The Dog Days are Over

This week, summer has come in in full force. In Charlotte, the humidity has been oppressive and it has been just plain hot, with highs hitting the 90s almost everyday this week. On days like these,who feels like cooking? (Admittedly I still like steamers, hot chocolate, and hot tea in the summer, don’t judge.) But, I have to eat and I still want to eat well. So, here is the dilemma, stand over a hot stove sweating or stick with salads. But, alas, it doesn’t have to be this way! Although I have been on a smoothie kick lately (lots of super ripe peaches + blueberries +  yogurt= smoothie), I have also been obsessed with my host mom’s Eating Well cookbook. Herein was the answer. A meal that didn’t require much preparation or a long cooking time and wasn’t too heavy.

I discovered this recipe Monday, after realizing that I was starving. At 5:00 I felt confident in taking on rush hour traffic if it meant that I could get home to some nourishment. Needless to say, when I got back to the house, dinner was my first priority. I had picked up a beautiful purple Asian eggplant at the farmers’ market a few days before and thought there was a roasted veggie sandwich recipe I had seen in the Eating Well cookbook. I put my own spin on this sandwich and came up with one that I actually made again a few days later it was so good. It was still summery and light, using fresh produce but also substantial enough for a filling Meatless Monday dinner.

Roasted Eggplant Open-Faced Sandwich

Serves 1

1/3 Asian eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds

1/4 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 Laughing Cow wedge

Pinch of crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon each of chopped fresh oregano, basil, parsley

Two slices of good whole wheat bread

Combine eggplant, red bell pepper, olive, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Arrange on a baking sheet and put under the broiler. Once eggplant and red pepper slices are browned and tender, which takes about 10 minutes, remove from oven and let cool. Meanwhile, toast bread until lightly browned. Then, spread with Laughing Cow cheese and sprinkle with red pepper flakes, according to taste. Chop eggplant and roasted red pepper into 1/2 inch pieces and mix together. Spoon thismixture onto each sandwich half. Sprinkle with fresh herbs.

Enjoy!

Coming up soon: I will tell about my recent trips to several “Top 25” restaurants in Charlotte. Mouth watering pictures included!

Can You Spell Tradition?

Every family has traditions, many of which center around holidays and food. My family goes to the Christmas Eve service at church and then to my grandparents house for dinner every year. Each member of my family’s birthday is also treated like a special holiday. We all get up early on that special person’s birthday to open presents and have breakfast; also, birthday celebrations absolutely must last at least a week or two, getting together with both sides of the family, the immediate family, and friends. I also shared traditions with my friends in high school. We went to a certain restaurant that served a bucket of in-the-shell peanuts on every tables. Now, with some of my friends I make very regular visits to Summit (THE hip coffee shop in Davidson). It is obvious that many of the traditions I share with the people I love center around food. And, I’m not sad about it.

Well, Jerry and I have officially coined a new tradition. So far, our tradition is only two years strong. Although this tradition is still young, we have no plans of stopping it. This Saturday we went to the Taste of Charlotte, a food festival celebrating restaurants in Charlotte. There we met some of my fellow intern friends and ran into other Davidson students, making this year even more fun. Fun fact: last year we spotted Michael Jordan at the festival. This year, no celeb sightings but the weather was far better, perfect for a sundress or shorts and no need for an umbrella.

Jerry contemplating his next move on the giant Connect Four board. We have each played too many games of Connect Four for one of us to best the another. Although we tied, it was still fun.

There are always random fun things going on other than eating, like the man that escaped from a straight jacket laced with chains, a soulful jazz band playing on the corner, cooking demonstrations, or an over-sized Four Square board. Oh yeah, did I mention the free samples? There are plenty of those although most of the good stuff you have to buy with tokens. All food ranges from one to three tokens. Tokens are 15 for $20. Jerry and I have learned from last year and were able to both eat our fill (although we did take advantage of EVERY sample) with just one cup of tokens. This is cheaper than most of our meals and the atmosphere made it a great way to kick off the summer.

