Serving Up Sedar

I had to help out the Poppers, so I made Passover dinner last week, letting my Jewish side shine through. Admittedly, I did pull a bit of a Sandra Lee and use box mixes (upon his request). That probably won't happen again so let's move on from that quickly, shall we?

I did whip up a "perfect" roast chicken a la Ina, although in my recipe search I found that everyone claims their roast chicken is perfect. Not so interestingly, these recipes are all very similar. I will say with a long-cooking recipe like this, you will want to check your oven temperature with an actual thermometer to make sure you have it right. You never know when onions might become "deeply carmelized" as my dad calls it; however, the onions get discarded when you make the gravy, so even some extra carmelization won't kill you.

Another perk of the roast chicken? Chicken salad! I had to make lunch for five on short notice so thank heavens we had a bit of leftover. Just toss it with some mayo, mustard, and lemon juice. Ok and salt and pepper. And some cherry tomatoes if you have them.

I'll just end by letting you know that this truly is the best roast chicken. By all accounts.

Perfect Roast Chicken

Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (Ina Garten)

Serves 3 to 4

1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 large bunch fresh thyme (I tied it together with kitchen string)

1 lemon, halved

1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 Spanish onion, thickly sliced

1 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken.

Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of the lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Scatter the onion slices around the chicken.*

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh.

Remove to a platter and cover with aluminum foil while you prepare the gravy.

Remove all fat from the bottom of the pan, reserving 2 tablespoons in a small cup. Add the chicken stock to the pan and cook in high heat for about 5 minutes, until reduced, scraping the bottom of the pan.

Combine the 2 tablespoons of chicken fat with the flour and add to the pan. Boil for a few minutes to cook the flour. Strain the gravy in a small saucepan and season it to taste.** Keep it warm over a very low flame while you carve the chicken.

Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve immediately with warm gravy.

*If you want to roast vegetables with the chicken, place 8 whole new red potatoes and 4 carrots, cut diagonally into quarters, and add them with the onions. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables for roasting.

**If you find the sauce too thick to strain simply add more broth or even plain water, while it is still over the heat. After you reach the desired consistency, strain the gravy into a saucepan.

Daddy's Dinner

Having done lunch for Mama, next came dinner for the Poppers: steak sandwiches, baked "chips," and a mache salad.

The recipe calls for searing the meat in olive oil, but we grilled instead. If you to decide to grill the steak, I suggest adding some of the steak juice to the onions for cooking; the original method cooks the onions in the steak pan while the steak is resting. I also used ciabatta because the store didn't have focaccia buns - I'm sure any good quality bread of your choice will do the trick.

Because there are so few ingredients in these recipes, I think it's really important to use the fresh herbs (thyme and rosemary). No, nothing bad will happen if you don't use fresh. Just a friendly suggestion. The potatoes will probably be just as good (according to Ina) if only seasoned with olive oil and garlic and no rosemary. I also sprinkled a spot of sea salt on them when I took them out of the oven.

Steak Sandwich
Ina Garten
Makes 2 sandwiches

1 (12-ounce) 1-inch thick New York strip boneless beef top loin steak (grass fed if available)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
2 small yellow onions, sliced in rings
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 recipe Mustard Mayo, recipe follows
2 mini focaccia buns, sliced in half
1/2 cup baby arugula

Season the steak liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium satue pan over high heat until it's almost smoking, then sear the steak on each side for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low and cook the steak for about 7 to 10 minutes, turning once, until very rare in the middle. Remove to a plate, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Slice the steak into strips.

Using the same saute pan, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and thme and saute for 10 minutes, until the onions are brown and caramelized, stirring occasionally.

To assemble the sandwiches, spread a tablespoon of Mustard Mayo on the bottom half of each bun. Place a layer of the steak on top of the mayo, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and top with the caramelized onion rings. Place the baby arugula on top of the onion rings, and cover the sandwiches with the top half of the buns.

Mustard Mayo
Ina Garten
Yield: 1 cup

3/4 cup good mayonnaise (such as Hellmans)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl. Serve at room temperature.

