Author Archives: Jessica

Meatless Mondays: Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette

by Jessica | 14 Comments

I admit that I don’t love the cold weather. People take up so much more room on the subways with their puffy winter coats on! But with the cold weather comes some delicious winter treats, and one of those is butternut squash. They’ve been prominent in supermarkets ever since Sukkot, and I’ve made soup with them, roasted them, and added some the pot pie. But now it’s time to add another cold-weather favorite to the mix, apple cider. I love warm apple cider, especially from the farmer’s market near Columbia on Thursdays. Yes, I schedule my grad school classes around apple cider, who wouldn’t?

So welcome winter with a totally-fitting-for-a-main-dish-salad on this Meatless Monday!

Anyway, I couldn’t pass up on this salad recipe that calls for a salad with teeny little butternut squash chunks and a warm dressing made with apple cider. The dried cranberries can’t hurt either. Usually I don’t like walnuts. I never buy them, and I never add them to my brownies or baked goods, unless my mom is coming over. She thinks walnuts make any cookie or brownie infinitely better. They actually add a nice crunch to this salad, and an extra texture, which I like. This salad has crispy lettuce, soft butternut squash, chewy cranberries, and hard walnuts. What more can you ask for in a salad? Oh, a warm dressing, obviously.

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette, adapted from Ina Garten:

For the dressing:

  • 3/4 cup apple cider
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar, which I don’t have in my pantry – you can use red wine, too)
  • 2 tablespoons minced shallots (I omitted these)
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Combine the apple cider, vinegar, and shallots in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and reduce to 1/4 cup, about 6-8 minutes.

2. Off the heat, add the olive oil, Dijon, salt, and pepper.

For the salad:

  • 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch dice (about 1 1/2 pounds, if you have a scale)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 3 tablespoons dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted
  • 4 ounces lettuce, I used mixed baby greens. Ina used baby arugula.
  • Some Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. On a half sheet pan, combine the butternut squash, olive oil, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, or until the squash becomes soft and begins to brown.

3. When the squash has been roasting for 15 minutes, add the dried cranberries to the sheet pan.

4. Place the lettuce in a large bowl and add the roasted squash and cranberries, and walnuts.

5. Spoon dressing over the top until just moistened. Toss well. Serve with a shaved Parmesan cheese.

Cream Scones

by Jessica | 5 Comments

Scones is a kind of scary word. It makes me think of really fancy tea parties that have clotted cream and loose teas. Though they look and sound fancy, they’re really simple and easy to make. They’re especially a pleasure to bake with a food processor. They’re easier than muffins! So next time you have a breakfast party or brunch guests, give these a try! Serve them with some homemade (fine, or store bought) jam, and you’re in for a really special treat!

Scones are the perfect breakfast. The outside is flaky and crunchy, while the inside is soft and moist. There are all different flavors of scones nowadays, but my favorite is definitely this classic cream one.

Cream Scones, adapted from The Art and Soul of Baking.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups (10 ounces) all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (I always use aluminum free)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten (for egg wash)
  • 1 tablespoon raw sugar

Directions:

1. Cut butter into cubes and refrigerate for 20 minutes – It has to be super cold!

2. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of your food processor and process for ten seconds to blend well.

3. Add the cold butter pieces and pulse 5 times at 1-second intervals until the butter is cut into medium pieces.

4. Add the cream and pulse another 20 times, or until the dough comes together into a ball in your bowl.

5. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and bring it all together.

6. Pat dough into a circle about 7 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick.

7. Cut it into 8 pieces (like a pizza pie!) using a chef’s knife.

8. Transfer to a silicone-mat (or parchment paper) lined baking sheet

9. Brush the tops with egg and sprinkle with the raw sugar

10. Refrigerate for 20 minutes (this step is actually not in the book, but I find that the dough can get too warm and the scones may spread. This step makes sure that this won’t happen.)

11. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

12. Bake the scones for 14-16 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack.

13. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Honey-Lemon Throat Lozenges

by Jessica | 58 Comments

Ha-choo – this Kosher Foodie was sick. And while usually people prefer chicken soup, this throat soother is much easier to eat while lying in bed watching TV. Plus, staying in bed all day is b-o-r-i-n-g and you know I like to make candy and would rather be in the kitchen than doing nothing all day.

I got this recipe from Alton’s first Good Eats book. (And yes, I did buy the second one, the Middle Ages, I just haven’t had time to photograph and write up recipe yet! There are way too many things on my Kosher Foodies to do list.)

So, Alton made 200 lozenges. I decided to quarter his recipe, hoping that my throat wouldn’t hurt long enough to need all of them! Turns out, I wish I did make that many. They were so delicious! Honey and lemon, what a great combination! I kept eating them even after my throat was all healed. I used really good quality honey that my parents brought home from Costa Rica. I’m glad I found such a great use for it! You can use whichever type of honey you have around the house.

Ingredients:

  • 4 ounces sugar
  • 3 ounces honey
  • About 2 tablespoons water
  • Zest of one lemon

Instructions:

1. Combine sugar, honey, and water in a very small saucepan. Mix together. Place over high heat until boiling.

2. Cover for 4 minutes.

3. Remove the cover and place a candy thermometer inside. When mixture reaches 295 degrees, remove from heat and let cool for five minutes. Mixture should thicken.

4. Mix in lemon zest.

5. Using a 1/2 teaspoon measure, drop onto parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet, making sure to leave some space between them, because they’ll spread.

6. Work quickly, because the mixture thickens really quickly.

7. Let cool for 1/2 hour and store in an air-tight container. Separate layers using parchment paper. These will last for about a week at room temperature.

Basil Green Goddess Dressing

by Jessica | 2 Comments

I don’t usually make creamy salad dressings. I usually make just a simple vinaigrette. While leafing through Barefoot Contessa at Home for the millionth time, this salad dressing really caught my eye, and I knew I had to try it. It has a wonderful basil flavor and a nice creamy texture. You don’t need many vegetables to make this salad extraordinary. Just lettuce, maybe some avocado and tomato. The dressing is enough to make just lettuce seem special.

I don’t have a blender. But don’t worry, this dressing was still easy to make, using my immersion blender and the measuring cup that comes with it. Actually, that might have made the task a bit easier. Not only was I able to measure the ingredients in the cup, I also stored the dressing in it and didn’t have to dirty an extra dish! Not owning a dishwasher makes you really think about that one extra cup, bowl, or spoon.

Ina’s recipe for this dressing suggests serving it with Bibb lettuce and a few tomatoes. I happened to have had some romaine lettuce in my fridge, so I just used that. I think a crispy lettuce is just perfect for this dressing, so don’t go pouring it over your baby arugula (or if you try it, let me know).

This is a perfect way to use up some of the basil in your summer garden if you’re sick of making pesto (or you just don’t have enough basil to make pesto). It’s also a good creamy salad dressing for the winter, though. Which is when I like it best.

I’ve actually never made regular Green Goddess dressing before, which is made with tarragon instead of basil. I’m not such a fan of that flavor, and I happen to love basil, so my guess is that I’d like Ina’s updated version better. She also added anchovy paste, something I don’t stock in my pantry. If you want to add it, add a teaspoon.

Not only is this a good salad dressing, but since it’s thick you can use it as a dipping sauce for veggies, a perfect mid-day snack!

Zeke, who usually doesn’t eat any salad, went back for seconds of this one.

