Happy Fourth of July

Of course I had to make a patriotic dessert celebrating our Nation's freedom. I had a little help from a recipe I found on Epicurious. But the filling is all my own. I call this, "Star Tart". 

Crust:

1 1/4 C AP flour

1/3 C sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg yolk

2 Tbs cold water

1 tsp. vanilla

1 stick cold butter, cut into 1/4" cubes

In food processor, pulse flour, sugar and salt together. Crumble in butter and pulse together 10 times. Slowly pour in egg mixture while pulsing. Should resemble coarse corn meal when done. Pour out onto plastic wrap and gather into ball. Chill in freezer for 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Remove dough ball from freezer. Using a box grater, shred the dough into a 10" tart plate. Press dough on bottom and along sides using bottom of flat measuring cup. Line with non-stick aluminum foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. 

Filling:

1 C whipping cream

3 Tbs confectioners sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1-8 oz. container of mascarpone at room temperature

3 Tbs strawberry preserves

1 tsp. fresh orange zest

In a bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, combine all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Topping:

1 qt. organic strawberries sliced evenly 1/4" thick

1 pt. organic blueberries

To assemble fill pre-baked tart shell with filling and spread evenly. Starting in one corner arrange strawberries with pointed side facing outside of tart. Start with one, then layer two next to each other, then three, and so on. Do this at 5 different points around tart. Fill in outside of star with blueberries. Chill until ready to serve. Serves 10-12. 

Braised Vegetables

This recipe goes along with the Pan Roasted Chicken With Lemon Risotto video posted last year....

1 small yellow zucchini, finely diced

1 small green zucchini, finely diced

1 medium carrot, finely diced

6 fresh baby artichokes, trimmed and quartered

1/4 C. dry white wine

1/3 C. fresh chicken stock

1 Tbs. fresh thyme, minced

1 Tbs. fresh basil, julienned

1/2 fresh lemon, juice squeezed

2 Tbs. olive oil

kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

Preheat sauté pan on medium heat with olive oil, add veggies and season with salt and pepper. Sweat vegetables for 7-10 minutes until soft. Deglaze pan with white wine. Add chicken stock and let simmer on medium-low until reduced 15-20 minutes. Add herbs and lemon juice and more salt and pepper to taste.

© Copyright 2010 Amanda Dalmath eatsweetreats.blogspot.com

Braised Chicken Moroccan Style

This proved to be a fulfilling, hearty, and healthy meal for just around $30. It could easily be served during a fall dinner party for about 8 people. I used a 13" braising pan, but you could also use a wide bottom stock pot or deep sauté pan.

(The picture does not justify its deliciousness!)

1 lb. chicken drumsticks

1 lb. bone-in chicken thighs

olive oil

½ cups AP flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbs. cumin

Salt and fresh ground pepper

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 orange bell pepper, julienne sliced

2 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled & diced

6 oz baby brown pearl mushrooms

12 oz white mushrooms, sliced

½ cup garlic marinated green pitted olives

1 cup artichoke hearts

15.5 oz can garbanzo bean/chickpeas

14.5 oz can chicken broth

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

pinch of Saffron

2 fresh lemons, thinly sliced

fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 275ºF.

Turn stovetop on medium high and preheat oven proof braising pan, stock pot, or sauté pan with olive oil. Whisk together flour, cinnamon, cumin, salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour mixture and gently place skin-side down into preheated olive oil. Be sure not to overcrowd the pan; 3 pieces at a time is sufficient. Turn once after skin is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Sear another 3 minutes and remove. Keep cooked chicken on platter while other pieces sear. Chicken will not be fully cooked; you're only looking to crisp the skin and sear the outside.

Once all chicken is done, add another couple tablespoons of olive oil to pan on medium heat, being sure to keep all browned chicken bits, spices and flour that have adhered to the bottom. Add onions, peppers, potatoes, mushrooms, and olives. With the lid off, cook for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are cooked, onions are translucent, and mushrooms have reduced in half. You're looking to sweat out the water in the mushrooms and sugars in the onions to concentrate the flavors.

Meanwhile, combine crushed tomatoes, artichokes, chickpeas, and saffron is bowl and set aside.

Once vegetables are cooked through and reduced, de-glaze with chicken broth. Add tomato mixture and stir until combined. Add chicken back to pan and be sure to submerge. Lay fresh lemon slices over top, cover pan with lid and transfer to preheated oven. Cook for 2½ - 3 hours. Serve with couscous and top with fresh picked hand torn parsley.

© 2009 Amanda Dalmath Eat Sweetreats Recipes

Summer Corn & Shrimp Chowder with Potato & Bacon

When choosing ears of corn, peel back the husks and silks and look for plump, parallel rows of kernels. Once you get home, make sure your cobs are thoroughly clear of silks. Gently use a scrub brush under running water for best results. (A juice extractor is required for this recipe for optimal flavor.)