Baked "Chips"
Barefoot Contessa: Family Style (Ina Garten)
Serves 2

2 large baking potatoes, unpeeled
2 tablespoons good olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Scrub the potatoes, cut them in half lengthwise, then cut each half in thirds lengthwise. You'll have six long wedges from each potato. Place the potatoes on a sheet pan with the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary. With clean hands, toss all the ingredients together, making sure the potatoes are covered with oil. Spread the potatoes in a single layer with 1 cut side down.

Bake the potatoes for 30 to 35 minutes, turning to the other cut side after 20 minutes. Bake until they are slightly browned, crisp outside, and tender inside. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.

Mache Salad

Mache
Olive oil
Tarragon vinegar
Salt
Freshly ground pepper

Place mache in a serving bowl and drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Season generously with salt and pepper; toss well.

If making ahead, place dressing at the bottom of the bowl before adding mache. Toss when ready to serve.

Making Martha

Say what you will about Martha Stewart, but she does know her way around the kitchen. I mean, you can't hate anyone who gives the melon baller a true purpose in life (making candlesticks out of mini pumpkins) TOO much. Plus, she had Snoop Dogg on her show. And real dogs. So stop sipping on that haterade and move on.

I'm going to share with you two recipes that are probably meant for fall, but taste good any time of year. In fact, I just made the oatmeal cranberry cookies yesterday and they were a hit. The pumpkin cupcakes I made for Halloween; also a hit. I made them with the intention of having them as muffins and didn't frost them. Martha swears they would be delicious with a cream cheese frosting and she's probably right. I just haven't tried that yet. A word of wisdom: with the modern world of spices, you can substitute pumpkin pie spice for all the spices and then add the allspice.

As for the cookies, I don't see why you can't substitute raisins (or any other dried fruit) for the craisins and have yourself a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies instead.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Martha Stewart Living

Makes 18 cupcakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

Martha Stewart Living

Makes 36 cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

3 tablespoons milk

2 large eggs

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup dried cranberries

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together vanilla, milk, and eggs. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low, gradually add milk mixture, and beat well. Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Remove bowl from the electric mixer and stir in the oats and cranberries. Place dough in refrigerator until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Shape 2 tablespoons of dough into a ball and set aside. Repeat with the remaining dough, placing 3 inches apart. Press with the bottom of a glass to flatten dough into 2-inch-diameter rounds.

Bake until golden, but still soft in the middle, 16-18 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove from oven; transfer with parchment paper to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Lunch for Mama

Sometimes my ma decides to spruce up the house a bit. This spring, she took to the living room floor: taking up the carpet (to be replaced with one from her darling daughters), sanding the floor, and staining it. Rather than involve myself in this (somewhat smelly) project I decided to make lunch instead. I stumbled upon a recipe (Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese involving all of Mama's favorites for when she took a break.

The recipe as written is meant as a side dish; when you use a whole pear person, rather than a half, it makes a nice sized lunch. I imagine it would also make a nice a side salad served with steak for dinner.

To be fair, I have to warn you this is a bit pricey to make. Especially if you do your shopping at Whole Foods. But no price is too large for Mama! However, if you want to save a few dollars, you could easily substitute the Stilton for a less costly bleu cheese.

Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese

Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics (Ina Garten)

Serves 6 (or 3 if using 1 pear per person)

3 ripe but firm Anjou pears

Freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)

3 ounces coarsely crumbled sharp blue cheese such as Stilton

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup walnut halves toasted and chopped (see note)

1/2 cup apple cider

3 tablespoons port

1/3 cup light sugar, lightly packed

1/4 cup good olive oil

6 ounces baby arugula

Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Peel the pears and slice them lengthwise into halves. With a small, sharp parking knife and a melon baller, remove the core and seeds from each pear, leaving a round well for the filling. Trim a small slice away from the rounded sides of each pear half so that they will sit in the baking dish without wobbling. Toss the pears with lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown. Arrange them, core side up, in a baking dish large enough to hold the pears snuggly.

