Monthly Archives: June 2012

Nutella Cake

Posted on June 27, 2012 | 2 comments

My friend’s daughter in law gave me this recipe and she writes a blog called Fast and Gourmet, which I highly recommend for some quick and easy cooking ideas and recipes. I had heard how wonderful this cake was and when I heard Nutella I said to myself how bad can anything be with 1 jar of Nutella in it? I love the stuff , it’s just the most yummy second only to peanut butter. This was a pretty easy recipe and just follow the directions and you should be fine. I have to admit while making this recipe I couldn’t stop eating the Nutella. Don’t make this recipe if you’re hungry or have a big sweet tooth, as I had both the day I made it. Next time I make it after lunch on a full stomach and leave the Nutella alone, it gives all new meaning to licking the spoon. I used a glass pyrex loaf pan and it was perfect. This cake will be a staple in my house from now on, thanks Yana so much.

Ingredients: 

2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature ( softened)

1 1/4 cup sugar

4 large eggs at room temperature ( *see trick for quickly bringing eggs to room temperature on my blog under Eggs)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 13 ounce jar of Nutella ( star of the show)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, grease and flour a 9 x 5 loaf pan . Lightly beat the eggs with the vanilla in a bowl. Mix flour, salt and baking powder* in another bowl. Using electric mixer, beat the softened butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy. Gradually add the eggs and vanilla mixture till well incorporated . Add flour mixture in 3 batches at low speed until just incorporated, and mix for about 30 seconds.

Spread 1/3 of mixture in your loaf pan, then spread 1/3 of Nutella, continue with another layer of batter, another layer of Nutella and the last layer of batter. Top with remaining Nutella dropping in dollops over the top and swirl the nutella with a knife or a toothpick, do not over mix.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes until cake tester comes out clean, cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from pan, I let it sit for a few hours before removing.

* make sure all expiration dates are not expired on flour, baking powder etc. This will certainly ruin your cakes and be very upsetting. Before baking check dates, and get fresh new baking supplies.

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Kale and Quinoa Salad – Summer Salad Perfection

Posted on June 27, 2012 | 3 comments

I love Quinoa and I love Kale. I saw this recipe on Dana Slatkin’s Beverly Hills Farm Girl site,  it is a delicious healthy recipe which I highly recommend . I made a few changes in some of the ingredients I added. You can add or substitute to your heart’s content. I used her recipe for salad dressing, as I am always looking for new ways to re-invent the “wheel”. This dressing is very tasty and I highly recommend but any of the vinaigrettes that I have posted on here will do just fine. It is the summer , time to kick back and enjoy life. Part of enjoying life is eating, and eating well. I made this for dinner last night and even Joel took a taste, which is shocking. I don’t think it’s his favorite but it certainly is one of mine. It’s worth the effort and I plan on eating the leftovers today for lunch. So healthy! try it. Thanks Dana .

Ingredients:

Salad Ingredients:

1 bunch kale, chopped in food processor ( see picture) remove stems and I remove the ribs and just use the leaves. I used 2 bunches because I had 2 in the house. It was a lot of kale and increased the size of the salad by a lot.

chopped kale for salad

1 cucumber , I scoop out the seeds and dice it. You can use Kirby cukes  or Persians which have very few seeds.

1/2 container of Grape Tomatoes , cut up

1/2 – 1 cup Shaved Parmesan, if you don’t have shaved , grated will do just fine

1/2 cup toasted Pine Nuts , place in oven at 350 degrees for about 3 – 4 minutes.

1/2 – 1 cup dried cranberries, or dried cherries ( which I had and used) or just plain old raisins, I just like the color of the cranberries and cherries

2 cups Quinoa. While preparing Quinoa use equal amounts quinoa and water. I disregard box directions. I used 2 cups liquid ( water or broth) to 2 cups quinoa. It comes out dryer and not mushy at all.

Champgne Vinaigrette ( from the Beverly Hills Farmgirl)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon whole grain mustard

1/3 cup Champagne Vinegar

1 tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar

1 teaspoon Honey

3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Kosher Salt ( app. 1/4 teaspoon) taste for salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper, a few grinds to taste

I used a blender and threw all ingredients in and streamed the olive oil in until dressing was emulsified. Taste for Salt and Pepper.

In a large salad bowl toss the kale, quinoa, cheese, tomatoes , cukes, pine nuts and dried fruit of your choice. I made a few hours before serving, and used 1/2 of the vinaigrette and dressed at the table for those who preferred more or less dressing. Can definitley be made a few hours before serving, and I left it out at room temperature for about 2 hours.

