Finding Time

I heard what they said. I didn't believe them.

They said once you make food your profession, you will no longer have the passion/desire/need to cook or bake in  your free time. You will lose a hobby. I thought they were crazy. They may have been right...but now I am fighting back.

I forgot for a minute that free time spent in the kitchen behind the stove stirring lemon curd, or at the counter kneading bread dough, is soothing for my soul, and good for my sanity. After long hours in a restaurant kitchen, I thought that curling up on the couch and ordering Thai food was the only cure for my exhaustion and my restlessness. I was so, so wrong.

Wednesdays are one of my days off, and this week I decided I wasn't going to waste it by "relaxing" or cleaning, or sleeping. Instead, I spent the day where I feel most at home (second only to my real home), in my little apartment kitchen, baking up a storm. At the end of the day, when I sat down to enjoy a creamy almond mascarpone tart with tangy apricots and crunchy almond brittle, I felt better than I have in a long while.

So when my mind plays tricks on me and makes me think that the last thing on earth I want to do is bake some more, I will remind myself that it's all lies. My career in the this field is dependent on trying new things, tasting new combinations, testing out new techniques, and if I ever lose the desire to do that, then I am in trouble. I don't like being in trouble.

Honey Mascarpone Tart with Almond Crust, Apricot Compote, and Almond Glass
adapted heavily from bourke street bakery and epicurious
makes 1-9inch round, or 12 inch rectangular tart

Almond Pate Brisee Crust

400 grams (14 oz) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
100 grams (3 1/2 oz) granulated sugar
2/3 cup water, chilled
665 grams (1 lb 7 1/2 oz) all purpose flour1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon almond extract

Remove butter from fridge 20 minutes before mixing.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, water, and vinegar, stir to aid the dissolving of the sugar. Set aside in refrigerator for 10 minutes. Then, stir again to completely dissolve sugar.

In a food processor, pulse the flour and salt together a few times to combine. Add the butter, and pulse in one second bursts about 3-4 times until butter is cut in and evenly dispersed. You should have visible chunks of butter in your flour mixture, this is where the flakiness comes from.

Pour mixture into a large bowl and make a little well in the middle of the flour. Pour the vinegar water mixture into the well, along with the almond extract, and gently mix liquids into the flour with a fork. When liquid is evenly dispersed, dump dough out onto a clean surface and knead gently a few times, just until dough comes together in one cohesive ball. It may be a bit shaggy or falling apart, but that's okay, while it is resting the moisture will bind everything together.

Cut ball of dough in half and shape each half into a disc about 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick. (use one for this tart, and you can freeze the other half for later use) Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least two hours, or overnight. Take dough out of fridge about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Place one of your discs of dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out to a 1/8 inch flat disc. Always start in the center of the disc and roll outward, turning the disc 30 degrees after each roll to get an even thickness throughout. If you are using a rectangular pan, you will want to roll out your dough into a longer strip instead of a round circle. Carefully move the dough to your tart pan and press evenly into all corners, pinching off the excess.

Dock with a fork (meaning poke a bunch of tiny holes in the bottom of the tart crust with a fork) and freeze for twenty minutes. Preheat your oven to 400 F. Place a piece of tin foil over your tart shell, pressing it down to fit the form of your tart, and fill with beans or rice or pie weights. Blind bake your tart for 20 minutes, flipping the pan front to back halfway through. Remove the pie weights and tin foil and bake for another 5-7 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Let cool completely.

Mascarpone Filling

8 oz mascarpone cheese
6 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sour cream, the sugar, and the honey and mix until incorporated. Add the mascarpone, lemon zest, and vanilla and whip until smooth. Spread evenly into cooled tart shell and chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Apricot Compote

4-5 apricots, pitted and cut into eighths
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons water
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (or use a vanilla bean if you have one on hand)

Place the apricots, honey, water, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer just until apricots are softened and starting to break down. Let cool for a few minutes then stir in the vanilla, or if you are using a bean scrape the seeds into the compote and stir in. You can use this slightly warm, or chilled.

Almond Glass

sliced almonds
corn syrup

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place a pile of sliced almonds on a silpat lined baking sheet and spread them out into a single thin layer. drizzle corn syrup over the almonds, making sure to cover them all. This should be a light coating, it will spread and fill in any gaps while it is baking. Place in the oven and bake until the syrup caramelizes to a amber brown color. Let cool completely, then break into shards. Store in an airtight container.

