Archive | October, 2011

Decadent S’mores Pie

31 Oct

Is there anyone in the world who doesn’t like s’mores? If there is, I certainly haven’t met them.

Last month when I visited Big Sur with my husband and friends, we ended each day by making s’mores in the wood fireplace. It was Jen’s idea, and it was a good one. The sound of the crackling fire called us in, and none of us were ever able to stop at just one.

Our craving for s’mores expanded well past the dates of our trip, and I wasn’t surprised when Jen showed me the recipe for this s’mores pie. She had made it for her husband, and I knew I had to try it, too.

It’s everything you love about a s’more — the nostalgia, the stickiness, the sweetness — all without the campfire.

It’s the best s’more you’ll ever have.

Smore’s Pie

From The Pasty Affair

What you need:

  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 eggs, whisked
  • 1 bag of small or large marshmallows
How you do it:

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until everything is coated. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned.
  3. Meanwhile, combine heavy cream and milk in a small saucepan and whisk over medium heat until warmed. Add chopped chocolate and salt and whisk until completely melted. Slowly whisk in the eggs until the mixture is smooth and well blended.
  4. Carefully pour the chocolate into the prebaked crust and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until the chocolate filling is set and doesn’t move when the pie is gently shaken.
  5. Place the marshmallows in concentric circles on top of the pie (if you have large marshmallows, cut them in half with kitchen scissors first). Set the oven to broil, and put the pie under the broiler (watching it carefully) for approximately 2 to 5 minutes or until the marshmallows have browned slightly.
  6. Let the pie set in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
  7. To serve, use a sharp knife sprayed with cooking spray to slice. The Pasty Affair recommended nuking each slice for 7-or-so-seconds before serving, and I also recommend doing the same. It’s good cold, but really good warm.

Roasted Vegetable Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes and Porcini Porter Sauce

28 Oct

Meatloaf gets a bad rap, but let’s face it — often times it’s for good reason. It’s not that attractive on the plate, has a tendency to be dry and bland, and come on — it’s called MEATLOAF. Not appealing.

Growing up, my mom made a pretty decent meatloaf. She used ground turkey and shredded carrots in hers, and despite the fact that I always dipped it in ketchup, it was never one of my favorite things to eat. (Sorry, mom.) Luckily for her, I was (and still am) a pretty good eater and no Christmas Story-esque episodes ever ensued.

My husband, on the other hand, loves meatloaf. The first time he asked me to make it, I wasn’t sure how to respond — I didn’t even want to eat meatloaf much less make one. I skirted the subject by convincing him that he’d rather eat something else, but despite my sly workaround, I knew I couldn’t dodge meatloaf-making forever. So I pushed my anti-meatloafness aside and started looking for what I figured was impossible — a meatloaf recipe that I thought sounded appealing and actually wanted to make.

The first time I made this recipe, my husband hurled words of encouragement at me hoping that his “that smells good” and “I can’t wait to eat that” would stick and I’d remember my meatloaf-making experience as a pleasurable one. He looked over my shoulder with excitement as I sliced his portion and upon taking a bite, he declared it “better than mom’s.” Not a phrase to be taken lightly. And despite my hesitation, I actually liked it too.

Turns out, nothing’s impossible.

Roasted Vegetable Meatloaf with Balsamic Glaze

Slightly adapted from Bobby Flay

What you need:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large zucchini, finely diced
  • 2 sweet bell peppers (I used red), finely diced
  • 5 cloves garlic, smashed to a paste with coarse salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, divided
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus a few sprigs for garnish
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/2 pound ground pork
  • 1/2 pound ground veal
  • 1 pound ground beef chuck
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs (I used whole wheat breadcrumbs)
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup organic ketchup, divided
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
How you do it:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the zucchini, peppers, garlic paste, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper, to taste, and cook until almost soft, 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. (Note: I actually did this step earlier in the day and then chilled the vegetables in the fridge until I was ready to use them.)
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and herbs together. Add the meat, bread crumbs, cheese, 1/2 cup of the ketchup, 2 tablespoons of the balsamic vinegar, and the cooled vegetables and mix with your hands until just combined.
  4. Mold the meatloaf on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Whisk together the remaining ketchup, balsamic vinegar and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Brush the mixture over the entire loaf. Bake the meatloaf for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

What you need:

For the roasted garlic:

  • 1 head of garlic, roasted (see instructions below)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
For the mashed potatoes:

