Cookbook Challenge: Goat Cheese Tart

Things have been busy around here, and this is probably the only real blog update I'll have for the next two weeks. I have a good excuse, though... we're moving! Joe and I just bought our first home, an adorable condo here in Chicago. It has exposed brick, a fire place, great bedrooms... and necessary things we've been lacking in the past, such as air conditioning and a washer/dryer. It goes without saying... we're really excited! And I'm already used ellipsis (ellipsi?!) three times... so that was the last time, I swear!

Moving is exciting, but also time consuming. Since we closed on the condo last Friday, I've pretty much spent every moment packing, painting, cleaning, or thinking about what needs to be done. I planned terrible meals for this week, just to allow myself to start packing the kitchen. Last night was ground turkey tacos with a packet of flavoring, tomorrow night is pasta with jarred sauce and Italian sausage. Oh, and frozen veggies for some extra nutrients. Fancy, huh? I did make one exception on Sunday night, though, because I've been dying to try this Goat Cheese Tart for weeks now, and just couldn't wait any longer. It was the last hurrah before I packed up a lot of the kitchen stuff, and it was a great way to end my cooking at this apartment. It was buttery, cheesy, and absolutely terrible for us, but so worth it. My husband summed it up when he said, "You should put this on the list of recipes to keep... but only for a special treat". He also sent me a text message the next day at lunchtime, after he finished eating the leftovers. So if you want to keep your significant other happy, this is the recipe to try.

Goat Cheese Tart
From Barefoot in Paris, by Ina Garten

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board
Kosher salt
13 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, divided
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
3/4 cup chopped shallots (3 to 4 shallots)
10 1/2 ounces garlic-and-herb soft goat cheese
1 cup heavy cream
3 extra-large eggs
1/4 cup chopped basil leaves
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, put the flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Cut 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) of the butter into large dice, add to the bowl, and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, add the ice water all at once and process until the dough becomes crumbly. Don't overprocess. Dump the dough out on a floured board, gather it loosely into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough on a well-floured board and fit it into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable sides, rolling the pin over the top to cut off the excess dough. Butter 1 side of a square of aluminum foil and fit it, butter side down, into the tart pan. Fill the foil with rice or beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and foil from the tart shell, prick the bottom all over with a fork, and bake for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of butter in a small pan and saute the shallots over low heat for 5 minutes, or until tender. Place the goat cheese in the bowl of the food processor and process until crumbly. Add the cream, eggs, basil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the pepper and process until blended.

Scatter the cooked shallots over the bottom of the tart shell. Pour the goat cheese mixture over the shallots to fill the shell (if the shell has shrunk, there may be leftover filling). Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tart is firm when shaken and the top is lightly browned. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve hot or at room temperature.

And in case you're wondering, here's a picture of my new kitchen! I can't wait to get it set up so I can start cooking again! And this really will be the last blog post for the next two weeks, because we won't have internet in our apartment for the first week we're living there. But I'll try to keep reading other blogs on my lunch breaks, and I promise I'll post again once we're settled!


I think I'll do one of my Giada cookbooks for next month's cook book challenge, but then I promise to branch out from the Food Network cooks. Any suggestions of other cookbooks you recommend?

Cookbook Challenge: Tomato Rice Pilaf

I tend to buy a lot of rice. Seriously, I think there were either 6 or 7 types of rice in our fridge and pantry a couple weeks ago. My problem is that after I buy it, I tend to only prepare it in really boring ways. I will see recipes for rice pilaf or mix-ins, but usually I dismiss it for extra ingredients or too much hassle for a week day meal.

That's why I'm loving my Cookbook Challenge, because it's forcing me to try recipes that I might otherwise neglect. This recipe only had one "extra" ingredient-- saffron. Lucky for me, there is a Trader Joe's near my house and they sell saffron for $4.99. I don't know that it's the best quality saffron, but it does the trick and is a steal at that price! The rest of the ingredients were things I had on hand, and half the recipe easily served 4. It was still tasty the next day, reheated with leftovers. This was a great way to dress up the rice a little, and I am sure I'll make this recipe again.


Tomato Rice Pilaf, by Ina Garten from Barefoot in Paris

4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (2 onions)
2 cups white basmati rice
kosher or sea salt
4 cups chicken stock, heated
1/2 tsp saffron threads
1 Tbsp chopped garlic (3 cloves)
1 (28 oz) can whole plum tomatoes, drained and large diced
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a small dutch oven or large saucepan, add the onions, and cook over low heat fro 10 minutes, or until translucent but not brown. Stir in the rice and 2 tsp of salt and cook over low heat for 3 minutes. Add the hot stock and the saffron and cook, covered, over the lowest heat for 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender.

Meanwhile, in a medium saute pan, heat the remaining oil, add the garlic, and cook over low heat for 30 seconds. Add the drainned diced tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time. When the rice is done, add the tomato mixture, 3/4 tsp salt, the pepper, parsley, and Parmesan. Stir with a fork, season to taste, and serve hot.

Serves 6 to 8

Cookbook Challenge: Vegetable Tian

This was one of those meals that I wanted to blog about as soon as I cleared my plate, just because it was so good I had to tell someone about it! I focused the meal around a Barefoot in Paris recipe for vegetable tian, and made swordfish spedini from Giada's Family Dinners to go along with it. The vegetable tian was fantastic! Very fresh and spring-like, and will be delicious in summer as well. It was a beautiful layered dish of tomatoes, zucchini, and potatoes, roasted with fresh thyme and some cheese on top. My only change was using Parmesan instead of Gruyere, and that was only because I was cheap and didn't want to buy yet another kind of cheese (I have about 8 varieties in my refrigerator at the moment). But I will have to make it with Gruyere if I'm serving this to guests, because I imagine the taste of Gruyere would only make this more delicious. It was pretty simple, too, since most of the time was spent roasting in the oven.
The Swordfish Spiedini is also really easy to make. I was excited to make this dish because it gave me an excuse to use the herbs de Provence that I bought on our trip to Europe a few weeks ago. I buy swordfish at Trader Joes, and I think the frozen steaks they sell are good quality and also a great value. This recipe is so simple, and would be even better on a grill in the summer. I had to use the broiler, due to my landlord's strict no-grill sentiment, but it was still tasty made this way.

