appetizer

Sundried Tomato and Feta Soleil

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

Between being under the weather and a lot of travel, I managed to convince myself that cooking something interesting would somehow make me feel better.  After a sad round with gougères that just didn’t turn out right, it was comforting to have this turn out mostly delicious.  Technically, I’d made it for a party that I thought I was going to take food to and ended up with Matthew eating most of it instead (oops).

_MG_6358

The first go at this was a real struggle-fest, mainly because I think I hadn’t realized how touchy puff pastry was, much like Goldilocks and the bears – thaw too much and the dough is sticky, not thawed enough and too hard to roll out.  It literally had to be juuuuust right.  But who has time for that?

Anyways, this finally turned out after I gave up on the other puff pastry dough, and bought a whole new set.  But as it turned out, that other pastry dough still became a delicious butternut squash tart, so it was not all wasted.

The Smitten Kitchen version where I got this from is much more beautiful, but this turned out pretty delicious too!

Ingredients

Filling
3/4 cup sundried tomatoes in oil, drained
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 large garlic clove, peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes to taste

Assembly
2 packages puffed pastry (leave in fridge overnight to thaw, or follow the box directions; remember, puff pastry = Goldilocks)
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water (for egg wash)

Dip
6 ounces feta, crumbled
2 ounces cream cheese, cold is fine
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper

Make the filling: Blend ingredients in a food processor until finely chopped and spreadable. Mixture will be thick. You can thin it with more olive oil if needed, but no need to make this thin like a sauce. Adjust seasonings to taste. Set aside.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Assemble the tart: Roll first package puffed pastry flat on a large piece of parchment paper or reusable baking mat into a 12-inch circle; use a 12-inch round plate or bowl to mark the size for a clean cut. Repeat with second dough, setting one aside in the fridge until needed.  (This part is hard if the dough isn’t the right consistency.)

Place first round on a parchment- or nonstick mat-lined baking sheet. Spread with filling to all but 1-inch from edge. Dab edges with water and place second round on top. Set a small glass upside down in the middle. Being careful not to cut through parchment paper or baking mat, cut away from glass (i.e. not through center) in quarters, or at the 3-, 6-, 9- and 12 o’clock marks. Cut through each quarter again, making 8 strips, and again, making 16 strips, and one last time so that you have 32 “rays” of pastry emanating from the center. If at any point in the cutting the pastry feels annoyingly soft and hard to cut, just pop the tray in the freezer for a few minutes to firm it back up.

Remove glass. Place finger near center of each ray (where it is most likely to break off prematurely) and gently twist each strand a few times. Beat egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water; brush it over pastry and sprinkle with seeds, if desired.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown all over.

Meanwhile, make whipped feta dip: Blend all filling ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste. Place in bowl for dipping.

Remove tart from oven, let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes then transfer to a serving platter. Tear off rays of sun, dip in whipped feta; repeat as needed.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen Feta Tapenade Soleil.

Beet Caviar

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 1 Comment

IMG_1440Okay, so this isn’t really anything like caviar (which I also happen to love). But until I can think of a better name, we’ll just have to go with this. Caviar or not, it is a delicious beet spread (nope, too dull) that I first ate with a Russian friend and later had a version of it at the Chicago Russian Tea Time Restaurant. This along with my mushroom walnut pâté are wonderful additions to any party spread. And both are so easy, there is simply no excuse for not making them. Whip some up for this Passover or anytime you want to celebrate something. And if you use the pre-cooked beets like “Love Organic Beets” that you can find in the produce section of the grocery store, this really is a snap to make. The photo just doesn’t do justice to the taste.

Beet Caviar adapted from The Eastern and Central European Kitchen: Contemporary and Classic Recipes by Silvena Rowe

Yield: About 2 cups

Ingredients

4 medium beets, washed and trimmed

5 Medjool dates, pitted

2 Tablespoons cognac (Bourbon or Vodka)

2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

2 Tablespoons lemon juice or to taste

1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt or Kosher salt

3 Tablespoons creme fraiche, mascarpone or sour cream (If you want to keep it vegan, you can use Tofutti, Better Than Cream Cheese)

freshly chopped chives for garnish (optional)

