Pear Berry Tart

For some reason, fruit tarts remind me of sunshine and summertime. Yesterday was a chilly day, albeit not as chilly as it could have been this time of year, but I still found myself longing for a warm summer day. The kind where you lounge around lazily on the porch, drinking lemonade and doing a whole bunch of nothing. Considering that we’re nearing the end of February, it was obvious that any wishes for warmth would be pointless so I decided to engage in a little self-help by baking a fruit tart. Even if I couldn’t get the feel of summer, I could at least get the flavor of summer.

I used blueberries and strawberry preserves in this recipe but you can substitute any berry combination that you like. You can even use frozen berries, like I did. I usually keep a bag of frozen blueberries or cherries in the freezer, especially when they’re out of season. Frozen berries work well in this tart because you don’t need to thaw them before using. Just plop them down into the tart and you’re good to go. Oh, and one more thing- this recipe uses two kinds of fat in the pastry dough. The butter tastes good (shocking, I know) while the shortening makes the crust flaky. If you have a favorite butter pastry dough that tastes great but your crusts are tough, try swapping out a bit of the butter for shortening. Try a butter to shortening ratio of 3:1 or 4:1. That will probably solve the problem. And remember to keep the butter and shortening really cold or else it will melt as you work the dough mixture and the crust will be heavy. I keep them in the fridge right up to the point where I use them.

PEAR BERRY TART

1 1/4 cup flour
6 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons ice water
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

2 firm but ripe Bartlett pears
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/3 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup strawberry preserves
2 teaspoons milk

Combine the flour, butter, shortening, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until the mixture looks like coarse meal.

Drizzle in the almond extract and 3 tablespoons of the ice water. Pulse to combine.

Pinch a little bit of the mixture between your fingers. If it holds together well, then do not add any more water. If it’s still too dry and crumbly, add the remaining water one tablespoon at a time until the dough holds together when squeezed.

Turn out onto a lightly floured board. Form into a flattened disk and gently smear the dough, using the heel of your hand, across the board until the disk is elongated by a few inches. Fold in half. Repeat those two steps a couple of times. This helps the fat to become evenly distributed throughout the dough so that when it melts the crust will be delicate and flaky.

Reform the dough into a disk about 6 inches across. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, to allow the butter and shortening to firm up again. Or, you can leave the dough in the fridge for up to one day.

Right before assembling the tart, peel and core the pears. Slice thinly lengthwise and toss with the lemon juice to prevent the pears from turning brown.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Lightly dust your work area with flour. Roll out the dough into a large circle that is a few inches bigger in diameter than a dinner plate. Don’t worry if the edges are uneven.

Carefully fold the dough in half and then in half again. You should have a wedge shape. Place wedge on the parchment paper, with the point in the middle. Carefully unfold the dough.

Take a large dinner plate, turn it upside down and gently press it into the middle of the dough to make an imprint of a circle. Use this circle as a guide for assembling the inside of the tart. Everything should stay inside the circle.

Spread the strawberry preserves on the dough, inside the circle.

Artfully arrange the pear slices, slightly overlapping, on top of the preserves.

Place the blueberries in the center of the circle of pears.

Gently fold the dough outside the circle up over the top of the pears to form a rustic crust. Some of the fruit should still be visible.

Brush the crust with the milk.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the crust is lightly golden brown.

Allow to cool before serving.

Serves 6.

Roast Chicken with Herbes de Provence

We eat a lot of chicken at my house because it’s inexpensive and a small roaster is the perfect size for our little family. Over the years, I’ve experimented with numerous ways to roast a chicken but lately I keep coming back to this recipe because I love the pairing of orange and herbes de provence, a classic French herb blend. The deliciously floral aroma and delicate flavor of herbes de provence are usually created by mixing lavender, tarragon, bay leaf, chervil, dill and thyme. Actually, each maker’s blend of herbes de provence will vary a little depending upon their personal taste but, in my opinion, herbes de provence must include lavender and tarragon as the top notes to be the real deal.

Simple meals are often the best meals. Roast chicken is a classic so it doesn’t need a lot of fancy side dishes to support it. Try serving up some steamed green beans topped with a pat of sweet butter and some wild rice or roasted potatoes.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH HERBES DE PROVENCE

4 pound whole chicken
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 orange
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 tablespoon herbes de provence
1 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup white wine
2/3 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Rinse chicken, inside and out, with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place in roasting dish.

