mini zucchini and goat cheese tarts

It has been quite warm here the past few days.

My plan, since I had four days off work, was to cook up a storm.

But it is almost too hot to even think about cooking.

At least cooking in the house.

But Saturday was manfriend's birthday and he wanted chocolate-rum cake.

I figured since I already had the oven on for that I would try some mini zucchini and goat cheese tarts.

I saw the recipe in the June 2008 issue of Bon Apetit.

I really like goat cheese and these looked easy.

The trick is that you use premade pie crusts for the tart crust.

They were really good.

I think, since I am more likely to have puff pastry than pie crusts in my freezer that I will try them with puff pastry next time.

And I would imagine you can use something other than the zucchini if you don't like that or don't have it.

Maybe red peppers, mushrooms, a bit of sundried tomato... So many possibilities.

Oh, and I did not make as many as this recipe calls for. I just made enough for me and the manfriend. That was four each.

This recipe says it makes six servings, or 24 pieces.

Mini zucchini and goat cheese tarts

1 refrigerated pie crust (half of 15 ounce package)

2.5 pounds zucchini (1-inch diameter) cut into 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick slices

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional oil for drizzling

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (lemon or regular)

3 ounces soft, fresh goat cheese at room temperature

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

black pepper

Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place pie crust on floured surface.

Using 1.5 to 1.75 inch cookie or biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut out 24 pieces; transfer to prepared baking sheet, spacing 1/2 inch apart.

Place in freezer until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss sliced zucchini with salt and let sit 15 minutes.

Drain, rinse and pat dry.

Toss zucchini with 2 tablespoons olive oil and thyme; sprinkle with pepper.

Spread goat cheese generously over each piece of dough.

Fold 3-4 zucchini slices in half and place on goat cheese, making a flower-like or criss-cross pattern.

Repeat until all pieces are assembled.

Reserve any extra zucchini for another purpose.

Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Bake until crusts are light golden, about 20 minutes.

Transfer to serving dish.

Drizzle lightly with olive oil.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

The recipe did not call for it, but I had some extra grape tomatoes.

I sliced some up to add to the top of the tarts before serving.

It gave it another flavor and a punch of color.

I barely had them on the plates and garnished before
manfriend was trying to sneak a taste.

red snapper Vera Cruz style

So it's not like I haven't cooked at all in the past month.

I just haven't cooked anything very interesting or blog worthy.

I've grilled some steaks.

I've made some pastas.

I've made various fish and chicken dishes.

All pretty routine.

But since yesterday was Cinco de Mayo,

I wanted to do Mexican food.

But something different than

tacos, enchiladas or burritos.

So I made red snapper Vera Cruz, green rice

and those pickled spicy carrots.

Here I will share the snapper recipe with you.

It's a simple preparation that probably would

work just as well with halibut or tilapia or some other similar white fish.

I think it would even be good with chicken.

Red Snapper Vera Cruz style

4 snapper fillets, 6 ounces each

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion (I used a sweet variety), finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 large tomatoes or 4 small tomatoes, chopped

(I used 2 small red tomatoes and 2 small yellow tomatoes)

2 tablespoons capers, drained

1 serrano pepper, finely chopped

I skipped olives, which also go in this dish.

The manfriend is not a fan of olives.

But if you like them, throw in

1/4 cup green olives, pitted and chopped.

Salt and pepper the fish on both sides.

Heat olive oil in a non-corrosive saute pan over high heat,

add fish and cook a few minutes on each side.

I tried to build up a crunchiness to it, hence the high heat.

Once fish is done, remove from pan and cover.

Reduce heat on pan to medium-high

and add onions and garlic. Cook until soft.

Add the wine and cook until it is reduced.

Add the tomatoes, capers and pepper

(and olives if you like 'em) and bring to a boil.

Cook until reduced and it starts to thicken.

Reduce heat and add fish. Cook for 2 minutes.

Serve fish with the onion/tomato mixture on top.

Garnish with lemon or lime wedges.

This came out nice. It was pretty light.

The sauce is meant to be redder than mine was.

But I used red and yellow tomatoes.

It still tasted good and I wanted to experiment with the yellows.

For the green rice, just make your favorite type of white rice.

When it is done, add in some of your favorite green salsa.

I just do this to taste.

I will post the carrot recipe separately in the next day or so.

Tomato tart (on phyllo dough crust)

This recipe was passed along from my friend, Jennifer. She made it for the main course at our last stampers gathering.

I used it as a savory bite to go along with the tea sandwiches and cake at a little luncheon I had at my house over the weekend.

It is very easy to make and has a beautiful presentation.

I had a lot of the ingredients left over, so I made another tart this morning and took it to work.

I was very popular today.

Tomato tart

6 sheets phyllo (may also be spelled fillo or filo) dough, thawed

(Look for it in the freezer section near the puff pastry)

6 tbsp. butter, melted

6 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

1 medium onion, very thinly sliced

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

8 Roma tomatoes, cut into 1/8-in thick slices

1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves

1 tbsp. fresh basil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

parchment paper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Lay 1 sheet phyllo on paper and brush lightly with a little melted butter.

