Rob and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary today with a romantic dinner at home. Cooking is always a fun way to spend time together, and there’s nothing we like more than to create a nice meal and enjoy it outside on a warm summer night. To us, that’s a perfect evening together…The perfect way to celebrate this milestone. The recipes I chose were adapted from the September 2000 issue of Bon Appetit magazine, which I thought was a fun and special way to choose a menu :). Both of the original recipes can be found at Epicurious.com. We had mussels, clams and shrimp with saffron risotto and green olive relish as well as caramelized pear cake for dessert. I followed the risotto recipe pretty closely, except I halved the garlic. It was a romantic anniversary after all! 😉 We also added more seafood than the recipe called for since it was a special occasion. I changed the cake recipe quite a bit, however. To lighten it up a little, I cut the sugar and the butter and I replaced some of the oil with applesauce. I have to say, we didn’t miss it one bit! The presentation looked very fancy, as well, which was perfect for a special finale.
Mussels, Clams and Shrimp with Saffron Risotto and Green Olive Relish
1/2 cup chopped green olives
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest
2 cups low sodium chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1 cup Arborio rice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup bottled clam juice
20 mussels
15 manila clams
24 uncooked large peeled shrimp
3/4 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced green onions
Lemon wedges
To make the relish, combine the first four ingredients in a small bowl – Olives, oil, parsley and lemon peel. (This can be made the day before and refrigerated).
Bring the stock and saffron to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and cover. Heat the olive oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté about 2 minutes until they are tender. Add the rice and the garlic and stir 1 minute. Add the white wine and stir until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup saffron stock and simmer until absorbed, stirring constantly. Add the remaining stock 1/2 cup at a time, allowing the stock to be absorbed before adding more, stirring frequently until the rice is cooked halfway, about 10 minutes. Add the clam juice, seafood and chopped tomatoes. Cover and simmer until the rice is tender, the mussels and clams open, the shrimp are cooked through and the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Discard any mussels and clams that did not open. Divide the seafood and saffron risotto equally among 4 bowls. Sprinkle with sliced green onions and serve with lemon wedges and the green olive relish on the side.
Caramelized Pear Cake
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
About 2 pounds Bosc pears, peeled, quartered and cored
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
¼ cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 cup grated peeled Bosc pears
Preheat your oven to 350. Melt the butter in the microwave, and mix it with the brown sugar in the bottom of a 10 inch cake pan. Spread the mixture in an even layer. Arrange the quartered pears in a flower design on top of the sugar. (One tip is to cover the pears in a little lemon juice while you are peeling and quartering the bunch. That way the first ones won’t turn brown while you work on the remaining ones. Then just give them a light rinse and dry before arranging them in the pan).
Whisk the flour, 2/3 cup sugar, crystallized ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, ground ginger and salt in medium bowl. Whisk the eggs, oil, applesauce, vanilla and orange peel in a large bowl. Then mix in the grated pears to the wet mixture. Finally, mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined.
Carefully pour the batter over the pears in the cake pan. (It will be a pretty thick batter, but just coax it gently with a spatula to cover all of the pears). Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for about 20 minutes. Then run a knife around the pan sides to loosen, place a serving plate over cake and invert it onto the plate. Serve warm. (It also refrigerates well if you would like to make it a day ahead. Just microwave the slices for about 20 or 30 seconds to warm through before serving).
We paired the meal with a bottle of Tin Barn Vineyards red wine that our parents gave us for our “tin” anniversary :). The winery was also founded 10 years ago. Perfect! (The Cabernet Sauvignon blend was very yummy…I’d recommend it if you like artfully crafted red Meritage blends).
Happy Easter ~ “Potted” Chocolate Mint Pudding
/2 Comments/in Dessert, Easter, Spring /by LauraHappy Easter!
I ran across a very cute idea for a spring dessert this Easter. We had little potted chocolate mint puddings with a sprig of mint “growing” out of them. The original Martha Stewart recipe is a very rich pudding, so I used my recipe from St. Patrick’s Day (with a couple changes for this dish) to lighten it. Follow the chocolate Guinness pudding recipe, but exchange the Guinness for more skim milk and add ½ teaspoon of mint extract in addition to the vanilla. Fill a little flowerpot shaped container with the pudding, and top with crumbled chocolate cocoa cookies. Then “plant” a sprig of mint in the top.
These would also be perfect for Mother’s Day :).
Happy spring!
Raise some dough for a good cause in a virtual online bake sale
/1 Comment/in Cracker /by LauraA fellow food blogger at The Tomato Tart came up with a cool idea to raise a little “dough” for a good cause through a virtual online bake sale. All of the proceeds will go to Second Harvest Japan, which is an organization that makes sure perfectly good food that can’t be sold through mainstream stores in Japan make it to the people who need it. (Check out this little video from CNN if you’d like to learn more about the organization.) I am one of the many food bloggers participating in the bake sale. I will be submitting one of my all time favorite recipes from this website…Homemade whole-wheat crackers with tomato, oregano and Parmesan. If you are the highest bidder on March 30th, I’ll make you a big batch and send them your way! There will also be a bunch of other goodies to choose from, so come check out the fun :). Here is a link to a little article about the bake sale at SF Weekly if you’d like to learn more. I hope you can check it out! 🙂
May you have the luck of the Irish ~ Chocolate Guinness Goodness
/2 Comments/in Dessert, St. Patrick's Day /by LauraHappy March 17th!
