Goat Cheese Squash Blossoms

This past weekend I picked up some awesome looking squash blossoms from Nichol's Farm. They make such a great presentation with the great orange leaves and the pocket to fill with any number of fillings. I went with a simple herbed goat cheese and a quick fry in a tempura batter.





Goat Cheese Stuffed Squash Blossoms
about a dozen squash blossoms
3 -4 oz goat or other soft cheese
herbs, I used thyme
1 -2 garlic cloves, diced
salt and pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Garlic Oil

about one cup flour
1 TSB corn starch
about one cup beer

oil for fying

Mix the cheese with the herbs, garlic and oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.



Using a pastry bag with a large tip, or a plastic bag with the corner cut, carefully fill the blossoms with the cheese mixture about 2/3 full.



Twist the ends to seal and place in the refrigerator, until ready to serve. The cold cheese will be less likely to melt all over before the outside is cooked.



When ready to fry, heat oil in a large pot to about 350 deg. In a large bowl mix the flour and corn starch and season with salt and pepper. Mix in the beer until the batter is about the consistency of thin pancake batter. Dunk the blossoms in the batter then straight in the hot oil.



Cook a few minutes a side, until nicely browned.



Pat dry on a paper towel, then sprinkle with salt.

Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Toasts

The other night we went to Abigail's with our friends Adam and Renee, there we had an appetizer with mushrooms and truffles. I was inspired by this.

I had recently read on SeriousEats.com about a new method to caramelize onions, using two slight changes. One is to caramelize a small amount of sugar, this jumps starts the process, the other is to add baking soda (a base) which changes the pH and allows you to cook hotter and breaks the onions down quicker. The end result was surely tasty and likely took a bit less time, was somewhat mushy. So for an application like this dish, it works great, but for something where you wanted pieces of onion, it would not work.

Mushroom with Goat Cheese Caramelized Onion Toasts
half a large onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp sugar
1/8 baking soda
pinch salt to taste
oil and/or butter

1 - 2 cloves garlic, sliced
a couple cups thick sliced mushrooms
2 - 3 ounces goat cheese
3 - 6 slices bread
small bunch arugula
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt and pepper to taste

To make the onions, start by heating a stainless pan over medium heat, add the sugar and cook until melted and slightly golden.





Add the onions, and turn to coat. Then add the baking soda and salt, and butter and/or oil. Cook over medium heat turning occasionally. If the onions stick add a touch of water and incorporate any of the browned pieces.



Cook until the onions are broken down and have a nice caramel color. Cool completely before adding to the cheese.



To prepare the mushroom, add a touch of oil to a pan and add the garlic and a touch of salt. Cook for a minute to soften then add the mushrooms. Cook over medium heat, until cooked though and soft.



Mix the cheese with the onions. Season with salt and pepper. Toast the bread, then spread with the cheese.



To finish, top with the mushrooms, then with the arugula. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.

Apples, apples everywhere...

This past weekend we went up to Michigan to one of Auden's friends house to go apple picking. Not only did the kids have fun but we brought back a huge bag of apples. After making a huge pot of apple sauce, I was looking for something else to do with the apples. I came across this and thought it looked great.

I made a few tweeks but basically followed the recipe, and it was a hit.

Crostini with apple chutney and goat cheese

3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3/4 cup rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
5 allspice berries
1 cinnamon stick
5 cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into -inch pieces (about 4 cups)
1 cup raisins

1 cup diced seeded plum tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint


1 French-bread baguette, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices
Olive oil
head garlic
goat cheese

Mix the vinegar and sugar in a large pot. Cook over medium until the sugar dissolves.




Add in the spices and garlic and ginger and cook over medium heat until reduced, about 10 minutes.




Add the apple and raisins and cook another 10 minutes over medium until cooked but not mushy.


To roast the garlic, remove the skin and place the cloves in an oven safe container. Cover with oil and bake in a 350 oven for about 40 minutes until the garlic is soft and golden brown.


After the chutney has cooled, add the tomato and mint (I used dried).


To serve, toast the bread then spread with some cheese and a clove of the soft garlic then top with the chutney.

Grilled Figs

I saw fresh figs at the store and couldn't pass up the chance to enjoy them.

This is an easy elegant recipe.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Grilled Figs

fresh figs

1 - 2 tsp goat cheese per fig, at room temp.

honey

thyme

salt and pepper

balsamic vinegar

olive oil

To make the balsamic glace, boil several ounces of vinegar over low heat for about 15 minutes until thickened. Add a sprinkle of thyme. Set aside to cool.

Slice the figs about 3/4 through from the bottom, leaving the stem attached, to create a little pocket.

To make the filling, mix the goat cheese with the honey, thyme, salt and pepper to taste.

Fill in the pocket of the figs with a scoop of the cheese, then squeeze together. Place them in the refrigerator for at least an hour to harden the cheese again. This will prevent it all from melting out on the grill.

Warm a grill to medium low. Drizzle the figs with a touch of oil and season with salt and pepper.Grill on both sides until the are soft and the cheese is warmed.

Finish by drizzling some of the balsamic glaze on top.

Garlic...

Ok so technically I did not need a recipe for this, but I am true to my challenge.

I was flipping through Martha Stewart Living and came across this and it worked perfect as I had just the right amount of bread.

Roasted Garlic with Parmesan

1 head garlic

about 1/2 loaf baguette

1 - 2 Tbs EVOO

salt and pepper

Parmesan

Slice of about 1/4 inch of the top of the garlic. Place on parchment and drizzle with about 1 Tbs oil and season with salt and pepper.

Wrap the garlic in the parchment then in foil and bake in 475 deg oven about 30 - 40 minutes until golden and soft.

Cut the bread and drizzle with oil, toast until lightly browned. To serve, shave the cheese with a peeler and serve with the garlic and toast.

Edamame Dip

Sometimes I go looking for a recipe, others they just come to me. I saw this yesterday on the Bon Appetit blog and thought it would be tasty. As it turned out, not as Auden friendly as I had suspected.

Edamame Dip with Pita Chips

3 pita breads, split horizontally, each round cut into 1 1/2-inch wedges
1 12-ounce bag frozen shelled edamame (2 1/3 cups), unthawed
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons minced fresh basil plus sprigs for garnish


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Scatter pita pieces on large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Bake until crisp, 15 minutes; cool.

Cook edamame in large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, 5 minutes. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup cooking liquid.

Place edamame, oil, and 1/4 cup reserved cooking liquid in processor. Blend until smooth, drizzling in 1/4 cup cooking liquid and lemon juice. Season dip with salt and pepper. Blend in more cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if too thick. Add minced basil; pulse until basil is just mixed in (do not puree).

Transfer dip to bowl. Garnish dip with basil sprigs; serve with pita chips.