For a long time I hated beets. I’m sure, no I know, that was because the only ones I had were out of a can. Pickled or Harvard style which is sweet and sour. I’m still not a fan of the Harvard style, but I will eat pickled beets on occasion. It was in a restaurant in Chicago, I don’t remember which one now, where I took a bite of Prince Charming’s beet and goat cheese salad. I had no idea that beets tasted that good! From that moment on, fresh beets have always had a place in my kitchen. Through trial and error I found out that the way I like them best is roasted (but of course). I make them year round, will eat them in salads, warm or cold, just plain on a plate with salt, or in soup. What I wanted was a preparation that would let them be a bit more “center stage” so I hit the inter-webs. I came across several recipes for beet Napoleons and I thought it was a brilliant idea. I wanted to do a little riff of my own so I took my favorite things about the Napoleons I read about and the best parts of my favorite salads and came up with this. Beet Napoleons with fig and goat cheese, drizzled with a lemon mustard vinaigrette. The beets of course are naturally sweet, the fig and goat cheese is creamy and rich, sweet yet with that distinctive goat cheese tang. The lemon mustard vinaigrette give it an acidic boost with enough mustard to balance the sweetness. These would be beautiful as an appetizer, or tiny baby ones would be a lovely amuse bouche. Give them a try!
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Fresh corn pudding has been around for a long time. There are a thousand different versions, with each cook putting their own spin and regional favorite ingredients into the mix. I’m a big fan of the time-tested, true blue, boiled with butter and salt. Recently I’ve been a big fan of the many grilled versions, my current fav is lime butter and cotija cheese. Even done on a gas grill it’s incredible. Waiting patiently for the season’s crop to ripen, then abandoning yourself to the pure sensory pleasure of eating with your hands, juice running down your arm and a big shiny, butter grin from ear to ear. (ha, get it..ear to ear? Sometimes I crack me up) But….there are other ways to eat corn as we all know. If I start listing them I’ll sound like Bubba Gump reciting all the ways you can eat shrimp, so I’ll refrain. This corn pudding is a much easier, rather more elegant, way of having your summer corn. While I wasn’t able to grill mine for this recipe (my stupid gas tank thing is empty, grrr) I would wholeheartedly suggest you do so. Fresh corn in a creamy, silky custard, that is just a delightful cold as it is warm. It would be a perfect addition to any meal where you don’t want to deal with corn on the cob (I know, almost unthinkable) or just want a different alternative. I think this would be a spectacular foil to bar-b-que or to a beautiful steak with chimichurri sauce. I know lots of folks do a corn pudding at Thanksgiving, and please, don’t stop that, but I’m pretty sure you’ll agree that it shines along with the bright summer sun.
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Posted in Vegetables | Tagged corn, corn dishes, corn pudding, fresh corn pudding | Leave a Comment »
I don’t know what possessed me. I baked yesterday. In the afternoon. In 92 degree heat. Goes against all my principles of keeping the house cool and staying comfortable when the sun is intent on frying everything crispy. I’m not sure what happened. I had a plan, and it wasn’t baking. As I was pulling all the ingredients together to make the next dish you’ll read about, one of the key components was missing. I was sure that I bought it. I looked in all the drawers and corners of the refrigerator, nope, not there. Drat. I could go to the store, but the would require putting on acceptable clothes to venture out of the house in, hot parking lot directly in the sun, coming out to a hot car with a burning steering wheel. Mostly, I didn’t want to go out. So, on to the next plan. Those apricots I’ve been admiring for a few days. So bright and rosy, so tender and soft, so….crap, I better use these now before they turn to mush! Apricots it was. Now I know it’s close to the end of the season, they’ve been out for a couple of weeks at our farmer’s market, they’ll be there maybe a week more. These were exceptional this year, firm and juicy, not a hint of the mealy, mushiness you can get with apricots. I ate more than I care to admit to just pulling them open, tossing the pit and putting a whole half in my mouth to let the juice and flavor just explode. These apricots were heaven. Apricots and almonds are a natural combination, and I’m a huge fan of anything almond. So an almond cake with apricots. My tried and true recipe for almond cake wasn’t going to have enough density to hold up apricots I thought, and I didn’t want to cut them in pieces. I needed a sturdier cake, one that I could put the apricots on, let them cook into little molten pools of apricot throughout the cake. So before I could think this through, I had the mixer whirring away, the apricots cut and pitted waiting for the batter and the oven heating up. The oven heating up, too late to go back now. Anyway,this worked out beautifully. A not too sweet cake, with tangy apricot studded throughout, perfect with tea (iced or hot) for an afternoon snack. It will also serve you well as an elegant dessert with some amaretto flavored whipped cream, and it will stand in for a breakfast pastry with not a moment’s hesitation. Ya gotta love a torte that can do it all.
