Ladies Who Lunch

Maybe those southern belles were onto something...lunch with the ladies...bridge games...gossip...giggles and above all a hat and gloves. Very demure! We are posting a light lunch recipe...perfect for having some girlfriends over. 

Pictured are some of the ingredients we used for this demo.

We are making lettuce/herb bundles, Thyme-Lemon Vinaigrette, Pesto/Mascarpone Cigars and Toasted Camembert Cheese for our luncheon. 

Thyme-Lemon Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 teaspoon lemon zest from the rind (careful not to get into the white part of the skin--bitter)

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste--it won't take much

Combine ingredients in a mason jar, place the lid on tightly and shake away. Now your done with the dressing-set it aside 

Phyllo Dough aka Filo Dough

We used these "pesto/mascarpone cigars" as a garnish for our salad. You could make a cigar bar if you used this recipe for a party. Would be fun! We love fun food!

Ingredients:


6 ounces mascarpone cream or cream cheese room temperature very important for the spreadability factor when you make the cigars. 
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 green onion or scallion
1/8 cup pre-made pesto (you can get this at most markets)
1 box phyllo dough, you will find this in the frozen section of your market-thaw in the fridge overnight. Do not attempt to use phyllo dough frozen...it will crack. 
1 stick melted butter

In the work bowl of a food processor, add all the above ingredients. Pulse until this mixture is blended, but still a little bit chunky. See below. Set aside until your phyllo dough is prepped. Don't refrigerate unless you are doing the next step another day. In that case make sure the pesto/cream mixture is at room temperature. 

The funky picture below is an illustration of how we made the phyllo dough cigar bar holder. The shape was made by rolling aluminum foil into cylinders to create forms. Just remember to gently remove the foil right after it comes out of the oven and it is still malleable for removal. We scattered grated Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper over the surface. 

There are some rules for using phyllo dough. It dries out very quickly, but once you have lightly covered the surface with melted butter or olive oil, it becomes pliable. You must keep the unused dough covered and protected from air or it will dry out and crack. Caution if the damp towel you have covering the unused dough is too wet, it will act as glue and stick all the sheets together...it will become unusable. 

To begin, remove unwrap and unroll the thawed phyllo dough. You will remove 1 sheet of dough at a time and work very quickly. Remember cover the unused dough. Have 1 stick of melted butter and a pastry brush ready to go. 

Make sure your work surface is large enough to lay 1 sheet of filo dough out flat at a time. Gently lift 1 piece off the top of the dough. Cover the remainder with the ever so lightly dampened towel. Place the first sheet down on your work surface~lightly brush 1/2 of the surface with melted butter (go easy with the butter/it just takes a dab) and fold in half. Spread more melted butter on the newly folded surface. Using a spatula, quickly and lightly spread some of the pesto/cream mixture all over the surface. Cut the pesto covered sheet in 1/2  and roll each piece into a cigar. Brush each cigar with a little butter and cut into 1/2 again. Each sheet of phyllo dough will make 4 cigars. Repeat. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes on a Silpat or parchment lined cookie sheet. If the cigars are not brown yet, return cigars to the oven for a few more minutes. They should be lightly golden brown.

Just before serving lunch, remove the wrapper from the room temperature Camembert cheese and return it to the bottom of the wooden box it came in. Score the top with a sharp knife as in the photo above to make 8 sections. Add 1 clove (not head) of crushed garlic to 1/4 cup olive oil. Brush the top of the cheese with this mixture and then top the cheese with black pepper and salt. (you can do this part ahead of time and just have it ready to go) Place under the broiler of your oven. Leave the door cracked and don't leave it's side--that would be a disaster waiting to happen. In a few minutes the cheese will be browned and bubbly. Place the cheese in the center of your composed salad bundles and serve right away. 

Composed salad bundles were made from alternating a handful of red leaf and green leaf baby lettuces into a posy of sorts with a sprig or two of herb garnish such as parsley, dill, etc. Each bundle was tied with a long strand pulled apart from a green onion top. Tie loosely, you won't need to tie a knot. We did this ahead of time and placed them all on a tray covered with damp paper towel and plastic wrap to keep them fresh in the fridge. Assemble everything just before serving and drop the cheese right in the middle. 

Have fun with this...remember it's all in the planning and details. These are not difficult recipes with the exception of getting the hang of how to use phyllo dough. Now who do you want to have over?

The inspiration for this segment came from viewing cook your dream. Though we have posted recipes before using this cooking method for cheeses such as feta, we were reminded of just how fun it is to serve cheese this way.

