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Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes with Peach Jam 30 Aug 2015 12:03 PM (10 years ago)

The combination of lemon and poppy seeds is such a classic. And somehow, it makes every recipe it touches just a little bit better.

Maybe it's the brightness of the lemon
Or maybe it's the crunch of the poppy seeds.
Either way, it's a combination made in heaven.

These pancakes capture everything that's great about lemon poppy seed muffins or cake -- and bring it all to the breakfast table. They're tender and light, and if you use a bit of butter to cook them, you'll get those amazing ever-so-slightly crisp edges.

Most recipes for lemon poppy seed pancakes call for buttermilk. But you shouldn't worry if you don't have any on hand -- since you're using lemon juice in the recipe, you can just use regular milk for the pancakes, and everything will come out just fine (after all, you can make buttermilk substitute by mixing a bit of lemon juice with milk...).

And, while these pancakes are great with maple syrup, they really shine when matched with peach jam -- something I found out this morning when we whipped up a batch for breakfast.

Back in July, I found myself the happy recipient of two cases of Georgia peaches. I put some away in
the freezer for smoothies. But, I also managed to preserve about half of them -- in the form of peach mostarda and rosemary peach jam.

The rosemary peach jam was a stellar match for these pancakes, which are redolent with lemon flavor and crunchy poppyseeds.

Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes

©BURP!

Weekend Copycat Brunch: Breakfast Poutine 25 Jul 2015 7:00 AM (10 years ago)

💥 HELLO BREAKFAST POUTINE. French Fries | Trippe Sausage Gravy | Arugula | Goat Cheese Curds | Egg. GET INTO IT. 💥@goodkindbayview #goodmorning #brunch #summer #eatwelldrinkwell

A photo posted by goodkind (@goodkindbayview) on Jul 12, 2015 at 8:59am PDT

©BURP!

Our Best Mac: Throwbacks for #‎NationalMacandCheeseDay‬ 14 Jul 2015 8:12 AM (10 years ago)

There are only a few things in the world that make us stop everything and pay homage. But, National Mac & Cheese Day is definitely one.

After all, how can you resist the ooey gooey goodness of a beautiful bowl of noodles smothered in delicious cheese?

We certainly can't.  And if you're looking for inspiration for tonight's dinner,  we're hoping one of these recipes might provide some cheesy, gooey inspiration.

Got a favorite mac & cheese recipe to share?
We'd love to hear about it!


©BURP!

Today Everything Changes: An Homage to 15 Years at Marquette University 1 May 2015 10:39 AM (10 years ago)

Today, everything changes.

MU photo from 10-12 years ago. My office My mantra. Me now.

1. In 1999, when Dr. William Pink called to offer me the job, he asked me (in a very charming British accent): "Are you interested? You know, you're very over-qualified."
2. My hiring salary was $23K, a whopping $5K more than my prior position with an area non-profit.
3. 15 years ago, parking on the Marquette campus cost full-time employees $58/month. Today it costs $63.
4. A week after being hired at Marquette, I got a job offer from Cardinal Stritch University.
5. Although I maintained a professional façade while she worked for me, I eventually became good friends with my very first student worker, who was just a few years younger than I was. Still so glad I met you Caitie!
6. For the first number of years, I kept my personal life very separate from my work life. This point is illustrated by a scenario around 2005 when a colleague I worked with asked me if I had children.
7. I was once (accidentally) locked in a stairwell of the Schroeder Health & Education Complex. On a weekend. Before I owned a cell phone. Yes, it was scary.
8. Confession: I once peeked at Scott Walker’s transcripts.
9. In the early 2000’s, I completed course-work for Marquette’s post-baccalaureate teaching certification program in secondary English (electing to stay at Marquette, rather than leave my job to student teach)
10. Subsequently, I was also admitted to master’s programs in both English and communications.
11. I built the first web site ever presented to NCATE (the National Council for Teacher Education) as part of a university accreditation visit.
12. I spent many years frustrated by the hierarchy inherent in the university environment, often finding myself feeling “less than.” Working for Dr. Bob Lowe was a game-changer; he taught me to recognize the power I had.
13. I once received a $15K raise. And an office with a window (gonna miss that office).
14. In 2010, my passion for food and writing was outed to the Marquette community in an article by Tim Cigelske for Marquette Matters featuring myself and Dax Phillips and our secret lives as food bloggers.
15. My position at MU saved us on at least three occasions -- in 2003 and 2008, but even as recently as 2014. And I'll always be grateful for the stability it provided.

