Barefoot Bloggers: Parmesan Chic…no…Tofu!

June 26, 2008 at 1:52 pm | In Barefoot Bloggers, June 2008 | 8 Comments
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Yeah, you read that correctly.  Tofu.  We are vegetarians…so there wasn’t any conceivable way I was going to buy, cook and serve chicken.  There would have been no takers. 

For our second official recipe the Barefoot Bloggers made Ina Garten’s Parmesan Chicken.  Part of the reason I joined this group was to expand my culinary adventures in the kitchen.  As a vegetarian, it can be too easy to fall back on beans and rice, and I do try to avoid “soy meat” at every meal.  So, I thought it would be fun to try to adapt Ina’s recipes to a vegetarian diet.  I told Tara when I joined and she didn’t kick me out…so I guess it’s OK.

OK…to the recipe.  I – obviously – switched out the chicken for tofu but otherwise stuck to the recipe.  I made my own breadcrumbs (a last minute mixture of wheat bread and saltines when I found I didn’t have enough of either) and used the same herb mixture from the Herb Baked Eggs (sooo good).  The kitchen smelled so good when I was cooking.  Deceptively good for my youngest.  He came in the kitchen and excitedly declared, “PIZZA!”  He is the pickiest eater I have EVER seen.  You can imagine how well the not-pizza-tofu went over. 

I was the only one who put the greens on top of my tofu.  I think I like the concept of it more than the execution.  I almost always find that I have to cut down the lemon zest or juice in a recipe and this was no exception.  I made it as written this time, but would use a different vinagrette next time.  And I think there will be a next time.  It was easy, different from our usual, and pretty healthy. 

Check out the other chickens here!

TWD: Mixed Berry Goodness

June 24, 2008 at 11:56 am | In June 2008, Tuesdays with Dorie, Uncategorized | 23 Comments
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Cobbler was definitely a dessert of the moment.  Our Tuesdays with Dorie selection this week was Mixed Berry Cobbler, chosen by Beth of Our Sweet Life.  Berry cobbler screams summer and all that goes with it (the pool, sunscreen, lemonade, cut grass). 

We enjoyed our Mixed Berry Cobbler on a warm Saturday evening after a typical summer day.   Dorie says that you can substitute frozen berries and I suppose you could.  I have no idea.  It has never once occurred to me to make any kind of cobbler when the chosen fruit is out of season.  I only want a cobbler, crisp or similar when the fruit is so abundant and pervasive I can’t avoid thinking about it.  Chocolate chip cookies?  Anytime.  Anyplace.  Berry desserts?  Only in season and only after a great relaxed summer meal.  So, I won’t be eating cobbler after chili or pizza delivery.  We had pasta with roasted tomatoes and corn.  Perfect.

I had cherries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries on hand.  I could seriously eat bowls of this all day long, especially cherries.  I know I can’t have them all the time so I eat them compulsively for a few weeks.  I am in the middle of my cherry feast now and loving every minute of it.  [Note: had to grab a few while writing this post]. 

 

 

I read the comments before making the cobbler and there was some discussion about the cobbler dough lacking flavor.  I added a little cinnamon and vanilla and thought it was great.  I will admit that, while I truly enjoy cobbler, I am certainly not wedded to any particular topping.  I didn’t really grow up eating a lot of cobbler dishes and have no strong feelings either way.  Everyone enjoyed it so there you go.  Well, everyone except Colin who eats nothing that has the slightest hint of appearing in nature.  Cobbler = fruit; not for Colin. 

This is a silly picture of Will but he loved the cobbler and the “pool hair” is the perfect accessory to cobbler!

Check out the other cobblers here.  Next week: Apple Cheddar Scones.  A first for me.

TWD: Peppermint Cream Puff Ring

June 17, 2008 at 2:55 pm | In June 2008, Tuesdays with Dorie | 20 Comments
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Hmmm…it is past 11:00pm on Monday night and I am just now getting around to this post.  I made the dish last week, but I clearly am not too enthusiastic about reliving it.  [NOTE: because of unexplainable computer issues, I couldn't even post this until this morning.  I think I am ready to move on to the cobbler.]

