30 by 30: Sweet Cherry Pie July 11, 2010
Posted by elly in 30 by 30, sweets/desserts.20 comments
It’s no surprise that the first thing I chose to make from my 30 by 30 list was cherry pie. It’s one of my all-time favorite desserts (and is, without a doubt, my favorite type of pie). In fact, Tom and his siblings all have their own birthday cakes that my mother-in-law still makes for them, and my requested birthday “cake” is actually a cherry pie. :) Cherries being in season and at a good price certainly helped make my decision much easier, too.
Now, I have professed my love for canned cherry pie filling and while I have no qualms about eating it in a pie, I wanted to make the filling from scratch. I’d been eyeing the Cook’s Illustrated recipe for a few weeks, and decided to give it a whirl. The pie uses 2 plums in the mix, which I thought was a bit odd, but I just went with it since the folks at Cook’s tend to know what they’re doing and plums are my favorite fruit, anyway.
This pie turned out really great. I loved the filling even more the second and third day (of course, I love the crust better the first day – always a dilemma with pie making!). I’m so glad to have a good recipe for my favorite pie in my repertoire now.
I used my favorite pie crust for this recipe—aka, the only one I’ve made from scratch. If an inexperienced baker like myself can pull this pie crust off the very first time (and every time after that), there is no reason to change. Plus it’s buttery and delicious, of course.
By the way, if you’re looking for something to do with all those cherry pits you so diligently removed, this is what I did.
Sweet Cherry Pie
Filling from Cook’s Illustrated
Your favorite double-crusted pie dough
2 red plums, halved and pitted
6 cups sweet cherries, pitted and halved (or 6 cups frozen cherries)
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. instant tapioca, ground
pinch of ground cinnamon (optional, I used it)
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 1/4″ pieces
1 large egg beaten with 1 tsp. water (I just used a yolk that I had leftover from breakfast)
Process the plums and 1 cup of the cherries in a food processor until smooth, about 1 minute. Push the puree through a mesh strainer and get as much of the liquid as possible. Discard the solids. Stir in the remaining cherries, sugar, salt, lemon juice, tapioca, and cinnamon (if using) and mix to combine. Set aside for 15 minutes.
Line a 9″ pie pan with a round of dough. Fill with the cherry mixture. Scatter the pieces of butter over the fruit. Then, top with the second round of pie dough. Flute the edges using your thumb and forefinger or a fork to seal. Brush the top with the egg wash. With a sharp knife, cut eight 1″ vents into the top of the pie crust. Freeze the pie for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 and place a cookie sheet on the middle rack. Once the pie comes out of the freezer, place on the preheated sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and continue to bake until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly, another 30-45 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack to let cool, and allow to set for 2-3 hours before serving.
Pan-Roasted Garlic and Lemon Chicken July 3, 2010
Posted by elly in chicken/poultry.12 comments
Breaded, pan-fried chicken is always a sure bet when you’re looking for a quick meal that’s tasty and easy to prepare. It’s always nice to punch it up a little, though, in a way that will yield more flavor but without too much more effort.
This chicken does just that. It has a nice tang from the lemon and great flavor from the romano and rosemary. Plus, it gets double the garlic flavor by pan-roasting garlic cloves. Once cooked, the garlic goes into the dipping mixture and then the garlic-infused oil is used to cook the chicken. The garlic flavor isn’t too pungent, though, because pan-roasting it makes it much more sweet and mellow.
This dish is juicy and flavorful, and really easy to make. It’s a great weeknight meal, especially since the garlic is pan-roasted rather than oven-roasted, which takes far less time. We had this with some braised lentils with vegetables, but the side dish possibilities are endless. This would be great on top of a crisp salad with a lemon vinaigrette, especially in the summer!
Pan-Roasted Garlic and Lemon Chicken
Serves 2
Printer Friendly Recipe
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 fat cloves garlic, peeled and slightly smashed
1 lemon, halved
1 egg
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp. romano or parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. chopped rosemary
2 chicken breast halves, pounded to about 1/3 – 1/2″ thickness
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and soft, about 7 minutes. Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon, and keep the oil in the pan.
Zest half the lemon into a dish or bowl, and to it add the breadcrumbs, cheese, rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste.
Crush the browned garlic cloves and whisk in a separate shallow bowl/dish along with the egg and juice from half the lemon.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture, and then dredge into the breadcrumb mixture.
Heat the garlic oil over medium heat and once hot, add the chicken. Cook until done, about 2.5 minutes per side. Serve with slices or wedges of the remaining half lemon.
Chicken Shawarma June 29, 2010
Posted by elly in chicken/poultry, healthy, lebanese.12 comments
I’ve been making chicken shawarma for years but the recipe that originally appeared in my blog was not a recipe at all. It was “a pinch of this” and “a little of this,” which is all well and good for me, but probably not all that helpful to most readers. I’ve since revamped the ingredient list a bit, too, and wanted to highlight it since it’s really one of my favorite things.
