I have waxed philospohic about my love of barley in the past.  But, alas I have only ever eaten barley heated so I was intrigued by a Mediterranean Barley Salad recipe in Cooking Light magazine and decided, what the heck, I should give this grain a try cold.  L O V E D IT!  It would be perfect for lunch or as a side dish to a simple grilled protein.  

MEDITERRANEAN BARLEY SALAD adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

2 1/4 cups water

3/4 cups pearl barley

1 1/2 tsp grated lemon rind (zest)

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1 cup fennel bulb, thinly sliced and then coarsely chopped

1/3 cup chopped fresh dill

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Bring water and barley to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes or until tender and liquid is absorbed.  Cool to room temperature.  Combine lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil and mustard in a bowl and stir to combine.  Add barley, fennel, dill, red onion, salt, pepper and black beans to vinaigrette (lemon mixture).  Toss gently to coat.  Garnish with walnuts and serve. 

I now am in a quandry.  Do I serve my barley hot or do I serve it cold.  What’s a girl to do?  How do you like your barley best?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Souffle.

Brown butter.

Three words which by their mere mention can create fear in the most fearless of cooks.   

Souffles are so finnicky.  If you look at them funny, they fall.  Kind of like Goldilocks, you never know if they are just right until you taste them.  They are sometimes runny and sometimes overcooked.   If you accidentally hit the oven door with your knee, uh oh.  And never mind trying to remove them from the oven and get them to the table.  Egads.  They just aren’t worth the effort.

OH DEAR.  They so are.   And if you follow a few simple steps, they shouldn’t cause one sweat gland to begin working overtime.  (Stay tuned for tomorrow’s tips and tricks for fearless souffle making.)

And let’s not forget the brown butter.   The key to brown butter is to not have the flames turned up so they are flicking out over the sides of the saucepan.  Melt the butter over medium heat and let it work its magic.  It will turn brown and nutty and oh so yummy. 

Did I mention that it transforms this souffle from good to magical.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

CAULIFLOWER SOUFFLE WITH BROWN BUTTER  Gourmet Magazine May 2008

3 tbsp finely grated parmigiano reggiano

1 1/4 cups finely chopped cauliflower florets

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

white pepper to taste

1/2 stick butter

4 1/2 tbsp all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole milk

6 egg yolks

8 egg whites

1 stick butter (for browned butter)

Preheat oven to 400 with rack in the middle.  Generously butter souffle dish, then sprinkle with cheese, knocking out excess.

Stir together cauliflower, parsley, 1/4 tsp salt and white pepper in large bowl.

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in flour and cook, whisking, until pale golden, about 2 minutes.  Add milk a little at a time, whisking constantly until smooth.  Bring sauce to a boil, whisking, then simmer until thick, about 1 minute.  Remove from heat and whisk in the egg yolks, 1/4 tsp white pepper and 1/2 tsp salt.  Stir into the cauliflower mixture.

Beat whites in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until they just hold stiff peaks (they should not look dry).  Stir a heaping spoonful of whites into yolk mixture to lighten the mixture and then gently fold in the remaining whites until just combined.

Spoon into souffle dish and bake until golden brown about 35 to 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it turns golden with a nutlike fragrance and fleck on bottom pan turn a rich brown, about 6 mintues.  Remove from heat.

Serve souffle immediately, drizzling with warm brown butter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Post submitted to Gourmet Unbound and Magazine Mondays.  Thanks ladies!

 

 

We are in the middle of a baking series at Foodies and last week we made a fruit galette.  It was an unfamiliar term to the majority.  A galette is a flat cake made of a flaky pastry dough or a yeast dough.  I consider it to be a rustic presentation as you bake the galette flat on a pizza stone or baking sheet with the perimeter folded over the filling.  It is a great way to use up dough and/or fruit as you can make the galette large for several servings or you can fashion individual ones.  And, my kind of recipe.  The combinations are endless.  Blueberries. Raspberries. Mango. Strawberries. Kiwi.  Peaches. Nectarines.  Blackberries.  Cherries. Hmmm.  What am I missing? Goat cheese, leeks and butternut squash. Yes, that’s the ticket! 

It was a nice surprise when I was searching for a Gourmet recipe to include in gourmet, unbound for the February challenge and I came across this savory galette.    And, it’s a double whammy today.  It’s also Magazine Monday at Cream Puffs in Venice so this counts for that as well.  Two blog challenges.  Hip Hip Hooray!

