Sweet and Saucy

I have a bit of a foodie crush on Giada De Laurentiis. She gets truly excited when she cooks and tastes - big smiles, cheerful chatter, and lots of “mmm” sounds - which I can *totally* relate to. Some people like food, but some people LOVE food. I think Giada loves food. (I do too!)

My DVR is chock-full of episodes of her show on the Food Network, Everyday Italian. She featured a recipe recently that I just had to try right away - Fruit Salad with Cannoli Cream. It’s a gorgeous mix of fresh fruit (perfect for summer!) topped with a mix of ricotta and cinnamon whipped cream. Mmm.

The cream has to chill before the desserts can be assembled, so I made it first. In a medium bowl, I stirred together 1/3 cup of whole milk ricotta cheese with 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. In a separate bowl, I used an electric mixer to beat 1/3 cup of heavy cream, 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar, and a pinch of ground cinnamon together until semi-firm peaks formed. I folded the ricotta-cream mixture into the whipped cream and refrigerated the cream for 30 minutes. (It will stiffen a bit.)

While the cream chilled, I made the fruit salad. I tossed together 2 1/2 cups of strawberries (hulled and quartered), 1 1/4 cups of fresh raspberries, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. I let the fruit stand until juices formed, tossing occasionally (15 minutes). Finally, I added 2 kiwi, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces.

I spooned the fruit salad into 4 dessert dishes and topped it with the chilled ricotta cream. A sprinkle of toasted almonds finished things off.

This was so, so yummy. Strawberries, raspberries, and kiwi are some of my favorite kinds of fruit, and the cream really does taste like it came straight from the center of a cannoli. I think the pinch of cinnamon in the cream really elevates the flavor. It’s amazing!

TIPS: The cannoli cream can be made up to 4 hours ahead of time, if necessary. Also, make sure you use really cold heavy cream; warm cream won’t whip.

Recipe link: Fruit Salad with Cannoli Cream

Maybe it’s the Czech in me, but I really like sauerkraut. It showed up on the party buffet pretty regularly during my childhood and - drumroll, please - it was one vegetable dish I would actually eat. I think I enjoyed that combo of sweet and sour with a little bit of crunch.

The March 2008 issue of Everyday Food had a spread on green cabbage, which included a Quick Sauerkraut recipe with three ways to incorporate the sauerkraut as a recipe ingredient. The Quick Sauerkraut recipe is for *cooked* sauerkraut - hallelujah! - instead fermented sauerkraut, which kind of freaks me out. (I don’t think I could serve anything that required skimming the surface daily for mold during fermentation. Ick.)

Quick Sauerkraut can be made ahead and stored for 2 weeks, which really cuts down on the time needed for the “application” recipes. I decided to use my sauerkraut in the Pierogi with Sauerkraut and Mushrooms recipe in that same Everyday Food issue.

These recipes aren’t posted online, so here are the ingredients:

Quick Sauerkraut

1 head green cabbage (about 2 1/2 pounds), outer leaves removed, halved, cored, and thinly sliced
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon coarse salt

Pierogi with Sauerkraut and Mushrooms

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
10 ounces white button mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 cups Quick Sauerkraut
1 package (1 pound) frozen potato pierogi

To make the sauerkraut, I combined the cabbage, vinegar, salt, and 1 1/4 cups of water in a medium saucepan. I covered the pan and cooked the mixture over medium, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage was tender (30 - 35 min.). The recipe says that if the bottom of the pan starts to brown, you can add 1/4 cup more water, but I didn’t have to do this. I cooled the sauerkraut a bit and refrigerated it until I was ready to make the pierogi.

For the pierogi dish, I started by heating the olive oil over medium in a large skillet. I added the chopped onion, seasoned with salt and pepper, and cooked it, stirring occasionally, until it started to soften (5 minutes). I added the mushrooms and cooked, stirring occasionally, until they were browned (10 minutes). I added the sauerkraut and cooked until the mixture was warmed through.

During the onion and mushroom cooking time, I cooked the pierogi according to package directions. (Yes, this recipe is a bit of a “cheat” - no pierogi from scratch!) In this case, I boiled them for 5 minutes and then browned them in some olive oil in a skillet over medium until they were golden brown (about 2 - 3 minutes per side). I served the pierogi over the sauerkraut and mushrooms.