So here it is, the torte I baked in 92 degree heat. The torte that sent me to the cooler bedroom while it baked and while it cooled. The torte that made me question my own judgement and break my own rules. After the first bite, it was worth it.
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Posted in Desserts, Fruit Dishes | Tagged almond, apricot & almond torte, apricots, tortes | 1 Comment »
These are organic Pluot plums. They are a cross between a plum and an apricot and one I just can’t resist. They have a small window of availability here which means I’m scooping up more than I can eat because each year I’m determined to cook with them. So far, while I’ve enjoyed all the things I’ve made with them, I end up thinking the best thing to do with them is just eat them. While I was standing at the counter choosing my fruit, a warm pluot in hand, I remembered reading last year about a jam made with pluots that had herbs and pepper in it. So home to the stack of cooking magazines and shelves of cookbooks. After a few tries (I know, I can’t believe it either!) I found it. Gourmet magazine, yes I still miss it, had an article about pluots with several different ideas and recipes to try with them. This jam is a wonder and plays the lush sweetness and gentle tang of the fruit perfectly against the bite of pepper and soft herbal astringency. It’s fabulous with cheese which is all I’ve gotten to try it with so far. I’m thinking that it would be great over sweet cream ice cream, and I’m betting (and will absolutely try this) it will be a killer glaze for pork. If for no other reason, the color alone is worth making it for.
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The bins are filling up at the Farmer’s Markets. Here in Colorado we’re a bit later with our crops, so we’re seeing the baby onions, beets, and carrots in heaping mounds on tables. The new garlic and garlic scapes are finishing, fava’s are here, and lettuces from the palest green to the deepest reds abound. My favorite time of the year. Summer. (I think I might actually say that about every season, but now, summer is my fav.) I’m so happy to be back at the Farmer’s Market, I just can’t find the words. Every visit is a new adventure. Everytime I find something that makes me happy inside. As usual, I buy too much. This time is was baby onions. Sweet, tender, little baby red onions. I sliced them into everything I ate. I still had a bunch left. So I fell back onto my default way of making vegetables all year long. Roasting. Now I love to grill them too, and they’re wonderful anyway you want to prepare them, but my heart belongs to roasted vegetables. J’adore. There’s not a long story to tell here, I don’t have a history with baby onions, nor do I think that this preparation is anything that’s never been done before. But if YOU haven’t made roasted baby onions, or just roasted onions with balsamic, you need to. It’s a must. Go!
