April « 2010 « Gourmet and Comfort Food Blog by Two Hot Potatoes

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Scardello Artisan Cheese

Friday April 30th 2010

Yesterday the Two Hot Potatoes decided to lunch at Scardello, an artisan cheese shop at Oak Lawn & Lemmon (located in the same strip center as Lucky’s). You might be wondering why we would eat lunch at a cheese shop, but after you see our sandwiches I think you’ll understand. And, honestly I could eat cheese alone for a meal and be perfectly content.

I’m actually a fairly regular visitor to Scardello. It’s right in my neighborhood, and they always have new, interesting cheeses plus fun accouterments (including wine). This was my first lunch there, but I think we’ll definitely be back for more cheese & sandwiches soon.

With the help of Hillary (the cheese master on hand), Angela and I made some tough decisions about what to eat.

Angela went with Stewart’s Cheddar Press (Royal Cheddar & Pickled Green Tomatoes), and I decided I couldn’t go wrong with the The Sweet Italian (Prosciutto, Buratta & Fig Confit). I’m a sucker for any sweet & salty combination, and The Sweet Italian was no exception.

And we obviously started out with a cheese plate, which included three hefty cheeses accompanied by honey, dried fruits and almonds.

It’s not very often I eat a lunch that’s 90% cheese, but I would easily do it again. It’s a nice break from the hustle & bustle of other lunch spots, plus you can pick up some cheese to take home while you’re there.

So along with selling cheese, wine, local chocolates, cured meats, italian pastas and a variety of antipasti they also have cheese classes. There’s definitely a reason I refer to Scardello as Cheese Heaven.

Right now Scardello is in the midst of Tour de Fromage 2010 – a bracketed competition between major cheese producing areas around the world. Each class features a blind tasting of cheese from the two competing areas. The classes are only $25 and include wine pairings to accompany the cheese. They’re pretty fun, and you leave with some decent cheese knowledge.

Scardello Artisan Cheese is located at 3511 Oak Lawn Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75219.

Bigeye Tuna

Thursday April 29th 2010

Central Market is having a sale on Bigeye Tuna that’s fresh via DFW Airport from Hawaii. It’s still not cheap at $15.99 a pound, but it’s worth it. Bigeye is the next best thing to Blue Fin, so it can simply be seasoned with salt & pepper, and then seared for an easy meal.

Bigeye tuna is one of two species known in Hawaii simply as ahi. Similar in general appearance to yellowfin tuna (the other species known as ahi), the bigeye tuna is recognized by its plump body, its larger head and its large eyes. Sexy.

I discovered the following recipe in my epicurious app on my iphone. If you don’t have this app, download it now. It’s saved me hours of wandering through the grocery store aimlessly trying to decide what to cook for dinner.

I really, really liked this recipe. It was simple, easily made with ingredients from around the house, and it didn’t overpower the taste of the Bigeye.

Maple-Glazed Tuna (Marcus Samuelsson’s recipe in New American Table)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup olive oil
Four 6-ounce tuna fillets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together the mustard, maple syrup, lime juice, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Set aside.

Season the tuna on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add the tuna and cook for 30 seconds on each side. I actually used a grill pan vs. cast iron skillet.

Remove from the pan and brush both sides of the tuna with the maple-mustard glaze. I actually ended up dipping the tuna in the sauce as well – it’s that good.

Food Network launches a Tasty new Channel

Thursday April 29th 2010

Scripps Network- who brings us such wonderful bounty as The Food Network, HGTV, DIY, and Fine Living plans to launch a new gem this May ~ The Cooking Channel!

Now don’t worry, The Food Network isn’t going anywhere we’re just going to have a new channel to go to now for all sorts of instructional shows and cooking inspiration. The new Cooking Channel will be a 24-hour network that caters to avid food lovers by focusing on food information and instructional cooking programming. Offered in both standard and high definition so we can really see what’s sizzling in our favorite celebrity chef’s pans.

I’m so excited about this. As much as I love shows like Ace of Cakes, and The Next Food Network Star – I get kind of sick of reality food TV shows after a while. I want a consistent source of cooking technique and inspiration. Apparently the rest of America dose too.

So I wonder, what’s your favorite Food network TV show? And what do you hope to get out of this new network? I couldn’t live without Giada De Laurentiis tasty recipes, and I love to live vicariously through the Barefoot Contessa, she has my dream job – life in the Hamptons with your own huge garden and an endless excuse to cook for your friends and family.

Lemon & Thyme Chicken

Tuesday April 27th 2010

So it’s been awhile since I’ve actually made a home-cooked meal. Last week was ridiculously busy, and then last weekend I was in Nashville running the Country Music Half Marathon. Feel free to congratulate me on winning 8,143rd place.

