Reactions

At the bottom of each post I added a link called "Reactions."  This will enable me to get open feedback to my posts.  I have many visitors and very few comments, so in order to make it easier, this is just a simple click to let me know what you think.  I hope you feel comfortable using it.  Your feedback will help me a great deal.  Thanks!!  Janice

Burrata Mozzarella

To celebrate our son's adoption, we always go to an Italian restaurant on the exact date, regardless of what is going on in our lives.  We have exhausted all of the kid friendly family options.  Last year, since he was 9, we decided to venture to New Orleans.  After careful research, we chose John Besh's, Domenica, located at the Roosevelt Hotel.  We got there early on a Sunday afternoon. It wasn't overly crowded, likely because the Saints were not playing in the Dome, but we realized we were in no rush and could really enjoy this meal together.  I had read within the description of the restaurant, named for the day of the week, that Domenica in Italy was spent visiting and eating with family (and I suppose friends), all afternoon, enjoying course after course of domestic specialties, my kind of place.  After a quick review of the menu, we decided that's how we would spend this special day, too.  We each selected dishes that appealed to us individually and if the group concurred, we would order it.  We asked that each course be served one at a time, family style, and that's how it came.  My husband chose the Octopus Carpaccio (spectacular), I picked the Squid Ink Pasta (delicious) plus the Burrata Mozzarella (totally amazing), and our son picked the Homemade Lasagna (which was served in its own mini lasagna dish and was piping hot and bubbling over).

Unbeknownst to me at the time, Burrata Mozzarella is an imported soft mozzarella which, as you can see, is almost runny.  When the dish arrived, it appeared to me that they heated olive oil and added tomato halves.  This was placed directly on top of the cheese.  Then it was garnished with fresh pesto that was either stirred in or we stirred in.  It was served with crusty farm bread.

Yesterday I walked into Whole Foods and what was the first thing I see?  You guessed it, Burrata Mozzarella.  I bought it along with Yellow Cherry Tomatoes, and a Crusty Ciabatta.  I recreated what I thought to have been the dish I ate 10 months ago.  The first thing you have to do is get the cheese up to room temperature, so I picked a dish and got it opened right away.  I warmed the oven, then the bread.  In the meantime I warmed 2 Tbl Olive Oil and added about 10 Quartered Tomatoes.  When the oil was hot, I add the tomatoes.  Once they sizzled for about 15 seconds, I turned them off.  I whipped up a quick Pesto using Fresh Basil leaves I have growing.  I added a Small Handful of Walnuts, Salt and Pepper, and a Few Tbl Parmesan.  Once this was combined, I drizzled in about 1/4 Cup of Olive Oil.  I layered the Burrata with the oil and pesto and then cut the bread after it rested for about 5 minutes. Wow, it was so good!  I really need to go to Italy but in the meantime, I will look to the John Besh's of the world to help me recreate some of the specialties in my own kitchen.

Rosemary Stem Kabobs

My mother-in-law, B, has the most successful Rosemary Plant I have seen!  It's been in an ideal spot for over 13 years an resembles a shrub.  When it gets growing in the hot part of the summer, the stems get woody, which she suggested, is perfect for skewers, and she was right.  She apparently gave a bundle of (8) 2 foot long pieces to anyone who would take them about, 10 friends.  I was lucky enough to get on that list.  Then the fun part, as the days passed, everyone began reporting back to her what they did with them and I don't think any two were alike.
I was already planning on round 2 with the sk Zucchini Fritters so I needed to keep my idea simple.  As it was, I was cutting, shredding, waiting and then cooking, ala minute, the fritters.  Now add preheating, scraping the grill, and running in and out in order to baste and not over cook anything.  It was a huge success, and I got gold on both fronts, but the simple way would've been to assign someone to the grilling.
I bought 4 Chicken Breasts and cut them into 1" cubes.  Next, I cut the Woody Rosemary Stems into 12" Lengths without including the tender new growth.  I threaded the chicken breast onto the skewers fairly close, without jamming them together, and lay them flat on a platter.  I had our family barbeque sauce already prepared so I basted them and let them rest for about 30 minutes.  (Use your favorite sauce or marinade.)  I placed the skewers on a very hot grill, sauce side down, and basted the upward facing side.  I turned once, basting the cooked side.  (NOTE: Don't let the grill flare up or it will burn the skewers and you will be left with cubed chicken to tend to.)  These cooked for about 10 minutes on an infrared grill on a medium setting.   When done, I placed the cooked skewers on a foil line sheet pan and placed them in a 350 degree oven to finish for the last 8-10 minutes.  In the meantime, I cleaned up and set the table.  When served, we all ate in silence.
As soon as we were done, I called B to tell her of our good success with her skewer idea!  For the next time, I invited them to dinner.  These would be awesome with Lamb, Beef, Shrimp, or Pork.  If you were going on a picnic, these wood be fun to cook with easy cleanup.

