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Hi Everyone! Just thought you'd all like to know that the bakesale for Haiti last weekend was a smashing success. In about two hours of selling, we managed to raise $950 for Doctors Without Borders!
Check out Joe and Luke's fantastic write-up of the sale here at their blog, The Passion Fruits: http://thepassionfruits.com/?p=1808
Stay tuned for more recipes...
In this age of micro greens and heirloom radishes, homegrown basil and truffle vinaigrette, is there anything more retro than caesar salad? It's an all-romaine salad -- no baby spinach! -- with croutons, anchovies, and a thick, eggy, garlicky yellow dressing coating the leaves all but delicately. You may as well be sitting at Listrani's an old-school red tablecloth Italian joint that's been around at least since I was a kid. The waiter always says "Bongiorno!" and then carries on the rest of the conversation in English. You order spaghetti with red sauce or eggplant parmesan -- the two lunch specials -- and start, of course, with the house caesar. It's mighty retro.
I'm normally one for ultra-green salads dressed with a very light hand. But lately, I've had an inexplicable craving for good old Caesar salad. Tomatoes haven't yet come back to the market yet, and the cucumbers aren't quite crisp, so it's nice to have a salad whose ingredients are all available right now, that requires little improvisation or substitution, and whose main ingredient isn't fennel. (Not that I don't love fennel.)
Let's face it: when spring vegetables return to the market, we'll probably all forget about Caesar. That's why now is the perfect time to make this standby.
Note: It may be Passover around here, but posts will still magically appear on NDP as I work through a very large backlog of recent cooking projects. Stay tuned!
Caesar Salad adapted from The New Best Recipe
Garlic Croutons: 2 large cloves garlic , peeled and pressed through a garlic press 1/4 teaspoon table salt 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 cups 1/2-inch white bread cubes (from a baguette or country loaf)
Dressing: 1 large egg 4 tablespoons lemon juice from 1-2 medium lemons 1.5 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1/4 teaspoon table salt several grinds black pepper 2 small cloves garlic , pressed (1/4 teaspoon) 4 flat anchovy fillets, minced 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium heads romaine lettuce (large outer leaves removed) or 2 large romaine hearts; washed, dried, and torn into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 10 cups, lightly packed) 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
For croutons: Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix garlic, salt, and oil in small bowl; set aside for 20 minutes. Spread bread cubes out over small baking sheet. Drizzle oil through fine-mesh strainer evenly onto bread; toss to coat. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes. Cool on baking sheet to room temperature. (Croutons should be stored in an airtight container.)
For the dressing: Bring water to boil in small saucepan over high heat. Carefully lower whole egg into water; cook 45 seconds. Remove with slotted spoon. When cool enough to handle, crack egg into small bowl with all other dressing ingredients except oil; whisk until smooth. Add oil in slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until smooth. Adjust seasonings. (Dressing may refrigerate in airtight container for 1 day; shake before using.)
Place lettuce in large bowl; drizzle with half of dressing, then toss to coat lightly. Sprinkle with cheese, remaining dressing, and croutons; toss to coat well. Divide among individual plates; serve immediately.
One more shout-out for Sunday's bakesale! A bunch of DC-based bloggers are hosting a bakesale to benefit Doctors Without Borders' Haiti relief efforts. We'll be baking up all sorts of goodies: I'll be on hand with a pile of chewy toffee blondies, the best bakesale product ever. Others will have cupcakes, whoopie pies, and all sorts of other treats. We'll be at Zorba's Cafe, on Connecticut Avenue just north of the Dupont Farmers' Market." The bakesale will start at 9am and end around 11am.
Can't wait to see everyone there!
When it comes to Passover and any other diet-restricting events or circumstances, I'm a firm believer in eating things you'd enjoy any other time. Forget matzah-meal muffins and "Passover rolls." I'd rather eat undressed lettuce and oranges for a week straight than endure those lame excuses for bread. Gluten-free folks may feel differently, since their restrictions aren't temporary; for the rest of us, I strongly recommend sticking to recipes for delicious things that happen not to call for flour.
For our eating pleasure, I've compiled a small list of flourless baked goods. These are recipes I've gathered over the years -- one as recently as last week -- that help ease the annoyance of going without bread for a week (or more).
Chocolate Puddle Cookies
Courtesy of the lovely Heidi at 101cookbooks, the batter for these cookies looks like, well, a big puddle, but the blobs bake up into crackly, tender morsels. They take approximately 15 minutes, start to finish, and are the perfect answer to a sudden cookie craving.