This type of dish isn’t standard fare in my kitchen, but it was really delicious. Dr. O enjoyed it as well. The pierogi were pleasantly chewy and full of yummy potatoes, and the vegetable “bed” was a flavorful complement. Plus, if you make the sauerkraut ahead of time, the pierogi dish only takes 20 minutes. I’ll definitely make this again.

TIPS: I found my frozen pierogi near the “party foods” - blintzes, mini quiche, etc. I think mine were Golden brand, and I bought the potato and onion combination.

When I was back home a couple of weeks ago, my mom asked me to find a good fruit dip recipe. (Thanks for the request, Mom!) I started combing my favorite recipe sites and saw that many of them had the same basic ingredients - like cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla - with differing quantities. Some had “special” ingredients, like orange juice concentrate, ginger, or maraschino cherry juice. Some even had mayonnaise or butter, which aren’t ingredients I would typically want to put on my fruit.

I ended up choosing a recipe from a site that offered a basic recipe with four variations - almond, raspberry, lemon, and marshmallow. The marshmallow recipe sounded especially delish, so I decided to give it a whirl.

This was so, so easy and it only took about 5 minutes. I used reduced-fat ingredients to lighten up the dip a bit, but you can use regular ones if you want. (I wouldn’t go with fat-free sour cream or cream cheese, though. I think fat-free dairy usually lacks in texture and flavor.)

In the bowl of my mixer, I combined 1 8-ounce package of reduced-fat (neufchatel) cream cheese, 1 cup of reduced-fat sour cream, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 1/2 cup of marshmallow creme. I beat the mixture on medium speed for about 30 seconds, scraped down the sides of the bowl, and then beat it again until smooth (about another 30 seconds). I let it chill in the refrigerator for an hour so the flavors could blend, and then served it in a hollowed orange. Pretty, huh?

This dip had great texture and flavor. I could really taste the vanilla and cream cheese, and the sour cream made it slightly tangy. If you don’t like cream cheese frosting, this probably isn’t up your alley, but if you do, watch out. I can see this as a yummy addition to a shower or picnic menu as part of a fruit plate.

TIPS: Bring the cream cheese to room temperature before making the dip for best results. If you don’t have time, just soften it in the microwave.

Recipe link: Marshmallow Fruit Dip

Let’s continue the buttermilk party, shall we? Yesterday’s buttermilk custards came about because I had to purchase way more buttermilk than I needed to make Lighter Chicken Salad from the June 2008 issue of Everyday Food. There’s a “healthy” chain here in Dallas (Zoe’s Kitchen) that has pretty awesome chicken salad, so I thought I’d see if Everyday Food’s lightened recipe came close.

First, I poached 1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast. In a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid, I brought 1 inch of salted water to a boil. I added the chicken, covered the skillet, and reduced the heat to medium-low. I simmered the chicken for 5 minutes, removed it from the heat, and let it steam (still covered) until it was cooked through (14 minutes). I removed it from the skillet, cooled it, and then used two forks to shred it.

In a medium bowl, I stirred together 1/4 cup of light mayonnaise, 1/4 cup of low-fat buttermilk, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon of hot sauce. I stirred in the shredded chicken, along with 2 celery stalks (finely chopped), 1/2 small red onion (finely chopped), and 1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped). I seasoned with salt and pepper to finish.

It’s not Zoe’s, but it’s pretty good. Since it’s light, it’s not super creamy, but it has good flavor. I did have to season with salt 3 times to get the results I wanted, but it’s always better to go easy and add more salt later. (There are few things worse than too-salty food!)

The recipe makes 6 smallish servings and keeps in the refrigerator for 3 days, so it’s great to have around for lunches or dinners during the week.

Recipe link: Lighter Chicken Salad

It’s official: My Sundays are now “Sweet Sundays.” I mentioned last month that I was having a hard time committing to making a dessert a week, so I thought having a dessert feature on the blog would help jump-start my efforts. I may post some dessert outside of Sundays (I doubt Dr. O would complain about more treats!), but look for Sweet Sundays every week at least through the end of summer.

