Living in California I had never experienced the beauty of the trees in bloom after winter. I am used to constant greenery but the flowers of spring are amazing! Every time I walk outside it's like I am walking into a bowl of perfume. Two weekends ago was Parent's Weekend! I was so excited to have my mom come and visit. I hadn't seen her since January! Of course we went on many adventures, most surrounding awesome food. These are out of order as to when they actually occurred.
Friday night we went to dinner at Simon Pearce in Woodstock, VT. It is a beautiful restaurant connected to a glass and ceramic factory in an old mill. The restaurant is right over the river with a beautiful waterfall. Our dinner started with wonderful bread from King Arthur Flour.
For appetizers we ordered a sweet and sour eggplant salad and a grilled calamari salad. The eggplant was absolutely divine. It was marinated and grilled with a little bit of vinegar and topped with an herb and goat cheese crust with blistered cherry tomatoes. The calamari was wonderfully fresh and light.
My mom ordered the rack of lamb with a red wine sauce, asparagus, and bacon mashed potatoes. I ordered the seared scallops on coconut jasmine rice and a red curry sauce with a mango jicama salad. Yummy!
For dessert we came back into Hanover and had a warm fruit compote with ginger at the Canoe Club. So soothing and satisfying.
The next morning we braved the lines and went to Lou's for breakfast. I was super excited to try the specials. I ordered the quinoa pooridge with dried apricots, pistachios, and coconut milk. OMG, I wish I could have this everyday. I also really wanted to try the Strawberry Margarita Pancakes so I just got one and ate barely half but it was so worth it.
My mom went the simple route and and ordered a buttermilk pancake and sausage patties.
On Saturday we went to Stowe, VT to explore and found a wonderful cafe called the Green Goddess for lunch. We both ordered huge salads chock full of delicious veggies and baked maple tofu.
The real reason for going up towards Stowe was to have dinner at one of the best restaurants in the region, Hen of the Wood. We started with a cheese course. Both cheeses were cows milk cheeses and had kind of grassy flavors. They were paired with cinnamon chips, roasted hazelnuts, rhubarb ginger compote, and a pickled pear mix. These were so so good. Next we had a salad with local arugula, watermelon radishes, and roasted hazelnuts in a lemon vinaigrette.
These pictures are dark but for entrees my mom ordered the smoked hanger steak and I ordered the red fish. Both were amazing.
On the side we had roasted potatoes with a tarragon cream sauce. The potatoes were crispy and the sauce was rich yet fresh.
We also had heirloom carrots braised in a butter and herb sauce.
Sunday morning we went to Market Table for a light breakfast. My mom ordered the currant scone which was almost like a biscuit but still sweet and light. I had the quiche lorraine with a side salad and some fruit.
The first night we ordered a couple of snacks at the Hanover Inn, shrimp cocktail and a spinach salad with goat cheese.
When we were in Woodstock on Friday we went to the historic Bentley's for lunch. The interior looked like it could have literally been pulled straight out of 1900. I enjoyed a salmon salad and my mom had a tuna melt.
Friday morning we had breakfast at the Hanover Inn. I had an egg white omelette and my mom had eggs with corned beef hash.
After Woodstock we really wanted a pick me up so we went to Morano Gelato for some affogatos. An affogato is a scoop of gelato topped with a shot of strong espresso. I had a dark chocolate and my mom had a hazelnut. Both were so good. I highly recommend this style of gelato. Much better than a latte.
Two Sundays ago in my Sustainable Gourmet cooking class we made frittatas. This is a simple ricotta frittata that we topped with a tomato sauce and some coconut, cranberry, chocolate, walnut, and oatmeal cookies.
Chocolate Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
Makes an enormous amount of cookies
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar (I'd use 3/4 cup)
6 tablespoons granulated sugar (I'd use 3-4 tablespoons)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups packaged finely shredded unsweetened coconut
12 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), cut into 1/2-inch chunks (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup almonds with skins (4 oz), toasted, cooled, and chopped
1. Heat oven to 375°F.
2. Beat together butter and sugars in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add eggs and beat until just blended, then beat in vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Add flour and mix at low speed until just blended. Stir in oats, coconut, chocolate, and almonds.
