Salad Nicoise with Salmon and Garlic Scapes

Our CSA box provided inspiration for this twist on the classic main-course salad.  I've fallen for garlic scapes.  Their mild flavor compliments so much without overpowering the other elements of the dish, like the more mature bulb form of garlic can (but oh, how I love garlic in all its forms!)  Their crispness reminded me so much of fresh green beans.  With that thought in my mind I decided to tackle salad Nicoise, but using as many veggies as possibly from our fresh and local batch.

The salad base is my own

Vinaigrette adapted from Julia Child

Serves 3

The Ingredients:
for the salad
2 - 4 oz salmon fillets
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp oil
5-6 garlic scapes, cut into 1-inch lengths
3-4 cups mixed greens (I used spinach, green leaf lettuce and arugula)
2 roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise and sliced
3 small German butterball potatoes, boiled and sliced
3 hard boiled eggs, sliced


for the vinaigrette:
1 potato onion, finely minced
1/2 Tbsp Dijon-type mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1/3  olive oil
Freshly ground pepper to taste


The Process:
for the vinaigrette:
combine all of the ingredients in a screw top jar and shake vigorously.


for the salad

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Season salmon with salt and pepper. Place salmon, skin side down, on a non-stick baking sheet Bake until salmon is cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes.  Allow to cool.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat.  Add the garlic scapes and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.  Remove from pan and allow to cool. 

Toss the mixed greens with the vinaigrette and divide among three serving plates. Flake the salmon and arrange one third of the meat down one side of each plate.  Layer one third of the tomato slices along side the salmon, followed by one third of the potatoes and on e hard boiled egg.  Line one third of the garlic scapes down the other side.

Serve.

The review:
This dish can be a little tedious to prepare with all of the boiling, baking and sauteing needed, but the end result is a filling and refreshing summer treat.  Tuna can be substituted, but I found salmon to be a nice change of pace.  The garlic scapes add a wonderful twist.  Green beans are lovely, but sort of band at times.  The scapes provide a similar crunch and texture with a pleasantly mild garlic flavor.  Paired with the acidic dressing...yum.

I kept the layers simpler than the classic salad...omitting the anchovies, capers, shallots and olives...to keep the focus on the uber fresh veggies from our CSA box.  I was not disappointed.

Clementines Confites

A while back I stumbled upon the most riveting story of young love, gluttonous gourmandise, deep longing and a touching hint of guilt. It was the story of one woman's first experience with clementines confites.  The story was a wonderfully bittersweet ode to the syrupy sweet recipe to follow. I have been day dreaming about these perfect orange globes ever since...with only my mind's eye to fuel the obsession, having never tasted them before.  The blog story was my first encounter with the candied fruit.  So finally, just over two weeks ago, the perfect little citrus spheres started their long and sweet journey in my kitchen.

To make my life easier, and because I largely use grams and liters when I'm dying fabric at work, I stuck with metric measures.  The recipe detailed below is for one pound, or approximately 454 grams, of fruit.  Scale the recipe up or down accordingly...keeping the ratios of fruit, sugar, and honey the same.  I found the exact amount of water didn't matter so much as long as there was enough liquid to keep the fruit fully submerged. 

Need a hand with the math?  Shoot me a message...I'll gladly help you out.

Adapted from Lucy's recipe at Lucy's Kitchen Notebook

yields 1 lb/454 grams of candied joy

The Ingredients:
Day One
454 grams clementines
500 grams sugar
200 grams honey
water

Every Other Day Through 2 weeks
an additional 100 grams of sugar*

The Process:
Day One:
Pick the firmest, ripest fruit.  Scrub thoroughly to remove any dirt, waxes or impurities, leaving the skin completely intact.  With a long thin needle or a fine skewer, pierce each fruit deeply all over.  Liberally.  When you believe the fruit as been stabbed enough, pierce it another several dozen times. 

Select a large saucepan that will comfortably fit the fruit in a single layer.  Add the fruit and fill the saucepan with enough water to cover the fruit by 1 inch.  Bring the water to a boil, reduce heat ans simmer for 15-20 minutes.  The fruit should still be firm to the touch.  Using a tongs or slotted spoon, remove the fruit to a large, deep non-reactive (i.e. stainless steel or glass) bowl or jar. 

