Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts

There are some recipes that just call out to you when you hear or see them. When I saw the photo of the Tomato & Goat cheese tarts in Ina Garten's fantastic cookbook Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, I'm pretty sure my mouth watered a bit. When I realized what these tarts consisted of: puff pastry, caramelized onions with wine and thyme, herbed goat cheese, tomato, Parmesan, and basil, I'm pretty sure there was drool on the cookbook. I knew it was only a matter of time before I would make this recipe, and then again and again and again. Words cannot describe how delicious these tarts are, especially for brunch or lunch. You're just going to have to make them yourself.

Recipe rundown:
Taste: Luscious, exquisite, scrumptious, heavenly, mouthwatering... Thanks thesaurus.
Texture: Puff pastry is a textual delicacy on its on but when combined with the soft and limp caramelized onions, crumbly goat cheese, gooey Parmesan cheese, and melted juicy tomato, there aren't a lot of things in life that get much better.
Ease: Although it isn't the quickest lunch recipe in the world and dealing with pastry can be daunting, I found that every step was wonderfully easy.
Appearance: Absolutely will cause mouth to water.
Expense: This is where this recipe falls from perfection. The all-butter puff pastry that I bought was about $6 (however I have leftover), the goat cheese was about $4, and my basil and thyme plants are on the verge of death so I had to buy those herbs too at $3 a piece. Plus parmigiano reggiano and white wine are expensive pantry hitters too. So while this recipe isn't cheap, it is perfect for special occasions.
Pros: Besides the fact that I could eat this for lunch everyday for the rest of my life, it keeps well in the fridge and reheats in a 425 oven for 5 minutes beautifully.
Cons: The expense of the recipe is a definite con, but so worth it.
Would I make this again? Yes, a thousand times yes!! ;)

Note: Use all-butter puff pastry if you use the frozen purchased kind, it tastes a million times better and is a million times better for your body than the hydrogenated oil laden kind. I've found all-butter puff pastry at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.

Tomato & Goat Cheese Tarts
Serves: 4
From Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

• 1 package (17.3 ounces/2 sheets) puff pastry, defrosted
• Good olive oil
• 4 cups thinly sliced yellow onions (2 large onions)
• 3 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons dry white wine
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
• 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, plus 2 ounces shaved with a vegetable peeler
• 4 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese (recommended: Montrachet)
• 1 large tomato, cut into 4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices
• 3 tablespoons julienned basil leaves

Unfold a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll it lightly to an 11 by 11-inch square. Using a 6-inch wide saucer or other round object as a guide, cut 2 circles from the sheet of puff pastry, discarding the scraps. Repeat with the second pastry sheet to make 4 circles in all. Place the pastry circles on 2 sheet pans lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium to low heat and add the onions and garlic. Saute for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are limp and there is almost no moisture remaining in the skillet. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the wine, and thyme and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned. Remove from the heat.

Using a sharp paring knife, score a 1/4-inch-wide border around each pastry circle. Prick the pastry inside the score lines with the tines of a fork and sprinkle a tablespoon of grated Parmesan on each round, staying inside the scored border.

Place 1/4 of the onion mixture on each circle, again staying within the scored edge. Crumble 1 ounce of goat cheese on top of the onions. Place a slice of tomato in the center of each tart. Brush the tomato lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with basil, salt, and pepper. Finally, scatter 4 or 5 shards of Parmesan on each tart.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. The bottom sheet pan may need an extra few minutes in the oven. Serve hot or warm.

Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes

Until making these cookies and cream cheesecake cupcakes, with an Oreo on bottom, I hadn't eaten an Oreo since I was a kid. This recipe not only brought back chocolatey childhood memories but also reminded me of how much I like Oreos. I didn't think I liked them that much now that my palate has, ahem, matured, but I was wrong. Very wrong. And I also realized that it is very dangerous to not only make these cupcakes but to have a package of Oreos in the pantry. As I write this post the cupcakes have been long eaten and gone which is making me very sad. Looks like I'm off to the store to buy some Oreos...

Recipe rundown:
Taste: The combination of cookies and cream is a near perfect pair.
Texture: The Oreo cookie on the bottom of each cupcake and the Oreo bits suspended inside creamy sweet cream cheese goodness are the best part of this treat.
Ease: Easy!
Appearance: Cute, unique. May cause mouth to water.
Expense: Less than $5 for me.
Pros: These kept well in the fridge for several days.
Cons: This recipe reminded me of how much I like Oreos. Uh oh.
Would I make this again? Yes, most definitely.


Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes
From Martha Stewart's Cupcakes
Makes 30 (Note: I halved this recipe and it was very easy, 30 of these cupcakes would surely be the death of me)

• Ingredients:
• 42 cream-filled sandwich cookies, such as Oreos, 30 left whole, and 12 coarsely chopped
• 2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 cup sour cream
• Pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.

2. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla.

3. Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

4. Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

Whole Wheat Pancakes with Strawberry Sauce

I know that Valentine's day is a corny "holiday" and its even worse if you're single. But I realized when I was editing this photo of the stack of heart-shaped pancakes with pinky red strawberry sauce that these pancakes will work if you're making them for your sweetheart or for yourself on one of the most lonely days of the year. Because depending on your point of view, these could either look like the perfect breakfast treat for your Valentine, or a strawberry sauce-bleeding broken heart if you're single. Either way they're cute, sweet, and healthy. What more could you ask for in a breakfast in bed? Or in a bitter reminder that you're without a Valentine this year.

