Rustic Vegetable Tart with Bacon and Cheese

Refrigerator Dinner

It’s a challenge living in our house and being hungry unless a pickle, cracker, and squirt of mustard sounds like the perfect meal.  Everything has to be prepared.   I’d like to think that not purchasing packaged prepared food is more healthy and less expensive in the long run, but I know better.  That would depend more upon the particular ingredients that fill my fridge, what type of recipe they’re destined for, and what size our servings are once we cozy up to our plates.  I could open my own market with the food that fills our house.  Or a bistro.

When I was growing up, my mother shopped once every two weeks to stock our cupboards and refrigerator, and when you’ve been raised in a household like that, you get used to knowing that not much else competes with the excitement generated by grocery shopping Saturdays.  The anticipation of unpacking the bags was always about wondering what had been purchased, even though it rarely differed from one month to the next.  I don’t think I could ever get away with shopping only once every two weeks, but it’s ingrained in me to plan nearly a week’s meals, so I still struggle with buying too much food when I shop.  I could blame it on being programmed to think about cooking for a family of five or six for a good portion of my life, or I might analyze that I’ve been permanently scarred by the lean days right before those grocery shopping Saturdays when all the Oreos had been eaten and the lone box of cereal in the cupboard was filled only with the crumpled inner wrapper and cereal remains.  Oh the agony.

Once we were old enough to be trusted in the commissary with my mother while she shopped instead of allowed wander about outside like the street urchins we were, we’d help her push the two carts she routinely filled.  I was amazed at the array of food and products to choose from I’d never seen before.  Of course I was familiar with products advertised on television, but those were so few compared to what lined the shelves, I was fascinated.  My mother would tell you I wanted everything  and was never satisfied, and I’d agree if you considered having a particular kind of tea, or different kind of jam could be classified as wanting everything. It was only food!

My incorrigibility as a shopper has always gotten the best of me, especially at this time of year because so much is fresh and ready to be enjoyed; berries, stone fruit, tomatoes, and sweet corn are the types of food I want to taste every day.  Unfortunately, instead of planning short trips to the market to purchase enough for a couple of meals, I purchase it all making grand plans to camp out in my kitchen for days.  I give it a valiant effort, then realize I’ve far too many vegetables that something has to be done with and no, another salad won’t put a dent in it.  I long for a food genie who will make dinner for me.

Instead, I survey the shallow depths of my pantry knowing it will provide a few decent options depending on my motivation.  A lasagna might be nice since there is a box of no-boil pasta, but the cheese drawer isn’t as ample as it once was since I’ve tamed that expensive habit.  The black quinoa I found on my last trip to Henry’s might be tasty with vegetables, but I want to give it more thought than I’m willing to invest in dinner tonight.  Fried rice is another idea, but it’s gotten quite the workout in recent months and has ceased to resemble any kind of the fried rice I’m quite fond of since I add whatever I have on hand to the skillet.  I hesitate to reach for the arborio because as much as I enjoy risotto, it garners comments of undercooked and chewy no matter what I put in it.  There are a few small potatoes for a skillet scramble as well, but that was on the menu night before last.  I avoid opening the freezer, because it tends to be the last resting place for excess baking ingredients and left-over sauces, but tonight, there is the promise of that fabulous new pie crust recipe I tried and the left over dough I so carefully wrapped for another time.

Sauteed veggies + bacon + pie dough = galette, which means I can avoid going to the grocery store one more night and perhaps think more constructively about curbing my food shopping habits.

[Read more...]

Banana Cream Tarts

Banana Cream Tart

With most of the rest of the country sweltering in record temperatures, we’ve yet to see any real sunshine or warmth for more than a couple of days at a time this summer.  Although I’m not one to complain too loudly about it, generally content to be in my house or pottering around on the patio regardless of the weather, my husband is quite the opposite.  As in past years, he collected our youngest and a favorite cousin to hit the road for a guys-only adventure, first to San Francisco for the expected tourist destinations and a college dorm tour fit in for my son, and then to Sacramento for some wild and crazy white water rafting.  I was left with several days of solitude, chick flicks on a whim, and the promise of a few days in Las Vegas upon their return.

