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0 May 2, 2013 Dessert

Guest Post from Fork vs. Spoon: Cranberry Coffeecake

For guest post #2, my friend Mallory is here with a really, really scrumptious looking Cranberry Coffeecake. Mallory writes Fork vs. Spoon, which is one of my favorite blogs to read for so many reasons – the primary one being that reading her blog posts is like reading an email from a really funny friend. A funny friend who kinda thinks about the same things as me. Except, emails from my funny friends don’t typically include really stunning food photography and delicious recipes for things like bacon jam and lemon tarts, and Mallory’s blog posts do. Luckily, emails from friends and reading Fork vs. Spoon is not an either-or situation, so I (and you!) can have both. So, without any further late-night day-before-vacation rambling about how much I like Mallory’s blog, why don’t you meet her yourself…

Cranberry Coffeecake from Fork vs. Spoon

Well, Hello there!

Mallory here, from Fork Vs Spoon… , I need to thank Katie for inviting me into her world and letting me meet her readers. Thank You!! When she asked, I was thrilled and happily agreed to prepare a post for her blog while she is away – however, the thought crossed my mind to ask if she had room in her suitcase for little ol’ me….but I would probably cost too much in luggage weight fees, plus I would take up ample room that should be allotted for shoes.

I have been a fan of Katie’s blog for some time. I am always looking forward to her next post. The stories, the recipes, the photos…and of course her cookbook reviews. She is responsible for many of the cookbooks that are scattered throughout my kitchen and the abundant amount flooding my Amazon Wish List….Thank goodness there is no such thing as too many cookbooks! (they are kinda like shoes!)

So, Katie Thank You for the invite and here we go…

Guest blogs are so much fun, but instantly after I happily accept the invite I start over-thinking brainstorming dishes – sweet or savory? Quick and easy or should I flex my culinary muscles – ha! Cocktail? Oh, my brain starts turning. Before long, I forget about my to-make list of recipes and ideas and my mind goes blank. I wander to my stack of dog-eared and overly bookmarked magazines and cookbooks. Most marked with stains and worn from constant use. I flip through and search my files of saved recipes…and most times I find myself just standing in front of the fridge/freezer, taking stock of what I have on hand and 9 times out of 10, find the ingredients for something quite suitable for a blog post, and dinner or dessert. I also hear my grandfather in my head, hollering from the living room, to close the refrigerator door…just wasting energy! He always thought we should know what we wanted before we arrived at its door, but little did he know it was my method of brainstorming. I think the cold air gets my brain a workin’.

And honestly, this is how I go about cooking and baking for my own blog and my everyday. What am I craving? What do I have on hand? How much time do I have? Who else will enjoying this? Who is my audience? Answering these simple questions will always lead me in the right direction and they have a way of organizing my thoughts…which have a tendency to be a bit scattered.

And this is how a cranberry coffeecake found its way into my oven last Sunday. And eventually into my stomach, along with an ample amount of coffee.

Come on over for the recipe!

0 April 30, 2013 Food

Guest Post from Gourmandistan: Florentine failure begets brilliant bollito baguette

As you know, I’m currently off gallivanting in Italy (in Florence, in fact!), so instead of my ramblings, you get something even better – a guest post from Michelle and Steve, the brilliant duo behind Gourmandistan. In a time when words are thrown about the internet willy-nilly, and blogs compete to churn out content, no matter the quality of the writing (believe me, I know I’m not an innocent party in this matter), reading Gourmandistan’s carefully crafted and cleverly written posts is always a breath of fresh air. It doesn’t hurt that they’re wildly creative in the kitchen – I can honestly say that I don’t know anyone else who has made their own head cheese, and I certainly never thought taro could look as delicious as it does in their fried taro dumplings. So if witty writing, creative food, and enticing photography appeals to you, head over to their blog, like them on facebook, add them to your reader… do whatever you need to do to make sure you don’t miss any of their stories or recipes. But, before you go, make sure you read this story of their misfortunes in Florence, a trip salvaged only by an unforgettable sandwich, which they’ve recreated here:

Florentine failure begets brilliant bollito baguette

Overall, Gourmandistan did not have very good luck with Florence. Our misfortune may have started with breaking Rule #1 of the Gourmandistani Guide for Going Places: “Food comes first.” (Rule #2: “Always pack a spare corkscrew.”) Seeking a side trip from our month-long stay a few years ago in the Colli Euganei outside Padua, Michelle booked a spur-of-the-moment overnight visit to Florence. For reasons that remain unclear to this day, she skipped her usual intensive research and ignored the conspicuous lack of Michelin-starred restaurants, thinking for once in our lives we’d just wing it. After all, how bad could the birthplace of the Renaissance be?