Guinness combines surprisingly well with chocolate, and those two together make the perfect St. Patrick’s Day pair. I made a very fun and festive dessert tonight called Chocolate Guinness Goodness :). It is chocolate and Guinness pudding served in a beer glass with Guinness flavored whipped cream smoothed over the top. The result is a dessert that really looks like a pint of beer!
I borrowed the idea from Epicurious.com, and then I mixed and matched bits of that recipe with a MarthaStewart.com recipe. That lightened the original quite a bit. In addition, I omitted the butter, I used only two egg yolks and I replaced skim milk for whole.
Chocolate Guinness Goodness
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups skim milk
½ cup Guinness
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup whipping cream
Put a fine mesh sieve over a medium bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepan off the heat, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt and cocoa powder. Very gradually whisk in the milk and ½ cup Guinness, taking care to dissolve cornstarch. Then whisk in the egg yolks.
Whisking constantly, cook over medium heat until the first large bubble forms. Reduce the heat to low. Still whisking, cook 1 minute. It will be thick and creamy at this point. Remove from the heat and immediately pour through the sieve into the bowl. Stir the vanilla into the hot pudding.
Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding and chill at least 3 hours or up to 3 days. Before serving, whisk the pudding again until smooth.
For the whipped cream topping, reduce a cup of Guinness in a pan on medium low heat for about 20 minutes, or until it is thicker. Cool completely. Whip the whipping cream with a hand held mixer until soft peaks form on the beaters. (It can quickly turn to butter, so watch it closely.) Add a tablespoon of the reduced Guinness and blend it evenly into the whipped cream.
Carefully spoon the pudding into a beer glass and then cover with an even layer of the whipped cream. Each pint serves about 4. This recipe makes a little more than a pint’s worth, but leftovers aren’t a bad thing ;).
These pair perfectly with a glass of green sparkling wine for the occasion :).
P.S. For another chocolate and Guinness recipe, check out my cupcakes on this website from last St. Patrick’s Day.
Happy Mardi Gras! ~ Red Jambalaya with Chicken, Shrimp and Lobster and Chandon Sidecars
/0 Comments/in Chicken, Cocktail/Drink, Dinner, Lunch, Main dish, Mardi Gras, Seafood /by LauraThis year, we had red jambalaya with chicken, shrimp and lobster for our Mardi Gras celebration. I’ve been working my way through the recipes on the Domaine Chandon website, and this one caught my eye awhile back. It seemed perfect for tonight, so I saved it until now. I must say, it was worth the wait! I would recommend it highly. I did make a handful of changes to make it a little healthier. I used brown rice instead of white, I only used 2 andouille sausage links (chicken or turkey preferred to pork) instead of a pound, I omitted the bacon grease or butter and replaced it with grapeseed oil and I used skinless chicken with the bone in. Other than those differences, I followed the recipe closely. We thought it was a delicious gourmet spin on traditional jambalaya.
Red Jambalaya with Chicken, Shrimp and Lobster
3 lbs chicken breasts and thighs with the bone in but skin removed
3-4 tbsp grape seed oil, or any other oil with a high smoke point
2 medium-sized onions, chopped
1 green pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp flour
2 links of sliced chicken or turkey andouille (about ½ lb) (if you would like less heat, you might want to use only one link)
3 cups tomato plus one extra medium tomato, chopped
½ tsp thyme
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp Tabasco sauce (if you don’t like things very spicy, use a little less)
1 cup water
1 cup tomato juice
¾ cup uncooked long grain brown rice
½ lb jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 small lobster tails, shelled and cut into small pieces (may substitute 12 oz small shrimp, shelled and deveined)
½ cup scallions, diced (discard green stalks)
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp oil and sauté until just browned and remove from pan. (It will not be cooked through.) Do not discard oil.
In the same pan, sauté onions, green pepper and garlic until onions are translucent. Remove from skillet.
Add remaining oil and gradually add flour, stirring often. Simmer until the color turns light brown.
In the same pan, stir in sausage, chicken, onion, pepper and garlic mixture and tomatoes (except for the extra medium tomato). Cook 10 minutes on medium high, stirring continuously.
Add thyme, ½ tsp pepper, Tabasco sauce, water, tomato juice and rice. Mix well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
Stir in shrimp, lobster, scallions, remaining tomato and parsley. Cook an additional 5 minutes until the seafood is just cooked through.
Makes 8–10 servings.
We also had my take on a Chandon Sidecar cocktail to go with our dinner. We were first introduced to sidecars at one of our favorite nightspots in Seattle called the New Orleans Creole Restaurant, so I always associate them with Creole cooking. For our drinks, I used ¾ oz of Grand Marnier, ½ oz Meyer lemon juice (its a little sweeter than regular lemon juice, so we didn’t need any simple syrup to balance it) and ¾ oz of Cognac. Then top it with dry sparkling wine to your liking.
I hope you have a festive Mardi Gras! 🙂
Happy Valentine’s Day! ~ Orange Crème Brûlée
/3 Comments/in Anniversary, Dessert, Valentine's Day /by LauraFor our Valentine’s Day/engagement anniversary this year, I made a few festive and colorful recipes. I found them on the Domaine Chandon Winery website, and then I put my own personal spin on them. The menu included tiny purple potatoes with sour cream and caviar, troll-caught salmon with roasted red and yellow beets, orange crème brûlée, and Ruby Slipper cocktails. Of all of the recipes, I think the crème brûlée stood out the most. If you haven’t noticed by now, I have a sweet tooth. 😉 The dessert very often is the dish that stands out to me…Ha! I changed the cream and whole milk combination to 2 % milk and I used less egg yolks. I also amped up the flavor with a little Grand Marnier and vanilla. I tried many different variations of this dish to get it just right, and my Valentine and I agreed that this one was our favorite. I hope you like it, too!
