Spork or Foon?

Salad of Oranges, Avocado, Ricotta Salata, and Pepitas

I am slightly embarrassed to admit from where and how I acquired this recipe.  But I'll tell you.

It is from Oprah Winfrey. 

Well. To be more exact, it is from an article in "O, the Oprah Magazine" about Jennifer Aniston's two chefs. 

Not that there is anything wrong with Oprah! I am just not an Oprah girl.

OK. To be 100% truthful, I clicked on a link off of a gossip website that was discussing making fun of the article about, as this blogger calls it, Jennifer Aniston's 40 and Fabulous! Campaign to what she calls "The Mini Van Majority" (click here http://annehelenpetersen.wordpress.com/2009/06/11/the-minivan-majority/if you want a full analysis of the minivan majority).  

In the article in O Magazine, Jenn states that "the best restaurant in town is at her house" because "what occurs here feels closer in spirit to those spontaneous gatherings that used to crop up in that dorm room everybody was magnetically drawn to in college".  

Pretty nice dorm room.

The house is called "comfortable" and "warm" with a "kitchen sanctuary".  Jenn is often able to throw these often spontaneous dinner parties because she employs two chefs, who are also sisters, who rotate shifts every other day, unless there is a bigger party, which then they will both work.  And, also, because she has bajillions of dollars.

I mean, I totally understand what it's like to have a personal chef.  I have a personal chef myself. It's called ME.  And I don't have bajillions of dollars, although I food shop like I do. 

But the best part of the whole article experience is when, in the words (and usage of caps) by blogger Elaine Lui, "one of the chef's start CRYING OUT OF GRATITUDE in the end."

It really is quite funny.  But I've got to admit, the recipes were actually all quite good. Really good. I had my own dinner party with my parents, grandmother, and cousins at my new place and prepared these meals. I was nervous, trying out new things for the first time for a bunch of people, no less healthy recipes which can be very hit or miss. But these were a huge hit.  And this salad started it all off.  Delicious bibb lettuce was tossed very lightly in a flavorful orange vinaigrette and topped with crunchy pumpkin seeds, creamy avocado, and bright oranges. I recommend this fully.

Unfortunately, no one cried out of gratitude when eating it. Ah, well. 

Recipe adapted from O Magazine

Serves 2-4

1/4 cup pepitas (Mexican pumpkin seeds); available at most grocery stores or

Latin markets

2 1/2 oranges , preferably Cara Cara

1/2 shallot , minced

1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

2 Tbsp. chopped dill or chives (optional)

3 cups chopped Bibb lettuce

3 cups chopped red-leaf lettuce

1 avocado , pitted and thinly sliced

4 ounces ricotta salata,  crumbled

Note: Cara Cara oranges are a type of navel orange with reddish flesh; if your local market doesn't have them, use regular oranges instead. 

Preheat oven to 350°. Spread pepitas in a single layer on a baking sheet, and toast in oven until crisp, about 8 minutes. (Alternatively, toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep them from burning.) Let cool in pan.

Meanwhile, cut peel and pith from 2 oranges; slice thinly and set aside. Juice remaining 1/2 orange. Make a vinaigrette by whisking together orange juice, shallot, mustard, salt, grapeseed oil, and dill or chives (if using) in a medium bowl.

To assemble salad: Mix bibb and red leaf; toss lightly with most of vinaigrette. Add oranges and avocado slices; sprinkle pepitas and cheese on top. Serve with remaining vinaigrette on the side.

Smoked Salmon "Tartare" on New Potato Slices

In the latest and final installment of "The Appetizer Diaries", I present to you Salmon "Tartare" on new potato slices. 

Originally, I wanted to make Thomas Keller's Salmon Tartare Cornets.  I knew they would be a lot of work, but that the payoff would be totally worth it. Unfortunately, I couldn't find sashimi grade salmon anywhere, so I needed a new salmon recipe.  So I scrambled and found this recipe way back in the Archives of Gourmet Magazine, June 1995.  

