Tomato Goat Cheese Tart

Even though the calendar says it's spring, winter is still hanging on in Boston. Snow is in the forecast for tomorrow! But I firmly believe that spring is around the corner, and in the meantime I'll keep fighting the good fight to ward off the winter blues. If there's anything that's the polar opposite of winter, isn't it a bright, beautiful tomato? Sure, they're not in season, and they're not at their peak flavor like summer tomatoes, but roasting them on top of a flaky, buttery puff pastry tart helps them shine, even in the cold winter months. So if you're like me and can't wait for a little dose of summer, pop this tart in the oven. It's quick to make and delicious for a light dinner. If you are blessed with better self-control, maybe you can wait until tomatoes start to appear in your garden this summer! Either way, enjoy!

(recipe inspiration from The Endless Meal's Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart with Rosemary and Mascarpone)

Serves 2-4

(depending on what you serve with it)

Ingredients

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

1 large red tomato, sliced, juice/seeds gently removed

3-4 small yellow tomatoes, sliced, juice/seeds gently removed

4 oz package of goat cheese

3 sprigs rosemary, stemmed and leaves minced

zest of one lemon

salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

In a bowl, crumble goat cheese and mix well with lemon zest and rosemary.

Fold out the puff pastry sheet, and roll it out with a rolling pin, stretching it a little in each direction. Place the pastry sheet on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet (or use a Silpat mat).

Spread the goat cheese mixture evenly across the puff pastry, leaving about 1/2 inch exposed around the edge to form the crust. Top with sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle generously with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Bake for 25-27 minutes, until the crust is nicely browned, and the tomatoes are roasted. 

Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Variation: For a party, it would be really fun to make individual tomato tarts. To do so, cut the puff pastry sheet into 9 squares. Spread each one with some of the goat cheese mixture and top with one large tomato slice (or a few smaller slices).  Bake until the crust is puffed and golden.

My Husband's Snowy Day Nachos

My husband taught me a recipe this weekend that I have to share with you! It's definitely one of those "why didn't I think of that?" recipes. Somehow growing up in Texas, arguably "the land of nachos", I had never heard of spreading your tortilla chips with beans prior to sprinkling them with cheese. It's a tad tedious, but it's a fun team project that's definitely worth it! They're a great snack perfect for football season or, in our case, a snowy day. Serve them up on a cute platter for company, or for a lazy afternoon, just bring the entire baking sheet right into the living room, and eat them directly off the foil while watching the snow fall outside. There's no judgement here.

Ingredients

Tortilla Chips

Bean Dip

Grated Cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, longhorn, a Mexican blend, etc)

Pickled jalapeno slices (optional)

Directions

Preheat your broiler to High.

Spread each tortilla chip with a thin layer of bean dip, and lay on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Sprinkle generously with grated cheese.

If you want to get really fancy, top each chip with a pickled jalapeno slice (or just loosely scatter them over the chips).

Slide your baking sheet under the broiler for just a couple of minutes until your cheese is nicely melted and a little browned. Keep a close eye on them so they don't burn!

Serve immediately.

Red Salsa

Saturday we met up with some fellow Texas grads to watch the Longhorn game. While the results of the game were disappointing, we at least ate well! Our hostess made two delicious versions of enchiladas with charro beans and spanish rice. She also whipped up some guacamole and queso (a Texas football staple).  I brought over a batch of Roasted Tomatillo Salsa and this Red Salsa, and for dessert, my husband made a classic Texas Sheet Cake from the Homesick Texan cookbook. Even though we're many miles from Texas, we felt right at home. So without further ado, here's how I make my red salsa, based on another Homesick Texan recipe. Just beware. It's addictive!

Ingredients

1 28 oz can whole tomatoes

1/2 yellow onion, cut into two wedges

2 cloves garlic

2 serrano peppers

3/4 cup cilantro (or more -- we like lots of cilantro)

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

pinch of sugar

2 Tb lime juice

Directions

Set the broiler to High. Line a baking sheet with foil, and spray with cooking spray or drizzle with oil.

Place the onion wedges, unpeeled garlic cloves, and serrano peppers onto the baking sheet and under the broiler.

 Let broil for about 5 minutes, until things are beginning to char. Turn the onions, garlic, and peppers such that the blackened sides are facing downward, and broil for another 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven and place the peppers in a plastic sandwich bag to steam (this helps with peeling off the skin). Once cool, peel the garlic cloves and roughly chop. Clean away the blackened skin from the peppers, chop off and discard the stem, and remove the seeds (or leave the seeds in for a spicier salsa); then roughly chop the peppers.

Add tomatoes (with the juice), onion, garlic, serranos, cilantro, spices, and lime juice into the bowl of a large food processor. Pulse a few times and then puree until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings to taste.

Note that salsa is best when made at least a day in advance. Store it in the refrigerator, and it should last about a week.

Dueling Cheese Straws

One of my "go to" party snacks are homemade cheese straws, mainly because the wow factor to difficulty ratio is pretty high. That, and because they taste really good. So when I was planning Ashleigh's baby shower, I knew they would be on the menu.

However, as I was browsing for ideas, I came across a completely different twist (no pun intended) on cheese straws, courtesy of Joy the Baker. Mine, in all their flaky, cheesy, buttery glory, are a bit rustic, while hers are twirly, light, and elegant.  I was torn. Which should I make for the shower? Being the indecisive person that I am, I had my cake (or cheese straws?) and ate it too. I made them both, because really, this is a duel where both sides win.

Cheese Straws #1

(Based on a recipe from my friend Agnes)

Ingredients

2 sticks of butter, softened and cut into a few pieces

2 c flour

2 c pepper jack cheese, grated

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

pinch of salt

2 tsp light cream (or water if you don't feel like buying a 

whole container of cream just to use a measly 2 teaspoons)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350.