smitten kitchen's Zucchini Fritters, take 2.

I made these again for the 2nd time in 3 days.  Truly they are that good.  I followed the original recipe in the previous post and made these few adjustments.

• I used 3 Zucchini as opposed to 2 and this also made 12 Fritters, a better number for the 3 of us.
• When I was at the CIA this summer, I bought cheese cloth, so this time I squeezed the water out of the grated zucchini in small batches using the cloth.  I got a drier result which made these cook up beautifully.  
• I decided not to add additional salt to my batter, however, on turning each fritter I sprinkled a bit of Kosher Salt to each Fritter and that was tasty.
• I heated an oven to 350 and placed the finished Fritters on a rack lined sheet pan so they were warm when we ate and still crispy on the edges.

Safe to suffice, I am happy with the adjustments I made!  This recipe is a keeper for us!!

smitten kitchen's Zucchini Fritters

NOTE: This was my first go at it but I made adjustments to the recipe in my next post.

I keep running across zucchini fritters here and there in magazines.  My sister, C, posted a picture of smitten kitchen's fritters on Facebook last week, so I bought 2 zucchini yesterday.  The recipe made only 8 fritters and we left 3 for my husband since he will be hungry when he returns from tennis.  Guess who only got 2?  You got it, me!!  Honestly we could've eaten all 8, cleaned up, and he never would've known what he missed, but we couldn't do that.  Instead, I am going to make them again in the next day or so.
As I flip from sk's photo of her fritters and I evaluate mine, mine are not the same.  I believe I can use this same recipe using 3 Zucchini's to get a result closer to hers, a little crispier and with less dough.  One of the culprits is the SE Louisiana humidity and we have enough for the whole country, for a month running.  It completely changes any recipe using flour.  Another important factor is to not mix the batter together until you are ready to cook.  In letting the mixed batter sit for 5 minutes while I was preparing the rest of the meal, I got a bit more of a tempura result and you can clearly see the puffiness of my fritters as opposed to hers.  I can assure you though, they were tremendous just the same.  One change I made is, I like herbs in my fritters so I added Oregano and as I frequently do, I used shallots instead of scallions and of course in a pinch, onion will work, too.
My last thought is that these are perfect for making ahead for an appetizer or side dish.  Let them cool on a rack and refrigerate.  When ready to serve, reheat oven to 350 and lay on a rack over a sheet pan.  Lay them out in a single layer, do not shingle, and warm for 15-20 minutes until hot and crispy.
I didn't follow the recipe verbatim, but here is what I did.  Remove the ends and cut 2 Zucchini in half so you have 3-4" lengths.  Using a V-slicer (rather than a grater box or processor) cut zucchini into strands on the smallest cut.  The strands were 3" x 1/8" x 1/8".  Place the zucchini in a colander and toss with a 1 tsp of Salt.  Let this sit for 10-15 minutes to release the water.  In small batches, using your hands, squeeze out the excess water and place back in the bowl.  While the zucchini is doing it's thing, get the next steps ready.  Either finely slice scallions (which sk did) or mince 1 Medium Shallot (which I did) and place in a small bowl.   Heat an empty skillet over medium. In a bowl, beat 1 Egg.  To another bowl, measure out 1/2 Cup Flour and sift it with 1/2 tsp Baking Powder...you can also just stir with a wire whip to incorporate them together.  Add 1/4 tsp Salt, freshly ground Black Pepper, and optionally (my addition, not smitten kitchen's) 1/2 tsp Oregano or a seasoning of your choice, ie Thyme to the flour mixture.
Add Canola Oil to coat the bottom of the skillet.  Mix together batter adding the shallots and the egg, stirring to coat the zucchini.  Lastly, add the flour and stir to combine.
Add spoonfuls to the hot pan and flatten slightly so they are an even thickness and will cook evenly.  Once golden brown, turn just once.  I mixed up a quick topping of 2 Tbl ricotta and 2 Tbl Sour Cream.  I added Smoked Paprika, Oregano, and Salt and Pepper to taste.  Then I blended in 1 Tbl Olive Oil.