Gently toss the crumbled blue cheese, dried cranberries, and walnuts together in a small bowl. Divide the mixture among the pears, mounding it on top of the indentation.

In the same bowl, combine the apple cider, port, and brown sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour the mixture over and around the pears. Bake the pears, basting occasionally with the cider mixture, for 30 minutes, or until tender. Set aside until warm or at room temperature.

Just before serving, whisk together the olive oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of the basting liquid in a large bowl. Add the arugula and toss well. Divide the arugula among 6 (or 3) plates and top each with a pear half (or two). Drizzle each pear with the some of the basting liquid, sprinkle with salt, and serve.

*Note: Toast walnuts in a dry saute pan over medium-low heat for 4 to 5 minutes, tossing frequently, until lightly browned.

. . . with a Cherry on Top

Oops I went MIA for a bit. Then a certain someone, who probably felt he hadn't had gotten any train treats in a while, reminded me I hadn't posted any recipes . . . he knows who he is. He also received his treats this morning.

In my family we have a habit of celebrating birthdays a bit late. We're often lucky if we have the party in the same month as the actual birthday. This time we made it by a day and did Uncle's birthday on Feb 28. When it comes to desserts, Uncle has 2 simple requests: cherries and chocolate. This year he got to have both, making for a rather decadent after dinner surprise.

First there was the cherry cheesecake (adapted from Ina Garten's raspberry cheesecake recipe), which gave me an excellent excuse to scurry over to Bed Bath & Beyond and pick up a springform pan to add to my kitchen collection. Then the white chocolate truffles (also Ina) giving me the perfect opportunity to use my new set of glass bowls.

Not to brag or anything, but both came out looking just like the ones in Ina's photos! Before you feel badly about yourself thinking your food never comes out so picture perfect, you can take solace in the fact that my first batch of truffles ended up in the trash on account of bad taste AND appearance. The cheesecake came out rather close to perfect (it didn't even crack on top) and has a nice butter-graham cracker crust. And I love me some graham cracker crust!

Cherry Cheesecake
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Family Style (Ina Garten)
Serves 12-15

For the Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers)
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling
2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 whole extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Topping
1 large jar pitted dark cherries in light syrup (best found at Trader Joe's)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
Note: if you use fresh cherries (about 2 cups worth) increase to 1/2 cup water and 1/2 sugar.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Crust
To make the crust, combine the graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter until moistened. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan. With your hands, press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and about 1 inch up the sides. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Filling
Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees.

To make the filling, cream the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium and add the eggs and egg yolks, 2 at a time, mixing well. Scrape down the bowl and beater, as necessary. With the mixer on low, add the sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly and pour into the cooled crust.

Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven temperature to 225 degrees and bake for another 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and open the door wide. The cake will not be completely set in the center. Allow the cake to sit in the oven with the door open for 30 minutes. Take the cake out of the oven and allow it to sit at room temperature for another 2 to 3 hours, until completely cooled. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Topping
To make the topping, drain the majority of the syrup from the cherries. Add the water and cherries to a saucepan and heat over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Mix in sugar and corn starch and continue to cook until syrup is thickened. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

Arrange the cherries on top of the cake and refrigerate until ready to serve. Leave the cake on the bottom of the springform pan for serving.

White Truffles
Ina Garten
Makes 15-20 truffles

2 tablespoons heavy cream
7 ounces good white chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur (recommended: Baileys)
1/2 teaspoon good vanilla extract
6 ounces bittersweet or dark chocolate, chopped (I used chips)

Place the cream in a heat-proof bowl, and set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Cook until heated through. Using a wire whisk, slowly stir the white chocolate into the warm cream until completely melted. Whisk in the liqueur and vanilla. Cover and chill about 1 hour or until pliable but firm enough to scoop.

With 2 teaspoons or a 1 1/4-inch ice cream scoop, make dollops of the chocolate mixture and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes, until firm enough to roll into rough spheres.

Melt the bittersweet chocolate in a heat-proof bowl, set over a pan of simmering water.

