Spicy hot, deep-flavored green chile stew

I’ve been traveling to New Mexico since I was a teenager, and I would say the flavors I tasted there contributed to awakening of my youthful palate. Blue corn tortillas with a heavenly deep red chile sauce was a favorite at The Shed, and we always made a pilgrimage to Rancho de Chimayo for the Green Chile Rellenos and sopapillas. That covered the abiding question you always hear in New Mexico, “red or green?” But a standout for me was the entire green chile experience. We would go to Jackalope Pottery when Hatch chiles were in season and while they roasted big cage drums of chiles we would investigate the prairie dog village (!). The amazing smell of the chiles filled the air, and the sky was always that perfect Santa Fe blue. Then our black garbage bag full of hot chiles would be ready for us to take. We’d sort them into ziplock bags and, along with other hard-to-find ingredients like blue corn flour and ristras of dried chiles, we’d haul ‘em back to Oklahoma.

They’ve always been roasted like this as long as I can remember, with super-hot propane roasters in these drum cages

Hatch chiles are special. They are grown in the valley along the Rio Grande River around and to the north of the small town of Hatch, New Mexico, located between Las Cruces and Truth or Consequences. The chile varieties grown there have been consciously cultivated over decades by the local farmers as well as New Mexico State University to take advantage of the specific climate and soil conditions of the valley, and they just don’t taste the same grown elsewhere. The town has an annual Festival celebrating this famous crop, and for years you could only get the fresh chiles in New Mexico. Now a number of farmers will mail you chiles (here’s another one) or they may come with a truckload to your town and roast them while you wait. My local grocery store, Bristol Farms, invited a vendor to come and roast in the parking lot, and it was a huge hit.

You have to buy them by the box! I found someone to split a box with me — I have more than enough chiles to last me for a while

Once roasted the cage is opened and the chiles slide down into a bag that is inside your original box

The chiles vary in heat from year to year, and part of the joy is to discover how hot this year’s crop will be. They are picked green for roasting — on the vine they mature to red and are braided into ristras and dried. The crushed or pulverized dried red chile is the smoky, distinctive red chile flavor so dominant in New Mexican cuisine.

When you get roasted chiles home, take the time to remove the seeds and veins, and peel them as well. They freeze beautifully laid flat in ziplock bags (I put about 12 in a bag), with most of the air pushed out.

So for me, today, the answer is green.

Hatch Green Chile Stew | 6 to 8 servings

This will serve eight if you have some petite eaters, but for hearty servings it will feed six.

10 to 12 roasted, seeded and peeled green chiles
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 thick bacon slices, coarsely chopped
2 pounds boneless pork butt or shoulder, in two pieces
2 yellow onions, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 large pinch dried oregano
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock
6 to 8 fresh sage leaves, minced, or 1 teaspoon dried sage
1 very large potato (1 pound), in 1/2-inch cubes, or small potatoes equally 1 pound, cut into chunks
3 cups cooked hominy (29 ounce can), drained
1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
Chopped cilantro
Sour cream

Prepare the chiles. If unroasted, roast on the grill or over a flame until charred on all sides. Place the chiles in a brown paper bag for 10 minutes to steam. Remove and slice up one side lengthwise, opening the chile up. Using the blade side of a knife, scrape up toward the stem to remove the veins and seeds. Trim off the stem, along with the veins and seeds. Turn the chile over and using the dull side of the blade scrape off the charred skin. Chop the chiles. You should have a one full cup and maybe a little more.

These are almost done but not quite

Scrape the veins (which hold a lot of a chile’s heat) and seeds up and away, taking the stem with them

Use the dull side so you don’t take all the blackened bits away or scrape off the oils

Depending on how hot you like your chile stew, you may want more or less!

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof stew pot over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon pieces until browned but not crisp and the fat is rendered. Remove and drain. Sear the pork pieces until browned on all sides, about 15 minutes.

This is boneless pork shoulder, with the fat trimmed — it is what is called the “butt,” the cut at the top of the shoulder. The “picnic” cut also works fine, or you’ll find it simply labeled “shoulder.”