©BURP!

4 Recipes In Honor of #InternationalWaffleDay 26 Mar 2015 9:39 AM (10 years ago)

It's International Waffle Day.  So, there's no better time to think about... waffles. And, lest you think they're just for breakfast, we'd like to help to change your mind.

If you're a fan, you definitely want to check out these recipes.

Cornmeal Waffles
Let's start off with the basics -- a good solid waffle. These cornmeal waffles are light. And crisp. And flavorful. And the cornmeal gives them just the right amount of "oomph" to push them right past "good" and so far into "fabulous" that we have to just take a moment, right now, to reflect.

Fried Chicken & Waffle Sandwich
This beauty was inspired by a sandwich we sampled at Roots Restaurant & Cellar in Milwaukee. We took hot sauce-infused cornmeal waffles and sidled them up right against pieces of fried chicken, which we topped with finely shredded kale tossed with a deliciously refreshing dill ranch dressing. Another waffle on top, and all of a sudden we had a pretty spectacular waffle sandwich.

Waffle Brownie Sundaes
Yeah. Waffles for dessert. It's a thing. And it's one of the best things you've ever tried.These unique brownies take just minutes to prepare in your waffle iron, and they’re perfect served up fresh and warm with a dollop of ice cream and any number of your favorite sundae toppings.




©BURP!

Chicken Apple Meatballs with Bourbon Sauce 22 Jan 2015 12:29 PM (10 years ago)

We're not here to sell anything.
Nor are we here to tell you what to eat.

OK -- maybe take that last part back. We are totally here to tell you what to eat. And these meatballs are it.

Tender. Savory. And Bourbon!
What more do you need to hear?

I could sell you on the fact that grated apples add both moisture and a bit of flavor to the meatballs, ensuring they aren't dry.

If I tell you they are brushed with butter and baked, does that make them additionally tempting?

AND they have cheese in them!  Cheese, people. Delicious Parmesan cheese.

What if I told you they keep nicely in a crockpot and are perfect for parties? Like your SuperBowl party?

Still not convinced?
Wow. I'm not sure we can be friends.

After all, I could eat a whole batch of these by myself.  And maybe I will.

Recipe:  Chicken Apple Meatballs with Bourbon Sauce

©BURP!

Best of Burp! Top 5 Posts of 2014 8 Jan 2015 7:39 AM (10 years ago)

It's become a tradition for me to sit down for an hour or two, after the new year dawns, and glance through posts from the last year.  It's a good way to review where we've been and start to think about where we'll go in the new year.

This year was tough. We were busy with our new business, and there were times when our posts were few and far between.  But, as I looked over posts from the last year, I'm both amazed and grateful to see how many of you kept on coming back to see what we were up to.

So, as I lift my glass to 2015, I also lift my glass to YOU, readers. Thank you for sticking with us, sharing your ideas, and making Burp! what it is!

Best of the Burp! Blog 2014
These are the posts you came back to again and again, in reverse order of popularity.

#5
Preserved Lemons and Six Great Ways to Use Them
#4
Bloody Mary Brunch Burgers


#3
Salted Honey Pie

#2
Pomegranate Cheese Ball


#1
S'mores Brownies



As always, we're always listening and open to your feedback.  What was YOUR favorite post? What would you like to see more of in 2015?



©BURP!

Gorgeous AND Delicious: Pomegranate Cheese Ball 21 Dec 2014 11:45 AM (10 years ago)

When it all comes down to it, I'd rather a recipe taste fabulous than look attractive.  But, I love it when you can have both.

In fact, when it comes to looking festive, this cheese ball always steals the show. 

A Very Retro Christmas: Butter Rum Glazed Ham with Pineapple Chutney 20 Dec 2014 6:00 AM (10 years ago)

This ham is, I must confess, one of my favorite recipes. And I'm not a huge lover of ham (is that sacrilege to admit that around Christmas?).  In fact, prime rib is generally my Christmas protein of choice, especially now that I have my timing down so that I can achieve a perfect medium rare.

Hassle-Free Pull-Apart Garlic Loaf 17 Dec 2014 11:21 AM (10 years ago)

It's the little things that get lost in the shuffle.
In the midst of holiday crazy, short-cuts are often where it's at.

