Banana Brown Butter Tart

My dear friend Nikki and her husband were in town this weekend visiting from Portland and we were honored that they made time out of their busy schedule to have dinner at our place.  Greg cooked up his famous steak, oven fries and asparagus.

I was in charge of dessert and decided to give a recipe I've had in my "to try" notebook for a long time from Epicurious for Banana Brown Butter Tart.  It was good and quite easy, although the dough needs to be refrigerated overnight, so this can't be a spontaneous recipe. A couple of other tips - you press the dough into the pan instead of rolling it and I found it made a bit too much filling and over filled my pan, so don't try and use it all.

Crust  

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature  

⅓ cup sugar  

¼ teaspoon salt  

2 large egg yolks  

½ teaspoon vanilla extract  

1¼ cups all purpose flour

Filling  

6 large egg yolks  

¾ cup sugar  

¾ cup (1½ sticks) 

unsalted butter  

1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise  

1 cinnamon stick, broken in half  

¼ teaspoon salt  

½ cup all purpose flour

2 bananas, peeled, sliced 

powdered sugar

For Crust: Using electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Add flour and mix just until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight.  

For Filling: Whisk yolks and ¾ cup sugar in medium bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Add cinnamon and salt; cook over medium heat until butter browns, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Discard cinnamon and vanilla bean. Gradually whisk browned butter into yolk mixture. Whisk in flour. Cool.  

Press dough onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch square or round tart pan with removable bottom. Chill 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 325°F. Line crust with foil. Fill with dried beans. Bake until crust is golden, about 23 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool. Arrange banana slices in crust. Spoon filling over bananas. Bake until golden brown and filling is set, about 35 minutes. 

Cool 30 minutes. Remove tart from pan. Dust tart with powdered sugar. Cut tart into squares or wedges. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. 

Fat Tuesday

I had the book group over on Fat Tuesday and I figured something creole was in order, so put on some zydeco music and tried my first shot at gumbo.

I used an Epicurios recipe for Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo which I was happy with and seemed to be a hit with the girls.  I don't think I let my roux darken as much as I should have despite it cooking 5 minutes longer than the recipe called for (I could almost feel Tom Colicchio whispering in my ear).  It's pretty easy to make and a definite weeknight option.

We had a light appetizer of green and red grapes to start, rice and a basic salad with blue cheese, toasted pine nuts and a simple walnut oil and balsamic dressing.  We had macarons (not to be confused with macaroons) from Honore for dessert.  Drinks included a viognier, sauvignon blanc and a delicious dessert wine.

Spring in a Bowl

I used to get this tasty salad from a great lunch spot near my office in Parson's Green in London.  I tried to replicate it the other day and I got pretty close.  Mine wasn't as good but I think that is because I tried to make it really healthy. I basically followed the recipe below I found off random sites on the Internet but I also added arugula (which I would recommend only adding right when you are going to eat it, as the dressing makes the arugula wilt).  It was a tad dry - so consider adding a bit more oil if you can spare it especially if you aren't going to eat it right away.  This makes a very fast meal and it a good one to take during the week for lunch.

Couscous with Feta and Mint

1 cup water
1 tbsp Olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup couscous
1 lemon
1/4 cup crumbled feta
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 green onion sliced thin

Bring a medium sized pot of water to boil, add oil and salt. remove from heat, stir in couscous and cover 5 minutes.

Grate Lemon peel and juice lemon.
Fluff couscous, add mint, feta, green onion, lemon peel. Pour lemon juice over top and stir.

La Carta Oaxaca

La Carta Oaxaca, Ballard

Date - February 21, 2009

Background - It was the first sunny and warmish day in a long time and Greg wanted to take Morgan on another marathon long walk with the first stop being Ballard before heading up to Queen Anne.  I usually try and talk Greg into tasty Mexican when we are in the hood.

Atmosphere - Not bad for cheap Mexican. It's usually pretty packed.  If you come on a Friday or Saturday night, be prepared to wait.  They have a small bar which is a good place to down some tasty chips and drinks while you wait.  They only have about 10 tables and then one large communal table.

Service - Solid and speedy.  

Drink- A selection of Mexican beers.  I had the limeaid which was a great virgin alternative.

Food - The tortillas are homemade and the tacos are the small authentic type filled with all sorts of tasty fillings. We usually start with chips and guacamole and then move on to carne asada tacos.  The last time I went I tried the Al Pastor tacos which are my new favorite.  I don't think you can really go wrong here - it's all good.