Add the 500 grams of sugar and 200 grams of honey to the liquid in the saucepan.  Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring the syrup to a rolling boil.   Promptly remove from heat.  Pour the hot syrup over the clementines, weighing them down with a plate if necessary to keep them fully submerged.

Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit undistributed for two days.

Every Other Day:
Remove the clementines from the bowl and transfer the syrup to a saucepan.  Add 100 grams of sugar to the syrup.  Bring to a rolling boil, remove from heat, pour over the clementines loosely cover and let sit for another 2 days.  Repeat this process every 2 days,  adding 100 grams of sugar to the liquid each time for two weeks.  The liquid will thicken and reduce slightly with each addition.  After two weeks has passed, transfer the clementines to a jar cover with their syrup and store in a cool dry place.  They will keep for as long as a year, getting better with age.

*all in all approximately 1200 grams or 2.6 pounds of sugar will be needed per pound of fruit

The Review:
Anticipation can be a blessing and a curse.  Your mouth waters at the thought of biting into a concoction after lovingly tending to it over the course of several days.  Sometimes the anticipation is just enough to whet the appetite, and the final product is beyond the expectations...all of the time and energy spend making each bite all the more rewarding.

Sometimes the anticipation builds and build and builds until it reaches a crescendo that the end result just doesn't life up to.  No amount of justifying or reasoning can bring the dish up to level it failed to reach in your mind.  Each bite becomes bittersweet.  You want so badly to love it, after everything that went into it, but no...expectations had been built up too high...

So where did these sugared citrus fall?  Right in the middle.  The first bite yielded a surprising bit of tart from the peel...not quite the candied peel flavor I was expecting.  The flavor was excellent.  Subtle orange without being overly sweet, despite the vast amount of sugar.  The texture, oh the texture....

This is where the treat failed.  Perhaps is was the variety of clementines.  The market is sadly overrun every year with tiny orange beauties boasting seedless enjoyment, ease of peeling and even sweeter flavors.  As the fruits as thus "perfected" they become genetic shadows of what they had been.  The insides had pulled back from the peel and had almost a dry feel...the pulp and flesh having shriveled slightly allowing the membranes to dominate.  None of the bitterness usually found in the membranes and pith was present, but the texture was a surprising let down.

I do attribute that largely to the fruit.  More time should have been spend on selecting the heaviest, firmest and most fragrant of the bunch.  The batch should have been started almost immediately...the four days on the counter may have allowed them to dry out too much before their sugar bath began.

But where else did this recipe succeed?  In the syrup, hands down.  After filling the jars with enough syrup to cover the fruit I still had nearly a quart of the golden liquid left.  It had a wondrous honey like consistency and a divine, yet subtle citrus flavor.  So far the syrup has paired well stirred into jasmine tea in lieu of honey, drizzled on top of star fruit and kiwi to compliment their tartness and added to oatmeal for a touch of sweetness.

The uses seem endless...the basis for glazes and marinades for meats, in place of simple syrup in cocktails, to top off ice cream, or to lightly sweeten frosting, filling or whipped creams...perhaps just by the spoonful...


I plan on letting the orange gems age a while longer before I exact the next one from the jar.  But in the meantime a little drizzle of the that syrup...

Mini Caramelized Onion Quiches with Sriracha Glazed Bacon

Have you noticed how many recipes for mini quiches are out there?  And yet so few of them utilize a crust.  I completely sympathize.  The pastry is fussy and time consuming when you're trying to work small.  One of my least favorite tasks in the kitchen is rolling out uniformly thin layers of pastry crust or cookie dough.  But in this instance, the butter crust adds a lot to the texture and flavor of the quiche.  And the crimped and pleated edges of pastry practically blossom out of the muffin tins.  They are quite stunning.