Ties That Bind: Holiday Food Traditions of the Italian Diaspora 10 Dec 2014 8:13 AM (10 years ago)

I recently had the distinct honor of writing an article for the winter issue of Edible Milwaukee magazine about traditions brought to America by Italian immigrants.

The article, Food Traditions of the Italian Diaspora, has been percolating for over a year now, and began when I met a woman named Silvana Bastianutti Kukuljan at the Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books. I was hosting the cookbook stage, and she was making a presentation about the cookbook that the students of her Italian Language and Culture class had created.

The cookbook contains a wide variety of recipes from members of the class -- many of whom are first and second generation immigrants and all of whom have connections to Italy through travel or interest -- as well as anecdotes and information about traditional Italian ingredients.  Guides in the book also provide valuable information for food lovers, including guidelines about the appropriate times of the day to drink espresso, cappucino and the like.

After hearing her presentation -- which included a wide variety of stories about how Silvana and members of her class preserved elements of tradition from their Italian backgrounds and experiences -- the thought of writing their story stayed with me.

So, I was delighted when the concept seemed to fit with the theme of Edible's winter issue, which focuses on traditions, celebrations and overall conviviality.

I'd love for you to read the article, but I also wanted to share an "out-take" that didn't make it to print -- a story shared by Riccardo Sarbello, about his role in helping to make the wine his father sold to friends and neighbors.  Sarbello is a retired professor of physics at UW-Milwaukee whose parents emigrated to the U.S. from Toarmina, Sicily in 1920. They settled first in the lower east side of New York, eventually moving and settling more permanently in Brooklyn.

“My father was a cabinet maker by trade. But, he also made wine and was the source of wine for many people where we lived in Brooklyn.

When he would visit people – where you might bring candy or flowers or something – he’d bring a gallon of his wine, and that was very well accepted. In fact, my father courted my mother by bringing gallons of homemade wine to her family.

He used California grapes. He always kept ties to the lower east side where he knew producers and importers of fruits and vegetables. So, in the fall when there were grapes available, he’d have them delivered to the house by truck. He’d take out the basement window and put a slide in. And then they’d push in all these crates – I can still see the “42” on the side of the crates that indicated 42 pounds – and they’d slide in one after another, after another. And then the grapes would go into the press.

We had a big basement; it was one room. And there was a press in the middle with a long, long pole. So two or three people would actually help to push it all around; and I could play a role even when I was eight or ten years old. It was like those old pictures of Samson going around the grindstone.

Then the wine was put into three large barrels and a fourth, smaller one. And for the first two or three weeks you’d have to stir them every night. And that was my job. I could do very little damage that way. I took a pole with a little square piece of wood attached to the bottom that I would push up and down and the bubbles would come up – bloop bloop bloop – that was fun.

My father would always keep a special barrel from each batch. He’d keep gallons of wine from each year so he could say “this is from when my sister got married,” or “this was from 1963” or when this or that happened. Ultimately, those were the worst, because they’d gone past their flavor peak. But the yearly one was always delicious. Good strong red wine that everyone loved.

At the holidays wine was always served with dinner, and of course the eating went on for hours. So there was always ample opportunity for me to go down and get a gallon of some other vintage year of wine.”

And because I can't resist, I'd also like to share the recipe for Fregolotti that Sandragina Ebben shared with me.  It's delicious (which I know firsthand from testing the recipe before I sent it it off for publication) and it makes me wish I had an Italian Nonna to teach me how to bake.


Fregolotti: Italian Almond Cookie

Thank you so much to Sandragina Ebben, Silvana Bastianutti Kukuljan, Gustavo Ricca and Riccardo Sorbello for taking the time to share their stories. I'd also like to thank the Italian language and culture group at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UW-Milwaukee for welcoming me into their world.

©BURP!

Polenta and Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash 2 Dec 2014 9:08 AM (10 years ago)

I'm not sure what it says about me, but lately I'm all about stuffing things into vegetables.

Cheesy Hasselback Sweet Potatoes 12 Nov 2014 8:09 AM (10 years ago)

Show of hands -- how many of you have eaten hasselback potatoes?

Another show of hands -- how many of you have actually made them? Am I alone in saying that I almost never do?

I feel like hasselbacks are one of those dishes (at least for me) that I love, but that I never bother to make myself. But all of that changed when I discovered hasselback sweet potatoes.