Orange Crème Brûlée
Inspired by a recipe from Domaine Chandon Winery
Serves 2
8 ounces 2% milk
3 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus about 2 tablespoons for the top
Zest of one small orange
3 egg yolks
2 teaspoons Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat your oven to 325 F.
Whisk together the milk, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and orange zest in a saucepan with a heavy bottom. Heat until the sugar is dissolved, taking care not to bring the mixture to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture into a large bowl over ice. Cool down until lukewarm. Then whisk in the egg yolks, Grand Marnier, and vanilla extract.
Strain the mixture into a container with a spout. Pour the custard into 2 4-ounce ramekins. (Preferably heart-shaped ones if you have them for Valentine’s Day!) Place the ramekins in a baking dish. Heat some water until almost boiling, and pour the water carefully around the ramekins until it reaches about halfway up the sides. (Make sure none of the water gets into the custard.)
Bake for about 45 minutes, or until set. They should still have a slight jiggle in the middle when tapped.
Cool in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving, or overnight.
Right before serving, dust about 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly over the top of each custard. Caramelize the sugar with a kitchen torch.
Working my way through the delicious Domaine Chandon Cookbook ~ Deviled Quail Eggs with Caviar and Chives
/1 Comment/in Appetizer, Cocktail/Drink, Snack /by LauraThis January, I have been working my way through the Domaine Chandon Cookbook: Recipes from Étoile Restaurant. I associate sparkling wine with the beginning of the year, so it seemed like the perfect cookbook for this month. (In case you aren’t familiar with the winery, Domaine Chandon is best known for its bubbly since it is the American little sister to Moët & Chandon.) Rob and I also had a very memorable visit to that winery a couple of years ago, so it’s a special place for us. We joined their wine club for a time, had a fabulous dinner at the restaurant and enjoyed their beautiful grounds on a warm September evening. So many recipes from the cookbook sounded delicious and inspired me to try them. Cooking fine recipes makes an ordinary meal feel a little special to me. As Rob said, it’s my art. It isn’t just the necessary fare, but something higher. So it makes me feel like we are living life well, even when it’s cold and dark outside. I ended up trying a healthier twist on quite a few of the cookbook’s recipes…deviled quail eggs with caviar and chives, pomegranate fizz cocktails, green vegetable gazpacho with shrimp, truffled popcorn, brandy spiced shrimp, coconut lime mussels, Parmesan soufflés with a leek purée, salmon and tuna tartare and chicken breasts with toasted orzo and a thyme infusion. Out of all of those very good recipes, we really enjoyed the quail eggs. They were absolutely adorable! Plus, I always enjoy cooking with something I’ve never tried before, and quail eggs were new to my kitchen. They are a little bit time consuming because they are so tiny, but if you are in the mood to spend some quality time making a gourmet creation, they are a lot of fun! It wouldn’t be like me to completely follow a recipe, so I did lighten them a little by omitting the crème fraiche and using Neufchâtel instead. The filling was a little firmer with this substitution, but we thought it was very delicious. I also used whole grain bread for the base instead of brioche.
Deviled Quail Eggs with Caviar and Chives
1 loaf sliced whole grain bread
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 teaspoon lemon juice
20 quail eggs
2 tablespoons Neufchâtel cheese
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 ounce caviar
5 fresh chives, cut into 1 centimeter long pieces
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
With the rim of a sparkling wine glass flute, cut rounds of bread from your bread slices. (Take care to avoid the crusts). Pinch a small indentation into the center of each round with your index finger and thumb to hold the quail eggs. Place the bread rounds on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and cool.
In a small bowl, combine the shallot and lemon juice.
In a medium saucepan, place the quail eggs and enough cold water to cover the eggs. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook the eggs for 3 minutes until they are hard boiled. Remove from the heat and carefully place the eggs in cold water for 5 minutes.
Peel away the shells, starting at the wide bottom end of each egg. Rinse each egg with cold water to make sure no little pieces of shell remain. Set them on paper towels to dry. Cut each egg in half lengthwise with a sharp knife. Remove the yolks with a very small spoon and place them in the bowl with the shallot and lemon juice mix.
Add the Neufchâtel, mustard, salt and pepper to the yolks. Using a fork, mash the yolk mixture until a thick paste forms and everything is well combined.
Using a very small spoon, fill the cavity of each egg-white half with the yolk mixture. Set each egg half in an indentation on top of the toasted bread rounds.
Place a tiny bit of caviar and one small slice of chive on top of each egg. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
These paired very well with pomegranate fizz cocktails from the cookbook. I made them with just a splash of Grand Marnier and pomegranate juice in a glass of sparkling wine. Garnish with a little bit of orange peel for an added special touch.
New snacks for the new year ~ Kale chips
/0 Comments/in Snack /by LauraA friend of mine introduced me to this cool new snack this winter. Kale gets crispy like potato chips in the oven. Who knew? I would have never guessed that is how it would turn out. They are a fun way to get more greens! They feel like junk food, but they’re definitely not :). That’s my kind of snack! Thanks Kristi!
Kale Chips
One bunch of kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt to taste
Preheat your oven to 275 degrees
Remove the stems, and rip the leaves into pieces. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and rub it into the leaves so it is evenly distributed. Then put the kale in an even layer on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt to taste. (Remember, these will shrink significantly in the oven, so be careful not to over salt.) Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring a couple of times throughout to ensure even baking. They are finished when they are crispy. That’s it!