Many tarts, galettes, pastries and quiches have been featuring caramelized onions as of late.  So I have decided to  jump on the bandwagon.  Added bonus...mini quiches means I'll breakfast ready to heat on eat for the next few days.

the recipe is my own

yields 12 mini quiches

The Ingredients:
for the bacon
3 slices thick cut bacon
1 Tbsp honey
1-2 tsp Sriracha


for the onions
2-3 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp salt

for the quiche
pie crust or pate brisse  for a dbl crust
4 eggs
1/2 cup +2 Tbsp heavy cream
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp thyme
pinch cinnamon
3/4 cup cheese of your choice, shredded

The Process:
for the bacon:
Preheat the oven to 450.  On an aluminum lined baking sheet, lay the bacon out in a single layer.  In a small cup or bowl, stir together the honey and sriracha.  Brush the glaze evenly over each slice of bacon.


Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the bacon reaches the desired level of crispness.  Remove the bacon to paper towels to drain and cool.

for the onions:
In a large skillet over high heat, melt the butter and heat the oil.  Add the onions in a single layer over the entire bottom of the skillet.  Reduce the heat to medium, medium-low.  Saute the onions over low heat, stirring every 2-3 minutes.  After 5-7 minutes sprinkle with salt to extract more of the liquid from the onions.  Continue to saute over medium-low heat, stirring only every 2-3 minutes.  The onions should slowly begin to brown and caramelize. 

After the desired caramelization is achieved, about 20-30 minutes, remove from heat and set aside.



for the quiche:
Preheat the oven to 375 and lightly oil a 12 cup, standard-sized muffin tin.

Roll out the pastry crust or pate brisse.  Cut out twelve 5- inch circles and gently press one circle into each cup of the tin, gently pleating and folding the edges as needed.

In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, cream, milk and seasonings.  Set the egg mixture aside.

Divide the caramelized onions between the 12 pastry cups, using roughly 1 tsp per quiche.  Top each with 1/4 strip of bacon, snipped into small pieces.  Sprinkle with 2-3 tsp of shredded cheese. Pour about 3 Tbsp of the egg mixture into each cup, filling within 1/4 inch of the crust's lip.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the quiche puffs up and begins to brown.  A toothpick inserted into the middle should come out clean.  Allow the mini quiches to cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes, enabling the egg mixture to set up.  Gently remove the mini quiches from the muffin tin to a cooling rack.  Let rest until the egg settles and levels out and the quiches are cool enough to handle.

Serve warm.

The Review:
Fresh out of the oven, domed golden treasures peeked out from their pastry petals.  They quickly settled, but with that first glimpse I knew I was in for a treat.

I had a hard time waiting for the mini quiche to cool enough to take a bite.  But that first bite...heavenly.  The crust broke away in a flaky, buttery burst to reveal the smooth, velvety egg within.  A salty, smokey pop of bacon followed, and close behind that...the slight sweetness and almost creamy layer of caramelized onion.  A subtle warmth danced across my tongue as the Sriracha came forward to finish off the bite.  One small bite...so many flavors and textures. 

While still warm, the egg and bacon flavors dominated these lovely little breakfast bites.  As with many things, the flavor improved with time.  The next day the Sriracha created the most wonderful subtle warmth without a trace of vinegar or bite.  The onions held their own more strongly against the smokey burst of bacon.  And all in all the flavors mellowed and mingled a little more harmoniously.

Of course, saving them for next morning's breakfast sacrifices that gloriously flaky crust, unless you have time to reheat them in the oven.  Convenience always has its price.

Ross didn't care much for the Sriracha.  But the fillings for these quiche are limitless.  Even a change as simple as a maple-peppercorn or honey-whiskey glaze on the bacon would be enough to launch these breakfast gems into completely different flavor-filled waters.

Goat Cheese with Roasted Garlic and Herbs

 

Not too long ago I discovered our local grocer had begun carrying goat milk for a local farm.  Bolstered by my successful attempt at paneer last year, I felt confident in my foray into this herbed, spreadable cheese.  You will be amazed at how simple it really it.

The recipe is my own. 

Yields about 3/4 to 1 cup


The Ingredients:
1 qt goat milk (whole preferred)
1 - 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1-2 cloves roasted garlic
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp Herbes de provence
-or-
 2 tsp combination of fresh savory, basil rosemary, fennel, lavender and thyme
  

The Process:
Line a sieve with several layers of cheesecloth. Set aside the sieve in a clean dry sink.