Verdict - My favorite Mexican in Seattle hands down.

Cafe Besalu

Cafe Besalu, Ballard

Date - February 7, 2009

Background - Besalu was a favorite before we moved across the pond and after 18 months easy access to authentic croissants, we feel really lucky to have this gem in our hood. I've been talking it up to my friend Kate who just got back from a little European sojourn of her own. We were meeting up with Kate and Olive for a doggie play date one morning so we decided to fuel up at Besalu before the romp.

Atmosphere - While the smell of butter and sugar is wonderful, this place is small. Maybe six tables and on a weekend morning you have to have pretty lucky timing to get a table. One the plus side, you have a great view of the baker making all the lovely pastries while you inch up slowly towards the front while in line.

Service - Slow. This place forces me to work on my patience - the line has been out the door every time I've been and it moves slowly. It's the coffee drinks that slow down the line and that could all be avoided by having two lines (one for orders with coffee beverages, one for baked goods only) or even having people move aside to wait for their coffees would help, but their service is as Parisian as their baked goodsJ.

Drink- The coffees are fine, but I wouldn’t waste any calories on beverages if you can avoid it.

Food - The ginger biscuits are the specialty here and I am sure I could eat a dozen pretty easily. The almond croissant, plain croissant and pain chocolate are as good as anything I've had in France.

Verdict - Pure bliss - We that live near Ballard are lucky indeed. Would eat here every day if I could.

 

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

Perfect for a weekend lunch or for a larger meal, serve with tortilla soup (comming soon) or Tommy's Rice and Beans. 

Prep time: 15 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Serves: 2-4 

1/3 C frozen corn (white corn is sweetest)

Vegetable oil

1/3 C red onion, minced

1 t garlic, minced

½ t chili powder

1/3 C canned black beans

2 t fresh lime juice

Flour tortillas

2/3 C Monterey Jack cheese (Pepper Jack is best), shredded

Heat 10” nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot.  Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until kernels begin to brown and pop (3-5 minutes). Transfer to a bowl.  Heat 2 t vegetable oil in the same skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Add red onion and cook until softened (3 minutes).  Add garlic and chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 1 minutes.  Stir in black beans and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Return corn to skillet and gently press mixture with spatula to lightly crush beans. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in lime juice.  Season with salt. 

Wipe out skillet with paper towels and return pan to medium heat until hot.  Place tortilla in skillet and toast until soft and puffed slightly at edges, about 2 minutes.  Flip tortilla and toast until puffed and slightly browned, 1-2 minutes. Slip tortilla on to cutting board.  Repeat with next tortilla while assembling first quesadilla.  

Sprinkle 1/3 C cheese and bean mixture over half of tortilla, leaving ½” boarder around edge. Fold tortilla in half and press to flatten.  Place two completed tortillas back in skillet and cook until crisp on both sides, 1-2 minutes.  Serve immediately with or without your favorite salsa. 

Blueberry Pancakes

This is another favorite from Cook's Ilustrated. When fresh blueberries aren’t in season, bananas are a great alternative.

 Prep time: 10 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

 Serves: 6

1 T lemon juice (fresh if at all possible – TIP: when you have extra lemons around the house, juice them into ice cube trays and freeze.  Once frozen, place into a freezer bag and you’ll never have to use that wacky plastic lemon)

2 C milk

2 C flour

2 T sugar

2 T baking powder

½ t baking soda

½ t salt

1 large egg

3 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1-2 t vegetable oil

1 C fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried

Whisk lemon juice and milk in a medium bowl or large measuring cup.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl to combine

Make well in center of dry ingredients bowl. Pour in milk mixture and whisk very gently until combined (see if you can do it in less than 10 strokes). A few lumps should remain.

Heat a 12” skillet over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Add 1t of oil and brush to coat skillet bottom evenly. Pour ¼ C batter onto 3 spots on skillet. Sprinkle 1 T blueberries over each pancake.

Cook pancakes until large bubbles begin to appear (1½ -2 minutes). Using thin, wide spatula, flip pancakes and cook until golden brown on second side (1-1½ minutes). Serve immediately and repeat with remaining batter.Serve with warmed syrup (the good stuff – no crazy bottles shaped like old ladies!)

The Leary Traveler

The Leary Traveler, Fremont

Date - February 5, 2009

Background - A number of new spots have opened up just down the hill from us while we were in London, one of which is the Leary Traveler. Greg looked up their menu online a few weeks back and suggested we give it a try. He enticed me with their "European inspired" menu which sound more upscale than your standard bar food

Atmosphere - Definitely casual but the right mix of energy without having to struggle to hear a conversation. Nothing fancy but I did notice quite a few girl groups which surprised me given it seemed like an unlikely girl hang out...not particularly male either but not a chick spot.

