Life in 3D

Spring! Asparagus and ramp risotto

Hooray hooray hooray spring is here!  I know, I know, it's technically been spring for 6 or so weeks already, but it's only now making itself manifest at the farmers' market.  (Or so I hear.  Haven't actually been in a couple of weeks.)  My mom gave me some produce she had left over after having us over for dinner (thanks, mom!) - three bunches of ramps and a handful of cute pencil-thin asparagus.  Risotto time!

A bit of a digression, first, though:  I was worried that mommyhood would mean the end of any time in the kitchen, and indeed, Chunk's first few weeks involved him wanting to eat dinner right when we did, which meant mommy scarfed some food down and then sat at the kids' table, as it were.  However, boy genius has decided to be the best baby ever and do this from about 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., leaving us with some nice time in the evening to do grown up things like eat dinner and watch TV.  (How exciting, I know.  Oh, mommy can also drink wine.  That actually is exciting.)  So.  Hopefully lots of cooking in our future.  Plus we signed up for a CSA share this summer, so I will be forced to use a ton of lovely produce.

Anyway.  I'm not going to post a full-out instruction-laden recipe, because risotto is pretty easy once you get the basics down (and I wasn't paying the closest attention when I made this!).  In terms of proportions, I used 1 1/2 cups of rice to about a quart of chicken stock.  First, preheat the oven to 400 and roast the asparagus (drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper) for 15-20 minutes until nicely browned - it's fantastic to almost have asparagus fries on top of the risotto.  Heat the stock and keep it at a simmer.  Meanwhile, heat a combo of olive oil and butter in a pan and saute the sliced ramp bulbs.  Add the sliced ramp leaves and wilt.  Add the rice and stir till coated with fat, then add about a quarter cup of dry white wine.  When that is absorbed, add the stock, a ladleful at a time, and let it absorb, stirring frequently.  It's done when the rice is tender with a bit of a bite.  Stir in some grated parmesan cheese, a pat of butter, and season to taste.  Slice the asparagus, shave some more parmesan, and serve the risotto with these lovely fixins on top.  Enjoy!

Meyer lemon semifreddo

Yum, dessert!  The other day I sent T to the store for some lemons and he came back with both lemons and Meyer lemons.  I hadn't ever cooked with Meyer lemons before, so they sat in the fridge for a while while I tried to figure out something to do with them.  Hooray for the internets, which makes searching for recipes using a certain ingredient so very easy.  I had all the ingredients for this recipe from Bon Appetit on hand, so it was the winner.

And what a winner it was!  T proclaimed this his favorite dessert ever (after banana cream pie, which is, like, one of my least favorite desserts ever, so it's good he found a close second that I also like).  We served it to a friend who came over for dinner, and I saw him wiping up the last melty bits on his plate with his finger.  The recipe seems complicated (or tricky) but I thought it came together pretty easily and lasted for a while in the freezer, letting us enjoy it night after night.

Meyer Lemon Semifreddo
Serves 8-10
Adapted from Bon Appetit

1/2 c sliced almonds, toasted (toast them so they're nice and golden brown to make a good contrast with the pale semifreddo)
1 3/4 c chilled heavy whipping cream
1 1/4 c sugar
7 large egg yolks
1/2 c fresh Meyer lemon juice or regular lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)
1 T plus 2 t finely grated Meyer lemon peel or regular lemon peel (from about 3 lemons)
1/4 t salt

1. Line a 9x5x3 metal loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving lots of overhang (you will be wrapping the plastic wrap around the top). Sprinkle almonds evenly over bottom of pan.  Set a large saucepan of water over high heat until simmering.
2. Meanwhile, using electric mixer, beat cream until soft peaks form.  Refrigerate.  Rinse beaters.
3. Whisk sugar, egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon peel, and salt in a large metal bowl to blend.  Set over saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly until yolk mixture is thick and fluffy and an instant read thermometer inserted into mixture reads 170 degrees, 4-6 minutes.  Remove bowl from over water and beat with electric mixer until cool, thick, and doubled in volume, about 6 minutes.  Fold in chilled whipped cream.
4. Transfer mixture to prepared loaf pan and smooth top.  Tap pan against the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles.  Fold plastic wrap over the top to cover.  Freeze semifreddo until firm, about 8 hours or overnight.

To serve:  if you are serving the whole thing, unfold plastic wrap and invert the semifreddo onto a platter and cut into 1-inch slices with a knife that's been run under hot water.  Otherwise, do your best to cut slices out of the loaf pan.  Serve with berries that have been mixed with a bit of sugar and let to stand for several minutes (or a few hours).

