Buckwheat Blini with Smoked Salmon

I ate incredibly well during my semester abroad in Paris.  So well, in fact, that I am amazed my jeans still fit by the end (I may or may not have eaten pain au chocolat on a daily basis).  I think my waistline was saved by two very important things: all of the walking I did while exploring my adopted city, and my French host mom’s cooking. 

Her meals struck the perfect balance between indulgence and moderation that only the French seem to manage with such ease.  Each meal commenced with a pureed vegetable soup to awaken our taste buds, then progressed to a delicious entree, and always concluded with a few morsels of pungent cheese and a small bowl of yogurt.  These three distinct courses set a relaxed pace for eating while simultaneously allowing for lengthy conversations (that I tried my very best to follow).  Each night I left the table feeling incredibly content but never uncomfortably full. 

But sometimes even the French can’t muster this level of sophistication.  One evening my host parents went to a party, leaving my fourteen-year-old host brother and me to fend for ourselves.  Based on my American conception of dinner sans parents, I expected we would probably dine on something in the genre of boxed macaroni and cheese and bagel bites.  But instead of taking a pre-packaged meal from the freezer, my host brother extracted four frozen blini and popped them in the toaster.  He then set the table with crème fraîche (a French pantry staple), smoked salmon, and a bag of minced chives.  The blini emerged from the toaster perfectly crispy, and we sat down to feast. 

The dinner changed my life not only because it introduced me to smoked salmon, but also because it completely shifted my understanding of the exciting and elegant possibilities for a quick meal.  This recipe that I am sharing took a bit longer to come together since I made the blini from scratch today, but now I have eight leftover blini in my freezer ready for future use! 

BUCKWHEAT BLINI WITH SMOKED SALMON
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1 teaspoon dried yeast
¾ cup plain (all purpose) flour
¾ cup buckwheat flour
1 egg, separated
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup lukewarm buttermilk

1 4-ounce package of thinly sliced smoked salmon
1 cup crème fraîche
½ cup minced chives

Combine yeast and ¾ cup warm water in a large bowl and stir to dissolve, then stand in a warm place for 10 minutes or until foamy. Slowly whisk in plain flour, then cover with a clean tea towel and stand in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl combine buckwheat flour, egg yolk, 1½ tablespoons melted butter, sugar, milk and sea salt and whisk to combine, then gently fold into yeast mixture. Cover and stand in a warm place for 1 hour or until risen by half.

Whisk egg white until soft peaks form and fold through batter. Heat a heavy-based frying pan over medium heat, brush with remaining butter and cook batter, in batches, for 1-2 minutes or until bubbles appear, then turn and cook for another minute or until cooked through. Keep warm.

Top with smoked salmon, a dollop of crème fraîche and chives.

Blueberry Streusel Cake

I made this cake last Monday for a potluck brunch that my friend Laura hosted in honor of the Boston Marathon.  Her apartment is ideally located at the top of the challenging (and daunting) heartbreak hill, so we gathered there to lend our vocal support/enthusiasm to the runners.  Everyone contributed a ridiculous amount of delicious food (see crowded table pic below) and Laura made amazing bellinis with freshly squeezed peaches.  We feasted and chatted and then we spent hours cheering on runners, including our friend Kim- a first time marathoner!  It was the perfect morning with wonderful friends.

Given the fear and pain generated by the bombings, I feel very lucky to have those positive memories from the day.  I’ve really loved watching the marathon these past three years that I have been in Boston for law school.  For me it has always been about celebrating with friends and cheering for runners until my throat hurts and I lose my voice.  Since I’m moving to Seattle soon, I probably won’t be able to make it to next year’s marathon.  But when Patriot’s day rolls around again I can guarantee that I will be cheering extra loudly from across the country.

If you would like to make a contribution to victims of the bombing, please consider donating to the medical expenses for the two Boston College students who were seriously injured in the blasts.  Here are the links to the pages supporting Brittany and Liza.

BLUEBERRY STREUSEL CAKE
serves 6-8
Click here to print
from Gourmet Magazine

For streusel topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

For cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 lb blueberries (3 1/4 cups)

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan with heavy-duty foil, leaving an overhang on 2 sides. Butter bottom and sides of pan, then dust with flour, knocking out excess.

