Eggplant Gratin

August 13, 2014 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

As inspiration for more adventurous culinary efforts I’m following along with Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa, in my tiny New York kitchen. Let’s see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Episode: “Memory Lane”

The Set-up: Ina is cooking up recipes from the past – question is, will Jeffrey pick up the hint?

The Menu: Steak Sandwiches, Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies, Eggplant Gratin

0:49 – Ina says she used to send Jeffrey boxes of brownies at school and calls it the “culinary equivalent of a low-cut dress.” She’s guessing that after nearly 40 years of marriage her ploy worked – yowza those must be some brownies.

1:16 – She is not messing around with Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies - not only do they have 1 lb. of chocolate, she’s also swirling peanut butter through the batter.

2:23 – As Ina cracks eggs for the batter we get a clip of Jeffrey presenting Ina with a box of brownies as an anniversary present. Romantic indeed. Mike, are you taking notes?

3:07 – Pro Tip#1: to keep the brownies dense carefully whisk the eggs to incorporate as little air as possible.

4:32 – That is an ocean of melted chocolate. I have zero doubt that these brownies are legit because now she’s also adding chocolate chips.

5:11 – Pro Tip #2: Dusting chocolate chips with a small amount of flour will keep them from sinking to the bottom of the batter.

5:54 – Is it just me or did the music go all “sexy” when Ina started swirling the peanut butter through the tray of brownies?

6:48 – A quick break in sifting through snapshots from the 60s (do your parents have boxes of those too?) to enact Pro Tip #3: half way through baking the brownies rap the pan against the rack to release any trapped air.

10:15 – Time to make the Steak Sandwich – a throwback to the first thing Ina ever cooked for Jeffrey. In her words that inaugural sandwich was “tough, dry and grey” so she’s redeeming herself with this one.

11:02 – Pro Tip #4: Get the pan and the oil really hot before adding the steak (NY Strip in this case) so that the outsides sear nicely.

11:39 – Ina remarks that she can’t believe that the smells of steak, brownies and caramelizing onions haven’t lured Jeffrey out of his office. This is a mystery to me too – who could resist investigating?

12:56 – We get a brief peek of Mr. Garten hard at work, and I can’t help but notice that he types ‘hunt and peck’ style. No seventh grade keyboarding class for him I guess.

13:22 – Back to Ina still hating on that bland, 1968 steak sandwich. She’s mixing some mustard – coarse grain for texture, Dijon for flavor – mayonnaise, and sour cream to make a spread.

14:23 – Steak is cooked and Ina exhorts us in Pro Tip #5: to cover it with foil and allow the meat to rest before slicing and serving.

18:27 – We come back from a commercial to Ina cutting the pan of brownies into the most perfect squares. I would love to know how long those cooled, because mine are always a sticky mess when it’s time to pry them out. Side note: Jeffrey is not to be trusted with an entire plate of brownies.

19:35 – Steak, caramelized onions, and arugula with a schmere of mustard spread are assembled on focaccia bread and if this doesn’t wipe out the memory of The Worst Steak Sandwich of All-Time TM pending I don’t know what will. Yum.

20:18 – The Most Adorable Lunch of All-Time TM pending is delivered to Jeffrey, who looks both intrigued and suspicious. “Did I do something right? Did you do something bad?” Ina remains coy and says it’s a special treat and he has to figure it out…

21:29 – A few more snapshots (no Instagram filter required) and Ina makes a startling statement: she and Jeffrey honeymooned in France for four months living in a tent and she cooked in there. I need a minute to process.

22:04 – Eggplant Gratin was the first meal the Gartens treated themselves to in Paris after their camping trip. I’d probably love anything I didn’t have to prepare on a camp stove too…

22:41 – Pro Tip #6: heat the olive oil until it’s very hot before adding the eggplant to prevent the vegetables from becoming soggy.

26:56 – Now Ina is making a mixture from ricotta, cream, and an egg, which looks like a thinner version of lasagna filling.

28:12 – Actually, lasagna is a good proxy for the layering-style assembly of this dish and a lot of the flavors seem similar. Also, I am coveting Ina’s adorable little gratin dishes.

29:22 – Finishing touches on dinner – mescalun salad, baguette, red wine – to be held on the terrace Chez Garten. So simple, but really elegant.