As a side note, the flavor is condensed and very potent, so these would also be good as a garnish or over popcorn.
Hope you enjoy!
Happy 2011! ~ Julia Child’s Clafouti aux Poires
/0 Comments/in Autumn, Dessert, New Year, Winter /by LauraHappy 2011!
I have been on a little Julia Child kick this winter…I watched the movie Julie & Julia again, I am reading My Life in France and I tried a couple of recipes from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1. One of those recipes was for a pear clafouti, which we had as our first dessert of the new year. It’s one of the recipes in the book that isn’t heavy with butter or cream, so I actually followed it pretty closely. The woman knew what she was doing, so who am I to fiddle with her recipes too much? 🙂 The only minor substitution I made was skim milk instead of whole.
Clafouti aux Poires
3 cups peeled, cored and sliced ripe pears (about 1 1/2 lbs)
1/4 cup cognac (I used VSOP Hennesy Privilege)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup skim milk
Another 1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter
Prepare the pears, and let them soak in the cognac and 1/3 cup sugar for about an hour.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the baking dish (I used a casserole dish) into the oven to preheat.
Place the ingredients from the milk to the flour in a blender along with the remaining cognac and sugar poured out from the pears, and blend at top speed for a minute.
Take your baking dish out of the oven when it is hot, and lightly butter the bottom and sides. Pour a 1/4 inch layer of batter into the bottom. Spread the pears over the layer. Then pour the remaining batter on top so the pears are covered.
Bake on the middle rack for about an hour, or until it is puffed and browned and a wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve warm.
I hope you enjoy this sweet start to the new year! Bon appétit!
Merry Christmas ~ Three Kings Salad
/4 Comments/in Christmas, Dinner, Lunch, Salad, Winter /by LauraOne of our favorite salads for Christmas is called a Three Kings Salad. It fuses a colorful group of three of the season’s best and tastiest :). I was inspired by the original recipe, which can be found at MyRecipes.com, but I added and omitted ingredients to our taste. It is forgiving, so use whatever you like. If you like less orange or more onion, that’s fine. Make it yours :). Honestly, we kind of changed one of the “kings” from red onion to pomegranate seeds. I only used a tiny bit of onion for garnish, since neither Rob nor I are big raw onion fans, and I used a ton of pomegranate seeds since we love them! Is there anything more festive than roasted beets and pomegranate seeds? I don’t know what it is about those two, but it just feels like a holiday to me! Both take a wee bit of work to prepare, so they feel like food for a special occasion.
Three Kings Salad
4 seedless oranges
3 or 4 beets…One big bunch
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little more to drizzle over the beets
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
1/4 cup thinly slivered red onion
Pomegranate seeds from ½ of the fruit
Preheat your oven to 375. Trim the beets of their greens, drizzle with a little olive oil and wrap tightly in tin foil. Roast for 45 to 55 minutes (depending on the size of your beets) or until they can be pierced with a fork. Let them cool. Preferably with some sort of thin disposable gloves so you don’t dye your fingers, peel the outside and cut into wedges.
Peel and section oranges over a bowl with a knife so none of the pith or membrane remains. Squeeze the extra juice into the bowl when finished. Set the orange sections aside and reserve about 2 tablespoons of the juice.
Combine the reserved 2 tablespoons of orange juice, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl and whisk well.
Divide the beets, oranges, pomegranate seeds and onion evenly among 4-6 salad plates, depending on the size salad you would like to serve. Drizzle with as much of the vinaigrette as you like.
I hope you all have a very merry Christmas!
Christmas Cookie Day
/0 Comments/in Christmas, Cookie, Dessert /by LauraToday was Christmas cookie day at our house :). I spent a fun afternoon baking a couple of batches. I found the cutest little cookie cutters at Williams-Sonoma this year that made them extra special. They are shaped like a gingerbread man, a snowflake and a Christmas ornament, but the cool thing about them is that you can add personalized messages that press into the cookie dough design. I made some of our cookies with special inscriptions like the names of our nephews, Miro, Ivan and Zach and this website name.
I used a classic sugar cookie recipe from Cooking Light magazine that can be found at MyRecipes.com. It is a lightened version of the classic, so I followed it pretty closely. It uses less butter than most recipes as well as only egg whites with no yolks, but it has a great trick for rolling so you can get away with less fat without cracking the dough. This recipe doubles nicely if you desire. They are also good with a little icing, though I opted for plain cookies this time around to show off the cute design.
Classic Sugar Cookies
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup granulated sugar
10 tablespoons softened butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 egg whites
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt with a whisk in a medium bowl. Place the sugar and butter in a large bowl and beat with a mixer until fluffy. Next, beat in the vanilla and egg whites. Gradually add the flour mixture to butter mixture and beat at low speed until just combined. Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a puck, about 4 inches across. Wrap each puck in plastic wrap and chill 1 hour.
Unwrap 1 dough puck at a time. Smooth the plastic wrap on your work surface, and put the dough in the middle. Add another sheet of plastic wrap on top, so the dough is surrounded on both sides. Roll the dough in between the plastic until it is about ¼ inch thick. (The plastic allows the dough to stay in one nice piece without more fat.) Chill the dough another 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 375.
