Yeah, we're smitten.

Last week, Caitlin and I had the chance to meet one of our favorite cooks - Smitten Kitchen! Er, I mean, the lovely Deb Perelman.  We had the chance to listen to a delightful lecture and discussion by Deb, and then meet her in person to get our cookbooks signed.  After the countless hours we have spent bonding over delicious recipes, it was fun to have Deb be part of our Smitten Kitchen experience in person!  

Standing next to one of the best food bloggers in the universe reminded me of what a bad blogger I am.  Baaad blogger.  In a tiny defense, I did try to upload several recipes this evening, but experienced some technical difficulties.  I will be back soon, though!  Until then, have a fabulous St. Patrick's Day ~ slainte!

Cream Puffs + Hot Pepper Noodles

Feeling inspired by a handwritten poem from long ago likening one's husband to a cream puff, I decided to make cream puffs for a Valetine's dessert. (Yes, I am well aware that today marks one month plus one day past the holiday.) It was not to be, however, as it was all I could do after work to get the 44-clove garlic soup ready in time for dinner.

Then I decided to impress the visiting in-laws with the treat, but that didn't happen either, because my sister decided that eating Burger King soft-serve with caramel sauce was a better use of her last half-hour with me than watching me make pudding. And I got to share, so I ended up happy. Plus we got to witness the manager frantically trying to fill the next day's schedule by asking every employee in the place about availability.

So there I was at Presidents' Day (yes, I am aware that we are a few weeks past that), and with the holiday from work, I decided that there would be cream puffs.

Not only would there be cream puffs, but I began the one-new-recipe-a-week resolution I recently resolved. This may or may not have been prompted by the discovery that my to-make list exceeds thirteen Word document pages in length.

March's issue of Bon Appetit had a recipe from Penny's Noodle Shop in Chicago for hot pepper noodles, almost all ingredients for which I had in my cupboard (helping with another resolution I made . . . the no-spending-any-more-money-on-groceries-this-week resolution). They were absolutely delicious and provided a next day's lunch that even caused a coworker to ask what I was eating because it smelled so good. I've already made it again, so I definitely recommend adding it to your cooking repertoire.

Dinner at La Grolla and a Bakewell Tart

On Friday night I met my friends Ari and Kileen for dinner at La Grolla, an Italian restaurant on Selby Avenue in St. Paul. It’s a cozy place, but maybe a bit too cozy. For one, I got whipped in the face by the ponytail of one of the waitstaff as she passed. And for two, I sat a foot away from a couple who were quietly arguing over their pasta in a mix of English and Spanish (Woman: “No ver. No ver.” Man: “Yes, it is true.”), about ten percent of which I understood.

Though the space was tight and the water-refiller maybe a bit too attentive, my shrimp ravioli in lobster cream sauce was delicious, and the leftovers I ate the next day were just as good.

For dessert, I had made a bakewell tart. (It will soon become apparent that Smitten Kitchen is my go-to cooking resource.) It’s a little bit of a process  with lots of chilling involved before the tart itself can be baked, but when the steps are broken up a little—and when you have a husband at home while you’re at work who can assemble and bake the whole thing—it’s really not all that time-consuming of a dessert.

 

 

And let me just say that it is well worth the effort, because the thing is indescribably delicious. I’m already envisioning it with a rhubarb layer come spring. (Which is coming this month! Happy March.)

A Smorgasbord

A few Tuesdays ago, I apparently was feeling a bit ambitious and craving both sweet and savory things.

Results
Perfectly garlicky and smooth hummus  

And some flatbread to go with it
Coffee for the chocolate cake

Chocolate cake to satisfy chocolate cake cravings

I've also been doing quite a bit of food perusing lately; my must-try list is now five lines longer.

Must try

Homemade Velveeta?!

A dessert in celebration of my parents' anniversary

Deep fried pickles

These yeasted waffles
Macarons

Cocoa & Fig macarons. Photo by Chelsea

 

Bread and Chocolate

I don't have much experience with Middle Eastern cuisine, but paging through Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbook Jerusalem, I can't wait to start trying new things. But the first (and only, I am ashamed to admit) recipe I've made is really something that most cultures can get behind: bread and chocolate.

