Baked Tomatoes Stuffed with Fennel and Gorgonzola

So it has been awhile.   A long while.  That's what happens when you take a seasonal job that requires you to work six days a week for pratically the entire summer.  Things that you actually like to do go by the wayside because you've been slaving and breaking your back in the hot sun all day, and all you want to do is come home, close the blinds and watch some mindless television.  And so my summer is gone without having even enjoyed it and i'm posting a recipe I came up with last Christmas.  Baked tomato halves that become slightly softened and juicy in the oven, stuffed with lots of garlic, sweet fennel and salty gorgonzola cheese.  Just in time for this Christmas.

Baked Tomatoes Stuffed with Fennel and Gorgonzola

Serves 10; 2 tomato halves per person

1 fennel bulb
3 large or 5-6 small garlic cloves, minced (about 1 ½ Tbsp)
Pinch of salt
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
10 Roma tomatoes, halved and seeded
¾ cup gorgonzola cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp olive oil


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. To prepare the fennel bulb, cut off the stems. Cut the bulb in half and remove any parts of the outer leaves of the bulb that are tough or damaged. Cut each half into thin slices. Put the sliced fennel and minced garlic in a metal saucepan, toss with the 3 Tbsp olive oil, lemon juice and pinch of salt. Bake for about 30 minutes, until soft and caramelized. (Check after 20 minutes of so to make sure it doesn’t burn.) When the fennel is done, scrape into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the cheese, breadcrumbs, parsley and 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Stir to combine all the ingredients. Place the seeded tomato halves in a 9x13” baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Stuff some of the fennel mixture into each tomato half. Bake in the oven (still at 400) for 15-20 minutes until the tomatoes are slightly softened but still holding their shape and the cheese is melted. Serve warm or at room temperature; plain or with slices of toasted bread.

Cheese Souffle

 Obviously I'm a little behind on posting things when I'm just posting this cheese souffle that my sister Mary and I whipped up for Christmas Day brunch.  Of course, at our family get togethers there is never a shortage of food, so there was also plates of cookies, muffins, doughnuts, a baked ham, omelet station, smoothies, waffle station with whipped cream and berries, tarts and fresh fruit.  However, it would be quite nice for an Easter or spring brunch as well, or any day for that matter.  It does work well for a buffet-style meal, as it can be prepared slightly ahead of time, and may rest after it has baked for 45 minutes before serving.  It is a recipe I jotted down after watching some Julia Child segments on PBS.com.  It is a light and airy egg dish, with just the right seasoning and a creamy, tangy bite from a generous helping of swiss cheese.  The presentation is beautiful as well, and very different from your typical quiche or scrambled eggs.

Cheese Souffle

Julia Child
Serves 8

3 Tbsp flour
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup milk
6 egg yolks
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
8 egg whites
1 cup grated Swiss cheese


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, whisk in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, whisking constantly to cook out some of the flour taste. Whisk in the milk, whisking out any lumps. Stir in the salt, pepper, cayenne and nutmeg. This simple white sauce will be the base of the soufflé. Remove from the heat, cool slightly. Whisk the 6 yolks together in a small bowl. Whisk in a small amount of the white sauce to temper the eggs, slowly drizzle in the egg yolks while whisking. Set the white sauce aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and glossy. Gently fold the whites into the white sauce. Fold in the grated cheese. For the baking pan, I used a simple 9” spring form pan, but something similar would also work I think. Grease the pan with butter, and gently pour in the batter. (In the cooking segment, she wrapped foil around the outside of the pan to it went a little above to hold in the soufflé when it puffs up in the oven. I did this also, but the pan I used must have been larger than the one she used because it rose just to the top of the pan and no more, so I didn’t really need the foil, but a smaller pan my need it.) At this point, the soufflé may rest for up to an hour before baking if you would like to prepare it ahead of time. Place the soufflé in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. It should be puffed and just slightly golden on top. The soufflé may rest for 45 minutes out of the oven before serving, or can be eaten right away. To serve, use two large spoons, scooping them together gently on the top of the soufflé to cut out a neat portion. Don’t cut all the way to the bottom right away or the soufflé with deflate.