Vegetable Tian from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris

Serves 4-6

Good olive oil
2 large yellow onions, cut in half and sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound medium round potatoes, unpeeled
3/4 pound zucchini
1 1/4 pounds medium tomatoes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus extra sprigs
2 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Brush a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with olive oil. In a medium saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the onions over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.

Slice the potatoes, zucchini, and tomatoes in 1/4-inch thick slices. Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly, making only 1 layer. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme leaves, and thyme sprigs and drizzle with 1 more tablespoon of olive oil. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Uncover the dish, remove the thyme sprigs, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake for another 30 minutes until browned. Serve warm.

Swordfish Spiedini from Giada de Lauretiis' Giada's Family Dinners

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds swordfish steaks (at least 1-inch thick), trimmed
6 short, thick wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes
6 thin slices pancetta (about 2 ounces), unrolled so that you have a strip
6 lemon wedges

Whisk the oil, herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper in a large bowl to blend. Cut the swordfish steaks into 1-inch cubes and toss in the oil mixture to coat. Thread the swordfish cubes alternaetly with 1 slice of pancetta onto each of the skewers, wrapping the pancetta around the fish cubes as you go.

Prepare the barbecue for medium-high heat or preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the swordfish skewers until the swordfish is just opaque in the center and the pancetta is crisp, turning often, about 8 to 10 minutes, brushing often with the remaining marinade.

Transfer the skewers to plates and serve with lemon wedges.

Cookbook Challenge: Lemon Chicken with Croutons

This roast chicken recipe was another one from Barefoot in Paris, my Cookbook Challenge for April. It was a great roast chicken, but I don't know if that had anything to do with the recipe. It was a lemon roasted chicken, which mostly just meant there were lemons inside the cavity. Isn't this an old trick? It was roasted on a bed of sliced onions, which were a burned mess by the time the roasting was finished. The chicken was served with croutons, which I was open to trying. They were kind of boring, though, and I didn't really understand how they fit with chicken besides for presentation.

The chicken was incredibly moist, which made it a treat to eat. I think that was mostly because I've gotten better at determining when to take a roast chicken out of the oven, and I'm sure to let it sit for at least 10 or 15 minutes before cutting into the bird. I would roast a chicken like this again, but I wouldn't bother with the croutons. A basic recipe, but it was a treat to have a meal like this on a Monday night!

Lemon Chicken with Croutons from Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garten

1 (4 to 5-pound) roasting chicken
1 large yellow onion, sliced
Good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 lemons, quartered
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
6 cups (3/4-inch) bread cubes (1 baguette or round boule)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Take the giblets out of the chicken and wash it inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers. Toss the onion with a little olive oil in a small roasting pan. Place the chicken on top and sprinkle the inside of the cavity with salt and pepper. Place the lemons inside the chicken. Pat the outside of the chicken dry with paper towels, brush it with the melted butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.

Roast for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Cover with foil and allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. (The onions may burn, but the flavor is good.)

Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil until very hot. Lower the heat to medium-low and saute the bread cubes, tossing frequently, until nicely browned, 8 to
10 minutes. Add more olive oil, as needed, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place the croutons on a serving platter. Slice the chicken and place it, plus all the pan juices, over the croutons. Sprinkle with salt and serve warm.

I ended up making my chicken into a salad, since I was serving salad on the side of the dish originally. I guess I just couldn't get away from the idea of croutons being part of a salad. I served it with these beets, which I always enjoy.

Barefoot in Paris: Eggplant Gratin

This was my first recipe for my cookbook challenge. It's from April's cookbook: Barefoot in Paris, by Ina Garten. I should have read the recipe closer when I choose it, because it turned out to be pretty unhealthy! Eggplant soaks up the oil, so it had to have a ton of fat and calories. I used reduced fat ricotta and fat free half and half, which helps. I would love to play around with the fried eggplant, because I did really like the taste of this recipe. I might also do less of the egg/cheese combo, so you taste the eggplant a little more. It really did seem like a recipe you would eat in France, with some Italian flavoring, too. I made it in an 8 x 8 Le Cruset baking dish, since I didn't have smaller dishes like she suggested. I served it with a pesto chicken sausage, pasta w/ marinara sauce, and some sauteed dandelion greens (which were gross!). Great dinner overall.

I salted my eggplant, to make sure it wasn't bitter.

Eggplant Gratin from Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garten

Good olive oil, for frying
1 1/2 pound eggplant, unpeeled, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup good bottled marinara sauce

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat about 1/8-inch of olive oil in a very large frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is almost smoking, add several slices of eggplant and cook, turning once, until they are evenly browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Be careful, it splatters! Transfer the cooked eggplant slices to paper towels to drain. Add more oil, heat, and add more eggplant until all the slices are cooked.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, egg, half-and-half, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

In each of 4 individual gratin dishes, place a layer of eggplant slices, then sprinkle with Parmesan, salt and pepper and spoon 1/2 of the marinara sauce. Next, add a second layer of eggplant, more salt and pepper, half the ricotta mixture, and finally 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan on top.

Place the gratins on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the custard sets and the top is browned. Serve warm.