Yellow Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed with Purple Pesto

Tomato and basil is one of my favorite flavor combinations out there. I often use pesto on pizza and top it with slices of tomatoes, top it with aged mozzarella and dot it with fresh mozzarella. Not a bad pizza.

I love cherry tomatoes. I've had some recently that were so sweet that snacking on them was almost like snacking on candy. I also like stuffing them with a variety of things: herbed goat cheese, feta & kalamatas, pieces of marinated or smoked mozzarella, the list goes on and on. By far, my favorite stuffing is pesto. Today I wanted to do a mix-up using yellow cherry tomatoes instead of red, and purple pesto instead of green.

Still pretty damned tasty.  :)

Yellow Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed with Purple Pesto

Purple Pesto 

Ingredients:

• 1/8 cup garlic scapes, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1-1/2 cups purple basil
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup good quality Parmigiano-Reggiano, you know, the fancy parmesan

Directions:

1. Place the scapes in a food processor and pulse until pretty well minced
2. Add the pine nuts and process until the mixture is very well chopped.
3. Toss in the purple basil and parm and process. Drizzle in the olive oil until your get the consistency you prefer.

Purple basil

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Dark Chocolate Espresso Brownie Bites

The concept and title of this blog revolves around comfort food. Food can be classed as comfort food either because of the warm-n-fuzzy memories we have associated with it or because of an almost therapeutic effect it has on us, whether it's like a chemical addiction for a bona fide carboholic, or the actual cathartic process of making it, like anger-management bread-dough therapy.

Crisis Brownies, the food, arose because, put simply, sometimes there are just those occasions that are so harrowing and stressful - like a break-up or extreme PMDD - that you need a fudgy, deeply intense, dark chocolate brownie. You may need just one; you may feel as though you have to eat half the batch straight from the pan. Whatever, why waste that burning need on something from a box when you can melt the best quality chocolate you can find and use real butter?

I love adapting and tinkering with this recipe to try out various flavor combinations and create different textures - by far, I prefer fudgy, dense and moist to cakey, but that's just me. I also prefer dark chocolate brownies that border on bittersweet to those that use milk chocolate. This is the first time I made them into miniatures by baking them in a mini-muffin tin. You end  up with what is the perfect mouthful of  brownie. Very satisfying.

I had wanted to top these with an espresso glaze or ganache, but when I ate my first tester brownie after I'd taken the out of the tins, I realized that these need nothing else except maybe a tall, cold glass of something milk-like whether it's milk, soymilk or almond milk. They are the perfect dark chocolate morsel.

Dark Chocolate Espresso Brownie Bites

Makes 16 mini brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 T espresso powder
• 1/4 cup All-Purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup turbinado sugar
• 3 T salted butter
• 1 T strong brewed coffee
• 6 oz. semisweet chocolate
• 1/4 t vanilla
• 1 egg at room temperature, beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 2 mini muffin tins with butter, shortening or cooking spray - I filled up one whole 12-muffin tin and had enough batter to make four more in another tin.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder and espresso powder with a whisk. Make sure to break up any clumps of cocoa powder.
3. In the top of a double boiler, gently heat the butter, sugar and coffee until the butter starts to melt. 
4. Add the chocolate and as it starts to melt, stir with a baking spatula. Once most of the chocolate has melted, take the top of the double boiler off the heat and keep stirring until it has all melted and is well mixed. Let it cool for about 5 minutes.
5. Add the vanilla extract to the chocolate mixture. Once the chocolate has come down in temperature to the point where you don't burn yourself when you stick your finger into the mix to test it, add the beaten egg and stir well.* See Notes
6. Add the dry ingredients to the chocolate and stir well. 
7. Scoop the batter by spoonful into the muffin tins to fill the about 2/3 full. I had enough for 16 mini muffins.
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out fairly clean. I usually underbake them slightly.
9. Let cool in the muffin tins for about 45 minutes before turning them out.

Notes:

• Usually when incorporating eggs into hot liquids, you'll want to temper them by adding a tiny bit of the hot liquid to the beaten eggs and whisking it pretty vigorously to raise the temperature of the egg, then you add that to the rest of the hot liquid mixture and keep whisking. This is so that that the egg won't curdle immediately upon meeting the hot mixture. No one wants scrambled eggs in gougeres, custards or brownies, right?
• It's worth noting that the magical temperature at which egg starts to curdle is 175 F. Sometimes when I am dealing with a pretty thick liquid mixture, like the chocolate mess with these brownies, it is a pain in the ass to use it to temper the eggs. Sometimes I'll scrape the chocolate mixture into a bowl nested in an ice water bath and let it cool before adding the eggs. The problem with that technique is that if it cools too far and you add the egg and try to stir it in, the chocolate mixture is grainy and won't accept the egg as well.
• That's when I decided to check the temperature manually. I've been making these for so long this way that I can tell by feel when the chocolate is cool enough but not too cool. It is important to stir the chocolate as it cools so that it is a uniform temperature with no blazing hot spots in there just waiting to curdle the eggs.

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Rustic Swiss Chard Tart

Tuesdays in summer is the Downtown Farmers' Market. The best thing about working downtown, aside from the whole getting-a-paycheck thing is that I am steps away from a terrific farmers' market. No longer can I use laziness as a excuse not to visit the market and revel in truly fresh and local produce.

I stop in Tuesday mornings on my walk to work from the parking garage and pick up whatever strikes my fancy, as they say. The first week, among other items, I got a loaf of cracked pepper-cheddar bread that was so insanely delicious that it was gone by 10:00 that evening; the next week, I scored some granulated maple sugar that will be a key player in an upcoming maple-walnut apple strudel ; last week the highlights of my produce bag were garlic scapes and a lovely bunch of Swiss chard. Those scapes made a scrumptious pesto which I devoured on rosemary & olive oil Triscuits with slices of provolone while watching Midsomer Murders on Netflix at 2 in the morning, and the Swiss chard  - along with a few scapes - realized its happy vegetable potential by ending up as the star of this Rustic Swiss Chard tart.

When I got to the market today, I found the same vendor and told her how delicious her chard and scapes were. She had some absolutely gorgeous purple basil and some 8-ball zucchini that just begs to be stuffed with something - I'm thinking artichoke hearts, some of that purple basil, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh parmigiano reggiano. Look for those in the coming days here. :)

The next time you visit the farmers' market, be sure to check out Daily Harvest Farm.



Now for the tart.

Look at it. There could be anything in there.

But cut it open and taste a delicious mixture of chard, cheese and herbs.

You just can't beat that.

Rustic Swiss Chard Tart

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Swiss chard, washed and dried well
• olive oil
• 5 garlic scapes, roughly chopped
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 (15 oz) container of ricotta
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano - or the stuff in the green can if that's what you like
• 1 t salt
• 1/4 t black pepper
• 1 T fresh thyme
• 1T fresh oregano
• 1/8 t grated nutmeg
• 1 package of frozen puff pastry - 2 sheets

Directions:

1. Thaw the puff pastry.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Remove the leaves from the stems and slice the leaves into thin ribbons. Set aside.
4. Slice the stems thinly and saute in olive oil of medium high. Add the scapes and let them cook until the stems and scapes are tender.
5. Toss in the smashed clove of garlic and the minced shallot and raise the heat to medium-high and cook for 2 minutes. 
6. Add the chard leaves and let cook down until any moisture that has been released has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and let cool.
8. Roll out one sheet of the thawed pastry between sheets of waxed paper until the pastry is at least a 12 inch square and set it in a 9 inch tart pan. Trim off excess pastry until there is a 1 inch overhang of pastry.*See Notes
9. To the cooled vegetables, mix in the ricotta, beaten egg, parm, herbs, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix thoroughly.
10. Put this vegetable-cheese mixture in the tart pan and roll out the second sheet of pastry to a 12 inch square and trim it to an 11 inch circle. 
11. Place it on top of the filling and pinch the edges together and then fold the joined overhanging pastry edges inward and crimp the seam. I like to tuck it inward, even.
12. Slash a few vent holes in the top of the pastry and bake for 40-45 minutes or until starting to turn golden brown.
13. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into it.