Dump grated cheese and softened butter into the bowl of a large food processor. Pulse until combined.

Add flour, cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, and light cream to the mix, and pulse until the dough begins to clump. 

(You can do the previous two steps by hand if you have a wooden spoon, a bowl, 

and some elbow grease)

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, form it into a disk, and roll it out until it's about 1/4 inch thick. Using a floured knife or pizza cutter, slice into 3 by 1 inch rectangles, and place onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet (or use a Silpat mat).

Prick each cracker a couple times with a fork, and bake for 15 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and let them cool on cooling racks.

Feel free to make these a day or two in advance if needed. They should keep for a few days.

Cheese Straws #2

(Based on Joy the Baker's Cheese Straws)

Ingredients

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/4 tsp hot sauce (I used regular Tabasco)

a dash of water

1/3 cup asiago cheese, finely grated

1/3 cup pecorino romano cheese, finely grated

1 Tb chives, minced

2 Tb thyme, minced

salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375.

Remove the puff pastry sheet from its packaging onto a lightly floured surface, and roll it out a bit in all directions. 

Add the hot sauce and just a dash of water to the beaten egg and brush it over the surface of the pastry. Then sprinkle the pastry with your cheeses, herbs, and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper (I used sea salt and a mix of freshly ground black and white peppercorns)

Using a rolling pin, gently press the cheese and herbs into the dough by rolling over the surface of the pastry a few times.

With a floured knife, cut the pastry sheet into long thin strips, about 1/2 inch wide. 

Begin twisting each strip, starting from the middle and working your way to the top and then to the bottom, such that all of the cheesy herby goodness is wrapped up in the middle. (don't worry, you'll loose a little bit of the stuffing, but you'll still have plenty on the inside where it counts)

Lay each twist on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet (or use a Silpat mat), leaving some room between each one. Bake for about 14 minutes, until golden.

For the best results, serve on the same day you make them. 

Black Bean Poblano Dip

This dip wouldn't win any beauty pageants. It's hard to doll up something that's kind of a drab gray color. But what it lacks in aesthetic appeal, it makes up for in deliciousness. I whipped up a batch in about 30 minutes for a friend's surprise birthday party this weekend, and it was a hit. It's cool and creamy with just enough spice from the roasted chiles.

Ingredients

(inspiration recipe: Poblano Black-Eyed Pea Dip)

2 medium poblano chiles

2 garlic cloves, unpeeled

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup diced yellow onion

1/4 lime, juiced

1/4 tsp cumin

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Turn on the broiler. 

Rub the poblanos with some olive oil and place on a baking sheet.  Put the unpeeled garlic cloves on a square of aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap them in the foil. Place the garlic on the baking sheet beside the poblanos, and put under the broiler for about 7 minutes.

Flip, and broil for another 7 minutes, or until the poblanos are charred.

Remove baking sheet, and place the chiles in a plastic baggie to let them sweat. This will ease the peeling process. Remove the garlic cloves from the foil, peel them, and roughly chop.

After about 5 minutes, remove the chiles from the baggie, remove the stem and seeds, peel away all of the skin, and roughly chop.

In a food processor, pulse chiles until finely chopped

Add black beans, onion, lime juice, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper. Puree. 

Add sour cream. Puree until just incorporated. 

Add 2 tablespoon cilantro (or maybe a little more if you love cilantro as much as I do). Puree until just incorporated. 

Taste the dip, and adjust seasoning as you see fit. Serve with remaining 1 tablespoon of cilantro sprinkled on top.

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

My go-to recipe for football games, cookouts, TexMex dinner parties, random Thursdays, etc. is my Roasted Tomatillo Salsa. When I moved away from Texas and had serious salsa cravings, I learned just how easy it is to make at home as long as you have the following key items:

1. A food processor (or an immersion blender)
2. A grocery store that carries tomatillos (this isn't a given in New England -- when they do have them, I always baffle the poor checkout person who inevitably asks "what ARE these??")

Homemade salsa is roughly one million times better than jarred salsa, and it always "wows" guests.  So without further ado, here's my salsa recipe! (based loosely off of Homesick Texan's Tomatillo Salsa)

 

Ingredients

1 lb tomatillos, husked (if they're fairly large, I also cut them in half)

2 cloves of garlic, unpeeled

2 serrano chiles

1/4 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

1/2 lime, juiced

1/4 tsp ground cumin (optional)

salt to taste

Directions

Turn on broiler to High 

Place garlic cloves in a piece of foil, drizzle in a little olive oil, and wrap foil around the garlic

Place tomatillos, serranos, and foil-wrapped garlic cloves on a foil-lined baking sheet (this makes cleanup WAY easier)

Place under the broiler for 8-10 minutes, until tomatillos and peppers are blackened.

Flip tomatillos and peppers and broil for 8-10 minutes, to blacken the other side

Meanwhile, take chopped onion, cilantro, lime juice, and cumin  and toss them into the bowl of a large food processor

When tomatillos, garlic, and peppers are done, remove the peppers from the baking sheet and place in a ziplock bag (the steam in the bag will loosen the charred skin to facilitate peeling)

Scrape tomatillos and any juices on the baking sheet into the food processor along with the unwrapped, peeled garlic cloves

After a few minutes, remove the peppers from the plastic baggie, chop off the stems, peel off the skin, and remove seeds (if desired -- I usually leave them in for a spicier salsa). Add them to the food processor as well

Turn on food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and add salt to taste

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Note: I think the salsa is better on day #2, so I usually make it a day before I intend to serve it to anyone. If you notice that your salsa thickens up too much overnight, just add a bit of water to loosen it up before serving