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bananas ‘n cream pudding.

June 8, 2012 — 9 Comments

It doesn’t get more Southern than banana pudding.

Bananas 'n Cream Pudding

The old-school way of going about it involves any or all of the following: pudding – usually instant, boxed Nilla wafers, maybe some sweetened condensed milk, fresh banana slices, and either a meringue or whipped cream topping. It all gets layered together in some sort of a casserole or bowl, where the cookies become soft and as they melt their way into the pudding.

If you didn’t know all of that, you’d probably think the term “banana pudding” refers to … a banana-flavored pudding, right?

I totally dig this kind of thing – for one, that the name of the recipe seems straightforward, but it’s not, and then the fact that it’s timeless and classic, the type of recipe that gets passed down from generation to generation. However, I’m not so into boxed pudding and cookies and the like – hi, have we met? And so I set off to create my own spin on this traditional Southern specialty.

My first requirement was fresh berries. I love the combination of banana and both blueberries and blackberries, and I liked the idea of a twist on berries ‘n cream. To me, banana pudding should be a light, refreshing dessert. If I want something rich and heavy, I’m going for chocolate or an all-butter pastry type of a deal.

Bananas 'n Cream Pudding

Also – who wants something heavy after fried chicken? A meal like that requires something on the lighter side, for sure.

The next order of business – and the most important one – was the bananas. This is banana pudding, after all! I knew I wanted their flavor to shine, so I immediately knew I’d be roasting. I thought about roasting bananas for the first time when I made this banana bread (also with blackberries … I told you I’m into this combo) but I didn’t, because I had some old ones to use. This was the perfect opportunity to try it! You already know how I feel about roasting – it brings out the best of pretty much all vegetables, and apparently now fruits – so this was an obviously easy decision.

In Sweets + Treats bananas, blackberries, blueberries, everything's better roasted, fresh whipped cream, pudding, southern recipes, vanilla bean

rosemary-garlic roasted leg of lamb.

April 11, 2012 — 1 Comment

There’s something inherently fabulous about serving a roast when you’re entertaining.

It’s got a lot to do with the presentation. Plop that baby onto the center of a pretty platter, and surround it with potatoes that just so happen to cook beautifully (and conveniently) underneath the lamb, and you’re basically done with dinner. It’s really like a centerpiece – and I do believe it’s best served buffet-style, so that everyone can simply and easily serve themselves and marvel at your pretty centerpiece all at the same time.

If you’ve had rack of lamb, then maybe it will be hard to tear you away from those brilliantly tender and flavor-packed lollipops of meat – but I can assure you, a whole leg is definitely the way to go for a dinner party. Cheap? No. Cheaper, for a lot more meat? Yes.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Main Dishes carrots, everything's better roasted, fingerling potatoes, lamb, meat roasts, rosemary, spring recipes, thyme

{the real deal} hummus.

March 12, 2012 — 13 Comments

Damn you, Mark Bittman.

I already can barely take the artificial taste of store-bought hummus – and now, it’ll be hard to go back to the homemade kind I used to be quite happy with…you know, the kind made with canned chickpeas.

{#foodmattersproblems}

This is what hummus is supposed to taste like. If you’re a hummus-lover, which I bet many of you are, you’ll be blown away by the difference in both flavor and texture that happens when you go that extra mile and cook your own chickpeas.

Only you don’t have to go an extra mile, really – as Mark proves in his instructions for cooking dried beans. To soak, or not to soak…that is the question. Most people, including myself, are turned off by the fact that dried beans require an overnight soak prior to cooking. Not because it’s hard to fill a bowl with water and beans, but because it requires planning ahead. Well, you’ll be thrilled to know that Mark says he’s done it every which way, and he doesn’t find the soaking to make a difference. Boom!

Let’s call it an extra couple of yards you’ve gotta go to do hummus the right way. No soaking overnight, just simmering a pot of beans for an hour or so. Next time, I might try this in my slow cooker – I’ve heard that’s a thing people do.

Totally. Worth. It.

In Food Matters Project, Healthy Eats, Starters cauliflower, chickpeas, dips + spreads, eggplant, everything's better roasted, homemade pita chips, mark bittman, olive oil, olives

asparagus with fried capers + poached eggs.