1995! My first year of high school! The year of Windows 95 (Thanks Bill Gates), the announcement of the upcoming new DVD technology, the first computer generated film: Toy Story, a pre-crazy Mel Gibson in blue face paint as Braveheart, the end of the MLB Baseball strike, the song that would never get out of your head: "I'll Be There for You" by the Rembrandts (better known as the "Friends" theme song), and apparently, fake salmon tartare.  

But let me tell you something.  Apparently 1995 got something right, because this dish is amazing.  This dish is a textural delight. Slightly firm potato slices are topped with a creamy mixture of diced smoked salmon mixed with creme fraiche with crunchy diced red onion and chives thrown in.  These flew off the trays.  Best of all... these are ready in 10 minutes. Holla! 

The Thomas Keller dish would have been a lot of work for a great payoff and these were a small amount of work for a great payoff. So I think it worked out just fine.

Smoked Salmon Tartare on New Potatoes adapted from Gourmet Magazine

Yield: Makes 24 hors d'oeuvres 

6 red potatoes, 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter (about 3/4 pound)

For "tartare"

1/4 pound smoked salmon, chopped fine

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup creme fraiche (use sour cream if you do not have creme fraiche) 

Slice potatoes into twenty-four 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Boil potato slices, covered, until tender, about 10 minutes, and cool completely. Potato slices may be steamed 1 day ahead and kept in a sealed plastic bag, chilled. Bring potato slices to room temperature before proceeding with recipe.

Make "tartare":

In a bowl stir together "tartare" ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble hors d'oeuvres:

Brush tops of potato slices with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Top each slice with a heaping 1/2 teaspoon "tartare".

Top Chef with Teanna: Season 6, Episode 1 - Arctic Char with Turnip Salsa Verde

Welcome, chefs, to Season 6 of Top Chef with Teanna.

For those of you who have been following my "show", you may say to yourself, "But she hasn't even finished cooking through Season 1!"  And you are right, my perceptive friend.  You are very right.

I mentioned in my first post that I would pause at the point in which the new season aired and would start cooking the winning dishes of the current season.  I will continue my posts and finish out Season 1, but for now, the new season will take up this Wednesday slot.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

So let's get started, shall we?  We are introduced to a whole new crop of tattooed, faux-hawked culinary wonders who all get to live in a gorgeous Vegas mansion complete with swimming pool and slide (we later get to see a somewhat zaftig (I'm trying to be nice here) cheftestant slide down head first into the pool). We meet the chefs, which include a several chefs from Atlanta, one from Philly who has studied under my favorite Frenchman, Eric Ripert, a New Yorker (only one???), a chef from Jersey, and a chef from France who has a penchant for wearing red napkins as a neck accessory, to name a few. Note: I have googled this and it is called a "neckerchief".  The frenchman will now be my new obsession of the season, a la Stephen Aspirino of Season 1. Lets hope his sound bites are as catchy as his neckerchief is trendy.

The chefs are introduced to Padma Lakshimi, the stunning goddess of Bravo TV and Burger King and Tom Colicchio, god of gorgeous blue eyes and skeptical smiles that speak a thousand words.  The chefs are told that their first quickfire challenge will be a relay that consists of four stages:  shuck 15 clams, peel 30 prawns, clean five lobsters, and butcher two chops from a prime rib.  In true Vegas fashion, the contestants draw chips from a bag, and their corresponding chip will determine their teams (except for the gold chip, chosen by Robin, which not only allowed her to sit out of the challenge, but also gave her immunity for the first elimination).  The blue team, consisting of Mattin and his neckerchief, Bryan, Jennifer, and Jesse eked out a win against the black team, despite Mike from New Jersey's apparent confusion in which he must have thought that he was at a NJ Devil's game and not in the Top Chef kitchen, which would be the only excuse for his excessive battle shouts. Unfortunately, the red team finished dead last. I think Preeti may still be trying to shuck her first clam. 

