Munchies Archives - Page 4 of 5

Happy New Year! Bouchon’s Gougeres

By threejamigos | January 21, 2018 | Comments 1 comment

Happy Gougere!

What?! Too cheesy?

I had writer’s block when I sat down to compose this post. Staring at my screen, fingers poised on the keyboard, sipping a glass of wine and munching on these cheese puffs I had just pulled out of the oven, I was drawing a blank. Then my cell phone rang, “Happy New Year!” blurted a voice at the other end. Ta-da! Blogger’s block gone.

Continuing with my exploration of the Bouchon Bakery book I ooh-ed and aah-ed my way through the chapter on pate a choux (aka cream puff pastry). Dreamy cream puffs with a crackle finish, Chocolate Eclairs, Paris Brest-all looked exquisite. I wanted something simpler plus I had a wedge of Comte cheese in the fridge so I chose his recipe for the humble Gougere. Cheese, finely shredded, is added to choux pastry to create a savory, airy, small bite, perfect with wine or champagne. My next happy hour nibbler board will definitely include these little gems.

The recipe is straightforward. Be sure to have all your ingredients out and prepped before you begin. Water and butter are heated to which flour is added and stirred until it forms a ball that pulls away from the sides of the pot. Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl, blend briefly to release heat and moisture and add eggs a couple of tablespoons at a time. NOTE: TK uses weights for measurements in this book. Very helpful to have a scale.

The batter will look like this after adding eggs and blending.

I cheated. I didn’t have the silicon round pan so I used my non-stick donut hole pan instead (yay, I used it for something!) It worked well though they needed to sit a couple of minutes before I could remove them easily. I also didn’t have a pastry bag handy so I used a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and snipped off a corner. Piping directly onto parchment or a Silpat probably works just as well.

Next time I make these I may change up the type of cheese (gruyere cheddar), add chili pepper instead of black pepper and add chopped chives or green onions, yum! The batter freezes well so you can keep a supply of shaped ones in the freezer for impromptu get-togethers.

Stretching the boundaries, I’ve decided to make this Cookie #10 on my 12 days of holiday cookies list. They’re small and bite-size just like a cookie. I’m tackling Bouchon’s Cream Puffs one of these days!

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Happy New Year! Bouchon’s Gougeres

Ingredients

1/2 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp water
2.2 ounces unsalted butter 4.5 Tablespoons
1/2 + 1/8 tsp kosher salt
0.3 grams freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup + 2 1/2 tsbp all purpose flour
150 grams eggs approximately 2 eggs-crack eggs into a bowl, blend eggs and weigh out amount
scant 1 cup aged shredded gruyere cheese
options: Add chopped green onions or chives to batter 2 T, sprinkle tops with additional shredded cheese

Instructions

Combine the water, butter, salt, pepper in a medium saucepan, place over medium heat and stir until butter is melted. Once the butter has melted, increase heat to medium-high and then bring to a simmer, then remove pan from the heat, with a wooden spoon, stir in all the flour.
Continue to stir for 1 1/2 minutes until the mixture has a paste-like consistency, then place over medium-high heat and stir rapidly for 1 minute, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and the bottom of the pan is clean. The dough should be glossy and smooth but not dry.
Immediately transfer the dough to a mixer bowl and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to release some of the moisture. Slowly begin to add the eggs, 50 grams at a time, beating until each addition is completely absorbed before adding the next one. Continue adding the eggs, mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl pulled with the paddle but immediately grabs back on again.
Increase speed to medium for 15 seconds to ensure that all the eggs are incorporated. Stop the mixer. When the dough is lifted, it should form a bird's peak- it should hold it's shape and turn down on itself but not break off. Add the cheese and pulse to incorporate (I used my mixer and blended the cheese in quickly)
Put batter into pastry bag. Pipe into molds (I didn't have molds, I used my donut hole pan) Or pipe little free form balls, slightly less than 1 inch in diameter onto a baking sheet, spread about 1 1/2 inches apart. When finished piping, I used my finger dipped in water, to push down and get rid of the little tip that is left on top of each one from the piping.
Freeze the gougeres for about four hours until firm.
If you want to bake some right away. Preheat oven to 350F. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.
If you are baking from frozen: Preheat oven to 375F. Line baking sheet with frozen gougeres, leaving about 1 inch between them. Spray lightly with water. Place in the oven, immediately lower temperature to 350F and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm.