Pour the goat milk into a large heavy bottomed saucepan.  Slowly heat over medium high heat until the milk reaches a gentle simmer.  Using a candy thermometer, continue to heat the milk until it reaches about 180 degrees.  Remove the pan from the heat. Add the lemon juice slowly, one tbsp at a time. The milk will begin to form a curdle and separate from the whey. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture until all of the milk has curdled, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth-lined sieve to drain off the whey. When the cheese has cooled (about 20 minutes), tie the corners of the cheesecloth around the handle of a wooden spoon and suspend over a pot or the sink for about an hour, allowing any remaining whey to drain.

Spoon the soft cheese onto a clean cutting board or large plate.  Gentle fold in the mashed, roasted garlic, salt and herbs.  Alter seasonings to taste.

Serve immediately or store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to a week.

The Review:
This cheese may not be the creamy decadence you find at your cheese monger, but hey!  You made it yourself!   I kept the garlic and herbs on the low end to allow the pungency of the goat cheese to really shine through.  And shine it did!  While I couldn't even get Ross to try the spreadable bliss, a friend who had never tried goat cheese was smitten with the smooth texture and mellow herb spiked flavor.  The roasted garlic added a sweet complexity without overpowering (I limited myself to one fat, caramelize clove), and the menagerie or herbs danced across the tongue.  I would highly recommend using fresh herbs as the dried variation can lend a gritty mouth-feel until given enough time to soften from the moisture of the cheese...but by that time the creaminess of the cheese itself has already begun to diminish.  This is a dish best served within hours after making.

Triple Olive Tapenade

This was the second topping offered for our bruschetta bar.  I absolutely adore olives of all varieties.  This recipe is a great way to showcase your favorites.  Ross absolutely abhors olives.  That left more for the rest of us....

Adapted from Alton Brown's recipe at Foodnetwork.com

yields approximately 1 to 1-1/2 cups

The Ingredients:
1/2 pound pitted mixed olives (I used green stuffed with pimetto, black, and kalamata)
2 anchovy fillets or 1 tsp anchovy paste
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp capers
2 to 3 fresh basil leaves
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

The Process:
Thoroughly rinse the olives in cool water. Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Process to combine, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until the mixture becomes a coarse paste, approximately 1 to 2 minutes total. Transfer to a bowl and serve.

The Review:
The spread was pungent, salty, briny and acidic in all of the right ways.  Some may scoff or turn they nose up at anchovies, but was is a good Caesar dressing or salad nicoise without the salty little morsels.  Likewise for this delightful spread.  The fish, capers and lemon juice serve to deepen and enhance the olives' flavors without overpowering them.  As this was the first time I'd ventured to use anchovy paste, I did err on the light side, lest the little fish dominate the salty balance.  The spread was a thick and coarse consistency, mounding onto the crostini well, without falling apart; moist without saturating the little toasts.  The tapenade served as a wonderful compliment to the sweeter tomato brustchetta toppings.

This appetizer is incredibly quick to prepare and fairly inexpensive (depending on your olives of choice, that is).  I am looking forward to perusing our local cheese shop's olive bar for the next assortment of olives to try...

Simple Stuffed French Toast

This morning I found myself with a leisurely amount of time to make breakfast along with a mostly untouched loaf of white- than-white bread, store-brand version of Wonderbread and a mason jar full of a friend's amazing homemade jam (courtesy of the fruit trees in her yard and the rest of summer's amazing bounty). Stuffed French toast was in the works...

This incarnation is far less fussy than many of the cream cheese, fruit jam and challah bread varieties out there. Really, mine were just glorified jam sandwich made from what my pantry had on hand. The homemade jam truly made up for the weak, flimsy bread I ended up using...

The recipe is my own. Though true inspiration is due to my friend Marcy and her amazing jam.

Serves 3

The Ingredients:
6 slices of bread
2-3 Tbsp jam of your choice
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1-2 Tbsp butter
powdered sugar for dusting

The Process:
Spoon a scant Tbsp of jam on three of the slices of bread and spread within the edge of the crust, but not completely to it. Top each slice with a second to create a simple jam sandwich.

Whisk the eggs, milk, cinnamon and vanilla together and pour into a shallow bowl. Dip the jam sandwich into the egg mixture, coating both sides.

In a large skillet or griddle melt the butter over medium heat. Add the egg coated sandwiches and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side. Add more butter as needed.

