Butternut Squash Turnovers

This is a guest post from my sister, Jacqueline, who made these sweet and savory turnovers (from Food and Wine) for Thanksgiving and again for a recent holiday party. They’re a big hit, especially with her sister, so I asked her if I could share with you all. The creamy goat cheese and little bites of squash is a delectable combination. Leave yourself ample prep time for this cold-weather treat.

Ingredients (Serves 12):

1. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2. 3 large leeks, white parts only, cut into 1-inch dice (2 cups)
3. 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps sliced 1/4 inch thick
4. 2 garlic cloves, chopped
5. 2 tablespoons thyme leaves
6. Salt and freshly ground pepper
7. One 2-pound butternut squash—peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
8. 14 ounces all-butter puff pastry, thawed if frozen
9. 3/4 pound fresh goat cheese (1 1/2 cups)
10. 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the diced leeks and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the shiitake and cook, stirring often, until their liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and the thyme and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a medium bowl.

2. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly oil the parchment. In a large bowl, toss the squash with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the squash on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, until softened and starting to brown. Add the squash to the leeks and mushrooms and toss.

3. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured work surface, gently roll out the puff pastry to a 12-by-16-inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Cut the pastry into twelve 4-inch squares. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the shiitake-squash mixture onto each square and top with 2 tablespoons of the goat cheese. Lightly brush the edge of the squares with some of the beaten egg. Fold the squares over to form triangles and crimp the edges decoratively with a fork.

4. Arrange the turnovers on the prepared baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart. Brush the tops of the turnovers with the remaining beaten egg. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Mini Tomato Tarts with Raclette Cheese and Pesto

This is a new recipe that I made this past weekend from my favorite cookbook, Coast, which features recipes from Australian chefs. I nearly mimicked the recipe but here we’ll use my own homemade pesto and make their tart into mini, hors d’oeuvres portions. If you use store bought puff pastry and pestro, this dish can be complete in under an hour. The strong raclette cheese combined with the pesto makes this an incredibly rich dish but worth every bite!

Serves 4
4 sheets puff pastry
1 egg yolk
3 oz raclette cheese (or a milder cheese if you prefer)
4 tbsp sundried tomatoes
8 large roma tomatoes
4 tbsp wholegrain mustard
salt and pepper

StrumErika’s Pesto
5 oz. fresh basil leaves
½ cup parmesan
½ tbsp crushed garlic
4 oz pine nuts
1 cup olive oil
Blend together in a food processor.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Roll out the pastry on a floured surface until relatively thin, no higher than half an inch. Using the rim of a cup make small round cut-outs in the pastry and place each round onto a greased baking tray. For each round also cut a strip of pastry about half an inch wide and place around the edge of each round for the crust.

Puree the sundried tomatoes in a food processor then cut the cheese into small cubes. Slice the tomatoes into thick cuts then halve and quarter each slice.

Spread each tart base with 1 tbsp mustard and 1 tbsp sundried tomato puree. Place the cheese cubes in the middle of each pastry base with two tomato quarters on top of the cheese. Season with salt and paper.

Bake the tarts in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Add 1 tsp of pesto on top of each tart before serving. Enjoy!

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Blue Cheese and Caramelized Onion Squares

These are a delicious hors d’oeuvres that can be made far in advance and chilled or frozen, then reheated when your guests arrive. Everyone loved it at Thanksgiving! This is from Bon Appetit via Epicurious, not an original.

Makes 42 squares

Ingredients:
Crust
2 cups all purpose flour (try using whole wheat flour for a more hearty taste)
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Topping
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large onions (about 2 pounds), halved, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (about 6 ounces) crumbled blue cheese

Preparation

For crust:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Make well in center of dry ingredients. Whisk milk, olive oil, and melted butter in liquid measuring cup to blend. Slowly pour milk mixture into well in dry ingredients, stirring until just blended and smooth. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 10×13-inch rectangle. Transfer dough to rimmed baking sheet. Re-form dough into 10×13-inch rectangle (dough will shrink when moved). Pierce dough all over with fork. Let dough rest while preparing topping.

For topping:
Melt butter with oil in large skillet over high heat. Add onions. Cook until onions are soft and beginning to brown, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add rosemary, sugar, and salt. Season onions to taste with pepper. Reduce heat to medium. Continue to cook until onions are soft and dark brown, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes; cool.

