Fig and goat cheese tart with arugula salad

I saw a version of this on the Whole Foods blog and immediately knew that I wanted to try it.
I have had their Adriatic Fig Spread before, and it is perfect with strong cheeses.
Plus, Marcona almond crust made with honey?
Sold!

The differences in my version and the Whole Foods version is that I used a slightly larger tart pan, but I doubled the recipe. So you get a thicker crust, more fig, more cheese ...
And I added pine nuts to my version and served the arugula salad on the side so people could take it if they wanted it.

A note: Marcona almonds are a Spanish almond. They are sweeter than the standard almond and are lightly fried in oil and salted with a little sea salt. I got these at Whole Foods, but I believe they also have them at Trader Joe's.

Fig and goat cheese tart with arugula salad

1 cup Marcona almonds
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
5 tablespoons honey
8-ounce jar of fig spread (I like the one from Whole Foods)
5 1/2 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup pine nuts
4 cups packed baby arugula
4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Equipment: 10-inch fluted tart pan - the kind that is the fluted sides and the flat bottom piece

Steps: Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grind almonds and 1/2 cup flour to a coarse powder in a food processor. Add remaining flour and process until well blended.

Add butter to nut-flour mixture and pulse until blended.

Add honey and pulse until clumps of dough begin to form, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.

Lightly spray tart pan with non-stick spray.

Press dough into the bottom of the pan, building it evenly up the sides. Freeze 15 minutes until firm.

Bake crust for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. (Crust can be made the day before and kept covered until you are ready for the next step.)

Spoon fig spread evenly over the crust and evenly distribute crumbled goat cheese and pine nuts on top.

Bake about 10 minutes longer until crust is golden brown and goat cheese is softened. Allow to cool slightly.

While tart is cooling, toss arugula with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Top tart with arugula and serve.

I took this to a girls night gathering. It was a great choice to have with red or white wine (I have to say, it really was great with the 2002 Lamborn Napa Valley Zinfandel that I brought.)

The arugula adds a nice, cool crunch and the balsamic on the salad really complements the fig and cheese.

The best part other than how good it tasted? It was really pretty easy to make.

Jalapeno mac n cheese n cheese n cheese

Somehow I made it to the ripe old age of 38 without ever making homemade mac n cheese.
I decided to give it a try for a potluck at work.
How did I never know how easy this stuff is?

Jalapeno mac n cheese n cheese n cheese


1 pound elbow macaroni or shell pasta
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
6 tablespoons flour
3 cups half and half or whole milk

1 package (5.2 ounces) Boursin garlic and herb cheese
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded
2-3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (I used 2, but could have used 3)
Salt and pepper to taste
Topping:
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs (I used half panko, half fine bread crumbs)
3 tablespoons melted butter

Grease or spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or baking dish. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the pasta in boiling water following package directions. Drain and rinse; set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until smooth and bubbly. Add the milk or half-and-half and Boursin cheese. Cook, stirring, until hot and thickened. Add the cheese and peppers. Cook, stirring, until cheese has melted. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Combine the sauce with the pasta and stir to blend. Spoon into prepared baking dish.

Toss melted butter and bread crumbs together and sprinkle over the casserole. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

I like the bread crumbs to be pretty toasty, so I gave it a few minutes under the broiler to get them very golden and toasty.

This seemed to go over pretty well at the potluck. I made a big pan of it for that and a smaller pan for Nick and I to have for dinner with a salad on the side.

There were no leftovers at all.

I used two jalapenos in this, but I think one more would have been good for a little more heat.

Or, if you want more chile flavor but not more heat, maybe add in some roasted red pepper or a small can of chopped ortega chiles.

Zucchini stuffed with ricotta and manchego

OK. I am back.

Yes, I have been cooking the past couple weeks.

And now I have a few things stored up in my brain to blog about here.

First up:

Zucchini stuffed with ricotta and manchego

This was a great side dish to have with a simple grilled flank steak. It was very rich and creamy and flavorful, but still light with the ricotta.

And the next day I cut one of the stuffed zucchini pieces into slices and scrambled it with an egg and a little bit of chopped up, leftover steak. It was delicious!

Zucchini stuffed with ricotta and manchego

4 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise

5 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small yellow or white onion, chopped

2 medium roma tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped

1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

3/4 cup manchego cheese, grated (pecorino or romano or parmesan will work, too.)

3/4 cup bread crumbs

3 tbsp Italian or flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

2 tsp dried mint

2 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped

2 egg yolks, beaten

salt and pepper

Using a small spoon (I like to use a grapefruit spoon), scoop out the pulp from the zucchini halves and discard. You want to scoop it out to leave a rim about 1/4 inch around the edges.

Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a sautee pan or skillet over medium heat.

Cook garlic and onions until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes, or until soft.

Remove from heat and set aside to cool a bit.

In a medium bowl combine ricotta, 1/2 cup of the manchego, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, parsley, mint, oregano and egg yolks.

Gently stir in the tomato-onion mixture and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Rub inside of zucchini with remaining olive oil to coat lightly and season with salt.

Place zucchini cut side up in a shallow baking dish or on a baking sheet.

Broil on high for about 5 minutes.

Remove baking sheet from oven and fill each zucchini half so that filling mounds a bit, but does not spill over the sides.

Mix together remaining bread crumbs and cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the filled zucchini pieces.