Drizzle the melted bittersweet chocolate over the truffles. (I just used a spoon and let the melted chocolate drip from the bottom) Chill until ready to serve.

Barefoot and in the Kitchen

Yes, yes it's been a while. But here I am, back again. I've been so busy in the kitchen I haven't had time to post the latest recipes. Today's post is of course brought to you by Ina Garten aka Barefoot Contessa.

I've used these recipes multiple times, but most recently was for the Superbowl. For the shortbread hearts (I also did stars!) I like to dip half of them in my chocolate ganache. It provides a little visual variety on the plate, not to mention it pleases the chocolate lover in all of us. The other nice thing about the hearts and the linzer cookies is they have the same shortbread base, which has VERY few ingredients. The difference comes when you cut out the shapes. If you choose to arrange them on a plate together, you have 3 different cookies with a consistent "theme," but not too boring to look at.

As a last note: take the butter out of the refrigerator AT LEAST two hours before using; don't be afraid to leave it out over night.

Shortbread Hearts

Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (Ina Garten)

3/4 pound unsalted butter (3 sticks), at room temperature

1 cup sugar (plus extra for sprinkling)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3-inch heart-shaped cutter. Place the hearts on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Linzer Cookies

Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (Ina Garten)

3/4 cup good raspberry preserves

Confectioners' suger for dusting

Follow directions for shortbread hearts until you take the dough out of the refrigerator.

Roll the dough 1/4-inch thick and cut 2 3/4-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter. With half of the rounds, cut a circle out of the middle with a 1-inch cutter. Place all the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and chill for 15 minutes.

Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature. Spread raspberry preserves on the flat side of each solid cookie. Dust the top of the cut-out cookies with confectioners' sugar and press the flat sides together, with the raspberry preserves in the middle and the confectioners' sugar on the top.

*Once you cut out the shortbread you can store them in the refrigerator for up to a week or even freeze them for longer if you need.

Mustard Mayhem

Since it's finally feeling like winter in the Baltimore/Washington Metropolitan area (sort of, anyway), I've been trying to do some things in the oven. And not just desserts this time! Now that the holidays are over I can get back to actual meals rather than just cakes, cookies and scones.

Last night I decided to whip out Barefoot Contessa's "Back to Basics," her latest cookbook. As it was a weeknight and my back is 75 years old, I decided to try one of her simpler concoctions: Mustard Roasted Fish. She calls for creme fraiche, which I didn't have so I used Greek yogurt instead; this worked JUST fine.

Tonight I'm hoping to have time to make Ina's mustard roasted potatoes, from "Barefoot Contessa at Home." I almost convinced my dad to make these on Christmas, but he changed his mind at the last second, so I haven't tried these yet. But I don't see how I can go wrong with them.

I worried that making these two items together might result in a little mustard overload, but it is convenient to have two dishes use the same oven temperature as well as many of the same ingredients.

I also feel the need to note that Ina is VERY specific in her new cookbook about the importance of the correct salt in recipes; when she says kosher she MEANS kosher.



Mustard Roasted Fish
Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
Ina Garten



4 8-ounce fish fillets such as red snapper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces creme fraiche
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1-2 teaspoons dried capers

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, or prepare a baking dish. Place the fish skin side down on the baking sheet and season both sides with salt and pepper.

Combine the crème fraîche, two mustards, shallots, capers, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.

Spoon the sauce evenly over the fish fillets, making sure the fish is completely covered. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until it's barely done. (The fish will flake easily at the thickest part when it's done.) Be sure not to overcook it! Serve hot or at room temperature with the sauce from the pan spooned over the top.

Mustard Roasted Potatoes
Barefoot Contessa at Home
Ina Garten

2.5 pounds small red potatoes
2 yellow onions
3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut potatoes into halves or quarters, depending on their size, and place them on a sheet pan. Cut onions into half-rounds and toss with potatoes on sheet pan. Add olive oil, mustard, 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and pepper, and toss everything together.

Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until potatoes are lightly browned. Toss from time to time during baking so they brown evenly. Sprinkle hot potatoes with parsley and more salt to taste, and serve.