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Author Archives: Kerstin - Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad with Grapes

January 31, 2012

My lab headed over to Sweet Cheeks in Fenway to stuff ourselves with BBQ for lunch one day last week. The restaurant was recently opened by Tiffani Faison, who was a finalist on both Top Chef Season 1 and Top Chef All-Stars. You can probably guess that I was pretty excited to check it out!

Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed with my pulled pork sandwich. The meat just wasn’t as tender and juicy as the pork at Blue Ribbon, and the sandwich was advertised as being served on Texas Toast, which I always thought was thick slices of garlic bread, but apparently is just normal slices of white bread? I did like that they had a couple different sauce options, and I will definitely be returning to see how Sweet Cheeks’ ribs and brisket stack up at some point. Their sides, however, blew Blue Ribbon’s out of the water. I wanted to dive into the mac & cheese, and my favorite part of the meal actually turned out to be their farm fresh salad. I know, I know, I was surprised too, who would expect a killer salad at a BBQ joint? The greens were tossed with hazelnuts, Brussels sprouts, and grapes, and the combo was perfectly balanced. It was so tasty that I decided I needed to make a salad featuring grapes and Brussels sprouts at home!

I mixed a large bunch of spinach and mixed spring greens in my salad bowl, along with roasted Brussels sprouts, halved grapes, dried cranberries, chopped pecans, and a healthy dose of shaved pecorino romano cheese. Then I took portions out throughout the week and dressed it with balsamic vinaigrette as I went along. I even caught Apolinaras dipping into the salad bowl a couple times – if that doesn’t indicate how delicious this is, I don’t know what does. Thanks to Sweet Cheeks for the inspiration!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad with Grapes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
8 ounces mixed greens (I used half spring mix and half baby spinach)
2 cups roasted Brussels sprouts
2 cups halved grapes
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup shaved pecorino romano cheese
1/3 cup balsamic vinaigrette

Directions:
To assemble the salad, mixed greens, roasted Brussels sprouts, grapes, dried cranberries, pecans, and shaved pecorino romano cheese in a large bowl and toss until well mixed. Evenly distribute on 8 plates and drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 210 calories, 15.1g fat, 3.9g fiber, 4.5g protein per serving
Cost: $1.45 per serving

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Indian Spiced Mini Meatball Soup

January 26, 2012

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I just love mini meatballs in soup! They turn almost any broth into a legitimate one pot meal and are just so delicious and cute. I make mini meatball soup fairly often and this time around decided to give my bowl a little Indian twist.

I whipped up a creamy tomato and red pepper soup spiced with a bunch of my favorites – coriander, cumin, ginger, garam masala, cayenne pepper, and turmeric. Then I mixed in the mini meatballs, which were packed with garlic, ginger, cumin, fennel powder, and cayenne pepper. Mmm, this is such a warm, comforting, and hearty meal! I probably should have gone the extra mile and garnished the dish too, but it was late, and I was too hungry to mess around with it any further. I’m guessing a swirl of Greek yogurt and sprinkle of cilantro on top would be delicious though!

Indian Spiced Mini Meatball Soup
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Meatballs:
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1 large egg
1/2 cup panko
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons fennel powder (ground fennel seeds)
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Soup:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground tumeric
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped roasted red peppers
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
To make the meatballs, heat oven to 375˚F. Place ground turkey, egg, panko, garlic, ginger, cumin, fennel powder, cayenne pepper, and salt in a large bowl and knead with your hands until well mixed. Shape into 50 mini meatballs and place on a large cookie sheet. Bake at 375˚F for 12-14 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center.