This week’s recipe was Peppermint Cream Puff Ring chosen by Caroline of A Consuming Passion.  Making this reminded me a lot of the Florida Pie week.  Despite my ambivalence towards cream puffs and eclairs (I like them but have never craved them), this recipe has intrigued me for awhile.  I am a sucker for any chocolate/mint combination.  But, like the Florida Pie week, my turn for Friday Breakfast at work fell during an already jam packed week. 

In a typical week, I would have made this on Sunday afternoon but we had plans for Father’s Day and I didn’t think cream puffs were a good choice for pool party.  (Well, it was supposed to be a pool party.  Nobody lives in the midwest for the weather.)  So, I shoehorned it into Friday Breakfast Club which meant scrambling to get it done Thursday night after work and family time.  There was also a learning curve as I have never made cream puffs before.  I hate it when baking feels like a chore.

This spoon is representative of the whole experience.  I have had this spoon forever.  It is not difficult or cost prohibitive to get a new spoon but I never think about it.  Well, my arm pratically burned off stirring the dough in the pot.   The tone was set for this recipe when I went to my favorite kitchen store — which has everything — and they didn’t have a large enough pastry tip.  They were, in fact, ordering tips while I was there.  I should have been smart and picked up a new spoon.

I love peppermint and my neighbor said I could have some mint from her backyard.  Alas, it was too late to grab it and too late to make any successful substitutions.  Mint was in my head though so I threw in more than a few drops of peppermint extract.  Good thing I saved half as plain.  The mint had some bite.

I did like the bittersweet glaze but found that, even though the recipe made enough dough for rings, puffs, eclairs, etc., the amount of glaze was not so generous.  I made a semi-sweet ganache for the cream puffs.

The co-workers ate it all up but my husband reported that neither of the kids liked the puffs I left behind for them.

 Colin happy before actually consuming cream puff.

This whole post is a really a long of way of saying these cream puffs…were…well…cream puffs to me.  I would eat them again but can’t imagine making them again.

Next week:  Mixed Berry Cobbler.  Perfect timing. 

I guarantee not everyone stuck to the original recipe.  Check out all the variations here: TWD.

TWD: La Palette’s ApriStawCherry Tarte

June 10, 2008 at 12:45 pm | In June 2008, Tuesdays with Dorie | 30 Comments
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[This is a terrible picture.  I took the only broken piece - none of the others could wait before digging in.]

When I lose my laser like focus (ha!) in the kitchen, my mind wanders to random series of thoughts.  What will my kids look like in 5 years?  Where is that skirt I haven’t seen in months?  Why is there only one clean spoon in the drawer…always?  You get the idea.  Lately though, one thought keeps bubbling to the top:

How in the hell is Dorie Greenspan so thin?

Seriously.  It’s not that I think her recipes are any more calorie laden than anyone else’s…but…by her own admission, she bakes almost every day (see Introduction) and eats ice cream every day, even if only a spoonful.  I followed a similar schedule in 2007.  It ended with weekly Weight Watchers’ meetings and a self imposed limit on baking (and consuming) all the good stuff (butter, sugar, cream).

This week’s recipe (chosen by Marie of a Year from Oak Cottage) is La Palette’s Strawberry Tart which, all things considered, is one of the lighter recipes…if you ignore the fat stick of butter in the crust.

I love strawberries and we had plenty of them but we also had apricots and cherries.  Plus, it being summer, I am in the mood to grill.  Everything. (unexpected from a vegetarian of 10+ years?)  I brushed lightly with oil and sprinkled a little brown sugar and grilled away.

I also changed the crust.  My spouse doesn’t eat eggs and I had made this crust for the lemon tart.   Since I wasn’t yet a member when the Pecan Brown Sugar Shortbread cookies had their week, I subbed that in for the crust.  Yum.

Colin came in at the tail end of rolling the shortbread dough and was very irritated when I put it in the fridge.  This is actually him rolling the dough for the second set of cookies he talked me into.  See the very bottom for the less than successful results.

  Finally, I topped with a little caramel whipped cream (see Weight Watchers’ above).  Caramel sounded so appealing with the grilled fruit.  I found a recipe from Daniel Boulud and, despite my initial misgivings about my own skills, it worked!

We consumed every last bite of it after Sunday dinner with Grandma.  Perfect end to a summer meal.  Go check out the other tarts here.