On the mend

Breathe in.....breathe out. Sometimes I forget these two simple tasks. Taking the time to take it all in has been a lost art as of late. I looked up from my powdered sugar - covered counter top one day, and the summer had ended without my knowledge. My favorite time of year was passing me by without a second to enjoy it. That transition period between the hot humid summer, and the crisp cool fall, that's the best part, and I was missing it.

Not this week. I am taking the time this week to sit on my deck with a big spicy glass of zinfandel, in a big cozy sweater, and read or write, or do nothing at all besides sit, stare, and sip my wine. I just wrapped up another quarter of school, and it all finally caught up to me. The five hours of precious sleep a night, the guilt of not having talked to my parents or friends in weeks, the constant streaming to do list in my head, it can wreak havoc on one's body.

So this week, I am on the mend. Catching up with the emails and the phone calls, catching up on my sleep, taking some time to relax, and putting some good food into my body, that is all that is on my to do list now.

This cake, although I made it over a month ago and am just now getting around to posting it, would be near the top of my list of nourishing foods right now. It is just chocked full of blackberries, so you almost feel like you are eating something healthy (even though we all know it is still a cake). With a little bit of ice cream, and it is perfect for those lingering warm afternoons, and ever so slightly chilly evenings. Here's to the last days of summer, and a big warm welcome to the autumn months.

Blackberry Buttermilk Upside Down Cake
recipe from Bon Apetit Magazine

The original recipe calls for making this cake in a deep spring-form pan, I made it in two 9 inch cake pans for a thinner cake. I actually liked the thinness of my cakes, because there was a higher blackberry to cake ratio that way. If you would like to use both of them, you could sandwich some freshly whipped cream in between the two stacked layers, or just serve a single layer by itself, with some ice cream like I did.

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/3 cups cake flour, sifted
2 1/2 cups fresh blackberries
1 1/3 cups sugar + 1/4 cup for dusting blackberries
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 eggs, room temperature
1 vanilla bean
zest of 1 large orange
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 9 inch cake pans with parchment, and then butter and flour pan. Toss berries with the 1/4 cup sugar, and spread them in an even layer on the bottom of each pan.

Split the vanilla bean and with the back of a knife, scrape out the seeds and mix them with the buttermilk. Set aside.

Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and remaining sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl and mixing well after each addition. Beat in the orange zest.

On low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then half of the buttermilk, then another 1/3 of the flour, and the other half of the buttermilk, scraping down the bowl and mixing well after each addition. Mix in the last 1/3 of the flour just until incorporated. Split the batter evenly between the two pans and smooth the top for even cooking.

Bake cakes on middle rack until golden brown, and the cake springs back when pushed gently with a fingertip, or a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 30-45 minutes. Let cool in pan for about 15 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack with the berries facing up and let cool completely.

What to do when you burn $150.00 worth of spare ribs.

There is a cabin in Cumberland, WI that is cursed. Evil spirits are lurking in the oven, and in the electrical box, and in the vintage Weber gas grill. Last summer, the spirits decided I was doomed to cook dinner with no power, in the dark with a flashlight, having to cook everything on the grill. This summer, they wanted to play with fire, and play with fire they did.

The theme for this year's summer cabin weekend was "Lets burn everything!!". Stefanie burned the pizza bread, Heather burned the bacon, and I burned the crap out of $150.00 worth of spare ribs. I have made these before, on the same grill, under the same conditions, but this year just wasn't my year. I think this grill hasn't really been cleaned thoroughly since about 1972, and there were uncontrollable grease fires, which then led to very unstable temperatures. I thought after the first two rounds of: fire-take the ribs off the grill-tame the fire-put the ribs back on the grill-try to get the grill hot again, that we were golden. Oh boy was I wrong. I put the ribs into stage two: wrapped with tin foil with liquids for steaming and went and played a very competitive game of bocce ball. When I came back about 45 minutes later, they were burnt to a crisp, stuck to the tin foil.


It was awful. This is something I am usually good at, and not only did I screw it up, they looked inedible. After a few tears, a LOT of swearing, and a large glass of wine to calm me down, I told someone to grab me two sheet pans and 8 forks. My team got to work, pulling the burnt bits off, and shredding the rest of the meat that was salvageable. I tossed all the meat with the vat of glaze that was supposed to go on during phase three, and put them back on the grill to bake for about an hour. The rest of the cooking went off without a hitch, smashed potatoes and cheesy corn rounded out the meal.