To make the soup, heat canola oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Add onions and sauté 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Stir in garlic and sauté 30 seconds; stir in coriander, cumin, ginger, garam masala, cayenne pepper, and tumeric and sauté an additional 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, and roasted peppers, and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer for 10 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree soup until smooth or place batches in a blender and process until smooth. Stir in apple cider vinegar and salt. Mix in cooked meatballs. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 366 calories, 18.0g fat, 2.3g fiber, 38.3g protein per serving
Cost: $2.63 per serving

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Cheesy Caramelized Onion Tart with a Mashed Potato Crust

January 21, 2012

When I posted the recipe for my Fiesta Potato Pie a little over a year ago, I got a lot of comments about the fact that I used instant mashed potatoes to make the crust. I know, I know, I don’t normally buy instant mashed potatoes either, but I actually developed the recipe for a Hungry Jack instant mashed potato contest! I didn’t win, but still thought the recipe was blog worthy, and I did like the fact that I could easily control the moisture level of the crust by using the potato flakes. Anyway, everyone wanted to know if the crust could be made with real potatoes instead, which I totally understand, so when I was brainstorming ways to use up my 15 pounds of potatoes, I decided to tackle the crust once again!

I’m so glad I did because it turned out beautifully – crusty on the outside and soft and buttery on the inside. This time I filled the unique crust with layers of caramelized onions, shredded gouda cheese, and goat cheese…soooo good! I served the wedges alongside a healthy dose of roasted Brussels sprouts, but a salad would also be lovely. Also, the tart is easier to slice once it’s cooled off a bit.

Cheesy Caramelized Onion Tart with a Mashed Potato Crust
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large yellow onions, sliced (12 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt, divided
2 pounds golden potatoes, peeled, and cut into chunks
1/3 cup milk (I used 2%)
2 cups shredded gouda cheese
4 ounces goat cheese

Directions:
Heat 2 tablespoons butter and olive oil over medium low heat in a large nonstick pan. Add onions, cover, and cook 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove lid and cook an additional 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, or until caramelized. Add garlic and cook for 1 additional minute; stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add potato chunks to the pot and boil for 10 to 15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and mash in a large bowl; stir in milk, remaining 3 tablespoons butter, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Heat oven to 350˚F. Press mashed potatoes into a greased 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and bake at 350˚F for 40 to 45 minutes or until potato crust is golden brown. Push the center down with the back of a spoon.

Evenly spread half the caramelized onions in the cooked potato pie crust. Evenly crumble goat cheese on top and then half the shredded gouda cheese. Top with remaining caramelized onions and shredded gouda cheese. Bake for 5 minutes at 350°F or until cheese is melted. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes, use a toothpick to loosen the edges if needed, and remove from tart pan; cut tart into wedges. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 398 calories, 21.0g fat, 6.2g fat, 14.1g protein per serving
Cost: $1.52 per serving

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Farfalle with Mushrooms and Goat Cheese Sauce

January 16, 2012

This pasta has Apolinaras’ name written all over it. I guess you could call him my muse from time to time. He looooves mushrooms and was so happy when I encouraged him to go ahead and put the pricey fresh shitakes in the grocery cart the other day. When I told him I was planning to use the mushrooms in a pasta dish with a creamy goat cheese sauce, he did a cute little happy dance in the middle of the aisle!

Luckily, the pasta came together beautifully and lived up to his high expectations – he loudly proclaimed multiple times that it was his very favorite pasta dish I’ve ever made! Of course, I had to take this with a grain of salt because any dish with mushrooms and goat cheese would steal his heart. I do really like that while this dish tastes incredibly indulgent, it’s really not that bad for you. I used whole wheat farfalle that I purchased at Eataly, but any shape would work well. You could also add some chicken or shrimp if you’d like a bit more protein.

Farfalle with Mushrooms and Goat Cheese Sauce
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound whole wheat farfalle pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
24 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I used half baby bellas and half shitakes with the stems removed)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
10.5 ounces goat cheese (1 log from costco)
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Prepare pasta according to the package directions, drain, and place in a large pot.

