Vermont on the Rocks

We were going through old magazines and finding tidbits to savor. We found this in one of last summer's issues of Martha Stewart Living:

Green Mountain Cooler

Combine 1-1/2 oz apple brandy with 1 oz of Grade A Vermont maple syrup and 1/2 oz of freshly squeezed lemon juice in an ice-filled shaker. Shake well and strain into a small glass of ice. Garnish with a slice of green apple.

Yum.

Summer Soltice Saturday with Paul and Gina Coles

Gerry had been wanting to get Paul and his wife, Gina, to dinner. What better excuse to enjoy their company and try out some great new recipes! We started with this Provincal White Bean Dip that Gerry had found on Serious Eats. We increased the salt and oil a touch. We served it with rounds of a French baguette, brushed with olive oil and Tuscan seasoning and baked/broiled until they were crisp.

We eat cucumbers like crazy in our house when they are prepared this way with fresh cilantro, sliced spring onions, freshly-ground sea salt and pepper and rice vinegar. Sometimes we use the large or small European type. This time we used the everyday cucs. We slice them paper-thin on our mandolin and use lots of cilantro and onions and salt and pepper. Then we douse them with rice vinegar. We keep them this way in the refrigerator to top our salads or eat them by the forkful.

The Crab Chowder with Corn and Celery was published in the Boston Globe Magazine June 12, 2011. "Down East Delicious" included recipes from the new cookbook, Maine Classics by Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier with Rachel Forest. This adapted recipe was delicious and we halved it due to the fact that we didn't want THAT much cream and fat hanging around the house all week.

The bread is my favorite recipe adapted from my favorite bread baking book, The Bread Machine Book by Marjie Lambert. The Ricotta Braid is moist and flavorful and I bake it in the oven after letting it rise and then brushing on a beaten egg yolk and sprinkling generously with sesame seeds until it is a golden brown. Sometimes I make the bread into small braids or rolls. It's best as a large braid, however, with moistness in all the nooks and crannies.

Baby Red Potatoes with Radishes was adapted from the Adam Reid's Boston Globe Magazine, "Pep Squad" June 5, 2011. We already had lobster and crab on the menu so we left out the shrimp in Adam's recipe, Potato Salad with Radishes and Shrimp. We also halved this recipe.

The last recipe for the Fresh Strawberry and Ricotta Tart was a bit challenging. I had made a photocopy of the recipe from Rustic Fruit Desserts by Cory Schreiber. I remembered to copy the Short Dough recipe on page 152 but left off the baking directions. Big mistake.

Had I realized that my baking instructions were missing, I might not have started the recipe. I am a librarian, after all, and had access to the recipe at work on Monday. However, I had made the filling AND the dough before I realized it.

Because I was on a deadline (starting much later that afternoon that I should have) I was a bit panicky when I realized that I had no idea how long to cook the crust. I make breakfast and dessert tarts all the time with a recipe that I rely on. Unfortunately, I was a bit unsure about this one because the liquid cream cheese filling would be placed on top of the cooked crust.

I went online and Googled "Rustic Fruit Desserts Strawberry and Ricotta Tart" and came across the recipe online. Unfortunately, I think that the blogwriter got the time in the oven (35-40 min) wrong so I've included my own timing after I threw out one batch of crust. Instinct told me to bake the crust 20 min. and that is what I did in the end, with success. The tart was delicious! The crust will get soggy if you save it, even in the frig. Don't make it too far ahead and make sure you finish every morsel within about 24 hours.

Crab Chowder with Corn and Celery

The Crab Chowder with Corn and Celery was published in the Boston Globe Magazine June 12, 2011. "Down East Delicious" included recipes from the new cookbook, Maine Classics by Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier with Rachel Forest. This adapted recipe was delicious and we halved it due to the fact that we didn't want THAT much cream and fat hanging around the house all week.

3 ears of butter and sugar corn
1 quart of heavy cream
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
3/4 c. chopped shallots
1/2 c. chopped celery
Freshly-ground sea salt
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chervil
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
1-1/2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
8 oz. crab meat

Cut the kernels off the fresh, uncooked corn cutting right into the cob. Don't toss the cobs but them in half. Pour the cream into a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, place the cobs in the cream and simmer the cobs in the cream until it is reduced by 1/3, or about 30 minutes. Remove the cobs and add the kernels. Cook for 4 minutes

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the shallots, celery, 1 tsp. salt and saute until translucent about five minutes. Add to the corn and cream and cook 1 minute. Add the thyme, tarragon, chervil and 2 Tbsp. of the chives and cook 5 more minutes. Add the lemon juice and 2 tsps of salt.

Place half the crab meat in the chowder. Divide the remaining among 4 bowls and pour the chowder over the crab. Garnish with the remaining chives and freshly groung pepper.

