Roasted and Toasted

Being relatively new to the world of food blogging (6 1/2 months, 49 posts), I keep thinking I have to provide you with detailed recipes.
Which are nice and make my blog look really legit.

But after reading this recent post , by the very talented Marilyn, I realized that you don't always need a full recipe.
Sometimes all you need is a technique, or simply an idea. I have complete faith that given this idea, you will run with it and make something new and exciting.

One such technique is roasting vegetables. Chances are you've done this before, at least with potatoes. And at Thanksgiving, roasted root vegetables are a favorite.
But have you roasted broccoli? Brussels sprouts ? Asparagus? Or cauliflower?
Even avowed vegetable haters have been pleasantly surprised by the yummy caramelized flavor and crispy texture of roasted veggies.

 This time of year, asparagus is the best.
Trim the ends from a pound of asparagus and lay it on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Roast at 425 degrees until it looks done, about a half hour.
When it comes out of the oven, you can sprinkle on some more sea salt if you like.

You could stop here and serve a delicious side dish.
Or you could go the extra mile.

Make some fresh bread crumbs by grinding just about any kind of bread you have in the house. Stale is good, fresh works too. If you have a baguette or ciabatta from yesterday, you're all set.
Give it a spin in the food processor until you have crumbs.
Then lightly toast the crumbs in a dry skillet set over medium heat. It'll only take about five minutes, at the most.
When they're done, place in a small bowl. Add one or two tablespoons of olive oil (depending on how many crumbs you have). Add about 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano or Asiago cheese.
Mix in some chopped fresh parsley. Or basil. Or oregano.
A little lemon zest is a good thing too. Or not.

Use the bread crumb topping on your roasted vegetables.
On spaghetti or chicken parmesan. As a crunchy topping for a casserole.
What you don't use today, put in the freezer and use another day.
You get the idea. This bread crumb topping is all yours and you can do whatever you want with it.

Just like this blog. It's all mine and I have decided there will be no recipe today.

Kitchen Envy

My kitchen is nice.

I have sunny yellow hand-distressed cabinets, an Absolute Black honed granite counter top and hardwood floors.

I have an industrial looking Viking stove (it came with the house) and my two favorite small appliances.

I also have big windows and, lucky me, a gorgeous view.

But the other day, my friend Sharon invited me to her house for dinner. Her house is recently renovated and it is fabulous. The kitchen is very large with all the bells and whistles, but the piece de resistance is an enormous black Aga stove. I cannot even begin to accurately describe what this incredible thing does and how it works. 

Let me just say this, it's on all the time. You never turn it off. 

There are two sort of "hot plates", one always set for boiling and the other for simmering.

One oven compartment roasts. One bakes. One warms. 

I think one might even be a particle collider, but I'm not really sure. 

All I know is that Sharon made us a delicious meal and she didn't even break a sweat.

If you don't happen to have an Aga, I'm sure this would be wonderful made on any other type of

 stove. Serve it with linguini or maybe some Israeli couscous.

Oh yes, and please note the gorgeous Italian copper cookware. Sold separately.

Simmered Shrimp Sauté With Shiitake Mushrooms And Scallions
Serves 4
 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small dice

2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

4 large shiitake mushroom caps, very thinly sliced

coarse salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 plum tomatoes, cut into small dice

3 scallions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced on a bias

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup store-bought, reduced-sodium chicken broth or homemade Chicken Stock 

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 pounds peeled, butterflied, deveined large shrimp

1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

Melt the 2 tablespoons room-temperature butter in a wide, deep saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook gently until softened but not browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 1 minute.

Turn the heat up to high. Just as the butter starts to sizzle, add the wine. Boil until the liquid has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and lemon juice and bring to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the diced, cold butter, a few pieces at a time, swirling it in as it's added. (Do not allow the liquid to boil once the butter has been added. The sauce should look like a buttery broth, if it appears excessively thick, stir in few tablespoons of hot water.) Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Season the shrimp and salt and pepper, and add them to the pan, making sure to immerse them in the liquid. Cook over medium-low heat just below a simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and firm. Add the capers and scallions, toss and cook for 30 seconds. Add the parsley and basil and toss to combine. Remove from the heat.

To serve, divide the shrimp and sauce among 4 warm bowls.

Note: Sharon used a combination of the shrimp and some small scallops. Loved it!

Ode to Ina and Banana Crunch Muffins

Oh Ina.
Ina Garten. How I love you.
You even have a perfect name, it's almost like "In A Garden", but it's not. You are much more subtle than that.
And your stage name is so lovely. The Barefoot Contessa . It's elegant and down-to -earth at the same time.

I love how every dish and dessert I have ever made from your cookbooks comes out perfectly.
So what if it's full of butter. Butter makes things taste so good.
And olive oil. It's good for your heart.

