Saturday, October 24, 2009
Cauliflower with Raisins,Almonds,Capers
Cauliflower: The Food of Love
WHEN Michael Anthony, the executive chef at the Gramercy Tavern, met Mindy Dubin, an artist, in 2004, he discovered that she didn’t like cauliflower. It was a stab in his heart and stomach.
So he embarked on what he calls the “cauliflower operation,” creating at least five dishes solely to woo her. This one — thick golden slices of roasted cauliflower sprinkled lightly with capers, toasted almonds and raisins plumped in white wine vinegar — was one of the best.
His plan worked: thanks in part to it, he and Ms. Dubin wed in 2007.
His bride secured, Mr. Anthony decided to put all that vegetable-cooking to use at Gramercy Tavern. When he started there in 2006, he had noticed that a signature dish was a grilled vegetable sandwich.
“The sandwich had been there somewhere shy of forever, and a lot of people connected with it,” he said; customers saw it “as a go-to source of comfort.”
He decided that he, too, wanted to make dishes that customers would not only crave for the moment, but remember. He analyzed the grilled vegetable sandwich, and stripped away the bread and the cheese. Not too surprisingly, what ended up on the plate was this cauliflower creation, embellished with a dusting of toasted bread crumbs. “Is there anything more seductive than toasty crunch?” Mr. Anthony asked.
Cauliflower With Almonds, Capers and Raisins
Time: 45 minutes
1 head cauliflower, trimmed of leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons fresh soft bread crumbs
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons whole almonds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons golden raisins
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped tarragon
1 teaspoon finely sliced chives.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut cauliflower from top to bottom in 1-inch slices. Place a large ovenproof skillet over low heat and add 1 tablespoon butter. When it has melted, add bread crumbs and toss until toasted and golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer crumbs to a plate and wipe out pan.1 1/2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons fresh soft bread crumbs
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons whole almonds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons golden raisins
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped tarragon
1 teaspoon finely sliced chives.
2. Return pan to medium heat and add 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add almonds and toss until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer almonds to a plate, let cool, and cut each almond into three pieces; set aside.
3. Wipe out pan and return to medium heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and cauliflower slices. Sauté until lightly browned on both sides. Transfer pan to oven and roast until tender, about 12 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over low heat, melt remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter and add raisins, vinegar and 1 tablespoon water. Simmer until raisins are plump and soft, about 5 minutes; drain and set aside. In a small bowl, combine almonds, capers, raisins, parsley, tarragon and chives. Season with salt and pepper and toss to mix.
4. Arrange roasted cauliflower on a serving platter. Spoon almond-herb mixture evenly on top and sprinkle with toasted bread crumbs. Serve immediately.
Yield: 4 servings.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Blue Chese and Bacon Mini Corn Dogs
Click on Image to Enlarge
This Recipe would be great for a Football Game on TV or watching the Amazing Race!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Fregola Fruit Salad
- By Giada
- 10 min
Level:
EasyYield:
4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
For the orange oil:
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 orange, zested
For the salad
:
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 pound fregola pasta
- 1 orange
- 1 pink grapefruit
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 tablespoon fennel seeds, lightly toasted
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
For the orange oil:
Combine the olive oil and the orange zest in a small bowl and set aside.
For the salad:
Bring the large saucepan of chicken broth to a boil over high heat. Add the fregola pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain pasta onto a large baking sheet. Spread to a single layer and let cool for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, using a small knife cut the skin off the orange and grapefruit. Over a large bowl, cut out the segments of the citrus flesh and catch the juices. Add the onion, mint, basil, fennel seeds, salt, pepper, and cooled fregola pasta.
Add the reserved orange oil to the pasta. Toss all the ingredients together and serve.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Pumpkin Creme Brulee
Pumpkin Creme Brulee
3 hr 30 min
Yield:
4 servings
Times:
- Prep
- 45 min
- Inactive Prep
- --
- Cook
- 3 hr 30 min
- Total:
- 4 hr 15 min
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 pinches nutmeg
- 1 pinch ginger
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
- 1/3 cup coarse sugar or raw sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
In a medium saucepan, heat the cream, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves over medium heat, stirring occasionally, just until it comes to a boil. Immediately turn off the heat and set aside to infuse at least 15 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the granulated sugar. Whisking constantly, gradually pour in the hot cream mixture. Whisk in the pumpkin puree. Pour the mixture into 4 ovenproof ramekins and arrange in a hot water bath. Bake in the center of the oven until almost set but still a bit soft in the center, 30 to 40 minutes. The custard should "shimmy" a bit when you shake the pan; it will firm up more as it cools. Remove from the water bath and let cool 15 minutes. Tightly cover each ramekin with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic does not touch the surface of the custard. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, and up to 24 hours. When ready to serve, preheat a broiler to very hot (or fire up your kitchen torch). Uncover the chilled custards. Pour as much coarse sugar as will fit onto the top of 1 of the custards. Pour off the remaining sugar onto the next custard. Repeat until all the custards are coated. Discard any remaining sugar. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan and broil until the sugar is melted and well browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool 1 minute before servingThursday, October 8, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
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