While sage isn’t one of my favorite herbs, it is one of those go together pairings with the butternut squash so I made the recipe with the listed ingredients although I would probably substitute oregano or thyme another day.

This was an extraordinary surprise.  Even with the sage, I thought it was delightful.  This would be a great brunch dish with a salad.  My original intention was to serve it with thinly grilled pork chops glazed in lemon but since I made this at 7 am…. I had it for breakfast with coffee! 

BUTTERNUT SQUASH GALETTE    From Gourmet Magazine February 2009 

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 tbsp chopped sage leaves

1/2 tsp sea salt

4 tbsp ice cold water

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 2 x 1/4 inch slices

1/2 tsp sea salt

3 tbsp olive oil, divided

2 leeks (white and light green parts only), thinly sliced crosswise

6 ounces soft mild goat cheese, crumbled

Dough:  Pulse flour, butter, sage and sea salt in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Drizzle ice water evenly over mixture and pulse until it just forms a ball.  Do not overwork dough or pastry will be tough.  Gently press dough into a 5 inch disk and chill, wrapped in plastic warp, until firm, at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 500 with rack in the middle.

Toss squash with sea salt and 1 tbsp oil and arrange in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan or cookie sheet.  Roast, stirring once halfway through roasting, until golden brown on edges and undersides, 20 to 25 minutes.  Remove squash from oven and reduce oven temperature to 375.

Meanwhile, wash leeks, then cook in remaining 2 tbsp oil with a pinch of salt in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, 10 to 15 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl to cool slightly.  (This is where I deviated a bit.  I didn’t combine the squash with the leeks and goat cheese as suggested.  I instead layered the squash on the galette and then tossed the leeks and goat cheese and sprinkled it over the top.)

Roll out dough into a 13 inch round on a lightly floured surface.  Transfer to a baking sheet or pizza stone.  Arrange filling in an even layer in center of dough, leaving a 2 to 3 inch border.  Fold dough in on itself to cover outer rim of filling, pleating dough if necessary. 

Brush pastry with beaten egg and bake galette until crust is cooked through and golden on edges, 35 to 45 minutes.  Cool on baking sheet on a rack 10 minutes before serving.

It’s Roe v. Wade Day on the Quirky Calendar.  Your assignment should you choose to accept it:  Mushroom and Asiago Quiche. 

It was a toss up between angel food cake, pavlova or scrambled eggs so I opted for quiche.  Eggs.  Get it?  We are in the middle of a 16 week baking series.  I am almost desserted out.   Gasp!

A quiche is my idea of a perfect go to recipe because it is a recipe with no boundaries.  It will be comforting to those of you who need to hold a recipe in your hand and it is versatile enough for those of you who want to venture forth and create your own.  As long as you have the generally accepted cast of characters:  pie dough, eggs, milk and cheese, you are halfway home.  The cast can even shine with the occasional understudy.  Use half and half for the milk.  Whatever kind of cheese which has tried out for the part will receive a standing ovation.  As for the other filling ingredients, open the casting call up to an infinite amount.  Sausage, ham, bacon, salmon.  Leeks, onions, shallots.  Broccoli, mushrooms, squash.  Experiment with flavor profiles and use this time to clean out tids of this and bits of that from the shelves of your fridge.   

TODAY’S QUICHE aka Mushroom and Asiago Quiche

1 refrigerated pie crust

2 tbsp butter

1/2 cup chopped shallots or chopped onions

4 cups sliced button mushrooms

4 eggs

1 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste 

3/4 cup Asiago cheese, coarsely grated

3/4 cup Grana Padano cheese, coarsely grated 

Preheat oven to 450.  Place the pie crust in a 9 inch glass pie pan. Bake for about 15 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 325.

Melt butter in a saucepan and add shallots.  Sweat for about 2 minutes to soften.  Add mushrooms and saute until mushrooms are soft, about 8 minutes.   Cool for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, beat eggs and add milk and salt and pepper.   Combine the two cheeses and add about 1 cup to the egg mixture.  Add mushrooms and stir to combine.

Pour the egg mixture into the pie shell and top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until center is just set.  Allow to cool for about 20 minutes.  Slice into wedges and serve.