A Stack of Dishes

Something good is cooking...

sides

Summer Entertaining- Proscuitto, Melon Salad and Pinked Onion

by

August in Louisiana is never cool. This is my third summer traveling here in the height of the dog days. Last year the thermometer rose to 106˚, so I’m finding this years mere 97˚ a relief {uh…yeah, not so much}. I am sometimes asked how I manage this heat- and my answer is simple: Exactly how we manage the below freezing temps in NYC- you don’t hang out in it for long.
The amazing thing is folks here don’t really complain about the heat the way we complain about the cold up North. I suppose it’s the Southern grace and ease that is the reason for that. I mean, it’s not that people don’t mention it- they just don’t go on and on about it. Yep… it’s hot….
The hot days certainly do not slow down the socializing, and afternoon cocktails are high on the list of activities. Cool gin and tonics tinkle in glasses along with easy conversation and laughter. These days I am redesigning my kitchen for the imminent renovation. I am spending my days lugging tile samples, walking rows and rows of granite slabs and drooling over shiny appliances. At the end of the day- a cocktail sounds delightful.
The pretty salad I put together is a great snack to accompany any cocktail hour. Light and refreshing, slightly salty, and tangy, and a breeze to throw together. Just a little nosh to abate the afternoon hungries without spoiling ones appetite for dinner.
Soaking thinly sliced red onions in lemon juice for a bit turns them a gorgeous bright hot pink color, and mellows out the bite too. These three parts meld together beautifully- I hope you enjoy!!
Proscuitto, Melon Salad and Pinked Onions
serves 6
 
8 oz best quality proscuitto
half of a ripe honeydew melon cut into small chunks
.5c fresh mint, minced
2 limes, zested and juiced
1 med red onion thinly sliced
.5 c olive oil
 
Combine juice of limes in a small bowl and add onion slices. Allow to sit for approx 30 mins until they turn a bright gorgeous pink.
 
toss together melon, zest and lime juice after the marinating is done and drizzle olive oil on top. Add a splash of cracked pepper here, if that appeals to you.
 
Arrange the melon, proscuitto and onions on a serving platter. 
 
Keep cold until serving.
 
 
 

 

Summer Tomato Tart Tatin

by

Were coming into the summer bounty of tomatoes, my favorite time of the year. This tart tatin is a welcome relief from the trays of tomato mozzarella salads, and yet, still a light and delicious way to enjoy summer’s bounty. The vinegar and sugar in this dish, along with the roasting, brings out a different layer of flavors in the tomatoes, causing them to intensify and sweeten into such goodness.
This dish is also one of those dishes that will generate oohs and ahhhs when presented to the table, but is unabashedly and devilishly simple to make. The tart tatin also comes together so quickly that you can run up off the beach and throw this into the oven. By the time sandy feet, and sun-screened skin are rinsed and dried, your beautiful tarts are ready to be flipped onto a serving dish and placed on the table.
When I made this recently for a luncheon I made two. While the first was in the oven finishing off, I readied the second. It only takes a few minutes to bake off the tart, so as  the first came out, in went round two. The tart tatins are best straight out of the oven. The liquor from the tomatoes soaks the pastry, making it saturated and divine, but left too long it becomes soggy and it loses it’s edge. This is not a good dish to make the day before, unfortunately.
If you want to prep ahead you can roll out and cut your pastry to size and leave on wax paper, parchment, or in between layers of saran, and then drop it on top of your pan when you’re ready to go. It really comes together very quickly, and this way you can keep a cleaner counter.
Serve this with a garden salad, or even top off with some feta cheese if you want a dish with a little more heft. Definitely serve with a crisp white wine.
Summer Tomato Tart Tatin
serves two generously
 
2T unsalted butter
1T white vinegar
2t brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 large fistfuls of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
one sheet of prepared puff pastry
 
Preheat oven to 425˚
 
In an 8″ (preferably nonstick) frying pan, melt the butter. Add the vinegar, sugar, garlic and thyme and cook over moderate heat for 2-3 mins until thickened.
 
Place tomatoes, cut side down into the thickened sauce, making the grouping as tight as possible.
 
Roll out the puff pastry and cut a circle 9″ in diameter. Place on top of the tomatoes.
 
Pop the works into the hot oven and allow to bake until brown and puffed up. Approximately 15 mins.
 
Remove from the oven and allow to sit for one minute.
 
Place a plate on top of the pan and invert the tatin onto the plate.
 
Serve immediately.
 
Viva Summer!!
 
 
 

 

Fresh Goat Milk Ricotta Ruby Beet Salad

by

Fresh made Goat Milk Ricotta with ruby beets and pistachios

A little disclosure is that I would really love to learn how to make cheese. It’s probably the mad scientist in me, but there is something about the alchemy of it all that is just fascinating. My friend Cathy Wheelbarrow-you may know her as Mrs. Wheelbarrow– taught just such a class this past weekend in DC.  Together this class made all of my favorites: Ricotta, creme fraiche, fresh chèvre and fresh mozzarella. Though aged cheeses are intriguing, a girl could keep herself pretty busy with these.
It’s no secret by now I can get into making ricotta at home. It’s pretty simple and I find it so remarkably rewarding. Though this past week I found myself wondering how goat milk ricotta would taste. Would the tang play though, or does it need aging?
This brought back to mind a trip that my family took one wintery weekend when I was a kid of about 9 or so. Some friends of the family had chosen to escape the corporate rat race and bought a goat farm up in Rheinbeck, New York. They lived in a rickety, drafty, old house warmed by wood stoves that was back into the woods down a winding country road. It was all so beautiful except for the frosty air that hit us when we climbed out from under piles of quilts the next morning. Shivering at the breakfast table all bleary eyed, we were given mugs of hot chocolate. In my house such things were for holidays and rarest of occasions, so this was a delight- until I took a sip. The taste was tart and sour and animal. Oh what a blow to my little girl expectations! When I pushed it away my Mother, in a sing songy voice said, “It’s fiiiiine, just go ahead and drink it petunia”- only later confessing it was made with milk from their goats.
So armed with this memory I decided to give it a try- and it turned out remarkably well. A little bit milder than I would have imagined, which turned out to be an asset. The result was a more delicate taste and an overall sense of lightness. The goat milk I had purchased from Whole Foods which came pasteurized and boxed. The next time I might venture down to the farmer’s market and try some fresh milk and compare the difference.
Fresh Goat Milk Ricotta and Ruby Beet Salad
 
1 qt goat milk
generous pinch of salt
2T fresh lemon juice
cheese cloth or a fine meshed strainer
 
roasted ruby beets, peeled
grated orange zest
fruity olive oil
chopped pistachios
S & P
 
 
Place the goat milk and salt in a heavy saucepan and gently bring to the boil.
 
Lower the heat and stir in the lemon juice. The curds will immediately begin to separate from the whey.
 
Gently simmer the ricotta for about 2 minutes, then strain though some cheese cloth or a fine meshed strainer. I have a yogurt strainer that I found somewhere that works like a charm. The whey is rich in nutrients and great tossed into a soup, if you’re compelled to do such things.
 
The longer the curds sit the dryer they will be, so you should go by personal preference on this. I let mine sit for about 3 minutes before transferring it into a container to store.
 
Let the curds come to room temperature on the counter and then store in the fridge. 
 
Use within the week.
The Ruby Beet salad is a simple combination of all the above listed ingredients. Drizzle the olive oil over with a nice pinch of coarse salt and a generous grind of black pepper.