At the Market: Chard

Known by a number of prefixes, Swiss being the most common, chard has a known history that stems as far back as the hanging gardens of ancient Babylon, a once fertile ground where agriculture is said to have been born. This, of course, I did not learn until afterward. I was thumbing through an old October copy of Bon Appétit and came across a dish that looked irrisistible: Swiss Chard Ricotta Gnudi with Fall Mushrooms. I was sold.

Gnudi are a type of large, ricotta gnocchi. The gnudi mixture had to sit in the fridge overnight, so start the prep for this cozy meal the day before you wish to partake. The resulting dish was different than I had anticipated, slightly Asian in its essence, with a strong mushroom presence. All in all, I enjoyed it and found the thin, shallow soup a welcoming accompaniment to the unexpected rain.

Meet Me, Meat-Free

Happy Monday, happy fall! Kim from the wonderful blog, simply blythe, so graciously opted to spend her morning with moi! Head on over here to read the interview, find out my favorite cheap date idea, and get the recipe for my easy vegetarian chili.

Thank you, Ms. Kim!!

Serendipitous Sweet Potato Muffins

We have had brisk weather here in SF for a week now. Sometimes the sun breaks through, but sometimes the clouds are too fluffy to be moved aside. Either way, it feels as if fall is fast approaching and I must admit - I am a bit excited...! I love summer, I love fall, I love winter, I love spring; every season has something wonderful to offer and it is exciting when a new one arrives. Or maybe I just needed an excuse to make these muffins.

I used to be a fan of the boxed Krusteaz Pumpkin Muffin mix. Around this time of year, Starbucks would also begin selling their Pumpkin Cream Cheese muffin. While both were super tasty, neither were terribly nutritious and left me feeling "meh" afterwards. I was so excited to discover this recipe for a healthier, from-scratch Pumpkin Muffin from Gourmade at Home. I made a stop at Trader Joe's on my way home yesterday to gather a few needed ingredients. Call it serendipity, but they have yet to stock their shelves with pumpkin puree, so I grabbed a bag of fresh sweet potatoes and set off on my own adventure. I roasted the potatoes last night (350° for 90 minutes or until soft) and left them to cool on the counter. We enjoyed these healthy, not-too-sweet fall treats with our french press coffee this morning.

Serendipitous Sweet Potato Muffins

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground clove
1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup fresh, mashed sweet potato (not pureed)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tbls. vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tbls. confectioners sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 and prepare muffin tins with a light coating of oil.
2. Mix cream cheese and confectioners sugar; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.
4. In a large bowl, mix together sweet potato mash, sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs.
5. Add 1/2 of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients; mix until barely combined. Add 1/2 of the buttermilk and mix. Repeat with remaining flour and buttermilk.
6. Divide the mixture into the muffin tin. Top with a small dollop of cream cheese mixture.
7. Bake 20-25 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes. Enjoy!

makes 12 regular muffins

At the Market: Tomatoes

I was so excited to see beautifully ripened Early Girls overflowing at the market on Saturday. I grabbed a bunch, but I should have loaded up all I could carry (like Gus-Gus in Cinderella, balancing an overwhelming stack of cheese between his little mouse hands and his front teeth). I decided to highlight this lovely fruit (oh, and they were so sweet, I was convinced of their category!) with a simple tart.

salt and pepper crust

put a layer of cheese on the bottom, top with zucchini mixture

layer sliced tomatoes

the crust was beautifully crisp

Tomato Tart

1 1/2 cup zucchini, sliced in rounds

1 tbls olive oil

3 garlic cloves, sliced

3 tbls whole milk

1 tbls cream cheese

1/4 tsp oregano

1 cup parmesan

1 1/2 cups tomatoes, sliced

1 1/2 tbls basil chiffinod + more whole leaves for topping

1 salt and pepper crust

salt and pepper to taste

Saute the zucchini and garlic in olive oil until just tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add the milk, cream cheese and oregano. Layer the bottom of the tart crust with 1/3 of the parmesan cheese. Top with the zucchini mixture. Layer the basil chiffinod and tomatoes. Top with the remaining cheese. Cook at 375° for 20 minutes and until the cheese has melted. Let cool for 5 minutes. Top with the remaining basil leaves and serve.

