Drink Recipe: Paris Between the Wars

Paris Between the Wars 

Food & Wine Magazine, Dec 2020, p. 72

4.5 stars

You have to like Campari or semi-bitter drinks to enjoy this lovely restaurant-worthy cocktail that's not hard to make but tastes complex (how I like it!).

Ingredients: Campari, blended Scotch whisky (such as Dewar's), lemon juice, simple syrup, dry sparkling wine such as brut Cava, ice cubes, lemon peel strip for garnish

Recipe: Quinoa Grain Bowl with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Chile-Marinated Tofu, Kale and Lemony Tahini-Miso

Quinoa Grain Bowl with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Chile-Marinated Tofu, Kale and Lemony Tahini-Miso

BobbyFlay.com

5 stars!!!!

I was more than pleasantly surprised by how good this dish turned out, but should I be surprised? It's a Bobby Flay recipe where he's all about great flavors. This is easier to make than our Ancient Grains Buddha Bowl which we also LOVE. Very easy to make especially on a weekday, despite the recipe looking long.

Quinoa Ingredients: quinoa, olive oil, water, salt

Sweet Potato Ingredients: sweet potatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper

Chile-marinated Tofu Ingredients: extra-firm tofu, sesame oil, soy sauce, chili paste

Kale Ingredients: kale, celery, olive oil, lemon juice, Kosher salt

Lemony Tahini-Miso Dressing: lemon juice, honey, white miso paste, tahini, toasted sesame oil, water, garlic ginger

Toppings: sliced avocado, sunflower seeds, celery leaves, cilantro

Tips:

• Sauteed the kale a little bit
• Left out the sunflower seeds and celery leaves

Recipe: Pizzettes

 

Pizzettes

Bon Appetit Magazine, Dec 2020/Jan 2021, p. 96

4.7 stars

The photo in the magazine looked amazing, but I wasn't sure how these were going to turn out. They were so delicious and turned out like the photo! As I'm typing this, I'm thinking I need to get a pizzette (not to be confused with pizzelles) right now to have with my coffee. The soft brownie-like texture with the glaze on top, along with the winter spices, citrus and texture of the almonds makes this a new winter cookie favorite for me. I love that this cookie isn't too sweet either.

Cookie Ingredients: raw skin-on almonds, flour, baking powder, Kosher salt, unsalted butter, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, sugar, Dutch-process cocoa powder, egg, egg yolk, bittersweet chocolate chips, lemon zest, orange zest

Glaze Ingredients: bittersweet chocolate, powdered sugar, unsalted butter, Kosher salt

Tips:

• For our oven, we baked these for approx. 11 minutes (5 min + 6 min)
• Because the cookies were on the softer side, we didn't dip them into the glaze but instead, poured the glaze on top

(Find recipe under: Dessert - Pretzel and Potato Chip Moon Pies)

Recipe: Cauliflower and Cheese with Spicy Breadcrumbs

 

Cauliflower and Cheese with Spicy Breadcrumbs

HalfBakedHarvest.com

4.9 stars

We had this wonderful side dish with steak and the Charred Focaccia and Steak Salad (without the steak in the salad). The flavors were so unique -- I'd not had a dish like this with flavors of smoked paprika, chipotle chili, gouda, cheddar, thyme, oregano and prosciutto. We loved it and will definitely be making it again. It's not a hard dish to make at all...and is relatively quick!

Ingredients: cauliflower, ciabatta or sourdough bread, prosciutto, smoked paprika, oregano, red pepper flakes, salted butter, flour, whole milk, cheddar cheese, gouda cheese, thyme, chipotle chili powder, onion powder, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips:

• The cauliflower head was more than 3 cups -- maybe 5 cups. I made 1.5x the amount of cheese sauce which actually wasn't needed in the end.
• Used panko breadcrumbs and toasted it on the side in a pan with the extra virgin olive oil, oregano and salt
• The prosciutto didn't crumble (didn't want to overcook/bake it) so chopped it up

Recipe: Pretzel and Potato Chip Moon Pies

Pretzel and Potato Chip Moon Pies

Bon Appetit Magazine, Dec 2020/Jan 2021, p.96

4.3 stars

These cookies were good, but I'd make some changes if I make them again -- see tips below.

