Strawberry Mascarpone Tart with Port Glaze

This is another recipe I found when we visited the McDougall's in North Carolina and it was such a good find. I know when you skim this you're going to think its a lot of work, but its really not that hard. It takes a little time but it is worth every second. This recipe is so good that Bree and I have already discussed seasonal variations so we don't have to wait for the berries to arrive to enjoy it. Trust me, try it out!

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart with Port Glaze
For tart shell:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons cold water

For filling:
1 1/2 pounds strawberries (about 1 1/2 quarts), trimmed and halved lengthwise
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup ruby Port
1 pound mascarpone (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Equipment: a 10-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom; pie weights or dried beans

Make tart shell:
Blend together flour, sugar, salt, and butter in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Beat together yolk, vanilla, lemon juice, and water with a fork, then drizzle over flour mixture and stir with fork (or pulse) until mixture comes together.

Gently knead with floured hands on a lightly floured surface until a dough forms, then gently knead 4 or 5 times. Press into a 5-inch disk. Place in center of tart pan and cover with plastic wrap. Using your fingers and bottom of a flat-bottomed measuring cup, spread and push dough to evenly cover bottom and side of pan. Prick bottom of tart shell all over with a fork and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.

Line tart shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until side is set and edge is pale golden, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and continue to bake until shell is deep golden all over, about 20 minutes more. Cool in pan, about 45 minutes.

Make filling while tart shell cools:
Stir together strawberries and granulated sugar in a bowl and let stand, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Strain in a sieve set over a small saucepan, reserving berries. Add Port to liquid in saucepan and boil until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whisk together mascarpone, confectioners sugar, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until stiff.

Assemble tart:
Spread mascarpone mixture evenly in cooled tart shell, then top with strawberries. Drizzle Port glaze all over tart.

Tart shell can be baked 1 day ahead and kept at room temperature.

Grilled Salmon with Lime Butter Sauce

Gourmet Magazine gets all the credit for this one. We tried this for the first time when we were visiting the McDougall's in Ft. Bragg and I've made it again since I got home. Its a simple way to prepare salmon and its really good especially alongside a spinach and strawberry salad for dinner. Try it out.

Grilled Salmon with Lime Butter Sauce

6 (6-oz) pieces center-cut salmon fillet (about 1 inch thick) with skin
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lime zest
6 tablespoons lime butter sauce (see recipe below)

Prepare grill for cooking over medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas).

Season salmon all over with salt and pepper, then grill, flesh sides down, on lightly oiled grill rack (covered only if using gas grill) 4 minutes. Turn fillets over and grill (covered only if using gas grill) until just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes more. Sprinkle fillets with zest and top each with 1 tablespoon lime butter sauce.

If you aren't able to grill outdoors, salmon can be cooked in a hot lightly oiled well-seasoned large (2-burner) ridged grill pan over moderately high heat.

Lime Butter Sauce

1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted

Purée garlic with lime juice, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth. With motor running, add melted butter and blend until emulsified, about 30 seconds.

Lime butter sauce can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Stir before using.

Garlic Confit Vinaigrette

I know the name makes it sound way to high-class, but it is such a good dressing and its something I stumbled upon thats a keeper for me now.

Confit (French, pronounced "con-fee") is a generic term for various kinds of food that have been immersed in a substance for both flavor and preservation. Sealed and stored in a cool place, confit can last for several months. Confit is one of the oldest ways to preserve food, and is a speciality of southwestern France.

In this case its garlic that have been slowly simmered in olive oil and then used as the base for a salad dressing. I would add this to almost any salad, its light, full of flavor, and because you're cooked the garlic, its not rough on the stomach. Plus you get this leftover garlic confit to put in other dishes and some amazing infused garlic oil. Like I said, its a keeper for sure.

Garlic Confit Vinaigrette
Makes 3/4 cup of vinaigrette. The extra garlic confit can be stored in the refrigerator submerged in the remaining oil for about a week.

(For the garlic confit)
the cloves from 2 heads of garlic, peeled and stem ends sliced off
3 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary
1 to 1/2 cups olive oil

(For the vinaigrette)
8 cloves (or so) garlic confit
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 cup garlic-infused olive oil

First make the garlic confit. In a very small saucepan, combine the peeled garlic cloves, thyme or rosemary and the olive oil. Make sure the olive oil completely covers the garlic cloves. Cook the mixture over as low a heat as possible for 25 to 35 minutes, until the garlic cloves are golden brown and very tender. Allow the garlic and oil to return to room temperature.

To make the vinaigrette, take 8 or so of the garlic cloves and place in a small bowl or in a food processor (my preferred method). Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and using a spoon (or pulse the food processor), mash the garlic until it is very smooth. Add the lemon juice and vinegar and whisk to combine. In a slow, steady stream, add 1/2 cup of the oil that the garlic cooked in, whisking to emulsify. Grind in a bit of fresh cracked black pepper and taste to see if the seasonings need adjusting.