Make streusel topping:
Stir together flour, sugars, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture forms large clumps.

Make cake:
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
Stir together sour cream and vanilla in a small bowl.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add egg and beat until well blended.

At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with sour-cream mixture and mixing until just combined.  Gently fold in blueberries.  Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top (preferably with an offset spatula). Crumble half of topping evenly over batter.

Bake 25 minutes, then remove from oven and crumble remaining topping evenly over cake. Bake until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes more. Cool in pan 40 minutes. Lift out cake using foil and cool completely on rack.

Note:
Cake can be made 1 day ahead and kept, well wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Before I reveal the secret to gooey nutella deliciousness, I want to thank Sarah for her guest post!  In addition to being one of my most loyal readers, Sarah also bore witness to (and supported) my first forays into the culinary world when we lived together in college.  I’m so happy that she agreed to share shakshuka with you all!

Now for the cookies: a post that has completed an epic journey to get here today.  You see, I first made these cookies last September 27th with every intention of posting them in honor of my 3-year blogiversary.  I brought them to school to share with friends and we celebrated...but I never told you about it because tragedy struck and I couldn’t get my camera to work.  I was poised for quite a successful photo shoot: the cookies tasted amazing; they had fallen beautifully onto the plate in an effortlessly perfect display; and I had even timed the pictures to take advantage of ideal natural light.  But when I clicked the button, NOTHING CLICKED. 

I had just returned from Europe where I lugged my camera everywhere so I immediately concluded/panicked that it was destroyed.  I tried taking pictures on my iphone, which I suppose was fitting for my blogiversary since that was my original method of documentation back when I started blogging...but my photography standards have risen somewhat since then and I was just not happy with any of the photos.  So instead I retreated into my six-month hiatus from blogging and this recipe gathered dust.

Luckily dad saved my camera and I made my triumphant return to blogging.  I immediately arranged a new photo shoot for these cookies (it was such a hardship to have to make them again) and I was very happy with the pictures.  Then we encountered my second big delay: I went to Maui for two weeks and got lazy about blogging.  Oops.  This is why I am very thankful to Sarah for writing a post and jump-starting me back to Navy Blue Kitchen!  I have a backlog of other meals and pictures to share (including a post about Maui!) but I decided to prioritize this recipe.  Because you shouldn’t have to spend one more day of your life without nutella oozing from the middle of chocolate chip cookies.

NUTELLA STUFFED CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
inspired by Jacques Torres
Click here to print 
makes about 25 cookies

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons
(8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (see note)
Nutella
Sea salt.

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.  Put the nutella in the refrigerator at least two hours before assembling cookies so that it will be easier to work with.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

Scoop about 1/3 cup of dough and flatten in your hand.  Put about a teaspoon of nutella in the middle of the dough and then roll it in your hand to form the cookie into a ball.  Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Shakshuka [Sarah's Guest Post!]

I was irrationally excited when Emily invited me to write this guest post for her blog. I love Em’s blog, and I am so excited to share this recipe for shakshuka! It is easily my #1 go-to dinner, and there are so many reasons why you should try it. Most importantly it is DELICIOUS. Beyond that, it is healthy, easy to make (only 30ish minutes!), vegetarian if that’s your thing, and it minimizes clean-up time because you can wash most of the dishes while it’s simmering.

I originally got this recipe from food blog titan Smitten Kitchen, which describes shakshuka as an Israeli dish of poached eggs in spicy tomato sauce. Others think the origins of shakshuka are Lebanese. Wherever it comes from, all experts agree that you should make it immediately. Thanks again Emily for asking me to post!

Here are a few things to keep in mind before making shakshuka:

• Shakshuka is saucy, so serve it in a bowl rather than a plate.

• The Smitten Kitchen recipe suggests serving it with pitas, but since the pitas you can buy at the grocery store are not puffy, I’ve always served it with crusty bread instead. I think you need the fluff for dipping and mopping up the spicy sauce. If you are ambitious you could bake your own bread (ahem, Emily), or you could just pick up your favorite crusty, fluffy bread at the store. If you want, warm it in the oven while the shakshuka is cooking.

