mint thins, and a giveaway

September 6, 2011 by

*Contest Closed*

As a food blogger, you get offered a lot of odd things for free. My all-time favorite? Kangaroo meat. I wish I were joking.

It’s every blogger’s own decision whether to accept swag or not. Personally, I believe that my blog is all mine, and I don’t do any sponsored posts here. If companies want to send me something, I’m cool with it. I just don’t promise to write about it.

My other rule of thumb is that when I receive things that I honestly do like—things that I would recommend to you all—I have to give them away to you guys. That’s why I’m excited to be handing over this great cookbook from Quirk Books, and a little bummed that I’m not keeping it for myself.

The Cookiepedia by Stacy Adimando (who also writes for Serious Eats), is yes, you guessed it—an cookie encyclopedia. It’s cute and colorful and full of tips for churning out perfect cookies. I do believe this cookbook was tailor made for me.

There are recipes for chocolate lovers.

Recipes for ambitious bakers.

Pretty photos to gaze at even if you don’t bake at all. And if you love to bake, there are recipes for every cookie under the sun, from buttery to spicy to fruity.

I even found a recipe for one of my all-time favorites: mint thins. Or in Girl Scout land, the über popular “Thin Mints.”

It would be irresponsible of me to not test out a recipe from the book before handing it over to one of you. So I just *had* to make them. And as it turns out, they weren’t as labor-intensive as I thought they would be. And worth every minute of preparation.

You begin by churning a thick, buttery dough in the mixer.

After letting it chill, you roll it out and cut into circles.

Bake, then dip in a blissful blend of chocolate and peppermint…

…and twiddle your thumbs as they cool.

In Lucy’s case, twiddle your tiny, very impatient thumbs.

Savor. Lick the melted chocolate from your fingers.

They are, in my approximate estimation, about 11,957 times better than the Girl Scout version. No offense, little ladies.

Try them for yourself using the recipe below. And if you want to try your hand at other types of cool cookies, enter to win The Cookiepedia in the comments. I’ll announce the winner next week!

Contest Rules

  1. To enter to win The Cookiepedia by Stacy Adimando, simply tell me in the comments: What is your favorite type of cookie?
  2. U.S. addresses only, please. I’m paying for the shipping myself, y’all. One entry per person.
  3. A magical random number winner picker computer thingie (that’s it’s technical name) will choose the winner next week.
And the winner is…
Karen! Karen said, “My favorite cookie is chocolate chip. Maybe a little boring but eating one while still warm from the oven with a glass of milk always makes me smile.” Karen, you’re my soul sister. Soul. Sister. I’ll be emailing you with the details. Thanks everyone for entering!

Mint Thins from The Cookiepedia by Stacy Adimando        printable version

Nobody you know will not come by when you say you’re baking homemade mint thins. (If they don’t so much as ask, consider defriending them immediately.) The question is: Do you want to share? The baking and dunking takes no time (especially if you taste as you go), but these bite-sized treats do hold up best (and taste yummiest) once the mint chocolate has had ample time to set. If you’re protective of your stash, store them in the freezer. They’re best with a chill anyway.

Preheat oven to 350F. Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

  • 1 c unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 c powdered sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 c cocoa powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate
  • 1/4 c unsalted butter
  • 3/4 tsp peppermint flavor
1. Cream the butter until it’s light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and continue mixing, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture by halves, beating to incorporate after each addition.

2. Turn out the dough onto a clean surface and form it into a disk with your hands. Split the disk in half and place them in the fridge to firm up for 1 hour.

3. Working on a floured surface (you’ll need a decent amount, since the dough is sticky), roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thick. Shape the cookies using a 1 1/2-inch round cutter and place them on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, then let cool completely.

4. Break up the chocolate into a bowl and set it over a small pot of simmering water* (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Add the butter and the peppermint flavor and stir the mixture steadily until it’s fully melted and looks glossy and smooth. Remove the bowl and let the chocolate cool slightly.