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick pan and add mushrooms. Sauté 8 to 10 minutes or until tender; add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and cook one more minute or until mixture starts to brown. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and whisk in pecorino romano, goat cheese, and salt. Heat 5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth. Add the sauce and mushrooms to the pot with the cooked pasta and mix well. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 531 calories, 21.8g fat, 7.5g fiber, 22.0g protein per serving
Cost: $2.92 per serving

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Maple Pecan Salmon over Roasted Potato, Apple, and Bacon Hash

January 12, 2012

I don’t usually buy a lot of produce at Costco, since it’s tough for just the two of us to eat our way through their large packages of fruits and veggies before it all spoils (although I do regularly make an exception of their Brussels sprouts and berries because we gobble those right up!), but the other day a 15 pound bag of potatoes ended up in my cart. I was craving roasted potatoes and feeling way too lazy to head to the regular grocery store just to pick up a smaller package. Plus, I was feeling up for a little potato challenge!

The first thing I did when I got home was whip up a potato hash with bacon, onions, and apples. It’s great for breakfast, but I enjoyed it most topped with a lovely piece of salmon glazed with maple syrup and crusted with chopped pecans and panko. This yummy meal also came together in a flash since I made the hash the day before and then just quickly cooked up the salmon before dinner. Ok, I’m off to brainstorm some more potato recipes – only 6 pounds left to go!

p.s. The winner of my Milk Bar giveaway was Bianca – congrats!

Maple Pecan Salmon over Roasted Potato, Apple, and Bacon Hash
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Roasted Potato, Apple, and Bacon Hash:
1 1/2 pounds potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 slices hickory smoked bacon, chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 tart apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

Maple Pecan Salmon:
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup panko
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
4 salmon fillets (ours were 7 ounces each)

Directions:
To make the hash, heat oven to 400°F. Place potato pieces on a large baking sheet and toss with olive oil. Roast at 400°F for 50 to 60 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, place chopped bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes or until crispy; drain on paper towels. Place onions and apples in the bacon grease and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Mix roasted potatoes, bacon, onions, apples, and salt together in a large bowl.

To make the salmon, heat oven to 350˚F. Mix pecans, panko, and salt together in a small bowl. Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick skillet and sear the salmon fillets, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Place seared fillets in a large baking dish and use a pastry brush to evenly brush with maple syrup. Evenly sprinkle pecan panko and press gently into the salmon. Bake salmon for 10 to 12 minutes at 350°F or until cooked through. To serve, divide the hash evenly among 4 plates and place salmon on top. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 964 calories, 58.2g fat, 6.0g fiber, 63.7g protein per serving
Cost: $4.70 per serving

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Late Night Snack Bars

January 7, 2012

New products from Trader Joe’s continually make my day. My Halloween Pumpkin Quesadillas, Yuzu Miso Mahi Mahi, and Vanilla Joe-Joe Strawberry Cheesecake just wouldn’t have been the same without their orange quesadillas, Yuzu Citrus Tisane Beverage, and Vanilla Joe-Joes, respectively. And now TJs has come to the rescue one again!

A few months ago, I fell in love with Ben and Jerry’s Late Night Snack, a luscious vanilla ice cream swirled with fudge covered potato chips and ribbons of salty caramel, which was created my Jimmy Fallon. Mmm, the combo of flavors was just so unique and addicting that after my first bite, I immediately thought a cookie with similar flavors would also be fantastic. Unfortunately, my first two attempts to whip them up were utter failures because putting potato chips in cookie dough just doesn’t work so well – the flavor is muted and they don’t stay crispy. Luckily, my problem was solved the other day when I noticed Trader Joe’s is now selling milk chocolate covered potato chips – what a genius idea! Instead of baking potato chips into the dough, I decided to top my cookies with these chips instead.

I topped sugar cookie bars with a layer of Trader Joe’s Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce and a bit of pretzel crumble (because pretzels are also one of my favorite late night snacks!) and then sprinkled some chopped milk covered potato chips on top as soon as they came out of the oven. The chocolate melted just enough to adhere the chips to the bars, but the potato chips stayed nice and crispy – yum! Oh, and while I will continue to buy the chocolate covered potato chips from Trader Joe’s because I tend to make a huge mess whenever I temper chocolate, you could certainly make them yourself if you don’t have a TJs nearby!

