by Marisa on April 5, 2009
in Recipes
Asparagus Tart
from 4/4/09 Fork You Live
2 sheets of store-bought puff pastry
2 shallots, minced
1/3 cup olive olive, divided
2 bunches of asparagus, cleaned and chopped into 1 1/2 inch lengths (approximately)
salt
pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Lay the puff pastry out on a parchment lined cookie sheet so that they connect into a large rectangle. Brush the pastry with some of the olive oil, so that it’s all lightly covered. Spread the minced shallots over the pastry in a thin, evenly distributed layer. Top with a sprinkle of salt and pepper (the salt helps draw out the moisture in the shallots, so that they soften instead of browning). Bake for 15 minutes.
Once the pastry has baked for 15 minutes, remove it from the oven. Spread the asparagus out over the tart base, leaving a rim of uncovered crust all the way around. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Add another fine sprinkling of salt and pepper and return to the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the the edges of the pastry have browned and puffed up.
Let cool for 10-15 minutes prior to cutting.
by Marisa on April 5, 2009
in Recipes
Vanilla-Flecked French Toast
from 4/4/09 Fork You Live
4 slices of thickly sliced white bread or sourdough
3 eggs
1/2 cup of milk
splash of cream
1/2 vanilla bean
2 tablespoons butter
If your bread is fresh, spread it out on a cookie sheet for at least an hour prior to making french toast. This will allow it to dry out a bit and it will absorb the custard mixture better.
In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and cream together. Split the vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds out from inside of it (if you don’t have a vanilla bean, substitute 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Amount depends on your affinity for vanilla).
Heat a griddle to medium-high temperature.
Saturate the bread slices in the custard mixture, removing them from the pan once they’re soaked through. If the bread is tough, use the tines of a fork to macerate the bread in order to make it more sponge-like.
When the pan is hot and the bread is soaked, quickly butter it (so that the butter doesn’t burn) and lay the slices of future french toast down to cook. Adjust the temperature, so that it isn’t too hot. You need to cook at a medium-ish heat level, so that the outside of the toast doesn’t burn before the interior is cooked.
Cook 3-4 minutes on the first side and then 1-2 minutes on the second. This recipe can be infinitely expanded, depending on how many people you have to feed.
Serve the french toast with butter, maple syrup and homemade berry compote.
by Marisa on April 5, 2009
in Recipes
Strawberry Compote
from 4/4/09 Fork You Live
2 pounds of strawberries, hulled and quarters
1 orange, zested
2 oranges, juiced
1 cup of sugar
In a medium saucepan, combine berries, zest, juice and sugar. Bring to a bubble and then reduce the temperature to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes, until the strawberries surrender into the juice. Serve over french toast, waffles, pancakes or oatmeal.
For a more adult compote, add a shot of Cointreau.
by Marisa on April 5, 2009
in Recipes
Field Greens & Balsamic Vinaigrette
from 4/4/09 Fork You Live
Salad:
2 bags field greens
1/2 red onion, slivered and soaked in water for at least an hour prior to serving (to reduce the pungency)
1/3 pound gorgonzola, crumbled
1 cup almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
Vinaigrette:
1 shallot, minced
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Wash your greens, prep the onion (it can be soaked in the fridge overnight, in needed) and toast/chop the almonds. Set them all aside.
Pour the balsamic vinegar into the bottom of your serving bowl. Add the shallot and then whisk in the olive oil (you don’t have to use the entire cup of oil, stop when the balance of vinegar and oil looks and tastes right to you). Add the salt and pepper and taste. Adjust seasonings as necessary.
Heap the greens on top of the dressing, this way the salad can sit for a while prior to serving. When ready to serve, top the greens with the red onion, crumbled cheese and almonds and toss to combine, so that the vinaigrette and toppings become incorporated.
