Yes.

Yes (1000 yes').  Yes please.

(Have I mentioned I love gold and black?)

 


Image via Pinterest. 

tomato cobbler.

Sometimes I stumble across a recipe that gets printed and added to my ever-growing pile of things I want to make at some point.  This pile is rather large and ominous looking.  It’s something I imagine will never end up fully tackling as the pile will always grow faster than I can cook but I will continue to chip away at it (and I will obviously continue to add to it). 

Other times, I come across a recipe that makes me want to stop everything and cook it right now.  These recipes never see the pile. 

This recipe is one of those. 

I stumbled across this cobbler recipe last Monday.  My initial fear was that cherry tomatoes had already left the farmers market and I wouldn't be able to make it and I would be forced to wait an entire year (these are my big fears). 

Lucky for me, cherry tomatoes were found. 

This recipe is September (or everything I want to eat in September).  Late season tomatoes get cooked down in a cast iron skillet and then dotted with goat cheese and herbs.  Tender and flaky biscuits are baked a top the whole thing resulting in the most insanely delicious thing I’ve had in a long time.  It’s warm and exudes all the qualities one looks for in comfort food but it also manages to be bright and fresh (something most comfort food is not).  The boy and I scarfed it down last night and then returned for seconds.  This will be on heavy rotation until tomatoes disappear.  

Tomato Cobbler
Recipe adapted from Leite's Culinaria

There is probably a Southern woman rolling over in her grave because I am saying this, but I hate rolling out biscuits.  I much prefer the biscuit plop.  I like to think misshapen biscuits have more character.  

For the biscuit topping

¾ cup plus 3 tablespoons (120 grams) whole-wheat flour (can use all-purpose)

3 ½ tablespoons cornmeal

2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoons granulated sugar

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed

4 tablespoons cold buttermilk (only 3 ½ tablespoons if you use all-purpose)

For the tomato filling

2 – 2 ½ pounds red and yellow cherry tomatoes

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Leaves from 8 to 10 thyme sprigs or 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

Healthy pinch freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water (optional)

6 ounces (170 grams) soft goat cheese, crumbled

Make the biscuit topping: Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Dump in the butter cubes. Using a pastry blender, work the butter until you have pea- to lima bean-size pieces. (If you have particularly cold hands, you can use your fingertips.) Drizzle in the buttermilk and toss the mixture with a fork until it’s evenly moistened and begins to come together into a ball. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment.  Break off golf-ball sized balls of dough, flatten them ever so slightly, and place them on the baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough.  You should have about 12-15 1 – 1 ½ inch biscuits at the end.  Place the biscuits in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours (or in the fridge for 6 hours if your freezer is as filled as mine. (You can also stash the biscuits in a resealable plastic bag and freeze them for up to 3 months to simplify throwing the cobbler together at the last minute easy. You’ll want to allow them a little extra time to thaw a little after taking them out of the freezer and before baking them.)

Make the tomato filling: Crank your oven to 350°F (180°C).

Toss the cherry tomatoes, olive oil, half the thyme/rosemary, salt, crushed red pepper (if using) and pepper in an ovenproof skillet. (I used a 12-inch cast-iron skillet and it worked marvelously.) Cover the skillet and cook on the stovetop over medium-high heat until the tomatoes begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover the skillet and continue cooking until all the tomatoes have burst slightly and released their juices.  Top with half the goat cheese. 

Remove the biscuits from the freezer/fridge and generously brush the tops with the egg wash (if using). Place them on top of the tomato mixture in the skillet, spacing them 1 – 1 ½ inch (2 1/2 centimeters) apart.

Bake the cobbler for 25 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven and dot the remaining goat cheese between the biscuits, covering any exposed tomato mixture. Return the whole shebang to the oven, bump up the heat to 450°F (232°C) and continue baking until the top is nicely browned, about 10 minutes more. Scatter the remaining thyme over the top and serve the cobbler warm or at room temperature, scooping the cobbler straight from the skillet at the table. If you’re like me, you’ll want to gild each serving with an extra crank or so freshly ground black pepper. The cobbler is best eaten the day it’s made. (Like it could ever make it to another day.)

avocado tacos (and some awesome salsa.)