Your life in the Hamptons seems picture perfect.
The shopkeepers know you and save the best produce for your visit.
The cheese guy worships at your feet.
Your cadre of talented and handsome friends drop by for a special meal.
And then Jeffrey shows up on the weekend with flowers for you, just as you are pulling his favorite roast chicken from the oven and mixing up a whiskey sour.

I love watching you on Food Network.
The way you scoop flour from those huge glass containers.
The insouciant way you add a handful pinch of sea salt.
Oh to be a stand mixer in your light-filled kitchen!

You know just what to to say to make us feel at ease.
"How easy was that?" you ask rhetorically.
Easy as muffins, Ina.

Barefoot Contessa's Banana Crunch Muffins, from
The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook


3 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsps. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 lb. butter, melted and cooled

2 extra-large eggs

3/4 cup whole milk

2 tsps. vanilla extract

1 cup mashed over-ripe bananas (2 bananas)

1 cup medium-diced ripe bananas (1 banana)

1 cup small-diced walnuts

1 cup granola

1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

Optional: dried banana chips, extra granola, shredded coconut.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Generously butter, or line with paper liners, 18 large muffin cups.
Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the melted butter and blend.
Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla and mashed bananas, then add them to the flour-butter mixture.
Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don't overmix.
Fold the diced bananas, walnuts, granola and coconut into the batter.
Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each one to the top.
Top each muffin with dried banana chips, granola and/or cocnut, if desired.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool slightly before removing from the pan.

How great is that?

Just a Bite

In honor of the new look of Mignardise, I've made you a mignardise.

These petite brownie buttons are a perfect little bite of sweetness. They're great after dinner with coffee.
Or anytime you have a craving for just a taste of something sweet. Like after breakfast or lunch. Or when you get home from the gym. Or just before bed with a glass of milk.

It's sort of  like eating dessert, but not really. Because it's just a bite.

Brownie Buttons,  adapted from Dorie Greenspan's book, Baking

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsps. all-purpose flour

pinch of salt

1/2 stick (4 Tbsps.) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

2 1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg

For the glaze, you'll need 2 oz. white chocolate, finely chopped.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350. 

Lightly butter two mini-muffin tins, each with a dozen cups, (or one with two dozen cups, like I have) and place them on a baking sheet.

Whisk the flour and salt together.

Melt the butter, chocolate and brown sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over very low heat, stirring frequently with a heatproof spatula. Keep a close eye on it so it doesn't overheat or burn. When the mixture is smooth, remove from the heat and allow to cool a minute or two.

Stir the vanilla and egg into the chocolate mixture. When the mixture is well blended, add the flour and stir just until it is well incorporated. You should have a smooth glossy batter.

Spoon the batter into 18 of the muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Fill any empty cups with a bit of water (this will allow the pan to heat evenly).

Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the tops spring back when touched. Transfer the pans to cooling racks before carefully releasing the buttons. Cool to room temperature.

To make the glaze,

Melt chocolate in a small heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir constantly, and don't leave it for even a minute - white chocolate scorches easily. As soon as the chocolate is smooth, remove from heat.

Dip the tops of the brownie buttons into the chocolate, one by one. Give it a little twirl so you can get the swirl of chocolate in the center, and any excess drips back into the bowl.

You could add...

- a bit of orange zest mixed with a tsp. of sugar to the brownie batter

- some chopped crystallized ginger to the top

- some coconut on top

Or whatever comes to mind that you think will make them extra-special.

And remember, they're small, so it's ok to eat two.

Candyland and Other Games

Last Friday night, the Senior Auction and Talent Show was held at the local high school.
And since my oldest is a senior, I, along with many others, put hours upon hours into the planning and execution.

Our theme was "Game On!". We used board games as decorations all over the gym.
Parcheesi welcomed the guests.

For a small fee, you could have your friends "arrested" and sent to a Monopoly jail.
Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200.

And the food area was, of course, Candyland. There were dinner offerings, but it was the incredible spread of sweets that drew the crowd in.

Homemade gingerbread men, made by Wendy, who organized all the food.

Sugar cookies, made to look like Monopoly cards and Scrabble tiles, from Cookies by Juju . This talented baker also moonlights as a middle school teacher.

Colorful pails of assorted candy.

And a very rich Cream Cheese Pound Cake, made by me! You can find the recipe for it here. 

I put a lime sugar glaze on it, with some lime zest. I highly recommend this cake - it's absolutely delicious and easy to make.

The auction was a great success - many thanks to all who attended and all who made it such a fun event. You know who you are.

COMING SOON... a new look for Mignardise! Watch for my redesign - it'll still have the flavor of Mignardise, but with more elegance and charm. Check back soon!