Serve warm with a dusting of powdered sugar.

The Review:
This breakfast was the perfect way to showcase an amazing homemade jam without much fuss. I would, however, upgrade to a heartier bread next time around. But still, this was a nice twist on a tried and true traditional French toast. Though this stuffed version comes no where near the amazing guava stuffed version served at the Wailana Coffee House in Honolulu.

Peach Clafouti

I have become a clafouti addict. After discovering the simple county dish, I've had the overwhelming urge to experiment with other fruits and flavors. This incarnation uses a batter very similar to the God of Carnage clafouti I made about a week back. The most noticeable differences are the change of fruit, the lack of gingerbread and the use of almond extract in lieu of vanilla.

adapted from the God of Carnage Clafouti

serves 6

The Ingredients:
1 ripe peach, pitted and thinnly sliced
4 Tbsp granulated sugar, divided
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup flour
1 cup milk
2 eggs plus 1 egg white
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp almond extract
The Process:
Preheat the oven to 375

Place the sliced peach in a medium bowl and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp of the sugar. Gentle toss to coat and set aside.

Butter the sides and bottom of a 10" tart pan or 9" pie plate and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp sugar. Arrange peach slices in the bottom of the plate. Reserve any peach juices.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining sugar with the flour, milk, eggs, salt, cinnamon, almond extract and reserved peach juice. Carefully pour the batter over the sliced peaches. Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake undisturbed for 35-40 minutes. The clafouti is done when puffed and brown and and a knife plunged in the center comes out clean. The center will settle as the clafouti cools. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, serve warm.

The Review:
This clafouti came out of the oven puffed up in regal granduer...much taller than the God of Carnage clafouti. The baked treat was still rich and custardy, however the batter was ever so slightly lighter. What a huge difference one egg yolk and a 1/4 cup of milk can make!

The peach and almond flavors complimented each other very well, though the cinnamon was a touch too subtle. I hadn't wanted to overpower the peach or almond extract, but it appears 1/4 tsp wasn't quite enough spice for this amount of batter.

God of Carnage Clafouti

In Yasmina Reza's play God of Carnage, one character attempts to smooth over a difficult confrontation by playing a good host and serving clafouti...a French dessert. She waxes poetic and debates whether it is technically a cake or a tart. The dish sounds elegant, sophisticated and quite frankly, pretentious. But in reality the dessert is nothing more than a country custard. Simple. Base. A showy facade, much like the characters in the play.

In honor of the Guthrie Theater's production of God of Carnage, I attempted to make this specific incarnation of the dish.

Veronica describes her clafouti as one made with apple and pear...the apple sliced more thinly than the pear, because the pears cook more quickly. And her secret ingredient: gingerbread.

Clafouti is traditionally made with cherries, but it appears any fruit is game for this custard-like concoction. After discovering the basic batter, the clafouti was easy enough to adapt per Veronica's instructions.

inspired by a dessert mentioned in God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza
batter adapted from Julia Child's cherry clafouti

serves 6-8

The Ingredients:
1 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup +1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup flour
2-3 Tbsp crushed gingerbread
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 anjou pear peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 golden delicious apple peeled, cored and thinly sliced
powdered sugar for dusting

The Process:
Preheat the oven to 375.

Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 10" tart pan or 9" pie plate. Dust with 1 Tbsp of sugar.

In a blender or food processor combine the remaining sugar, gingerbread, flour, salt, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Blend on medium until thoroughly mixed. Set aside.

Arrange the pear and apple in alternating slices, covering the bottom of the pie plate. Carefully pour the batter over the top. Place pan on the middle rack of the pre-heated oven. Bake undisturbed for 35-40 minutes. The clafouti is done when puffed and brown and and a knife plunged in the center comes out clean. The center will settle as the clafouti cools. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, serve warm.

The Review:
If you like custardy desserts, this will be right up your alley. The egg and milk create such a rich base that the gingerbread was barely discernable. But like most secret ingredients, that may be the key...provided just a touch of je ne sais quoi, without giving itself away. Even with only 1/3 of a cup of sugar the clafouti was a bit sweet. The pears were cooked to perfection, though the apples remained a little crisp (despite following the character's suggetion in regards to slicing).