3. Arrange 1/4-cup mounds of cookie dough about 3 inches apart on a baking sheets. Bake until golden, rotating halfway through, 15 minutes total.
4. Cool cookies on sheets 1 minute, then transfer with a spatula to racks to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Ricotta Frittata
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon marjoram leaves
- 8 eggs
- 1 cup fresh sheep-milk ricotta cheese
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup spicy tomato sauce
- Preheat the oven to 375°. Coat the bottom of a 12- to 14-inch cast-iron skillet with the 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the onion and marjoram and cook over moderate heat until the onion is translucent and very aromatic, about 7 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the ricotta and Parmigiano-Reggiano and season with salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and stir to incorporate the onion. Cook until the eggs begin to set. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the frittata is set.
- Turn the frittata out onto a serving platter and let cool. Drizzle the frittata with olive oil and serve at room temperature, with the tomato sauce on the side.
We roasted some broccoli and mixed it with a mustard vinaigrette and some smoked almonds.
Roasted Broccoli with Almonds, Roasted Garlic and Mustard Vinaigrette
Serves 4
- 6 cups broccoli stems, florets, and leaves
- 2 garlic heads, tops trimmed off
- 2 teaspoons Dusseldorf or Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 1/2 cup peeled and blanched whole almonds
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Heat the oven to 350˚F. Place the garlic into an ovenproof ramekin and drizzle the heads with olive oil. Season them with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cover them with foil and bake the garlic for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the garlic cool.
- Turn the oven to 425˚F. Place all the broccoli into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle it with olive oil and season it liberally with salt and pepper. Spread it out onto a sheet tray.
- Bake the broccoli for 35 minutes then sprinkle the almonds across the top and cook until the broccoli is tender and the almonds are beginning to brown, about 12 more minutes.
- Meanwhile, while the broccoli is roasting combine the mustards, lemon juice, and squeeze one of the roasted heads of garlic into the bowl making sure to get all the garlic "paste" you can from the garlic paper. Season the mix with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper.
- Take the other head of garlic and gently peel the paper from the cloves trying to leave the cloves whole. Set the cloves aside.
- Using a whisk, combine the ingredients then drizzle in 4 to 6 tablespoons of olive oil, depending on how tart you like your dressings.
- Once the garlic and almonds have finished roasting dump them into the bowl with the dressing, mix to combine the ingredients and serve garnished with more garlic cloves from the second head of garlic.
Some cornmeal biscuits sopped up the tomato sauce and a bacon and summer vegetable quiche finished off the meal.
Cornmeal Buttermilk Biscuits
1/2 cup cornmeal
5 ounces buttermilk
2 teaspoons honey
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with two layers of parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, buttermilk and honey. Stir well and let sit for 10 minutes to soak the cornmeal.
Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a food processor and pulse to mix. Add cold butter and pulse until mixture is coarse.
Pour the flour mixture into the buttermilk mixture and stir to make a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 8 times until smooth.
Using a biscuit cutter or the top of a glass about 2 inches wide dipped in flour (I dip mine in a little water), cut out 6 rounds. Arrange rounds on cookie sheet.
Bake at 450 for 5 minutes or until biscuits really start to rise in the oven, then turn heat down to 400 and bake for another 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes 6
Bacon, Vegetable, and Ricotta Quiche
- Butter or shortening
- 1 sheet puff pastry, or your favorite pie crust
- 6 ounces bacon, roughly chopped
- 4 stalks asparagus
- 2 cups chopped zucchini (from 2 small zucchini)
- ½ cup chopped arugula
- 8 eggs
- ¼ cup whole milk or cream
- 6 ounces fresh ricotta
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease an 11-inch tart pan with butter or shortening.
