Sandwiches happen to be one of my favorite food categories, but are something I almost never make for dinner.  Why?  Who knows really.  However, staring into my refrigerator at a delicious packet of Applegate Sunday bacon (my favorite!), and a fresh new loaf of French pullman bread from the bakery had my mouth watering for some carby-goodness.  Alas, I had an epiphany and dreamt up a version of the classic BLT that had my tastebuds doing a dance somewhat resembling  ”the wave” performed at sporting events.  The final product? A delightful combo of candied bacon, avocado cream sauce, and tomato confit.  Since no sandwich should be served without a crunchy sidekick, I also made up a batch of veggie “fries”.

Crispy Baked Veggie Fries

1 zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch thick ‘fries’

10 asparagus spears, trimmed, cut in half

1/2 cup flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano, grated

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Dredge the veggies in the flour, dip them in the egg and then into a mixture of the panko breadcrumbs, parmensan, thyme salt and pepper.

Place the “fries” on a wire rack on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 425F oven until golden brown, about 7-10 minutes.

Candied Bacon

12 slices bacon, about 1/4-inch thick

Finely ground black pepper

1/3 cup light brown sugar

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Put bacon slices in a bowl, season them with pepper and toss with the brown sugar. Cover a baking sheet with parchment or foil and arrange the bacon in a single layer on top. Sprinkle any sugar left in the bowl over the bacon. Top with another layer of parchment or foil and top it, squarely, with another baking sheet. The baking sheet will flatten the bacon as it cooks.

Place the tray in the center of the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Check the bacon by lifting the top tray and parchment. If it is not golden brown and fairly crispy, resist the temptation to turn up the oven temperature, and cook it for 10 to 15 minutes longer. Check it again. Keep in mind that when you remove the tray and transfer the bacon to a serving platter or individual plates, the bacon will “crisp” up a little more.

Avocado Cream

1 avocado

1/8 cup cream cheese

1 teaspoon lime juice

salt and papper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Whip all ingredients together by hand or with a hand mixer.

Tomato Confit 

1 pound Roma tomatoes (about 5 medium tomatoes)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium garlic cloves, halved

2 fresh thyme sprigs

1 medium dried bay leaf, crushed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 325°F and arrange the rack in the middle.

Slice 1/8 inch off both the top and bottom of the tomatoes. Stand each tomato on one end and slice downward, following the curve and cutting just into the flesh, leaving behind the seeds (the pieces you cut off will resemble petals). Discard seeds and pulpy portion.

Combine the tomato petals with remaining ingredients in a medium bowl and toss to coat. Spread the tomato petals, cut side down, on a baking sheet spaced about 1/2 inch apart. Pour remaining contents of the bowl over tomatoes.

Roast the tomatoes until they’re shriveled and dark red but still hold their shape, about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pan, then transfer to a container with a tightfitting lid and cover with any remaining oil from the baking sheet (add additional oil if there’s not enough to cover the tomatoes). Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

I love this dish for two reasons, and both have to do with my husband (sappy, I know).  Firstly, my husband refers to peanut sauce as one of his “favorites”, and anything that he grants this title I’m happy to feed him on request!  Secondly, and most importantly, this heaping bowl of noodles layered with a multitude of green goodness signifies my victory, my victory over my husband’s aversion to vegetables in a not-so-previous life.  Before me (when his life was gloomy, sad, and loveless), my husband wouldn’t eat anything green unless it was covered in caesar dressing.  Now, he’ll eat just about any green goody I put in front of him.  My triumph was not immediate.  It started with pureeing broccoli and adding it to mac and cheese.  We then moved on to stuffing fatty cuts of beef with cheese and spinach.  Slowly but surely I waged war on my better half’s poor palette.  As this dish features FOUR different vegetables, I am reminded of my great victory, and therefore I love it.

All of this aside, this is one of those great recipes to use up whatever is left in your produce drawer.  I’ve literally thrown everything from corn to peppers in here!

Ingredients

1 carrot, julienned 

1 green squash, julienned

1 crown of broccoli, chopped small

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce 

2 tablespoons honey

1 to 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper

1 garlic clove, grated 

5 cups cooked soba noodles

6 tablespoons sliced green onions

6 tablespoons chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts 

Directions

Combine peanut butter, ginger, soy sauce, honey, pepper, and garlic; stir with a whisk until smooth.

Combine carrot, broccoli, and squash and saute on low heat until tender, but still bright in color.  Add peanut sauce, and noodles to pan; toss to coat.  Remove from heat and sprinkle with onions and peanuts.

Nothing against my friend Campbell, but nothing compares to homemade tomato soup especially when it’s made from fresh tomatoes (and even more especially when said tomatoes are on super sale).  I like all of my tomato products (ie. sauce and soup) to be a bit on the sweeter side, so I favor roasting the red little gems in the oven before throwing them into the pot!  