The verdict? It tasted exactly the same as last year, but now you could eat it with a fork, which I personally think is much less fun than tearing it off the bone with your teeth. It did however, make for a less messy and more civilized meal, but all I cared about was saving dinner. I mean, there isn't exactly a large selection of take-out places in Cumberland, WI. Most of all, I was happy to be with my best friends in the world, enjoying and laughing about yet another meal that almost didn't happen.


 
The best part of the shredded rib meat? Making sandwiches the next day. The ribs have a lot of Asian flavors in the glaze and the rub, so I made a big 'ol batch of this spicy cilantro coleslaw. Put the two together and you have some of the best sandwiches ever. Make this coleslaw regardless though, it is seriously amazing.


Spicy Asian Coleslaw
adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen


**This makes an absolute ridiculous amount of slaw, so I mix all the veggies, onions, and cilantro and freeze half of it for a later date.


Also, I use my food processor to shred all the vegetables. You can core and cut the cabbage into 2-inch slices then put though the slicer blade. I then use the slicer blade for the peas, and the grater blade for the carrots. If you don't have a food processor, you can just chop and grate everything by hand, it will just take longer.**


1 head green cabbage, shredded
4-5 medium carrots, shredded
1 bag sugar snap peas, sliced thinly
1 bunch green onions, white and green parts sliced thinly
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 cup peanuts, chopped


4 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
4 teaspoons sesame oil
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sriracha (a spicy red chili paste that you should have in your fridge at all times, trust me)
1/2 cup canola or peanut oil


Combine all shredded vegetables with the green onions and cilantro in a large bowl. In a small mixing bowl combine the vinegar, honey, mustard, sesame oil, soy sauce, sriracha, and peanut oil, and whisk to emulsify.


If you are making this for a large group, you can dress the cabbage mixture and toss with the peanuts right before serving. If you are making this for yourself and plan on eating it for lunch all week like I do, you can store the cabbage mixture in one container, the dressing separately, and the peanuts in a ziploc bag. I only combine what I am going to be eating immediately before consumption. This allows you to store your slaw for much, much longer than if you mix it all together, as cabbage can get soggy quickly.

You can eat a big bowl of this on its own, add some grilled chicken, or top your shredded rib meat on a french roll with it like I did. This winter, if you ever have leftover braised beef, this would be a great way to liven up your leftovers.

When something goes very wrong in the kitchen, keep calm (I myself don't usually take that advice, I admit) and get creative. Know that it will still probably be delicious, and if not, well you have a funny story to tell later. If anyone has any kitchen disasters that turned into a triumph, please let me know in the comments!

Summer-ish Chili + A Giveaway

Is there such a thing as summer chili? If you read my last post I may be a wee bit obvious in my disdain for summer right now, so it should come as no surprise that I have been busy in the kitchen making soup. I am combatting the 105 degree heat index by cranking down the air conditioning and filling my 13-quart LeCrueset full of soup and chili. Delusional? Maybe, but I have a stomach full of chili right now, and that delusion tasted damn good.

Here's where my ADD kicks in. Don't forget to enter my giveaway! Leave a comment by this Monday on the linked post telling me what summer dish is on your list to make before fall arrives and you could win a $40 gift card to CSN online stores.

Okay so about that chili. I have made this chili at least ten times over the last few years. It is based on Michael Chiarello recipe but I change it a little bit every time I make it. It is chock full of zucchini and summer squash, corn, all kinds of peppers and three kinds of beans. It is best made with chicken thighs (trust me on this) but made easier and quite healthy if you use ground turkey. I keep meaning to try a new chili recipe but I just can't stop making this one. It may be an addiction.

3 Bean Chili with Zucchini and Turkey

adapted from Michael Chiarello

3 lbs. chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (or ground turkey or chicken)

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

3 teaspoons paprika

1 cup AP flour (not needed if you are using ground meat)

1/2 cup olive oil (again, if you are using ground meat you will not need as much)

2 large red onions, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 green jalepenos, diced (remove seeds if you want it a little less spicy)

2 red jalepenos, diced (remove seeds if you want it a little less spicy)

1/4 cup tomato paste

6 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons minced thyme leaves

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatos

2 cups white wine

4 cups chicken stock

2 small-medium zucchini, quartered and sliced into 1/4 inch pieces

2 small-medium summer squash, quartered and sliced into 1/4 inch pieces

1 can canellini beans

1 can red kidney beans

1 can chickpeas

2 small cans corn

1 piquillo pepper, diced

1 orange bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced

grated parmesan cheese to garnish (goat cheese crumbles are also delicious, but I put goat cheese on everything so don't hold me to that)

If you are using chicken thighs, place in a large bowl and season generously with salt and pepper, along with the paprika. Toss with the flour to coat. Skip this step if you are using ground turkey, you can add the salt, pepper, and paprika to the pot while the turkey is browning.

Heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a large heavy bottom pot, such as a dutch oven, over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add meat (in batches if needed) and cook until brown on all sides. Remove meat and set aside, leaving juices in pot. Add a few more tablespoons olive oil to the pot and when it is hot, add the onions and garlic and cook until softened and starting to caramelize, about 5-7 minutes. Add the jalepenos and saute another 2-3 minutes, until softened.

Add the tomato paste, chili powder, and thyme and stir to combine. Add the wine, bring to a simmer, then add the chicken stock, tomatoes, and cooked meat. Stir to combine, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes, until chicken is falling-apart-tender.

Add the beans, zucchini, summer squash, corn, piquillo pepper, bell peppers, and green onions. Bring back to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until veggies are tender. Stir in basil and serve immediately topped with cheese. This also freezes wonderfully.

Simple Summer Salad + A Giveaway!

Don't you hate it when life gets in the way of your hobbies? After weeks of working 14 day stretches with no time off, followed by a serious, back-woods, roughing -it, camping trip filled with bears and wolves and too many bug bites to count, I am back home and back to the blog. Finally. And what a better way to start a new stretch of (hopefully much more frequent) posts than with a giveaway for a $40 gift certificate to CSN stores. CSN stores is a group of online stores where you can purchase anything from dinnerware, to picnic baskets, to kitchen gadgets, plus lots of other fun things for your home and garden. Exciting huh? More on that in a bit.

For the past few weeks, I have noticed that I keep stumbling upon blogs which start out with something like: "As the summer is winding down..." or "Now that summer is almost over...". Excuse me? Where are you living? Here in chicago, we've got another 5 day 90+ degree heatwave coming at us. This hardly screams 'fall is coming', as much as I would love for that to be true. This may sound weird but I am ready for fall. I am sick of it being hot and sticky and rainy, it may be the Minnesotan in me. Give me changing leaves and fuzzy sweaters and big ol' pots of soup over the hot and humid weather any day.

Oh well, I will wait patiently for fall. Meanwhile, I will console myself with summer's bounty and tell myself that when it is 10 below zero I will be wishing I had fresh zucchini and cauliflower to make this bright, healthy grain and cous cous salad (either that or I will just tuck into the couch with a blanket and a big bowl of chili, my bets are on the latter).

Now about that $40 gift certificate. (I just wanted to make you read my whole post first :-) All you have to do to enter this giveaway is leave a comment on this post and tell me:

What summer dish you are itching to make before fall arrives?

Leave a description or even a link to a recipe, and I will pick one using a random number generator. You have until Monday, August16th at midnight to enter (sadly, this is open to US and Canada residents only). On Tuesday, I will announce the winning comment here so be sure to check back then to claim your prize! Until then, go outside, put your feet up, crack open an ice cold beer, and enjoy this cous cous salad.

Israeli Cous Cous & Wheat Berry with Veggies and Goat Cheese
makes enough for 6-8 main courses or 12-14 side dishes, easily halve-able

1 cup Israeli cous cous

1 cup wheat berries

2 small-medium zucchini, quartered and sliced into 1/8 inch slices

1 small head of cauliflower, broken into small florets

4-5 green onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup fresh italian parsley, chopped

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

For the dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil
juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
salt and pepper

To finish:

1-2 tablespoons chopped parsely

3/4 - 1 cup crumbled goat cheese

In a small sauce pan, combine wheat berries with 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Drain off any excess water and set aside to cool.

In another small saucepan combine cous cous with 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until tender. Drain off any excess water and set aside to cool.

Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and saute a few minutes just until fragrant. Turn heat to high and add the zucchini and cauliflower and saute until starting to brown a bit, but still retain some crunch, about 3-5 minutes, tossing a few times. Set veggies aside to cool.

In a small, sealable bowl (or mason jar) combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, mustard and salt and pepper. Close container tightly and shake until completely emulsified. Set aside until just before serving.

