BLT Mac & Cheese Hold The lettuce

Conflicted about whether to make BLTs or mac and cheese for dinner last night, I decided to merge the two in a hybridized dish minus the lettuce.  The results were quite delicious, but then again, when is bacon, caramelized sweet onions, tomatoes, heavy cream and cheddar not delicious?  So with that forewarning about the richness of this dish, please find my recipe below.

BLT Macaroni & Cheese, Hold The Lettuce

1 pound dried elbow macaroni, cooked al dente, cooled and drained
2 cups peeled, diced plum tomatoes
4 oz. smoked, thick-cut bacon, about five strips
one large, sweet onion thinly sliced
four cups packed baby spinach
5+1 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Gruyère
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
4 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
kosher salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375.  Dice the bacon and brown in a large, heavy 8+ quart dutch oven over medium high heat.  Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve two tablespoons of the drippings.  Lower the heat to medium and saute the onions in the the bacon fat until golden brown and caramelized, about 20 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and spinach. 

Cook the vegetables until almost all of the liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes more.  Add flour to the vegetables and stir over heat until no dry spots are visible, about two minutes.  Slowly add the milk to the vegetables, whisking constantly.  Add the reserved bacon and cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until the sauce thickens. 

Whisk two cups of cream with the cornstarch until no lumps remain.  Add the cream to the sauce and continue to whisk, over heat until the sauce becomes thicker.  Add the cheeses reserving one cup of cheddar, and continue to stir until the cheeses melt and are well incorporated in to the sauce.  Taste and adjust the seasoning.  Add the macaroni and stir until well combined.  Turn out in to a well greased 6+ quart oven safe casserole or baking dish.  Sprinkle the top with the reserved cheddar, bake until bubbly and the cheese is on top is slightly browned. 

Serves 8          

Tuscan White Bean Spread Made With Fresh Pressed FS17 Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Tuscan White Bean Spread

1 pound of dried, rinsed Great Northern white beans

2” sprig of fresh rosemary

4 cups low chicken or vegetable stock and water to cover beans

1 medium onion, diced

2 whole garlic cloves, smashed

One large carrot, peeled and diced

One large celery rib, diced

2 ripe, fresh Roma tomatoes, peeled, diced & seeded or one small can of diced tomatoes in juice

2 teaspoons sea salt

Fresh ground pepper to taste

For Finishing

1/3 cup + 2 Tbs. fresh pressed, FS17 Extra Virgin Olive Oil

In a 6 quart or larger stock pot, add all of the ingredients except the olive oil.  Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, partially covered for approximately 4 hours or until the beans are tender and fully  cooked through.  Add more water as necessary.  Allow the beans to cool completely. 

In the bowl of a food processor, ladle two cups of cooked beans along with liquid they were cooked in. Add 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil and process until smooth or desired consistency is reached.  Serve at room temperature drizzled with two tablespoons of reserved early harvest, fresh pressed extra virgin olive oil.  The spread can be served with crudités, crackers, lavash, pita, or crusty bread.      

Makes approximately 2 ½ cups white bean spread

Quiche: The Most Versatile Dish In The World

Quiche is my go to dish for picky eaters, especially young ones.  Quiche is my ace in the pocket for last minute breakfast, lunch, or dinner guests.  Quiche conserves water because it's a one dish meal.  Quiche is comfort food and quite possibly an anti-depressant.  It releases dopamine in the pleasure receptors of the brain, causing instant happiness and in some cases, euphoria.  Quiche does my laundry, washes my dog, and mows my lawn...

Okay, maybe quiche doesn't do ALL of that, but it does qualify as a delicious and easy to prepare crowd-pleaser.  There have been many occasions when I've made quiche by simply cleaning out my vegetable crisper and or utilizing leftovers.  Quiche can be made from ingredients such as asparagus, mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini, artichokes, ham, bacon or smoked salmon.  However, there are no hard and fast rules for making a quiche.  Vegetables and or meat can be combined with any type of cheese, or none at all.  The process is as easy as throwing the chosen ingredients raw or in some instances cooked, in to a prepared pie crust, pouring beaten eggs over the top and baking it for about 25 minutes.  Please find my recipe for Bacon, Arugula Cheddar Quiche below.

Bacon, Arugula & Cheddar Quiche  

Ingredients
6 large eggs, beaten
2 cups washed, dried arugula
1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3  strips bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons minced shallot
Sea salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste
1 homemade or store bought pie crust

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400.  Brown and drain the bacon reserving one tablespoon of bacon grease.  Saute the shallots until golden in one tablespoon of reserved bacon drippings.  Combine the golden shallots with the beaten eggs.  Season the egg mixture with salt and pepper to taste.  Line a 9" pie pan with the pie crust.  Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese over the bottom.  Add the Arugula and sprinkle half the bacon over the arugula.  Add the remaining cheese over the arugula and add the the remaining bacon over the cheese.  Pour the egg shallot mixture over the top.   Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until the filling is set, slightly puffed and golden brown.  Enjoy warm, or allow to cool to room temperature.  It can be made a day in advance or may be frozen and re-warmed. 