3 cups / 11 oz / 310 g walnut halves, toasted & cooled 4 cups / 1 lb / 453 g confectioner's (powdered) sugar 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons / 2 oz / 60 g unsweetened cocoa powder scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt 4 large egg whites, room temperature 1 tablespoon real, good-quality vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 320 degrees. Line three rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
Make sure your walnuts have cooled a bit, then chop coarsely and set aside. Sift the confectioner's sugar and cocoa powder together. Stir in the walnuts, then add the egg whites and vanilla. Stir until well combined.
At this point you have two options: you can either add the salt to the batter and stir, or you can sprinkle a bit of salt atop each cookie. I like the second option, because you get a more prominent hit of salt with each bite.
Spoon the batter onto the prepared sheets in mounds of about 2 tablespoons each, allowing for PLENTY of room between cookies. Don't try to get more than 6 cookies on each sheet, as the cookies expand a lot in the oven. For the same reason, don't scoop the batter too close to the edge of the pan.
Bake about 12-15 minutes, watching carefully at the 12-minute mark: the tops should be glossy and cracked. If your oven is very uneven, rotate pans side to side and/or back to front halfway through. My cookies didn't need a second longer than 12 minutes.
Slide the cookies still on parchment onto a cooling rack, and let them cool completely. They will keep in an airtight container for a couple days.
Makes 18 large cookies.
Italian Chocolate Almond Torte
From Alice Medrich's wonderful book Pure Dessert, this cake is sophisticated and elegant, finished with a dusting of cocoa and topped with a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream. Your guests will never know its main ingredients are almond flour and egg whites. Another lovely surprise is the flakes of ground, not melted, chocolate running through the batter. I've spent the past three weeks searching for my images of this torte, but I'm afraid they've been lost in the tangle of pictures that is my laptop. Imagination will have to suffice.
Italian Chocolate Almond Torte adapted slightly from Alice Medrich's wonderful book, Pure Dessert
1 cup (5 oz) blanched or unblanched whola almonds 7 oz. high-quality bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped 3/4 cup sugar, divided 1/4 teaspoon salt 7 large egg whites (about 1 cup) 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar powdered sugar or unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting unsweetened whipped cream for serving
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round springform pan, and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
In a food processor, combine almonds, chocolate, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt and pulse until almonds and chocolate are very fine but "not completely pulverized." Alternatively, you can use almond flour and just pulse the chocolate -- but grinding fresh almonds will give this cake a great texture.
In a very clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer or a large metal bowl using a hand mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar to egg whites, and continue beating until egg whites form stiff peaks but are not dry. Gradually add almond mixture to egg whites, in thirds, folding the two together with a spatula.
Scrape the batter into the springform pan and use spatula to smooth out the top. Bake until the torte has risen and is golden brown on top, and a toothpick inserted comes out with nothing more than some melted chocolate on it, 25-30 minutes (mine took 25 exactly). Set the pan on a rack to cool for 10 minutes, then slide a knife around the perimeter of the cake and carefully remove the sides of the pan. Invert the cake onto the rack -- or, if the grates on your rack aren't fine enough, use a plate -- and remove the bottom of the pan and then the parchment liner. Use two plates to flip the cake rightside up again, and cool completely. Cover the cake or tightly wrap it, and store for up to 3 days at room temperature.
To serve, dust with cocoa, and top each slice with a dallop of unsweetened whipped cream.
Meringues
Meringues are, in my opinion, the ultimate Passover dessert. They're flourless, thoroughly enjoyable, and highly customizable. Last year, my mom and I made some several varieties. One had chopped walnuts and a bit of coffee (they were divine), another had plenty of vanilla and a sprinkle of chocolate chips. The possibilities here are limited only by your imagination. Try adding lemon or orange zest to a batch with pecans, or almond extract and a bit of cocoa for a totally different flavor. I've already written out the recipe for meringues here.
Macarons
The ultimate in flourless delicacies, Macarons are having a moment in the spotlight these days. They're a pain in the derriere to make, but when you put these out at the end of your Seder or dinner party, guests will know you're their biggest fan. Recipe and detailed instructions for macarons can be found here.
But hold up! We're already talking about dessert and you haven't even finished making dinner! I hear ya. If you're still trying to sort out the rest of your Passover menu, here are a few ideas: