The peel of three grapefruits provides more candied grapefruit than you can use in a year. After setting aside enough candied peel for easter (most to be used in easter bread and wheatberry pie), I still had two full sheet trays of candied peel. So, I decided to turn the rest into candy. I dipped half in chocolate. The rest I layered in a square cake tin. Alternate between layers of melted chocolate and candied peel, save the prettiest pieces for the top layer.
White Chocolate & Candied Grapefruit
1 cup white chocolate
1-2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
candied grapefruit
Over a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter. Start with one tablespoon. Add additional butter, if needed to reach desired consistency. Turn off the heat when most of the chocolate is melted. Allow residual heat to melt that last bit.
Quickly dip each piece of candied peel and arrange it carefully on a parchment lined baking sheet to cool.
For the layered chocolate, I used approximately 2 cups of white chocolate and 2-3 tablespoons of butter.
Stone’s smoked porter was a perfect match for this rich savory stew. The deep dark bitterness and smoky malt accented all of the natural sweetness in the vegetables and the rich meaty flavor of the veal stock.
Lentil Stew
2 lbs French lentils, washed
10 slices lean thick cut bacon
4 onions, diced
4-5 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
4-5 carrots, thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, diced
3 TBSP sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, finely chopped
3 TBSP Italian parsley, finely chopped
2 fresh bay leaves
1 tsp basil, powdered
1/2 tsp thyme, powdered
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
6 cups veal stock
3-4 TBSP red wine vinegar
1 cup water, if needed
Pan fry bacon until most of the fat is rendered and the bacon is deep brown and crisp. Set bacon aside. Discard all but 4 TBSP bacon fat. Saute onions in bacon fat until golden brown. Add sliced celery, carrots, and garlic. Saute for an additional 3-4 minutes. Add all of the remaining ingredients. (except water… add water only as needed) Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and allow to simmer gently for 2 1/2 hours, or until the lentils are tender.
Serve small bowls of lentil stew with bacon crumbled on top.
This simple, soft & chewy sugar cookie pairs beautifully with an espresso. I’ll be making a batch with almonds in the near future. These disappeared too fast.
Soft Sugar Cookies
makes 36-40
2 cups AP flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup extra-fine granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp freshly ground anise seed
1 large egg
1/4 cup European style butter
1/4 cup light olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 TBSP freshly squeezed orange juice, plus 1-2 TBSP if needed
Combine dry ingredients. Set Aside.
Cream butter, olive oil, egg and vanilla extract. Slowly add dry ingredients, stirring gently to combine. Add 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice to create a firm dough that holds together well. If needed, add additional juice 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved. Roll dough into a log (approximately 2″ thick). Wrap dough in plastic wrap. Place in fridge for at least one hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough from the fridge and slice into scant 1/2 inch slices. Place slices evenly separated on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes. (For crispier cookies, bake 18-20 minutes)
Let cool. Then, dust with powdered sugar to garnish.
This dish should have a fine dusting of bottarga on top, but, I didn’t have any on hand… maybe next time.
Fregula with Tuna
serves 5-6
1 bag (500 g) Fregula Sarda
1 can (25 oz) DOP tomatoes, finely pureed in a food processor
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
2-3 TBSP olive oil, or as needed
1/2 tsp powdered basil
1 tsp powdered oregano
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 jar Italian tuna packed in olive oil (approx. 7 oz)
Fill a large stockpot with water. Bring to a boil and add salt. (Pause here to prep sauce) Boil fregula gently for approximately 5-6 minutes. The pasta should be al dente. Reserve one cup of pasta water.
As you wait for water to boil. In a large sauce pan, saute onions in olive oil to a light golden brown. Add garlic, basil, oregano, and black pepper. Saute an additional minute or two. Add tomatoes and simmer, covered. When water boils continue preparing fregula. (above)
When fregula is cooked al dente, add the strained fregula to your prepared sauce. Allow pasta and sauce to cook together for another 2-3 minutes. In the last minute, add tuna and gently fold it in. Allow chunks of tuna to remain.
Top with finely grated bottarga or crushed buttery croutons.
So, I wanted to take a simple lemon bar recipe and make a few minor changes. Red grapefruit juice and zest fill in for lemon. One grapefruit provides more than enough juice. (If it’s a big & juicy one, you’ll only need half.) Then, I wanted to add flavor to the crust. A basic graham cracker crust adds a bit of interest. I was quite happy with the result. But, it really needed a bit of Chantilly cream… next time.
