I have heard that if someone is having an Open House, hoping to sell their home, that baking cookies is a way of leaving a warm and homey scent for prospective buyers. I can tell you, that if you make this recipe, that you will return home to find the Realtor, and anyone who has viewed your home, waiting for a slice of this!
I have been a huge fan chef of Anne Burrell, ever since I watched her as Mario Batali's Sous Chef on Food Network's Iron Chef. I record her show, Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, and she never fails to inspire me to try her recipes. Sure, she's a bit zany with how she talks to her food (hello my lovelies...) and how she gr-r-r-r-owls her words when she describes things. Her wild spiked blonde hair is fodder for people to make fun of, but I don't care. The woman is a chef and she can cook! If I could have private cooking lessons from any Food Network Chef (other than Tyler Florence, whom I got to meet and chat with-- and he's totally approachable and talented), I would pick Anne. I love her spunk! On the day that I watched Chef Anne making this savory crostata, my husband had just asked when I was going to cook the Swiss Chard that I pleaded with him to plant. My husband is the green thumb of the family. (I tend to "forget" to water plants. He doesn't.) I was delighted to find a recipe that would be a perfect for one of my favorite leafy greens!
Before I show you how to make this, there are a few key ingredients that you will need. Mascarpone Cheese is a must! It's Italian cream cheese, and it's a little pricey (I paid $4.99 for a tub), but it's creamy and silky...and it's really what makes this crust so tender and flavorful. You need Parmesan Cheese, too. Not that cheap stuff in the green can in the supermarket, please! You can finely grate the cheese in the food processor, or buy it already grated. But, please buy the Parmesan from the deli case. Thank you.
Last night, I made the crust dough, which took all of 15 minutes. That's what I love about my food processor. If you don't own one, roll up your sleeves and use some elbow grease and a pastry cutter.
To unbleached flour, I add grated Parmesan cheese, marscarpone, cayenne pepper (don't skip this, it's perfect) and ice cold butter, cut into small pieces. Don't worry about the recipe. You will find a printable card at the bottom of this post. Pulse, pulse, pulse, until the dough looks crumbly-- like Parmesan cheese. Now add two cold eggs. NOTE: We want cold products so that the butter stays in chunks in the dough. This expands, while baking, creating tender and flaky dough.
Pulse a little more, just until it reaches the "ball" stage. Stop! Remove the dough, and form into a ball, and then gently pat into a disk.
Wrap this in plastic wrap. (See the cayenne pepper flakes? These are going to add to the flavor of this crust.) Put it in the fridge, for at least 45 minutes. I like to do this a day or two before. Less cleanup, less fuss...
Swiss Chard is in season, where I live. it's easy to grow. I bought two large leafs from my local farm stand; I wasn't sure if I had enough growing in our container. You need two leeks. I love leeks. They're a staple in my fridge. Cut it lengthwise and wash it, prying each layer open to wash out any sand. I guarantee, you will find sand! Cut the leeks into thin "half moons".
Cut off the stems of the chard-- this feels like celery, when cutting. Look how much brighter the freshly cut chard stems are! Gorgeous color! Set those aside. Chop the chard leaves and set them aside. Grab two cloves of fresh garlic and some red pepper flakes. It's showtime! With the flat of your knife, smash the clove of garlic. Remove the paper skin, and set them into a pan with olive oil, on medium heat. Add a pinch of cayenne (about 1/2 teaspoon).
Let the garlic cook until a golden brown. Remove the garlic cloves-- as Anne Burrell says, "it has fulfilled it's destiny", so toss it. We now have garlic infused oil, which smells fantastic!
Now, we add the leeks and swiss chard stems and 2-3 Tablespoons of water. Cook, until tender (2-3 minutes) and season with kosher salt (2-3 teaspoons). Please, do not use table salt! You'll write that this tasted like a salt lick. Kosher salt only! Sorry, but I'm passionate about my salt. If you insist on table salt, use less than half of what I do, okay? The water should have evaporated by now. Add the Swiss Chard greens.
Taste the Swiss Chard, and add a little more salt (only if necessary). Let the chard wilt for a couple more minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool. Now, for the filling:
This step wasn't in the directions, but I decided to measure 2 cups of fresh ricotta cheese into a fine strainer. I set it over a bowl, covered, overnight in the fridge. I didn't want to risk any liquid to cause my filling to run.
I add one cup more of grated Parmesan and two eggs...
Give this a nice stir... what's next?
Ah, the crust! Do not be afraid! Crostatas are so forgiving. They are "rustic", so they can look a bit ragged around the edges. Preheat the oven to 375F. You need a baking sheet. If you have parchment paper, I'm going to show you an easy trick. Flour a clean, smooth surface with some flour-- or, flour the parchment paper, that's on top of the clean surface.
From the center of the dough disk, roll away from you. Make a 1/4 turn. No, not you! Turn the dough! (I couldn't resist.) Roll. Repeat. Roll...and so on. There! If you rolled this on parchment paper, just lift the whole thing onto your baking sheet. I love my French rolling pin!
Don't worry about overhang...
You'll see why in a moment...
Now, add the cooled vegetables and give this a gentle stir. I see no reason why this step can't be done ahead of time. So, now let's put the whole thing together...
Spread the filling in the middle of the crust; leave a 3-4" border. This is very important!
This looks good...