Notes:

• Ever wondered about what to do with scraps of leftover puff pastry?
  
  Check it out: Cinni-minis

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Coming soon...

Dark Chocolate Espresso Brownie Bites

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Egg Baked in a Potato Shell with Salsa, Cheese and Chives

I've never been a fan of cold cereal for breakfast; I'm an eggs-for-breakfast kind of girl. Add potatoes to that and I'm in heaven. Eggs and hash, potato-filled omelette, peasant breakfast, scrambled eggs with a thin German potato pancake, I can't think of an egg-and-potato preparation that I wouldn't love.

I love the presentation of oeufs en cocotte, and I've done my own take on that by baking beaten eggs and cream in leftover mashed potato. Yesterday I was pondering the pile of roasted potatoes I had leftover from making my roasted beet, potato and goat cheese pizza (recipe forthcoming), and I decided to try baking an egg in a hollowed-out potato shell.

Tasty, plus it had that satisfying comfort food feel to it.

Egg Baked in a Potato Shell with Salsa, Cheese and Chives

Ingredients:

• 1  medium potato, baked and cooled
• 1 egg
• 1 T salsa
• 2 T shredded cheddar
• chives
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Slice off the top of the potato - about 1/4 of the way down.
3. Place the potato in a ramekin.
4. Scoop out the insides of the potato, leaving a shell with about 1/8 in. layer of potato - I like to use a grapefruit spoon.
5. Season the insides with salt and pepper
6. Put 1 T of salsa on the bottom, followed by 1 T cheese.
7. Carefully crack the egg into the potato and top with the remaining 1 T of cheddar.
8. Bake for about 20 minutes, then top with chives and a few more shreds of cheddar if you like and serve immediately.

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Spicy Kale Chips

I'm a sucker for anything salty and crunchy. I can't even buy potato chips on a regular basis because I am utterly powerless against that combination of crispy and salty. I also really enjoy greens, and while my usual way to treat kale and other greens is the standard braise or a light saute in some sort of fat - usually olive oil or occasionally bacon grease - or tossed into lentil soup, I am always looking for a new way to eat greens.

Why not oiled, salted and baked?

It almost defies logic that leafy greens can yield such a perfect, salty crunch with so little work, but they really do. They have that satisfying light crispiness that dances on the tongue and for God's sake... it's kale. What could be more virtuously packed with goodness than kale?

Spicy Kale Chips

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of kale
• olive oil
• chipotle salt*
• dusting of parm

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Wash the kale and rip the leaves from the thick stems and tear them into large pieces.
3. Toss with olive oil and chipotle salt in a bowl.
4. Place on a large cookie sheet and bake for about 8 minutes, flip the kale over and bake for another 8 minutes or until the edges are nicely browned, but be careful not to let it burn.
5. Dust with a bit of parm and serve.

Notes:

• I bought this fancy-schmancy chipotle seasoned salt, but I imagine you could make your own by pulverizing a dried chipotle and adding it to the salt and then crushing that together in a mortar and pestle. Use only the dried chipotles sold in bags, not the canned chipotles in adobo. 
• You could also add red pepper flakes for more heat. 
• Really, you could use any seasoned salt you like.

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Yellow Split Pea Soup with Cilantro-Lime Yogurt

Still going with my idea of cooking from the pantry as much as possible, I remembered that I had some coconut milk left over from the coconut-curry jasmine rice and recalled this curried split pea soup. Bam, easy, easy, easy. It's an excellent quick meal, done within an hour, counting all the prep time. One small bowl is enough to satisfy, starting with the thick pureed texture to the curry flavors to the tangy notes of lime and cooling effect of the yogurt in the creamy garnish.

