Brussels Sprout, Bacon & Gruyère Frittata

October 08, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

When I first spotted this frittata from Food + Wine magazine on Pinterest I knew immediately that I had to make it for Mike. Its combination of Brussels sprouts, bacon, and Gruyère cheese is nearly all of his favorite foods in one convenient (and easy!) recipe.

If you’re like me and never seem to have an oven-safe skillet quiiite large enough to hold the veggies and the eggs, then my adaptation which requires no skillet at all will hopefully be a Godsend. The outcome is the same and possibly even better due to the magic of the roasted sprouts and the lack of spattering stovetop bacon grease, always a win in my book.

This recipe is just begging to be made some hairy weeknight when dinner requires a dish both comforting and sustaining. Or, for Sunday brunch when something slightly more elegant than classic scrambled is called for, and you’re looking to incorporate some leafy greens under a welcoming blanket of egg and cheese.

Brussels Sprout, Bacon & Gruyère Frittata (serves 4-6)

Ingredients:
1/2 pound (5 strips) thick-cut bacon
3/4 pound brussels sprouts, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 shallots, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup (1/4 pound) shredded Gruyère cheese
8 large eggs
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/4 cup snipped chives
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:
re-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Prep the Brussels sprouts by trimming the ends and slicing them vertically in 1/4 pieces. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the Brussels sprouts in a single layer. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Roast in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, then turn with a spatula and add in the thinly sliced shallots. Continue to roast for another 7-10 minutes until the sprouts are crisp-tender and just beginning to brown and the shallots are softened.

Meanwhile, line a second rimmed baking sheet with foil and lay the strips of bacon in a single layer. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes turning halfway through until the bacon is crisp. Drain and cool on a paper towel-lined plate, then roughly chop into 1/4 inch strips.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Stir in the shredded gruyere and snipped chives.

Lightly coat an 8” pie plate with non stick spray. Layer the Brussels sprouts and bacon, then pour the egg mixture over the top. Bake the frittata for 25-30 minutes, until the center is just set. Run a rubber spatula around the edge of the frittata and slide it onto a serving plate, then cut it into 6 pieces and serve.

Re-written and adapted from Food + Wine’s Brussels Sprout, Bacon and Gruyère Frittata by Justin Chapple.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
100%. All you need is two rimmed baking sheets (you can get away with one if necessary by lining it with parchment and re-using it for the bacon), a medium cutting board, chef’s knife, 8” pie plate, medium mixing bowl, dinner plate, rubber spatula, liquid measuring cup, and measuring spoons. Aluminum foil, parchment paper, and paper towels will make clean up much simpler.

The Verdict:
The number one way I can tell if Mike likes something is when he’s willing to eat it more than one day in a row. The other mark of success is when I wish I had thought of it first, hat tip to you Mr. Chapple. In that case Brussels Sprout, Bacon and Gruyère Frittata is a total winner. The sprouts are perfectly complimented by the creaminess of the egg and cheese mixture, and the crunchy salty bacon. Definitely keeping this one in mind as winter approaches and sprouts become a go-to menu item.

Better Chocolate Babka

September 22, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

If Ina Garten is my spirit guide, then Deb Perelman of the wonderful blog (and cookbook!) Smitten Kitchen is my favorite tenured professor, the Department Chair of Food Blogging. Her writing voice speaks to me in soothing tones – reminding me that it’s just cooking – no lives hang in the balance. If the outcome is delicious then it’s cause for celebration, if the results are less than amazing, then hopefully you learned something and the recipe is one step closer to the dish you dreamed. Cooking is about trial and error, experimentation. The fact that her recipes are so well written and specific inspires confidence, which brings me to the point: Better Chocolate Babka.

I took a 5 day bread baking class last February at the International Culinary Center where we learned the ins and outs of yeast, temperature, rising time, shaping, and baking all under the guidance of bread expert Chef Johnson. You would think that once we made our way through the dozens of loaves I brought home after class the scent of freshly baked bread would constantly waft from our apartment. Um, not so much. I’d like to blame it on hot summer weather, but it’s not like I didn’t use the oven for other things. Really, I was still intimidated. Frightened to go out on my own and tackle a yeast-based recipe without a net. Except, I have a secret weapon: Deb and her coterie of dedicate commenters to see me through.