  • 2 pounds Russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 2-inch cubes
  • 2 tablespoons sea salt
  • 4 or 5 cloves of roasted garlic, depending on your taste
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • Salt and pepper to taste
How to roast the garlic:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Slice the top 1/4 off the head of garlic, exposing the top of the cloves. If there’s an abundance of paper surrounding the head of garlic, peel some of it off.
  2. Put the garlic in the center of a large piece of foil and coat the top with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then pull up the edges of the foil to completely wrap the garlic.
  3. Put the foil-wrapped garlic in a ramekin or on a cookie sheet and roast for approximately 45 minutes.
  4. Remove from the oven, carefully open the foil and let the garlic cool for a bit before using.
How to make the potatoes:

  1. Using a large pot, cover the cubed potatoes with cold water. Add the salt and bring to a boil. Allow to cook for approximately 20 to 25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. They’re done when the tip of a knife can easily be inserted and removed from the center of the potato.
  2. Using a colandar, drain the potatoes and give them several good shakes, removing as much water as you can. Return the potatoes to the pan and let them sit for a minute or two. This will continue to dry them out so you don’t end up with a wet mashed potato.
  3. Meanwhile, heat the half and half and butter in a small saucepan until warmed. Slowly add the liquid to the potatoes, mashing with a hand masher as you go. As you continue to mash, add the roasted garlic until the cloves are well combined with the potatoes. Stir in salt and pepper to taste.

Porcini Porter Sauce

Slightly adapted from Beer Advocate Magazine (Issue #53)

What you need:

  • 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 12 ounces Porter-style beer (I used Mogli, an oak-aged Imperial Porter; 8.5% ABV)
  • 1/2 cup beef, chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1 cup creme fraiche
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • Freshly cracked pepper, to taste
How you do it:

  1. In a small bowl or Pyrex, rehydrate the mushrooms by soaking them in boiling water for at least an hour.
  2. Meanwhile, let the butter melt in a medium saucepan over medium heat — swirling it in the pan until completely melted and foamy. Add the onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until caramelized; approximately 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the Porter and thyme, raise the heat, and bring the mixture to a boil.
  3. Drain the mushrooms from their soaking liquid and add them to the saucepan. Let the liquid reduce by half; approximately 10 minutes. Slowly stir in the creme fraiche and bring the mixture back to a boil until the sauce has thickened. Season with soy sauce and pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

24 Oct

The only thing better than a cookie is a BIG cookie, and this chocolate chip cookie cake is just that — a big cookie.

When I was younger, my mom would make me a big cookie cake for my birthday instead of a traditional birthday cake. I think she used a pizza pan rather than a springform pan (which is what I used), but I couldn’t help but be reminded of my childhood when cutting myself a slice of this cookie cake. It’s just so much fun to eat and super simple to make (no dough scooping), plus can you imagine if it were covered in frosting like an actual cake? Maybe next time…

I originally baked this cookie cake back in April for my husband, an accountant, to bring into his work as an end of tax season celebratory treat. I ended up making it that morning and didn’t leave time to photograph it (or even taste it for that matter), hence the reason why it has never made an appearance on my blog. But the other other day when I was going through my bookmarked recipes, I was reminded of this cookie cake and decided to make it again to share with all of you. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

From Hautebox

What you need:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup all purpose whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
How you do it:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a springform pan.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and the egg, blending until well mixed. Slowly add the flour mixture until everything is well incorporated. Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips.
  4. Put batter in your prepared springform pan and use a spatula or your fingers to press the dough into the bottom of the pan until it covers the bottom.
  5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cookie is lightly browned throughout. Remove from the oven and cool the cookie in the pan on a wire rack. Once cool, remove the cookie from the pan, cut into slices and serve.

Balsamic-Glazed Butternut Squash Pizza

21 Oct

The blogosphere is a weird place. It can make you feel as though you know someone when in reality, you’ve never even met.

So today, myself and many other food bloggers are celebrating the wedding of one of our blogosphere friends — Steph from Steph’s Bite by Bite — with a virtual bridal shower. We’ve been following along with her on her wedding planning journey, and we’re excited to send her off into marriage (her wedding’s October 29th!) with a collection of date night-ready meals.

On the rare occasion that our busy schedules actually allow my husband and I to spend a night at home together, we like to keep it casual. I’m talkin’ wearing pajamas and eating at the coffee table casual. The type of casual that screams “pizza.” (And beer, of course.)

I love making pizza at home. Not only is it easy and fun to make, but it’s a great opportunity to get creative with flavor combinations. While the standard sausage, peppers and onions are always welcome, why not try something new? Like this baby, for example. Not only is it the perfect combo of sweet and savory, but it also showcases some of fall’s best flavors. A great meal to cuddle up with on a casual night at home.

