Simple Eggplant Parmesan

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  • 2 pounds eggplant, cut into generous 1/2-inch slices
  • Kosher salt
  • Olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Handful fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
  • 8 ounces grated or thinly-sliced mozzarella

Prepare the eggplant: Arrange eggplant slices on a large (half-sheet) baking pan in one layer. Sprinkle with about 2 teaspoons kosher salt and set aside for 30 minutes.

Heat oven: To 425°F (220°C) degrees.

Roast eggplant: Transfer eggplant slices to paper towels and blot them of as much excess water as possible. Dry the baking sheet, too, and coat it with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle the oil with several grinds of black pepper. Arrange eggplant slices in one layer. Drizzle with 2 more tablespoons of oil and more grinds of black pepper. Roast until nicely browned underneath, 20 to 25 minutes. Use a thin spatula to turn eggplant slices over and roast until browned underneath on the second side, another 10 minutes. It’s okay if they’re not cooked through yet. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F (175°C).

Meanwhile, make sauce: While eggplant roasts, open your can of tomatoes and use kitchen shears or very well-washed scissors to chop the tomatoes into small bits. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium/large saucepan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add onion and cook until it softens, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook another minute. Add tomatoes (beware the splatter!), oregano, and season with 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste. Let mixture simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you’d like the sauce smoother than it is now, you can mash the tomatoes further with a potato masher as it cooks, or use an immersion blender for a completely smooth sauce. Stir in basil then taste the sauce; adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble: In a 1.5- to 2-quart baking dish (holding 6 to 8 cups; I’m using this), spoon about 1/2 cup of the sauce. Arrange about half of the eggplant slices, slightly overlapped, in one layer. Spoon another 1/2 cup sauce over and spread it evenly. Arrange remaining eggplant slices, then ladle more sauce over it so it’s as saucy as you like. [Keep unused sauce in fridge for another day; it will keep for 4 to 5 days.] Sprinkle top with mozzarella and parmesan.

Bake: For 30 minutes, until cheese has melted and sauce is bubbling all over. For more color on top, you can run it briefly under your oven’s broiler.

To serve: Once baked, let the eggplant parmesan rest at room temperature, if you can bear it, for 15 minutes before digging in — this helps the ingredients settle and come together more. .

Do ahead: Eggplant parmesan keeps fantastically in the fridge for up to 5 days. Rewarm in a 350-degree oven, covered for the first half of the time, for about 25 to 30 minutes. You can also freeze it, well wrapped, for a few months.

Italian Zucchini Crescent Pie

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  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • red pepper flakes, to taste 
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1/4 tsp oregano leaves, chopped
  • 2 eggs, well beaten
  • 8 oz (2 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 8 oz can crescent dinner rolls (refrigerated)
  • 2 tsp dijon mustard
  • In a skillet, cook zucchini and onion in butter until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in parsley and seasonings. Remove from heat.
  • In a large bowl, blend eggs and cheese. Add zucchini mixture to the eggs and cheese and stir.
  • Separate crescent dough into 8 triangles, roll them thinner and place in an ungreased quiche pan or 12×8″ baking dish. Press over the bottoms and up the sides.
  • Spread crust with mustard. Pour zucchini mixture evenly into the crust. 
  • Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6-8 servings!

strawberry eaton mess nytimes

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  • 5 ounces vanilla meringue cookies
  • 1½ pounds fresh strawberries
  • 2 teaspoons lime zest plus 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 cups cold heavy cream

  • Step 1 Transfer the meringue cookies to a large, resealable plastic bag. Use a rolling pin to lightly crush the cookies. (You should have pieces of varying sizes.)
  • Step 2 Trim the berries, discarding the greens. Halve or quarter 1 pound of the strawberries; add to a medium bowl. Blend or mash the remaining ½ pound strawberries until you have a chunky purée. Add the strawberry purée, lime zest, lime juice and 2 to 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar to the chopped strawberries and toss to coat. (The better the strawberries, the less sugar you’ll need.)
  • Step 3 In a large bowl, beat the cream with 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high until whipped cream holds stiff peaks. Fold the crumbled meringue into the whipped cream.
  • Step 4 Starting and ending with the strawberry mixture, layer it with the cream mixture in individual serving dishes (preferably clear cups, bowls or jars), creating as many layers as you like. Serve immediately.