Cook at 400 degrees about 10-15 minutes until hot, then zap under the broiler to get the tops golden brown and crispy.

I like this picture. The cross-section shows how really yummy that filling is.

The ricotta is creamy, but fluffy; the manchego has a lovely, nutty flavors; and the herbs and tomatoes give it a nice, fresh flavor. The eggs and bread crumbs hold it all together.

I served these hot, but they can also be served at room temperature.

Caprese salad - or tomatoes with mozzarella cheese

One of my favorite easy salads is a simple concoction of tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.

I have had this in various forms: thick slices of large tomato layered with slabs of mozzarella cheese; tiny tomatoes with creamy white pearls of mozzarella; chunks of juicy romas with long shreds of cheese on top.

All are were slightly different, but all were good.

I even had one at a great restaurant in Sonoma wine country that used a mild sheep's milk feta instead of the mozzarella.

I have not had a Caprese salad in quite a while. I used to order it at restaurants a lot, but once I started making it at home, I sort of stopped that. I like how easy it is to customize this to what I am craving.

Yesterday while I was at Whole Foods picking up a couple things for dinner, I saw this little basket of mixed tomatoes.

Red, orange and yellow... all beautiful and bite-size.

It was too pretty not to buy.

And the idea of sweet little tomatoes with creamy fresh mozzarella began to sound lovely.

I used white balsamic vinegar. Regular balsamic works in this, too. It will just be a little darker and a slightly heavier flavor. You also can just use a bit of your favorite Italian dressing or vinaigrette.

Also, the herb I use depends on what looks best or what flavor I want. Sometimes I use basil. This time I used oregano.

Sometimes I use a little garlic. This time I did not. Again, it is all what the mood calls for.

In the past, when I have made this with large tomatoes, I have used the drier type of mozzarella, cut into slices to place atop the tomato slices, then top it with the dressing.


More often when I make this I use the mozzarella that comes packed in water. I like the texture better, and the flavor. This time I bought mozzarella pieces the size of cherry tomatoes.

Here is the simple version I made last night. I did not really measure this stuff. It's a taste thing for me. The sweetness of the tomatoes will determine how much or little salt and pepper and herbs I add.

Let your taste buds and the number of people you want to serve be your guide here and make it to your liking.





Jill's late-summer Caprese salad

Red, orange and yellow grape/cherry tomatoes
1-2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
olive oil
white balsamic vinegar
sea salt flakes and fresh black pepper to taste
fresh mozzarella cheese

Wash tomatoes, remove any stems then cut each in half and place in a bowl. You want the juices here. They combine with the oil and vinegar to make the dressing.
Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Add a splash of the oil and vinegar and toss gently.
Then try it, and adjust to your taste.
Add the oregano.
Taste it again. Adjust the seasoning and oil and vinegar as needed.

You can serve this immediately or let it sit a while. I put mine in the fridge for about an hour.
I also made a little extra to have for lunch the next day. It will keep overnight just fine.

To serve I cut the mozzarella pieces in half and put them on a small plate.
Then I spooned tomatoes on top of that and drizzled some of the oil/vinegar mixture over that.

The oil and vinegar mixed with the juice from the tomatoes makes a good amount of dressing for this.

I added a piece of a good crusty bread to the plate and used that to mop up some of that dressing.

It was an excellent starter to dinner. It's light, but substantial with the cheese in there. The flavors are so fresh and so bright and clean. It's a perfect, beautiful late-summer plate.

pots of gold (or grilled camenbert or brie)

This was quite yummy. I made just one to share and had bread and apple slices for dipping/spreading.
You can probably use whatever you like. It called for a tomato and basil salad thing. I skipped that and just made a simple salad. I will include that in the recipe.


Here is my modified version that served two.


I got the grill heating before I started the salad, since the salad was so fast.



Salad


2 cups of your favorite salad greens (I used romaine and arugula)
red onion to your liking - sliced as thinly as possible into slivers
sea salt
ground pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2-3 teaspoons olive oil


Mix lemon juice and olive oil. Toss with greens and onions. Salt and pepper to taste.
Set aside.



Pots of Gold


enough of your favorite bread for two people, cut into chunks or small pieces
1 small green apple, cut into slices
1 small round of camenbert or brie. It MUST be totally incased in the rind.
olive oil


special equipment:

grill pan (Mine is a big, flat cast iron plate with grill ridges on one side and flat on the other. In the small pictures on that link it is on the right, in the middle.)


to make:
Put grill pan on barbecue rack and heat barbecue to high.


Rub all sides of the cheese round with olive oil to coat.


Place cheese on hot grill pan and let cook for about 5 minutes.

Using a flat spatula, carefully flip cheese over.


Grill about 5 more minutes on the second side or until cheese starts to feel soft and runny when you squeeze it with tongs.

This is where I was overly cautious. I ended up with mostly soft cheese, but it could have gone a little longer.

I was worried about it getting too soft and breaking open.
So I took it off a little too soon. My fix? I nuked it for less than a minute with the rind still intact.



To serve, cut open the top of the rind and dip!

I especially liked the apples. I think it would be good with slightly steamed then cooled asparagus spears, too. And of course, the bread was good.



The salad was not for dipping. It did provide a nice bright flavor in contrast to the creamy, creamy cheese.


I made this for two. But as an appetizer it probably would work for four depending on the size of the cheese round.

I would be leery of doing a round that is too large since it may take too long to melt before the rind starts to break down on the grill.