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Another Asparagus Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Posted on June 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

Oh, so many things to do with asparagus. This recipe is a combination of asparagus, almonds, and eggs.  A different kind of salad served as a meal for lunch or a side salad with dinner. I like to cook the eggs ahead of time. I usually do them in the morning or the day before and leave them in the fridge until I need them. Yogurt dressing adds a bit of a new flavor. I tried the Za’atar in place of smoked paprika. If you still don’t have the Za’atar, you can use smoked paprika or if you like a little kick, use hot paprika. I used Marcona almonds because I love them. The thing that’s really special about this recipe is the way the asparagus is prepared. It’s pan – roasted and you get that same effect you would from a grill but no need to grill or run your oven till the smoke detectors go off.  The original inspiration for this recipe comes from one of my favorite sites, Smitten Kitchen.

Ingredients:

2 large eggs (hard boiled and chopped)

1/3 cup Marcona almonds chopped ( use food processor)

1 pound asparagus spears , I snap off the ends and I use thinner rather than thicker stalks

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon (2 tablespoons plus more for a squeeze on asparagus)

olive oil

1 cup Greek style yogurt (I used non-fat)

1 teaspoon Za’atar spice (or smoked or hot paprika)

1 small clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon table salt

Asparagus

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound Asparagus, snap off the ends

Kosher Salt and freshly Ground Black Pepper

Retain a little lemon juice for serving

Directions:

Hard boil your eggs using your favorite method. I like to put eggs into a cold pot of water with some salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Once it comes to a boil, I simmer the eggs for at least  fifteen minutes. Then I remove and usually cool down and keep in fridge with shell on ’til I need them. You can plunge into ice water to quick cool. If you leave them overnight in fridge they will be easier to peel, the older the hard boil the easier to peel cleanly.

Chop almonds in your mini chopper or food processor. Set aside.

Make yogurt dressing, whisking all ingredients in a small bowl. Taste for Salt and Pepper.

Now for the best asparagus roasting technique on the stovetop. Take a 12 inch skillet, and heat over medium high heat. Add the 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and once the oil is fully heated, add your trimmed asparagus spears – placing as many as you can flatly in pan, they may not all fit, and I did it in 2 batches. Cover the skillet with a lid and I let them cook for about 3 – 5 minutes. Remove the lid, increase the heat to high, throw a little salt and pepper on the asparagus, and using tongs cook the spears till they’re crisp-tender and well browned along a side or two, I did this for another 5 minutes or so. Make sure your vents are on, my smoke detectors always go off.

Put a little of the dressing on the serving dish you’re going to use and spread thinly, place asparagus on top of dressing, squeeze a little lemon juice over the spears, the chopped almonds, eggs and a little salt and pepper. Put a dollop of the dressing on top, and the rest of the dressing I put in a small ramekin for the table in the event anyone wanted a little extra.

Enjoy!

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A little update on Yummy Pesto

Posted on June 21, 2012 | Leave a comment

I originally posted this recipe for Pesto last May.(under Yummy Pesto 05/28/11)  It is my friend Susan’s recipe which I have happily added to my summer repertoire. Yesterday,  I went food shopping and bought all the ingredients for the Pesto when I realized that I forgot to buy pignolli nuts. So after scouring the pantry, I decided to try it with walnuts! It was perfect. So just a little note on this delicious recipe, I wouldn’t leave out the nuts because you would lose that nutty flavor  which I love so much. It didn’t really change the flavor all that much and it was just as perfect as ever. So grab some of that beautiful basil growing all over now and make this easy , perfect pesto.

Using my frozen pesto I marinated some thin chicken breasts and grilled them. They were awesome. served last night with fresh tomato pasta. You don’t only have to use pesto with pasta. It’s also delicious as a spread .

*I froze the leftover pesto in a plastic container with a thin coating of olive oil on top

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Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on June 16, 2012 | 1 comment

Silpat

These are my go to chocolate chip cookies . I make these because I almost always have all of the ingredients on hand. I keep sticks of salted butter in the freezer just for these.  These are your basic chocolate chip cookie, I would say they are more crispy than soft. Unlike my other chocolate chip cookies  (cookies and milk which was published back on Feb. 28 ) which are very very crispy made with vegetable oil and super fine sugar.  These are an old fashioned chocolate chip cookie and if you don’t have dark brown sugar use light brown sugar . I think they’re meant to be made with dark brown sugar but sometimes I only have light brown sugar in the house so it will have to do. If you’re going out shopping for ingredients buy the dark brown sugar. Enjoy with coffee, tea or my favorite  a cold glass of milk. I didn’t make with nuts this time  but you can add some chopped walnuts if you’d like . If cookies spread into one another, while warm cut and when they cool just seperate . Perfect for freezing, I just put them in a freezer bag, and they defrost super fast.