I prefer making this with chicken thighs because they taste richer and are much juicier. But, you cam certainly use chicken breasts, which will also be delicious. Whenever there is yogurt in a marinade, it’s a pretty good sign that the meat will be very tender, and with all these delicious spices, it’ll taste great on any cut of meat!
I usually make this with tahini-yogurt sauce and serve it in pitas, but this time we had it with some fattoush salad and grilled pitas with hummus.
Chicken Shawarma
Serves 4
Printer Friendly Recipe
1.25 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup plain yogurt (preferably Greek or strained)
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cardamom
1/4 tsp. all spice
1/2 tsp. sumac
1 lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Whisk together the yogurt, garlic, spices, lemon juice, oil, vinegar and salt and pepper. Toss the mixture with the chicken thighs and marinate at least one hour or overnight.
Grill or broil the chicken thighs until done, about 5 minutes per side.
30 By 30 June 25, 2010
Posted by elly in 30 by 30.27 comments
Today’s my birthday, and I turned the big 2-9., which means that next year comes the big 3-0.
I decided to make a list of 30 things I’d like to tackle in the kitchen before I hit the ripe old age of 30. I totally ripped this idea off Kelsey; I just chose to complete it prior to hitting 30, rather than the year I turned 30.
Many of these are things I’ve been wanting to make for ages, but just haven’t gotten to. Not all of these ideas are challenging. In fact, many really aren’t. Sure, some I consider to be a bit complex or time consuming, which may be why I haven’t tackled them yet (here’s lookin’ at you, cassoulet). Some of them are things I enjoy and are easy to make, but I’ve never made them myself (croque monsieur). Others I’ve made, but either never perfected or never blogged (scalloped potatoes, quiche). Of course there’s the bread/dough recipes, which I vow to make more of every new year (and never do).
And nearly all of them are fattening.
Wish me luck! And if you have a favorite recipe for anything on this list, please share! As I make the items on the list, I will link them to my post.
30 by 30
- Bagels
- Focaccia
- Pizza dough
- Pâte à choux
- Onion jam
- Ceviche
- Queso Fundido
- Pozole
- Gumbo
- Albondigas
- Fried chicken
- Beef Wellington
- Fettucini Alfredo
- Osso Buco
- Cassoulet
- Something with beurre blanc
- Scalloped potatoes
- Spaetzle
- Gnocchi
- Croque Monsieur
- Quiche
- Iced/frosted sugar cookies
- Amygdalota (Greek almond cookies)
- Tres leches cake
- Cassata cake
- Pantespani (Greek sponge cake)
- Key lime pie
- Double-crusted pie
- Sticky toffee pudding
- Kok (Greek pastry with creme filling and ganache)
Vanilla Ice Cream June 23, 2010
Posted by elly in sweets/desserts.14 comments
To be honest, I’ve never been the biggest vanilla ice cream fan. I mean, of course I like it because it is ice cream, after all, and what ice cream isn’t good? But, it’s always been more of a vehicle for other flavors to me. You know – caramel sauce, Oreo cookies, berries. Or, of course, the base of one of the greatest inventions ever, the Blizzard.
When my now-husband and I started living together (yes, in sin), he loved having vanilla bean ice cream around. My husband has never really been the most discerning foodie, but when it comes to ice cream he knows his stuff – always going for the all-natural kind, made with vanilla beans over solely extract (or imitation extract. *shudder*). Slowly, I started to change my tune regarding vanilla ice cream.
When I wanted to make my first batch of homemade vanilla ice cream, I of course turned to David Lebovitz. Like always, he didn’t disappoint. This ice cream is really delicious and oh-so-vanilla-y. The custard base is fabulous and rich, and will knock the socks off your grocer’s ice cream, natural vanilla bean or not!
Vanilla Ice Cream
Makes about 1 quart
The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
6 large egg yolks
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
Warm the milk, sugar, 1 cup of cream and salt in a medium saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the warmed milk, and then add the bean itself. Cover the pan, remove from the heat, and let steep for 30 minutes.
Pour the remaining 1 cup cream into a large bowl, and set a mesh strainer over the top. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Slowly add the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, and then scrape back into the saucepan.
Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula (don’t boil!). Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Add the vanilla bean to the custard, stir in the vanilla extract, and then stir until cool over an ice bath.
Chill the mixture in your refrigerator. When ready to churn, remove the vanilla bean and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Hummus June 20, 2010
Posted by elly in appetizers, beans and legumes, healthy, lebanese.18 comments
Welcome to another installment of “Things Elly Didn’t Used to Like but Kept Trying Until She Did.”
Chapter 6: Hummus.