Remove one portion of dough from the refrigerator at a time. Remove the top sheet of plastic wrap and replace it with a sheet of parchment paper. Run the rolling pin over the parchment a couple of times to smooth the top of the dough. Remove the parchment, and using a cookie cutter, cut your dough into the shapes you desire. Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on the pans for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Happy December ~ Springerle
/4 Comments/in Christmas, Cookie, Dessert /by LauraIt is Christmas cookie season again, and I decided to try my hand at something new this year called springerle. They are traditional German anise cookies that use a special mold. My parents gave me a metal springerle board last Christmas, and I am part German, so I thought I would give them a try! They are really sweet little pieces of art. 🙂
Springerle
2 eggs
4 oz powdered sugar
1 teaspoon anise extract
2 cups all purpose flour, plus a little more for the board and rolling pin if the dough is too sticky
1 teaspoon baking powder
Beat the eggs until light with an electric mixer on high speed in a large bowl. Reduce the speed and add the anise and sifted sugar. Beat until well combined. Sift the flour and baking powder and stir them into the egg mixture. The dough will be rather stiff.
Roll the dough to about 3/8 inch thickness. Imprint the dough onto the springerle board and cut apart with a pizza cutter. Place the cookies on a baking sheet (this recipe will make about 2 sheets worth of cookies), and let them dry uncovered overnight. This will allow the designs to stay crisp when they are baked.
In the morning, preheat your oven to 350. Bake the cookies for about 8-10 minutes, until cooked through but not golden.
Happy Thanksgiving ~ Wild Rice and Goat Cheese Stuffing with Chorizo
/2 Comments/in Bread, Dinner, Lunch, Pork, Side dish, Thanksgiving /by LauraHappy Thanksgiving!
For one of my favorite holidays, we hosted a little family get together at our house this year, and we made all of our traditional favorites – Slow roasted turkey breast with gravy (I tried a new recipe from America’s Test Kitchen this year for the main course, which I would highly recommend. The breast is my favorite part of the turkey, and this is a way to make sure it stays moist and flavorful), cauliflower and cheese, green beans with mushroom sauce, marshmallow sweet potatoes, wild rice and goat cheese stuffing with chorizo, and of course, pumpkin pie! I started making this stuffing for Thanksgiving a few years ago when we celebrated the holiday in Palm Springs and I was looking for a Southwest twist on the traditional recipe. It has since become a favorite that I make every year. The original recipe came from the Food Network, and I follow it fairly closely. I make it a pinch healthier by omitting the butter and using low sodium free-range chicken broth. I use real chorizo since it only requires a little bit, and it is a holiday after all :).
Wild Rice and Goat Cheese Stuffing with Chorizo
1 1/2 cups wild rice
5 cups water
Salt to taste
1/2 cup finely ground chorizo
1 finely diced large onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 finely chopped carrots
3 finely chopped celery stalks
3/4 pound cubed stale hearty white bread
6 ounces goat cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups low sodium free-range chicken stock
Boil the rice, water, and a little salt to taste in a medium saucepan until the grains open and the rice is tender. Drain. (This can be done a day ahead if you desire.) Cook the chorizo in a large saucepan over medium heat. Pour the chorizo over a bowl lined with a paper towel to drain the excess fat. In the same pan, add the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery and cook until the onion is tender but not browned. Add the rice, chorizo, bread, cheese, parsley, thyme, and stock and combine it all together. Season to taste with a little salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking dish and bake at 350, uncovered, until golden brown on top, about 25 to 30 minutes.
We paired dinner with our two house wines – Sofia Blanc de Blancs from California and Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington. American wines for an American holiday! 🙂
Happy Birthday ~ Truffled Asparagus Crostini
/0 Comments/in Appetizer, Birthday, Bread, Snack /by LauraHappy birthday to Rob! On this day, I usually make him dinner with his favorite ingredients including beef tenderloin, asparagus and carrot cake. This year he said it might be fun to try a less traditional main course to shake things up :). After searching my favorite markets, I found a rabbit! The menu included recipes that were new as well as a couple of old favorites – Braised rabbit with mustard sauce, truffled asparagus crostini, golden beets in a cider vinaigrette and carrot cupcakes. I have already written about our favorite carrot cupcakes on this blog, and the truffled asparagus crostini are also one of our favorite appetizers. They are simple to make and they have a touch of class for any special occasion.
Truffled Asparagus Crostini
Baguette, sliced into ¾ inch pieces
1 pound asparagus
2 teaspoons truffle oil
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup fontina cheese, grated (or any semi-hard cheese that you like)
Preheat you broiler.
Place the slices of bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Broil for about 1 minute or until they are lightly browned. Turn them over and do the same on the other side. Cool on the pan.
Steam the asparagus for about 2 minutes or until slightly tender. Place in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Chop the asparagus into small pieces. Add oil, salt and pepper, and toss well.
Top each piece of bread with the asparagus mixture. Sprinkle the cheese over each crostini. Broil for about 1 minute or until the cheese melts a little. Serve warm.
We paired the meal with one of Rob’s favorite wines from Columbia Winery called Otis Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. I decided on this wine since we held our wedding reception at Columbia Winery, and both Rob’s birthday and our anniversary fall on the 2nd of a month. I almost always try to find some special significance with any bottle of wine I choose for a special occasion :). Cheers!
Happy Halloween ~ Deviled Eggs with Black Olive “Spiders”
/0 Comments/in Appetizer, Halloween, Snack /by LauraHappy Halloween! For one of my favorite holidays, I tried a fun idea this year from Sunset magazine for deviled eggs with little black olive spiders on top. Super cute! Just choose your favorite deviled egg recipe, or use the one below for a very simple and reduced fat version.