What’s for Dessert? Croutons!

By threejamigos | September 9, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

Awhile back I reviewed Food52 Mighty Salads. Flipping through the book I found quite a few recipes to try including a tomato pasta salad, a crab and corncake salad and a tomato cucumber salad with lamb kebabs. At the very end of the book, snuck in on the last page (those sneaky Food52ers) I found a single non-salad recipe.

Better yet, it is a DESSERT recipe. A tantalizing little tidbit among a sea of greens and grains. As part of their thank you page and because they couldn’t write a cookbook without a sweet finish, they came up with Berry Salad with Brioche Croutons. It is simple, yummy and the perfect ending.

….of course I had to try it.

It is STUPID EASY and delicious. Start with your favorite loaf of brioche. Cut 4 slices about 3/4 inch thick and then cut into cubes. Place in a buttered baking dish, throw in a handful of nuts, your choice. I like walnuts but feel free to use pecans or almonds or a mix of your favorite nuts. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons honey and finish with a sprinkle of sea salt or kosher salt (a little bigger sprinkle). Bake in a preheated oven (350 degrees) for 7 minutes or until golden brown. Cool. Store in an airtight container.

Now you could just munch on these bad boys all by themselves, which I have been known to do, or you could throw them on top of a bowl of berries-strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, whateverberries (just checking if you are paying attention) sweetened with some raw sugar as suggested by the folks at Food52.

My favorite option is on top of plain Greek yogurt with a touch of honey and fresh berries.. It adds a nice crunch and makes my breakfast seem deliciously decadent. Its way too easy not to try.

Sunny with a Plate of Meatballs

By threejamigos | August 27, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

FB started out as a way to connect with my friends, especially with those that don’t live close by but it has morphed into a way to connect with people with shared interests. Earlier in the year I stumbled across Food52’s (awesome website, check it out) Cookbook Club. My cynical side thought wow, what a great marketing ploy. A cookbook club that features a different book each month where members can make any recipe from the book and post pics of it on the site. Nice try to get me to buy yet another cookbook. My rational side thought, I should call the hubby immediately..intervention time. I’m about to buy a cookbook every month forever, stop me. He could then say in a soft calm voice; have you checked the library? Or called a friend who might have a copy? …Or a tough love line like “You can’t buy another cookbook unless you get rid of one you already have..and I get to pick which one goes.”

Nooooooo….

I was able to resist for a little while but yummy photos of recipes from this month’s selection, Melissa Clark’s Dinner: Changing the Game kept popping up on my timeline and got the best of me. I took a look at the table of contents and wouldn’t you know it a chapter called Grind filled with recipes for MEATBALLS caught my eye. I LOVE meatballs. I searched for a recipe from the book to try and found Ginger Pork Meatballs with Cilantro and Fish Sauce (on blog site A Modest Feast). Made with green onions, cilantro, fish sauce, garlic, lime and spiced with ginger and Serrano chilis these meatballs were delicious. Resistance was futile.

Ugh, what cookbook will I have to give up?

The recipe calls for pork next time (and there will be a next time) I plan on trying a 50-50 mix of pork and ground chicken or turkey.

I used a 1 inch ice cream scoop to mold the meatballs, perfect for appetizer sized portions but a little small for a main dish. I’d make them bigger next time.

I served the meatballs two ways as a lettuce wrap with a bit of jasmine rice and dipping sauce and on top of a bowl of bean thread noodles garnished with crispy slices of cucumbers, scallions and cilantro. NOm nom nom…

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Sunny with a Plate of Meatballs

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

1 pound ground pork or 1/2 pound ground pork:1/2 pound ground chicken
1/3 cup finely-chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup finely-chopped scallions white and green parts
1 serrano chile seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon finely-chopped peeled fresh ginger or ginger juice
3 garlic cloves grated on a Microplane or minced
Finely-grated zest of 1 lime
2 teaspoons freshly-squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the dipping sauce:

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon Sriracha or other hot sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar

For serving:

1 head Boston or bibb lettuce
1/4 English cucumber thinly-sliced
2-3 scallions white and light green parts, julienned
A large handful of cilantro sprigs
Bean thread noodles or rice noodles soaked until soft. Drain and set aside
Jasmine rice cooked

Instructions

In a large bowl, gently combine the pork, cilantro, scallions, chile, ginger, garlic, lime zest and juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, and salt.
Roll mixture into 1-inch balls
Heat the broiler. Set the rack at least 4 inches from the heat source.
Arrange the meatballs in a single layer, not touching, on one or two rimmed sheet pans.
Broil the meatballs, turning the pan halfway through, until they are golden all over and just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
Prepare the dipping sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, Sriracha, sesame oil, and brown sugar.
For lettuce wraps: Place a bit of rice or noodles in lettuce leaf. Top with 2 meatballs, cilantro, green onion shreds. fold and dip into sauce. Enjoy!
Or serve as a rice or noodle bowl.