Ingredients: pretzels, potato chips, marshmallows, semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coconut oil, flour, sugar, unsalted butter, Kosher salt, Pretzel salt or flaky sea salt

Tips

• Don't wait for the cookies to turn golden brown (which means they're overdone)
• Don't use organic marshmallows as I don't think they melted as well. May make my own marshmallows!
• Instead of coconut oil, make a ganache or glaze with oil so the the chocolate actually hardens.

Recipe: Tofu with Rice and Miso-Maple Dressing

 

Tofu with Rice and Miso-Maple Dressing

Bon Appetit Magazine, Dec 2020/Jan 2021, p.43

4.4 stars

A light, flavorful, healthy dish! Only problem was that I didn't feel very full after eating it so I'd recommend serving this with gyoza or maybe another item.

Ingredients: tofu, ginger, scallions, carrots, shelled edamame, garlic, white miso, unseasoned rice vinegar, soy sauce, maple syrup, toasted sesame oil, cornstarch, red pepper flakes

Serve with steamed white rice, cilantro, toasted sesame seeds

Tips:

• Make about 60% of the marinade. There was a lot of extra marinade that became a little bit gelatinous.

Recipe: 30 Minutes Coq Au Vin Chicken Meatballs

30 Minutes Coq Au Vin Chicken Meatballs

HalfBakedHarvest.com

4.6 stars

My new favorite chef is Tieghan Gerard from HalfBakedHarvest.com. Her recipes are for one, GREAT, and they just all look incredibly delicious (see her Instagram account). I've been going to her site more often than Bon Appetit or Food and Wine's magazines and sites.

We had ground chicken in our freezer so this recipe caught my eye especially during these semi-cold winter days. Loved this dish -- good flavor!!! While it took a little bit more than 30 min, it doesn't taste like a simple, 30 min dish.

Ingredients: ground chicken, egg, carrots, mushrooms, Panko bread crumbs, bacon, yellow onion, garlic, tomato paste, red wine, chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, Parmesan cheese, Kosher salt, pepper

Serve with mashed potatoes.

Tips:

• Because I was craving polenta, we made polenta instead of mashed potatoes; we'll do mashed potatoes next time. 

Recipe: Smoky Potato and Kale Soup

Smoky Potato and Kale Soup

HalfBakedHarvest.com

4.6 stars

Not a great photo of the soup above since it's covered by Manchego cheese (yum!) that we decided to use to top the soup. This was so flavorful and not hard to make. Another HalfBakedHarvest delicious recipe!

Ingredients: Yukon gold or russet potatoes, kale, whole milk, chorizo, yellow onion, chicken broth, lemon, garlic, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper, Manchego

Recipe: Pork-and-Brisket Chili

Pork-and-Brisket Chili

Food and Wine Magazine, Nov 2017, p.101

4.5 stars

Found this recipe in my huge stash (I have a mountain of recipes I've collected over the years, pulling out pages from magazines). We were in the mood for chili, and this sounded good and complex compared to what we've made before. It was delicious, and made enough to feed a crowd (but we're not having any parties during these pandemic times so had leftovers that we froze for a later date!).

The recipe took quite some time -- the recipe says that the active time is 1 hr 45 min, but I think it took longer.

Beans ingredients: dried pink beans, yellow onion, carrot, celery, garlic, Kosher salt

Chili ingredients: boneless pork shoulder, brisket, yellow onions, green bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, light brown sugar, mustard powder, ground cumin, jar of Hatch chiles, crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, oregano, vegetable oil, Kosher salt, pepper

Serving/topping ingredients: sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced scallions

Tips:

• Cut the boneless pork shoulder into 3/4" pieces instead 1.5" inches
• Used 2 yellow onions instead of 3
• Used 5 garlic gloves instead of 10
• Add crushed red pepper if the green Hatch chiles are mild
• When making the beans, cook for 1.5 hours instead of 1 hour

Recipe: Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Burrata

 

Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Burrata

HalfBakedHarvest.com

4.2 stars

This salad was good, not amazing compared to some others we've made. However, it's pretty fast to make and uses up pesto (which we usually have on hand) and has burrata as the cheese (one of our favorites!). The dressing tastes almost like a Caeser dressing but without the umami that comes from anchovies.