Ingredients: 

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt ( regular table )

1 cup Salted butter ( yep salted butter as per recipe) softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar or light brown sugar if no dark brown sugar on hand

1 teaspoon water

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 large eggs ( always bake with eggs at room temperature unless it specifies otherwise)

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

*1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 cookie sheets or use Silpat

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. (you don’t have to sift)

In another large bowl ( I used electric mixer) cream the butter and sugars. Add water and vanilla. Mix the ingredients until they are just combined. Add the eggs and mix them lightly ( don’t over mix the dough) just till combined

Drop the cookies 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets, I used a tablespoon measuring spoon to get the size I wanted.

Bake them for 13 minutes or until the edges and centers are brown. Remove the cookies to a rack to cool. I baked for 13 minutes and they were just right.

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Blackberry Clafouti (Blackberry Cake)–Simple and Easy to make

Posted on June 13, 2012 | 1 comment

I made this cake because I love blackberries and I had all the ingredients in my house. If you like blackberries, this is a light cake which will be perfect for dessert and not too heavy at all.  Clafouti is actually french for a cake made with cherries. If it’s made with blackberries or other berries it is called a Flaugnarde, which sounds super fancy and difficult to make and this is anything but that so we’ll just call it Clafouti! We aren’t going to get too technical here and I hope I don’t offend the French chefs out there. This is pretty much the same as the cherry Clafouti which I plan on baking soon and will post that once I’ve cooked that, but we have to wait for the cherries to be super ripe.  This cake is so very easy to make, requires no fancy equipment, and you can whisk ingredients in one bowl. Just use a pie baking dish to bake in. I had a glass dish and am happy that I did, because I could see the blackberries in the cake. This cake would be a most amazing breakfast type of cake–not too thick, but sort of like a blackberry muffin flattened out. Blackberries are so plump and delicious right now, you gotta cook this as soon as possible.

*In order for the blackberries not to sink in cake, I made sure they were dry after rinsing and then I put in a bowl with some flour and coated the berries in flour before adding them , not too heavily floured just a dusting.  It came out perfectly. I have made it where I forgot to dust with flour and they did sink. It didn’t look as pretty but it tasted just fine.

Ingredients: 

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup sugar plus 1/4 cup of sugar for top of cake

1 cup Self-Rising Flour  Presto), sifted

1 cup whole milk

2 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen (I used fresh)

* A little extra flour for dusting the blackberries before baking with them (see note)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I sprayed the baking dish with baking spray but you can also butter it.

Rinse and pat dry the blackberries. Melt the butter in microwave. Pour 1 cup sugar and flour into a mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk and mix well. Then pour in the melted butter and whisk it all together well.

Dust blackberries with a little bit of flour and mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle blackberries over the top of the batter, distributing evenly.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over the top.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until golden.  Yum!

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Asparagus with Arugula and Parmesan – Done Simply Raw

Posted on June 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

As you know, I am slightly in love with asparagus. Before the asparagus season ends, I highly recommend this salad. Once the early season goes, you can grill it, you can roast it,  you can douse it in dressings. But in this salad it’s used raw which is really ideal when the asparagus is sweet and fresh. Check out your local green market, and ask where the asparagus is from. I was able to obtain this asparagus at a local market which carried Long Island asparagus, and it was delicious.  Through most of the winter, asparagus comes from Peru; and there’s a lot of early spring asparagus from Mexico and Southern California. The green markets will have regional produce and it’s worth the trip. Just saying… If you don’t buy it at the market, that’s alright too–all asparagus is pretty decent now.  Enjoy this recipe. It couldn’t be simpler.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. medium or large asparagus

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

nice sized bunch of arugula ( 6 – 8 oz) use as much or as little as you like

Chunk of parmesan cheese for shaving (with a vegetable peeler)

Directions:

Snap off and discard the tough ends of the asparagus. If you have a mandolin, a sharp vegetable peeler or thin bladed knife, use one of those tools to slice the asparagus as thinly as possible, like paper-thin ribbons. If you prefer, you can slice diagonally; just try to get the pieces as thin as possible, because you are not cooking them. So it’s all about thin slices. I used a vegetable peeler.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil to make a dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place the asparagus ribbons in a shallow salad bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper and coat with some of the dressing. Add the arugula, tossing gently to distribute the asparagus. Drizzle with the remaining dressing.

With a vegetable peeler, shave thin curls of Parmesan over the salad.

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Espresso Brownies from ICE Class

Posted on June 8, 2012 | Leave a comment

These brownies are very moist with a hint of espresso flavor–the perfect ending to any meal. This recipe comes from my Cookies Unlimited class at ICE (Institute of Culinary Education) in NYC. I thought these brownies came out great. Our chef/teacher, Victoria, said that if we wanted, we could double the recipe and get a higher brownie. I made it as is and it was delicious. I cut them into small little pieces because these are super rich and a little goes a long way. I don’t think I would double this recipe. Maybe I’d make 2 batches but prefer it baked this way .  It is super gooey and super dense with a coffee flavor from the espresso powder. These brownies stand out from any other brownie I’ve ever made. Enjoy! Also, if you’d like, you can add 1 cup of chopped walnuts…totally up to you.

