Appreciating.....

It's been a bit of a week or 3. Here are just a few things I am appreciating today.

Experienced well drillers (yes, water from the ground) that can get lovely flowing water at 63 feet.




Gin....made in Deee-troit that helps immensely when you have no water.




Lipstick and pearls, helping women accept birthdays that feel somewhat less than celebratory. That Coco was brilliant.




Bugs and flower bulbs, maybe spring is really here after an extremely challenging winter.






Little dogs....Making life better everyday.

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Zucchini Fritters

Usually we have a few sprigs of fresh greens showing up at our farmers market by now, but the worst winter in a hundred plus years is keeping most everything still brown this year. I was so desperate I purchased some little zucchini. I wasn't really sure what I would make but had a day to decide.

I ran across a zucchini fritter recipe that was bland and green as most of them are that I've tried in the past. I came upon a recipe in a newish cookbook called "The Cheesemongers Kitchen" for zucchini fritters that contained goat gouda and WOW are they ever fantastic!!

I changed a few elements from the original recipe to suit my tastes and desires for texture and flavors. My family and cooking class has all agreed we think this is a great recipe! I am enjoying now, but I am imagining how utterly amazing they will be in August.....when it's finally warm.

ZUCCHINI FRITTERS

2 medium zucchini, grated and squeezed dry
3 Tablespoons onion, finely chopped
4 ounces goat gouda, grated
Salt & pepper
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon sirarcha
1/4cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup flour

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until well mixed.
Heat a few tablespoonfuls of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When oil is hot, drop a couple tablespoonfuls of the zucchini mixture into a patty and cook until golden brown. You can do a few at a time, but don't crowd the pan. Turn carefully and brown on other side. Drain briefly on paper towel and serve immediately.

These are wonderful served up imstead of potatoes. Enjoy!




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posted from Bloggeroid

Victoria Sponge Cakes

My oldest daughter, Gina, has always been a bit England obsessed. Gina brought over a few of these magnificent Victoria Sponge Cakes recently and I'm slightly ashamed to say I didn't even think about sharing them. I also (with her generous permission) shared them at my cooking class and now we're all in love with chintz, Vitoria Sponge and a cuppa....

I made tiny ones for my future sister in law's bridal shower this weekend and can't help but sharing Gina's recipe via her blog. Enjoy!




Please visit Gina's blog for this recipe by following the link;
Www.thissideoftheatlantic.blogspot

posted from Bloggeroid

Spring Cocktails!

A few months ago, a friend asked me to host a Film Photography Festival of sorts at our market. It was an evening of art, photography and discussions about photography. I decided to create some fun vintage style cocktails that are wine based to get everyone in the spirit!

All of the wines I used are available through most independent retailers and are affordable to use as a mixer.

SPRING SANGRIA

1 quart fresh strawberries, chopped into small pieces
2 bottles New Age White wine
16 ounces Club Soda or more to taste
1 batch Basil Peppercorn simple syrup(recipe below)

Have all ingredients very cold. Add together and stir slightly. Taste and adjust sweetness with Club Soda. Serve immediately as wine will lose it's fizz within a few hours.

BASIL PEPPERCORN SIMPLE SYRUP
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
10 large fresh Basil leaves
20 Whole Peppercorns, any color

Place all in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes. Allow to cool and refrigerate up to 3 weeks.



KIR ROYALE

1/4 ounce Crème de Cassis (Black Currant liqueur)
2 1/4 ounces Champagne

Pour Crème de Cassis into a Champagne flute or wine glass and top off with Champagne. Now for real....even the cheapest Champagne will be in the $40/bottle range. I used Cremant from Bourgogne which is about $15 and fabulous. You could also use any BRUT sparkling wine. The liqueur is quite sweet, so you ant the dryness of the sparkling to add depth and layers of flavor. If you're looking for just a "Kir", you could use any non-oaked dry white wine.



L'AUNISIEN (MY WAY)

1/4 ounces Campari
1 1/4 ounces Pineau des Charantes white wine
2 ounces Champagne (see above notes on other sparkling options)

Pour Campari and Pineau des Charantes into a Champagne flute and top with Champagne. This has a beautiful salmon color to it and a refreshing hit of bitter orange. I love the layers of flavors as Pineau des Charantes is made with Cognac.

Weekly Inspiration

Just a few of the most charming things I've seen, tasted, been inspired by....

Lemon Lavender French Meringue Cookies with Pinneau des Charantes wine after supper.

A macaron packaging gift set; make you own tiny macarons and package it with pink sketched parchment paper, striped boxes, clear lids, tags and bright pink ribbon. Cutest damn thing ever....I purchased it at World Market and am going to get busy on the macarons. Cross your fingers for me, those suckers are elusive for me.