Now, in their original and simplest form, hasselback potatoes are usually drizzled with melted butter, seasoned with salt and pepper and topped with bread crumbs. The rich butter absorbs into the potato during roasting, resulting in a soft, creamy interior and a crispy outside.

So, I guess it's the idea of baked potato meets oven fries that really attracts me. I love how the potato gets a bit crisp on the outside, but it's meltingly tender on the inside. And I love how easy they are to eat.

And, of course, when you add cheese I'm ALL OVER IT.

You could choose any number of cheeses for this dish. Cheddar would be great, especially if you decided to add a sprinkling of bacon. And I could even make the case for Mozzarella or Provolone, maybe with a slight change in the seasonings.

However, smooth nutty Gouda cheese has an affinity for the sugary qualities of the sweet potato, and it melts like a dream, making it the perfect stuffing for these buttery paprika and garlic-infused potatoes. If you like smoked cheeses, try using smoked Gouda for an extra burst of flavor.

I love sitting down with one of these and making it a meal. But, they're also perfect for serving alongside your next roast.
Recipe: Cheesy Hasselback Sweet Potatoes




©BURP!

An Homage to Milwaukee's Honey Pie Cafe: Salted Honey Pie 20 Oct 2014 1:13 PM (11 years ago)

Ever since we made that Cherries & Cream Slab Pie this summer for the Go Bold with Butter blog, I've been a little obsessed with pie making.

One of the things I've been obsessed about is the crust. I've never been good at crust... in fact, one failed attempt where the dough got so tough it was useless made me think I'd never tackle it again.

But, then I heard Julia Child's words ringing in my ear. 

“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude.”
  
And I thought about the Julie/Julia Challenge we did back in 2009 where we learned to debone a duck.

And I decided to try again. Boy am I glad I did.

These days, when I can find the time, I'm a regular pie-making fiend.  Which brings me to the next recipe.

There’s a little restaurant here in Milwaukee called Honeypie Café that serves up some of the best pie in the city. I actually wrote an article about them a while back, tracing some of the adventures that co-owner Val Lucks has had while seeking out some of the best pies in the nation for inspiration.

Get the recipe: Salted Honey Pie

©BURP!

An Interview with Susan Fish and a Book Giveaway 19 Oct 2014 10:32 AM (11 years ago)

Susan Fish, hanging out in Ithaca, NY.

What inspired the storyline in the book?
I visited the town of Ithaca, New York in the summer of 2011 and saw a number of small signs that said ‘No Fracking.’ Months later, curious, I looked up the term and discovered that the lush farmlands, orchards and vineyards of Ithaca and the Finger Lakes region sat on the gas-rich Marcellus Shale, and that there were proposals to ‘frack’ the land to address our petroleum addiction. There was—and is—significant grassroots opposition to this action. At the same time, New York State had been hit hard by the 2008 recession, with many family farms at risk of foreclosure: selling drilling rights was a tempting proposition that led to deep soul searching for many.

Another factor that inspired this book was my fascination with the simple power of simple food in bringing people together.

Is there a specific individual who inspired the character of Daisy?
Years ago, I knew a woman whose professor-husband dropped dead in a faculty meeting, as Daisy's did, and like Daisy, she faced the challenge of figuring out who she was at midlife in a radical new way. But I wasn't privy to how she did it so I really only borrowed the barest of bones. I started writing this book while walking my dog around our neighborhood, along streets where there were a lot of 1960s bungalows.

As we walked in the early evenings, I could see into the kitchen and living room windows of many houses. One house had a collection of china figurines lined up in the window, while another had all sorts of unironic, kitschy knick-knacks, and I began to think about the stuff we accumulate over the course of our lives, the stuff that tells our stories but that also sometimes holds us back. Originally, I imagined a story about two women who had been living together platonically for years, coming to terms with past relationships and the things they had held onto. I've known several such "couples" but these two were invented. As I wrote the story, I began to realize that it really was one woman's story to tell.

What made you decide to integrate food into the theme of the book? Why soup?
I've known some people who host a weekly community supper, and I've actually wanted to do this myself for a long time, but I have kids who need to be chauffeured places most nights, so it's never actually become something I've practised.

In my earliest draft of the book, on the very first page, Daisy says to the reader, "The Wednesday suppers were a sort of lifeline for me." I knew early on that Daisy had been someone who opened her home up on a regular basis, to an unknown number of people. Given that this wasn't a dinner party where numbers were assured, I figured it had to be soup she served--because soup can always be stretched to serve a few more people.