Last week I discovered one of my favorite farms finally set up shop on Thursdays across the street from my office.

Upon discovering this, I practically wept.

I manage to encounter a farmer's markets at least 5 of the 7 days a week and usually these markets have everything I could possibly need depending on the season we are in.  But most lack the "rare" produce - concord grapes, sugar pumpkins, and tomatillos.  These are the items that I love getting my hands on at least once a season. These are the kind of ingredients that makes cooking fun and interesting.

When I stumbled across the tomatillos last week, I knew fresh salsa was in order.  It also happened to coincide with the discovery of the most epic-ly simple recipe from the NYTimes.  This recipe is the kind of thing I want to eat when I am exhausted and have minimal energy to cook anything.  Avocado wrapped in corn tortillas with homemade salsa? Yes, yes, and more yes.  The salsa is both robust and mild.  It plays well with neutral flavors but manages to add an extra dimension of smokiness that you can never get from store bought salsa. Eating simple has never tasted so good.

Avocado Tacos 
Recipe adapted (barely) from the NYTimes

You will have A LOT of salsa left which if you ask me it's a good thing.  I am already planning on spooning in on baked sweet potatoes and pouring it over bean and cheese enchiladas.  It would be killer on a breakfast taco as well.

Serves 3 - 4 depending on your level of hunger

4 pasilla chiles

½ teaspoon coarse sea salt

2 garlic cloves

10 tomatillos, boiled in salted water for 15 minutes or until soft

Juice of half a lime

3 avocados, sliced thin

12 corn tortillas

½ cup chopped cilantro

Optional toppings: Crumbled queso, sliced radish, black beans, lime juice

Make the salsa: Snap the stems off the chiles and remove the seeds. Using tongs, carefully hold the chiles over a medium flame to char on all sides. Transfer chiles to a food processor, add the salt and process into a powder. Add the garlic and tomatillos and purée until smooth.  Add lime juice.  Taste.  Add additional salt if necessary. (This makes 1 pint salsa, more than needed; refrigerate the rest in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.)

To serve, place 3 or 4 slices of avocado on each tortilla and top with salsa, cilantro, and any additional toppings of your choice.

contradictions.

Juxtaposition has been on my mind.  

When Tyler and I discuss the big day we talk a lot about how we see it - a little bit high-brow and a little bit low-brow.  A little bit modern and a little bit vintage.  Classic songs (Michael Jackson) intermingled with some modern hits (BEYONCE).  It seems fitting that the day with be all about contradictions - Tyler and I are polar opposites.  

My love of opposites has extended both to my wardrobe (ripped jeans and sparkly earrings) and my apartment.  Like this space which exudes that mismatched vibe I am obsessed with.  




Image via Pinterest. 

brown butter apple pie bars.

I don't need to tell you that only an insane person decides to make brown butter apple pie bars when they are less then 2 months out from their wedding.   (Because fitting into your wedding dress is overrated, am I right?)

Now that we've discussed my current state of mind, let's discuss how these bars came to be.  

Apple pie has been on the brain for a couple of weeks now.  It started when we went apple picking and from there I began scouring cookbooks and the internet for the apple pie recipe.  During this obsessive search I realized that while pie is AWESOME it's not easy to share - How do you slice it to bring in for coworkers?  What do you do if not everyone has plates?  I knew if I was going to make a pie, I needed to make a pie that I could share. 

(While I am insane, I am not completely illogical.  Only an illogical person would keep an entire pie in their fridge with less then 2 months to their wedding.)

These bars are a result of necessity but they also came about because I am just really in love with hand-held portable desserts as of late since it's fun is to offer people things like "apple pie bars" . Tyler commented that these are is if an apple pie and apple crisp had a baby and I find this description to be rather apt.  A brown butter shortbread base gives way to layers of cinnamon spiced apple slices.  And the topping? That's a generous layer of strussel deliciousness.  Are these rich, over-the-top, and amazing?  Yes, yes they are. They are also really, really, good.  

Happy first day of fall. 

Brown Butter Apple Pie Bars

Recipe adapted (barely) from Apt. 2B Baking Co.

