Banana Ice Cream

This is amazing. Basically, you just freeze banana slices for a couple hours and then grind them up, and you get banana ice cream. I tried it with the blender first, which didn't work because there wasn't any liquid to keep the solids moving down to the blade, and then I tried my mini-food processor, which worked but the bananas made their way up under the blade into the shaft, and I'd be worried about it sticking up the motor. Next time, I'll try either the full sized food processor or maybe even my immersion blender. Let me know if you try it with the immersion blender before I get to it!

Mini Rhubarb and Raspberry Galettes

From Martha

Yield Makes 8

Ingredients

• Pate Brisee, do not divide into 2 disks
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 1 1/2 pounds trimmed rhubarb, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (about 5 cups)
• 8 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) fresh raspberries
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• Coarse sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Divide dough evenly into 8 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece to a 7-inch round, 1/8 inch thick. Transfer rounds to 2 large parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets (don't use silicon!), arranging several inches apart. (If rounds become too soft to handle, refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.)
2. In a large bowl, toss to combine rhubarb, raspberries, cornstarch, and granulated sugar.
3. Cover each round of dough with a heaping 1/2 cup rhubarb mixture, leaving a 1-inch border. Fold edges over rhubarb filling, leaving an opening in center; gently brush water between folds, and press gently so that folds adhere. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush edges of dough with water, and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until crusts are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees, and bake until juices bubble and start to run out from center of each galette, 15 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely before serving.

Results:
I got to work on Friday and saw about 10 pounds of free rhubarb to be given away, so I grabbed a bunch and thought I'd make a pie. The problem is, although we COULD eat a whole pie, we probably shouldn't. So then I was trolling the internet this morning to find a recipe for mini-pies, either in a small cast iron skillet or muffin pans or something. I wasn't quite sure. Then I stumbled across this recipe for galettes, which was so perfect because you don't need to risk having the wrong sized pan and risk having to fiddle with cooking time and temperature. Also, it's easy to halve the recipe, and then you only have to share the equivalent of a half a pie between two people.

The flavors of this tart are right on. Really good and sour, but also sweet. Excellent. But here are some "do as I say, not as I do" tips. After forming the tarts and refrigerating (end of step 3), I left them in the fridge for a few hours instead of 30 minutes. This was bad because it gave the fruit more time to masticate in the sugar and juice was already running from them by the time I got around to cooking.  Maybe freezing would keep them longer if you're not ready for baking? I'm not sure. Either way, make sure you either use a rimmed baking sheet or engineer some sort of tin foil juice catcher under your baking sheet because they'll probably leak a lot of juice which will then burn on the bottom of your oven and smell really bad.

After they were done baking, I had trouble picking them up with even a really big spatula to move to the baking sheet (possibly because the bottom crust was soaked through with juice, or possibly because I rolled the crusts too thin). I'm hoping the crust will harden up as they cool and won't stick too much to the parchment paper. Also, if you just can't wait for them to cool, and you happen to break part of a tart off as you move it to the cooling racks, remember before you gobble it up that hot sugary filling is REALLY HOT, even if the crust is already cool. Also, be sure to wash any and all cooking implements that come into contact with the hot sugary filling IMMEDIATELY before the sugar cools, or you're going to have issues. And the sugar cools fast.

Pate Brisee

From Martha:
Yield
Makes two 8- to 10-inch single-crust pies or one 8- to 10-inch double-crust pie

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut in pieces
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Directions

1. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, and process for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add the ice water in a slow, steady stream, through the feed tube, just until the dough holds together. Do not process for more than 30 seconds.
2. Turn the dough out onto a work surface. Divide in two. Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap. Flatten, and form two discs. Wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour before using.