- Roll out the puff pastry (to make this easier make sure it is cold). Fit into the greased tart pan and weigh down with pastry weights or another oven-proof pan. Bake until light golden brown, about 10 minutes, pushing down where it puffs up. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Meanwhile, cook the bacon until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Add the zucchini to the same pan with the bacon grease and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and lightly steam the asparagus. Drain and immediately run under cold water (this will stop it from cooking and help it keep its vibrant green color). Slice into bite-sized pieces.
- In a large bowl whisk together the eggs and milk or cream. Fold in the bacon, zucchini, asparagus, arugula, and 4 ounces of the ricotta.
- Pour the mixture into the tart pan with the baked crust. Crumble the remaining ricotta on top.
- Bake until eggs are fully set, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest at least 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with a green salad and enjoy for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Last week's Ecovores had a delicious mix. We enjoyed a salad with pears and goat cheese, asparagus in lemon and butter,
fruit salad, cheesy sourdough bread,
a huge pot of veggie stir fry, and....
raspberry clafoutis from the fabulous baker Julia!
My friend Ivy and I decided later to go to an event with a visiting Italian chef. While speaking entirely in Italian he taught us how to make some elegant appetizers. My station made a berry and goat cheese mousse on bread cut outs. Other stations made prosciutto and melon on cream cheese,
bruschetta, smoked salmon canapes,
hilarious food sculptures,
and caprese.
Students Fighting Hunger featured a mexican inspired meal.
For my last cooking class we went Indian with some sautéed asparagus, sweet potato and spinach masala,
Pan-Roasted Asparagus with Toasted Garlic and Parmesan
Serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium cloves garlic , sliced thin
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 pounds thick asparagus spears (see note), ends trimmed
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 lemon (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat the olive oil and sliced garlic in 12-inch skillet
over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is crisp and golden
but not dark brown, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer garlic to
paper towel-lined plate.
2. Add the butter to the oil in the skillet. When butter has
melted, add half of asparagus to skillet with tips pointed in one direction;
add remaining spears with tips pointed in one direction. Using tongs,
distribute spears in even layer (spears will not quite fit into single layer);
cover and cook until asparagus is bright green and still crisp, about 5
minutes.
3. Uncover and increase heat to high; season asparagus with
salt and pepper. Cook until spears are tender and well browned along one side,
5 to 7 minutes, using tongs to occasionally move spears from center of pan to
edge of pan to ensure all are browned. Transfer asparagus to serving dish,
sprinkle with grated Parmesan and toasted garlic, adjust seasonings with salt
and pepper, and, if desired, squeeze lemon half over spears. Serve immediately.
To Serve 2-3:
Cut all ingredient amounts in half. Cook asparagus in
10-inch skillet over medium heat, covered, for 3 minutes. Remove cover and cook
over medium-high heat until tender and browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Do not adjust
heat when cooking garnishes; however, cooking times for garnishes should be
reduced by 1 to 2 minutes.
Yukon Gold and Baby Spinach Masala
Serves 4
2 Tbs. canola oil
1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes (4 cups)
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced (1½ cups)
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbs.)
2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
1 jalapeño chile,finely chopped (1 Tbs.)
1 tsp. ground coriander
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. turmeric
1 13.5-oz. can light coconut milk
1 6-oz. bag baby spinach
1 Tbs. lime juice
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1. Steam potatoes in steamer basket set over simmering water
10 minutes, or until just tender.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.
Add onion, and sauté 8 minutes, or until soft and golden. Add garlic, ginger,
and jalapeño, and sauté 1 minute, or until fragrant. Stir in coriander, cumin,
and turmeric. Add steamed potatoes, and sauté 1 to 2 minutes, to coat with
spices. Add coconut milk and 1/4 cup water, and season with salt and pepper, if
desired. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 5
minutes, or until sauce begins to thicken.
3. Stir in spinach, garam masala, and 1/4 cup water, and
cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until spinach is wilted. Stir in lime juice and
cilantro.
tandoori chicken, and a not so indian apple and blueberry cobbler.
BLUEBERRY-PEACH COBBLER WITH LEMON-CORNMEAL BISCUIT TOPPING
Serves 6.