March 9, 2012 — 3 Comments

It’s time …

… to start thinking about … asparagus … !!!

You might have other, more exhilarating things to get your heart fluttering right now. Not a bad thing! I suppose I do, too – but as we know, it’s the edible things in life that get me weak in the knees.

The edible things, that grow from the ground, that allow us as people who enjoy food to truly get excited about putting good stuff into our bodies.

Ah, the power of a vegetable at its prime.

Or should I say, the power of a roasted vegetable at its prime. Because when you roast asparagus – like most other veggies – at a very high heat, something magical happens. I’m going to trust that you’ve done this before. Because I’m pretty sure I’ve talked about it ad nauseam. But – the real question remains: Have you ever topped said asparagus with fried capers? And perhaps more importantly – poached eggs?

Swoon.

There’s a lot of magic happening in this dish, and if you’re afraid of poaching eggs, well, then I triple-dog-dare you to try it. If you, too, go weak in the knees for a creamy egg yolk running over your toast, ridiculously-delicious roasted asparagus, hash browns, whatever – then you simply must learn how to poach an egg. Because more often than not, restaurants will undoubtedly screw this up, which leads me to throw a temper tantrum in my head because now my breakfast is ruined, and all I really wanted was a proper eggs Benedict and why must I suffer from an overcooked egg yolk that doesn’t. run. anywhere. ?

In Fabulously Simple, Weekend Brunch asparagus, capers, eggs, everything's better roasted, meatless, poached eggs, roasting veggies

roasted pepper + white bean dip.

February 20, 2012 — 18 Comments

This recipe is a perfect example of why blogging groups rock.

The Food Matters Cookbook is overflowing with recipes that I want to make. I’m elated when I receive email from fellow members that say, “Thank you SO much for starting this project. I can’t even begin to select a recipe because I want to make all of them!” That’s exactly how I felt, and I’m so happy we’re all in this together.

Not only for the biggest purpose to spread the word about the philosophy behind these recipes and this way of eating, but because flavor-bombs like this roasted red pepper pesto might have otherwise gone overlooked.

And not because it doesn’t look to be a delicious idea upon first glance – because it does. Moreso because of the overwhelming number of appealing recipes in this book. All of us, as both food bloggers and people who simply enjoy good food – yes, of course we have things in common, but we are also inherently different. Naturally, we’re going to be drawn to different recipes. That’s where the brilliance lies.

This was the first time I roasted peppers myself, and I was blown away by the difference between homemade and store-bought. There’s still a place in my heart – and in last-minute entertaining – for the jarred variety, but if you’ve got the extra time, there’s just no reason not to do it yourself. The difference in flavor is remarkable. And it’s super-easy to do.

In Food Matters Project, Healthy Eats, Starters dips + spreads, everything's better roasted, garlic, parmigiano-reggiano, roasted red peppers, vegetarian, walnuts, white beans

the amazing five-hour roast duck.

December 4, 2011 — Leave a comment

There are certain things you can cook at home that just make you feel like you know what you’re doing.

The good news is, thanks to this life-altering recipe, you don’t have to know what you’re doing.

Does cooking duck scare you? If it does, I don’t blame you. I’m fairly certain that I might have been apprehensive about cooking duck before I read this recipe. But you know it’s from my favorite book, one that I’ve never made anything remotely bad from, and one written by people that I now trust explicitly.

I have no time to waste on a bad recipe after all, you feel me?

So, this duck…this duck is foolproof. That’s all you need to know. Duck roasts for 5 hours – yes, 5 full hours – slowly, skin becomes so crispy it will just blow your mind, and meat ends fall-off-the-bone tender. I’ve never had duck like this before.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Main Dishes 150 best american recipes, duck, everything's better roasted, rosemary, thyme, white beans

oven-roasted tomato confit.

June 25, 2011 — 2 Comments

I should probably let you in on this fact before I begin: I don’t like ketchup.

I know, I know. How can one not like ketchup? Probably comparable to how I feel about people who don’t like cheese. Or chocolate. Or garlic.