Use your fingers to massage the olive oil all over the skin of the chicken.

Halve the orange and juice over the chicken. Place the orange halves and the garlic inside the cavity.

Evenly sprinkle the skin with the herbes de provence, the fennel seed, kosher salt and white pepper.

Truss the chicken with kitchen twine.

Roast in the oven for one hour and fifteen minutes, up to one hour and thirty minutes. A meat thermometer should register 170 degrees when placed in the thigh (make sure the thermometer isn’t touching bone).

Place chicken on a serving platter and cover loosely with foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes while you make the pan sauce.

Place roasting pan on stove burner over medium heat. Spoon off any excess fat so that only a tablespoon or so remains.

Add the flour and stir until smooth. Cook for a couple of minutes but do not allow to brown too much.

Add the white wine and stir, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan.

Add the chicken broth and whisk until smooth.

Cook for a few more minutes until the sauce is thickened.

Check seasoning before serving. You may wish to add a little more salt or pepper.

Serves 4.

Spinach & Chickpeas with Garlic

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I agree but with a twist- imitation is good but well executed inspiration is far superior. In the kitchen, imitation of your favorite chefs by dutifully following their recipes down to the last letter is sure to net good results, but also predictable results. Sometimes you need to shake it up a little by adding something new or unexpected into the mix. Taking risks in the kitchen, even small risks like tossing in a spoonful of a new spice you never tasted before, can result in the kind of creative, mouth watering meals that make all your friends and family want to hang out at your place. And if taking a risk doesn’t work and you hate the way it tastes, well, then don’t do it again. It’s that easy. So don’t be afraid to fail in the kitchen, especially if you’re cooking for just yourself.

I recently patronized my favorite Spanish tapas restaurant, which has an amazingly delicious dish called spinach and chickpea casserole on its menu. I loved this dish so much that I had to make it part of my own culinary repertoire. So, a few days ago, I made it at home. I followed the taste sensations I remembered from my dining experience- olive oil, spinach, chickpeas, garlic, lemon and cumin. Fortunately, it was a simple dish to recreate and I was really psyched to discover that my version tasted exactly like the original dish. Yesterday, I cooked it again but I wanted to do something to make the dish my own so I rummaged through my spice cabinet looking for something to add. I pulled out adobo seasoning, smoked paprika, all kinds of dried chilies, anything with a Spanish or Mexican connection. Then I noticed the bottle of nigella seeds I picked up last month at the local spice shop. Before I saw them in the shop I had never heard of nigella seeds, which look like tiny jet black pods and have a faintly sweet onion-like aroma. Nigella seeds are quite beautiful and once I smelled them there was no way I could resist the purchase even though I had no clue how to use them. I decided to add a small spoonful to my recipe because I figured that adding something faintly onion-y to a dish dominated by cumin and garlic would probably have a good pay-off. And let me tell you, it sure did. The original dish is fantastic but the addition of the nigella seeds not only tasted great, but also added texture and visual interest because the teeny black specks are gorgeous against the golden chickpeas and the dark green spinach.

So, my friends, give this recipe a try and be bold enough to play around with it to make it your own. If you come up with something spectacular, post it in the comments!

SPINACH & CHICKPEAS WITH GARLIC

1 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained
8 ounces baby spinach, chopped small
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 big garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
3/4 teaspoon nigella seeds
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
juice of half a lemon

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan with high sides over medium heat.

Add garlic and nigella seeds. Saute until garlic is fragrant and beginning to lightly color on the edges, about three minutes. (The nigella might pop a little so watch out for a few flying seeds!)

Add the spinach and saute until most of the spinach starts to wilt.

Add the chickpeas and saute until all the spinach is wilted.

Add the remaining ingredients, except lemon juice, and mix thoroughly. Continue cooking for a few minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Stir frequently.

Remove from heat. Add lemon juice and stir well.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Serves 4 as a side dish or 2 as a meal.

