Today I'm giving you another recipe from my Kitchen Party. These Gruyére-Walnut Crisps are a nice little accompaniment to a glass of Prosecco or Champagne. Here they are served alongside fresh figs, some of which are wrapped in Proscuitto, drizzled with fresh lime juice and seasoned with freshly ground black pepper. Gruyére - Walnut Crisps a recipe from ? Makes about 80 savory cookies. • 3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature • 12 ounces finely grated Gruyére cheese • 1 teaspoon salt • 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour • 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts 1. Using an electric mixer, beat butter in a medium bowl until smooth. Beat in the Gruyére and salt. Add flour and walnuts; beat just until dough comes together, adding water by teaspoonfuls if dry. Divide in half. Roll each half into a 14-inch log. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, at least 4 hours. Can be made 2 days ahead. 2. Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut logs into 1/4-inch slices. Place 1/2-inch apart on baking sheets. Bake until deep golden, about 20 minutes. Cool on racks. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
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I served Bar Nuts at my recent Kitchen Party. When I purchased the assorted nuts at Whole Foods, the cashier asked what I was going to do with all of the nuts. I told her I was making Bar Nuts. She replied, "Oh, nut bars; that sounds healthy". I explained, no... I was making Bar Nuts to have with drinks. I didn't get an answer, but a long stare instead. What I should do is take her a small bag-full. I think she'd be a convert to Bar Nuts over healthy nut bars. It was the first time I ever made the Union Square Café recipe and I will be making these Bar Nuts often throughout the looming, not-too-far-off-in-the-distance, holiday season. My husband (the husband that doesn't like nuts), couldn't stop eating them. They're still good a day after making, but out of the oven, still hot and aromatic, they are at their best. That's the way they should be eaten. + BAR NUTS + from The Union Square Café Cookbook • 1/4 pound each peeled peanuts, cashews, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, and whole unpeeled almonds, or 1 1/4 pounds unsalted, assorted nuts • 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne • 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar • 2 teaspoons kosher salt • 1 tablespoon butter, melted 1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. 2. Combine the nuts and spread onto a rimmed jelly-roll pan. Toast in the middle of the oven until they become light golden brown, about 10 minutes. 3. In a large bowl, combine the rosemary, cayenne, brown sugar, salt, and melted butter. 4. Toss the warm-from-the-oven nuts with the spiced butter and serve warm. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Now this is easy! Just what I need when I don't have a kitchen and grill most of our meals outdoors. This was the first course Debbie served when I was at her home for dinner the other night. Fresh figs were not available, so she substituted ripe, sweet peaches. Served with toasted baguette slices and fresh goat cheese, it was so good I just had to make it myself. Start by halving the peaches. Brush with canola oil and grill until the peaches get caramelized. Once off the grill, drizzle with a little good quality Balsamic vinegar and fill the peach cavity with shreds of Proscuitto and fresh basil. Serve with toasted baguette or ciabatta bread and fresh goat cheese. Recipe by Debbie Webster TAKE a LOOK: I suppose this is the inaugural post of " Great Kitchens", recipes and photos I hope to share with you occasionally while my kitchen is dismantled. We were invited this past weekend for an al fresco dinner at Carol and Paul's. They are one-third of the group we call "gourmet". Approximately every 3 months we get together with Carol and Paul, and Debbie and Greg, either at our house or at one of their houses. So far this year Bill and I have been given a pass on hosting a dinner, all because of our kitchen remodel. I owe everyone Big Time this fall. I am always excited about going to Carol and Paul's. The tables are set with beautiful French linens. Pipi, who joined us that night, was made to feel very special with her own personal coverlet folded on the brick patio, along with a bowl of fresh water. Upon arriving, we were greeted with glasses of Sangria. Debbie and Greg's contribution to the meal was crostini with roasted radishes. If you have never been a radish fan, try eating them this way. It's my new favorite way to eat radishes. Greg was inspired to make them this way after reading an article in The New York Times. (For some reason I cannot copy the link, but if you put in a search for NYT's "A GOOD APPETITE; roasted radishes", it should come up.) The copper saucepan is awaiting morel mushrooms... Paul dried the morels he picked this spring by running a needle with thread through the mushrooms. He then hung them in the basement to dry. To rehydrate, the morels were mixed with heavy cream in a saucepan over low heat. Just try to imagine how good that tasted. The morels were combined with asparagus. Is there anything that screams spring more than morel mushrooms and asparagus? And if that wasn't wonderful enough, we also had boned, breaded trout caught by.... yes, PAUL! I looked around at all of the plates as they were carried away. There were no leftovers what-so-ever. We savored every bite. I feel extremely lucky and very grateful to be included in this group... Great food... Great friends. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: It's suggested in the cookbook French Tarts by Linda Dannenberg, to serve this Salmon and Endive Tart as an appetizer with a chilled Sauvignon Blanc. We ate this tart, however, as our dinner accompanied by a green salad and a baguette. The recipe calls for a tart shell of puff pastry. I'm very partial to the Pâte Brisée I always make for my savory tarts (also a recipe from the book French Tarts), and this is what I used when assembling this tart. Use either one. Tarte au Saumon et aux Endives Salmon Endive Tart recipe from French Tarts by Linda Dannenberg • 4 sheets puff pastry to line a 10 1/2-inch buttered tart pan, partially baked (see baking instructions below) • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter • 3 medium endive, washed and cut lengthwise into julienne strips • 1/2 pound smoked salmon, cut into small pieces • 4 large eggs • 1/2 cup crème fraîche and 1/4 cup milk, or 3/4 cup heavy cream • 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper To Partially Bake the Tart Shell: Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line the tart shell with aluminum foil, then fill to the brim with dried beans or rice. Bake in the center of the oven for 8 minutes, remove the baking weights and the foil, return to the oven and bake 2 more minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool. (See my comments above on baking the tart shell.) To Make the Tart: Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the endive, stir to coat them with the butter, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until they are lightly browned and translucent. Spread the endive over the bottom of the tart shell, then spread the salmon on top of the endive. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, crème fraîche and milk or the heavy cream, dill, and pepper. Whisk the mixture until well blended, then pour into the tart shell. Bake in the center of the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until the crust is browned and the center of the tart is firm. Cool slightly on a wire rack. Serve warm. TAKE a LOOK: I don't think I've ever classified anything made in my kitchen as "dangerous", but I will give this Olive Butter that distinction. Early in the day I mixed up yeast dough for my favorite baguettes. While in the oven, I combined the ingredients for Brooke Williamson's (chef at Zax in Brentwood, California) Olive Butter. Once the baguettes were out of the oven and had cooled slightly, I started slicing and spreading. I finally just had to say, "no more!" Yes... this Olive Butter is dangerous and delicious. It was hard for me to push it aside. We have been enjoying unusually mild weather for mid-April in Minnesota. After biking in the afternoon through St. Paul and Minneapolis along the Mississippi River, we sat outdoors on the patio with the freshly-baked baguettes and olive butter, wine, and bowls of ricotta-filled ravioli floating in homemade tomato sauce. Could it get any better? I don't think so. • Olive Butter • recipe found in SAVEUR magazine | January/February 2002 • 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature • 1/2 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives • 2 sprigs parsley, chopped • 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced Put the butter in a medium bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the olives, parsley and minced garlic and mix well. Season to taste with coarse salt. Serve at room temperature with toasted baguette slices. Makes 1 1/2 cups. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Great last week of winter, soon to be spring appetizer. Brie with Pears and a Balsamic Reduction from Martha Stewart Living | December • January 1999/2000 • 1 eight-ounce wheel Brie or Camembert cheese, cold • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter • 1 large Bosc pear, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice • 2 tablespoons brandy • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar • 1 tablespoon honey • 8 walnut halves 1. Slice cheese wheel in half crosswise; set aside. In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the diced pear, and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the brandy, and cook 1 minute more. Add rosemary, and stir to combine. Remove from heat, and spread over bottom half of reserved sliced cheese wheel, reserving 2 tablespoons of the mixture for garnish. Transfer cheese to serving plate. 2. Return skillet to stove, and heat the balsamic vinegar and honey until simmering. Simmer mixture until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Pour half the glaze over cheese and reserved pear mixture; top with remaining half of cheese wheel and pears. Drizzle with remaining glaze, and garnish with walnut halves and rosemary. Serve immediately. How do I prepare for unexpected guests during this entertaining season? One thing I do is make this recipe for Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Torte. I divide the ingredients into four portions, layering them into four individual ramekins. Keep assembled tortes covered and stored in your refrigerator until someone unexpected drops by; then just remove and unmold onto a plate. Voila! Surround by crackers or a sliced baguette, open a bottle of wine and you're good to go. A layer of chopped black olives in the torte wouldn't be bad, either... just a thought; many possibilities to improvise. Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Torte from a December 1990 issue of HG Magazine • 8 ounces cream cheese • 8 ounces Montrachet cheese, or a domestic soft goat cheese • 3 sticks butter • 1 cup pesto • 1 cup drained minced sun-dried tomatoes Beat the cheeses and butter until well-blended and fluffy. Line a cake pan ( I used 4 ramekins and have also used one large brioche pan) with damp cheesecloth, making sure the cloth is large enough to fold over the top of the pan. Fill the pan with one third of the butter-cheese mixture, followed by half of the pesto. Repeat. Spread over the remaining mixture and cover with the tomatoes. Place plastic wrap over the top of the torte and fold the cheesecloth over. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. To serve, fold the cheesecloth back, turn the torte out, and removed the cloth from the bottom. Invert, tomato side up, onto a serving plate and remove the plastic wrap. Serve with crackers. Oh... you are so lucky! We had dinner with our neighbors (yes, the Orange, Tomato and Avocado Salad and the Bistecca alla Florentina neighbors!). And now, I have a new recipe to share. For our appetizer we ate figs stuffed with goat cheese, wrapped in proscuitto and grilled. They brought the recipe back from California where they were introduced to this new-to-us preparation of figs. Of course, I couldn't wait to make it myself. You will need fresh figs (I bought a box of about 25 at Whole Foods), fresh goat cheese, proscuitto, olive oil and freshly ground black pepper. Cut a small section from the side of each fig; take some of the goat cheese and press into this small cavity. Wrap a long, narrow slice of proscuitto firmly around the fig (you want to do your best at keeping the goat cheese inside the fig while grilling), and skewer. Right before grilling, drizzle with olive oil and season with lots of the freshly ground pepper. Grill over a low flame. I found that you want to turn the skewered figs as little as possible to keep them intact. I may even slide the skewers into one of those flipable grill baskets the next time. The saltiness of the proscuitto and sweetness of the figs is a delicious match.
This Tomato-Peach Salsa was a huge hit! We couldn't stop eating it, and it was gone in a flash. I will definitely be making this again during tomato and peach season.
Fresh Tomato and Peach Salsa adapted from a recipe by Nicole Routhier • 1 pound tomatoes, heirloom if possible • 3 ripe, unpeeled peaches, cut into 1/4-inch dice • 1/2 cup finely diced red onion • 2 tablespoons finely shredded basil • 1 jalapeno pepper, finely minced • 4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil • Fine sea salt to taste • Freshly ground black pepper to taste In a large bowl, gently toss together the diced tomatoes, peaches, red onion, basil, jalapeno, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Add the sea salt and pepper to taste. Eat immediately. |
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