Health in a Bowl

One of our favorite breakfast selections at Corner Bakery is their Swiss Oatmeal. After a satisfying bowl,   we don't feel bogged down, our mind is clear and most importantly we feel like we have consumed good, clean-food. Here is our copycat recipe:

For 2 servings

1 6 ounce container fat free vanilla yogurt (we used Cascade Farms fruit sweetened). 

1/2 cup quick cook Irish Oats

1/2 cup soy milk, plus extra to use before serving

1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract

2 tablespoons dried currants (or you could chop up raisins)

2 tablespoons dried cranberries

2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds

2 tablespoons chopped green apple skin-on

2 tablespoons chopped banana

(you can make this what you want-we just stuck to the original CB recipe)

The night before:

In a medium bowl, add the vanilla yogurt, vanilla, dried currants, and 1/2 cup soy milk. Stir to combine - then add the oatmeal. Stir again, cover w/plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight. 

Before serving the next day add a couple of tablespoons soy milk to the oatmeal mixture and stir. It should look like thick pudding. Add the cranberries, banana, and apple. Mix in.

Place in 2 serving bowls. Top with toasted almonds. You may want to garnish as we did in the photo below. We like the natural sweetness of the fruit, but you may want to drizzle some honey on top if you like a lot of sweet. This recipe is served cold-uncooked.

You know we are crazy about taking the best care of ourselves that we can. We mix it up a little on the weekends, but we can afford to because our normal regime observes a healthy lifestyle.

Live a life that is well spent! Not tomorrow...today? Why not! Take care of your beautiful self!

This Swiss oatmeal is loosely based on Muesli, the popular European breakfast cereal. It's raw and chock full of whole grains, nuts, seeds, and fruits. The originator was a Swiss physician, Maximilian Bircher-Benner in 1900. He created it for his ailing patients with great success. Sound familiar? That's how our breakfast cereals came into being too. We've veered a little away from that concept though here in America. Muesli and Swiss oatmeal are full of complex carbs, fiber, fresh or dried fruit, yogurt/dairy, seeds and nuts, all having heart healthy benefits. It's a choice, your choice, choose wisely, eat wisely, my loves.

Christmas Breakfast

Misshapen, rustic, heavenly, Christmas Breakfast Cinnamon Rolls. These are worth the little bit of time it takes to make them. We only make these once a year at Christmas. It's just too hard to work off the extra pounds, it will be lots of veggies and clean eating beginning tomorrow! Beware these cinnamon rolls are really delicious with their light ethereal texture and cream cheese frosting. Just luscious!

Here's the recipe: (makes 2 round cake pans~ each pan serves 6-8)

The Dough Ingredients

2 packets active dry yeast (1/4 ounce each packet)

1/4 cup warm water (between 110 and 115 degrees)

1 1/2 cups warm evaporated milk

1 stick butter-or 1/2 cup, softened (you will need butter to grease the pans too)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

6 cups all purpose unbleached flour

To begin~

1. In a small bowl, place the warm water and 2 packets yeast. It will get foamy in a few minutes, meanwhile go on to the next step.

2. Put a 2 cup measuring full of water in the microwave and heat for 5 minutes. This is where your dough will rise.

3. In the work bowl of a stand mixer, add the 3 eggs, warm evaporated milk, butter, sugar, and salt. Mix until the ingredients are combined.

4. Add the foamy yeast scraping out all the bits that cling to the bowl.

5. Add the 6 cups flour. Mix for 3-4 minutes or until the dough is smooth.

6. Scrape the very soft dough into a pre-oiled large bowl (use canola). Cover with plastic wrap and place in the pre-warmed microwave. Note: Do not turn the microwave on with the dough in it, this is just a warm place to allow the dough to rise.

**It will take 1 1/2 hours for the dough to rise.

7. Prep for next step. Make a cinnamon filling:

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

6 packed tablespoons brown sugar

1 stick softened butter

5 teaspoons ground cinnamon

canola oil

1. Spread 3 tablespoons canola oil over the inside surface of a jelly roll/cookie sheet with edges.

2. Punch down the risen dough, and place 1/2 of the dough on the oiled cookie sheet.

3. Using your finger tips, press the dough over the surface of the pan, like you would pizza dough. It will relax and hold it's shape as you go. (the very edges may pull in, that's okay)

4. When the dough is pressed over the surface of the pan, then spread the surface with 2-3 tablespoons very soft butter.

5. Sprinkle the buttered dough with cinnamon sugar.

6. Beginning at the bottom corner of the dough lengthwise, gently roll the dough~go from one side across and continue moving up until you have a long roll.