There are few things I love more than a gorgeous, decadent dessert, but my goal this week was something light and easy that would be the perfect end to a weeknight meal. Everyday Food has published multiple variations on Italian panna cotta - a cold Italian dessert that literally means “cooked cream” - throughout the years, but I’ve never tried one. I had some extra buttermilk on hand from making chicken salad (post coming soon!), so I decided to try the Buttermilk Custard with Raspberry Sauce recipe from the May/June 2003 issue of Everyday Food.

To start, I sprinkled 1 1/2 teaspoons of unflavored gelatin over 1/4 cup of water in a small bowl. I let the mixture stand until softened (5 minutes).

In a medium saucepan, I heated 1/2 cup of half-and-half and 1/2 cup of sugar over medium heat until the sugar dissolved and the mixture was hot but not boiling (5 minutes). I removed the pan from the heat, stirred in the softened gelatin (2 minutes, just to make sure it dissolved), and then added 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk and 1/8 teaspoon of vanilla extract. I stirred the mixture together and poured it into 4 6-ounce custard cups. I chilled the custards until they were set (3 hours).

To make the sauce, I pureed 1 1/4 cups of raspberries (you can use fresh or frozen) with 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice in a blender. I strained the sauce through a sieve into a bowl, pressing it with a spatula. If the sauce is too thick for your liking, adjust the consistency by stirring in a bit of water.

Here comes the part I was worried about - actually removing the custards from the molds. In pictures, it seems like panna cotta always comes from these rounded, shallow molds, but the custard cups I was able to find were more dome-like than oval. The instructions made it sound so easy: Dip each ramekin in hot water, invert it onto a serving plate, and shake gently until the custard releases. In reality, it was more like dip each ramekin in hot water for 20 seconds (maybe my hot tap water isn’t that hot?), invert just over a serving plate, and shake gently for 2 to 3 MINUTES until the custard releases. I never thought the sound of a gelatinous custard releasing from the side of a dish could be a beautiful thing, but it is. Really.

Once I released the custards from the molds, I spooned the raspberry sauce around them and added a raspberry garnish.

I mentioned that I was a bit disappointed by my last “light” dessert - Lemon Custard Cakes - but these custards exceeded my expectations. The mini workout it took to get them out of the molds was worth it. They were creamy with great vanilla flavor, and the raspberry sauce was divine. Great flavor + no guilt = a keeper!

TIPS: If you decide to use frozen raspberries for the sauce, be sure to thaw them on paper towels at room temperature for 30 minutes first. I was impatient and mine were still a bit frozen, so I had to add 2 tablespoons of water in the blender (before I strained the sauce) to get a good consistency.

Recipe link: Buttermilk Custard with Raspberry Sauce

I was looking through some breakfast recipes earlier this week when it occurred to me that I had all the ingredients for the Dill Feta Scramble recipe from the September 2007 issue of Everyday Food just sitting around - no planning necessary. It was fate! I enjoyed the one I made for myself on Thursday so much that I actually got out of bed early - cheerfully, even - and made one for Dr. O yesterday.

The scramble is super quick and easy, so it makes an ideal breakfast any day of the week. I cooked for one person each time, so double the ingredients for two or quadruple them for four.

In a medium bowl, I whisked together 1 large egg and 2 large egg whites. I seasoned with salt and pepper and then whisked in 2 tablespoons of crumbled feta cheese. I also chopped 1 tablespoon of fresh dill and set it aside.

I sprayed a small nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heated it over medium-low heat. (The cooking spray was a substitution; the original recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of olive oil.) I cooked the eggs, scraping the bottom of the pan frequently with a flexible heatproof spatula, until they were set. I added the dill and stirred the eggs to incorporate it.

I spooned the eggs into half of a whole-wheat pita and garnished with dill to serve.

This was so tasty! It’s like a breakfast burrito with a Greek twist. Having all of the ingredients on hand was a fortuitous situation, but I enjoyed the scramble so much I’ll probably plan for it next time. I tend to make the same thing for breakfast every morning (during the week, at least)… This was a fantastic - and fast! - break from the norm.

TIPS: The recipe says to scramble the eggs for 1 - 2 minutes to set them. I prefer to have my eggs more dry than wet, though, so I scrambled them for about 3 minutes before adding the dill. If you already cook scrambled eggs regularly, just cook them how you like them.

Recipe link: Dill Feta Scramble

This one’s for you, Alicia!

