Grilled Pizza with Chicken Sausage, Beet Greens & Caramelized Onions

I've been wanting to try grilling a pizza for a long time. Unless it's winter, cooking pizza in the house translates to copious amounts of heat radiating from the oven and that makes an already hot summer day downright unpleasant. On the grill, the heat stays outside the house and the pizza is infused with a lovely smoky grill flavor!

Sometimes I like to ignore the tried and true (such as my pizza dough recipe) and go crazy trying new things. I saw this recipe and decided to give it a whirl, despite the fact that the ingredients include my recently discovered nemesis, cornmeal. I keep trying to give cornmeal a chance... really... I do. .ЯR. keeps begging me to stop. To give it up. To admit that even though other cooks can transform cornmeal into something nutty and corn-y, in my hands it becomes angry little grains of sand that scratch the throat and disrupt the meal. Did I listen to him? Nope! Did it turn our pizza into a huge cheese-covered cracker? Yep! Did I have to hang my head in shame when .ЯR. realized what crackered our crust was my cornmeal nemesis? Suuuuure did.

Dear Cornmeal,
It's over. I'm done with you. I have given you chances time & time again. I thought if I ground you up super fine in my spice grinder, we could get along. You failed me, again.
Goodbye,
Rose

Moving along, this recipe was awesome! The sausage, intensely good onions, the surprising addition of beet greens (we had them left over) and a nice layer of Gruyere - yum. I usually do not put sauce on my pizza, instead I opt for a layer of garlic-infused oil, sauteed garlic and a fine layer of Parmesan. Buon appetito!
INGREDIENTS:
Dough (my trusted version):

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/2 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
• 1 teaspoon dry yeast
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey

Toppings:

• 3 chicken sausages, casings removed
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil + extra for brushing
• 2 cups beet greens, de-ribbed and wilted, extra moisture blotted.
• 1/3 cup parmesan, finely grated
• 3/4 cup Gruyere grated
• 1 large maui onion, thinly sliced (or 2 regular onions)
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp Balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

1. For dough (or you can use pre-made dough, such as Trader Joe's):
   Mix flour and salt in large bowl. Place 1/2 cup warm water in separate small bowl. Sprinkle yeast over water and stir to blend.
2. Let stand until dissolved, about 10 minutes. Pour yeast mixture into bowl with flour. Add oil and honey. Using flexible spatula, stir until coarse dough forms.
3. Knead dough in bowl until smooth and elastic. Cover bowl; let dough stand 30-60 minutes.
4. For toppings: Heat 1/4 cup olive oil and minced garlic in frying pan until garlic is golden. Remove garlic and reserve garlic oil in separate containers.
5. In same pan, saute sausages breaking up with back of fork until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes.
6. Wilt beet greens until soft and blot up excess moisture as necessary.
7. Saute onions in 3 Tbsp olive oil until gold and softened about 15 minutes.
8. Add Worcestershire sauce & balsamic vinegar, cooking until most liquid is evaporated.
9. Place toppings in separate bowls and prepare for rolling dough.
10. Preheat grill over medium-high.
11. Place dough on floured work surface and begin to stretch with hands into a round shape. Using a rolling pin (or mine was in the garage so I used a wine bottle! Hah!) Roll dough out into large circle, 10-12".
12. Invert dough onto floured baking sheet or cutting board.
13. Bring all pizza items out to grill. Spray grill with oil or cooking spray.
14. Flip dough onto grill and cover, cooking 3 minutes or until top is bubbling and the bottom has grill marks.
15. Using pizza peel or spatula, remove from grill, respray grill with oil and flip uncooked side down onto grill.
16. Working quickly, brush garlic oil on pizza, sprinkle with garlic, caramelized onions, Parmesan, then beet greens, sausage and lastly, Gruyere.
17. Cover and cook until melted and cooked through making sure bottom doesn't burn by peeking every minute. Total time on this side is around 2-3 minutes. Lower heat if necessary!

Grilled Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

A good Caesar salad is surprisingly hard to find. From a bunch of unusual ingredients, comes an amazing blend of flavors. Unfortunately, it is exceptionally easy to mess up: A few too many anchovies, a touch too much Worcestershire, an extra splash of oil, not enough lemon, or too much raw egg can throw the sauce completely off balance. In my experience I have learned that tasting as you add ingredients, little by little, is the key to success. For the first time in my culinary history, I made a perfect Caesar dressing.

