Monday, Monday :: Brunch at Tartine

A. and I are on vacation this week!  We're spending a few days hanging around NYC before heading to a friend's wedding.  

Today we started our day with brunch at Tartine (West Village, on W4th St and 11th).  

French toasts with smoked bacon, and Croque Monsieurs... Monday's cant get any better than this.  :-)

(photo from NY Mag)

Heirloom Greens :: Green Tomato Gazpacho

Whenever I hear 'green tomatoes' I of course think of Fried Green Tomatoes... not because I've had them often, but more because of the movie.  So when we got these summery treats in our CSA share this week I tried to think of another use for them.

Last summer I was obsessed with gazpacho, I made it once a week. It's such a perfect summer food, and very easy to make.  Everything goes into a food processor and then chills...that's it.  I like to serve it with grilled Gruyere sandwiches.  

But I have yet to make it this summer... so I decided to come up with a green tomato gazpacho! 

The taste of green tomatoes is far tangier and bitter than that of sweet red tomatoes, especially in the summer (imagine a granny smith apple vs a sweet red apple).  So I modified my red gazpacho recipe by adding less vinegar, less onions, no garlic, introducing a bit of mustard, and finally adding sparkling white wine to cut the acidity.

After a few tries, and playing with quantities...It came out delicious! Hope you enjoy!

GREEN TOMATO GAZPACHO

1.5 lbs green tomatoes

2 peeled cucumbers

2 peppers (any color - but I used light green and yellow so that they would blend into the soup)

1/4 of a white onion (medium sized)

1/3 cup white vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 cup Prosecco (or any other dry white wine)

1/2 tbsp grain mustard

1/2 tbsp sugar

Salt and pepper to taste (I used kosher salt)

Dash of cumin (if you like the smokiness of cumin - optional)

All ingredients go into a food processor and start chopping. I only have a mini-prep food processor (remember: NYC apartment!) so I do it in batches, each vegetable at a time and add all ingredients to a large serving bowl.  Then I season while in the bowl.  I don't like my gazpacho chunky because when it is, I feel that I am eating salsa, so I process until I have a smooth liquid consistency.  Taste as you are adding your seasonings.  Feel free to add more olive oil, vinegar, wine, salt and pepper to taste.

Chill for at least an hour. Serve with crusty bread.

Summer Salads :: Cucumber, Feta, Apricot Salad

I think summer is the perfect time to enjoy salads.  Vegetables in season now are fresh and crisp!  Example: cucumbers! 

I was inspired by Mark Bittman's 101 Salads article, and came up with this salad.  Crisp cucumbers, with sweet apricots and tangy feta, yum! A perfect side dish for any summer meal... especially a bbq.

CUCUMBER, FETA, APRICOT SALAD

3 Cucumbers, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup feta cheese

1/3 cup chopped apricots (I used dried - a great replacement for raisins in salads)

1 tbsp chopped parsley (mint would be delicious too)

salt and pepper

2 tbspn olive oil

Squeeze of lime juice

Combine all of the ingredients, and enjoy! 

How easy was that? :-)

From the Farm:: Raviolis with Sauteed Garlic Fava Beans

I had mentioned that my challenge this week was to cook with fava beans. I really enjoy their summery taste, and love their sightly al-dente crunch. We had a pound of them from last week's veggie share and I've never used them before.

So I was really excited when I got home and A. had already prepped them! ...I could really get used to having a sous-chef :-)

I decided to combine with eggplant pomodori raviolis (eggplant, ricotta, basil, pine nuts, and sundried tomatoes!) from Brunos Raviolis that we bought at the Fulton St. market a few weeks ago. Because I wanted to taste the fava beans, and the raviolis already have so much flavor, I lightly sauteed them with olive oil and garlic, and topped with fresh Parmesan. An easy weeknight meal!

Raviolis are great because you can buy fresh at the farmers market, freeze for a couple of months, and have an instant meal any day of the week,

RAVIOLIS w/ SAUTEED GARLIC FAVA BEANS

1 pack raviolis

1 lb fava beans (this will five you about a cup of beans)

3 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic

lots of fresh parmesean

Prep fava beans by removing the beans from the pods and boiling in water for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and submerge the beans in ice water. When they are cool enough to handle, remove the outer skin from each bean. This will easily slide off and will remove the bitter flavor from the beans. Here's a picture: pods, skin, and beans

Cook raviolis per instructions. 6-8 minutes is usually enough. Drain.