The dessert certainly looks fancy and time consuming, particularly if you've taken the care to arrange the fruit in the bottom of the pie plate. But in reality it is ridiculously simple to prepare. I ended up making two...one for a snack this evening and tomorrow's breakfast, and a second to take over to a friends.

I am curious to try this with un-pitted cherries once the trees began baring their fruit this summer. Supposedly, though hazardous to teeth, the pits add a pleasant almond-y touch.

Leek Roulade with Ricotta, Red Pepper and Walnut Filling

Roulade. Rolled foods. A few months ago the challenge of filling and carefully rolling a cake, a pork loin or a souffle-like shell would have been far too daunting. They seems so elegant--and by default--beyond my skills.

How wrong I was. This particular recipe is as elegant as it is light. And proof yet again that vegetarian dishes needn't be boring.

It is another time consuming treat, but I found it easy enough to multitask--roasting the peppers while I prepped the roulade, mixing the filling while the roulade baked and the like.

For the more visually inclined, this video provides the same recipe:


adapted from Main Courses 365 edited by Jenni Fleetwood

serve 6-8

The Ingredients:
Roulade
butter or oil, for greasing
2 Tbsp fine dry bread crumbs
1 cup finely grated Parmesan, divided
1/4 cup butter
2 leeks, thinly sliced
1/3 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
2 large eggs, separated, plus 1 egg white
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
salt and pepper to taste

Filling
2 large red peppers
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
scant 1 cup chopped walnuts
4 spring onions, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil
The Process:
Preheat the oven to 375

Grease and line a 12 x 9 jelly roll pan with baking parchment, then sprinkle with breadcrumbs and 2 Tbsp of the grated Parmesan.

Melt the butter in a pan and cook the leeks for 5 minutes, until softened.

Stir in the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Gradually stir in milk. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly to make a thick sauce.

Stir in the mustard and nutmeg and season well with salt and pepper. Reserve 2-3 Tbsp of the remaining Parmesan, then stir the rest into the sauce. Cool slightly.

Beat the egg yolks in the sauce. In a scrupulously clean bowl, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff. Stir 2-3 spoonfuls of the egg white into the leek mixture, then carefully fold in the remaining egg white.

Pour the mixture into the tin and gently level it out with a spatula. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until risen and just firm to a light touch in the center. If the roulade is to be served hot, increase the oven temperature to 400 after removing the roulade.

Meanwhile, heat the broiler. Halve and seed the peppers then broil them skin sides uppermost until black. Place in a bowl, cover and leave for 10 minutes. Peel and cut into strips.

Beat the ricotta with the walnuts and spring onions. Chop half of the basil and beat it into the mixture. Season to taste.

Place a large sheet of baking parchment on the work surface and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Turn out the roulade on to it. Strip off the lining paper and allow to cool slightly. Spread the cheese mixture over it and top with the red pepper strips. Tear the remaining basil leaves and sprinkle them over the top.

Using the parchment paper as a guide, roll up the roulade and roll it on to a serving platter. If serving hot, roll the roulade on to a baking sheet. Cover with a tent of foil and bake for 15-20 minutes.

My Modifications:
These weren't modifications so much as errors I caught after the fact. Had I caught them sooner I may not have run into the dryness issue I had with the final product...

First, my pan was not a jelly roll...but not to worry. Any baking sheet with a bit of a lip should work just fine. The roulade doesn't raise to terribly high as it bakes. However, my pan was closer to 16x11, resulting in a much thinner layer that needed far less time to bake.

Second, I forgot to tent foil over the filled roulade during its second foray into the oven. The layers still heated through beautifully, however the out-most crust dried out slightly and began to crackle along the surface.

The Review:
I know I've had a success when my husband goes back for seconds...especially if the dish had nary a trace of meat or potatoes. However, a dear foodie friend and classmate recently shared a secret on her own blog, Good Graces. The same holds true to husbands...they will eat what you offer them...

The roulade was light, if a little dry. But the filling made up for what the crust suffered. The ricotta was piping hot and creamy. The red pepper smokey and sweet. The walnuts earthy and, well, nutty. The fresh basil was perhaps a touch overpowering at times...infusing an almost licorice like flavor.

