dyi ricotta

I am in the fortunate situation to have lots of milk laying around in my fridge. Way too much to drink. I used to cope with this by making yogurt, but that usually meant pulling out the machine, procuring either a storebought yogurt or some live cultures, and waiting. I usually ended up with more yogurt than I could eat. Then we were back to wasteful square one.

Then walked in this lovely ricotta* revelation. Easy to make at home with ingredients on hand. AND-this is key- worth making even if you must purchase a half-gallon of milk. The possibilities are endless with delicious homemade cheese. Of course, that's only if you can stop yourself from spooning it all straight up. Since a half-gallon only yields 1 1/2 cups, you might seriously consider doubling the recipe if you have plans to actually use this amazing cheese for something other than instant gratification.




fresh ricotta

8 cups whole milk
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp lemon juice

Line a colander with four layers of cheesecloth. Bring milk and salt to simmer over med. high heat. Stir in lemon juice and let simmer until curds form, 1 to 2 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer curds from pan to cloth. Let drain only one minute. Transfer curds to bowl and cover and chill until cold, about three hours.

You can make this up to two days ahead. Yield is 1 1/2 cups of ricotta.
*bon appetit 2009

golden beet salad

Lately I've been on a salad kick. Not green salads, mind you, but wonderfully diverse salads, usually based upon the basic formula of grain + veggie + dressing + delicious extras. These building blocks are pretty foolproof, at least in my vegetable-loving opinion. In this case, it has resulted in an amazing (and gorgeous) beet salad, whose earthy flavor is highlighted by the acidity of the sherry vinegar. And we all know that beet+nut+cheese is a win-win situation.
The other good thing about these salads is they are good warmish, coldish, or at room temperature. So enjoy, whenever. Make it ahead. Go on a picnic. You get the idea.

golden beet salad

2 large yellow beets
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
1/3 c olive oil
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tbsp diced shallot
salt
pepper

Boil beets in water until tender.
Meanwhile, whisk olive oil, and vinegar in small bowl. Add shallots and salt and pepper to taste, whisk until combined.
Let beets cool a while in the cooking liquid. Slip off skins and chop. Toss with rice, nuts, cheese and dressing. Add pepper to taste.

coconut marshmallows

Full disclosure: marshmallows are awkward.
Think about it. When do you eat them? Oh, never. In hot chocolate, maybe. In Rice Krispie Treats, perhaps, if you're having a nostalgic snacking moment. It's just weird to sit around popping marshmallows, unlike, say, chocolate chip cookies.
That said, I think it is important to make another key point. Homemade marshmallows are absolutely delicious.
These are not the wimpy, half-stale marshmallows of your childhood. They are light, melt on the tongue, and full of flavor. This version calls to mind tropical paradise (or sunscreen, if you're a cynical 16-year-old sister).
And you might not believe me, but they're really easy. My favorite part is letting my Kitchenaid do its thing for 15 minutes.



This is just one of those recipes that must be made so you can say you did. Insert "I was making some marshmallows last night..." before any sentence, and I promise you will be stopped dead in your tracks.
Rightly so, since this marshmallow deserves to be savored in both its physical form and its role as a kitchen conquest.


toasted coconut marshmallows*

2 cups dried coconut
3 (1/4-ounces) envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 cup water, divided
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract


Preheat oven to 350.
Toast coconut in a shallow baking pan in oven, stirring occasionally, until golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Oil 9-inch baking pan, then sprinkle bottom with 1/2 cup toasted coconut.

Sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup water in bowl of mixer and let soften while making syrup.

Heat sugar, corn syrup, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup water in a small heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil over medium heat, without stirring, washing any sugar crystals down side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Put a candy thermometer into syrup and continue boiling, without stirring, until it registers 240°F (soft-ball stage). Remove from heat and let stand until bubbles dissipate.

With mixer at low speed, pour hot syrup into gelatin in a thin stream down side of bowl. Increase speed to high and beat until very thick, about 15 minutes. Add vanilla and coconut extracts and beat 1 minute more.

Spoon marshmallow over toasted coconut in baking pan and press evenly with dampened fingertips to smooth top (it will be very sticky), then evenly sprinkle top with 1/2 cup toasted coconut.



Let stand, uncovered, at room temperature until firm, about 2 hours.

Run a sharp knife around edge of marshmallow and invert onto a cutting board. Cut into 3/4-inch-wide strips, then cut each strip into 3/4-inch squares.

Put remaining toasted coconut in a small bowl and dredge marshmallows in it to coat completely. *gourmet 2007

grape jelly

What they don't tell you in cookbooks about making jam and jelly may just be the one thing that actually gets you cooking it.
Drumroll, please: you only need all those sterilized glass jars if you are making a lot of jelly, with the intention and hope of enjoying it for over a month.
For me, knowing that I could whip up a small batch of fruit preserves without purchasing special equipment or hot sterilizing baths set me free. I was promptly off to the grocery to buy some Concord grapes (whose incredible flavor deserve their own ode-y blog post). What else did you buy, Marti? Oh, nothing. Because the only other things you need are some (okay, lots of) sugar and lemon juice.
I know, I know. Why doesn't everyone make their own jelly? I no longer have an answer.