Basil Green Goddess Dressing, adapted from Ina Garten. I halved the recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup chopped scallions, white and light green parts only (6-7 scallions)
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
  • 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 cloves chopped garlic
  • 1 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:

1. Place the mayonnaise, scallions, basil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth.

2. Add the sour cream and process until smooth.

3. Pour the dressing over salad and serve.

Caramel Ice Cream

by Jessica | 2 Comments

Caramel is one of my favorite ice cream toppings. I also love it in coffee and in candies. I just love caramel! So when I saw a recipe for caramel ice cream, I knew I had to try it. This is actually one of the best ice creams I have ever made (and we make a lot of ice cream around here). It was rich and creamy. Definitely had a great caramel flavor, and with some caramel sauce mixed in and salty peanuts on top, my friends thought it was gourmet ice cream.

The thing about making amazingly creamy ice cream is that you need a lot of egg yolks. That doesn’t mean you’re going to waste the egg whites, it just means you’re going to have to do some more baking. How about some meringues, pavlovas, or angel food cake? You’re also going to need an ice cream maker.

Side note: has anyone seen the new Cuisinart ice cream maker? How different is it than the older version that we have?

Caramel ice cream, adapted from Thomas Keller:

  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 cups warm whole milk
  • 2 cups warm heavy cream
  • 10 large egg yolks
  • 1/4  teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

1. Make sure your freezer bowl is in the freezer.

2. Put 1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons sugar in a heavy bottom saucepan and add the water. Stir to moisten the sugar so that it resembles wet sand.

3. Bring to a simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until the sugar melts into a rich amber color. If any sugar crystallizes to the sides of the pan, use a wet pastry brush to brush it off.

4. Remove from heat and slowly add the milk and cream. If they are warm, the caramel should dissolve. If not, add back to the heat and stir to dissolve the caramel.

5. Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and egg yolks in a medium bowl until slightly thickened.

6. While whisking, add 1/2 cup of the hot liquid to the eggs, then add the remaining liquid.

7. Set a mesh sieve over a saucepan and strain the liquid into the pan.

8. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, over medium heat until the custard thickens enough to coat the spoon.

9. Pour into bowl and refrigerate until cold, preferably overnight.

10. Freeze according to ice cream maker instructions. Place in freezer to harden.

Cream Puffs

by Jessica | Leave a comment

Pate a Choux is not as daunting as it sounds. As long as you have a little bit of patience, it will definitely be rewarded. I first made this dough when I watched Alton Brown’s Good Eats episode on it. He made his eclairs with vanilla pudding, so I did too. This time, I wanted to make my own filling, and what better place to look than the Art and Soul of Baking cookbook. I knew it was the best combination because between the two recipes I needed exactly one stick of butter. They were meant to be combined. I also like the look of little teeny puffs, so I piped concentric circles instead of long Ss.

For the pastry, adapted from Alton Brown:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup water
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1-2 large egg whites

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Boil water, butter, salt, and sugar.

3. Dump all the flour in at once and stir with a wooden spoon, working until the dough comes together into a ball.

4. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer and let sit about five minutes, until it cools down a bit.4

5. With the mixer on its lowest speed, add eggs one at a time, waiting until incorporated before adding the next one.

6. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a round tip (or a zip-top bag with a corner snipped off, which is what I did).

7. Pipe into golfball-sized concentric circles, about 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.

8. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown.

9. Remove from oven and immediately pierce the bottom with a paring knife to let out the steam.

For the pastry cream:

  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1 vanilla bean (or 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 6 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Pour the milk into a medium saucepan. If using a vanilla bean, cut in half and scrape seeds into the milk. Add the bean to the milk. Heat until the milk is just simmering, remove from heat.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolks, and sugar until smooth.

3. Add the flour and whisk some more, until smooth

4. Pour about 1/2 cup of the milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to temper the yolks. Pour back into the sauce pan (while whisking, of course)

5. Heat the mixture, whisking constantly, until it reaches a boil. Cook for another minute until the cream is very thick.

6. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla extract, if using. Strain it over a bowl and place plastic wrap directly on surface of the cream. Cool completely either in a bowl of ice water or in the fridge.