Here is a sample of what I got this year:

Masala Dosa (3 TOKENS) from Woodlands Indian Cuisine (thanks to Jerry for holding the plate, I am no good at juggling a camera, camera case, massive pocketbook, every coupon or brochure that I passed by, and a plate). This classic Indian dish had a bright yellow and well seasoned potato filling wrapped in the equivalent of a crispy Asian crepe. One sauce tasted as if it was a cauliflower puree and was very silky and cool, especially compared to the red sauce which was served hot and had more of that classic Indian spice that I love! Definitely a good choice.

Muffaletta Slider (2 TOKENS) with Almond Cheerwine Pudding(1 TOKEN) from e2 Emeril’s Eatery which utilizes local, seasonal food. The muffaletta was made with capicola, which lent a richness to the slider, and tangy olive tapenade to balance the meat and cheese. I have always wanted to try this Cajun classic and this was a good first experience. The almond Cheerwine pudding was a cute and delicious end to the meal. It played on the classic pairing of cherry and vanilla, while also incorporating North Carolina’s favorite soft drink. Great way to finish the night!

After our bellies were full, we just walked around uptown and visited our favorite Harris Teeter. It is a slightly more compact Harris Teeter because it is located uptown and it even has an upstairs (although I haven’t been up there since it is reserved for wine)! We got drinks (I found out that dark chocolate almond milk is quite tasty and something I want to drink more of) and continued our aimless wandering.

The day after the food festival, Jerry and I were talking about it when he said, “Can you spell tradition?” I knew what he was referring to but had never heard of that expression. I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying,  “Yes, T-R-A …” and instead agreed that we would most definitely have to go again next year. Here’s to new traditions!

Lime Tartlets

I am a cake person, plain and simple. If given a choice, I would choose cake (especially if it is carrot, hummingbird, or red velvet) over about any other dessert. I love the texture of cake, the different flavors of icing that can be paired with it, and how it can even be eaten for breakfast on your birthday or special occasions. I appreciate that cake is associated with weddings (I actually did a whole research paper on the evolution of wedding cakes and their cultural values) and birthdays, can be made in all different sizes and shapes, and is so fun to make. This cake is what Jerry and I devoured after we got engaged and Rainbow Chip takes me back to many birthday parties.

But, to each his own. Jerry’s favorite dessert is key lime pie (although there is definitely some overlap, red velvet cake is a shared love). Key lime pie is a dessert that his grandma makes for him, the first dessert that we ate together (if I am not mistaken, although we didn’t feed each other or anything romantic like that), and it is what he had on a trip to the Florida Keys, made with fresh, local key limes. For Jerry, I will eat pie instead of cake. I figured that after over two and a half years of being together, it was time that I make him key lime pie. I put a spin on his favorite treat using ingredients that I had on hand and surprised him with it. I basically looked at a lot of recipes and then just improvised.

RECIPE:


These last several years, my interest in baking and all things food related has intensified and I have made a lot of desserts. But, after trying one of these lime tartlets Jerry remarked that it is one of the best things I have ever made him. This comment really touched me. Needless to say, I was on Cloud 9 for the rest of the night. So, this post is for Jerry as he enjoys the rest of his tartlets and I try to find other ways to show him I love him as well as he shows me.

Let them eat pie! Enjoy!

Crème de la Crème

I am no expert in the French language. In fact, the pronunciations for this beautiful language totally elude me. However, I do know this one phrase, “Crème de la crème”. Literally translated it means “cream of the cream” but it less literally means “best of the best”. To me, the phrase sounds foreign and sophisticated, so every once in a while I might try to throw it into conversation. However, Saturday I made a dessert that truly embodied this phrase, it was the best of the best and one of the best desserts I have ever made.

Friday, I went strawberry picking for the first time with Jerry and his grandparents. I know, I know, why hadn’t I been before? I really don’t know but I am glad that I had the chance to the other day. It was an experience that left me with red, strawberry-stained hands, a full belly, and a further appreciation for where my food comes from.

 

Strawberries still on the vine

Ingram’s Strawberry Farm is a family-owned farm in High Point, North Carolina. You can pick your own strawberries (which is actually a bit cheaper) or buy already picked berries. They also have goats, cows, chickens, and honey bees. Visitors can see where hens lay their eggs and the inner workings of a beehive. The farm workers here are extremely friendly and seem to love what they do. Another plus, if you pick your own you can eat while you work.

Unfortunately, we went right after a rainy period and many of the strawberries were starting to rot on the vine. But, there were still plenty of plump, red strawberries waiting to be picked from rows marked with yellow flags (to let people know where to pick). We each filled up a full bucket with the sweet, red berries. Each one was juicy and my mom later said that it tasted as if they had been soaked in sugar. The natural sweetness of the warm berries fresh from the vine made them addicting and I couldn’t stop eating them! It gave a new meaning to local for me. It wasn’t just fruit that I bought from a farmer at the farmer’s market but it was farm to mouth, berries with dirt on them and we picked the “best of the best”. There was no packaging, pesticides, or shipping but pure delicious simplicity.

There was a tractor with an attached trailer that would take you to the rows to be picked and then back to the barn. A small family-run kitchen with strawberry-inspired and other fresh desserts, like cobbler and homemade ice cream. The cobbler was enough to entice anyone waiting to pay for strawberries to the eatery and outdoor dining area. Preserves and honey produced onsite were also for sale and looked nearly as good. It was refreshing to see honey without a label on the jar because it was just honey, from bees on the farm, and preserves with a small label just large enough to fit the several ingredients, not one of which is high fructose corn syrup, that it is made from.

Me picking strawberries

When we got home, I had a lot of very ripe strawberries. I thought that I could somehow incorporate them into a dessert but I have already made a freeform strawberry tart this season and from this experience I decided no pie crust for me (besides, pie isn’t my favorite). But, I have been wanting to make crème brûlée for a while. So, I thought, “Aha, crème brûlée with strawberries and fresh mint!” I just knew that it would be equally creamy and fresh. (The mint would come from my mom’s herb garden.) Shockingly, I don’t have a blow torch but I found several recipes that said that the broiler would do the same sugar crystallization . I tried a recipe from The Kitchn because I always like their recipes and they didn’t let me down this time either.

I had deeper ramekins so the recipe made three larger desserts. I had to watch the top of the dessert like a hawk . The broiler didn’t cook the tops very evenly and it was necessary to rotate the ramekins every minute or two. I think if I made this with any regularity I would invest in a blow torch; for the time being, probably not. I served them after only letting them sit for 5 minutes because I like a warm custard underneath. The top caramelized better than I thought and it was perfectly crisp when my spoon broke through the top. If you are feeling slightly ambitious, try this recipe and you won’t be disappointed.

Vanilla Almond Crème Brûlée

• 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

 

• 1/3 cup fine white sugar

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Whisk together egg yolks, then add the confectioner’s sugar and a pinch of salt and stir. Add the heavy cream and whisk until it becomes a light yellow. Pour mixture through a sieve into another bowl to strain out the lumps. Add the extracts and stir. Use a ladle to portion into 4 to 6 ramekins. Place ramekins into a baking dish and place in preheated oven. Pour 3 cups of boiling water into the pan, surrounding ramekins. Cooking times for the custard will vary depending on the size and depth of the ramekins. For shallower ramekins, the custard will take only about 30 minutes to cook but 50 minutes for those in deeper ramekins. (The custard should be wobbly but not liquid in the center when it is done. It will set up in the fridge.) Take ramekins out of pan. Allow to cool at room temperature for 5 minutes and then put in the refrigerator.

