What to Bring to Dinner: Apple and Pear Crisp

What were the odds that I would happen to have a piece of fabric with apples and pears on it to present this lovely crisp? Slim to none, I'd say.

I hadn't pre-planned including the pears in the crisp, but as luck would have it, I ran out of apples and had to combine the two fruits. The mix of the flavors turned out well: one bit might be all apple, the next all pear, or you may get two-for-one!

I've never made a crisp before. We were invited upstairs to dinner with our fabulous neighbors. When they came down to invite us over, I asked what I could bring. Somehow, the topic of a crisp came up and knowing that they liked my granola, I offered to make one.

Pastry dough and I aren't generally friends, but I am good at cutting and mixing things, so this was the perfect project for me. And, I found a funny little knife that made the fruit into crinkle cuts. I think it's meant to be used for potatoes, but it worked just fine on my pears and apples. You can't go wrong with the combination of flavors here: butter, vanilla, lemon, cinnamon, fruit and oats. And it's the easiest thing I've made for a dessert in a long time.

The neighbors loved it. I think this will go into my regular rotation of easy, take-along desserts. Hope you like it.

Apple and Pear Crisp

adapted from Simply Recipes

serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 medium Pears, cut into chunks
• 2 medium Apples, cut into chunks
• 3 tsps Lemon Juice
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
• 1 cup Rolled Oats
• 1/2 cup Butter, room temperature
• 5 to 10 almonds, crushed
• 5 to 10 Walnuts, crushed

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine fruit, lemon juice, and vanilla. Toss to combine.
3. Put the pear and apple pieces into a baking dish. I don't really layer, just put them in there, and any baking dish will do here, I used a souffle dish.
4. Mix together the dry ingredients (oats, cinnamon and brown sugar) with the butter.
5. Using a pastry blender or a fork, chop up the butter until it is in small pea-sized pieces.
6. Cover the fruit with the oat mixture.
7. Place the nuts on top of the oat mixture.
8. Set in the oven for 45 minutes.
9. Bake until the topping looks crunchy, being careful not to burn the nut topping.
10. Serve with ice cream on the side.

Chicken, honey? Sure, but it's Honey Chicken.

One night, a few months ago, just when I started shooting almost every meal I made for this here site, my friend came to dinner.

She is a lovely tiny woman. But she can eat. Which is just the kind of friends I love to have. When she arrived, I realized I hadn't come up with a main dish. There were some chicken thighs in the fridge, so I started there. As I thought about what else I had in the house, I came across some fresh oregano and sherry vinegar. The recipe began to form in my head, all I needed was some lemon and a bit of honey and we were off and cooking.

It's a simple affair, if a little messy. I started by heating a pan to super hot, added some oil and salt and put the chicken thighs in skin side down. The fat splatters, so be ready for a little bit of cleanup. The extra step of searing these on the stove top before baking them makes the skin come out super crisp and delicious.

The key to this dish is the combination of the honey, sherry vinegar and oregano. You add these just before the chicken goes into a hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes. And let me tell you, the chicken comes out moist, a little sweet, and very tender. I served it with some roasted brussels sprouts and a quinoa salad. Most delicious.

This past weekend, I found myself with some chicken thighs and recreated the dish for my daughter. She ate two pieces and asked that I save the others for her dinner the next night. A hit, if I do say so myself, and a dish that is so quick to make, I can do it on a weeknight while helping with homework.

So if you are asked "Chicken, honey?" I hope that you respond "Sure, but it's Honey Chicken."

Honey Chicken with Oregano and Sherry Vinegar

makes 4 portions

Ingredients

• 4 Chicken thighs, skin-on and with bones
• 4 Tbsps Olive Oil
• A pinch of Salt
• 3 sprigs fresh Oregano (or 1 tsp Dried Oregano)
• 3/4 cup Sherry Vinegar (Red Wine Vinegar works here, or just some leftover White Wine is good, too)
• 2 Tbsps Honey (I like the dark amber kind)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Heat up a large non-reactive skillet over high heat.
3. Put the olive oil and salt in the pan once it is super hot (technical term).
4. Place the chicken thighs in the pan, skin-side down.
5. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the skin starts to curl up on the edges.
6. Turn the thighs over. Cook for 1 minute more.
7. Turn off the heat. Add the sherry vinegar.
8. Turn the heat back on and cook for 2 minutes.
9. Add the honey, turn off the heat and put the pan in the preheated oven.
10. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the chicken juice runs clear.
11. Remove from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes, and then dig in.

Stuffed Zucchini, Vegan-Style

Stuffed zucchini is a delight. I haven't made it in awhile, since I used to cover it in cheese and can no longer do so, dairy-free me and all.

I realized that if I were to put something else with a nice strong flavor in the stuffing, that could complement the mellow sweetness of the zucchini, I might be able to make this taste just as good without the cheese.