• Sometimes your shakshuka will be spicy and sometimes it won’t be. There’s just no way to tell if a jalapeno is spicy by looking at it, as far as I know.

• If you are planning to save some for leftovers (which I HIGHLY recommend - best lunch ever), make sure you don’t overcook the eggs, unless you’re weirded out by runny eggs. If they are more cooked the first time, when you heat it up the second day the eggs can sometimes get a little bit overcooked. You could also avoid putting in all 6 eggs initially and just poach them in already-cooked sauce the following day, but that sort of defeats the purpose of being able to have a quick, portable lunch (of paramount importance to those of us in law school, and really, everyone).

SHAKSHUKA
Click here to print
serves 4-6 (in my experience, serves 2 for both a hearty dinner and a light lunch the next day)

¼ cup olive oil
3 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped (leave some seeds in for more spicy potential)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed and sliced
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 28-oz can whole tomatoes, do NOT drain (I usually use Muir Glen organic)
6 large eggs
Kosher salt to taste
½ cup feta, crumbled (I just dump in however much I feel like)
1-2 tablespoons chopped parsley (flat leaf or curley is fine)*

*About the parsley - I actually think it adds a lot of freshness to this dish, whereas in others it’s just a garnish and doesn’t make much of a difference. I’ve forgotten it plenty of times and it’s always better when I include it.

Chop the onion and stem, seed and finely chop the jalapenos. Heat oil in a large pot or 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the jalapenos and the onion and stir until the onion starts to brown, about 6 minutes. While the onion and jalapenos cook, prepare the garlic and tomatoes as follows.

Crush and slice the garlic. Open the canned tomatoes and pour them into a bowl. Then add ½ cup water to the bowl and crush the tomatoes with your hands.  Be careful! This can easily stain your clothes. I recommend putting the bowl in the sink so any juices that spurt just end up in the sink. Put the tomatoes aside.

Once the onion has started to brown, add the garlic, paprika and cumin. Stir it around a lot and smell it, because it smells amazing. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes, until the garlic is soft.

Add the tomatoes with their juice and the ½ cup water. Stir and lower heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. (This is a great time to clean some dishes, make a salad, set the table, etc). Chop up some parsley, and get out your eggs. Season the sauce with salt to taste.

Crack eggs over the surface of the sauce so they are evenly distributed (usually a circle of 5 with 1 egg in the middle). Cover the skillet and cook about 5-6 minutes, until the yolks of the eggs are set. If you don’t have a tight fitting lid, use aluminum foil - it may take longer for the eggs to cook because some air is escaping. Use a spoon to swirl the whites around with the sauce, without disrupting the yolks. Sprinkle parsley and feta into the shakshuka. Serve in bowls with crusty bread or fluffy pitas!

Rosemary & Mustard Pork Roast with Vermouth Jus

Before we launch into this post, I just want to make sure we are all on the same page re: Christmas dinner.  I’m not sure whether I’ve mentioned this before, but it is NEVER too early to start planning Christmas dinner.  Never.  Christmas dinner ends, and my family starts talking about menu ideas for next year.  Why?  Because I love big dinners.  I love everything about them: planning, making a master grocery list, prepping the ingredients, having a big glass of wine while cooking and chatting with everyone and, of course, sitting down to eat and laugh for hours. 

Back in my college days, I did not get many opportunities to make big dinners.  So I jumped at the yearly opportunity that Christmas presented to test out my budding obsession with cooking.  Unfortunately, I might have run roughshod over any input from other members of my family (read: angry little sister), but I think I have since calmed a bit.  Right Erin?  Planning for Christmas dinner is more of a collaboration now.  Which leads me to this recipe.  Last night mom and I were chatting on the phone and I told her my plan to try out this pork roast.  Her immediate reaction was Christmas dinner!  Hadn’t thought of it, but she has a very good point!  This meal has all the trappings of a fabulous big dinner: easy to prep ahead of time (and clean mess before guests arrive) + smells amazing while it cooks.  Oh and it is really delicious. 