7. Gently cut into 2 inch pieces with a sharp knife.

8. Place in buttered cake pans, I use high sided 9 inch cake pans.

9. Cover with plastic and begin the rising process same as before in the microwave.

In one hour, pre-heat your over to 350 degrees. Your cinnamon rolls will be ready to bake, remove the plastic and bake for 35 minutes.

Remove from oven to cool!

Cream Cheese Frosting.

6 tablespoons butter, softened room temperature butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 small 3 ounce cream cheese, softened to room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk ~ you may need more or less

To begin:

Place all the above ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or mixer. Combine until creamy. Spread over the top of the warm cinnamon rolls.

Serve

Tartine, San Francisco, California

One weekend several years ago we drove feverishly through San Francisco trying to find Tartine Bakery. We never could find it! We gave up and moved on to the next place on our list of places to visit. It haunted us that this great bakery could be so hard to find. Last week, one of our "foodie" coworkers dropped off a Tartine postcard and announced everything they had was "devine".

So we post to those of you who read our blog and live close to the Bay Area, please go and try Tartine. There are 2 locations. 600 Guerrero St at 18th, and 561 Valencia Street in San Francisco. Elisabeth Prueitt and her husband, Chad Robertson are the proprietors. They are well travelled and both trained at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. They bake their rustic breads in a wood fired brick oven. They have lots of accolades and are found in the "Best Of" San Francisco. We have their first cookbook and intend to put it to good use until our next visit up north.

Most products are organic, meats come from Niman Ranch, the coffee is organic, from Four Barrel, and most dairy comes from Straus Family Creamery, which is huge in the food movement in the Bay Area.

~Look at the lovely rustic crust on these slices of country bread~
~The crumb is just right and this bread appears to be studded with nuts~

~Elisabeth is an award winning pastry chef~

~Elisabeth and Chad~

~Views of Bar Tartine~

561 Valencia Street

San Francisco, CA 94110

(415) 487-1600

Toast

~One of the best toasts~Brioche~

We've had a craving at Beckwith Road for a slice of "real toast". We pulled out our "Bouchon" cookbook, Thomas Keller was consulted and we spent the day making brioche bread. Can you believe there are videos that tell you how to make toast? What is a good piece of toast without a great slice of bread?? Thomas Keller's recipe for brioche is on page 324, if you want to give it a try; otherwise head to the best bakery you have in your area and have them slice the bread just the way you like it. I love all the curly corners, the crumb, the flavor, of brioche, it's got it all going on. When we were in Napa last, our hotel breakfast was supplied by Bouchon Bakery. We could not get enough of the cranberry, pistachio mini brioche. They were divine! One or two might have made their way into our purses for a midnight nibble.

We paired our perfectly toasted bread with individual frittata. There are many recipes for frittata, including Martha Stewart. Essentially a frittata utilizes leftovers, or not, is egg based, may or may not have cheese in it and contains things like herbs, potatoes or pasta, sun dried tomatoes, garlic or onions, garden vegetables, meats, etc. Since they can be served at room temperature fritatta take the stress out of trying to get everything to the table "hot".

Tartine

A Trio of Tartine~

Tartine are french open faced sandwiches. Growing up in the Midwest, an evening supper would often be comprised of sandwiches and light fare. We are just crazy for these petite sandwiches. We made 3 flavors, 1-garden tomato, Kalamata olive, Boursin, basil leaves on rustic french grilled mini-baguette. 2-garlic aioli, Boursin, apricot-onion jam, smoked turkey breast, arugula, baby lettuce on rustic, grilled french mini-baguette. 3- Mediterranean garlic aioli, Boursin, baby lettuce, garden tomatoes, garden baby bell pepper, olives, and a sprinkling of dried oregano and splash of olive oil on a mini French grilled baguette.

All sandwiches were made with imported French bread from France. I found these mini baguettes in the wine section of my local Trader Joe's. They were displayed in their own little freezer. The label states "Trader Jacques" 6 mini baguettes, imported from France. They are frozen and par-baked. I sliced them in half. Lightly spread the cut side with extra virgin olive oil and place them cut side down on a hot barbecue grill. This will go quickly! Have some tongs handy to turn them over and lightly grill the other side to crisp it slightly. Set the grilled bread aside and prep your toppings.