5. One by one, drop the cookies in the chocolate, then scoop them out with a fork to let the excess drip off. (Tap the cookies against the side of the bowl to help drain the extra chocolate). Move them carefully to a wire rack or parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. When they’re all coated, move the sheet to the refrigerator or freezer to set.

*Note from RDG: If the chocolate gets too hot, it will harden. To reconstitute it, add a little vegetable oil and/or milk and stir until it comes back to a smooth consistency.

 

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buffalo chicken mac and cheese

August 23, 2010 by 47 Comments

In the famous words of Jessica Simpson, “I’m sorry. I don’t eat buffalo.” Well Jess, I don’t either. It’s a tad gamey for my taste. But buffalo chicken? Wings drenched in a spicy, smoky, unnaturally orange sauce? Bring ‘em on by the plateful. Give me a cold beer, some celery and a side of blue cheese dressing and you’ll see one happy (and very messy) gal.

Trouble is, buffalo wings alone do not a meal make, no matter how much I wish they would. They’re especially not a meal for the family, and completely wrong for a toddler who thinks bones are for chewing and sticking up one’s nose. Luckily, word on the street is that folk are combining this spicy treat with another comfort food of fattening proportions: mac n cheese. Now that is a meal I can get behind. Buffalo chicken + mac n cheese = dinner.

Honestly, when I first spied this recipe from Food Network, I thought it might be a tad overkill. Homemade mac n cheese all on its own can sometimes be too rich for my blood*. So when attempting my own version, I decided to lighten it up a tad by using whole milk instead of half-and-half, reduced fat cheddar, and light sour cream.

*Raise your hand if you laughed and called me a hypocrite right there. After all, I am the one who makes bacon cinnamon rolls. My blood is probably half butter by now.

The result was still incredibly rich, but I didn’t feel so bad about its creamy noodles passing my lips, or the lips of my family. I also tweaked a few other small details: I omitted the panko (because I don’t believe in crunchy mac toppings), decreased the butter, and left out the parsley and garlic (because, quite honestly, I was being lazy).

Creamy cheese sauce, shredded chicken spiked with buffalo sauce, crunchy bits of celery, and a layer of blue cheese. Serve with some celery sticks or a salad topped with blue cheese dressing and your family will be doing an interpretive dance in your honor.

I’ll stop talking now. You’ve got to go. You must get to the grocery to snatch up the ingredients for this (slightly) sinful dish.

And Jessica Simp, I think you’d make an exception for this buffalo. But a quick FYI: it’s buffalo chicken mac n cheese. Not buffalo chicken of the sea. But I’m sure you already knew that.

-RDG

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese, Slightly Lightened adapted from the Food Network

printable recipe

If you love the spice of buffalo sauce, feel free to add a bit more! If you can’t multitask (I can’t), and your macaroni gets stuck together while waiting in the colander, run warm water over it to un-stick before using.

  • 1 lb elbow macaroni
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2-3 stalks celery, diced
  • 3 cups shredded cooked chicken (I bought a grocery store rotisserie bird to use)
  • 3/4 cup buffalo sauce (Frank’s is a widely available and tasty brand—look for it on the condiment aisle)
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 2 tsp dry mustard
  • 2 1/2 cups milk (whole or 2%—nonfat might make the sauce too runny)
  • 1 lb reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2? cubes
  • 8 oz pepper jack cheese (reduced fat if you can find it), shredded
  • 2/3 cup light sour cream
  • 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease or spray a 9×13? baking dish. Boil the macaroni in a large pot of salted water just until al dente, about 6-7 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

2. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and add 1/2 cup of the buffalo sauce. Cook 1 minute more then remove from heat.

3. In another pan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour and mustard until smooth. Whisk in the milk and remaining 1/4 cup buffalo sauce and stir until thickened, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses until melted, then stir in the sour cream until smooth.

4. Spread half of the pasta into the bottom of the baking dish, top with the chicken mixture, then top with the remaining pasta. Pour the cheese sauce over as evenly as possible (a large ladle works nicely). Sprinkle with the blue cheese and set the entire baking dish on top of a cookie sheet before placing in the oven (the sauce may bubble and dribble out the sides of the pan). Bake until bubbly and slightly browned on top, about 30-35 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before inhaling.