I turn my several times to deepen the sear on the pork, and I find that it fits better in the stew pot when cut into two pieces

When the pork is seared, remove it to a plate. Cook the onions, carrots and celery in the pot until the onion is translucent and browning, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, ground cumin and oregano and cook another 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and sage.

Having everything chopped will save time

Cooking the cumin with the vegetables before adding liquid will bring out its flavor

Nestle the pork down in the liquid

Cover the stew pot and cook the pork in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 hours, or until the pork is very fork-tender.

When the pork is tender, remove the pieces to a large plate. Using two forks, shred the meat into thin strips. Discard any large fat pieces. Return the shredded meat to the stew pot, along with the potatoes, hominy, roasted chiles and salt.

It is almost impossible to go wrong with pork shoulder — it is always tender and delicious

I used a mixed bag of small potatoes, mostly for the wonderful color

Everything going into the stew

Plunge the potatoes down into the stock so they cook evenly

Cover the pot and return it to the oven for another 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Serve with cilantro and sour cream on top.

Be sure to bookmark the chile sites so you can score your own for next year!

Kelly McCune © 2012

Lisa’s beautiful kitchen garden in Mosier, Oregon — see the amazing blue-green kale peeking out from behind the tomatoes?

Just returned from a stay in the Columbia River Gorge where we played all day in the spectacular surroundings and cooked all night from the most wonderful supply of local ingredients. It’s a big beer-brewing area, too, so that didn’t hurt! The house where we were staying had a lush kitchen garden, surrounded by a big deer fence, of course, given the area. In abundance were tomatoes and kale, the popular kid on the block. We used kale almost every evening, and more would be there in the morning, just like that. It looked like this:

As the leaves remain on the plant they turn a wonderful gray-green — new growth is deep blue-green but the leaves all turn a uniform color by the time you get them up to the kitchen

I made one simple dish that was decidedly worth repeating, and that’s the one I’m posting here. The kale in Lisa’s garden is Tuscan kale, also called cavolo nero, lacinato or dinosaur kale. I also love it roasted, which I do here. There were also fat onions, bursting out of the ground, and several pots of cherry tomatoes which we ate like grapes at a Roman feast.

Things just plucked from the ground are almost impossible to make taste anything but perfect

Sautéed Kale with Onions and Cherry Tomatoes

This is one of those “recipes” that is not a recipe at all — no precise ingredients, just go for it.

Tuscan kale, about 3 leaves per person
Olive oil
Sweet onion, quartered and sliced, about 1/4 for 2 people
Cherry tomatoes, about 3 per person, halved
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Trim the bottom inch of stem from the kale, rinse and pat dry. Slice crosswise into 1/2 inch ribbons.

So easy to rinse kale because the moisture just beads up and runs off

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and wilt the sliced onions with a little salt for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat.

They should be soft and golden, not over brown

Add the kale and continue cooking another 3 to 5 minutes, until the kale is wilted and bright green.

Toss the kale as it cooks to wilt it evenly — it should be tender but retain some crunch

Add the cherry tomatoes and sauté until they are just drooping and tender, about a minute or two.

The tomatoes will cook quickly

They should release their juices and wilt slightly

Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and serve.

I could eat this every day, and when I grow kale in my garden, I will!

You can just taste the sunshine.

Kelly McCune © 2012

Anybody else have a baseball bat-sized zuke in their garden? The little one is for scale…

It was so innocent looking, in its small pot, hanging out at the nursery. One little zucchini plant. I knew better than to buy two, but I was tempted. I remembered, though, making loaf after loaf of zucchini bread when my dad (briefly) had a garden that included the plant. One thing about zucchini — they give back. You can wander out in the morning with your coffee, poke through the prickly leaves and see a few adorable little squashes. By evening it seems like they’ve bulked up to giants! I’ve gotten out my old recipe and with a few changes and adaptations have, well, one delicious solution to zucchini invasion.