Last week, I made this Onion & Shallot Marmalade (click here for the recipe) and thought it could be the perfect accompaniment for the zucchini.

I was right. It added texture and also flavor, both savory and sweet.

Though I did  replace the regular bread with a gluten-free variety (Udi's), all the other ingredients are the same as what Gran Fran always used to make hers. It took me awhile to remember that you have to steamed the zucchini before you stuff and bake it. I did also fry the bread briefly before adding it to the stuffing, to make sure it browned and didn't soak up too much of the oil from the onion & shallot marmalade.

My daughet managed to eat the first batch of chantarelles that I sauteed and I couldn't quite remember how long to cook them in the oven, but in the end, they turned out great. I even managed to get a non-vegetable lover to eat this without any complaint,  and of course, I loved it, too.

 Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients:

• 6 Zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
• 1/4 lb. Chanterelles, cleaned and chopped coarsely
• 2 pieces Rice Bread, cubed
• 4 to 5 sprigs fresh Oregano (or 1/2 tsp dried)
• 6 Tbsps Olive Oil
• 1 recipe Onion & Shallot Marmalade (click here for the recipe)
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Steam the zucchini halves until just soft. Do not cook them all the way through, just enough that the meat of the squash is soft to the touch.
3. Remove the zucchini and allow it to cool.
4. While you are steaming the squash, heat a saute pan large enough to hold the bread cubes in one layer.
5. Add the 1/2 of the oil, the oregano, some salt and the bread cubes. Lower the heat to medium.
6. Sautee the bread for about 4 minutes, keeping the cubes moving with a wooden spoon so that they don't burn, but just brown.
7. Remove the bread cubes from the pan and set them aside in a medium bowl.
8. Return the saute pan to high heat, and add the remaining olive oil.
9. Add the chanterelle mushrooms to the pan and cook until nicely browned.
10. Remove the mushrooms from the heat and add them to the bowl with the cooked bread cubes.
11. Take the zucchini halves and scoop out the flesh and add that to the bowl as well.
12. Mix up all of the ingredients in the bowl.
13. Put the scooped out zucchini halves into a baking dish, large enough so they aren't touching.
14. Scoop a layer of the bread/zucchini/mushroom mixture into each xzucchini half.
15. Top with onion and shallot marmalade.
16. Bake at 375 degree for 20 to 25 minutes on the middle rack of the oven.

Enjoy!

Oven Baked Pork Ribs

 Hello there, ribs. How are you? I will miss you for the next month or so.

You see, it's that time of year, when I abandon pork products and start a-new.

And so, this past Monday night, I made a big rack of pork ribs as my fond farewell to the porky-goodness for the time being.

My friend made up the dry rub recipe, and I have to say it's brilliant. I don't usually use allspice for anything but ginger-y baking recipes and marjoram has never made it's way into my kitchen. The combination of curry with these two spices was amazing. There's just enough sweetness there, and a little bit of the earthly complexity of the curry powder gives you layers of flavor in each bite.

I didn't make any side dishes, just ate lots and lots of ribs to store up the yummy for the next month or so.

See you soon, ribs, and until then, I hope my friends and neighbors will enjoy you.

Oven Baked Ribs

Ingredients:

• 1 large rack of pork ribs
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp curry
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp marjoram
• ½ tsp pepper flakes
• ¼ tsp red pepper

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.
3. Wash and dry the ribs in the sink.
4. Cut the rack into pieces if it won't fit into your roasting pan.
5. Coat the ribs on all sides with the dry rub.
6. Place the ribs in your roasting pan(s).
7. Let sit for at least 30 minutes (up to overnight, if you have the time).
8. Place the pan(s) in the preheated oven.
9. Bake for 30 minutes.
10. Turn the ribs over carefully.
11. Bake for an additional 30 minutes.
12. Turn off the oven and leave the ribs in the hot oven for another 10 minutes.
13. Remove from oven, cut the ribs apart and enjoy!

Simply Baked Potatoes

Do you love a good baked potato as much as I do?

I noticed that I rarely make them at home these days. Ordering them in a restaurant is out of the question: they always show up soggy and over cooked. But, they are quite easy to make and reheating them is a snap as well.

A good baked potato can really start your day out well. During High School my Dad (Joe, remember him?) used to give me a baked potato for breakfast on occasion. It was a great, warm breakfast with plenty of butter and I recall it keeping me good and full for the morning.

There were some very nice small russet potatoes available at the market this past weekend. I bought a bunch and cooked them up and cooked them in the evening.

The next morning, I reheated them for a few seconds in the microwave and we enjoyed a lovely breakfast. For myself, I put anchovy butter (recipe here) on one and onion and shallot marmalade (recipe here) on the other. For Ms. Iz (my daughter) I just put plain old butter on the baked potato.