1. Garden Tomato Tartine

Ingredients

4 half slices grilled French baguettes

6 basil leaves, cut in half

Boursin Cheese (I buy mine at Trader Joe's) It is a French Herb and Spice Creamy Cheese Spread

8 Kalamata Olives, cut into slivers

Generous handful of baby arugula or baby lettuce.

extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic glaze, optional

2 tablespoons garlic aioli (take 1 whole head of garlic, slice off the veriest top of the garlic, sit it on top of a piece of foil large enough to wrap around the garlic completely to seal it~drizzle the top of the garlic with olive oil and season with salt and pepper~seal and bake for about 1 hour~ remove from the oven and when cool, pinch 4 cloves of roasted garlic into 1/3 cup mayo. Blend well. Use the remainder garlic in other recipes. Roasted garlic may be frozen.)

To assemble:

Spread a teaspoon of garlic aioli on 4 halved, grilled baguettes. Top with Boursin cheese. Add the basil leaves, add sliced tomatoes, cut in 1/2 as pictured. Sprinkle with lettuces, a splash of extra virgin olive oil, dash of balsamic glaze, and sprinkle with slivers of Kalamata Olives.

2. Turkey with apricot-onion jam Tartine

Ingredients

4 Half slices French grilled baguettes

2 teaspoons roasted garlic aioli

Boursin Cheese

sliced smoked turkey

1 generous handful baby lettuces

splash extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons apricot-onion jam (you will need apricot, fig or peach jam and 1 medium onion)

To assemble:

To make the apricot~onion jam, peel, cut in half through the root end, and thinly slice 1 medium onion. Add a splash of extra virgin olive oil to a hot (on medium high) saute pan and add the sliced onions. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon granulated sugar over the onions and cook until the onions caramelize. If oil is absorbed, add 1-2 teaspoons of water or in my case I used aged Port. The onions are done when they have a jammy look. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup apricot, fig or peach jam. Warm the jam and add a teaspoon of water if it looks too thick. Now you are ready to put this wonderful sandwich together.

Spread 4 slices of grilled French baguette with garlic aioli. Spread with Boursin cheese. Spread the onion apricot jam over the cheese being careful not to press it into the cheese or it will be messy. Layer the thinly sliced smoked turkey over the jam and add greens, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and serve.

3. Mediterranean Tartine

4 grilled halves French Baguette

Garlic Aioli

Boursin cheese

Thin shavings of Smoked Gouda

Baby greens

fine julienne of bell pepper

fine julienne of Roma tomato

Sliced olives

light crumble of dried Oregano

splash extra virgin olive oil

splash balsamic glaze

To Assemble:

Spread the grilled baguette halves with garlic aioli, then Boursin cheese. Add a few slivers of Smoked Gouda, top with baby greens, julienne of bell pepper, Roma Tomatoes, and olives. Drizzle with a splash of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic glaze and a light crumble of Oregano.

The combinations are endless. These are mini meals that satisfy the eye as well as the palate. It's no wonder Parisian's enjoy tartines so much!

Summer Lovin Tart

~Tomato Parmesan Summer Tart~

~The key ingredients~

Tomatoes from the garden, grated Parmesan cheese, Gruyere cheese, Pancetta bits, cream and butter.

~Recipe~

This recipe calls for 4 large tomatoes. The first step is to salt the tomatoes with aprox. 1 teaspoon of salt. I lay them on paper towels on a cookie sheet. The salt will season the tomatoes and cause the juices to release from the tomato slices so that your tart will not be soggy. Now you can proceed with your recipe.

CRUST INGREDIENTS:

1 cup AP (all purpose) flour

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces

3-4 tablespoons ice water

1 tart pan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

I use my Cuisinart to make the dough. I put the flour, Parmesan, salt and pepper in the work bowl. Give it a quick whirl. Add the butter bits, and pulse until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the ice water ( I used all 4 tablespoons). Run the Cuisinart until the dough just comes together. Stop and remove from the work bowl of the processor. Press the dough into the tart pan. Keep your fingers floured as you go. I start with the edges first and work my way in to the center. Prick with a fork. Bake for 20 minutes or until the shell is a light golden color. Remove from the oven and add the filling. Return to the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes longer, until the top has a light golden crust. Serve with a green salad.

FILLING INGREDIENTS:

4 tomatoes, that were already salted and drained of their juices.

2 ounces Pancetta bits, sauteed in a dash of olive oil. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels when they are crisp and golden brown.

1 small onion, thinly sliced and sauteed until translucent in the same pan the Pancetta was cooked in.

2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, roughly minced

1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded.

2 Large eggs

3/4 cup cream

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

dash cayenne

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Whisk these ingredients together, eggs, cream, salt, pepper, cayenne, parmesan. Set aside.

