Cafe Salle Pleyel Hamburger

Per Nana ~

Our recipe for this week was "Cafe Salle Pleyel" hamburgers.  

Since Tricia is traveling, I borrowed some of her food tasters

 and we all enjoyed a lovely dinner.

This was a really good hamburger. The filling mix consisted

of sundried tomatoes, capers, cornichons and herbs - which

 gave it a wonderful flavor.  I made the onion marmalade

 and used sandwich slices of dill pickle cut into strips.

My only complaint was that it was too much meat

 for each hamburger.  It looked more like a mini meatloaf.

 Hubby and I only ate half of the burger,

but they were delicious.

My method of cooking was pan frying, but I know

this would be great on a grill too.  

I served the  Barefoot Contessa's "Sagaponack Corn Pudding"

and a mixed salad with this recipe.

Per Tricia ~

I missed out on this one but my guys enjoyed it - big time.

 I was in Buckhead/Atlanta for the week and enjoyed

 many lovely restaurants.  Not surprising, my favorite

 ended up being the "Varsity"  near Georgia Tech.

It is the worlds' largest drive-in restaurant and

showcases hotdogs, burgers, fries, chiili and similar goodies. 

  One of their claims to fame is the standard "what'll ya have"

that the cashiers holler out to encourage people to

 step up and order.  It is hilarious - you hear a continual

chant of this from behind the counter. 

They had arguably the best onion rings I have ever tasted

 (and I have tasted a lot.....)and their "naked dog" and

 "slaw dogs" were amazing.  That said, I still wish I was

 home to taste the "Dorie Burgers"........

Eggplant Caviar

Phew. Summer used to be the slow time of the year, but this summer has been jam packed with activities and commitments.  Nana and I decided to take turns for this week and next - she was out this week and I travel next week, so I experimented with the "Eggplant Caviar" without her expertise.  Next week, she is up at bat :) 

Per Tricia:

I am actually embarrassed to say that I have never tried caviar.  But I have tried eggplant.  I am not certain that the results of this dish resembled either, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it was a bit of  a "user error" on my part.

I got to this recipe late on Friday after a particularly

hectic week.  Having only read over the recipe and

not the FF blog tips, I thought the dish seemed pretty

straight forward, so I asked my 17 year old to

 run for the groceries at dinner time......on Friday ! 

 He did a wonderful job, though it appears he focused

 a bit too much on the "firm" portion of the eggplant

description and less on the "1 1/2 pounds each".  I am

 still not complaining because it was a real luxury

 to have someone else run out for the items. 

 That said, I have a sneaking suspicion that my ratio

of eggplant to onion and tomato ended up making a difference.

The recipe was very easy.  Thankfully :)

 It was also fun to roast and then use only the inside

 of the eggplant - I had not prepared one this way before. 

The recipe smelled lovely and looked lovely (a bit of a

surprise  given the color scheme involved....) and we

 tested it on little toast crackers.  My hubby said he

 officially "liked" it....I think he was afraid I would not

make it again unless he made it clear that he enjoyed it. 

But he did say that he tasted a bit too much of onion. 

 The kids were troopers again for Dorie, who gets them

 to eat what they would not try for me alone. 

They do not care for eggplant but willingly tried it

and declared that they "did not dislike it", but it

 wasn't their favorite either. Given the fact that

 they don't eat eggplant, I actually considered

 this a victory.

We sent a "taste test" package over to Nana and

 Grandpa, but they  were not fans.  It was still well worth

the trip next door to deliver them a sample, since now

we will be  expecting a care package of the

"Cafe salle pleyel hamburgers" next week......

Happy French Friday ~

Salmon in a Jar

This was a banner week for us ~ and not just due because of the "Salmon in the Jar" adventure. 

Nana celebrated her 80th birthday this week - yay !!  One of the most special surprises of her big day was an extremely lovely comment on our blog - left by none other than Dorie Greenspan herself  !! (check out last week's post) 

I had contacted Dorie to give her a heads up about the special occasion, yet I was still astounded that she emailed us directly to send warm wishes and then put an utterly lovely comment on our blog.  We already believed that Dorie was a talented and special person, and this act proved it beyond the shadow of any doubt.  Lovely.



Per 80 Year Young Nana :

I tried to find some quart size jars for this recipe but the

only option was a case of canning jars.

I was not in the mood for a trip to the mall, so I improvised.  

With all the different bowls and crocks 

that I have collected over the years, my Le Creuset

pate terrine ended up being the best choice.

When it was completed I thought it looked quite elegant

and I could not wait to serve this dish.

The salmon was very easy to cut up  and I then coated it

 with the salt and sugar.  After about 24 hours I rinsed it and

proceeded with the rest of the recipe.

I cooked the potatoes as instructed and layered

 them as I did the salmon.