Citrus Roasted Pork Shoulder with Spicy Pickled Onions, Black Beans & Saffron Rice

My love affair with pork continues. Roasted pork shoulder is amazingly rich and practically melts in your mouth, especially when bathed in its own succulent juices while roasting. I like to cut through that richness with a little pop of citrus. In this recipe, I used a combination of grapefruit and lime but feel free to substitute any combination of citrus fruit that you like. Tangerine and lime is also quite delicious. Just make sure that you have enough fruit to yield at least one cup of juice for the marinade. This pork shoulder is served with Latin American influenced side dishes because the pairing of citrus and pork is a hallmark of that part of the world, especially Cuba. The best way to enjoy this meal is with friends, mojitos and the music of The Buena Vista Social Club. Don’t forget to make a toast in memory of Cachaito Lopez, one of Buena Vista’s original musicians who passed away this week.

CITRUS ROASTED PORK SHOULDER

5 pounds smoked pork shoulder, bone-in
1 medium grapefruit
1 lime
1 small onion
3 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Zest the grapefruit and lime. Put zest into bowl of food processor. Juice fruit and add juice to bowl.

Coarsely chop onion and garlic. Add to bowl and pulse until very finely chopped.

Add cumin, salt, adobo seasoning, pepper and ginger. Pulse a few times to combine.

With a sharp knife, score sides of the pork about 1/3 inch deep through the rind. Do not score the flat, cut side.

Place pork shoulder in a very large zip top bag. Pour in marinade and coat pork. Use your hands to really rub the marinade into the score marks.

Marinate at least 24 hours, up to 48 hours. Turn over the bag once or twice a day to ensure that all sides of the pork are coated in the marinade.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place pork cut side down in a baking dish. Pour marinade in the pan around the pork.

Roast for 4 hours. You may need to add 1/2 cup of water to the bottom of the pan every hour or so to prevent the pan from scorching. Also, at the 3 hour mark, you may cover the pan loosely with tin foil if the pork is becoming too dark.

Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving into slices.

SPICY PICKLED ONIONS

2 small yellow onions
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup very cold water
4 tablespoons kosher salt
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Use a mandoline to very thinly slice the onions or use a very sharp knife to slice the onions less than 1/4″ thick.

In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.

Add the onions to the bowl and marinate in the refrigerator for four hours.

Drain before serving.

BLACK BEANS

15 ounce can black beans, partially drained
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
6 big garlic cloves
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1 chopped tomato
1 teaspoon oregano
1 smoked chili

Place the garlic cloves on an 8″x8″ square of tinfoil. Sprinkle with one teaspoon of the olive oil. Close tightly and roast in the oven at 350 degrees for half an hour. (Tip: Prepare the garlic when you roast the pork shoulder. Put the garlic in the oven at the beginning of the pork’s cooking time. The roasted garlic can rest in the foil until you are ready to prepare the black beans.)

Heat the remaining oil in a skillet over medium low heat. Add onion and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomato and saute until the tomato begins to breaks down, about 10 minutes.

Add the beans, oregano, smoked chili and roasted garlic.

Turn up the heat to medium and simmer for a few minutes, until warmed through completely.

Remove the chili before serving.

Serve hot.

SAFFRON RICE

1 1/2 cups jasmine or basmati rice
3 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
very big pinch of saffron

In a small saucepan, bring broth, olive oil, salt and pepper to a boil.

Add saffron.

Add rice and bring back to a boil.

Low heat to low and cover tightly.

Cook for 25 minutes or until broth is completely absorbed by rice.

Fluff rice with a fork before serving.

Serves 4 very generously, with leftovers.

Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Sausage and Artichoke Hearts

Spaghetti squash is a lovely alternative to pasta and an easy way to sneak in another serving of vegetables to your daily diet. When paired with savory turkey sausage and artichoke hearts, spaghetti squash retains the healthy qualities that keep your heart healthy and figure trim but is exciting enough that your family will be happy too. If you’ve never tried spaghetti squash then you’re in for a real treat. It doesn’t taste like traditional pasta even though it looks similar. The taste is very mild and somewhat sweet, although less sweet than butternut or acorn squash.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH TURKEY SAUSAGE AND ARTICHOKE HEARTS

1 spaghetti squash, about 4 pounds
1/2 pound hot or mild turkey sausage, casings removed
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup white wine
15 ounce can diced tomatoes, reserve juice
14 ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

To prepare the spaghetti squash:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Split squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds. Place squash cut side down in a baking pan.

