Mind in the Butter

Food for taste, buds, and family

appetizer

Lovers and Friends: Beets and Goat Cheese

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beetsBeets are fun to cook, I’ve decided. They gush a bloody red; they’re firm enough after they’re cooked that you can really play with them to create a beautiful presentation. Here, I made super easy gold and red beet stacks with creamy chive goat cheese and toasted pine nuts. The sweetness of the beets, the tang of the goat cheese and the bite from the chives are a dangerous trifecta of delicious. I’ll likely make these again soon, but in mini skewered versions for a cocktail party. Will report back after successful completion.

Gold and Red Beet Stacks with Chive Goat Cheese and Pine Nuts

  • 3 red beets
  • 2 large gold beets
  • 1 large log goat cheese, coldish room temperature
  • 1/4 cup of heavy cream
  • 1 bunch chives, finely chopped
  • some toasted pine nuts

1) Chop the tips off of the beets and boil whole until tender, about 20 minutes. A knife should easily go through them when ready. Place beets in bowl of ice water. Cool completely and peel. I’m not sure the proper way to peel a beet, but I ran my nail under the beet skin and it came off pretty easily, almost like peeling a boiled egg. Don’t do this if you’re a hand model before a photo shoot. Slice into 1/4 inch slices and set aside.

2) In a small bowl mix goat cheese and heavy cream, pouring small amounts of cream at a time to avoid it from splashing around. Fold in most of the chives, leaving some for garnish. It feels like you’re adding a lot, but chives have mild flavor. Add salt and pepper and taste.

3) In a small pan, toast 1 handful of pine nuts on medium heat until golden brown. Shake the pan frequently to avoid burning. Takes about 2-3 minutes.

4)  On a pretty plate, create the beet “stacks” by alternating 1 slice of beet and 1 dollop of cheese mixture, about three times. Get creative and make something pretty.

5) Garnish with chives and pine nuts and serve either as is, or with arugula, spinach or another tasty leafy green tossed with lemon juice and olive oil.

Bosc Pear and Goat Cheese Tart

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Sometimes we spend so much time obsessing about the main course, we forget  about the appetizer.  Last night, Mom was busy baking her homemade lasagna. Starving, I scrounged around and found a quart of gorgeous Bosc pears and 3 (yes, 3) logs of goat cheese, so I made myself useful and put together a simple goat cheese and pear tart. Here’s what I did:

  • I rolled out a sheet of puff pastry (thawed) and placed it on a cookie sheet.
  • Crumbled a log of goat cheese on the bottom of the pastry dough, then placed thinly sliced pear slices on top.
  • I drizzled it with raw honey and popped it in the oven at 400 for 25-30 mins.
  • I made the crust extra brown by brushing with an egg wash before placing in oven.
  • I let it cool 5 mins before transferring to cutting board, drizzled again with honey and served.

Tofino Time: What’d you do with all those chanterelles?

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After picking a heap of chanterelles the other morning, I was sort of at a loss on what to do with them (although thank you to my friends for the inspiration!). But then, two amazing things happened 1) we went for a beach hike and found mussels, (Lie. Dad yanked them off the rocks while Emily and I napped on a log); 2) we went to an amazing ocean front farm and bought fresh goat cheese. With those deliciously serendipitous run-ins, I decided on Mussels with Fennel, Tomatoes and Chanterelles in White Wine and a simple Goat Cheese and Chanterelle Tart (recipe from old post, here).

Tofino Time: Steamed Shrimp and Crab Shumai

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Crab and Shrimp Shumai

This next week is the Tofino edition! The family and I are nestled in the balmy Pacific Northwest for a week of action-packed fun: fishing, prawning, crabbing, hiking, camping, and best of all – dinner roulette: where dinner is entirely dependent on whatever Dad catches on his 16-foot boat. Given that I’m with the fam damily this week, I’ll have some guest contributors!