A lovely drive from the Veneto, through Tuscan hillsides thick with cedar trees and sienna rooftops, had us looking forward the city of the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio and more. And throughout our stay, we did find ourselves in the midst of mounds of art and architecture. Unfortunately, most of it seemed covered in touts, tat and street-wide phalanxes of Chinese and American tourist groups battling for prime spots under the frenzied direction of flag-bearing guides. Our dreams of dashing through the Uffizi late in the afternoon? Trampled under a long, long line of people with reservations (!) who were still praying to get in before closing time. We settled for the simulated version of Michelangelo’s David stuck outside the museum, while we struggled to capture views that did not contain squinting/squatting photographers and/or garish souvenirs more tacky than the stuff found across the street from Elvis Presley’s Graceland.

The food choices Florence presented on our first day were so frustratingly bad we seriously considered eating sketchy Italian sushi, since we had failed to realize many Florentine restaurants take Sunday off. Our concierge recommended a place promising “authentic food to real Tuscans” in a residential area that was a fair walk from our hotel. We arrived to find its garage-type door bafflingly half open, the tables set but no one in sight. After hanging around for 30 minutes or so, we turned about and walked back to the city center, grabbing some so-so pizza and passable osso buco from a touristy trattoria for lunch. That night, thinking we’d misread the restaurant’s website, we decided to hike back to the “real Tuscan” place. Once again, the restaurant gate was half open, and there seemed to be someone lurking in the back. However, no dinner was served. As a cold rain fell, we retreated to our hotel room in defeat, dining on convenience store snacks and cheap wine while watching the “Miss Italia” pageant on TV.

We awoke the next morning irritable, hungry and increasingly convinced we were “Patient Zero” of anti-Stendhal syndrome. Grimly facing our final hours in Florence, we decided to bag the beautiful buildings and do what we like best—go to a market. Dodging more tourists and tat, we walked to the Mercato Centrale. There, we found Nerbone and its wonderful boiled beef (bollito) and tripe (lampredotto) sandwiches, and Florence redeemed itself. (Drinking red wine with breakfast didn’t hurt, either.)

Because our hotel had a ludicrously early checkout time and the staff seemed disinclined to store our bags and car beyond it, we had to eat quickly and hurry back. Sadly, our favorite part of Florence was also one of our fastest.

On the way back to our Veneto home, cheered by the comfort of boiled beef and tripe, we stopped in Fiesole hoping for one last view of the city. We found ourselves in a freak hilltop hailstorm. Obviously, Tuscany was not very “us-cany”—but we did, at least, have those sandwiches. (The next year, though, we returned to our beloved France for our annual fall vacation.)

In honor of Katie’s vacation, we decided to recreate one of our favorite Florentine dishes.

Finding a non-industrial source of tripe in our current locale proved impossible. (Thanks for the advice, friends, but we’re not shopping at Walmart.) We did, though, find a recipe for bollito misto in Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. While we didn’t have the called-for tongue, veal breast, cochino sausage or a chicken (neither, we should point out, did Nerbone), using a local veal brisket by itself still produced a rich beefy broth along with soft, sweetly-flavored meat. Hazan also came through with recipes for accompanying green and red sauces, which Michelle zested up with chili and garlic. We couldn’t find a suitable recipe for the Kaiser-like rolls, but a split baguette from a wonderful local bakery worked just as well, especially when drenched with extra broth. Bollito is the way Gourmandistan prefers to remember Florence—but we certainly hope Katie returns with even better experiences. (She’ll undoubtedly have better pictures.)

Have fun in Firenze, Katie!

PANINO CON BOLLITO

(adapted from Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking)

BOLLITO

1 veal (or beef) brisket
1 carrot, peeled
1 stalk celery
1 onion, peeled
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs parsley
3 cloves garlic
1 c. canned crushed tomatoes
Red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper

Put all ingredients together in a Dutch oven or large pot. Bring to a simmer. Skim, if needed. Cook for several hours over low heat, until meat is very soft. Remove meat to a cutting board to cool. Strain broth and set aside. Slice meat across grain. Chop slices into small pieces.