Concord Grape Jelly*

1.5 lbs concord grapes
1.5 cups sugar
scant tbsp lemon juice


Chill 2 small plates (for testing jam).

Slip skins from grapes and purée skins with 1/3 cup sugar in a food processor, then transfer to a 4- to 6-quart wide heavy pot. Stir in lemon juice, peeled grapes, and remaining sugar and boil over moderate heat, stirring frequently and skimming foam, until pulp is broken down, about 20 minutes.

Force jam through food mill or sieve set over a large bowl. Discard remaining solids. Return jam to pot and cook at a slow boil, skimming foam occasionally and stirring frequently as mixture thickens to prevent scorching, about 25 minutes, then test for doneness.

To test jam, remove from heat, then drop a teaspoonful on a chilled plate and chill 1 minute. Tilt plate: Jam should remain in a mound and not run. If jam runs, continue cooking at a slow boil, testing every 5 minutes, until done, up to 15 minutes more.




*Gourmet 2005

tomato sauce? yawn.

I'm going to try to start this off positive. Pizza is one of those things that always tastes great, even at its most predictable. A hot steaming cheese pie, let's face it, really hits the spot sometimes. But. BUT. I really kind of hate pizza. Well, maybe not pizza but the lackadaisical attitude with which many approach it. Yeah, slap on some tomato sauce, some cheese, a meat or veggie, you're done. No! Not me.

In honor of this sentiment, I have been making efforts to stretch the yeasty dough canvas beyond its wildest imagination. I started, of course, with the sauce. Because some things just don't go that well with tomato, I wanted to explore other options, and I came up with this awesome sauce whose leftovers can be used in many a creative way.




pizza with caramelized onion sauce, chicken, and goat cheese


1 recipe basic dough (see below)
4-5 onions
2 tbsp butter
4 oz goat cheese
1 large chicken breast


Make dough. *NOTE: Extras freeze well; I especially enjoyed the texture of dough after it had been frozen. Simply thaw for an hour or so to use. Preheat oven to 400.
Melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, stir to coat, then turn heat to med. low. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring only a few times, until goldenly beautiful brown. Transfer to food processor and blend, adding water if needed to thin to desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Coat chicken breast in spices (your choice! simply salt and pepper, or i used Emeril's Essence). Saute in pan over med. heat until cooked through.
Spread onion sauce over prepared dough.
Tear chicken into pieces and distribute over pizza.
Sprinkle goat cheese evenly across. Give it a couple of grinds of black pepper for good measure. Bake for 12 minutes, or until edges of crust are golden.

pizza dough

1 1/3 c warm water
1 pkg active dry yeast
3 1/2 c flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar

Combine yeast and water in bowl until dissolved. add the remaining ingredients and mix for about one minute. knead for about ten minutes. transfer dough to a bowl coated w/olive oil, cover and let rise for 1 1/2 hours. preheat oven to 475, grease baking sheet and dust with cornmeal. punch down dough, divide in half. roll each half into a ball and let rest for 10-15 minutes. flatten and roll out balls and let rest for ten more minutes, top, and bake about 12 min. from Joy of Cooking

the chocolate chip cookie.

The search ends here.
This is my favorite kind of post: when a beloved food has been perfected and I get to share it with you. The chocolate chip cookie, for all its simplicity, is a difficult one to nail. I would venture to say the chocolate chip cookie is probably featured in more bad recipes than any other food. But here we have an amazing cookie: crunchy around the outside, chewy in the middle, with a crisp crust whether you eat it out of the oven or two days later. There are subtle hints of toffee; the chocolate is not an intrusive chip but a layer of cocoa heaven.
Now, disclosure here, the day that I can perfect something to this level will be the day that I am too famous and busy and wonderful to have anything to do with a little old blog. This recipe is courtesy of the New York Times. You can read the several-thousand word article about the journey to this recipe on their website. I followed it to a t, and some hints for you are: splurge on the specified chocolate (find it at whole foods), let the dough rest for the full amount of time!, and make sure the ingredients are at room temp. But enough-- here it is:




The Chocolate Chip Cookie

Time: 45 minutes (for 1 6-cookie batch), plus at least 24 hours’ chilling

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)

Sea salt.

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

2. 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.

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

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. 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.

Lily Confit: un recuerdo

I don't have a photo of this, since I made it for a dark bonfire at my friend mat's house, but here is a facsimile of the lily confit from dell'anima in New York (an amazing restaurant, pictured above, which everyone should eat at). So named because all the ingredients are members of the allium family (like lilies!), this is a brilliant topping for bruschette. At the restaurant, we paired it with their delicious housemade ricotta with sea salt, but ricotta from Whole Foods was just fine for a casual outdoor gathering.

3 cipollini onions (sliced)
5 large shallots
5 large heads of garlic
Olive oil
Salt

Preheat oven to 400. Chop off top of garlic heads, drizzle with olive oil. Peel shallots, drizzle with olive oil. Roast until golden brown.
Pop garlic cloves out, into a sauce pan, along with shallots and onion. Cover with olive oil (mix half and half with canola, if desired) and bring to a boil. Add some generous pinches of salt. Put heat on low and simmer for at least 45 minutes, longer if possible, until tender. Serve in a bowl with liquid alongside toasted Italian bread and ricotta with sea salt.