Cinnamon Peach Tartlets

A friend went apple picking in the beginning of the fall and surprised me with a great harvest to bake up. First, we made a great apple maple tart then we are worked with the peaches. I never knew that you could pick peaches in the fall (disclaimer...this was baked months ago - I am a bit behind on my blogging!). This ended up in a major discussion about crumbles and crisps and cobblers. There are small differences between some of these desserts though in general the idea is the same - some sort of crust with fruit. We decided to just stay simple and avoid some of the extra sugar and crust, as delicious as they can be, to show off the natural taste of the local fruit.

This crust for this tart is the same pate brisse that I often use - its delicious, simple and I know it by heart. What more can you ask of a crust?

Toss fresh sliced peaches in cinnamon and sugar to coat
Set aside for 20 -30 minutes to break down
Place into mini tart shells and bake for 25 min at 425 F

Eggplant Cups

Let me share one of my favorite money saving ideas.....hosting a dinner in can be less expensive than paying your share of the bill at a restaurant. Add in the comfort of a casual dinner spread over a few hours at our home compared to being rushed out of your table, the awkward moments of how to split the check and then the early goodbyes to go home our separate ways and dining at home wins in so many ways. This is especially true when you have friends who are willing to do dishes since the clean up is absolutely my least favorite part of hosting! So many thank you go to all my awesome friend who don't hesitate to grab an apron and get scrubbing.

I am an avid reader of SmittenKitchen blog and I was super excited to see her post on the feature in Everyday Food , one of my favorite Martha publications. I loved her creative use of eggplant as a little shell to "stuff" - you know my love of stuffing veggies and eggplant isn't going to escape. I didn't really follow her recipe exactly - its a bit past fresh tomato season and well I forgot mint at the store (at least remembered parsley for my chicken roasting/soup making later this week) but I want to give some credit to the inspiration for tonight's dinner. I served these eggplant cups alongside some grilled steak tips (a cut that I NEVER see in NJ but grew up loving in New England!) and roasted zucchini.

An Amazing Detour: Burdick Chocolates and a look back at summer 2011

Even though summer is now past I can't help but look back on some of the amazing adventures we had. If I had been a good blogger, you would know all about them but alas my blogging skills, especially in the summer months leave something to be desired! Our summer started out with an amazing trip to Stockholm, Sweden. We had many fun adventures including eating a luxurious traditional Swedish Smorgasbord at the Opera Cafe (a cafe/nightclub on the grounds of the Opera house). Unfortunately while it was quite beautiful inside, it seems that our tastes are not as fond of traditional Swedish cuisine as we might have hoped.

This summer also involved many different weddings. We saw 4 different friends (well 8 technically!) married this summer and each wedding was so different and unique. I am amazed that I could go to four wedding not see one repeating element ... all of brides even walked down the aisle to a different song! take that Wagner.

It was on the way to one of these weddings that we took a little detour to a small New Hampshire town and spent a lunch at L.A. Burdicks How did we find this little gem? Unfortunately I don't have a romantic story of us antiquing through the small towns of Vermont and New Hampshire and randomly stumbling upon a quaint town with this cafe (though the town and cafe were adorable!).... in fact I don't think that I have stumbled accidentally upon anything in the past few years. In this age of technology and iphones, I did what any self-respecting foodie in a foreign land (haha I don't know if a state 3 hours drive is exactly foreign but stay with me here) would do... I googled it! When I saw that Burdick's was mentioned in three different Chowhound.com posts (and it was only 3 exits away!) I was sold (and hungry).

We arrived at a bit of an odd hour between lunch and dinner so we had the place almost all to ourselves. The pending Hurricane Irene made the quiet sleepy town even more so as most people busied themselves at the supermarket collecting water and batteries to prepare for this 100- year storm that was on track to punish New England. As the hostess called to warn those with Sunday Brunch reservations to call first in case they lost power, we sat savoring one of the most decadent mochas of all time. From the oozing, gooey, cheesy crust on the French onion soup to the freshly made salads, we very much enjoyed our visit to Burdicks. But the best part of the meal came with the check... these adorable little penguins, a Burdick trademark made paying the check a bit sweeter (along with their mice...made of chocolate of course!) After that small sample, we couldn't help taking a trip to the adjoining chocolate shop and grabbing a few chocolatey little friends to join us on the rest of our adventure.