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1 3/4 cups chilled heavy whipping cream

1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar

7 large egg yolks

1/2 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice or regular lemon juice

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons finely grated Meyer lemon peel or regular lemon peel

1/4 teaspoon salt

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Meyer-Lemon-Semifreddo-with-Summer-Berries-242511#ixzz0lEA3DqP0

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1 3/4 cups chilled heavy whipping cream

1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar

7 large egg yolks

1/2 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice or regular lemon juice

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons finely grated Meyer lemon peel or regular lemon peel

1/4 teaspoon salt

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Meyer-Lemon-Semifreddo-with-Summer-Berries-242511#ixzz0lEA3DqP0

Easter basket empty this morning?

Maybe that's because the Easter Bunny ate all your candy and then passed out!  Happy Easter everyone!

Sophie Dahl's Warm Winter-Vegetable Salad

Spring is here!  I love the spring - buds in the trees, crocuses and daffodils peeking up through the dirt, warmish days and a lightness in the air.  But the produce world is a little slow on the uptake, which means that the farmer's market will continue to have sad wintered-over apples, carrots, and potatoes for a good few weeks to come.  (So I've heard, at least - I haven't been recently, as someone would prefer to stay home and eat bears.) 

I made this for dinner very shortly before Henry decided to join us.  I was about 900 pounds with a belly out to there and wanted something filling but healthy that didn't require me to spend too much time in the kitchen.  I saw this recipe in the March issue of Food & Wine and decided it fit the bill.  I tweaked it a bit to suit my taste and what I had in the fridge and thought it worked out quite well - the sweet earthiness of the roasted vegetables playing off the bitter arugula, tangy feta, and crunchy toasted almonds, with bright bits of parsley scattered throughout.  I may even make it again before the markets catch up with the season.

Warm Winter-Vegetable Salad
Adapted from Sophie Dahl
Serves 2 as a main course, generously

1 small red onion, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 carrot, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 parsnip, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1/2 small celery root, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 small beets, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
olive oil
salt and pepper
several handfuls baby arugula
homemade vinaigrette of your choice (a dab of dijon + lemon juice, red wine vinegar, or balsamic vinegar + salt/pepper + olive oil)
handful marcona almonds, toasted (I used the toaster oven for this - watch them carefully so they don't burn)
2 ounces feta, crumbled
2 T parsley, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 425.  In a medium roasting pan or dish, toss red onion, carrot, parsnip, celery root, and beets with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast for about 45 minutes, stirring once or twice, until tender and lightly browned in spots.
2. Remove vegetables from oven and let cool slightly.  Toss arugula with 1/2 the vinaigrette and vegetables with the other 1/2.  Spread arugula on a large plate or bowl and pile vegetables on top.  Scatter almonds, feta, and parsley on top and serve.

Dispatch from the land of the sleep-deprived

Internetz, meet Henry.  Henry joined us a little over a week ago, on February 25 at 4:11 p.m.  He with his big wet eyes and pug nose and rosebud mouth have been keeping us busy and we have loved every minute of it.  Other parts of him have kept the laundry room in our building busy as well.

Parenthood is...amazing.  I was terrified before he arrived but clever Mother Nature makes it such that once the baby comes, you don't have the time or brain power to dwell on being terrified anymore.  I want to write love letters to Henry every day.  And extra long love letters to T, who has been so incredible and is the best dad any baby could've hoped for.  Even though T was so tired one night that he put on his eye mask before getting into bed and stubbed his toe, he still put this together for me the next morning for breakfast:

Needless to say, I haven't spent much time in the kitchen myself.  But take a look at his delicious hands and feet...

 

...and tell me that you, too, wouldn't be tempted to make...

...BABY SOUP!!!!

Waiting, waiting

Folks, I am big as a house.  I know my due date isn't until next week, but I am getting seriously impatient.  Baby Thumbsucker, look at what we have for you:

Your very own room! 

With a brand new Nina-tested and -approved rug!

And a brand new mini Nina-tested and -approved bassinet!

Footie jams and onesies galore!

An amazing handmade quilt!

With a tail-waggling elephant!

Seriously, if this stuff doesn't make you want to greet the world, what possibly will?

In the meantime, enjoy this bit of I Love Lucy that T sent me.  I surely do know how she feels.

Raspberry buttermilk cake

Folks, here is a recipe that is satisfying and gratifying in every way.  It takes about a minute to throw together, bakes in a jif, and is good for breakfast, dessert, elevenses, afternoon snack, what have you.  Although the recipe calls for fresh berries, it turned out great with frozen raspberries from the CSA, and I imagine almost any other frozen berry would work as well.  In other words:  don't wait till summer to make this cake!

My friend Kelly and I made it for dessert the other night and between the two of us devoured at least a third of it.  The cake is light and soft, a bit on the sweet side but with the bites of raspberries to bring it back from the edge of oversweetness.  Of course, if sweetness doesn't bother you, enjoy it topped with a huge scoop of ice cream, as we did.

 

And I know, I know, the last like 50 posts have been baked goods, but people, I am 8 1/2 months pregnant, and when the pregnant lady wants baked goods, she shall have them.