For a dish so light we found it incredibly filling. Little needs accompany this to round out a meal. Perhaps a small salad of arugula or frisse...or a chunk of crusty bread dipped in oil. Ideal for a dinner. Impressive for company. Holding its own at room temperature for a holiday buffet. A bit time consuming for everyday cooking, but a treat when you have time to appreciate the journey.

Julia Child's French Onion Soup

During my sophomore year of high school I was introduced to several well known French dishes through my French teacher. poulet provençal, quiche Lorraine, Tomatoes Provencale and or course, the classic, French Onion soup. Given our limited time in the class, as well as most of our general inexperience in the kitchen, these recipes were abbreviated and overly simplified. However, it sparked an interest in French cuisine. As a result, my mother was treated to a four course French dinner on her birthday, including a second attempt at French Onion Soup.

I cannot recall how that second attempt went. Though I do know it was not as complex and time consuming as the one by the Mother of all classic French cuisine: Julia Child. After a bit of hunting I came across a posting by another foodie boasting a old recipe from Julia Child's cooking show, "The French Chef"

adapted from a Julia Child recipe found at Food.com

serves 6-8

The Ingredients:
5 -6 cups yellow onions, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 to 2 lbs)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons flour
6 cups beef stock (preferably homemade)
1 cup wine (dry red or white)
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
salt and pepper
12 ounces swiss cheese, grated
4 ounces parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 raw yellow onion
2 -3 tablespoons cognac
8 slices French bread (about 1 inch thick)
4 tablespoons olive oil, for drizzling

The Process:
Place heavy bottom stock pot or dutch over over medium-low heat. Add 1 Tbs cooking oil, 2Tbs butter to pot. Add sliced onions and stir until they are evenly coated with the oil. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes until they are very tender and translucent.

To brown or caramelize the onions turn heat under pot to medium or medium high heat. Add 1/2 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt and continue to cook uncovered, stirring frequently until the onions have browned and reduced significantly. Once caramelized, reduce heat to medium-low and add 3 Tbs flour to the onions. Brown the flour for about 2-3 minutes trying not to scorch it. (If the flour does not form a thick paste, you can add a bit more butter here).

Stir in about 1 cup of warm stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to get up all of the cooked-on bits. Add the rest of the stock, wine, sage, and bay leaf to the soup. Simmer for 30 minutes.

To make the "croutes" (toasted bread), heat oven to 325 degrees F. Drizzle each side of the bread slices with a bit of olive oil and place on baking sheet. Cook the croutes for 15 minutes in oven on each side (30 minutes total).

Check the soup for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Remove the bay leaf (if you can find it). Transfer to a casserole dish. At this point you can add the 2-3 Tbs cognac and grate the 1/2 raw onion into the soup. Add a few ounces of the swiss cheese directly into the soup and stir. Place the toasted bread in a single layer on top of the soup. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese in a thick layer on top of the bread making sure to cover the edges of the toast to prevent burning. Drizzle with a little oil or melted butter. Place in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Turn on broiler and brown cheese well.

Let cool for a few minutes.

My Modifications:
My beef stock was unfortunately of the bouillon variety instead of homemade, but it is a rare instance we find ourselves in possession of a beef bone to make stock with. The wine of choice was a dry red. Here I should have done a bit more research as the red I used turned the stock a purplish hue, though the soup itself reduced to a much deeper brown as it simmered on the stove top. I've seen on a few forums on this very issue as it relates to coq au vin. Some varieties turn the meat a unsightly (though still tasty) color, while others impart all of the flavor without the discoloration. Burgundy seems to be the wine of preference...

I omitted the cognac and additional raw onion. My cheese was a blend of mozzarella, asiago, Parmesan, Romano and provolone. And my croutes were made from day old rye bread instead of crusty French bread.

The Review:
Incredibly time consuming, but well worth the effort. The smell called like a siren before we let the molten cheese cool enough...resulting in burned lips and tongues. But once it cooled enough to enjoy, we were in pure soup heaven. That extra time in preparation and cooking blessed us with a soup that was rich, thick and complex. The rye added a surprisingly complimentary flavor to the mix. I'm eager to try it again, only this time around with the crusty French Bread and cognac added.