But the quickfire does not stop there.  The chefs of the winning team are then told that they must make a dish out of their corresponding leg of the relay. The winner of the challenge would win $15,000. Jen, the chef from Eric Ripert's restaurant in Philadelphia, wins not only the respect of her peers, but $15,000. And she probably has touched Eric Ripert, so I am jealous of her on so many levels.

But the real challenge excites the chefs:  pick a personal vice and cook a dish that represents that vice.  We have some truly creative dishes, like Mike from the Devil's game dish of a piece of fish that looks like a bar of soap because he curses too much and a rack of lamb represented a a different Mike's attraction to unnatural female enhancements.  The losing dish was Jennifer Z's dish of Chile Relleno stuffed with Seitan. But the winning dish was by Kevin Gillespe (the slide-surfer) which represented procrastination:  Arctic char which was slowly poached to medium rare in garlic olive oil. 

This was a knock-out dish, and I have to say, I had more fun making this dish than I did any other Top Chef creation.  An UNBELIEVABLE marinade of cider vinegar, star anise, sugar, cinnamon, and whole peppercorns flavor diced shallots and turnips for a long period of time.  Smashed garlic and thyme flavors olive oil cooked at a very low temperature for 45 minutes. Basil, parsley, and tarragon are mixed to make a stellar herb puree.  A juiced cucumber is mixed with a buerre fondue (water-butter emulsion) and used to braise romaine lettuce. Cucumber and fennel bulb brunoise is them mixed with the shallot and turnip mix, then mixed with caramelized celery, and finally tossed in a bit of the herb puree. Finally, the char (I actually used turbot, as I could not find char), which is simply flavored with fennel pollen (which I did not do because I am fresh out of fennel pollen) and salt is slow-cooked in the warmed garlic and olive oil mixture and basted continually until cooked to a fine medium rare. 

Like I said, I had so. much. fun. making this dish. Honestly. And it is outstanding.  But my favorite, favorite part is the turnip salsa verde. I hate turnips and I could not stop eating this. I made two dishes - one with pork and one with turbot, and this dish worked fantastically with the pork as well. 

This is going to be a great season. 

Oh, and all of you cooks out there - you'll all be happy to know that the Top Chef website actually posts comprehensive recipes now. 

So click here and give this recipe a shot. It is totally worth it. 

TWD: The Creamiest Lime Meringue

I've done it. I've taking this food blogging thing too far.

We've all told people not to bite before a photo.  We've all shouted at guests to back-off and get out of our light.  But have we turned an empty office at work into a live photo set?

Before I left DC, I brought in a slew of desserts that I had cooked, this being one of them.  I had a tough time with the meringue, as I had never made meringue pie before. 

I woke up at 6 am to complete the pie, thinking it would be the perfect amount of time to go for a run, get back, bake the pie, let it cool, and take some photos.

I followed Dorie's directions to a T. Unfortunately, I followed the wrong directions. Where Dorie said "put the pie under the broiler until the tips are browned slightly and let cool for 15 minutes", I read as "Put the pie under the broiler for 15 minutes."

Well, 7 minutes in, something didn't smell right. I opened the oven and was greeted with meringue that was burnt to a crisp. 

After a silent tear fell down my cheek (not really, but it could have happened, as I am an emotional person), I gathered my thoughts and thought fast.  I decided that this meringue would not get the best of me. I tore off the top layer and was relieved to see the rest of the pie was salvageable. I made some more meringue to cover the top, baked it again - this time for only 2 or 3 minutes, and removed the pie.

Great stuff, but it was now 8 am and I had to go to work with the pie. 

So what did I do? I brought my camera to work and shot photos in a former co-worker's empty office who had the biggest windows, naturally. 

I tried to be discreet, but I am sure we all know that DSLRs are not exactly the quietest of electronics. So the Senior Vice President of my company walked in, head cocked to the side, face twisted with curiousity, laughing.

