Buffalo Egg Salad (with Cauliflower)

Aw, man. Cauliflower in egg salad? Why would you go and do a thing like that?

Well, let me tell you.  I was out of celery. I like to sneak vegetables into things. And my husband happily ate it and had no idea it was filled with cauliflower!

This sandwich isn't exactly healthy but it is better than a plate of wings and has all the good spicy, salty pungentness of Frank's Red Hot (the only buffalo sauce, in my opinion). The eggs are sieved (I'll explain later) so they're soft and fluffy and you can stuff the sandwich with less guilt because the cauliflower is plumping it up.

Sieved eggs are an invention (as far as I know) of Smitten Kitchen's Deb Perlman. The hard boiled eggs are pressed through a colander to create a fluffy pile of eggs. Since I couldn't sieve cauliflower, I pummeled it in the food processor to get even-sized pieces, then sauteed them to soften. The textures are remarkably similar. Soft and luxurious with a hee-haw from Frank and a little sharpness from the blue cheese.

Buffalo Egg Salad (with Cauliflower)

Makes 2 sandwiches

1/4 head cauliflower, core removed
4 eggs, hard boiled
2 scallions, white and light green part
3-4 tablespoons Frank's Red Hot sauce (to taste)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon crumbled blue cheese

1. Put raw cauliflower into food processor and turn on until finely chopped. Heat pan over medium heat and saute cauliflower until softened. Cool.

2. Press eggs through medium sieve using a fork to push through (not all of the eggs will make it but will get mashed enough with the fork motion to add to the salad).

3. Chop scallions finely.

4. Put everything into a large bowl and mix thoroughly.

Coconut Crust with Chocolate Ganache

This started life as the crust for a frozen strawberry cream pie but it didn't pan out due to catastrophic problems with the gelatin - think clumps of rubbery goo hidden among the fruit and cream only revealing itself in your mouth in a MOST unpleasant way..."I don't remember putting gummy worms in this". The crust, however, was killer. So I made another one, draped it in chocolate, threw on a handful of raw coconut and a sprinkle of flaked salt and had something sweet, salty and vaguely tropical to show for my afternoon. 

And stay tuned - not giving up on that pie...

Coconut Almond Crust with Chocolate Ganache

Makes 9 pieces

Coconut Graham Crust

9 sheets (one sleeve) graham crackers, broken up
1/2 cup toasted almonds
1/2 cup raw coconut flakes
1 teaspoon lime zest
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons Greek-style vanilla yogurt

1. Preheat oven to 350º.

2. Put first 6 ingredients in a food processor and blend until crumbly. Add yogurt and turn machine on, adding butter as it processes (it will resemble wet sand).

3. Press into bottom of 8" springform pan, pressing down to compact.

4. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Let cool and set aside.

Ganache

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup raw coconut flakes
Flaked sea salt

1. Heat cream over low heat until bubbles appear around the edges. Add chocolate and stir until completely smooth. Pour over cooled crust, sprinkle with sea salt and coconut flakes. Cool before serving.

Basil Balsamic Pistachio Green Beans

Score! Not as often as I'd like do I cook something that everyone in my family loves (not counting sweets which, as Ruth Reichl says, are kind of a cheap trick). So when I try something new and they are one in their thumbs-up, I get a little petite-of-lettuce thrill. These green beans are the cause of my latest small victory. 

You simply sear, blanch or roast the beans and toss them with a sweet crunchy kicky balsamic basil pistachio dressing. I use white balsamic because I find it a little milder than the regular kind...more kid-friendly. A great side or as part of a composed salad the next day (not that you'll have any leftovers).

Basil Balsamic Pistachio Green Beans

Serves 4 as a side dish

1 lb. green beans or haricot-verts, trimmed
1 cup basil leaves, loosely packed
1/4 cup pistachios
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Parmesan cheese, optional

1. Combine everything except beans in a food processor. Blend until combined but a little rough.

2. Sear (hot pan with a little olive oil on the stovetop - add beans and toss until a little brown but still crisp), oven roast or blanch the green beans.