Next week: Peppermint Cream Puff Ring.  I have been wanting to try this recipe.  The challenge this week will be finding the adequate time to devote to it. 

 

 At Colin’s irresistable request to roll more dough, we quickly threw together some of Maida Heatter’s Chocolate Pillows.  I was looking for a cookie that had to be rolled but NOT chilled.  Three year olds are not known for patience.  My apologies to Ms. Heatter.  I have made these before with better results.  In our haste we screwed something up and they totally crumbled.  Better luck next time…

TWD: French Brownies…Ooh. la. LA!

June 3, 2008 at 4:00 am | In June 2008, Tuesdays with Dorie | 32 Comments
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This week’s selection was chosen by Di of Di’s Kitchen Notebook:  French Chocolate Brownies.  I decided to stick pretty close to Dorie on this one.  First, these brownies sounded good just from reading the recipe.  Secondly, I had significantly altered several of the recent recipes (no sticky buns at all, altered quintuple brownies instead of madeleines, Florida “tart” instead of pie sans coconut, etc.).  This week, I was ready to just sit back and let Dorie lead the way.

 I was also without my usual sous chefs.  Summer finally came to KC and we spent a LOT of time outdoors and in the water over the weekend.  They were worn thin by the time I got into the kitchen.  Frankly, that was fine this week.  As I suspect is true of many of us, I often use my kitchen — especially time spent with sugar, flour, butter and eggs — as therapy.  Sunday was a melancholy day and I was happy to be in my kitchen alone without directing traffic.  It was, however, a lonely bowl with no eager taste testers in sight.

I love raisins but wasn’t sure how they would fit into this recipe.  I was too curious not to fire ‘em up.  And I am glad I did.  I thought they added a nice surprise.  My mom (of the infamous sweet tooth) loved the addition without even realizing they were raisins.  I did get a little flame but was not clearly quick enough with the camera.

 I love that crackly brownie crust.  YUM.

I topped them with some whipped cream and put them into little glasses inherited from my Great Aunt Adeline.  I love having pieces in my kitchen that remind me of loved ones and these brought a smile to my face.  The brownies were so good I took the left overs to work…way too dangerous to leave around the house.  They were so easy to make; they could easily become a regular in the brownie rotation. 

 Recent studies claim there is no “sugar high.”  Parents know better.

Next week: La Palette’s Strawberry Tart.  I love fresh berries!  For an overdose of chocolate brownie goodness check out the other posts here.

 French Chocolate Brownies

- makes 16 brownies -
Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours.

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1/3 cup raisins, dark or golden
1 1/2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used 4oz bittersweet and 2 oz semi-sweet cuz that is what I had)
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons; 6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into 12 pieces
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 300°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, butter the foil, place the pan on a baking sheet, and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, salt and cinnamon, if you’re using it.

Put the raisins in a small saucepan with the water, bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until the water almost evaporates. Add the rum, let it warm for about 30 seconds, turn off the heat, stand back and ignite the rum. Allow the flames to die down, and set the raisins aside until needed.

Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Slowly and gently melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and add the butter, stirring so that it melts. It’s important that the chocolate and butter not get very hot. However, if the butter is not melting, you can put the bowl back over the still-hot water for a minute. If you’ve got a couple of little bits of unmelted butter, leave them—it’s better to have a few bits than to overheat the whole. Set the chocolate aside for the moment.

Working with a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until they are thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Lower the mixer speed and pour in the chocolate-butter, mixing only until it is incorporated—you’ll have a thick, creamy batter. Add the dry ingredients and mix at low speed for about 30 seconds—the dry ingredients won’t be completely incorporated and that’s fine. Finish folding in the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula, then fold in the raisins along with any liquid remaining in the pan.

Scrape the batter into the pan and bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is dry and crackled and a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and allow the brownies to cool to warm or room temperature.

Carefully lift the brownies out of the pan, using the foil edges as handles, and transfer to a cutting board. With a long-bladed knife, cut the brownies into 16 squares, each roughly 2 inches on a side, taking care not to cut through the foil.

Serving: The brownies are good just warm or at room temperature; they’re even fine cold. I like these with a little something on top or alongside—good go-alongs are whipped crème fraiche or whipped cream, ice cream or chocolate sauce or even all three!

Storing: Wrapped well, these can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

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