I often make Italian food when Dr. O and I have guests for dinner. If we have more than 6 people at the table, I usually make a baked dish and a stove top dish, one with meat and one without. Penne with Vodka Sauce from the May 2004 issue of Everyday Food is one of my favorite stove top pastas… It’s quick, flavorful, and it makes a great accompaniment to a variety of Italian dishes. Plus, the bulk of the cooking time is spent boiling the pasta and letting the sauce simmer. Easy peasy.

This is another one that isn’t posted on the Everyday Food Web site, so here’s the ingredient list:

1 tablespoon olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch of red-pepper flakes
1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, with juice
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup vodka
Coarse salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pound penne or other short tubular pasta
Finely grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

I put a large pot of water on to boil first so the pasta and sauce would end up cooking at the same time. To start the sauce, I heated the olive oil in a medium saucepan and added the garlic and red pepper flakes. I cooked the mixture until it was fragrant (30 seconds) and then added the tomatoes and their juice, breaking the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon.

I stirred in the tomato paste, sugar, vodka and 3/4 cup of water and then seasoned with salt. I simmered the sauce over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it was thickened (25 minutes). I stirred in the cream and cooked just until the sauce was heated through. (It’s essential not the boil the sauce once the cream has been added.)

Meanwhile, I cooked the penne according to package directions. When both the sauce and the pasta were finished, I tossed them together in a large bowl. I sprinkled the pasta with grated Parmesan to serve.

I just *love* this pasta, seriously. The vodka (which actually evaporates during cooking) really brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes, and I adore the hint of red pepper flakes. Parmesan makes everything better too, doesn’t it?

I made this dish for a party once and got so caught up in the whirl of getting the meal on the table that I completely forgot to add the heavy cream. Guess what? It was still absolutely delicious. If you want to keep things light (or dairy free), cut the cream in half or omit it altogether.

TIPS: I felt like such a smart and efficient cook when added the tomato paste to the sauce; this is the first time I used the individual portions of tomato paste I froze when I made Smothered Chicken. I added the tomato paste straight from the freezer and just stirred the sauce every minute or two until I knew it was incorporated. It was so nice to avoid throwing out yet another half-used can.

The June 2008 issue of Everyday Food has several *gorgeous* recipes that incorporate Bing cherries. Bing cherries are a little pricey at Central Market right now, but I just had to try the Grilled Tilapia with Cherry Salsa recipe. It’s quick and easy enough for a weeknight but elegant enough for company… It doesn’t get much better than that!

This one isn’t posted online, so here are the ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for grill
1/2 pound (2 cups) Bing cherries, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno chile (ribs and seeds removed), minced (I omitted this ingredient)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
4 tilapia fillets (4 - 6 ounces each)

I started off by making the salsa. In a medium bowl, I combined the cherries, onion, cilantro, and lime juice. (Include the jalapeno as well, if you decide to use it.) I seasoned the salsa with salt and pepper, tossed it to combine, and set it aside.

In a small bowl, I stirred together the coriander, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. I rubbed the tilapia fillets all over with the olive oil and then sprinkled them with the spice mixture.

I heated my grill pan over high heat, drizzled it with olive oil, and added the tilapia fillets. (My fillets were a bit big, so I could only fit 3 in the pan. I grilled the last one on its own.) Once the tilapia was opaque around the edges (2 - 3 minutes), I flipped it with a thin spatula and cooked it 2 more minutes. I topped the tilapia with the cherry salsa to serve.

Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm. This was GOOD. It was so light and summery, and I loved the flavors of the salsa. The cilantro really balanced out the sweetness of the cherries, so this really didn’t have a “fruit on fish” taste to me. I served the tilapia with black beans and cilantro-lime rice… It was a terrific meal, for sure.

TIPS: I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but I wanted to make a little note about salt. When I’m cooking, I always use coarse (kosher) salt, unless the recipe specifies otherwise. When I’m baking, I always use table salt. I think dishes tend to turn out a bit too salty if you use table salt when cooking instead of coarse salt. Morton’s Coarse Kosher Salt is readily available in most grocery stores right next to the table salt.

I finally worked up the courage to give the falafel request I received a second try. I found a new blog I like and the author posted a baked falafel pita recipe that was adapted from Ellie Krieger’s Baked Felafel Sandwiches. (I’ve never seen “falafel” spelled “felafel,” but Merriam-Webster tells me it’s a legitimate variation.) I ended up combining the two and adding an Everyday Food sauce with pretty good results.