Ingredients

2 lbs of tomatoes (I used plum because they’re fleshy and were on sale)

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 stalk celery, diced

1 small carrot, diced

1 cup of cleaned, diced leek

1 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chicken broth

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Chop the tomatoes and place in a colander to drain, reserving the juices, and spread onto a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, to taste, drizzle with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and roast until caramelized, about 15 minutes.

While the tomatoes cool, turn the oven down to 375 degrees F and toss the celery, carrot, onion, leeks, and garlic with a drizzle of olive oil  and salt, roast for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat remaining olive oil over medium-low heat.  Add the roasted chopped tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, chicken broth, bay leaf and butter. Add in the vegetables and simmer until very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add basil and puree with a hand held immersion blender until smooth.

I finished my soup off with a scoop of creme fraiche that I mixed with leftover pesto from the night before.

Enjoy!

It’s pretty difficult for a bagel to impress my Brooklyn-raised, Jewish husband.  However, I think this recipe got his attention!  I’ve tried a few different bagel recipes before, and have yet to start working on my own, but this one turned out to be the “easiest” (I use this word lightly) and most delicious!  One tip though - make sure you let your dough properly rise (use the “window-pane” test) or else you’ll end up with 12 dense hockey pucks.  

Wake up someone special with these delicious rounds of goodness and carbohydrate-delight! 

New York-Style Bagels

(adapted from Confessions of a Tart)

2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
Toppings:  sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sea salt, dried garlic, etc

In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, and let stand for 3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the oil, flour, and the salt. Mix thoroughly until the dough forms up and comes away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead, adding small amounts of flour 1/4 cup at a time as necessary. Bagel dough should be stiff. Work in as much extra flour as you can comfortably knead. The dough will soften slightly as the gluten develops. Knead until smooth and elastic.  If it’s warm in you kitchen, this should take about 12-15 kneads to become the right texture.

Roll the dough into a ball, place in a large oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover loosely with foil and let rise in a warmed oven (approx. 100 degrees) for 1-2 hours.

Punch down, cut into thirds, and roll each piece into a rope between your palms. Cut each rope into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope 2 inches longer than the width of your hand. Flip the rope around your fingers to form a ring, with the ends overlapping about 1/2 inch. Seal the end. Evenly space the bagels on 2 nonstick baking pans.  Cover and let stand until puffy, 10 to 20 minutes.

Bagels are boiled before they are baked. While they are proofing, fill a 4-quart pan two-thirds full with water, add the 1 remaining tablespoon of malt syrup or sugar, and bring to a boil. Ready your toppings.

Carefully lower 2 or 3 bagels at a time into the boiling water and wait until they rise to the top. If they float, cook for about 1 minute on each side, turning once. If they have proofed too long, they will float instead of sinking, but this won’t affect the final product.

Carefully lift out each bagel with a slotted spoon or skimmer. Drain momentarily, then evenly space 6 bagels on each baking sheet and sprinkle with toppings. You may prefer to leave some plain. Save about 3 cups of the boiling water, see below.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Bake with steam by placing an oven safe dish half-filled with the reserved water on the bottom rack of the oven. Place the baking sheets on the middle or top rack, then bake, turning once when the tops begin to brown, until well browned on both sides. About 15 to 20 minutes.

• Tags
• bread
• breakfast
• bagels

I have yet to come across any food this is not substantially more delicious when thrown onto a grill!  I have a weakness for all things grilled - from hotdogs to pound cake, and corn to peaches.  I mainly attribute my obsession with charred food to nostalgia and my yearlong yearn for fiery, hot summer months!  Not outside the list of delicious grilled food is shrimp - I mean, they’re practically begging to be thrown onto a blazing grill grate.  So, in proper grilling fashion, I let my little shrimp sit in a marinade all day before they met their fate later that evening.  This marinade recipe is delicious, and is absolutely NOT my creation - I can’t even say that I’ve “adapted” it because I literally use Bobby Flay’s recipe word for word (except, I use honey instead of sugar). 

Ingredients

2 large shallots, peeled and chopped

1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

4 cloves garlic, smashed

3/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons sugar (or honey)

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup peanut oil

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

2 pounds large shrimp, shells and tails on

Directions

Place shallots, ginger, garlic, soy, lime juice, and sugar in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the green onion and oil and blend until combined. Season with black pepper, to taste. Place shrimp in a large bowl, pour the marinade over, and let marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Preheat a grill to high. Remove shrimp from the marinade and grill for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side. 