NOTES

For consistency of size and even cooking, use a spring-loaded scoop to portion out the meatballs; I used the middle-sized scoop in this set (#50), which is 1 1/2 tablespoons. To make gluten-free, use tamari instead of soy sauce.

That’s a Wrap, Happy Hour Time! (Korean Tacos)

By threejamigos | June 8, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

Jamie is in Atlanta for the summer working but fortunately she will be coming home for a couple of weeks. I miss my Happy Hour buddy. We both agree happy hours are the best of all worlds. It’s much more relaxed than throwing a dinner party. People come and go as they please and help themselves to food and drink, it’s all good. The food is casual and the attire is flips and anything comfortable. It’s all about chillin’ with friends and family. You can hang outside so don’t bother cleaning the house, noone cares, especially after a couple of wine coolers.

Luckily for us, we finally landscaped our yard. Yay. Years of drought and an invasion of gophers left our yard looking like a moonscape of dirt, holes and mutant weeds. It was bad. We called gopherbusters (not really their name but that’s what they do) and a gardener and got to work. In my defense, I grew up in San Francisco. The ratio of cement to grass is like a bajillion to one. Lawn mower? Never seen one much less owned one. But the yard is done, PARTY TIME.

Just need Jamie to come home.

In anticipation of when she does, I have been checking out recipes that would be perfect for our little casual soirees’. Korean Chicken Lettuce Wraps from SkinnyTaste caught my eye. SkinnyTaste started out as a blog on healthy seasonal cooking your family will love and has blossomed into a full fledge book. The Korean wraps remind me of a Chinese appetizer, San Choy Bao, which literally means lettuce bun, think of it as an Asian Taco. The filling is seasoned Korean BBQ style which I happen to LOVE. Each bite is sweet, salty, spicy and the lettuce adds a refreshing crunch. It’s a party in your mouth. The original recipe calls for brown rice but if you are going low carb like I SHOULD be, you can substitute squash, diced carrots, zoodles or sautéed mushrooms.

We are serious about our happy hour bites and this dish meets the rigorous criteria we set for a date with a wine cooler or bottle of ice cold beer.

STRINGENT Happy Hour Food Standards:

Bite sized- check (2 bites)

Eat with your hands- check

Its YUMMY- check

It’s STUPID EASY- check

4 out of 4! Lets go make some wraps.

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That's a Wrap! (Korean Style Lettuce Wraps)

Ingredients

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
cooking spray
1 pound lean ground chicken or turkey
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

FOR WRAPS

12 large outer lettuce leaves such as green leaf Bibb lettuce or even iceberg lettuce which creates a nice round bowl
2 1/4 cups cooked brown rice
2 tablespoons Gochujong or more if desired
1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds plus more for topping
2 sliced scallions white and green parts

Instructions

Filling:

Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and chili flakes in a small bowl. Set aside.
Heat non-stick pan over medium high heat, add small amount of vegetable oil, add onions to pan and cook for 1-2 minute. Add garlic and ginger, sauce for additional minute before adding ground chicken to pan. Break up the chicken with a spatula or wooden spoon.
Cook until the chicken loses its pinkness.
Add sauce ingredients to pan and stir to incorporate, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer mixture another 5 minutes.

In place of brown rice:

Sauteed diced zucchini, mushrooms
Kid friendly version use corn or cooked zucchini zoodles

To Serve:

You can set up a serve yourself taco bar or assemble each wrap.

In each lettuce leaf place 2 tablespoons of rice or prepared vegetables
Top with approximately 2 tablespoons of chicken mixture
Garnish with a dab of Gochujong or Siracha sauce, green onions and sesame seeds.
Serve immediately.

