The Empire Apple
This is an apple worthy of much love. Taking all the best of a McIntosh (flavor) and all of the best from a Red Delicious (crunch), you’re rewarded with the best of both worlds. But, like all great loves, you must take the good with the bad.
The Good:
Incredible apple flavor with remarkable complexity and superb crunchy white flesh
The Bad:
They’re at their best at the time of picking and soon afterwards. By November, apples that have been stored improperly (most of them) take on the unpleasant mealiness that many people hate about the McIntosh.
So, go get your Empires now… while they’re in their prime.
There are dozens of uses for this sweet & savory slow roasted garlic. To name a few… Spread it on toasted crusty bread. Use it as a condiment on a sandwich or burger. Add it to salads or salad dressings. Use it to add richness to a sauce, stew or soup. But, my personal favorite… Toss garlic and a little bit of the oil with pasta, shreds of Parmigiano Reggiano and freshly ground pepper for an instant meal.
Garlic Confit
1 cup garlic cloves, peeled
olive oil, to cover
Place garlic cloves in a ramekin and cover with olive oil. Cover with a lid and place in a 300 degree oven for 1 hour.
(Or, until all garlic cloves are a lovely golden brown)
The Rainbow Carrot Blend
One bucket of banana peppers & 4 cups of cherry tomatoes
…And, a handful of carrots
What’s for dinner? Roasted Peppers, Tomatoes, Sausage & Carrots
Vegetable & Sausage Roast
Preheat oven to: 375 F
In a large baking dish layer:
Tomatoes
Oniones
Peppers
Carrots
Sausage
Drizzle everything with olive oil and one wineglass full of wine. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, salt & pepper. Place baking dish in the oven. Give everything a toss at the 30 minute mark. After 1 hour, raise the heat to 425 and continue roasting until veggies & sausages are a toasty golden brown.
The negroni is a lovely cocktail that’s full of character. But, one ounce of Campari is incredibly powerful (bitter). So, I’ve taken it upon myself to adapt the recipe to my taste. Maybe I’m a wimp… or, maybe I’m just being a girl.
My Negroni
1 oz Bombay Sapphire gin
1 oz Carpano Antica sweet vermouth
1/2 oz Campari
In a shaker, pour all spirits over ice. Shake well. Pour into a rocks or highball glass. Garnish with a strip of an orange twist or orange zest, if desired.
Traditional Negroni
1 oz gin (Hayman’s Old Tom, Tanqueray or Beefeater London Dry)
1 oz Cinzano or Carpano Antica sweet vermouth
1 oz Campari
Pour all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigourously.
Option #1:
Strain into martini glass and garnish with a thin strip of orange zest.
Option #2:
Serve over ice in highball glass with a twist of orange.
For me, it’s particularly important to cook alternative grain pastas to a proper al dente. Alternative grains tend to have an unpleasant texture when overcooked.
Farro Casareccia with Tomatoes & Pesto
1 package farro casareccia, cooked al dente
4 Tablespoons hot pasta water
4 Tablespoons pesto
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Garnish
slivers of Parmigiano Reggiano
Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water at the end of the cooking process. Strain off remaining water and leave pasta in the hot, heavy bottomed stock pot. Add pesto, pasta water, and red pepper flakes. Toss pasta and allow to sit for approximately 2 minutes. Stir twice. Then, gently add cherry tomatoes. Stir and allow the pasta to heat the tomatoes.
Serve immediately with slivers of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Pesto
1 cup tightly packed basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Process pine nuts and basil to a rough chop. Drizzle in olive oil (approximately 1/4 – 1/3 cup) and process to a thick ,yet chunky, paste. Place basil mixture in a small bowl and gently stir in grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Source for farro casareccia:
Alon’s Bakery & Market
4505 Ashford Dunwoody Road
Atlanta, GA 30346
678 397 1781
These biscuits are quite edible. (We taste tested them.) And, Portia (our whippet) gobbles them up faster than I can bake them. I’m not sure if this is a great recipe for more sedentary dogs. But, for our speedy little whippet, they’re great.
Buckwheat Biscuits
makes 30-something large biscuits
2 cups buckwheat flour
2 cups unbleached AP flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup powdered milk
1 packet yeast
1 cup milk (plus as needed to make a firm dough)
Combine all and knead. Roll into a fairly flat disk. Cover and let the dough rest for at least 25 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Roll out to 1/4″ thickness and cut out with cookie cutters. Arrange on three cookie sheets and bake for 25-30 minutes. Biscuits should be hard and crisp. If they’re still soft. Let them cool in the hot oven. When fully cooled, store in an airtight container.