As a little background - many of my coworkers did not know I have a blog.  They knew I love to cook, they enjoyed the fruits of my labor, but I hadn't mentioned it to them in my time there. I have no idea why. 

So you can imagine my embarrassment as I tried to come up with a reason for why I was in the former CFO's office taking photos of a half-eaten pie (which they had loved).

"Uh... I have to take pictures of all of my food", I stammered.

That was seriously the best I could come up with.  No further explanation, no mention of a blog, just "I take pictures of my food."  Brilliant.  I felt like Bridget Jones.

The SVP laughed even harder and walked away.

I guess he didn't question it much because of how much my co-workers loved this one. And man, is it good. I reduced it by AN ENTIRE STICK OF BUTTER (seriously. Two and a half sticks? Is that necessary?) and it was still as light and creamy as ever.  I couldn't taste the ginger at all, however, so next time, I'll up the ginger content. 

This pie will always hold a special place in my heart. It the first time I actually had no shame as a food blogger and did what needed to be done to get the right photo.  

For the love of the food.

Check out for the recipe and check out TWD for some more pie!

Belgian Meatballs

This is another appetizer that was served at Jack’s parent’s 30^th Anniversary party, and they were a huge hit, if not, the favorite appetizer at the party.  These meatballs, by Radikha of Top Chef fame, were soft and light, but had the addition of some interesting spices such as nutmeg and turmeric to make them really stand out.  I cannot recommend them enough. And no, Remy did not get her paws on these.  You think those toothpicks are there for easy handling?  No, they are there for doggy defense. 

I'M KIDDING of course! Remy would figure out how to get around the toothpicks. 

Belgian Meatballs adapted from Top Chef

These are supposed to be served with a chive mashed potato and after tasting these, I can see how they go wonderfully with the mashed potatoes.  Click the Top Chef link for that recipe.

MEATBALLS

1/2 pound ground lamb

1/2 pound ground beef

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 tablespoon ground nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

2 egg

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

SAUCE

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 cups chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

MEATBALLS

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Combine all ingredients except egg and bread crumbs. Add in the egg and 1/2 cup breadcrumbs.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through.

SAUCE

Cook flour and butter on medium high heat to med roux. Add other ingredients and let simmer so the flavors marry.

Beef Tenderloin with Blue Cheese

So I mentioned a little bit about catering Jack's parent's 30th Anniversary party this past week.  I have to bring it back to 2005 and quote Borat Sagdiyev when I say it was a "great success".  Now, I have discussed Jack's parent's beachhouse kitchen in a previous post, saying that it is my dream kitchen and the perfect location for a cooking show. Well, their regular kitchen is equally as amazing, so I felt a bit like twinkle toes when cooking in their home.  Plus, it has this as a view:  

Yes, that is the Manhattan skyline and yes, that is a cruise ship going past, and yes, that is the view from their window.  

Needless to say, it was a constant reminder of how happy I was to finally be home.  

The meal consisted of a multi- course dinner, and I'll post many of the dishes.  The menu was:

Amuse Bouche - White Gazpacho with Vanilla Grapeseed Oil

Course 1 - Cumin-scented Beet Salad

Course 2 - Deconstructed Eggplant Parmesan

Course 3 - A choice of a Duo of Truffle Chicken with Honey Rosemary Sauce or Steamed (which turned out to be baked) Snapper (which we couldn't find, so we bought grouper, which we asked to be cleaned and de-boned, which weren't, so we had to use Tilapia, which is not the best fish, but worked perfectly, thankfully) with a Butternut Squash Sauce, Chanterelles, and Rock Shrimp.

Desserts - Raspberry Rose` and Mango Lime Sorbets and Red Velvet Cake.

But what I spent most time on were the appetizers, including this amazing beef tenderloin appetizer. This is the perfect party dish - simple and a great make-ahead dish.  The succulent, melt-in-your-mouth tenderloin is smeared with a creamy blue cheese spread and wrapped around crisp green beans for a bite that is filled with great flavors and textures. 