Variation on a Thumbprint: A Cheesy Favorite

By threejamigos | May 8, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

I wonder who came up with thumbprint cookies? Was it intentional or a happy accident? A baker grabbing a cookie sheet only to find she (he) had inadvertently stuck her thumbs in the cookies and thought, well heck might as well fill it with some jam. And the rest is history as they say. I actually googled thumbprints but alas no specific info on how they came about, just European in origin perhaps Swedish or Polish. All I know for sure is the variations are infinite and each and every one is DELICIOUS. It can be dolled up with nuts or not, filled with any flavor jam or jelly, or fancied up with lemon curd or chocolate ganache filling. Sky’s the limit. The cookie is buttery, with a sandy texture like a shortbread and easy to make. When my kids were little they were in charge of the very important task of making the “the thumb holes”.

While I was flipping through Vivian Howard’s book Deep Run Roots (love, love, love) I came across a cookie that had BAKE ME written all over it, Hot Apple Jelly Thumbprints. The twist, no sugar in the dough? A savory thumbprint made with smoked gouda or sharp cheddar and filled with a spicy apple jelly. I stuck two post-it notes on the page to make sure I try this recipe. Here is a link to the recipe when she made them for a Tabasco Sauce function, yep a hot sauce jam-get it?

Okay, full disclosure. I made the cookie but not the jelly. The jelly seemed infinitely more time consuming so I CHEATED. A jar of Peachy Siracha Jam jumped out at me at the market. It was fate.

As simple as thumbprints are to make a question arose while I was making the cookies. Hmmm, 1-1/2 cup grated cheese. Is that finely grated? Coarsely grated? Enquiring minds want to know. What to do? Fire off an e-mail to Ms. Howard hoping she will answer? I did a search which did not turn up anything. I then looked at Dorie Greenspan’s Cookie book knowing she had a savory section. Bingo, Smoked Cheese Cocktail Cookies. (She is my cookie hero). Her process called for coarsely grated/shredded cheese which is then pulsed with cold butter in a food processor. The cookie becomes even easier to make. Butter pulsed with the cheese and then add the flour and pulse into the dough starts to clump..done. How easy is that? The texture is similar to shortbread with a tiny bit of crunch which I am guessing comes from the cheese caramelizing as it bakes. I posted the question regarding grating the cheese on Food52 Baking Club and another member told me she finely grated the cheese before mixing the dough in a Kitchen Aid. The tip came from a Serious Eats article she had read, her cookies came out beautifully, much like a shortbread. I leave it to you to decide which method you use.

With a 2 teaspoon ice cream scoop I portioned the dough into balls and used my handy-dandy thumb of course for the centers (sadly my kids have flown the coop so I had to use my own thumb). The original recipe calls for piping the dough out with a pastry bag. I opted for the scoop method. The touch of sweetness and spice comes from the jam while the cookie is infused with a savory smokey flavor from the gouda. A beautiful balance of flavors. I plan to make these for my next happy hour to go along with that bottle of Cava parked in my fridge. Can’t wait.

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Hot Apple Jelly Thumbprints

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 1/2 cups smoked gouda shredded, at room temperature

Tabasco Jelly (recipe below)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Sift the dry ingredients. Using a stand or hand mixer, cream the butter and cheese well. Slowly add the dry ingredients and continue to paddle until nice and fluffy; about 3 minutes.
Using a piping bag, pipe about 2 tsp. of the cookie dough onto a nonstick baking surface. Using your thumb, make a small indentation in the center of each round. (You may want to have a little flour on hand to prevent your thumb from sticking.) Pipe or spoon about 1 tsp. Tabasco jelly into each indentation.
Bake for 12 minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom.
Yields approximately 5 dozen small cookies.

Hot Apple Jelly

10 lbs. apples of your choice (If you can find slightly unripe apples, use 5 lbs. ripe and 5 lbs. unripe, as unripe apples have more pectin)
8 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 – 1/3 cup Tabasco brand Original Red Sauce, depending on your preference for heat
Roughly chop the apples. Include everything—the stems, core, seeds, and skin are all important for pectin. Place the apples in a large pot and cover them with water. Bring the apples up to a boil and cook 10–20 minutes, until they are soft but not falling to pieces. Drain the water off quickly.
Place the apples in a colander lined with cheesecloth, and place the colander inside a larger bowl to catch the liquid that drains off. This liquid will be the “meat” of your jelly, so allow it to drain overnight for best results. You should be left with roughly 9–10 cups thickish apple nectar. (If you have more, it’s not a problem; you will just have to increase cooking time.)
Place a small plate in the freezer for testing your jelly. Transfer the apple liquid and the sugar to a heavy-bottomed pot and bring it up to a boil. Let this simmer for about 15 minutes. Check where you are by spooning a little of the jelly onto your super cold plate. If it firms up and wrinkles when you nudge it, you’re good to go. If not, cook it longer, testing every ten minutes or so.
Once you’ve reached the desired set, stir in the lemon juice and the Tabasco Sauce. The jelly should be a beautiful amber color and should be completely clear. Taste and adjust with more of either. Transfer to a container to chill.
In addition to using the Tabasco jelly in these cookies, it would be great served with goat cheese and crackers, or as a glaze over pork chops or ham, or as a sauce for chicken wings. It’s very versatile.