In a large bowl, combine cooled wheat berries, cous cous, veggies, green onions, parsley, to disperse evenly, and season with salt and pepper to taste. You can store this mixture in the fridge overnight, but I would recommend dressing just before serving, otherwise the zucchini and cous cous will get soggy. When ready to serve toss with just enough dressing to coat, and top with a generous amount of goat cheese crumbles and parsley.

Picnic-ing

I have decided I don't picnic nearly enough. I love everything about picnics. Sitting in the grass, lounging on a blanket, planning out a delicious meal and sharing it with good friends. Throw in some amazing outdoor music and wine and I am as content as can be. Last week my boyfriend, a friend, and I went to a concert at a gorgeous venue just north Chicago, called Ravinia Festival. It is a beautiful outdoor amphitheater with a sprawling flat green lawn. I have been there a few times now, and it is always a great excuse to make fancy picnic food and grab a few bottles of wine and enjoy a great show. The spreads that people come prepared with are insane, and one of my favorite things to do there is just to walk around and see the creative food and set-ups people brought. Most people don't just show up to ravinia with some pb&j's and a can of beer (not that you aren't welcome to), you gotta go all out and bring your cute picnic basket with homemade goodies and actual glass wine glasses. So that is exactly what we did.

We had a fantastic chicken salad with giardinera on sourdough bread, Israeli cous cous and wheat berry salad with cauliflower and zucchini, and edamame hummus with garlic naan bread. It was a perfect meal to munch on throughout the serene performance by the Swell Season. The weather was beautiful, candles were glowing, wine was flowing, and the night was wonderful. If you live in the area and have never been to Ravinia for a show, make it a priority, you will not regret it. It really doesn't even matter what is playing that night, the ambiance more than makes up for any lack of interest in the music itself (however I must say that Swell Season, aka the couple from the movie Once, were absolutely incredible).

Edamame Hummus
makes a LOT of hummus, about 4-5 cups, feel free to halve the recipe

1 large can of Chickpeas
1 16 oz bag of frozen edamame, cooked according to package directions and cooled
3-4 cloves of garlic
juice of 1 large lemon
1/4 cup tahini (you can add more if you like your hummus very tahini-y)
1/4 cup olive oil (may be more or less depending on desired consistency)
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine garlic, chickpeas, edamame, lemon juice, and tahini in a food processor and pulse until ground into a paste. With processor running, slowing stream in olive oil until it reaches your desired consistency. Salt and pepper to taste and pulse to combine.

Serve with pitas or my personal favorite, toasted naan bread. Someday I will make my own, but for now you can buy some really great packaged naan in many grocery stores, all you need to do it brush it lightly with some olive oil and toast in the oven for a few minutes.

As we are nearing the waning days of summer, I hope you have time to grab some friends or loved ones and settle in on a nice comfy blanket at least once more before the leaves start changing colors.

Goodbye Summer...

Well it looks like fall is here to stay. As much as I love the season, I just am not ready for it this year. I feel like summer was here for about two weeks and then the leaves started changing. Oh well, hopefully there is still time to get one last camping trip in before the snow comes.

I figure this is the time to showcase what was probably some of the best 'summer food' I had this year. I can take no credit, for it was served to me by my parents while I was home mooching off of them after I got laid-off. Juicy Lucy Hamburgers, Grilled Deconstructed Caesar Salad, and Tomato, Basil, and Feta Salad, will forever be in my brain when I think of waning days of warm weather. The wonderfully fresh ingredients straight from the farmers market, the grill smoking in the back yard, and a bottle of wine (or three) with the people I love; what a great way to wrap up the summer.

This bottle in particular was the last of the bottles brought home from our trip to Italy.

Since my parents hold these recipes, and I had no part in cooking them (I don't even know what was in half of them) I will simply do my best to describe the photos. All three of these dishes are pretty basic actually, made from simple fresh ingredients, combined to make something exceptional. I wont give away their secrets, you can look for the recipes someday in the Helgerson/Boynton Cookbook, coming to a store near you (you guys almost done with that??).

Juicy Lucys

Basically a Juicy Lucy is a hamburger STUFFED with cheeses of your choosing (and I mean stuffed, I think mom put 3 or 4 kinds of cheeses inside). This is thrown on the grill and stacked high with fresh tomatoes, lettuce, ketchup, mustard, mayo, and whatever else floats your boat.

This was easily one of the best hamburgers I have ever had, and my god was it HUGE. Look at the cheese oozing out of the center. It's hard to look away right?