Grilling the hearts of romaine and croutons transform the ordinary to excellent. That smoky taste that only fire can impart softens the sharper flavors of the dressing. Homemade croutons are easy to make, and have a texture completely unlike that of store-bought croutons. The crisp exterior yields to a soft warm interior unlike the stone-hard hunks of dried bread bought from the grocery store. A few diced heirloom tomatoes and some high-quality shaved Parmesan finished our salads perfectly.

Sometimes the simplest things, done with the utmost care, can provide the most satisfying results. I encourage you, before it gets too cold to grill, to give this salad a try. If you are already in the cooler months, you can always cook this inside on a griddle or grill pan! Remember, let nothing stop you from cooking what you crave! Substitute, improvise, and work with what you have!

We served this salad with Grilled Pizza with Chicken Sausage, Beet Greens & Caramelized Onions and a nice Sauvignon Blanc.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 head of Romaine lettuce, outer leaves removed, stem kept in tact, sliced in half.
• 1 large heirloom tomato, diced
• 1 small baguette, crusts removed & cubed into 1" cubes
• 1 clove garlic, minced finely
• 1 anchovy fillet, minced
• 1 whole egg, blended (only use HALF of this)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• dash Worcestershire (start with a little under 1/4 tsp), add more if necessary
• 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup +/- high quality olive oil
• 2 Tbsp finely grated Parmesan
• handful shaved Parmesan (I use a vegetable peeler to create shavings)
• Freshly cracked pepper & salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cube bread & set aside.
2. Whisk half of blended egg, lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire, and Dijon in small bowl.
3. Taste and adjust as necessary.
4. Slowly whisk in and olive oil, tasting as you go to make sure dressing doesn't become washed out by the olive oil.
5. Stir in grated Parmesan, salt & pepper.
6. Preheat grill over medium.
7. Toss bread cubes with salt, pepper & a touch of olive oil. Set on a piece of foil.
8. Spray grill rack with cooking spray and rub a touch of oil on cut side of romaine halves.
9. Grill croutons (on foil) until golden and crisp.
10. Grill romaine on grill, cut side down until grill marks appear - 1-2 minutes.
11. Plate romaine, cut side up, arrange tomatoes, croutons, drizzle with dressing (re-whisk) and garnish with shaved Parmesan.

Braised Beef Short Rib Tortelloni

Not long ago, .ЯR. and I had dinner at Cucina Alessa's new Huntington Beach location. Alessa's original location is in a quaint Newport Beach building on Pacific Coast Highway. I have enjoyed many meals from Alessandro's kitchen and it is one of the only Italian restaurants in Orange County that I patronize. The Huntington Beach location is massive, two levels, noisy, and bustling! New restaurant growing pains left a few things to be desired with the service, but the food is so freaking good that it more than compensates! I selected the Braised Short Rib Stuffed Tortelloni and .ЯR. chose the swoon-worthy Osso Bucco. I hadn't been able to stop thinking about my tortellini since! The succulent beef, the tender pasta, the delicate cream sauce with rich, flavorful mushrooms, all of the memories begged me to attempt a replication!

I'd never braised short ribs before, so this was a new and enriching experience for me. Luckily, the butcher at Celestino's Meats had the exact short ribs I needed (bone-in) and I bought two containers of frozen veal stock for the braising sauce as we were fresh out of baby cows (I kid! I kid!). On most Saturday nights .ЯR. tends bar at Red Nightclub. My optimistic nature told me I would have plenty of time to make the pasta. I ended up with just enough time to make the pasta, roll it out and shape my tortelloni. All was well until - CLUNK! - my trusty hand-crank pasta machine fell apart. More specifically, the knob used to adjust the width of the rollers ate the spring, nut, and the washer that hold it to the machine. It took me 15 minutes to hammer the thing open, reassemble it and get back to rolling. 15 minutes I desperately needed! Rushed or not, this dinner came out beautifully.

