watermelon gazpacho

One of the appetizers at the August TK dinner event was this Watermelon Gazpacho. I know, You're thinking "appetizer"? But those cups are actually pretty small so these servings are not nearly as large as the photo suggests.

What can I tell you about this? I think this is one of those love it or hate it dishes. I loved it. Totally refreshing and using an 'in-season' fruit that I had grabbed at the Farmers Market the day prior. Also, it's Gazpacho! NO cooking! A bit of chopping and then it all goes into the food processor.

This was Easy. It was filling. I was happy to serve it.

Husband and daughter thought it was weird. What can ya do...

YOU WILL NEED:

Gazpacho -

1 lb seedless watermelon - rind removed - coarsely chopped

1 large tomato -seeds removed - coarsely chopped

1 cucumber - coarsely chopped

1 jalapeno - seeds removed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoons red wine vinegar

salt

pepper

Crema and assembly -

1/4 cup toasted almonds

1/2 cup Feta cheese - crumbled

1/4 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons milk

1 1/2 cups watermelon - cubed

1 cup cucumber - cubed

olive oil

salt

pepper

TO DO:

Chop that tomato up and let it sit in a colander over a bowl for about a half hour.

You want as much as possible of the liquid to drain out otherwise your soup is going to be super runny (you might be fine with this - I was not)

Puree the watermelon, tomato, cucumber, jalapeno, oil, and vinegar to desired consistency.

Transfer all this to a large bowl.

Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

Cover and refrigerate.

(I made this a day ahead of time and it was perfect)

For the Crema,

Make sure you toast those almonds.

Spread them out on a baking sheet and toast at 350 for about 7 minutes.

Remove and set aside.

Mash the Feta cheese into the sour cream until almost smooth.

Whisk in the milk.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

ASSEMBLY -

Divide the cubed watermelon and cucumber into each serving dish.

Pour the Gazpacho over the top of the cubed items.

Drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil.

Divide the Crema over the top of the oil.

Add the toasted almonds.

Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

Serve immediately.

red onion flowers

These are GORGEOUS.

One of those dishes that makes you stop for a moment when you are reviewing your photos.

And taste? Delicious! Just as good as it looks. Super easy to create and quite the show-stopper when you bring it to the table.

recipe found in a special edition of Epicurious magazine.

plate by rae dunn clay

YOU WILL NEED:

6 medium red onions.

6 tablespoons of Olive Oil.

Fresh Rosemary and Thyme stems.

Salt.

Pepper.

TO DO:

oven to 350.

Make 4 cuts through the top of the onion leaving the base intact (as best you can) Creating 8 wedges.

I also left most the skin on. It was easier to remove these little pieces after I sliced the onion.

Place all the sliced onions onto your baking tray.

Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the center of each onion.

Add a few turns of salt and pepper over each onion.

Insert herb sprigs into each onion - careful you don't break the root ends here.

Add extra herb sprigs around the onions.

Into the oven for 30 minutes.

At this point carefully slide the tray out and press open the leaves to create your flowers - again being careful to not snap the root base.

Scoop some of the juices from the baking tray and spoon onto the tops and centers of the onions.

Back into the oven for another 30 minutes or so.

Until the outer petals are dark and crispy (these are the BEST pieces)

Remove.

Sprinkle with a few more turns of salt and pepper.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

figs & prosciutto

This combination of figs and Prosciutto might be one of my favorite summer bites.
Quick to come together and easy to serve.  Every chef and cook I know is making some variation of this at this time of year. The only difficulty I usually have, is grabbing them at the Farmer's Market in the short window of time they are available. This summer it seemed they were only around for a couple of weeks - and only being sold by a few farmers. 
I, of course, scooped up whatever I could get my hands on and served them every chance I had. 

This appetizer started our most recent TK dinner.

I did some with Goat cheese and some with Parmesan cheese. I like both although usually I prefer the hard cheese. These were pan fried in the one non-stick pan I own (was just easier) Then finished with a drizzle of wildflower honey, fresh pepper and thyme.

Easy.

Delicious.

YOU WILL NEED:

Figs

Prosciutto

Goat cheese or Parmesan cheese

Honey

Fresh thyme

Pepper

TO DO:

Slice all the figs in half lengthwise.

Slice all your prosciutto so you have long thin pieces.

Pick your cheese then put a small piece right in the center of each fig.

Wrap each fig/cheese segment with Prosciutto.

Pan to medium/medium high heat.

Place several bites in the hot pan with the seam side down.

Doing this side first helps to keep the fig wrapped and everything looking pretty.

Cook just until the prosciutto is crisp. 

Then flip and cook the other side.

Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel.

When ready to serve, arrange as many pieces as you can onto your serving platter.

Drizzle with a scant amount of honey.

Add pepper then finish with the thyme leaves.

Enjoy.

The following photo I am adding because these were the tiniest, cutest figs I've ever seen! Probably about the size of cippolini onions. So cute!

artichoke bread

One of the appetizers from the last dinner@Tate's Kitchen event.