It’s A Nutty World (Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts)

By threejamigos | January 16, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

My go to munchie nuts have been my cousin Bonnie’s Spicy Pecans. Sweet and spicy with hints of clove, ginger and cinnamon they are addictive-they are my crack. During the holidays I make tons of these nuts. So much so I dreamt about them in my sleep. Auugh! Time for a change. Now don’t get me wrong, I love them and will continue to make a batch or two or three but I think it best if I have a fall back…see what is outside my little nut bubble. So, I google nuts, candied, spicy, recipes and wouldn’t you know it what pops up, Smitten Kitchen. In her archives I find a recipe for Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts. Hmm, wait a minute, I think I have that cookbook. I can picture it-green cover, Danny Meyer, NYC, iconic. So I go to pull it out….45 minutes later after searching my stacks of books (help, is there a Cookbooks Anonymous out there?) I find it-EUREKA. I dust off the cover, flip through it and there on page 8, Union Square Bar Nuts. Yes. So here it is in all its yumminess. I adapted the recipe a wee bit combining advice from the book and Smitten Kitchen (I feel like a SK groupie, hope she doesn’t think I am stalking her). I hope you will try it, a delicious alternative to my cousin’s Spicy Pecans and best of all it is STUPID EASY.

These have only a hint of sweetness and border on a little salty (you can adjust if you like) but that’s why they are perfect bar nuts! The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary. I thought wow that seems like a lot, but it doesn’t overwhelm the nuts at all. I used 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne and thought it was fine but feel free to up the heat if you like spicy. If you don’t have kosher salt, you can probably use regular table salt just cut the amount by half. I ended up buying a jar of mix dry roasted UNSALTED nuts at Costco. It is a nice combination of cashews, pecans, almonds, and pistachios. You could definitely use cashews or pecans alone but I think the mix is nice. Plus it’s a good deal! You can use olive oil instead of butter (hello veggie friends). Because the baking time is so short, you are literally just heating the nuts, I think it’s fine to use roasted nuts.

Pack in a cute jar, slap a ribbon around it, the makings of a great hostess gift.

Happy Hour anyone? I’ll bring these delicious Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts!

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It’s A Nutty World (Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts)

Ingredients

18-20 ounces nuts can be a combination of cashews, pecans, almonds or walnuts or a single type of nut (3-5 cups)
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter or olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Spread nuts on a baking sheet or sheet pan and toast 7-10 minutes or until they become light golden brown in color
In a large bowl combine remaining ingredients
Remove nuts from oven and toss in the butter/oil mixture until thoroughly coated
Return nuts to the oven for an additional 5-7 minutes.
Bar nuts can be served warm or at room temp.

Artie Chews, Artie Swallows, Artichokes (Artichoke Parmesan Dip)

By threejamigos | July 30, 2016 | Comments 2 comments

Continuing with our summer fun, happy hour, and stupid easy theme. This is my GO TO dip. I usually have all the ingredients at hand, it comes together in minutes and someone will invariably ask me for the recipe. That’s a triple play in my book. I found it a long long time ago in Gourmet Magazine. Whenever I make this dip it reminds me of a favorite book I read with my kids, A Cake for Herbie. Hoping to win a poetry contest where a cake is the prize, Herbie writes a poem that starts with Artie chews, Artie swallows, Artichokes. Ya gotta love poetry about food by a duck named Herbie.

When I was a kid I had a friend whose mom was super young. While my parents listened to Sinatra, her mom listened to the same music we did, used words that we used, wore jeans and giant hoop earrings, in short she was so cool. Well, I liked to say that’s me now BUT it is not. Definitely not the young hipster mom but having my kids later than many of my friends has kept me young. I am way cooler by virtual of being around them…I even have a Spotify account, lol. Ok, I admit I haven’t quite gotten the hang of snapchat and I cannot text at light speed. As my kids read this I’m sure they’ll roll their eyes and groan but I’m here to say that this artichoke dip is HELLA EASY and DANK.