Fresh Basil "Chimichurri"

When your trusty basil plant keeps producing fragrant green leaves night after night it can sometimes seem hard to keep up. Pesto sauce gets a little boring - try this Latin spin that is based on a Chimichurri.

Blend together basil, 1/2 c olive oil, 3 garlic gloves, 1 tsp crushed red pepper and a squeeze of lemon to make it extra fresh. Serve on top of any grilled meat or vegetable.

Fried Soft Shell Crab

Soft Shell crabs aren't always at my local store - the season is actually quite short so when I see them I am sure to pick them up. Even though frying something can be a bit messy there is just no better way to enjoy these delicious treats. I love using a spiced up crumb to coat the crab with a crunchy shell. This recipe is actually quite easy and frying doesn't have to be scary and mess - you can use a very small amount when you are making something as small as a few crabs or shrimp. No need for a huge pan full of oil for these!

We enjoyed them on a bed of matchstick vegetables with black sesame seeds, soy and ginger. We made our breading out of cornmeal with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and fresh ground pepper.

Mediterranean Pepper Steak

Steak sandwiches are one of the most classic hot sandwiches....and probably one of my most craved! I don't think that has ever been a sandwich shop that I have visited that I didn't contemplate ordering one -but usually I end up with a salad instead. My favorite pepper steak still is my grandfathers - I don't know how he made it - just sandwich steaks with salt and pepper and a slice of cheese but they were just so good that 20 years later I still can't forget them. This sandwich isn't like that though...No surprise I decided to do things my own way and went in a different direction using a bunch of veggies & tomato salad to brighten things up.

Meditteranean Pepper Steak
1 lb flank steak
1 red bell pepper - sliced
1 green bell pepper - sliced
1/2 cherry bomb pepper - finely diced
1 frying pepper - sliced
1 red onion - sliced
10 mushrooms - sliced
olive oil
salt & pepper

Tomato Salad
sliced cheese(we used american but swiss or mozz would be nice too)
Trader Joe's Middle Eastern Flatbreads

1) Season the meat with salt and pepper and place on hot grill pan
2) In a separate pan, heat oil with onions then peppers and finally mushrooms.
3) Once steak is medium remove from heat and rest
4) Lightly grill the pita before lining with cheese 
5) Slice steak on the bias and add to sandwich - top with veggies and top with tomato salad

Tomatoes - two ways!

I love shopping at the Farmer's Market but at times it can be a little expensive so I am always looking for a deal. A few weeks ago, I notice that my normal farmer had bags of about 6 large tomatoes on sale for $3. Normally these tomatoes are close to $3 each (since they are almost a pound each!) but since they were already nice and ripe they had them on "clearance". I was able to find a bunch that wasn't over-ripe and since I was going to use them right away anyways I was happy to buy them ripe and ready to use.

One of my favorite meals in summer time is tomato salads. There is nothing so simple and perfect but dependent on the ingredients. Tomatoes are something that still really only taste right in the summer. One bite of a fresh summer tomato is enough to make me want to swear off all of the super market varieties that range from acceptable to almost orange and mealy! But unfortunately, winter will be back soon enough and there will be 8 months worth of salads that rely on these sad tomato like substances!

The first variation is a traditional Italian tomato salad. This is an easy side that is welcome at my dinner table any night. It is best when you make it in advance and give it some time in the fridge to meld together. This is a simple mix of diced tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, fresh basil and some salt and pepper. If you want to turn it up a little a splash of balsamic can also be added. Or some fresh mozzarella to turn it into a Caprese Salad.

