running with tweezers

weekend cookbook challenge #17 - the key word is...

"challenge".

As a blogger who tries to take part in events sort of regularly, I was bummed when I realized I missed the last Weekend Cookbook Challenge. To ensure that it didn't happen again...I have made my weekend cookbook challenge recipe...on a Wednesday. At least its getting done!

Ani from FoodieChickie - our host this month - picked what I consider to be an unusual theme: cornmeal. I have had a bag of it in my cupboard for months now...cast aside after I changed up a recipe and didn't need it. outside of using it to occasionally coat or bread something, I just don't use the stuff. since I was going to embark on a recipe adventure, I didn't want to go the way of the usual cornmeal cakes or muffins.

Perusing Food and Wine's website, i found this recipe for Cornmeal Crackers with Pumpkin Seeds. I've never made anything like this at home...and thought it would be a suitable "challenge" for the WCC. I wasn't kidding. My easy little cracker recipe ended up turning into Chez T's Recipe Test Kitchen.

Here are a few things I noticed while making these...and I made three batches of these puppies...

• I think this dough is *really* salty. I followed the directions to the letter...so I would maybe cut back on the salt a bit...or make sure that you taste the dough as you season it so you don't go overboard.
• Getting them to "cracker thin-ness" is a challenge. Maybe calling them a "biscuit" is a better idea?
• Make sure that you bring the dough thoroughly to room temp once you chill it. It goes crazy crumbly after the stint in the fridge.

Outside of those helpful hints, I think these would be a delicious addition to an appetizer party or a wine tasting. Once you get the hang of them, they are wonderfully crunchy and have great crumby texture. The taste is almost cheese-like...with some lingering heat from red pepper. A great nosh for sitting around and having a wonderful cocktail to accompany it.

Cornmeal Crackers with Pumpkin Seeds - makes 2 1/2 dozen - originally found here on foodandwine.com

• 1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons milk

1. In a large skillet, stir the cornmeal over moderate heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the cornmeal with the flour, 1/2 cup of the pumpkin seeds, the salt, sugar and crushed red pepper. Using your fingers, work the butter into the cornmeal mixture until incorporated. Mix in the milk, pressing the dough with your hands to form a ball; add a little more milk if necessary. Cover the dough and refrigerate until chilled and firm, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter 2 baking sheets. Pinch off 1-inch pieces of dough and roll into balls. Arrange the balls on the baking sheet and press into 2-inch rounds with a flat-bottomed glass. Press the remaining 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds into the rounds. Bake the crackers for about 10 minutes, or until browned around the edges. Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a large plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: The cracker dough can be frozen for up to 1 month. The crackers can be stored overnight in an airtight container. Recrisp them in a 300° oven for a few minutes before serving.

caesar confidential: hay hay it's donna day #12

I have two confessions to make. The first is...I am a Caesar salad addict. It's truly one of my favorite foods - both for its ease and its taste. When I think of the perfect meal, very little brings a smile to my face like the thought of a Sunday brunch Caesar salad/Bloody Mary combination.

My other confession is...I am normally a big cheater when it comes to Caesar salads at home. They're just so easy to throw together if you cut corners on the ingredients. Pre-cut Romaine? Sure. Pre-grated Parmesan? I don't feel guilty about that. Bottled Caesar dressing? Quit looking at me with that disdain in your eyes. We all have our food secret shames - that is one of mine. The thing is...I prefer a creamier Caesar dressing than the vinaigrette-style recipes I normally see. Plus...its so simple. Sometimes, being easy makes something that much more delicious.

When I saw that the theme for HHDD #12, hosted by Katie at Other People's Food, was Caesar salad, I was both overjoyed and mildly ridden with anxiety. I felt a lot of pressure to make some fancy-pants twist on the classic. However, I'm sticking to my guns. I *like* the classic. For me, going out on a limb for Donna Day was making my own dressing. I hunted down a creamy Caesar recipe online...and true to its word...it was every bit as scrumptious as the author of it says it is. True to my normal salad form, I added a sweet twist to my recipe: slices of the first truly ripe and wonderful strawberries I've had so far this year. Added to radicchio, romaine, homemade Ciabatta croutons, and fresh Parmesan shavings...they really added a new element to the salad....and no cheating.

Kittencal's Famous Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing - found here on recipezaar.com

                               

2	anchovy fillets   (or to taste)
2	fresh garlic cloves   (or to taste)
1	cup mayonnaise   (not salad dressing Hellman's is best!)
1/4	cup half-and-half cream   or     milk
1/3	cup grated parmesan cheese
2	tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1	tablespoon Dijon mustard   (Hellman's Dijonnaise is best!)
	salt and pepper
2	teaspoons worcestershire sauce   (or to taste)   (optional

- In a small 2-cup mini food processor, process/mince the anchovy fillets and garlic together until finely minced (do this together and firstly, otherwise it will not get minced properly with the other ingredients).

- Add in the remaining ingredients, and process for 30 seconds, or more until well mixed.

- Adjust seasonings to taste.

- Thin with buttermilk (or milk) for a thinner consistency if desired.

- Store in fridge, covered in a glass container for 3 or more hours before using (the flavors become stronger when left in the fridge for a longer time).

Editor's note: Typepad is acting like a jerk and the recipe spacing is all wacky. It'll still taste the same :)

lightening up...again

They don't call it "fat and happy" for no reason. The train here at Running With Tweezers has pulled away from Motivation Station...and come off the tracks. There is so much wonderful stuff going on right now...and there have been many amazing meals to go along with it. A delightful dinner with a client last week with half a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc to go with it. My dear friend (and mash the button guy) Tony is now a year older...so we celebrated with red meat and red wine. Add to that, several (yet not nearly enough) moments of making googly eyes at a great boy over - yes - more great wine...you see where this is going. Monday, the only thing I could think of consuming was a liter of water and a popsicle.