You developed a number of soup recipes to go with the book. What was that journey like?
I love to cook. Until a few years ago, I was someone who pulled out cookbooks, made a weekly menu and shopped accordingly. Then one of my kids developed food intolerances and I learned to substitute and improvise. This skill stood me in good stead when it came to developing recipes for this book. Each of the chapter has a soup as a title. I made each one up myself and then later figured out the recipe for it. (The recipes aren't included in the book, but I am releasing them one a week this fall--on Wednesdays, of course--on my blog susanfishwrites.wordpress.com).

Even after a few years of cooking by instinct, this was challenging. For one thing, I needed to measure, in order to be able to replicate the recipe again later. For another, how original could a recipe for soup really be? My notes were quickly splattered as I needed to keep pencil and paper handy as I cooked.

There were a few duds. There was one glorious soup—Apple-Cheddar-Onion—that I was never able to replicate again after I ate pretty much the entire batch singlehandedly. Sometimes I looked up a variety of recipes to get a kind of baseline for the idea of the soup. I was interested for that every single soup I had invented in the course of writing the book, there was a recipe somewhere online. Sometimes others’ recipes were no help at all.

My character Daisy had planned a Pepper Pot Soup the week before Christmas: in her (my) mind, this was a soup with chopped red and green peppers and a spicy broth. As it turned out, a true Pepper Pot soup is a Jamaican recipe with chunks of beef, sweet potato and okra, with hot spicy peppers added as seasoning. Daisy and I were on our own with our idea for that soup.

You mentioned that you love to cook. What's your favorite recipe? And why?
That's almost like asking which one is my favorite child...and in both cases the answer is "depends on the day." :) One of my favorites is a recipe I memorized from a magazine in a bookstore. It's a great fall pasta dish.

You roast cherry tomatoes and a head of cauliflower (cut into florets) with lots of garlic, finely chopped bacon (or pancetta), slivered fresh sage leaves, olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir occasionally and roast until everything is somewhat carmelized. Serve with pasta, baby spinach or arugula, and fresh parmesan.   Why is it my favorite? Just because it's delicious.
©BURP!

Ithaca: A Book About Soup and Fracking 9 Oct 2014 2:13 PM (11 years ago)

You know we've got a thing about soup, right?

After all, we host our annual Soup Nights. And we've even been featured in a BOOK about Soup Nights.

Well, I've also got a thing about novels. And writers.

I respect them so much. After all, it takes a great deal of imagination and talent to create characters that seem real to the reader and a storyline that makes someone want to keep reading.

So, it's kind of interesting that -- few weeks ago -- we happened to connect with an author who wrote a novel that revolves around soup.

Well, kind of.

The name of the book is Ithaca -- and each of the chapters in the book has a "soup" themed title, which corresponds to the various dishes that the main character, Daisy, serves during her weekly Wednesday night dinners.

We love the plot description that Janet Sketchly gives over at GoodReads:

Ithaca is a coming-of-age story—for a 59-year-old woman. Daisy Turner's husband, Arthur, was a professor at Cornell University. She typed his notes and kept his home. And made soup for a crowd every Wednesday.

They married young, and Daisy found fulfillment as a wife and mother. Now her son works overseas, and she's a widow. And most of her friends are really Arthur's friends.
She finds herself developing a friendship with a man who is slowly losing his wife to illness, and with a young woman who's an environmental activist. Daisy surprises herself—and her son—by signing up for a university course to learn about fracking. She doesn't know what it is, but the protest signs are everywhere, and she'd like to learn.

The book is about finding identity after experiencing loss. And it's something each one of us can probably relate to on one level or another.

If you're interested, we noticed you can get a copy of Ithaca for Kindle right now on Amazon for $3.19 (and no, we don't get paid anything if you buy it). But, if you're more of a hard-copy sortofa person, you should stay tuned.

We're actually going to be doing a giveaway of the book over the weekend. But, for now, we'll leave you with this excerpt where Daisy talks about her Wednesday night soup suppers:

I should explain about Wednesday nights. It started when Arthur was new at the university, new and assigned grad students. It had been my idea for him to get to know his students outside of school, off campus. I had suggested they come over for supper. And so they did and so they devoured the food I made them. And no one suspected how young I was. We invited them back and soon it became a standing date in our calendar. They brought their girlfriends and then their wives. Sometimes Arthur’s colleagues would come too. When Nick was a toddler, he loved having the students over, loved the energy of the house.

Eventually it drifted away from any affiliation with the school and it just became Wednesday night. I made pots and pots of soup, a different kind each week. I stocked up on bowls and spoons at garage sales and estate sales, mix-matched bowls. You might get a bone china bowl or a wobbly earthenware bowl made in someone’s pottery craze.

©BURP!

Pizza Casserole with Zucchini Crust 23 Sep 2014 11:13 AM (11 years ago)

Are you inundated with zucchini from the garden? Tired of making zucchini bread?

Yeah, we thought so (we are too).

Then we've got another question for you: Do you like pizza? Do your kids?

©BURP!

End of Summer Tomato Pie 18 Sep 2014 10:41 AM (11 years ago)

 Gosh, I love September.

Wanna know why?
Because my garden is literally bursting with produce, and whatever I don't have already at home, I can easily procure from the farmer's market.  It's a cook's dream!

Of course, if you know me, you'll also know that I'm a big fan of the cooler weather that comes in September and October. So, that's just an added bonus.

The fact is, when the dog days of summer give way to a bountiful harvest that includes succulent, garden-fresh tomatoes, it’s time for BLT’s, caprese salads and panzanella. And we've eaten our fill of all of those things this year.

But, it’s also the perfect time to make delicious savory pie!

This delicious summer pie contains layers of colorful tomatoes along with flavorful herbs, smoky bacon and plenty of cheese.

While you can make this pie with any type of tomato, using a variety (from cherry tomatoes, to yellow, orange and green) increases the complexity of the flavor in the dish.  It also makes the pie even more beautiful to behold.

Just check out all those awesome colors in this pie, which we made with a combination of heirloom tomatoes including Black Krim, Brandywine and German Stripes.
But, that's not the only thing that sets this pie apart.  Another thing is the crust.

Rather than using regular old pie crust, we use a buttery cornmeal biscuit crust that gives the dish an almost deep-dish pizza-like quality.

This pie is delicious for dinner, but it almost makes a perfect light summer lunch or brunch.

Get the recipe: Savory Summer Pie ©BURP!

Homemade Mocha Fudge Pie Pops 26 Aug 2014 1:44 PM (11 years ago)

Today I found out that the popsicle was invented by an eleven-year-old boy.

It was 1905. And, as the story goes, young Frank Epperson accidentally left a container of powdered soda mix out on the porch with its stir stick. It just so happened that -- on that fateful night in San Francisco -- temperatures reached record lows. So, when he awoke the next morning, he discovered that the mixture had frozen to the stir stick, creating an icy fruit-flavored treat. 

Summer Lifesaver: Grilled Tamale Pie 21 Aug 2014 9:09 AM (11 years ago)

I guess we've been kind of spoiled this year. The weather in Wisconsin has been pretty temperate this summer. So, we've had very few hot muggy days.

Feeding a Crowd: Cherries and Cream Slab Pie 15 Aug 2014 7:22 AM (11 years ago)

Got a crowd to feed?
Or maybe you just LOVE pie?

Either way, slab pie is where it's at.

I read somewhere that Martha Stewart invented the concept of slab pie. I'm not sure that's true -- but she definitely made the concept popular. And for that, I'm grateful.

Baked on a half-sheet/jelly-roll pan, slab pies can serve 20 or more people and require a little more effort than making one single pie. In fact, for the effort, I'd say slab pie is the way to go every single time... though having that much pie around would definitely be bad for my waistline.

Grilled Cauliflower with Capers and Preserved Lemon 4 Aug 2014 7:48 AM (11 years ago)

If you read my last post, you've already heard me waxing poetic about the virtues of preserved lemons. I'm a huge fan, and I love the way their salty sour flavor perks up all kinds of dishes.

But, one of my favorite ways to use preserved lemons during the summer months is in a simple dressing made with olive oil and capers. It's salty and tangy and bright. And it's perfect for any time of the year.

It's he perfect addition to a number of dishes -- but it's really perfect stirred into a big bowl of buttery grilled cauliflower.

If you've never grilled cauliflower, you're in for a treat. Like roasting, grilling brings out all the delicious sweetness of the vegetables. But, if you grill over charcoal or hardwood, the process also also adds a smoky element that really makes an impressive flavor statement.