To Assemble:

Add Pancetta bits to the precooked crust. Add onions. Add tomatoes spacing to cover the bottom. Add basil. Cover tomatoes with a light layer of Gruyere cheese. Top with the custard filling and bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

Cinnamon Rolls In A Snap!

Quick, Simple, Instant Gratification!

I made an Apricot Tart a few days ago. As you may or may not know, the Pepperidge Farms puff pastry comes with 2 separate sheets of dough. I had already used one sheet for the tart. The other one was just hanging around and in the back of my mind~ I knew I needed to use it up. It's Sunday am and I'd like to give the fam a quick~nothing says loving like something from the oven treat. First thing, I turned the oven on to 375 degrees. I grabbed the said puff pastry, some cinnamon, sugar, butter & toasted, sliced almonds. I unrolled the puff pastry, lightly spread room temperature butter over the dough. A light sprinkling of sugar and cinnamon and then a scattering of almonds. Rolled it up~tightly. Grabbed my cookie sheet, plopped a Silpat liner on it. I sliced up the puff pastry roll into 1 inch slices. This gave me 12 pieces. I spread them out on the sheet, slid them into the oven and in about 15 minutes, I had wonder of wonders, cookie size cinnamon rolls with caramelized bottoms (from the sugar). Delightful! Just to top it off, I placed 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons room temp. butter, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1-2 tablespoons cream into a small bowl, whisked it up and spread it lightly upon the toasty surface of the cooling rolls. When you bite into these treats, they are crispy, light, delicately flavored treats. You won't feel like you have a stone in your tummy afterwards. Well unless you ate them all!

Sugar & Cinnamon Krispies

~Simply Delightful Morsels for Coffee or Tea~

Recipe:

8 slices white bread, crusts removed and sliced in half to form a triangle.

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or use a Silpat.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together. For an additional flavor boost, use vanilla sugar-made by storing a vanilla bean in several cups of sugar for a few days.

Brush the bread triangles with melted butter. Lightly dredge them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place each sugared bread on a prepared cookie sheet.

Place in 325 degrees oven for 10 minutes. Remove the Krispies from the oven, turn them oven and bake for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and eat right away or store in an airtight container. These are delicious dipped in coffee or tea!

As small children living in Iowa, we were frequently served a variation of this recipe from our mom's farm kitchen - it might be just one side of the bread buttered and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and broiled in the oven to delicious perfection. She could make wonderful treats using bread as a base~brown sugar & butter sandwiches or radishes & salt on buttered bread or tomatoes, salt & mayo sandwiches or sliced cucumber sprinkled with salt on buttered bread. These were frequent offerings in the summer when the our garden was at it's peak of production. She found the most creative ways to use everything!

This recipe was inspired from a similar one found on Orangette Blog.

Peach Pancakes for Fathers Day

Phyllis B's Famous Peach Pancakes

aka. Mom, Gram, Sister, #44

~She will always be remembered for her famous peach pancakes.~

~List of Ingredients~

6 Ripe Peaches

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 can whipped cream (the point and spray kind)

Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and carefully drop in the fresh peaches. Let them sit in the hot water for 2-3 minutes. Test one of the peaches by dropping it in a cold water bath~making sure the skin slips easily from the peach. Remove the remaining peaches if they are ready to skin. (don't overcook~this will just take a couple of minutes) dropping them in a cold water bath. Remove the skin and slice each peach into bite sized slices. If any juice lands on your cutting board, add that to the peaches. As you are cutting up the peaches, place them in a large saucepan. Add 1/2 cup of the water to the peaches, and with the other 1/2 cup water, add 2 tablespoons corn starch and mix well~set cornstarch mixture aside. Add 1 cup sugar (less or more depending on peach ripeness) to the peaches. Place the pan full of peaches on the stove over medium heat. The peaches will release some of their juices as they cook. Cook on medium to medium high for 4-5 minutes. Remove the pan of peaches from the heat source and stir in the cornstarch mixture~being careful not to break up the peach slices if you can. Place the peaches back on the stove and gently stir 2-3 minutes longer until the juices begin to thicken to a syrup consistency. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and place the peach topping in a serving bowl.

Now whip up a batch of your favorite pancakes.

Top with warm peaches.

Top peaches with a fluffy mound of whipped cream.

Serve to raves!

As an homage to the famous Phyllis B, I cooked these pancakes in her cast iron skillet just as she had when we were little. Then when she was able to purchase an electric griddle, she would make scores of pancakes at one time.