Directions

  1. If you are not using pre-cooked beets, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F with a rack in the center. Puncture the beets with a fork a few times and roast for 1 hour or until the beets are completely tender when you test by cutting into the center with a knife.
  2. In the meantime, gently heat the cognac in a small saucepan or in the microwave. Place the dates in a glass dish and when just hot, pour the alcohol over the dates. Allow to soak for at least 10 minutes.
  3. When the beets are cooked and cool enough to peel, remove the skins and chop into cubes. Place in a food processor or blender with the dates, cognac, walnuts, mascarpone, lemon juice, salt and garlic. Puree until the texture is to your liking.
  4. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt or lemon juice. Serve with chopped chives. If you prefer, you can swirl a bit of the creme fraiche (mascarpone or sour cream) through the mixed beets instead of processing it together. It is purely an esthetic decision and will not change the taste.

Tomato and Goat Cheese Crostini

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

Most of my cooking adventures are well planned, with a timeline that goes backwards to gauge when I should start said adventure.  Unfortunately, there are a few times that the adventures are unfolding just fine until I discover that step 2 takes an hour instead of 15 minutes, or I forgot that something else was in the oven and so I can’t swap it out.  At these times, a little snack is all we need to get from “oh my goodness I am so hungry that I’m only seeing spinning wheels” to “oh hey, I’m feeling just fine, you take as long as you want to get dinner ready!”

_MG_6291.JPG

This snack was inspired from a starter at a restaurant that we recently discovered near Lincoln Center that seemed oh so fancy, and then I realized that I could easily make it at home since I seem to always have tomatoes and goat cheese (thanks to an amazing goat cheese sale at the grocery store) and a couple of delectable, tasty olive oils.

It can be used for dinner party starters, cocktail parties, or just that lazy Saturday afternoon around 3 when brunch has worn off but dinner is far off.  The best is that you can play with the ingredients and add any kind of herbs or differently flavored olive oils and still get good results, so experiment!

Ingredients

French baguette, cut in 1/2″ slices
2-3 tomatoes (any will work, I like the Roma ones for this)
Goat cheese
Olive oil
salt and pepper for taste
basil (optional – I didn’t use it in the photo, but it would be a perfect touch)

Directions

Preheat your oven 200 degrees F.  Line a tray with foil and place your bread on the tray and stick it in the oven even as it is warming up.  Depending on how toasty you like your bread, leave it in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Once the bread looks toasty, take the tray out of the oven, and drizzle olive oil on the bread slices.  Take about a tablespoon of goat cheese (I like to be generous and use large chunks of it) and spread on the bread.  Slice the tomatoes and press slices into the goat cheese.

Drizzle with a little more olive oil if you wish, and sprinkle some pepper on all the arrangements.  Serve immediately!

Ratatouille Nicoise

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

RatatouilleIt always REALLY annoys me when a recipe calls for a little of this and a little of that. What am I supposed to do with the rest of the “this and that?” If you read my recipe for savory galette you would quickly realize that you have left-over zucchini and eggplant. Well who wants to waste great ingredients?

eggplants

This ratatouille recipe is the perfect answer. It’s so versatile and delicious that I make it even when I don’t have left-overs – just because! Ratatouille is a savory stew of vegetables and I have used it as a side to grilled meats, fish or an omelette. It makes a wonderful pasta sauce and if you dice the vegetables fairly small, it can make a wow appetizer by filling baked puff pastry cups with it (you might drain a bit of the liquid off when using it this way). It’s equally delicious hot or at room temperature so is a wonderful side to bring to picnics. It stores well in the fridge and actually intensifies in flavor after the first day. The following recipe is one I have been making for decades and I have no recollection of where it originated. I have tweaked it over the years as I do just about everything, but my apologies for not giving credit to whoever first came up with this. And while I do make this in the oven according to the recipe, in the summer when it is hot, I do it entirely on the stove so I don’t heat up the apartment. Truthfully, it’s just as good either way.