It’s been years since we visited Las Vegas in the dead of summer, preferring Fall with its football-betting fan-packed sports books and the more cost effective shopping over feeding slot machines.  The 110 degree heat quickly reminded us that our cool temperatures and grey July skies aren’t all that bad unless one enjoys searing, dry heat, especially intense when one is standing on street corners amongst the masses waiting for traffic lights to change.   Thank goodness for cool casino breaks, taxis, a cushy hotel room at the Mirage and fabulous food.

We like to try at least one new restaurant when we visit and this time, were able to try one that’s been on my list for a while; Joel Robuchon’s L’Atelier in the MGM Grand.  The red and black decor is swanky, and bar seating allows for an on-going view of all the kitchen goings on.  We indulged ourselves with the seasonal tasting menu and wine pairings.  From the L’Amuse-Bouche of avocado and cilantro grapefruit gelee, to the selection of cheeses and the smoked foie gras terrine layered with caramelized eel, the meal was truly exceptional.

And then there were the potatoes.  Saying they were mashed doesn’t quite cut it.  I wondered just how much butter had been incorporated into them to make us want to linger over each small spoon full, savoring it much like one would a popsicle on a warm day.  Well, maybe not quite like that, but you get the idea, right?  The potatoes stayed with us, as in, “Those potatoes…” muttered by one of us in the middle of something completely unrelated, like wound-licking after losing all of the 4,000 penny winnings from the royal flush because that’s what one does in Vegas.  “Mmmm…those potatoes…” I vowed to make them once we were home.

But it was banana cream pie that became an unexpected focus of our trip this year, in spite of the potatoes.  The banana cream pie seen on a deli menu very late one evening when we shouldn’t have been eating to begin with.  Banana cream pie my husband wanted but never ordered, instead of a light dinner with a bit of protein and vegetables.  Just banana cream pie and a glass of milk.  Joel Robuchon’s perfectly plated assortment of four lovely sorbets and decadent array of luscious tarts weren’t enough to keep banana cream pie out of his head, and that’s saying quite a bit.  I swear he asked the waiter if perhaps they had banana cream pie.

Of course I made banana cream pie for him almost as soon as we were home — but not until I’d made the potatoes.  “Oh, those potatoes…”

[Read more...]

Mixed Berry Shortcakes with Lemon Mascarpone Cream

I suppose you could convince me there is a dessert that typifies summer more than shortcake, and you might be able to string me along for a while before I came to my senses to explain delicately that, at least to me,  not much else can compete.

My shortcake memories go back years, but they always begin the same:  with a biscuit.  Not a slice of angel food cake, or pound cake.  A lowly biscuit.  One that, if you’re me,  would normally be found on a plate filled with beans, rice, and coleslaw.  That kind of biscuit.  The one that not much else can compare to when it comes to soaking up juice and binding everything together, whether it’s dessert or not.

Sure, I’ve tried a variety of recipes, combinations of flavors and ingredients, but in the end I’m only truly satisfied with that slightly salty bite of biscuit and the tart sweetness of fresh berries tempered by the richness of cream.  It’s fabulous.

Recently, my husband surprised me with Thomas Keller’s latest book, ad hoc at home.  He’d heard that the man himself would be visiting a local Williams-Sonoma so decided to wait on his lunch hour in a rather lengthy line to get Keller’s signature for me.  Not only was I touched by the gesture, I couldn’t wait to dig into the recipes.

You know what it’s like to get a new cookbook.  You leaf through the pages, savoring each possibility, wondering what might measure up to your expectations without killing yourself on the first attempt:  buttermilk fried chicken…rubbed and glazed pork spareribs…iceberg lettuce slices…No, it was the buttermilk biscuits that got my attention first.  I have to admit I did go back to the iceberg lettuce slices (you have to try his Blue Cheese Dressing), but the biscuits are what I first settled down to make knowing instantly they were destined for berry shortcakes.

Think about it.  They’re perfect for the picnic of all summer picnics — July 4th.  You make them the day before, cool them completely before sealing their crispy freshness away so you can split them and then dollop on some cream and berries that have had a chance to sit for a while to develop a lovely, syrupy juice.

There is an art to this if you want to take some time with it, and if you’d like to consider another ingredient you may never have tried before which is perfect with berries, try mascarpone.  I’m partial to mascarpone, so when I saw that Keller included it in a recipe for peaches and cream, I had to try it giving it my own spin, of course.