Portia Approved
The first night tomatoes and sausage pieces find themselves spooned over a crusty roll. Garnish with pickled Italian cherry peppers and grated Parmigiano Reggiano… or not. On the second night, the remaining sauce finds itself tossed with penne and topped with more Parmigiano Reggiano.
Tomatoes & Sausage
7 cups cherry tomatoes
1 large onion, finely diced
2-3 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 red pepper, finely diced
1 tsp basil, powdered
1/2 tsp oregano, powdered
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1 tsp crushed red pepper
splash red wine vinegar
salt, to taste
hot Italian sausages sliced into 5-6 inch pieces
Pulse 4 cups of cherry tomatoes in a food processor. Pulse on and off to a coarse puree. Set aside. Slice remaining cherry tomatoes in half. Add to pureed tomatoes. Set aside.
Saute diced onion and sausage pieces until the edges begin to color. Add garlic, celery and red pepper. Saute an additional minute or two. Then, add pureed tomato mixture and spices. Bring to a gentle boil. Then, simmer for 15-20 minutes. (Or, until sausages are thoroughly cooked) Spoon sausage and chunky tomato bits onto crusty rolls sliced in half.
Grate Parmigiano Reggiano over the top, if desired.
I added coconut, pecans, ritz crackers and chocolate chips to my cookies. To compensate for the oily coconut, I reduced the butter by about 4-5 tablespoons. And, I think I’ll do the same next time.
(Even if I choose different snacks and sweets.)
Momofuku Milk Bar’s Compost Cookie Adaptation
Original Recipe Courtesy of Regis & Kelly
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 TBSP corn syrup (originally 1 TBSP)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking powder (originally 2 teaspoons)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp fine sea salt (originally 2 teaspoons kosher salt)
1 1/2 cups of your favorite candies &/or baking ingredients
(Kelly used mini chocolate chips, raisinettes, rollos & cocoa krispies)
1 1/2 cups our favorite snack foods (chips, pretzels, etc)
(Kelly used goldfish, ritz, & fritos)
Cream butter, sugars and corn syrup with a hand mixer until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix for 2-3 minutes to incorporate and create smooth, creamy texture.
Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Then, by hand, gently stir in dry mixture until just combined. Add your selection of baking ingredients and snack foods. Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Refrigeration is needed or the cookies will be paper thin. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F while you form your cookies.
Drop dough by the spoonful onto parchment covered baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F. (Or, 350F in a convection oven) Bake 10-13 min. Cool the cookies completely on baking sheet. Then, transfer to a serving dish or cookie tin before you devour them.
Or, you could say this is a Hennessy mojito without the sparkling water. But, I guess Hennessy Miami sounds better. I like to finely slice the mint leaves. This works in lieu of muddling. This way if mint leaves sneak into my cocktail, they look far less abused.
Hennessy Miami
2 oz Hennessy Cognac
1/2 oz lime juice
6 mint leaves, finely sliced
1/4 – 1/2 oz simple syrup
lime slices or wedges, to garnish
mint sprig, to garnish
ice
Fill a shaker with ice and add the remaining ingredients. Shake vigorously.
Then, strain into a rocks glass with ice. Garnish away.
Cheers!
With temperatures teetering near 90 at the hottest point of the day, this refreshing drink will keep you cool. And, once you give it a try, you’ll never want to buy the fluorescent green stuff again. I’m not sure why this simple drink isn’t more popular stateside. It’s quite popular in Italy with the beachside loungers during the day and in the bars at night. A little later in the day, the adults might want to add a shot of vodka or rum for a lovely cocktail. Interestingly, we’ve all heard of these drinks.
Acqua e Menta
serves 3 or 4
3 to 6 6″ springs of fresh mint, washed, leaves and tender stems
3-4 cups water, or to taste
1-2 Tablespoons simple syrup
Process all ingredients in a blender and process on high speed until mint is pulverized.
Simple Syrup
1 part sugar
1 part water
Heat water in a saucepan of appropriate size for your quantity. Bring water to a simmer. Add sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour into a pitcher and refrigerate.
Unstrained, you’ll end up with a frothy drink.
Straining yields a superior result in my opinion.
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