3. Toss beans with sauce in a large bowl, grate a bit of Parmesan over the top and serve.

I'm OK, You're OK (and so is this Chimichurri Fried Rice)

Some days are virtual whiplash. You shine at something, maybe two things and feel so even and high and competent and then whomp, catching you completely off-guard, someone makes you feel inferior and your high plummets. That platitude about someone not being able to make you feel inferior without your permission is pure BS - when you're talking to me but looking over my shoulder for someone better, you're making me feel inferior. When I tell you about something I'm working on and you act like I'm a first-grader bringing home a crayoned drawing (which are fabulous, by the way), you're making me feel inferior. Well %$#! you and %$#! you too.

Forgive me.

Heading to the kitchen is as good a therapy as I've found. Rythmically chopping vegetables into uniform cubes gives me plenty of time to ruminate on my shortcomings and send waves of bad karma to the deserving. Once that's out of my system, I may realize that people are filled with their own insecurities and they might just not get or be interested in the same things I am, and that's OK. In the end I'm in a more peaceful place and I have something to eat for dinner.

I made this with leftover rice, a few vegetables I had on hand (most any would do - just cut them the same size so they cook in the same amount of time) and some chimichurri sauce I made yesterday. Chimichurri is a garlicky, smoky, acidic sauce and I absolutely love it.  A fried egg with a runny yolk topped it off. Quick and comforting. End the day on a positive note.

Chimichurri Fried Rice

Serves 2 as a main course or 4 as a side

Red Chimichurri
1/4 cup toasted almonds
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup parsley leaves
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon smoked paprika (pimenton)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt, approx.

1. Put all ingredients except salt in food processor and blend until combined (won't be smooth). Add salt to taste.

Fried Rice
3 cups rice, cooked and cooled (I used brown basmati)
3 carrots, diced
1 green or red pepper, diced
3 tablespoons red chimichurri sauce
Olive oil
2-4 sunny side up eggs
Parsley, optional
Lime wedges, optional

1. Put large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil and vegetables. Saute until tender but still crisp (3-4 minutes). Add chimichurri and saute for a minute then add rice and stir to combine. Turn heat down and make egg(s).

2. Heat nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Add a little olive oil or butter. Carefully crack egg and let saute until whites are set but center is not. Sprinkle with a little salt.

3. Put rice on plate and top with egg. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and fresh lime juice, if desired.

A sunny-side up egg really is very sunny looking.

Biscuits with Rhubarb & Cream Cheese Whip

Happiness is finding a biscuit recipe that works. Ones that are fluffy, tender and crispy all at the same time. I tried so many this week that I'm wearing a biscuit around my middle - but it was worth it. Here's the trick - keep everything cold and handle it as little as possible. Chill the mixing bowl, freeze the butter (you'll add it using a cheese grater) and keep the buttermilk in the fridge until it's time. Mix it quickly and pat it gently into shape. I cut squares for maximum surface area. 

No better way to celebrate than with some tart rhubarb compote and whipped cream that looks like it's been spending time at the gym (where I should be). 

Rhubarb-Orange Compote

Makes about 2 cups

1 lb. (about 5 stalks) fresh rhubarb cut into 1/2 inch pieces (3 cups)
1/2 cup sugar
Juice and zest from 1 orange (appx. 1/4 cup and 1 teaspoon)

1. Put all ingredients into a saucepan and stir gently. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Let boil and reduce for a minute. Give it a good stir then reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 5 minutes.

2. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for another 5 minutes, stirring once or twice then let cool completely before serving (or store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks).

Spring Salad with Smashed Beets & Beet Vinaigrette

I was so happy to see some bright young things at the co-op today - pea shoots and baby choi. I knew I wanted to try these smashed beets and I was planning to combine them with mashed potatoes (I had a whole colcannon idea going on) but reversed direction right there in the produce isle and decided to make a fresh spring salad instead. 

Smashed beets aren't poached in booze, they're flattened and fried. I like to get them really brown, almost black for a little char flavor. The liquid they cook in is reduced (get your BTU's on) and made into a smooth, slightly sweet vinaigrette. Egg adds richness and protein but you could also add feta or blue cheese, walnuts or chicken and keep the spirit of this. 

