Creamy Fruited Barley Salad

02. March 2011 · 8 comments · Categories: cooking, food, recipes, Side dishes, vegetarian · Tags: , ,

Last night was pretty windy out, but it was almost 60 degrees , so I decided to hoof it home from work. I work down in the financial district and live on the Upper East side. For those of you not from the nyc area, I walked 6 miles home…and let me tell you, 2 hrs of walking can leave your mind to think about all sorts of things.

But the main thing my mind always drifts back to is food. You better believe I was dinner brainstorming. I was trying to figure out what I could do with the barley in my pantry, that would also involve the butternut squash I had left in my fridge from roasting a couple nights before.

I decided I could go with something on the sweet side…adding some dried fruit (feel free to use whatever types you have on hand rather than the specific ones I chose to use) and fresh fruit. This kind of got me thinking about Waldorf Salad, and because I had a lot of yogurt in my fridge, I thought a nice creamy, sweet yogurt sauce would be the perfect addition. I also added some toasted sliced almonds to give it a crunch (much to Nate’s dismay) and a little cinnamon for some spice.

I have to say, it came out better than I expected. The only thing lacking were the photos because I was really hungry and didn’t feel like setting up my nice backdrop. Also, I was going to sprinkle the almonds on top (which would have been prettier), but I forgot and mixed them in.

Pardon the appearance, but do try it for yourself! It would even make a delicious breakfast.

Also, I submitted my recipe in a nut butter contest and you can check it out featured here!:

They haven’t announced a winner yet, so we’ll see.

 

Creamy Fruited Barley Salad

Recipe by Me
makes 2-4 servings as a side dish

1/2 cup pearl barley, uncooked
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
3-4 dried figs, chopped
1/3 Granny Smith apple, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 cup cooked butternut squash, cubed
salt to taste

4 oz. honey flavored Greek yogurt (or plain with honey added)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup orange juice

Boil 2 cups of water and and bring to a boil. When boiling, add barley and cook til tender and liquid is absorbed.

While barley is cooking, put orange juice through figs in a small pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until liquid is absorbed and fruit is tender.

Whisk yogurt, cinnamon and 1/2 cup orange juice into a sauce.

Add cooked barley and toss to coat. Add rest of the fruits/veggies. Sprinkle with almonds and serve.

Say Cheeeese….cake!

28. February 2011 · 11 comments · Categories: Baking, Cake, cooking, Dessert, food, recipes · Tags: ,

I love baking for no reason. But I really love having an actual event to bake for…particularly because then I know the goods won’t be sitting in my kitchen, calling my name at all hours of the night. I only wish I was kidding about my abilities to communicate with cake.

Birthdays are the perfect reason to bake up something good. So I took this opportunity for Nate’s friend’s birthday to make a Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake I’ve been wanting to try.

The recipe said it made 2 cakes. Even with a celebration like a birthday, I’m not sure why anyone would want to make 2 cakes…or at least 2 of the same cake. Ridiculous. Plus, I didn’t have 2 springform pans. So I halved the recipe and hoped for the best.

It turned out beautifully, and delicious. And the birthday boy seemed to enjoy it, which is the real result you hope for on any birthday baking endeavor :)

cheesecake, pre-glazing

 

Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I hear something calling my name from the refrigerator.

 

 

Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake

Adapted from Southern Living
makes one 9-inch cheesecake

Cake

1/4 cup toasted, chopped pecans
2 (1-ounce) bittersweet chocolate baking squares
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoons vanilla

Sprinkle 1/4 cup pecans evenly over the bottom of each of 1 greased and floured 9-inch springform pan.

Microwave chocolate squares in a microwave-safe bowl at MEDIUM (50% power) 1 1/2 minutes, stirring at 30-second intervals until melted. Stir until smooth.

Beat butter and 1 cup sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add 2 eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add melted chocolate, beating just until blended.

Add flour, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and chocolate morsels. Divide batter evenly between pans, spreading over chopped pecans.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth; add 3/4 cups sugar, beating until blended. Add 3 eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Stir in 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Divide cream cheese mixture evenly between each pan, spreading over brownie batter.

Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until set. Remove from oven; cool completely on wire rack.