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beth’s spinach quiches

June 18, 2010 by 7 Comments

You may recall my recent freak-out in the kitchen. Nothing sounded good, all of my cookbooks morphed into a language that I couldn’t read, and my creative culinary brain was kaput. I sent out a desperate S.O.S. to you all for help. I needed recipes. New recipes! Inspired recipes! Tasty recipes! Anything other than what I already had! I’m going to stop using exclamation points now!

Thank you to everyone who responded to my momentary lapse into crazy. And those of you who just thought “momentary? Girl, you certifiable” are likely correct. But I am proud to say that I have my mojo back. My brain has kicked back into recipe overdrive and I’ve been cooking up a storm. A delicious, lick-your-fingers storm.

The recipe that got me back on track was from my dear reader Beth. She sent a sweet email with three recipes attached, and from the moment I spied this first one, I knew it was meant to be in my belly.

These little quiches are so quick and easy, and yet they don’t skimp on flavor. You’ll need spinach (thawed from frozen is fine), milk, bisquick, chives, ham, sharp cheddar, and a little salt and pepper.

And eggs. Pretty, pretty eggs.

Crack them into a large bowl…

…beat and toss in the Bisquick.

Stir. Lumps are a-okay in Bisquick world. In fact, they’re encouraged.

Throw in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Pour into 12 muffin cups that are greased well with cooking spray (a Pyrex glass measuring cup or small pitcher work well for pouring). Alternately, you could pour the whole mixture into a greased 9″ pie plate.

Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes until the quiches are puffy and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool for a few minutes before serving. These also freeze and reheat exceptionally well. They’re also great cold!

So simple, so delicious, and so the savior of my culinary soul. These little quiches would be perfect for a picnic, a potluck, or to stash in the freezer for a rainy day lunch.

Thank you, Beth, for the wonderful recipe. And to all of you loverly readers who sent in recipes and words of encouragement, I am more appreciative than you know. I have no idea why you read this silly, silly blog, but that you do keeps me going, even in times of culinary disaster.

xo

-RDG

Beth’s Spinach Quiches

  • 6 Eggs
  • 1 cup Milk
  • ½ cup Bisquick
  • ½ tsp crushed, dried rosemary or 1 tsp of diced fresh
  • ½ tsp of Garlic powder
  • 1 10pz pkg of frozen Chopped Spinach (thawed, rinsed and squeezed of all water) or 2-3 cups of fresh spinach sautéed
  • 1 cup Mozzarella cheese (I often use more cheese and mix types)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Beat together eggs, milk, Bisquick, and seasonings, until well blended.  Stir in Spinach and cheese.  Pour into lightly greased 9 inch pie plate or into 12 greased muffin cups.  Bake for 30-40 minutes (25-30 for muffin cups) or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

This quiche freezes and reheats well and tastes better the longer it sits.

Can be modified to other types of quiche using whatever kinds of veggies, egg substitutes, cheese or meat you have.

My adaptations: I substituted 1 tablespoon fresh minced chives for rosemary, used sharp cheddar instead of mozzarella, added 1/2 cup diced black forest ham, added salt and pepper to taste, and omitted garlic powder because most of my spices are either buried in the garden, lost the diaper pail or hiding under the bed.

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mexican lasagna

June 16, 2010 by 16 Comments

This dish began with a baby. Our dear friends were expecting a little “it” any day, and I went into a minor panic that I hadn’t made them anything to keep in their freezer. When they arrived home with that little bundle, I wanted them to be able to eat a home-cooked meal without actually doing the cooking part.

The only things I remember from the evening we brought our daughter home from the hospital are 1) how flippin cute she was, even as a newborn, and 2) the hamburger pie that my mother-in-law had left us in the fridge. When you are sleep deprived, have lived on hospital food and candy bars for days, and are stuck in the otherworldly universe of “new parent,” there is nothing better than finding dinner waiting for you.

But I didn’t want to cook something expected. It needed to be comforting but not blah, creative but not bizarre. I consulted a few similar recipes, but they were all lacking in one way or another. I ended up going off the map and making a creation of my own, without guidance or even a clue what I was doing.

The result was more delicious, more satisfying that I could have imagined. Between the layers of handmade tortilla, melted cheeses and fire-roasted tomatoes was something beyond bliss. This was comfort food of mammoth proportions.

Ordinary items from the grocery store, tortillas from Trader Joe’s, and a few things that I had on hand all came together in one star-crossed, meant-to-be meal. This is the most non-fancy dinner that I can think of, and yet I would prefer it to dining at the best new restaurant in town.

So what made it so magical? What transformed this pan of regular stuff into tiny square slices of crack-cocaine?

It was probably this little guy, spreading his little strawberry-blonde love all over town.

Welcome to the world, Beckett Flynn. You are dearly loved, even at four days old. And you have inspired a recipe that will be gracing the freezers of parents-to-be for years to come.

Mexican Lasagna

This dish freezes and reheats exceptionally well, which makes it perfect for double batches. Makes 1 9×13″ pan, or about 12 servings. If you prefer a bit more spice (I do), you can up the taco seasoning to 1 1/2-2 packets.

  • 1 lb ground turkey or ground beef
  • 1 (15 ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes with green chiles
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • 2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chiles
  • 2 (14 ounce) cans refried beans
  • 1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives
  • 8 large flour tortillas (preferably handmade—most better grocers will carry them)
  • 1 1/2 cups grated pepper jack cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • sour cream for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 425F. In a large skillet, brown ground meat. Drain fat. Add tomatoes, taco seasoning and water. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat.

In a bowl, combine the refried beans, diced green chiles and black olives. Stir. Blend the two grated cheeses together in a separate bowl.

Coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread half of the bean mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. Cover with two of the flour tortillas. Spread with a third of the cheese mixture, then cover with half of the meat mixture. Cover with tortillas once again, then layer the remaining beans, two more tortillas, 1/3 of the cheese, the remaining meat mixture, the remaining tortillas, and the remaining cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until heated through and bubbly. Let cool 5 minutes before serving. Top with a dollop of sour cream if desired.

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rosemary scones with strawberry butter

June 2, 2010 by 4 Comments

RDG Note: This is a guest post from my friend Carli of Velveeta Ain’t Food. I love her wit, her lighthearted approach to cooking, and above all, her yummy, yummy recipe. Enjoy!

I hate baking. And I don’t like scones. So it came as a surpise to me when I suddenly and inexplicably proclaimed, “Rosemary scones! I’m going to make some rosemary scones.” I truly have no idea what made me think of scones or rosemary or strawberry butter, but it hit me like some kind of supernatural revelation and when divinely inspired baked goods occur to this sleep-deprived brain of mine, I take action.

This was a leap of faith, indeed. After a series of baking failures over the past month (seriously, I actually made FOUR cakes for my daughter’s birthday and had numerous other muffin disasters), I was ready to jump off a cliff. Well, almost. I at least considered starting a new blog in which I bad-mouthed baking. It was as if it were a person; an actual being that had somehow wronged me, and like a 12 year old girl, I wanted to spread the word that BAKING was a tramp. A back-stabbing, unreliable tramp.

But when the spirit moves you, it moves you. So here I was, baking scones; something I don’t like and have never made before in my life. I looked through a few recipes just to get an idea of what I was dealing with. Some had eggs, others had none. Some had very little sugar, others had more. Some had buttermilk, others heavy cream. So in rebellious, 12 year old fashion, I decided to venture out on my own. And why wouldn’t I? I have such a high success rate with baking. I could handle this.

I threw some stuff in the Kitchenaid, gave it a whirl, popped them in the oven and watched. The smell that started filling the house was nothing short of life-changing. I started thinking these things might actually be edible; maybe even more than that. Hope. Anticipation. The stakes were high. After realizing that old baking powder may have been the cause of alot of my recent troubles, I’d replaced it and was holding my breath for redemption. I had some strawberries in the freezer that we’d picked at Sequatchie Cove last Spring. I had just seen a recipe for Strawberry Butter at Joylicious and figured this might be perfect with the scones. This was serious business now. There was spread involved. Spread containing precious strawberries from a dwindling supply and expensive organic butter. I was fully expecting these scones to be worthy.

