Stone Fruit Compote
On this, the third day of “Stone Fruit” Week, we’ll use both fresh and dried cherries and apricots, along with plum, a peach, and a pear – tossed in for good measure.
I also threw in some of the delicious Trader Joe’s Golden Berry Blend; a wonderful mix of golden raisins, dried cranberries, cherries, and blueberries. If you don’t have the blend, use the same amount of golden raisins in its place.
This compote is the perfect complement to chicken and pork.
It also makes a tasty treat served at room temperature over Greek yogurt, ice cream, or frozen yogurt.
July 31, 2013 No Comments
wheat berries from the farm
Another weekly haul from my CSA – another recipe to go with it. In case you forgot, CSA is a Community Supported Agriculture group that comes together to purchase fresh farm produce and products from local farms. The CSA I belong to gets its items from Crooked Sky Farms and this week, one of the items in my basket was a bag of fresh wheat berries.
What is a wheat berry? A wheat berry is the entire wheat kernel, minus the hull, composed of the bran, germ, and endosperm. Wheat berries have a tan to reddish color. They are often added to salads or baked into bread to add a crunchy texture. When wheat berries are milled, whole-wheat flour is what you end up with.
Have you had wheat berries before? Have you cooked with them? I’d previously eaten wheat berries but I hadn’t used them in my kitchen yet. Now I have, with delicious results. Enjoy!
September 24, 2012 1 Comment
Black Friday Party
Who in the world would have a party the day after Thanksgiving, coming off of a cooking marathon? Me! Crazy, I know, but I am still really looking forward to seeing my friends at an impromptu get-together before the holiday rush. In fact, it’s sort of a kick-off to the madness of the Holiday Season, called a Black Friday Cocktail Party.
I’m making about half dozen appetizers and serving darling little splits of Freixenet Cordon Negro; the brut champagne in the little black bottles. Here is one of the dishes we’ll be slurping on, I’ll post more recipes and pictures tomorrow and for a few days to come. All will be more than appropriate for your own holiday party or to bring along to the ones you’ll be attending.
November 26, 2010 2 Comments
in season – any season
It’s nearly summer, and a true summer staple is fruit salad. This is a springboard recipe. Start with this and then add in whatever fruit is fresh and in season. The obvious choices for summer are berries, cherries, mango, kiwi, pineapple, and such. But even in the dead of winter, when those choices are not only out of season but out of range for many pocketbooks, this base recipe will get you going. This was one of the recipes I made on Channel 12 Valley Dish yesterday (you can watch the other dish we made on the “In The News” page at the left). We added sliced strawberries, kiwi, blackberries, and raspberries. The pictures from the live show were taken by the birthday girl, Sloane. I have no idea why I look so darn serious in the first shot, I was just setting up my stuff, but look at those huge lemons in the foreground, no those are serious! Get out to a farmer’s market this weekend and let your imagination run wild with all the colorful fresh fruit possibilities.
May 1, 2010 1 Comment
salad sweetness
Usually, I’m all about the candied pecans, but sometimes it’s nice to have the more natural flavor of the pecan come through. There is no better way to achieve that than to toast or roast them… and that is true for all nuts. Because when heated, the natural oils come to the front and the flavor just pops! Not only are we roasting the pecans, but also tossing them with a little butter and salt. And we’re doing the same thing to fresh dates. Because of a date’s natural sugar, the added butter and salt enhance the sweetness and it becomes its own little candy morsel!
The idea for this recipe came from my dear friend and colleague, Kim Howard. Kim told me about a pecan and date salad with a late harvest vinaigrette that she had at a restaurant. It just sounded too wonderful to not try and duplicate at home, so here goes…Kim, let me know what you think. I can tell you that my plumber, Larry of Lawrence Plumbing, loved it! He happened to arrive soon after I took the photo and right after Connor turned it down for his lunch… he wanted bagel bites… College boys, what the heck!?! But Larry was more than appreciative and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate him… if you ever need a plumber, let me know, because he is the best, promise!
March 19, 2010 4 Comments
“birthday week” continues…
Today is my gorgeous girlfriend, Jen’s, birthday. I cannot begin to express how much I love this amazing woman; she is my rock, my soul-mate sister, my “on-demand” comedian, and my friend. She can make me laugh like nobody’s business! She is there through thick and thin and is a loving friend, mother, wife, sister, aunt, and daughter. Whenever I have something to share, complain about, need help, advice, or just want to chat, Jen is the first person I call.
The one really awful thing about Jennifer? She lives 1,400 miles from me (as the crow flies). Happy birthday, Jenny Jen, I forgive you for that one awful thing and love you unconditionally!
For the rest of the week, I will highlight and share recipes from Jen, who is coincidentally, a great cook, or recipes of mine that are favorites of hers. Today’s recipe is a fun and quite a rich appetizer pizza that is perfect for upcoming holiday parties.
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December 3, 2009 5 Comments
100th post and second poached pear recipe
Before we get to the second poached pear recipe – a momentous occasion – for me, at least. This is my 100th post, never imagined I’d get here when I began my blog back in August! Oh, Happy Day! OK, enough self-congratulatory for now and on to the work at hand… savory poached pears…
Pears were poached in a sweet liquid and used for dessert in yesterday’s post. Today, these wine-poached pears are used in a savory salad. The flesh takes on a gorgeous deep red color.
Walnut oil is used for the vinaigrette, but olive oil can be substituted. Nut oils should always be stored in the refrigerator. Just like the nuts they come from, the oils go rancid quickly at room temperature.
The “seeds” of a fresh pomegranate are called arils and they should be showing up in markets since it is pomegranate season, take advantage and purchase them now, the season is short. The good news – arils can be frozen. To freeze, spread arils in a single layer on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer for about two hours. Transfer frozen arils to a labeled and dated zip-lock bag. You can easily remove the amount you need when desired and return the rest quickly to the freezer. They will keep for about 6 months.
This salad is beautiful for any of the upcoming holidays and the poaching liquid can be saved for an upcoming Thanksgiving recipe for Pearl Onions and Wild Mushrooms in Red Wine Sauce, which will be posted later this week.*
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November 18, 2009 1 Comment
poached pears two ways
I believe I’ve mentioned this before – I love chai! My brain has been working overtime to come up with recipes to use the chai concentrate that I am totally addicted to. First up are poached pears in chai – these are delicious! The poaching liquid uses a fresh vanilla bean. Vanilla beans (and extract for that matter) are expensive, so be sure you’re getting a nice fresh one. The way to tell if it is fresh is to feel it. It should be soft and pliable, when you bend it, it should not break or crack. Costco sells gorgeous plump beans in a glass tube with a rubber stopper (the stopper helps keep them fresh longer once the package is opened). The glass tube is attached to a large piece of cardboard, look for it in the spice aisle. A good reason to purchase the beans at Costco is because of their high turnover. When purchasing vanilla beans at the grocery store, (where the turnover isn’t as quick) be sure to pull a bottle from the very back of the shelf and give it a good shake and listen to whether it sounds hard or soft. If you get it home and it is hard and breaking, be sure to return it, it is of no use in that state.
Once you remove the vanilla bean from the poaching liquid, allow it to dry on a counter for a couple of days, when it is completely dry, add it to your container of granulated sugar, the vanilla flavor will permeate the sugar and give you lovely vanilla scented sugar.
The best way to core the pears is with a melon-baller. It creates a perfectly round hole in the pear to fill. Tomorrow the other poached pear recipe – savory instead of sweet…
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November 17, 2009 2 Comments
dessert panini
Continuing on the panini theme, how about a couple of dessert panini? Since I have leftover panettone, brie, and pears – it sounds like a plan to me! Raisin bread, sourdough, challah, or brioche are other great bread choices.
[Read more →]October 26, 2009 No Comments
panettone and panini
Panini is the perfect weekend late lunch or dinner while watching my Arizona Cardinals on Sunday Night Football. The word “panino” is Italian for small bread roll; its plural form is panini. Many Americans use the word paninis, which is incorrect. I’m using panettone as the bread for my panini. Panettone is a sweet bread of Milan, it is usually prepared for Christmas and New Year all around Italy and is one of the symbols of Milan. It is readily available in markets now and throughout the holidays. I found two flavors at Cost Plus World Market, the traditional one which is studded with candied orange, citron, lemon zest, and raisins. The other is a Cranberry Panettone and has dried cranberries in place of the raisins.
To make panini, you can use an electric panini press, a cast-iron stove-top press, a waffle iron, or even a George Forman grill. Just be sure to preheat whatever you use. I have a well-seasoned stovetop cast-iron press, so I do not butter my bread first, but you certainly can if you so choose.
I was drinking a chai tea latte while I was making these and just before I was going to caramelize the apple slices, I decided to use the chai tea concentrate instead of water to caramelize the sugar… turned out great! I love the TAZO brand, but you can easily use 1/4 cup of water in its place.
October 25, 2009 2 Comments