{I have one friend who doesn’t like any of them! Can you believe that? Well, she is lactose-intolerant, but she chooses not to like chocolate or garlic – which just baffles me}

And people who love ketchup, well – let’s just say there are definitely ketchup enthusiasts out there. People who will put ketchup on anything. I have another friend who used to put ketchup on her pizza. Doritos, even. See? A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G.

If you’re wondering what I eat on my fries, it’s mayo. I’m sickly into mayo – especially homemade. Ketchup is just too sweet and overpowering for me. It has that artificial taste that I just can’t deal with. Maybe one day I will try homemade ketchup.

For now, I’m all about the slow-roasted tomato confit. I love tomatoes. And you’ve heard it before: Roasting tomatoes makes something magical happen. Well, slow-roasting doubles that magic. The flavor that comes out of these tomatoes is just incredible. They are so dramatically sweet, and the essence of the thyme runs throughout. I like to leave the thyme leaves on the stems – you can remove them when the tomatoes are finished cooking, and the flavor is still there.

The method is also totally foolproof – depending on how much time you have, you can turn the temperature down to 200 degrees and so, and let them go for 5 or 6 hours. Or, alternatively, if you’re short on time, you can up the temperature and roast them for an hour or so. You can’t screw these up. They’re just too perfect.

Enjoy them on burgers. Enjoy them on sandwiches. Enjoy them thrown in with a bowl of pasta, or perhaps tossed into an antipasto. Enjoy them in salads, on pizza or crostini…

Just enjoy them.

Oven-Roasted Tomato Confit

2 pounds plum tomatoes – peeled, halved lengthwise, and seeded
Extra-virgin olive oil
Handful fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment, and arrange the tomatoes cut side up. Drizzle with oil and scatter thyme throughout. Season with salt and pepper.

Roast for 2 – 3 hours, until the tomatoes have softened and partially dried out. To serve, place tomatoes in a dish and pour the oil from the pan over the tomatoes.

MAKE-AHEAD: The confit can be made in advance – it will keep in the fridge for about a week. Bring to room temperature before serving.

In Fabulously Simple, Recipe Arsenal confit, everything's better roasted, homemade condiments, ketchup, tomatoes

a {totally martha} thanksgiving-inspired menu.

November 22, 2010 — 1 Comment

Thanksgiving. It’s kind of a big deal.

Who else could we trust for an event like this other than Martha Stewart?

Martha is a serious role model of mine. I can’t even tell you how many friends and acquaintances have referred to me as the “Martha of our generation” – and I can’t even begin to tell you how flattering that is. With Thanksgiving RIGHT.AROUND.THE.CORNER, I figured the perfect way I could pay homage would be to create a Thanksgiving-inspired dinner party menu all in the name of Martha.

The best part is: Although the recipes are indeed things you could, should, and would make for Thanksgiving Day itself, they’re also things that you could make any other night – for a fabulous fall dinner party, Christmas Eve, or otherwise. Who wants to spend all that time trying to perfect a giant turkey when you won’t be making it again for another year? So, instead I tried to piece together items that won’t limit you to this one {albeit very special} day a year; you won’t find any green bean casseroles or sweet potato pie, but what you will find is a perfect mix of dishes that will work well for any fall or winter occasion.

Got it? Thanksgiving-friendly, but not Thanksgiving-only. I’ve gone ahead and tested all of these recipes for you, and I promise they are all nothing-short-of wonderful. And most importantly, they’re all *totally* doable – no matter what your level of skill in the kitchen may be.

Thanksgiving-Inspired Dinner Party

{all from Martha Stewart}

Pear and Sparkling Cider Cocktails

Baked Brie with Pecans

Fall Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

Cranberry-Stuffed Cornish Game Hens

Maple-Glazed Parsnips and Carrots

Luxurious Mashed Potatoes

Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

The Starters:

You’ll die for the Pear and Sparkling Cider Cocktails. I’m not usually a big bourbon drinker, but this is honestly my new favorite specialty cocktail for fall. You can make them totally ahead of time, and I love the garnishing of the glasses with those beautiful, brown Bosc pears. The Baked Brie with Pecans is another go-to favorite appetizer – I love that all you need to buy is the Brie, if you typically have pecans, brown sugar, and maple syrup on hand like I do. This is best served warm, so it’s best to try and have it out when your guests are first arriving. The Fall Salad with Maple Vinaigrette is a no-brainer – it has all of my favorite fall ingredients packed right in, like apples and blue cheese, and the easy dressing ties in the maple flavor which is found in several of the dishes throughout this menu. You can make this ahead of time: Just leave your dressing in the bottom of the serving bowl, and add your salad ingredients on top; give it a toss when you’re ready to eat. Just make sure to douse your apples in lemon juice so they don’t turn brown on you.