Results:
I'm pretty sure that Pate Brisee is French for "pie dough." I haven't cooked the crust yet, but the dough itself tastes just like pie dough made with butter.  :)  This recipe finally prompted me to confront the food processor that I've been wanting for years and finally got for Christmas (thank you!!) but have been too intimidated by to move out of the store room, let alone take out of the box. Let me tell you, that was some wasted 6 months. It's an amazing machine. I just need to find space for it in the kitchen. Some of you might know this, but I used to be really good at making pie crust. I proved the saying "easy as pie." And then I went to college and somehow my pie crust making abilities got smooshed out by philosophy class. So I haven't made much pie since then, but I think this might turn it around. Stay turned for finished pie results....

Big Hearted Macaroni and Cheese with Artichokes

From the Kitchn:

serves 6 to 8

• 12 ounces frozen artichoke hearts
• 1 pound elbow macaroni or small shells
• 8 ounces silken tofu (soft)
• 2 1/2 cups skim milk
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 6 ounces white cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs or panko
• 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
• Olive oil

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil. Place the frozen artichoke hearts in a colander and run cold water over them for a few moments. Remove from the colander and set aside.
2. Heat a 4-quart pot of salted water to boiling and add the pasta. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package specifies, to just barely al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the pasta from cooking. Return to the cooking pot.
3. Cut each artichoke heart into several bite-sized pieces and stir into the cooked pasta.
4. Place a 10-inch deep skillet or wide saucepan over medium heat. Place the tofu in the pan, and mash it thoroughly with a fork or whisk. Whisk in the milk, mustard, salt, paprika and pepper. Warm the mix until bubbles form around the edges, then whisk in the cornstarch and shredded cheese. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture thickens just slightly. As it heats, it will appear somewhat lumpy. This is fine; just whisk occasionally as you stir.
5. When the mixture has thickened slightly, turn off the heat and pour it into the pot with the macaroni and artichokes. Stir thoroughly, and taste for seasoning. If necessary, stir in a little extra salt and pepper, then spread in the prepared baking dish.
6. Mix the bread crumbs and Parmesan and sprinkle over the pasta. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy on top. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

RESULTS: I was intrigued by this recipe because it has tofu in it, and I'm trying to eat more protein, and it also has artichokes, which Chris loves. LOVES. I think with some tweaks it could be really good. I didn't care for the artichokes as is. They didn't add good flavor to the dish, they kind of clashed with the cheese. If I were to make this again, I would probably saute or bake (can you back artichokes?) before putting them in with the pasta to get some richer flavor to them. Chris agreed to try this because I assured him that he wouldn't be able to taste the tofu, and his clean plate seemed to confirm that. I would also adjust the cooking time for the pasta. It was still pretty mushy. Maybe cook the pasta for 4 minutes less than the box says to? experimentation needed. The very best part of this was the panko topping. I HIGHLY recommend panko over breadcrumbs, it really makes a huge difference.  

Spicy Squash Salad with lentils and goat cheese

Recipe, intro, and footnote from Smitten Kitchen:

If you’d like to toast the seeds, simply clean them off, rinse and pat them dry and toast them in the oven on an oiled baking sheet, sprinkled with salt. But this comes with a warning: they like to pop, seemingly more than regular pumpkin seeds do, or maybe it’s just my bad luck. I suspect if you let them dry out for a day first, they wouldn’t, but who has that kind of patience?

Serves 6 as an appetizer, 3 as a main

• 3/4 cup black or green lentils
• 6 cups peeled, seeded and cubed butternut squash or sugar pumpkin (1-inch cubes) (from about a 2-poudn squash)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika*
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 4 cups baby arugula (I skipped this)
• 1 cup soft crumbled goat cheese
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves (optional; I used this, but added it after I took a photo)
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, plus additional to taste
• Roasted seeds (about 1/2 cup) from your butternut squash (optional; see note above)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss squash or pumpkin cubes with 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, paprika and salt. Arrange in a single layer on baking sheet and roast 20 minutes. Flip pieces and roast for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until tender. Cool.
2. Meanwhile, soak lentils for 10 minutes in a small bowl, then drain. Cook lentils in boiling salted water until tender but firm, about 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water, then drain and cool.
3. Combine lentils, pumpkin, any oil you can scrape from the baking sheet (I didn’t get enough for this to be worth it) with arugula, if using, half of goat cheese, mint, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper and extra vinegar, if desired (we felt it needed it). Divide among plates and pass with remaining goat cheese to sprinkle.

