Monthly Archives: November 2012
Lemon, Fennel + Olive Pizza
| November 30, 2012 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Breads, Italian, Pizzas, Quick Weeknight Meals, Shawn's Favorites, special projects, Vegetarian or Vegan |
I can’t even tell you how excited I am about this pizza – it was an experiment gone very, very right!
The creamy ricotta, sweet fennel, briny olives, and tart lemon are perfect together. The flavors are crisp and bright, yet the pizza is substantial enough to be a satisfying winter meal. One bight and it skyrocketed to favorite status; another bite and it became an instant classic.
I’m working with Pillsbury this month to create new recipes using their refrigerated pizza dough. Some will be pizza and others will use the dough in different ways, but I definitely want the recipes I develop to be unique. (More “deep dish pizza with brussels sprouts and bacon” and less “salami and chile pepper pizza” if ya know what I mean.)
I’m not even entirely sure how the final concept for this pizza came about. I was sitting at my desk thinking about winter and citrus and how maybe lemon oil would be nice on pizza… the next thing I knew I was in the kitchen topping pizza dough with caramelized fennel and slices of lemon. At the last second, I decided that I needed another bold flavor to tie everything together. I thought anchovies might be nice but, considering I hate them and don’t exactly keep them in the house, kalamata olives made a nice stand-in.
All in all? Pretty perfect if you ask me! Go ahead and give it a try – let me know what you think!
Lemon, Fennel + Olive Pizza
Serves 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 25 minutes
Be sure to cut the lemons as thinly as you possibly can. Paper thin. (You can see in the photo above how thin we’re talking.) I actually started using a mandoline, but couldn’t get the slices thin enough. I ended up using a sharp knife, which worked perfectly. Thin slices will ensure that the rinds get nice and soft as the lemons roast and you won’t get a huge mouth full of tart, bitter flavor. Next time, I think I’ll also cut the lemons into half moons instead of circles just to make the pizza a little easier to eat.
You also want to be sure to use part skim ricotta here. Full fat is too greasy and will leave puddle of oil and a soggy crust.
Ingredients
- 1 can (13.8 ounces) Pillsbury® Refrigerated Classic Pizza Crust
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 medium bulb Fennel, cored and very thinly sliced
- 3/4 cups Part Skim Ricotta
- 1 small Lemon, very thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons sliced Kalamata Olives
- 1 teaspoon chopped Fresh Parsley (optional)
Preparation
- Heat oven to 400F. Grease baking sheet. Unroll dough; places on greased sheet. Bake 10 minutes, or until crust begins to brown.
- Meanwhile, in 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook fennel in oil 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and golden brown.
- Spread ricotta over partially baked pizza crust. Top with caramelized fennel, lemon slices, and olives. Bake an additional 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley, if using, prior to serving.
I was compensated by General Mills/Pillsbury for my time creating this recipe. All opinions are my own.
Braised Onions with Orange + Balsamic Vinegar
| November 26, 2012 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Light, Shawn's Favorites, Sides |
These tiny onions cooked in fresh orange juice and balsamic vinegar are my new secret weapon. They’re delicious as a side dish, on top of steak or chicken, on salad, or as a component of a more complex dish. They’re cheap, easy, and fast. Plus, you should have seen Shawn’s face light up when he heard that he’d get to eat little onions again. Seriously ladies, pearl onions are apparently the key to a man’s heart. Who knew?
I originally planned to use these on top of spinach salad with steak and roasted parmesan gnocchi “croutons” but that fell through when I opened my container of spinach and saw that it was past it’s prime. It’s completely maddening how quickly baby spinach spoils; this was only 1 day past the sell by date! Anyway, I ended up wilting the pinch, boiling more gnocchi and tossing everything together with sautéed mushrooms, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and whole peppercorns. I was frustrated (I’d been craving salad all day), so I didn’t take a photo of the final plate but I really with that I had – it was incredible! Definitely something that I’ll make again. I had about a cup of braised onions left so I threw them in the fridge and have been using them left and right all week – they keep great and really are a handy ingredient to have around!
The recipe for these come from Fran of Fran’s Fav’s - I was paired up with her for this month’s Secret Recipe Club. Fran takes food very seriously, testing and retesting different versions of recipes in pursuit of finding the perfect one. She has over 300 cookbooks (and here I thought my collection was bad!) and generally seems like a super fun lady. Hop on over to her blog and say hi – then make these onions!
Braised Onions with Orange and Balsamic Vinegar
Yields 2 cups
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 15 minutes
Adapted from Fran’s Fav’s
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen Pearl Onions
- 1 teaspoon Butter
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
- 1 Orange, juiced
- 2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Water
Preparation
- In large skillet set over medium heat, melt butter and oil.
