Lemon Tart

From Cooks Illustrated. This is an impressive looking tart, but the best thing about it really is the lemon filling - the lemon zest makes it really zing. The filling is a lemon curd adapted for this tart. A few tips: Once the lemon curd ingredients have been combined, cook the curd immediately; otherwise it will have a grainy finished texture. To prevent the curd from acquiring a metallic taste, make absolutely sure that all utensils coming into contact with it--bowls, whisk, saucepan, and strainer--are made of non- reactive stainless steel or glass.


Ingredients

Tart Shell

1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick, very cold), cut into twenty-four 3/4-inch cubes
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour for dusting

Lemon Curd

7 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2/3 cup lemon juice from 4 to 5 medium lemons
1/4 cup grated lemon zest
pinch table salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 4 pieces
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

Tart Shell

1) Whisk together yolk, cream, and vanilla in small bowl; set aside. Pulse to combine 1 1/4 cups flour, sugar, and salt in bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture; pulse to cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal, about fifteen 1-second pulses. With machine running, add egg mixture and process until dough just comes together, about 25 seconds. Turn dough onto sheet of plastic wrap and press into 6-inch disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
2) Unwrap dough; lightly flour large sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap and place dough in center. Roll out dough and line tart pan. Freeze dough 30 minutes.
3) Meanwhile, adjust one oven rack to upper-middle position and other rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Place chilled tart shell on cookie sheet; press 12-inch square of foil inside tart shell and fill with metal or ceramic pie weights. Bake on lower rack 30 minutes, rotating halfway through baking time. Carefully remove foil and weights by gathering edges of foil and pulling up and out. Transfer cookie sheet with tart shell to upper rack and continue to bake until shell is golden brown, about 5 minutes longer.

Lemon Curd

1) Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Place tart pan with shell on cookie sheet.
2) In medium non-reactive bowl, whisk together yolks and whole eggs until combined, about 5 seconds. Add sugar and whisk until just combined, about 5 seconds. Add lemon juice, zest, and salt; whisk until combined, about 5 seconds. Transfer mixture to medium non-reactive saucepan, add butter pieces, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon, until curd thickens to thin saucelike consistency and registers 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes. Immediately pour curd through single-mesh stainless steel strainer set over clean non-reactive bowl. Stir in heavy cream; pour curd into warm tart shell immediately.
3) Bake until filling is shiny and opaque and until the center 3 inches jiggle slightly when shaken, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 45 minutes. Remove outer metal ring, slide thin metal spatula between bottom crust and tart pan bottom to release, then slip tart onto cardboard round or serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve.

Moist Banana Bread

From Cooks Illustrated. Many, many people have asked me for this recipe - when a common thing like banana bread stands out, you can tell it's a winner.


Ingredients

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/4 cups toasted walnuts , chopped coarse (about 1 cup)
3 very ripe bananas , soft, darkly speckled, mashed well (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 large eggs , beaten lightly
6 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1) Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of regular loaf pan, or grease and flour bottom and sides of nonstick 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan; set aside.
2) Combine first five ingredients together in large bowl; set aside.
3) Mix mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla with wooden spoon in medium bowl.
4) Lightly fold banana mixture into dry ingredients with rubber spatula until just combined and batter looks thick and chunky.
5) Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan; bake until loaf is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Savory Indian Sweet Potatoes

From Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites. "Creamy, sweet, and spicy" is the way Moosewood’s chefs describe the Savory Indian Sweet Potatoes. "When you’re baking sweet potatoes for another meal, put in a few extras so that later you’ll have some prebaked for this dish. Serve on plain rice or golden basmati rice topped with a fresh tomato salsa or with a mango or peach chutney and, if desired, with a dollop of nonfat yogurt."

Ingredients

2 large sweet potatoes
1 c diced onions
1/3 c water or unsweetened
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 T grated fresh ginger
2 t ground cumin
1 small fresh green chili, seeded and minced
3 T Neufchâtel (low-fat cream cheese)
1 1/2 T fresh lemon juice
1 head broccoli, chopped into small pieces (if you are in a hurry, you can substitute frozen vegetables for the broccoli and red pepper)
2/3 c diced red and/or green bell pepper
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1) Bake sweet potatoes at 400F for about 1 hour, or until tender.
2)While potatoes bake, combine onions and water or juice in a medium saucepan. Cover and simmer until onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, cumin, chili, and bell pepper. Cover and simmer until pepper is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Cut Neufchâtel into small pieces and stir it into hot vegetable mixture to melt. Set aside.
3) Cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Hold each potato half with a heavy towel or mitt in one hand and scoop out the flesh with a spoon, leaving 1/4-inch shell. Mix potato flesh with vegetable-cheese mixture. Add lemon juice, peas, salt, and pepper.
4) Set oven temperature at 350F. Coat a vegetable dish with vegetable-oil cooking spray. Stuff potato shells with filling. Place potatoes in prepared dish, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until thoroughly heated.