Short Dough for Fruit Tarts

For any fruit tart, first, prepare the Short Dough. Use a 10-inch tart shell with a removable bottom. Trader Joe's has a great sea salt in a large cylindrical container. I always keep my baking butter in the freezer and it cuts nicely into small cubes for blending.

1-1/2 cups of all-purpose or pastry flour
1/4 sugar
1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
1/2 cup or one stick cold unsalted butter cut into 1/4 inch cubes
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
1 egg yolk

Use a pastry blender to blend the flour, sugar, salt and butter until it has the consistency of coarse cornmeal. Lightly beat the cream and egg yolk together and then stir into the flour mixture with a fork. When the dough is blended, place it all in a small plastic bag (a thin one not a Ziploc-type.) Mash this together until you have a ball or disk. Refrigerate 1 hour or put into the freezer for 20 min.

Remove the disk of dough and press it into the tart pan and up the sides. Press hard so that you have a firm crust, tamping down so that there is a tart-pan shape.

Bake 5 minutes at 400 degrees. Turn down the heat to 350 degrees and bake another 10-15 minutes. There may be craters where the butter has melted. Unless the tart pan shows through it is fine. However, there should be no cracks or indentations that will allow the filling to leak through under the crust. Fill any cracks or craters with dabs of cold butter. Let the crust cool.

Fresh Strawberry and Ricotta Tart

First, prepare the Short Dough. Bake and let the crust cool.

I use King Arthur Flour's ground vanilla beans. You can also scrape the seeds from 1/2 of a vanilla bean, as the recipe actually dictates.

Filling:
1 cup of whole milk ricotta
2/3 cup of cream cheese (6 ounces) at room temperature
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 Tbsp of ground vanilla beans or 1/2 of a scraped vanilla bean
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Mix the ricotta, cream cheese, sugar, vanilla beans, salt and nutmeg on medium speed. Add eggs one at a time beating smooth after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Pour the filling into the prebaked and cooled crust. Bake in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes. The tart filling should be slightly puffed up and wobbly. Cool to room temperature and the filling firms up.

3 pints strawberries
1/2 cup good strawberry jam

Just before serving, place the halved strawberries in a bowl with warmed strawberry jam. Coat the strawberries and place them cut side down on the tart filling. Use whole strawberries if they are small around the edges or in the center. Brush the strawberries again with warm jam.

Remove the tart from the pan, keeping the bottom under the tart. Serve!

Tip: You can make the tart (without fruit) in advance and wrap the entire tart in plastic wrap and freeze. However, after fruit has been placed on it you should eat it within hours.

Baby Red Potatoes with Radishes

Baby Red Potatoes with Radishes was adapted from Adam Reid's Boston Globe Magazine, "Pep Squad, June 5, 2011. We already had lobster and crab on the menu so we left out the shrimp in Adam's recipe, Potato Salad with Radishes and Shrimp. We also halved this recipe.

1/2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1/3 c. Greek plain yogurt
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3/4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 medium shallot, finely chopped about 1/4 cup
1-1/2 Tbsp. minced fresh dill
6 large radishes, thinly sliced with a mandolin

We cooked the potatoes the way we normally do by steaming them in microwave until they are tender but not mushy. Arrange them in a single layer and drizzle with vinegar and let cool.

In a glass bowl whisk together the yogurt, oil, lemon juice, shallots, half of the dill, 1 tsp. salt and pepper to taste.

Scrape the pototoes into a bowl with the yogurt dressing and fold in the radishes. Adjust the seasonings. Sprinkle with the remaining dill. Serve room temperature.

Grilled Fish Tacos

Ingredients

Marinade
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons lime zest
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay™
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste
1 pound tilapia fillets, cut into chunks

Dressing
1 (8 ounce) container light sour cream
1/2 cup adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons lime zest
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay™
salt and pepper to taste

Toppings
1 (10 ounce) package tortillas
3 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 small head cabbage, cored and shredded
2 limes, cut in wedges
Directions

To make the marinade, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, lime zest, honey, garlic, cumin, chili powder, seafood seasoning, black pepper, and hot sauce in a bowl until blended. Place the tilapia in a shallow dish, and pour the marinade over the fish. Cover, and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours.
To make the dressing, combine the sour cream and adobo sauce in a bowl. Stir in the lime juice, lime zest, cumin, chili powder, seafood seasoning. Add salt, and pepper in desired amounts. Cover, and refrigerate until needed.
Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil grate. Set grate 4 inches from the heat.
Remove fish from marinade, drain off any excess and discard marinade. Grill fish pieces until easily flaked with a fork, turning once, about 9 minutes.
Assemble tacos by placing fish pieces in the center of tortillas with desired amounts of tomatoes, cilantro, and cabbage; drizzle with dressing. To serve, roll up tortillas around fillings, and garnish with lime wedges.