In the grand scheme of things nothing will get me into the kitchen like the promise of a decadent baked good. Naturally, I chose a bread recipe that involved deep, dark, bittersweet chocolate – why go the healthy route with a loaf liberally loaded with pepitas and flax seed when what really motivates me is sweets! I’ve presented Deb’s recipe faithfully with just a few of my own observations and recommendations. I hope you’ll find it inspires you to tackle yeasted dough, but be forewarned: one taste of this and you’ll find yourself scheming new reasons to make it again and again. There's a reason Jerry and Elaine wanted that babka!

Deb Perelman’s Better Chocolate Babka (yield: 2 loaves)

Dough Ingredients:
4 1/4 cups (530 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast*
Grated zest of half an orange
3 large eggs
1/2 cup warm water, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons extra, if needed
3/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter (150 grams or 5.3 ounces) at room temperature
Sunflower or other neutral oil, for greasing

Filling Ingredients:
4 1/2 ounces (130 grams) dark chocolate, recommend semi or bittersweet
1/2 cup (120 grams) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (50 grams) powdered sugar
1/3 cup (30 grams) cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon [optional]

Syrup Ingredients:
1/3 cup water
6 tablespoons (75 grams) granulated sugar

Instructions:
Mix the Dough: Combine the flour, sugar, yeast and zest in the bottom of the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the eggs and 1/2 cup warm water, mixing with the dough hook until it comes together; this may take a couple minutes. It’s okay if it’s on the dry side, but if it doesn’t come together at all, add the extra water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough forms a mass.

With the mixer on lowest speed, add the salt, then the butter, a spoonful at a time, mixing until it’s incorporated into the dough. Then, mix on medium speed for 10 minutes until dough is completely smooth; scraping the bowl down periodically with a rubber spatula. If after 10 minutes, the dough doesn’t begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl add 1 tablespoon extra flour to help this along.

Before removing the dough, check the gluten development by taking a small piece of the mixed dough and spreading it apart gently with your fingertips. If it stretches without tearing and forms a thin, translucent membrane (think bubblegum) it’s ready.

When the dough is developed, coat a large bowl with oil (or turn the dough out onto the counter and oil the mixing bowl) and place dough inside, cover with plastic and refrigerate. Leave in fridge for at least half a day, preferably overnight. (Dough will not fully double, so don’t worry if it doesn’t look like it grew by more than half.)

Prepare Filling & Shape Loaves: Melt butter and chocolate together until smooth. Stir in powdered sugar and cocoa; mixture should form a spreadable paste. Add cinnamon, if desired.

Next, brush the bottom and sides of two 9-by-4-inch (2 1/4 or 1kg) loaf pans with oil or butter, and line the bottom of each with a rectangle of parchment paper.

Divide the dough in half, leaving the half you aren’t working with in the fridge. Roll out the first portion of dough on a well-floured surface to about a 10-inch width (the side closest to you) and as long in length (away from you) as you can when rolling it thin, likely 10 to 12 inches.

Spread half the chocolate filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border all around. Brush the end farthest away from you with water. Starting with the edge closest to you, roll the dough up into a long, tight cigar and seal the dampened end onto the log. Transfer the log to a lightly floured baking tray in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes to make it easier to cut cleanly in half. Repeat the steps with second portion of dough and filling.

Final Assembly: Gently cut the log in half lengthwise and lay the halves next to each other on the tray, cut sides up. Pinch the top ends gently together to form a V. Lift one side over the next, forming a twist – think braiding – and try to keep the cut sides facing out so they’ll be visible when the loaf is baked. This might be a little messy, but just transfer the twist as best as you can into the prepared loaf pan. The dough will fill in any gaps by the time it’s done rising and baking, so don’t worry if there is extra room in the pan.

Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise another 1 to 1 1/2 hours at room temperature. Repeat process with second loaf.

Bake and Finish: Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Remove towels, place the pans on the middle rack of your oven. Bake for 30 minutes, checking for doneness at 25 minutes. A wooden skewer inserted into an underbaked babka will feel stretchy/rubbery inside and may come back with dough on it. When fully baked, you’ll feel almost no resistance. If you babka needs more time, put it back and re-test at 5 minute intervals. If the top is browning too quickly, cover it with foil.

While babkas are baking, make the finishing syrup. Bring the sugar and water to a simmer until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and set aside to cool a little. As soon as the babkas leave the oven, brush the syrup all over each. It will seem like too much, but will taste just right — glossy and moist. Let the babkas cool about halfway in pan, then turn out to finish cooling on a wire rack.

Note from Deb: Babkas keep for a few days at room temperature, but will freeze and defrost really well.

*Note on Yeast from Laura: Active Dry Yeast and Instant Yeast are two different ingredients, so read the packages in the store carefully. If you can only get Active Dry Yeast, then “proof” it by adding 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet) to the 1/2 cup warm water (80-90 degrees) called for in the recipe with a small pinch of sugar. Allow the mixture to sit for 5-10 minutes at room temperature then add it at the same time you add the eggs to the flour mixture. The rest of the recipe remains the same.

Rewritten from Smitten Kitchen’s Better Chocolate Babka, which is adapted from the Chocolate Krantz Cakes in Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes and no. Yes, if you have a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook capable of handling bread dough, or if you are up to the physical challenge of mixing and kneading dough by hand. You’ll also need a medium mixing bowl, scale, liquid measuring cup, rubber spatula, two 9x5” metal loaf pans, one sheet pan, a rolling pin, and sharp knife or bench scraper. Parchment paper and a pastry brush for preparing the pans round out the list.

The Verdict:
Deb is a genius.

I could just leave it at that, but for the sake of posterity I’ll continue. If you like brioche and pain au chocolate then Better Chocolate Babka is a glorious combination of the two. The baked dough is lovely and soft, rich with butter and just a hint of orange zest. The chocolate swirls so elegantly revealed are deep and dark taking this bread out of sticky-sweet breakfast loaf territory and into a more elegant realm. Bring it as a hostess gift to your favorite friends, have a slice with morning coffee, or a piece after dinner with a spoonful of whipped cream for dessert, this bread is welcome on my table at any time of the day.

Israeli Couscous Salad with Cherries & Pistachios

September 17, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

Israeli Couscous with Cherries & Pistachios | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Israeli Couscous with Cherries & Pistachios** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

There’s been a lot of cooking lately, not that you could tell by the sporadic posts around these parts. The trouble with cooking is that a recipe that looks amazing on Pinterest turns out to be a dud. Case in point: the overly salty falafel I made earlier this week. Sometimes it’s me though, and I discover that fish tacos were never meant to be eaten like nachos. That there is a reason you don’t see them on menus, genius. Sigh.

All that is to say – there is quality control around here, it just means that when I hit a rough patch like I have the past few weeks I post less frequently than I’d like while I fiddle around getting things just right. My goal is only to share recipes I’d be proud to serve, or pass along to my friends, like this one here.

This essentially a pasta salad made a little fancy with additions like crumbled goat cheese and toasted pistachios. It also offers a little bit of a departure from the classic vinaigrette or mayonnaise-based dressings by incorporating pomegranate molasses.

If you’re wondering where on earth you’ll get pomegranate molasses the way I did when I first saw it in the ingredient list, let me reassure you. It’s easy to make it yourself by simmering plain pomegranate juice with a little sugar and fresh lemon juice until it reduces and thickens. I actually did it a few weeks ago following this recipe from Fine Cooking and it works perfectly, I bet it would also work with plain cranberry juice too if pomegranate isn’t available.

Israeli Couscous Salad with Cherries & Pistachios (serves 6-8 as a side)

Ingredients:
2 cups Israeli couscous (pearl pasta)
1/4 cup Pomegranate Molasses
2 1/2 teaspoons champagne vinegar
1/2 teaspoon raspberry vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turbinado sugar (aka Sugar in the Raw)
2 cups dried cherries
1/2 cup toasted pistachios
1 1/2 cups, packed fresh parsley and mint leaves
2 ounces crumbled plain goat cheese
4 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves

Instructions:
In a medium sauce pan, bring two cups of salted water to a low boil, then add the couscous and simmer on medium heat for 5-7 minutes, or according to the package directions until al dente.