I put both of the dishes in the refrigerator for another

 day and then  served it as an appetizer.  

I did try one slice of salmon but I was very apprehensive

about eating raw fish and since Tricia's family loves

 sushi, I decided to let them enjoy this.

Believe it or not, I do love bagels and lox,  

and knowing that whoever prepares

the lox knows what they are doing, it does

not bother me to eat it.

Per Tricia ~

I made it through a birthday dinner for Nana (which did

not involve salmon in a jar.......) and then hit the road

again for work.   A few days in DC foiled any chance for the 

salmon recipe experiment but my family was delighted that

they got to eat Nana's results.  They all adored it and it appears

 I will have to block out some time to try this one myself. 

Happy French Friday all and Happy 80th Nana !

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Nana and I were more than ready to "slow down" after a hectic few weeks, and this recipe fit the bill perfectly.  Another "non-recipe" French Friday with ingredients that we both had on hand ~ yet the results far from ordinary.
We both enjoyed these right out of the oven and just as much as leftovers, accompanying chicken and pasta.




Per Nana ~

I liked this method of cooking tomatoes -slow

 roasting, as it really brought out the flavor.  It reminds

me of sun dried tomatoes, except the flavor is milder.
 

 
The recipe takes no time at all, (except for the

three hours in oven).  I did not use fresh herbs but

instead used dried rosemary and garlic salt (sorry Dorie) .  

After 10 minutes in the oven Hubby

was going nuts with the aroma.

I made this earlier in the week and served it

 with baked pork chops and we loved it.  

Another night I served the leftover tomatoes

 on pasta and it was delicious.

This is definitely a recipe to be used again.

Per Tricia ~



                               I was absolutely delighted to see how simple this

 week's recipe was, and even more delighted when it

 delivered unexpected wonderful results.

  While I was a little incredulous of having the oven on for

 3 hours (225 or not.....) I followed Dorie's instructions and

even made a double batch.  Boy, am I glad I did.   

I went with dried Thyme, since I had it on hand, and used fresh

 pepper, fresh garlic, Maldon sea salt and Extra Virgin Olive oil. 

The family + a visiting teen (recall the rhubarb tester ?)
gave a big "thumbs up" and proclaimed the tomatoes
to be "sweet". What's not to love ?

Citrus Berry Terrine

A recipe that clearly states it will take 2 hours to chill and then another 4 hours to firm....is not typically a FF recipe that you start at DINNER TIME on the designated Friday.  But such was the week.  After traveling last weekend for fun and then off for the entire week for business, "better late than never" was the attitude du jour.  And the payoff was worth it ~



Per Tricia ~

My family loves fruit and Jello, and with the

 continued excessive heat we have had - this week's

recipe was much anticipated. 

 It was a simple addition of fruits to

 plain gelatin, though I did wish I had gotten the

 canned citrus or even the pre-sliced jarred variety. 

It had been a long day (week :) and somehow the act of

 cutting up pink grapefruit seemed like it took longer
 than it should have.  As in "forever".......

But what a beauty. 

 The gelatin behaved exactly as Dorie suggested

 it would (but of course !) and by the time I added

 all the beautiful fresh fruit the dish looked amazing.

  Leave it to Dorie to elevate what  I might only have
served at home into something "company worthy".

This recipe was as pretty as it was tasty.

  I am so excited to add such a simply and delicious

dish to my summer arsenal.  Even if I won't be serving

 it to Nana (she is not a fan of gelatin, or berries....)

My husband was also pleased that this

 week's "clean up" involved significantly less pots :)

 Oh, what they do for Dorie food.

And when in Rome - or at least Baltimore - I made

 sure to stop at the famous "Lexington Market" as I headed

 out of town today.  Opened in 1782, it is 229 years old and
 still going strong.  There are over 140 vendors and it was

 an amazing culinary adventure.  Since I had to hurry home

 to make a terrine, I focused on the crab cakes and cookies -

both of which I had learned I HAD to get before leaving town. 

The crab cake shop I aimed for was Faidley's and

the bakery - Berger's.  I got the "house specialty" in both

and hit the road -air conditioning running full blast

 to keep it all safe.   Mission accomplished.

I made sure to share with Nana and she reported back

that the crabcakes were indeed the best she has ever

 tasted and the cookies were amazing.  Now I have

 to get her to try the terrine...........

Per Nana~

Tricia was on her own this week as I took a pass on

 making the berry terrine.  I'm not too big on berries,

other then strawberries, and I can not

tolerate gelatin of any kind.

I will, however, post the recipe for the Nutella

 pie that was pictured in last week's post.  Anne

 of "Cocoa and Quinoa" had asked about it, and

now that I know my  #2 grandson liked it,

I will gladly do so.   