And were they ever! Mamma Mia! (Please note: I am not Italian, nor do I have any type of connection which would explain my use of the phrase “Mamma mia”. It simply was what came out and I am choosing to let it be because this poured out of me in such a way that it must express something so pure, so righteous, that not saying it would be deceptive). Back to the point…these scones were awesome! Not dry and crumbly like so many are. A little bit sweet (maybe too much so for a scone connoisseur, but just right to me); crispy on the outside and soft on the inside (but not doughy like some biscuits that stick to the roof of your mouth), and just lightly scented with rosemary.

And…they are incredibly easy! I didn’t mess around with rolling them out and cutting; just mix ‘em up and drop ‘em on a baking sheet. If you make these, you MUST abide by the rules; it would be a crime not to eat one of these hot out of the oven with a big ol’ spread of strawberry butter. Let it melt all into the soft, hot scone, take a mid-afternoon break, and prepare to die from deliciousness.

As it turns out, I don’t hate baking. I just hate sucking at something. Yes, that’s what I learned. When you try something over and over and fail miserably time and time again, it will cause you to think that you hate that thing. But you don’t really. In actuality, you really just hate being a pathetic, inadequate disappointment. Who knew?

I am happy to report on this 1st day of June in the two thousand and tenth year of our Lord, that I have experienced deliverance from the imprisonment that has plagued me for so long. No longer will I be a slave to boxed cake mixes and futile muffin-making attempts. Freedom tastes so sweet.

Rosemary Scones with Strawberry Butter

  • 2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • scant 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
  • 6 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, diced
  • 1/2 cup light sour cream (50% less fat)
  • 1/2 cup fat-free milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In the bowl of an stand mixer, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and rosemary. Add cold butter, cover mixer with a towel (so it won’t explode everywhere) and mix on low/medium speed until it is crumbly. Then add sour cream and milk, and mix just until dough comes together. Spoon onto two sprayed baking sheets (6 scones per sheet, each a little bit larger than a golf ball). Bake for 27-28 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Strawberry Butter

  • 6 tbsp. room temperature salted butter
  • 1/2 cup strawberries (can be fresh or frozen, but make sure they’re also room temp)
  • 2-3 tsp. agave nectar (depending on sweetness of berries)- can sub honey if needed

Make sure everything is at room temperature! Mix together and serve. (If you use unsalted butter, you may need to add a pinch of salt).

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grilled chicken burgers with brie and rosemary rhubarb

June 1, 2010 by 3 Comments

Throughout most of high school, college, graduate school and the years in-between, I worked in a restaurant that serves gourmet burgers. I spent days roasting peppers, months breading onion rings, years frying bacon and a lifetime flipping burgers, to use the ubiquitous phrase. I loved every moment of it. When I would work the morning shift it would be just me, a co-worker or two, the Stones blaring on the stereo and a kitchen full of prep cooking to be done. It was hard work but it was also a peaceful: nothing mattered but the pressing of the lemons, the trimming of the chicken and the whisking of the batter.

For some people, running or yoga gives them clarity. My clearest thinking, on the other hand, happens at the grill. It’s the only culinary endeavor in which I don’t have to think about what I’m doing: the years I spent turning chicken and salting patties have made it second nature. As I result, while I’m grilling I think of…nothing. My mind goes blank. My hands do all the work and my head goes zen. I know, I know—I’m weird.

I can make the perfect burger with my eyes closed, but I also like to mix it up and experiment with ingredients and flavors. I could write a novel about cooking beef patties, and I’m sure I will before the grilling season is out. But today let’s talk about chicken.