• Tags
• shrimp
• bbq
• marinade
• asian
• soy sauce
• grill

This is such a convenient recipe to have in your repertoire, especially when you have guests coming over and are too pressed for time to make a grocery run!  Plus, you can tailor the flavor to whatever dip you’re serving them with - rosemary/garlic for hummus, chipotle/lime for guacamole or salsa, cheddar for buffalo chicken dip!  Enjoy!

Makes about 30 crackers

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely grated fresh Pecorino cheese (you could substitute Parmesan here)
3 sprigs of rosemary, leaves separated 
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup milk
Coarse salt for sprinkling on top (I used Maldon)

Directions

1.  Heat oven to 400°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.  Put flour, salt, cheese, rosemary and butter in bowl of a food processor.

3.  Pulse until flour and butter are combined.

4.  Add about milk and let machine run for a bit until a dough forms. If it does not come together, add more liquid a teaspoon at a time, until mixture holds together but is not sticky. 

5.  Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface until 1/4-inch thick or even thinner, adding flour as needed.

6.  Form dough into individual crackers using a pizza wheel, or a fluted pastry cutter for a fancier look.

7.  Bake crackers 1/2 inch apart on your baking sheet.  Stab all over with a fork, brush on a little olive oil, and sprinkle with salt or any other toppings you are using.

8.  Bake until moderately browned, about 12 minutes. Cool on a rack; serve warm or at room temperature or store in a tin for a few days.

• Tags
• crackers
• cheese
• rosemary
• pecorino

This is one of those recipes that you use to clean out your refrigerator!  By that I mean, you could pretty much substitute in whatever herb, cheese, or greens you have lying around.  I used a roasted red pepper sauce because I was fresh out of tomatoes, but had stocked up on red peppers the week before (ambitiously thinking I was going to get some canning done).  You could easily swap in a tomato sauce here, or even make a pan sauce from the chicken drippings.  I was also desperate to get rid of an enormous bag of spinach, so I made a spinach/walnut pesto and mixed that into the rice.  Again, if basil is what you’ve got, use that!

STUFFED CHICKEN

Ingredients

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Fresh basil leaves

1/2 Herbed Cheese recipe

Herbed Cheese

Ingredients

2.5 oz cream cheese, softened

1 garlic clove, minced

3 teaspoons fresh parsley, minced

3 teaspoons fresh chives, minced

A pinch of cayenne

1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black peppercorns

A pinch salt

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Put each chicken breast half between two layers of plastic wrap, on a chopping board, and use a meat mallet to pound until 1/4-inch thick.

2 Dip each basil leaf in boiling water, drain and set aside.

3 Mix together all of the Herbed Cheese ingredients

4 Lay the chicken breasts flat, season each side with salt and pepper. Spread the cheese mixture over each breast, covering the surface of the breasts. Layer on the basil leaves. Starting at the shortest end of the chicken breast, roll up as tightly as possible and tuck in the ends to form a neat roll. Secure each breast with 2 toothpicks.

5 Transfer chicken breasts to a greased baking dish, seam side down. Bake at 350°F for 40-50 minutes, depending on the size of the breast, until the internal temperature is 165°F, the juices run clear, and the chicken is slightly browned.

Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Top with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce (recipe below)

ROASTED RED PEPPER SAUCE

Ingredients

2 red peppers

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 shallot, minced

3 tablespoons white wine

6 tablespoons chicken stock

Lemon juice, to taste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2 Set the peppers on a baking sheet and roast until the flesh is soft and the skin puckered, 35 to 45 minutes.

3 Remove the peppers from the oven and put them in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Set aside for 10 minutes to sweat.

4 Remove the wrap, peel and seed the peppers. Cut the flesh into pieces and set aside.

5 Heat the oil in a saute pan. Add the shallot and cook until soft. Deglaze with white wine and cook 1 minute. Add the stock and the cooked red pepper. Cook 5 minutes. Cool slightly, and puree in the blender. Season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and transfer to a small saucepan to reheat in a few minutes.

SPINACH PESTO

Ingredients

1 pound of spinach, trimmed and washed

3/4 cup of toasted walnuts

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

Add spinach and 1 tablespoon water to a large skillet set over medium-high. Cook, stirring constantly, until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. In a food processor, combine spinach, walnuts, oil, and lemon zest. Process until mixture forms a smooth paste, scraping down bowl as needed. Season with salt and pepper.

(Adapted from Martha Stewart)

• Tags
• chicken
• roasted red pepper
• stuffed chicken
• sauce
• cream cheese

Hands down, my absolute favorite part of summer is going to BBQs!  Since moving to San Francisco and living in the city, we have definitely been BBQ-deprived!  So, when the opportunity presented itself to bake up a summery dessert for a BBQ we were invited to - I jumped right to it!

