Lemony Green Bean and Goat Cheese Salad

April 17, 2023April 19, 2023 / More Time at the Table / 1 Comment

***_{A different sort of “green salad.”}***

When good friends Patti and Jim came for dinner and to watch the movie “Chocolat” a couple of weeks ago, it was easy to choose a quintessential French do-ahead cold weather meal like Bœuf Bourguignon (aka Beef Burgundy or BB). The movie, a forever fave starring Juliette Binoche, Alfred Molina, Judy Dench, and Johnny Depp, is set in France and why not follow a great location theme for our menu? I had been wanting to make the fun Salmon Rillettes out of Dorie Greenspan’s AROUND MY FRENCH TABLE and so that was tidily in the bag (with Kir to drink), as was dessert. Patti, a much-in-demand local caterer and baker extraordinaire, decided to make Julia Child’s Queen of Sheba Cake ( Reine de Saba–a famous chocolate and almond confection) and who wouldn’t take her up on that… My stumbling block was a first course salad. I wanted green, green, green because “BB” is a hefty-heavy meal and there was chocolate cake, too, wasn’t there? I liked the idea of totally simple and fairly quick but stunning– a show stopper sitting on the table when they arrived sort of deal. (I don’t like to be too busy when friends come and I want them to see what’s ahead food wise.) Of course I didn’t want just a green salad. Tooling through the produce aisle trying to figure it out, what looked the very best to me were some skinny green beans also known as haricots verts, which while lovely on their own tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper, lemon zest, and crushed red pepper needed a boost or larger venue for this special meal. I brought them home, cooked them until just past “crisp” and settled on lightly slathering them all in a two-vinegar, very very Dijony vinaigrette. Which was great. Fine. Totally.

Except, we couldn’t just eat green beans. Well, we could… but. So I dolled the whole shebang up with crisp mixed greens, bright white crunchy fennel, juicy cherry tomatoes, tender roasted red peppers, and creamy goat’s cheese. In other words, not so much that you couldn’t see what was there but just enough to show it all off. Thinking hard about balance — comes right after color– there was nothing to do but finish it off with yellow-yellow lemon zest for acid and capers for salinity. Right after I chose the best big round platter in the cupboard, you see. (24″ in diameter and made in Provence) And that’s how I got “Lemony Green Bean and Goat Cheese Salad.”

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Poached Salmon with Tarragon-Chive Aioli and Lemon Asparagus (French Tarragon Class, Part 1)

May 7, 2021May 12, 2021 / More Time at the Table / 5 Comments

_{Bring seasoned water to a boil; add salmon; remove from heat and rest, covered, until done.} _{Yes, that’s all.}

While it always sounds like a joke, it definitely isn’t. There really are entire series of cooking classes devoted to BOILING WATER. As in, “He can’t boil water.” Well, kinda-sorta, but yes:

Andrew Zimmern’s Kitchen Adventures — Boiling Water 101 was a class I taught for 10 years at a local school in Minnesota. This recipe was one I designed to teach a basic skill but also deliver complex flavors and serve as a touchstone for family meals or entertaining. You really need to practice braising/poaching/blanching as often as you can because wet-heat cooking is much more subtle than dry-heat cooking but so much easier. Recipes like this will change your outlook on cooking for sure. Get wet! —
Andrew Zimmern

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Fresh Berry Cake for Mother’s Day–Bake or Not

May 3, 2012December 22, 2013 / More Time at the Table / 1 Comment

Looks like Mother’s Day!

I hope you’re looking for a cake to make for your Mom for Mother’s Day. If you are, you’re sooo wonderful. What mom wouldn’t love someone who baked a great-looking and yummy cake like this? I made it to take to a friend’s for Easter and took it unassembled as I wanted it as fresh as it could be.

Just looking at this cake will tell you that it’s not difficult to make and it’s NOT. A quick glance at the recipe, however, might put you off. Don’t let it. There may be a little reading involved, but the cooking and baking are fairly simple and don’t take long. In fact, though it’s two layers, you only bake one cake. After it’s cool, you cut it in half.

But listen, if you’re not a baker, this is just the cake for you… because you can get away without baking a cake at all! Just buy a Sara Lee pound cake and cut it into layers–maybe three?–and do a loaf-shaped cake on a pretty rectangular tray. Follow the rest of the directions for the berries and filling and there you are! You could also bake a box cake into cupcakes, slice them, put half in a pretty coffee cup and decorate from there. Whatever you do, this is a beautiful, tasty cake for mom or anyone.

If you don’t have a special cake plate, don’t worry about it. Whoever eats this will be happy no matter what. Next time you run in Good Will or see a funky antique shop, keep an eye our for great serving pieces. No need to spend a fortune at the department stores.

Another idea comes from my mother-in-law, who, when I was a young wife, often made a similar cake using a homemade or store bought angel food cake. To cut calories, she used Cool Whip, but I can’t go that far. If I’m eating cake I want to eat cake. Let them eat cake! But if you really must cut the whipped cream for health or allergy reasons, try the Cool Whip version.

courtesy Sara Lee Desserts

Easy Berry Butter Cake (Aida Mollenkamp–courtesy Food Network)

Difficulty: Easy | Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins, plus cooling time | Active Time: 25 mins | Makes:8 to 10 servings

For the cake:*

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for coating the pan

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon fine salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), softened, plus more for coating the pan

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup whole milk

*Or use a purchased cake like Sara Lee Pound Cake

For the filling:

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

To assemble:

1 1/2 pounds mixed berries*, washed (if you’re using *strawberries, they’ll also need to be hulled and quartered) You might not need quite this many berries; mine didn’t fit on the cake.

