Roasted Potatoes and Sauteed Mushrooms Tart

I bought a tart pan about 3 months ago, so I have been meaning to make a tart for quite some time!  I decided to bake a savory tart so that it could also be dinner.

This project had a combined preparation and bake time of about 2 and a half hours. That time can be greatly reduced by buying an already prepared pie shell, or simply preparing the tart dough ahead of time. Also, it takes me a really long time do simple tasks like slicing mushrooms.  

It was super delish.  This dish also reminded me that vegetarian dishes can be hearty and flavorful.  The chopped fresh tarragon definitely added a layer of complexity.

1 par baked pie/tart crust
1 lb of small red potatoes (about 4), sliced into thin discs (about 1/4 inch thick)
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. fresh tarragon, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup light whipping cream
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup Gruyere or Parmesan cheese
1 lb of white button mushrooms

1. Preheat oven to 450.  Combine the garlic, onion, potatoes, and half of the olive oil (1/8 cup).  Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. salt and ground pepper.  Spread out mixture evenly on a cookie sheet or baking pan. Bake 15-20 minutes, until onions are translucent. Let cool.  Reduce oven to 375.

2. Sprinkle the fresh tarragon onto the crust.  Put the potato mixture into the tart crust.  Whip the eggs, whipping cream, and salt in a small bowl.  Sprinkle with pepper.  Pour on top of the potato mixture in the tart pan.  Don't try to use the entire egg mixture if it looks like it is going to overflow.  Leave about 1/4 inch from the top of the pan.  Bake 55-60 minutes, or until the egg mixture sets.  If you jiggle the tart and the egg mixture does not jiggle, then it is set.  Remove from oven.

3. While the tart was baking.... heat 1/8 cup olive oil over in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Brown sliced mushrooms in the skillet for 5-10 minutes.  Sprinkle with salt and stir. Remove from heat.
4.  Once you remove the tart from the oven, sprinkle the 1/2 cup of cheese on the top.  Spread the mushrooms evenly on top of the cheese.  Bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.  Remove from the oven and serve warm.

Enjoy!

L.A. Restaurant Week! Jan. 24-29 & Jan. 31-5

It's that time of the year!  Get a great deal on a three-course meal at fantastic eateries. 

There are three categories:

1. Deluxe Dining ($)          3 Course Lunch: $16, 3 Course Dinner: $26
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3. Fine Dining ($$$)          3 Course Lunch: $28, 3 Course Dinner: $44

Check out the website

dinela.com

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Lucy baked these using the Sprinkles Cupcakes pumpkin cupcake mix.

The only difference between the mix and making them from scratch is that you don't have to use pumpkin puree, baking powder, baking soda, or flour.  All of that is already incorporated into the mix.

They came out beautiful and delicious.

Taste Cafe and Marketplace

I recently had a lovely experience at an urban cafe in Indianapolis.  Taste Cafe  is located in the area surrounding Butler University, conveniently near the Indianapolis Museum of Modern Art.

I went for breakfast, but according to the other diners, both the menu and ambience for dinner keeps customers coming back.

I ordered one of the day's specials--a waffle topped with toasted pistachios, bananas, blueberries, cinnamon, and caramel.  I also ordered a fruit smoothie.  I'm pretty sure the smoothie was made with the Pinkberry style of yogurt.  The waffle tasted as good as it looked.

Shrimp Scampi

I've been stuck on making soup, but the crawfish fettuccine inspired me to get out and try another seafood pasta dish.  Plus, I've been around pescatarians.. so I decided to make shrimp scampi.

This entire dish probably took about 25 minutes--start to finish.  And it was soooo delicious!   The most tedious part was peeling and deveining the shrimp, but you can always buy raw shrimp that is already peeled and deveined from your neighborhood grocery store.

 I made some pasta to accompany it.  I used angel hair, though linguine is typically used with shrimp scampi dishes.  I used about 1/3 of the box.  I just boiled it according to the directions on the box, drained all but a few tablespoons of water, and I added two tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter, along with pepper.  I then mixed in about 1/3 cup of Parmesean cheese.  The pasta was delicious and did not overpower the delicate taste of the shrimp scampi. 

The recipe couldn't be easier. You just season the shrimp, cook them in a skillet of oil, and then use that oil to make the scampi sauce.  If you are lazy and want to just boil the shrimp or buy already cooked shrimp, you can purchase a premade Shrimp Scampi Sauce.

Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 4
Prep Time: about 20 minutes
Cook Time: about 5 minutes

Recipe-Shrimp Scampi

1 and 1/2 pounds jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined
salt and pepper ( I used Tony's Creole Seasoning instead of salt)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup dry white vermouth
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 tsp grated lemon zest

1. Pat the shrimp dry with a towel. (This will help them brown in the skillet).  Season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the butter to the skillet.  When the foaming subsides, raise the heat to high.  Quickly place all of the shrimp in the skillet at the same time, but make sure they are each laying flatly in the oil.  Cook the shrimp without moving them for one minute.  Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
3. Turn the shrimp over and cook 2 minutes more.  The shrimp are ready when they are pink throughout.  They cook very fast, so try not to overcook them.  Transfer the shrimp to a bowl and cover to keep warm.
4. Making the Scampi Sauce: Return the skillet to the heat and pour in the vermouth and lemon juice.  Boil the liquid until slightly thickened, about 30 seconds.  Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.  Stir the zest and parsley into the sauce.  Pour the sauce over the shrimp and toss to combine.  Serve immediately.