Balsamic-Glazed Butternut Squash Pizza

Slightly adapted from Real Simple

What you need:

  • 1 pound homemade or store-bought pizza dough
  • Cornmeal for the pizza stone/pizza pan
  • 1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cubed and sliced into 1/4″ pieces
  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup grated extra sharp cheddar
  • 1 or 2 handfuls of arugula
  • 1/4 cup shelled sunflower seeds

How you do it:

1. If you have a pizza stone, preheat it for about 15 minutes at 500 degrees, then reduce temperature to 425. If not, preheat the oven to 425.
2. Meanwhile, roll the pizza dough into a large rectangle of desired thickness. Transfer dough to a cornmeal-dusted pizza pan. Brush dough’s entire surface with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.
3. In a large bowl, toss butternut squash, red onion, thyme, balsamic vinegar and one tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Layer butternut squash mixture over the pizza dough, then scatter the cheddar cheese on top. If you have a pizza stone, carefully transfer the pizza onto the preheated stone. If not, leave the pizza on the pizza pan and put it in the oven as-is.
5. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes (times will vary slightly depending on the thickness of your crust) or until the edges of the pizza are crispy and brown.
6. Toss arugula with one tablespoon of olive oil. Top pizza with arugula and sunflower seeds before serving.

Congratulations to Steph on her wedding, and a big group high-five to all the bloggers who participated in the virtual bridal shower. You can check out all their recipes here.

Veggie Curry

17 Oct

As the crispness of fall begins permeating the air, it’s hard to resist the urge to sit down with a steaming bowl of something soul-warming after a long day at work. So the other night I was inspired to whip up a veggie curry using the abundance of farmers market veggies I had stockpiled in the fridge — kale, zucchini and heirloom tomatoes. Nearly any combination of vegetables would work here, so feel free to be creative. Just be aware of their cooking times and the order in which you add them to the pan.

Served over brown rice and topped with Greek yogurt, this is a seriously healthy meal that’s so delicious it feels like a splurge. I always enjoy a dish that allows me to go back for seconds without feeling guilty, don’t you?

Veggie Curry (serves 4)

What you need:

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 4 large leaves of kale, stems removed and cut into ribbons
  • 1 large zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4 inch slices
  • 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
  • 3 medium-sized heirloom tomatoes, cut into a large dice
  • 2 teaspoons curry powder (I used hot curry, but whatever you have would work)
  • 1/3 cup vegetable stock or water
  • 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Greek yogurt for garnish (optional)
  • Brown rice for serving

How you do it:

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add kale and zucchini, stir, cover, and let cook for approximately 5 minutes or until the kale has wilted and the zucchini has begun to soften.
  2. Add the shallot and garlic and cook for a minute or two, stirring frequently, until the garlic is fragrant and the shallot begins to turn translucent.
  3. Add the tomato and curry powder. Stir to combine, then add the vegetable stock. Cover and let simmer for 5 minutes.
  4. Stir the chickpeas into the mixture and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for another 5 minutes or until all the veggies are tender.
  5. Serve curry over brown rice and topped with a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Foodie Around Town — Pierrot Gourmet

13 Oct

Pierrot Gourmet (Gold Coast, Chicago — 118 E. Superior)

October in Chicago means Bears football, falling leaves and Oktoberfest. And as someone with a smidge of German in their blood, I never turn down an opportunity to indulge in cold beer and encased meats. So when I was invited* to attend a special Oktoberfest menu tasting at Chicago’s Pierrot Gourmet with a group of fellow writers, I jumped at the chance.

Pierrot Gourmet is an upscale German restaurant tucked into the most unlikely of places — the Peninsula Hotel. Headed up by German chef Kai Lermen (that’s him in the picture above),  the food is delicious and authentic. In fact, chef Kai had just returned from Oktoberfest in Germany a mere 12 hours before our meal. Well versed in German history and tradition, he taught us a few things about eating an authentic Oktoberfest meal. For example, you must always tap your glass of beer on the table before taking the first sip, and during prost (the German version of “cheers”), it’s considered bad luck to not make eye contact with those you’re celebrating with. So we all grabbed our mugs of beer (mine full of Weihenstephan Hefeweissbier dunkel, a dark wheat beer), said prost, and off we went.

Once into the meal, we were presented with a wide array of authentic dishes. I really enjoyed everything, but the items indicated in bold were my favorites.

