Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tart

We had a very lovely Thanksgiving meal this year (as always), and for dessert I made this Pumpkin tart.  I have made it before and it is quite tasty and more exciting than your generic pumpkin pie.  It requires only 10 minutes of baking for the crust, otherwise the rest is done on the stove top and chilling in the refrigerator.  The orange zest, banana and spices in the mousse are quintessential fall flavors, and they go so nicely with the pumpkin.  This tart is definitely something you could make for dessert after any meal since the pumpkin isn't overwhelming and it's much lighter than the dense pumpkin pies we are used to.  Try it while it's fall out there!  I promise you will love it!

We passed on the whipped cream topping - and I don't think it really needs it.

Happy Halloween from Sandy-Ravished Jersey!

Well you guys, the super-storm has been crazy, but the good news is, I was able to get these Halloween treats baked before the power went out:

They are Chocolate Halloween Devil Kitties! Super yummy chocolate cookies with a touch of spice. So good, and so much fun! 

I used this recipe from a really great baking blog that I like a lot, but with a different shape, obviously. And I didn't have dutched cocoa powder, but she explains in her baking basics section why it is OK to substitute regular unsweetened. They were delicious!

Papi was running around our apartment like a crazy person a few hours before the hurricane hit, and we were convinced he sensed it coming.  So the little bit of cayenne pepper on top (which is such a super tasty finishing touch by the way) was a perfect representation of his friskiness.

I have to say this is one of the most exciting things I've made in a while. Tiny spicy chocolate kitties!! They have gotten us through the hurricane, for sure. 

Meow!

xo,

~Shauna :)

Our Official Frankenstorm Cocktail: the Pumpkinhead!

This is a delicious cocktail that we discovered a couple years ago when we did a class at Murray's. It was a class on pairing cheeses with cocktails, and this was one of our favorites of the night. It was paired with a nice "Spring Brook Tarentaise" - a French Abondonce style artisan cheese from Thistle Hill Farm. To be honest I don't know what any of that means, it's just in my notes from the class, which was in 2009. 

Anyway I'm sure I loved all the cheese but the important take-away was this drink. It's so good you guys!!! Perfect for weathering a big storm. It's pumpkin beer season, and pumpkin butter has been available at the farmer's market for the last few weeks... but neither will be around much longer, so get some soon if you want to try this out! We're going to stock up so we can make this tasty drink again, perhaps at Christmas time. 

xo ~Shauna :)

Pumpkinhead Cocktail

Recipe for 1 drink:

- 3/4 oz pumpkin butter

- 3/4 oz ginger simple syrup*

- 1/2 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice

- 1 oz vanilla vodka (I didn't have any this time, so I just used regular vodka with a dash of vanilla extract!)

- 2 dashes orange bitters

- chilled pumpkin beer (I used Post Road Pumpkin Ale - a seasonal release from Brooklyn Brewery - this was the one we had in the class)

- orange twist to garnish

Shake all ingredients except beer well over ice. Strain into the bottom of a pilsner glass. Top with beer. The beer should comprise about 2/3 of the final volume of the cocktail. Twist orange rind over drink to release oils. 

*To make ginger simple syrup, add 3/4 cup chopped, peeled ginger to two cups simple syrup in saucepan. Simmer for five minutes. Strain and discard ginger.

Radicchio Risotto

Folks, while we were hunkering down for Frankenstorm last night, I made this yummy risotto!

It's one of the recipes I hoarded during my year abroad in Austria, back in 1996. I learned to cook a lot of Italian delights that year from my South Tyrolean friends. Risotto is so easy (if you don't mind stirring at the stove for 20 minutes or so) and so hearty and comforting on a stormy night!

There are so many different types to make, but this time of year I really enjoy this earthy radicchio version. Here's the recipe for you....

Risotto al Radicchio
serves 4

5 or 6 cups vegetable stock
6 tbsp butter
1 onion chopped
1 head radicchio, cut into strips
2 cups risotto rice
1/2 glass white wine
4 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
salt

Bring stock to a boil. In another pot, cook the onion in half of the butter, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in the radicchio, then stir in the rice and cook, stirring, until the grains are coated in butter. Pour in the wine and cook until it has evaporated. Add a ladle full of the hot stock and cook, stirring, until it has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock and stirring until each ladle full is absorbed. This will take about 20 minutes. When the rice is tender, season with salt to taste, stir in the remaining butter and the Parmesan and serve.

Enjoy!

Chicken with Olives and Pine Nuts

I am doing an honorary post for Mommy.  She made this for dinner last night and came into my room and was like "come take a picture of this chicken so we can show it to Shauna and put it on the blog".  So I did,  and now I am posting the recipe as well.  This recipe is from Lidia Bastianich and it involves really simple ingredients but it is so tasty, and literally finger-lickin' good!  With so few ingredients I'm sure that this dish is super easy to prepare, and I'm sure Mom will attest to that in a comment very soon.

