Well Dined – Page 24

24
Jul
2013

Fig, Mascarpone, and Goat Cheese Galette with Coconut

categories: Recipes

This rustic beauty came about by accident. I had intended to make a cherry pie, but my plans for obtaining cherries fell through. So I ended up with some pie dough and nothing else. I went to the store to see what fruit was available and found some Turkish figs. “This could definitely work,” I thought. Then I thought of a creamy smear of mascarpone underneath, and oh! What if I added in some goat cheese, too?

So I dumped a container each of goat cheese and mascarpone cheese into bowl with some honey and mixed them together. Then I got to thinking, “What about some cardamom in here?” So in it went.

I rolled out my pie dough and spread the cheese mixture over it. I only ended up using half of it, but it made a great dip for crackers and fruit so that was fine. I arranged the quartered figs over the spread and then had another thought. “You know what goes great with cardamom? Coconut!” So I dug out some sweetened coconut flakes from the pantry to sprinkle over the top. A brush of cold water and sprinkling of turbinado sugar later, and my masterpiece was ready to bake.

I threw a lot of ingredients into here, but they ended up blending perfectly. The spread sort of merged with the flaky crust to make a creamy base for the figs; and the coconut came out perfectly toasted. Bonus? My husband was out of town and I got to eat the whole thing myself! This recipe may have been an accident, but I will definitely be making it again. (more…)

22
Jul
2013

Caprese Stuffed Burgers

categories: Recipes

Hello, Summer! Juicy tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and fresh basil, all stuffed inside a hearty burger – oh yeah, baby!

This is a fairly straightforward recipe, the key is in the setup – have all of your ingredients close by and ready to go. Season your beef however you like (I put bacon in mine!) and form into thin patties; make an indentation in the center.

Load up with halved grape tomatoes, fresh mozzarella bits, and ribbons of basil.

Place another thin patty on top and seal the edges to encase the filling.

Then grill as you normally would!

Inspired by Menu Musings of a Modern American Mom

19
Jul
2013

2941

categories: Reviews

I’ve written about 2941 before (here and here), but not since they revamped their restaurant to be a little more casual and less intimidating. We had been checking their ever changing menu online, but nothing really caught our eye until recently. Then, all of a sudden, the whole menu matched what we were craving and off we went! Be aware that this menu is from a few months ago.

Steak tartare with basil, Parmesan, toasted bread, and micro greens. This is really a 1 per person size, and trust me – you won’t want to share.

Zucchini fritters with a feta and mint dip; salmon carpaccio.

Beet salad (sorry for the fuzzy photo – somebody was impatient to eat it).

Tuna tartare with avocado, crispy shallots, and jalapeno. I was actually I little disappointed because the avocado was more like guacamole, which wasn’t what I was looking for. But by no means was it bad.

Asparagus ravioli with white asparagus, mint, thyme, burrata, and Parmesan.

Duck confit ravioli with tomato jam and fiddlehead ferns.

Yummy steak fritte dish.

Strawberry shortcake with coconut, shredded phyllo, and white tea ice cream.

Overall, everything was as fresh and beautiful as it’s always been and the more relaxed atmosphere was refreshing. I don’t think the remarketing has done any damage to 2941 and I hope it helps to bring in more people.

17
Jul
2013

Mexican Style Quinoa Salad

categories: Recipes

This vegetarian/vegan meal that I made with Melissa of Smells Like Brownies is perfect for summer. It is light and fresh (but still filling), takes advantage of summer produce, and is packed with protein.

All you have to do is combine the ingredients – corn, tomato, avocado, bell pepper, scallions, jalapeno, black beans, cooked quinoa.

Then toss with a dressing of lime, olive oil, honey, and cumin.

Top with some fresh cilantro (or parsley if you, like me, are not a fan) and your perfect summer lunch awaits! You can serve it warm, cold, or room temp – doesn’t matter. The ingredient list is also totally flexible, go with whatever ratio of quinoa to veg you like, take out the stuff you don’t like, add in something you do, make it yours. (more…)

15
Jul
2013

Red, White, and Blue Trifle

categories: Recipes

This is a classic desert that works really well for Independence Day (Anything with berries does, really). It’s quick to put together and very pretty, so keep it in mind for next year!