29:55 – Now, for Jeffrey’s test: he correctly identifies all the occasions that these recipes reference and passes with flying colors! Great job Mr. Garten. Gold star.

Final Thoughts:

Recipes that repeat throughout a lifetime or a marriage are always so special, even if and especially if they’re simple classics.

Ina always has just the right equipment to make each dish like those adorable individual gratin dishes. Maybe someday…

The Gartens are seriously so cute, people. I hope the years will be as kind to Mike and I!

Lessons Learned:

I’ve never made a gratin before, so I was excited to try adding Eggplant Gratin to my repertoire. The actual steps of the recipe aren’t overly difficult, especially if you’ve made lasagna or another layered casserole, so the hardest part for me was patience.

Making sure that the olive oil was quite hot before sautéing the eggplant, resisting the urge to overcrowd the pan – these are my kitchen struggles. I managed to go slow, sauté in batches and take my time with the star ingredient, which paid off when the texture of the eggplant was firm and not greasy.

The ricotta mixture is very straightforward measuring and mixing – but I found that 1/4 cup of ricotta plus 1/4 cup of cream and an egg made for a really thin sauce and I was worried about having too much liquid, so I added another tablespoon or so of ricotta to thicken it up. It seemed to work well, so something to note for the future.

Small Kitchen Friendly?

Yes, absolutely - in the grand scheme of cooking this is really low impact. I used a medium sauté pan to cook the eggplant in batches, 8” pie plate in lieu of gratin dishes, a large dinner plate lined with paper towel, small bowl, and a medium cutting board. For tools I needed a chef’s knife, microplane grater (for the parmesan cheese), measuring cups and spoons, and lastly TONGS. Tongs are an absolute lifesaver when the sauté pan is spattering from the eggplant and it’s time to turn them over.

The Verdict:

I didn’t realize that Mike knew what a gratin was when I made this for dinner on a rainy Tuesday night, but based on his experience with Potatoes Au Gratin he correctly identified it as Eggplant Gratin before I revealed what we were having.

The eggplant and cheese are really satisfying even though there’s no meat involved, and neither of us missed it. The flavors are simple and delicious which made it a perfect meal that’s not too heavy for summer. I would definitely make this again for us, or when I needed a vegetarian main course at a dinner party.

Lastly, I didn’t think about this before I made the recipe, but Eggplant Gratin is not the most attractive dish. A brownish vegetable under browned cheese – not so cute to take pictures of even if it turns out perfectly, leading Mike and I to coin the phrase #gratinproblems. But I promised to show you how things really look (you’re welcome) and if this goes viral you heard it here first!

Pan-Fried Salmon with Grapefruit, Pistachio and Spinach Salad

August 11, 2014 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

I love to travel particularly when said travel provides ample opportunities to wander the neighborhoods of an unfamiliar city and poke my nose into odd corners in search of hidden gems. The past four days in Chicago offered many chances for me and my Vans to cover some significant ground (hello, Ukrainian Village, Wicker Park, Lakeview, Old Town, etc.), but also included deep dish pizza, ice cream, and stuffed pretzels. Oh dear. Even after striding along miles of sidewalk I’m still feeling a little uh, ‘fluffy’ shall we say and in need of a solid dose of salad.

When I’m thinking about dinner, even when I know its going to be greens based, I’m still trying to check a few boxes so that we still have a meal that satisfying and tasty - protein, a variety of textures and balanced flavors. This recipe does all of that and manages to be really simple too, which is always a good thing, but particularly when you’re airport-weary.

It starts with my favorite way to cook salmon: brushed with a little olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, and pan-fried. I first tried this method last winter when I made Ina Garten’s Salmon with Lentils (please forgive the beginner photography from that early post) and the results were so good that it has become my fail-safe technique when I want perfectly cooked fish with great crispy edges.

Salmon is relatively rich, so when I’m trying to keep the dish light, I like to pair it with an acidic flavor and thanks to the ever-reliable Flavor Bible my craving for pink grapefruit was deemed a solid choice and I decided to carry it through to the vinaigrette too.