Bake squash for 60 minutes then turn over in pan and bake for another 35 to 45 minutes, or until flesh is very soft and separates easily into strands.

When the squash is done, steady one half with one hand (wear an oven mitt to avoid burning your hand). Using a large fork, gently scrape down the flesh to separate into strands. Place strands into a colander set over a bowl. Repeat with other half.

Press down firmly upon the spaghetti squash to release any extra liquid.

Pour the spaghetti squash into a large serving dish and cover to keep warm if the sauce is not finished.

To prepare the turkey sausage and artichoke sauce:

About 20 minutes before squash is done baking, heat oil in large saute pan with high sides over medium heat.

Add onions and saute for five minutes.

Add salt.

Continue cooking onions until they become translucent, about five more minutes.

Add turkey sausage and garlic. As you brown the turkey sausage, break it up into bite size pieces. Cook through completely, until the turkey sausage is no longer pink but well browned.

Add the wine and deglaze the pan.

Add tomatoes, artichokes and sage. Stir thoroughly and heat through.

Add some of the reserved tomato juice if the sauce looks too dry for your liking. I usually add about 1/2 cup of juice.

Remove sauce from heat. Stir in parsley.

Pour over the spaghetti squash and serve immediately while very hot.

Serves 4.

The Superbowl Is My Excuse to Eat Wings and Fries

I’m not a sports fan so I never know the names of the famous players, when the big games are on tv or which teams belong to which cities (with the exception of Boston and New York teams because I lived in those places). I’m hopelessly and laughably ignorant of such things. Last year, I took a day trip to Philadelphia and spent the whole day in the city without knowing that it was hosting the final game of the World Series that night. So it’s not entirely surprising that I didn’t know about the Superbowl this weekend until I was informed by a friend. And then I forgot that someone told me about the game until my husband reminded me yesterday.

But let’s toss aside my lack of sports enthusiasm for a moment. Because do you know what I do get enthusiastic about? Wings. And fries. And then more wings. Yum. I know that sports fans also like wings and fries so maybe I can contribute to the collective American sports fervor by serving up huge platters of my family’s favorite wings and fries to my football-loving buddies. So next year I’m hosting a Superbowl party. And you’re invited. You can bring the beer.

The following recipe makes two kinds of wings- one for those with delicate palates and one for those who like it hot.

LEMON & ROSEMARY CHICKEN WINGS

Whisk together:
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
4 garlic cloves, minced

Pour over 2 pounds chicken wing pieces. Marinate for at least 8 hours and up to 48 hours.

SPICY BLACK BEAN CHICKEN WINGS

Whisk together:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup red wine
3 tablespoons Chinese black bean sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1-2 tablespoons red pepper flakes

Pour over 2 pounds chicken wing pieces. Marinate for at least 8 hours and up to 48 hours.

TO COOK THE WINGS:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Line two baking sheets with tin foil and place a wire baking rack on each. Spray rack with cooking spray or brush lightly with vegetable oil.

Using tongs, place the lemon and rosemary wings on one baking rack in a single layer. Make sure to shake off excess marinade before placing on the rack.

Using the same technique, place the black bean wings on the other rack.

Bake for 40 minutes, turning over once. Switch positions of baking sheets in the oven halfway through cooking time.

When cooked through and beautifully browned, remove wings to a large platter and cover tightly with foil while you prepare the sweet potato fries.

SWEET POTATO FRIES

4 large sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

Peel sweet potatoes and slice into fries measuring 1/3″ by 3″ or 4″ long, depending on the length of the sweet potato.

Mix together the salt, garlic powder, white pepper and dried parsley.

Toss the sweet potatoes with the oil, until each piece glistens.

Remove and discard the dirty foil from the baking sheets used to cook the wings.

Spread half of the fries on one sheet and half on the other sheet.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, switching baking sheet positions in the oven halfway through cooking time. At the halfway mark, flip over the fries with a spatula to ensure even cooking and browning.

Before removing fries from baking sheets, sprinkle liberally with the spice mixture.

Serve immediately with the two kinds of wings.

Serves 4.