Hot Summer Days

The best thing about summer is the heat.  Scorching blue skies that beg for generous helpings of cool, refreshing ice cream, gelato, frozen yogurt, and sorbet.  While I know people who believe ice cream is a necessity all year round, I think that it would not be a stretch to suggest that it makes its strongest argument for existence during the hot summer months.  

I recently suffered my first sunburn of the season, and subsequently have been tirelessly searching for a ice cream recipe to make.  The search for the perfect recipe was as exciting as it was terrifying.  Salted butter caramel ice cream sounded equally delicious as it did deadly.  Overtly healthy recipes were also a nonstarter - ice cream is supposed to be a treat.  I was surprised to find a recipe in the ice cream section of Gourmet Today, for cherry gelato that called for a relatively small amount heart-stopping fats (it uses whole milk instead of 2 cups of cream, plus lots rich egg yolks that every other recipe seems to rely on).  Gourmet recipes by and large utilize butter and cream with delicious, if somewhat reckless abandon, so I trust that when one of their recipes uses lighter ingredients it is not due to a fear of fat. 

Plus cherries are so delicious.  Now that I think about it - aren't the juicy-ripe fruits the best thing about summer?  

Luckily, this recipe combines the two best things about summer, fruit and ice-y treats.  The result is sweet and satisfying, with the added bonus that it will not seriously compromise your health, and subsequently your enjoyment of the beautiful weather.  What more can you ask for?  Actually, I have one tiny little suggestion: chocolate.  I think that the addition of a little chocolate (some chips or sauce) would be very good.  

Cherry Gelato

From Gourmet Today

1/2 vanilla bean*

3 1/2 cups whole milk

pinch of salt (1/8 tsp)

1/2 cup turbinado sugar, such as sugar in the raw

2 Tbsp cornstarch 

1/2 lb (1 1/2 cups) fresh bing cherries (pitted)

2 Tbsp turbinado sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1 tsp almond extract

Special equipment: Ice cream maker (remember to chill beforehand it if necessary)

Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a small heavy saucepan.  Add the milk and salt and bring just to a boil; remove from heat.

Whisk together the sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl, add 1/2 cup hot milk mixture to sugar mixture, whisking until smooth, and whisk into the remaining milk mixture in the saucepan.  Bring to a simmer, whisking, and simmer, whisking, for three minutes.

Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl.  Refrigerate, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cool, about 1 hour, then cover and refrigerate until very cold, 3-6 hours.

Meanwhile, pulse the cherries with sugar and extracts in a food processor until finely chopped.  Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for 1 hour. 

Once everything is thoroughly chilled, stir the cherries, with their juices into the gelato base.  Freeze in ice cream maker.  Transfer gelato to an airtight container and put in the freezer to harden for at least 2 hours.

*I spent my discretionary funds buying almond extract, so I cheaped out on the vanilla bean and just doubled the amount of vanilla extract.  

Artichoke Opportunity

I have been eyeing an artichoke recipe in the Zuni Cafe cookbook for quite a while.  Recently, however, I found myself turning to the picture first, and then the recipe, very frequently.  Maybe a little obsessively.  I was just waiting for the right time to make it.  

That time was yesterday.  Let's just say I pounced on the opportunity.  Unfortunately, it was good enough that I am sure I will soon be back where I started: scheming for a chance to make it again.  

This recipe is really wonderful.  The artichokes are rich and meaty, the onions are silky and sweet, and the lemon imbues everything with it's bright flavor and fragrance.  

As a side I would suggest that 1/2 of a meaty artichoke is plenty for each guest.  I used three for 6 people and it worked well.  From start to finish the recipe took about 3 hours.

Baked Artichokes

with Onions, Lemons, Black Olives & Rosemary* 

2 lbs sweet yellow onions (sliced thinly)

3/4 - 1 cup olive oil

salt

4 garlic cloves (slivered)

1/3 cup nicoise or gaeta olives (rinsed)

12 mint leaves or 1 sprig of fresh rosemary (coarsely chopped)

1/2 lemon (cut lengthwise)

6 Tbsp dry white wine

4 bright green, tightly closed artichokes with big blooms, meaty bottoms and thick stems

A little water, as needed

Parchment paper & aluminum foil

Preheat the oven to 375

Toss the sliced onions with 1/2 cup olive oil & 1 1/2 tsp salt.  Add the garlic, olives and rosemary or mint.  Go ahead and put this mixture into the large, flameproof baking dish you will be using.  

Trim off the pithy end of the lemon and slice it as thinly as possible into half moons, removing the seeds as you go.  Toss the lemon slices with the onion mixture, add the wine, and set aside.

Trim the bottom of the stem of each artichoke and carefully peel the stalk (remove the tough outer skin).  Remove the damaged, dry, and tough outer leaves.  Trim the thorns (tops of the leaves).  Cut the artichokes in half, then use a spoon (a grapefruit spoon worked really well here), to remove the choke, leaving the meaty bottom intact.  Rinse in cold water (don't drain well, the water between the leaves will help cook the artichoke evenly).  