Now, fold the edges over. Like this...
An egg wash (whole egg with some water, whisked) will make the crostata shiny and golden. I can hardly wait!
I popped this into the oven for 50 minutes. I wish I could bottle the scent of this crostata, as it bakes! It drove me wild, it smelled so good!
Hello, Lover! Just 15 more minutes for it to cool. I've whipped up a salad for the side...
Fresh strawberries, kiwis and butterleaf lettuce with a honey poppy seed dressing. Delicious!
I am crossing my fingers that this savory crostata is flaky and tastes as heavenly as it smells...
I anxiously cut into this crostata...
Here goes...
VERDICT: If you watch Anne Burrell's show, you know that her arms fly up when she tastes her food. It's a victory dance she does. Well move over. I did a victory dance and moaned and shrieked with delight.
OMG!! The pastry has the perfect balance of nutty and salty Parmesan. The red pepper flakes are perfect. The crust is tender and moist-- this is going in my Hall of Fame Recipe File. As for the filling-- perfection. There was one ingredient missing, to round off this dish. I'll show you...
Ahhhhhhhhh. That's the ticket! A glass of cold white wine rounds out this lunch/brunch meal just right. Life is good. This recipe is better than good. I cannot wait to invite our vegetarian friend over for dinner. I'm definitely making this again. I hope you try this crostata. It's not that hard to make, and you will cook like the pros. Anne Burrell rocks!
OK. I cave in. I'm bringing out the "non-diet" food! I have enjoyed seeing all the beautiful salads and low-fat dishes. Good for you! Good for me! If you're still going gangbusters with losing weight-- don't talk to me! Actually, I've played it safe. I'm eating more veggies and fruit. But, I'm still going to indulge in a few of my weaknesses. French fries is one of them. I love them. I always will. I have guilty pleasures when I eat fries-- lightly salted, please.
I am a big of fan of Food Network's Anne Burrell. I record her show "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef". She has taught me a lot of useful tips. Every so often, I crave fish & chips. I never owned a deep fryer, and I really don't do much deep frying-- which might be a good thing.
Until, I found three huge boxes waiting at my front door, in early December. I had won a contest, and Old Bay Seasoning sent me a deep fryer, a seafood steamer and loads of products! It was time for me to learn how to make fish & chips. As luck would have it, I had just bought fresh cod. While Old Bay Seasoning sent me a few of their mixes, I wanted to make Anne Burrell's beer batter, from scratch. Fortunately, she recommends Old Bay Seasoning, so I got to work. I decided to use the deep fryer to make the potatoes, and to use a 3 quart cast iron pot to fry the fish. I also use peanut oil-- I just think it tastes better, though it's a little more expensive than vegetable oil
Mis en place is important here. The deep frying goes fast, but you need to have a thermometer. It's crucial. My deep fryer claimed to regulate the temperature for me. For my pot, I used a candy thermometer. I used Russet potatoes, which I kept in a bowl of water, so they wouldn't turn brown. The oil takes a bit of time to bring to 325F-- and this is not the time to do laundry! Kids should be closely supervised to watch from a safe distance!
Anne Burrell says that the secret to good fries is to cook them twice! The first time, we cook them until tender but they have no color-- about 4 minutes. I'm a pretty good multi-tasker, so while that was going on, I made the fish batter:
This was easy! Flour, baking soda, a pinch of salt and Old Bay Seasoning. Make a well, and pour a bottle of cold beer. All I had was pilsner beer, which worked out quite well, actually. The alcohol burns off, so I'd still say that this is kid-friendly. Otherwise, use club sode-- but the beer gives the batter an extra layer of flavor. Anne says to mix the batter until just combined.
The trick that Anne showed me was that when the oil is perfectly hot, dip the fish in the batter-- next, dip it only 1/3 of the way in (the batter puffs) and then drop it all the way in. The fish stayed afloat perfectly! Like a little kid, I was so happy!
Look at that!
I cooked these in batches, careful not to overload the pot-- and making sure that the oil stayed at 375F. I let it drain over paper towels and kept these in a warm oven. The fries are ready for the final dip in the jacuzzi...
This is just how I like them! I blotted them on paper towels and seasoned them with sea salt.
These are not my best photos. For once, I was too impatient to fuss with lighting. I wanted to eat, now!
NOT PICTURED: A cold glass of beer. Cole Slaw. Malt Vinegar and a bowl of red cocktail sauce (my favorite).
The cleanup takes care. Of course, you want to let the oil cool. I strained the oil, and labled one "FISH". I have these in the refrigerator, for future use. I read that the oil is good for 3-6 uses, depending on how dark it becomes. Eventually, it can go rancid, but I'm sure I'll be deep frying more things. I have tempura planned. I also want to make beignets. Obviously, I won't make beignets in the oil I cooked with fish. D'oh!
You don't have to buy a deep fryer to make this. As you see, I used both a pot of oil and the deep fryer. Both worked well. I simply had the luxury of making two things at once! The recipes are a the bottom of this post, or you can view it on Food Network. I will definitely make this batter again. I'll post the cole slaw later on. We loved this recipe, and it's a keeper!
Thanks Old Bay Seasoning, for my wonderful prize. If you don't have a can of their product, look for it at your grocery store. It's great on so many things! I am looking forwards to using the different batter mixes and seasoning blends they sent me.
!
