Uncategorized

Pumpkin “Crème Brûlée”

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 2 Comments

In the span of a week, NY temperatures have gone from 90 degrees F a day to 55.  I feel like I am always surprised, nay shocked, by Fall, and this year was no exception.  In any case, with the drop of the temperature, it seemed that it was appropriate to begin the season of making chili, pumpkin recipes and all else “Fall”.

thumb__MG_6042_1024

While flipping through an old Mark Bittman book that I have loved for years, I came across a Pumpkin “Crème Brûlée” — left in quotes since it’s not truly a custard but it is as delicious as Mr. Bittman says in any case!

thumb__MG_6034_1024Ingredients

  • 1 small can of pumpkin puree
  • 8 oz mascarpone cheese
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch allspice
  • pinch kosher salt
  • brown sugar for sprinkling

Directions

  1. Whisk the mascarpone, pumpkin puree and brown sugar together in a bowl until combined.  Add cinnamon, allspice and salt and whisk.
  2. Pour into 6 oz ramekins.  When ready to serve, sprinkle brown sugar in a thin layer on the mixture in the ramekins.
  3. Set the oven to broil.  Stick the custard cups under the broiler for 5 minutes.
  4. Serve immediately.

Ground Pork Ragu

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 1 Comment

A while ago I subscribed to one of these meal kit delivery services, where they deliver recipes and all the ingredients pre-kitted and packed.  Unfortunately while the ingredients seemed great, one of the recipes was for something that really did not pique my culinary interest and so the ground pork made its way into my not-so-cavernous freezer.

_MG_6011

I finally decided that I should do *something* with it, as it was very good quality, and because I wanted to make something in the crockpot now that the weather is ever so slightly starting to turn cooler.

_MG_6010

After perusing a couple recipes, it seemed that there were a few consistent ingredients of a pureed mire poix, tomato paste, boxed (or canned) tomatoes, and some red wine (of course in addition to either ground beef or pork).  After making some educated guesses on about how much of each to throw in, I threw it all in the crock pot and crossed my fingers that it would turn out reasonably good.

All I can say is that coming home to the scent of cooking ragu was one of the best feelings, and on top of some whole wheat linguine, made for an extremely satisfying dinner.  Paired with a strong California Zinfandel, it was the perfect Monday night no-brainer dinner.  (It also made for leftover for at least 2 more meals, which is always great for those nights that there really isn’t time to cook much!)

Ingredients

  • 1-2 large carrots
  • 2-3 stalks of celery
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 box (28 oz) Pomi crushed tomatoes
  • 1.5 cups red wine
  • 1 lb whole wheat linguine (whole wheat optional, but adds nice texture)
  • parmesan cheese, grated (optional for topping)
  • 1 lb ground pork

Directions

  1. Put the onion, celery and carrot in the bowl of a food processor (easier to chop into 1″ chunks first) and puree until fairly smooth.  Empty into crock pot.
  2. Add tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and red wine to crock pot.
  3. In a skillet, heat to medium-high and brown the ground pork unless mostly cooked.  Add to crock pot.
  4. Mix everything in crock pot thoroughly, set for 8 hours on low (longer is okay, as well).
  5. In a pot of salted water, cook linguine (or whichever pasta you prefer) according to box directions.  For us, the whole wheat linguine was 12-13 minutes.  Drain the pasta noodles.
  6. Serve with sauce poured liberally on top.  Add grated cheese if you wish on top and eat immediately!

Serves about 4 very hungry people

Molten Chocolate Cakes for Two

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

Oftentimes I look at recipes for dessert and get really excited about making these large, elaborate cakes until I realize that there are only two people eating it.  Which of course means, either I need to commit to a lot of chocolate cake eating contests or something out of Matilda.

_MG_5938

Thankfully I happened to come across this wonderful blog that specifically makes desserts for two.  I modified it a bit because I wanted to use dark chocolate.  The cakes turned out delicious, though I think I’d panicked and baked them a smidge too much when I thought they were undercooked.  As it turned out, when I did it again in round 2, 13-14 minutes was perfect to get a runny center.  Just be 100% sure to butter the ramekins or custard cups you use to make sure the cake will easily plop out.

Regardless, the result was deliciously chocolatey.

Ingredients

  • 1 /2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter
  • 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Spray two small (~6 oz) custard cups liberally with cooking spray or rub with butter.  (Make sure to do this as otherwise the cakes just won’t “flop” out.)
  2. Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler over low heat until the mixture is homogenous.
  3. In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, and vanilla using an electric hand-held mixer until thick ribbons form, about 3 minutes.
  4. Fold the flour into this mixture, and then the chocolate. Divide between the two custard cups and bake for 13-14 minutes, until the tops of the cakes look well done. If you under-bake, the center of the cake will pour out the top when un-molding.
  5. Let stand for one minute before inverting onto plates.

Adapted from Food and Wine Molten Chocolate Cakes and Dessert for Two.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

One of the first recipes I tried with whole wheat flour in baking was chocolate chip cookies.  Cookies have extremely short shelf lives in our home as they seem to go straight out of the oven and into our happy stomachs.

thumb__MG_5996_1024

But given how easy they are to make, it’s surprising that I haven’t made a chocolate chip cookie in a while.  While there are some extremely decadent ones out there that I’ve certainly made, I thought I’d try this twist on the classic with whole wheat flour and olive oil.

thumb__MG_5992_1024

While delicious, I definitely would have added waaaay more chocolate and then these would have been perfect (given that I used olive oil and not butter).  Also of note, make sure to roll the dough into balls, or else you’ll end up with these delicious but not quite as pretty cookies:

thumb__MG_5993_1024

(In fact, we found quite a few excuses to gobble up all of these less perfectly shaped ones first!)

Ingredients
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 and 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 egg
  • 4 teaspoons molasses
  • 2 cups chocolate chips
  • coarse or flaked sea salt, for sprinkling

Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen.

Roasted Rata-shuka

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

I’ve been leaning vegetarian for my dinners lately, mostly because they’re filling and I’m left with a feeling of “healthfulness.”  This week I decided to make a roasted ratatouille dish that I love, but modified it a bit so that it ended up being a mix between a Shakshuka recipe that I love and a roasted ratatouille recipe that I love.

_MG_5919

This tastes delicious in leftovers, as well, and whenever it needs a bit of pizzazz, I just add an egg on it.

_MG_5909

To be honest, I would probably add a fried egg to anything — to the point that I’m just waiting for someone to parody the excellent “Portlandia” episode of “Put a Bird on It” to just “Put an Egg on It.”

_MG_5897

This recipe with the roasted veggies and the egg make for a very hearty and rustic dinner. Serve with crusty bread (or not, tasted fine without it too!)

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
  • 5 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon paprika, smoked or sweet
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1, 28 oz box of diced or crushed tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon red wine or cider vinegar
  • 2-4 eggs
  • 4 bell peppers, red and yellow
  • 4 small zucchini, green and yellow
  • 4 long Asian eggplants, Japanese and Taiwanese
  • 12 cippolini onions
  • 6 large tomatoes, seeded and diced

Directions

  1. Turn oven on broil.  Place peppers on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil peppers 5 minutes per side until black and blistered.  Transfer peppers to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for a few minutes to allow steam to loosen skins. Remove skins by rubbing peppers with paper towels. Remove stem and seeds. Chop peppers and add to a large bowl.
  2. Turn oven down to 450 degrees F.
  3. Cut zucchini into thick rounds and toss with a good drizzling of oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, flipping halfway through, until golden, about 12 minutes. Repeat with eggplant and cippolini onions. Add both vegetables to the bowl with roasted peppers. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Warm a few tablespoons of oil in a sauté pan set over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes.  Simmer vegetables until mixture has thickened and resembles sauce, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over bowl with peppers, zucchini, and eggplant. Toss gently to combine and check seasoning. Transfer to a warm serving bowl.
  5. In a wide skillet, add the spices and let them cook until fragrant.  Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, honey, and red wine vinegar and cook on low, stirring until the mixture resembles a thick paste.
  6. Poor the sauce over the bowl of roasted vegetables.
  7. Fry and egg and serve on top of the roasted vegetables.  Serve immediately!

Serves 4.

Adapted from the Gastronomer’s Guide and David Lebovitz.

Light Salmon Salad

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 1 Comment

Sometimes all this cooking means that I end up feeling like I just need something very light and healthy, and at those times this very simple salmon salad hits the spot.  We had one of those weekends where we met up with friends and ate delicious Korean BBQ, but of course this meant that we felt stuffed even the next day and needed something to cleanse the palate.

salmonsalad

While I love making salad, it always feels like a “boring” dish to make, so I started avoiding making it as a main when Matt and I got married.  I assumed that Matt would need to have hearty, large meals, but had forgotten that this was healthy Matt we were talking about.  After he asked me the other day about why we weren’t making salads anymore, I decided to put this back into the rotation.  Is it very exciting and amazing and new? Not really, but sometimes the simple dish is all you need for a workday dinner.

