Spinach-Mozzarella Pie with Parm Crumble

Oh, this was a tasty one!

Made up of three main components, this takes time to make but nothing is very difficult.

The parm crumble was the first I tackled…mostly because it needed 2+ hours of chill time. Really easy to throw together…flour, Parmesan, and butter get whipped up in the food processor until you reach the crumble state. It then goes in the fridge to chill.

Next step was to make the All-Butter Pie Dough we have made before. Also easy to mix together in the food processor. The flour, butter, sugar, salt, and ice water are whirled just until it comes together. The dough gets kneeded, rolled, and placed in the pie plate where it is docked and set aside to chill for at least an hour.

Once all the chilling takes place, the rest comes together nicely. The crust is partially baked while you sauté up the filling…consisting of onion, shallot, garlic, and spinach. The custard base is also mixed up…eggs, yolk, cream, milk, and scallions. Both are seasoned with salt and pepper.

We are now ready to assemble. 😅

Like I said, a little time consuming.

Everything is layered. Crust, then spinach mixture, custard topped with cubed mozzarella and finally finished off with the Parmesan crumble covering the top. This cooks until golden and puffed…mine took longer than the suggested time.

Interestingly, we are told this tastes best at room temperature so we are to let it cool down before eating.

We had this with some fish and veggies for dinner and we both loved it declaring it was just so flavorful. I wasn’t sure what to expect, or how heavy of a side this would be, but we both thought it was perfect. My other tasters concurred.

This was a winner all the way around…a little time consuming, but delicious!

This one is a keeper!

Chunky Lemon Cornmeal Cake

We are told we are going to enjoy the flavor and slight grittiness of this citrusy cake. We have the option to use oranges instead of lemons, which is what I did since the oranges on my tree are ripe right now. 🥰

This cake boasts of intense flavor using both the zest from two oranges, but also the segmented membranes…which is quite the tedious task!

The cake is made up from the usuals: flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, vanilla, butter, sugar, eggs, oil…but then also adds in yogurt and cornmeal…that giving the grittiness it promises.

The zest and also bits of two oranges are also mixed into the batter which is smoothed out into a loaf pan, and popped into the oven for 50-60 min.

I took mine out at 50 min because it looked done with the brown top and cracked crust, and also because it passed the toothpick test.

Unfortunately when I got to cutting slices, the very center was slightly undercooked which is always a bummer…ugh. I was able to salvage most all of it though, so thankfully just slight.

So, the cake can be served plain, toasted, topped with berries, or marmalade. I was expecting an explosion of orange flavor from my two homegrown oranges, so we ate it plain and were slightly underwhelmed. Don’t get me wrong, it did taste good…like a pound cake with some grit from the cornmeal, but as far as strong orange flavor, it was lacking.

Everyone liked it, but I feel like we have had better, similar loaf cakes…ones that didn’t require the tedious pealing of the orange segments, so for that I would have to say…tasted fine, but not really a keeper for us. 🤷‍♀️

Poke To Play Around With

We are told to have fun with this recipe…that the only “recipe” is for the marinade and the rest is up to us.

Poke at its most basic is just chunks of raw tuna briefly marinated with soy and sesame oil. There are many versions these days using different fish, tofu, or vegetables…not to mention all the add-in choices. My son is a huge fan of poke…and claims the best he has ever had was on the island of Kauai.

I am not a huge fan of raw fish, although I have eaten it….but eating it, and preparing it are two different things haha.

Dorie tells us she is a huge fan of beet poke so my version started there.

I made the marinade, which consists of soy sauce, olive oil, sesame oil, fresh ginger, sriracha, oyster sauce and finally rice vinegar…all very tasty things! I used this marinade on cut up beets…leaving them to sit while I prepared the rest of dinner.

I roasted those marinated beets, cooked some brown rice, and baked some salmon. Then, I put it all together for a rice bowl…adding in some cut avocado and seaweed salad. This honestly, is a pretty common bowl we have with just slight variations at times…I haven’t used these marinated beets before though.

We loved the dinner, no surprise there and on their own the beets were really tasty. They retained a bit of kick from the sriracha which I was surprised to taste. I don’t think they held up well in flavor, competing with everything else in the dish, but delicious nonetheless.

I don’t think I will be making traditional poke anytime soon, but I will remember this marinade to use as a sauce for sure!

Seafood Pasta

This seafood pasta is a good way to use up a variety of fish if you have it on hand. The recipe calls for squid, shrimp, and a firm fish cut up into bite size pieces, and then simmered in a tomato based broth.

The base begins with some onion and garlic sautéed over a medium heat, then some white wine added and cooked until it has almost evaporated. The squid is added, followed by the crushed tomatoes, and then sprigs of rosemary and thyme. This simmers away for 30 min covered. I used the Trader Joe’s seafood blend of squid, scallops, and shrimp which worked perfectly.

After the 30 min, it gets another 20 without the lid…and then the firm white fish (Mahi in my case) and some more shrimp are added. Pasta is being prepared and ready to all be tossed together with some butter.

