Stromboli

I have to admit I got this idea off of Martha Stewart... again. I know - I need to quit watching daytime television. They also had a recipe in her Everyday Food magazine - another reminder that I was craving some stromboli. When I mentioned I was making it to Lindsay - she was instantly reminded of how her best friend from middle school - Erin's - mom (I don't know how to properly say that sentence... ) Anyway - I, too, remember one time eating at their house and having this.. So it brings back pleasant memories for Lindsay, and hopefully it will create new ones. How corny is that!
So a little bit about Stromboli... It's very similar to calzones... and you may even feel like you're eating a calzone when you eat this.. but its different in the sense that instead of creating a little "hot pocket" with the pizza dough, you actually roll out the dough.. sprinkle ingredients over it.. and then you roll it up into an oblong log and bake it. So if you're familiar with making like jelly rolls or something to that nature, its a very similar process. Ingredients are limitless - you can use marinara or pesto... ricotta or mozzerella... meat or veggies... You choose!

One of the bonuses of living in my neighborhood is that I have a little Italian market down the street, that sells fresh, homemade mozzerella.. and I have a local pizzeria that will sell you their fresh, unbaked pizza dough. I highly recommend using local ingredients if possible whenever cooking a meal... it just makes things taste better for some reason. I know Lindsay has access to a local pizzeria that sells dough.. I'm sure she's got plenty of cheese shops, too! But I feel like these homemade ingredients are far better than purchasing store bought.

Stromboli
serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1lb pizza dough, thawed if frozen
• 1/2c marinara sauce
• 1/2lb fresh mozzerella (or shredded if you can't find fresh)
• Flour for rolling out pizza dough
• Salt & pepper
• Any assortment of ingredients such as these (which are the ones we used):

• broccoli
• mushrooms
• onion
• roasted garlic
• italian sausage
• roasted red peppers
• etc...

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
   
2. Divide pizza dough into 4 equal portions. If you feel like the dough you have is a little small, then you may be able to only get 3 portions out of it. With your hands, try and shape each portion into about a 3" by 4" oval. Roll out to try and get it to be about 6" by 8" rectangle. Its ok if its not perfectly this size. If you have trouble rolling it out and it keeps springing back in place (I had this issue!) let the dough rest a few minutes and try again. I eventually gave up and pretty much stretched the dough using my hands. Again, doesn't have to be perfect.
3. Once you have the dough rolled out, spread a couple spoonfuls of marinar sauce over the dough and spread, leaving about a 1/2" border around all the edges. Then sprinkle with your ingredients, trying not to over load it! This is important... keep in mind you will be rolling this up! So used ingredients that were cut into smaller pieces to make the rolling easier. Once you've put your veggies/meat on.. sprinkle the cheese over the top and season with salt and pepper. In order to roll up your stromboli, start with the smaller narrow end and roll, tucking in ingredients as you go. Finish with the seam side down. You don't need to worry about sealing the sides or anything. .. just leave it be. Cut 2 vents in the top to allow steam to escape.
4. Place stromboli on a foil-lined baking sheet OR on a pizza stone if you have one. (When using a pizza stone, I find it best to sprinkle cornmeal over the stone to prevent sticking as well as giving the pizza a nice crispy crunch to it). Place in preheated oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes.. depending on the thickness/size of your stromboli. You want the outside to be nice and brown and crispy. And if you're using a pizza stone, make sure you preheated the stone for at least 20 minutes, too.

If making this for 2 - fear not... leftovers are just as good!

Enjoy!
Submitted by Lauren

Butternut Squash & Pancetta Risotto

Risotto is one of those amazing and extremely versatile ingredients. You really can work with whatever vegetables, herbs or meat you have on hand. Sometimes I do zucchini, walnuts, and nutmeg. Other times I'll do champagne, pear and pecorino cheese. Risotto is the perfect comfort food for any evening. It can either be dressed down for a relaxing night at home or dressed up to impress your friends at a dinner party.

Furthermore, It's one of the few meals I make when I really feel like I can be creative and I'm not scared of how it will turn out. Just pick your favorite ingredients, a wine (red or white!), find some aged cheese such as pecorino and parmesean, pull out the chicken stock and you're ready to go!