Only 40 minutes (at most) before you are ready to serve, take custards out of the refrigerator. Lightly dab the tops with a paper towel to remove the condensation. Sprinkle the tops with an even, light layer of sugar so the tops will brown evenly. Place in the oven (right on the rack, not in a baking dish) and turn on broiler. Rotate every one or two minutes to ensure that the top caramelizes and does not burn. Allow to broil for about 5 minutes. To serve, let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and eat slightly warm or put in the refrigerator for no more than 30 minutes (to ensure that the top remains crunchy). Optional: top with fresh berries and mint.

Vanilla almond crème brûlée with fresh strawberries and mint

Enjoy!

Black Velvet, Flaming Cheese, and Sweden

First of all, exams have not turned my brain to mush. However, I must gloat a bit to let you know that I am finished with my exam and big paper. This naturally leads into my excuse for not blogging in a while, finals. So, with my newly liberated brain I thought I would share with you some of the random things I have eaten while out and about the last two weeks.

Last week, I went to one of the only restaurants/bakeries around Davidson that I still hadn’t tried yet (it was initially a long list, but I get around). Black Velvet Patisserie is nestled in downtown Mooresville and is a quaint storefront. However, the glass case contains a wide variety of French and other baked goods. They have everything from several varieties of cake pops to handmade truffles to croissants. However, the dessert that called out to me was the “Lemon Brioche Doughnut”. Generally doughnuts aren’t my favorite thing, I like a lemon filled Krispy Kreme doughnut maybe once a year but it isn’t something I crave. This was not just a doughnut. For starters, it was baked. Then, the dusting of powdered sugar added to the divinity of the creampuff look-alike with a pale yellow filling and airy shell.

This is what the doughnut looked like after I had already taken a bite. Oops!

At first, I wasn’t sure to eat it with my hands like a regular doughnut or to take a more refined approach with a fork. The fork worked well, although the cream oozed out the sides (don’t worry I didn’t waste it). The filling was light and lemony, tasting like summer. The shell had lemon zest in it and was barely sweet to compliment the filling. It was definitely a good choice and reasonably priced at a just a little bit over $2 while the mini version was $1.50. This is definitely a place I would pay another visit!

The other night I went to Acropolis, a restaurant in Cornelius with Greek, Italian, and American dishes. Some people might be skeptical about the quality of the Greek food but I can attest that it is some of the best I have had (although I haven’t actually tried food in Greece). I decided to err away from my usual falafel with tons of tzatziki sauce on top. Instead, I tried a Greek salad made of cucumbers, pepperoncini, kalamata olives, cucumbers, and feta with a drizzle of olive oil. But, I couldn’t just eat a small salad so I also ordered this cheese appetizer under the Greek section (I only eat Greek when I go here because it is my favorite kind of food in the whole wide world).  It was called Saganaki which is Kasseri cheese pan-seared. This looked delicious when I spotted it approaching the table but then our waiter stopped, lit the plate of cheese and threw some alcohol on top to feed the fire, finishing the flaming spectacle with a squeeze of lemon. It was truly magical! I had expected some gooey cheese and pita to come to the table but was exhilarated when a performance came with the gooey cheese and pita. Needless to say, it was wonderful. You should definitely split this app the next time you go to a Greek restaurant. Here is a video of someone making this cheese dish.

My last random musing takes us to Sweden, or at least a big blue store that hails from that land and makes everyone want to live in Sweden because of how awesome it is. You guessed it, IKEA! This is one of those places that you should go if you haven’t and if you have then you are probably a fan. At least this is true in my experience. When I went the other day I signed up for a free IKEA card nut I didn’t find out its perks until we were eating lunch. I noticed that with the card customers can get a free tea or coffee every time they visit the store. Also, when you sign up for it you get a coupon for a free frozen yogurt. Tea and frozen yogurt, IKEA you have my business! After we had shopped, Jerry and I needed something for a snack. I wanted to use the coupon and virtually everyone that I had seen in the parking lot earlier was eating a cone of frozen yogurt, making me want some desperately, so frozen yogurt was on my brain. Jerry was after quantity in his snack, that full plate of meatballs and potatoes at lunch just wasn’t enough evidently. By the time we were done with our snack, the two of us had consumed three hotdogs, a cone of frozen yogurt, and a famous cinnamon roll. Just a snack, no big deal. And, we thought it was really funny that all of this together cost $2.50. I especially loved the high tables, modern hanging lamps, and pictures of Sweden in the eating area. The cinnamon roll was one that I had heard a lot about. It is truly hard to resist them based on smell alone. The food is positioned so that when you are checking out the cinnamon-y aroma bombards you, in a good way. Jerry and I split the cinnamon roll and we were pretty pleased by it. It was very warm, which is the first thing that I always notice and a good start. For a mass-produced cinnamon roll it was very good, however I would have liked a gooey-er filling and more icing. Overall, it was good but I probably like the lovely aroma of cinnamon and dough even better.