Arugula is my favorite salad green as evidenced by it’s many appearances here – but in this case I didn’t want too much bitter sharpness competing with the citrus, so I switched to baby spinach. Now for the crunch factor. Even with a bed of greens as a major component I still like to add a handful of toasted nuts to salads – I’ve made this recipe before with slivered almonds, but wanted to mix-it up a little and try pistachios this time. Edgy, I know.

Perhaps this is obvious, but shelling pistachios is not terribly fun unless you A. have a lot of time on your hands B. some sort of fancy contraption that does it for you or C. really strong fingers. If the answer you’ve selected is D. none of the above, I’d strongly recommend buying them pre-shelled or just going with a different nut altogether.

Pan-Fried Salmon with Grapefruit, Pistachio and Spinach Salad (serves 4)

Ingredients:

4 (8 oz.) salmon filets, skin off
3 grapefruits, peeled and sectioned
4 cups baby spinach, washed and dried
2 tablespoons pistachios, shelled and lightly toasted
1/2 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

In a small, dry sauté pan toast the pistachios for a 3-5 minutes over low heat until lightly golden. Remove the pistachios from pan and set aside until cool enough to handle. Coarsely chop, if desired.

With a paring knife, peel the grapefruit removing the zest and pith. Holding the peeled grapefruit over a small bowl to collect any juice, remove the sections by sliding the edge of the knife between the connecting membrane. Set the removed segments aside. Once you have removed all the sections squeeze the grapefruit membrane into the bowl to extract any left over juice.

Next, heat a medium, dry oven-proof sauté pan over high heat for 4 minutes. Brush both sides of the salmon fillets with olive oil and season the tops generously with kosher salt and black pepper (about 1/4 teaspoon each per piece of salmon). When the sauté pan is very hot, place the salmon fillets seasoning-sides down in the pan and cook over medium heat without moving them for 2 minutes, until very browned. They should come away from the pan easily; if they stick give it a few seconds longer. Turn the fillets to the unseasoned side and immediately place the entire sauté pan in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, until the salmon is cooked rare.

Meanwhile, to make the vinaigrette, measure out 1/2 cup of the freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. Whisk it together with 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Toss with washed and dried mixed greens.

Arrange the dressed greens on a platter and top with the reserved grapefruit segments, toasted pistachios and salmon filets.

Small Kitchen Friendly:

Yes, absolutely. I used a small sauté pan, a large sauté pan (although you could get away with just the large one if you didn’t mind your pistachios looking a little lonely when they toast), a medium cutting board, and two small bowls. I also used a short serrated knife, a small paring knife, measuring cups and measuring spoons, along with a wire whisk and a metal spatula. Don’t forget the potholders – that salmon pan will be HOT.

The Verdict:

We both really like this salad - the crispiness of the salmon, the mellow greenness of the spinach with the brightness of the grapefruit and the earthiness of the pistachios - compliments and balance each other nicely. (PS: 90% of those adjectives are made-up.) And, since a solid part of the prep can be done ahead - the salmon needs less than 10 minutes of cook time - this meal comes together pretty quickly. I’d make this for a small dinner party, or on occasions like today when something healthy and clean is in order.

Minty Fresh Scouting: Cayuga Lake Creamery

August 08, 2014 by Laura Messersmith in Scouting

Cayuga Lake Creamery | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Cayuga Lake Creamery** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

Everyone needs a summer project; a goal to work toward over the hottest months of the year; a plan that will give meaning to an otherwise lazy series of days. I considered this question carefully and arrived at the most obvious answer: visit as many ice cream shops as possible in search of the best Mint Chocolate Chip Ice cream.

Why Mint Chocolate Chip? Mainly, because it’s my all-time favorite flavor, but also it seems like most shops offer an option that combines mint and chocolate. I’m willing to consider gelato, novelties and sorbet, but ice cream is really what I’m after. If you have recommendations on places I should try I’d love to hear them!

My fifth stop in my quest for the minty-est ice cream cone in the land took place in the gorgeous hills above Cayuga Lake in Upstate New York. I was back home visiting my family and of course had to take advantage of being back in dairy country to taste some local flavors at the aptly named Cayuga Lake Creamery, which sits above the aforementioned lake.

According to their site:

“Our homemade ice cream is made on the premises in small batches for excellent quality control. We start with a 14% butterfat mix from our dairy, Upstate Farms. We then add the finest ingredients available – from down the road and around the world – to create our flavors.”

“Mint Chocolate Chunk: Mint ice cream (we use white mint) with lots of chocolate chunks.”

I would have liked to give higher scores here, but the lack of minty-ness and pale color really hurt Cayuga Lake Creamery’s chances. This is not to say it isn’t worth trying since the ingredients were high quality, but I’d probably go for a different flavor next time.

The Scientific Part:

The five criteria are Flavor and then the four “Cs” - Color, Creaminess, Chips, and Charm.

I like a dash of kitsch with my high-quality ingredients, so my preference is for pale green ice cream with intense mint flavor and deep dark chocolate shavings. Yes, I realize that this doesn’t make them ‘chips’ per se, but then they’re more smoothly incorporated with the ice cream. I’m giving extra points for a whimsical setting or special experience.

Mint Chocolate Chunk by Cayuga Lake Creamery | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Mint Chocolate Chunk by Cayuga Lake Creamery** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

Cayuga Lake Creamery’s Score:

Flavor – not that minty and also unfortunately a bit strawberry-ish due to cross-pollination (2 of 5)

Color – a peppermint pattie white, sigh (1 of 5)

Creaminess – wonderfully and thick creamy (5 of 5)

Chips – dark chocolate pieces, yum. (4 of 5)

Charm – roadside stand way out in the country, corn fields clearly visible (4 of 5)

Total Score: 16/25

Current Rankings:

For folks following these adventures at home, here are the current rankings of the ice creams and shops I’ve visited so far. Those top three spots are pretty hotly contested!

1. The Lands at Hillside Farms: 22/25

2. Ample Hills Creamery: 20/25

3. Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream: 18/25

4. Cayuga Lake Creamery: 16/25

5. Sundaes and Cones: 11/25

Lemon Curd Tart

August 06, 2014 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

As inspiration for more adventurous culinary efforts I’m following along with Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa, in my tiny New York kitchen. Let’s see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Episode: “Home Comforts”

The Set-up: Jeffrey is due home for the weekend and he’s in luck - Ina has a whole menu of great treats cooked up for him.

The Menu: Lemon Curd Tart, Grown-up Mac & Cheese, Mussels in White Wine, Green Salad with Creamy Mustard Vinaigrette

0:43 – Ina thinks (correctly) that mac & cheese is high on everyone’s list of comfort foods and has decided to make it even more awesome via the addition of blue cheese and bacon to make a Grown-up version. Twist my arm.

1:10 – Pro Tip #1: cook strips of bacon on a rack over a baking sheet in the oven (400 degrees) rather than on the stove to prevent splattering.

2:01 – For the base of the cheese sauce Ina is making a roux, which is essentially butter + flour + whisked in hot milk.

3:36 – As Ina grates the cheese – Gruyere and cheddar to start – she tells us that she’ll also crumble in some Roquefort “for a nice piquant” flavor. I don’t know why but her little French accented em-phasis on that word is cracking me up.

3:55 – Pro Tip #2: Stir the cheeses to the roux while it’s off the heat. She only mentions this in passing, but this is an important one because it keeps the cheese sauce nice and smooth.

4:22 – The bacon is out of the oven and has been added to the cheese sauce. I really need to add this recipe to my list of dinners to make, Mike would probably love this.

5:49 – The Grown-up Mac & Cheese can be made ahead of time and baked before serving. I now have zero reason not to make this except maybe my waistline…

6:14 – On to the Lemon Curd Tart, which starts with a shortbread-esque crust instead of a traditional pastry. This is good news for pastry-phobes like me.

7:28 – Pro Tip #3: for a smooth edge, use the bottom of a measuring cup to press the dough into the tart pan.

10:07 – The tart shell has finished chilling and now Ina explains the technique of “blind baking.” I’ve seen her do this a ton, but I’m still fascinated by the process.

11:34 – We have a brief garden interlude to cut some enormous (and totally perfect) dahlias for a flower arrangement.

12:11 – Stage 1 of the tart shell process is finished and the dried beans Ina uses as pie weights have been returned to their pantry container. I feel a little sorry for those beans always being baked and re-baked, but it hasn’t stopped me from having some of my own. #heartless

12:44 – Ina mentions that Jeffrey is on his way home which reminds me, we usually see more of him in an episode – why no check in with Mr. Garten? It also reminds me of this hilarious post from The Hairpin.

13:08 – The lemon curd is underway and I’m surprised to see Ina using a peeler to take off the zest of the lemons instead of her trusty microplane grater. Maybe four lemons are too many to zest that way?

14:16 – Ina cautions us that there is no substitute for freshly squeezed lemon juice and “not to even think about using the stuff in the bottle.” Consider yourself warned; Ina will totally know if your thoughts stray toward the temptation of pre-squeezed citrus.

15:25 – The mixture Ina poured from the mixer into the pan was gloppy and unappetizing, but cooking it for a little bit it turned smooth and thick. Lemon curd is probably magic.

19:39 – Now that tomorrow’s dinner is done Ina changes gears to make Mussels in White Wine for tonight.

20:02 – Pro Tip #4: Soaking the mussels in water with a little flour will help rinse them of any sand.

21:17 – The sauce for this reminds me of the first time I tried mussels in a small restaurant called Hungry Mother in Cambridge, Mass. and I’ve been a convert ever since.

22:23 – Jeffrey, you’re alive! Ahh, I mean – Mr. Garten makes his first appearance proving that he is not a ghost. Ina greets him with smooches confirming for me that they are just too sweet. Sigh.

23:44 – Mussels are served with the requisite chunks of crusty French baguette. Seriously, do not skimp on “the bread for sopping” as it is called in the Messersmith household. This is not a time to count carbs!

26:16 – Montage of Sag Harbor adventures, lots of giggling, Ina wrapped in a red scarf. Jeffrey is dubious about her ability to pull off a dinner with no prep time. Little does he know…

28:51 – This is actually a brilliant plan – while the Mac & Cheese bakes Ina whips up a Green Salad with Creamy Mustard Vinaigrette and smooths the lemon curd into the tart shell. Done and Done.

29:49 – Jeffrey teases Ina a little about spilling the proverbial beans (pun totally intended on my part) on her domestic goddess secrets and we wrap up with a toast to fun “weekends together.”

Final Thoughts:

I really can’t highlight Pro Tip #2 enough – I once added the cheese over the heat and my sauce turned out horribly gritty. Not a mistake I intend to repeat!

I absolutely love Lemon Curd and now I have to try making this tart.

Ina should definitely keep her domestic goddess secrets – preserve the mystery a little.

Lessons Learned:

I’ve baked exactly one tart shell in my life for a savory pumpkin recipe that went fairly wrong and I’ve never made a curd of any kind, so I was a bit nervous about making a Lemon Curd Tart.

The shortbread crust is not at all dissimilar to baking Christmas cookies and the step-by-step instructions on blind baking while kind of ‘fussy’ aren’t necessarily difficult. The lemon curd steps are also not difficult, but the stage between mixing and cooking does look disturbing – it’s important to trust the process because it does turn out beautifully smooth and lemony.

One item to note: my oven continues to be a challenge, so my tart shell needed a few extra minutes, but instead of checking carefully under the foil I just yanked the whole piece off taking a bit of the edge with it. Don’t be me! If the foil is sticking a little then put it back in and check again in 2-3 minutes.

Small Kitchen Friendly?

Yes, surprisingly. I used my stand mixer, but a hand held would work fine too. I also used a 9” false bottom tart pan (would recommend a 10”), medium sauce pan, a medium bowl (dry ingredients), and a small bowl (eggs). For tools I used a rubber spatula, dry & liquid measuring cups and spoons, and a microplane grater instead of the food processor step in the recipe. Lastly, I also used a small package of dried beans as my pie weights.

The Verdict:

My mother-in-law, Lucy, loves lemon so I brought the Lemon Curd Tart out to Pennsylvania for a family dinner giving it the scrutiny of about 10 taste-testers all of whom were very pleased with the results. The curd is quite lemony and the crust turns out firm and buttery – lovely.

I, personally, could go with a bit more lemon flavor (but I love strong flavors) and Mike thought perhaps having it chilled a bit, rather than serving at room temperature, would be nice on a hot day. Both of these slight changes are really just us being uber finicky about a recipe that’s pretty perfect. I’m dying for an excuse to make Lemon Curd Tart again – hint: invite me to dinner!