I'm sure Lauren touched on this when she posted her risotto recipe, but please beware that you cannot try and do a lot of multitasking while making risotto. It requires constant love and attention. You must continue to stir despite the heat of the stove or weakness of your arm. Just keep going until it's a creamy perfection!

I realize that this is more of a recipe made in fall or winter, but living in San Francisco squash is available most of the year and we never seem to have warm nights. I always enjoy a good risotto and I hope that you do too.

Ingredients:

Butternut Squash

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 pound squash, cut into 3/4-inch cubes, divided
  
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• dash of cinnamon
  

Risotto

• 5 cups chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 pound pancetta, small dice
• 1/2 cup minced shallots
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
  
• 2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage leaves
• 1/2 cup white wine

Directions

For the butternut squash: In large skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Add half of the squash and season with salt. Cook for 6 minutes until golden on all sides. Add brown sugar and cinnamon and cook until the squash is caramelized and tender, but not mushy. Set aside and keep warm.

For the risotto: Bring chicken stock to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm. Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan add the pancetta and the remaining squash and saute until lightly browned. Add the shallots, stirring until softened.

Pour in the arborio rice and cook for a few minutes, stirring until well coated and the rice becomes somewhat translucent.

Turn the heat to high and add the white wine, simmer until mostly absorbed.

Add the hot stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until absorbed by the rice. It is very important that you continue to stir and do not add the next batch of liquid until the first one is absorbed. If I have the time, I'll even do it at 1/4 cup at a time to really allow it to slowly absorb the liquid. Continue to add stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring to release the starch. Check rice for doneness after 18 minutes, rice should be al dente but cooked through.

Stir in sage, kosher salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Gently fold in the squash. Serve immediately. Garnish with a few more shavings of cheese and a sprig of sage.

Buon Appetito!
- Lindsay

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart with Balsamic Glaze

I finally had an excuse to make this! The cover of April's issue of Gourmet Magzine was this tart and I desperately wanted a reason to make it. It had a light pastry crust, a no-bake mascarpone filling, and topped off with macerated strawberries with a port glaze. Yes - the recipe calls for port. Unfortunately - Kyle lives in a "dry county" and due to the high alcohol content and addition of brandy to port wine, it was sold only in liquor stores. After searching downtown Dallas en route to Kyle's friends house, we only found 1 liquor store and port was not sold there (but they had plenty of 1.75L bottles of Gallo pink wine!). So after getting closer to her friends' house, we realized we had entered BACK into a dry county. Alright - time for a solution. What's the next best thing? Balsamic vinegar. Alright - now to find a grocery store!! Once again, found ourselves driving up and down streets in a mostly mexican neighborhood or something - because we passed plenty of supermercado's and discount food plus or whatever thats supposed to be - but I didn't think we'd find balsamic vinegar in a mexican grocery store. My dad was convinced, though. So we came upon a super super mercado - El Rio Grande! I bet they were the only 2 white people in there - and just like I thought... no balsamic. About ready to give up (well, I wasn't - I was counting on my dessert to be nothing short of amazing, and the absence of this ingredient would probably have ruined my whole weekend) we finally found a white super market. Yay! Balsamic vinegar was purchased and we were on our way!
Alright, enough cheese. But seriously - if you ever want to impress guests, make this dessert. It is really good!

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart with Balsamic Glaze
serves 8 (and seriously - no more!)

For tart shell:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• Rounded 1/4 tsp salt
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons cold water

For filling:

• 1 1/2 lb strawberries (about 1 1/2 qt), trimmed and halved lengthwise
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup ruby Port - or in my case, substitute with Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 lb mascarpone (about 2 cups)
• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1T chopped fresh mint leaves (don't substitute with dry, just leave out completely unless you have fresh mint)

Equipment - a 10-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom; pie weights or dried beans

Directions:

Make tart shell:

• Blend together flour, sugar, salt, and butter in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Beat together yolk, vanilla, lemon juice, and water with a fork, then drizzle over flour mixture and stir with fork (or pulse) until mixture comes together.
• Gently knead with floured hands on a lightly floured surface until a dough forms, then gently knead 4 or 5 times. Press into a 5-inch disk. Place in center of tart pan and cover with plastic wrap. Using your fingers and bottom of a flat-bottomed measuring cup, spread and push dough to evenly cover bottom and side of pan. Prick bottom of tart shell all over with a fork and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
• Line tart shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until side is set and edge is pale golden, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and continue to bake until shell is deep golden all over, about 20 minutes more. Cool in pan, about 45 minutes.

