Everyday Dorie: Granola-Topped Root Vegetable Gratin
November 25, 2022 at 5:44 pm | Posted in cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, savory things, veggies | 3 CommentsTags: everyday dorie, savory
If I’m just cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the two of us, like last night, I can put some spins on the “normal” stuff and not have anybody think I ruined their holiday by making something weird. So I made something weird– Granola-Topped Root Vegetable Gratin. I know savory granola is a thing and I’m not opposed to it. In fact, I like the Not-So-Sweet Granola, and for this recipe, apart from seasoning it with salt, I left out all the other suggested spicing. That way, I had a blank slate to season my veggies with herbs instead (and if I want to eat some of the granola with fruit and yogurt later in the week, I can just add an extra drop of maple syrup and a dash of cinnamon to my bowl). Dorie says we can use whatever root veggies or squash we’d like, and I went with Yukon Golds, a sweet potato and a couple parsnips, tossed with thyme and rosemary. I guess I prefer a gratin to be cheesy and creamy. There was a little cream in here, but I don’t even know where it went…the dish was certainly not saucy. And while I roast a mix of vegetables all the time, adding the granola to the top sort of made them less yummy than they normally are. I’ll happy finish off the granola, maybe even in another savory preparation, just not like this.
For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see how the group liked this one.
Everyday Dorie: Clam Chowder My Way
November 11, 2022 at 4:45 pm | Posted in cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, savory things, soups | 2 CommentsTags: everyday dorie, savory, soup
Clam Chowder My Way is chowder with a Thai twist. While “My Way” is really Dorie’s way, I, too, like the flavors of coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger, and lime leaf, so I was definitely game to switch-up the standard New England-style chowda. This version still has potatoes, onions, celery and pancetta (or turkey bacon if you’re really doing it my way), so we are keeping some of the familiar in there, too.
I made this back in March, when I belonged to an oyster CSA so I could host at-home oyster happy hours with friends. I added the “seafood supplement” to my order, and clams would show up in the rotation every few weeks. I made several different simple steamed clam preparations with them, but figured I’d give this soup a go one week. I regard bottled clam juice with some suspicion, although maybe it’s amazing, I don’t know. Since I had fresh clams, which needed pre-cooking to open up their shells, I was able to use the steaming juices in place of the bottled stuff. Using coconut milk instead of heavy cream makes this lighter than a traditional chowder and lets the Thai aromatics shine. I garnished my soup with cilantro and celery leaves, some sliced jalapeño, a squeeze of lime and a dash of fish sauce. I wish I’d saved a few small clams in the shell to put on top, but I always think of better ways to style a photo while I’m actually eating the food! Will I ever learn?
For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see how the group liked this one.
Tuesdays with Dorie BWD: Pear-Comté Tart
November 8, 2022 at 5:18 pm | Posted in BWD, groups, other savory, pies & tarts, savory things, tuesdays with dorie | 6 CommentsTags: baking, savory, tarts
My last two posts were separately about pears and cheese, and now here I am combo’ing the two with this Pear-Comté Tart. It has basically all the good stuff from a cheese plate (cheese, fruit, nuts, cracker, mustard) held together with custard. I really liked the salty, nutty Comté together with pears and walnuts, and I felt very sophisticated enjoying this for a weekend lunch in my sweatpants with some lightly dressed radicchio leaves and a glass of wine.
If you don’t have the book Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple by Dorie Greenspan, get it and join us as we bake through it twice a month. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie BWD: Blue Cheese Bites
October 24, 2022 at 9:55 pm | Posted in BWD, groups, other savory, savory things, tuesdays with dorie | 3 CommentsTags: baking, muffins, savory
I made these Blue Cheese Bites last holiday season as part of a little snack plate to have with wine. Since that was almost a year ago now, I thought about remaking them (even bought the cheese) but, of course, I let it slide. So I will have to dig deep in the vault for this post. What I remember most about the savory mini muffin bites was thinking the base batter was very similar to that of a madeleine, made with olive oil instead of melted butter, and with a long rest period. I’m a blue cheese fan, so I used it in these, along with some dried cherries and figs. These were good bites with a glass of red, so maybe I will repeat them soon after all.