Gemischte Salad Platte mit Kräuter Dressing — mixed greens, vegetable salad, herb dressing

Bayerische Linsensuppe mit Knackwurst — Bavarian lentil soup, knack sausage

Vesper Teller — German salami, cold cuts, cheese, deviled egg, pretzel, mustard

Oktoberfest Weißwurst mit Süßem Senf & Bretzel — Oktoberfest veal brats, sweet mustard, pretzel

Bayerische Schlachtplatte — butchers platter with smoked pork loin, nurnberger, Vienna sausage, crispy pork belly, schupfnudel, sauerkraut

Weiner Schnitzel — veal schnitzel, potato salad, lingon berries, mustard

“Rheinischer” Sauerbraten — beef pot roast, raisins, almonds, red cabbage, spätzle

Zitronen Roulade — lemon roulade cake

Apfelstrudel mit Vanille Sauce — apple strudel, vanilla sauce

Black Forest Cake — chocolate sponge cake, sour cherries, whipped cream

Looks pretty good, right? I enjoyed my experience at Pierrot Gourmet and would happily go back. In fact, I plan on bringing my dad sometime soon as I really think he’d enjoy the food (and beer!).

Get your Oktoberfest fix at Pierrot Gourmet now through October 30th. You’ll be glad you did.

*In exchange for the meal, I was asked to Tweet and blog about the event.

San Francisco and Big Sur: A Food Diary

11 Oct

As an advertising writer, I spend countless hours slaving over words. Not just any words, but the perfect words – ones that’ll trigger a desired feeling or reaction. This is much more of an art than most people would realize, and my brain has been trained to think about words in a certain way. Long story short, writing is never as simple as it seems.

Unless, that is, it comes to summarizing my feelings about the city of San Francisco. In that case, I find that one word does the trick.

LOVE.

I just returned from my second trip to SF in just as many years, and it’s safe to say that I’m officially obsessed with it. The weather was as beautiful as could be, and our days were spent walking and biking all over town – stopping for food and drinks along the way (of course). We’re lucky to have friends who live there who are as equally food obsessed as we are — taking us to all the spots that the locals love. I knew we ate a lot, but I didn’t really realize how much until I started organizing my photos and writing this post.

And yes, I took pictures of a lot of it. Here’s a visual run-through of some of the things I loved:

Shrimp, caramelized onion and goat cheese omelet topped with tomato and bacon chutney from Breanda’s. With oven roasted potatoes. And a huge cream biscuit. Up there with the best omelets I’ve ever had.

Marinated local anchovies with garlic chips and red pepper flakes from Bar Agricole.

Roasted peppers featuring pardon, gypsy, corno di torro and jimmy nartadello peppers, also from  Bar Agricole.

Tomato soup with herb oil drizzle, served with the most amazing freshly baked bread at Outerlands.

Also from Outerlands, the open-faced pastrami sandwich with swiss, grainy mustard and housemade pickles.

A beautifully made latte from Blue Bottle.

No trip to SF is complete without a salumi cone from Boccalone. Pick up some njuda (spreadable salami) as a souvenir.

Now, for the things I ate before I had a chance to take a photo (aka: my food-devouring tendencies took over too quickly) – whoops!

Citizen’s Band

Hella good Kobe burger, complete with oven roasted tomato, garlic mayo, housemade pickles and bleu cheese, sandwiched between a homemade challah bun (made at Pinkie’s Bakery, located next door — see below).

Pinkie’s Bakery

Peanut butter sandwich cookies? Chocolate peanut butter brownies? Don’t mind if I do.

B Star Bar

A more relaxed version of one of my SF faves, Burma Superstar. Try the shrimp and eggplant in tomato curry, served over the world’s best coconut rice, or the pork and beans — pork belly, white beans and bok choy served over jasmin rice.

Big Sur Bakery

Amazing homemade sourdough and pastries. Also worth a try is the warm meatball sandwich with arugula, mozzarella and red sauce.

Bob’s Donuts

An old school donut shop serving up apple fritters the size of yo’ head.

Tartine Bakery

I mean, come on. It’s TARTINE BAKERY. Anything here is good, but the brioche… Oh my god, the brioche. Crusty and sweet on the outside; tender and airy on the inside. Perfection.

Bi-Rite Creamery

Some of the best ice cream anywhere. I particularly love the brown sugar with ginger caramel swirl. Be sure to check out their awesome gourmet market across the way, too.

Phew. That was intense, right?

For me, traveling is about experiencing a place the way the locals do. I usually stay as far away from the touristy spots as possible, and do my best to dig up the best hidden gems. Luckily, San Francisco is bursting at the seams with awesome stuff. I can’t wait to go back, and maybe next time it’ll be as a permanent resident.

If you’re so inclined, you can browse the rest of my trip photos here.

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