Carrot Ginger Soup

From the Moosewood Cookbook. This soup is perfect for a chilly autumn day. The carrot and ginger balance really nicely, and sour cream or yogurt adds a nice creamy, tangy finish.




Ingredients

2 pounds peeled or scrubbed, chopped carrots
4 c stock or water
1 1/2 t salt
1 medium potato, chopped (optional, for heartier soup)
3-4 T butter
1 c chopped onion
1-2 small cloves crushed garlic
1/3 c chopped cashews or almonds
1 T fresh grated ginger

Choose one:
1 c milk
1 c yogurt or buttermilk plus a little honey
3/4 c sour cream

Instructions

1) Place carrots, liquid and salt (and potato if you are using it) into a medium sized soup pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer it for 12-15 minutes. Let cool to room temp.
2) Saute the onion, garlic and nuts in the butter until the onions are clear. Towards the end of cooking, stir in the ginger.
3) Puree everything together in a blender (or with an immersion blender) until smooth.
4) Whisk in one of the dairy products.

Garnish with toasted nuts, some toasted bread crumbs or eat just as it is.

Yogurt-Macaroni Bake

Adapted from World Vegetarian Classics.







Ingredients

7oz macaroni
2 medium eggplants (1lb), sliced into thin circles
2 cups yogurt
2 egg yolks
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp dill weed (dried)
1 clove garlic, crushed (nadine says more)
3 large tomatoes, sliced into thin circles
3.5 oz feta cheese
1/3 cup slivered almonds
8x12 casserole dish

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 400F. Brush casserole dish with oil.
2) Cook pasta until al dente and drain.
3) Fry eggplant until gold brown. Alternatively, you can broil the eggplant by lightly tossing them in oil and baking them at 450F for 15-20 minutes until tender.
4) Beat yogurt, egg yolks, fennel, dill, garlic, slat, pepper in a large bowl. Stir in the pasta to coat. Put into baking dish and make an even layer
5) Cover the pasta with rows of eggplant and tomato. Sprinkle the almonds and feta on top. Cook until hot, bubbly and golden on top, 20-25 minutes.

Southwestern Corn and Potato Soup

From Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites. This soup comes out so creamy that it tastes like it has a bunch of dairy in it, but nope. Amazing.






Ingredients

1 cup finely chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 small fresh chile (I used a mild one), seeded and minced
1/2 t salt
4 cup vegetable stock
2 t ground cumin
1 med. sweet potato, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 cup fresh corn kernels (I cooked six stalks for three minutes to get about 3 c. of kernels)
salt to taste
lime wedges
finely chopped cilantro leaves

Instructions

1) Chop veggies.
2) In a covered soup pot, simmer onions, garlic, chile, and salt in 1 c. of vegetable stock for about 10 min., or until the onions are soft.
3) Add cumin and cook two more minutes.
4) Add the sweet potatoes and the remaining stock and cook about 10 minutes, or until sweet potatoes have softened.
5) Add the bell pepper and simmer for five minutes.
6) Add the corn and simmer, covered, for an additional five minutes.
7) Puree about half the soup in a blender and add it back in to the pot.
8) Garnish with lime and cilantro.

Chana Punjabi (Indian Style Chickpeas)

From the New York Times. Goes really well with rice and Curried Braised Cauliflower (from a previous post.)





Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil or other vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 small Thai bird chili, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt, or as needed
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained
2 tablespoons minced cilantro

Instructions

1) In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, heat oil and add onion. Sauté until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and chili, and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook until tomatoes are very soft, about 5 minutes, then remove from heat.
2) Purée mixture in blender or food processor until smooth. Return to pan and place over medium heat. Add paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, coriander, the garam masala, turmeric and lemon juice. Add chickpeas and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
3) Cover and simmer until sauce is thick and chickpeas are soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir pan about every 10 minutes, adding water as needed (up to 1 1/2 cups) to prevent burning. When ready to serve, sauce should be thick. If necessary, uncover pan and allow sauce to reduce for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until desired consistency. Stir in cilantro, adjust salt as needed and serve with cooked rice, if desired.