If you don’t have the book Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple by Dorie Greenspan, get it and join us as we bake through it twice a month. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll!
Everyday Dorie: Marinated and Pan-Seared Chicken Cutlets
October 14, 2022 at 10:21 pm | Posted in cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, other savory, savory things, snacks | 5 CommentsTags: dip, everyday dorie, savory
The title of this recipe is actually, “Marinated and Pan-Seared Hanger, Skirt, Flank or Take-Your-Pick Steak.” I don’t eat red meat, so my pick was going to be taking a pass on this recipe. Then I noticed Dorie made a little note about the marinade also being good for chicken cutlets, and I felt like I couldn’t take the week off after all. The marinade is Asian-inspired with curry paste, soy, ginger, lime, garlic and cilantro (it would probably be good with pork or shrimp, too…maybe she should rename it, “Marinated Take-Your-Pick Meat”). I used thin-sliced chicken breasts and marinated them for a few hours. They cooked super quickly in my cast iron pan, so this actually wound up being an easy, fast and flavorful weekday dinner that I’m glad I didn’t skip out on.
The night I made these cutlets, we had them over rice with some green beans. There were a couple of cutlets left over, so I saved them to turn into chicken sandwiches for work-at-home lunch day (on the excellent Daily Bread from Baking with Dorie).
For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see what we all thought.
Everyday Dorie: Butter-Poached Corn with Egg Noodles
August 26, 2022 at 9:40 pm | Posted in cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, pasta, savory things | 4 CommentsTags: everyday dorie, pasta, savory
Butter-Poached Corn with Egg Noodles sounds a bit like something off the children’s menu, but I’m down for buttery carb-on-carb action and I like to try corn all the ways this time of year. This is actually a really tasty summer dinner, and it can be a really quick one, too, since fresh corn kernels and egg noodles take little time to cook. I did turn this into a bit of a project by making my own noodles, but store-bought fresh pasta would be great here. I broke out the “fancy” salted butter I usually save for toast to poach the corn and slick up this dish. I’m tempted to make this again and let a handful of cherry tomatoes burst in the butter bath along with the corn.
For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see how the group liked this one.
Tuesdays with Dorie BWD: Tomato Tart
August 9, 2022 at 9:51 pm | Posted in BWD, groups, other savory, savory things, tuesdays with dorie | 5 CommentsTags: baking, savory, tart
Tomatoes are spectacular at the farmers’ market right now. I could happily just eat them raw, in salads or on toast, but this Tomato Tart really does showcase them beautifully. They are the stars of this show for sure, but they get some support from a schmear of honey-mustard, a few herbs and a bit of cheese (I went with a combo of Gruyère and a French spreadable cream cheese). Oh, and a tasty pastry crust. Even though this tart is baked in a tart pan and not free-form, I used Dorie’s savory galette dough, which held its shape really nicely. (Speaking of galettes and tomatoes, this Cheese and Tomato Galette was one of my favorite recipes from BWJ). The tomatoes become a bit more concentrated in flavor in the oven, and combined with the sweet-salty filling and the crisp crust, well, this tart makes a lovely Summer lunch or dinner. I have a leftover slice and, in the morning, I’m going to put a fried egg on top of it because I think it will be a good brekkie, too.
If you don’t have the book Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple by Dorie Greenspan, get it and join us as we bake through it twice a month. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll!