This chocolate krantz cake took a little time and made me concerned for the safety of my mixer. With a brief rest in the middle of it, my Kitchen Aid powered through a 10 (!!) minute beating with the dough hook. What a champ! The end result--after a rise in the fridge, rolling and slicing to reveal gorgeous chocolate stripes, and a slathering of sugar syrup--yielded two loaves of the most delicious, chocolatey, soft, syrupy sweet bread I have ever made.

The Gruyere Affair

If you haven't met the delectable, buttery, savory cheese known as Gruyere, you better get yourself to the nearest dairy section as soon as possible.  You will thank me.  For best pricing, I advise shopping a traditional grocery store, versus a Super Target-type establishment, or a co-op.  My love for G was recently rekindled when my mother and I made the Pioneer Woman's Turnip Gratin - starring Mr. G - for Thanksgiving: 
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/11/turnip-gratin/

Ta Da!  Isn't it lovely?

The reason I am posting this recipe today, is that I just made this for dinner tonight.  In fact, here it is - still bubbly!  Mine looks a bit different because I had cream to use up so I used a little more than the recipe called for.  Also, I made a little root vegetable harmony by substituting half of the turnips for a small rutabaga and five small red potatoes.  (If you choose to follow this variation, I recommend cooking for 30-40 min, rather than the PW's 20.  Also, you might have noticed this is not in a skillet - a 9x13 Pyrex worked just as well.  Just melt the butter separately and pour into the Pyrex.)

Also on the menu tonight...venison!  I am sure this strikes fear into many of your hearts, however, it's probably because you have not had venison prepared the correct way - from the actual skinning process through the cooking process.  My father is an avid hunter and excellent sportsman - his venison is never "gamey."

I was so focused on the gratin (or the Gruyere...) that I hadn't bothered to decide how to prepare the venison.  It was pre-cut into stir-fry sized pieces, so I just heated a some olive oil in a pan with salt, cayenne, basil, and garlic powder.  They had a little party and invited the venison to join in.  Mmmm. 

Stopping by My Home on a Snowy Morning

I fully intended to post the chocolate and coconut checkerboard brownies I made yesterday in honor of National Brownie Day. Fellow Slainte contributor Kileen came over to enjoy them and can attest to their goodness. However. This happened overnight:

The forecast was calling for anywhere from three to seven inches of snow to fall after midnight, but I always anticipate the opposite of what I want to happen and figured that there would maybe be a dusting. But when I opened my eyes this morning and saw the soft white-blue light filtering through the blinds, I knew. We have about eight inches so far, and it’s almost 6:00 pm now and still coming down.

This means that I cannot post about brownies right now because there is something more urgent to be made that must be started the moment you know it’s not going to stop snowing for a little while yet. You need to get a bowl out in your front yard as soon as possible, you see, so it can fill up with fresh snow.

When I was growing up, snow in Washington State was an exciting and not-so-frequent weather event, and as long as I can remember, whenever the big flakes started falling, we’d quickly deposit metal bowls out in the yard to fill up for snow ice cream. At home it’s made with half & half, since we were almost never without a half gallon of it in the fridge for Dad’s morning coffee. I don’t have the morning coffee ritual in my own little place, but with a dollop of coconut cream standing in (left over from yesterday’s brownies, happily), it almost tastes better than I remember.

Snow Ice Cream

2 cups freshly fallen snow

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon half & half OR 

1 tablespoon coconut cream (skim off the top of regular canned coconut milk)

2 tablespoons milk (may need more)

Sprinkle the sugar over the snow. Drizzle snow with vanilla extract. Stir in the coconut cream with a rubber spatula. Drizzle milk in a tablespoon at a time until the mixture blends together and is more slushy than snowflake-y. Don’t be afraid to smoosh it into submission with a spatula if it doesn’t look like it’s coming together at first. Serve immediately, before it melts. Makes about 1 cup.