Make Filling While Tart Shell Cools:

• Stir together strawberries and granulated sugar in a bowl and let stand, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Strain in a sieve set over a small saucepan, reserving berries. Add Port (or balsamic) to liquid in saucepan and boil until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, whisk together mascarpone, confectioners sugar, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until stiff.

Assemble Tart:

• Spread mascarpone mixture evenly in cooled tart shell, then top with strawberries. Drizzle Port glaze all over tart. I would suggest waiting until near time to serve before topping the tart, otherwise the glaze may start to spread and the tart will be slightly less attractive. I also added some fresh chopped mint to the strawberries for color.
  

Hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Submitted by Lauren

Easter Dinner

I realize Easter was over a week ago - so this post is a little late. But maybe it will help you decide what you'd like to do for your Easter meal! Or maybe it will help remind me about the recipes used, so I can do it again next year. Whatever the reason - I hope it helps your decision making a little easier.


We made a crown roast of Lamb with a mint pesto rub, served with a honey mascarpone sauce, a potato & leek galette, and roasted asparagus. The lamb rack was perfect!! We got lucky and the butcher had a crown rack on display he was ready to sell, so he sold it to us for a deal - plus the rack was already frenched! How lucky is that! The rub was a perfect substitution to the typical mint jelly often served alongside lamb and the honey mascarpone added a nice creamy element to the whole dish that was totally unexpected.







The potato & leek galette I hade made the previous Easter and thought it was a fun side dish that offered great presentation as well as a fun substitude for mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, roasted potatoes, scalloped potatoes, or whatever else you can think of.. Instead you get this pretty little wedge on the side.



So on to the recipes!


Crown Roast of Lamb
serves 8

Ingredients:

• 2 racks of lamb, about 1 1/2lbs per rack or 8 ribs per rack, frenched
  
• 1 recipe mint pesto, recipe follows
  
• 1 recipe honey mascarpone, recipe follows
• salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Season lamb on both sides with salt & pepper. Rub mint pesto over entire lamb racks. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
   
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   
3. Tie up racks to resemble crown - I'd tell you how to do this, but I didn't do it myself.. so you'll have to just go with it.
   
4. Place on rack set up ontop of a sheet pan/roasting pan. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30-60 minutes (this helps the roast to cook more evenly)
5. Roast lamb until a thermometer reads 130 degrees (for medium rare) - about 20 minutes/lb.
6. Let lamb rest for at least 20 minutes - temperature will continue to rise about 10 more degrees.
   
7. Slice between ribs and set on top of mascarpone sauce on plates.. Or drizzle sauce on top.

Mint Pesto

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (firmly packed) fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 clove garlic, sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a chopping blade, process mint leaves and walnuts for 30 seconds. Add Parmesan cheese, garlic, pepper, and salt; pulse until mixed. With motor running, slowly add oil through feed tube until pesto mixture is smooth and well combined. You may need more oil, depending on how thin or thick you want the pesto to be.

Honey Mascarpone Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup creme fraiche (or if you can't find this, you can substitute w/sour cream)
  
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3/4 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the creme fraiche, honey, cumin, and mint. Add the mascarpone cheese and stir until just combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.


Potato & Leek Galette
serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 pounds (5 to 6 medium) baking potatoes, peeled
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 leek, white and light-green parts, thinly sliced crosswise, well washed
• 6 ounces Gruyere cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 1/2 cups)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with rack set in top third. Line bottom of a 9-inch cake pan with a round of parchment paper. Place melted butter in a large bowl. Using a mandoline or cutting by hand, slice the potatoes 1/8 inch thick; add to bowl with butter. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. In prepared pan, arrange some of the potatoes around edge of pan, overlapping the slices.
2. Fill center of pan with more overlapping slices. Sprinkle with half the leek and half the cheese; season with salt and pepper. Repeat with another layer of potatoes and remaining leek and cheese; season with salt and pepper. Top with remaining potatoes. Using a spatula, press galette down firmly.
3. Bake until potatoes are tender, 70 to 80 minutes, pressing down firmly twice with a spatula during cooking. Run knife around edge of pan. Carefully invert galette onto a plate, remove parchment, and reinvert onto serving plate. Cut into wedges, and serve.

