So, how's everyone doing with their New Year's Weight Loss Resolutions? Me? I'm doing fine. You see, I play it safe. I don't make them. Well, I do, but they are never food-related. I make no secret that I have a wicked sweet tooth. I love dessert. I just try to resist going back for seconds.
So, about that healthy eating thing that kicks into full gear in January... how about blueberries? They're loaded with vitamins and antioxidants. They're terrific with some Greek Yogurt. Absolutely! But, that's not what I did with the blueberries I couldn't resist buying. I wanted to bake something for breakfast. I blame it on the Blue Bottle Coffee that I bought, while we were in San Francisco. Wow, is that ever great coffee! So, I decided to bake a crumb cake. To be on the safe side, I chose a recipe from Ina Garten. I trust her recipes.
The streusel is easy to make-- flour, white and brown sugar, cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg. Now, we add one stick of unsalted butter that's been melted, and blend it all together.
The cake batter: anytime I see sour cream as an ingredient, I anticipate a really moist cake. The batter begins with 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter and sugar. Be sure to cream it with a mixer for 4-5 minutes. We want lots of air and fluffy goodness. Then, we add eggs, vanilla, lemon zest and then the rest of the dry ingredients-- flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and soda. (Don't worry, a printable recipe card is at the end of this post.) I usually let my husband lick the beater blades. But, this time, I had to dip my fingers around the edges. This batter tastes great!
Very gently, fold about a cup of blueberries (I added a bit more).
Evenly spread the batter into a prepared 9" cake pan. I used a Springform Pan with parchment paper on the bottom.
With your hands, mix up the streusel topping, and then evenly spread it on top of the cake batter.
Bake at 350F for 40-50 minutes. The aroma is so good, while it bakes! I checked mine at 40 minutes with a toothpick, but the center needed about five more minutes. Cool. NOTE: I like to eat my coffee cakes on the warm side, so I let it cool for about 20 minutes.
I'll bet this cake would look pretty with a dusting of powdered sugar. I didn't want to do that, because I prefer to dust by the slice.
VERDICT: This is "bakery good". The cake is really moist. It's not super sweet. The crumb topping is just how it should be. Need I say more? Ina Garten has great quality control in any recipe she posts. This is a coffee cake I would serve to any guest in my home. I think this recipe would work as muffins, too.
I justify fruit and cake for breakfast as perfectly acceptable. I just have to swim a few extra laps. Next week. Here's the recipe:
I have a back log of pre-recorded TV shows, and I am slowly whittling my way through them. Last weekend, it was "The Barefoot Contessa" shows that I decided to watch. Truthfully, I tend to fast-forward through most of my recorded episodes. If something catches my eye, then I pay close attention. This recipe comes from Ina's "Back to Basics" Cookbook that I own. The episode was called "Postcards from Paris". I've never been to Paris, which also included the recipe for making Potato Basil Puree-- that I've since made, loved and posted on my blog. Had I not watched Ina's show, I probably wouldn't have made this particular recipe. Maybe it sounded so "basic", but seeing things can be powerful persuasion.
The reason this recipe did win my attention is that my husband loves bacon. Seriously, all I have to do is start bacon and onions on the stove and he starts to circle around the kitchen. I like bacon, but I limit how much I eat-- with the exception of our candied bacon. My will power weakens, over the sweet and saltiness of preparing bacon, that way. Potatoes, on the other hand, is one of my true weaknesses. I had all of the ingredients, on hand, to make this omelet (I consider it more of a frittata). I love it when that happens!
Begin with slicing bacon into 1-inch pieces.
Add a little olive-oil into an ovenproof skillet, and cook the bacon until it's browned, but not crisp.
Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
While the bacon is cooking, cut 1 cup of diced Yukon Gold potatoes. My potatoes were small, so I used two of them, unpeeled. Can you use any other kind of potatoes? Sure. Yukons are just my favorite spuds to prepare as home fries, next to red potatoes. Place the potatoes in the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Continue to cook over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until very tender and browned, tossing occasionally to brown evenly.