Ingredients

1 lb salmon
1/2 bulb of fennel, thinly sliced (optional)
parmesan cheese for grating
slivered almonds (even better if toasted)
EVOO
1 tsp bread crumbs
salt, pepper
1 bunch of arugula
1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Put salmon flesh side up on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with some olive oil, sprinkle about 1 tsp of bread crumbs, and a dash of salt and pepper.  Bake for 15 minutes.
  3. While salmon is baking, take a medium sized bowl and toss the arugula with fennel, shaved parmesan, lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper.
  4. Serve on a dish and top with salmon, and serve.

Serves 2

Horta Salata: Fancy Salad

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

While I love eating kale prepared by someone else, the thought of prepping kale always made me sigh and then shrug and then pass in favor of arugula, spinach, or another green leafy plant to base my salads on.  Also because whenever I would discuss prepping kale with friends, it sounded so laborious: “you have to massage the kale and then let it rest.”  After a few of these conversations, I decided that any leaves that needed this much TLC was not worth working with in my kitchen.

_MG_5927

This weekend however, I was at a restaurant with Lisa that advertised “Tuscan Kale Salad” and I had to order it, and it was gobbled up very quickly by everyone at the table.  I also ranted about how hard it was to prepare kale given all the steps I described above, and Lisa reassured me that I really didn’t need to do all that.

_MG_5923

Re-inspired, and thinking that perhaps I shouldn’t let kale get the better of me, I decided to try a kale salad recipe that I had come across some time ago in a lifestyle magazine.

_MG_5924

While there were a lot of steps to making it, the end result was a very filling salad thanks to the pureed split peas, and I fell back in love with kale.

_MG_5925

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup dried yellow split peas
  • 2 tbsp minced onion
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/8 tsp saffron
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, plus more for seasoning
  • salt
  • 7 tbsp fresh lemon juice, and zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 bunch kale, stemmed and rinsed
  • 3 dill sprigs, stems removed
  • 2 tbsp thinly sliced red onion
  • 2 tbsp roasted walnuts
  • 6 Kalamata olives, tossed with paprika

Directions

  1. Add split peas to a small bowl and cover with cold water and soak for 5 minutes.  Drain and add to a small pot with 2 cups of water.  Bring to a simmer, skimming froth from the top.  Add onion, garlic, saffron, cayenne, and a pinch of salt and cook until soft, about 10 minutes, adding more water if necessary.  Drain and reserve cooking liquid.
  2. To a food processor, add cooked peas and blend, drizzling in 3 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp olive oil and cooking liquid as needed until smooth and thick.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, remaining 4 tbsp lemon juice, a pinch of salt and a bit of pepper.  Continue whisking while drizzling in remaining 1/2 cup olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Spread the split pea puree on the bottom of a bowl.  Toss the kale, dill and onion together with the dressing and place on top of the puree.  Garnish with walnuts, olives, and lemon zest.

Serves 4.

Adapted from Shape magazine’s “Horta Salata from Zaytinya in Washington, D.C.”

Greek Eggplant Dip: Melitzanosalata

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

While traveling through the Peloponnese, we were always surprised by how delicious the food was.  Which… after the first three places we ate really should not have been a surprise.  However, we discovered early on that there was a tasty eggplant dip that seemed so simple in nature that we decided we had to try making it when we came home.

2015-08-30 06.25.17

I avoided eggplants for years.  Growing up in a Korean-American household, we often would fry the eggplants with some batter (which actually was delicious) but we more often would just steam the eggplant.  The minute I walked down to dinner and saw the steamed eggplant, the ungrateful teenager that I was, I would grumble and denigrate the unassuming eggplant.

Then Lisa introduced me to the world (a better world) where eggplants were steamed and diced and chopped with red peppers and the like, and a newfound stage in my eggplant relationship began.

In Greece we frequently came across the English menu that said “Aubergine salad.”  Being ignorant of what that could be, I could only think… well… I’ve bought some “Aubergine” colored clothing, so by similar process of elimination that must be… Eggplant?   And sure enough it was.

This is all to say, if you were an anti-Eggplanter as I once was, give it another chance.  It might just surprise you!