And as for roasted asparagus - well I shouldn't have to tell you how to do that!


The finished product:




Hope you try this recipe sometime - I think it would go over well with beef tenderloin as well.

submitted by Lauren

Savory Egg Pudding!

I bet you're thinking - that doesn't look like a picture Lauren took! Well, you're right. I kinda forgot to take a picture.. so I stole it from the site where I stole the recipe! I got it from Chowhound - if anyone is familiar with that site, it's great! It offers up loads of help from discussion boards to recipes. You can find the recipe here.
For Easter brunch, we were trying to come up with a replacement egg dish instead of our popular egg casserole (which uses bacon).. we needed a vegetarian dish so we decided to try something completely different. Lindsay and I have done souffle's before, but those are work and I didn't want to have to put forth more effort than it was worth. This dish was quick, simple, and very tasty... plus it makes great leftovers the next morning! It's close to a quiche in texture.. but there is no crust involved. simple!

Savory Egg Pudding
serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 3 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 medium red potatoes, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 2 1/2 cups) You can also use yukon gold potatoes
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh tarragon, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 medium leeks, white and pale green parts only, halved lengthwise, rinsed, and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 medium garlic clove, peeled and minced

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 375°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat a 2-quart baking dish with butter and set aside.
2. Combine flour, 1/2 of the half-and-half, eggs, and egg yolk in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add cream and remaining half-and-half, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and whisk to combine; set aside.
3. Combine potatoes, herbs, and zest in a large bowl and toss to coat; set aside. Heat butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it foams, add leeks and garlic, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook until leeks are soft, about 5 to 6 minutes.
4. Mix cooked leeks into potato mixture and season with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper. Evenly spread potato mixture in the prepared baking dish and pour egg mixture over potatoes.
5. Bake until custard is puffy, golden, and set, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let rest at least 20 minutes before serving. Can be served warm, room temperature, or cold.

Serve with coffee cake, bacon, and bloody marys or mimosas!

Submitted by Lauren

Penne with Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes

Here's a recipe that's one of my go-to recipes for week nights as it's quick, light, and fresh.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces penne pasta
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups (about 9 ounces) cherry tomatoes (preferably heirloom tomatoes)
  
• 1 cup shelled fresh peas
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 lemon, zested
  

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

While the pasta is cooking heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large saute pan. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the asparagus, season with the salt and pepper, and cook for 3 minutes until slightly soft. Add the cherry tomatoes and peas. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour the chicken stock into the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook until the tomatoes start to burst and the stock is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.Take a microplane out and zest the lemon on top of the pasta. Stir to mix.

Add the cooked pasta, ricotta, and 1/2 of the Parmesan to the saute pan with the vegetables. Toss well, adding reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the pasta. Garnish with the remaining Parmesan and chopped basil.

Buon Appetito!
- Lindsay

Strawberry Ricotta Muffins

I made these guys for breakfast one morning. Though slightly time consuming due to roasting the strawberries the aroma that will fill your house is well worth the wait! The reason the strawberries are roasted is so that they become slightly "dehydrated."

See, strawberries are a very juicy ingredient. Any baker knows that trying to actually bake with them can be tricky as the liquid that eventually releases itself into any batter ends up changing the dynamics of the batter because of it. So, the work-around is to roast the strawberries. By roasting the strawberries they release their juices in the roasting pan, not your batter, and as a result their sweetness is concentrated and their shape will hold in whatever you are making. And oh man, the smell. The smell! So amazing. It brought me back to being at home when my mom would make her homemade preserves. It's an intensly sweet aroma that's just the prequel to what's to come.

These muffins are extremely light and fluffy and most definitely moist. They hold up for days as well!