Crackers, crostini and breadsticks are a no-brainer plus this dip goes well with veggies like carrots, sugar snap peas, slices of cucumbers or bite sized sweet tomatoes.

Starting with canned artichokes hearts is fine. I always keep a couple of cans in my pantry. Be sure to drain them well. I will squeeze the artichokes by hand to remove additional moisture. Here’s the hard part, throw the artichokes and the rest of the ingredients, except for the parmesan cheese, into a blender or food processor. Whirl until smooth. Fold in the parmesan cheese. Dunzo. You can substitute sour cream or low fat mayonnaise for the yogurt. Salt and pepper to taste. That’s it, ready to serve.

I hope this becomes a go-to munchie for you too.

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Artie Chews, Artie Swallows, Arti-chokes (Artichoke Parmesan Dip)

Ingredients

1 14 ounce can artichoke hearts drained well
1/2 cup parmesan grated
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain yogurt you can use non-fat or low fat or sour cream
1 garlic clove minced and mashed to a paste with a pinch of salt
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice or to taste
1 scallion chopped
Tabasco to taste
breadsticks or lightly toasted french bread
Vegetables such as carrots sugar snap peas, cucumbers, and tomatoes

Instructions

In a food processor puree the artichoke hearts, mayonnaise, yogurt, garlic paste, lemon juice, scallion and Tabasco until the mixture is smooth. Fold in Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve the dip with vegetables, breadsticks or toasts. Makes 2 3/4 cups.

Happy Hour Happy Food

By threejamigos | July 25, 2016 | Comments 0 Comment

Jamie loves happy hour. What’s not to like? An array of low maintenance deliciousness and refreshing drinks like sangria or cocktails. We like loading up our bread boards with cherries, fresh sweet melon, naan topped with fruit, brie and arugula (yum) and of course a variety of cheeses and crackers. The perfect fare that screams “kick your feet up, relax and enjoy”. So easy. But I’ll let her tell you…

I bet you guys were surprised to see another post from me so soon, weren’t ya? P.S. this is Jamie. As promised, this post will be about happy hour! Apart from following my mom and dad around all day, happy hour with my mom is one of my favorite things to do on the weekends when I am home.

I’ve been bugging her all summer to invite some of her friends over for happy hour, yes I admit it, I love hanging out with my mom and her friends. They’re absolutely crazy in the most fun way possible. On Friday, my parents and I went with some friends to go see Secret Life of Pets (If you haven’t seen this yet, stop reading and go see it now, it is great) and we ran into one of her favorite rowing buddies (also one of my favorites, what a coincidence!!!) I finally convinced her to text her crew (HAH get it?) and have them come over for an impromptu happy hour the next day. It was a little last minute, so not everyone came, but naturally, my mom and I made food for an army.

And now to go along with our theme “Happy” by Pharrell

I decided to experiment, and made strawberry bruschetta, which turned out to be a hit! We went to Trader Joe’s and bought a baguette of regular French bread, sliced it up, brushed it with some olive oil, and popped it into our toaster oven. While it was crisping up, I diced up about a cup and a half of strawberries, mixed them with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, salt and pepper, and stuck it in the fridge til it was time to serve. When it was time to eat, I spread each piece of toast with either goat cheese or brie cheese, topped it with the strawberry mixture, and sprinkled over some basil and goat cheese. Stupid. Easy.

To go along with it, my mom and I made another watermelon and cantaloupe caprese salad, and crispy and garlicy smashed potatoes, one of our new obsessions. We haven’t totally figured out how to perfectly smash them, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out soon.

And we made Bellinis! My mom had a chilled bottle of Prosecco so we took out some flutes, poured in some peach nectar then the Prosecco and threw in a couple of fresh raspberries (ratio 2oz:4oz peach nectar to Prosecco) YUM!

By the way those cool wooden boards…made by my Dad. Oh yeah. If you’re lucky I’ll write down his special tuna dip recipe next time!