Salad Ingredients: chicken breasts, basil pesto, ciabatta bread, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, burrata cheese, garlic, red pepper flakes, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper, fresh herbs like chives, thyme and basil

Parmesan Tahini Dressing: tahini, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, grated Parmesan, lemon, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper

Recipe: Picadillo

Picadillo

Bon Appetit Magazine, Sept 2020, p. 60

4.8 stars

Easy weeknight taco dish. I love that it includes poblanos and potatoes! This was one of blog contributor the grandcruman's favorite leftovers this past week. The dish was a tad watery (from the chicken stock), but we think that's the way it's supposed to be.

Ingredients: ground beef chuck, Yukon gold potato, onion, tomatoes, poblano chile, cilantro, garlic, chicken stock, cumin, vegetable oil, Kosher salt, pepper; tortillas and Mexican cheese

Tips:

• Used less salt -- instead of 1 Tbsp, use about 5/8 of a Tbsp.
• Broiled the poblanos so we could easily remove the skin.
• Added jalapenos!
• Need to add red pepper next time for a little heat.

Recipe: Alsatian Potato Pie

Alsatian Potato Pie

Martha Stewart Living, p. 133

4.3 stars

This "side" dish will wow a dinner party. Plus, who doesn't love puff pastry? If you like things like puff pastry, potato-leek soup, Gruyere and souffles, this recipe is for you. I'm always pleasantly surprised by how so few pretty basic ingredients can come together to make such a delicious dish.

Ingredients: puff pastry, Yukon Gold potatoes, leek, egg, Comte or Gruyere, parsley, garlic, all-purpose flour, heavy cream, unsalted butter, nutmeg, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips:

• Instead of pouring the cream mixture into the pie vents into the funnel, next time we're going to layer the cream on top before the final layer of puff pastry.
• Really nice with a Chardonnay.

Recipe: Tater Tot Egg Bake with Bitter Greens Salad

 

Tater Tot Egg Bake with Bitter Greens Salad

Bon Appetit Magazine, Nov 2020, p. 74

Salad: 5 stars

Tater Tot Bake: 2 stars

I was SURE that this dish was going to be delicious, but surprisingly, it was mediocre. The tater tot had little flavor, but the SALAD was amazing -- definitely make this salad again!

Salad Ingredients: sliced almonds, mixed greens, arugula, Manchego cheese

Salad Dressing Ingredients: shallot, orange juice, sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt

Tater Tot Ingredients: tater tots, onion, eggs, Kosher salt, pepper

Recipe: Chipotle Shrimp Cobb Salad with Jalapeno Corn Vinaigrette

 

Chipotle Shrimp Cobb Salad with Jalapeno Corn Vinaigrette

Half Baked Harvest

5 Stars

This is one of the best salad recipes we've made. Restaurant-worthy. We altered this a little bit as we don't eat much shrimp unless we know it's clean. This salad has some of my favorite things including avocado, bacon, eggs, jalapeno (for some spice) and corn.

Salad Ingredients: shrimp (or corn), mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, peach or nectarine, feta cheese, avocado, bacon, eggs, chipotle chili powder, ground cumin, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt

Jalapeno Corn Vinaigrette Ingredients: corn, cilantro, jalapeno, limes, honey, apple cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt

Tips:

• Forgot to add peaches but don't think it needs that added ingredient.
• Replaced the shrimp with corn.
• Made farro and basically built the salad on top of the farro to make it a hearty one-dish meal.
• I prefer soft boiled or over-easy eggs so made an over-easy egg instead of hard-boiled.
• Didn't blend the dressing.

Recipe: Molten Chocolate Crackle Pie

Molten Chocolate Crackle Pie

Half Baked Harvest

4.5 stars

We made this for Thanksgiving and I think it's one of the best chocolate pie recipes ever. It was chocolatey, RICH and had a nice complexity to it because of the hazelnut liquor and also the texture of the chocolate chunks. I'll definitely be making this again. No need to ever buy pie from other places like Emporium Pies. This beats it hands down.

Tips:

• We used Frangelico for our liquor.
• Definitely make the Hazelnut Whipped Cream! It's a nice balance to the richness of the pie.
• Make sure to let the pie cool; otherwise, it'll be a molten mess when you serve it, and you won't get the texture of the chocolate chunks.
• Half Baked Harvest's recipe didn't have instructions on how to best braid the pie crust so I got the help of blog contributor the grandcruman who has watched many a British Baking Show episodes who was able to help me.