Makes roughly 40 tortelloni

INGREDIENTS:

Braised Beef Short Ribs (adapted from here)

• 4 (8-ounce) pieces bone-in beef short ribs
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• fine sea salt & black pepper
• 4 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice, puréed in a blender with juice
• 1 1/2 cups dry red wine (I used a nice Zinfandel)
• 4 cups brown veal stock
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

• Finely shredded Parmesan
• Minced parsley

Fresh Pasta:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 4 whole eggs (+ 1 for egg wash)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• dash salt
• sprinkle of water if needed

Mushroom-Cream Sauce:

• 12 large creminis, thickly sliced
• 20 pearl onions
• 8 cloves of garlic (NOT peeled)
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/2 cup reserved braising liquid
• salt, pepper

DIRECTIONS:Braised Beef Short Ribs:

1. Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 250°F.
2. Pat beef dry. Heat oil in a wide heavy pot over moderately high heat, then brown beef on all sides, turning with tongs, about 8 minutes.
3. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with salt & pepper.
4. Add chopped carrots, onion, and garlic to oil in pot and cook over moderate heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in 1 cup pureed tomatoes and bring to a boil over moderately high heat.
6. Add wine and boil, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, about 8 minutes.
7. Add veal stock, thyme, bay leaf, vinegars, and salt and pepper to sauce, and bring to a simmer. Skim fat from surface, then
8. Add beef along with any juices accumulated on plate and cover pot with a tight-fitting lid. Transfer to oven and braise until beef is very tender, 4 to 5 hours.
9. Remove from pan, remove from bone and shred meat finely. Mix meat with a handful of Parmesan & parsley.
10. Strain braising liquid through fine mesh sieve. Allow to cool & skim fat from surface.

Fresh Egg Pasta:

1. In a bowl, mix flour & salt & form a volcano of sorts (mound with a well in the center). Crack eggs into the well and add 1 Tbsp olive oil. Stir the liquids until eggs are mixed. Begin to incorporate flour into the mixture forming a messy doughy ball.
2. At this point I usually reach in the bowl and mix by hand, turning the dough to mix the flour on the outside of the bowl with the damper interior of the dough ball.
3. Once it can be formed into a ball, remove from bowl onto a floured counter-top or cutting board. Begin the kneading process, firmly using the heels of your hand to press and turn the ball until it becomes smooth, shiny & elastic. If it is not those 3 things, KEEP KNEADING.
4. You can add drops of water little by little or a touch more oil if need be. Use as little as possible to get it to smooth, shiny & elastic. Every time you make dough - it will behave differently.
5. Wrap dough in plastic wrap & set aside minimum 45 minutes up to 2 hours.
6. Flour pasta machine and divide dough into 8 sections (keep them covered with damp towel or plastic wrap).
7. Form section into a ball and pat into a rectangle. Roll out section on thickest setting. Fold & roll again. Repeat 2-3 more times until dough is pliable. Make setting thinner and roll again. Continue to reduce thickness and roll until the dough is as thin as possible without tearing.
8. Lay dough on floured surface and use a 3-4" round cookie cutter to cut out rounds.
9. Lay rounds on floured baking sheet and cover with paper towel or damp towel.
10. Continue until all pasta is rolled & cut.
11. Make a wash with a beaten egg and a splash of water.
12. Mound 1 TBSP of filling in the center of each pasta round. Brush with egg wash, fold in half and press to seal. Wrap the opposite corners towards each other and pinch to form tortelloni. Set on floured baking sheet.
13. You can keep these chilled, covered, until boiling OR you can freeze them on a baking sheet (make sure they aren't touching) and then throw in a freezer bag for later.
14. Prepare sauce (see below)
15. Boil large pot of water over high. Add a splash of olive oil and a dash of salt.
16. Gently slip tortelloni into pot and boil until they float, roughly 3 minutes. Remove one and test it for doneness. Cook 1-2 minutes longer if necessary.
17. Drain & toss with sauce.

Mushroom-Cream Sauce:

1. Preheat oven to 400'. Toss un-peeled cloves of garlic with olive oil, salt & pepper and place on a foil lined baking sheet.
2. Bake in oven, tossing half way through, about 10-15 minutes or until golden & soft.
3. Snip off hard end of garlic & squeeze freshly roasted garlic out into small bowl.
4. Bring water in small pan to boil and blanch pearl onions for 1 minute.
5. Drain. Slice off base end and remove from outer skin.
6. In skillet, saute mushrooms and onions in 1 TBSP butter until browned and soft.
7. In separate pan, bring braising liquid & garlic to a rapid simmer. Reduce for 10-20 minutes. Add cream, mushrooms, onion, salt & pepper. Simmer 10 minutes over low.