Deviled Spider Eggs
6 hard-boiled eggs
2 tablespoons reduced fat mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Whole pitted black olives
Hard-boil your eggs. The trick I use for this treat (I couldn’t resist! Ha!) is to put the raw eggs in a pot of warm water, and bring the pot to a boil. As soon as it starts to boil, shut off the heat, and cover the pot for 20 minutes. This ensures the eggs don’t overcook. Chill in the refrigerator until cool.
Once cooled, cut the eggs in half crosswise and scoop out the yolks into a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients to the yolks (except for the olives) and mash until smooth with a fork. Place the mixture in a zip top bag and squish it to one corner. Cut a tiny hole in the corner of the bag and pipe the mixture into the empty portion of the egg whites so it mounds slightly.
Then for the spider, cut an olive in half lengthwise. Place the half (dome side up) in the middle of the yolk mixture. Then cut the other half into 4 thin strips crosswise, and cut the strips in half to make the legs. Nestle the legs beside the body. (See photo). The yolk mixture should hold them in place.
These cocktail party snacks go well with a Halloween wine like Phantom by Bogle Vineyards or blood orange Champagne cocktails! Cheers to a fun Halloween night!
Sweetest Day ~ Butternut Squash Soup with Pear, Cider and Vanilla Bean and Cider Glazed Salmon
/0 Comments/in Autumn, Dinner, Lunch, Main dish, Seafood, Soup, Sweetest Day /by LauraHappy Sweetest Day! This is one of those little holidays that gives us an excuse for a little celebration. I am all for that :). I decided to make a special dinner menu to mark the occasion. The recipes were from a really good book I read this year called A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table. It was written by an author who lives here in Seattle, Molly Wizenberg, who has a well-respected recipe blog called Orangette. I read the book in the spring and have been saving these two autumn recipes until now. They are a little gourmet, a little decadent, and very delicious. Perfect for a fall evening that feels a little special.
The first recipe I made was a butternut squash soup with pear, cider, and vanilla bean. It’s a very funky combination, I know, which is why I had to try it! It just sounded so unique and special with the vanilla. Both Rob and I agreed it was a very nice and refreshing flavor combination. I would highly recommend it! I lightened the recipe a touch by using less half and half, and replacing the other portion with skim milk. It was still very creamy and silky because of the squash, so we didn’t miss the extra richness at all. I also only needed 1 tablespoon of olive oil instead of 3. Other than those two little details I followed the recipe, so I am just passing it along in all of its goodness :).
Butternut Squash Soup with Pear, Cider and Vanilla Bean
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 lbs of peeled and seeded butternut squash cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
2 peeled and cored pears cut into 1 inch cubes (about 2 cups)
1 chopped white onion
1 cup apple cider
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
Salt
¼ cup half-and-half
¼ cup skim milk
1 vanilla bean
Add the oil, squash, pears and onion to a large pot over medium low heat, and cook uncovered for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and the pears are soft. Add the cider and bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Add the broth, lower the heat to medium low, and simmer partially covered for about 30 minutes until everything is tender.
Carefully puree the mixture in small batches in a blender. Return the soup to the pot and continue to cook over medium low heat, uncovered, until it has reduced to a thick and creamy consistency that you like. While the soup is bubbling, put the half-and-half and milk in a small saucepan. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds with the back of a knife. Put the pod and seeds in the dairy and put the pan over low heat until it is just steaming, but not boiling. Strain the vanilla pod from the mix and set aside. When your soup has reduced to the thickness you desire, stir in the vanilla mixture. Season with salt to taste and enjoy!
Makes 4-5 servings
The main course was a cider glazed salmon dish. It was so simple, but so delicious. Isn’t that the way with the best recipes? 🙂 I used half and half instead of all cream, but other than that detail I followed the recipe. I usually don’t use cream or butter, but because you only need a little bit of this glaze to make an impact, I didn’t skimp. I think a little bit is just fine :).
Cider Glazed Salmon
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium shallot, cut in half and peeled
2 cups apple cider
2, 3 or 4 salmon fillets (depending on the number of portions)
Salt
½ cup half and half
In a large skillet bring the shallot, butter and cider to a simmer over medium high heat.
Place the salmon in the cider blend, cover and simmer gently. Flip half way through. For every inch of thickness the salmon needs about 10 minutes to cook until it is just cooked through.
Remove the fish from the pan and cover with tin foil.
For the glaze, raise the heat under the pan to medium high, add a pinch of salt and simmer until the liquid is reduced by about 2/3. It will be a slightly thickened. Reduce the heat to medium and add the half and half. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, until the mixture darkens to a light caramel color.
Plate the salmon and top with a spoonful of the glaze.
Rob also treated me to special little chocolate pumpkin truffles for dessert. One of my favorite local chocolatiers called Moonstruck Chocolate makes creative little pieces to go with the seasons. Almost too cute to eat….Almost :).
Wine Pairing
We had a new wine tonight from Columbia Winery called Romance Red. Since Rob and I had our wedding reception at that winery, it seemed like a good choice for a romantic evening celebration :).
Our favorite recipe for birthdays or any special occasion ~ Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes
/3 Comments/in Birthday, Cupcake, Dessert /by LauraOne dessert that I make over and over again for special occasions is my favorite carrot cupcake recipe. Most recently, I made a batch for my mom’s birthday this month! (Pictured) They have a surprising amount of carrots, and you really can’t tell you are sneaking in a whole grain with your dessert either. I hope you like them as much as we do!
Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups of light olive oil and water mixture (3/4 cup light olive oil, and then top it off with water)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
Pinch of salt
3 cups grated carrots
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium bowl, beat the sugar, oil/water mixture, and vanilla with an electric mixer or a whisk. Add the eggs, 1 at a time. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Then incorporate half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix the grated carrots into the remaining flour, and add it all to the batter. Mix until combined.