Spring Salad with Smashed Beet

Serves 2-4

3 golden or red beets, scrubbed, tough ends and whiskers trimmed
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 clove garlic, peeled
3-4 cups spring lettuces/greens (pea shoots, baby choi)
1 egg, hard boiled

Beet Vinaigrette
Reduced beet cooking liquid
1 garlic clove (from beets)
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
pinch black pepper

1. Put beets, vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and garlic into a saucepan. Add water just to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium and cook uncovered until fork tender, turning as liquid reduces (30-40 minutes). Remove beets and set aside. Remove and reserve garlic clove. Boil remaining cooking liquid until reduced to a 1/4 cup (about 8 minutes).  Cool slightly.

2. Cut beets into 1/2 inch slices (no need to peel - the skin gets pleasantly crispy). Put between two sheets of wax paper and thump with something heavy (a can or rolling pin) to flatten slightly. Lightly salt both sides. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large fry pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add beets, making sure you have room to flip them. Cook until you have a brown crust (approx. 5 minutes), then flip and cook for another 3 minutes or so. Remove to a plate.

3. Grate hard boiled egg on largest holes of grater and set aside.

4. Mash garlic clove and add to reduced cooking liquid then whisk in dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper,

5. Put lettuces on a platter and top with beets and egg. Drizzle dressing over and serve.

Roasted Carrot Soup

Carrots are the candy of the vegetable world. That's why they say to start your babies on the greens (peas, green beans) before oranges because if they sample the sweetness of carrots first, other veggies will taste bitter in comparison. Even kids and adults who don't eat veggies will eat carrots (usually with a LOT of dip or hummus). I remember pulling tiny carrots out of my grandmother's garden and eating them in the hot summer sun - I can still taste the flavor of warm soil mingling with the carrot. I wonder if some daring chef out there has tried to add a soil flavor. Maybe that's what mushrooms are for. One of those diets, Atkins? Zone? put carrots on the "see me after class" list. Too much natural sugar. Really? Can a vegetable be bad? Just skip the fries and chips, save special occasions, and eat all the vegetables you want. And eat a whole potato too - with the skin (another slightly soil-y flavor).

This soup is packed with sturdy dependable old carrots - delicious, though I hope this is my last hot soup for awhile (and I'll spare you any comments on the temperature here because I know you want to move on - me too but I'm still strapped into my Smartwool socks and turtleneck so....).

Thick and rich tasting with just a few spoonfuls of cream (or yogurt).  Easy too - just roast the carrots, saute the onions and garlic, add the stock, puree and you're done. Try and get hold of some Pimenton - it's such a great spice; slightly hot and smoky and makes all the difference in a simple dish like this. Once you have it you can use it to perk up lots of things - grilled cheese sandwichs, soups, meats and sauces. 

Roasted Carrot Soup

Inspired by Reeve via Food52 

Serves 4

2 pounds peeled organic carrots (cut into 1/2 inch chunks)
1 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
6 cups vegetable stock
2 garlic cloves (1 tablespoon), minced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons cream or plain yogurt*
1 teaspoon pimenton/hot spanish paprika
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
Truffle salt (optional - see note)

1. Preheat oven to 500º.

2. Put cut carrots on a sheet pan, toss with a few tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Roast in oven until brown and soft, about 15-20 minutes.

3. Bring stock to boil in saucepan then add ginger piece and simmer for 15 minutes.

4. Put chopped onion and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in stockpot and saute until lightly brown and translucent. Add garlic and saute for another minutes then add pimenton, carrots and stock (removing ginger knob). Bring to a boil and simmer until carrots are soft enough to puree. Puree in in blender along with cream or yogurt, then add lemon juice and salt to taste (I added a heaping teaspoon). Serve with a sprinkle of truffle salt if you've got it.

* if using plain yogurt whisk it up with a little milk so it blends smoothly into the soup.

Note: Truffle salt is incredible. I can't describe the flavor - salty, yes, but something else and it's surprising. Elevates whatever savory thing it's sprinkled on. Worth the investment as it will last a long time. Most grocery stores have it - usually near the meat or deli counter.

Yogurt Corncake Trifle

Why don't you...

Make a bunch of corncakes, layer them with berries and yogurt cream, call it a trifle and eat it for breakfast?

I am so tickled by this twist.

Inspired by humble pancakes. 

Photography by Priscilla Rattazzi

"You don't have to be born beautiful to be wildly attractive."

