It's Friday-- the end of a very long work week! I so miss not having the time to cook for my family, during the week. On the weekends, I am spending time in the kitchen trying out new recipes. However, I am hesitating to share some of these with you, because they involve an oven-- or are served nice and hot. I've been watching the weather, nationwide, and I see that so many of you are living in hot and humid conditions. Here I am, living on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula (California) where we are experiencing unusually cooler temps and lots of overcast skies. So, I'll save those recipes for a few weeks down the road when the summer heat has cooled down. Instead, I thought I'd post some tried & true recipes that my family and I have enjoyed from last summer. Just looking at these photos has inspired me to make these again. So, without further adieu, here's a roundup of recipes that I hope you'll enjoy:
Figs, Brie& Prosciutto on the grill-- such a simple and terrific appetizer. I'm on the lookout for fresh figs at my local Whole Foods!
Our garden tomatoes are just now turning bright red, and our basil is doing very well in our containers. I could eat Bruschetta every day, and never grow tired of it. This is one of my favorite snacks of all time!
Thawed puff pastry, cheese, fresh basil are the perfect appetizer (or light meal) for summer tomatoes. This Tomato Tart & Three Cheese Tart recipe was adapted from Ina Garten. So good!
Pineapple-Mango Salsa-- I love to serve this with grilled pork tenderloin or any kind of fish.
Antipasto Pasta Salad (Cook's Illustrated) - I particularly love the quick marinated mushrooms that are tossed into this salad. In fact, I could just eat a big bowl of these mushrooms! The creamy vinegar-based dressing, mixed with Italian cold cuts, cheese, roasted bell peppers and a few other pantry ingredients is perfect side dish or a summer meal on a hot day.
I have made this Raspberry Lemon Tart several times. The shortbread crust is the perfect vehicle for fresh summer raspberries. There is just enough lemon balance to the simple egg custard, that bakes to a nice chewy creamy center. You can use any kind of summer berries that you like.
Strawberry Cream Cake is a Cook's Illustrated success story. The cake is very easy to make. The frosting is a silky combination of real whipped cream and cream cheese. I'll show you how to make this beautiful tower with fresh summer strawberries.
This weekend, I plan to make this Apricot Cream Cake (Rahm Kuchen). This is an heirloom recipe from my Bavarian cousin. Her crust is out of this world! The topping has sour cream, heavy cream and a few other ingredients. This is not diet food, but it's a summer treat that's one of our very favorites.
The Monterey Peninsula's true summer is just now saying "hello" with blue skies and warmer temperatures-- in the high 60's. Tourists say it's way too cold here, but I tell them that the best time to visit our beautiful area is during the months of August through October. Still, air conditioning is something that we California Central Coast residents don't have in our homes-- it isn't really necessary. Our average temperatures tend to stay in the 70's. Every so often, we hit higher temperatures.... once, in a blue moon, we might hit triple digits. That makes headlines, because we are so spoiled with our coastal breezes! Feel free to come visit the Central Coast of California, so that you can escape the hot temperatures. However, since I live here, I work and can't play tourist very often. This weekend, I plan to fire up the grill and to enjoy the fresh summer produce from my own backyard-- the Salinas Valley!
If you click on the links to each recipe, you will find how to make these and a printable recipe.
I hope that many of you will find cooler temperatures and that you are enjoying your summer. For me, I'm enjoying the weekend that is to come!
I have been anxious to share this recipe with you for several reasons. For one, it's delicious! But, I also needed time to decipher my notes, after making this. This is something I created based on a craving for fig jam and inspiration from what was in my refrigerator. Humbly said, this turned out to be so delicious, that I wanted to write down how I did it and I needed time to edit the photos. At last, here it is-- and I think think this is is worthy for serving to dinner guests. Actually, that's exactly what I did!
Ask your butcher to butterfly a pork loin roast-- this one weighed about 3 pounds. NOTE: My butcher botched the job a bit, so I had to use tooth picks to patch it up. Arrrgh.
I went to grab a jar of my homemade fig jam, and then I spotted a jar of Dalmatia Fig Spread that I had completely forgotten about! I took a taste, and my eyes rolled. This product is amazing! While I like my own version, I decided to use this brand (making a mental note to buy more of this).
Excitedly, I seasoned the pork with kosher salt & fresh cracked pepper, an even layer of fig spread and a smattering of sliced garlic-- 2 cloves to be specific. NOTE: Next time, I think I'll use one clove, so the garlic doesn't overpower the rest of the flavors...your choice.
Prosciutto is a staple in my refrigerator (as is Pancetta). I added an even layer of this...
One of the wonderful features of my new refrigerator is the deli drawer. We love cheese, and I try to keep a variety on hand. I rummaged around, and underneath all of this I found this cheese (Mt. Vikos) that I bought at Trader Joe's...