Spread onion mixture evenly over dough. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake until crust is golden and cheese is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let cool. Cut into squares and serve.

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Red Snapper Tacos with Papaya Salsa

Serves 4
Difficulty Level: Easy
Time to Prepare: Less than an hour

3 Red Snapper Fillets (deboned)
3 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1tbsp finely chopped mint
¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
6 bunches of scallion
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste
12 taco shells (Old El Paso or the like)
1 semi ripe papaya, diced into small cubes
2 avocados, cut into small cubes
Red onion, ½ cup finely chopped

Combine papaya, avocado, red onion, cilantro, mint and 1 tbsp lime juice. Toss and add paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt to taste.

Slice the red snapper fillets into small cubes then set aside in a bowl. Add lime juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper and toss.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Thinly slice scallions and add to heat. When scallions have become soft and changed to darker green, add in the red snapper. Cook until the snapper is opaque but not overdone, about 5-10 minutes.

Serve snapper and scallions in a bowl alongside papaya salsa with the taco shells or fill the shells yourself and fan on a plate. Enjoy!

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Roasted Vine-Ripened Tomatoes with Red Peppers and Goat Cheese

This dish is really simple to make and was a great accompaniment to the sweet potato gnocchi. I adapted the recipe from my favorite new cook book, Coast , and made a few minor changes. The recipe called for red chilli but the grocery did not have it so I substituted some Tabasco since I had it in the fridge. It adds a nice heat to the tomatoes, don’t be scared :)Serves 4

Ingredients

2 lb vine-ripened tomatoes
2 tbsp crushed garlic
1 tbsp fresh oregano
Sea salt
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp capers
18 leaves organic basil
2 tablespoons Ligurian olives (or any type of olive that you like)
1 large chargrilled roasted red pepper
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
3 oz goat cheese
tsp of Tabasco

Preheat the oven to 250F.

Remove cores from tomatoes using a sharp knife and cutting a circle around the top and then twisting out the core. Cut each tomato in half and gently squeeze to remove the juice and seeds. Cut out any excess seeds that remain.

Arange the tomato halves on a baking tray and cover liberally with garlic and oregano. Add the tsp of Tabasco, be careful not to go overboard! Dress the tomatoes with sea salt and olive oil. Roast the tomatoes for 20 minutes in the oven. Remove and set asidetocool.

When the tomatoes have cooled arrange on a plate with capers, basil, olive and peppers, distributing evenly. Drizzle balsamic on top of the tomatoes.

Cut your goat cheese into small chunks, season with sea salt, drizzle with olive oil, and arrange on top of tomatoes.

Enjoy!

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3 Quick and Impressive Dinner Party Dishes

So I figured it’s about time I added some recipes to this site. A few nights ago I had a little dinner party/reunion at my apartment and made three dishes which came out really well but were rather easy to prepare. I did my ol’ faithful: Baked Brie, plus two new dishes: Baby Lamb Chops with Artichokes and Egg-Lemon Sauce and Tuna and Avocado Tartare.

StrumErika’s Baked Brie

I have been making this same baked brie dish since I was a freshman in High School and it has always been a hit. At this point, it is synonymous with me. Whenever I am hosting or going to a party I am always asked are you making baked brie? Well folks, I’m letting the cat out of the bag and now you can make it yourself at home

Ingredients:

1 wedge of brie (triple creme)
1 puffed pastry sheet (Pepperidge farm is the brand I always use, find these in the freezer section of the grocery store)
1 egg
Waxed paper
Tbsp butter
Tbsp honey
1 clove garlic, finely minced
Dash of flour
Dash of milk

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lay out your waxed paper on a flat surface and sprinkle with enough flour so the pastry does not stick to the pan. Open your puffed pastry and lay flat on the waxed paper. Using a roller- I tend to use wine bottles because I don’t bake and thus have no reason for rolling pins- roll the pastry so it spreads thin and has extra space to enclose the brie. Place the brie in the center of the pastry and fold the pastry over the brie so the entire wedge is enclosed in pastry. Moisten your fingers and seal all edges of the brie smoothly. Remove any excess pastry. The extra pastry can be used for decoration on top of the brie. I’ve shaped the pastry into footballs (super bowl parties), hearts (Vday), whatever. Be creative and as corny as you’d like.