Grilled chicken breasts can go one of two ways: they can be the most amazing piece of poultry you’ve ever eaten in your life, or they can be dry as paper and hard as a rock. To prevent this catastrophe and maintain moisture, I like to take a few precautions:

  1. Pound your chicken breasts thin or slice in half (as I did with the ones pictured above). This will reduce the total cooking time needed and lessen the chance that you’ll overcook while trying to get rid of that pesky pink middle.
  2. Marinate. Use your favorite recipe, or simply toss ‘em in a Ziploc with a little vinaigrette. Any mixture containing an acid (citrus, vinegar, etc.) will work to tenderize the meat. An overnight marinade with generally produce the most tender, flavorful chicken, but if you’ve run out of time, just rinse your chicken breasts, pat dry, and let them sit refrigerated in the marinade for as long as you can (even 30 minutes will help).
  3. Prep the grill. Turn the heat to medium-high, close the lid, and let it warm up for 10 minutes. Then give it a good scrub with your grill brush, wipe down (carefully and quickly) with a damp towel you don’t mind ruining, and brush with oil or spray with cooking spray (VERY carefully: oil usually creates flames). Turn down heat to medium and give it a few minutes to cool before laying on the chicken.
  4. Lay the chicken breasts on the grill and don’t close the lid. Closing the lid will add indirect heat that can dry out the chicken.
  5. Flip not by timing but by appearance. Once all of the edges are evenly white and the pink is beginning to disappear from the tops, it’s time to flip (in the photo above, the breast pieces are ready to be turned).
  6. Check by actually cutting into the chicken. Thermometers are not always reliable. Cut into the thickest part of the breast to make sure all of the pink has turned white. The moment that happens, pull that sucker off the grill.

Whew. Turns out I needed to write a novel on grilling chicken as well.

Stepping off my soapbox now. Let’s move onto the good stuff.

For my first chicken burgers of the season, I decided to go with some fresh summer flavors. Remember that decadent rhubarb shortcake I made the other day? It was the inspiration for this dish. I used the same basic recipe for the rhubarb compote, but this time adding a little rosemary to give it more balance of flavor for this savory dish.

Once you’ve grilled your marinated chicken breasts (or breast halves, if you’ve cut them for grilling), top with a few slices of brie while they’re still on the grill. If you’ve cooking halved breasts, you can overlap them so that they fit nicely on the bun.

While you’re at it, toast your buns on the grill. One minute per side should be plenty.

Once the brie is slightly melted (not too melted—brie can get really runny), pull those babies off and dress your buns. Spread on a little mayo (an herbed aioli would work nicely, too), some lettuce or spinach, and a dollop of the rhubarb compote on top.

I always love the pairing of brie with sweet spreads, and I loved it even more on this burger. It was unexpected and yet the flavors blended together really well. Sweet and savory combos always win me over.

They also make me perform interpretive dances. But I won’t show you those.

Fresh, easy, summery meal, pretty enough to serve for company.

My zen is gone and the long weekend is over. But grilling season is upon us, and I can’t wait to stand over the propane flames, the smell of summer seeping into my apron, and think of…nothing.

-RDG

Grilled Chicken Burgers with Brie and Rosemary Rhubarb

  • 4 marinated chicken breasts, halved or pounded thin (see suggestions above)
  • 8 slices brie cheese
  • Rhubarb compote with rosemary (see recipe below)
  • 4 potato rolls or your favorite hamburger buns
  • Aioli or mayo, for dressing buns
  • Lettuce or spinach, for dressing buns

Place chicken breasts on clean, greased pre-heated gas grill on set to medium-high. Flip once edges of breasts turn white and continue grilling until no longer pink in the center. Top each breast (if halved, overlap the two halves) with two slices brie and let melt slightly. Toast buns if desired.

Spread buns with aioli or mayo and top with lettuce. Place each chicken breast on top of lettuce and finish with a dollop of the rhubarb compote. Serves 4.