It's ridiculous. 
I was going to make it again and take a few more photos - but the demand for this recipe was so great so quickly I figured I should get it up and let you all take your own photos!

Make this.

Keep in mind I was feeding 10 people.

YOU WILL NEED:

1 loaf of good french bread - or sourdough
(I used french bread but use whichever you prefer)
couple tablespoons of butter
3 cloves of finely minced garlic
2 14oz cans artichoke hearts packed in water - drained - squeezed to remove more water - chopped
1 cup shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 or 2 shallot (depending on their size) - chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chives
olive oil

parsley for garnish
salt
pepper

TO DO:

oven to 375
middle rack

slice the bread lengthwise.
set aside.

in a saute pan - melt your butter.
add the shallot and garlic - cook just until fragrant.
remove from heat.
let sit a few minutes to cool.
stir in the artichokes and everything else in the above list.
(except the parsley)
taste for seasoning and add if needed - those cheeses can be pretty salty so I barely used any.

drizzle olive oil over the bread slices.
spread the mixture over the top of the bread slices.

into the oven about 10 minutes - just until everything is gooey and oozing.

once out of the oven grate some fresh pepper.
garnish with chopped parsley.

let cool 5 minutes or so then slice and serve.
(seriously - let it cool - it's too hot right now)

ENJOY!

cherry and plum bruschetta

One of the appetizers at the last dinner @Tate's Kitchen. Fresh cherries and plums from my morning Farmers Market visit. A loaf of good bread. A little sweetened ricotta. Salt and pepper and extra virgin olive oil. 
Serve it up!

Filling - but light and refreshing all at the same time.

adapted from a recipe in Bon Appetit magazine

YOU WILL NEED:

2 plums - halved, pitted, thinly sliced
1 cup cherries - halved, pitted, sliced if desired
1 tablespoon sugar 
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 of a fresh vanilla bean 
(you can use vanilla extract - but the bean is so much better)
1 cup whole milk ricotta
1 tablespoon lavender honey 
(if you have - if not use a good regular honey)
1 teaspoon (or so) herbs de Provence
fresh mint

a loaf of really good french bread 
(you're not going to use it all for this but who buys a half loaf? not me...)
sea salt
fresh cracked pepper

TO DO:

oven to 350

halve and pit all that stone fruit.
(and if anyone has a magic way to do this with cherries without using some fancy device please let me know)
all fruit into a large bowl.
scrape the vanilla bean and add the scrapings to the fruit. 
add the 1 tablespoon sugar (I actually used a little less - but taste and see what you think) and a pinch of salt.
mix well.
set aside.

in a medium bowl add the ricotta, honey, herbs de provence and a little salt and pepper.
mix well.
taste.
add salt and pepper as needed.
i would now leave this in the refrigerator until you're ready to use.
and By The Way - this can be made a day ahead of time - just wrap and cover well and store.

slice the baguette.
brush with olive oil.
bake until top is golden brown and edges are just getting crispy.
about 10 minutes or so.

let the toast cool for a few minutes then assemble.

toast.
spread some ricotta cheese mixture on top.
gently place some slices of plums and cherries.
drizzle very little extra virgin olive oil across the top.
couple turns of pepper.
sprinkle a bit of freshly chopped mint.

serve immediately.

avocado lime soup with fresh crab

What can I tell you about this? I served this soup as one of the appetizers at my last TK dinner and it received quite the rave reviews. I could probably have served this as a meal in itself with just some good bread - but there was a lot of food still to come out so appetizer it was. It comes together pretty quickly and in this Sacramento heat is quite refreshing. I think I originally found this in an old issue of Food and Wine. I of course made a couple changes based on flavor and the need to prep ahead of time. I also HIGHLY recommend you only use fresh crab - we did do a tasting with imitation crab and that was a definite "no go". If you love avocado you will truly enjoy this dish.

YOU WILL NEED:

4 avocados - pitted, peeled, cut into chunks

2 or 3  cups vegetable stock or broth

1 cup cold milk

3 to 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice

(I like lots of lime juice - I may have used almost 1/2 cup)

about 1/4 pound crabmeat

4 radishes - sliced thin

cilantro - rough chop

salt 

pepper

cayenne pepper

TO DO:

puree the avocados in a food processor with half the lime juice, the milk and 2 cups of vegetable stock until smooth.

add a pinch of cayenne pepper and salt and pepper.

give it a couple more pulses and taste.

here i added another couple tablespoons of lime juice and a couple more pinches of cayenne pepper.

at this point it's pretty thick - keep adding vegetable stock until you reach a consistency you like.

taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

when ready - ladle into bowls, garnish with a sprinkling of fresh pepper, the sliced radishes, the crabmeat and the cilantro.

serve immediately.

cucumber roll things

Let me start by saying I made these. 

I made 13 of them to be exact.