Indian Dosas with Mango Chutney - [Daring Cooks]

Happy September Daring Cooks & Bite Me Kitchen friends!!!!!! The beginning of fall, knit sweaters, jackets and falling leaves, right? Not in Orange County. It's 82', sunny, and beach-cruising weather. Is there ever a bad time for Indian food?! Regardless of the season, my belly craves spicy curry, flaky naan, cool cucumber raita and exotic chutneys.

This months Daring Cooks Challenge got people a little riled up! Not only is the challenge Indian, but it's vegan and gluten-free! For those of you who don't know, the Daring Kitchen has an "alternative" kitchen for people who are vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, or have any other dietary restrictions. Whether from personal choice or health-mandated, there are a wide variety of dietary restrictions that exist in today's kitchens. Learning how to cook vegan and gluten-free is another skill to be added to any chef's arsenal of knowledge.

.ЯR. and I were both surprised by how good this dish came out! I had never used spelt flour before and found it to be easily workable. I did add the mango chutney as this dish provided me with an excellent excuse to make it! I would strongly suggest complimenting the curry sauce with the chutney as we both believe the dish would be slightly bland without it.

The chickpea filling was outstanding! We used it the following night as a side dish (posting soon). We used whole coconuts, drained, grated & toasted as garnish. We've since been keeping a consistent stock of freshly grated & toasted coconut in our pantry and adding it to everything in sight. While I may not make the actual dosa pancakes again, I found the experience enlightening.

A huge thank you to Debyi of http://www.healthyvegankitchen.com/ The Healthy Vegan Kitchen for selecting this month's challenge and exposing us all to the realm of vegan & gluten-free cooking!

THE RECIPE:
Indian Dosas
This recipe comes in 3 parts, the dosas, the filling and the sauce. It does take awhile to make, but the filling and sauce can be made ahead and frozen if need be. You can serve them as a main course with rice and veggies, or as an appetizer. This does take a little planning ahead, so make sure you read the recipe through before starting.

Serves 4

Dosa Pancakes
1 cup (120gm/8oz) spelt flour (or all-purpose, gluten free flour)
½ tsp (2½ gm) salt
½ tsp (2½ gm) baking powder
½ tsp (2½ gm) curry powder
½ cup (125ml/4oz) almond milk (or soy, or rice, etc.)
¾ cup (175ml/6oz) water
cooking spray, if needed
Dosa Filling
1 batch Curried Garbanzo Filling (see below), heated
Dosa Toppings
1 batch Coconut Curry Sauce (see below), heated
¼ cup (125gm) grated coconut
¼ cucumber, sliced
Dosa Pancakes
1.Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, slowly adding the almond milk and water, whisking until smooth.
2.Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray your pan with a thin layer of cooking spray, if needed.
3.Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the center of your pan in a circular motion until it is a thin, round pancake. When bubbles appear on the surface and it no longer looks wet, flip it over and cook for a few seconds. Remove from heat and repeat with remaining batter. Makes 8 pancakes.
Curried Garbanzo Filling
5 cloves garlic
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 green pepper, finely diced (red, yellow or orange are fine too)
2 medium hot banana chilies, minced
2 TBSP (16gm) cumin, ground
1 TBSP (8gm) oregano
1 TBSP (8gm) sea salt (coarse)
1 TBSP (8gm) turmeric
4 cups (850gm/30oz) cooked or canned chick peas (about 2 cans)
½ cup (125gm/4oz) tomato paste
1.Heat a large saucepan over medium to low heat. Add the garlic, veggies, and spices, cooking until soft, stirring occasionally.
2.Mash the chickpeas by hand, or in a food processor. Add the chickpeas and tomato paste to the saucepan, stirring until heated through.
Coconut Curry Sauce
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic
½ (2½ gm) tsp cumin, ground
¾ (3¾ gm) tsp sea salt (coarse)
3 TBSP (30gm) curry powder
3 TBSP (30gm) spelt flour (or all-purpose GF flour)
3 cups (750ml/24oz) vegetable broth
2 cups (500ml/24oz) coconut milk
3 large tomatoes, diced
1.Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes, or until soft.
2.Add the spices, cooking for 1 minutes more. Add the flour and cook for 1 additional minute.
3.Gradually stir in the vegetable broth to prevent lumps. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the coconut milk and tomatoes, stirring occasionally.
4.Let it simmer for half an hour.
Mango & Red Pepper Chutney (click here) - really, really, really good!

