Drink Recipe: Celery Tonic / Celery Martini

Celery Tonic (Celery Martini)
Bon Appetit, Sept 2014, p.54
5 stars

I'm always one to try new (and sometimes odd) food and drinks, and I love it when we have everything in the house to make random recipes that I come across.

This recipe is very celery-y as you can imagine but really interesting, refreshing and one of my favorite drinks to make.

Recipe:

• Muddle 1 chopped celery stalk with 1 Tbsp. sugar and 1 oz fresh lemon juice in a cocktail shaker, 1 minute.
• Add 2 oz. gin, fill shaker with ice, and shake until outside of shaker is frosty, about 30 seconds.
• Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice and garnish with a lemon twist.

As you can see from my photo, I made it into a beautiful cool green martini. . .

Recipe: Spaghetti with Fresh Zucchini Pesto

Spaghetti with Fresh Zucchini Pesto

Food and Wine Magazine, Sept 2015, p. 60

4 stars

This was a pretty good and healthy (vegetarian!) dish.  We modified this recipe and added basil and used walnuts instead of almonds.  It's an interesting take on pesto by using zucchini.  

Add a simple garden salad with Parmesan crisps and a glass of white wine. . .  bon appetit!

Ingredients:  zucchini, spaghetti, Pecorino romano, garlic, blanched almonds, lemon zest, mint, red pepper, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, pepper

Recipe: Celery, Fennel and Apple Salad with Pecorino and Walnuts

Celery, Fennel and Apple Salad with Pecorino and Walnuts
Food and Wine Magazine, Dec 2014, p. 86
4 stars

We had extra fennel from another dish, and I was trying to figure out what to do with it. . .  found this recipe which was oh so easy and fresh -- a crisp/crunchy fresh and flavorful salad.  And only 10 ingredients!

Ingredients:  celery, fennel bulbs, Honeycrisp apples, basil, walnuts, Pecorino cheese shavings, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, Kosher salt, pepper

Recipe: Pork-and-Ricotta Meatballs in Parmesan Broth

Pork-and-Ricotta Meatballs in Parmesan Broth
Food and Wine Magazine, March 2015, p. 101
4 stars

Hearty and quick weekday meal that is so flavorful and will make your house smell wonderful.

Ingredients:  ground pork, frozen peas, baby spinach, egg noodles, chicken broth, ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, egg, breadcrumbs, nutmeg, extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt, pepper

Tips:

• Spinach wilts down to almost nothing, so we used almost 3/4 lb spinach (much more than what the recipe calls for)
• You probably will have leftovers, so definitely keep the egg noodles separate so that they don't get soggy -- don't cook the egg noodles in the soup

Recipe: Peach, Blueberry and Ginger Pie

A BA Kichen Primer: Fruit Pies
Bon Appetit Magazine, June 2015, p.33-38
5 stars

Pie Crust Recipe
Filling Recipe

I've made a Blueberry Ginger Pie and now a Peach, Blueberry and Ginger Pie using the pie crust and filling recipe in the June issue of Bon Appetit.  It beats all fruit pies I've ever tasted.

Tips:

• Crust recipes, in general, never seem to make enough dough for the bottom and top.  It's so odd.  When they do, the crust just seems too thin.  For the pie pictured above, I decided to make a crumble for the top.
• I don't think the pie crust needs as much butter as it calls for (1 cup + 2 tbsp).  I may test cutting it down just a tad next time.
• Make sure to set the pie plate on a sheet pan lined with foil.  The pie will bubble over with its yummy goodness.
• Serve the pie with homemade ice cream -- bourbon vanilla bean ice cream went great with the peach, blueberry and ginger pie.

Recipe: Ham-and-Cheese Puff Pastry Tart

Ham-and-Cheese Puff Pastry Tart

Food and Wine Magazine, Apr 2015, p. 126

5 stars

This is the ultimate ham and cheese (non-)sandwich that would be lovely to serve at a tea or as hors d'oeuvres at a dinner party.  We had this for dinner with a nice salad and glass of Chardonnay.

Basically,  you create a bechamel sauce that is layered in with the ham and Comte cheese in the puff pastry.

Ingredients (11):  thinly sliced baked ham, shredded Comte cheese, puff pastry, egg, flour, shallot, milk, butter, whole grain mustard, nutmeg, salt, pepper

Tip:

• Add a little more mustard and consider Dijon mustard