Don’t get me wrong – I never hated it, or anything of the sort. I was just never that crazy about it. Despite my affinity for beans (another food I didn’t enjoy until later in life), I’ve never really taken to the garbanzo. I can’t tell you how much I wish I loved hummus. Who doesn’t love it? No one I associate with, that’s for sure. I grew up in an area with a very large Arabic population, and I’m surprised our school lunches didn’t come with a side of hummus. It’s incredibly healthy, especially when you are pairing it with something like vegetables. And it’s always the appetizer people want, so I go along with it, but wish we’d ordered something else. I try a little bit and am usually pretty underwhelmed.
After trying hummus over and over again I realized I liked it most when it had a decent amount of sesame and garlic flavor to it (which makes sense, since I’m just lukewarm on the garbanzo). It’s not that this doesn’t taste like chick peas – of course it does – but I just think the sesame flavor comes through maybe a tad more than your standard hummus. I do use a Middle Eastern brand of tahini, which seems a tad stronger than the kind in the regular grocery store, but it just may be a coincidence.
We ate this with chicken shawarma and also on its own with some pita I lightly oiled and stuck under the broiler.
I’m happy to take hummus off my Do Not Like list. :)
Hummus
1 can chick peas/garbanzo beans, drained with liquid reserved
2 fat cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup tahini
2 Tbsp. good quality extra virgin olive oil and additional for finishing
1 lemon, juiced
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
paprika, for finishing (optional)
Add the chick peas, garlic, tahini, olive oil, and lemon juice into a food processor. Pulse until combined, and then stream in some of the reserved chick pea liquid until smooth (about 3 Tbsp.). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with an additional drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle of paprika.
Chicken and Mushroom Ragù June 14, 2010
Posted by elly in chicken/poultry, healthy, italian, pasta.11 comments
I know, I know…when you think of summertime, odds are you don’t exactly think of warm, comforting dishes like ragù. But personally, I could eat hearty comfort foods year round. I’d eat soup every day and never get sick of it – as long as I’m indoors and air conditioned, that is. :)
I’ve had this saved from Erin’s blog for quite some time, and I’m so glad I finally got around to making it. As you can probably tell, I didn’t use pappardelle. Neither the grocery store nor the specialty/ethnic store had any. Same goes with arugula (I used spinach instead). What gives? I don’t tpically have problems finding either of those ingredients. At any rate, this is such a delicious pasta dish. The balsamic vinegar adds just a touch of sweetness without overpowering the dish at all, and all the flavor of the rosemary is subtle and makes this even more earthy. Of course, you know how much I adore the chicken thigh. I really wish more people did, too. Embrace the chicken thigh, all you white meat people! It’s so tender and much more flavorful, especially in dishes like this.
I’ll definitely be making this again – it’s so easy and delicious!
Pappardelle with Chicken and Mushroom Ragù
Serves 4
Adapted from Gourmet
8 oz. cremini mushrooms
3 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1.25 lbs. boneless/skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 small onion, chopped
3/4 tsp. chopped rosemary
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 (28 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes
1/2 lb. pappardelle or fettucini
5 oz. baby arugula or spinach
Finely chop the mushrooms and mince the garlic, or put together into a food processor and pulse until combined.
Heat the oil in a saute pan/skillet over medium-high heat until shimmery. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to the hot oil. Cook until just golden, about 3 minutes, and remove from pan with a slotted spoon.
Reduce heat to medium and cook the onion, about 3 minutes.
Add mushroom and garlic mixture, rosemary, and salt and pepper. Stir constantly until beginning to brown, about 4 minutes.
Add vinegar and cook until evaporated. Add chicken and tomatoes (with juice) and simmer, breaking up tomatoes with a spoon and stirring occasionally, until thick – about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente.
Add arugula to the sauce and stir until just wilted. Add the drained pasta and cook for 1 minute.
Spiced Roast Chicken Thighs June 8, 2010
Posted by elly in chicken/poultry.10 comments
I first spotted this recipe on Bakin’ and Eggs and it sounded right up our alley. We love roast chicken & we love the spices used in this dish, too. And I particularly love easy recipes these days. Plus, with a ringing endorsement from Ruth Reichl (who claims it’s one of her favorite weeknight meals), how could I not want to try this?
This is one of those meals that packs maximum flavor in minimal prep/ingredients. It smells delicious as it’s roasting away and, more importantly, it tastes as good as it smells. I used chicken thighs instead of breasts (personal preference as well as what I had in my freezer) and doubled the spice mixture (except the salt). Depending on your taste preferences, you may not need all the spices doing it this way, but it is much less difficult than trying to 1.5x the mix. :) I served this with some mushroom bulgur pilaf and a salad.
Spice Roasted Chicken Thighs
Serves 2
Adapted from Gourmet
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. canola oil, divided
3 Tbsp. chicken broth (or water)
Preheat the oven to 450. Pat the chicken dry. Mix together the spices and 1/2 Tbsp. canola oil. Rub all over the chicken.