Service - Outstanding especially for a bar - cheerful and helpful. No eye rolling with our high maintenance order and I really appreciated an unrequested glass of water while Greg finished up his last beer.

Drink - Good selection of European wines and beers - about 8 different beers on draft, mainly Belgian with the exception of PBR. They all came in different shaped glasses - another nice European touch.

Food - Great - exceptional for bar food. We split an order of Belgian frites and a Painted Hills steak salad and both were very happy.

Verdict - This will become a Huey regular hang out, especially when it warms up and we can walk down the hill and eat outside with Morgan. Greg is particularly excited about their happy Hour 4-6pm $2 drafts and frites - he told me he'd might build into his weekday routine post daily run.

Korean BBQ

Old Village Korean, Shoreline

Date - February 6, 2009

Background - Karen, a Korean-American friend of ours, introduced us a few years back to Korean food at a favorite place of hers in Shoreline.  We hadn't been in a few years so we rounded up a crew to hit the burbs for some BBQ.

Atmosphere - Last time we were here, about two years ago, this place had all the atmosphere of a cafe at your local Target, but they've remodeled and it looks much hipper with dark paint and metal accents.  Not bad for a strip mall joint in Shoreline.

Service - Might be okay by Korean standards, but let's just say you don't go to this spot for the service.  Even with a Korean speaker at the table, there was plenty of confusion.  

Drink - Limited (way  better wine selection than our previous trips), but would have been fine had they not been out of the one option us girls wanted.  We ended up with a Chateau St. Michelle Riesling that I liked, but was too sweet for some.

Food - Did not disappoint.  The must here is BBQ.  Usually we cook up our own at the table, but with such a large group they brought it out pre-cooked.  It isn't quite as much fun this way, so I would try to get a table with the built in BBQ.  We ordered a lot of different dishes for the table (too many to keep track) but the sesame noodles were a big hit and I got my favorite dish dish that comes in a very hot stone pot that cooks as you eat it.

Verdict - A great meal, especially when it's cold out, and worth the drive up to the hinterlands.  

Whole Whaet Pasta with Greens, Beans and Tomatoes

I know this may not sound very sexy but it's really good - I promise, I give it 4 stars. While I am not usually a big fan of whole wheat pasta, in this dish it really adds a nuttiness that makes the dish. This is a hearty and healthy dish as well as a great way to eat greens (don't let them intimidate you).

Prep time: 30 minutes.
Total time: 45 minutes

Serves: 6

3 T good olive oil

3 garlic cloves minced

1 medium onion

½ t hot red pepper flakes

14 C loosely packed kale (1-1½ lbs), thick stems trimmed, leaves chopped into 1” pieces and rinsed.

1½ C low sodium vegetable broth

1 can (14½ oz.) diced tomatoes, drained

1 can (15 oz.) cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed

13 ¼ oz whole wheat pasta (Ronzoni Health Harvest is best)

2 oz. parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup or so), use the good imported kind

Heat oil in a 12” straight sided sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan and cook until starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook stirring constantly until garlic is fragrant (30 seconds).

Add half of greens to pan. Using tongs, toss occasionally until starting to wilt – about 2 minutes.Add remaining green, broth, tomatoes and ¾ t salt. Cover (pan will be very full) and increase heat to high and bring to a strong simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered tossing occasionally until greens are tender, about 15 minutes (mixture will be somewhat soupy). Stir in beans.

Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large pan over high heat. Add spaghetti and 1T of salt. Cook until pasta is just shy of al dente. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add greens mixture to pasta and toss to combine. Cook until pasta absorbs most of the liquid – about 2 minutes. Stir in cheese and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately.

Calories/Serving -485
Carbs/Serving - 83g
Fat/Serving - 12g
Protein/Serving -15g

Chicken Empanadas

These are a favorite of the Count - he'd have them every week if he could. We both fell in love with empanads while studying abroad in Chile. In Chile, empanadas generally come in two types, Cheese or meat with raisins, a hard boiled egg, and a couple of whole olives (thankfully those could easily be removed). In looking for a slightly healthier version, I found these a few years ago and they've been in the rotation ever since.