Roasted Vegetables over Angel Hair Pasta

When we ski, normally on arrival day we eat pasta of some sort.  I made this last year and have had a hankering for it because the Eggplant and Zucchini are just beautiful now.  This is the only picture I have because we ate when they were done and there were barely any left.  Next time I'll add another photo.  To make these roasted vegetables is quite simple.  Heat oven to 375.  Cut into 1" cubes, 1 Medium Eggplant and 2 Medium Zucchini.  Ciseler a Small Red Onion, as pictured.  It's a cool little shape!  Toss all the vegetables in 1/4 Cup Olive Oil or Canola or a combination of both and arrange in a single layer.  Sprinkle with Salt and Pepper to taste.  Add to the hot oven and roast for about 1 hour.  After 20 minutes, begin turning every 10 minutes or so until they are caramelized.  They will shrink quite a bit.   One sheet pan feeds about 4-5 people.  For serving, have pasta ready when the vegetables are done.  Plate the pasta, add the sauce, top with the roasted vegetables, and garnish with Parmesan Cheese.  Serve with salad and crusty warm bread.

Peach Turnovers

Summertime has the most wonderful fruit and right now it is all in full season.  I bought peaches a few days ago and they are perfectly ripe.  I had a sheet of puff pastry left over from something I made earlier in the week and decided to experiment a little and make up a Peach Turnover Recipe.

First, I rolled out 1 Sheet of Puff Pastry careful to keep a square shape.  I cut the pastry into 9 even squares, 3 by 3.  Next, I cut 2 Peaches into very thin slices and the cut them crosswise or julienne. When I tasted the peaches, they were so sweet there was no reason to add sugar.  Sugar will bring out the juices and had I done that I would've needed flour or starch to thicken the juices so the pastry didn't get soggy. I opted to add nothing.

Next, I filled the pastry with a heaping table spoon of fruit and folded over the pastry, careful not to poke holes in the pastry.  Gently, pinch the pastry closed, then dip a fork in four and crimp the edges shut.  I brushed the top with 1/2 & 1/2 and dusted generously with Sanding Sugar.  After I filled four this way, I decided to add about 1 tsp Chopped White Chocolate to five of them,  I dusted these with Oatmeal and small amount of Sanding Sugar.

 They bake on a parchment lined sheet pan, in the center of the oven, at 400 for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Add a scoop of good quality Vanilla Ice Cream to the side or bring them in a basket to a picnic.  Sure to be a crowd pleaser!!