Ratatouille Nicoise                                             ratatouille2

Yields: About 10 cups

Ingredients:

1/2 cup EVOO

2 cups coarsely chopped onion

2 Tablespoons finely chopped garlic

about 1 pound eggplant, trimmed and cubed

2 sweet peppers, any color

6 slim zucchini, any color

1-2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme

26.46 oz. Pomi tomatoes or 28 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes crushed or chopped, with liquid

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1/8 teaspoon (or more if you like things very spicy) hot red pepper flakes (Optional)

About 24 imported black olives (pitted makes life easier, but you can put them in with pits – just warn your eaters!) (SEE NOTE)

About 24 imported green olives

2-3 Tablespoons capers

Salt and pepper to taste

One bunch finely chopped parsley

NOTE: Please buy the best olives you can and these days there is no excuse for using those tasteless olives in a can from California. I like the black oil-cured or Kalamatos olives and a variety of the green. If y ou don’t happen to live near a good source of olives, you can now purchase them online in vacuum-sealed bags, imported from Greece from Nuts.com – one of my favorite (and now Frances’) sources for nuts, dried fruits, spices and so much more.

Directions:

  1. Heat the EVOO in a large Dutch oven or heavy oven-proof pot. Add the onions and garlic and cook until they turn translucent.
  2. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring gently about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the sweet peppers and stir, cooking about 1 minute. Then add the zucchini and salt and pepper to taste. Go easy on the salt since you will be adding olives and capers which are both salty. Add the bay leaves and thyme and cook about 5 minutes more.
  4. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and add the olives and parsley. Cover tightly and cook about 10 minutes.
  5. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350 degree F oven for about 30 minutes.

Savory Galette with Eggplant, Zucchini and Feta

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

Savory Galette platedOnce you learn certain basic techniques, then you can feel free to experiment. I had so much fun making the tomato and plum galette that I thought I would see what other great combinations I could make. The farmers’ market today had beautiful zucchini and eggplants eggplant and zucchiniand my lemon thyme and oregano plants are quite lush and could do with a bit of judicious trimming. I debated about the cheese, but when I remembered that I still had half of a nice chunk of feta in my fridge, leftover from the green fattoush salad, my decision was made. And here is the delicious result:

Savory Galette with Eggplant, Zucchini and Feta

Ingredients:

For the crust

1.25 cups, unbleached all-purpose flour

2 Tablespoons lightly toasted pine nuts

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (if you have it, use lemon thyme)

8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, very cold

2 Tablespoons Greek Yogurt (I used Fage 2% Plain)

5 Tablespoons ice water

For the filling

3 cups thinly sliced zucchini and eggplant (See Note)

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

cracked black pepper

1 large garlic clove, minced or crushed

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

EVOO

2-3 Tablespoons of goat or sheep’s milk feta in a chunk

egg, lightly beaten

1 Tablespoon toasted pine nuts

1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, basil or oregano leaves

NOTE: (Since I went to the farmers’ market, I was able to get a variety of different colored zucchini and eggplants. If you are using the large, traditional purple eggplant and it has a lot of seeds, you will need to generously salt the slices and lay them out in a colander for about 20 minutes. This removes the bitterness from the seeds. Then rinse them well before using and pat dry. Since I bought eggplants with very few seeds, this step was not necessary. Do not buy the gigantic zucchini. More isn’t always better- it’s just more. Look for slim, straight zucchini with unblemished skins.)

Directions:

  1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, black pepper, thyme and sea salt. Pulse a few times to mix well. Add cold butter (divide the stick into 16 pieces). Pulse until the mixture is the size of frozen peas.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt and ice water until well combined. Pour it over the flour mixture and run the machine just until the dough starts to form a ball. Add the pine nuts and pulse once or twice to distribute. It will seem relatively wet compared to other pastry. Don’t worry! Turn it out onto waxed paper or plastic wrap and form a disk. (Make a ball and then flatten it.) Wrap the dough and refrigerate it for at least one hour. This can be made a couple of days ahead if you like.
  3. When ready to bake the galette, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Have a rimmed baking pan ready to use. Remove the dough from the fridge.
  4. Thinly slice the eggplant and zucchini. A mandolin is great for this task, but PUHLEEZE be careful! It is so easy to cut yourself badly. Don’t worry if the slices aren’t all gorgeous rounds – it won’t make any difference to the end product.
  5. Roll out your dough on lightly floured parchment paper to an approximately 14-inch round. Perfect roundness is not essential. However, do try to have even thickness of the dough. Turn the dough disk periodically while rolling out to keep it from sticking and to maintain the thickness.
  6. About 2 inches in from the edge, lightly spread the garlic. Then start layering your vegetables, building towards the center. This is not a Chicago deep-dish pizza. You do not load up the dough with as much stuff as you possibly can. Sprinkle with salt, a few cracks of pepper, the dried thyme and a drizzle of EVOO.               Savory Galette Stage 1
  7. Fold up the edges of the dough and just barely tuck them under to give a rounded look. If you prefer something even more rustic, then just fold the edges up over the vegetables. If the you have to create small folds in the dough, that’s just fine.
  8. Brush the edges of the dough with a lightly beaten egg.           Savory Galette Stage 2
  9. Bake at 425 degrees F. for 10 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 375 degrees F, add the feta cheese and bake for 25 minutes.
  10. Sprinkle the pine nuts over the top and bake for 5-8 more minutes or until everything is golden. Remove to a cooling rack and after it has cooled for a bit then take your fresh herbs and scatter them across the top. If you do it immediately, the herbs will blacken from the heat. Serve with a fresh salad and a nice crisp white or rose wine.