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

Need a meatless dish??? At this one to your list!!!
Make it even better and dare to make some homemade tortillas.

This recipe comes from allrecipes and we had it for dinner tonight. It was awesome and delish, not to mention, without having to do any meat it was ready in about 20 minutes or less!

2 tsp olive oil
3 TBSP finely chopped onion (I used the whole thing)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 TBSP brown sugar
1/2 Cup Salsa (or more)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (we left these out for the kids sake)
2 TBSP butter, divided
8 Flour tortillas
1 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or more), divided
(note: I used large tortillas and it made about 5 quesadillas.)



Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until softened. Stir in beans and corn, then add sugar, salsa and pepper flakes; mix well. Cook until heated through, a few minutes.

Melt 2 tsp butter in a large skillet over med heat. Place tortilla in the skilled, sprinkle evenly with cheese, then top with some of the bean mixture. Place another tortilla on top, cook until golden, then flip and cool on the other side.
Melt more butter as needed and repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

Serve with sour cream and salsa on the side and enjoy!

Homemade Vegetable Broccoli Soup!

Sorry no picture, but if you can imagine green creamy soup, that's what this looks like :)
I actually found this recipe online from a website called homemademothering. It is easy, yummy and great for those picky eaters when it comes to vegetables.

2 TBSP butter
1 Onion - diced
4-5 garlic cloves
1 1/2 C carrotts - diced
4 Medium Potatoes (I like 5 or 6 to make it a little thicker)
8 C liquid (water or broth)
3 medium heads of broccoli - chopped
(The recipe doesn't call for Cauliflower but I think it would be a great addition or use it in place of some of the potatoes for less carbs)

In a large pot melt butter over medium heat.
Add onions and saute until soft, about 6 minutes.
Add potatoes and carrotts, cook 5 minutes.
Add garlic, cook until fragrant.
Pour in liquid and bring to a boil.
Cook until potatoes begin to soften, about 10-15 minutes.
Stir in chopped broccoli flourets and stems and cool until just begining to soften.
Puree using a handheld immersion blender or in batches using a regular counter top blender.

(note: I don't have an immersion blender so I used my counter top blender, let the soup cool down a little first!! I might be stating the obviouse but when I did it I was in such a hurry to get to work that I didn't have time to let it cool and the lid blew off from the pressure making a big green mess in the kitchen. Just fyi)

Red Pepper, Corn, Tomato Soup

April 12th is National Grilled Cheese Day!

I decided to make a red pepper, corn, tomato soup to go with our grilled cheese on National Grilled Cheese Day! This recipe calls for fresh whole cherry tomatoes, whenever you get a bite with a cherry tomato in it there is a burst of sweetness! (That was my husbands favorite part.) The soup turned out really great, a little spicy but that's how I like my tomato soup.

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 package of cherry tomatoes, keep whole
• 1 package of frozen corn, slightly thawed
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 small jar of salsa, I use Trader Joe's classic salsa
• a few dashes of hot sauce to add some spice
• S&P
• 2 tbl. EVOO
• Feta cheese

Directions:

1. Pour EVOO in a medium-large size pot, turn heat on medium high. Put onions in the pot and saute for about 3-4 minutes stirring around. Add bell peppers and continue to saute for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add corn and tomatoes to the pot, saute until corn is warmed about another 3-4 minutes.
3. Add broth, salsa and as much hot sauce as desired. Salt and pepper the soup.
4. Bring to a boil and then turn heat down to low. Let simmer for about 30 minutes.
5. Blend about 1/3 of the soup in a blender, when returning the liquid to the pot pour through a colander with small holes to keep some of the tomato and bell pepper skins out. I wasn't super particular about this and my soup ended up a bit chunky but I was okay with that. Don't forget to let the soup cool a bit before you try to blend it.
6. Serve the soup with a bit of crumbled feta on top and a grilled cheese!

Tortellini SALAD

Tortellini Salad, a summer favorite in our house! This salad can be served warm or chilled. A great side dish for a summer BBQ's or potlucks! Can even be served as an entree with garlic bread.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

• one package of frozen or fresh tortellini (I prefer 3 cheese filling for this recipe)
• one container cherry/grape tomatoes
• 6 tbl. chopped fresh basil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 c. EVOO
• 2 tbl. white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. sugar

Directions:

1. Cook tortellini according to directions on the package. Drain pasta and run cold water over it once it's done cooking to cool it down a bit. Place in desired serving bowl.
2. Slice tomatoes in half, add to the pasta.
3. Prepare dressing, crush garlic in a small bowl, add chopped basil, EVOO, white vinegar, salt and sugar. Whisk together and drizzle over pasta and tomatoes. Toss to combine then chill in refrigerator or serve right away.