Ingredients: 

Use a 9 x 13 inch pan (will yield approx . 24 2-inch brownies)

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate

4 large eggs

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder (I used Medaglia d’Oro, which is available almost everywhere)

1/2 teaspoon salt (regular table salt)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

*1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

I learned a little trick here: first spray your pan with Pam cooking spray, then cut parchment paper to fit your pan and place it in there. Next, turn over parchment paper and the side up is nicely greased! Great trick for baking.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set rack in the middle of the oven.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Off the heat, add the chocolate. Let stand 2 minutes, then whisk smooth. If the chocolate has not all melted by this time, return the pan to very low heat and stir constantly until it melts.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the espresso powder, salt and vanilla, just until mixed. Whisk in the sugar in a stream, then whisk in the chocolate and butter mixture. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the flour.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula (worth buying). Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting. To really make the brownies easier to cut, allow them to solidify completely then refrigerate in the pan overnight.

When you are ready to take them out, transfer the whole cake to a cutting board and slide a long knife or spatula under it to loosen the paper from the brownies, then pull away paper. Cut brownies into 2 inch squares (you can actually use a ruler to mark for precision). As you can tell from the photo, we didn’t have time to refrigerate brownies and so cutting was not so great. The next time I make these, I would definitely refrigerate overnight before attempting to cut.

The brownies will keep in a plastic container for several days. For longer, freeze in cellophane.

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Cooking Class at ICE: Cookies Unlimited

Posted on June 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

Lots of Cookies!

This past Sunday I took another wonderful class at ICE (Institute of Culinary Education) in NYC. It really is such a wonderful experience–you meet new people, learn new things and just have a wonderful day. This time it was a cookie class, a lot of cookies class! I personally baked 3 recipes: a brownie, a lemon cookie, and a pecan cookie. I will post all those recipes. There were 12 cookies in all–10 sweet recipes and 2 savory. It was a most enjoyable experience and I can’t recommend it

enough. Go with a friend or go alone. I always go alone and I am perfectly fine with it. Obviously in NYC there are tons of classes in so many different venues, so go for it and check them out. The recipes that I  post from this class will be noted as such: espresso brownies, Palm Beach lemon cookies, and brown-edged pecan wafers (which were cookies, but called wafers). The brownies were awesome–very rich and moist. Look for recipes coming soon.

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Cold Asparagus Soup

Posted on June 5, 2012 | 1 comment

I am still super obsessed with local beautiful sweet asparagus. I found Long Island asparagus today and bought a bunch of it. Joel is away for a few so no problem making it and having to think of something else to make for him. I am planning on enjoying this soup in the fridge for a few days. Super easy, I saw Mark Bittman (love) on the Today show a few weeks ago and saved the recipe for local asparagus. Am psyched and this recipe is super healthy , low-fat and super super easy to make. It literally took no time at all. The cooling down takes some time but I don’t see the harm in eating it before it really chills out do you? Hope you’ll check out some local produce and get the asparagus while the getting is good. I mean you can make this all year round, but its super delish now. I actually ate it while it was still warm with the fresh lemon juice and drizzle of olive oil you can taste the asparagus, and it was just divine.

Ingredients: 

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Salt and Freshly ground black pepper

app. 1 1/2 lbs. chopped asparagus (medium size spears, not too fat) I snap off bottoms

1 large peeled and cubed potato

fresh lemon juice for garnish

* if you’d like drizzle a little olive oil for garnish as well

some warm crusty bread was awesome with this with a little hard cheese! just saying……

Directions:

Bring the stock to a boil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the chopped asparagus and cubed potato, and turn the heat to low so the mixture bubbles gently for about 25 minutes. Cook until vegetables are tender. I added Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper at the point the vegetables went in, I tasted it after 25 minutes and added some more. Add what you like.

Remove from heat when veggies are soft, I also added another 2 cups of water at this point because a lot of the water steamed out, you’ll have to play that by ear. You don’t want it super thick and you don’t want it super thin, somewhere in the mid range is perfect, you can always add more water, so add slowly.  I used immersion blender when it cooled off  , I didn’t  strain it at all, I liked the way the tiny pieces tasted it in it.  Refrigerate to cool. Garnish with a squirt of fresh lemon juice and you can drizzle in a little olive oil if you’d like.

*serves 4 – 6 depending on size of servings

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Posted in soup, vegetables, vegetarian