Mom served it up with some creamy polenta and sauteed green beans. Yummy!!!!

Aguachile con camarones

I went to Rosarito, Mexico about a week ago and one of the people I was with ordered Aguachile at one of the many meals that we had that day.  I took a bite and immediately told myself that I need that make that when I get home!  It is so tasty!  It is basically spicy shrimp ceviche made with lime juice, cilantro, chile and salt - YUM!  I found a recipe online and tried it out.  It's so easy to make and can be made for an appetizer or a meal.  I made it with serrano chiles but I think next time I will try jalapeno because I think I like the flavor better. 

Note: I know some people worry about eating raw seafood and getting sick from it. Let me discuss this quickly. When you marinate raw fish or shrimp in acid i.e. lime juice, it denature the proteins in the fish giving it that cooked texture that heat does as well. However if the fish has a parasite, the acid will not kill that. But GOOD seafood should not have parasites, so if you are comfortable eating sushi then you should be ok with eating ceviche as well - or aguachile in this case. You could also just make this recipe using frozen shrimp (freezing kills most parasites) to avoid any freak accidents, but just keep in mind the shrimp will probably be a little tougher than if using fresh shrimp. Hope that helps you scared-y-cats out there!

Stuffed Shells with Fennel, Radicchio and Cheese

This recipe was on the cover of last month's Food & Wine magazine and whatever it was I had to make it!  When I saw what the ingredients were I knew that I would LOVE it.  I am a huge fan of radicchio and fennel, and who doesn't love cheese and pasta of any kind!?  This was easy to make, although I used a mandoline which made the job faster and way easier than doing the slicing by hand - so I highly suggest that.  I also made a homemade tomato sauce that you could of course just replace with your favorite jarred sauce to make it even faster.

The mix of fontina, ricotta, and the veggies was so nice, and had a very earthy flavor that was perfect.  This dish is great for fall and days when you want comfort food!  I served it with Italian chicken sausages and salad.  I will definitely make this dish again and so should you!

Peach Dutch Baby Pancake with Cherry Compote

I've been pretty lazy all summer about posting, so I'm going back and adding some stuff I've made over the last couple months... like this amazing delight we had for breakfast one weekend after I got some lovely peaches from the farmers market:

This yumminess would also be great for dessert. The cherry compote is kind of one of of my new favorite things... we had extra and let me tell you, the tart-sweetness is PERFECT over chocolate and/or vanilla ice cream. So good! 

Here's the recipe, which I found in the August issue of Bon Appétit. 

:)

White Bean Ragout with Toast

This is a super easy, delicious and hearty vegetarian meal for any night of the week. I saw the recipe a few months ago in Bon Appétit, and I'd like to officially add it to my repertoire. Not only is it simple and yummy, but also the recipe yields double the amount of soffritto (chopped aromatics; in this case onions, peppers, garlic and tomato paste) so that you can freeze some for later. Then you have it ready to go to quickly make this dish again (which I'm going to do tonight!), or you have a base ready for countless other sauces and soups.

Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetable Tart

Do you have a bunch of veggies that you don't know what to do with?  Well here is an idea....make a roasted vegetable tart based on a recipe in Bon Appetit!  I made it and it was great!  Very hearty and filling, and of course tastes amazing with all the different flavors from the veggies.  It is a bit time consuming but well worth it!  Try it!

Coconut Tres Leches Cake

For anyone looking for the perfect cake to bring to a 4th of July BBQ tomorrow, I've got your recipe right here.  I made this for Father's Day a few weeks ago, and I'm going to make it again tomorrow.  It is AMAZING and pretty darn simple!  All you do is bake the cake and then pour the milk mixture on top of the hot cake and let it soak in.

I suggest making the cake right when you wake up in the morning, and then put it in the refrigerator for about 5 hours wherever the party is at. Then serve it up with some unsweetened whip cream and berries. Perfect for a summer BBQ! It is so rich & creamy and coconut-y. You won't be able to stop eating it!

Chicken Banh Mi

When I saw this recipe in Sunset magazine, I knew I had to make it!  Anything involving chinese five-spice is always good in my opinion.  Plus adding on all the condiments - there's no way it could be bad.

This is a super easy meal to make! But when the recipe says to matchstick cut your veggies, don't do that unless you feel ambitious and not very hungry yet - it's not necessary. Just cut, grate or slice them in whatever manner sounds easy and appetizing to you. Also, I used chicken tenders instead of full breasts which made the cooking time even faster. And I also subbed out the mayonnaise on the bread for Sriracha. Yummy in the tummy!

Yes Peas!

My favorite thing at the farmers market recently is the fresh shellin' peas! They are so tasty... and so adorable!