The best breakfast ever! Just as I recalled, it lasted all day and I was happy to pass along a nice breakfast memory from my childhood to my daughter.

Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 Russet Potato per person
• Toppings of your choice:
  • Butter, Anchovy Butter, Onion and Shallot Marmalade, Olive Oil, Sour Cream....the list goes on.

Method:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Scrub potatoes under cool water.
• Cut an X into each potato, not all the way through, to allow the steam to escape as the potatoes cook.
• Place the potatoes in the hot oven.
• Cook for about 1 hour, or until the potatoes are soft enough to give a little when pressed with your thumb.
• Remove from the oven, pop one open, top with your topping of choice and enjoy!

Onion & Shallot Marmalade

Onions, when cooked over a very low heat for quite a long time, can be quite a sweet and comforting food.

The first time I tried to make a slow cooked onion spread, about 14 years ago, I burned it all up. It hadn't occurred to me that there was a lot of sugar in the onion that would be released as it cooked. Sadly, I threw away my first burnt attempt and tried again. After about four tries, I got it right, and have been making this ever since.

This time, I decided to add a shallot and some minced garlic. The flavors get really mellow as they cook down, meld with the olive oil, and give you a dish that tastes like it belongs in Provence. The flavors are sweet and savory all at once, which is my favorite combination.

This marmalade is super easy to make and can be used for a number of things: incorporated into a cooked veggie or meat dish (recipe to come later this week); as a topping for baked potatoes; a spread for toast or added to an egg scramble.

Onion & Shallot Marmalade

Ingredients:

• 1 large Yellow Onion, chopped into small, even pieces
• 1 medium Shallot, chopped into small even, pieces
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Method:

• Heat up a small saucepan over medium to high heat.
• Once pan is heated up, add olive oil.
• Put the onions, shallots, garlic, salt and pepper into the hot oil.
• Allow to stay on high heat for about 3 minutes, until the edges of the oil bubble.
• Stir the mixture and lower the heat to low.
• Keep on the low flame for up to an hour, stirring constantly.
• You'll know when it's ready when you see the onions slightly sticking together and looking nice and browned.

Serve on toast, baked potatoes or use as part of a meat or veggie roast.

Flowers on the Corner

We walked out our front door the other day to find a very nice surprise awaiting us.

A lovely flower stand had popped up on our corner.

The florist, Bloom Boom, (now Fig & Twine) owned by Shaelyn Thomson and LeAnn Raschke, will be popping up around town until they get a more permanent spot.

For now, do get in touch with them  so they can create beautiful arrangements for you.

Visit their Facebook Page or drop them a line via email: shae.thomson@gmail.com

Update: Bloom Boom is now Fig & Twine. You can find them here.

Happy Friday!

Cookbook Review: Bi-Rite Market's Eat Good Food

Remember how my friend got me a quail to roast for my birthday a few weeks ago? Well, that same friend got me a great cookbook for Christmas, too.

The book,  Bi-Rite Market's Eat Good Food, by Sam Mogannam and Dabney Gough, with photographs by France Ruffenach, brought me back to the re-opening of the Bi-Rite Marketin 1998.

At the time, we lived on 17th street and Dolores, just a block from the market. The book lists June 8, 1998 as the opening day of the market as it operates today. That would put me at about 3 months pregnant. Which, as I recall, makes total sense, because by the time I was in my third trimester and had little to no interest in cooking, many a take out dinner came from the Bi-Rite Market. Lucky me!

The book talks about creating community through food, and the relationship the owners and his family had throughout the years with the neighbors. I experienced this day in and day out, whenever I went in to buy some meat or fish or prepared food, the people behind the counter always recognized me and knew what I was going to ask for before I even asked for it. From the outset, the atmosphere was always inclusive, never condescending and truly inspiring. It was a new take on an age-old traditional local grocer: organic, locally produced foods, where you might pay a little more, but what you got was well worth the investment.

My baby's first solid food (other than rice cereal and cheerios) was a piece of Bi-Rite's roasted chicken. I think that kid ate more Bi-Rite meals than I did in her first few months of solids. It was a good routine: walk down the hill from work, pick up some delicious food, walk the block home and enjoy. Did I also mention that the job I was walking home from was through a random connection that was made in front of the prepared foods case at the Bi-Rite?

I was in the market one afternoon, with my baby in her stroller. A woman approached me, said she liked my shoes and mentioned she had a baby about the same age as my girl. We talked for a bit longer, during which time she asked what I did for a living. At the time, I was managing trade shows, and told her this, and proceeded to ask her what she did. She had just launched an ecommerce start-up that was looking for some people and would I want to send her a resume. Email addresses were exchanged, communication ensued and I eventually became employed by a woman I met at the Bi-Rite.

