not from a cook book...

... so not checking a book off the list, but incredibly tasty none the less. soft organic baby romaine, prosciutto, and goat cheese encrusted in panko and then pan fried. all dressed in a mix of shallot, olive oil, red wine vinegar, with a dot of french mustard. man, i kinda want to have the same thing tomorrow night...

a project

i have a lot of recipe books. sometimes i might think too many, but i am going to just stick with a lot. one of the problems is that i have not made things out of a good number of them. so that is my new project, at least once a week i am going to choose a new recipe out of a different book, make it and share it. considering i have successfully made two such things over the past week and a half i guess i need to get caught up...

... and i will but first, i'm going to bitch for a second, i can be such an idiot. i bought myself a lovely little wedge of saint andre cheese and a crusty roll to have for lunch today. since the cheese needed to come back up to room temperature i had it sitting on a plate in my kitchen. of course i had the plate pushed all the way back towards the wall so that a certain 4 legged creature would not be tempted to stretch her tongue out onto my little treat. well you can see where this is headed, the call of the triple cream was just too strong and now i all i have is some crusty bread. well, some crusty bread and a very happy dog.

Ginger Peach Upside Down Cake

From Food and Wine Best of the Best, volume 9

For Topping

4 tbs unsalted butter

¼ c packed light brown sugar

2 c canned peach slices (in heavy syrup) drained and dried of excess moisture

2 tbs minced crystallized ginger

For Cake

1 1/3 c unbleached flour

1 ½ t baking powder

¼ t salt

½ t ground ginger

8 tbs butter

1 c sugar

2 large eggs

1 ½ t vanilla

½ c milk

Preheat the oven to 350

Melt butter in a round 9” pan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and cook, stirring, until smooth (about 3 mins). Remove from heat.

Arrange attractive circles out of the peach slices in the melted sugar mixture, making sure not to crowd them and keeping ¼ “ from the sides of the pan.

Sprinkle crystallized ginger over the peaches and set aside.

Wisk together first 4 cake ingredients in a small bowl.

In a large bowl use a hand mixer to beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. While continuing to beat mixture add eggs one at a time, then vanilla. On low add half the flour, then all of the milk, and finally remaining flour. Do not over beat.

Carefully and evenly distribute cake mix in the pan over the peaches.

Bake 40-45 minutes, until done. Cool for several minutes before inverting pan onto cooling rack and continuing to cool.

** I also made this using canned pears, which I might have actually preferred…

** Also a good idea to put a cookie sheet under the pan while baking in case any of the buttery goodness escapes (which it did for me).

a corner

inspired by the theme from thursday about work space i decided to post little corners of my house. and at the same time share the amazing flowers i received this week! practically the biggest bouquet i have ever seen i had to split them up so they would fit in anything.

huh...

the results of these things can be kinda creepy sometimes...

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are an Ingrid!

You are an Ingrid -- "I am unique"

Ingrids have sensitive feelings and are warm and perceptive.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Give me plenty of compliments. They mean a lot to me.


• * Be a supportive friend or partner. Help me to learn to love and value myself.


• * Respect me for my special gifts of intuition and vision.


• * Though I don't always want to be cheered up when I'm feeling melancholy, I sometimes like to have someone lighten me up a little.


• * Don't tell me I'm too sensitive or that I'm overreacting!

What I Like About Being an Ingrid

• * my ability to find meaning in life and to experience feeling at a deep level


• * my ability to establish warm connections with people


• * admiring what is noble, truthful, and beautiful in life


• * my creativity, intuition, and sense of humor


• * being unique and being seen as unique by others


• * having aesthetic sensibilities


• * being able to easily pick up the feelings of people around me

What's Hard About Being an Ingrid

• * experiencing dark moods of emptiness and despair


• * feelings of self-hatred and shame; believing I don't deserve to be loved


• * feeling guilty when I disappoint people


• * feeling hurt or attacked when someone misundertands me


• * expecting too much from myself and life


• * fearing being abandoned


• * obsessing over resentments


• * longing for what I don't have

Ingrids as Children Often

• * have active imaginations: play creatively alone or organize playmates in original games


• * are very sensitive


• * feel that they don't fit in


• * believe they are missing something that other people have


• * attach themselves to idealized teachers, heroes, artists, etc.


• * become antiauthoritarian or rebellious when criticized or not understood


• * feel lonely or abandoned (perhaps as a result of a death or their parents' divorce)

Ingrids as Parents

• * help their children become who they really are


• * support their children's creativity and originality


• * are good at helping their children get in touch with their feelings


• * are sometimes overly critical or overly protective


• * are usually very good with children if not too self-absorbed

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

yumm

i made this for dinner with my fictive sister and her family last month after a lovely excursion to the farmer's market by work. i had the recipe in mind but what sealed the deal was when i picked up a few beautiful bunches of leeks, tomatoes as sweet as candy, and a divine little tub of local goat cheese.

since i made this i have been meaning to put up the post but kept forgetting or getting distracted by other things, r.'s recent post reminded me and decided that today was the day. and how fortuitous since this thursday's theme is baked goods...

Fromiche aux poireaux (Belgian Leek Tart with Goat Cheese)

From bon appetit

Crust:

4 tbs of ice water (at least)

¾ t apple cider vinegar

1 ½ c unbleached all purpose flour

¾ t salt

½ c chilled unsalted butter (cut into ½” cubes)

Filling:

½ c whole milk

½ c heavy whipping cream

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

¼ t salt

½ c crumbled goat cheese

1 ½ c leek confit

Leek confit:

¼ c unsalted butter

4 large leeks (white and light green parts cut in half then into ¼” strips)

2 tbs water

½ t salt

To make confit:

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add leeks, stir to coat. Add water and salt. Cover, reduce to low and cook stirring constantly until leeks are tender, about 25 mins. Uncover 2-3 mins to evaporate off excess water.

To make crust:

Combine 4 tbs ice water and cider vinegar in small bowl. Blend flour and salt in processor. Add butter and pulse until crumbled into a small meal. While on add liquid to make moist clumps, if dry add more ice water.

Gather dough into a ball, then form into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

Allow dough to soften a bit, then roll out (be careful not to roll to thin like I did). Place in 9” tart pan with a removable bottom, line with foil and fill with pie weights or beans.

Bake on the middle rack of a 375 degree oven until dry , about 30 mins. Remove weight and foil. Continue to bake until golden then remove from oven and allow to cool while you prepare filling.

To make filling:

Whisk milk, cream, egg, yolk, and salt. Sprinkle half of the cheese over crust, then cover with the leeks. Top with the remaining cheese and then pour milk mixture over ( I also added sweet little grape tomatoes and shreds of basil before the milk mix).

Bake until filling has puffed, is golden , and center has set, 35-40 mins. Cool slightly on a rack then remove sides to pan.

Serve warm or at room temp.

from me garden...

inspired by joost elfers. author of one of my favorite books.

my little heater

dixie spent over a week hanging out at her brother's, and i am so happy to have her home again!

read this...

water for elephants by sara gruen. it makes me long for something, i am not quite sure what but definitely not a life on the circuit...

day 10.

i wish i were recuping on a beach somewhere... my toes are cold and would like the warmth of sand beneath them.