SWEET NUTELLA PIE

---

1   8oz package cream cheese

1   cup Nutella spread

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 large Cool Whip  (8 oz)

1 graham cracker or chocolate prepared crust

Cream together cream cheese, sugar and Nutella.

Add 1/2 half of cool whip and pour into shell.

Top pie with other half of cool whip and chill until firm.

I sprinkled cocoa over the pie, but I'm sure some shaved chocolate would be nice.

Coconut Lemongrass Braised Pork

This one was certainly an adventure and Nana and I both
enjoyed trying many ingredients we had not cooked with before. 
Of course the fact that I read the calendar wrong and was prepping
for the berry terrine (until Nana mentioned she had picked up
lemongrass and celery root) kept it a lively week as well. 
The results ?  Surprisingly mixed.  Nana loved hers while I will
not be revisiting these pages again myself...... 



Per Nana~

When the temperature reaches 95 and above,

 you should check with your elderly neighbors.  

 Well, if your elderly neighbor is lucky enough to have

 air conditioning...... "forgetaboutit".  

 She is probably busy cooking.

This week I made good on all my cooking

 promises (and I had made a lot...)

 

 A blueberry tart and a Nutella pie for both grandsons,

 and an Apricot tart for hubby.  

Also in the mix was this week's recipe of coconut-

lemongrass braised pork.  Let me tell you, by

 Thursday evening I didn't want to know about food.  

( Thank Goodness we have a 50th Anniversary affair to

 go to on Saturday  and  "yay"  -I don't have to cook)

This recipe was fantastic and definitely will be revisited.

One of the things I love about cooking with Dorie

 is learning  about new ingredients.  I have never used

 lemon grass, celery root or coconut milk before.    

Dorie suggested a pork butt for the recipe, but I

 only know of smoked pork butts so I decided on

 a pork tenderloin, which worked wonders.  

I found the cutest tiny potatoes at Wegman's,

 used a few carrots, and at the end I threw in some left

over fresh corn kernels, and fresh string beans

all from the farm stand.  Great way to use leftovers.

Hubby was chomping at the bit about the delicious

aromas coming from the kitchen so I cut him a break 

and we had an early dinner.  We both loved it.

Can't wait for that apricot tart with a little whipped cream.

Tomorrow we diet.....

Per Tricia ~

While I do not plan to cook this recipe again,

it is not because we "didn't like" it. 

 It was simply underwhelmingly.

  With all the new and wonderful exotic ingredients

 (ok, at least to me.....) that went into that pot ~

 I was very disappointed that the results tasted so bland. 

 Tumeric, cardamom, exactly 6 coriander seeds....not

 to mention a host of others, I was expecting quite the results. 

The only thing we could taste was the tumeric and curry.

 Just keeping it real. 

 I still enjoyed the whole process and the kitchen

 smelled amazing.  And Nana and I shared a great laugh

over the consistency of Coconut Milk ~ we both

 expected it to "pour" out of the can like condensed milk.

  The best part of the effort - I got to enjoy the lovely

 aroma of fresh lemon grass. I LOVE this stuff and made

 everyone in the house come and sniff it

(the part that did not go into the pot :)

  When they are waiting for "Dorie food" to cook, I

 can get them to do just about anything.......

P.S.- the "best" part of this French Friday ?  Nana and I bit

the bullet and booked a September trip to France !!

Cold Melon-Berry Soup a la Nana

As the heading indicates, Nana "took one for the team" this week.  The only downside of enjoying a wonderful vacation is coming home to all the responsibilities that have built up while we were out sunbathing.  Even though this recipe is remarkably simple, I couldn't get my act together to secure a "dead-ripe" cantaloupe in preparation.  But I look forward to revisiting this before the melon season ends.

Per Nana ~

I waited patiently all week  for the cantaloupe

 in the fruit bowl  to ripen to the point of

perfection as I looked forward to making this

 week's recipe of cold melon-berry soup.

Today I bought the most perfect strawberries

 and mint leaves and found a small piece of

 fresh ginger.  I have never used fresh ginger

so I really had no clue about it.  I used my favorite

 kitchen tool, the handy zester, and grated away. 

After adding the ginger to the liquid melon

I decided to research fresh ginger.  

I had no idea it was supposed to be peeled.  Oops!

Too late to worry about it now.

I chilled the soup and the melon balls for a few

hours and found it interesting that the 

liquid thickened as it chilled.

After assembling all the ingredients, I

added a dessert wine called Vin Santo

 and topped with the mint.

The presentation was quite pretty, but unfortunately,

neither Hubby  nor I cared for the end result. 

 Perhaps using Vin Santo instead of the wine Dorie

 mentioned was the problem, or maybe my lack

 of knowledge about ginger  made it too strong.  

Thankfully I decided to prepare a single

serving and enjoyed the  remaining delicious

 fruit sans the soup.