This recipe is for appetizer size, but I make four or five large ones and have some for dinner and stick the extra in the freezer. The filling recipe is courtesy of Martha Stewart and the dough is photo copied from an obscure cook book of my dad's so I can't quote the source (sorry whoever you are), but it is a very authentic dough (at least for Chile) compared to many I've tried out there.

CHICKEN AND CORN EMPANADAS

1/4 cup olive oil (I usually use less)
1 1/2 cups finely-chopped white onion
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp oregano (preferably Mexican)
1 cup finely-chopped red bell pepper
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels - 5 small ears (This is a Martha recipe, so the rest of us just use frozen corn, defrosted)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thigh meat, cut 1/4" pieces
2 Tbs dry white wine
Coarse salt, to taste
6 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 large egg, lightly beaten with
1 Tbs water


=== EMPANADA DOUGH ===
2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbs vegetable shortening

1 egg yolk

3-4 Tbs ice water

Make the Empanada Dough: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add lard and butter, and pulse until it is the texture of coarse meal. With the processor running, slowly add enough water to form a firm dough. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface, and knead until the dough comes together and is smooth. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and chill for 1 hour (I've skipped this step when I am in a hurry, but it does make rolling the dough a bit tougher).

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, red-pepper flakes, and oregano. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Season with salt. Cook for 1 minute. Add red and green peppers and corn. Cook until the peppers soften and any liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes.

To the same pan, add the chicken, wine, and salt. Cook until chicken is just cooked through and almost all liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Refrigerate filling until chilled; stir in cheese. The filling may be prepared and refrigerated, covered, for up to 2 days.

Fill a small bowl with cold water. Roll out dough to a 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 5-inch plate as a template, cut out 24 circles. Spoon about 1/4 cup chilled filling into the center of a circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Brush border with cold water. Fold the dough over, stretching it slightly, to form a half-moon shape. Beginning at one end, press the edges together to seal, while trying to remove any air pockets. Press again to ensure that empanadas are well sealed. Using a fork or your fingers, crimp the edges to form a decorative edge. Repeat with remaining circles.
Brush the empanadas with egg wash, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes (I've skipped this step too, and they've been great) but no longer than 1 day. (Once filled, the empanadas may be frozen and baked later, without defrosting, in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange empanadas on baking sheets. Bake until puffed and browned, and filling is bubbling inside, 15 to 20 minutes (or a bit longer if you are making the large versions). Serve immediately.
This recipe yields small 24 empanadas or 4-6 large ones.

Super Bowl

So just to prove I can do low brow food too, I decided to tackle wings for our Super Bowl party.  I was dissapointed that they didn't look like the day-glow orange version I've seen in bars, but I was told by the several wing connesuers in attendance that they were delicous.  A Barefoot Contessa recipe, they were surprisingly easy - even the cutting wings into pieces wasn't hard if you broke the wings at the joint.

Buffalo Chicken Wings

Makes 32 pieces

For the wings 

16 chicken wings (about 3 pounds) 

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter 

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 teaspoons Frank's Hot Sauce, or 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce 

1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the dip 

1 1/2 cups crumbled gorgonzola or other blue cheese 

1 cup good mayonnaise 3/4 cup sour cream 2 tablespoons milk 

3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

Celery sticks, for serving Preheat the broiler.

Cut the chicken wings in thirds, cutting between the bones. Discard the wing tips (or use them to make chicken noodle soup). Melt the butter and add the cayenne, hot sauce, and salt. Put the wings on a sheet pan and brush them with the melted butter. Broil them about 3 inches below the heat for 8 minutes. Turn the wings, brush them again with the butter, and broil for 4 more minutes, or until cooked. 

For the dip, place the blue cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until almost smooth. Serve the chicken wings hot or at room temperature with the blue cheese dip and celery sticks.

Themed Dinner Party - Latin American

A few of us have been kicking around the idea of a progressive or themed dinner party and Deepa and Erich got us started with Latin American theme.  I was assigned a side dish and volunteered the Count for a cocktail that worked as a mocktail.

I went for an old favorite, Tommy's Rice and Beans from Epicurious.com.  Nothing really fancy (although I like how colorful it is), but black beans and rice feel like a classic Latin America side and this recipe is my version of comfort food.  It paired nicely with the lamb (an extra treat as it was from Erich parent's farm and organic) with mole sauce.  We started off the evening with tasty goat cheese and chorizo empanadas, gourmet nachos and Mexicana cocktails.  The night wrapped up with Mexican wedding cookies and tequila lime budt cake with lemoncello.  

It was a really fun night and a great way to have a low key but gourmet meal with friends.  I hope this becomes a regular event.