-Diana Vreeland

Corncakes

Makes enough for approx. 2 14oz. trifles

1 box Jiffy cornbread mix

1/4 cup blueberry Greek yogurt

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

1. Put cornbread mix in bowl. 

2. Mix all wet ingredients together and add to dry. Stir just until combined. Let sit for 10 minutes.

3. Pour by tablespoonfuls onto medium-hot griddle to make 3 inch pancakes. Flip when bubbles appear and cook for another few minutes but don't undercook - you may need to turn heat down to make sure these cook all the way through. Set aside on plate (no need to keep warm). 

Berry Compote

2 cups frozen berries (blueberry or triple berry mix)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Put 1 cup of berries and other ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a low boil, turn heat down and cook for 5 minutes on low. Add remaining cup of berries and simmer for another 5 minutes. Pour into a heatproof dish to cool. 

Yogurt Cream 

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons blueberry Greek yogurt

1. Put cream and yogurt in a bowl and whip with electric mixer until soft peaks form (you may be tempted to add sugar to this but I advise against it - the completed trifle is plenty sweet).

Assemble

Take a 14 oz. lidded glass or jar. Stuff a corncake into the bottom of your glass. Follow with a layer of berries (and a spoonful of juice) and a healthy dollop of yogurt cream. Then another corncake (press down to compact a bit), berries, yogurt cream, etc. until you get to the top. I used 4 corncakes. You can end with a corncake (neatest) or berries (berryful). Put the lid on and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight, flipping upside down halfway so juices soak through a bit. Invert onto plate and tap glass to release or eat it straight from the jar. 

You can get these lidded glasses here.

Will Farro

We're bearing up under the nastiest transition to spring in recent memory. April 17 and there are several inches of snow on the ground with temperatures that keep me in my puffy coat. I'm ready to pitch the grubby winter clothes and start replenishing my vitamin D. But it's not to be. The only bright side is that the kitchen retains its allure and offers a warm and dry place to cook and listen to podcasts all afternoon while I wait to be tempted outside.

Today I made these farro salads. First time I've tried this grain and I am impressed. Nutty, chewy with a firm almost pasta-like feel. Tastes great and is nutritious - a good source of fiber (3+ grams) and almost as much protein as an egg. Really makes a salad feel substantial.

I'm trying to eat more raw (rawer?) so I'm combining it with thin-as-I-can-slice-it-without-shearing-off-skin cauliflower, red cabbage and avocado cubes but I also made it with roasted cauliflower for my family. Both have a fresh parsley vinaigrette and are best served a little warm (at least under our current meteorological conditions).

Farro

Serves 4 (makes 3 cups)

1 cup pearled* farro

3 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1. Roll farro on a clean damp towel to remove any dust.

2. Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat and add farro. Toast, shaking periodically, until fragrant and somewhat darkened (5 minutes).

3. Heat water and salt until boiling in saucepan. Add toasted farro, stir and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for approximately 25 minutes or until al dente (don't overcook - gets mushy). Drain.

*Farro is available in pearled, semi-pearled and unpearled varieties which refer to how much, if any, of the hull is left on. Pearled cooks the quickest.

Parsley Vinaigrette

1/2 cup parsley, loosely packed

1/4 cup plus olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice, white wine or champagne vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Put parsley (leaves and top-most stems), olive oil, salt and lemon juice or vinegar in a food processor. Process until smooth-ish.

Roasted Cauliflower

1. Preheat oven to 450 and line a baking sheet with parchment.

2. Slice about half a cauliflower thinly (it will break into tiny pieces). Toss with a tablespoon of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt then spread out on sheet pan.

3. Roast until brown around the edges (10 minutes).

Assemble: Put farrow and vegetable(s) in a bowl. Add a few tablespoons of dressing and toss to combine. Sprinkle avocado cubes over the top, if using, so it doesn't get squashed. Add more vinaigrette to taste.

Double Lemon Cupcakes and Enough Already with the Cupcakes!

Everyone is good and sick of cupcakes, right? I remember watching Maggie Gyllenhaal raving about Magnolia Bakery cupcakes and doing a blind taste test on the Isacc Mizrahi show back in 2003 (where I also saw Nikka Costa sing Everybody Got Their Something and I immediately downloaded three of her songs). Anyway, let's call that the official start of an onslaught of cupcake gushing, competitions, blogs and cute bakery boutiques bursting with rick-rack trim, gingham and pink cheer.