All you need is sponge cake, pound cake, or lady fingers; canned custard or pudding mix; whipped cream; and fruit. Then layer them up however you want and let it sit together in the fridge for a few hours to meld.

I used lady fingers (brushed with Cointreau), vanilla pudding, whipped cream, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. The amounts depend on your serving dish and your preferential ratio of fruit to cream. I used 2 packs of lady fingers, 2 boxes of pudding, 1 can of whipped cream, 1 medium container of strawberries, and 1 pint each of blue berries and raspberries. My layers were lady fingers, pudding, strawberries, whipped cream, lady fingers, pudding, whipped cream, blueberries and raspberries. I probably could have used more berries.

12
Jul
2013

Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Ravioli

categories: Recipes

I recently bought a pasta roller and learned to start making my own pasta (you can read about my first adventure here). One of the very first things that I made on my own was this gorgeous roasted beet and goat cheese ravioli.

Here is my lovely pasta roller!

This is my ravioli press – lay a sheet of pasta over it, and use a plastic mold to press down and form pockets.

Then place the filling into the pockets – check out the crazy fuschia color of the beet filling! (more…)

08
Jul
2013

Garlic Scapes

categories: Recipes

I saw these guys at the Farmers Market and though, “What the heck are those?” So out came the phone and Google searching commenced. Garlic Scapes, as it turns out, are a shoot that grows out of the top of the garlic plant. They need to be removed so that the plant can focus on growing the bulb instead of flowering. This is fortunate, because the also happen to be insanely delicious. They taste like garlic, but without the bite, and can be used like scallions.

I bought myself a big handful and set about looking up recipes. The most common way to use them is in a pesto, so of course I did not make that… because I’m weird.

Instead, I made carbonara – with guanciale (cuz I’m legit) and peas (which put an end to my legit-ness, but I don’t care cuz I love peas). You are probably wondering what the heck I am talking about, I don’t blame you. Here is a link to a great article about the do’s and dont’s of real carbonara. TLDR (too long, didn’t read for all you non-techies) – while bacon and pancetta are acceptable, guanciale is the best; peas are a definite don’t.

I also made biscuits – with garlic scapes, Gruyere, and goat butter (another new obsession of mine). (more…)

05
Jul
2013

Roasted Radish Flatbread with Honey

categories: Recipes

So this little beauty came about due to inspiration from Bev Cooks and the need to get rid of a lot of leftover ingredients from other meals. Sort of a clean-out-the-fridge-in-the-most-delicious-way-possible sort of thing.

I had leftover ricotta from this recipe, with you may recall from last week. Well, not really leftover since I purposefully made double the amount I needed.

And I had little nubs of radish left over from this Spring salad I made inspired by this Martha Stewart recipe. I didn’t post about it but it had butter lettuce, shaved radish and fennel, blanched peas and asparagus, and fresh mozzarella in a lemon juice and sour cream dressing. (more…)

27
Jun
2013

Lemon Ricotta Pasta with Seared Scallops

categories: Recipes

You guys know how much I love homemade ricotta. In case you don’t – it’s A LOT. I’ve also been kind of obsessed with peas lately. So I was super excited to try out this recipe.

I had never made scallops at home before, so I was pretty nervous. But as it turns out, it’s pretty easy! Just make sure that you buy them no more than 1 day before you want to cook them, keep them on ice if you aren’t going straight home, and store them in the coldest part of the fridge. Also, be warned that your house will smell like seafood after you cook them.

As for the pasta – whole wheat linguine, lemon, peas, thyme, and of course – fresh ricotta. Fresh and light and creamy deliciousness!

Here’s one more shot to tide you over… (more…)

25
Jun
2013

Peas and Carrots

categories: Recipes

You know that Forrest Gump quote, “Jenny and me was like peas and carrots.”? I could not stop saying that while making and eating this dinner. The classic duo of peas and carrots, back together again in the form of soup and risotto.

This pea soup has a base of English peas, sugar snap peas, and leeks. So much green!

But more importantly, it has bacon. You start by crisping the bacon and removing it. Then, in the same pan, you cook celery, onion, and leek in the bacon fat before adding chicken stock and rosemary. Meanwhile, blanch the peas. (more…)