SALSA VERDE (Green Sauce):

1 c. parsley leaves
3 TB capers (rinsed, if using salted capers)
6 anchovy filets
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 t. grainy mustard
1 t. red wine vinegar
1/2 c. olive oil
Salt & pepper

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process, stopping and using a spatula to push down sides as necessary. Taste for seasoning.

SALSA ROSSA (Red Sauce):

2 red bell peppers
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
3 TB olive oil
Red pepper flakes
1/2 – 3/4 c. canned chopped or crushed tomatoes
Salt & pepper

Skin peppers with a vegetable peeler. Then split them lengthwise and remove core and seeds. Cut pepper flesh into thin slices.

Cook onions in olive oil, stirring occasionally, until soft. Add peppers and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until reduced by about half.

Add pepper flakes, tomato, salt and pepper. Continue cooking at a simmer for about 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

SANDWICH ASSEMBLY:

Toast a baguette or (more authentically) a Kaiser roll, sliced in half horizontally. Mound some meat on top of bottom half of bread. Pour some of the reserved broth over. Top, first with red sauce, then with green sauce.

0 April 28, 2013 Uncategorized

March, April

I’m in Italy! But don’t worry, I have two wonderful guest posts lined up for while I’m away. Hint, hint. And, before we get to that, I wanted to do a quick Instagrammy recap of the past two months (since it will be May when we get back)!

March felt like a never-ending month. The continual snow and cold was not at all welcome. But despite the snow, we did manage to get outside to prune the fruit trees… and build a snowman.

1 and 2) March snowstorm; 3 and 4) Pruning the Andover fruit trees; 5) Post-pruning snow-woman building; 6) Boston is still pretty in the snow

I did get a chance to escape Boston for one weekend for a girl’s reunion in Philly. It was so great to spend time with my favorite girls, trying to cram 6 months worth of conversation into two short days, and of course, eating very well.

1) Philly! 2) Megan and Phoebe at Garces Trading Co.; 3) Becky and I at Garces Trading Co.; 4) All four of us at brunch in Phoebe’s parents’ amazing apartment

Then, all of a sudden it was April and things went crazy. I’ve barely had time to catch my breath. A major stressor was finding a new apartment – which thankfully is done, and I’m excited about the new place. Work was also very busy at times, there was a lot to get done in the garden, AND I had to make sure I celebrated my 24th birthday with adequate enthusiasm (I think it was a success). Add to that the chaos in Boston last week, and I feel like I’m not going to be done processing April for a while. However, one thing I can always appreciate about April? The flowers:

And that covers the major stuff, I think. I’m going to do a more detailed update on the garden soon (although our plants keep dying, so it might be kind of a sad update…) and of course I’ll have lots to share from Italy. But until then, enjoy the guest posts!

(P.S. For the January and February recap, click here).

2 April 26, 2013 Food

I’m going to Italy! // Roasted Vegetable Mediterranean Pasta Salad

As soon as I publish this post, I will be heading out the door to the airport for a ten day vacation in Italy. A ten day vacation in Italy! I am beyond excited. We’ll be in Rome, then Florence, than a beautiful part of the Tuscan countryside called the Maremma. When we booked the tickets in January it felt like the end of April was years away, but now it’s here and this month has been such a whirlwind that I’ve barely had time to daydream. I can’t wait to be spending entire days outside, dressed in anything that’s not a black suit, eating delicious paninis and pastas and soaking it all in. And when I come back, I’m sure I’ll have loads of pictures and stories to share with you.

Before I go, I wanted to leave you with the last of the birthday party recipes – this roasted vegetable Mediterranean pasta salad. I made a huge bowl of the salad ingredients – spinach, roasted red peppers, roasted broccoli, roasted spiced chickpeas, and feta cheese – for the night of the party, to offset all the cheesy, boozy, cakey goodness of the rest of the menu. I didn’t even get around to eating any that night, but I had mounds of leftovers, so the next day I tossed them with hot pasta and parmesan cheese for a simple and satisfying lunch. It’s not an earth-shattering combination, but it was good, easy, packed with veggies, and it seemed like an appropriate Italian-ish send-off reicpe. I’ll be taking a break from blogging while I’m gone, but I have a few posts (including two guest posts from my favorite bloggers) already ready to go. I hope you enjoy them!