Carolyn's Clam Chowder

My mother made great New England clam chowder or as she would say, 'chowdah.' She never lost her Boston accent after living in California for over 1/4 of a century. I have used her recipe for over thirty-five years. Be sure to use variations (leave out the clam for NON-seafood-lovers, add fresh or frozen corn, leave out the salt pork and add bacon garnish for the meat-tolerant) to accommodate your own families.

Remove the thick skin from 1 small slab of salt pork. Dice the pork and place in a hot, deep soup pot. Don't burn the salt pork but heat until the fat has cooked off the pork. I have also used fatback. In that case, strain the salt from the fat and remove all the slabs and salt before proceeding. Or use just some butter and olive oil.

If you need to add some butter to the pot, do it now.

Add leeks and onion to the pot and cook until limp:

3 large leeks, sliced thin and cleaned if necessary

1 large onion cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Add about 2 Tbsp. Wondra and stir and heat until bubbly. Stir in 1 large can of chicken stock.

Chop about 8 cups of potatoes into bite-sized pieces. I leave the skins on California golden or white potatoes. Place the potatoes in the soup pot and cover with more stock or water. Boil on medium-high until potatoes are just tender.

Heat crock pot to medium.

Place 1/2 stick of butter and 1/4 cup of Wondra in a small saucepan and heat until bubbly. Slowly add 1 quart half and half until you have a very creamy chowder. Place in crock pot.

At this point you can transfer the chowder to a crock pot. Stir. Heat about 3 cups of fresh corn kernels in the soup pot with some butter or reserved pork fat. Add to the chowder.

Add 4 cans of drained baby clams (whole clams or use minced if you prefer) to the chowder.

Top with fresh thyme (1 tsp) or dried (2 tsp).

Update: use pepper bacon instead of salt pork. Add at least 2 cups fresh or frozen corn. Start your chowder with corn cobs simmered in the chicken broth.

Goat Cheese, Artichoke and Smoked Ham Strata

This Goat Cheese, Artichoke and Smoked Ham Strata is ideal for Christmas morning — it can be assembled a day ahead and baked just before serving. Gerry found the recipe on Epicurious.

Ingredients

2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup olive oil
8 cups 1-inch cubes sourdough bread, crusts trimmed
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
12 ounces soft fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet), crumbled (about 3 cups)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
12 ounces smoked ham, chopped
3 6 1/2-ounce jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained, halved lengthwise (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 cup (packed) grated Fontina cheese
1 1/2 cups (packed) grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Whisk milk and oil in large bowl. Stir in bread. Let stand until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
Whisk cream and next 5 ingredients in another large bowl to blend. Add goat cheese. Mix herbs in small bowl to blend.
Place half of bread mixture in prepared dish. Top with half of ham, artichoke hearts, herbs, and cheeses. Pour half of cream mixture over. Repeat layering with remaining bread, ham, artichoke hearts, herbs, cheeses, and cream mixture. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)
Bake uncovered until firm in center and brown around edges, about 1 hour.

Hot Crab Dip at the Cape

Hot Crab Dip

8 ounces cream cheese
2 tsp. milk
2 tsp. grated onion
1 tsp. prepared horseradish
4 ounces fresh crabmeat
Slivered almonds to taste

Combine all but crabmeat and mix well. Add crabmeat and fold together until thoroughly blended. Transfer to an ovenproof baking dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, sprinkle the dip with the almonds and bake about 20 minutes. Serve hot with sturdy crackers.

*Substitute prepared horseradish sauce if you'd like and shallots instead of onion. No need to refrigerate overnight - it was delicious cooked immediately.

Christmas Brunch 2010

We made Christmas Brunch together in 2010 and had a wonderful time. I say 'we' because the whole family joined in to create a delicious menu.

The Goat Cheese, Artichoke and Smoked Ham Strata is ideal for Christmas morning — it is assembled a day ahead and baked just before serving. Gerry found the recipe on Epicurious.

Ingredients

2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup olive oil
8 cups 1-inch cubes sourdough bread, crusts trimmed
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
12 ounces soft fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet), crumbled (about 3 cups)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
12 ounces smoked ham, chopped
3 6 1/2-ounce jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained, halved lengthwise (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 cup (packed) grated Fontina cheese
1 1/2 cups (packed) grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Whisk milk and oil in large bowl. Stir in bread. Let stand until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
Whisk cream and next 5 ingredients in another large bowl to blend. Add goat cheese. Mix herbs in small bowl to blend.
Place half of bread mixture in prepared dish. Top with half of ham, artichoke hearts, herbs, and cheeses. Pour half of cream mixture over. Repeat layering with remaining bread, ham, artichoke hearts, herbs, cheeses, and cream mixture. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)
Bake uncovered until firm in center and brown around edges, about 1 hour.

See Baked Eggs in Mushroom Sauce.