The Main Course:

The star of the meal is, of course, the Cranberry-Stuffed Cornish Game Hens. I love anything and everything miniature – so clearly I opted to make these darling little birds over a giant turkey. A turkey can be daunting, and definitely Thanksgiving-only, so these baby birds are the perfect substitute. I must admit, I had never stuffed a bird before. The idea freaked me out a bit, but the end result is so delicious that now I totally get what all the fuss is about. Make sure your hens are dried very well with paper towels to ensure you get a nice, crispy skin. Love the rye bread stuffing, and the dried cranberries add the perfect fall touch. Salt your hens a day in advance if you can, as you always should do with meat to ensure better flavor. You can do the stuffing ahead of time, and stuff your hens before your guests arrive – as the tying of the legs can take a few minutes. They bake for about an hour, so I would probably get them in the oven when your guests start to arrive, depending on how much time you like to have before the main course comes out. You’ll have to do a quick pan gravy when they come out, but it only takes a few minutes.

The Sides:

Sides are always a favorite amongst dinner guests, whether on Thanksgiving or any other night of the year. The Maple-Glazed Parsnips and Carrots are sure to be a hit; just be careful on your timing, as the skinny ends of the veggies can burn pretty quickly. I love how the tops of the carrots are left on – it gives the dish that rustic quality, and looks so beautiful. It’s no secret that I love to roast my vegetables, but these are tossed in maple syrup rather than olive oil, which continues that flavor-theme of maple throughout the menu and feels perfect for fall. Oh, and there’s bacon. Enough said. You can prep your ingredients and put them on the pan in advance, then just toss them in the maple syrup and stick the pan in the oven after your hens have been in about 5 or 10 minutes – unless you’re lucky enough to have two ovens. Just keep an eye on them and take them out when they’re roasted to golden-perfection. It’s okay if they’re not piping hot when they’re served – some dishes are perfectly fine to serve at room temperature, and this is one of them.

And once you taste the Luxurious Mashed Potatoes, you’ll understand the name. There are hands-down the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever made, thanks to one stick of butter and over a cup of heavy cream. The trick here is to pass them mashed potatoes through a fine-mesh sieve or strainer – you’ll end up with the creamiest, smoothest mashed potatoes you’ve ever tried. I added fresh parsley and chives for some color. You can do them ahead of time, and just warm them in a baking dish covered in foil in a 350 degree oven for about 10 to 20 minutes.

The Dessert:

By this time of year, I’ve thoroughly exhausted my obsession with all-things pumpkin, and this Caramel Apple Bread Pudding is just the solution. There’s an out-of-this-world Caramel Bourbon Vanilla Sauce that can be made totally ahead of time, and you’ll want to make the full amount so you can have leftovers for vanilla ice cream later in the week. You can also assemble everything else ahead of time, and pop it in the oven right when you take your hens out. It takes about 40-50 minutes to bake, so that way you can have time to enjoy your dinner and let it get settled before enjoying your grand finale.

*If you double the drink recipe, and scale up the salad a bit, everything here will serve 6.

In Complete Menus, Dinner Party Worthy bread pudding, brie, cornish hens, everything's better roasted, fall recipes, first-course salads, i love holidays, martha stewart, potatoes, specialty cocktails, thanksgiving

{my first} roast chicken.

September 29, 2010 — 4 Comments

Perhaps I should change the name of this post to my last roast chicken.

Because I truly don’t know if I’ll ever bring myself to make another. I’m sure there are other delicious roast chickens out there – probably plenty, as most roast chickens are inherently delicious – but it can’t possibly get any better than this.

To start, there’s bacon.

See? That bacon cooks right on top of the whole party, injecting both the potatoes and the chicken with flavor.