One of my zucchini loaves has, in addition to walnuts, dried bing cherries in it (one member of the family doesn’t like them), but that’s optional. Raisins are nice, and pecans work well, too.

So moist and delicious — try it with cream cheese!

Now when you go out with your coffee to check on the garden, you can take a piece of zucchini bread with you!

Zucchini Bread with Walnuts and Cherries | makes 2 loaves

I like this recipe because you don’t even need a mixer, just a whisk.

3 eggs
1 cup neutral oil, like canola, safflower, grapeseed or sunflower
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 heaping cups shredded zucchini
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup walnut or pecan pieces (optional)
1 cup dried cherries, raisins, cranberries, or other chopped dried fruit (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter and lightly flour 2 bread 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 bread pans (standard 1 pound loaf pans).

You will see from the flour coating if you’ve missed a spot

In a bowl, whisk the eggs together, add the oil and beat until well combined. Add the sugars and vanilla and beat until well blended. Stir in the shredded zucchini.

If your zucchini is extra large, cut out the seedy center

No need to peel the zucchini

Stir in the shredded zucchini

Combine the flour, soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Blend together with a dry whisk or fork.

Combining the dry ingredients beforehand avoids a pocket of unmixed baking powder or soda

Add the dry ingredients to the egg/zucchini mixture and stir until combined. Don’t overmix.

To keep a tender crumb, just stir until all the dry ingredients are moistened

Stir in the walnuts and cherries.

I added half the cherries to half the batter — so only one loaf had cherries

Kelly McCune © 2012

Heath Toffee Bars and popcorn, all in one little cookie

I can trace my inspiration for this cookie to two sources. The first was a recent trip to the Momofuku Milk Bar in Brooklyn with my daughter. First of all, who can resist the name of the place? It just sounds promising — milk and bar and…Momofuku, what? But the store comes from the crazy baker brain of Christina Tosi, pastry chef at the famous Momofuku restaurants, who concocts baked goods with names like Crack Pie, Cereal Milk Ice Cream, and Compost Cookies. Even though her Compost Cookie has pretzels and graham crackers (among other things), I imagined it was going to have popcorn so I got that on my mind. The toffee just came along with.

Second inspiration comes from Sylvia, who works with my husband — she may not realize it but she has accidentally put me to the challenge of creating a new cookie for the annual office summer barbecue. Last year I brought Mexican Chocolate Chip Cookies, which had been invented for the previous year. This year had to be new!

Toffee Popcorn Cookies | makes about 36

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, tightly packed
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chopped Heath toffee bars
3 heaping cups lightly salted popcorn (pop about 1/4 cup of popcorn in 1 1/2 tablespoons of neutral oil)

Using a standing mixer, cream the butter. Add the sugars and beat at medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides. Add the egg and vanilla and beat at medium speed for 7 to 8 minutes, scraping down the sides a couple of times.

If you use this type of standing mixer, use the paddle attachment

The butter/sugar/egg mixture will be very fluffy when it’s mixed for 7 or 8 minutes

In a bowl combine the flour, soda and salt. Add to the butter mixture and beat on low to just combine.

Don’t overmix the dough after adding the flour — beat just enough to moisten all the flour

Fold in the toffee pieces, then fold in the popcorn.

I used Heath toffee minis, and chopped them into chip-sized pieces

It’s easiest to fold in the toffee chips and popcorn by hand — it keeps the popcorn from breaking down too much

Form into balls and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to overnight.

It’s easy to form the balls with your hands, or scoop them up with a spoon and arrange on the baking sheet

Here are the dough balls arranged for the refrigerator

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a cookie sheet or use parchment under the cookies. Arrange the chilled cookie dough balls on the baking sheet, leaving several inches between each cookie. Keep the rest of the dough refrigerated.

Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until browning on the edges.

Leave room for the cookies to spread out somewhat

Cool the cookies on a rack.

They won’t stay on the rack very long!

Eat with gusto!