And since I obviously wasn’t focused on making any personal records in the half marathon, I decided to be a winner at eating. Friday night I carbo-loaded at Mama Mia’s, Saturday we enjoyed a post-marathon brunch at Marche, followed by giant pretzels & beer cheese that afternoon at The Village Pub & Beer Garden, followed by a dinner at Miro District.

And for my last meal in Nashville…the Copper Kettle. I couldn’t think of a better way to end my Nashville trip than eating 4,000 plus calories at an all-you-can-eat brunch buffet. Pretty sure my final plate was just one big mound of cheesy potatoes next to a giant mound of banana pudding. Heaven on a plate.

So I’m back in Dallas, and last night I needed a simple & quick weeknight meal to make before heading off to the Dave Sedaris reading at SMU. Chicken is always a good go-to, but I get bored of the typical chicken breast/rice/vegetable meal so last night I opted for drumsticks – just to mix it up a bit. I know, I’m crazy.

This recipe is beyond easy – it honestly takes less than five minutes to prepare. So with very little effort, you have crispy, lemony chicken and potatoes. I just added a spinach salad to complete the meal.

And in the effort of full disclosure, I actually ended my meal with cookies and ice cream at Pokey O’s. It’s one of my many weaknesses.

Lemon & Thyme Chicken & Potatoes

8 drumsticks (You can easily substitute legs/thighs/your favorite chicken part)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 (3- to 4-inch) sprigs fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, smashed
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 TBS of lemon juice (I just used the juice of two small lemons)
4 (1/4-inch-thick) lemon slices
6 Yukon potatoes, cubed

Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Toss chicken & potatoes with oil, lemon juice, thyme sprigs, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl, then transfer to a large (17- by 12-inch) shallow heavy baking pan (1 inch deep).

Bake chicken 15 minutes, then add lemon slices to pan. Continue to bake until chicken is golden and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes more. Serve chicken with lemon slices.

Fiddleheads- An Exotic Harvest

Thursday April 22nd 2010

Ever heard of Fiddleheads before? No? Don’t worry, you’re definitely not alone. These little green pinwheels aren’t exactly available at your local Kroger.

I was lucky enough to find some last weekend when I was at the One Arts Plaza Spring Block Party. I bumped into Tom Spicer there, who had a fantastic display of his garden harvest including Fiddleheads. I have never cooked with fiddleheads before, but I’ve heard they are a fantastically unique vegetable. They look like something Alice in Wonderland and The Mad Hatter would serve at their dinner party, rather than something you would serve to your family. So just like me and my taste for the unknown – I had to try them.

Fiddleheads are the unfurled fronds of a young fern. They are only harvested once a year in the early springtime, so there is a very short window of opportunity to enjoy this exotic vegetable. If you ever see them at your local market I encourage you to grab a handful and experiment. Their flavor and texture is very close to that of asparagus, but these tightly wound greens are much prettier on your plate. After all, “you eat with your eyes first.”

Being my first time to experiment with fiddleheads, I played it rather safe. I had heard you can prepare them the same way you would any other firm green vegetable like broccoli or asparagus so I simply steamed them and tossed them in butter to let their earthy green flavor come though.

Fiddleheads & Dover Sole

1 handful Fiddleheads

pinch of salt

1-2 tbs butter

Fresh cracked pepper to taste

2 Dover Sole fillets

Mixed greens

I lightly steamed my bunch of fiddleheads in a steamer basket with just a pinch of salt for about 6 minutes, then immediately put them in an ice bath to shock them and preserve the color. Then drain the fiddleheads and pat them dry on a towel.

Melt 1 tbs of butter in a saute pan over medium heat and sprinkle your Dover Sole fillets with salt and pepper. Cook the Sole in the butter for about 3-4 minutes, turning only once. Dover Sole is such a thin, delicate fish so it cooks rather quickly. Plate the Sole on a bed of mixed greens.

Melt more butter in your skillet, if necessary, and add your steamed fiddleheads. Toss quickly in the melted butter just to warm them back up and add a little flavor. Then plate the fiddleheads aside your Dover Sole.

The delicate flavor of the Dover Sole laid on a bed of fresh greens paired perfectly with the tender-crisp fiddleheads. If you happen to find fiddleheads anywhere else in the DFW area please let us know where we can find more.

There’s no place like Nonna.

Wednesday April 21st 2010

Dallas has a lot of strengths, but in my opinion, Italian food is not one of them. Nonna is my only exception to this rule. Funny enough, Nonna Tata in Fort Worth is my other exception. Must be a Nonna thing.