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake
Adapted from Gourmet (RIP)
Serves 6

1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 stick (2 oz) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 c sugar
1/2 t pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 c well-shaken buttermilk
1 c frozen raspberries (about 5 oz)
1 T raw (turbinado) sugar - the kind with the big crystals (use regular if you don't have it)

1. Preheat oven to 400 with rack in middle.  Butter a 9-inch round cake pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter and regular sugar with an electric mixer at medium/high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add vanilla and egg and beat well.
4. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Mix until just combined.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing out top.  Scatter raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
6.  Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes (I have a slow oven and it took 35 minutes - watch for the edges of the cake to start pulling away from the pan).  Cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert onto a rack and cool to warm, 10-15 minutes more.  Place a plate over the inverted cake and flip the cake onto the plate.  Serve plain or with ice cream.

Note:  cake is best the day it's made but keeps, wrapped in foil, at least 3 days.  The crispiness of the sugar on top will disappear, but really, that's not so bad.

The reluctant baker

As if I needed more reasons to love him, here he is making reservations for Valentine's Day dinner.

We inherited a few mushy bananas from my mom the other night.  I generally don't like bananas at all, and if I eat them, they have to be barely barely ripe (read: peel still pretty greenish).  But I lurrve banana bread and seeing as all I want lately is baked goods, I decided to make some.  Lately, though, standing in the kitchen for too long has gotten rather uncomfortable, so this past weekend I conscripted T to do some baking.  Complete with apron.

I (rather, we) tried out (with a few minor tweaks) the banana bread recipe from my King Arthur Flour cookbook, which has recipes for almost anything you'd ever want to bake.  It made a huge and pretty delicious banana bread:

 It's good!  I'm so proud of my buddy!  Lots of firsts for him - the difference between measuring dry and wet ingredients, using a hand mixer, baking at all, really (because english muffin pizzas don't count).  I'm not sure the experience converted him into a kitchen maven, but it's a start.  And of course, being able to eat the product of your hard work helps, too, especially when it's toasted with a big pat of butter:

 

Banana Bread
Adapted from The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion
makes 1 loaf

2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup mashed banana (I used two pretty big ones - unpeeled they weighed 8-9 ounces)
2 t vanilla extract
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1 1/3 c all-purpose flour
1 1/3 c whole wheat flour
1 c buttermilk
1 c chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, and oil.  Mix in the mashed banana and vanilla.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flours until very well combined.  Add all at once to the banana mixture and mix quickly but thoroughly.  Add the buttermilk, mixing until just combined.  Add pecans and stir to distribute.
4.  Bake the bread for about one hour (it took 70+ minutes in my oven) until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  If it begins to brown too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil after about 40 minutes in the oven.  (Note:  it will rise quite a bit, so make sure you have clearance between your oven racks.)

What to do with one meeellion carrots

Hi!  I'm still alive.  The holidays and work meant no time for cooking or doing much else, but things have slowed down a bit now.  Good thing, cause I'm pretty much set at pace: waddle from now until the midgie decides to join us.

The most exciting food news lately is that we joined a winter-share CSA, which means that every month, we get to pick up an exciting bunch of mostly-frozen (and sometimes pre-cut! yay!) fruits and veggies and I get to figure out how to use them.  I've never been part of a CSA before, and I have to say I really like the idea of being handed a bunch of ingredients and then having to figure out what to do with them.  It's especially exciting because most of the frozen stuff is from the summer or early fall, so I have to shake off the root vegetable mindset and branch out.

T has picked up the first two deliveries so far, and Nina has inspected them.  She said everything looked good.

 

(I think she's more interested in the first one because we also ordered meat.)

Anyway, so far I've used the summer squash and peppers (pre-cut!  did I mention?) in veggie chili, the blueberries in Martha Rose Shulman's Oatmeal Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes, the diced tomatoes and sausage in baked rigatoni, the green beans in a riff on this farro salad, and the edamame as, well, boiled edamame sprinkled with sea salt.

This past week they underestimated the amount of frozen tomatoes they'd need, so they were giving folks carrots instead (in addition to the bag of carrots that already came with the delivery).  So we found ourselves with one meeellion carrots on our hands.  I had just made carrot-ginger soup, so I wanted something different - something on the order of baked goods (which is all I seem to want nowadays).  I decided to do both muffins and bread.  I know, I know, that's a lot of baked goods, but the bread is supposed to freeze well (the muffins, not so much - the recipe says they "keep beautifully" for a whopping 2 days.  That is hardly "keeping" at all, if you ask me.). 

As for recipes, I pretty much followed this one from Food & Wine to a t, except that, lacking cardamom, I threw in pinches of ginger, cloves, and allspice.  Oh, I also used 1/2 and 1/2 regular and whole wheat flour.  It turned out pretty well - it'll be better, I'm sure, toasted with a pat of butter.  Muffin recipe after the jump.

Lazy Sunday

Sigh.  Back to work.