Kelly McCune © 2012

So many uses for this simple and fresh-tasting concoction — here are just a few ideas

I’ve never been one to make a green herb dip. I don’t know why, but I have just avoided it all these years. I think I got “off dips” after too many of the sort with a packet of this or that mixed in. Don’t get me wrong, those dips have a guilt-inducing deliciousness, but it was a little more of my mom’s style and not enough of my own. Looking out over an herb garden gone wild this year as well as baseball bat-sized zucchini, I decided I needed to break through my reluctance and master a darn good green herb dip. Warning — once you have this in your refrigerator, you’ll be bereft without it. It’s a dip, a sauce, a condiment for sandwiches, a flavored mayonnaise of sorts, and indispensable. Luckily it is simple to make.

The fundamentals are the parsley, an equal amount of fresh herbs, the green onions, and the mayo and sour cream

I’ve used a combination of fresh tarragon, chives, thyme and dill in my dip, because that’s what I had enough of in my garden. You can skew the flavor in many directions: other herbs such as basil would be wonderful mixed into a cold pasta salad; oregano might be a good dip for meat kabobs; more dill if it’s cold salmon you’re serving; watercress for a peppery flavor; capers; anchovies push it more toward a Green Goddess dressing — you get the idea.

Green Herb Dip | about 2 1/4 cups

A food processor is preferred for this dip, though a blender will work almost as well. Plan on scraping the sides more often with a blender to fully liquify the herbs.

1/2 bunch Italian parsley
A handful of assorted fresh herbs (about as much as the 1/2 bunch parsley) such as tarragon, dill, thyme, chives, basil
6 green onions
1 cup mayonnaise (can use homemade mayonnaise)
1 cup sour cream
1 clove garlic, minced to a paste
Small pinch of sugar
1/8 lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Takes just seconds to break all this down

Wash the parsley and herbs and shake well to dry. Cut most of the stem end off the parsley, break the bunch in half and place in the bowl of a food processor. Pull the leaves off the herbs and add them to the parsley. Trim the root end off the green onions and coarsely chop the white part and half the green. Add the green onions to the parsley and herbs. Add 1/2 of the mayonnaise to the food processor and pulse to liquify the herbs. Scrape down the sides as needed.

Run the processor just a half minute or so and the herbs will be starting to liquefy

Add the remaining mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic, sugar, and lemon juice and pulse until fairly smooth.

I like to be able to see a little of the minced green in the dip

Add salt and pepper to taste and purée until the dip is as smooth as you’d like it.

Now pass the raw veggies, or the grilled chicken, or the salad greens, or the chips, or the egg salad, or…

Kelly McCune © 2012

Beautiful colors and flavor

I had a dish that surprised me the other day at a noisy and spirited restaurant in Highland Park, Los Angeles called The York. It combined two ingredients I love, but had never had together: beets and burrata. Burrata is that not-mozzarella-but-tastes-like-it cheese. For an exceptional explanation of how burrata differs from classic mozzarella, I recommend you read Nora Singley at thekitchn.com. If you don’t make it to the tutorial, though, suffice it to say that burrata in English is “buttered” and this is a raggedy, buttery version of creamy mozzarella encased in a shell of the more elastic variety. It comes in a tub, like fresh mozzarella. In a pinch you can also use a fresh mozzarella, but it won’t melt as well over the hot beets.

It is said that burrata was created to use up the “rags” of the mozzarella making process — a sort of rag bag of cheese!

Rubies & gold

I used both golden and ruby colored beets. The flavors are very close, but the ruby might be a touch sweeter. Save the beet greens and cook them like Swiss chard or use them in soup.

Beets & Burrata | 4 to 6 servings

This is a very quick dish to put together once the beets are cooked — plan on roasting the beets even a day or two ahead to make this in just a few minutes.

8 medium-sized beets, about 5 pounds with the tops
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 burrata

The skins will be peeled away so no need to scrub vigorously

Arrange the beets on a baking sheet and roast until tender when pierced with a skewer, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool. Pull the skins off the beets and pare off where needed. Cut the peeled beets into bite-sized pieces.