The menu changes seasonally, the pastas are handmade, the bread is airy and buttery, and the chef/owner is dreamy (check him out here). What more could you want in an Italian restaurant?

Maine Lobster Ravioli

The menu isn’t extensive, but it’s still difficult to choose just one antipasti, pasta, entree and dessert. I usually stick with a pizza to share, pasta that I refuse to share, entree that I consider sharing and a dessert to share. It sounds like a lot of food, but the portions are pretty small (with the exception of the pizza).

White Clam Pizza with Fresh Herbs

I’m sharing a recipe from Nonna that was featured in Bon Apetit a few years ago. I haven’t actually made this recipe, but I can’t imagine it wouldn’t be delicious when it’s made with scallops, lemon, wine and butter.

Taglierini with Bay Scallops and Meyer Lemon (Nonna recipe featured in Bon Apetit, September 2008)

7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (from crustless French bread ground in processor)
3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
12 ounces taglierini or linguine
12 ounces bay scallops, patted dry
3/4 cup minced shallots (about 3 large)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice or regular lemon juice
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh chervil or Italian parsley

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and stir until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in red pepper. Transfer to bowl; reserve skillet.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in reserved skillet over high heat. Add scallops; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until browned, about 1 minute. Transfer scallops to pot with pasta. Add shallots to skillet; sauté 3 minutes. Add wine and lemon juice; boil, scraping up browned bits. Add lemon sauce, 3 tablespoons oil, and butter to pasta. Toss over medium heat until sauce coats pasta, adding reserved cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to moisten if needed. Mix in half of breadcrumb mixture.

Transfer pasta to bowl. Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture, then chervil.

Broccoli Flower & Leek Soup

Monday April 19th 2010

I started gardening about 6 weeks ago and my broccoli is the first vegetable I’ve been able to harvest. Now, what I should have done is cut it immediately once I saw the large crown sprout up about a week and a half ago… But I was in and out of town, and just too busy to think about chopping them up and cooking them. Well, it only took about a week for the florets to completely change form. I was unaware that all of the tiny little pods that make up a crown of broccoli are tiny yellow flowers just waiting to bloom! You can see below where I was at week 5 of the vegetable garden with my two broccoli plants, the plant on the right is just beginning to show a few yellow flowers – and then one week later they both exploded with pretty yellow flowers everywhere! These are still perfectly edible, though the skinny stems become a bit tough after they flower. So I decided to puree the fibrous stems and sweet flowers to make a lighter version of a broccoli cheese soup by adding leeks and chicken stock.

Broccoli Flower & Leek Soup

1 large crown of broccoli (or two small heads of broccoli flowers like I used)

1 leek

2 1/2- 3 cups chicken stock

2 oz Gouda Cheese

2 oz Colby Cheese

1 tbs butter

Salt & Pepper to taste

Prep your broccoli by rinsing lightly, then trim off all the large flat leaves and discard. Then chop up the tender florets and stem and set aside in a steamer basket. Next, discard the roots and tough green tips from your leek. Then slice the leek lengthwise and separate the layers as you place them in to a large bowl of water to rinse. Leeks tend to collect quite a bit of dirt and grit in between the outer layers- you want to make sure and rinse all of that out before you cook them.

Sprinkle a pinch of salt over your broccoli and steam until tender. While that is steaming, you can saute the leeks in another skillet with a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Saute these until translucent and cooked through.

In a food processor or a blender-combine your steamed broccoli and cooked leeks. Pulse a few times until the big pieces are broken down well, then stream in the chicken stock until your desired consistency is achieved. Once all is well blended- take your pureed broccoli and leek soup and pour it into a pot set to medium heat. Stir in 1 tbs of butter and any reserved chicken stock if it is still too thick.

Then add the grated cheese and stir until well melted and combined. I used two cheeses that I purchased from Brazos Valley Cheese, artisan cheese makers in Waco TX. The nutty Gouda and creamy Colby cheese was just perfect to offset the light broccoli and leek soup.

Stuffed Artichokes

Friday April 16th 2010

Artichokes are at their seasonal peak right now. The tender earthy flavor at the center of their spiny heart is well worth the effort to enjoy.

I know these spiky armadillo-like vegetables can look a little intimidating to pick up at the grocer, but did you know that an artichoke is just an unopened flower bud? In the 16th century there were actually laws banning women from eating artichokes because they were considered an aphrodisiac and thought to increase your sexual power… Well ladies ~you’re welcome for this recipe.