Spicy Ginger Cake with Milk Chocolate Chunks

 This, my friends, is not your typical ginger cake.  It's like gingerbread on steroids.  It's spicy.  Real spicy.  Absolutely need that dollop of whip cream, spicy.  It's from a book called Chocolate Holidays, by Alice Medrich.  I have to admit, some of her recipes that I've tried have been good, others are just plain bad.  And at first bite, I kind of thought this might be a bad one.  But the more I ate, the better I liked it.  There's a half cup of fresh grated ginger in this bad boy, so you can guess that it's got some heat.  But it's an extremely moist cake, and scooped up with a little sweetened whipped cream, combined with chunks of smooth milk chocolate sitting at the bottom, it all really works together.  For the faint of heart, I might suggest halving the amount of ginger.  It will still be plenty spicy, I think.

Spicy Ginger Cake with Milk Chocolate Chunks
From Alice Medrich’s Chocolate Holidays
Serves 8

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
¼ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup light unsulfured molasses
¼ cup honey
1 egg
½ cup very finely minced or grated peeled fresh ginger
6 Tbsp butter, melted with ½ cup water
4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped into small pieces, or milk chocolate chips
Whipped cream for topping


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare and 9” square or round pan with parchment paper or butter. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, molasses and honey. Whisk in the egg and ginger. Whisk in the hot butter and water mixture. Add the flour mixture and stir until smooth. Stir in the chocolate. Scrape the batter into the pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes for a square pan, a few more minutes for a round. Cool on a rack. Serve warm or room temperature, topped with whipped cream.

Italian Pastry Ring

 

 This is something I made sometime last spring and has been patiently waiting in my inbox to be posted.  It's a rather simple and unassuming breakfast pastry, served with milk or coffee to dip in.  It can also serve as a light evening dessert, served with a chilled glass of wine for dipping.  It turned out completely different from what I was expecting.  I thought it might be something more of, well, pastry-like texture, but it is more like a large shortbread cookie.  In fact, to me it was like eating a giant animal cracker.  It would be a very nice thing to keep in the freezer to have on hand for unexpected guests.  It would also be easy to make fresh for a party or get-together, as you could make it a day ahead, then simply slice and serve with good coffee or wine for an elegant finish to a meal.



Italian Pastry Ring

From Essentials of Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan

8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter

4 cups unbleached flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

3 1/2 tsp baking powder

Salt

Zest of 1 lemon

1/4 cup lukewarm milk

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375.  Put the butter in a saucepan and melt.  Put the flour in a large mixing bowl.  Add the sugar, melted butter, cream of tartar, baking powder, a tiny pinch of salt, zest and the lukewarm milk.  Add 1 whole egg and the white of the second egg.  Add the yolk of the second egg, less 1 teaspoonful of it, which you will set aside for "painting" the ring later.  Thoroughly mix all the ingredients, then turn them out onto a work surface and knead the mixture for a few minutes.  Shape the dough into a large sausage roll about 2 inches thick, and make it into a ring.  Pinch the ends together to close the ring.  Brush the surface with the reserved yolk and 1 teaspoon of water, score with a few diaganol cuts.  Place the ring onto a flat baking sheet that has been buttered and floured.  Bake for 35 minutes.  It will nearly double in size.  Place on a cooling rack.  Wrap in foil when cool, do not refrigerate.  It is best served the following day.

Italian Grilled Cheese Salad

I recently dined at a little coffeeshop with my mom and sisters after a concert and had the kind of sandwich I love seeing on a menu.  They called it an Italian grilled cheese; a medley of a tangy pesto sauce, fresh tomato and swiss cheese sandwiched between crisp sourdough.  I made my own version at home, with a rustic bread and the addition of some peppery arugala, thus making what is by far my all-time favorite sandwich.  The only problem I have with it is that I tend to fill the sandwich way too full and it's ridiculously sloppy, falling apart, juice running down my hands.  So the only logical thing was to turn it into a salad with all the same components, eatable with a fork.  I also added a little fresh rosemary to the croutons which, by the way, smelled amazing baking in the oven.  It's my perfect blend of flavors; fresh, clean herbs, crispy bread soaked with fruity olive oil, lemon and basil topped with juicy tomatoes and creamy swiss cheese, all tossed with a nice bite of peppery arugala.