Raspberry muffins from smitten kitchen

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  • 5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon plus one pinch kosher salt
  • Slightly heaped 1/2 cup (105 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 2/3 cups (220 grams) all-purpose flour, divided
  • Half a medium lemon
  • 1 large egg
  • 2/3 cup (150 grams) plain unsweetened yogurt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 8 ounces (225 grams) fresh or (ideally) frozen raspberries (1 2/3 to 1 3/4 cups; see Note)
  • Heat oven to 375°F (190°C).
  • Prepare pan: Very lightly coat the top surface of your muffin tin with nonstick spray or swipe it with butter. This ensures muffin spillover releases easily. Line 6 cups with muffin liners. If you’re using a 12-cup pan, space them out and pour about 1 tablespoon of water in each empty cup, which will keep the empty pockets from burning.
  • Make streusel: In a large bowl, mix the butter, sugar, pinch of salt, and 1 cup (130 grams) of the flour until it forms a clumpy mixture. Scoop out 1/4 cup (about 45 grams) and set it aside in a small bowl; this will be your streusel topping.
  • Make muffin batter: Finely grate the zest of your lemon half into the large bowl with the remaining streusel in it, then juice the lemon half over it too. Add yogurt and egg and whisk to combine as smoothly as you can, but it’s okay if the batter doesn’t fully even out. Sprinkle the surface of the batter with baking powder, baking soda, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and whisk to thoroughly combine, going several times more around the bowl than seems necessary. Add remaining 2/3 cup (90 grams) of flour and all of the berries and stir gently; just until the flour disappears.
  • Divide batter between six prepared muffin cups; go ahead and heap it as much as is needed. Divide reserved streusel between muffin tops and use your fingers to push any that lands on the muffin tin back to a nearby muffin.
  • Bake muffins: For 25 to 30 minutes, and until a toothpick inserted from the top to the center of the muffin comes out batter-free. Let cool completely in the pan.
  • Do ahead: These muffins keep phenomenally. I keep them either in their baking pan or on a plate uncovered (so they don’t get mushy on top) and they’ve been excellent even on day 3 and not bad at all on day 4.
  • Notes:Raspberries by cup: Just a heads up that while technically every ingredient is more accurate when measured by weight, raspberries are particularly so. They’re hollow. When frozen, they take up more space in a cup per ounce. When defrosted or very ripe and fresh, they collapse and take up less space per ounce in a cup. For frozen raspberries, use the higher cup suggestion (1 3/4 cups); for very ripe fresh, use the lower amount (1 1/2 cups).Double this: Yes, you can absolutely double this recipe to make 12 muffins; no changes needed. When you double the sugar, simply measure 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon.

Fraughan fool from BBC

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150g (a little over 5oz) fraughans or blueberries, plus more for garnish
1 tsp white sugar
juice of half a lemon, plus zest for garnishing
2 large thyme sprigs, plus leaves for garnishing
250ml (8½oz) double cream

This recipe is based on the simple treat of fraughans, cream and sugar for an easy-to-make dessert. It’s perfect with blueberries as well.

150g (a little over 5oz) fraughans or blueberries, plus more for garnish
1 tsp white sugar
juice of half a lemon, plus zest for garnishing
2 large thyme sprigs, plus leaves for garnishing
250ml (8½oz) double cream

Step 1
Put the fraughans or blueberries in a medium saucepan. Add the sugar, lemon juice and thyme sprigs. Cook over low heat for 5-10 minutes until the berries start to break down and thicken but retain some of their shape. Remove the thyme sprigs and set the compote aside to cool.

Step 2
In a medium bowl, whip the cream until it is thick enough to hold its shape when the compote is stirred in; if it’s too soft it will collapse. Gently fold half of the cooled compote into the whipped cream to ripple through.

Step 3
Spoon the whipped berry cream into individual servings and drizzle over more compote. Garnish with lemon zest, thyme leaves and extra berries.

Lentil Soup from Yeung Man

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2 cups red lentils
2 large russet potatoes
1 carrot
1 onion
3 pieces garlic
1 tomato
7 cups water
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
lemon wedges to serve
few sprigs parsley
zaa’tar to taste
pepper to taste

1. Rinse and drain the red lentils and set aside. Peel the russet potatoes and chop into small cubes.
2. Finely chop the carrot, onion, and garlic. Dice the tomato
3. Use a kettle and bring the 7 cups of water to boil
4. Heat up a stock pot to medium heat. Add the olive oil followed by the onions. Sauté for 3-4min 5. Add the carrots and sauté for 2min. Add the garlic and sauté for 1min
6. Add the cumin, salt, and pepper. Sauté for another minute. Then, add in the red lentils and tomato. Sauté for another minute
7. Add the potatoes and pour in the hot water. Give the pot a good stir
8. Bring the soup to a boil, then cover and cook on medium for 20 min
9. Transfer 3-4 cups of the soup to a blender. Blend on medium low for a few seconds. Then, pour the soup back into the pot and give it a good stir to combine
10. Plate the soup and garnish with fresh lemon juice, chopped parsley, a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of zaa’tar, and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Blueberry Bakewell Muffins, Chetna Makan

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Muffins
 ½ cup/1 stick unsalted butter, softened

 ½ cup granulated sugar

 ¼ packed cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream, at room temperature

2 tablespoons whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour

scant ⅓ cup almond flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking sode

1 pinch table salt

¾ cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon blueberry or raspberry jam

Almond Topping
¼ packed cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons almond flour

1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes

3 tablespoons sliced almonds

Heat the oven to 355°F. Line two 12-cup muffin tin with 14 paper liners (the bottoms of the baked muffins are quite moist, so paper liners are preferable to butter or baking spray).