I always like to test the potatoes, to make sure they are fork tender. These took close to 20 minutes until they were ready. At this point, I could eat a a plate full of golden fried potatoes. But, we have a few more steps to do.
Remove with a slotted spoon to the same plate with the bacon. Pour out any remaining fat, from the pan.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat five eggs, milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together.
Add one tablespoon of unsalted butter, lower the heat to low, and pour the eggs into the hot pan.
Chop about 1 Tablespoon of fresh chives. Fortunately, I have lots of this growing in our herb garden.
Sprinkle the bacon, potatoes, and chives evenly over the top and place the pan in a 350F preheated oven for about 8 minutes, just until the eggs are set.
Lovely!
Ina slides her omelet onto a plate, divided in half, and serve hot. This actually made four servings for us. That's a good thing, because my son was hungry as well.
VERDICT: Seriously? Bacon and potatoes? Delicious, of course. It was very satisfying, and the fourth serving was easily reheated the next day. It was just as good. I think there are plenty of variations that would be great with this recipe. Chopped bell pepper would add some pretty color. Mushrooms would be nice. Sausage could work, too. However, it's the simplicity of the ingredients that worked well. The chives are perfect in this recipe. A printable recipe is at the end of this post.
A printable recipe card is at the end of this post.
One of my favorite herbs is basil. This year, we have a lot of basil-- and time is getting short to use it all. There is only so much pesto that I can make! I was glad to catch a pre-recorded episode The Barefoot Contessa, where Ina made this recipe.
So I happily cut a few stems of our hearty basil plants and rinsed them, and set a pot of water to boiling.
Then I blanched them for the 15 seconds that Ina instructed me to do, then set them into an ice bath to "shock them".
Using the same pot of boiling water, I also cooked Yukon Gold potatoes, with the skin on (Ina says to peel them, but I like unpeeled small potatoes).
In a separate pot, I heated half and half and Parmesan cheese and let that thicken a bit on very low heat. So, the stage was set...
Ina uses a hand mixer to cream the potatoes. I prefer to use my OXO food mill. I like how creamy my mashed potatoes turn out, and the food mill removes a lot of peels anyway.
To me, this is a lot easier than using a potato ricer. So, now we are ready to make creamy potatoes...
Using a food processor, I added the steel blade and the blanched Basil. Then I added the hot cream and pureed the basil. Now, all I have to do is pour it over the "milled" potatoes..
The hot mixture is easy blended, and the potatoes are lovely creamy texture-- no lumps! I much prefer this method over using a potato masher! Season with salt and pepper. Top with fresh Parmesan Cheese.
NOTE: The second time I made these, I used Tyler Florence's method of cooking the potatoes right in the cream (you can view it here). I then poured out the cream (saving it), once the potatoes were tender, and use half of it to puree with the basil, with a blender. I think the blender worked better. The remaining hot cream is reserved, on low heat, to fresh up or reheat the potatoes. This technique worked really well!
Ina served this with Veal Chops with Roquefort Butter. I was so ready to make these, but I could not find Free-Range Veal Chops-- even at Whole Foods! So, I made a grilled Pork Tenderloin.
VERDICT: My husband, son and I really loved the flavor of these potatoes. This might sound odd, but my men said it kind of tasted "pumpkin pie". Don't ask me why, but they both agreed. Pumpkin pie? I tasted basil and Parmesan. I am so fond of garlic mashed potatoes, so I made this recipe a second time. Not only did I cook the potatoes in the hot cream, but I threw in one clove of garlic. I really liked this version a lot. My husband said that these didn't taste like pumpkin pie. Well, that's good. I have no idea what tricks their taste buds were playing. The bottom line is, these are a colorful and flavorful way to enjoy fresh basil. One more Ina Garten recipe success story. I can see why I have all of her cookbooks. They are pretty much fool-proof! I hope you try them!
A printable recipe card is at the end of this post.