The skins pull away easily — just pare away the tops, roots and any skin that remains

Ready to be sautéed

Slice the garlic into long, thin slivers. Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat and gently cook the garlic for 7 to 10 minutes, until it is aromatic and slightly coloring.

Garlic adds a nice bite to the dish

Take care not to burn the garlic — that will have a bitter flavor

Raise the heat to medium-high and add the beets. Sauté them in the hot oil for 7 to 10 minutes, tossing to cook all sides. They will start to color and get a little bit of a sear on the outside.

High sugar content gives the beets a nice sear

Add the chopped spinach and salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking until the spinach is wilted, another 3 minutes or so.

Young spinach wilts more quickly than mature greens, so adjust the time accordingly

Season if needed with a little more salt and put the beets in a serving bowl. Top immediately with large chunks of the burrata. Grind a little fresh pepper on top and serve hot.

Too bad burrata only lasts a couple of days — that means you’ll have to have the other half the next day with a crusty loaf of bread and some fresh sliced tomatoes. What time do we eat?

Kelly McCune © 2012

So full of potential at this point...my little Mr. Stripeys

Okay, I agree, that’s a silly title for the post. After all, it was a crumbly, tea-soaked madeleine that prompted Proust’s flood of memories, not a tomato. Not only that, as a kid I hated tomatoes, so my memory might be a scary one. I love tomatoes now, especially sweet, fresh, flavorful, home-grown ones. So I’m growing tomatoes, and this year I hope to succeed. Oh, yes, I’ve tried before, but I have always come up empty-handed.

Which brings me to my remembrance. My Kentucky grandmother (“Nana”) grew tomato plants as tall as she was — giant, hairy plants with bright red, hand-sized tomatoes.

You can't see just how green her thumb was

I thought of her the other day when I was tying up my plants, when just a brush across the powerfully scented leaves brought back those hot summer days in Lexington (my grandfather insisted on eating outside every summer evening, there was always iced tea, and farm-grown vegetables abounded). I was suddenly so sorry that I hadn’t learned the art of tomato growing from Nana when she was living. Now I’m relying on the Sunset Western Garden Book: “Tomato plants need regular moisture at root level: they are deep rooted so water heavily each time you water.” What is “regular?” And what is “heavily?” And from Amy Goldman’s beautiful book, The Heirloom Tomato, “Plants grow stockier if you brush the tops lightly with your hand every day.” I have been dutifully brushing my plants! But I don’t remember my grandmother doing that.

Truly a visual delight, and descriptions of possibly every variety of tomato available

When did we stop relying on our elders to teach us how to do things? Did we not trust their techniques or think them ridiculously out-dated? Did we put our faith more readily in “experts,” like authors, TV pundits, or now, internet instructors? Hey, it’s a tomato plant. And my grandmother proved her success at it year after year. What was I thinking, to let that resource slip past me.

So I will grow my plants with great attention this year, and so far things are looking good:

Deep watering -- I think I'm getting it

"Mortgage Lifter" from http://www.theartofseed.com

I have wonderfully named varieties, such as Mortgage Lifter, Mr. Stripey, and Kellogg’s Breakfast.

Kellogg's Breakfast from http://www.theartofseed.com

I’m keeping notes, so that I can learn from my mistakes and hopefully correct them next year. Maybe in a couple of years I’ll have some decent knowledge to pass along to my daughters and nieces, assuming they wouldn’t rather get it from YouTube. And Mom, get ready, because I’m going to have you teach me all those cool needlepoint stitches.

Kelly McCune © 2012

Citrus marries well with the mild flavor of pork tenderloin

Been gone for so long…so many bits and pieces of life have blown across my path for me to trip over. A sick father (in Oklahoma!) now well or well-er, a CD in production, many travels both necessary and unexpected. But I’m back on terra firma and the first recipe I want to share is a wonderful pork tenderloin from Dorie Greenspan‘s beautiful book, Around My French Table. I’m always often looking for recipes that are quick to prepare, and this one caught my eye for both that and for the simple list of ingredients. Most complicated ingredient: cardamom. Next most complicated: oranges. I had both on hand. The cherries are not in Ms. Greenspan’s original recipe so they can be considered optional. Perfectly prepared pork tenderloin highlights the “tender,” and this looked very promising.