Ciao!

Roasted Vegetable Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Serves 6.

Note: 1) This also works on it’s own as a green salad, just omit the pasta and parmesan cheese. 2) Since there’s multiple ways to roast red peppers – in the oven, on a grill, under the broiler – I’ve simply linked to one oven method, but roast them however you normally would. Alternatively, they’re equally as tasty bought already roasted and preserved in oil.

4 heads broccoli, washed
4 TBS olive oil, divided
sea salt
2 c. cooked or canned chickpeas
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground paprika
2 fresh red peppers, roasted and sliced into strips (or jarred roasted red pepper strips)
5-oz baby spinach (1 standard clamshell package)
6 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1 lb. pasta, prepared according to package directions
parmesan, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the florets from the broccoli heads and toss with 2 TBS olive oil and a generous sprinkling of sea salt. Place in a single layer on a roasting pan and roast for 20 minutes, or until broccoli is tender and beginning to char. Flip the broccoli once, halfway through cooking. When done, remove to a large bowl.
Toss the cooked chickpeas with the cumin, paprika, salt, and the remaining 2 TBS olive oil. Add to a roasting pan (you can use the same one you used for the broccoli without washing it in between), and roast for 20-25 minutes, until chickpeas are beginning to get crunchy, flipping once halfway through cooking. When done, add to the bowl with the broccoli.
Toss the roasted red pepper strips, spinach, and feta cheese with the broccoli and chickpeas. Taste, and add additional olive oil or salt if necessary. Serve on it’s own as a salad, or toss with the hot, prepared pasta and sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese.

4 April 23, 2013 Cookbook

Panini Party // Two Paninis and The Best Sparkling Sangria

For my birthday this year I threw a panini party at my house, complete with made-to-order paninis, blackberry margaritas, sparkling sangria, a tiramisu cake, and all my favorite Bostonians. Hosting is always stressful, but I managed to get everything cooked (with massive amounts of help from Trevor), relax, and really have a great time.

I’ll let the pictures tell this story (although I’ll be honest, some of the panini shots came from the next day – it’s hard to simultaneously cook paninis and have fun and think about pictures!), but know that if you’re trying to think of a cheap, easy, and diet-accommodating way to feed a lot of guests, paninis and sangria are a great way to go.

This is my stud-muffin boyfriend making me this Tiramisu Cake from Smitten Kitchen, and me very happily eating a slice that is way too big for me.

This is the most delicious sangria ever – made with strawberries, plums, grapefruit juice, and sparkling wine. The recipe, which comes from the new book Home Made Summer, is at the bottom! (P.S. You can enter to win a copy of this book and two others until the end of the day tomorrow, Weds April 24th!)

And this is my poet friend Noah, who takes his strawberry-muddling job very seriously. (As he should).

This amazing bowl of bread has two sources – that huge, dark loaf came from the restaurant L’Impasto, and it’s truly some of the most amazing bread I’ve ever tried. The smaller, bacon-studded baguettes? Yeah, Trevor made those. He’s awesome. (He’s been baking his way through the artisan bread baking book, Local Breads, and I am the happy taste tester for many of his experiments.)

And this is what the bread turned into – delicious, oozy, paninis. The one on the left is caramelized onions, mustard, and a mixture of blue cheese and cheddar, and the one on the right is the classic fig jam, prosciutto, and goat cheese combo. Yum. And now for that sangria recipe…

Cava Sangria

Recipe adapted slightly from Home Made Summer. Serves 4-8, depending on how thirsty you are.

2 peaches or plums, washed and thinly sliced
1 orange, washed and thinly sliced
2 large handfuls strawberries, hulled and sliced
fresh juice from 2-3 large grapefruits, or 2 c. store-bought juice
3 cinnamon sticks
a few sprigs fresh mint
1/2 c. brandy
1 bottle chilled cava, or other sparkling white wine
sugar to taste (optional)

Combine all the fruit, the grapefruit juice, the cinnamon sticks, and the mint in a large pitcher and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. Just before serving, stir in the brandy, then pour the wine over the top. Taste, and stir in sugar if it is not sweet enough. Serve cold.

0 April 19, 2013 Boston

A Birthday, with Sadness // A Lemon Cake

Yesterday, I turned 24, rather unceremoniously. Usually, I make a big fuss of my birthday – I drag it out for as long as possible, believing as I do that you should never waste a good excuse to indulge in all your favorite foods and coerce all your favorite people into spending time with you. But this year, given all the chaos in our city right now, it felt different. I still celebrated – last Saturday I had a fun and happy party, Trevor and I have a nice dinner planned, and tomorrow I’ll be joining my parents for steak tips and strawberry shortcake. But, like everyone else in the city, if not the whole country, my attention was elsewhere. How could a birthday be important when people around you are having their hearts broken? It feels selfish and trivial to think too much about myself this week.

Still, I made this birthday cake. I had made the components ahead of time – my favorite vanilla cake recipe, made with coconut milk, lemon cream cheese and mascarpone frosting, and a lemon curd filling – but I assembled it late Monday afternoon, as a distraction from the news (or really, the lack of news) streaming in from the TV. I brought slices to work, to comfort myself after the unsettling experience of riding a train protected by stoic National Guardsmen and slipping through barricades to get into the office. I ate a slice this morning, my nerves shaken and tears threatening as I absorbed everything that happened overnight. And so it became a cake tinged with sadness. A cake turned to from need of distraction and comfort. All week, the phrase “the particular sadness of lemon cake” has been drifting through my head (from the title of this book). I didn’t set out to make a cake that would fit that description, it just happened.

Hopefully this will all be over soon, and we will be able to grieve for the victims without feeling a small but constant fear. There are many families that have been changed forever, for whom sadness will be a constant, but we will do our best to love and comfort them. We will let the spring soothe us and our smiles will become broader. People will eat birthday cake with no sadness whatsoever.

P.S. Birthday recipes from last year, for a more jovial tone – Tequila and Lime Steak Tacos and the obligatory Birthday Waffles

Triple Lemon Cake with Lemon-Mascarpone-Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake recipe adapted from 6 Bittersweets. Lemon curd recipe from David Leibowitz. Serves 12-16.

For the cake:

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 c.) salted butter, softened
1 1/4 c. sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
2 1/4 c. AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 c. canned coconut milk (shake well before opening)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon extract (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper, or grease well. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat vigorously until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly between each addition. Batter should be pale yellow and thick.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Add half of the flour mixture to the batter, and stir until just incorporated. Add the coconut milk, and stir until just incorporated. Add the second half of the flour mixture, and stir, again, just until incorporated. Overbeating the batter will lead to a tough cake. Stir in the vanilla and lemon extracts, if using.
Pour half of the batter into each of the two prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, until the cakes are light golden brown on top and spring back when touched. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes should come out clean. Let cakes cool for 5 minutes in the pans on a cooling rack, then run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen and invert onto a cooling rack. Let cool completely before assembling.

For the lemon curd:

1/2 c. lemon juice, preferably freshly squeezed
1/2 c. sugar
2 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
3 TBS unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Place a mesh strainer over a medium heatproof bowl, and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, whisk together lemon juice, sugar, egg yolks, eggs, and salt until thoroughly combined. Add the butter pieces and heat over low heat, whisking constantly. Once the butter has all melted, raise the heat to medium-low, and continue to cook, still whisking constantly, until the curd has thickened to a pudding-like consistency. Immediately remove from heat and pour through strainer into the bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap, pressing plastic against the curd to keep a skin from forming, and refrigerate until fully chilled.

For the frosting:

8 oz. mascarpone cheese, room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1 TBS fresh lemon juice

Beat together the mascarpone and cream cheeses until there are no lumps. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating vigorously between additions, until the frosting is stiff (you may not use all 4 cups). Add the lemon extract and lemon juice and beat to incorporate. Taste for flavor, consistency, and sweetness, and adjust lemon juice and/or sugar amounts according to taste.

To assemble:

Dab a bit of the frosting on a cake plate. Place your bottom, cooled layer of cake on top of the cake plate and press down to stick. Spoon a generous layer of lemon curd on top of the cake and spread with a spatula. The layer of lemon curd should be about 1/3 inch thick all around the cake – you may not use all of the lemon curd. Gently place the second cake layer on top of the lemon curd. Press down lightly, and wipe any lemon curd that oozes out off the side of the cake. Frost the cake, using a crumb coat if you want the cake to be extra neat.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve cold or at room temperature, with an extra dollop of lemon curd or fresh strawberries.