Red Grapefruit Tart
makes one 8″ square tart
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1-2 tsp red grapefruit zest, finely grated
1/2 cup red grapefruit juice plus 3 Tablespoons
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
1/3 cup AP flour
For the graham cracker crust:
4 TBSP unsalted butter
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 TBSP granulated sugar
Grind graham cracker and sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Pour crumbs directly into your tart pan (8×8 square or 8-9 inch round). Drizzle crumbs with butter and combine with a fork. When crumbs and butter are evenly combined, press the buttery crumbs flat into pan with your fingers or the bottom of a small glass. Set aside.
In a food processor, grind sugar and zest to a fine powder. Pour into a small mixing bowl and add flour. Stir to combine. Then add, red grapefruit juice, 4 eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir only enough to combine. Pour mixture evenly over the tart crust.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Let cool. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
This wilted pea shoot salad makes a great base for a gently fried egg. It’s a perfect light meal for any time of the day. But, I particularly enjoy this as a light breakfast.
Wilted Pea Shoot Salad
1 TBSP Olive oil
2 TBSP rice wine vinegar
a small splash of water
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sugar
salt & pepper, to taste
pea shoots, washed and torn into bite sized pieces
In your smallest saucepan or frying pan, combine all of the ingredients above. Add salt & pepper to taste. Allow the vinaigrette to reach a gentle simmer and drizzle it over your prepared greens. Toss greens and allow to sit as you prepare your egg. Top your wilted pea shoot salad with a gently pan-fried egg and buttered croutons.
This process doesn’t really require a recipe. It just requires time and a bucket load of sugar.
Candied Red Grapefruit
The peel of 3 grapefruit, sliced into strips
4 cups granulated sugar
approximately 3 cups water
Place grapefruit peel into a medium stock pot and cover with water. Boil for 20 minutes. Strain and return peel to stockpot. Cover with approximately 2 1/2 – 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add sugar and boil gently for 30 minutes.
Cover stock pot and place in a cold oven. Allow to simmer gently (at 250-275 degrees) for 2 1/2 hours. Cool slowly in the oven. When cool, store peel and syrup in a covered glass bowl overnight in the fridge.
The next day, return peel and syrup to a medium stockpot and bring to a gentle simmer in the oven (275 degrees) and simmer, covered, slowly for another hour. Test for doneness. The peel should be tender and bittersweet. If needed, continue to simmer until tender. Cool peel in syrup.
Strain peel. Working 1-2 pieces at a time, cover each piece in extra-fine sugar.
Mangosteen for $6.99 lb at Buford Highway Farmer’s Market this week
These were a bit on the over-ripe side giving them a very soft texture. But, this only added to their sweetness. They basically melted in our mouths and tasted of liquid sugar with a peachy tropical note and a barely-there tarty tang.
The Negative:
The flesh of each segment clings to one pit per segment (some are very small and others are the size of a large lima bean). The large ones are a stringy, unpleasant mess to extract from your mouth.
Buford Highway Farmers Market
5600 Buford Highway NW
Doraville, GA 30340
770 455 6701
A shocking amount of chocolate is needed to give this mug of hot chocolate the flavor you would expect, even using 82% extra-dark chocolate. But, I’ll happily give up dessert for this mug of liquid chocolate. It’s worth every sip. To gild the lily, I’ve added a super-sized jumbo marshmallow.
Hot Chocolate
one mug
1 cup 2% milk
1.5 – 2.0 ounces 82% Extra Dark Scharffen Berger Chocolate, finely chopped
1 small pinch chipotle chili powder, finely ground
1 even smaller pinch cayenne powder, finely ground
Heat milk in a small saucepan over moderate heat. As the milk heats, chop up the chocolate into small pieces. Add chocolate pieces, a small pinch of chipotle chili powder and an even smaller pinch of cayenne to the heating milk. Stir until smooth. Pour into a heated mug and garnish with a marshmallow or freshly whipped cream.
Buttermilk Pancakes with Sorrel Syrup
Buttermilk Pancakes
makes more than enough for 2
2 cups AP flour
3 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 jumbo egg
2 cups buttermilk
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and stir vigorously with a fork. Make a well in the center. Add the egg and buttermilk. Combine with a few big gentle strokes. (Preferably less than 15 strokes) Set aside to brew your coffee & heat the griddle.
The batter should sit for about 10-15 minutes. Drop even sized circles (or fill your form with a thin layer of batter) of batter on your griddle for pancakes that will cook evenly. Watch for bubbles. Pancakes are ready to turn when the surface is covered with bubbles and the edges of the pancakes begin to appear dry. Continue to cook for an additional minute. Place a small amount of butter on each pancake as you layer them for serving.
Sorrel Syrup
1 small jar of Sorrel Jelly
3-4 Tbsp water
Simmer over low eat until smooth. Keep syrup warm as you make your pancakes.
Perfect? No. Made together with love? Yes. That’s what really counts.
|
|