Rosemary Rhubarb Compote

  • 4 stalks rhubarb, trimmed of leaves and chopped into 1/4? pieces
  • 1/2 plus 1/8 cups water, divided
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 packet gelatin
  • 1 teaspoon fresh minced rosemary

Bring 1/2 cup water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the rhubarb, stir and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until rhubarb has softened and mixture has thickened. Remove from heat. Pour the remaining 1/8 cup water into a shallow dish and sprinkle in gelatin. Let sit for 5 minutes. Once rhubarb mixture has cooled slightly, stir in activated gelatin and rosemary. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight or until set.

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rhubarb shortcakes with lemon ricotta cream

May 23, 2010 by 11 Comments

I’ve been out of town, eating most of my meals in restaurants, and constantly on-the-go in preparation for a dear friend’s wedding yesterday. I feel as though I have lost touch with my husband, my daughter, my kitchen, and my sanity.

I’ve also been completely oblivious as to what season we’re heading toward and what lovely new produce is gracing the markets. So when I saw these gorgeous fresh red rhubarb stalks, it dawned on me that we are entering the most exciting season of produce there is: summer.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of working with rhubarb, it’s something that you should try at least once. It’s naturally very bitter, so you wouldn’t want to eat it plain or even unsweetened. But when stewed with a little sugar and vanilla, it makes me want to simultaneously dance an interpretive rhubarb jig and weep out of pure culinary bliss.

But what could I do with this rosy-pink compote that would compliment its flavors without being overpowering? A pie with strawberries and buttery crust is certainly delicious, but to me, rhubarb always feels like second fiddle in that situation. And nobody puts rhubarb in a corner.

Plus, the corners of my kitchen are probably really gross, so you wouldn’t want anything edible over there anyway.

Summer’s favorite dessert is strawberry shortcake, so why not nix the berries, pump up the volume on the whipped cream, and top it all off with a dollop of dreamy rhubarb compote?

That would certainly do. For the whipped cream, I began by whipping some regular heavy whipping cream and then added some texture and body with ricotta cheese. Lemon curd (which you can find next to the jam in your local store, or at a great price here) lent a tart, rich bite.

The result? I’m not usually one to toot my own horn, but…

TOOTY FLIPPIN TOOT.

These were to die for. The compote was fresh and light, the cream silky and rich. The two flavors blended together in my mouth with wisps of cake and I was lost forever in a dessert dreamworld.

For the cake, I simply used store-bought angel food. I thought it had a nice fluffy texture and didn’t overpower any of the other flavors. If you’re not an angel food fan, you could also use slices of pound cake, homemade scones (county fair-style), biscuits, or sponge cake.

I will be trying this with all of those varieties of cakes this summer. I have my go-to dessert for the warm months ahead. Plus, the rhubarb compote is so versatile: I’ve already used the leftovers in another recipe, spread it on my toast, dolloped it on my yogurt, and poured it over vanilla ice cream. There can never be too much rhubarb in my world.

It felt so good to be back in the kitchen that I don’t know if I will ever leave it. I’m still in a bit of a fog from my girl’s getaway, but my daydreams consist of honeydew gazpacho and seared ahi with pears. It’s a nice fog to live in as I chop, stir, and photograph some lovely new recipes for the weeks ahead.

Happy monday, all!

-RDG

Rhubarb Shortcakes with Lemon Ricotta Cream

  • 8 stalks rhubarb, trimmed of leaves and chopped into 1/4″ pieces
  • 1 1/4 cups water, divided
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 packet gelatin
  • 10 oz. ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/3 cup lemon curd
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, divided
  • 8-10 slices shortcake (angel food, sponge cake, biscuits or scones would all work well)

Make the rhubarb compote ahead of time: bring 1 cup of the water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the rhubarb, stir and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until rhubarb has softened and mixture has thickened. Remove from heat. Pour the remaining 1/4 cup water into a shallow dish and sprinkle in gelatin packet. Let sit for 5 minutes. Once rhubarb mixture has cooled slightly, stir in activated gelatin and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.

To make the cream: Beat the heavy whipping cream on medium-high until stiff peaks form. Fold in the ricotta cheese, lemon curd, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract.

To assemble the shortcakes: Top each slice of cake with a hefty dollop of the cream and a few tablespoons of the rhubarb compote. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs if you want to make it all purdy.

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