Guest Contributor//Emily: There are about 1 trillion things that I adore about my sister – one of the biggest ones being that she has a true adoration and admiration for all things food. Of course,  it’s always a pleasure to dine on whatever Eva “whips up”, but, since she always makes it look so fun, I thought I’d jump in. We cranked the Reggae, poured two glasses of wine and let the fun flow! Sissy and I are very similar and very different – in this case, our differences in the kitchen really do keep things smooth sailing. As her honorary sous-chef for the evening, I was keen on ensuring that she had a clean workshop to let her creativity flow. It’s really something to watch her work – a certain smell or color or texture will inspire a whole new direction, only more delicious than the previous one. I enjoy  following her direction – in a life of constant unknowns, she is precise with her guidance and is mindful of being kind to a novice (like me). One of the greatest parts of this experience was capturing her creativity,  documenting the magic that she really does create, and being able to celebrate it time and time again.  – EJSF – 

Last night, Emily and I decided to make shrimp and crab shumai because, you know, we just happened to have them fresh from Dad’s boat. For our shumai, we used my knight in shining armor – wonton papers – to make these delicious seafood dumplings, perfect as an appetizer. This is definitely an activity meal, so enlist a sous-chef before you get started and prepare these little pinwheels of delight in advance. Conversely, if this is part of the “performance” make sure guests have something to nosh on while watching the action.

Ingredients:

Fresh crab, shrimp, scallions, ginger

Shumai Filling

  • 12 small shrimp, (can be raw or boiled)
  • 1 cup fresh boiled crab
  • 2 scallion, white and green chopped
  • 1 T Fresh ginger finely chopped
  • Egg wash: ramekin of 1 scrambled raw egg and 1 T water

 

Asian-style goodness

Dipping Sauce

  • 2 splashes Soy sauce
  • 1 dash Rice wine vinegar
  • 1 splash Sesame oil
  • Sesame seeds
  • 1 t. Dijon mustard
  • 1 pinch sugar
  • 1 T fresh ginger, finely chopped
  •  2 scallion, white and green chopped

The Gist:

The idea of the shumai filling is to have multiple textures, achieved by staging the mixing process. I was without my trusty Cuisinart for this recipe and used an old blender making it difficult to control this.  We ended up simply rough chopping several ingredients by hand and mixing them in a bowl after we got the pasty base.

Shumai Filling

  •  Make the dipping sauce first. This mixture will season the filling.
  • Add half the crab and shrimp and 2 T of dipping sauce to the food processor and mix until paste like.
  •  Add the rest of the shrimp and crab and scallions and pulse.

 

 

Fake it ’til you make it…

To wrap the shumai:

Let’s be honest here – Emily and I had no idea what we were doing and had a blast taking creative license making our little dumplings. The nice thing about shumai too is that it’s actually opened on the top, so it made it easier to hide our neophyte skills. I’ve had shumai before and really like the pleating of the dumpling wrap so I attempted to replicate it. Regardless of your style, it’s important use the egg wash before pressing any two corners of the wonton paper together so they stick together.

Finally, steam the shumai, 3-5 minutes ideally in a bamboo steamer lined with cheesecloth (to keep the shumai from sticking). We didn’t have this luxury, so I poured enough water to cover 2 inches of the bottom of a large pot and fashioned a pedestal in the bottom  using a trivet (so the bowl was not in direct contact with the burner) and an overturned bowl, then placed the plates of shumai directly on the raised surface one at a time. Worked out pretty well, thanks Sissy for all your help!

My oh my, shumai!

Summer Dinner Party

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Last week after realizing it’s been way too long since we’ve had a dinner party, Ray and I had some friends and their +1s over for a Monday night cocktail/dinner party.  Of course, fitting ten people into any New York apartment is challenge so I kept it really casual and served dinner in the living room around our retro coffee table.

Hosting dinner parties is one of my favorite things in this whole world to do, and I’m finally establishing some good entertaining rules and formulas to keep myself un-stressed, out of the kitchen and in the mix with my guests.  While I don’t follow them all the time, here they are:

1) Make absolutely everything you can the night before, including the cocktail.  (I didn’t follow my own rule and did not have drinks immediately available for my guests upon their arrival, which leads to #2)

2) Have something to eat and drink on the table 30 minutes before your guests are supposed to arrive, even if it’s just some radishes and a bottle of wine or a pitcher of water. Someone is always likely to show up exactly on time.