I don't need to tell you there is a decent amount of butter in these.  You have eyes, you can see it.  But!  These make A LOT of servings.  And a lot of healthy servings.  This is the kind of thing you should only make when you have a crowd to feed.  You've been warned.  

Yield: one 13''x9'' pan, 24-30 bars  (You can also halve this if you want to make a more manageable amount.)

For the Brown Butter, Brown Sugar Shortbread Crust

12 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
½ cup brown sugar (I used light)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup whole wheat flour

1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour (you can also do a full 2 cups of all-purpose flour though the whole wheat is lovely)

Preheat your oven to 350º and line a 13''x9'' baking dish with greased foil or parchment paper. 

Brown the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan, stirring frequently until the milk solids turn light brown and the butter has a nutty fragrance. Set aside to cool slightly. 

When the butter has cooled a bit add it to a medium bowl and add in the brown sugar, salt, and vanilla and stir. Add the flour and mix until completely combined. Press it into the prepared pan and bake it until it is golden, about 20 minutes. Set the baked crust aside to cool.

While the crust is baking and cooling prepare the filling.

Apple Filling

¼ cup brown sugar (I used light though dark would work well)
6 large apples, peeled and cut into thin slices (Any pie apples would work)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt

In a large bowl toss the sliced apples with the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.  Set aside.  

Crumb Topping

1 ½ cup oats
½ cup whole wheat flour

½ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon baking soda
3/8 teaspoon salt
8-9 tablespoons butter, softened

In a large bowl combine the oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt, then add in the butter (start with 8 tablespoons and add the extra one if your mixture isn't coming together) and mix with your hands until it holds together in clumps.

To Assemble

Spread the apple mixture evenly over the prepared crust, then top with the crumble mixture and press down lightly. 

Bake the bars at 375º for 30-40 minutes until the crumb topping is golden. Cool completely before cutting into 24-30 squares.

turkey zucchini burgers with sumac sauce.

I realize I am 29 going on 30 and that at my age I shouldn't be looking for ways to sneak more vegetables into the foods I eat.  I should eat more vegetables willingly.

But in every 29 year old there lies a bit of their 5 year old self and for that reason I still look for ways to trick myself into eating more vegetables. (Because more vegetables is always a good thing.)  

The easiest way to add more vegetable deliciousness into your life is by combining vegetables with something that people love.  Tacos will always and forever be my favorite vegetable vehicle (you can stuff anything in a tortilla and have it taste awesome, true fact) but meatballs and burgers are a superb alternative when you are looking to try something new.  Vegetables, especially grated vegetables, manage to melt into the meat as it cooks which means they become practically invisible to the eyes of those that hate green things.  

These turkey zucchini burgers may be one of the greatest things ever. There is one whole zucchini packed in there along with a plethora of herbs and spices which helps to create one incredibly moist and delicious patty. They are pretty excellent on there own but when smothered in sumac sauce they become positively addicting. 

Turkey Zucchini "Burgers" with Sumac Sauce
Recipe from Jerusalem: A Cookbook 

For the Meatballs

1 pound (300g) ground turkey
1 large zucchini, coarsely grated (scant 2 cups/200g)
3 green onions, thinly sliced (chives also work brilliantly as I was out of green onions)
1 large free-range egg
2 tablespoons chopped mint
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
About 6 1/2 teaspoons sunflower oil (canola oil will work too)

For the Sauce

Scant 1/2 cup (100g) sour cream
Scant 2/3 cup (150g) Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sumac
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Make the  sauce by placing all the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well and set aside or chill until needed.

Preheat the oven to 425F/220C. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs except the sunflower oil. Mix with your hands. Using a tablespoon (or a regular spoon), scoop about 2 tablespoons of the turkey mixture and shape into about 18 patties.  Place patties on an oiled baking sheet.  

Pour enough oil into a large frying pan to form a layer about 1/16 inch thick on the pan bottom. Heat over medium heat until hot, then sear the meatballs in batches on all sides. Cook each batch for about 4 minutes, adding oil as needed, until golden brown.

Carefully transfer the seared meatballs to a baking sheet lined with waxed paper and place in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until just cooked through. Serve warm or at room temperature, with the sauce spooned over or on the side.