Here are the ingredients:

For the falafel:
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cilantro leaves (tightly packed)
1/4 cup parsley leaves (tightly packed)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Plain, dried breadcrumbs for forming balls (optional)

For the salad:
1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
2 small tomatoes, seeded and chopped (about 1 cup)

4 whole-wheat pita pocket breads

Tzatziki (click for recipe)

First, I combined all of the falafel ingredients except 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the breadcrumbs in the bowl of my food processor. (I used the small bowl, but I probably should have chosen the medium one.) I processed the mixture for 10 seconds, stopped the motor, scraped down the sides of the bowl, and processed for 10 more seconds. The ingredients should be well incorporated but the mixture should still be slightly coarse; go through 1 or 2 more processing cycles to achieve this consistency, if necessary.

I divided the mixture by level tablespoons and formed each tablespoonful into a ball. (I should have had 16 falafel balls, but I only ended up with 14. Next time, I’ll do a scant tablespoon instead of a level one.) Taking a tip from Vicarious Foodie, I lightly rolled the falafel balls in plain dried breadcrumbs to help hold them together during baking and placed them on a unlined baking sheet.

I brushed the falafel balls with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and placed them in a 425F oven. I baked the falafel in 4 stages. After 10 minutes, I rotated my baking sheet front to back. After 20 minutes, I used a spatula to flip the balls. After 30 minutes, I rotated my baking sheet front to back again. After 40 minutes, I removed the falafel from the oven.

I served the falafel in pita pockets with the chopped romaine, tomatoes, and tzatziki sauce.

This attempt went much better than my last one. Since I baked the falafel and substituted tzatziki for the tahini sauce, these sandwiches are actually incredibly light too. I was pleased with the taste, but I still don’t think I’ve achieved completely authentic, restaurant-quality falafel. I’m going to have to fry the falafel to get there, I’m afraid. I guess it’s time to pick up a splatter screen during my next Sur La Table trip…

TIPS: Make sure you use a spatula to flip the falafel on the baking sheet. I initially tried to use tongs and I just ended up smashing the falafel.

Recipe link: Baked Felafel Sandwiches (Ellie Krieger)
Baked Falafel Pitas (Vicarious Foodie)
Tzatziki (Everyday Food)

I’m always on the lookout for great beverages I can make by the pitcher for parties. Margaritas (or limeade) and sangria have worked well for me in the past. I’ve recently started making mojitos by the pitcher as well since I figured out that making them individually for guests guarantees my post as a full-time bartender for the evening. The June 2008 issue of Everyday Food had a great spread on some pitcher-friendly drinks that would keep in the refrigerator for up to a week (yay for make-ahead recipes!), so I decided to give Hibiscus-Honey Iced Tea a try.

I wasn’t sure how heatproof my two glass pitchers were, so I actually made the tea in a saucepan and then poured it into a pitcher for storage. In a medium saucepan, I combined 6 hibiscus tea bags, 1/2 cup of honey, and 5 cups of boiling water (boiled in my tea kettle). I let the tea steep for 10 minutes and then discarded the tea bags. I added 1 cup of fresh lime juice, 1 cup of light rum, and 3 cups of cold water. I stirred everything together, transferred it to a pitcher, and refrigerated it until it was cold (1 hour). I served the tea over ice garnished with lime slices.

This tea is really refreshing and delicious. One user on the Everyday Food Web site complained that it was too lime-y, but I loved it. The recipe makes just over 2 quarts of tea, so it’s perfect for a small party. Since it keeps in the refrigerator for a week, though, I’m sure Dr. O and I will have no trouble finishing it off.

The rum is barely detectable, so watch out - this one might sneak up on you. Leave it out if you’d rather keep this one family friendly.

TIPS: I actually couldn’t find *just* hibiscus tea, so I used hibiscus-raspberry tea instead. Based on the recipe photos, I think you’d still get that beautiful deep pink color with regular hibiscus tea.

Also, I did end up with a bit of “tea sediment” between the lime pulp and the tea bags. (I probably shouldn’t have squeezed the tea bags before removing them from the saucepan.) Next time, I’ll run this through a sieve before storing it.

Recipe link: Hibiscus-Honey Iced Tea