INGREDIENTS
Filling
2pounds peaches , ripe but firm (5 to 6 medium)
1/4cup granulated sugar (1 3/4 ounces)
1teaspoon cornstarch
1cup fresh blueberries (about 5 ounces)
1tablespoon lemon juice from 1 lemon
Biscuit Topping
3tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4teaspoon baking soda
1/2teaspoon grated lemon zest
5tablespoons unsalted butter cold, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1teaspoon granulated sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven
to 425 degrees.
2. For the filling: Peel peaches, then halve and pit each.
Using small spoon, scoop out and discard dark flesh from pit area. Cut each
half into 4 wedges. Gently toss peaches and sugar together in large bowl; let
stand for 30 minutes, tossing several times. Drain peaches in colander set over
large bowl. Whisk 1/4 cup of drained juice (discard extra), cornstarch, lemon
juice, and salt together in small bowl. Toss peach juice mixture with peach
slices and blueberries and transfer to 8-inch-square glass baking dish. Bake
until peaches begin to bubble around edges, about 10 minutes.
3. For the topping: While peaches are baking, in food
processor, pulse flour, cornmeal, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking
soda, lemon zest, and salt to combine. Scatter butter over and pulse until
mixture resembles coarse meal, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer to medium
bowl; add yogurt and toss with rubber spatula until cohesive dough is formed.
(Don't overmix dough or biscuits will be tough.) Break dough into 6 evenly
sized but roughly shaped mounds and set aside.
4. To assemble and bake: After peaches have baked 10
minutes, remove peaches from oven and place dough mounds on top, spacing them
at least 1/2 inch apart (they should not touch). Sprinkle each mound with
portion of remaining 1 teaspoon sugar. Bake until topping is golden brown and fruit
is bubbling, 16 to 18 minutes. Cool cobbler on wire rack until warm, about 20
minutes; serve.
Tandoori Chicken
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic
press (about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon garam masala (see note)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (see note)
4 tablespoons juice from 2 limes, plus 1 lime, cut into
wedges
2 teaspoons table salt
3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts (breasts, thighs, and
drumsticks, or a mix, with breasts cut in half), trimmed of excess fat and skin
removed
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat oil in small skillet over medium heat until
shimmering. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add
garam masala, cumin, and chili powder; continue to cook until fragrant, 30 to
60 seconds longer. Transfer half of garlic-spice mixture to medium bowl; stir
in yogurt and 2 tablespoons lime juice and set aside.
2. In large bowl, combine remaining garlic-spice mixture,
remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice, and salt. Using sharp knife, lightly score
skinned side of each piece of chicken, making 2 or 3 shallow cuts about 1 inch
apart and about 1/8 inch deep; transfer to bowl. Using hands, gently massage
salt-spice mixture into chicken until all pieces are evenly coated; let stand
at room temperature 30 minutes.
3. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches
from heating element) and heat oven to 325 degrees. Pour yogurt mixture over
chicken and toss until chicken is evenly coated with thick layer. Arrange
chicken pieces, scored-side down, on wire rack set in foil-lined, rimmed baking
sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Bake chicken until
instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 125
degrees for breasts and 130 for legs and thighs, 15 to 25 minutes. (Smaller
pieces may cook faster than larger pieces. Transfer chicken pieces to plate as
they reach correct temperature.)
4. After removing chicken from oven, turn oven to broil and
heat 10 minutes. Once broiler is heated, flip chicken pieces over and broil
until chicken is lightly charred in spots and instant-read thermometer inserted
into thickest part of chicken registers 165 degrees for breasts and 175 for
legs and thighs, 8 to 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to large plate, tent loosely
with foil, and rest 5 minutes. Serve with chutney or relish, passing lime
wedges separately.
To finish off the week I went to Moosilauke Ravine Lodge on Saturday after hiking Mount Pierce and Mount Eisenhower, 10 miles total. We had salad with feta and cranberries, big bowls of steamy chili, and cheesy cornbread. It felt soooo good in our grumbling tummies.