Ingredients:

• 2 cups medium strawberries
• 3/4 cup ricotta
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 10 Tbsp. butter melted and cooled, divided
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. lime zest
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp.baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gently wash, hull, and cut strawberries into quarters. Place berries on a cooling rack over a sheet pan. Bake until strawberries are partially dried, about 45 minutes. Let cool.
2. Increase oven to 400 degrees. Brush a 12-mold muffin tin with 2 Tbsp. melted butter. Set aside.
3. In a bowl, whisk together ricotta, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in remaining butter.
4. In a large bowl, use your fingertips to rub together sugar and lime zest until sugar is moist. Mix in flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Use a spatula to gently but quickly fold ricotta mixture into dry ingredients. Don’t overwork it. The batter will be thick and heavy, much thicker than most batters so don't be alarmed! Stir in strawberries and spoon batter evenly into muffin tins. Bake until tops of muffins are golden and springy to the touch, about 20-25 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins

Buon Appetito!
- Lindsay

Salmon with Roasted Pineapple-Mango Salsa, Fried Plantains, and Coconut Rice

It all started when I ran into my local produce market to grab some kombucha as I'm on a kick as of late... (more on that some other time). In front of the market there are bins of fruit sitting out - tangerines, mangos, papayas, lemons, and oranges, and oh the pineapple! There they were lots of large and perfectly ripe pineapple. They caught my eye, sure, but when the aroma of them lingered I knew I had to buy one.

Right below the perfectly ripe pineapple were the perfectly ripe plantains. And if you aren't familiar with plantains that means they're black and not yellow like a traditional banana. So my impulses gave in and bought a large pineapple and two large plantains. Now since I was just running out I didn't have time to go shopping. However, as I began the climb up 14th st to my house the ingredients of mango salsa began running through my head. Suddenly, I was scolding myself for not having bought all of the ingredients. And so the idea of my meal had grown from an impulse into a menu...

This menu will bring you directly to the Caribbean. It's full of flavor and bright colors. It will not disappoint. But if you really want to go to the Caribbean you'll need to make a Painkiller to go along with it. I'll let Lauren do the honors of posting that recipe here some other time.

Salmon with Roasted Pineapple-Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

• Salmon filets
• Salt and pepper
• Mango Salsa
  

Salsa:

• 1/2 C diced roasted pineapple (see instructions below)
• 1/2 C diced mango
• 1/4 C minced green bell pepper
• 1-2 limes, juiced
• 1/4 C diced red onion
• 1/2 C diced firm ripe tomato
• 1 red chili pepper minced (no seeds)
• 1/2 t sea salt
• 1/8 t ground black pepper

To prepare the roasted pineapple:
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Remove the pineapple skin and slive lengthwise - approximately 1/4" thick. Spread out on a sheet pan lined with foil and bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the pineapple releases its liquid. Remove pineapple center core and dice.

To prepare the salsa:
Dice all fruits and vegetables and place in a bowl. Squeeze out the the juice of 1-2 limes (depending on how juicy, roughly 2T) over the diced ingredient. Season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for up to 2 hours. It's important to let the ingredients rest for at least 30 minutes so all flavors can combine.

To prepare the Salmon:
Preheat broiler. Place salmon on a metal baking sheet and spring with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Broil fish until it just starts to firm and is no longer translucent (5-7 minutes depending on how thick your fish is). Turn fish over and broil 2 minutes longer. Transfer to plates and top with Pineapple-Mango Salsa.


Fried Plantains with Brown Sugar Rum Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 very ripe plaintains (black)
• 1 C dark rum
• 1/3 C packed brown sugar
• 2T butter
• 2T canola oil
• pinch of salt

Heat grill to high. Place rum, brown sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and cook until the sugar has melted and the mixture reduces and thickens slightly. Stir in butter until melted. Remove from the heat.

While making the brown sugar rum sauce, peel and slice plantains 1/2" thick on the bias. Place butter and oil in a pan over medium heat. Once pan is heated place plantains in. Cook for about 10 minutes, or 5 minutes per side. Depending on how ripe your plaintains are they may carmelize quickly. This is a good thing! Just keep on eye on them to see how carmelized, or charred you like them. The rum sauce and plantains should finish about size. Drizzle sauce over plantains once complete.


Coconut Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
• 1 T olive oil
  
• 1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the rice and stir to coat with the oil. Add the coconut milk, water, and salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer about 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

Remove the rice from the heat and fluff with a fork. Place a clean, dry dish towel over the pan, cover with the lid, and let steam for 5 minutes before serving.