The second is more of a chunky salsa using the fresh flavors of Mexican cooking. For this version, I rough chopped the tomatoes with some red onion, green bell pepper, garlic, lime, cilantro and of course olive oil,  salt and pepper. These flavors are naturals with the sweet ripe tomato and the addition of some hot peppers (I used a jalapeno and a cherry bomb) kicks this up to another level. Make sure you are careful with the hot peppers though and use caution when chopping and with your hands after as the oil from the peppers can remain on hands for some time. 

Cannelli Bean Stuffed Mushrooms

I just love to stuff vegetables. They come in so many cute sizes and shapes and they make for a perfect individual serving. Usually there is some grain in stuffing - commonly breadcrumbs or rice but I have used a few quinoa alternatives as well as grain free stuffing. This dinner uses a white beans as the base of the stuffing which is a protein packed way to get all your nutrients in. I love mixing the beans with fresh herbs and citrus to give it a bigger punch of flavor. This recipe is very simple and easy and can be adapted for other vegetables. I served the mushrooms on a simple salad- they can be made in advance and packed up for a quick meal. 

Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Cap 
4 large mushroom caps - gills and stem removed 
1 zucchini - diced
1 yellow pepper - diced 
1/2 onion - diced 
1 c parsley - freshly chopped
1 can canellini beans - strained and rinsed 
1 c feta cheese 
juice of 1 lemon 
2 garlic cloves - diced
salt & pepper
olive oil


1) Coat the mushroom caps with olive oil and season with salt & pepper - place in a hot pan
2) When liquid starts to seep out of the cap remove from the heat 
3) Add oil to pan, heat oil 
4) Saute garlic then add onions and peppers.
5) Once softened add beans and the zucchini 
6) After a few minutes remove from heat and stir in parsley, feta, lemon juice and season with salt & pepper
7) Place mushrooms back into pan and add a spoon full of topping, cover and heat on medium for 5-7 min until cheese is melted and herbs softened
8) Carefully remove from pan with spatula - can be served hot or cold

Hoboken Sandwich Tour

Hoboken, NJ might now be best known for its cakes as the home of Carlo’s Bakery where “Cake Boss” is filmed. However, it was once famous for the bread bakeries that provided its Italian residents with a fresh loaf each day. In my opinion, if you have fresh bread then you are more than half way to a delicious sandwich! From all of the different bakeries come different loaves, each with its own sandwich following.  And I can't wait to check out all of the different versions of these classic subs.

 From Lto R: Fiore's Italian Combo and Roast Beef & Mozz, Park & Sixth's Park & Sixth and All-Star

 My friend Tim has lived in Hoboken for a while now and decided to host this taste test so that we could all try some of Hoboken’s finest. We tried two sandwiches from each shop and rated them from 1 to 5, with 5 being the perfect sandwich - bread, meat and cheese all delicious and in the perfect ratio. Technically, Park & Sixth closed their Hoboken location but because the sandwiches were such favorites we brought takeout from the Jersey City store which is near our apartment .

 Piccolo's CheeseSteak

Sausage Stuffed 8 ball zucchini

You might remember a similar post last year where I stuffed these adorable 8 ball zucchini with tomato basil quinoa. This year I have gone for a heartier version and used sausage (squeezed out of the casing) for the stuffing. I didn't use any grains but I think that rice would be a perfect addition to this dish if you would like to have a starch. These little squash aren't around for long - I only see them at the farmer's market for a few weeks each year but I can't pass them up! If you can't find 8 ball squash you can always use green squash with the center hollowed out a bit to make a "canoe". 

 

In case you haven't been experiencing the ridiculous heat that has been all over the east coast, let me fill you in - putting on the stove in my house this month is just not allowed...PERIOD! This means that my big hopes for my triumphant blog return have been delayed a bit since no stove means no cooking which means no dinners to post about! The best thing about this recipe is that I figured out a way to make these without having to use the oven! Yes, you do need to use the stove top but technically you could make these on the grill. Imagine what your guests will say when you take these adorable little sausage stuffed zucchini out instead of a big juicy steak? OK maybe you should warn them first because while they are delicious...a giant steak should never be messed with!