I have Ms. Greenspan’s book on long-term loan from my young friend, Sarah Green, who, had she stayed in town long enough, would have been my Kitchenelly co-worker. Instead she lammed out to Sonoma where she became a “cellar rat,” doing everything from crushing grapes to scrubbing out vats to grilling lunches. She is now on the other side of the planet in New Zealand (where they have just finished their wine season!) doing the same thing. She writes eloquently of her experiences at crushed and stirred. Please check it out.

Fresh Orange Pork Tenderloin…with Dried Cherries | 4 servings

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan, Around My French Table

3 oranges (I like a Valencia or other sweet orange)
5 or 6 cardamom pods
1/2 small red onion or sweet onion
1 pork tenderloin, about 1 1/2 pounds
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
20 dried cherries
1 or 2 chive spears

Rinse the oranges and dry them. Cut the peel off one of the oranges, taking care not to get too much of the white pith. Try to get strips of at least one inch. Halve and juice that orange and set aside. Cut the longer strips of peel down to roughly one inch and slice all the peels into thin matchsticks. Set aside until needed.

Don't worry if you don't get every last bit of peel

A simple juicer works just fine, or use a citrus reamer and collect the juice into a bowl or measuring cup

Cut the longer strips down, and slice into very fine matchsticks

Slice the peels off the remaining 2 oranges, right down to the flesh. Slice them into their natural sections along the membrane line. Set aside until needed.

Try not to catch too much of the flesh, but don't leave the white pith on the orange

They slice easily into segments once the peel is removed

Crack the cardamom pods open with the tip of a knife and empty out the seeds inside. Discard the tough green pods. “Bruise” the seeds by pressing them with a table knife.

The pods are a little tough to open but can be pried or sliced open, depending on how dry they are

The seeds are hard little things and won't really crush under the knife but pressing on them will start to release their flavor

Finely chop the onion and set aside.

I like the color that the red onion imparts

Slice the tenderloin first in half, then slice each half in half again, and one more time again for 8 equal pieces.

This technique helps get even pieces

Try to make the slices as even as you can

The ends of the loin will be a slightly different shape

Over medium-high heat in a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil. Brown the pork slices for 2 to 3 minutes per side, salting and peppering the slices before turning.

A little salt and pepper at this point

They won't be dark brown, just aim for a nice sear

Reduce the heat slightly. Add the orange zest, juice, caramom, and onion and sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper. Stir the liquid to mix in the ingredients.

Reducing the heat slightly will keep the juice from popping up when it's added to the hot oil

When the liquid shows the first little simmer bubble, reduce the heat all the way to low, cover, and keep at the gentlest low simmer for 10 minutes.

If the mixture fully boils, it will start to firm up the meat -- this super low simmer is more like poaching, and won't contract the proteins, thus keeping essential moisture in

Add the orange segments and dried cherries. Bring the liquid back up to a the first little simmer bubble, reduce the heat again, and cook another 3 minutes. The pork should be at about 145°F on an instant read thermometer.

The orange segments will cool down the liquid, so bring it back up to the tiny bubble level

Transfer the pork and orange segments to a warm serving platter. On high heat, cook down the sauce for 1 or 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper if needed, and pour over the pork. Serve immediately, sprinkled with minced chives.

I like it over Israeli couscous, but it would be delicious with a creamy mashed potato or rice.

Knock, knock.

Kelly McCune © 2012

The tangy balsamic-soaked cherries are just an option -- the "cake" is amazing all by itself!

