We spent last weekend with our favorite recent retirees Bob and Moe of Dalkeith-Menomonie-Minong fame. I was under strict instructions from Moe to bring nothing but clothing or I would be asked to leave. I usually show up with a cooler full of food and a sharp knife. I tried my best to listen but I did manage to bring up some of my renegade raspberries and olives and feta from Spiros. The raspberries were used with the fabulous Swedish pancakes Moe made on Sunday and I left the olives and feta behind so that they could try this favorite recipe from Bon Appetit. We have been making it in the neighborhood for the past four summers and even make it in a cast iron pan in the winter when we feel sorry for our ice weary selves.
Grilled Pitas with Tomatoes, Olives and Feta
Ingredients
1 cup diced seeded plum tomatoes (about 4)
1/2 cup pitted coarsely chopped mixed olives
1/2 cup chopped red onion
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
4 whole wheat pita breads
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)
Preparation
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Stir tomatoes, olives, onion, 2 tablespoons oil, and mint in small bowl to blend. Brush 1 side of each pita with remaining 2 tablespoons oil; place pitas, oiled side down, on grill. Cook until lightly charred, about 2 minutes. Turn pitas over; top with tomato mixture, spreading almost to edges. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover barbecue and grill pitas until topping is warm, about 2 minutes. Transfer pitas to plates and serve.
Test-kitchen tip: To pit an olive easily, simply crush the olive with the side of a chef's knife and pop out the pit.
Bon Appetit July, 2004
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Lemon Tart with Raspberry Coulis
We are back from nearly a week at the cabin and returned to find that our renegade raspberry patch has ripened. Time to make more Lemon Tart with Raspberry Coulis. This collection of recipes will make one 12 inch tart and two 4 inch tarts. The pastry crust and filling are from the Junior League of Milwaukee cookbook An Occasion To Gather. The lemon curd is from epicurious.com and the Raspberry Coulis is from The Joy of Cooking.
Pastry Crust
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter, softened
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
Preheat oven to 300. Beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar in a bowl until blended. Add the flour and beat until smooth, scraping the bowl occasionally. Press the pastry over the bottom and up the side of a 12- inch tart pan and two 4-inch tart pans. (The original recipe called for just one 12-inch tart pan but I think that makes a crust that is too thick.) Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until light brown. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Creamy Filling
10 ounces (1 2/3 cup) white chocolate chips
¼ cup heavy cream
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
Combine the white chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for two minutes and stir. Add the cream cheese and beat until blended. Spoon the filling over the cooled crust.
Lemon Curd
¾ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
¾ cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
Whisk together lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and eggs in a 2-quart sauce pan. Cut butter into bits and add to mixture. Cook mixture, stirring constantly, over moderately low heat until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubble appears on surface, about 6 minutes. (You can make the curd 1 week ahead and chill it, covering its surface with plastic wrap.) Makes 1 2/3 cups. Once the curd has cooled spoon it onto the creamy filling layer. Top with fresh raspberries if so desired
Raspberry Coulis
1 pint raspberries, or 12 ounces frozen raspberries, thawed
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon strained fresh lemon juice
Puree ingredients in a blender or food processor. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing firmly with a rubber spatula. Periodically scrape the inside of the sieve clear of seeds, which will otherwise plug up the holes. Do not waste the precious pulp. Continue to press until you are left with just a heaping tablespoon of stiff, clumped together seeds. Taste, then stir in a little more sugar or lemon juice if needed. Serve at once, either at room temperature or chilled, or cover and refrigerate for up to three days. Makes about 1 cup. There will be more than enough Raspberry Coulis to squirt into vanilla yogurt for the rest of the week. Serve from a squeeze bottle alongside a slice of Lemon Tart.
Pastry Crust
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter, softened
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
Preheat oven to 300. Beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar in a bowl until blended. Add the flour and beat until smooth, scraping the bowl occasionally. Press the pastry over the bottom and up the side of a 12- inch tart pan and two 4-inch tart pans. (The original recipe called for just one 12-inch tart pan but I think that makes a crust that is too thick.) Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until light brown. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Creamy Filling
10 ounces (1 2/3 cup) white chocolate chips
¼ cup heavy cream
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
Combine the white chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for two minutes and stir. Add the cream cheese and beat until blended. Spoon the filling over the cooled crust.
Lemon Curd
¾ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
¾ cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
Whisk together lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and eggs in a 2-quart sauce pan. Cut butter into bits and add to mixture. Cook mixture, stirring constantly, over moderately low heat until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubble appears on surface, about 6 minutes. (You can make the curd 1 week ahead and chill it, covering its surface with plastic wrap.) Makes 1 2/3 cups. Once the curd has cooled spoon it onto the creamy filling layer. Top with fresh raspberries if so desired
Raspberry Coulis
1 pint raspberries, or 12 ounces frozen raspberries, thawed
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon strained fresh lemon juice
Puree ingredients in a blender or food processor. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing firmly with a rubber spatula. Periodically scrape the inside of the sieve clear of seeds, which will otherwise plug up the holes. Do not waste the precious pulp. Continue to press until you are left with just a heaping tablespoon of stiff, clumped together seeds. Taste, then stir in a little more sugar or lemon juice if needed. Serve at once, either at room temperature or chilled, or cover and refrigerate for up to three days. Makes about 1 cup. There will be more than enough Raspberry Coulis to squirt into vanilla yogurt for the rest of the week. Serve from a squeeze bottle alongside a slice of Lemon Tart.
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