- Add onions; sauté until brown and tender, about 10 minutes. Add orange juice, vinegar and water to skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until liquid is reduced to glaze, about 5 minutes.
Pecan-Bourbon Tart + Giving Thanks
| November 22, 2012 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Desserts, Indulge, Shawn's Favorites, Special Occasions |
Dear friends,
This Thanksgiving, I have so many things to be grateful for that they could fill an entire blog of their own. I’ve been incredibly blessed.
But I’d like to take minute and say thanks to all of you: thank you for indulging me as I share my recipes and for helping this little blog turn into something that means a lot to me and that has led me on an incredible journey. It’s given me confidence, (in the kitchen and out of it), given me the opportunity to travel to new places and make new friends (and to reconnect with old ones!), and has turned into quite the interesting little job (I know I complain about being overworked sometimes but I never forget how lucky I am to have not one but two jobs that I love with all of my heart). I couldn’t have done any of it without your support.
I’m contributing two dishes to tonight’s feast: Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad and this Pecan-Bourbon Tart. I’ve been making this tart for years, and it’s Shawn’s favorite dessert. Every bit as sticky and gooey as your favorite pecan pie, this tart gets a warm, complex flavor from bourbon and molasses. Cut your slices small; a little bit of this goes a long way!
Happy Thanksgiving from my kitchen to yours!
Lauren
Pecan-Bourbon Tart
Serves 16
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 60 minutes
Adapted from Cooking Light
Ingredients
- 1 cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
- 3/4 cup Light Corn Syrup
- 3 Tablespoons Flour
- 2 Tablespoons Bourbon
- 2 Tablespoons Molasses
- 1 Tablespoon Butter, melted
- pinch Salt
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Egg White
- 1/2 cup Pecan Halves
- 1/2 package Refrigerated Pie Dough (or your favorite recipe)
- 1/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips
Preparation
- Heat oven to 350.
- In mixing bowl, combine first 9 ingredients, stirring well with a rubber spatula to ensure there are no lumps.
- Coat 11-inch tart pan with cooking spray. Press dough into pan. Pour filling into crust; top with pecans. Bake 45 minutes or until set. Cool completely.
- Place chocolate in microwave safe bowl; microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir; microwave another 30 seconds. Stir until melted. Use a fork to drizzle melted chocolate over tart.
Chicken Pot Pie + visiting The Chew
| November 19, 2012 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Chicken and Poultry, Indulge, Shawn's Favorites, Soups and Stews, Winter |
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a taping of abc’s talk/cooking show, The Chew. Being in the audience of a tv show is something I’ve always wanted to do, but until now I just hadn’t gotten around to it. It was a lot of fun! The episode I attended airs on November 21 at 1pm (12 pacific), but be sure to tune in throughout the holiday season for easy recipe and craft ideas. You can also check out their recipes (or request free tickets to attend a taping yourself!) on their website.
My first impression of the studio was that it was really small, but the made use of the space really well. The counters were all on casters so they could be moved around and rearranged as needed (I wish my counters at home did that!) I was also a little star-struck by the hosts. If you’ve never watched the show the hosts are Mario Batali, Michael Symon, Carla Hall, Daphne Oz, and Clinton Kelly – so much talent in one room! They all seemed to get along really well and seemed really genuine. I could see the teleprompters from where I was sitting and a lot of the show was ad-libbed… it was nice to know that every word wasn’t scripted. During the breaks, the hosts all made an effort to come talk to the audience members too, which was nice. I shook Mario Batali’s hand!
The group of bloggers that I was with was seated at the “tasting table” which meant that we got to sample all of the food that was prepared for the episode. We attended the “Thanksgiving Spectacular” so it was a Thanksgiving feast! Each host, except for Clinton, made one dish. Here are my thoughts:
- Carla Hall (you might remember her from Top Chef) made the turkey. She brined it – always a good idea – then split it into pieces so that it would cook faster, which I thought was a great idea. She also started it in a pan on the stove to help brown and crisp the skin. Unfortunately, the skin on my piece wasn’t crisp at all and the meat was kind of dry. Kind of a disappointment.
- Mario Batali’s mashed potatoes stole the show and totally made up for the dry turkey. He used tons of roasted garlic and olive oil instead of butter (the were both vegan and cholesterol free!) After eating at one of his restaurants last fall, I wouldn’t expect anything less than stellar from Batali and he definitely delivered. He also shared a great tip – keeping the whole potatoes in the pot of water until right before you’re ready to mash and serve them will prevent them from drying out.
- As expected, Michael Symon also turned out an awesome dish: dressing with bread, wild rice, and sausage. I loved the texture that the rice gave it! He added a custard to keep everything rich and creamy, then baked it in a shallow pan so there were loads of crispy bits. Yum! I’m going to be making this one at home very soon.