Yellow Split Pea Soup with Cilantro-Lime Yogurt

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1 cup diced peeled potato
• 1/2 t gingerroot, minced
• 2 T chopped garlic
• 3/4 cup yellow split peas
• 1 t red curry powder
• 1/2 t turmeric
• 1/4 dried jalapeno flakes
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 7 oz. unsweetened coconut milk
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 3 T chopped cilantro
• 2 t lime juice
• grating of lime peel
• hot sauce
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Saute the onion in olive oil over medium-high heat for 1 minute, then add the carrot and cook until the onion is soft and translucent. 
2. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute, then add the potato and stir to coat.
3. Add the split peas, curry powder and turmeric and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the jalapeno flakes, 1-1/2 cups of broth and coconut milk, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and let cook until the peas are soft, about45 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding more chicken broth if it seems too dry. 
5. After 45 minutes, taste to check seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed. 
6. Puree the soup with a stick blender to achieve the consistency you like, adding more broth to suit your preference.
7. Make the cilantro-lime yogurt by mixing the yogurt, lime juice, lime peel and chopped cilantro in a bowl. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a drop or 2 of hot sauce.
8. Garnish the soup with a dollop of the yogurt.

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Cheddar-Dill Biscuits

Biscuits were one of the first things I made myself when I was about 11, and by "made," I mean assembled from a box of Bisquick, just add milk and butter and presto, you've got biscuits. The results, lumpy-looking golden little bites of deliciousness with that distinctive bite of baking powder, were a bit homely, but totally satisfying.

Still, it was that accomplishment of having mixed together fairly authentic ingredients in a bowl, gotten messy up to my elbows mushing it all together, shaping them and then sticking them in the oven that had me hooked on the magical alchemy of cooking and baking.

I will never pass up a biscuit, ever. I love the flaky biscuits that fall apart into layers; I love the doughier baking powder biscuits; buttermilk, powdermilk, cheese biscuits, biscuits drenched in butter, I love them all. I have been searching for the ultimate from-scratch biscuit recipes for every type of biscuit.

This recipe has that nice baking powder bite to it, and the cheese and dill pair together so well. Cut these open while still hot, add a slice of sharp cheddar cheese and a few slices of a really sour dill pickle, and you have a terrific little sandwich bite.

Cheddar-Dill Biscuits

Makes about 9 biscuits

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 T buttermilk powder - I like the Saco brand 
• 2 t baking powder
• 1/2 T sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, cut into small cubes
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
• 2 T fresh dill
• 1/3 cup milk
• melted butter

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or a silicone baking mat, otherwise be sure to use an insulated cookie sheet.* See Notes
3. Mix together the flour, salt, buttermilk powder, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl.
4. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
5. Add the chopped dill and shredded cheese and mix well.
6. Pour in the milk and mix with a fork until well incorporated and the dough starts to form a cohesive ball. It will still be sticky.
7. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by folding over until it feels smooth, then pat it down into a rectangle about 3/4 in. high
8. Cut with a biscuit cutter, cookie cutter or a drinking glass.
9. Place round on the prepared cookie sheet and bake for about 10 - 12 minutes.
10. Brush with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven and eat.

Notes:
I made these this weekend without the cheddar and dill and used a regular cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. When I pulled them out, the bottoms were fairly dark - ok, ok, they were burned on the bottoms, although the tops were that perfect golden brown and they were absolutely the ideal texture inside. I actually quoted Yosemite Sam "Mah biscuits are burnin'! Mah biscuits are burnin'!" and then I laughed. Then I scraped the bottoms as best I could. The biscuits were a base for chicken fricassee anyway, so they were definitely salvageable.

At any rate, that's why I recommend the Silpat baking mat or some other silicone mat.

Can I confess something? I have always had the same problem with cookies. Until I bought a Silpat mat, the bottoms of my cookies always, ALWAYS burned, sometimes even when I used insulated cookie sheets. It was maddening. I think that it's probably because I use butter instead of shortening, and butter's melting (and therefore burning) point is way lower than shortening's so you have to be careful not to scorch things laden with butter.

Since I've started using baking mats, both the Silpat one and a straight silicone one my mom bought for me, I never burn cookies or biscuits or pirozhki. This is totally not a paid endorsement (hah, I wish!), I'm just saying that I have had excellent luck with a thick, silicone-based baking mat. If you do a lot of baking, it is totally worth the investment, I think. Tweet