We enjoyed this one…I think we enjoyed it better when we added more of the red pepper flakes and topped it with a little mozzarella. I feel like you could add any fish you like in this and it would taste good. It is one of those base recipes that you can make your own. I would probably throw in some spinach next time!

This one is a keeper!

Btw I think it was even better the next day for leftovers!

Free-Style Mushroom, Herb, and Ricotta Tart

This tart is suppose to have a spur-of-the-moment feel to it…a ragged-edged, free-form crust topped with sautéed mushrooms, herbs, and micro-greens. I was thinking it might look spur-of-the-moment, but it certainly wasn’t hahaha. This took time.

First step is making tart bottom, more like a cracker. We used our recipe, Raggedy-Edged Almond-Herb Crust. Fairly simple to pull together in the food processor….almond flour, flour, egg, butter, and 3T of herbs…I used chives and rosemary in this bake. It needs to chill for awhile and then cook for about 30 min.

Meanwhile we are to make the spread. Typically made with ricotta, yogurt, scallions, shallot, and 2T of minced herbs. I looked up a suitable sub for ricotta, since it bothers my stomach and it said cream cheese. So I used a whipped cream cheese in place of the ricotta and yogurt, but kept the rest the same. Worked perfectly. This is set aside and chilled while we work on the mushroom topping.

I wish I had made a half recipe of this tart as it makes quite a lot. I ended up only assembling half one night and half the second since it didn’t seem like it would work well for leftovers…and it still was too much 😂.

The 1 1/2 lbs of mushrooms get sautéed in olive oil and butter with garlic. When cooked down some white wine is mixed in and cooked off…finally adding in scallions and 2T of herbs. (There is a lot of herb prepping in this recipe!) Also, salt and pepper to taste.

Now that all the components are made, you can assemble it right before eating.

The crust is first topped with the spread, then the mushroom mixture, and finally some micro greens tossed with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

I do think the tart looks restaurant-worthy. Something you would order for the table as a starter. My husband and I both thought it was tasty and enjoyed it. I am not sure we loved it, or that I thought it was worth all the prep and expense. 🤷‍♀️

I feel like it would work well if you were entertaining and used it as an appetizer…and had prepared all the steps ahead of time and just needed to assemble.

The recipe is a keeper…just not sure when I would use it.

Iced Spiced Hermits

I have never had, nor heard of hermits…apparently they are a New England treat dating back to the 1800’s. Where have I been? Well, for one I date back a few generations of native Californians haha so maybe that is how I have missed out on these treats…and treat they were!

Most common review from my tasters…
“These taste like Christmas!”

Hermits are described as soft and chewy, more dense like cake, than crisp like a cookie, spicy and usually include some dried fruit. I think they look and bake like biscotti, but are not the same texture.

These were very easy to make…mixing up the batter and letting it chill, and then molding it into logs to bake. This particular version of iced hermits had cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, black pepper, molasses…and I chose cranberries for the dried fruit instead of raisins, figs, currents or candied ginger.

After they bake, and rest, they are drizzled with icing and then sliced crosswise into 1 inch pieces. It says they are good keepers but I wouldn’t know…they were gone!

These were a tremendous hit with just about everyone. They reminded us of an iced ginger cookie I make at Christmastime, but more chewy and had a little tang from the cranberries. They were just delicious. I have already decided to make them again for a dessert platter later this month.

This one is a keeper and I believe will continue to be part of our Christmastime cookie list! 🎅🏻

Christiane’s Dinner-Party Terrine

For those of you, like me, who don’t know what a terrine is…it is a meat, fish, or vegetable mixture cooked, usually in a rectangular container, that is prepared in advance and then sliced to serve. A lot of times people think of a chunky pâté, but it made me think of meatloaf which I am not a fan of haha.

This one is different. It is an egg and vegetable dish likened to a crustless quiche. There were a few different varieties given in the recipe…I went with a more traditional version using leeks, asparagus, mushrooms, thyme, bacon, and a little bit of mozzarella.

It is a pretty straightforward recipe…first sautéing the veggies, which after cooling get mixed in with the whisked eggs and cream. (9 eggs!) I should note the recipe calls for heavy cream which I subbed using skim milk like I usually do when making egg dishes. It definitely made this a lighter version than the decadent one it would have been but we are good with that.

This is all poured into a parchment lined loaf pan which is put in a roaster filled with hot water to come half way up on the terrine. It gets baked at 350 for 90 min…tenting after 45 if necessary. The terrine will rise a little and may crack.

After removing from the oven, it should sit for 15 min before unmolding…I didn’t see this step and took min out right away. I think it would have been a little more solid had I waited. After cooling a bit, it is sliced and served.

We had this with sourdough toast for dinner and really enjoyed it. To us, it seemed like a really light and fluffy frittata or scrambled egg dish. Seemed very fresh cooked this way. The veggie combo was spot on…if I was to make this again, I would do it the same way.

The thing is, although it wasn’t hard to make, it did take an hour and half to cook it. I feel like that is a long time when you could make a very similar thing much quicker. I guess you would get the nice slices, but even a frittata you have sliced. 🤷‍♀️

Very good and very tasty…and if I had the need, I would definitely make again.