Make the topping. In a medium bowl mix together the 50 grams (¼ packed cup) brown sugar, 15 grams (2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour, and 12 grams (2 tablespoons) almond flour. Use your fingers to rub in the cold butter until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Add the sliced almonds and toss to combine, then place the crumb topping in the refrigerator while you prepare the muffin batter.

Make the muffin batter
. In a large bowl, with a whisk or an electric hand mixer on low, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and 50 grams (¼ packed cup) brown sugar until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the sour cream, milk, and vanilla and beat until smooth and combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the 200 grams (1 ⅔ cups) all-purpose flour, the 32 grams (scant ⅓ cup) almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the large bowl and beat just until combined and no flour streaks remain. Gently fold in the blueberries with a rubber spatula. 

Divide the batter evenly between the muffin tins. Spoon ½ teaspoon of jam on top of each muffin and use an offset spatula or a butter knife to smooth the batter. Sprinkle the chilled topping over each muffin. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until the muffins are golden, set, and spring back when lightly poked. Let the muffins cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing and letting them cool completely on a wire rack.

The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day Master Recipe!

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3 cups (1 1/2 pounds/680 grams) lukewarm water (you can use cold water, but it will take the dough longer to rise. Just don’t use hot water or you may kill the yeast)

1 tablespoon granulated yeast ( you can use any kind of yeast including products labeled as instant, “quick,” rapid rise, bread machine, active dry, or even fresh cake yeast (which isn’t granulated)*. You can also decrease the amount of yeast in the recipe by following the directions here. Or you can bake with a sour dough starter, see instructions here.)

1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons Morton Kosher Salt (adjust to suit your taste or eliminate it all together.))

6 1/2 cups (2 pounds/910 grams) all-purpose flour (the recipe’s tested with typical supermarket flour. If you use a higher protein flour check here)

Mixing the dough:

In a 5 or 6 quart bowl or lidded dough bucket (the lid is sold separately), dump in the water, and add the yeast and salt.

Because we are mixing in the flour so quickly it doesn’t matter that the salt and yeast are thrown in together.

Dump in the flour all at once and stir with a long handled wooden spoon or a Danish Dough Whisk which is one of the tools that makes the job so much easier!

Stir it until all of the flour is incorporated into the dough, as you can see it will be a wet rough dough.

Put the lid on the container, but do not snap it shut. You want the gases from the yeast to escape. (you can put a little hole in the top of the lid so that you can close the lid and still allow the gases to get out. As you can see it doesn’t take much of a hole to accomplish this.)

Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for about 2 hours to rise. When you first mix the dough it will not occupy much of the container.

But, after the initial 2 hour rise it will pretty much fill it. (If you have decreased the yeast you will have to let it go longer than 2 hours.)  DO NOT PUNCH DOWN THE DOUGH! Just let it settle by itself.

The dough will be flat on the top and some of the bubbles may even appear to be popping. (If you intend to refrigerate the dough after this stage it can be placed in the refrigerator even if the dough is not perfectly flat. The yeast will continue to work even in the refrigerator.) The dough can be used right after the initial 2 hour rise, but it is much easier to handle when it is chilled.  It is intended for refrigeration and use over the next two weeks, ready for you anytime. For the first two days of storage, be sure to leave the lid open a crack, to allow gasses to escape. After that, you can usually snap down the lid on plastic contains without problems, because they’re usually not entirely airtight. BUT, DON’T SEAL GLASS CONTAINERS OR THEY MIGHT SHATTER. The flavor will deepen over that time, developing sourdough characteristics.

The next day when you pull the dough out of the refrigerator you will notice that it has collapsed and this is totally normal for our dough. It will never rise up again in the container.

Dust the surface of the dough with a little flour, just enough to prevent it from sticking to your hands when you reach in to pull a piece out.