Ingredients

  • 4 large purple eggplants
  • 1/2 red onion
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 125 ml olive oil (1/2 cup)
  • 4 tablespoons lemon juice
  • sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped (I used a ton of parsley, but this is really up to you)

Directions

  1. To prepare this super easy melitzanosalata recipe (Greek eggplant dip), start by baking the eggplants. You could either bake them whole or sliced, depending on the time you have available. If you choose to bake them whole, use a fork to make some wholes on the aubergines, place on a tray and bake for about 1 hour. Alternatively for a quicker version of this melitzanosalata recipe, cut the eggplants in slices and place them on a baking tray, lined with parchment paper. Coat with olive oil, sprinkle with fresh thyme, season with salt and pepper and add 1-2 cloves of garlic. Cover with parchment paper and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until tender.
  2. For this melitzanosalata recipe you need to use only the flesh of the eggplants. Peel the eggplants and dice the pulp.
  3. Place the pulp and the other ingredients in a large bowl and vigorously mix with a wooden spoon. (If you prefer your melitzanosalata to have a creamier texture, then add the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse, adding the olive oil gradually on a steady stream. Alternatively mash the eggplants using a fork). Let the melitzanosalata (Greek eggplant dip) cool down and put in the fridge to allow the flavours to mingle.
  4. Serve the melitzanosalata in a small bowl garnished with a whole black olive. Enjoy!

Adapted from “My Greek Dish.“

Harvest Food: Rhubarb Cake

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

So while reading the Financial Times weekend edition, I came across their food column describing the foods that were traditionally served in rural France to all those toiling for the wine harvest.  

2015-08-30 06.54.42

It sounded so idyllic — recreating the “I Love Lucy” sketch to crush the grapes beneath my feet while being fed leg of lamb and this rhubarb cake.  When the reverie was over, I recognized that being out in the fields in the hot September sun was probably not something I would have enjoyed, but it didn’t stop me from making this delicious rhubarb cake in my air conditioned apartment.

When I first read this, I thought, “alas” the rhubarbs have packed up and moved on since they’re more of an early summer kind of act.  However, I then ran across to the grocery store, and lo and behold, and entire stack of rhubarb stems already trimmed of the poisonous leaves (who knew?).

2015-08-30 04.39.01

My husband laughed with me as I hoarded all of the rhubarb stalks in sight, and I’m pretty sure I can now confidently say that I cleaned out the last of the rhubarb.

2015-08-30 04.59.36

When making the batter, I thought — surely I just didn’t measure all the grams out correctly (while also thinking, why do I subscribe to a British newspaper with all their grams!!!) since the batter was so small in volume, and barely covered my 9″ springform pan (or the 23ish cm pan as the recipe calls for).
2015-08-30 06.18.51

However, rest assured, it is just the right amount, and the result will be a wonderful cake where the batter rises and the rhubarb falls to blend into each other with a wonderful, rustic simplicity.

This recipe is supposedly from the Rhône region of France, known for its dry and delectable wines (think Viognier, Cinsault, Carignan).

Ingredients*

110g (3.88 oz) plain flour
60g (2.12 oz) caster sugar
3 tbsp milk
2 tbsp cooking oil (a light olive or sunflower oil is suitable)
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
750g-1kg (~2 lb) rhubarb, trimmed and cut into short equal lengths
For the caramel sauce:
125g (4.4 oz) sugar
90g (3.17 oz) butter
1 egg

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 445-450 degrees F. Mix all the ingredients, except the fruit, together in a bowl to make quite a soft, almost runny, dough.
  2. Butter a 9″ round springform tin. Sprinkle with flour. Spread the mixture into it. Place the rhubarb pieces on top of the mixture. It is a little difficult to be accurate about the amount of rhubarb, which can give off a lot of liquid — but bear in mind it is a very soft cake. The sharpness of the rhubarb will be offset by the caramel.
  3. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, until golden. (It will rise a little.) Meanwhile, prepare the caramel sauce. Melt the sugar and butter together in a small pan. Remove from the heat, cool a little, then stir in the egg. When you take the cake out of the oven, pour this sauce over it.
  4. Put it under a hot grill for two minutes or until the sauce has caramelized. Watch it carefully, as it burns easily. Leave the cake to cool. It may be eaten warm or cold.

From the Financial Times.

Note: I used a scale and measured everything out in grams, but I included the exact conversion to ounces here.