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4-layer {truffled} black bean dip.

May 7, 2012 — 18 Comments

Kids, it’s time to get your fancy-pants on.

4-Layer {Truffled} Black Bean Dip

Because today we’re going where no layered bean dip has gone before. We’re doing it up in a totally modern, fresh, and – yes, fancy-pants kind of a way.

It all started with Geoffrey Zakarian. Well, technically that’s a lie. It really started with this week’s pick for The Food Matters Project, Five Quick Salsas.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I have absolutely nothing against a good salsa. And I happen to think that the five ideas Bittman puts forth in the book (find them here on Alissa’s blog, BIG EATS…tinykitchen and see the rest of the group’s takes here) are great – super-quick and super-simple.

I toyed with the idea of a black bean salsa, and then BAM – I got inspired. I was leafing through my newest cookbook, Town Country, by Geoffrey Z. I adore him, for reasons of which I’m not entirely sure, other than the fact that I thought he kicked major ass on Iron Chef and I love him on Chopped … oh, and he also happens to be Armenian, which he has in common with the sickest human on earth, a.k.a. Daniel.

In Starters avocado, black beans, dips + spreads, goat cheese, truffle oil

{baked} truffle fries.

January 12, 2012 — 8 Comments

1 gi-normous Idaho potato = $1. Truffle-infused olive oil = $17. Truffle salt = $15.

Truffle fries you can feel good about eating? Priceless.

Seriously – who doesn’t D.I.E. for truffle fries? Give me the name of one person. I guarantee it’s only because they’ve never had them. Truffles and potatoes were made for each other – heck, truffles plus {fill-in-the-blank-here} were made for each other, when I think about it…eggs, mac and cheese, garlic bread…

In Fabulously Simple, On the Side fries, potatoes, truffle oil, truffle salt

truffled wild mushroom frittata.

September 21, 2011 — Leave a comment

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

In many cases, this is true. But such is not the case for this frittata, and I’m sure other frittatas would feel the same way. A photo can’t do this frittata justice. It’s big, it’s brown, and it’s not very pretty. There is no colorful smattering of veggies, no dusting of bright green herbs. Even if there were – I’m not sure it would make much of a difference.

And it doesn’t need to. Because the taste is where this frittata shines – and isn’t that the most important part? Of course it is. Yes, I do feel that food should be beautiful. But certain foods to me – I like thinking of them as rustic – are beautiful in their own right, like this frittata. Maybe it’s because I’m a sucker for mushrooms. Maybe it’s the fact that this frittata contains my new favorite secret ingredient to sneak into eggs: Cream cheese. OMG. The cream cheese gives it this lush, well…creaminess…that I’ve never experience while eating eggs. Maybe, though, just maybe – it has something to do with the fact that there are four other cheeses in this frittata.

In Main Dishes, Weekend Brunch cheese, eggs, frittata, mushrooms, truffle oil

truffled tater tots.

June 30, 2011 — 1 Comment

If you thought truffles and tots didn’t go together, think again.

When I was planning this dinner party menu, I knew something truffled was on the agenda. I also knew tater tots were on the agenda. And because the flavor of truffle goes so perfectly with potatoes, the decision to make truffled tots was an easy one.

Fried potatoes + shallots + truffle oil. How can this be a bad idea?

Yes – these require some work. It’s worth it, as I’m sure you can imagine. If you’re using a food processor to shred your potatoes – highly recommend! – it’s really not that bad. You can make little square-shaped tots like I did by pressing the warm, starchy potatoes into a cookie sheet, letting them cool, and then cutting into squares. Or, you can shape the potato mixture into balls with your hands. Either way you go, it’s a win.

Move over, truffled mac ‘n cheese. You’ve got some competition.

Truffled Tater Tots

Adapted from The Standard Spa and Hotel, Miami Beach

2 large Russet Potatoes, washed thoroughly
2 shallots, peeled
Handful fresh parsley, minced
3 tablespoons white truffle oil
Black truffle salt (sea salt will also do) and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for frying

Carefully read the directions and complete the processes from start to finish without letting the potatoes get cold. It is the warm starch from the barely cooked potatoes that holds the tater tots together.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Place potatoes on baking pan and cook for 20-25 minutes or until when squeezed the potatoes barely give. Remove from oven and set baking pan on top of oven to keep warm for another 20 minutes. (This will allow the center of the potatoes to barely cook so they will not turn brown after shredding. The goal is to have the potatoes barely cooked but not to the point that they turn to mashed potatoes when grated.)

Peel the potato skin back using a butter knife or vegetable peeler. Try not to remove any of the flesh underneath the skin as it will help bind the tater tots.

Using either a shredder attachment on a food processor or a hand grater, shred the potatoes into a bowl. Then press the shallots through the shredder attachment or if doing by hand, finely dice.

Add the shallots and the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly. The mixture should still be warm and sticky to the touch. At this point, the potatoes can either be pressed into a cookie sheet to a 1-inch thickness or hand formed into balls of the same 1-inch thickness. Wet your hands or rolling pin so the starch will not stick. Once formed allow to cool.

If making squares, cut potatoes that have been pressed into a cookie sheet into 1-inch by 1-inch squares after the potatoes have cooled.