Add the zing from preserved lemons and capers, and you've got something really special.

This dish makes the perfect accompaniment for hearty grilled meats like lamb, pork or steak. The dressing is also delicious served atop a filet of grilled fish or chicken, or stirred into a batch of potato salad.
©BURP!

Preserved Lemons and Six Great Ways to Use Them 31 Jul 2014 11:51 AM (11 years ago)

Do you love preserved lemons like we do?

I can't quite pinpoint when our love affair with these deliciously sour and briney lemons came to be. But, I can tell you that it probably began with my love for the Meyer Lemon -- that sweet, tart, floral fruit that seems to come along right around the perfect time in winter when I need a pick-me-up.

Every year, I look forward to seeing the first batch of lemons in the store. And I always buy a bunch of them, knowing that they'll perk me up.

This past February, I ordered 10 pounds of fresh Meyer lemons from the awesome women over at The Lemon Ladies Orchard in Emerald Hills, California.  And it was the best decision I've ever made.

I made Meyer lemon jam, limoncello, lemon sugar, these amazing lemon glazed doughnuts... and a big fat batch of preserved lemons.


Preserved lemons aren't the sort of thing you can just pick up anywhere. Fortunately, they are easy to make. And, although they require a bit of patience (ideally, they take at least a month to cure), they last almost forever in the refrigerator, so they're well worth the effort.

I'm just getting down to the last of my batch from February -- which I've been using on any number of things -- and I think I'm going to have to double the amount I make next year because I keep thinking of new dishes that could use a bit of their charm.

The most traditional way to use preserved lemons is in a tagine. And if you need great recipes, Paula Wolfert is the person to look to.

But, they're also great on a slew of other things. Here are some of my favorite ways to use them.

1. Simple weeknight pasta -- all you need is some good olive oil, garlic, and slices of preserved lemons to make a gorgeous pasta dish. 
2. Add them to salsa -- Whether it's summer peach salsa, mango salsa or regular old tomato salsa, it's sure to benefit from a bit of finely diced preserved lemon.
3. Use them in salad dressing -- seriously. They are an awesome addition to a simple vinaigrette (even a bit of the juice will give any dressing a lift). But, they also make an amazing addition to Caesar dressing. Add a few capers to really brine things up.
4. Preserved lemon aioli -- Whir them into a bit of mayo for an amazing dipping sauce or sandwich spread.
5. Roasted chicken -- Mix some of the juice left from preserved lemons with garlic and your choice of herbs. Rub the mixture on the inside and outside of your chicken before roasting.  For an added boost of flavor, add a few lemons to the chicken cavity.
6. Compound butter -- Add lemon to softened butter, roll into a log, and refrigerate or freeze. Use for corn on the cob, green beans, or just about any summer vegetable.

Preserved Lemons

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A Message for Amazing Women Everywhere 24 Jun 2014 10:50 AM (11 years ago)

I don't ordinarily veer off the topic of food.  But, this is something I felt compelled to share. 

Perfect Summer Cupcakes: Strawberry with Basil Buttercream 15 Jun 2014 12:04 PM (11 years ago)

I'll be honest, I'm a tough sell when it comes to cupcakes. They're cute as can be, but they almost never compare -- in my mind -- to a nice, moist slice of cake.

But, cupcakes do offer the advantage of being a nice way to provide single servings of dessert for backyard barbeques and gatherings, without the hassle of cutting and serving. So, I'm aways on the lookout for ways to work them into my repertoire.

Lately, I've been obsessed with the idea of pairing up summer herbs with fruit. They have such an affinity for one another, and I'm often amazed that more recipes don't utilize the wonderful grassy, earthy qualities of herbs to enhance their baked goods.

So, I started off by playing around with cupcakes.

These beauties were the result of an experiment combining strawberries and basil. And -- dare I say -- I may have found a cupcake that I'll make time and time again.

The buttery vanilla and fresh strawberry batter is moist and fruity. It doesn't rise sky-high due to the moisture content of the fruit, but I also didn't have the typical issue of the cupcakes sinking in the middle as some fruit-filled cakes tend to do.

Even better, the rich, fluffy basil buttercream frosting provides a perfect light, sweet summery flavor. It's easy to work with for piping and spreading. And I really love the look of the gorgeous green flecks of basil.

Despite my cupcake nay-saying, I might be in love.

Get the recipe: Strawberry Cupcakes with Basil Buttercream


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