0 April 18, 2013 Cookbook

Book Club: Home Made Summer // Polenta-Ratatouille Pizza and A Giveaway!

Remember the lovely books from Yvette Van Boven, Home Made and Home Made Winter? Well, lucky for us, Yvette has just released a third book, Home Made Summer, which is just as inspiring as the first two books. And, to celebrate the book’s release and the beginning of summer eating, I’ve teamed up with Abrams Books to giveaway a set of all three books to one lucky reader! ~~Giveaway details are at the end of the post, but first, some thoughts on the latest in the series.~~ Giveaway now closed, congrats to Jen (comment #5) on winning!

When I reviewed Home Made Winter last fall, the post, and Yvette’s recipe for French Beef Stew, quickly became one of my most popular posts, with many of you trying out the recipe and coming back to let me know how you liked it and what you changed. I think the popularity of that post is really a testament to the quality and appeal of Yvette’s recipes, which is ultimately what keeps me coming back to her books. From her Winter cookbook, I made the beef stew, a delicious apple quinoa cake, and white chocolate lattes, and was pleased with all three. And now, from Summer, I’ve made the Polenta Pizza with Spicy Ratatouille (recipe at the bottom of the post!), and the most delicious Sparkling Cava Sangria (recipe soon!) and was amazed by both recipes. The polenta pizza was the most summery comfort food I’ve ever tasted, flavorful and rich without being too heavy. I devoured it. And the sangria, which uses fresh grapefruit juice and sparkling white wine, was a huge hit at my birthday party – the two pitchers of it were the first thing to go, even before the blackberry margaritas. Since we’ve only just fully entered spring, I’m sure many more recipes will grace my summer table before I switch back to winter food – at the top of my list are the Quinoa Patties with Feta, Zucchini, and Corn, the super refreshing sounding Avocado, Cucumber, and Lime Shake, the Italian Chicken Stew with Grilled Goat Cheese Polenta, and the White Wine Sorbet. Summer is such a delicious time.

Style-wise, Home Made Summer stays true to the other books in the series. These books don’t stick to the serious, elegant, bucolic ideal that many cookbooks aspire to represent these days. Instead they are whimsical and lighthearted, full of little sketches, snapshots of Yvette’s many home countries, and cheerful type. Flipping through them is a bit like getting to take a peak inside someone’s kitchen notebook, except all the recipes have already been thoroughly tested and come out flawlessly.

If you’re interested in meeting Yvette, she’s currently on book tour! She’s already departed from the East Coast, but if you live in California, she’ll be holding several events in and around San Francisco over the next few days:

April 18, 12pm – Rakestraw Books, Danville
April 19, 6:30pm – Draeger’s, San Mateo
April 20, 3-4pm – Omnivore Books, SF
April 21, 1pm – Book Passage/SF Ferry Building demo
April 22, 7pm – Books Inc, Berkeley

The bottom line: The three books in the Home Made series are whimsical, fun, and packed with delicious recipes, and Home Made Summer is no exception. The recipes in this book are the essence of summer, with heavy use of all the season’s best vegetables, fruits, and flowers, and flipping through the book makes me dream of picnics and barbecues. The recipes strike a great balance between being simple enough not to need hours of your time and tons of advance planning, but creative enough to remain interesting to experienced cooks, so I can heartily recommend it to both groups.

Giveaway details: To enter to win a copy of Home Made, Home Made Winter, and Home Made Summer, all you have to do is leave a comment below letting me know what summer food you are most looking forward to eating this year. By entering, you are agreeing to the official rules as listed here:

~~No purchase necessary~~
~~Void where prohibited~~
~~One entry per household, and only entries answering the question above will be considered!~~
~~The sponsor of this giveaway is Abrams Books~~
~~The estimated retail value of the three books is $110~~
~~The odds of winning will depend on the number of entries received~~
~~This contest is only open to U.S. Citizens over the age of 18~~
~~The contest will open today, April 18th at posting time, and will close at 11PM EST on Wednesday, April 24th~~
The winner will be selected randomly and contacted via email (so please leave an accurate email address!). If I do not hear from the winner within 48 hours, the winner forfeits their prize and an alternate winner will be chosen.
~~I will post the winner here by Friday, April 26th~~

Giveaway now closed! Congrats to Jen on winning.