Makes 5 quarts

• 12 ears corn on the cob (bicolor preferred)
• 2 quarts chicken stock (homemade preferred)
• ½ lb. thick-cut bacon, finely chopped
• 1bunch small celery, finely diced
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 Tbs. AP flour
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 4 russet potatoes, peeled and diced into ¼ “ cubes
• 1 Tbs. fresh thyme, picked and minced
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 lb. uncooked peeled and deveined shrimp, chopped
• 4 Tbs. butter
• 2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
• fresh made croutons
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Begin by rendering bacon in a cold medium sized fry pan. Bring heat to medium-low, stirring every 5 minutes. Bacon will be done when golden brown, about 30 minutes. Strain, reserving all the bacon fat. Set bacon aside for later.
2. In a 6-8 quart soup pot on medium-low heat, add bacon fat, celery and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Stir every couple minutes, making sure onions are not browning too fast. You want to sweat the vegetables, reducing their size and releasing all their sugars, allowing for caramelization, about 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, remove corn kernels from cobs and split into 2 batches (6 cobs for each batch.) Add cobs to chicken stock and bring to boil. Reduce to low. Add one batch of raw corn kernels to juice extractor to make corn juice. Will produce about ½ cup of corn juice. Set aside. Add corn pulp from juicer to chicken stock with cobs.
4. Sprinkle celery and onions with flour. Stir for 1 minute until flour is cooked. Add white wine. It will become very thick, keep stirring, 30 seconds more. Strain chicken stock from pulp and cobs. Add to celery, onions, flour, and wine. Stir with a whisk. Add potatoes, bacon, and 2nd batch of raw corn kernels, heavy cream, and fresh thyme. Bring up to slow simmer. Reduce to low, cover halfway with lid.
5. Meanwhile, melt butter and Old Bay Seasoning in large fry pan on medium low. Add shrimp and let cook through until pink and opaque. Set aside.
6. To make fresh croutons, pre-heat oven to 400º F. Cut your favorite fresh bread loaf into 1”cubes. Coat with olive oil on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
7. To serve, ladle chowder into soup bowl, top with cooked shrimp and fresh made croutons. Enjoy!

Lobster Ravioli with Summer Vegetable Herb Sauce

For the sauce:
2 small yellow squash
2 small zucchini
1 cup fresh peas
4 vine ripened tomatoes
1 whole head of garlic
10 fresh basil leaves
1 Tbs. fresh dill
1/3 cup olive oil
Dozen shucked clams with their juices
Salt to taste

Dice squash and zucchini into small pieces. Add to saute pan with peas and saute for 2-3 minutes. Remove and shock in cold water to stop cooking. Set aside.
Core and chop tomatoes, and transfer to blender along with all their juice. Blend until pureed. Pour into strainer lined with cheesecloth and let sit.
Cut garlic head in half and place in pot with cold water. Bring up to simmer and remove. Remove cloves and place back in pot with fresh cold water. Bring back up to simmer. Remove cloves, discard water, and repeat process with cold water, bringing back up to simmer, 4-5 times. Last time, replace water with olive oil and wait until garlic is fragrant. Remove from oil and puree in blender until smooth. Set aside.
Blanch herbs in simmering water for 30 seconds and shock in cold water to stop cooking. Blend with olive oil until smooth. Set aside.

For pasta:
1 1/2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Semolina Flour
Pinch of salt
6 egg yolk
3 Tbs. olive oil

Make a well with the flours and salt. Whisk in egg yolks and olive oil with fork until well mixed. Transfer to stand mixer with dough hook attachment and mix on medium for 5 minutes or until dough pulls away from bowl. Wrap in plastic and let sit for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 day. Cut dough ball into 4 pieces and using a pasta roller attachment, starting with the #1 setting, push dough through roller. Continue 3-4 times on each setting working up to the #4. Transfer pasta sheet to floured work surface and cover with damp towel until ready.

Filling:
1 1/2 lb. fresh lobster
2 whole eggs
1/4 fresh heavy cream
1 small shallot, diced and sauteed
Boil lobster tail and claws. Transfer to ice bath to halt cooking. Remove meat from shell and chop finely. In a blender, combine tail meat, eggs and heavy cream and pulse until smooth. Transfer to work bowl and stir in claw meat an shallots.

Assembly:
Dollop 3 Tbs. filling on pasta sheets leaving at least 5" space in between. Dab your finger in water and make a square outside the filling. Fold pasta sheet over top to cover the filling. Seal edges where you wet it with your finger. Using a ring mold, ensure the filling is sealed well. Trim pasta into squares and set aside until ready to boil. Generously salt the water and boil pasta 3-4 minutes or until they float to the surface. Remove and set aside.

To finish sauce, combine tomato water, garlic puree, herb oil and clam juices and blend until smooth and creamy. Add drained vegetables to saute pan and reheat with clams and blended sauce. Gently move cooked ravioli into pan with sauce to coat. Serve immediately.