You should notice that the dough has a lot of stretch once it has rested. (If your dough breaks off instead of stretching like this your 

Lohikeitto Finnish Salmon Soup-food 52

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  •  3 tbsp butter
  • 1 pc leek, thinly sliced (only white/lighter part) or onion
  • 1 medium carrot, diced
  • 3 medium potatoes, diced
  •  5 cups fish or veggie stock
  •  1 lb salmon fillet cut into cubes
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream, half n half or milk
  • 3/4 to 1 cup dill, roughly chopped
  •  salt and pepper, to season

  • Start preparing your lohikeitto by placing a medium-sized (or large pan) over medium heat.  Add butter.
  • Once the butter has completely melted, add thinly sliced leek. Cook until slightly soft.
  • Add carrot and potatoes. Mix.
  • Add fish stock.  Cover pot with a lid, adjust heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil.
  • Adjust heat back to medium-low and simmer your salmon soup until vegetables are almost cooked.
  • Add salmon fillet and heavy cream. Mix to combine.
  • Turn the heat back to medium.  Cover with a lid and continue cooking lohikeitto for 4 to 5 minutes.
  • Season by adding salt and pepper. Mix.
  • Add dill to finish your lohikeitto. Turn heat off.
  • Cover with a lid and keep covered for 2 minutes.

Serving lohikeitto:

  • Transfer to individual bowls.
  • Garnish lohikeitto with more freshly chopped dills, if desired.
  • Serve.

One day fruit cake-Clare Saffitz

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FOR THE FRUIT MIXTURE:
1¼ cups/170 grams dried cherries
1⅓ cups/170 grams dried apricots, cut into 1-centimeter pieces
1⅓ cups /170 grams prunes, cut into 1-centimeter pieces
¾ cup/113 grams dried cranberries
¾ cup/113 grams dried currants
½ cup/113 grams dark rum or brandy
½ cup/113 grams fresh orange juice
FOR THE BATTER:
8 ounces/226 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
2 cups/270 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
1½ cups/170 grams walnuts or pecans
1½ teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or ¾ teaspoon coarse kosher salt (such as Morton’s)
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of ground cloves
¾ cup/165 grams packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
7 ounces/200 grams almond paste
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
FOR THE ASSEMBLY:
⅓ cup/76 grams dark rum or brandy
⅓ cup/107 grams apricot preserves
1½ cups/165 grams confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch of kosher salt

Step 1
Make the fruit mixture: The day before you bake the cake, combine the dried cherries, apricots, prunes, cranberries, currants, rum and orange juice in a medium bowl and fold thoroughly to combine. Cover the bowl tightly and let sit at room temperature until the fruit is soft and has absorbed all (or nearly all) of the liquid, stirring once or twice, 12 to 24 hours.
Step 2
Arrange an oven rack in the center position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Generously brush the inside of a 12-cup Bundt pan with butter. Dust the inside of the pan with several pinches of flour, then tap the pan on the counter at different angles to coat every buttered surface. Tap out the excess, then set the pan aside.
Step 3
Scatter the walnuts (or pecans) across a sheet tray and transfer to the oven. Toast until the walnuts are golden brown and fragrant, shaking the pan halfway through, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheet, then chop the walnuts. Set aside.
Step 4
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, ginger, baking powder, allspice, baking soda and cloves. Set aside.
Step 5
In a large bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, lemon zest and orange zest. Pinch off small pieces of the almond paste and add to the bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat the mixture on medium-low until combined, then increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat, scraping down the sides once or twice, until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Step 6
With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, increasing the speed just to incorporate each egg before decreasing to low and adding the next, until the mixture is very smooth. Beat in the vanilla, then, on low speed, add the flour mixture and mix just until it disappears. Tip in the fruit mixture, along with any unabsorbed liquid, along with the chopped nuts; use a flexible spatula to fold the batter several times, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl, until the fruit is evenly distributed.
Step 7
Scrape the batter into the prepared Bundt pan, distributing it evenly all the way around and taking care not to form large air pockets. Smooth the surface, then bake the cake until the surface is golden brown, risen and cracked, and a cake tester inserted into a crack comes out clean, 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
Step 8
Use a skewer or toothpick to poke holes all over the surface of the cake. Use a pastry brush to generously soak the cake with about half of the rum. Let the cake absorb the rum for a few minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack. Poke more holes all over the cake and dab the remaining rum across every surface.
Step 9
Warm the apricot preserves in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often with a heatproof flexible spatula, just until the preserves are fluid. Pass the preserves through a fine mesh sieve into a small bowl, pressing on the solids with the spatula to extract as much of the liquid as possible (discard the solids, or scrape back into the jam jar). Use the pastry brush to paint the strained jam over the cake, covering every surface. Let the cake sit uncovered until it’s completely cooled and the jam is set (it should be slightly tacky but not wet to the touch).
Step 10
In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, milk, lemon juice and a pinch of salt, and whisk slowly to combine, then whisk vigorously until you have a thick, smooth icing. Slowly pour the icing onto the tallest part of the cake all the way around, letting it slowly cascade down the side. Let the cake sit until the icing is completely set, about 1 hour.
Tip
The cake will keep, covered at room temperature, for 1 week.