Especially in the summer months, I feel it’s best to bring fruit-based desserts to picnics and parties since they tend to be a bit lighter and mirror the feeling of the season - fresh and easy!

This was my first time making this tart with blueberries, but it’s one of my favorites because it’s incredibly simple and you can use whatever fruit is fresh at the market that week!  Also, using a mix of both orange and lemon zest really brightens up the flavor of the berries!

Ingredients

For The Crust

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick of cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

For The Filling

6 cups fresh blueberries 

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons fresh orange juice

2/3 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt, and butter; process until large moist crumbs form (dough should hold together when squeezed).

Transfer dough to a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom; with floured fingers, press evenly into bottom and up sides. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes; prick bottom of dough all over with a fork. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes; cool completely.

Meanwhile, reserve 1 cup of the prettiest berries for topping. In a medium saucepan, bring 1/4 cup water and 1 1/2 cups berries to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until berries begin to break down, 3 to 4 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water; stir into berries in pan. Add lemon zest and juice, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, stirring, just until mixture begins to thicken, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining 3 1/2 cups fresh berries. Immediately pour hot berry mixture into cooled tart shell, and smooth with a spatula.

Scatter reserved berries on top, pressing down lightly to help them adhere. Refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes and up to overnight.

Adapted from Martha Stewart

• Tags
• blueberry
• tart
• dessert
• pastry
• fruit

Chances are that if I’ve made you breakfast or had you for brunch, you’ve been lucky enough to try my mom’s homemade maple syrup.  Everyone who has ever tried it just swoons over it’s authentic, rich mapley flavor!  Every year my mother taps the maple trees at our home and boils down gallons, upon gallons, upon gallons of sap into delicious maple syrup.  Just for an idea of the scale of this project - 40 gallons of sap makes approximately 1 gallon of syrup.  My mom then cans the mapley-goodness and we get to enjoy it all year long in a variety of ways!

This biscotti recipe is a twist on the traditional Italian biscotti, but nonetheless amazing.  I had some syrup lying around and thought I would try out a different use for it, and voila - maple, pecan biscotti!  I served these with tea and coffee for some guests that we had stopping by, and they were a hit!  

Ingredients

1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup), cubed

1/2 cup light brown sugar 

1 large egg

1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup toasted pecans

1/3 cup maple syrup (it must be real)

1 Tbsp maple syrup

Directions

1. Spread the pecans in a single layer on parchment paper on a baking sheet.

2. Bake them at 325°F for 10 minutes, until they are light brown and fragrant. Check the nuts frequently and stir them to ensure even toasting. Cool them prior to chop them. Set aside.

3. Melt the cubed butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Cook, swirling the pan occasionally until the butter turns golden brown. Smell the butter; it should have a nutty aroma. Pour the browned butter into a small bowl to cool.

4. Preheat the oven to 350°F 

5. Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

6. In a large bowl, beat the egg with the cool brown butter, maple syrup and vanilla. (Make sure you let the butter cool, or you will get scrambled eggs)

7. Mix in the dry ingredients and stir in the toasted pecans

8. Knead the dough with your hands.

9. On a parchment paper on a baking sheet, shape the dough into a 10-in. x 4-in. rectangle and about 1 inch in thickness 

10. Lightly brush with maple syrup.

11. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

12. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes on the baking sheet.

13. Cut it with a serrated knife slightly in diagonal into 12 slices. Turn them on the cut sides; lightly brush with maple sugar one more time.

14. Put them back in the oven and bake them for another 20 minutes.

15. Using a spatula remove to wire racks to cool completely. 

• Tags
• biscotti
• sweets
• cookies
• maple
• pecan

This soup recipe is a crowd pleaser!  Even my husband, who HATES beans, loves this soup (I think the tequila has something to do with it).  To complete the evening, serve this alongside a cold margarita and some crunchy corn chips!  My absolute favorite recipe for homemade tortilla chips comes from Katie’s Cucina.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 medium poblano peppers, diced

1 medium Spanish onion, diced

4 garlic cloves – skinned and minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle to taste

2 medium carrots, diced

5 cups cooked black beans

6 cups reserved cooking liquid from the beans or water

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt to taste

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon Tequila

Directions

1. Heat a large, heavy­bottom soup pot at medium ­high heat. Add the olive oil and poblano peppers. Sauté for 2 minutes until the peppers soften. Add the onions and sauté for 7 to 8 minutes, until golden­brown. Add the garlic, chili powder, chipotle and carrots. Sauté for 1 minute. Add the black beans, reserved cooking liquid and salt.

Step 2: Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium to medium­low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until carrots are tender. Purée the soup with a stick blender or food processor so that it’s creamy, but still a bit chunky. Add the lime juice and Tequila. Adjust the salt and thin the soup with additional water if needed.