- Daphne Oz’s cranberry and apple chutney was popular, but I wasn’t a fan. I thought it was bland and the apples made it too sweet. I liked that she added pomegranate seeds though – they were a nice twist on cranberry sauce.
- Clinton Kelly didn’t cook, but spent most of the time narrating. He also sang, which was equal parts hilarious and horrifying. He has a good voice though!
L to R: Sydney from The Crepes of Wrath, Kelly from Just a Taste, Nava from Veg Kitchen, me, Sarah from Sarah’s Cucina Bella. If I look terrible, it’s because I had to wake up at 4 to make it to NYC on time!
Since Michael Symon’s recipes are so great, I just had to make another one yourself I’ve been craving pot pies ever since buying these little bowls, so I gave his a try, making a few adjustments here and there to make the recipe easier and to make individual portions (you can’t see it in these photos, but they have moose on them! There’s a photo on facebook). I used rotisserie chicken, but this would also be great with leftover turkey as well. This dish was a huge hit (Shawn especially loved the little onions) and one that I’ll be making again.
Visit BlogHer.com to find links to see what the other bloggers created. For additional crafts and recipes visit abc.com/thechew.
Individual Chicken Pot Pies
Serves 6
Prep Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 60 minutes
Adapted from Michael Symon’s Turkey Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1/2 cup Frozen Pearl Onions
- 1 cup Finely Diced Carrots
- 1 small Potato, peeled and finely diced
- meat from 1 small Rotisserie Chicken, skin discarded (about 2 cups)
- 1/3 cup Flour
- 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 3 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 Orange, juiced
- 1 cup Peas
- 1/3 cup Fresh Parsley
- 2 tubes Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls
- Sea Salt, Pepper, and Cayenne
Preparation
- Heat oven to 375. In a large pot, melt butter. Add onion and cook 2-3 minutes. Add carrots, potato, an chicken. Reduce heat to low and add flour and cayenne; cook stirring constantly 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and orange juice. Simmer 3 minutes, or until broth begins to bubble and thicken. Add the peas and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide the filling between 6 bowls.
- Unroll the crescent roll dough; roll to 1/4 inch thick. Cut each sheet into 4 squares (discard extra dough or reserve for another use). Top each bowl with a pastry square, pulling it gently so it comes down the sides of the bowl a little. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cayenne.
- Bake 15-20 minutes or until the tops are golden and the filling is bubbling hot.
Chocolate-Peanut Butter Covered Oreos
| November 16, 2012 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Cake and Pastry, Desserts, Indulge, special projects |
Before we get to these cookies, I’d like to make an announcement: my rockstar of a husband, Shawn, officially lost 75 pounds! As I’ve mentioned before, we both recommitted to Weight Watchers over the summer and he’s been killing it. I promised/threatened that I would post here when he lost 75 pounds, and he did! I’m so proud of him!
It’s kind of ironic that this announcement just happens to coincide with a post about an indulgent recipe like this one, but it’s just further proof that you can eat food that tastes great and still be healthy/lose weight.
With that said, back to the cookies…
It seems like oreos comes in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and flavors these days but I can still remember when oreos were just oreos… except for that magical time of year when white fudge oreos popped up on grocery shelves. Everyone would clamor for them and they’d sell out so fast! We’d always get a box under the Christmas tree, and I remember one year when we each got our own box. I tried to ration mine out and make them last as long as possible.
Oreo and Kitchen Play recently teamed up to ask six bloggers, myself included, to “play up dessert with OREO.” Those white fudge cookies were the inspiration for my contribution. Of course, it seems like you an get them whenever you want now, so I chose a flavor that’s a little more special – chocolate peanut butter! If you’ve never had oreos and peanut butter before, you’re really missing out.
These make a great sweet nibble after a heavy holiday meal, a unique contribution to a cookie exchange, or an easy yet impressive gift for that person who you just don’t know what to get (or who you don’t want to spend a lot of time or money on!). Plus, if you make them yourself before November 28, you’ll be entered to win a great prize pack valued at $70. It includes a Crate and Barrel serving platter like the one shown here, a pie server, an OREO cookbook, and some other goodies. Check out Kitchen PLAY for all the details!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Covered Oreos
Yields 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Peanut Butter Chips
- 1 teaspoon Butter
- 1/2 cup Dark Chocolate Chips
- 8 OREO cookies
Preparation
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
- Melt the peanut butter chips an butter in a double boiler or a pan set over very low heat. Remove two tablespoon of the melted peanut butter to a separate dish. Stir the chocolate chips into the pan and continue to cook over very low heat until melted.
- Use a form to carefully dip each cookie into the chocolate-peanut butter coating, covering it completely. Gently shake of excess chocolate and place on the prepared pan. Drizzle with reserved peanut butter topping. Refrigerate until chocolate coating is set.