Sprinkle all over with 1 tbsp Parmesan.

Repeat layering 5 more times (with phyllo, butter and Parmesan), pressing each layer firmly so it sticks to the sheet below.

Lay the last phyllo sheet on top, brush with remaining melted butter and sprinkle with remaining 1 tbsp Parmesan.

Scatter onion across top, sprinkle with mozzarella and arrange tomato slices in a single layer.

Sprinkle with thyme and basil.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Bake until phyllo is golden brown, 30-35 minutes.

Cool 10 minutes, then serve.

Makes about 20 3-in squares.

Note: cut tomatoes very thinly so juice evaporates while baking, or dough will be soggy.

I pretty much followed this to a T. But I did not add salt. I figured Parmesan is usually salty enough.

Oh and the original recipe only called for thyme.

I like a little more herb, so I added the basil.

The second time I made it I used oregano and basil instead of thyme and basil.

I think pretty much any combo of thyme, basil and oregano would be fine.

I think dill or tarragon or sage might not be the right flavor with the tomato and cheeses though.

And when I cut it, I cut it into smaller pieces. It ended up being one lovely Roma slice in the middle of each piece of tart. I got 30 pieces out of it.

The dough, which is very fragile when you are handling it, holds up really well to the tomato. I think the Parmesan acts as a good binder in there.

Next time I make this I want to experiment with some different veggies. Maybe toss some red and yellow peppers on there or some mushrooms.

The key with the veggies will be to make sure they are sliced thin enough so they don't sog down the dough. And if juicy Romas work, a pepper should be just fine.

Walnut-pear sour cream cake

This is one of my go-to cakes.

I have made it for teas and baby showers.

I have made it for potlucks and sit-down dinner parties.

I have made it for stamping brunches and just to take to work and share.

I like the pears. They are a bit unexpected. Most people would expect apple, I think.

Usually I get whatever pears look best. This time I used Bartletts.

Oh, and my recipe is modified from the BH&G one. I like more nuts and more topping. So I upped the amounts of those.

My modified version is below.

If you don't want it so nutty, click here for the non-modified version.

Walnut-Pear Sour Cream Cake

(based on Better Homes and Gardens Magazine - October 1999)

(topping and filling)

2 cups broken walnuts

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

(cake)

2-3 medium pears, peeled, cored and sliced (about 2 cups)

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1 8-oz. carton dairy sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan or 9x9x2-inch baking pan.
(I like a springform because it looks so pretty on the plate when you take it out of the pan.)

Combine the nuts, brown sugar and cinnamon.

For topping, cut the 1/2 cup butter into 2/3 cup flour to make coarse crumbs. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the nut mixture.

Set nut mixture and the topping aside.

For cake:

Toss pears with lemon juice; set aside.

In a medium bowl combine the 1 3/4 cups flour, baking powder, soda and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl beat 1/2 cup butter with electric mixer 30 seconds. Beat in granulated sugar and vanilla.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.

Add flour mixture and sour cream alternately to batter. Beat on low speed after each addition until combined.

Spread two-thirds of the batter batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with reserved nut mixture.

Layer pears over top.

Gently spread remaining batter over pears.

Sprinkle with reserved topping.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes.

Remove side of springform pan, if using.

Cool at least 1 hour.

Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired.

Serves 12.

Refrigerate any leftovers.

Now, I like the whipped cream idea just fine.

But even better is to take some extra sour cream, mix in a bit of milk to make it more like a sauce and add a bit of brown sugar.

It should be a bit sweet, just to take the edge off the sour cream. But not too sweet. The cake is sweet enough.

Then I drizzle that over the cake.

Yummmmm!

Preview of coming attractions

Yeah. I know.
I have not posted here in a while.
I have really not cooked much beyond the basics the past couple of weeks.
It's just been that way.
But it will get better.
Some friends are visiting from Wisconsin and I am hosting a little get together for them.
It will be like a mini tea thing.
Which I love.
I get to make little sandwiches.
And I am finally going to make that walnut-pear cake with sour cream sauce.

Oh yeah, and I got some baby back ribs.
I am going to do those up for Monday dinner.
Which means I will set them to brine Sunday night.

Yum!

See you after the food-filled weekend!

sweet and tangy grilled pork tenderloin (with red onion reduction and tangy Asian slaw)

I'm giving you the money shot, right up front. No having to wait for it until the end this time.



It was such a nice day Sunday that I decided to barbecue.
I went to an old fallback, the pork tenderloin. I find it hard to screw up this cut of meat.
And for a change I measured the ingredients for the marinade I like. Usually I wing it and it is always similar, but never exactly the same twice.


This is a fairly cheap cut of meat. The tenderloin I got was 1.35 pounds and cost about $6.75.
It made dinner for me and the manfriend and enough left for him to take for lunch the next day.