Disclaimer: Abrams Books sent me a review copy of Home Made Summer free of charge, but I was not otherwise compensated for this review and all opinions, as usual, are my own.

Now, after all that legal mumbo jumbo, how about that polenta pizza with ratatouille recipe?!

Polenta Pizza with Spicy Ratatouille

Recipe from Home Made Summer. Serves 4-6.

olive oil for the pan
1 TBS salt
1 1/4 c. polenta
4 c. water [Katie’s note: or chicken stock for extra flavor, but omit the salt if using]
3 TBS butter
1 1/4 c. freshly grated parmesan
freshly ground black pepper
1 recipe spicy ratatouille, cooled to room temperature (recipe below)

Oil a 12-inch round cake pan or pizza pan. Add the salt to the 4 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Pour in polenta in a thin stream, stirring constantly until smooth. Lower the heat to medium-low, and cook, whisking constantly, until polenta is thick with no lumps. Depending on the type of polenta you use, this could take anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 minutes (instant polenta will cook up much more quickly than regular polenta, if you’re in a rush).
Remove the cooked polenta from the heat and immediately stir in the butter and 3/4 c. of the parmesan, stirring until fully melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then pour into the oiled cake pan and smooth the top with the back of a spoon or spatula (dip the spoon in water if it is sticking to the polenta). Let cool completely so that it is solid (you can stick the pan in the freezer for 10 minutes to accomplish this if you’re short on time).
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Top the polenta with the ratatouille, leaving about 1/2 an inch of polenta exposed around the perimeter of the pizza. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 c. of parmesan, and bake for 25 minutes, until the edges are brown. Let cool slightly so that it’s easier to slice.

Spicy Ratatouille

Recipe from Home Made Summer. Makes about 3 cups.

3 TBS olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced into rounds
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 medium zucchini, stem removed and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium eggplant, stem removed and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
4 big tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 TBS chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 TBS harissa (adjust according to the spiciness of the harissa you’re using)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 TBS chopped fresh parsley

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for 3-5 minutes, until soft and light brown. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the peppers, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, thyme, and harissa, and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the vegetables are all tender. Sprinkle with the parsley prior to serving.

0 April 15, 2013 Boston

Flowers for Boston

I was supposed to share a new book and recipe with you today, but I can’t bring myself to. I have never been more grateful for being a homebody than today, when I found myself miles away from the chaos downtown, tucked away in Somerville. But many of my friends and coworkers were there to watch the marathon, cheer on the runners, and soak up the sunshine, beers in hand. Thankfully, they are all safe and accounted for. I so wish that everyone could say the same for their friends and family, but sadly, so sadly, they can’t. My heart aches for everyone who was affected by this terrible thing – my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Love, from Boston.

Spread the word to anyone who needs a place to say, there are dozens of Boston residents sharing their homes with stranded travelers and runners. A list and contact information is available here.

4 April 11, 2013 Food

An Exciting Feature // Mango-Pomegranate Guacamole

I have exciting news! A while back, I was asked to contribute a recipe to Joanna at a Cup of Jo’s ongoing feature – “The Best ___ You’ll Ever Have.” Joanna is a rockstar blogger, the kind that makes other bloggers daydream about quitting their boring corporate jobs and spending their days writing beautiful, funny, and charming stories with appropriately gorgeous photographs. It’s easy to be fooled into thinking that this is the dream life by someone who makes it look as effortless as Joanna, but I’m sure it’s actually an insane amount of work. Either way, I love reading Cup of Jo and was quite thrilled to be asked to contribute. I chose to make my version of the best ever guacamole (a touchy subject, I know!) which uses mango and pomegranate to add sweetness and crunch to the yummy dip. Head over to Cup of Jo to read the feature and find the recipe!

Many thanks to Shoko, as well, for helping set this up!