And you know who loved this dish the most?  

Yes, my dog, Remy. After eating for a little while, everyone left the room we were gathered in to watch a video.  They returned 15 minutes later to find an empty platter.  Jack came into the kitchen with a curious look on his face and asked:

"Did you take the beef tenderloin back?" 

I looked at him, confused, as I watched his eyes widen while he placed his hands over his mouth, which was now agape.

"Remy just ate $40 worth of beef tenderloin."

He then started laughing at the clean way in which she did it.  The tray had a mark where each bite had rested and was still in the position we had left it.  Which means that Remy, dainty little girl that she is, gently lifted each piece of tenderloin off of the tray so as not to make any mess. 

The odd thing was that Remy never eats food when left to her own devices. So we trusted her. But I guess no human or canine could resist this dish. 

Beef Tenderloin with Blue Cheese adapted from Top Chef

1 beef tenderloin, about 1 1/2 pounds

4-6 ounces blue cheese

3/4 cup heavy cream, more if necessary

6 ounces green beans, trimmed

Salt and pepper for seasoning

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Sprinkle tenderloin with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add tenderloin and brown on all sides. Transfer skillet to oven and bake 12-15 minutes until tenderloin is medium-rare and has reached an internal temperature of 120 degrees. Remove from oven, transfer tenderloin to a plate.

Let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine blue cheese and heavy cream. Process until mixture is smooth and spreadable, adding more heavy cream if necessary. Transfer mixture to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate.

Fill a medium bowl with ice and water. Set aside.

Fill a medium saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt and green beans. Cook until color changes to bright green and beans are tender, about 2 to 5 minutes. Transfer beans with a slotted spoon to ice bath. Let stand until cool. Remove beans from ice bath with slotted spoon and pat dry. Set aside.

Remove tenderloin from refrigerator. Thinly slice tenderloin. Place slices between two pieces of plastic wrap. Gently pound with a mallet, being careful not to tear plastic wrap, until beef is very thin. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap and discard.

Divide blue cheese mixture between the slices and spread thinly on each slice. Place 2-3 green beans in the center of each slice and roll beef around green beans. Place roll-ups on plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

TO PLATE:

Slice each roll in half. 

TWD: Applesauce Spice Bars

Again, sorry for the lack of creativity on these bars. I pretty much made them straight up.  It's been a crazy week - I moved back to NY (YAY!), then catered a five course dinner for Jack's parent's 30th Anniversary Surprise Party (more on that later in the week) two days later.  The only time I could find time to make these was when I visited my family out on Long Island.  The sun was setting faster than the glaze would, so I apologize for the picture as well.

I wanted to make these at my parent's house regardless because I knew they would love these. My father and grandmother are big fans of apple desserts and I know I'd have a good time making these. My father and my grandmother have a funny relationship.  My father is what one would call a "ball buster" - or as he would say - a "bawl bustah".  My grandmother is a cute little 84-year old Italian American.

As a little background to this story: My father had kindly asked if I would prepare some chicken that was in the refrigerator, since I love to cook. I had agreed. Also, we had no milk.  

Please note that I am writing this in the Long Island accent.

Dad:  I'm going to the staw (store), I'll be back in 45 minutes.

Grandma: Where are you going?

Dad: (louder) To the staw!

Grandma: We need milk.

Dad: Alright.

Grandma:  Bawby (Bobby), did you hear me? We need milk.

Dad: (louder) Alright, ma! 

Grandma:  We need milk! We're almost all out!

Dad: (yelling to me in the kitchen - note: the kitchen is open to the den and I obviously heard all of this) Teanna, could you check the fridge and see if we need some milk. I'm not sure if we need milk.

Grandma: I just told ya! We need milk!  And what about the chicken?

Dad: Teanna's gonna make it.

Grandma: The chicken! In the fridge! It's gonna go bad.

Dad: I know! Teanna's cookin' it!