Late Night Snack Bars
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup pretzel crumbs (I pulsed a handful of pretzels in the food processor until crumbs formed)
1/3 cup Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce from Trader Joe’s (from a 10 ounce jar)
1 cup lightly chopped Milk Chocolate Covered Potato Chips from Trader Joe’s

Directions:
Heat oven to 350˚F. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Mix in eggs and vanilla extract; stir in flour, baking powder, and salt until soft dough forms. Place 1/4 cup dough in a medium bowl and stir in pretzel crumbs until well incorporated. Spread remaining dough in bottom of a greased 8×8-inch pan. Bake 10 minutes at 350˚F or until dough is puffed in the center. Remove from oven and evenly spread caramel sauce on top with back of a spoon, leaving edges to the bars around the outside of the pan. Crumble pretzel dough evenly on top and bake an additional 10 to 12 minutes at 350˚F or until a toothpick comes out clean. Immediately top with chopped chocolate covered potato chips. Cool completely, about 1 hour, and cut into bars. Makes 16 bars.

Nutrition: 205 calories, 9.9g fat, 0.8g fiber, 2.5g protein per bar
Cost: $0.42 per bar

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New York City Foodie Highlights and Milk Bar Giveaway

January 2, 2012

There’s nothing quite like NYC during the holidays. The city is all decked out and just so festive! We were fortunate to spend a couple days eating our way through the city with my parents over Christmas. Read on for our foodie highlights and a fun giveaway from Milk Bar!

The very first thing we did was head over to the Shake Shack by our hotel by Bryant Park. The burgers were tasty and the refreshing beer was cheap, but my chocolate custard “concrete” with chocolate covered pretzels, peanut butter sauce, and marshmallow sauce, really stole the show!

The next day we checked out the Macy’s windows and took the subway down to the Lower East Side to visit Doughnut Plant. This was at the top of my foodie wish list and definitely worth the trip.

The carrot cake and blackout (chocolate cake donut filled with chocolate crème and topped with chocolate frosting and cookie crumbs) donuts were extraordinary, and the valrhona chocolate and seasonal panettone donuts weren’t far behind – go, go, go here if you’re ever in NYC!

Then we headed up to Papaya King for lunch, which I couldn’t resist visiting since 1. hot dog eating is required when you’re in NYC and 2. it was just featured on Anthony Bourdain’s new layover show. Plus, it was super close to the Met, our next destination! I thought the hot dogs were pretty average actually, but the papaya drink was just delightful and after having one sip, immediately regretted only ordering a medium.

On Christmas Eve we walked around Times Square and did our best not to get too cheesy in M&M’s World.

Then we walked around Central Park for a bit and introduced my dad and Apolinaras to Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery, which my mom and I loved during our last trip to NYC. The Chicken Dumpling Soup and Nutter Butter Cookies were just as good as I remembered, and Apolinaras’ shot rib sandwich just melted in my mouth.

That evening we had a terrific time exploring Eataly, a 50,000 square foot “Italian Food Hall” brought to the Flatiron district by Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich. The emporium houses a bunch of restaurants, each featuring one aspect of Italian cuisine (e.g. fish, meat, pasta, panini, etc) and an amazing market with rows and rows of speciality Italian goods. We chowed down on panini, and I had the best hot chocolate of my life!

We took it easy on Christmas Day and just ventured out for a Chinese lunch at Szechuan Gourmet. Other fun activities over the next couple of days included seeing the musical Billy Elliot, touring Radio City Music Hall, and shopping up a storm with my mom. We also visited the United Nations, where Apolinaras’ late father worked as a journalist and checked out the apartment where he lived for four years. On the food front I had a surprisingly good wasabi tuna wrap at Pig ‘N’ Whistle, and we had Kati Rolls a couple of times, which are Indian flatbreads stuffed with delicious meats and veggies, mmm.

And finally, we also made it to Milk Bar, the pastry shop headed by Christina Tosi, which is part of David Chang’s Momofuku empire. We sampled all the cookies and had a scrumptious pistachio croissant. I was scared the compost cookies wouldn’t live up to my high expectations, but I really liked them! My favorite treats, however, were the corn cookies, because they were just so unique and tasted exactly like fresh sweet corn, in a really good way. In fact, I couldn’t help but pick up Christina Tosi’s new cookbook and some of Milk Bar’s freeze dried corn powder, so I can make my own corn cookies at home whenever I crave them! Of course, I was thinking of you all too and picked up an extra set for a giveaway!