Grilled Flatbread

I have a flat bread recipe on my blog already and it was cooked in the kitchen, on a grill pan.  This time I actually grilled it on our infer red grill, (not my favorite grill for this sort of thing), but tasty just the same.
Making dough takes practice and what eventually happens is you don't really follow a recipe, you just know what to do.  I have arrived at that point.  I will attempt to say what measurements I used, but humidity makes an impact on dough, so I will also tell you what you are looking for to attain a good dough and you can aim for that.  Dough is forgiving to a point while it is being kneaded, so the adjustments should be made during that time.
I made this on a school day in the morning and brought it to my friend, Big T's house, for a tennis party get-together.  I should add, the team I play on won our division in a local league so it was a fun day.  T's husband, J, char-grilled oysters for us and we ate the flat bread with the oysters.
I began running the mixer around 6:30am and like I mentioned, brought the grilled bread to her house at 11am.  First, warm your mixing bowl by rinsing it in hot water.  Dry the outside.  Then measure 1/2 Cup Warm Water (around 110F) and add 1 package of Rapid Rise Yeast plus A Few Pinches of Sugar.  Stir with a wooden spoon and let it activate for about 10 minutes; you will see bubbles form.  Place the mixing bowl on the mixer and using a dough hook, begin mixing on the #2 setting.  Add 1 Cup 110F water, 2 Tbl Olive Oil, 1 1/2 Tbl Sugar, and begin adding Flour- 1/2 Cup at a Time.  (You can use All-Purpose, Bread, Wheat or a combination of any and all).  In all, I added Between 4-5 Cups Flour.  Once you have added a few cups of flour, add 1 tsp Kosher Salt.  Continue adding flour until dough is compact but soft and ever so slightly sticky to the touch.  If it is too dry, add a few Tbl Water now.  Once it feels right, knead for about 15-20 minutes until it feels springy and seems to have strands when pulled apart.  Remove the dough and shape into a ball.
Oil a large bowl.  Coat the dough with oil and cover the bowl with a damp cloth.  Let rise for 1 hour in warm place.  I turn on a heat lamp on my hood and place the bowl on a back grate location so the light shines on the cloth.
Remove dough from bowl and using a dough cutter, cut the desired size pieces.  Shape these by pulling the dough from the center, down the sides and under until it appears you have dough that is slightly sticky.  Place these on a floured cloth lined sheet pan to rest.  Cover them with the damp towel and place back under the light or in a warm spot for about 30 minutes.
To busy yourself, cleanup, preheat grill, and get oil ready.  You can see, I used Fresh Rosemary and Olive Oil.  When you are ready roll out the dough, shingle the disks on the sheet pan.  Oil and add Kosher Salt the dough and place on the hot grill, oil side down.  Oil and Salt the upward facing side.  Turn the bread over when it releases from the grill and cook the second side.  Turn again and cross mark the 1st side and then the second.  When it comes off the grill, Oil and add a Pinch of Kosher Salt to the upward facing side.
Cover the bread so it doesn't dry out and serve with your favorite meal.  If hosting at home, I would opt to grill while the bread is being eaten, straight off the grill.  Let me know how it goes for you!!

Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas

Here is one of the ideas I have used in the past for the Sweet Treat Day.  I provide all the dry ingredients plus Madagascar Vanilla to bake something.  In this case, I like to use my Goo-Goo Bar recipe.  The Sugars are in 1 bag, the Flour, Salt, and Baking Soda is in 1 bag, and the Chocolate, Nuts, and Coconut is in 1 bag.  I include a recipe and all they need is 1 stick of Butter and 1 Egg.



My son writes a message to the teacher on the back of the recipe.  I buy small handled bags and I glue the recipe onto scrapbook paper.  I top it with colorful tissue to make a simple festive gift.  The Vanilla is the most expensive part at $8 at World Markets, but my guess is the entire gift is around $12 each.  This price allows me to thank more than just his teacher and recognize their endless efforts.  Once the Goo-Goo Bars are gone the teacher can still enjoy the Vanilla!
FYI- Goo-Goo Bar recipe is in my dessert section!!

Teacher Appreciation Week Gift Ideas

It's Teacher Appreciation Week for our school district.  It's nice to say thank you to your child's teacher without giving a coffee cup or a picture of your child.  I tend towards consumables because they can be enjoyed and in this case, re-created next year.  I like things that give lasting joy as well.
If you are stuck for a clever idea here's one you may like.  It's a Strawberry Pot filled with Herbs.  There are 2 sizes of pots and this one is the largest.  It has 9 holes and I like to finish the top with flowers.
To make this, begin planting the two bottom holes.  Place the roots on the inside and feed the herbs through getting them to stand upright.  Add dirt.  Plant the next herbs in the same fashion, adding dirt last.  Continue working your way to the top.  Add a 4" flower to the top.  Add dirt to fill it in and water well without a dish.
Here in the deep south where the sun is strong, I place mine on the steps to the kitchen from our carport.  This way it gets several hours of morning sun as well as several in the afternoon.   It needs to be watered each day and I rotate the pot 90 degrees upon watering.
What a treat it is to step outside the door with scissors and return with a fistful of herbs.  Some herbs that do well are chives, oregano, basil, parsley, lemon balm, thyme, sage, and lemon thyme.  See what's available and go for it.  You can even include a recipe using multi herbs with a note from your child on the back.