This is one of those rare “cakes” that swings easily from sweet to savory — comfortable before, during, or after the meal. Our family friend, Sarah (close pal of daughter #1), first brought this torte to a dinner party to accompany Winter Vegetable Stew. It was a cold, wintery evening, and the torte was the perfect compliment to the rustic soup. When Sarah and I set out to make it again for Kitchenelly, we decided to spin it to the sweet side, and top it with cherries (fresh from Oregon, jammed into my suitcase). It complied convincingly. And last night I made it as an appetizer. I sprinkled the batter with thinly sliced shallots before baking. Once again, a stand-out with the prosecco. You want this in your repertoire, just like that little dress in your wardrobe that works for a barbecue and a fancy cocktail party (speaking from a woman’s point of view, of course).

Sarah Green, who will be writing for Kitchenelly when I can get her

This post introduces Sarah, who will be writing for Kitchenelly when she isn’t crushing grapes or cooking from the wonderful bounty up in Napa Valley where she’ll be working through the Fall. She is a recent college graduate and fantastic baker — Sarah has been baking since she could reach the counter. She’ll bring a lot to Kitchenelly and I’m looking forward to her posts.

Goat Cheese Torte | 8 to 12 servings, depending

This goes together so quickly and is so easy, yet it has an elegant and sophisticated flavor. Feel free to cut back on the sugar if you want it a little less sweet. Sarah’s recipe is inspired by Dorie Greenspan’s from her beautiful book, Around My French Table.

8 ounce “log” of soft goat cheese
1/2 pound fresh cherries
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
The leaves of a 6-inch spring fresh thyme
Butter for the pan
Flour for the pan
5 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Remove the goat cheese from the refrigerator to soften at room temperature.

Pit and halve the cherries and place in a bowl.

I love my cherry pitter but watch out for stains -- that's why we're not doing it on the wooden board!

Toss with the balsamic vinegar and thyme leaves and set aside until needed.

The cherries with macerate slightly with the balsamic, releasing some of their juices

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Very generously butter an 8-inch round cake pan, and then coat lightly with flour.

Separate the eggs.

Sarah and I both use the eggshell method for separating eggs -- carefully crack the egg, and gently pour the yolk back and forth in the shell halves until the white is released

Getting any yolk in the white will prevent the white from beating properly -- also, any shell bit that gets in the white can be removed easily by using the shell half as a scooper

In the bowl of a mixer, combine the goat cheese, egg yolks, 1/2 cup of sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla and beat until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes.

Smooth and creamy with all the goat cheese blended in

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with the pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar and continue beating a minute or so more, until stiff peaks form and the whites are shiny. With a spatula, stir 1/3 of the whites into the cheese and egg batter. Scrape the remaining 2/3 of the whites onto the batter and fold in gently.

Try not to stir at this point, which will deflate the whites

Pour the batter into the pan and bake on the middle rack at 400°F, without opening the oven, for 15 minutes.

Pour gently to keep the whites as puffy as possible, and don't shake the pan

Reduce the heat to 350°F and cook another 25 to 30 minutes, or until well-browned on top and cracking. The cake will puff up while baking, but settle as it cools. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes and then turn the cake out onto a plate, turning top side up.

Make sure to put this little torte in your wardrobe repertoire to pull out for any event — it’s a keeper.

Kelly McCune © 2011

Warm beef on top of salad greens with a hint of gorgonzola -- ahh, summer

Finally dusted off the grill, and snapped back to attention here at Kitchenelly. My band, Border Radio, got very busy over the last month or so and I’ve been AWOL! We took a trip up to Northern California for some shows, recorded 5 new songs, taped a bunch of video, went down to San Diego, and wrote a few more tunes.

Singing with the band in San Diego at the Adams Avenue Roots Festival

But I’m back at the helm here, with a serious craving to get the grill going for some BEEF. That combined with a craving for tender salad after a wet winter filled with the super dark greens like chard and kale.

I love salad greens combined with something warm (I’ve lately been favoring putting my salad on top of my pizza). In this salad the juices from the warm beef combine with the vinaigrette to make a flavorful dressing that slightly wilts the tenderer greens. I recommend a combination of crisper lettuces, like romaine and radicchio, with tender leaves such as mache, arugula, frisee, and leaf lettuces. And instead of croutons I’ve made a garlicky crostata — the whole effect is like a fantastic steak sandwich completely deconstructed.