Grandma: But who's gonna make it?

Dad:  (laughing hysterically now as he walks out the door) Ugh! Ask Teanna!

Grandma:  (looks at me incredulously) He's hard of hearin'!

It's always a good time at the DiMicco house. 

Let me talk about these bars, chosen by Karen of Something Sweet. I have been dying to make these. These would have been my pick when it is my turn in 2036 (I keed, I keed, it is in one year or so).  So I was stoked (yes, stoked) to make these. And they did not disappoint.  Delicious and light (some described these as a cross between a cake and a blondie, but I think they are more like a very light and airy cake), filled with the most wonderful fall spices (cinnamon, allspice, and I added some cloves), soft, sweet bits of apple, and deliciously crunchy pecans, and topped with a delicious brown sugar glaze (which I actually think I may do without next time - not that I didn't like it, but why add the extra calories and fat when the bars were perfection without), these bars are definitely a must-make.

So check out the recipe over at Karen at Something Sweet and then check out the rest of TWD for some more delicious bars! 

I SAID, Check out the recipe over at Karen at Something Sweet and then check out the rest of TWD for some more delicious bars!

And then get ya hearin' checked!   

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Last year I wrote about a recipe that Molly Wizenberg had written about in Bon Appetit magazine about a dish called Pomodori al Forno, which she called the best appetizer in Seattle. I tried it and agreed that it was, in fact, the best appetizer in Seattle. And I had never even been to Seattle.

A year later, I still make this dish, and I still believe that it is the best appetizer in Seattle. And I still haven't been to Seattle.

Plump Roma tomatoes are slow-roasted with sugar, salt, oregano, and a year's worth of olive oil in a 250 degree oven for 2 hours.  They are then let to rest with freshly chopped garlic, parsley, and another year's worth of olive oil for two hours so that the flavors can marry.  

The end result is a fragrant, smooth, soft, and fresh dish that is served with crisp baguette slices that are used as a vessel to get said tomatoes into my mouth.

I made this a few weeks back when Jack and I went to Long Beach Island with two friends of ours.  The dish is also supposed to be accompanied by fresh goat cheese, but my friend who was at dinner does not like cheese. And he is Italian. For shame.

I highly recommend making this dish.  Although it takes some advanced preparation, it has been my go-to summer appetizer for the past year.  

And one day, I'll make it to Seattle.

Pomodori Al Forno - Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

1 cups (or more) olive oil, divided

2 pounds plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeded

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

3/4 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons minced fresh Italian parsley

1 baguette, thinly sliced crosswise, toasted

Preparation

Preheat oven to 250°F. Pour 1/2 cup oil into 13x9x2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Arrange tomatoes in dish, cut side up. Drizzle with remaining 1/2 cup oil. Sprinkle with oregano, sugar, and salt. Bake 1 hour. Using tongs, turn tomatoes over. Bake 1 hour longer. Turn tomatoes over again. Bake until deep red and very tender, transferring tomatoes to plate when soft (time will vary, depending on ripeness of tomatoes), about 15 to 45 minutes longer.

Layer tomatoes in medium bowl, sprinkling garlic and parsley over each layer; reserve oil in baking dish. Drizzle tomatoes with reserved oil, adding more if necessary to cover. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours. DO AHEAD Cover; chill up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

And just for poops and giggles, let us take a look at my photo of this dish from last year (August 15th, 2008)

Top Chef with Teanna: Fig Tart

I am moving back to NY this week. Actually I am moving back this afternoon, right after I leave work. RIGHT. AFTER. I'm picking up my dog from doggy daycare, driving past the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument, and Capitol Building one last time, and heading to the city where my heart has been for the past two years. 

Can you tell I'm excited to move back home?

Therefore, I have to go a bit out of order, as the 9th episode was 3 dishes that I just didn't have the time to make. So I skipped ahead to the finale and made Harold's Fig Tart that was a part of his winning menu.  