 Italian Grilled Cheese Salad

For the Croutons:

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp chopped rosemary

2 thick slices (about 2 cups) of a hearty bread, stale works well

Pinch of salt

Stir the rosemary, olive oil and salt together; toss the croutons in the oil.  Place on a baking sheet and bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown, but still slightly soft as you press on them.  Watch them carefully as they can quickly go from undone to burnt.

For the Dressing and Salad:
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp prepared pesto, I use this
1 tomato, diced
1/4 cup swiss cheese, chopped or grated

Whisk lemon juice, oil and pesto together.  Stir in tomatoes and swiss cheese.  Allow flavors to meld while the croutons bake.  When the croutons come out of the oven, toss them still a bit warm with the dressing mixture, add the arugala and toss to coat.  Serve immediately.

Cornmeal and Olive Oil Cake

 Well, I'm back again after another long hiatus.  We just returned from a nice 2 1/2 week vacation to Richmond, Va.  Eric's dad and sister and her family live there, and due to the fact that we both have some down time now it seemed like a good opportunity to go visiting.  It was a trip of firsts; first time flying, first time going anywhere farther east than Chicago and first time seeing the ocean.  Aside from Rylan's accidental swim in the ocean, all of the above went quite well.  The weather was beautiful; I was a little confused as to weather it was really November and not September, since back here in Minnesota it was a good 30 degrees colder, blowing up snow and blizzards.  We visited Washington DC and several historical sites around Virginia and had a great time.  Thus, the blog has been neglected yet again.  I did make this cornmeal cake, however, sometime in the weeks before we left and was thinking it would be an excellent addition to any holiday dessert table.  It's made with olive oil and has a very tender, moist crumb, but also a tiny bit of crunch from the cornmeal.  I think you could add any kind of fruit or combination of fruits to this cake; I happened to have some rhubarb in the freezer and it was quite tasty in this, adding a nice tart burst in between the sweet cornmeal and fruity olive oil flavors.  I am thinking of making this for Christmas with some cranberries tossed in.  Not only is it a perfect breakfast cake for Christmas morning, but a light, palatte cleansing cake to finish a holiday meal would be a welcome change from the typical gut-busting fare. 

 Cornmeal and Olive Oil Cake with Rhubarb

By Lauren Chattman from “Cake Keeper Cakes: 100 Simple Recipes…”
I found this recipe in a magazine for Lunds and Byerly’s, and Minnesota-based grocer. It was originally called red grape, polenta and olive oil cake. I didn’t have grapes, and I also thought it sounded a little odd. The rhubarb was an excellent substitute, and I also think cranberries would be fantastic, and perfect for a holiday dessert table, or wrapped and packed in a tin for a hostess gift, or for those hard to buy for people in your life.  Who doesn't like cake?

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup yellow cornmeal
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon zest
1 ¾ cup rhubarb
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 inch round spring form pan and line bottom with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Combine the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium-high speed until light in color and increased in volume, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the oil in a slow, steady stream. Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat for 1 minute. Stir in the milk, vanilla and lemon zest on low speed. With the mixer on low speed add the flour mixture, ½ cup at a time until just incorporated. Stir in half of the rhubarb. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes. Scatter the remaining rhubarb over the top of the partially baked cake and continue to bake for 10 minutes. Scatter the remaining rhubarb over the top of the partially baked cake and continue to bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes longer. Transfer the pan to a wire and rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Release the sides from the side of the pan and let the cake cool completely before dusting with confectioner’s sugar. Cut into wedges and serve. Store in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.