Tomato, Feta, and Basil Salad

I am just starting to be able to eat raw tomatoes. I was a very picky child, and as I am getting older and getting into cooking, I have been choosing various foods that I didn't really like growing up, and then working towards enjoying them, and eventually loving them. I am definitely well on my way to loving raw tomatoes, and this salad was a key player in that process. A mixture of yellow heirloom tomatoes from my uncle in southern Minnesota, and some gorgeous red heirloom tomatoes that are thriving in pots out on the driveway at my parents house, some fresh basil, herbed feta, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.

Summer perfection.

Deconstructed Grilled Caesar Salad

This is probably my favorite salad of all time. Yes it is that good. Last time I asked my Dad for the Caesar dressing recipe, he just gave me a list of ingredients, no measurements whatsoever. A little trial and error was needed, but if you have never tried homemade Caesar dressing before do it now. Please, you will thank me later. Mayonnaise, crushed garlic, smushed anchovy (yes that is the correct culinary term), lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, white wine vinegar, and cracked black pepper. That's all it takes to have the most heavenly Caesar dressing you have ever tasted.

To elevate this salad even more, the heads of romaine are left intact, sliced in half, brushed with olive oil and grilled just for a minute to char the outside, while leaving the innards cool and crisp.

Instead of croutons, there is grilled garlic bread.

Last but not least, for the brave eaters: a whole anchovy splayed on top. Add a little (or a lot) of freshly grated Parmiginao Reggiano and I think you'll find that deconstructionism never tasted so good.

Hope your end of summer eating was as enjoyable as mine. Time to get out the pumpkin lights. :-)

Until we meet again, my dear asparagus.

It feels good to be back. As you know I was recently laid off from my 9-5, and I thought that instead of lounging around in my PJ's here, it would be a great time to go spend some quality time with my family up in Minnesota. It was a week full of good friends, great food, and a lot of relaxation. There were many great meals, and lots of wonderful wine, but the company and support I received from my friends and family was just what I needed to recharge. The trip also left me quite a bit behind on my blog, and now its time to play catch up!

After making a big vat of hummus one weekend, I found myself with a whole tub of tahini leftover. I have never cooked with tahini before besides using it in hummus, so I went to Epicurious to see if they had any suggestions. There, I found a recipe for Roast chicken with asparagus and tahini sauce. At the time I made this, the asparagus season was waning, so it seemed like the perfect excuse to grab some of the last little sprigs of the summer.

This dish was bright and creamy, and the preparation for the chicken was something I will definitely be applying to other chicken dishes. It was easy and fast, great for a weeknight meal if you are one of those people who still have 9-5 jobs :-).

Roast Chicken with Asparagus and Tahini Sauce

Adapted from Epicurious.com

(my notes in green)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-3 inch pieces

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves - I used two whole skinless boneless chicken breasts, because that was what was on sale

1/3 cup tahini paste

1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice - I used lime juice instead

1 teaspoon sugar

1 garlic glove minced - I used two because I LOVE garlic, just be sure to mince it very very finely

Preheat oven to 450, with the racks in the middle and lower third of the oven.

Toss the asparagus with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet, or glass baking dish and set aside.

Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. (I used my 13-inch All-Clad French Skillet, which I love...some would say I love this pan an abnormal amount, but I digress)

When the oil is hot, place the chicken in carefully and brown on both sides, about 3-5 minutes on each side, depending on how large your breasts are. (I am still talking chicken here. Sorry I am still a ten year old inside and cant resist a boob joke) Once the chicken is browned, place in the oven on the top rack and roast until cooked through.

If you are using smaller breast halves, place the asparagus in the oven at the same time as the chicken, it should take about 10 minutes to roast the asparagus and 5-10 minutes for the chicken. If you are using very large whole breasts, I would wait 5-10 minutes before placing the asparagus in, as the chicken will take longer, about 15-20 minutes. Remember the chicken can always rest for a while under tin foil if the asparagus is not done in time.

While the chicken and asparagus roast, combine the tahini, water, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, lime juice in a bowl and whisk together. The recipe calls for using a blender, but I think as long as you mince the garlic fine enough, it shouldn't be necessary.

Once everything is cooked, plate and drizzle the tahini sauce over the top. I served mine on top of some whole wheat pasta, but that is entirely optional.

Since it is no longer asparagus season, this dish would be great with any other roasted veggie, such as brussels sprouts or even carrots. Enjoy!