As I was plating them my husband walked by and said "Oh my Gosh how adorable are those?"

Yes - they are absolutely adorable.

They are also now in the "someone has lost their damn mind" category!

They're tiny! One bite! I made thirteen and decided there had to be an easier way.

So I did these.

At which point the husband walked past AGAIN and said "Oh my gosh those are adorable too! But I thought you wanted easier? Isn't it as much trouble to cut out all those little circles? And your tying the cucumber slices???"

Thank you husband.....

Please go back to ESPN now.....

anyway......there really is no moral to this story.

This appetizer was delicious - the dinner guests for February dinner @Tate's gobbled them all right up. 

They are ridiculously cute on the little tiny serving platter aren't they?

I found the idea on Pinterest - 

here's a link..... http://www.recipebyphoto.com/cucumber-rolls/

YOU WILL NEED: 

 1/2 block cream cheese - room temperature

2 tablespoons crumbled Feta cheese

2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

2 or 3 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes - julienned

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Dill - plus more stems for rolling

1 large cucumber

salt

pepper

TO DO:

slice the cucumbers very thinly.

i used my potato peeler since my mandolin is so temperamental.

leave a little skin - they're prettier that way.

lay the slices out on paper towels on a large baking sheet.

sprinkle a bit of salt all over them.

set aside for 15 or 20 minutes and let the salt do it's thing.

in a bowl - mix together the cream cheese, Feta, yogurt, tomatoes and dill.

add salt and pepper to taste.

blot the cucumber slices to dry.

add a teaspoon or so of cheese mixture to one end of a cucumber slice.

lay a stem of fresh dill on top of the cheese mixture.

roll up until closed then secure with a toothpick if needed

repeat.

13 times.

decide you've lost your damn mind.

then using a cookie cutter - gather a bunch of circles from slices of Dill Rye bread.

(i love this bread)

spread a tablespoon or so of the cheese mixture on each little round of bread.

using all those slices of cucumber that were too skinny to make into the lovely roll - carefully tie each one into a little knot.

gently place atop the cheese mixture.

garnish with a stem of fresh dill.

garnish with fresh black pepper.

plate.

watch them disappear!

endive spears

There really isn't much of a recipe to post here. Just more of an idea - or a suggestion for your next party.
My girlfriend had a beautiful birthday party last weekend and served something like this so, of course, I had to come home and make my own.


What is endive?
It's that white cigar looking thing you always see in the produce section of the grocery store. Pretty in their little section of the case and you always wonder 'what is that' but move on to broccoli? It's also usually priced way higher than most want to pay for a tiny vegetable. 
Many people call it fancy lettuce. This is somewhat true but it's actually part of the chicory family (think radicchio - the sort of bitter red stuff everybody puts in salads) I used the broad-leaved variety - more commonly known as Belgian Endive - it's less bitter - it's perfect for holding 'things' - and can be eaten cooked or raw
Here's a little link for some history (Belgian Endive)
And another link just because it was interesting (another Endive link)

So I bought one of those tiny, white, cigar looking things and put these together.
Delicious.
Pretty.
Elegant.
Perfect for an appetizer.


Here's a few photos of the ones I made.

You must toast those pecans. Yes - must.


oven to 350
chop the pecans
spread out on a baking sheet
toast about 5 or 6 minutes


set aside while you wash and dry all the endive spears

lay all your spears on a serving platter
spread a little homemade blue cheese dressing on each piece
(or crumbled Gorgonzola)
on top of the dressing lay a couple thinly sliced pieces of pear
(her's were poached - mine were recently canned)
sprinkle with the toasted pecans


done


serve and enjoy

zucchini tart

you will need


1 sheet puff pastry
2 or 3 zucchini - thinly sliced lengthwise
3 onions - thinly sliced
1 egg - whisked with a little water
about 1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 (maybe 2) pats of butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 bunch fresh dill - 2 tablespoons chopped
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
Parmesan cheese
Large baking sheet covered with parchment paper

to do


oven to 375

move oven shelf to the spot just below the middle 
(sorry...terrible description)


lightly flour your work surface then roll out puff pastry sheet to about 10x12.
move to baking sheet.
brush edges with egg/water mix.
fold edges down to make a border.
use a fork to poke some spots all over the bottom of pastry sheet.
put back in fridge till ready to use.

warm skillet to medium high heat - add butter and olive oil - add sliced onions - add sugar, 8 turns of salt, 5 turns of pepper - stir occasionally - let cook till edges look crispy - about 20 minutes depending on how hot your pan gets.  
remove from heat and mix in 2 tablespoons chopped dill and the chili flakes - let cool.
retrieve pastry sheet - spread onion mixture evenly over pastry - top with slices of zucchini - drizzle top with little olive oil (salt and pepper if you wish) then bake till pastry is puffed and golden - about 20 minutes.
let cool for few minutes then garnish with Parmesan shavings and roughly chopped fresh dill.