Custom Mesophilic & B.Linens Aged Soft Cheese In The Works

Giant Blue, White & Red Velvet Cupcake

Brown Sugar & Butter Peach Dumplings With Vanilla Gelato

Summer is practically summarized by the peach.  Sticky, sweet and blushing with the color of wild sunsets boasting orange-pink swirls. The warm, languid days of Summer simply beg for a ripe, juicy peach to send streams of juice running down the chin.

This year, much to my dismay, peach season got a late start.  Typically by the middle of May, there are abundant piles of this fragrant, ripe, stone fruit in markets far and wide.  

Well, needless to say, they've finally arrived and better late than never.  Upon venturing out to my local farmer's market today, I found troves of this golden fruit at just about every stall.  I could practically smell their sweet perfume wafting on the gentle breeze.  I stopped frequently to intimately fondle one here, or inhale the aroma of one there.  My kids were positively stumped, until finally my oldest rolled his eyes and said, "Mom, come on!  You have touched every single peach at the market already!"  Perhaps he was right... I may have gotten carried away looking for the optimal peach.  But unlike inspecting a car, when you might kick the tires, peach vetting is a whole different ball game.

I made my rounds, once, twice, and finally had a vendor slice open a specimen right in front of me.  The juices ran down his arm.  I nodded approvingly.  The peach was a yellow variety called "Flavorcrest".  It's aroma was intoxicating and its flesh was almost a rosy salmon color.  It was the quintessential summer peach.  Eating such a peach out of hand is unrivaled, but nearly as delicious, is wrapping it and baking it in a buttery pastry crust with a little nob of butter and brown sugar tucked in the center.  A scoop of vanilla ice cream might also enhance the experience, wink-wink, nudge-nudge.     

Brown Sugar Peach Dumplings

For the Pastry
2 cups all purpose flour
4 tablespoons ice cold shortening - in small portions marble sized poritons
4 tablespoons ice cold butter - cut in to small cubes
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4-6 tablespoons ice water
1 egg beaten

For the Peaches
4 large, ripe, freestone peaches - blanched, peeled, cut in half with pit removed
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter cut in to four cubes

Directions
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the dry ingredients for the pastry.  Add the butter and shortening and pulse a few times until the pieces are the size of peas.  Pulse a few more times adding ice enough water until the mixture comes together.  Gather the dough, press it in to a thin disc, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400.  On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough in to a square.  Portion the square in to four smaller squares.  Place a piece of butter and a tablespoon of brown sugar in between the peach halves and sandwich the halves together.  Place on the center of the dough squares and bring up the sided to meet at the top.  Crimp the edges tightly and brush with the beaten egg.  Bake in a dish on on a pan lined with parchment paper for approximately 25-30 minutes until golden brown.  Serve with vanilla ice cream. 

Serves 4

Honey & Blood Orange Agrumato Olive Oil Bakalava

1 lb.phyllo dough 

For the filling:
6 ounces blanched almonds
6 ounces roasted walnuts
6 ounces roasted pistachios
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon fresh grated  blood orange zest

1 cup + 1 tablespoon Amphora's Fresh Blood Orange Agrumato Olive Oil

For the syrup:

1 cup honey
1/2 cup water
1 cup fresh squeezed blood orange juice
1 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2" strip of blood orange zest

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease the the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan with Blood Orange Agrumato.
2. Pulse the nuts with the sugar, orange zest and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor until finely chopped. Unroll and cut the phyllo sheets in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, brush with blood orange olive oil thoroughly. Repeat the process until there are 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, blood orange olive oil, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.
3. Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into four long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake in the center of the oven for approximately  50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.
4. Make the syrup while baklava is baking. In a heavy sauce pan, bring the water, sugar and blood orange juice to a boil. Add honey, cinnamon stick and orange peel and simmer for about 20 minutes longer.
5. Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it and allow to cool.

Ricotta-Basil Olive Oil Spread

This easy spread has an aioli-like consistency but uses no eggs.  Instead, fresh, part skim ricotta stands in lending a creamy-dreamy texture and richness.

I chose to use a 40 day young Chilean Arbequina for this application.  With it's grassy-herbaceousness, apple peel center, and healthy peppery finish, it served to cut the richness of the ricotta and provide an interesting counterbalance.

A clove of garlic, squeeze of lemon and sprig of basil later, the spread came together magnificently.  I toasted some bread and liberally slathered it with the spread.   However, it would would be equally delicious as a mayonnaise replacement, a dip for crudites, or spread fresh grilled salmon.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Amphora's Ultra Premium, ultra fresh 2011 Chilean Arbequina EVOO
five inch sprig of fresh basil, washed and dried
1 clove fresh garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice 
1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste

Directions

Place the ingredients inside the bowl of a food processor or blender and process until creamy and smooth in consistency.  Adjust seasoning and store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to three days.