Added bonus: the heat in my apartment has been a little skittish lately, so having the oven on for 1.5 hours really helped my overall level of warmth and happiness. 

ROSEMARY & MUSTARD PORK ROAST WITH ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES & VERMOUTH JUS
adapted from Bon Appétit
Click here to print
serves 4-6

1 3-pound boneless pork loin
6 garlic cloves, peeled
2 teaspoons lemon zest (from about one lemon)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, separated
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
3 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
Vegetable oil
Assorted vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, shallots, rutabaga (the unsung hero of the root vegetable world in my mind)
Olive oil

Combine garlic, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon rosemary, salt, and pepper in a mini-food processor or blender.  Grind until paste forms.  Add mustard; mix until blended.  (Do Ahead: the mustard paste can be made a day in advance). 

Coat a large roasting pan with nonstick spray or a light coating of vegetable oil.  Place pork, fat side up, in pan.  Rub mustard paste over the top and sides of pork.  Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, toss the vegetables with a little olive oil, sea salt, and rosemary; then put them on a baking sheet. 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place the vegetables and pork in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, until a crust begins to form on the pork.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue to cook for an additional 45 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the center of the roast reads 145 degrees and the vegetables are tender (this may not take the same amount of time- pork came out earlier than veggies for me).  Transfer pork to a large cutting board, tent with foil and let rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.  Don’t touch it before then or you will lose all of the precious juices and completely ruin dinner.

Place the pork’s roasting pan on the stove over medium-high heat.  Add vermouth and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon.  Simmer until reduced to ¼ cup, about 3 minutes.  Add the chicken stock and continue to simmer until reduced to 1/3 cup jus, about 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Cut pork in ¾-inch slices and serve with the roasted vegetables and jus.

Grandma's Macaroni & Cheese

 My Grandma passed away two weeks ago and today is her birthday.  She was my most loyal blog reader, and I know she loved being mentioned when I wrote about her Company Chicken recipe last year.  I had to share this recipe as well, because it is by far my very favorite of all the things she cooked for us over the years.

Grandparents are of course supposed to spoil their grandchildren.  And Grandma was the best at spoiling us with food.  I have so many memories of sitting at her kitchen table eating fishy crackers (our term for Goldfish crackers), circus cookies, and nuts and bolts.  Whenever Erin and I spent the night she made this amazing cinnamon toast for breakfast that always tasted so much better than mom’s.  Erin and I finally figured out that reason Grandma’s tasted so much better had something to do with the inch of sugar she piled on top of the toast.  We shared this valuable information with mom but she did not adjust her sugar ratio.

This macaroni and cheese recipe represents the pinnacle of just how much Grandma spoiled us.  I know this is probably going to shock quite a few of you given my love of food, but I was kind of a picky kid.  I never reached Erin’s level of extreme, debilitating pickiness, but I admit I was a little high maintenance.  Bananas are really the only modern hold-over from my long list of dislikes.  But I never had to worry about family gatherings at Grandma’s because without fail, no matter what other meal she had prepared for the masses, I could always expect a glorious pan of her homemade macaroni and cheese on the table for me. 

To be clear- this tradition is not just something that I remember fondly from my childhood.   Right before Christmas this year, my whole family gathered at Grandma and Grandpa’s to watch the Seahawks game.  I was really not expecting to have macaroni and cheese, since I knew we were having lasagna for dinner and some people might think lasagna with a side of mac n’ cheese is too much pasta.  But I was foolish to doubt her, because of course there was a huge pan full of melted cheesy goodness on the table when I walked in.  I am 27 years old, and I still got my special dinner.

While I was home two weekends ago, we had a big family gathering to celebrate Grandma’s life.  We spent hours around the table eating her favorite foods and drinking gimlets while we remembered all of the incredible times our family has had together.  Erin made this recipe and everyone said it tasted just like Grandma’s.  Even though we were all missing Grandma, this dinner reminded me of just how wonderful family dinners can be.  My love of cooking is about a whole lot more than the food that I make.  And I know I have my Grandma and the rest of my family to thank for that.