I get the ponzu sauce from the Asian food aisle at my market. I have found recipes online for how to make it myself, but the stuff in the bottle is easier.

When I am out of ponzu (or if the store is out) I use soy sauce and lemon or lime juice instead (about equal parts). It is not exactly the same. But it works for me.

Oh, and I use a gas grill.

Here you go:

sweet and tangy grilled pork tenderloin

(with red onion reduction and Asian slaw)

1 cup ponzu sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp hot chili sauce ( I use Sriracha)
1 1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp sesame oil

1 pork tenderloin

1/2 red onion
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)


Whisk together first 5 ingredients ingredients.
Transfer about 3/4 cup of the liquid to a small sauce pan and set aside.

Trim any excess fat or silverskin from the meat.

Put tenderloin in a dish or zip-top bag and pour marinade over it.

Let pork marinate at least an hour, turning meat every 15-20 minutes to evenly distribute flavors. The longer you marinate, the more intense the flavors will be. I would not marinate the tenderloin for more than 4 hours. This is a pretty strong flavor.

Begin heating grill to medium-high heat.

For the reduction
(I started this, then put the meat on the grill so they cooked at the same time)

Heat the reserved liquid over medium heat and add wine.
Slice the half onion as thin as possible and add to liquid.
Keep cooking on medium heat until liquid reduces and you are left with almost a relish of the onions.
If it starts to boil rapidly, turn heat down a bit. I should just be at a high simmer.
There should be more onion that liquid and what liquid there is should be thick enough to coat a spoon.
Once this is done, turn it off and set it aside to be used as a garnish for the tenderloin.


To cook meat
Place the tenderloins on the grill and cook for 18-20 minutes, turning a few times. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part will read 155 degrees F when the meat is ready.

Remove from grill and let meat to rest for 5-10 minutes before carving.

Slice meat into medallions and serve with a bit of the onion reduction on top or on the side.

I served this with side dishes of sweet potato "fries" and a quick Asian slaw.

For the slaw
1 small Napa or Savoy cabbage, cut into quarters, cored and thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 small bunch cilantro, washed and roughly chopped
(I try to use mostly leaves, but cilantro is an herb that can be used stem and all)
1/4 to 1/2 red onion (depending on your taste), thinly sliced into strips
1/4 cup honey roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Your favorite Asian style salad dressing or Chinese chicken salad dressing (I like a brand called Feast from the East that I found at Costco.)

Toss all the veggies together with enough of the salad dressing to make it how YOU like it. I like mine lightly dressed.

Serve with a bit of the chopped peanuts sprinkled on top.

immune from my black thumb

I am not a gardener.

I wish things could have been different.

But most things I try to grow do not do well.

Probably because I tend to plant things and then just hope for the best.

I don't do the work of looking after them and nurturing them.

Flowers, herbs, veggies... They don't do well in my yard.

Except that is for the lemons and rosemary.

The lemon tree was already here when I moved in about 12 years ago.

I think it was planted sometime in the 60s.

It produces beautiful lemons all year long.

They used to be too big and pulpy, with very little juice.

But the past few years they have been perfect.

No longer the size of grapefruit, they fit in the palm of my hand.

They used to have thick, mealy skin which was barely good for making lemon zest.

Now the skin is bright and yellow and slightly slick from lemon oil when I run the microplane over it.

I use lemon a lot, so I love this tree. I do nothing to it. It just continues to bear fruit.

The rosemary I did plant.

About 4 years ago I bought three, 1-gallon pots of rosemary and just stuck them in the back of the flower bed.

They get tons of sun all day and pretty much just get water when it rains.

Those three small rosemary pots eventually merged into a larger rosemary bush which has since turned into a giant rosemary monster that is the size of a VW bug.

The pictures here were taken last week and you can just start to see the shoots of my daffodils popping up through the ground in front of the flower bed.

The daffodils are now in full bloom, their full, bright yellow heads nodding in the breeze. They are such happy little flowers.

I trim it the rosemary monster occasion, when it starts to grow taller than the block wall behind it and threatens to head into the neighbors' yard.

It flowers much of the year. The delicate blossoms are a lovely purple-blue and attract passing bees.

And the smell.

On a warm day just standing near it makes me think of roasted chicken and red potatoes with rosemary. It can be enough to make my mouth water.

Sometimes I cut off a few sprigs and put them in a vase just to give the house that smell.

I find it especially nice if it has been a while since I cooked a proper meal.

It just makes the kitchen smell amazing.

But it has been a while since I cooked anything with that rosemary.

So that will be one of my things for the coming weekend.

I have made lots of things with rosemary, including a polenta and rosemary cake served with strawberries and whipped cream. That was quite tasty.

Maybe I need to make that again. I remember really liking the dry, crumbly texture and the fact that it was not overly sweet.

And I want to find a couple of new recipes using rosemary and do some experimenting.

And I may throw in some of that lemon, too.