They make a delicious side-dish all by themselves, and last night I made this really simple, fresh, delicious pasta featuring fresh peas and mint from our little garden. Perfect for summer!

Potato Chip Cookies

I saw this recipe in the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living and had to try them out.  Anything that combines salty and sweet has to be good, right?!  And just as I had hoped, they are pretty darn good!  They are a little time consuming however, having to roll each ball of dough in the crushed chips, but well worth it.  Next time I make them I might try using a little less nuts and add in some chocolate chips!  These would be perfect to bring to a BBQ, so try these out next time you have one to go to!

Passion

One thing I will definitely miss, speaking of food, when I leave St. Barths: the ubiquity of dishes featuring passion fruit. I love me some passion fruit!!! I've had passion fruit yogurt, passion fruit jam for my toast, juice, various desserts, passion flavored rum, and last but not least, savory sauces made with passion fruit. Yesterday, I had a really great lunch at a place called O'Corail (I wish I'd known about it when Mom and Siobhan came to visit). I had the above pictured “Sea“ kebab with chorizo, passion sauce and tamarind, and a really nice Sauvignon Blanc. So yummy!

Little Taste of Home

tequila on the beach at sunset

My month-long artist residency in St. Barth will be over in a week. I will be so sad to leave, but one thing I really miss is cooking! I'm looking forward to farmer's markets and making lots of yummy summer delights. And summer is a time when I tend to really get back to my Mexican roots. OK I'm not really Mexican, but my taste buds definitely are. I'm excited for fish tacos!
:)

Caramel Budino with Salted Caramel Sauce

Ok, so this recipe is as amazing as it sounds!  And it really isn't that difficult to make.  The most difficult part is waiting for the pudding to chill in the refrigerator so you can eat it!  This budino can be transportable if you make it in little jars like I did.  And let me tell you, if you bring this to a dinner party for the dessert, all the guest will love you forever.  So.freakin.good!  Try it!

Radicchio, Cannellini Bean & Tuna Salad with Parsley Vinaigrette

I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit magazine and had to make it.  I always put tuna in my salads but usually just use arugula and olive oil & balsamic.  So this recipe sounded like a nice switch-a-roo, and boy was it!  I loved it!  And I will definitely be making this one again, and probably put it in my regular rotation of meals. Yum!

Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats!

Who doesn't like rice krispie treats?! and who doesn't like peanut butter?! Well put those two lovelies together and you've got yourself quite a nice treat.  This recipe uses coconut oil instead of butter (which I was a little worried about since butter makes everything SO yummy), but the coconut oil adds a hint of coconut flavor and a nice element to these treats.  They are so easy and quick to make, that you might as well make them now!

Enjoy!!!

Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Cake

I recently went to a new(ish) donut place called Fonuts.  They are baked and not fried and so are kind of like little bundt cakes.  But they had a flavor that was awesome - Rosemary Olive Oil.  Ever since I tried that I have been wanting to make a cake with the same flavors.  I found this recipe online and it came out really good! I used 2 1/2 cups of flour and I think if I make it again I would use even less - maybe just 2 cups - because it was slightly dry.  But the flavors are so yummy together!  The rosemary is not overpowering at all, but rather adds a really subtle flavor and complementing the lemon and olive oil flavors perfectly.  This is a perfect cake to take to a summer BBQ which we all will be going to soon! Enjoy!

Green Smoothies!!!

To be honest, I have several things to tell you about, I've just really been lagging with the posting. But I feel the need to follow up that last post about the carbonara with a brief note about my current obsession, which happens to be very healthy. Namely, smoothies! And more specifically, kale smoothies!

I've been making different concoctions involving kale almost every day for a week or so, and I'm hooked. Kale is great in a smoothie because it really just turns it green and packs it full of vitamins, without overpowering the yummy fruits and juices you might use. I've been doing various combos of frozen fruit (strawberries, raspberries, mangos etc.), coconut water or passion fruit juice, banana or avocado, kale leaves, sometimes parsley, a little ground flax seed... etc. So refreshing and energizing in the morning!

Spring Pastas!

First of all, a lovely pasta dish with prosciutto, asparagus, mushrooms and peas...

This is the recipe I used, except instead of fettuccine I used some fancy "casereccia" noodles that Jimmy brought home from Murrays. (It is very hard to go into Murrays without bringing home a few fancy things).

It was a very yummy Pasta Primavera indeed!

Another recent dish, also from Bon Appétit: Pasta Carbonara... "The Silkiest Carbonara" to be exact! And oh my was it silky. I have made carbonara in the past, but I don't think it was ever THIS good. I guess the trick really is lots of egg yolk but not so much white. I used pancetta instead of the guanciale, but I'd love to try the later another time. This dish is decadent and SOOO delicious!

Happy Easter!