©2009 Amanda Dalmath Eat Sweetreats Recipes

The Best Burger EVER

Sometimes you just have to eat meat. Being a flexitarian I have shied away from eating red meat for over a year now. But once and a while, usually when the smell of smokey backyard grills fills the air, I get the urge to splurge. But if it's going to happen, it has to happen the right way. Short of baking my own rolls, this burger is pure homemade American goodness. But I would save the trouble exclusively for meat enthusiasts or those who simply like to chow down.

Ingredients: Sauce -
1/4 C. Mayonnaise
1/2 C. Ketchup
2 tsp. Horseradish
1/4 tsp. Dry Mustard
1/2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1 tsp. White Vinegar
1/4 C. Dill Pickle Relish
Combine all ingredients and chill in fridge until ready to serve.

Burgers -
1/3 lb. Chuck Eye per person
American Cheese slices (1 per person)

Accompaniments -
Thick cut Bacon (1 slice per person)
Green Leaf Lettuce (1/2 leaf per person)
Fresh Tomato slices (1/2 vine-ripened tomato per person)
Avocado, thinly sliced (1/4 Avocado per person)
Kaiser, Challah, or Brioche Rolls (1 per person)

Begin by slicing beef very thin until finely chopped. Cover and refrigerate until ready to grill. Render the bacon by adding it to a cold fry pan and turning the heat to medium until it starts to sizzle. Proceed by lowering the heat and turning every 5 minutes until bacon is golden and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Reserve bacon fat and set bacon slices aside. Slice tomato, wash and dry lettuce leaves.
Shape the burgers into patties 1 inch thick, with solid sides, about 3 1/2" in diameter. Turn fry pan with bacon fat up to medium high. Immediately before searing patties, dip them into ice cold water for 30 seconds. Pat dry and season with pepper and salt. Add to fry pan and sear on one side about 7 minutes. Check for color and flip once. Sear for another 7 minutes or so for medium. While cooking on final side, take spoon and laddle juices over and around burger patties to promote even cooking. Do this for the last 4 minutes of cooking. Remove from pan and place cheese slices ontop. Let rest for 5 minutes.

During the resting time, toast the rolls with butter until golden. Slice the avocado.

Begin the assembly. Start by spreading 2 Tablespoons of sauce on bottom half of roll. Lay lettuce atop sauce, then tomato, next comes the burger, topped with the avocado and finally the bacon slices. Serve and eat immediately. Enjoy with homemade pommes frites.


© Amanda Dalmath Eat Sweetreats

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Thin Crust Pizza

Pizza Dough:
1 1/2 tsp. Active Dry Yeast
1 tsp. Sugar
3/4 C. water (around 105°F)
1 C. Cake Flour
1 C. Unbleached AP Flour (plus 1 Tbs. for kneading)
1 tsp. Salt
3 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Toppings:
1/4 lb. Bacon, chopped
2 medium Shallots, finely diced
2 Garlic cloves, minced
3 sprigs fresh Thyme, picked and chopped
8 oz. Mushrooms (Shitake, Crimini, and Oyster recommended)
4 oz. Goat Cheese
8 oz. shredded Fontina Cheese
6 fresh Basil leaves, torn by hand
Olive Oil to drizzle (Truffle Oil recommended)
To make dough, combine yeast, sugar and water in measuring cup and let sit 5 minutes. In stand mixer work bowl, sift flours and salt together. After 5 minutes, add 1 Tbs. of Olive Oil to yeast mixture. Using dough hook, with mixer on low speed, pour in yeast mixture until blended. Add 1 Tbs. more of Olive Oil and with mixer on medium high speed, wait until uniform dough ball forms, about 5 minutes. Shake 1 Tbs. flour on work surface and knead dough 10-15 times by hand. With remaining 1 Tbs. of Olive Oil, coat the inside of a medium bowl and place dough ball inside. Cover with plastic wrap and place in warm spot of kitchen. Let rise 1 1/2 hours. Punch dough down and proceed to roll into two 10" pizza crust.

Preheat oven to 500°F.

To make toppings, start by rendering bacon on high, then lowering heat once sizzle begins. Once cooked through, about 15 minutes, remove from pan while reserving fat. Turn pan back up to high and add mushrooms. Let cook for 15 minutes. Add shallots, garlic and thyme and remove from heat.

To assemble pizza, begin by drizzling 1 tsp. Olive Oil onto crust and season with salt and pepper. Next spread the goat cheese over dough, gently and evenly. Then top the goat cheese with the mushroom mixture. Add the basil and finish with the Fontina and a drizzle of Olive Oil.

Bake on pizza stone for 10 minutes or until cheese it bubbly and golden. Makes two 10" pizzas. Serves 2-4.

©2009 Amanda Dalmath Eatsweetreats