A couple of weeks ago, I tweeted that I was having the ho-hums in the kitchen. I just couldn't muster up any kind of enthusiasm with cooking. That happens to me, every so often. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Last weekend, I sat outside to enjoy a sunny afternoon in our backyard. I dug out a few of my Tyler Florence and Ina Garten cookbooks and began to revisit them. The dry spell of cooking inspiration was broken!
I had invited my husband for dinner at Chez Debby's, that Saturday night. (This is my way of saying I would be cooking at home, for Date Night, and he'd be doing all of the cleanup). Truthfully, I am very lucky that my husband does most of the kitchen cleanup on a regular basis. Chez Debby's is affordable cooking, but I try to kick things up a few notches so that it looks like restaurant quality. Ina Garten to the rescue:
Whenever Whole Foods has their special sales, I stock up-- especially when it's Sea Scallops on sale for half price! My favorite way to prepare scallops has been to quickly sear them. This time, I wanted to try something different and Ina's Scallops Gratin sounded perfect.
I had frozen the scallops. My "quick thaw" method never involves the microwave. Instead, I rinse them with warm water to separate them, and then soak them. In about 15 minutes, or longer, they are good to go.
Pat them very dry, and remove the muscle (the "feet") that it sometimes hanging on to the side.
These are a decent size, and the price was just right.
I made a couple of tweaks to Ina's recipe. I chose not to use Prosciutto di Parma because I didn't have any. I also decided to add fresh tarragon (which is growing out of control in our garden). I love tarragon. Ina also lists Pernod, but I don't have that on hand. I wasn't going to invest in a bottle, just for this recipe.
Tarragon and seafood are meant for one another. I love the really mild notes of licorice.
This is a very easy recipe to make, actually. I'm going to make delicious garlic-butter topping, and then I'm going to fold in Panko crumbs. Here's how:
To make the topping, place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (you can also use a hand mixer).With the mixer on low speed, add the garlic, shallot, tarragon, prosciutto*,
...parsley*, lemon juice, Pernod*, salt, and pepper and mix until combined. With the mixer still on low, add the olive oil slowly as though making mayonnaise, until combined.
*I didn't use these ingredients.
Fold the panko in with a rubber spatula and set aside.
NOTE: Don't use bread crumbs! Panko crumbs are much easier to find, nowadays. Check the international aisle of your supermarket. Panko gives a beautiful crunch to this recipe, and the crumbs would become soggy.
Preheat the broiler, if it’s separate from your oven. Place 1 tablespoon of the wine in the bottom of each gratin dish.
Distribute the scallops among the 3* dishes.(NOTE: I scaled this recipe for two.)
Spoon the garlic butter evenly over the top of the scallops.
Nice!
Since the oven was already preheated, I decided to roast fresh asparagus with salt, pepper and a little olive oil. I like to use my cast-iron skillet for ease.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the topping is golden and sizzling and the scallops are barely done. If you want the top crustier, place the dishes under the broiler (which I did) for 2 minutes, until browned.
Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkling of chopped parsley and serve immediately with crusty French bread (which I didn't have, but I wish I had...the sauce is amazing!)
For those of you who watch "The Barefoot Contessa", you've seen many episodes where Jeffrey walks into the kitchen to see what's cooking. Craig is my Jeffrey, and this meal was prepared with a lot of love. The table was set, soft music going and just the two of us, and two glasses of chilled white wine. Best of all, this really came together in about 45 minutes.
VERDICT: I loved this dish. The scallops were tender, and not overcooked. How can you go wrong with wine, butter and garlic? I'm glad that I added tarragon, because it's one of my favorite herbs. I didn't miss adding the Prosciutto at all. As for my Jeffrey Craig, he really loved this dish. He said it looked and tasted just like a fancy restaurant. For me, that's an ultimate compliment. This recipe, in fact, reminds me a lot of Ina's Baked Shrimp Scampi that I made quite a while ago. The panko topping is really good, and I would make this for shrimp or any kind of baked fish. It's one of my favorite recipes I've made in quite a while.
A printable recipe is at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!