1 April 8, 2013 Cookbook

Pecan Toffee Coffee Cake

Sunday afternoon I had a sudden urge to bake. I didn’t have anything planned, and didn’t even have a particularly strong desire to eat baked goods, I just wanted to do the actual baking. The whole whisking, stirring, creaming, folding shebang. Maybe, more than anything, I was just craving ritual. We’re starting to look for an apartment for next year and although I know that there’s no reason to be stressed out about it so early in the process, it can be hard to control that sort of thing. Actually, to tell the truth, I feel stressed out about a lot of things – finding an apartment, finishing planning our upcoming trip, blogging frequently enough, planning my birthday party, getting everything done that I need to at work this week, finding time to exercise, making sure things are going in to the garden on time, and so on. All small things on their own, many of them really fun things on their own, but all together… it feels like a lot. I’m sure everyone has their own list like this and doesn’t need to hear about mine, but it makes me feel better just to write it down. Basically, I need to take a giant chill pill and just relax.

Baking is one version of a chill pill, at least for me. So I turned to my favorite baking cookbook, In The Sweet Kitchen, by Regan Daley – that woman always has something to fit the bill, and her recipes are pretty much foolproof. For whatever reason, I wanted to make something unnecessarily sweet – something with sugary, caramelly flavors in it. As I flipped through the book, I landed on the Pecan Toffee Coffee Cake, and I was sold, even though I knew it meant that I had to run to the store just for toffee bits and sour cream and more nutmeg. (Actually, I took a chance on the tiny Indian corner store down the block and was shocked to find all three things hidden in the shelves. That man’s store is like Mary Poppins’ handbag – I have never gone in there looking for something and left without it. Even obscure things, like power strips and sink strainers.) The flavors in the filling – espresso, cinnamon, nutmeg, pecans, and chocolate-covered toffee bits – are intense and dark and rich. By the spoonful it would be overpowering, but folded into the center of soft, gently spiced cake, it’s amazing. I’m so glad I gave this a try. Now, the only trick will be to keep myself from stress eating the entire thing.

Pecan Toffee Coffee Cake

Adapted very slightly from In The Sweet Kitchen. Serves 12 to 15.

The only two (tiny) changes I made were to double the amount of espresso powder and use salted butter but omit the salt. I also found that I could only use up about half the filling without having the layers touch each other, so I used the extra filling to sprinkle on top of the warm slices. My advice: make the filling recipe as written below, but don’t fret if it seems like you’ll have too much, and don’t try to overfill the layers.

For the filling:

1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
2 TBS granulated sugar
2 tsp instant espresso powder
1 1/2 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 c. chopped pecans, toasted until fragrant
3/4 c. (half of a 225 gram package) English toffee bits such as Skor or Heath (chocolate-covered toffee bits are even better!)

For the cake:

3 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
3/4 c. (1-1/2 sticks) salted butter, softened
1 1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 c. full-fat sour cream
3/4 c. (the other half of a 225 gram package) English toffee bits

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 10-inch Bundt pan.
To make the filling: In a food processor, pulse together the brown sugar, granulated sugar and espresso powder until finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl and whisk in cocoa powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir in chopped pecans and toffee bits. Set aside.
To make the cake batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg until evenly combined. Set aside. In a separate large bowl, beat together softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating vigorously after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
Add the flour mixture to the batter in three additions, alternating with the sour cream in two additions. Mix just to blend in between additions – don’t over-mix the batter at this stage or the cake will be tough. After the last flour addition is stirred in, gently fold in the toffee bits.
Spoon 1/3 of the cake batter into the bottom of the prepared pan and spread out with a spatula so it fills the pan evenly. Use a spoon to carve out a shallow “moat” all around the center – you want to leave 1/2 an inch between the edge of the moat and the side of the pan. Generously spoon the filling into the center of the moat, making sure that none of the filling touches the sides. Aim to use about half the filling, but don’t overfill the moat. Spoon another 1/3 of the cake batter on top of the filling and spread all around to cover the filling and reach to the sides. Repeat the moat/filling process to make a second layer of filling. Spoon the last 1/3 of the batter on top of the second layer and smooth with a spatula so the top is even and fills the pan to the edge. Tap the pan once or twice on the counter to remove air bubbles.
Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 50-65 minutes, until it is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake part comes out clean (if you insert it into toffee, it will be hard to tell, so don’t be afraid to poke around a little bit). Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack. Wait until it is completely cool before slicing. Serve with any leftover filling sprinkled on top.