Line your muffin pans with paper liners. (About 20). Scoop the batter into the muffin cups a little over 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and cook for 30 minutes more, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Check after 25 minutes or so, since ovens can vary.
You can sprinkle them with powdered sugar if you desire, or they are great plain.
Hope you enjoy!
10th Wedding Anniversary ~ Mussels, Clams and Shrimp with Saffron Risotto and Green Olive Relish and Caramelized Pear Cake
/0 Comments/in Anniversary, Dessert, Main dish, Seafood, Side dish /by LauraRob and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary today with a romantic dinner at home. Cooking is always a fun way to spend time together, and there’s nothing we like more than to create a nice meal and enjoy it outside on a warm summer night. To us, that’s a perfect evening together…The perfect way to celebrate this milestone. The recipes I chose were adapted from the September 2000 issue of Bon Appetit magazine, which I thought was a fun and special way to choose a menu :). Both of the original recipes can be found at Epicurious.com. We had mussels, clams and shrimp with saffron risotto and green olive relish as well as caramelized pear cake for dessert. I followed the risotto recipe pretty closely, except I halved the garlic. It was a romantic anniversary after all! 😉 We also added more seafood than the recipe called for since it was a special occasion. I changed the cake recipe quite a bit, however. To lighten it up a little, I cut the sugar and the butter and I replaced some of the oil with applesauce. I have to say, we didn’t miss it one bit! The presentation looked very fancy, as well, which was perfect for a special finale.
Mussels, Clams and Shrimp with Saffron Risotto and Green Olive Relish
1/2 cup chopped green olives
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest
2 cups low sodium chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1 cup Arborio rice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup bottled clam juice
20 mussels
15 manila clams
24 uncooked large peeled shrimp
3/4 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced green onions
Lemon wedges
To make the relish, combine the first four ingredients in a small bowl – Olives, oil, parsley and lemon peel. (This can be made the day before and refrigerated).
Bring the stock and saffron to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and cover. Heat the olive oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté about 2 minutes until they are tender. Add the rice and the garlic and stir 1 minute. Add the white wine and stir until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup saffron stock and simmer until absorbed, stirring constantly. Add the remaining stock 1/2 cup at a time, allowing the stock to be absorbed before adding more, stirring frequently until the rice is cooked halfway, about 10 minutes. Add the clam juice, seafood and chopped tomatoes. Cover and simmer until the rice is tender, the mussels and clams open, the shrimp are cooked through and the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Discard any mussels and clams that did not open. Divide the seafood and saffron risotto equally among 4 bowls. Sprinkle with sliced green onions and serve with lemon wedges and the green olive relish on the side.
Caramelized Pear Cake
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
About 2 pounds Bosc pears, peeled, quartered and cored
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
¼ cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 cup grated peeled Bosc pears
Preheat your oven to 350. Melt the butter in the microwave, and mix it with the brown sugar in the bottom of a 10 inch cake pan. Spread the mixture in an even layer. Arrange the quartered pears in a flower design on top of the sugar. (One tip is to cover the pears in a little lemon juice while you are peeling and quartering the bunch. That way the first ones won’t turn brown while you work on the remaining ones. Then just give them a light rinse and dry before arranging them in the pan).
Whisk the flour, 2/3 cup sugar, crystallized ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, ground ginger and salt in medium bowl. Whisk the eggs, oil, applesauce, vanilla and orange peel in a large bowl. Then mix in the grated pears to the wet mixture. Finally, mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined.
Carefully pour the batter over the pears in the cake pan. (It will be a pretty thick batter, but just coax it gently with a spatula to cover all of the pears). Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for about 20 minutes. Then run a knife around the pan sides to loosen, place a serving plate over cake and invert it onto the plate. Serve warm. (It also refrigerates well if you would like to make it a day ahead. Just microwave the slices for about 20 or 30 seconds to warm through before serving).
We paired the meal with a bottle of Tin Barn Vineyards red wine that our parents gave us for our “tin” anniversary :). The winery was also founded 10 years ago. Perfect! (The Cabernet Sauvignon blend was very yummy…I’d recommend it if you like artfully crafted red Meritage blends).
Happy Seafair ~ Blueberry Blue Angel Muffins
/0 Comments/in Bread, Breakfast/Brunch, Dessert, Muffin, Seafair, Snack, Summer /by Laura*About the photos
This is Seafair weekend in Seattle, which is an annual summer celebration including hydroplane racing and an air show featuring the Blue Angels. We live very close to the flight path where the Blue Angels fly, so I get a great view of the synchronized air show from my kitchen. Occasionally, the jets come close to breaking the sound barrier and they cause the kitchen to rumble and shake a bit as they fly over!
This year happens to be a cooler and wetter weekend than usual. I find that when the weather cools down I like to make our home cozy and warm with baked goodies. That along with all of the Seafair festivities inspired me to bake what I’d like to call “Blueberry Blue Angel Muffins!” 🙂
I found a really good blueberry muffin recipe from America’s Test Kitchen and I changed a few things to make it a little healthier. (I used less sugar, I substituted whole-wheat pastry flour for the all-purpose flour and I switched the butter to applesauce.) It takes advantage of the fresh summer blueberries at the market now. The extra non-traditional step of swirling homemade blueberry jam into the muffins makes them very flavorful and special. The lemon zest and sugar topping also gives them a fresh and crunchy finishing touch.