Whisk your 1 egg with a dash of milk in a small bowl to make an egg-wash for the brie. Using a pastry brush, paint the egg wash on all sides of the brie.

Grease a small cookie sheet. Place the brie on the sheet and in the oven for around 18-24 minutes.

Just before the brie is ready, heat a small pan over a medium flame. Add your butter, honey, and garlic. Stir the sauce until the garlic becomes fragrant and sauteed.

When the brie becomes lightly browned, remove from the oven and place onto a serving platter. Pour the sauce over the brie and serve with Carr’s crackers or French bread. Enjoy!

Tuna and Avocado Tartare on Sesame Wonton Crisps (adapted from Epicurious.com)

Tartare
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons wasabi paste*
3/4 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
8 ounces sushi-quality ahi tuna steak, cut into 1/3-inch 12 wonton wrappers, each cut diagonally in half to form 2 triangles
Olive oil (for brushing)
Sesame seeds
1 medium avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
1 cup 1/3-inch cubes seeded English hothouse cucumber
1 green onion, finely chopped
Toasted sesame seeds
Chopped fresh chives
*Wasabi paste (horseradish paste) can be found in tubes in the Asian foods section or freshly made in the sushi section of most supermarkets.

For crisps:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange wonton triangles on sheet; brush each with olive oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until triangles are golden brown, about 9 minutes. Cool on sheet. Can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

For tartare:
Whisk first 5 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Add tuna, avocado, cucumber, and green onion; stir gently to coat. Spoon tartare into bowl; sprinkle with sesame seeds and chives and place on platter. Surround with crisps.

You can also serve the tartare with any other kind of flatbread or chips if you don’t have time to make the crisps. Personally, I couldn’t find wonton wrappers because I shopped in a small grocery store so I used sesame flatbread and it worked nicely.

Baby Lamb Chops with Artichokes and Egg-Lemon Sauce (recipe adapted from Michael Chiarello)

This recipe comes together really quickly. You can make the roasted artichokes in advance if you don’t have a lot of time on the day of your party. Be sure the butcher trims the bone on the chops for you.

Roasted Artichokes:
1/3 cup lemon juice
6 medium artichokes
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, quartered lengthwise
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325ºF.

Make the artichokes: Select a non-reactive bowl large enough to hold all the artichokes once they are trimmed and pour the 1/3 cup lemon juice into it. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, bend the tough outer leaves backward until they break at the point where the tough leaf becomes part of the tender base; stop when you reach the more tender interior leaves that are at least half yellow-green. With a serrated knife, cut across the leaves at the point where the color changes from yellow-green to dark green. Trim the stem of its outer layer, then trim the base, removing any dark green bits. Quarter the artichokes lengthwise and scoop out the hairy choke. As the artichokes are trimmed, drop them into the bowl holding the lemon juice and turn to coat. Toss occasionally to keep them coated with lemon.
When all the artichokes are trimmed, transfer them and the lemon juice to a large skillet along with the olive oil, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, tossing to coat the artichokes with the seasonings, then transfer to the oven and cook until the artichokes are browned in spots and tender when pierced, about 35 minutes. Let cool, then cut each quarter into halves or thirds lengthwise.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
12 baby lamb rib chops
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 recipe roasted artichokes,quarters halved lengthwise

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and lemon juice.Season the chops with salt and pepper. Just before you are ready to cook, dip the chops in the flour to coat both sides lightly. Shake off the excess.Heat a heavy 14-inch skillet over high heat. When the skillet is very hot, add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and swirl to coat, then add the chops. Sear them on one side until you see bloody juices rising, 3 to 4 minutes, then turn and cook for about 30 seconds on the second side. Transfer to a platter and keep warm in a low oven. Pour off the excess fat in the skillet. Return the skillet to high heat, add the wine, and stir with a wooden spoon to release any flavorful bits stuck to the skillet. Add the stock or broth and simmer until reduced by one-third. Pour the reduced liquid into a bowl and wipe out the skillet with a paper towel.

Return the skillet to moderately high heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. When hot, add the parsley and garlic and saute½ briefly to release their fragrance. Add the artichokes and stir to coat with the seasonings, then return the liquid to the pan. Bring to a simmer, then remove the skillet from the heat and add the egg-lemon mixture. Swirl the pan constantly until the eggs thicken the sauce, which will happen quickly. Spoon the artichokes and sauce onto a warmed platter. Top with the lamb chops and serve immediately.

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