Recipe rundown:
Taste: Mildly sweet so you don't feel guilty for inducing a sugar coma before 11a.m..
Texture: Surprisingly tender for being whole-wheat.
Ease: Easy-peasy
Appearance: One of the cutest things I've ever made. Got to love V-day.
Expense: For me the only thing I had to buy was frozen strawberries so it ended up being less than $5.
Pros: You can double the strawberry sauce recipe for all kinds of morning goodies.
Cons: I tend to like the crisp edges of pancakes so when you cut them into heart shapes it cuts off my favorite part. Good thing I don't have to make them heart shaped.
Would I make this again? Yes

Heart-Shaped Whole Wheat Pancakes
Adapted from Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave
Yield: 4 servings

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup non-fat milk
  
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• Strawberry sauce, recipe follows
• Confectioners' sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Preheat a large nonstick griddle or skillet over a medium-low flame.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour through salt). In another medium bowl, beat together the eggs, buttermilk, non-fat milk, honey and vanilla.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing only enough to combine them. The batter will be somewhat lumpy.

Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to ladle the batter onto the griddle or skillet. Flip the pancake when the top is bubbling and it is golden brown on the bottom. Then cook until the other side is golden brown. Hold on an oven proof plate in the oven until the entire batch is ready. If heart shape is desired, when all the pancakes are ready, cut them into heart shapes with a heart shaped cookie cutter. Ladle about 1/3 cup of the strawberry sauce onto each plate, place pancakes on top and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if using.

Strawberry Sauce
Yield: 4 servings (serving size about 1/3 cup)

• 16 ounces strawberries, fresh or frozen (unsweetened, thawed)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Puree strawberries to a chunky puree. Heat them in a small saucepan over a low flame, until they are just warm. Stir in lemon juice and maple syrup.

Indian Chicken Curry

My first memories of Indian food were when I was young and my parents would meet up during their lunch breaks from work at an Indian restaurant that served a lunch buffet. Most of the time I would be in school but occasionally if I had a half-day or during a school break they would bring me along. The first time I tasted Indian food I was too young to really appreciate the depth of spices and flavors so unlike anything I had ever tasted before. I can remember thinking that Indian people must find American food so boring and bland. Most of the food was too spicy for me but I loved loved loved the garlic naan bread. Every year that has passed since that first taste of curry, cumin, and garam masala I've grown to enjoy the unique and complex flavors that symbolizes Indian cuisine. And it makes me think that it really is a shame that Indian cuisine isn't more popular here in the U.S., especially Arizona.

Although I'm a fan of Indian food, this was my first attempt at cooking it myself. I hadn't tried sooner because I tend to think of eating Indian as a kind of special occasion (although Trader Joe's does have some fabulous Indian options in the freezer section) and also the thought of all those different spices and methods seemed daunting. When I saw this recipe for Indian Chicken Curry on Cooking for Seven I was surprised by how easy it seemed. Erica doubled the recipe which I actually found useful since I wanted to freeze some of the curry for those nights I work late and am too tired to cook.

Recipe rundown:
Taste: It wasn't what I was expecting, probably because of the coconut. For that reason I think I might test some more curry recipes to see if I can find something I like better.
Texture: Creamy, tender, and the rice adds a nice bite.
Ease: There's quite a few ingredients but only a handful of steps.
Appearance: Curry just isn't very cute.
Expense: For me this dish ended up being expensive because I had to purchase nearly all the spices since I didn't have any. Other than that it is affordable.
Pros: There was plenty leftover to freeze for later use.
Cons: The curry turned my wooden spoon yellow! Next time I'm using a silicone spoon.
Would I make this again? Maybe, I've got a whole slew of recipes to try now that I've finally braved Indian cuisine.

Indian Chicken Curry with Jeera (cumin rice)

From Cooking for Seven and All Recipes

• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I prefer to leave out the cinnamon)
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
• 1 teaspoon sweetener of choice (I like maple syrup)
• salt to taste
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups plain yogurt
• 1-1/2 cups coconut milk
• 1 lemon, juiced
  
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1) Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until lightly browned. Stir in garlic, curry powder, cinnamon (if using) paprika, bay leaf, ginger, sweetener and salt. Continue stirring for 2 minutes.

2) Add chicken pieces, tomato paste, yogurt, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and cayenne pepper and remove bay leaf. Serve immediately.

Jeera (Cumin Rice)

Also from All Recipes

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 cups dry jasmine rice
• 3-1/2 cups water
• salt to taste

1) Heat the oil in a medium size saucepan over a medium-high heat. Drop in the cumin seeds, and cook until they splutter. Do not allow the cumin seeds to burn or become really dark brown in color. Add the rice and fry it in the oil for about 1 minute.

2) Add the water and salt and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover the saucepan. Cook the rice for approximately 15 minutes. If you feel the rice is getting burnt near the base of the pan as it cooks, one trick is to place the saucepan on another flat pan or griddle which is directly on the flame. Toss with a fork.