I must buy this wonderful cheese again! It's delicious, and I started doing a happy dance. I was on to something...
When I think of Feta Cheese, I think of spinach. Unfortunately, I didn't have fresh spinach but I did find a bag of frozen chopped spinach. Here's a little tip on how I do a quick thaw and squeeze out the excess water-- which is a very important step to do!
I rinse the frozen spinach with hot water, drain it, then I use a potato ricer (you can use a clean tea towel instead). The potato ricer easily squeezes out all of the water. So now I'm ready for the last layer of flavor...
I can still remember how all of these flavors worked together! Prep time took about 30 minutes, if I deduct the time to photograph all of the steps. Many of you know are nodding your heads?
I carefully rolled the stuffed pork loin roast-- and I smiled! This looks so promising, don't you think?
I've lost count of how many times I've watched the "pros" tie a roast with one piece of string. I can't do it (yet), so I borrowed Craig's thumb and managed to tie it up just fine. There! Now, it's time to sear the roast...
Those of you who have followed my recipes for a while (and I thank you and appreciate that), know that I am a big fan of searing meat. I love pan sauces and I love that beautiful crust that searing does, before braising or roasting. For those of you who say you can't sear... there are just a few simple tips:
Make sure the meat is dry.
The oil (I use olive oil) needs to be HOT...shimmering hot, but not smoking yet!
When you add the meat, you want that chhhhhhh sound and leave it alone! Don't touch it for at least 3 minutes!
Look at that beautiful golden crust. Yes, that's what you want! I did all of these steps the day before our dinner guests were arriving. This was on a Sunday, and our guests were arriving on a Monday night-- after a long day at the office. So, I bravely did an experiment. Once the meat was seared, I cooled it in the pan-- then covered the pan and refrigerated this overnight. Brave, huh? On Monday, I asked my husband to remove the pan and bring it to room temperature for an hour. That's when I arrived home, and found my husband and our guests waiting for me!
Roasted at 425F for about 45 minutes (internal temperature at 165F) and let this rest for about 15 minutes. Now, for a pan sauce...
I have to say that photographing what I cook, with non food blogger dinner guests, is a challenge. I could hear "Lou" laughing at me, in the background. So, this is the only photo of the pan sauce that you will see! Basically, I added Ruby Red Port Wine to the pan drippings, and then some chicken stock. This was cooked on high heat and reduced to about half. I made roasted asparagus and a beautiful salad (which I will upload next). NOTE: I run a spatula through the pan sauce. If it leaves a trail, then I know it's ready to have a pat of unsalted butter whisked in and it's ready to go!
Dinner accomplished, and I was both relieved and delighted with the flavors! So were our lovely guests.
The only change I plan to make, next time, is to use less garlic. I love garlic, but I think that one sliced clove would have been just right. But, that's me! The pan sauce was perfect! This is so simple, once you prepare the layers of flavor. It's so worth it, and this just might be our Christmas Eve dinner.
By the way-- since I had to wait 24 hours to eat this dinner, I made a quick snack of the feta cheese and fig spread . Divine!
So, it's Saturday and it's Christmas tree decoration day-- and I'm on vacation! I hope the rest of your are racing to the finish line. I've just gotten started!
Several days ago, I was trying to decide what to do with a basket of fresh Black Mission Figs that I had purchased a day earlier.
I was just so happy to see fresh figs, that I bought them without a specific recipe on how I was going to prepare them. Then I remembered a conversation with my Foodie Friend, Dorothy. She told me how a friend of hers (who is an award winning chef) made a superb fig jam. She guessed that it had orange juice, port wine and finely chopped almonds in it.
So, I decided to see what I could create, without a recipe. I simply cut each fig in half and scooped out the pulp. The container (12-15 figs...I didn't count them) yielded roughly a cup of the fig pulp (or is it meat?) In a sauce pan I put about 1/2 cup of sugar, the zest and juice of one orange and-- on impulse- a splash of balsamic vinegar. I brought it to a boil, on medium high. I tasted it, and I decided it was missing something. I had some Ruby Red Port Wine (I love cooking with it), so I added about 1/4 cup. While that reduced (about 15 minutes), I quickly toasted a handful of almonds until fragrant (2 minutes in a dry skillet) and then chopped them very fine, in a mini chopper. I added the almonds to the jam, at the end. I tasted it and I was did a happy dance! I didn't photograph how I made this, because I was totally winging it. I quickly wrote down the recipe (which is at the bottom of this page).
What did I do with most of this fig jam? I'll post that in the next few days. It has something to do with this ingredient:
Italian Prunes (also called Italian Plums or Stanley Plums)
I had about 1/2 cup of this delicious jam left, so I decided to make a Panini sandwich, with brie and fig jam. I don't own a panini press, but I have improvised my own-- it works great!