Hi Claire 🙂

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Happy Hour Happy Food

Ingredients

Yummy Happy Hour food

Take advantage of summer fruits!
Berries peaches, melons the list goes on and on
Your favorite Cheeses I like Cotswold, Brie
Guacamole
Chips
bruschetta or crostini

Brochettes of melon, prosciutto and mozzarella (adapted from Epicurious)

1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup packed fresh basil leaves plus sprigs for garnish
1 medium shallot quartered
1 small about 2-pound cantaloupe, halved crosswise, seeded, cut into 6 wedges, peeled
6 small fresh water-packed mozzarella balls or one 8-ounce ball * drained
6 thin slices prosciutto cut in half lengthwise, gathered into ruffle
6 8- inch wooden skewers

Strawberry Crostini

Super easy and the recipe is in the text above!

Instructions

Don't really have a recipe for anything! Its just stuff I like to eat!

Flatbreads pizzas

We used naan we just got at the farmer's market, grilled them quickly and placed slices of fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, grilled peach slices on them and back on the grill to melt the cheese. You could use brie or really any cheese you want. We topped them with fresh arugula that we dressed with a bit of lemon juice and olive oil. Sprinkle of pepper. DUNZO EASY

Melon Salad we don't bother with the skewers we just throw it all in a bowl.

Cantalopes have been sweet! Cut melon into bite sized pizza and place on platter or bowl. Add small fresh mozarella balls and prosciutto that has been shredded into bite sized shreds.
Make the basil oil by combining the shallot, basil and olive oil in a processor. Process until basil and shallot is minced.
Drizzle oil on melon and cheese. Sprinkle on some coarse salt and cracked fresh pepper. Another DUNZO.

Yep, Found a Good Bagel in the City

By threejamigos | April 6, 2016 | Comments 1 comment

I was up in San Francisco last week and had a bit of time to explore so I headed to the Mission District. My first stop was Tartine Bakery. I order one thing religiously, the lemon cream tart. It is by far the best lemon tart I have ever had. The filling is not your typical lemon curd but light, lemony, aptly described as ethereal. So good I don’t mind circling endlessly looking for parking. Ok, I do mind but it is THAT good. When the Tartine Bakery book came out I rushed to get it just for the lemon cream tart recipe.

A double-edged sword mind you as I quickly understood why it is so yummy. Literally, a POUND OF BUTTER goes into that luscious lemon filling. But some things are calorie worthy so I ordered a small lemon tart, an open faced croque monsier (fancy name for a grilled ham and cheese) and a NON-FAT latte. Bam! I am 24.95 poorer than when I walked in. Welcome to Hipsterville. Here is the recipe for the tart found on Food 52.

After Tartine I decided I might as well explore the Mission. I headed for Wise Sons Deli on 24th. Rave reviews for their pastrami alone would have gotten me there but they recently began making their own bagels and the Bay Area has been in need of a good bagel for a long long time. I ordered take out of quite a few items including the bagels, chopped liver, pastrami, smoked fish salad and their challah.
It ran the gamut from really good bagels to “meh” pastrami. The bagels were chewy and firm textured like any self respecting bagel should be. Finally a worthy bagel in the City.

The pastrami while tender was salty and as a whole the sandwich was not that memorable. Now a pastrami sandwich worth remembering is at Langer’s in Los Angeles. If you are ever in Downtown LA stop at Langer’s you won’t regret it, have the number 19. The chopped liver had nice flavor, needed a sprinkle of salt but texturally it was loose best described as gloppy (yuk), the smoked fish salad was good. Once again the gold standard for me is Russ & Daughters in New York, hmmmm. But I’ll be back to Wise Sons, the bagels are definitely worth the trip. I now have a bagel source, guess I’ll have to make my own chopped liver. Luckily I have a recipe from my friend Randi’s Grandmother and it is delish!

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Grandma's Chopped Chicken Liver

Ingredients

Chicken Livers - 1 pint (approximately 1 pound)
2 hard boiled eggs - squished with a fork until fine
Chicken fat enough to saute in - a few tablespoons
1 large sweet onion-diced or two medium onions e.g.. vidalia
Ritzcrackers - 1/3 sleeve - crushed
Salt
Pepper

Instructions

Over medium high heat saute' onions in chicken fat until soft, add chicken livers (whole) until liver is brown on the outside and onions are caramelized about 10-15 minutes
Put liver and onion mixture through a meat grinder and place in a bowl.
Add chopped eggs, crushed ritz crackers and salt & pepper to taste. Blend thoroughly.
Place chopped liver in ramekins and chill.
Serve with Challah, or crackers and cornichons