*these are rough estimations of quantity... feel free to improvise! This would also be amazing with goat cheese between the zucchini and tomato layers.

At the Market: Zucchini

I am going to begin a new feature called At the Market which will highlight in-season fruits and vegetables. It is my hope that this will encourage not only fresh, seasonal eating in our household, but will emphasize an awareness for the changing of seasons and the passing of time. It is difficult to believe that we just passed our 1 year anniversary of having moved to San Francisco, and are acutely aware of our temporary stay in this beautiful city. With that in mind we are savoring every morsel we can, including the gorgeous, abundant supply of local ingredients.

I love the zucchina (zucchine, Itlaian pl. or courgette in French)... there are so many possibilities to showcase this summer squash: pastas, sautés, grilled skewers, casseroles, gratins and crudités. Botanically speaking, zucchini is actually an immature fruit and the swollen ovary of the delicate, bright yellow zucchini flower. The soft flavors of this mysterious little plant make it extremely compatible with sweet dishes, one of my all-time favorites being zucchini bread.

This is a quick-bread, one that is reminiscent of my childhood. My mother used to make a deep brown zucchini bread, that I have had difficulty replicating for a long time. Most of the recipes I had tried yielded a golden color that just didn't quite "do it" for me. If was only a few years ago that, after some tinkering around in the kitchen, I was able to come up with a similar recipe. Why not ask mom for her recipe? Well, for some reason, she just one day stopped making it, and I don't believe she ever had this recipe written down. It just came from memory and the lack of practice has moved said recipe to the back of her memory. I think it will one day resurface again... or we will find it scratched on a scrap piece of paper stuffed into a first edition Good Housekeeping cookbook.

Zucchini Bread

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbls. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar (light or dark based on preference)
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 tbls. vanilla
2 c. shredded zucchini (about 2 large or 3 small zucchini)

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Butter a loaf pan (I prefer a ceramic dish).
2. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a larger bowl, combine sugars, oil and eggs. Mix in vanilla.
4. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
5. Mix in the zucchini, and then transfer to the loaf pan.
6. Bake until the center comes out clean when tested, about 50-60 minutes.

Enjoy!

note: Use all organic ingredients where possible.
image of zucchini flowers at the Mercato Centrale in Bologna, Italy

Blackberry Peach Crumb Bars

I made these heavenly Blackberry Peach Crumb Bars for a summer gathering recently. I had a few fruit desserts to pick from, but settled on this recipe. I ended up adding white peach slices and it was delightful!

The fruit was ripe, beautiful and so sweet. My first inclination was to use nectarines, but the peaches just happen to look better at the market that day. I may try nectarines next time, but I really loved the peach version.

I love the way the dark blackberries look scattered over the juicy peach and silky white batter.

These made perfect little in-hand sweets; an alfresco must this summer!

Summer Smoothie

I have been making this smoothie often; I love my new found coconut water and am trying to some up with clever ways of using it. It offers lots of potassium, calcium and replenishes electrolytes to leave you feeling hydrated. This is a great, refreshing breakfast on the go!

1/2 c. plain, organic yogurt (I used whole milk)
1/2 c. coconut water
1/2 c. frozen berries (fresh would be fine, but I like that the frozen makes the smoothie frosty)
3 tbls. unsweetened coconut flakes
1 banana
optional: Vital scoop or any other nutritional supplement

Just throw in the blender, pour and go!

Pizza Party

Last weekend I attempted to make homemade pizza after craving a good, real Pizza Margherita and decided to use this recipe.

The dough was great, easy and came together well. I was gaining confidence...

I busted out my super cool (super new) pizza peel... a pro in the making.

My sauce turned out beautifully... this is a cinch.

Ready for the last layer of delicious mozzarella. I was beginning to feel like Mama Roma and about to take the pizza world by storm...

Everything went beautifully up until the last step... I knew I should have used cornmeal to keep the dough from sticking! Too late... totally stuck pizza, and now the fire alarm has started to sound, my cat is freaking out, but my sweetheart is faithful and continues taking pictures!

Ok, not the prettiest thing you've ever seen...

Add a few basil leaves to hide the malformations...

