Tart Apple Crostini

When Tracy and Blake of Settembre Cellars described to me their 2009 Colorado Chardonnay, I wanted to make a food pairing as crisp and appley as the wine.  An afternoon trip to Cured provided me with an idea for the base: beautiful, artisanal baguettes, perfect for transforming into aromatic olive oil and sea salt crostini.  

From there, the topping almost made itself: lightly sauteed apple relish tossed with goat feta and topped with piment d'espelette sea salt (gorgeous floral Southern French paprika mixed with French gray salt).

Needless to say, the Chardonnay was in good company...

   

For the Crostini:  Slice a good-quality baguette into very thin slices (I aim to get atleast 50 out of one baguette).  Arrange on a baking sheet, brush with EVOO (first cold pressing if you want all those aromatics), sprinkle with sea salt and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.

For the Relish:  Finely dice a medium-sized shallot.  Saute in butter on low heat with a pinch of sea salt until soft and sweet, about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, dice 1 medium zucchini, 1 medium yellow squash, 2 granny smith apples and 2 sweet apples (my favorite is pink lady).  When shallots are soft, turn heat up to medium high, add zucchini and squash.  Saute about 1 minute, stirring constantly; add apples and saute 2 minutes more.  Remove from heat, add juice of 1 large lemon and 1 tsp. piment d'espelette salt.  Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 1 hour for the flavors to marry.  Toss in 4 oz. crumbled goat feta, taste and season with more lemon or piment salt if necessary. 

Quick & Easy Veggie Sushi

I soaked and cooked far too much millet the other day.  Cups upon cups, so much in fact that the expanding grains took the lid off my saucepan.  Oops!  Today, as the sun beat down all around my patio haven, I wanted something fresh, something inspired...something other than the millet pilaf we've been eating for days.  Into the cupboard I reached, hopefully, and out came...Toasted Nori!  Soon summery vegetables were flying out of the refrigerator onto my cutting board and within minutes- perfect summer Sushi!

To make the sushi-style millet, just add about 1 T. toasted sesame oil, 2 T. brown rice vinegar and a teaspoon of honey (optional) for each cup of millet (or any other leftover grain).  Then, slice up some veggies (avocado, cucumber, carrot and red onion are my favorite).  Next, lay out a sheet of nori, cover the bottom 3/4 with your grain, lay out the veggies in a long strip in the center of the sheet, wet the bare top end of the nori wrapper and Roll.  A bamboo mat helps, but is not necessary. 

Practice makes perfect, and these rolls will disappear quick so happy practicing!

Cardamom-Laced Truffles with Murray River Sea Salt

For a recent tasting event, I paired these decadent truffles with a delightful Colorado Cab Sauv from Settembre Cellars.  The bright snap of exotic spice beautifully accentuated the wine's aromatics. 

     These truffles are simple to make: infuse several cardamom pods in about 1/2 cup warm cream for at least 15 minutes.  Strain, and pour over 12 ounces good-quality chopped dark chocolate (minimum 60%) and let sit for a few minutes.  Stir gently with a rubber spatula until the cream and chocolate marry into a luxurious, silky ganache.  Bit by bit, add 1 T. soft butter, stirring gently between each addition.  Add a few drops of almond extract, let cool completely to room temperature, then refrigerate for 2 hours until hard.  Cut into small squares and roll between palms to form balls.  Coat with cocoa powder, sprinkle with flake salt, pour a glass of wine, and indulge.

Caramelized Leek, Mushroom and Gorgonzola Tart

Sweet leeks, earthy mushrooms and luxurious Gorgonzola, tucked cozily into a flaky spelt flour crust.  This is no ordinary vegetable tart.  The recipe is adapted from the Jan/Feb edition of Cook's.  My only addition was a generous sprinkle of Piment d'Espelette (French paprika) to give this hearty dish a sophisticated, European flair.

This recipe makes the most flaky whole wheat crust I've ever tasted:

Mix together 1 1/2 c. spelt flour, 1 T. sugar, 3/4 t. salt in a medium bowl.  Cut in 10 T. cold, unsalted butter until the size of small peas.  Sprinkle 7 T ice water and 1 t. white vinegar over mixture.  Fold in.  Gather into a loose ball (there will still be some loose crumbs), place on a sheet of parchment, flatten dough, fold parchment over and refrigerate about an hour.

Remove from refrigerator.  Press the remaining crumbs into the dough.  Roll the dough out on parchment to a rectangle the size of a sheet of paper.  Fold dough like a business letter.  Roll out again to paper-size rectangle.  Turn 90 degrees.  Fold again like a business letter.  Repeat 2-3 more times.  (You are making extra-flaky layers!)  Roll dough out again and fold into a 4 inch square, sealing the edges.  Refrigerate another hour or up to 2 days.

Remove dough from refrigerator and let sit for 15 minutes.  Roll out on parchment to a 14 inch circle.  Lay the parchment paper on a cookie sheet.  Top with filling of choice, leaving 2 inch border around the edges.  Fold up one side of the crust over filling, then move along the edge, folding up 2 inch sections to form "pleats."

Brush dough with milk, sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake at 375 until crust is golden and filling is browning, 35-45 minutes.    

Broccoli and Purple Potato Salad

A humble yet elegant weekday lunch: roasted purple potatoes and broccoli, chopped hard boiled egg, scallions and mustard vinaigrette. 

In a large pan, roast slices of potato (purple or otherwise) with some olive oil and salt at about 400.  20 minutes in, add some bite-sized pieces of broccoli.  Roast another 15 minutes or until potatoes and broccoli are tender.  Meanwhile, chop some scallions and a couple hard-boiled eggs, set aside.  Make vinaigrette:  place 1 t. dijon, with 1/3 c. red wine vinegar in a small bowl.  Add a pinch of salt, and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes.  Slowly whisk in about 2/3 c. olive oil.  Toss everything together, and finish with a few shavings of salty cheese if desired.

Inspiration for this salad comes from Heidi Swanson's Broccoli Gribiche in Super Natural Every Day.  

Windy Day Breakfast

78 MPH winds in Boulder?  No, thanks.  Today will be an inside day, a day for writing letters, playing games, baking, reading, and watching movies.  A lazy day must start with a lazy breakfast, a breakfast to slowly nibble through alongside a cup of tea and pen and paper...    

Avocados with a pinch of flake salt, pumpkin seed trail mix, buckwheat crackers, blood oranges, pink lady apples, almond butter, and hard-boiled eggs with allepo pepper.   

Polenta Crostini

I'm not usually one for fussy little dishes, but this polenta crostini with wild mushrooms and balsamic reduction that we made at school is delicious enough to warrant the extra time.  The polenta crostini itself provides a perfect canvas for creative expression: you can top these little crackers with anything from hummus to caviar.  The meaty, earthy bite of the wild mushroom spread pairs well with the sweet, creamy polenta and the balsamic reduction delivers a punchy note of sophistication.

Photo by Crystal at zen-eats.com

For the Polenta:  Line a pan with parchment paper.  Cook the polenta according to package instructions (with water or stock), adding minced garlic and other herbs if desired.  When cooked, pour into sheet pan and press down with a spatula to make a smooth surface.  Let sit in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.  When set, preheat broiler.  Cut polenta into bite-sized crackers, place on baking sheet, and broil until browned, about 10 minutes. 

For the Wild Mushroom Spread: Saute a variety of sliced wild mushrooms until they begin to release their juices.  Add some sherry, tamari, and chopped parsley.  Cook until the liquid is reduced and syrupy.  Taste and adjust seasonings. 

For the Balsamic Reduction:  Place about a cup of balsamic vinegar in a stainless steel saucepan.  Bring to boil and let reduce until it becomes glaze-like, but not too thick.  To test doneness, put a little oil on a dish; when a drop of the balsamic into the oil retains its round shape, it's done.