3) Make sure the night of the dinner party works for the rest of your week. I chose Monday night so I had all of Sunday to shop and cook. It allowed me start off the week with my friends when the rest of the week was filled with business dinners. Friday nights are impossible because you’re tired and there’s no way to shop, cook and clean in time for guests to arrive at a reasonable hour.  Saturday and Sundays night are of course great too.

4) Get the 411 on food allergies and check the menu over with them beforehand.  Ray doesn’t eat meat and I have another friend who’s, well, allergic to everything so instead of getting really creative, I kept it simple.  I made sure my one-pot dish could be easily adapted to serve (almost) everyone. For my friend, I made a “hypoallergenic” pork chop- seasoned with sesame oil, Dijon mustard, rice wine vinegar served with white rice.

5) You must have a co-pilot/extra Indian/Sous-chef.  I don’t care if you’re Martha Stewart, you need an extra host. Ray always does an amazing job setting the mood with music, candles and lighting. For this party he had the genius idea to pull a Charlie Chaplin film off of Netflix to play in the background while we ate. Thanks, babe!

6) Candles and music are a must.  Films noir and cats to entertain your guests are a plus.

7) When you’re friends ask if you need help…say yes! I am very verbal and eager to have my friends help me in the kitchen when I am in the weeds, even if they just stand there and give me the latest gossip on their lives while they completely assault a tomato.

8) Eva’s (generally fool-proof) Food Formula: 2 appetizers (at least 1 vegetarian option) + 1 signature cocktail + 1 one-pot dish (that can be made the night before) + vegetable + 1 dessert = dinner party success.

Here are some highlights after implementing the formula for last week’s dinner party:

The Coconut Crusher

The Coconut Crusher

As my signature cocktail, I served a drink I completely made up: Coconut Rum, Vodka, pomegranate and blueberry juice with a mint garnish. It’s possible that I subliminally  stole this idea from a photo my brother’s girlfriend posted on my sister’s Facebook wall, but I think it’s safe to say, I made it completely my own. My original recipe called for white grape juice, but the pomegranate was an awesome substitute.

To make this divine cocktail: tear 6 mint leaves and put at the bottom of a glass, fill to the brim with ice, then add 1 oz vodka, 1 oz coconut rum then top it off with some slammin’ juice–pomegranate, raspberry lemonade, peach, white grape juice, surprise me. Stir. Sip. Smile. Ah.

White Bean, Prosciutto and Arugula Crostini

Smashed White Bean Crostinis with Arugula and Prosciutto. This is a riff on a crostini served at our local Italian restaurant. My interpretation involves 1 can of rinsed, smashed white beans with 2 cloves of garlic, a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper. I spread a little salted butter on the sliced baguette before  spreading the white beans.  Top it with prosciutto and/or arugula and then the party is in order!

Arugula, Radish and Pecorino Salad.

Arugula Salad

My formula calls for a vegetable, this salad is by far the easiest most delicious solution to a large group: washed arugula, shaved Pecorino, sliced radishes. Add tomato and/or hearts of palm if you have them handy.  For the vinaigrette I simply squeezed the juice of one lemon over the lettuce with a hefty splash of good olive oil, salt, pepper. I could eat this salad everyday.

Chocolate Flourless Cake, Black Cherries and Fresh Whipped Cream

Chocolate flourless cake with black cherry coulis and fresh whipped cream. Normally I use this recipe for the cake and jazz it up with a berry sauce.  Last week I chose black cherries, so I heated them on the stove with 2Ts of sugar, 1t of vanilla extract and reduced it until it was a syrupy sauce.  Served with homemade whipped cream, it’s divine!