Check out the rest of the outstanding dosas at The Daring Kitchen!

Sausage & Spinach Stuffed Acorn Squash

This meal wins. What does it win? My unabashed love and a promise to make loads of this all throughout fall and winter. I have a secret, however, that I must share with you. I didn't actually cook this... .ЯR. did! That's right, not only does he craft insanely, deliciously, intoxicating beverages but the man can cook. Lucky? Why yes I am. My girlfriend Leah returned from her honeymoon and needed a little First-Day-Back-at-Work-in-3-Weeks martini so while we got our girl talk/decompression on, .ЯR. got to work on this epicurean masterpiece.

I like squash, but I've never loved squash. It usually comes across too sticky or sweet to satisfy me for the main course. This recipe completely changed my view of squash. I stepped out of my car and could smell this aroma of food-heaven coming from our front door! I thought to myself, "This is how people must feel when they walk up to my house when I'm cooking!" The chicken sausage keeps the dish healthier and reduces the greasiness that pork sausage might add to the squash. The spinach adds a fresh green flavor to the rich squash and the smoky sausage. A little shredded Gruyere on top ties the entire dish together and really puts it over the top. Not only that, but .ЯR. cooked this meal entirely in the small convection/toaster oven so that the entire house didn't become heated by our big oven.

Few ingredients. Few steps. Little active time. Incredible flavor. Enjoy!

Serves 2 (main dish, eating two halves) or 4 (half squash + salad)
Inspired by Cuisine Tonight 2009

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 acorn squash, halved & seeds scraped out
• 4 chicken sausages, casings removed (used Trader Joes sweet Italian)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
  
• 4 cups loosely packed spinach
• 1/2 cup sage leaves, dried in oven at 250' for 10 minutes
• olive oil
• salt & pepper
• grated gruyere
• 1/2 cup panko
• balsamic vinegar
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Dry sage leaves (as seen above)
   
2. Preheat oven to 425' or convection oven to 400'.
3. Slice squash in half horizontally, scoop out seeds, and cut a thin slice off the bottom to allow each squash to sit flat.
4. Drizzle squash with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt and place flesh side down for 20 minutes. Turn flesh side up and roast another 20-30 minutes until fork tender.
5. Turn heat up to broil setting (or use broiler).
6. Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp oil in skillet and saute sausage over medium. Break it up into chunks and cook until browned about 8-10 minutes. Add sage, onion, garlic and saute another 3 minutes.
7. De-glaze skillet with sherry and simmer until most liquid is evaporated. Add spinach and wilt 2-3 minutes.
   
8. Drain liquid from spinach. Remove from heat.
   
9. Stir in panko.
10. Divide stuffing between squash. Top with gruyere and broil 2-5 minutes until melty & lightly browned.
11. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
    

Mojito Scallops with Mango Cucumber Salsa & Rum-Runner Mashed Sweet Potatoes

You know how you can tell this meal is delicious? We made it last week and made it again last night! Rum and summer evenings go hand in hand; weekday hangovers, not so much. That's why the rum is in the food and not served alongside it. Not that I mind a little mid-week cocktail, no, no, that's not the problem! It's how many cocktails I end up being served by my mixologist boyfriend! Any way you serve this I guarantee you will be delighted. Cool mint, the subtle heat of minced jalapenos, sultry rum, refreshing cucumber, tangy lime, and the uniquely flavored sweet potato mash come together in a medley of flavors that transport you directly to the Caribbean!

As always, use what is seasonally fresh in your area. If you can't find mangoes, use pineapple. If there aren't decent scallops, use shrimp! Be creative and use what's around. I strongly suggest the sweet potato mash with its unusual combination of flavors. Not only are sweet potatoes the most nutritious vegetable but they provide a natural sweetness that perfectly balances the plate!