INSTRUCTIONS

For the cake:

Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat an 8-inch round cake pan with butter and flour, tap out the excess flour, and set the pan aside. Combine measured flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until evenly combined; set aside.
Place measured butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium high until light in color and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add sugar and continue to beat on medium high until white in color and the texture of wet sand, about 3 minutes more.
Add eggs one at a time, letting each incorporate fully before adding the next. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer on low, add half of the flour mixture. Mix just until incorporated, then add milk and continue mixing until smooth. Add the rest of the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated, about 2 minutes more.
Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, about 15 minutes. Run a knife around the perimeter of the cake and turn out onto the rack, right side up, to cool completely. Meanwhile, make the filling.

For the filling:

Place mascarpone in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add cream, sugar, and almond extract, increase speed to medium high, and whip until ingredients are combined and firm peaks form, about 15 seconds more. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

To assemble: *

Slice cake in half horizontally using a serrated knife. Divide filling evenly between the cut side and the top of the cake. Divide berries evenly over the filling. Stack cakes on top of each other and serve.

If using a purchased cake like frozen Sara Lee pound cake, you might want to slice it (into thirds, perhaps) while it’s still partially frozen.

Note: I’ll share with you that whenever I’ve made a recipe by Aida Mollenkamp, it’s been incredible. I don’t see her on Food Network anymore; is she still on? But she does have a lot of recipes. One that immediately comes to mind is her lasagna. Have mercy. I could double in size eating that stuff.

Need a great idea for Mother’s Day?
Send Mom an ecard and give to Share our Strength: No Kid Hungry here.

Sing a new song and bake/make an easy cake,

Alyce

Happy Mother’s Day–Prune Quick Bread (Reposted)

May 4, 2011November 17, 2019 / More Time at the Table / Leave a comment

A bread for Jacque Franklin, who broke bread for me so many times. Thank you and be well, my friend.

Before the quick bread post, click on the link below to send a Mother’s Day Card that will work toward ending hunger… from THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME–BLOGGERS AGAINST HUNGER. HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY, FRIENDS…

http://gifts.wfp.org/

NOW ON TO THE BREAD!!

My husband loves this bread.

But, when I mentioned to him (before he tasted it) that I was working on a recipe for prune bread, he made a face, rolled his eyes and laughed. Sometimes, we never escape third-grade humor.

I don’t cook a lot with prunes, but have remembered a couple of great recipes lately…one was from THE SILVER PALATE. I want to say it was Chicken Marabella and it was famous. The other is a pork roast with prunes that’s to exhale repeatedly over. French recipe. OOOOh. It’s lovely. So different. So smooth. So company friendly. Reheats like a champ over the weekend after a Friday night dinner party.

Back to the bread. I made this bread when I was working on an article called, “Quick Bread 101,” in which I attempted to work out a basic quick bread recipe that let you add whatever you had on hand …say bananas, apples, blueberries, etc. I think I got it right, but this variation is my absolute favorite. It would be a sweet Mother’s Day gift, a great addition to brunch.

I’ve been gone a few days to a funeral, so thought it was a good time to bring out the prune bread recipe and share it on the blog. If you tried it from examiner, sorry. I have re-written the recipe specifically for prunes. It makes stuperous muffins!! (stuperous is my word for something between stupendous and super)

Alyce’s mom and nephew Michael…..

PRINTABLE RECIPE AT BOTTOM OF POST

TWO-DOG KITCHEN AND AROUND THE ‘HOOD

As I write, Friar Tuck is over at Dr. Bill’s getting a little nip and tuck done to raise his voice. Yes, Tucker’s getting neutered, but, you know, it had to happen. I apologized ahead of time because he’ll be a little groggy afterward.

…. ….. ….. …….

(Below: Later this afternoon……Poor baby)

)

Our sour-cherry tree in bloom. Pie cherries will be ready about the fourth of July. Come pick before the birds get them all. If we get up early to bake before the heat comes, we can have pie for the holiday.

Sing a new song; bake a new bread;

Happy Mother’s Day!

Alyce

—–

In Memorium…Carol Curtiss..The Quintessential Lutheran Party Girl..

God, Love Her!

Print Recipe

Prune Nut Bread

makes 1 9x5x3 loaf

Ingredients

1 cup prunes chopped
1 1/2 cups orange juice
Simmer chopped prunes in orange juice for about five minutes. Let cool slightly.
4 tablespoons melted butter cooled or sub canola oil
1 egg you might want to use 2 at altitude
Mix cooled butter/oil and egg and add to orange juice and prunes.
Set aside.
21/2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix well all dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and stir just until well-mixed.
Spoon into greased and floured 9x5x3 loaf pan. Bake about 50 minutes until bread is firm to the touch, is pulling away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the bread comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Let cool in pan 5 minutes. Bang pan on counter or board and turn out onto rack to cool completely before slicing. Keep well-wrapped on counter for 1-2 days or freeze for up to 2 months.

More Time at the Table

Cooking with Alyce Morgan

Mother’s Day