Yes, it’s a party. Perfectly moist, juicy, and flavorful chicken + bacon + lemon-rosemary potatoes + roasted garlic = PARTY. Oh yes, that’s right – there’s roasted garlic. Can you see it in the first photo, rubbed all over the chicken? I.die. for roasted garlic.

But let’s get back to the bacon. Because after all is said and done, we’re going to take that bacon, and crumble it all over our potatoes. Our potatoes that have first par-boiled with lemon and garlic, and then roasted until perfection – covered in chicken juices, bacon drippings, and tons of fresh rosemary.

These potatoes are hands down the best I’ve ever had. I usually like to leave the skin on, because it makes me feel like I’m being healthy, you know – get more fiber, feel less guilty about eating half the pan. I put that {semi-ridiculous} theory aside here, and cooked them exactly the way Jamie told me to – and that’s what YOU must do. You really must. Because these potatoes are *so* unbelievably crispy, flavorful, and out-of-this world delish – you won’t be able to stop eating them.

Which actually may be a reason not to make them, depending on how you look at it.

Roast Chicken with Lemon, Rosemary, and Bacon Potatoes

Recipe via Jamie Oliver

4½ lb free-range organic chicken
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4½ lbs potatoes, peeled
1 large lemon
1 whole bulb of garlic, broken into cloves
Handful of fresh thyme
Olive oil
Handful of fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves picked
8 slices of bacon

Rub the chicken inside and out with a generous amount of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Do this as early as you can, and cover and leave it in the fridge until you’re ready to cook. You should do this with any meat – it makes it more flavorful.

Preheat your oven to 375ºF, and bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cut the potatoes into golf-ball-sized pieces, put them into the water with the whole lemon and the garlic cloves, and cook for 12 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for 1 minute {I like to place a clean kitchen towel over top – steaming ensures crispy potatoes}, then remove the lemon and garlic. Toss the potatoes in the pan while still hot, roughing them up a little bit. This will make your potatoes perfectly crispy and delicious.

While the lemon is still hot, carefully stab it about 10 times. Take the chicken out of the fridge, pat dry with paper towels, and rub generously with olive oil. Push the garlic cloves, the whole lemon, and the thyme into the cavity, then put the chicken into a roasting tray and cook in the preheated oven for around 45 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate. Some lovely fat should have cooked out of it into the roasting tray, so toss the potatoes into this with the rosemary leaves. Shake the tray around, then make a gap in the middle of the potatoes and put the chicken back in, or if you have a pan with a tray like I do, you can place the chicken back on the rack. Place the bacon over the chicken and cook for a further 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked and the potatoes are nice and golden.

Remove the bacon from the chicken and crumble it up over the potatoes. Then remove the lemon and garlic from inside the chicken, squeeze all the garlic flesh out of the skin, mush it up and smear it all over the chicken, discard the lemon and rosemary and carve the chicken at the table.

“Heaven!” Jamie says, and I couldn’t agree more.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Main Dishes, Recipe Arsenal bacon, chicken, everything's better roasted, lemon, potatoes, rosemary

roasted shrimp cocktail.

September 1, 2010 — 5 Comments

Everyone loves shrimp cocktail.

It’s just one of those things.

But when you roast those shrimp, that’s where it’s really at. You know, it’s kind of like tomatoes. Magic.

You can serve them warm, or let them get to room temperature. Serve it all up in a pretty plate like this, with lemon slices on the corners, and I guarantee they’ll be gone before you know it.

It’s the perfect thing to add to a menu when you want a little something extra, but don’t have the time for anything complicated. Shrimp cocktail is indeed a classic, but roasting the dish makes it feel more special. Special, and delicious. Oh – and one more thing. Once you see how easy it is to make cocktail sauce yourself, you’ll never go back to bottled. I like to add a little extra horseradish to mine.

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

Courtesy of Ina Garten

2 pounds (12 to 15-count) shrimp
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the super easy-peasy cocktail sauce:

1/2 cup chili sauce (recommended: Heinz)
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place them on a sheet pan with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread them in 1 layer. Roast for 8 to10 minutes, just until pink and firm and cooked through. Set aside to cool.

For the sauce, combine the chili sauce, ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Serve as a dip with the shrimp.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Fabulously Simple, Starters easy appetizers, everything's better roasted, ina garten, shrimp