Crawfish Fettuccine

I made this Christmas Eve because my mother asked me to. She found the recipe in a newspaper clipping from 1997...

I have never made fettuccine alfredo or anything, but I was excited to do some Creole cooking while I was in Louisiana for winter break.

First, I sautéed all of the vegetables I had (mushrooms, peppers, onions, garlic) in half a stick of butter. Yes, butter. Normally, I sauté vegetables in Extra Virgin Olive Oil, but the recipe called for butter. The smell was incredible--I had no idea sautéing vegetables in butter would smell so good! I would have been content taking the veggies off of the stove and serving it over a bed of rice or noodles.

The next step was to add the crawfish tails. I bought a one pound bag of already peeled crawfish tails. The excess liquid in the bag is what really added the Creole flavor to this dish. I also added a quarter cup of dry white wine. I seasoned it all with some Tony’s (Creole Seasoning salt). I let it simmer for about ten minutes.

Next, I added put my cooked fettuccine in a bowl and added a small container of sour cream and some half and half. I then added the crawfish/veggie mixture to the bowl, and I poured it in a casserole dish. Lastly, I topped the casserole dish with cheese and baked it on 350 for 15 minutes.

My family loved this dish. To my surprise, it tasted like pasta yet still maintained a distinctly Louisiana Creole flavor.

Raw Fast Finale

Days 6 and 7 got easier and easier--probably because I became more and more flexible with what I allowed myself to eat. 

I am so glad that I did this fast.  I learned numerous things about myself this past week, and I learned how to focus on eating a more vegetable-based diet.  I became more aware of the limited options available to vegetable-based eaters after a trip to the Cheesecake Factory.  I wanted a salad.  Simple, right?  Actually, every salad on their menu besides the Ceaser salad had meat or fish in it.  The only other salad that did not was a side salad. 

My vegetable diet also encouraged me to work out.  I've worked out three times in the past three days, and more importantly, I feel "addicted" to working out again.  I also feel addicted to eating more vegetables.  I am excited about the habits that I gained in my fast that I will continue now that the fast is over (like fresh fruit smoothies for breakfast and focusing on eating vegetable-based meals)

To celebrate the end of my fast, I cooked dinner last night.  Haricots verts, steamed broccoli, potatoe gratin and roasted chicken.  Everything came out delicious.

7-Day Raw Vegetables Fast: Day 1

New year, new me.

I have decided to start 2010 off with a fast of only water and a limited amount of organic raw vegetables and fruit.  "Limited" meaning that I am not eating meal-sized portions, rather, I am eating about one serving of each a fruit and vegetable daily. 

I have decided to fast for spiritual and personal reasons.  I am testing my will power.  I am replacing meal time with prayer and reflection.  I also want to cleanse my body. 

The last fast I attempted was in 2004.  It was a 3-day juice fast.  On the second day, I faltered.  I happened to be walking by the Burger King on Hoover when a huge force caused me to go inside and order a burger and fries. 

I certainly hope that does not happen this time. But if I do fall off the bandwagon at any point, I will get back on. 

Today, I have drank plenty of water.  It's 3:40 pm and I've had one serving of organic baby carrots.  I will eat a serving of organic blackberries when I get home.  I have been experiencing a "hunger headache" for about the past three hours.  But, fasts involve sacrifice.  A friend brought me a cream-filled homemade cupcake, but I was unable to eat it.  Other than the cupcake, my temptations today have been limited.  I think tomorrow will be much more challenging.

Raw Food Fast Days 2-4

Due to persistent headaches, my doctor advised me to eat more calories and eat protein.

So, I have still been "fasting," but am now eating a lot more fruits and vegetables.  I have also added legumes to my diet. I don't feel incredibly hungry, but i AM craving carbs. I am craving carbs like crazy.  Luckily, I have no carbs around to tempt me!

I have been starting each day with a fruit smoothie, which is something that I will try to continue when my 7 days ends.  I puree a banana in a splash of cranberry juice.  I then add about 8 ice cubes and 8 strawberries.  It is absolutely Delish!  I also made a blackberry banana smooth that also came out yummy.

So now that I have added legumes to my raw diet fast, I have been eating edamame and beans.  I made hummus but I skipped on the olive oil.

The not eating meat has not bothered me at all. It is the sweets and carbs that I am craving. And dairy--well, I just miss it.  Cheese is one of my faaaaavorite foods. So, I'll be glad when these 7 days are up.

I'd rather be baking...

I have missed cooking and baking!  I will celebrate the end of my fast Sunday night by making one of Julia Child's most celebrated recipes, "Poulet Roti," or Roast Chicken.  I have been itching to bake something new, so I am going to bake pate a choux.  I will make a variation of the pate a choux by adding cheese, thus making it something suitable to serve with the roast chicken.  I will also be having steamed asparagus. 

I feel like it's my "getting out of jail" dinner.  I'm very excited. I'll let you all know how it turns out.  :)