Asparagus Bread Pudding

About two weeks ago the Robber and I went to Whole Foods to buy him some chicken and I came across some asparagus bread pudding in the hot foods section and thought it looked delicious so I bought a little square to try it. The Robber said, "Oh that is a you food" by which he meant "This looks strange but it might turn out to be good." Hmmmmmph. I said. Hmmmmmph. And of course in the end the Robber loved it enough that I thought I should replicate it at home and this is how I did it. I looked at a few recipes online and then just kind of made things up as I went and was fairly pleased with the result, as was the Robber.

Next time I'll increased the liquid by 1/2 cup because this was a little bit dry and I won't precook the vegetables. As the Robber said, "If you make this again, I would be happy."

Ingredients:

1 lbs. bread, cut into 1/2-1" cubes and left overnight to dry out (alternately you can dry them out in the oven at 150F)

2 lbs asparagus, cut on the diagonal into 1" pieces

1 C. sliced green beans

1 C. buttermilk

1/2 C. chicken broth

1 C. heavy whipping cream

6 eggs

2 tsp. salt

6 oz. soft goat cheese

12 oz. feta cheese

Slivered almonds

Directions:

1. Prepare bread as above. I used sourdough hoagie rolls and thought they were quite delicious in the pudding.

2. In the blender, combine buttermilk, broth, cream, eggs, salt, and cheeses. Blend until smooth.

3. Pour egg mixture over bread cubes in large bowl. Allow to soak for minimum of 15 minutes, submerging the cubes entirely in the liquid mixture.

(Here I sauted the green beans and asparagus until slightly tender, but I wouldn't do that again.)

4. Preheat the oven to 375F. When oven is hot, scoop 1/2 of the bread mixture into an ungreased 9 x 13 glass baking pain. Spread 1/2 of vegetables over bread mixture. Repeat with second half of bread mixture and then vegetables. Generously sprinkle slivered almonds over the top of the pudding.

5. Bake at 375F for 45 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to sit 15 minutes before removing from pan. Serve warm.

Carmelized Onion and Goat Cheese Cornbread

I made this with the Robber to eat with Pluto's ratatouille as part of our favorite cornbread and ratatouille meal. Smitten Kitchen is right: the goat cheese doesn't really stand out and the texture of the cornbread is more cakey and moist than dry like a traditional cornbread. Truthfully I like my standard cornbread better with the ratatouille flavors, but this cornbread had a hold on me. I couldn't stop snacking on it. I made it in a 9 x 13 glass pan and left out the corn. I loved the onions on the top and would double them in the future, but the Robber didn't care for them and would leave them out in the future. Hrrrmmmm. Oh well. I definitely won't be making this every time I make cornbread because it is so much more work than my standard recipe, but I won't be forgetting about it either!

From Smitten Kitchen:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/03/caramelized-onion-and-goat-cheese-cornbread/

Ingredients:

1 C. coarse cornmeal

2 C. buttermilk

1-2 T. oil, butter or a combination thereof

1 C. onion in a 3/4-inch dice

1 3/4 C. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 T. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

6 ounce log of soft goat cheese, at room temperature

2 T. honey

1/4 C. granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

Optional: 2 1/2 C. fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 T. bacon fat, vegetable oil or butter

Directions:

1. The night before baking the cornbread, soak the cornmeal in the buttermilk. Cover and leave at room temperature overnight. (I just mixed them together at the beginning and let sit while preparing the rest of the ingredients.)

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

3. Heat a large saute pan to medium and coat the bottom with 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil, butter or a combination thereof. Add the onions and cook them until they’re well-caramelized with browned edges. Season with salt and set aside.

4. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. (Or you can do this while you are cooking the onions.)

5. In a large mixing bowl, beat the goat cheese until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time and scraping down the bowl between each. (It may look a little curdly at this point, don’t worry. It all comes back together in the oven.) Add the melted butter, honey, sugar and cornmeal/buttermilk mixture and mix until smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined and then gently stir in the corn kernels, mixing them until the ingredients are evenly distributed.

6. Place one tablespoon of bacon fat, vegetable oil or butter in a 10 inch round cake pan (you can also use a cast-iron skillet, 9 by 13-inch baking pan or a 12-inch square pan). Place the pan in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, until the fat gets very hot. With good pot holders, remove the pan and tilt it to grease the corners and sides. Pour in the batter, spreading it evenly and sprinkle the caramelized onion evenly over the top.

7. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the cornbread is firm and springing (the baking time will depend on the size and type of pan) and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

8. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before slicing it into squares or wedges. Serve immediately.

Raspberry, Almond, and Goat Cheese Empanadas

This was another recipe where I told the Robber what I made and he made a face at me and I wanted to say well then, you can't have any, but then he ate one and decided it was the best thing ever and I am a sucker when the Robber likes what I make and I get all happy, but maybe I would be happier if I hadn't told him and then I could just eat these all myself! So good!

I didn't have the time or energy to make 20 small empanadas, so I made 8 big ones which threw the filling-to-dough ratio quite off, with not enough filling, so I threw in some Ghiradelli chocolate chips and almonds into my leftover dough and it was delicous! I might just use this dough and put anything into it, but trust me if you have the goat cheese, go that route. So good.

Note: I also did not put the almonds in the filling but rather opted just sprinkle the tops generously with almonds (after brushing them with egg so the almonds would stick), which allowed the filling to remain creamy and smooth on the inside. I mixed the raspberries into the filling directly also instead of adding them separately to each empanada.

Note: If you make 8 empanadas, use about 1/4 cup of filling per empanada.

From a Hint of Honey:

http://www.ahintofhoney.com/2009/05/raspberry-almond-and-goat-cheese.html

Ingredients:

For the basic sweet pastry dough:

3 C. all purpose flour (I used half white whole wheat)

1/4 C. sugar

Pinch of salt

2 sticks butter (16 T.), cut into 16 pieces

2 eggs

2-4 T. cold water

For the raspberry goat cheese filling:

12 oz. raspberries (fresh or frozen)

11 oz. plain goat cheese, room temperature

½ C. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 T. orange zest

½ cup sliced almonds

1 egg, yolk and white separated and lightly whisked

¼ cup demerara or Turbinado sugar to sprinkle on top

Directions:

1. Prepare basic pastry crust dough as follows:

1. Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor.

2. Add the butter, eggs and water until a clumpy dough forms.

3. Knead the dough for a few minutes.

4. Form dough into 2 balls, flatten into thick discs, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

5. Divide dough and roll out into as many thin disks as desired.

2. Combine the goat cheese, sugar, vanilla, orange zest in a bowl, mix well.

3. To assemble the empanadas place a spoonful of the goat cheese mixture, a couple of raspberries and a few almond slices on the center of the empanada disc.

4. Brush the edges of the empanada disc with the egg whites.

5. Fold the empanada discs and seal the edges, use a fork to help seal the empanadas.

6. Lightly brush the top of the empanadas with the egg yolk; this will give them a nice golden glow when baked.

7. Sprinkle the almond slices on the top of the empanadas, do this immediately after you brush them with the egg yolk, it will help the almond slices stick to the empanada.

8. Sprinkle each empanada with a little bit of the demerara sugar.

9. Chill the empanadas for at least 30 minutes or until ready to bake, this will help them seal better.

10. Bake the empanadas in a pre-heated oven at 375 F for 15-20 minutes (longer if making bigger empanadas) or until golden. Serve warm.

Yield: 8-20 empanadas.

Spinach and Goat Cheese Quesadillas

The last in the quesadilla series. There is one more recipe, but it is called "mushroom quesadillas" which automatically disqualifies it from my attention. This recipe I tried because the Robber is in love with spinach and in my efforts to love him I am attempting to incorporate spinach into the things that I love.

It is a losing battle. (He loves mushrooms too but I guess there are limits to my love.)

Not that these were bad. Just that they weren't my favorite. Given the choice I would put black beans between my goat cheese and red pepper (because of course I added roasted red pepper to this recipe, just because I had it) than the spinach. I wilted some left over basil for the mix also.

I was having a g-chat conversation with my old roommate K. the other night who said she mostly just throws things together these days, which is a valuable skill, but I think for me while I might modify most of the recipes I make in some way, I still very much am in an exploration phase of cooking. I crave ideas, combinations, new ways of production. I don't have a fully developed cooking tool box with which to magically throw all by myself. I am still so very much a student. I saw someone post on Facebook how they were learning to cook and were approaching it by making some very fancy sounding things. I don't think I'm even like that. Eventually the goal is to do it all-- throw things together, make a gourmet meal, feed a batch of hungry kids. The approach for now is just to become familiar enough with a variety of basics that I could move one direction or the other in the future.