* I swapped half with sweet (not hot) smoked paprika. If you don’t have either on hand, there are ways to approximate this smoky/spiciness with what you have in your pantry, such as mixing some regular paprika with a ground chipotle powder or another smoky spice, and then a pinch of cayenne for extra heat.

RESULTS: Needs bacon. Otherwise great.

Savory Rice Bowl

Ingredients:
    * 1 cup short-grain brown rice
    * 6 cups water
    * Regular or low-sodium soy sauce, for serving
    * Toasted sesame oil, for serving
    * Sesame and seaweed rice condiment (available at Asian markets), for serving
    * Finely chopped scallions, for serving
    * Finely chopped kimchi, for serving
    * Finely shredded nori, for serving

Directions:

1. Rinse the brown rice, if desired.
2. Combine the rice with 5 cups of water in a large saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low; stir, cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Ideally, the rice should have a porridgelike consistency.
3. Uncover; if you still see a fair amount of liquid in the saucepan, cook for 15 to 30 minutes. Alternatively, if the rice seems dry, add as much of the remaining 1 cup of water as needed; cook for 15 to 30 minutes (on low or medium-low heat) to achieve a porridgelike consistency.
4. To serve, divide the rice among individual bowls. Top with dashes of the soy sauce and toasted sesame oil, and with sprinkles of the sesame-seaweed condiment, scallions, kimchi and nori.

RESULTS: OK, so, my apologies. I found this recipe in the Washington Post food section, but it's actually, uh, from Gweneth Paltrow's cookbook. I KNOW! Ridiculous. And I'm not actually sure how I feel about it. On the one hand, all you're really doing it cooking brown rice until it's mush. I mean, if you notice, all the other ingredients, other than rice and water, are toppings. And it took a really really long time to make, and I'm not usually very patient when it comes to meals. I'm ok with something taking a long time if that's more or less active time, but just having a pot simmer on the stove for two hours, with nothing to do? Blech. On the other hand, the long cooking time made the rice actually really refreshing. It tasted cleaner. I ate it with some seaweed leftover from homemade sushi (nori), but the next time I make it, I plan on also using some homemade pickles slices.

Crushed Peas with Smoky Sesame Dressing

From Smitten Kitchen


1 1/2 pounds fresh peas in pods or about 1 1/2 cups already shelled or frozen and defrosted
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika, smoked if you have it
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 scallions, thinly sliced
Toasted pitas, cut into wedges, for serving

Cook peas: Have ready a colander and an ice bath, and bring a medium pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Blanche peas for 30 seconds (if you like them with a real residual snap) to 1 minute (for a slightly more yielding pea) and drain them, then immediately shocking them in the ice water. Drain the peas again and pat them dry on a large towel.

Crush peas: Using a potato or egg-masher, muddler or meat pounder (be gentle!), lightly crush the peas. Aim for mixed textures, some left whole, most in halves and a few a little more broken up. Put them in a large bowl.

Make dressing: Whisk together tahini, yogurt, lemon juice, water, cumin, paprika and salt. You might be tempted to swap the water with olive oil but don’t do it — it makes a horrible curdled mess you will be sad to have to toss.

Assemble: Mix peas with about 3 tablespoons of the dressing, to start, then add more to taste. Sprinkle with scallions. Heap pea mixture on toasted pita wedges.

RESULTS:
You know, I didn't bother with the pita wedges, I just ate the peas. Possibly due to this, I ended up with about three times the dressing that I needed, which is ok because it turns out it makes a great salad dressing, especially as I've been in the mood for something creamy but didn't want to ruin a healthy salad by putting ranch on it.