Sprinkle the artichokes with salt, try to get a little between the leaves as well.  Drizzle them with olive oil to coat the outsides, and also try to get some oil between the leaves.  

Nestle the artichokes cut side down in the bed of onions.  You may have to add some water if the liquid from the onions is not sufficient - it should be about 1/2 inch deep.  

Heat gently over a low flame until the liquid is bubbling, then cover tightly, first with parchment paper, then with foil (dull side out).  Bake until the base is tender, about 1 1/2 hours depending on the size of the artichokes.  

Once a test leaf is tender, remove the foil and paper, and raise oven temperature to 400.  Bake for another 15 minutes.  Serve hot, warm or cold.  They should be good (better even) the next day.  They can be reheated, loosely covered, at 300.

*the recipe calls for Mint, but suggested that the substitution of rosemary is also good (it was).

Elevenses & Foursies

My mother's Great-Aunt Eugenia was, I am told, quite a character.  The lucky relatives who visited her throughout her life have vivid memories of the meals that she served them.  She apparently loved her rituals, and was very fond of tea time.  She regularly held elevenses and foursies (tea-time held at eleven and four) at which tea and cookies were served.  My grandmother still makes a cookie recipe passed down from her aunt Eugenia, which are a perfectly delicate and ladylike snack.  I was more than happy to oblige my mother, who has been wanting to try (the results of) this recipe for quite some time.  The sugar and butter form a fancy lacy sort of crispy caramel structure, and presence of oatmeal keeps them grounded and homey.  

Aunt Eugenia's Lacy Oatmeal Cookies

Makes about 60 cookies

1 egg (beaten)

1 cup sugar

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (melted)

Parchment paper

Pre-heat the oven to 350 (I like to cut up the stick of butter, put it in a pie tin and stick it in the oven to melt at this point).  

Mix the egg, sugar, oatmeal, salt and vanilla together.  Mix the flour and baking powder together and then mix with the melted butter.  Now mix the butter mixture in with the oatmeal mixture and stir until combined.

Line a cookie sheet (or two) with parchment paper.*

Put 1/2 tsp of the mixture on the parchment lined sheets, leaving plenty of space between each cookie (they spread).  

Bake for 6 minutes and check on them.  (I cooked them for 6 minutes, turned them, and cooked them for 1 more minute to get them evenly golden).  

Cool the cookies, sliding the parchment paper off of the cookie sheets, and then peel the cookies off and place them on waxed paper on a cookie rack to cool further.  Store them in a cool place in a sealed container, using sheets of waxed paper to separate the layers.  

*I tried various different butter/parchment paper scenarios.  Just butter and no parchment paper did not work.  Parchment paper worked really well, just let them cool for a few minutes on the parchment paper (but off of the hot pan), and peel them off.  Buttered parchment paper worked well also - the cookies came off equally well after cooling.  They seemed to spread thinner and were a little "lacier," but they were also a little more oddly shaped.  The verdict: definitely use parchment paper, buttering it is optional.

Kitchenless

For the time being I do not have my own kitchen.  To be honest, my old kitchen left much to be desired (the paint was peeling off the cabinets, it had no dishwasher for the mountains of dishes I constantly make, and worst of all the occasional cockroach paid an unwelcome visit).  But it had one really great thing going for it: it was mine.  

Cooking in other people's houses is always surprising.  My pantry staples are not my grandma's, my boyfriend's, my brother's, or my parent's.  I hoard yeast.  My mom stocks ice cream.   It always takes a little while to adjust, but there are always some exciting new tools and ingredients to discover.  

My first cooking project was making a batch of my favorite breakfast granola.  I feel a little more grounded now that I know it's waiting for me in the morning, just how I like it.  Recipes can travel, routines re-formed, and eventually, kitchens can be reassembled.  

Breakfast Granola

About the recipe: this was originally a recipe for granola bars from Ina Garten that smitten kitchen adapted (by removing the butter and sugar, if I remember correctly), which I then adapted a little further and made into granola.

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

1 cup sliced almonds (chopped are good too)

1 cup shredded coconut (preferably unsweetened)

1/2 cup toasted wheat germ

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4-  1/2 tsp kosher salt (to taste)

1 1/2 cup dried fruit (I like chopped apricots and cherries)

Pre-heat the oven to 350.  Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.

Mix together the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut, and wheat germ and spread on a baking sheet.  Bake the mixture for 10 -15 minutes, or until lightly browned stirring occasionally.

While the oatmeal mixture is toasting, in a large bowl mix together the honey, syrup, vanilla, salt and fruit.  

When the mixture is golden, remove it from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 300. 

Stir the still-warm dry ingredients in with the sticky mixture, and mix well until everything is evenly coated.  Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, and place another piece of parchment paper on the top to cover and press down on it with your hands, or a flat object, like the back of a spatula, to get the mixture as uniform and compact as possible.  Remove the top layer of parchment paper.

Bake for 25-30 minutes (sometimes it takes a little longer), until light golden brown.  Let it cool for 2 hours.  At this point you could cut it into squares to make granola bars, or, as I prefer, you could break it into pieces with your hands and put it back in the oven at 300 for another 15 or so minutes, until crisp (but not burnt).