Here, along with the red onion and fennel for the grill, are romaine, red leaf lettuce, mache, radicchio, and basil

Warm Grilled Steak & Gorgonzola Salad | 4 servings

1 1/2 pound rib eye or other quality beefsteak (or 2)
1 large or 2 small red onions
1 fennel bulb
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 head romaine lettuce
1/4 head red leaf lettuce
1/4 head radicchio
Mache or arugula
Basil leaves
Ciabatta or other loaf bread
1 clove of garlic

For the vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon honey mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Small pinch of salt
Small pinch of sugar
1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil
Pinch of dried or fresh tarragon
Freshly ground black pepper

Pitted Niçoise olives
Several ounces gorgonzola or bleu cheese (crumbling type)

Light a charcoal grill. Remove the steak from the refrigerator to allow it to come to room temperature while the grill is heating up. Slice the onion into thick slices. Cut the top off the fennel bulb, halve, cut out the solid core, and slice. Rub the steak and vegetables lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and set aside.

I've sprinkled my steak with a little grill seasoning called "Chophouse Blend," made by Simply Organic

While the grill fires up, prepare the salad ingredients. Break the romaine and leaf lettuce into pieces. Thinly slice the radicchio. Wash all the greens and dry well, preferably in a salad spinner.

I love my salad spinner -- I also love salad lettuces broken into bite-sized pieces

Place the washed greens in a large bowl and cover with a squeezed-out dampened paper towel. Store in the refrigerator until needed.

The fridge keeps the greens crisp, and the dampened paper towel keeps them from drying out

Slice the bread into 1/2-inch slices and toast. Brush with olive oil on one side, and lightly rub the cut end of a peeled clove of garlic on the oiled side of the toast. Cut the toasts in half lengthwise and set aside until needed.

You will not need this whole clove of garlic, even for a dozen slices of bread -- raw garlic is strong so a little goes a long way!

Prepare the vinaigrette. In a small bowl or measuring cup put the mustard, vinegar, salt, and sugar and combine. Using a small whisk, pour the olive oil into the vinegar mixture, whisking all the while. Add tarragon and pepper and set aside until needed.

I've used a Zinfandel vinegar here -- balsamic vinegar may overpower the honey mustard but feel free to get creative

The idea is to whisk constantly so that the oil and vinegar create an emulsion, and are in a suspended mixture -- use enough oil to have a rich, olive-y flavor, not too tart

The vinaigrette, properly emulsified, will be almost creamy

Now add dried or fresh herbs, like tarragon, a little pepper, salt if needed -- if it becomes separated just whisk it back together

When the coals are covered with ash but still glow red, grill the fennel and onion, covered, about 4 minutes per side or until browned.

Vegetables caramelize and brown beautifully on the grill

Remove the grilled vegetables and cook the steak over hot coals (open the vents completely), covered, approximately 5 minutes per side. The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the steak.

A little char is great, but cover the grill to avoid burning the meat

Steak can overcook within a minute, so watch carefully -- the top will still spring back but it will feel more dense. Cook steak to 120°F for rare and then rest the meat under foil for 5 to 10 minutes -- it keeps cooking even after it's removed from the heat

While the meat is resting, slice the grilled vegetables into large pieces. Toss the salad greens with vinaigrette, taking care not to overdress the salad. Divide the dressed greens onto serving plates, and sprinkle with the grilled vegetables, olives and crumbled gorgonzola.

The salad is dressed and ready for the warm sliced beef

When the beef has rested for 5 minutes or more, thinly slice it, preserving the juices.

This is more toward medium-rare, but that's as cooked as I like it

Arrange the beef slices over each serving, and spoon some of the juices over each plate as well. Sprinkle with black pepper, arrange the garlic toasts on each plate, and serve.

Welcome grill, welcome summer.

Kelly McCune © 2011