Serves 4
Inspired by Cuisine Tonight Magazine recipe
INGREDIENTS:
Scallops:

• 1/4 cup light rum
• 1.5 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 20 large sea scallops

Mango Cucumber Salsa:

• 1 whole mango, peeled & diced
• 1/2 cup diced cucumber
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 Tbsp minced jalapeno
• 3 Tbsp chopped mint
• 3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 3 Tbsp light rum
• 1 tsp lime zest

Rum-Runner Potatoes:

• 3-4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & cubed
• 2 Tbsp light rum
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp mint leaves, chopped
• salt & pepper
• a dash of milk, water or broth if necessary

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whisk all ingredients for scallops until combined. Add scallops and marinate 20 minutes in refrigerator.
2. Combine all salsa ingredients and stir to combine.
3. Place cubed potatoes in pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil (covered) and boil until tender when pierced with a fork.
4. Drain potatoes and mash with rum, butter, mint, salt & pepper. Add liquid if necessary. Keep warm.
5. To cook scallops - you can either grill them or do in a pan. Either way, save that marinade!
6. Reduce marinade in small pan over medium-high heat. You want to boil off the alcohol and reduce it into a slightly sticky syrupy sauce.
7. For grill: heat over medium-high and brush grill with olive oil. Grill scallops about 2 minutes per side.
8. For the stove: Heat frying pan over medium-high with oil in the pan (we used orange olive oil). Add scallops and sear each side for 2 minutes.
9. Form mashed potatoes using a round or square cookie cutter and press to form the shape.
10. Top with scallops, reduced marinade and surround with salsa.

Pickled Root Vegetable Salad with Soft-Boiled Egg & Crouton

It is hot in Southern California: The kind of late summer heat that sucks all desire to move completely out of your sweaty pores. As dinnertime approaches, the last thing I want is to flip on the stove or (god forbid) the oven. My palate craves something light and refreshing, crisp and cool. This summery salad is ideal for warm days and brings root vegetables out of the fall/winter closet and into the kitchen full time! Root vegetables are a wonderful source of vitamins and minerals, provide deep, rich color on the plate, and can be prepared many ways besides traditionally roasting. In fact, this salad is mostly raw (minus the egg). The flavors blend naturally, leaving you with a unique and nicely-balanced dish. I prefer crunchier vegetables, so I pickle them about 20 minutes; .ЯR. likes his slightly more pickled and would marinate them for the 30-45 minutes.
On the subject of eggs, let's just pretend the egg in the photograph above is soft-boiled, can we? I'd like that. I learned a very important lesson yesterday: You may be able to twice-bake a potato, but you cannot twice-boil an egg. .ЯR. had hard-boiled a dozen eggs and without thinking I checked the fridge, saw eggs, and thought, "Great! No need to pick up eggs at the store!" Once the salad was ready, I grabbed 2 eggs and tossed them into the pot to boil them for 4 minutes. Imagine our surprise and confusion when upon peeling, we found them cooked all the way through! Soft-boiled?! Not at all! You have probably already guessed that I grabbed previously hard-boiled eggs from the fridge. (Hah! Oops!) So we are going to all imagine that there is a beautifully soft boiled egg up there, okay?? Thanks!
Serves 2
Adapted from Food & Wine

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 red beet, peeled & halved crosswise
• 1 golden beet, peeled & halved crosswise
• 1 turnip, peeled & halved crosswise
• 4 radishes, trimmed & thinly sliced
• 2 ribs celery, peeled & thinly sliced
• 1/2 fennel bulb, halved, cored & thinly sliced
• 3 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• salt & cracked pepper
• 2 eggs, soft boiled (roughly 4 minutes in boiling water)
• 4 slices baguette, toasted

DIRECTIONS:
I hate mandolines, or rather, mandolines hate me. SO, I use a standard vegetable peeler to shave my vegetables.

1. The beets & turnip? Shave 'em. Set everything in separate piles or bowls.
2. Whisk balsamic vinegar & olive oil and drizzle over each pile of veggies. Toss to coat each separate pile.
3. Soft boil egg, halve.
4. Toast baguette slices.
5. Arrange salad on plates, top with crouton and eggs!