What's wrong with a good layer cake? Maybe it's part of the social isolation in our culture where people don't gather to share a cake, but connect via facebook, instagram etc, and therefore only have need for individual cupcakes. "I'm eating an a-m-a-z-i-n-g cupcake right now (click, post)."

It does take care of that "my piece is smaller than yours" thing that happens when you're sharing and also you can pick different flavors to please different types. But still, enough. They're just cupcakes. Let's focus on something more important like why the weather is so nuts, the growing disparity between the haves and have-nots or why kosher salt feels like an undead pet on your tongue (true - heard a salt expert from Portland, naturally, talking about this on the radio today). Maybe salt is the next cupcake - beware.

Strange rant on a day when I'm making...cupcakes. But I'm baking for the Jr High Bake Sale (really - they allow homemade treats and I feel so motherly) and they needed individual pieces. I just hope the kids talk to each other when they eat them. Tough to text, peel and eat a cupcake all at the same time?

This recipe is adapted from Billy's Bakery via Martha Stewart and produces moist cupcakes with great lemon flavor. The frosting has lemon too - so you get some extra pucker.

Polenta Al Forno with Chard and Sausage

Do you like polenta? Then you'll like this. Don't like polenta? Move on. Or maybe not if you enjoy a good egg bake. This dish contains no eggs but there's something about its soft yet sturdy consistency that had me thinking "egg bake". 

I made the mistake of telling my husband it was sort of like lasagna with polenta instead of noodles and he refused to love it because lasagna is one of his favorite dishes. Anything less set him on a path of disappointment (and me on furious selling..."but the cheesy middle with the sausage is so similar" and "don't you love how creamy the polenta is?"). He wasn't having it. Had I presented it as an alternative to an egg bake I think I would've been hearing a different tune. But instead all I got was, "It's OK but it's not like lasagna - where's the red sauce and noodles?"  Important to manage expectations. Lesson learned.

This version of Polenta Al Forno had me swooning and it's even better warmed up the next day. Creamy and slightly crispy polenta with an even creamier center of ricotta, chard, lemon zest and sweet Italian sausage. It would be great for a brunch spread - you can assemble it the night before and bake in the morning.

Pineapple Coconut Upside Down Cake

I think I'm so smart that I'll take this dessert created by the canned pineapple company and make it with FRESH pineapple and it will be so much better and bolster my smug "whole food tastes better" credo. So...

Cake One - FRESH pineapple, coconut milk and coconut flakes (a la pina colada). Good - pretty (see photo below) but not enough pineapple flavor - great when you get a chunk but there aren't enough of them once they shrink during baking. 

Cake Two - CANNED crushed pineapple, coconut milk (the cake was so moist and divine) and walnuts (missed a little crunch), coconut flakes (my husband loved but kids did not - I find coconut flakes to be a polarizing ingredient) and reduced pineapple juice (from canned fruit - tastes tinny out of the can - not so when reduced to an incredible caramely sauce - go figure). Crushed it. Very pineapply and delicious. Better than fresh. My apologies to the Dole Company. 

Cake One - fresh pineapple and coconut

Cake Two - canned crushed pineapple and walnuts - not as pretty but tastier.

David Chang's BBQ Pork with Homemade Pickle

David Chang is floating around my hemisphere these days. If I'm not watching him on "Top Chef", I'm hearing about his Bao Buns and Crack Pie (does this guy have a tush fetish?) on public radio. He's definitely having a moment. Dining at one of his NYC restaurants isn't in the cards for me right now, so I thought I'd try one of his recipes.

I'm starting with something familiar, BBQ pork. His sauce is vinegary and a little sweet with just a hint of bitterness from...coffee grounds! I made some quick pickled onions  - so tangy and good with the pork. Coleslaw too. Use the softest, whitest buns you can find - I think these are best when they fall apart and you have to eat them with a knife and fork.

BBQ Pork with Homemade Pickle
adapted slightly from David Chang via Food & Wine Magazine

5-6 lbs. pork shoulder
½ cup tomato paste
1½ teaspoons hot/smoked paprika
1½ cups apple cider vinegar
1½ cups ketchup
¼ cup molasses or brown sugar
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon cloves
1 tablespoon coffee grounds
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water