I'll tell you honestly, at first bite, I wasn't crazy about this. I didn't see what the big deal was, but chalked it up to the cheftestant's often admitted struggles with desserts. But then I realized that I forgot to top it with fig spread. So I grabbed my knife, slathered a thin layer across the top, and took a bite.

My head started spinning.  This was taken to a whole new level with the fig jam. A whole. new. level. I used Dorie Greenspan's Sweet Tart dough recipe and this tart turned out perfectly and paired perfectly with the variety of cheeses. I can't express enough how much I loved it. I can't stop thinking about it.  And the best part was, I could have a small slice (and I mean small... one or two ounces) and be completely satisfied. Pure perfection. 

Harold's Roasted Fig Tart w/ Trio of Italian Cheeses

Sweet Tart Crust - Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup finely ground pine nuts
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (9 tablespoons; 4 1/2 ounces) very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk

Procedure

Put the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in—you should have pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas. Stir the yolk, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses—about 10 seconds each—until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change—heads up. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.

Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.

Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Don't be too heavy-handed – press the crust in so that the edges of the pieces cling to one another, but don't press so hard that the crust loses its crumbly texture.

Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.

Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil (or use nonstick foil) and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. (Since you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights.) Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon (or prick it with the tip of a small knife). 

For the Fig Tart

1 lb. Black Mission Figs  1 oz Water  1 9" Pine Nut Tart 1 cup Heavy Cream  2 eggs  ½ cup Sugar  1 Vanilla Bean  1 oz. Fig Jam  8 oz. Pecorino Tartufo  8 oz. Gorgonzola Dolce  8 oz. Taleggio  1 oz. Honey  10 slices Sour Dough Baguette toasted  Assembly: In a sauce pot cook the figs, water, sugar and vanilla beans till the figs are cooked. Place in a blender, add the cream and eggs. Blend briefly. Bake the tart shells at 325 for 15 minutes or till golden brown. Fill the tart shells with the fig mixture and bake for another 25-30 minutes (the recipe says 12, but I baked it for an extra 15 minutes because it did not seem set to me) or till the custard has formed. Portion the tarts in 2 oz. wedges. Top with the fig jam. Cut the cheese into 1 oz. pieces. Garnish the taleggio with the honey. Serve with the toasted bread.

 

TWD: Brownie Buttons

It is moving week.  Although Jack and I moved most of the stuff out of our apartment in DC on Friday, I am back here finishing out work.  My current living conditions are such:

Lawn Chair

Air Mattress

Plastic Plates and utensils

My MacBook

My food processor

Don't ask me why I kept my food processor.  I couldn't part with it. 

And of course, my dog, Remy is sticking it out with me. She is not happy about the change. 

So you'll have to forgive me for the lack of creativity in this post.  I have no cable tv. I sent away for the 2nd season of Mad Men on DVD from Netflix only to realize that my mail forwarding kicked in on Saturday. Therefore, I have been relegated to watching The Real Housewives of Atlanta and Real World on Bravotv.com and MTV.com, respectively.  

I'm not proud.

HBO doesn't even show reruns of True Blood online.  I used to work for HBO. I feel betrayed.

The only books I have in the apartment are the Dexter books (the inspiration for the Showtime TV Show), Dracula, and the Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz.  Reading the first two books at night scares me. Reading the last book makes me hungry.

But let's get to these brownies, chosen by Jaime of Two Scientists Experiementing in the Kitchen.  All I can say is that I loved these. I topped some with Caramelized White Chocolate and others with just plain old white chocolate (which I LOVE. No haters, please).  I loved these. I loved the hint of orange. I loved the ease of the recipe. I loved the frosting on top (I liked the plain white rather than the caramelized).  This recipe is definitely a winner.

And the tiny size is perfect to fit in my cute little kitchen. 

Click here for the recipe.  And click here for the rest of the TWD brownies that I am sure were cooked in very large kitchens with gas stoves with rooms with beds and full fridges, and cable, and...