Here is the recipe.  I've provided a translation below since I realize that not all of you have my extensive experience in deciphering Grandma's handwriting.

 

GRANDMA’S MACARONI & CHEESE
serves 12 

1 pound elbow macaroni
3 cups milk
3 cups cut up cheese (half mild and half sharp cheddar)
1 cup soda cracker crumbs
½ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese


Cook macaroni and put in greased 13-9 glass baking dish.  Heat milk and cheese together until the cheese is melted.  Pour mixture over the macaroni- add salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with grated cheese.  Add cracker crumbs.  Bake at 325 degrees 1 hour.

Braised Beef Stew with Red Wine

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope you all had fabulous food-filled holidays.  I made it through the end of my epic finals schedule and had wonderful family time in Seattle.  I did quite a bit of cooking over break, and I will share some of those recipes soon. 

I also enjoyed eating many meals cooked by OTHER people- including my Dad’s Beef Bourguignon, which he made for our annual family cookie decorating party.  This is not his recipe, but I have been craving comfort food since getting back to snowy Boston, and this seemed like an interesting take on the classic French stew.  Plus, my second-semester-3L schedule gives me ample time for long braising projects.  So I bought some beef and stuck it in the oven with wine, and my apartment smelled incredible all afternoon! 

This is a Jacques Pépin recipe from Food & Wine, which at first gave me pause.  The beauty of braising is that it’s easy: effortless, one-pot, less-dishes-to-wash, simplicity.  This is especially important for a person like me who is sans-dishwasher!  The problem with gourmet chefs (like Jacques Pépin) is that they tend to complicate the ease of braising by inserting additional steps to the recipe, which inevitably involves more dishes and more stress. 

For example, when I see a braising dish that requires STRAINING of any kind, that is a huge red flag.  Pouring hot liquid through a tiny colander?  This presents far too many opportunities for me to make a huge mess and scald my arm, plus what am I pouring the braising liquid into?  A new dish.  Which equals more dirty dishes.

This recipe does require the dirtying of one extra pan to make the garnishes, but I promise the result is worth it.  Sooooo so worth it.  And the complication of the additional pan is offset by the simplicity of the rest of the recipe.  No stock or demi-glace required!  Just throw in a whole bottle of wine and you will end up with a broth so delicious you will probably consider licking the bowl.

BRAISED BEEF STEW WITH RED WINE
serves 4
adapted from Food & Wine
click here to print

2 lbs lean beef chuck, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt
Pepper
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon flour
1 bottle red wine (any dry red will do, I used Pinot Noir)
2 bay leaves (I left this out and it was still yummy)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
15 pearl onions, peeled
15 cremini mushrooms, larger ones cut in half (you want all pieces to be roughly the same size)
4 carrots, cut into pieces that are roughly the same size as the mushrooms and onions
5-ounce piece of pancetta (or you can sub bacon), cut into ½ inch dice
½ cup water
Dash of sugar
Chopped fresh chives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat the butter and olive oil in a large, oven-safe pot.  Add the beef in a single layer, season with salt and pepper.  Cook over high heat for about 8 minutes, browning the meat on all sides. 

Add one cup of finely chopped onion and one tablespoon of finely chopped garlic.  Cook over moderate heat for an additional five minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add one tablespoon of flour.  Mix in well so that the flour doesn’t form lumps.  Stir in one bottle of red wine.  Add the bay leaves and thyme, bring to a boil and cover.  Stir well and place the pot in the oven for 1 ½ - 2 hours.  The meat should become tender, and the sauce will reduce.  The recipe can be prepared up to this point a day ahead. 

For the garnishes, add the pancetta to a skillet and cook over medium heat until it has browned and rendered its fat, about 5 minutes.  Add the onions, carrots, and mushrooms, along with ½ cup of water and a generous dash of sugar, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes; at this point there should be practically no water left.  Uncover and cook over high heat until nicely browned on all sides, about four minutes. 

To serve, mix in some of the vegetables to the stew.  Sprinkle the rest as a garnish along with the chopped chives.