Heat deep fryer or sauté pan with half inch of vegetable oil to medium-high heat and carefully place the tater tots in the oil. Turn the potatoes so all sides are cooked evenly to golden brown. Season lightly with a pinch of truffle salt and serve. Enjoy!

{To increase the truffle flavor, you may also opt to lightly drizzle your cooked tots with truffle oil before salting}

In Dinner Party Worthy, On the Side fried, potatoes, shallots, truffle oil, worth the effort

truffled {homemade} popcorn.

March 14, 2011 — 4 Comments

Tonight – for the first time all season – I am going to watch the Bachelor live.

{Team Emily, anyone?}

If you watch the Bachelor, you know that tonight is the finale – and you’re likely going to need something delicious to munch on.

Homemade popcorn is my latest obsession, because it’s so easy and fun to make. You’ll need to buy popcorn kernels, which you can find in the popcorn aisle at the grocery store. I use the Orville Redenbacher brand.

You don’t need anything except some oil and a large pot – no fancy equipment necessary! You’ll need truffle oil and salt, which you can find at many specialty food shops (I buy mine online – they’re not expensive) – but you can easily omit the truffle and simply use butter and salt.

Once you experience the fun of making popcorn this way, you’ll never want to use the microwave stuff again. Trust!

Homemade Popcorn

3 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup popcorn kernels

Truffle Butter

3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon truffle oil
Truffle salt
Kosher salt

Melt butter in a small pot over low heat. Add truffle oil and a generous pinch of both Kosher salt and truffle salt.

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Add popcorn kernels, cover. The kernels will begin to pop. Shaking the pot occasionally, let the popcorn cook until it’s just about stopped popping.

Pour popcorn into a large bowl and drizzle with the melted truffle butter. Give it a mix, taste for salt, and enjoy!

In Fabulously Simple, Obsessed, Starters movie night snacks, popcorn, reality tv, truffle oil

truffled cauliflower + caramelized onion tart.

June 7, 2010 — 6 Comments

Allow me to introduce to you to the best tart I’ve ever made.

{Or eaten}

Truth be told, this is the first tart I’ve ever made – and what a delicious introduction it was.

Now when you think of a tart, you might first think of those fabulous little confections of fruit and custard that frequent the counter of your favorite pâtisserie or bakery; but here – we’re talking savory tarts. I made this particular one for a couple of extra-special girlfriends who were down visiting me from NYC last month. I had some mascarpone and store-bought pie crust in the fridge that I needed to use, and after carefully scouring the web for the perfect recipe, I found this tart.

And it was just that – perfect. From the roasted cauliflower drizzled in truffle oil, to not one – but three fabulous cheeses {mascarpone – which is an Italian cream cheese, Gruyère – one of my favorite cheeses ever, and Parmesan}, to those perfectly sweet + slow-cooked caramelized onions…do I need to say anything more?

YOU.JUST.HAVE.TO.MAKE.IT.

On the side, I served Ina’s green salad and creamy vinaigrette. This is my favorite go-to salad to serve alongside a more complex main dish. The dressing is light and creamy, and coats the greens so beautifully. The champagne vinegar does give it some bite, which I love – but be careful because there are raw egg yolks in it, so if that freaks you out, you may want to go with something else. If, however, you’re anything like me – and you tend to eat high quantities of any type of cookie/cake/brownie batter – you shouldn’t be too worried about it, right?

Cauliflower and Caramelized Onion Tart

Found on Smitten Kitchen, adapted from Bon Appetit, March 2007

1 small head of cauliflower (about 1 pound) or 1 pound of a larger head of cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets
3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon truffle oil or a few pinches of truffle salt – I used oil
1 refrigerated pie crust {worked out great, though next time I’ll likely make my own – it’s not that difficult – see the Smitten Kitchen link above}
1 large onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 large eggs
1 (7- to 8- ounce) container mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon ground white or black pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

*I caramelized my onions and roasted my cauliflower at the same time, the night before. If you have some free time, I recommend doing it this way – it broke everything up nicely. Have a glass of wine {or two} and make a little night of it. Just make sure to store the cauliflower and the onions in different containers in the fridge. You can also bake the entire tart up to one day beforehand, reheating in a warm oven the day of.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 425°F. Toss cauliflower with 2 tablespoons olive oil in large bowl. Spread on rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast 15 minutes before turning florets over and roasting until brown and tender, another 15-20 minutes. Cool cauliflower then chop or slice and drizzle with truffle oil or sprinkle with truffle salt. Reduce temperature to 350°F.

Press your pie crust dough onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Line crust with foil, fill with pie weights (I use uncooked rice or beans – you just need something to weigh it down) and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and weights then bake until crust is golden, about 5 additionally minutes. Press crust back with the back of a fork if bubbles form. Cool crust and maintain oven temperature.

Heat remaining 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until onion is a deep golden brown, stirring occasionally. This should take between 30 to 40 minutes – and for that reason, I recommend doing it the day before.

Use a knife or brush to spread the bottom and sides of crust with mustard. Spread onion over crust. Arrange cauliflower over the onion. Set the tart on a rimmed baking sheet (to protect against leaks). Whisk eggs, mascarpone, cream, pepper, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Stir in Gruyère. Pour mixture over filling in tart pan, sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until tart is golden and center is set, about 40 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings.