September 2017 Recipes

Three Basil Cheese Spread from Susan Poel

Makes 1 cup
2 cloves garlic, peeled
4 leaves Genovese basil
4 leaves lemon basil
4 leaves Thai basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
One 8-ounce package cream cheese

With the back of a knife, smash the garlic to release the oils. Place the garlic in a food processor fitted with a steel blade.
Stack the basil leaves and finely chiffonade. Add all the herbs to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped, about 30 seconds.
Drop in the cream cheese and pulse until well blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve with simple crackers or thinly sliced grilled French bread. Garnish with nasturtium flowers.

French Lemonade with Lavender from Susan Poel

Ingredients for Lemon-Lavender Simple Syrup:

1 cup water

1 cup ultra fine granulated sugar

Zest from 1 large lemon

1 tablespoon culinary Lavender

Ingredients for 1 serving French Lemonade with Lavender:

Juice of one small lemon, about 1 ounce

3 tablespoons lemon-lavender simple syrup

Crushed ice

Still or sparkling water to fill

Instructions for Making Lemon-Lavender Simple Syrup:

Combine all ingredients for the syrup into a medium saucepan and bring just to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat.

Allow to sit/steep for one hour. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve and discard the lavender and lemon zest. Store sealed in the refrigerator for use.

Instructions for Making 1 serving French Lemonade with Lavender:

In a highball glass, combine 2 tablespoons Lemon-Lavender Simple Syrup and 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice; stir. Fill the glass with ice. Fill with sparkling (my preference) or still water. Garnish with lemon if desired.

Lemon Verbena Tisane from Susan Poel  

Wash generous handful of lemon verbena leaves and stems and place in a heat resistant bowl.  Bring 2 quarts of cold water to a boil.  Pour over lemon verbena, cover, and infuse until cool.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Tea Cake from Susan Poel

8 servings

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup unsalted roasted almonds, plus 2 Tbsp. chopped

7 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

½ cup olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt

¾ cup granulated sugar, divided

4 large eggs

¼ tsp. cream of tartar

1 Tbsp. raw sugar

Preheat oven to 325°. Lightly coat a 8½x4½" loaf pan with nonstick spray. Pulse cocoa powder and 1 cup almonds in a food processor until very finely ground, about 1 minute. 


Microwave chocolate and ¼ cup water in a microwave-safe bowl in 15-second intervals (or heat in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water), stirring occasionally, until melted. Whisk in oil and salt, then almond mixture and half of granulated sugar, then egg yolks.


Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy. With motor running, gradually add remaining granulated sugar; beat egg whites to firm peaks. 


Gently fold egg whites into chocolate mixture in 2 additions, folding just until incorporated each time. Scrape batter into prepared pan; top with chopped almonds and raw sugar. Bake cake until top is firm when gently pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 50–60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan 15 minutes. Turn out onto rack and let cool completely.

Red cabbage slaw from Susan Poel

2 oz sweet peppers

1 lb red cabbage

1 bunch parsley

1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped

Mix 1/3 cup of white vinegar with 1 teaspoon dry mustard, a pinch of celery seeds, salt to taste, 1/3 cup of sugar, and 1/2 cup of oil. Place shallot in a bowl with the vinegar mix. Cut out and discard the cabbage core; thinly slice the leaves. Finely chop the parsley leaves and stems. Thinly slice the peppers.

In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, shallot-vinegar mixture. Toss to thoroughly coat. Set aside to marinate, stirring occasionally, for at least 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

  

Chicken and Avocado Salad from Julie Courtney

2 cups cooked and diced chicken

1 avocado, diced

½ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

2 tsp. lime juice

1 tsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

¼ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup plain Greek yogurt

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes to blend flavors. Serve on bread, crackers, or pita pockets.

Cheesecake from Julie Courtney

Crust:

1 cup flour

¼ cup sugar

½ tsp. each of lemon and orange rind

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 egg yolk

¼ cup butter

Mix all ingredients in a food processor until it forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until hard. Roll 2/3 of dough on bottom of spring form pan, and make pricks with a fork. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, cool crust.

Filling:

2 ½ lb. of cream cheese at room temperature

1 ¾ cups sugar

1 ½ tsp. each orange and lemon rind

5 eggs

2 egg yolks

¼ tsp. vanilla

3 Tbsp. flour

¼ cup heavy cream

Cream the cream cheese, sugar, and rinds. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time. Add last three ingredients.  Use the remaining dough to line bottom third of the spring form pan. Wrap outer side of pan with aluminum foil to prevent water from seeping in. Pour filling into the pan and bake in a “water bath” at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then lower temperature to 200 degrees and bake for 1 hour.

Cool and decorate.

Tomato Tart from Julie Courtney

Courtesy of Ina Garten

Crust:

2 ½ cups flour

Kosher salt

12 Tbsp. cold, unsalted butter, ½-inch-diced

2 cold extra-large egg yolks

½ cup ice water

Filling:

2 ½ pounds firm medium tomatoes, cored and sliced ¼ inch thick

I cup whole fresh parsley leaves, lightly packed

½ cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves, lightly packed

3 large garlic cloves

1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup good olive oil

6 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

¾ pound grated Gruyere cheese

½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Place flour and 1 tsp. of salt in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add butter and pulse 12-15 times, until the butter is the size of peas. Add the yolks and pulse a few times to combine. With the motor running, add the ice water through the feed tube and pulse until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and roll it into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place the tomatoes in a large bowl. Put the parsley, basil, garlic, thyme, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper in the bowl of the food processor and process until finely minced.

With the processor running, pour the olive oil down the feed tube and process until combined. Pour the mixture over the tomatoes and toss gently. Set aside.

On a well-floured board, roll the dough out into an 11 x 17-inch rectangle and transfer it to the prepared sheet pan. Place a second sheet pan directly on the pastry and bake for about 15 minutes. Remove the top sheet pan. Using a dinner fork, pierce the pastry in many places. Bake for another 8-10 minutes, until slightly browned. Check the pastry during the baking and pierce any spots that bubble up. Allow the crust to cool for 15 minutes.

Lower the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the mustard on the crust with a pastry brush. Sprinkle a thick, even layer of Gruyere on the pastry, reserving ½ cup for the top, then sprinkle with the ½ cup of Parmesan.

Place overlapping tomatoes in rows on the top. If there is a little garlic and herb mixture left in the bowl, sprinkle it over the tomatoes. Sprinkle the reserved ½ cup of Gruyere and 2 Tbsp. of Parmesan on top. Bake for 30 minutes.

Cool slightly, cut into squares, and serve warm or at room temperature.