and caramelize using a kitchen torch or by placing under the broiler for a few seconds.
Serves 4.
Carrot and beet salad
| April 25, 2008 | Posted by LK under Light, One Pan, Quick Weeknight Meals, Salads, Sides |
I made this carrot and beet salad that caught my eye over at Chocolate and Zuchinni a while ago. It was really good! I’ll admit that I did get scared while I was making it… it smelled funny and the little taste that I took was gross. But I thought it might get better if I let it sit for a minute and it definitely did! So my advice is to make it and don’t taste it until after you let it sit for a half hour. Adjust the seasoning after it sits. I love beets, but had never tried them raw before. They were very good. Pretty much tasted just like roasted, but crunchier. the salad seemed like it would be good as a condiment too- almost as a replacement for coleslaw. maybe on a turkey burger or something. I’m not quite sure what, I need to play with that idea.
She has more suggestions, but I combined (based on what I had in my kitchen):
1 small bunch beets, peeled and grated (use the food processor!)
1/2 small bag matchstick carrots
1 small apple, peeled and grated
1 T grapeseed oil
1 T cider vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
herbs de provence
sprinkle to crushed red peppers
Combine it all in a big bowl. Let it sit and marinate for a half hour. Enjoy! makes about 6 filling servings.
Lamb Flatbreads
| April 25, 2008 | Posted by LK under Beef, Lamb, and Pork, Breads, Greek/Mediterranean, Light, Summer |
One of the wonderful things about taking a day off and not making plans, is that I get to stay home and watch morning tv. Specifically Martha (I can only make S. suffer through one DVR’d “girly” show and Oprah wins that battle by a hair.)
Anyway, it just so happens that the other day I was home, and she made these lamb topped flatbreads. Which was pretty fortuitious since I had some leftover lamb. And also because I have been on a huge leek kick. So I made them (modified a bit to make them healthier), and they were- as expected- phenominal. Just make sure you remember to grease the pan.
1 pizza dough (sorry, I’m not making my own on a weeknight!)
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp butter
3 leeks, cut into half moons
1 bunch scallions, chopped
salt and pepper
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 mint, chopped
1/2 pound lamb (I used leftover grilled leg, diced. She recommends ground.if you use ground, I would season it with something)
1/2 cup RF feta
Preheat oven to 500.
Melt oil and butter in a large pan. Add leeks and scallions and cook until soft. Add salt and pepper. Stir in parsley and mint. Set aside.
Heat lamb in the same skillet.
Form dough into 4 rounds. Place rounds on a greased* baking sheet. Spray or brush with a little olive oil. Top with leek mixtures. Top that with lamb and cheese.
Bake 10-12 minutes, until done. Serves 4.
*I forgot to grease my pan. Bad mistake. Half of the crust stayed attached to the pan.
Homemade lasagna!
| April 16, 2008 | Posted by LK under Uncategorized |
aka: I made noodles!!
I don’t even know what to say about this, other than WOW. Surprisingly not that difficult (took about an hour, didn’t make too huge of a mess), and really really good. It just tastes so fresh. I’ve been putting it off all week, and almost didn’t make it today because its so warm out (who wants to eat talian when its 70 out?) but it wasn’t too heavy at all. I won’t say that I’ll never use boxed pasta again, but these were seriously so much better. If I have time, I’ll do homemade.
Some notes:
1. roll the noodles super super thin. They plump up when you boil them. Mine were a little thick.
2. You might want to make a little more sauce. It was great, but didn’t go very far
3. I added some fresh basil and used a little more red pepper than the recipe called for
4. Don’t let the noodles sit on top of each other before they’re boiled- they’ll much together and be irreparable.
5. the noodles are sturdy. Don’t worry about using individual dishes. i didn’t and they were fine.
6. I also think this would be amazing with this sauce instead
7. I was impatient and didn’t let the cheese melt all the way. I’m sure it would be prettier if I did.
Recipe from Cooking Light:
Pasta:
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
1 cup semolina flour (about 6 1/4 ounces)
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
2 large eggs
Sauce:
2 bacon slices, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
4 cups thinly sliced onion
1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup water
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained (such as San Marzano)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Remaining ingredients:
6 quarts water
1 tablespoon salt
Cooking spray
1/2 cup (2 ounces) finely chopped fresh mozzarella cheese
6 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3. To prepare sauce, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Add onion, 1 tablespoon oil, and garlic to drippings in pan; sauté 5 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Add 1/2 cup water and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally.
4. Bring 6 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil. Slowly lower 1 pasta sheet into boiling water; cook 1 1/2 minutes or until done. Carefully remove pasta from water with a slotted spoon; lay pasta flat on a jelly-roll pan covered with a damp towel; cover. Repeat procedure with remaining pasta sheets.
5. Preheat oven to 350°.
6. Place 1 pasta sheet on each of 6 individual baking dishes lightly coated with cooking spray; spoon 1 tablespoon sauce over each serving. Fold noodle over sauce. Repeat procedure 5 times, ending with sauce. Top each serving with 4 teaspoons mozzarella and 1 tablespoon Parmigiano-Reggiano. Cover each baking dish with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and pasta is thoroughly heated.
6 servings (serving size: 1 lasagna)
CALORIES 342(31% from fat); FAT 11.9g (sat 3.5g,mono 5.3g,poly 1.3g); PROTEIN 13.3g; CHOLESTEROL 63mg; CALCIUM 173mg; SODIUM 819mg; FIBER 4.9g; IRON 2.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 44.8g
Pecan Encrusted Trout
| April 11, 2008 | Posted by LK under Fish and Seafood, Quick Weeknight Meals, Sides |
I made this a while ago (during Lent) and I misplaced my notes, but I think I remember generally what I did. It was amazing! I definitely want to make it again. The trout came out really nice and buttery, and didn’t taste too gamey at all. I served it on top of this couscous (use regular coucous instead of Israeli and omit the curry powder).
2oz pecans
2 T cornstarch
2 portions trout
1/4 c. eggbeaters
oil for pan
Pulse the pecans in a food processor (or put them in a ziplock and smash with a rollong pin) until they’re almost a flour but still have texture about 5 pulses in the processor should do it).
Sprinkle the trout with cornstarch. Dredge in egg and then in pecan crumbs.
Heat some oil in your pan. Add the fish and cook until done, about 5 minutes on each side.
So simple!
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