To assemble:

1. Cut the pastry in half.

2. Place a spoonful of pastry cream onto the bottom of the dough.

3. Place the top on.

4. Eat!

Meatless Mondays: Swiss Chard and Ricotta Crostata

by Jessica | 4 Comments

When Marc and Adele forgot their vegetables at my house, I got excited about the idea of using these farm-fresh veggies for a dish. It was basically just a lot of swiss chard and an onion. I used the onion, but had no idea what to do with the rainbow swiss chard. It sat in my fridge for about a week. Then, while watching the Food Network, I saw Anne Burrell make a really great looking crostata with swiss chard and ricotta cheese, something I always have in my fridge. I knew I had to try it!

I made some modifications to the recipe, mainly changing the crust altogether (I always have some dough in my fridge, so defrosting it was a big time saver). The mascarpone dough looked pretty great, so if you want to give it a try, go for it!

Swiss Chard and Ricotta Tart, adapted from Anne Burrell:

Ingredients:

  • 1 recipe flaky pie or tart dough
  • Olive oil, enough to cover a saute pan
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 leek, washed and cut into half rings
  • 1 bunch of rainbow swiss chard, stems cut into 1/4 inch strips and leaves cut into 1 inch strips
  • 2-3 tablespoons water
  • Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper

Instructions:

1. Add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan and add the garlic cloves and pepper flakes.

2. When the garlic is browned, remove from pan and discard.

3. Add the chopped leeks, swiss chard stems, and some water. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft and the water evaporates, about 15 minutes.

4. Add the leaves and season with more salt. Cook until the leaves wilt.

5. Remove from heat and add the ricotta, cayenne pepper, and egg.

6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

7. Roll out the dough and place on a baking sheet. It’s okay if the edges hang off a little bit, because you will fold them over.

8. Spoon the ricotta mixture in the middle. Fold over the edges. Brush edges with egg wash (oops, I forgot this step).

9. Bake for 35-45 minutes.

10. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Can be served warm or at room temperature.

Pickled Ginger

by Jessica | Leave a comment

We sent my father shopping with a list that was pretty foreign to him. Luckily, the lady at the fruit store pointed him towards all the correct ingredients and we were able to make Stephanie’s soba noodle salad. Unluckily, he had no idea what the ingredients were or what quantities to get, and he came home with a foot of ginger! What did we do with all that ginger? Why, pickle it of course! Pickled ginger is definitely a staple at sushi restaurants, but now we can eat it whenever we make Asian-inspired meals.

This was a really simple recipe, something that can be whipped up on a weeknight or while doing some prep work in the kitchen.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound of ginger, peeled and sliced very thinly (use a mandolin or vegetable peeler)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups rice vinegar
  • 1 cup sugar

Duck and Mushroom Pizza

by Jessica | Leave a comment

Duck pizza?! Yeah, that’s right. I had to make something with the prosciutto besides eating it with fruit. And who says pizza has to be dairy, anyway?

To tell you the truth, I didn’t love the prosciutto plain. It was too, well, duck-y for me. But rendering the fat and cooking mushrooms in it, then toasting all that on some homemade pizza dough? Now that’s a super easy gourmet dinner. If you don’t have duck, make this pizza with chicken. It will still be a great dinner and a nice change from that sauce-and-cheese pizza you usually have. (Or, if you don’t have pizza as much as I do, it’s still enjoyable.) Continue reading …

Duck Prosciutto, Take 2

by Jessica | Leave a comment

Ah, so I bet you were wondering what I did with that other duck breast. Well, I didn’t just leave it alone in the fridge to roast. I didn’t cure it the same way, either. I found a completely different recipe for duck prosciutto and experimented with that one. No, I did not confuse the two breasts hanging in my fridge at the same time (Zeke was quite confused, I might add). I liked this recipe because it called for a bunch of different spices and I got to use my mortar and pestle. I love that tool (those tools?). Continue reading …