- These treats keep best refrigerated in a covered container. They’re also great when frozen!
This post was sponsored by OREO and KitchenPLAY. All opinions are my own.
Seafood Chowder in Bread Bowls
| November 12, 2012 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Fall, Light, One Pan, Shawn's Favorites, Soups and Stews, Winter |
Soup weather is officially here and I couldn’t be happier! There’s not much that’ better than warm soup eaten out of a bread bowl, is there?
This seafood chowder was inspired by one that I had a few week ago at The Original Soup Man; I love how thick and rich it was and couldn’t get enough of the sweet bay scallops. I drank every last drop and left with plans to recreate it at home ASAP!
This soup is just about perfect in every way: the broth is rich and complex with a subtle brininess from the seafood, but it doesn’t taste “fishy” at all. There’s plenty of sweet seafood to go around, so you’re sure to get some in every bite. This is the kind of soup you want to eat after a day spent wearing bright yellow rain boots and stomping in puddles. Best of all, it’s light enough that you won’t feel like a glutton if you eat it out of a bread bowl. Which you should totally do!
I first saw the idea to make individual bread bowls out of crusty hard rolls on Pinterest, and it’s pretty brilliant! I picked the tallest rolls in the bakery case (high sides will keep the soup from spilling!) and they were the perfect size – just enough bread and just enough soup to leave me on the slightly stuffed side of satisfied.
Seafood Chowder in Bread Bowls
Serves 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 small Onion, finely diced
- 2 Carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 ribs Celery, diced
- 1 Potato, peeled and diced
- 2 Tablespoons Flour
- 1 teaspoon Low Sodium Old Bay Seasoning
- 1/4 cup Sherry
- 28 ounce can Fired Roasted Diced Tomatoes
- 2 cups Water
- 7 ounce can Crab Meat, liquid reserved
- 7 ounce can Chopped Clams, liquid reserved
- 1/2 pound Bay Scallops
- 1/2 pound Shrimp, tails removed, chopped
- 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, chopped
- 8 crusty Hard Rolls
Preparation
- Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, and potato. Cook 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and Old Bay seasoning. Cook 1 minute. Whisk in the sherry.
- Add the tomatoes, water, and liquid from the crab and clams. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat an simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Add the seafood; simmer 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley.
- Cut the center out of each roll. Scoop out some of the bread to make room for the soup, being careful to leave at least a half inch of bread around the bottom and sides to act as a barrier for the soup. Ladle soup into bread bowls. Serve immediately.
Be sure to check back on Friday, when I’ll be posting a delicious dessert featuring Oreo cookies – and a chance for you to win a great prize pack filled with goodies like a Crate & Barrel serving platter and pie server, and Oreo cookbook, and some other fun treats!
While I can’t promise that my recipe will be as cute as this little turkey, I can promise you that it will be delicious and simple to make -which is key, since you’ll need to recreate one of the 6 recipes posted on Kitchen Play in order to enter. So grab your oreos and get ready to bake!
(photo source: http://kitchen-play.com/OREOturkey)
Seafood Chowder in Bread Bowls
Serves 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 small Onion, finely diced
- 2 Carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 ribs Celery, diced
- 1 Potato, peeled and diced
- 2 Tablespoons Flour
- 1 teaspoon Low Sodium Old Bay Seasoning
- 1/4 cup Sherry
- 28 ounce can Fired Roasted Diced Tomatoes
- 2 cups Water
- 7 ounce can Crab Meat, liquid reserved
- 7 ounce can Chopped Clams, liquid reserved
- 1/2 pound Bay Scallops
- 1/2 pound Shrimp, tails removed, chopped
- 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, chopped
- 8 crusty Hard Rolls
Preparation
- Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, and potato. Cook 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and Old Bay seasoning. Cook 1 minute. Whisk in the sherry.
- Add the tomatoes, water, and liquid from the crab and clams. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat an simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Add the seafood; simmer 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley.
- Cut the center out of each roll. Scoop out some of the bread to make room for the soup, being careful to leave at least a half inch of bread around the bottom and sides to act as a barrier for the soup. Ladle soup into bread bowls. Serve immediately.
Be sure to check back on Friday, when I’ll be posting a delicious dessert featuring Oreo cookies – and a chance for you to win a great prize pack filled with goodies like a Crate & Barrel serving platter and pie server, and Oreo cookbook, and some other fun treats!
While I can’t promise that my recipe will be as cute as this little turkey, I can promise you that it will be delicious and simple to make -which is key, since you’ll need to recreate one of the 6 recipes posted on Kitchen Play in order to enter. So grab your oreos and get ready to bake!
(photo source: http://kitchen-play.com/OREOturkey)
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