Blueberry Blue Angel Muffins
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup sugar, plus 1 teaspoon, plus 2 tablespoons
2 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees with the rack in the upper middle position. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
Bring 1 cup of blueberries and 1 teaspoon of sugar to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Mash the berries with a potato masher and stir frequently until the mixture is a little thickened and reduced to about ¼ cup. Take off the heat, and let cool.
For the topping, stir together 2 tablespoons of sugar and the lemon zest in a small bowl until combined.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk 1 cup of sugar and the eggs together until they are well incorporated. Slowly whisk in the applesauce and oil. Then whisk in the buttermilk and vanilla until everything is blended well. Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg mixture and the remaining blueberries into the flour mixture until everything is just moistened.
Divide the batter equally into the 12 muffin cups. Each cup should be completely full. Then put about a teaspoon of the cooked berry jam mixture onto the center of each muffin. Using a chopstick or other skewer, swirl the jam into the batter. Then sprinkle the lemon sugar equally over the muffins.
Bake about 17 minutes, until the muffin tops are firm and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool slightly before serving.
Happy Seafair!
*Watching the Blue Angels air show while enjoying a plate of blueberry muffins on the deck :). As a funny side note, the right photo would have been very very cool since the plane on the right proceded to come straight over our house, but I ran into the kitchen when he got closer! Ha ha! They are *loud.*
A little anniversary celebration ~ Fresh Sweet Corn Flan and Affogato
/4 Comments/in Anniversary, Appetizer, Dessert, Side dish, Summer /by LauraEvery August 1st, Rob and I celebrate two little anniversaries. It marks the day I moved to Seattle, as well as the day Rob and I moved into our current house together. We celebrate all kinds of little anniversaries like this one. They give us an excuse to have a nice dinner or to do something special. I figure who can’t use more excuses for little celebrations? 🙂
This year we had dinner in our backyard under our grape trellis with a bunch of candles glowing all around. I chose a summery menu that was a reflection of the best of the Northwest, since we were celebrating our home. Along with that theme, we had local Dungeness crab for the main course. It’s a special meal that we don’t have everyday, and it’s one of our very favorite things.
To go with the crab, I made fresh sweet corn flan with tomatoes and basil. This recipe uses very basic summer ingredients and transforms them into something unexpected. I followed the original recipe pretty closely (from Cooking Light magazine, which can be found at MyRecipes.com), so I am passing it along since we enjoyed it so much! I hope you do, too.
Fresh Sweet Corn Flan
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
2 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 5 ears)
1 cup skim milk
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 eggs
A handful of cherry tomatoes, halved, to taste
A few leaves of sliced basil, to taste
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Cook the corn kernels in a skillet coated with cooking spray for about 5 minutes or until they are tender. Set aside 1 cup of the kernels for garnish.
Place the remaining corn in a food processor, and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the milk, cheese, flour, salt, pepper and eggs to the food processor, and pulse until well combined. (It will never be completely smooth, but the kernels will give the mix a little texture).
Pour about 1/2 cup of the corn mixture into 6 ramekins coated with cooking spray. Place the ramekins in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Add hot water to the pan to a depth of about an inch up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 35 minutes or until set. Remove the ramekins from the pan, and cool for about 5 minutes. Invert each flan onto individual plates. Garnish each with corn kernels, tomato halves and basil.
We ended the meal with another very easy, but very delicious dish called affogato. It is just a scoop of ice cream in a cup of coffee. It doesn’t get much simpler than that! 🙂 (As a side note, it means “drowned” in Italian as the ice cream ends up swimming in the coffee.) Since the Northwest is known for coffee, I thought this was a perfect ending to a dinner celebrating the Northwest. I originally saw this dish on the Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network. It is so simple, but we think it is a really extraordinary dessert. I hope you do, too!
Affogato
Ingredients:
Vanilla ice cream or frozen custard
Strong decaf coffee or espresso
Scoop as much ice cream or custard as you would like for each individual serving into a coffee cup, and pour the warm coffee over the top immediately before serving or at the table.
Aah, summer ~ Strawberry Cheesecake Tart
/1 Comment/in Dessert, Summer /by LauraI promised to share my recipe for our favorite strawberry cheesecake tart, and here it is! 🙂 I usually make at least a couple of these tarts in the summertime when strawberries are at their peak. It’s one of our very favorite recipes. It is also pretty enough to share with company. The original recipe is from MarthaStewart.com, but as usual, I changed it a little to make it a tad healthier.
Strawberry Cheesecake Tart
6 full graham cracker sheets
1/3 cup almonds
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted melted butter, or just enough until the crust is moistened
2 8-oz bars of Neufchatel cream cheese
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Pint of fresh strawberries
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a food processor, grind the graham crackers, almonds, and 1/4 cup of sugar until they are finely ground. Add the butter slowly, and process until moistened. (You may not need the full 4 tablespoons). Transfer to a 9-inch tart pan, preferably with a removable bottom. Press the mixture firmly into the pan, and up the sides. Freeze for 15 minutes.
If you have a second food processor bowl, I’d recommend using it now. Otherwise, just clean your bowl and blade very well. Then blend the cream cheese, sour cream, 1/2 cup sugar, egg, vanilla, and salt until the mixture is smooth.
Place your tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet, and fill with the cheesecake mixture. Bake until filling is set, about 30 to 35 minutes.
Cool completely. (The hardest part is waiting!)
I like to top it with fresh cut strawberries. After removing the green portion, slice each berry into 4 or 5 pieces, top to bottom. Then splay them from the center to the edges. (See picture above).
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! It’s a little bite of summer 🙂