I was in charge of making a dessert for Easter Sunday and found this recipe for Lemon-Limoncello Cupcakes which sounded perfect!  They are a cake made with limoncello, with a dollop of lemon curd in the middle, and topped with limoncello cream cheese frosting.  I still had homemade limoncello that Mom gave us for Christmas, so these cupcakes were made from scratch with limoncello that was made from scratch!  So special! I hope everyone had a good Easter!

Here are the cupcakes with the lemon curd inside, before frosting...

...and the finished product!

Easy-sleazy Pozole

My new favorite soup! Pozole! Mexican flavors and super easy to make, this is totally going into the permanent rotation. I want to try out other recipes just to explore what can be done with this dish, but for now I have yet another reason to love my Williams-Sonoma "Soup and Stew" cookbook, where I got this one. Here it is for you! Enjoy!

Pozole
(makes 4 servings)

2 tbsp canola oil
1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
3 cups chicken stock or prepared broth
1 15-oz can diced fire-roasted tomatoes with juice
1 15-oz can white hominy, rinsed and drained
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
salt and freshly ground pepper
Avocado slices & sliced green onions for garnish
Lime wedges and warm tortillas for serving

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium, and sauté the pork until opaque on all sides but not browned, working in batches if necessary, about 3 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a bowl and set aside.

Add the onion to the pot and sauté until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin & oregano and stir a minute longer.

Add the stock, tomatoes, hominy, jalapeño, sautéed pork with any juices, and s+p to taste, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low, cover and simmer until the pork is cooked through and the soup is fragrent, about 15 minutes.

Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish with the avocado slices and green onions; serve with lime wedges and warm tortillas alongside.

Update: Mom's Party!

A few weeks ago we posted a teaser about the surprise party we were about to throw for our mom's 60'th birthday. Well, great news, it was a huge success!! Our little mommy was so surprised, and so happy!! AND, the food was a big hit. We went with a Spanish theme with red decor, and made red sangria and lots of tapas... perfect little nibbles for a party!

Wait, first of all, before I talk about tapas, we need to have a moment for the cake Siobhan made - the cake you may have noticed in the aforementioned post. It was a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, and man alive, it was delicious. After Mom blew out her candles, it was gone within minutes. Maybe if you are lucky Siobhan will talk about the recipe soon...

...She also made these tiny chocolate cupcakes, which were adorable as well as yummy.

By the way, they are displayed on the cupcake stand our step-dad made for Siobhan for Christmas. Isn't it pretty?

So, in all of the excitement we didn't get pictures of all the tapas. For example, we made some really amazing tiny meatballs (recipe here) that got eaten up so quick that we didn't have a chance to snap a photo. There was also a delightful orange and fennel salad, some really great marinaded olives involving cumin and fennel seeds (which I am for SURE making again soon so stay tuned), and these paprika-spiced almonds: 

Basically, you blanch about 1 lb raw almonds, remove their skins then toast them for about 7-9 minutes at 400°F, stirring occasionally, until golden and aromatic. Toss them with a tbsp of Spanish olive oil, then sprinkle with a mixture of coarse sea salt and smoked Spanish paprika, which has been ground in a mortar and pestle to a fine powder. Stir again and serve. 

We also made prosciutto wrapped asparagus, a Spanish tortilla, homemade hummus, and the cutest dish by far, these tasty little cheese & olive empanadillas:

These were particularly fun to make, so here's the full recipe for you: 

(makes 26)

3 oz firm or soft cheese (we used feta), diced

1/2 cup pitted green olives, diced

1/4 cup sundried tomatoes in oil, drained & diced

1¾ oz canned anchovies, drained & diced

pepper

2 tbsp sundried tomato paste (I think we just used regular tomato paste)

plain flour, for dusting

1 lb 2 oz ready-made puff pastry, thawed if frozen

beaten egg, to glaze

fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs, to garnish

Preheat oven to 400°F. Put all the chopped ingredients in a bowl, season with pepper to taste and gently mix together. Stir in the tomato paste.

On a lightly floured work surface, thinly roll out the puff pastry. Using a plain, round 3¼-inch cutter, cut into 18 circles. Gently pile the trimmings together, roll out again, then cut out an additional 8 circles. Using a teaspoon, put a little of the prepared filling in the center of each circle.

Dampen the edges of the pastry with a little water, then bring up the sides to cover the filling completely and pinch the edges together with your fingers (I used a fork) to seal them. With the tip of a sharp knife, make a small slit in the top of each pastry. Store the pastries in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake them.

Place the pastries onto dampened baking sheets and brush each with a little beaten egg to glaze. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown, crisp and well risen.

Serve the empanadillas piping hot, warm or cold, garnished with parsley sprigs.
Enjoy!

And Happy Birthday again Mom, we love you!!!!! xoxox