http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/IKEA_Food/bistro.html

Success!

The day has come that I can say I made a delicious loaf of whole wheat bread. I assure you that I am not meaning to brag or to “toot my own horn”. It is just that this seems like this day has been a long time in the making. Here is a brief recap of my history with whole wheat bread.

My first attempt was fairly successful but I have to admit that I didn’t do it by myself; I had help from our resident bread baker at the Eco-House and we made it in the bread machine. However, it was still a little bit dense and too misshapen for my liking. My next attempt is something that I can look back at and laugh but I think I might actually have cried when I first saw it (it had been a LONG day). It was a misshapen, dense brick. Literally, no rising had occurred. The jar labeled “YEAST” contained sugar. Seriously? Lesson: pay attention to your ingredients. Now I find it rather shameful that I didn’t even notice I was adding brown sugar instead of yeast. It was the strangest incarnation of “bread” I have ever had and I had to transform it into baked French toast to make it edible. My third and fourth attempts were decent and encouraging but I knew that I still had much room for improvement. They were solid but the bread was dense and a little bit dry. (This is a recurring theme with 100% whole wheat bread). I still had faith in this recipe but just thought that my technique could probably improve more. For example, I wasn't sure if the bread rose all the way because the kitchen, where I let the dough rise, wasn’t very warm. Yesterday, Food Club had a potluck and no one had volunteered to bring bread so I thought I would make some with our local whole wheat flour. Wednesday, I set about making the dough and decided that I would take some creative license with the recipe. In hindsight this really could have gone bad since I had already committed to bringing bread and I could have gotten unfortunate results. However, this time I made sure that the dough rose enough, both for the initial rise and the second rise after it was shaped and in the pan. Also, I used a different kind of sweetener. The molasses I used gave the bread a nice color and slight sweetness. I also used a tad bit less flour.

But, I am sure you would much rather hear about the results. The bread had beautiful holes from the yeast and was light. It wasn’t dry which is a nice change from bread that you have to choke down or wash down with a lot of water. Also, the recipe is easily doubled. Here is my recipe, adapted from the one above:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons molasses

3 1/3 cups whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast (or active dry mixed with the lukewarm water before adding to mixture)

Instructions:

Combine the ingredients in large bowl until a fairly wet, shaggy dough forms (you can do this with your hands or a spoon). Let the dough rest, covered for 20 minutes. Then, knead dough for 10 minutes. Allow to sit covered for 1 to 2 hours (or more if your kitchen is not warm).  When it is about doubled in size, gently deflate and shape the dough. Put shaped loaf in a greased 9x 5 loaf pan. Cover and allow to rise for 30 minutes to an hour (or more if it isn’t in a very warm place). Preheat oven to 350 degrees about 10 minutes before the hour is up. Bake for 35 minutes or until the top is brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.

Enjoy!

Blue: A Restaurant Review and My Quest for the Top 25

Several months ago, I discovered a Charlotte magazine article online that details the top 25 restaurants in Charlotte and the best dishes served at each. Instantly, I was hooked. For some reason I love eating at a restaurant or just going somewhere that I have heard or read about. I think it makes me feel in the loop. So, I added to my bucket list to eat at all 25 places.