Stuffed Artichokes (serves 2)

1 Large Artichoke

Half one medium onion chopped

1/3 cup Mushrooms chopped

2-3 oz Pancetta diced thick

2 small cloves Garlic

1 cup grated Parmesan

2 cups White Wine (I prefer Chardonnay)

1 cup water

Begin by rendering your pancetta in a saute pan until just crispy on the edges. Remove the pancetta and set aside in a bowl for later. (I had to search high and low to find pancetta like this that you can actually dice thick. You can usually find this at your grocery store deli in the packaged section, but it is always sliced paper thin. I finally found this thick cut of pancetta at Jimmy’s Food Store. The nice folks there will cut it to order.)

Meanwhile dice up your onion, mushrooms and garlic. Then saute in the same pan the pancetta came out of on a medium low heat. While that is cooking you can prep your artichokes.

With a very sharp knife split them down the middle revealing the hairy flower in the middle. This flower is not at all appetizing! With a paring knife and spoon scoop out the hairy center and discard. You will also want to trim off the needle-like tip of each leaf on the outside. This is just for ease of eating. You don’t want any spikes to stab you while your trying to enjoy dinner.

Once the onions mushrooms and garlic have cooked down and the flavors have merry-ed together, take the skillet off the heat and stir in the cooked pancetta and parmesan. Spoon this stuffing in to the center of your hollowed out artichokes. Really pack it in there, you can even stuff a little in between the leaves of each half. Place the two halves (stuffing side up) in a simmering bath of Chardonnay. Close the lid and let simmer for about 15- 20 minutes until the artichokes become tender. You can test done-ness by poking the center of the heart with a fork.

Once steamed it’s time to serve and enjoy. The bottom meaty part of the outside leaves is edible, but not the tough green tips. Just pluck them off from the outside and work your way in to the tender center. Scoop a bit of the stuffing on your leaf for each bite. The closer you get to the center, the more tender each leaf becomes.

Finally. Grilling Season. Part Two.

Thursday April 15th 2010

I always like to have at least one healthy side dish when I head down to the grill. I find that green salads tend to wilt outside and become unappetizing almost immediately upon hitting the summer air. This green bean & tomato medley salad stays crisp & delicious throughout the course of your outdoor meal. It’s an easy accompaniment to any al fresco dinner.

Green Bean & Tomato Medley Salad

1 pound french green beans, cut in half
1 pound tomato medley (you can use all cherry tomatoes, but I think it’s prettier with yellow, orange & red tomatoes)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Fresh basil

Cut the green beans in half (or more if they are extra large) Parboil the beans in salted water until just tender, about four to five minutes. Drain and immediately, and blanch them in ice cold water (this keeps them green). Cut the larger tomatoes in quarters or cherry tomatoes in half. They should be bite-size.

Mix the green beans & cherry tomatoes together in a large bowl then add salt, pepper, red wine vinegar and olive oil. Top with basil.

Do ahead: Beans and tomatoes can be prepared ahead of time. Simply toss with the vinegar & oil only at the last minute, as it can discolor the green beans after several hours.

Finally. Grilling Season.

Thursday April 15th 2010

Dallas has been sporting some really nice weather lately, and I’ve been craving an evening outside at the grill. There isn’t a better way to kick off the grilling season than with a juicy burger, charred corn on the cob and a fresh green bean & tomato salad. And don’t forget the Rose Champagne – it’s an evening meant for celebration!

I’ve tried many burger recipes over the years, and last summer I discovered the mecca of burger recipes in the June edition of Food & Wine. It’s also the simplest recipe, basically just meat and butter. Not the healthiest, but the simplest. But honestly, I’m not looking for a healthy burger. It’s an indulgence worth it’s calories.

BLAT Burgers (adapted from Food & Wine)
serves 4

8 slices thickly sliced bacon
1 pound ground beef chuck
1 pound ground beef sirloin
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
6 hamburger buns, split and toasted (I use whole wheat from Central Market)
6 iceberg lettuce leaves
6 slices of tomato
2 avocados, cut into slivers

Cook bacon for 15 minutes (or until crisp) in a 400 degree oven. Pat bacon slices dry with paper towels and set aside.

Light a grill and fill a large bowl with ice water. Gently mix the ground chuck with the ground sirloin, salt and pepper. Form the meat into four, 4-inch patties, about 1 1/4 inches thick. Submerge the patties in the cold water and let soak for 30 seconds. Immediately transfer the burgers to the grill and brush with some of the melted butter. Grill over high heat for 9 minutes for medium-rare meat, turning once or twice and brushing occasionally with butter. Top the burgers with the cheese during the last minute of grilling and let melt.

Build your burger with the optional accouterments (Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, Avocado – hence the BLAT), and then add mustard, ketchup, mayo or ranch – whatever your heart or stomach desires.

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