TIP: You will almost certainly have left-over vegetables and you don’t want to waste them, especially if you have lugged them home from the farmers market. These are the perfect left-overs to make a ratatouille – assuming you didn’t thinly slice more than you needed and simply left the remaining vegetables whole. Watch for my wonderful ratatouille recipe!

Finished Savory Galette

So Many Tomatoes – Heirloom Tomato and Plum Galette

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 1 Comment

Tomato and Plum GaletteMy life goes back and forth between extremely stressful and fairly boring. As a way to relax, I read mysteries and look up recipes. I came across this one from a link on Food 52 and thought that I would give it a try. The farmers’ market had beautiful heirloom grape and cherry tomatoes and the plums are at their peak right now. I made the crust Saturday night and refrigerated it until I was ready to finally bake the galette tonight.

Here is my version of Tomato and Plum Galette adapted from a recipe by Elizabeth Stark

Yields: 8 servings

Ingredients:

For the crust

1.25 cups, unbleached all-purpose flour

2 Tablespoons grated Asiago or Parmesan Cheese

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, very cold

2 Tablespoons Greek Yogurt (I used Fage 2% Plain)

5 Tablespoons ice water

For the filling

3 cups heirloom tomatoes (I used a mix of grape and cherry)

sea salt

2 medium firm, but ripe, black plums

1/4 cup grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese, divided into 2 Tablespoon portions

1 egg, lightly beaten

cracked black pepper

1 Tablespoon torn fresh tarragon leaves

Directions:

  1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, cheese, black pepper and sea salt. Pulse a few times to mix well. Add cold butter (divide the stick into 16 pieces). Pulse until the mixture is the size of frozen peas.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt and ice water until well combined. Pour it over the flour mixture and run the machine just until the dough starts to form a ball. It will seem relatively wet compared to other pastry. Don’t worry! Turn it out onto waxed paper or plastic wrap and form a disk. (Make a ball and then flatten it.) Wrap the dough and refrigerate it for at least one hour. This can be made a couple of days ahead if you like.
  3. When ready to bake the galette, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Have a rimmed baking pan ready to use. Remove the dough from the fridge.
  4. Slice your tomatoes lengthwise into 4 pieces. Using your fingers, scoop out the seeds and slice away any core. Line a plate with paper towel and turn the tomato pieces onto the plate. Sprinkle with sea salt.
  5. Cut your plums in half along the axis, remove the pit and thinly slice.
  6. On a piece of floured sheet of parchment, roll the dough into a rough 14-inch circle. Brush away any excess flour.
  7. Scatter 2 Tablespoons of the cheese in a 12-inch circle inside the larger dough circle.next, arrange a band of tomatoes around this 12-inch circle. Working inwards, alternate circles of plum and tomatoes, tucking each layer up against the other.
  8. Fold up the sides of the dough (you will have some folds – this is fine). Lightly brush the folded over dough with the egg wash and sprinkle with sea slat and cracked pepper. Galette stage one

9.  Carefully lift the parchment and     galette onto the rimmed baking pan.  Trim parchment as needed. Bake at 425 degrees F. for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the galette from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and bake until the galette is a rich golden brown, anywhere from 20-30 minutes depending on your oven.

Galette stage two

10. Cool for 15 minutes and scatter the tarragon leaves over the top. Serve warm.

Galette slice2