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged balsamic vinegar, roasted onions, baby onions, balsamic onions, red onions | Leave a Comment »
Finally, finally we are headlong into summer. It was 98, wow it’s hot, burning your hands on the steering wheel, sleep with the air conditioning on, degrees here the other day. Huzzah! Summer! We’re finally seeing some “local” signs plastered on the front of the bins at the grocery. The farmer’s markets stalls are getting more abundant and colorful each week. I’m making icy drinks and watching the condensation run down the glass and puddle on the table. Thin cotton and linen. Bare feet. Nights on the balcony, wine in hand watching the stars and the moths helplessly throw themselves against the screen trying to get to the light. I like to take late night drives around my neighborhood and see the people gathered on the their front porches,talking and watching the cars drive by. Folks lingering at outdoor tables at restaurants and kids hanging in small groups laughing and telling each other tales. As the earth yields her colors and bright tastes, we seem to become more open ourselves. We’re out there, drinking in the warmth, reaching towards and connecting with each other. The seasons are magical to me, and summer is everyone holding hands, faces to the sun, smelling peaches and corn and peppers.
But wait! This is about melons, right? Yeah, melons. Most of the time, I just cut those babies open and eat them. No adornments necessary. Watermelon most of all. Just looking at watermelons makes me think of being little, at a picnic table with friends, having giant slices of watermelon on paper plates. Biting right into the middle, each end reaching almost to your ears, juice streaking every chin and neck, hands to elbows. Oh, and smiles as big as those slices. Great stuff. Well, this is a bit more sophisticated. A little more nuanced and complex. Don’t worry, it’s still fun. Fun! Watermelon! Yeah! Right, right, cool and sophisticated, and really, really de-ee-e-lish. Continue Reading »
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Quietly last November, a shop opened in Lodo that I think should have been accompanied by fireworks, bands playing, and lines of people. The name of the shop is EVOO Marketplace. Yes, EVOO, but this is beyond the stuff that Rachel Ray glugs over everything. Olive oil and Balsamic vinegar like you’ve never seen before. In all kinds of flavors, like Persian Lime and Wild Mushroom and Sage olive oils, a Honey-Ginger and a Dark Chocolate Balsamic. Mick and Carolyn Major, the creative minds behind this exciting venture will pair oils and vinegar together in combinations that will send you into a dream state just thinking of all things you’ll want to put it on. The store is a gem, with high ceiling and brick walls, and lots of room to walk around the banks of stainless steel “fusti” that the oils and vinegar are kept in.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged EVOO Marketplace, balsamic vinegar, EVOO, olive oil, LoDo store | 2 Comments »
For 15 years, I’ve been looking for a meatball as good as the ones my ex-mother-in-law made. As far as I’m concerned they don’t exist. There were no secret ingredients, no magic potions, no unusual cooking tricks. Simple, straightforward meatballs. I can tell you what’s in them, ground beef (she preferred triple ground) italian seasoned breadcrumbs, water, salt, pepper, and a grate of romano cheese. She browned them in oil on all sides and plopped them in the pot of sauce to finish cooking. That’s it. I’ve done it a hundred times. I’ve made them start to finish with her standing next to me. They NEVER tasted as good. I was convinced that there was some chemical reaction that took place when she rolled them in her hands that was the difference. I have no explanation for it, it doesn’t make a bit of sense, but it’s true. When you put one of her meatballs in your mouth, the lights when off in your brain, all your senses stood up and paid attention, and you thought, “Ooohhhhh, this is what a meatball is supposed to taste like!” and then ate every one on your plate (and anyone else’s plate you could get them off). From that moment on, it’s over for you as far as meatballs are concerned. I’ve had them everywhere and nothing compares.