I have a square cast iron grilling skillet and a bacon press! I brush on some olive oil and bring it to a medium high heat. Maybe this isn't authentic, but I put a very thin schmear of unsalted butter (trying not to think of fat grams)on some sliced french bread (this happened to be sour dough, from my freezer).
Into the preheated skillet the sandwiches went for just a couple of minutes, and I gave the sandwiches a flip. The bacon press does a pretty decent job of pressing the bread together, I think.
Two minutes later, these are ready. I present to you...
...a melted brie and fig jam panini!
This is why I wouldn't make a professional food stylist-- this shot is a bit out of focus, I know. I was in too much of a hurry to eat this, while it was hot, that I didn't get the focus just right. Still, look at that cheese and jam...yummy!
One more shot, from the backside...
Heaven, I tell you. My husband gave this five stars. I caught him rooting in the fridge for more fig jam. It's gone. I'm crossing my fingers that, tomorrow, I can buy more fresh figs. I want to make a lot more of this jam! Figs and Brie are meant for one another. Next time, I'd be very tempted to add caramelized, sweet onion to this sandwich... or maybe I'd add prosciutto! That's why I enjoyed the grilled figs, brie and prosciutto so much, that I made during the summer. That might kick this one up, one more notch. We shall see...
I'm posting this recipe to be included with Deb at Kahakai's Kitchen for Souper Sundays-- a weekly roundup of soup, salad and sandwich recipes. Come check it out!
I love Nabisco Fig Newtons and fig jam. I make a pretty good fig reduction sauce (made with port wine and cinnamon) that pairs beautifully with pork. I have only worked with dried figs or fig jam that I've purchased. My life, as a Fig Newton Lover is forever changed. You see, I have never eaten a fresh fig... until now. Yes, I'm telling you the truth! I have no idea why I never thought to buy fresh figs before. They are much better than the dried varieties!
When I spotted this recipe on "Proud Italian Cook", I knew that that I had to try this. So, off to Whole Foods I went.
I had no idea which figs to buy-- the green ones or the dark ones? I decided to buy the Black Mission Figs. I'll try the green ones, next. I had no idea there were so many varieties!
They sure are photogenic, aren't they?
They're even more interesting on the inside, I thought...all those seeds!
I gathered my three ingredients-- fresh figs, brie and prosciutto. I made sure I chilled a bottle of wine. My husband would surely to be surprised when he got home from work, I hoped. I found the the figs to be a little confounding on how to eat... do you peel them, or pop them in your mouth whole? I sliced one in half and bit into it. I found it...interesting... a slightly "musky" flavor with a slight crunch of seeds in every bite. The seeds didn't bother me at all, to my relief. I've heard that people can eat these like candy, but I'm still not that sure that I feel that way. Still, I wanted to make this recipe-- that's the whole reason I surf food blogs, I rationalized. I'm trying to think "outside the box" in what I prepare for my family to eat. I'm willing to try almost anything-- except liver, yellow curry or oysters. I just can't bond with those!
I soaked some wooden skewers and I decided to cut them in half. I cut a piece of brie, and wrapped prosciutto around the cheese and fig.
In the meantime, Craig preheated the gas grill for a few minutes. You can use an indoor grill, too.
On the grill, it took about 2 minutes (we brushed olive oil on the griddle) for the brie to melt.
These are ready!
These really look and smell so good!
I poured a glass of chilled white wine and took a bite...
Wow! The sweetness of the figs, with the creamy brie and the saltiness of the prosciutto...
there are two things I would do differently, next time-- if I had a balsamic reduction, I think that would take it one more level up-- lightly drizzled. Last, I realized I could have easily cut skewers from our rosemary bushes! Duh! Next time!
Mmmmmmmmm... these disappeared fast. My son loved them as well! I'll have to find more fresh figs before the season is over.
I also decided to roast the rest of the figs with a little olive oil, salt & pepper. I have an idea that I'm going to experiment with tomorrow. If it works, as I hope, you'll see it on the blog. For now, I am keeping my idea under wraps-- in case it doesn't quite work out.
Yes, my husband was pleasantly surprised! More tapas recipes to share tomorrow...
If you can find fresh figs, I give this lovely recipe idea a high recommendation. Thanks, Marie, "Proud Italian Cook"! I'll have to try your fig & custard tart. That also looks so good! I bestow, upon you, my badge of recognition!
I'd also like to point out that Stacey has posted a beautiful Arugula & Fig Salad on her blog "Stacey Snacks". This one is also in my queue. If you haven't paid a visit with Stacey, please do! Her recipes are simple, easy to make with great ingredients. She reminds me a lot of my food Goddess, Ina Garten. Like Marie, she's also one of those food bloggers who has that friendly flair by taking the time to answer emails personally. I appreciate that-- and so I try to do the same.
(HOWEVER, some comments that are posted on my blog don't have email addresses or a profile where I can find you to do the same. Yes, that's a big hint!)