Spread top of cooled cheesecake with 1 recipe Chocolate Glaze (see below); cover and chill 8 hours. Remove sides of pans before serving. Garnish, if desired.

Chocolate Glaze

1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup whipping cream

Melt 1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels and 1/2 cup whipping cream in a 2-quart microwave-safe bowl at MEDIUM (50% power) 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt. Whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.

*Note: The top glaze layer came out extremely thick and rich. I think if I were to make it again, I’d halve the amount.

Butternut Squash and Mushroom Wellington…a fabulous winter dinner

25. February 2011 · 4 comments · Categories: Baking, cooking, Dinner, food, recipes, Savory, vegetarian · Tags: , ,

I checked the weather before I headed out the door this morning and it said it was going to be in the high 40’s today. Since the last few days had been chilly, I figured this was toasty walkin’ weather! I left my apartment with just a light jacket and no gloves. Totally fine for the morning walk.


It was a different story, however, when I left work this evening. It was blustery out! (Nate loves that word…he says it reminds him of Winnie Pooh and the Blustery Day) Man, that wind was seriously strong and I had decided to walk all the way home to my apt from Grand Central Station, which was a 30 min walk.

When I walked in the door to my apartment, my hands were frozen solid and my ears weren’t much better. It was definitely time to make something for dinner that would warm my tummy! I’d been wanting to make this recipe I saw in the New York Times for some time now, and this seemed like the perfect night.

Yes, that's my towel hanging in the background. Yes, I have to take my pictures in the bathroom since it has the best lighting there is for nighttime. Don't judge.

Thank goodness Nate doesn’t get home til 9ish, because I’m not going to tell you this recipe came together in a snap. There were several steps, and the puff pastry got a little messy (but maybe that’s because I’ve never used it before), but in the end, not only was it beautiful, but delicious as well.

No, I mean seriously amazing. You MUST make this. It was just what I needed to defrost, relax, and enjoy my Friday evening.

Oh, and stay tuned…I got a tasty cheesecake comin this weekend…

Pardon the crappy pictures…they were taken with my point-and-shoot which doesn’t know how to focus on the objects I want it to. Hopefully I’ll have Nate’s nice camera for my next pics.

Butternut Squash and Mushroom Wellington
taken from the New York Times (directions slightly edited by Me)
Serves 6-8

Print this Recipe!

3-4 tablespoons butter
1 small butternut squash (1 1/4 pounds), peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/8 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika or regular paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large shallot, finely chopped
3/4 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and roughly chopped
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Flour
1 (14-to-16-ounce) package puff pastry
1 cup crumbled goat

1 egg whisked with 1 tsp water

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment.

2. In a very large skillet over high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add the squash in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, for 4 minutes. (If squash won’t fit in a single layer, cook it in batches). Stir and continue to cook until squash is golden, 7 to 10 minutes more. Stir in the syrup, thyme, paprika and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook one minute. Scrape mixture into a bowl.

3. Turn the heat down to medium and melt the remaining butter in the skillet. Stir in garlic and shallot; cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and remaining salt. Cook until mushrooms are soft and their juices evaporate, about 10 minutes. Stir in the wine and cook until the mixture is dry, about 5 minutes. Stir in the pepper and parsley. Taste and add more salt if needed.

4. On a lightly floured surface, unwrap the puff pastry. Cut into 2 5-by-15-inch rectangles. *If pastry is already two sheets, no need to cut. Spread mushrooms on each pastry rectangle leaving 1/4-inch border. Spoon the cheese crumbles over the mushrooms. Then spoon the squash over the cheese, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border (it will look like a stripe of squash lying on a bed of cheese and mushrooms).

5. Brush half of the exposed borders of dough on each rectangle with the egg wash(*You will be pinching these together to seal but if both sides to get pinched have egg wash, they wont stick together as well. Better to have one wet side and one dry side meeting). Fold the long sides up to meet in the middle and pinch together to seal; pinch the ends, too. Transfer the pastries to the baking sheet and turn them over so that the seam is face down. Brush the tops with more egg wash. Bake until they are puffed golden, and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, slice and serve.

 

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