I now have seven restaurants from the top 25 checked off. I think that is pretty good progress thus far. Granted, a few I went to based on recommendations from friends or other sources and then just happened to notice I could check them off the list. One trend I am happy to report is that several of them use local and sustainably raised meat and produce. I think that this attests to the growing amount of importance placed on this, and rightfully so, in my opinion. It also shows that Charlotte has some pretty great places to eat, you don’t have to go to New York or California to get inventive food from creative chefs who care about quality ingredients.

Thursday afternoon, I was able to see where I would be working this summer for my internship and given a tour of the agency. It was really useful and got me so excited about this summer! I know that God has some very challenging but great things in store for me. Since I was in Charlotte anyway, Jerry and I agreed to meet for dinner. Little did I know that he had made a reservation at Blue, a restaurant that I have been dying to try (and also one of the Top 25).

The interior was beautiful and surprise, surprise there were hints of blue. Wavy lines adorned the walls and soft colors permeated the restaurant, making it a relaxing but elegant atmosphere. Our waitress was very friendly and helpful and I treasured the man that kept refilling our water (I drink my weight in water at a restaurant). The valet service was also a great plus. It’s free and then you don’t have to worry about parking in a sketchy or far away parking deck.

However, my main hardship was that it very hard to pick what I wanted from the menu. Blue serves Mediterranean food and Mediterranean, specifically Greek, food is my very favorite kind of food. Finally, I settled on an appetizer and a mid course. I chose the jumbo diver scallops (served over a fava bean puree with a lemon marmalade), which won Taste of the Nation Best Hot Appetizer, and the Flavors of the Mediterranean (with excellent baba ganoush, hummus, olives, dolmades, peppadews stuffed with goat cheese, white bean salad, and warm pita bread). Both were amazing! I would definitely order both again. The Mediterranean sampler was huge, Jerry and I easily split it. And, the complimentary bread must not be left out of the equation. They served big hunks of warm bread, both focaccia with cheese baked into the top and a cinnamon raisin walnut bread (I think). The two were very different, crunchy and salty versus soft and sweet. The focaccia was elevated by the housemade olive butter (kalamata olives mixed with butter). For the main course, my scallops were presented beautifully and although there were only two it was just the right portion (it was only an appetizer) since each scallop was about 4-5 bites big. I could definitely understand how it won such an award. Finally, Jerry and I agreed to split dessert. After much debate about which one to order, we picked the pumpkin cheesecake with white chocolate croquant, praline syrup and a praline crisp on top. It had warm pumpkin and cinnamon flavors and was very homey tasting. It was a great way to finish the meal.

The pumpkin cheesecake, above, was delicious and beautiful. (This is an edited version of the picture, though, meant to look kind of artsy so don’t think it is totally true to life.)

Side note: Wednesday I was lucky enough to go to Savor Café, also in Charlotte and on the Top 25 list. I tried the pad thai, which I was warned was not like any same old, same old pad thai but the noodles were covered in a spicy thai curry sauce made with coconut milk. I got the Asian veggies instead of chicken or shrimp on mine. I am a coconut hater but I loved this dish! The veggies were cooked perfectly and the sauce was a little sweet with a strong curry flavor and kick. It was quite a mound of noodles though; I took home half as leftovers. On the Top 25 list, it recommends several dishes/drinks (which are not really options to me being a pescatarian and under 21), but it does suggest to try their dessert. They are evidently best known for their banana pudding and cobbler although dessert specials change daily. The banana pudding might look slightly foreign to a born and raised Southerner at first, but all the components are there, the thick and creamy banana pudding, Nilla Wafers, and banana slices (the toasted meringue is just the cherry on top, so to speak).

Some favorites from Savor:

 

You could get the butterscotch bread pudding (pictured left), but the banana pudding is what they are known for and, although our table’s opinions were split, this is the better option. The swirl of the toasted meringue tops off the creamy banana pudding with just enough airiness and a hint of salt (pictured right).

Enjoy!