Buon Appetito!
- Lindsay

Baked Halibut with Citrus Compound Butter

Alright - I had to hurry up and post this recipe before it left my head! Oh man - this dish is amazing! Imagine a warm spring night and you're craving something flavorful, citrus-y, and light. So instantly you think white fish... lemon.... ohhhh how can we turn this into something delicious! So Halibut filets were on sale at Whole Foods, so thats how we decided on the fish... And we were already planning on making some sangria, so we knew we'd have oranges and lemons on hand... So I immediately thought of a compound butter! Sure, butter is "heavy", but its not like a cream sauce... and it still adds a sort of richness to the dish without weighing it down in a sauce.
So we served it atop of some brown basamati rice with some roasted spring veggies... mmm. Perfect ending to a lovely spring evening.
So on to the recipe!

Baked Halibut with Citrus Compound Butter
serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 halibut filets, about 6-8oz each
• paprika
• salt & pepper
• 1 stick of butter, room temperature
• zest of 1 lemon + juice
  
• zest of 1 orange + juice

Directions:

1. Combine softened butter, zest from orange and lemon, about 1 T juice from each fruit, a pinch of salt and about 1/2t paprika in a small bowl. Once you've managed to combine the liquid into the oily solid butter (this will take time, and you probably will splash yourself a few times), taste the butter. If it's too salty - maybe add a touch of sugar, or some more juice to offset the saltiness. If it needs more salt, well add some! Adjust the seasonings to your liking.
   
2. Once you've got the butter right, roll it up in some parchment paper to create a log. If you don't have parchment paper, then I would go ahead and scoop the butter into personal size portions and refrigerate it. Create about 4 serving sizes, and then leave the rest in the bowl (it's about half and half).
3. Lay out your Halibut, season with paprika, salt and pepper (unless your butter is salty, then don't use anymore salt! I guess its obvious our butter got a little too salty). Rub the remaining butter over the tops of the halibut to cover them.
   
4. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place halibut on a sheet pan and bake for about 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness of the fish.
   
5. Once fish easily flakes away with a fork, its ready! Serve with a piece of the compound butter on top and eat!
   

I promise this won't disappoint! It was really really really good. And I know - its alot of butter - but its worth it. Most of it melts off anyway. haha.. enjoy!

Submitted by Lauren!

The Perfect Bloody Mary Mix

It's a "good thing". Hint - its a Martha Stewart recipe with some minor adjustments. For Easter brunch - what better accompaniment than a refreshing spring cocktail? Sure sure... mimosas are delicious, too - but come on.. those need no recipe. Orange juice and Champagne. But with family in town (one who would probably enjoy a drink at every meal), a boyfriend who loves bloody mary's, and a dad who loves tomato juice... I figured it'd be fun to start a new tradition of a brunch cocktail for the holidays!
I remembered watching an episode last fall of the Martha Stewart Show, where she was coming up with homemade gift ideas - one being a bloody mary mix. I thought - that's a great gift idea! But, at the same time - it's highly perishable. So if I were to make it as gifts, they'd have to get it the day I made it, and then use it within 4 or 5 days. No thanks! So instead, I tucked it away for future use... and it came to me this weekend. I like it because it doesn't come off a grocery store shelf, its made from ingredients you most likely have on hand, and you can adjust the heat level. Thats the big thing for me - I can't handle heat! So here is your recipe...

Bloody Mary Mix
adapted from Martha Stewart
serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 4 cups tomato juice
• Juice of 2 large lemons
• 1 to 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 heaping tablespoon prepared horseradish
• 1 1/2 cloves garlic, passed through a garlic press
• 2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper
• Celery salt, to taste
  
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• Unflavored vodka, to taste
• Lemon wedges, for serving
• Celery sticks, for serving and munching

Directions:

1. Place tomato juice in a large container with a tight-fitting lid. Add lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, garlic, pepper, and Tabasco; shake vigorously. Taste, and adjust for seasoning; the mixture should be quite spicy.
2. Pour 1 part vodka and 3 parts Bloody Mary mix over ice in a shaker. Shake well. Pour into glasses. Squeeze a wedge of lemon over drink (do not subsequently stir or shake drink), discard used wedge. Garnish with a large stick of celery (reserve extra stalks for munching) and a large lemon wedge. Top with some fresh cracked pepper and celery salt.

