Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

I love lemon poppy seed.  Love.  Just hearing the phrase and I get a bit giddy.  Our wedding cake was lemon poppy seed, so I suppose it will always have a special place in my heart.  We went on a tour of some wineries over the weekend with a group of friends and I thought these muffins would be the perfect treat for the drive down. This recipe is a total winner, it's one of those low-maintenance, fool-proof recipes that I will keep in my mental favorites file.  No stand mixer, just a bowl and a whisk, no waiting for butter to come to room temperature, oh, I could gush over this recipe for a while.  All thanks to the food blogger whose site I stumbled upon, and check out this recipe for a lemon poppy seed cake with a blueberry glaze, yum .  I adapted the recipe slightly, I wanted less sugar in it and though my lemons were killer juicy, the zest just wasn't top notch - you know when it's more of a pale yellow and doesn't have an intense enough smell?  So, I added some orange zest which I loved in the recipe. 

The recipe indicated it makes about 14-16 muffins, but I somehow made 24

adapted from the original recipe, from Joy, the Baker

2 1/2 c flour

1 1/4 c sugar 

1 T baking soda

1 1/3 canola oil (I know, it's a lot, but don't question it)

2 lemons, juice and zest (add orange zest if you wish)

1 c buttermilk

2 eggs

1 T vanilla extract

2 T poppy seeds (these were found with the spices at my local grocery store)

Preheat oven to 350.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar and baking soda.  In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla as well as lemon juice and zest.  Add wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until combined.  Stir in poppy seeds (ohh the batter looks so pretty at this stage).  With an ice cream scoop, fill lined muffin pan with batter (half way to top).  Bake for about 15 minutes.

Baba Ghanoush

This eggplant of mine was really giving me a dirty look this week.  It had been sitting around for days, and I just knew it was thinking "um, excuse me, have you forgotten me?  Why haven't you sauteed me or roasted me or done something, anything worthy of my lovely self?".  I wanted it to shut up so I quickly threw it in the oven to roast.  As it sat in there, heating itself slowly to a soft, wrinkled state, I thought about what to do with it and settled quickly on baba ghanoush.  I've never made it before but it seemed like an appropriate thing to make to pair with some hummus I was going to serve friends.  I didn't follow a recipe, but looked a few up to see what ingredients to throw in.  I wasn't going to measure.  Baba ghanoush seems like the kind of spread that would scoff at measurements.  I will say, David Lebovitz's recipes are always rock star.  I didn't think that the seeds would be much of a distraction, but it would have been nice to try to have removed some of them.  I love how creamy it turned out, not clumpy and oily and stringy like some I've tried.  I left lemon juice and parsley out, but please add those in.  I actually think cilantro would work even better as parsley can come on a bit strong in spreads. 


1 eggplant (mine was quite small)
1 T tahini
1 clove garlic 
olive oil
salt, pepper
pinch of cayenne and paprika


Slice eggplant in half, prick with fork and roast in the oven at 350 for at least 30 minutes, until tender and soft.  Scrap inner meat off and toss into blender or mini food processor.  Blend with remaining ingredients.  Add lemon juice and parsley or cilantro if desired. Serve with pita bread or chips, spread on a sandwich, oh you can come up with plenty of ideas I have no doubt.  

Grilled Halibut with Herbs

Spring is in full swing and summer is knocking on the door.  This means we have lots and lots of weddings to go to!  As much as I love curling up by the fire in the winter and making comfort food at home, as a foodie this is an exciting time of year because local, fresh ingredients are readily available.  Simple ingredients can speak for themselves.  We are growing cilantro, sage and rosemary and these herbs, blended along with some garlic and fresh lemon juice, made a really beautiful marinade for some fresh halibut, perfectly grilled.    

2 halibut filets (3/4 lb) - try and pick some up from your local fishmonger 

juice of 1/2 a lemon

3 cloves garlic

3 sage leaves

1 sprig rosemary

small handful of cilantro

salt, pepper

olive oil

In a mini food processor blend together garlic, lemon and herbs.  Salt and pepper fish.  Pour marinate over fish in a prep dish and let marinate for about 30 minutes.  Grill until done.

Peanut Butter Treats

This is another one for Fido, not for you.  Our pup goes nuts over peanut butter (no pun intended), peanut butter ice cream and peanut butter with her medicine, peanut butter in her kong, everything has to have peanut butter.  When she sees me open our pantry and reach for the Jiff container she starts smacking her lips.  These treats are nice and soft, easy to break off in pieces and give your little bear.  These were baked up by our neighbor (and Chutney's favorite aunt). 