A Return to the Marketplace

Check it out!

I wrote an article for The Daring Kitchen's FoodTalk section!

http://thedaringkitchen.com/food-talk/return-marketplace

Poached Egg Crostini with Spinach & Bacon

This is one of my favorite breakfasts of all time. Garlicky french bread, soft wilted spinach, crunchy, salty bacon and a tender perfectly poached farm fresh egg all topped with a few shavings of Parmesan and fresh cracked salt & pepper. Sometimes simplicity is the most beautiful ingredient.

Enjoy your day!

Serves 2
Adapted from Bon Appétit | October 2006

INGREDIENTS:

• French Roll or baguette
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup packed fresh spinach leaves
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 pcs thick, center cut bacon
• 2 eggs
• salt & pepper - freshly cracked
• Parmesan, shaved with a peeler

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven (I used a convection toaster oven to keep the heat in the house at a minimum) to 425'. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil and lay bacon out.
2. Bake the bacon for 5-10 minutes, flipping over as it begins to brown.
3. Remove once crispy & drain on paper towels.
4. In small glass bowl, mix olive oil, garlic, red pepper & thyme. Microwave on high for 30 seconds to release fragrances.
5. Wilt spinach with shallot in pan, squeeze excess water out and set aside.
6. Slice baguette or roll into individual portions (slightly larger than a poached egg). Carefully slice the very top crust off the bread and hollow out halfway.
7. Brush baguette with olive oil mixture and bake until golden and crispy about 3-5 minutes at 400'.
8. Meanwhile, boil water in a saucepan. When at a roiling boil, crack eggs individually into the water. Wait 4 minutes, check the egg by lifting it out of water with a slotted spoon and use your finger to test yolk density per your liking.
9. Fill bread hollows with spinach, a few broken up strips of bacon, top with poached egg, Parmesan, salt & pepper!

The Holt-McNatt Wedding!

Earlier this year, a bunch of girls met at Quinn's for oysters & martinis to celebrate the engagement of one of our best girlfriends, Leah. Leah is wonderful, easy-going, hilarious, intelligent, and one of my very best friends. I knew that despite my aversion to weddings (and most organized social functions), her wedding would be something that I would both participate in and attend. She asked if some of us would do the hors d'oeuvres for the wedding and I naturally stepped forward.

Leah's Getting Married!

The wedding was set way, way, waaaaay out in the Eastern Sierras between Mammoth & Bridgeport, a solid hour up a washboard dirt road, past Green Creek Campgrounds, in a lush, verdant meadow set behind a family member's cabin. While the perfect place for a wedding, the setting posed a few problems for catering. There were limited facilities at the wedding site, and no extra refrigeration or cooking space available. Fortunately, my sister & her boyfriend have a beautiful home in June Lake that I used as my Base of Operations. .ЯR. enjoys cooking as much as I do and was going to help, but due to a last-minute issue he had to stay behind and work the weekend. My sister (Anna) & Brad (her boyfriend) proved to be a huge help: she did most of my prepwork and he cleaned up the mess that I made. With their assistance, I was able to focus on cooking and being on-time to the wedding!


This was the biggest thing I've ever done. It may have been only hors d'oeuvres, but there were over 50 guests and the setting added challenges. I had to make the food, pack it safely in my car, drive an hour to the dirt road, an hour up the dirt road, attend the wedding, race down to the cabin/reception area and set everything up as fast as I could (under 10 minutes) before everyone arrived for champagne and hors d'oeuvres! Talk about a time crunch.



To my continued amazement, everything went smoothly! All the food came out as planned, I had no emergencies, people enjoyed the food, the wedding was incredible, and we all had a great time! Unfortunately, I had to leave immediately after the wedding to begin the long drive home so that Anna and Brad could be at work on Monday. In my rush, I completely forgot to take any photographs of the food!