Everyday Dorie: Basta Pasta Potato Salad
July 23, 2022 at 9:49 pm | Posted in cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, other savory, pickles, salads, savory things, veggies | 2 CommentsTags: everyday dorie, salad, savory
This Basta Pasta Potato Salad really threw me for a loop. I judged a recipe by its name and not its actual ingredient list and was thoroughly convinced it was a pasta and potato salad. Sounds unusual, but mash-ups are all the rage, and I’m down for some carb-on-carb action. I saved aside a small portion of a twisty little dried pasta shape that I thought would look cute in photos just for this. Imagine my surprise when I finally set out to make the salad and there was no pasta to be found in the recipe.
What this recipe (based on a potato salad Dorie had at a restaurant called Basta Pasta– mystery of the missing pasta solved!) does have are typical pot sally mix-ins like mayo, scallions, capers and pickles, as well as some not-so-typical ones like saffron, wasabi, OJ and cukes. Dorie wouldn’t lead us too far down a crazy path, though, and it all works together nicely. It’s kind of what you’re used to, but with a twist, and sometimes it feels good to keep things interesting.
For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see what we all thought.
Everyday Dorie: Portuguese-Style Fish and Beans en Papillote
June 10, 2022 at 7:59 pm | Posted in cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, other savory, savory things, snacks | 3 CommentsTags: dip, everyday dorie, savory
It’s been a minute since I’ve cooked something en papillote, but gosh, what a good technique to be reminded of with this Portuguese-Style Fish and Beans en Papillote. I don’t really cook fish that often, and usually save it for eating out, but this was an easy and excellent dinner. No stuck-to-the-pan skin or disappointingly shredded up flesh or accidental overcooking happening here. Not even any fishy splatters to clean off the stovetop. Everything– layers of sliced lemon and tomatoes sandwiching garlic-and-paprika-marinated cannellini beans and a similarly-seasoned fish fillet–steams nicely in contained bundle in the oven.
Dorie uses cod in her recipe, but I went with some striped bass from Long Island, because that’s what my fish guy had today and recommended. She also uses thyme and scallions in her bundles, but I swapped those for parsley and garlic scapes. A drizzle of olive oil and white wine helps kickstart the formation of a flavorful broth, which turned out brick red for me, as I used a heavy hand with the paprika in my seasoning….I regret nothing. Tied up in a parchment pouch, it all comes out of the oven perfectly cooked in just 15 minutes, including the jammy and delicious lemon slices, which I’m glad I didn’t just push aside. Technically, this is a complete meal in pouch, but I roasted some broccolini while the oven was on and warmed up a piece of bread, too, to mop up all that yummy broth.
For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see what we all thought.
Tuesdays with Dorie BWD: Asparagus-Lemon Quiche
May 31, 2022 at 9:59 pm | Posted in breakfast things, BWD, groups, other savory, savory things, tuesdays with dorie | 3 CommentsTags: baking, quiche, savory
Finally it’s more than just turnips and old apples at the framers’ market! My local Saturday market is now hopping with asparagus and green garlic, both of which found their way into this Asparagus-Lemon Quiche. I added a little green garlic bulb to the minced shallot that gets softened for the filling and used the tender green tops as the herb component. Along with the asparagus spears, I took Dorie’s suggestion to toss in some peas, but those aren’t at the farmer’s market quite yet so they came from the freezer department.
I have to say I was sort of confused about the lemon part of the quiche. Not the flavor, as lemon plus asparagus is a winning combo, but cutting a lemon up into slivers and scattering them around the bottom of the tart shell sounded odd. Then I found a write-up of the quiche in Dorie’s newsletter, complete with a photo of those scattered lemon chunks. Instead of doing it that way, I decided to slice part of a lemon as thinly as possible. I then covered the bottom of my par-baked shell with a layer those paper-thin slices, so they would more or less melt into the quiche filling.
I don’t make quiche often….really only when one rolls around for TWD, but I liked this a lot. It’s slim, more of a veggie custard tart than an eggy deep dish pie, and definitely tastes of spring.
If you don’t have the book Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple by Dorie Greenspan, get it and join us as we bake through it every second and fourth Tuesdays. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll and all the other participation deets over on Tuesdays with Dorie!
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