Summer Entertaining Cooking Class

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Roast Leg of Lamb with Ratatouille Vegetables

Stingray and I took a “Couples Summer Entertaining” cooking class at Culinaerie, back when we were living in Washington.  Despite our food snob status, neither of us had taken an actual cooking class, so this was a real treat (thanks, Mom!). Dressed for date night we marched to the front of the class kitchen (again, food snobs) to ensure optimal viewing and instruction by the school’s co-founder Susan Holt. On the menu was a Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Tart, Roast Leg of Lamb with Ratatouille Vegetables and a Brulee of Summer Fruits. The menu was straightforward and accessible, but impressive enough that I was eager to add to our repertoire.  I would even argue it could be easily adapted for the winter months by swapping out seasonal vegetables in the ratatouille and replacing the lamb with beef.

The class was extremely well done with plenty of support staff, great instruction and endless wine.  We were obviously the most experienced couple, starring multiple times as the “example table.” Although, I suppose…upon further reflection we spent just as much time sizing up the competition as we did chopping mushrooms.  DC friends–try their classes and steal more delicious recipes for me!

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Exotic Mushroom and Chevre Tart

Mushroom and Chevre Tart

Ingredients

(Serves 8 as an appetizer, 4 as a main course)

  •  1 ½ cups exotic mushrooms, such as shiitake, crimini, Portobello, or oyster
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
  • Salt and fresh black pepper to taste
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary or tarragon
  • 1 package frozen puff pastry dough, slightly defrosted
  • 8 ounces soft goat cheese, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 cloves fresh garlic, very finely minced

Brush the mushrooms free of any dirt and trim rough parts of the stems; cut into ½” slices.  Heat a large sauté pan over high heat, add half the oil, then add half the mushrooms.  Sauté about 3 minutes, with very limited stirring, until mushrooms are golden brown; repeat with remaining oil and mushrooms.  Season cooked mushrooms with salt and pepper and add herbs.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Roll out pastry into a rough circle, about 14” in diameter, and place on large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread goat cheese over surface, stopping two inches short of the edge.  Distribute mushroom mixture evenly over top, then bring extra pastry over mushrooms to form a border.

Combine butter with garlic; using pastry brush, paint or drizzle the garlic butter on top of the mushrooms.  Bake in center of oven for approximately 30 minutes, until pastry is golden brown on top and bottom.  Allow to cool slightly then cut into wedges.

Roast Leg of Lamb with Ratatouille Vegetables

Seared Lamb

Ratatouille Vegetables

Ingredients 

(Serves 2)

  •  1 – 1½ pounds boneless lamb leg
  • 1 medium zucchini (about 1 pound), cut in 1” cubes
  • 1 medium red or yellow onion, cut in 1” cubes
  • 2 plum tomatoes or 1 heirloom tomato, quartered
  • 1 red pepper, cut in medium dice
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Handful of minced fresh basil leaves and/or 2 tablespoons good quality pesto
  • 4 – 5 Calamata or French Nyons olives, pitted and halved
  • 2 ounces Gruyere, grated

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Season lamb leg with salt and pepper, place on a rack over a sheet pan fat side up, and roast for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven.

 Toss together the zucchini, onion, tomatoes, pepper, olive oil, salt, sugar and lemon juice.  Roast in a large sauté pan for 15 – 20 minutes until vegetables start to soften and brown.   Remove from oven and stir in basil and/or pesto and olives.  Top with gruyere and return to oven for 10 minutes.  Remove and serve with thinly sliced lamb.

Brulee of Summer Fruits

Brulee of Summer Fruits

Ingredients

(Serves 2)

  •  ½ cup heavy (whipping) cream
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 cups fresh raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, sliced peaches
  • 2 tablespoons demerara, turbinado or brown sugar

Beat the cream with a whip until soft peaks form.  Add sugar very slowly and continue beating until sugar is dissolved and the cream forms stiff peaks.

Gently fold in the fruit.  Transfer raspberries to 2 individual shallow oven-proof dishes, such as brulee dishes and sprinkle the demerara sugar over them.  Place dish under the oven broiler on the top rack on high and cook just until some of the sugar caramelizes (this will only take 30 seconds or so).  Alternately, use a blowtorch with cautious abandon.  Serve immediately.

Notice all the fearful eyes around me…