This one is a keeper!

Savory Bread Pudding

This recipe made the house smell wonderful!

The base of this bread pudding is slowly caramelized onions…2 pounds of them. We are told not to rush the process and that it will take about 40 minutes…and it did. The onions, while caramelizing in the butter, have thyme, garlic, sugar, salt, pepper, and pancetta added.

While that cools, the custard base is whipped up with whole eggs, egg yolks, milk, and cream. This is mixed with the staled, cubed baguette…and then finally combined with the caramelized onions. Before putting it in the baking pan, some cheddar cheese is mixed in, and then some on top after prepared for baking.

This cooks at 350 for an hour in a water bath until golden brown and puffed all the way to center.

We had this alongside some chicken for dinner…and surprisingly for us, not a hit. As my husband put it…it smelled like stuffing, looked like stuffing, but left him disappointed and wanting stuffing hahaha. I don’t think we are bread pudding people. Even the stuffing I make at thanksgiving is a crisper, more shallow baked dish so it isn’t as moist.

Thank goodness for my tasting crew because I sent some off to my friends for her family to try since she said it sounded so good. She sent me back a text saying how great it was and tasted like a holiday breakfast…so there you go! Great recipe and it turned out…we are just weird…and not bread pudding people hahahaha.

So although we didn’t care for this, I would say this is a keeper because my tasters loved it!

Mulled-Butter Apple Pie

To “mull” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is to heat, sweeten, and flavor with spices…often with cinnamon, clove, allspice, anise, and nutmeg. This is usually done with red wine.

In our case, we are going to heat up our butter…actually brown our butter while it simmers and then also steeps with whole spices: cinnamon stick, cardamom pod, black peppercorn, star anise and then also a slice of fresh ginger and orange zest. After this sits, everything is strained out and we are left with browned butter with lovely scents and flavors. This is the base for our apple pie.

We start with our All-Butter Pie Dough which is everyone’s favorite and honestly, pretty easy to make. Half is fitted to the pie pan, the other rolled out and reserved for the top.

Apples are skinned, cored, and sliced and then mixed with some sugar, flour, salt, and vanilla. I used Granny Smith, but you can use any variety.

The browned butter is mixed in and then the apple mixture is scooped into the pie crust…top layer is placed on top and fluted or crimped as you desire. The whole thing is brushed with milk, topped with sanding sugar and vented for baking.

The pie cooks for an hour, checking to tent the crust if need be, which I did to be safe.

The pie is really a beautiful one and the sanding sugar adds a very elegant and delicious touch. I felt like the apples cooked down a bit softer than usual when I bake an apple pie but no one seemed to mind. The pie was devoured and loved by all. I am not sure the “mulled brown butter” was detected by anyone, but everyone would agree, delicious. They all thought it tasted like classic apple pie. 🤷‍♀️

For me, I think this was great to try out but the mulling process didn’t actually seem necessary, just the usual way of sugaring the apples and adding spices works just fine. I am not sure our palate is refined enough to tell a difference haha.

Great pie, but probably would stick to more classic version moving forward.

Herb-Butter Chicken

My picture is not good, and the chicken does not look that appealing. The herbs glopped all together and then burned. 🤦‍♀️. As I was making this I was thinking, I just don’t think I am a fan of making whole chicken this way….

but

…you know what? It didn’t matter what the chicken looked like or if I even enjoyed the process of making it…the bottom line was this chicken was delicious! It was so tender and moist and flavorful so I guess I did something right hahahaha!

The chicken isn’t really that hard, I just don’t particularly like pulling the skin away from the bird and smooshing butter all over inside without tearing the pulled away skin. Just seems gross. I also actually did the wrong side at first, not realizing I wasn’t doing the breast side..so both sides got an inner layer of butter. 🤦‍♀️

I guess I should start at the beginning. I made the herb butter with rosemary, thyme, lemon zest, and green onions. We are told buttering the chicken can be tricky and that was the truth…the pulling of the skin, the smooshing, the trying to get it to stick on the outside. I mean all of it is difficult…but that is why I still shared my ugly picture…it didn’t matter! The end product was still amazing! That gives me hope for a next time and to not be too in my head that it has to be so perfect…it will be ok! 😂

The chicken is prepared, covered in herbed butter as best as you can and placed in a pot. We were suppose to put some stale bread under the chicken but I didn’t do that..I can’t even give a good reason why other than I didn’t have good bread and didn’t see why it was necessary. Just wait…everyone is going to say that was the best part haha. I did add the onions and the white wine.

The whole thing is left uncovered and cooked at 450 degrees for an hour. The chicken is then left to rest and then carved up as you like.

That night we had the chicken with the pan juices and onions and it was superb. Wildly surprising me.

The next night we used some leftover chicken in a salad, and it was equally tasty and tender. We even had some left to freeze for another day.

All in all, just making light of a not so great bake that went better than I expected. Surprisingly, I would make this again and I didn’t think I would say that as I was preparing it. I am not sure I would add the bread next time, but I would add lots more onions because those were delicious alongside the chicken.

Butter smooshed chicken for the win 🏅

This one is a keeper!