Sautee chopped garlic in olive oil in a large skillet until lightly browned (a couple of minutes, not burnt!). Add the fava beans and stir. Add raviolis to the pan and add plenty of Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper and serve!

Breakfast in Bed :: Egg, Tomato & Goat Cheese Tartines

 

It's a dreary, rainy Sunday morning here in NY so I decided to surprise A. with breakfast in bed.  There's nothing better than staying in bed on a gloomy morning. 

We went to the farmer's market yesterday and bought a deliciously tart fresh goat cheese so I came up with this breakfast treat.  A lightly toasted whole wheat sourdough bread, generously slathered with fresh goat cheese, with quickly sauteed tomatoes, all topped with a fried egg and lemon basil leaves.

... my take on a breakfast egg and cheese sandwich. 

EGG, TOMATO, & GOAT CHEESE BREAKFAST TARTINES

2 Eggs

1 large tomato, or a few small heirloom tomatoes (I used 4)

Basil (I used lemon basil)

2 slices of lightly toasted bread

a generous amount of Goat Cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

In a non-stick pan over medium/high heat, quickly saute the tomato slices with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Simultaneously, fry two eggs in a little bit of butter to prevent sticking. Cook the eggs until the whites are fully cooked, but the yolks are still runny (I love the how the yolks will run over the entire bread when you bite into it, but you can cook the yolk through if this isn't something you want).

Spread fresh goat cheese (or ricotta if that's what you have) on your lightly toasted bread - be generous with the cheese!  Top the bread with the sauteed tomatoes, place the fried egg on top, then sprinkle the basil over the egg.  Enjoy!

Happy Saturday:: Coffee and Croissants

Our pup off getting a summer haircut, so A. and I hung out at Bonsignour Cafe  on Jane Street, drinking coffees, eating croissants, and reading the paper while we waited.  Coffee and croissants... yum!  Hope you're enjoying the weekend...

I ♥ :: Brown Butter Plum Cake

I have to start be saying that I am truly in loooove with this recipe!  I ♥♥♥! Sugary plums, topped with a browned butter cake. 

I found it when googling plum recipes (reminder: I had 5 lbs of plums for this week's CSA share!) on Julie's blog, then saw it again on Patent & Pantry.  I love how recipes travel through books, friends, and blogs, and each person adds their own touch.

The pictures were so wonderful I couldn't resist and baked 2 cakes last night.  We only kept one, the second we shared with our neighbor who stopped by just as the pies had just come out of the oven...the whole apartment smelled sugary sweet! The effort of making one cake or pie is usually the same as baking 2...so if I have enough ingredients thats what I usually do... why not make and extra and share, take to work, or even freeze for later.

Instead of baking it in a pie pan, I baked it in a cast iron skillet...partly because I thought it would look nice served in the rustic skillet, partly because I don't own a pie pan :-)  Well it worked, the skillet method was perfect.

Here's the recipe. I hope you enjoy as much as I have.  I've enjoyed slices for breakfast, lunch, and dinner already. Next time I'll try baking it in individual ramekins for a dinner party or even a brunch.  It's so easy to make and a good use of fruits without having to undertake baking pie crust, and would go well with many different fruits (peaches, cherries, berries, or apples).

BROWN BUTTER PLUM CAKE (adapted from: Julie's blog)

8 large plums, or 20 small plums

3/4 cup sugar + 2 tbsp sugar (I used organic)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tbsp lemon juice (I like the tartness this adds, but if you would prefer it to be more sweet, skip the lemons)

1 stick butter

1 cup flour

2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter a pie plate/skillet/ramekins.

Toss the sliced fruit with  2 Tbsp. sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and lemon.  Spread into the plate or skillet. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and keep cooking it, stirring the pan occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until it turns golden. Pour into a bowl. Allow butter to cool for 5 minutes (you don't want the eggs to cook in the next step!)

Stir the 3/4 cup of sugar into the butter, then the eggs, then the flour. Pour mixture over the fruit and sprinkle a little bit of sugar.

Bake for 45 minutes, until golden and crusty, and the juices ooze from around the edges.  Serve hot with ice cream or let it cool and enjoy at room temperature (my favorite!).

     

PS: In this picture it looks like I'm sharing, that was the first slice. A.'s let me eat the rest all on my own, and he's been having leftover palmiers for dessert instead.  :-)