For now, I am grateful to have made the following discoveries from these quesadillas:

1) Melted goat cheese!

2) Roasted red peppers!

and

3) Vegetables as the primary quesadilla component

And I think those are lessons I can use in every direction of my cooking. So without further ado, I give you spinach and goat cheese quesadillas from Ms. Shulman:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/health/nutrition/18recipehealth.html?ref=nutrition

Ingredients:

1 6-ounce bag baby spinach or 1 bunch spinach, stemmed

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), minced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 corn tortillas

2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)

Directions:

1. Wash the spinach but do not dry. If using bunch spinach, chop coarsely. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy frying pan. Add the garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then stir in the spinach. Raise the heat, and stir just until the spinach wilts. Remove from the heat. Press down on the spinach with the back of your spoon, and drain off any water in the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. In a microwave: Place a corn tortilla on a plate. Top with half the spinach, and spread in an even layer. Sprinkle on half the cheese, and top with another tortilla. Press down gently, then microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Remove from the microwave, cut into quarters or sixths, and serve. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

In a pan: Place a corn tortilla in the pan. Top with half the spinach, and spread in an even layer. Sprinkle on half the cheese. Turn the heat to medium-high, and heat until the cheese begins to melt. Place another tortilla on top of the cheese, and press down lightly. Flip the quesadilla over in the pan, and heat for about 30 seconds or until the cheese has melted. Flip back over, and remove to a plate. Cut into quarters or sixths, and serve. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Yield: Two quesadillas.

Advance preparation: The cooked spinach will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator. Reheat gently before assembling the quesadillas.

Nutritional information (per quesadilla): 272 calories; 8 grams saturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 30 milligrams cholesterol; 17 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 211 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 13 grams protein.

Baby Salad Greens With Sweet Potato Croutons and Stilton

I made this salad-- with my own personal revisions-- for A.'s baptismal lunch in Syracuse. I was a little bit intimidated by the salad assignment, given picnic attendee S.O.'s salad expertise, so I thought I'd better look around for something a little bit different and promising. I found this recipe in a salad slide show on the NYTimes (where else) and thought the idea of the potato croutons with the Stilton was intriguing. I'd never had sweet potato "croutons" before, but have long been a fan of Stilton and so the recipe had the elements of both challenge and familiarity. I don't have a steamer, and so I had to "steam" the potato in the microwave and then saute them, so they ended up both a little wetter and a little more burned than was ideal, but it didn't seem to deter anyone too much.

I doubled this recipe, and added to it 1 cup of candied pecans, which I used making the candied nuts recipe found in the April 2011 section of this blog. I made the recipe as originally written, using syrup instead of honey and found the nuts to be much less sticky. I also added about 2 cups of fresh blueberries to the salad, so all-in-all it was really a sweet-potato-blueberry-candied-pecan-stilton salad but it was, truthfully, so delicious and worth the extra effort of both the nuts and the sweet potato cooking. I'm tempted even to just candy a whole bunch of nuts and keep them around for the purpose of carelessly tossing into salads on a whim at any time.

Ms. Shulman says of her recipe, "Sweet potatoes contrast beautifully here with the pungent Stilton. Other cheeses that work for this salad are goat cheese and feta." Amen. Here's the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/health/nutrition/18recipehealth.html

Ingredients:

For the salad:

1 large sweet potato (10 to 12 ounces), peeled and cut in 1/2-inch dice

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 6-oz. bag baby salad greens

1 T. chopped fresh herbs, such as tarragon, parsley, chervil, chives (I used chives)

2 oz. Stilton or blue cheese, crumbled or cut into small pieces (about 1/2 cup) (I used the cranberry Stilton, but I really wanted to use the apricot Stilton, both would be good!)

(Blueberries and candied nuts!-- for the RMR version)

For the dressing:

1 T. fresh lime juice

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 small garlic clove, minced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 C. buttermilk

Directions:

1. Steam the sweet potatoes for 5 minutes, until just tender. Remove from the heat and drain on paper towels.

2. In a medium, nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sweet potatoes and cook, shaking the pan and moving the pieces around often, until evenly browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain on paper towels.

3. Whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt pepper, olive oil and buttermilk.

4. Place the salad greens in a salad bowl and top with the cheese. Toss with the dressing. Sprinkle on the sweet potato croutons and serve.

Yield: Serves 4

Advance preparation: You can steam the sweet potatoes and make the dressing several hours ahead.