I love to eat this with plain unsweetened yogurt.  It is sweet and a little salty and it is perfect with tangy-ness of the yogurt.

I Still Don't Like Eggs

I don't like eggs, I never have, and I still don't.  Despite my personal, and deeply rooted egg related issues, I liked this frittata.  It's simple and very tasty.    The leeks are mild and sweet and the goat cheese is tangy and salty and the fluffy eggs just bind everything together.  I highly recommend it for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner.  

Leek and Goat Cheese Frittata

Adapted from Rachel Eats

4 Leeks, white parts only, washed thoroughly and cut into thinly sliced half moons

6 Eggs

Splash of Milk (optional)

Olive oil (or butter)

Goat Cheese

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Saute the sliced leeks in a little bit of olive oil with a little bit of salt and pepper until they have cooked down and are tender.  Set aside and let cool.  Crack the eggs into a bowl, whisk them together with a little bit of milk, salt and pepper.  Stir the cooled leeks in with the eggs, and pour into a lightly oiled skillet.  Pre-heat the oven to Broil.  Cook over low heat until the frittata has set around the sides and is just a little bit runny in the middle.  Crumble the goat cheese over the top, and stick it in the oven for a couple of minutes, until it has puffed up and cooked through.  Be careful not to overcook it.

A Slice of Cake (or two)

I have not had too much trouble avoiding cooking with butter for the past couple of weeks, however, I unfortunately invested in some before making that decision.  Actually, probably part of the reason I decided not to cook with the stuff was because I realized how much of it I had bought.  Anyways, the point is that I am now in the process of cooking and eating my way through the contents of my cupboards and refrigerator and that includes using the butter.  Fortunately, I also found some nuts that needed to be used and decided to make a buttery, nutty cake.  I'm very glad I did.  I'm not ashamed to admit that I really needed it.  Like a hug.

I made a tiny change to the original recipe, besides the bigger decision to leave off the jam, and I am happy to say that it turned out very well.  I only had a cup of walnuts, and as fate would have it I had a 1/4 cup of hazelnut stragglers in need of a mission.  Actually, I'm sure that it would be good with a number of different nut variations or swaps.  Almonds might be really good.  But the mixture of walnuts and hazelnuts: fragrant, nutty, and wonderful. 

As soon as I pulsed the sugar and the cooled, toasted nuts, I knew this was going to be great.  What began as an assignment to use up ingredients, became something really delicious, nutty, and even comforting.  

Walnut-Hazelnut Cake

Adapted from Gourmet's Walnut Jam Cake

1 cup walnuts  

1/4 cup hazelnuts*

2/3 cup sugar

1 stick butter, cut into pieces

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

*Or use 1 1/4 cup walnuts

Toast the nuts in the oven at 350 for 10-15 minutes, and let them cool.

Pre-heat the oven, again, to 350.  Butter and flour a 8-inch round cake pan.  

Pulse the cooled nuts and sugar in a food processor until finely chopped.  Add butter and process until combined, then add eggs and vanilla, and process until combined.  Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and pulse to incorporate.  Spread the batter evenly in the cake pan.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.  Turn out onto a rack and cool completely, or eat it straight out of the oven, as I did.

Scavenging for Snacks at Home

I am trying to avoid butter for a while.  Just to kind of re-calibrate my cooking and eating habits.  I've never really been a butter slatherer, but it has been a necessary (and significant) part of all those cookies and cakes I have been happily cooking (and consuming) lately.  This of course, goes hand in hand with a more general focus on healthy eating.  Over time ingredients and eating habits inch towards the less healthy, and they need to be inched back every once in a while accordingly.  On top of this, I am trying to be very economical.  A big part of that is not going out to eat a lot, and results in my making things from scratch more often than not (which, if I make thoughtful choices results in healthier meals, bringing us full circle).

All of these factors teamed up together to confront me this afternoon.  I was so hungry!  I needed a snack, and I needed to be able to make it out of ingredients that I already had.  Luckily, I remembered a recipe that I had shown to my brother that he had tried and liked: Herbed Polenta Fries.  Easy, tasty, not too healthy or unhealthy.  

Herbed Polenta Fries

Adapted from Gourmet

3 1/4 cup cold water

1 cup polenta

1 tsp chopped thyme

1 tsp chopped rosemary

1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano

olive oil

Oil an 8-inch square baking dish.

Combine water, polenta, herbs, & 3/4 tsp salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring vigorously.  Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring until polenta becomes very thick and creamy.  Stir in cheese and a splash of olive oil, and transfer to the baking dish, spreading it evenly.  Chill, uncovered, until set, about 45 minutes.  

Pre-heat broiler.  Oil a baking sheet.

Slice the polenta into 16-20 4x1-inch slices.  Brush the slices with a little oil, and place them on the baking sheet.  Broil 4-inches from the heat until golden, 15-20 minutes (I did 15 minutes, then turned them over and cooked them 5 more minutes).

The verdict: these are so good they could easily be at home in one of those gastro-pubs I'm too thrifty to frequent.