To enter to win, just leave a comment on this post letting me know which restaurant/bakery/food truck you most want to visit in NYC. I need to start working on my list for next time! Entries must be in by 11:59 pm EST on Monday, January 9.

The fine print: I’m sponsoring this giveaway myself. The winner will be picked with random.org on Tuesday, January 10 and announced shortly thereafter.

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Top 11 Recipes of 2011

December 29, 2011

We’re back from New York and had a fabulous time. Stay tuned for a recap on all our good eats and a NYC themed giveaway! Unfortunately, I’ve been a bit under the weather, so I haven’t done much in the kitchen lately except make tea and warm up some soup. But, I have really been enjoying reading all of the “Best of 2011″ posts around the blogosphere, and I’ve decided to play along. Without further ado, my top 11 recipes of 2011!

1. We’ll start with the recipe that got the most page views (by far!) – French Onion Mac & Cheese. Ah, I can’t blame you for all for loving this one – it’s goooood. Soup and mac & cheese are my too favorite comfort foods, and this recipe combines the best of both worlds.

2. My Nutella Strawberry Pancakes, however, got the most comments. Nutella just makes everything better!

3. Now we’ll move along to some of my favorites. The appetizer of the year award goes to my Plantain and Black Bean Quesadillas, because plantains just always make me happy, and these quesadillas are pretty healthy too so you can snack away with no guilt.

4. My tastiest main dish may just have been these Shrimp Tacos with Corn Salsa, which we enjoyed several times last summer.

5. Now picking a favorite dessert was definitely my toughest decision because I have a huge sweet tooth and desserts are my specialty. Plus, there are all categories of desserts – do I go with an easy bar cookie recipe or show stopping cheesecake? So tough, but I’m going to pick my Valentine’s Day Heart Cookies. These cute cut-out chocolate cookies are topped with a layer of eggless cookie dough and chocolate ganache, need I say more? Amazing and easily adaptable to your favorite holiday!

6. My Apple Coffee Layer Cake is definitely my favorite breakfast item – I was determined to make a layered coffee cake that was festive enough for a birthday breakfast celebration!

7. On to Apolinaras’ favorite dish! Ok, so Apolinaras doesn’t really have the time to go through all my recipes and pick one, but he requests stuffed chicken breasts all the time. He enjoyed both my Blackened Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Blue Cheese and Bacon and Spinach, Bacon, and Blue Cheese Stuffed Pecan Coated Chicken Breasts, but I think the blackened version would come out on top, simply because it doesn’t have any spinach in it, haha.

8. I also wanted to highlight my favorite photo of the year. I’m trying to get better about using props in my pictures, but I tend to be really lazy about it. By the time the food is ready, I just want to eat! I think I got it right with this shot of my Chicken and Soba Romaine Salad with Thai Vinaigrette though. Plus, this is one delicious and satisfying salad.

9. My favorite restaurant inspired dish had to be these Helmand Hamburgers. I love how almost any dish can inspire a tasty and unique burger. I created these after my first trip to an Afghani restaurant.

10. I also really enjoy giving traditional dishes a little twist of my own. These Chicken Parm Eggplant Stacks are such a nice way to amp up this Italian classic. I made chicken parm (coated with my secret ingredient – croutons!) and then topped it with ricotta cheese, roasted eggplant, marinara sauce, and mozarella cheese, mmmm.

11. And finally, my ~~weirdest~~ most innovative recipe of the year. I think I got the side eye when I covered this Hawaiian Omelet with coconut, but I have to give the win to my Red Curry Risotto, where Thai unexpectedly meets Italian. You get the perfect amount of rice and curry sauce in each bite – I loved this!

It’s been so much fun looking back at all my recipes from 2011. It makes me feel so productive (and hungry!). Thanks to you all for joining me on my culinary adventures and Happy New Year!

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