So, what do you do when faced with the knowledge that the best beef meatball is unobtainable? You look for different meatballs, made from other meats, in varying sizes, in endless combinations of ingredients. Let me tell you, there are some GREAT meatballs out there. This is a search that’s fun to be on. Ok, a bit more than a search. An obsession. A small, quiet, no one ever knew it existed obsession. Anyway. I have found some great ones. I found a lamb and risotto meatball that’s so good I’ll knock you off your chair to eat yours. A pork meatball so soft and yielding stuffed into a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich that will just floor you. Then there are these. Now I’m not sure they are in the category of the best thing ever, but they’re pretty damn good. I found them bookmarked in a last years copy of Gourmet (don’t you still miss that magazine?) and finally made them. They’re flavorful, with a lovely texture. Like me, I think you’ll going to think of so many things to put them in, and like me, look down and realize you ate four of them (I know, but I was hungry!) while you were daydreaming.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged baked meatballs, Chicken, chicken and pancetta, Chicken meatballs, meatballs | Leave a Comment »
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.* I had everything I needed to make almost anything in the house. I couldn’t muster up even the slightest interest in cooking. When did this happen? I woke up a few mornings ago and after brushing my teeth stood in the kitchen thinking “Isn’t there anything here that doesn’t have to be cooked?” Huh? So not like me. No idea of why. Well, maybe I know. I had a bad week, cooking wise. I pulled out all the stops, buying the ingredients I needed for the recipes I had bookmarked, made sure I had the correct pots, pans and whatever else I needed. I arranged the week so plenty of time was available. It was downhill from there. Let me break it down for you. #1, disaster. #2, Meh, not good enough to talk about. #3, Great! But I forgot to take pictures. #4, I have no idea what that was in that pan. It overflowed and jacked my stove up, and the only thing in common that it had with the recipe was it was brown. Yeah. #5, Well I didn’t exactly get to #5. I got the stuff out, but the previous 4 had me shook, and I put it all away. I called for Thai take out and called it a day. Or week. Whichever, better to forget it all. So there you have it. I fell flat on my butt in the middle of the no cooking zone.
Late at night a day or so later, I was clicking my way through my favorite cooking blogs when my eye fell upon David Lebovitz’s post for an “Easy Jam Tart”. Looked good. Reading the recipe, it did look easy. After looking around a bit, it seemed all my favorite bloggers had made this recipe and all had been successful. In fact, the praise for the ease and simplicity of it was unanimous. Was this it? The one? Could this pull me out of the no cooking zone and back to my happy cooking self? I decided it was. All I needed was a sure thing to boost my confidence a bit. After a week like the one I had, can you blame me for being a bit wary of cooking? So, here’s the thing. They didn’t lie. It is that easy. It was really good. Sometimes you forget that baking (or cooking) doesn’t have to be complicated or hours on end involved. Sure, stretching your cooking chops is fun. Learning new methods and techniques is great. Occasionally you’re going to completely duff it. Just go back to simple. It will totally reset you. Make this. You can make this. Trust me, I’m a woman who knows how badly things can go in the kitchen. You can do this, you’re going to have fun doing it, and you’ll blush from all the compliments you’ll receive.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged dessert tart, easy tart, jam tart, plum jam tart, simple tart, tart | Leave a Comment »
Photo Credit: Jeff Martinez
Close by me, on my way to and back from many things, is a new eatery called Syrup. As the name suggests they serve breakfast and lunch and you should go in and check them out. I sat down with the Chef, Tom Willis, to talk a bit about the concept and direction of the new place, and I think you would have enjoyed talking to him as well. Before we get into that, the space has been completely redone. There are contemporary colors of spring green, brown and white, the furniture is freshly painted, and all the natural light coming through the windows makes the whole place glow. Syrup has an open kitchen where you can see your food as it comes up, and watch the cooking dance of the chefs. The idea, say Chef Tom, is to make classic comfort food yet update it and make it exciting.
Photo Credit: Jeff Martinez
Yeah, you can have pancakes, but you can have them any way you want them, with any of the (as of now) six different infusion syrups they have. They make all of them in-house, with flavors like apple-cinnamon, buttermilk, and honey-agave. They also do a cool little thing, they have breakfast apps! Fruit kabob, beignets, a basket of little muffins. Great for sharing with your friends while you wait for the rest of your meal. Everything they make there is made from scratch, and they hope to have around 10 different syrups by the end of the summer with a line of preserves and conserves to go along with them.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged breakfast, cherry creek restaurant, denver breakfast restaurant, homemade syrup, syrup | Leave a Comment »