1/2 c peanut butter
1/4 c honey
1 T olive oil
1 c chicken broth
1 c wheat flour
1 c all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together the peanut butter, honey, olive oil, and chicken broth, until it is a soupy consistency. In a separate bowl, mix together the two flours, and add to the peanut butter mixture to form a dough. Press the dough out onto a floured work surface to about 1/2" thickness [can vary depending on how thick you would like them]. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

French Apple Tart

When planning out my menu for Mother's Day I thought about what to make for dessert before anything else.  Mainly because in my family, dessert is very important, but also because when it's Mother's Day you can't just pick up something store bought, or make brownies or cookies, no, you need to assemble something very special.  Something pretty, something lovely, something delicious, something that took time and effort and says "look how much I love you, Mom!".  My mother loves tarts with fruits in them, so I had that aspect narrowed down.  Not too long ago I overheard her saying "Oh Ina made the most beautiful apple tart".  We talk a lot about Ina, my mother and I.  We both like her.  I looked up the recipe and it was settled, it looked like a great tart to tackle.  It came out marvelously.  It may go down as one of my favorite desserts.  It is so simple, so delicious, so dainty, so French.  Those thinly sliced apples are just so heavenly.  I made the pastry myself, but I suppose you could buy that part.  I don't have a mandolin, which would probably make slicing the apples far easier.  There was one downside to this tart, and that was the sugar that drools off the tart and burns on your baking sheet.  I used a silicon pad since many reviews said the tart stuck to parchment.  The tart slid right off, but sugar was stuck to my pan.  I'm not sure how to avoid that, if anyone knows, please let me know.  I adapted the recipe as I felt like adding a pinch of cinnamon and a sprinkle of vanilla sugar that Marx Foods had sent me.  I think these additions made it extra delicious.  But that's just me.  Served with vanilla ice cream or some whipped cream and you've got yourself a very happy crowd.  Oh, also, I used only three apples though the recipe called for four.  I felt I stacked a good number in (they shrink, so don't leave lots of space between them) but feel free to peel four and snack on one while slicing.  

French Apple Tart, adapted, courtesy Barefoot Contessa

Pastry

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

12 tablespoons (11/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

1/2 cup ice water

Apples

4 Granny Smith apples

1/2 cup sugar

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, small diced

1/2 cup apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam

2 tablespoons Calvados, rum, or water (this is optional, I didn't add any of these things)
sprinkle of cinnamon, vanilla sugar (optional)

For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or silicon pad. Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges and prick surface with a fork.  Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan, pinch up the edges and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.  Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baler. Slice the apples crosswise in thin slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of sugar as well as some cinnamon and vanilla sugar (optional) and dot with the butter.  Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. When the tart's done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Calvados and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

Before I was married, and I lived in my own little condo in D.C. I had a very special neighbor.  She is and will always be my friend (we were friends before she was my neighbor) but there was something so special about us being neighbors.  It felt a bit like college, having a friend just a few steps away.  Someone you could vent about your day to, have a glass of wine with, someone to watch TV with, someone who baked cookies and invited you over to have some with her. 

When my husband and I moved outside D.C. to a suburban neighborhood I never thought I'd have a friend who was also a neighbor.  But wouldn't you know, when you get a puppy you make a lot of friends.  But my one neighbor in particular is a very special neighbor because I know we'll always be friends, and we'd be friends even if we weren't neighbors.   

I had been having a very long week.  She knew this.  So she gave me a basket of freshly made blueberry scones.  Yes, a basket full of baked goods.  I mean, honestly, how sweet is that?  She is so Charlotte.  Oh and did I mention she also baked treats for Chutney  as well? Chutney recently got spayed, so I guess you could say she had a pretty long week as well.  

These aren't just any kind of scones, however, they are pretty much the best scones I've ever had.  They have powers.  They put a smile on your face.  I know this for a fact because I just had one with some tea and I am smiling.  Petite, moist, flaky and not too sweet, unlike most you see these days which are the size of my head and hard as bricks. You can actually taste the butter.  If something has lots of butter in it I want to be able to taste it.  For real.  The butter has gently settled itself into the layers just waiting for your bite.  With her permission, I am posting this, recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence.

     Blueberry Scones:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks

1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing the scones

1 cup fresh blueberries

Lemon Glaze:

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 lemon, zest finely grated

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Sift together the dry ingredients; the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Using 2 forks or a pastry blender, cut in the butter to coat the pieces with the flour. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in the heavy cream. Fold everything together just to incorporate; do not overwork the dough. Fold the blueberries into the batter. Take care not to mash or bruise the blueberries because their strong color will bleed into the dough.

Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 by 3 by 1 1/4 inches. Cut the rectangle in 1/2 then cut the pieces in 1/2 again, giving you 4 (3-inch) squares. Cut the squares in 1/2 on a diagonal to give you the classic triangle shape. Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with a little heavy cream. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until beautiful and brown. Let the scones cool a bit before you apply the glaze.

You may make this simple lemon glaze in a double boiler (i.e. over a pot of simmering water with a heatproof bowl set on top) but it's even simpler to zap it in the microwave. Mix the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar together in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon zest and butter. Nuke it for 30 seconds on high. Whisk the glaze to smooth out any lumps, then drizzle the glaze over the top of the scones. Let it set a minute before serving.     

Orzo with Chicken and Leeks

OK, so I fully admit I was kind of cleaning out the fridge with this one, but the results could not have been better.  Orzo tosses so well with all kinds of things, and I wanted to make a hearty salad that was perfect to take for lunch.  I really like leeks.  Like, really.  I don't know why I don't cook with them more often, they are so friendly. You could use any ol' kind of chicken you have lying around - grilled, rotisserie, roasted.  I created the dressing on a whim and I think it came out quite lovely.  It's a nice warm (as in heat, not temperature) dressing that coats the pasta in a light sheen.  


~ 1 1/2 c orzo pasta (uncooked)
 4 chicken thighs or 2 chicken breasts, with skin and bone
some fresh herbs if you like (I used thyme)

3 leeks, white and light green part, thinly sliced

Dressing
2 T dijon mustard
1/4 c olive oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 T white balsamic vinegar

Set chicken on foil lined baking sheet and lay on fresh herbs.  Drizzle chicken with olive oil and some salt and pepper.  Roast for about 45 minutes at 400 degrees, or until done. Remove meat from skin and bones.  Chop chicken.  Boil orzo, drain.  Toss with chicken. Sautee leeks in a pan heated with olive oil.  Salt and pepper.  When tender and soft, remove from heat and toss with pasta and chicken.  In small bowl, whisk together mustard, some salt, pepper and garlic. Add olive oil and whisk.  Slowly add vinegar while whisking. Pour dressing into salad and toss.

Tuna Casserole with Leeks

I couldn't get this casserole to appear very photogenic, but I assure you, it was delicious.  Gone in a day.  When I had seen this recipe in the March Bon Appetit I was basically waiting for the day until I could make it.  We never have chips in our house, but the other week when we were grilling burgers I had a craving and my husband came home with a big bag of Kettle Chips.  Then I noticed I had some egg noodles (papardelle)......and tuna.....ohmygosh and leftover gruyere. Bingo!  All I needed was leeks!  This isn't a massive casserole that feeds 12, but rather a nice normal size that feeds about 4.  I slightly adapted the recipe from Bon Appetit's.  I'm not a fan of dill, at all (Ina Garten would be so upset) and I felt it was begging for some garlic.  I will say that next time I make this I would add even more leeks, and more tuna, and would even add other vegetables such as spinach.  It was very creamy and could have used some hidden greens. 

• 1/2 stick butter (unsalted)
• 2 1/2 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green part)
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 8 ounces wide egg noodles
• 1/2 cup coarsely grated Gruyère cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 t paprika
• 1 t cayenne pepper
• 2 5 oz cans albacore tuna (recipe called for tuna in oil, but I used tuna that was in water)
• 2 cups coarsely crushed salted potato chips
• salt, pepper

• 
  
  
  Butter 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Melt unsalted butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks, sprinkle with kosher salt. Cover and cook until leeks are tender.  Add garlic, stir for 1 minute.  Add flour, stir 1 minute. Gradually add milk and half and half, simmer until mixture thickens slightly, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
• 
  
  
  Cook egg noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, stirring occasionally. Drain noodles, reserving 1/4 cup noodle cooking liquid. Transfer noodles to large bowl. Pour leek sauce over noodles. Add grated Gruyère cheese and thyme and stir to blend, add reserved noodle cooking liquid until mixture is moist and creamy. Fold in tuna. Transfer to prepared baking dish. 
• 
  
  
  Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake noodle casserole, covered with foil, until heated through, about 20 minutes.  Remove foil. Sprinkle crushed potato chips over and continue to bake, uncovered, until top is golden brown and filling bubbles, about 10 minutes longer.