And voilà! This pizza actually did taste pretty good, despite its appearance ;) After watching a few videos recommended by a friend, I made another pizza, this time using cornmeal to aide in the oven transfer and tossed the basil leaves with olive oil before adding them to the cooking process in the oven (as opposed to afterwards). Turned out great!

Summer Fruit Desserts

I have been seeking out some delicious summer dessert recipes for the Memorial Day weekend. We have a few gatherings to attend and I am REALLY looking forward to getting in the kitchen to bake... it's been too long! My friend Claire made these scrumptious looking Strawberry Cupcakes for her husband's birthday party that I have been swooning over. Here are some other lovely desserts from the queen herself, Martha Stewart:


Blackberry-Swirl Pound Cake

Blackberry Crumb Bars

Summer Fruit Tart

Strawberry Tartlets

Raspberry Plum Crumb Tart

Blackberry Basil Tart


Now, which one to choose... What are you making on this long holiday weekend?

image and recipe via {Martha Stewart}

Morning Buns

You may be aware of my infatuation with this bakery. Well... here's a recent discovery of their to-die-for Morning Bun recipe via 7x7SF...so...happy...

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have a weakness for homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies... right out of the oven, warm chocolate melting into every bite... few things can beat it. Here is my go-to recipe for this lovely treat. I try and up the "good-for-ya" factor by using whole wheat flour. Organic, when available, is encouraged and I LOVE rich, dark chocolate chips (more antioxidants, of course).

1 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/4 c. unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 c. organic sugar
3/4 c. packed light brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 organic eggs
2 cups chocolate chips, 60% cacao

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. In a small bowl combine the flours, salt and baking soda. In a medium bowl mix together the butter and sugars.* Add the vanilla and 2 eggs and mix until creamy. Slowly stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir until barely combined. Add the chocolate chips and mix until just incorporated. Place heaping teaspoonfuls on the your sheet** and bake 10-12 min. until golden. You know what to do from here...!

*I prefer to mix all the ingredients by hand with a wooden spoon and find that the final product comes out nicely, but a hand or standup mixer would be just fine.

**A baking stone is my method of choice. We were given a very nice one as a wedding gift that I love using.

Christmas Cookie Exchange

I wanted to get this in before the end of the year... the pictures from our USPS Christmas Cookie Exchange! It was such fun packaging bundles of goodies to go out, and receiving over a week's time yummy treats from all over the country. Check out the recipes here for snickerdoodles, gingersnaps, peanut butter, vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, nutmeg logs, and chocolate kiss cookies, chocolate peppermint cookies and melt-in-your-mouth caramels. Can't wait to do this again next year :)

{thanks to my sweetheart for the picture collage}

Gingersnaps

These yummy-for-my-tummy cookies are one of Brian's favorites. I figured I would make him a treat to accompany his endless hours of studying, writing and preparing for finals. These were adapted from Martha's great recipe to suit what I had on hand. I love that she adds freshly ground pepper... very unexpected.

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (room temp)

1 1/4 c. packed light-brown sugar

1/4 c. unsulfured molasses

1 large egg

1/4 c. organic cane sugar

In a small bowl mix together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, pepper, and salt.

In a larger bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and molasses. Add the egg and mix until blended and smooth. Add the dry ingredients into and stir until just combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 350ºF. Put sugar in a small bowl. Roll dough into 1-inch balls, then roll again in sugar, until coated. Bake for 15-18 minutes (tops will be cracked and centers firm) then transfer to a cooling rack.

Pour a glass of cold milk and enjoy.

Cookies Galore

This weekend I will be cooking up batches and batches of cookies for a "by mail cookie exchange". I am looking forward to hours of measuring, mixing, forming and baking; filling the house with delicious, sweet smells of the season. The most challenging part will be to pick which cookie to send... here are a few favorites and others I would like to try:

* These are the best Peanut Butter cookies... I love the finishing touch of flaky sea salt.

* Jam Thumbprints for the coconut lover.

* Sweet and savory Pine Nut Rosemary Shortbread are a delicious, unique treat.

* An endless supply of ideas with the 12 Days of Cookies.

* The most beautiful food styling makes me want to devour all of these little gems.

* One of my favorite holiday cookies has to be the Russian Tea Cake.

image of Espresso-Blackberry Macarons via {Gourmet}