Curried Chicken Salad

If you'd like to make this recipe vegetarian, you can swap the chicken with crumbled tofu. Adapted from Cooks Illustrated.

Ingredients

2 whole bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (large, at least 1 1/2 pounds each)
2 T vegetable oil
2 ribs celery, diced
3 scallions, minced
2 T fresh cilantro or parsley, minced
1 medium apple, chopped
1/2 c slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 c raisins (you can increase this to 2/3 c if you want)
1/2 c mayonanaise
1/2 c yogurt
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 T curry powder
1 t mustard powder or dijon mustard

Instructions
1) Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12" non-stick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on first side, ~5 minutes. Flip chicken over, cover, and continue to cook until it is no longer pink in the center, ~5 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and cool.
2) Mix mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, mustard, curry powder, and salt and pepper to taste.
3) Shred chicken into 1/4" pieces, and toss with sauce and toss with remaining ingredients.

Bulgur-Stuffed Roasted Chicken with Vegetables

Adapted from The New York Times recipe for Kasha-Stuffed Roast Chicken. I used bulgur instead of kasha since I didn't have it on hand, and I also brined the chicken beforehand. This dish was a delicious rendition of Jewish comfort food - the apples really bring the flavor together, and you're left with drippings in the pan that can pretty much stand on their own as gravy - yum!

Ingredients

1 cup salt
1 cup sugar
6 T vegetable oil
3 onions, 1 diced and 2 coarsely chopped
1 cup bulgur wheat
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c diced celery
1 c sliced mushrooms
2 T finely chopped fresh parsley
1 T finely chopped fresh sage
1 roasting chicken, ~4-5 pounds
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound unpeeled red potatoes, halved
3 tart apples, cored and quartered
4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
4 parnsips, peeled and cut into chunks
1 T chopped fresh rosemary

Instructions

1) Before you begin, brine the chicken for 2 hours (you can prepare the bulgur and vegetables during this time). Mix 1 cup salt, 1 cup sugar, 1 gallon of water. Submerge the chicken in the mixture and chill in the fridge for two hours. Before preparing the chicken, pat dry with a paper towel.
2) In a skillet over medium heat, heat 2T oil, and sauté diced onion until golden. Remove from heat and set aside. Preheat oven to 375F.
3) Sautee the bulgur in 2T oil for several minutes until toasted in a large skillet, then add 1.25 cups boiling water. Add cooked onions, celery, mushrooms, parsley and sage. Cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occassionally. The final texture should be fluffy, tender, and slightly chewy.
4) Rub exterior of chicken with 1T of or oil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stuff both cavities of chicken with bulgur mixture.
5) In bottom of roasting pan, combine potatoes, apples, carrots, parsnips and chopped onions. Toss with 1T oil and rosemary to coat. Gently place chicken on top of vegetables (if you have a V-rack definitely use it) and bake until golden and cooked through, about 1.5 hours. (The chicken is done when an instant thermometer reads 160 in the thickest part of the breast, and 175 in the thickest part of the thigh.)

To serve, carve chicken as desired and serve each portion with some of vegetables and apples.

French Gruyere and Vegetable Tart

From Mollie Katzen's Vegetable Heaven. A delicious savory tart - the sage gives it a unique flavor. I prefer to use a bit more cheese than the recipe calls for.




Ingredients

1 10-inch unbaked tart crust (your favorite recipe or a frozen one from the store)
1 lb baby potatoes
1-2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion thinly sliced (2 cups)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c grated Gruyere cheese (~1/4 lb)
2 tbsp minced fresh sage
1/2 medium red bell pepper, finely sliced

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place potatoes in saucepan, cover with water, and boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2) Heat oil in skillet, add onion and salt, and cook on low heat until onion is tender, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Spread one cup of cheese into bottom of unbaked crust. Spoon onion over the cheese, and sprinkle with sage.
3) When potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel (if desired) then slice thin. Arrange slices in overlapping concentric circles over cheese. Arrange bell pepper slices over potatoes in ring. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and black pepper to taste.
4) Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until crust is golden around edges. Remove tart from oven, and let tart cool for at least 10 minutes.