So to adjust the heat - of course just adjust the tabasco amounts. The only things I changed from this recipe were the addition of the celery salt, the cracked pepper on top, and NOT squeezing fresh lemon juice on top of the drink... oh and I used maybe 1/4t tabasco - and let Brandon use an additional teaspoon in his glass alone. So really - this is a highly enjoyable drink. I never used to like them due to the heat factor, but always wanted to - and now I can. Thanks, homemade bloody mary mix!

enjoy!

submitted by Lauren!

Brandon & Lauren's Version of Sangria

Yeah - So I call it our "version" of sangria - because we basically searched through a few recipes and came up with an amalgamation of sorts.. and I don't know if there is one "true" recipe for Sangria or not... Everyone has their own way of doing it. So here's what we came up with:

Sangria
serves way more than 2 people

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle dry spanish red wine
• 1/2c white rum
• 2c orange juice
• 8oz strawberries
• 2 Lemons
• 2 Oranges (we used one blood orange & one navel orange)
• 1/2c simple syrup (Or you could just use some granulated sugar)
• 1 bartlett pear
• Club Soda
  

Directions:

1. Chop up the pear, strawberries, one lemon, and oranges into larger bite size pieces.
2. Put chopped up fruit into a VERY LARGE Pitcher. Squeeze juice from one Lemon over fruit. Add rum, orange juice, and simple syrup. At this point you could let it soak for a few hours before adding the red wine, if you'd like. I took this opportunity to kinda mash up the fruit a little. Or "muddle" if you will.
3. Add the red wine.
4. Chill for a few hours.
5. When read to serve, pour over a tall glass of ice and add a splash of club soda.
   
6. Enjoy on a nice warm evening!
   

So the strawberries turned out to be a really nice touch - they give off a really unique flavor when allowed to soak for awhile. If the pitcher gets too full of fruit, you may want to take some out and put in a separate bowl and add back in later. Make sure you have enough room for the wine!

Posted by Lauren

Ribeye Steak w/Blueberry Port Reduction

Alright - not the best picture. Sorry.
So anyway -- I was at my parents house and wanted to make dinner (and since I was using their credit card, the sky was the limit, right?) Plus - having a vegetarian for a boyfriend, I was craving red meat. Then I had to figure out something to dress up the steak that my dad would actually eat. I was reminded of a blueberry sauce that was served with a filet I had while dining out in Florence, Italy. (Lindsay - help me out with the name of this place?) It was kinda the best steak/sauce I'd ever had. I think once we tried to "recreate" it, but failed. So it was time to give it another shot. Really, this sauce would go well with a lot of meats - probably better with more "gamey" meats... like elk or duck or lamb or venison.. is lamb gamey? whatever.
So it turned out to be a pretty delicious sauce - just be careful, because it calls for beef stock (i only had beef broth on hand) and when you reduce it to a fourth of its original state, the flavor strengthens... as does the salt. So I'd suggest getting maybe a low-sodium version. That was my only drawback of this recipe... it was a tad salty. OR you could offset it and maybe add more sugar. Ok enough talk.

Blueberry Port Reduction Sauce:
serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2c Port
• 1c beef stock
• 1c (6oz pkg) blueberries
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2t sugar
• 1t finely chopped mint (or you could use thyme or rosemary)

Directons:

1. In a medium sauce pan, stir together port, beef stock, blueberries, shallot, and sugar.
2. Bring to a boil on high heat
3. Reduce heat to medium and boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1/2c. About an hour.
4. Stir in mint, serve warm.

So the way that I prepared the ribeye steak - I seasoned the steaks with salt & pepper. I heated a cast iron skillet over medium heat and added vegetable oil. I seared the steaks in the pan for about 2 minutes on the first side... until they got a golden color.. then I flipped them over to sear the meat another 2 - 3 minutes. I then moved the skillet into a 400 degree oven and let it roast for about 10 minutes. This all depends on the thickness of your steaks, of course. If the steaks are thin, I'd say to roast it for less time.. also it depends on how you like your meat. I want mine medium rare. Once you remove the skillet from the oven, let the steaks rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.
I served the steaks with a side of roasted potatoes, squash, and broccoli and some caramelized mushrooms. yum!

Enjoy!

Submitted by Lauren