So, yes, for me, creating community through food holds a special meaning in my heart when it comes to Bi-Rite. And, the book is organized in such a way that it's as if you're going on several visits a week to the store. You can read about pantry staples, locally sourced cheese, wine and produce, as well as get some awesome recipes for all of the above ingredients and more. The book presents the recipes within a story about the ingredients and why the buyer may have chosen to bring a particular variety of a fruit or vegetable into the market. It's written as a whole piece, not just story-then-recipe-then-story. It's more about the nature of how you might shop if you were to shop for your ingredients each day (which I love to do), versus how to make a meal in 30 minutes or less.

There is a definite need to know how to get good food out to the table quickly. This book does an excellent job of explaining how to get the best ingredients into those simple (and also the not so simple meals) and to give you an appreciation of what it took to get that carrot onto your plate. I'm a very busy single-parent who loves to cook and sees the benefit in buying the best ingredients I can, so this book is for me.

In closing, I'd like to share the recipe from page 162 for Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios and Warm Bacon Vinagrette. I made this the other night and was thrilled with the results. I've never used raw brussels sprouts (nor the super fine slicing attachment on my food processor), but I most certainly will do so again.

Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios and Warm Bacon Vinagrette

recipe from Bi-Rite Market's Eat Good Food, by Sam Mogannam and Dabney Gough, with photographs by France Ruffenach

copyright 2011, 10 Speed Press

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 pounds Brussels Sprouts
• 6 thick slices Bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
• bacon fat drained and reserved
• Extra-virgin Olive Oil, as needed
• Freshly squeezed juice of 1 Lemon
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Sherry Vinegar
• 1 small Shallot, minced, about 1 tablespoon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced Garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon Honey
• Kosher Salt
• 1/4 cup lightly chopped toasted Pistachios

Method:

• Peel off and discard the darker outer leaves of the sprouts and trim any discolored areas from the stem ends.
• Cut the sprouts in half lengthwise. then silce them crosswise very thinly - about 1/16 inch.
• Alternatively, you can use a food processor fitted with the slicer attachemtn, but the cuts will not be as clean.
• Transfer to a large heatproof  bowl, add the bacon, and set aside.
• Measure 1/4 cup of the reserved bacon fat into a small pan and warm over low heat until liquefied(if you don't have enough bacon fat, make up the difference with olive oil).
• Remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon juice, vinegar, shallot, garlic, honey, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• Drizzle the dressing over the brussels sprouts and toss well.
• Taste and season with more salt as necessary.
• If you have time, let the sdalad sit out for 30 minutes or so before proceeding--in this time, the dressing helps the sprouts soften a bit.
• Just befor serving, top witht he toasted pistachio; if using the horseradish, use a microplane grater to shave a little over the top as well.

Anchovy Butter...Yes, That's Right. Don't Tell Your Friends.

I don't care what that darned groundhog said, Spring is in the air. At least, more colorful veggies are starting to show themselves at my farmer's market.

The almighty radish is beginning to be featured at my house. I recall a few years ago, at my sister's house in NY in the summer, that she served a simple appetizer. It consisted of sliced radishes with butter and salt on the side. The crisp astringent radish against the soft, sweet and salty butter was a revelation.

Not sure why, but I've waited these years to try and recreate this, with my own twist, of course. I decided that instead of putting the salt on the side, I'd incorporate it into the butter spread.

Anchovies were the first thing that came to mind. Unless I'm dealing with a vegan or vegetarian guest, I oftentimes sneak some anchovy paste into my cooking. It's salty and earthy and adds another level of taste that I can't seem to get using anything else. There are way too many people I know who are incredibly squeemish about anchovies. I can't figure out if it's their little fishy bodies, the smell of them, or just the strong taste when they are eaten alone. Either way, I tend not to tell my friends (or daughter) when I'm using them, unless I'm sure I'm dealing with a 'chovy lover.

Radishes, carrots, toast points and other crudites make a great vehicle for this butter spread. But, I'm thinking ahead to next week's dinner, and know that I will save some to use on a steak. It'll make it just that much better.

I encourage you to make this butter, portion it out for serving and use it on as many things as possible. Get creative and remember, don't tell your friends there are anchovies in it, or they may not eat it!

Anchovy Butter

Ingredients:

• 4 Anchovy Filets, drained of their oil
• 1 stick Butter, softened slightly
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 juice of a Lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon Capers, drained

Method:

• Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.
• Pulse until the mixture becomes creamy and the anchovy filets have been chopped up so small you can't even see them.
• Serve with raw vegetables, over steak or simply on toasted baguette.
• Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, the anchovy butter should keep for up to a month.

Featured: Daily Buzz Healthy Living

Check it!

My Not-A-Burger-King-Chicken Sandwich post was featured on the Daily Buzz Healthy Living website on February 7, 2012.

You can view the other 8 chicken-related recipes here.

And, here's a link to my original post.

Huzzah!