My newest obsession of blush patent leather and matte black leather handles. This handbag has a tablet pouch, zippers all the way to the bottom for easy access and a great embossed logo. I love it because I'm forever carting around wine catalogs, big cameras, all sorts of electronic devices and little dog leashes! Along with a great handbag comes a great quote I ran across years ago "Handbags; less calories than chocolate, cheaper than therapy!"

And this beauty that realized no one in this house can stand one more minute of winter and decided to blossom after being relegated to the orchid "graveyard"....thank you.

Quick, Easy, Real Food; Shrimp Pasta Primivera with wine pairings

Whipped after work? This is an extra easy weeknight supper (about 30 minutes) that seems fairly fancy for a Wednesday and delivers in taste! I change up the vegetables depending on what I have in the fridge, zucchini, peas, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes and even cubed butternut squash is fantastic! With such simple ingredients you really want to use the best ingredients that you can afford. Real Parmigianno-Reggiano is a must as is REAL heavy cream...you'll be happy, I promise! (In the photo I used red peppers, mushrooms and sundried tomatoes.) A sliced baguette and tiny side salad will round out this dish beautifully! Or throw together an antipasti plate of salame, castelveltrano olives and a few roasted almonds and nibble while you cook! I prefer Italian white wines with this dish; Gavi de Gavi and Grillo are 2 refreshing whites that are a bit different from the same old Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio. Gavi is heavier and Grillo is light and crispy, both are dry wines. If you're really feeling it, a Prosecco (dry, sparkling Italian white wine)would make this meal over the top!

Shrimp Pasta Primivera

1/2 pound angel hair pasta or spaghetti (Rustichella Whole Wheat Spaghetti is wonderful!)
2 generous handfuls fresh spinach
1 red pepper, seeded and sliced into ribbons
3 minced garlic cloves
3 whole sundried tomatoes
12 basil leaves, chopped
4 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
Salt & pepper
½ lb. fresh raw shrimp, peeled deveined and tail removed

In a large sauté pan, heat the butter over medium-high heat. When the butter is hot, add the garlic and red peppers and sauté 1 minute. Add the spinach and sundried tomatoes and sauté another 2 minutes, stirring often. 3 Pour in the chicken or vegetable broth and turn the heat to high to bring it to a boil. Add the cream and toss in all the vegetables. Stir to combine. Turn the heat down until the cream-chicken broth mixture is just simmering, not boiling.

In a medium saucepan, bring fresh water to a boil and cook shrimp until just pink. Drain and set aside.

Add the parmigiano reggiano cheese and stir to combine. If the sauce seems too thick, add some more chicken broth, cream or water. Add shrimp just to warm through.
Bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.

As soon as the pasta is done, transfer it with tongs into the sauce and stir to combine. Add the basil and adjust seasonings.

Tartiflette-Fancy name, easy delicious dish

As a "cheesemonger", I have a deep desire to make all famous cheese dishes. The cheese just begs me to create menus that make them even more fabulous! Tartiflette is just that dish. Traditionally made with Reblochon cheese from the Savoie region of France with onion, potatoes and lardons, tartiflette is basically a gratin dish with flair. Since lardons are nearly impossible to find in America and Reblochon cheese can often be bland, unripe, pasteurized versions of their French counterparts, I changed up my recipe to fit available ingredients with the best flavors. Not as traditional but absolutely fabulous and the best taste is really what I'm after!

I've given a few choices for cheese and used each of them to make Tartiflette. When shopping at your cheese shop, choose the ripest one for this dish. You'll want to pinch the cheese slightly and it should feel like pinching the fat place in your hand between thumb and first finger. A tiny bit firm in the middle surrounded by a nice squishy-ness....there, isn't that technical?

I also used fresh bacon that was not smoked. I found it at the local meat market and it is a great substitute for lardons.

TARTIFLETTE a la Boulevard Market

2 lbs. potatoes (I used Yukon Gold)
8 ounces lardons or bacon or unsmoked bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 shallots, cleaned and thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic
3 ounces dry white wine
7 ounces heavy cream
1 pound Reblochon, Tallegio or Pont l'eveque cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a saucepan, cover potatoes with water and boil for 15 minutes. Drain and remove skins, slice potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices.
In a saute pan over medium heat, melt butter and cook shallots until soft but not browned. Remove from pan and set aside. In same pan, fry bacon and garlic until just browned. Add onions back in and de-glaze pan with wine for a couple minutes. Season with salt & pepper and add heavy cream. Remove from heat.
Remove rind from cheese and cut into slices about 1/3 inch thick.
In a casserole dish, layer potatoes and bacon mixture and cheese in 2 layers topping with cheese. Bake 10-15 minutes until cheese is bubbling and golden brown.

Amazing and needs very little served with it besides a simple salad dressed with vinaigrette!