If you’re thinking that it may not travel well, think again.  With a few recycled jars filled and kept in an ice chest, you’ll be able to turn out the perfect summer dessert for your July 4th holiday, courtesy of inspiration from Thomas Keller, of course.

133/365:  Autograph

[Read more...]

Very Berry Buttermilk Sherbet

I thought I’d have more time to write at this point in the year, but I’ve been preoccupied by my youngest son’s graduation from high school, as well as planning for a fall trip to the UK — our first official empty nest vacation. Is there such a thing?

Both events provide me an excuse to spend time at my Mac even though one is rarely needed.  Who knew that sifting through 18 years of significant world events, pop culture, family photos and memories could be so time consuming?  Each rediscovered piece of a life gives me pause, and I can’t resist indulging myself more time than is necessary to collect this piece or that to add to a collection that will commemorate my son’s big milestone.  Memories of my own graduation day and those of my two older sons have me counting the years since, amazed at how truly quickly they have passed.

When I become too maudlin,  trip planning commences and the details of deciding which route to take from London, how many nights to spend where, and which pubs might best entice us to stop and sample a pint or two gives me something to look forward to. It doesn’t quite distract me from wondering how it will feel after so many years of having growing boys in my house, to have none.

Oh my goodness.

I’d say it’s time for some ice cream, wouldn’t you?  Or what about sherbet?

Definitely.

[Read more...]

“Pasteria” with Balsamic Strawberries and Basil

I love ricotta, but I’ve never had truly fresh ricotta, so I decided to make my own.  It requires very little time, no special equipment, and few ingredients, so I was able to prepare it one evening, then drain it over night for use the next day.  I had no idea what I might make with it once it was finished, but that’s the story of my life right now.  How bad could it be to simply nibble on fresh ricotta sprinkled with sea salt and perhaps a drizzle of fruity extra virgin olive oil?  Of course, sprinkling it over a nice salad could be fabulous as well.  Perfectly simple, right?

Simple seems never to be in my repertoire.

With less than a week until Easter and no real plans for a holiday meal in the works, I decided to look for dessert recipes that included ricotta and almost immediately found quite a few for a traditional Easter Pie, or in some cases, Pasteria.  It’s like a cheesecake, but it’s made with ricotta and grain.  Although the grain is most often wheat, some recipes use rice.  Others are made with a crust and latticed top — but some are completely without either — and leave it to me to make one in the least traditional way possible, lacking crust, wheat, and candied fruit.

This small dessert is perfect for spring, or when berries are at their best.

[Read more...]

Olive Oil Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

67/365:  Cake

I can’t remember the first time I had carrot cake, but I’m sure it wasn’t until I was well into my adult years.  It’s strange now that I think about it because my mother used to make a mean carrot salad.  The basic ingredients aren’t all that different except for the mayonnaise she’d dollop in the huge bowl of grated carrots and raisins before stirring in some sugar, and I’ll bet I can find more than one recipe for carrot cake that calls for mayo, too.  Mind you, this would be much to the complete horror of my husband who steers clear of anything that suggests mayo is an ingredient.

Other than cheesecake or an occasional pineapple upside down cake made in a skillet, my mother’s cakes came from a box, as did mine for years.  Can carrot cake actually be made from a box mix?  Perhaps that’s why I don’t remember ever tasting one.  I could blame it on family members more inclined to request chocolate cake:  chocolate peanut butter, German chocolate, and even a chocolate mint cake that unfortunately reminded more than one of us of toothpaste.  Sadly, there were no requests for carrot cake.

In the years since, I’ve learned that everyone seems to have made carrot cake but me and relies upon a favorite recipe.  I, on the other hand, have only made it twice:  the first time, I used a good friend’s recipe (sans the crushed pineapple she says she never adds) which was delicious;  the second time, I decided to look for a recipe that was made with olive oil.  Most of the recipes I’ve considered use from 3/4 to 1-1/2 cups of oil, so if  oil is going into a cake, why not make it monosaturated?

Perhaps it might soothe concerns about butter, mascarpone and sugar as one bites into this fabulously luscious cake.

[Read more...]