Heat the remaining oil in a heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Brown chicken on both sides, about 5 minutes.
Transfer skillet to oven and continue to cook, skin-side up, until done, about 12-18 minutes.
Remove chicken and place skillet on stovetop over high heat. Deglaze pan with broth, scraping up browned bits, and pour juices over chicken.
Baked Poblano-Tomatillo Brown Rice June 4, 2010
Posted by elly in healthy, mexican/tex-mex, rice and grains.8 comments
Tom did some grilling recently (from Rick Bayless’s cookbook – shocking, I know!) and for one of those meals, I made the arbol chile salsa as an accompaniment to some pork tenderloin. I ended up having extra tomatillos and wasn’t sure how to use them, but eventually settled on rice. Originally, I was going to do something similar to a Spanish rice with chunks of tomatillos, but decided to sear and puree them, much like the salsa calls for, and use that puree as part of the cooking liquid.
I adore poblanos in general, but I really love them with tomatillos. Tomatillos are sweet and sort of tart, and I like how the earthy and just a teeny bit spicy poblano balances those flavors. Add that and some of your standard pilaf ingredients like garlic, onions, and chicken broth, and you’ve got a Mexican twist on your boring brown rice side. This is really tasty and healthy, too!
I took a picture of the brown rice in the baking dish but it didn’t look very appetizing, so the one on the plate will have to do. :)
Baked Poblano and Tomatillo Brown Rice
1 poblano pepper
1/2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 lb. tomatillos, husked and cut in half
chicken broth
1 cup brown rice
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 350. Place the rice in a 1.5 qt. baking dish and set aside.
Directly over a gas burner or under your broiler, char the poblano. Cook, rotating, until all sides are blackened/blistered. Put in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Once cool enough to handle, peel the skin off and discard. Coarsely chop the poblano and throw into the food processor.
In a heavy skillet (preferably cast iron and something with higher sides) over medium heat, add the oil until shimmering, and then cook the onion until tender. Spoon the onions into the food processor, and then wipe out the skillet (no need to wash it).
Set the skillet over medium-high heat and add the tomatillos, cut side down, and garlic. When the tomatillos are well-browned, about 3-4 minutes, flip everything and brown on the other side. Add to the food processor, and pulse until everything is combined and as smooth as possible. Add enough chicken broth to equal 2.25 cups of liquid, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pulse a few more times to combine.
Pour the liquid back into your pan and bring to a boil. Pour into the baking dish over the rice. Cover with a tight-fitting lid or aluminum foil and bake for one hour. Fluff with a fork before serving.
Marsala Burgers May 31, 2010
Posted by elly in beef, sandwiches.13 comments
Did you know that May is National Hamburger Month? Well, to be honest, neither did I. I made these burgers not because of the food holiday, but because they looked fabulous, and I finally had a bottle of marsala in the kitchen. Whatever the reason for making them, I’m glad I did! Tom and I love chicken marsala, and we both always get mushrooms on our burgers. In fact, I don’t really think a pizza is a pizza and a burger is a burger without mushrooms.
Tara is the one who thought to adapt Giada’s veal marsala into these burgers. I love adapting certain dishes to making other ones entirely – kind of like I did with the baklava French toast (um, disregard the pic) and French onion chicken, for example. The crusty baguette was a great touch, and instead of sharp cheddar I used smoked gouda. It’s one of my favorite cheeses and I knew it would complement the mushrooms and marsala well (it did). I used lean ground sirloin because I like the flavor and also because the patties go back into the sauce briefly, which makes them really moist, so there’s no need to worry about the lower fat content (in my opinion). These were great, and I’d definitely make them again. They’re a great spin on my standard mushroom burger.
Marsala Burgers
Serves 4
Adapted from Smells Like Home
1.25 lbs. ground sirloin or beef
1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
a little olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1 shallot, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
6 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup marsala
1/2 cup beef broth
4 slices smoked gouda
French baguette or crusty rolls, for serving
Lightly mix together the ground sirloin and Worcestershire. Form the mixture into four patties (if you are using baguette, you’ll want to make the patties oblong). Season on both sides with sea salt and fresh pepper.
Heat a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. Add a little olive oil and when it shimmers, add the burgers. Cook the burgers until they are just undercooked to your liking (so if you like your burgers medium, cook until medium rare). Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the butter to the pan, and then add the shallot, garlic, and mushrooms. Saute until tender and the mushrooms have lost all their juices. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the marsala. Scrape up any browned bits from the pan and reduce the liquid by half. Add the broth and reduce again by half. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the burgers back into the pan and continue cooking another minute or so. Top with the cheese and melt (cover with a lid if you have one to make this easier). Serve the burgers on the baguette/rolls and top with the mushroom mixture.