When I finally did get a craving for something that was not booze or bacon, it was hearts of palm. I normally drizzle them with a little dressing and eat them as is. My body is needing its fruits and veggies...so I found this wonderful salad recipe on Food and Wine's website. It's the perfect combination of flavors and textures:  salty olives, zippy juicy tomatoes and citrus fruit (i substituted mandarin oranges for the navel oranges more out of laziness than anything), and peppery watercress...all while letting the hearts of palm be the star of the show. It was the perfect break from bringing gluttony back.

Hearts of Palm and Cress Salad - serves 4 - recipe originally found here at foodandwine.com

• 2 large navel oranges
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3/4 pound watercress (2 bunches), tough stems discarded
• 3 plum tomatoes, each cut into 6 wedges
• One 14-ounce can hearts of palm, drained and cut on the diagonal into 1/2-inch slices
• 1/2 cup pitted Calamata olives

- Using a sharp knife, peel the oranges, taking care to remove all of the bitter white pith; working over a bowl, cut in between the membranes to release the sections. Squeeze the membranes to get 1/4 cup of the orange juice. Save the remaining orange juice for another use

- In a large bowl, whisk the orange juice and lemon juice with the olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Add the orange sections, watercress, tomatoes, hearts of palm and olives and toss well. Serve immediately.

round and round - tomato & watermelon caprese with basil granita

Summertime, for me, always means Caprese salad. Sometimes I like to riff on the recipe a bit and try something new...but for the most part, nothing showcases the beauty and deliciousness of tomatoes like this classic salad.

For a month or so, I have been obsessed with a version that I had at The Globe, one of my favorite restaurants here in Atlanta. The addition of watermelon to the salad was revelatory to me. Also, their version has tiny melon ball scoops of a creamy basil sorbet added to it instead of the traditional basil leaves. The combination of textures and the refreshing basil ice cream was mind blowing to me. I've been remaking this dish in my head ever since.

I don't make ice cream enough to warrant having, so I made do by making a basil granita. Throwing it together was terribly easy - a quick puree of fresh basil, some sugar, and water. It is such a unique twist to this dish. As the granita melts, it naturally dresses the dish with its own "dressing". You can add the balsamic and olive oil to the salad, as well. Another interesting idea would be to make a basil-balsamic granita - your dressing and the granita all in one!

Tomato-Watermelon Caprese with Basil Granita - serves 4 as side dish

For basil granita:

• one small bunch fresh basil - washed, dried and de-stemmed
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 16 ounces cold water

- Add all ingredients to blender and puree on high until fully combined and there are no large pieces of basil remaining. Pour liquid into glass/non-reactive shallow baking dish and place in freezer. Periodically check on mixture and fork to loosen as it freezes - every 30 minutes or so - until it reaches desired consistency.

For salad/assembly:

• 8 oz. container of mozzarella bocconcini
• 2 cups watermelon pieces scooped with melon baller
• 1 pound cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• course salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• extra virgin olive oil & balsamic vinegar, optional

- Mix all ingredients together save for the optional olive oil and vinegar. Before serving, top salad with melon ball scoops of basil granita. If dressing the salad, do so at the very end for presentations sake.

we interrupt this deafening silence...

 

...to show you not one stitch of food. i know....it's piss poor. what can i say? I've been distracted - mostly in good ways. work has been better than its ever been...making new friends has been great...and i even took myself away for a little getaway for some R&R. unfortunately, this has all happened at the expense of the blog. i had all this yellow food planned. i did eat it - it was delicious. do you think i had time to style it and photograph it before i shoveled it in my mouth? not so much.

While I haven't been doing a very good job the past week or so about blogging, other people have been plenty busy giving us mad props and warm fuzzies about Running With Tweezers. Since I've been MIA...and will be until Sunday...I thought I would let some other voices sing our praises. I have to say that I'm a very lucky girl to be able to do what I love as my career...and I'm extra lucky to be able to do it with people that make going to work a joy. You guys are shuper :)

- About 2 months ago, I was notified by a friend reading the AJC (*the* newspaper in Atlanta - Atlanta Journal Constitution) that this little ol' blog had gotten a shout out....by none other than Mister John Kessler. For those who don't know, Kez is a nationally published, cats pajamas food writer and reviewer whose opinion is one of very few - locally or otherwise - I give a rats about. He said some very nice things about the blog...and our correspondence afterward just reaffirmed my longstanding food-dork crush on him.  You can see the mention here on the AJC website...we're at the bottom of the article.

- I can't divulge too much now...but I was so amazingly chosen to be part of a team to work on a cookbook for an Atlanta food & restaurant icon!! I'm tickled pink about it...and I think that the book is going to be thoughtful, heartfelt, beautiful, and delicious - all of the making of a spectacular cookbook. I'll keep you posted...

- Finally...and most recently...my dear friend Tony Clark and I got some praise for our work that we've done together. One of our clients - a nationally published magazine based here in Atlanta - submitted some images we did for a health supplement guide that was published in the magazine late last year. The images are organic and beautiful - they are the photos shown in this post - things that both Tony and I strive to achieve in our work every day. That effort was rewarded when the magazine received the Gamma Gold Medal in the Magazine Association of The Southeast's Photography division. It was such a team effort...and a true testament to the power of an amazing group of creative minds. It was an honor to be a part of it...and to share the honor with those people involved.