Please see below for the recipes & once again, congratulations Leah & Shaun (I love you both!), thank you to Anna & Brad, thank you to everyone at the wedding who helped and thank you to .ЯR. for helping me plan my catering attack :)

Pear + Blue Cheese Tartlets (makes 24)
Ingredients:

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 2 oz crumbled blue cheese
• 1/2 firm pear, chopped into small pieces
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• sliced almonds or crumbled walnuts (toasted)
• 24 space mini-muffin tin

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375'
2. Using a round cutter a little larger than the muffin tins, cut 24 rounds out of the puff pastry sheets.
3. Press them firmly into the muffin tins.
4. Prick all over with fork.
5. Bake puff pastry until lightly golden, removing from oven & pressing them back down (they will puff up) as needed, total baking time around 5-10 minutes.
6. Fill each pastry with crumbled blue cheese, pear, and a few drops of cream.
7. Bake until bubbling and golden, about 5 more minutes.
8. Top with nuts if desired, allow to cool in muffin tin, then run a knife around the edge and pop each tartlet out onto serving platter.

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Caramelized Onion & Olive Croustades (Makes 24)
adapted from here
Ingredients:

• 1 Sheet Frozen Puff pastry, thawed
• 2 onions, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 3 Tbsp Olive oil + 1 tbsp butter
• Salt & pepper
• handful of Kalamata Olives, pitted & sliced
• Finely grated Parmesan

Directions:

1. Heat oil & butter in pot over medium-high.
2. Add garlic, onions and thyme. Saute until golden and caramelized 15-20 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, season with salt & pepper. Blot any excess oil with paper towel.
4. Heat oven to 425'.
5. Cut out rounds of Puff pastry (1.5" works well)
6. Place parchment paper on baking sheet. Arrange rounds of puff pastry.
7. Top each pastry round with onions, olives and cheese.
8. Bake 10-15 minutes or until golden & puffed.

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Balsamic Fig Compote & Goat Cheese Crostini
adapted from here
Makes 50

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped, stemmed, dried figs
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp capers, drained & chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp minced thyme
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
• Goat Cheese (5oz log or more)
• Baguettes, sliced & toasted

Directions:

1. Combine figs & water in saucepan over medium heat, cook until liquid evaporates about 8 minutes.
2. Transfer to bowl, mix in olives, oil, vinegar, capers, thyme & walnuts.
3. Spread goat cheese on each baguette.
4. Top with fig compote.

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Mushroom, Bacon & Feta Bites

I usually make these as stuffed mushrooms like this but given the transportation time, I figured the mushrooms would end up shriveled and unpalatable. I combined all the ingredients and filled easy to make toast cups!

Makes @ 48

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf white bread
• 4 oz feta, crumbled
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 2-4 slices bacon (I had two HUGE slices)
• 6 oz frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed of excess liquid
• 12 mushrooms finely chopped
• 1/3 red onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425', place bacon on foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until crisp 10-15 minutes, pat dry & chop finely.
2. Using a cutter slightly larger than the mini muffin tins, cut rounds out of each slice of bread until you have 48. (No crusts!)
3. Reduce the oven to 350', spray the mini-muffin tins with cooking spray and press the toast rounds into the cups.
4. Bake until slightly golden about 3-4 minutes
5. Saute onion, garlic & mushrooms until tender, about 5-8 minutes.
6. Cool slightly and place in bowl.
7. Stir in spinach, feta, cream cheese & bacon.
8. Spoon generous amount of mixture into each toast cup.
9. Bake until warm & bubbly another 3-4 minutes, be careful cups don't burn!

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Caprese Salad Spears
Makes @ 40

Ingredients:

• 40 cherry or grape tomatoes
• 40 mozzarella balls packed in water (the smaller the better)
• Basil leaves, torn into smallish pieces
• 40 toothpicks
• balsamic vinegar & olive oil, optional for drizzling

Ingredients:

1. Place the following items on each toothpick - tomato, basil & mozzarella.
2. Arrange on plate.
3. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar & oil if desired.

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Prosciutto Wrapped Melon with Mint
Makes @ 30

Ingredients:

• 1 melon (honeydew, tuscan or canteloupe)
• mint leaves
• prosciutto, 15 thin slices, halved
• 30 toothpicks
• lime juice

Directions:

1. Halve melon & scoop out seeds.
2. Using a melon baller (makes life waaay easier), scoop out balls of melon.
3. Toss melon with fresh lime juice.
4. Bundle a little prosciutto (I found this to be easier than 'wrapping') and top with one small mint leaf.
5. Spear with toothpick, set on tray.

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