While the couscous is cooking, whisk together the pomegranate molasses, champagne vinegar, raspberry vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, sugar and salt.

When the couscous is done, drain through a fine mesh sieve and place in a large mixing bowl. Pour the vinaigrette over while the pasta is still warm and stir together. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, toast the pistachios in a dry skillet over low heat, chop the herbs and crumble the goat cheese. When the couscous is cooled to room temperature, stir in the prepped ingredients. Add the baby spinach just before serving.

Rewritten and adapted from Couscous Salad with Fresh Cherries by Ashley Rodriguez of Not Without Salt.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes! I needed a medium sauce pan, mesh sieve, medium bowl, and a small sauté pan. A cutting board, chef’s knife, measuring spoons, a liquid measuring cup, and a large mixing spoon. That’s it!

The Verdict:
I made a few changes to the original to reflect our preferences, a slight softening of the vinegar bite with a touch of raw sugar. A sprinkle of toasted pistachios to continue the Middle Eastern flavors, a generous crumble of goat cheese to balance against the tart cherries, a handful or so of baby spinach to bring the dish more firmly into the realm of salad. All told, this is a great side to serve during the final grilling parties of the summer and is simple to whip up in just a few minutes. My kind of recipe!

Grilled Watermelon Salad with Arugula & Pine nuts

September 04, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

It probably sounds elementary, but once upon a time I used to think of Salad – capital S – as something that strictly consisted of lettuce, carrots, cherry tomatoes, and possibly a cucumber slice. Essentially, the Olive Garden version of a side dish. Sad.

Once my eyes were opened to the possibilities of adding cheese, nuts, grains, even fruit to the veggies and greens (or not!) a whole new world emerged. Mike started a new job a few weeks ago and the dining options near his office are pretty limited. To keep him sustained through the day I’ve been packing him lunches and thinking of new salad combinations.

Given my recent obsession with grilling basically everything, especially fruit, it was only a matter of time before I started putting grilled fruit IN SALAD. Crazy, I know, but it works! This one layers peppery arugula with slightly smokey grilled watermelon and shavings of salty parmesan. A sprinkle of toasted pine nuts for good measure and you have a salad that’s actually fresh and healthy but doesn’t taste like homework*.

*Not in the notebook paper sense, more in the I’m-only-eating-this-because-I’m-supposed-to sense.

Grilled Watermelon Salad with Arugula & Pine nuts (serves 4)

Ingredients:
4 cups or 1/8 large seedless watermelon
4 cups arugula leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
3 ounces parmesan, shaved
1/3 cup balsamic or yogurt mint dressing (recipe below)

Instructions:
Pre-heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.

Remove the rind, and slice the watermelon into 1/2 inch thick wedges. Grill in batches for 2-3 minutes per side allowing the watermelon to sear. While the watermelon cooks, toast the pine nuts in a dry pan, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutesover low heat until lightly golden.

Allow the watermelon to cool to room temperature before layering with the arugula leaves, shaved parmesan, and toasted pine nuts. Serve dressed with balsamic vinaigrette or for a lighter option, Yogurt Mint Dressing.

Yogurt Mint Dressing (yield: 2 cups)

Ingredients:
6 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
7 ounces plain or lemon Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:
Place the scallions, mint, dill, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until it forms a coarse paste.

Add the Greek yogurt, salt, and pepper and pulse until combined. Transfer to a jar or food storage container and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop.

Recipe for Yogurt Mint Dressing very lightly adapted from Ina Garten’s Yogurt Mint Sauce.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes! I used a cast iron grill pan (surprise!), a medium cutting board, chef’s knife, y-shaped vegetable peeler, tongs, small skillet, and a small food processor. Measuring spoons and cups, a rubber spatula and a clean jar with a lid round out the tools.

The Verdict:
If you couldn't tell, I've been on a bit of a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern-ish kick lately, so when I served this salad for the first time it was along side the Greek Lamb with Yogurt Mint Sauce we had the other night. Which is when I discovered that while balsamic dressing is perhaps the more traditional addition, that I actually really like the combination with the cool yogurt and mint. Fresh, delicious, low effort, and an excellent way to cling on to the waning days of summer.