Roasted Pepper and Tomato Salad

I made this salad for a picnic lunch in Syracuse celebrating A.'s baptism, and while I thought it was actually really good, this poor salad got a little upstaged by the other salad I made for the occasion. I think I'm actually more likely to make this salad again, if only because it is slightly less work (even with roasting the peppers) and less expensive than the other salad. Maybe I loved it so much because I recently discovered melted goat cheese and it has changed my whole life, but my guess is that any time I came across this salad I would be happy to eat it. Lettuce and all. Although, personally, given my lettuce-hating ways, I think I would be even happier replacing the lettuce with slices of cucumber and possibly chunks of celery next time but keeping everything else the same.

Note: I doubled this recipe, using six large red bell peppers and five tomatoes-on-the-vine and doubling the rest according to the recipe.

From my fav, the Recipes For Health series by Ms. Shulman of the NYTimes:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/23/health/nutrition/23recipehealth.html

Ingredients:

For the dressing:

1 T. sherry vinegar (I used orange juice)

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1 small garlic clove, minced

1/4 C. extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the salad:

1 1/2 lbs. red or red and yellow peppers, roasted (I used three peppers, did not weigh them)

1 T. slivered fresh basil

1 lbs. fresh ripe tomatoes, cut in wedges

1 head of leaf lettuce or romaine

2 oz. goat cheese crumbled (optional)

Directions:

--To roast the peppers, line a baking sheet with tin foil. Place the peppers on the sheet and bake at 425F for 30-40 minutes, turning peppers every ten minutes until the skins are soft and browned. Remove peppers from sheet, place in a bowl and cover the bowl with a lid or plate and let the peppers sit for 30 minutes to cool. Holding peppers over the bowl, carefully remove the skins and cut the peppers into strips or chunks. If you are storing the peppers for more than 24 hours before using, toss them with a little bit of olive oil to help them stay fresh.

1. To make the dressing, mix together the sherry vinegar, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.

2. Cut the roasted peppers into 1/2-inch wide strips. Toss with two tablespoons of the dressing. Add half the basil, and toss again.

3. Remove and discard the tough outer leaves from the lettuce. Wash and dry the tender leaves and tear into bite-size pieces. Toss with the tomatoes and remaining dressing and basil. Line a platter or a wide bowl with the lettuce and tomatoes. Top with the peppers. Sprinkle on the goat cheese, if using. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Yield: Serves four

Advance preparation: The roasted peppers will keep for about five days in the refrigerator, and for a week if you toss them with the dressing.

Black Bean and Goat Cheese Quesadillas

Oh how this was just so perfect after a long day at the hospital. Everything in one wonderful little quesadilla. You have your few flaws, Martha Shulman, but you also have your many joys and this is one of them! I am a fan of your food series forever.

This is from the same batch of recipes as the broccoli quesadillas posted earlier. Two days ago I made a little Shulman-inspired quesadilla of my own with left over chicken, avocado, and melted goat cheese. Oh how melted goat cheese is changing my life in good and happy ways.

Here's the link from the NYTimes:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/health/nutrition/16recipehealth.html?ref=nutrition

Ingredients:

2 corn tortillas

1/3 C. cooked black beans

1 oz. crumbled goat cheese (1/4 cup)

1/4 roasted red bell pepper or 1/2 roasted piquilo pepper, cut in strips

Salsa for serving (optional)

Directions:

1. In a microwave: Place a corn tortilla on a plate. Top with the beans. Gently mash the beans with the back of a spoon. Top with pepper strips. Sprinkle on the cheese, and top with the remaining tortilla. Press down gently, then microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until the cheese has melted. Remove from the microwave, cut into quarters or sixths and serve.

In a pan: Place a corn tortilla in a pan. Top with the beans. Gently mash the beans with the back of a spoon. Top with pepper strips. Sprinkle on the cheese. Turn the heat on medium-high, and heat until the cheese begins to melt and the tortilla begins to brown. Place the remaining tortilla on top of the cheese, and press down lightly. Flip the quesadilla over in the pan, and heat for about 30 seconds to a minute or until the cheese has melted. Flip back over, and remove to a plate. Cut into quarters or sixths, and serve.

Yield: One serving.

Advance preparation: Cooked beans will keep for four to five days in the refrigerator.

Nutritional information per quesadilla (with canned black beans): 266 calories; 7 grams saturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 30 milligrams cholesterol; 27 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 472 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 14 grams protein.