Oct 2nd, 2011

Virtual Potluck! Virginia Willis' Apple Roquefort Turnovers

My first encounter with cookbook author Virginia Willis was back in January at the very first session of Food Bog South here in Birmingham. She had given a great presentation alongside Allison Lewis on recipe development, which for a new blogger like me, I found very valuable. What stood out to me about Virginia was how warm and down to earth she was. You could sense her passion for what she does. For me, writing a recipe is my favorite part. I love that moment where you scribble down little notes on paper and imagine how great a flavor combination would be. It’s the best chance to be creative and once you execute your own recipe you have a moment of epiphany when your creations were beyond what you could have imagined. I had learned a lot from Virginia on the whole process of developing a recipe and the important steps to take in documenting the whole experience.

As a transplant to the South, or what some may call a “Yankee”, I treasure my collection of fabulous Southern cookbooks by great Southern chefs. I’ve learned so much through cooking in the South: about how important it is to cook for close friends and cherising the meaningful relationships that are built around the table. Southern cuisine has so much soul that after one bite you can feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I have been one of the lucky ones to receive a copy of Virginia’s new book, “Basic To Brilliant, Y’all” and to be a participant in her virtual food blogger potluck. I had spent one fabulous afternoon in the kitchen with good friend and fellow Birmingham food blogger, Christy Turnipseed. The both of us had a wonderful time cooking a few of Virginia’s new recipes together. Be sure to check out her blog, Life of a Turnip, to see her recipe post.

Notes

The recipe I couldn’t wait to try was for Virginia’s Apple Roquefort Turnovers. It must have been the crisp cool October air that really drew me towards it. This is my most absolute favorite time of the year and I couldn’t pass up the combination of tart apples and a sharp creamy Roquefort cheese. The “make it brilliant” part of this recipe was the addition of a spiked apple butter. Let me tell you, the apple butter is what completes this recipe. The addition was simple and it really rounded out the flavors of these savory turnovers with a hint of sweetness and seasonality. Here is the recipe for Virginia’s Apple Roquefort Turnovers with Spiked Apple Butter. Be sure to pick up her new book “Basic To Brilliant, Y’all” for other great recipes simple enough for an everyday meal or spruced up for a classy dinner party with friends.

Method

Recipe from "Basic To Brilliant, Y'all" by Virginia Willis

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking liner.

Place puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle the pastry with a little flour, and roll out to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Brush away any excess flour and trim the edges to form a 9×12 inch rectangle. Cut the pastry into 12 3-inch squares, and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet.

Combine the egg yolk and heavy cream in a small bowl and whisk together with a fork. Neatly brush a little of the egg wash along two adding edges of each square. Place a spoonful of the apple just below the center of each square, top with a teaspoon of cheese, sprinkle with thyme, and season with pepper. Fold down the unwashed edges to enclose the mixture and form a triangle. Using your fingers, gently but firmly press the pastry edges together to seal. Then, using the back of a pairing knife, create a scalloped edge. (I actually ended up making square pockets with this recipe by placing one square on top of another with a heaping spoonful of the filling.)

Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is chilled. Remove from the freezer and brush the tops liberally with the remaining egg wash. Bake until the pastries are puffed and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Store warm or at room temperature.

To make the apple butter, heat 3/4 cup apple butter in a saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons Calvados, applejack, or brandy. Cook until bubbly and warm. Remove from the heat. Using a whisk, stir in 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter. To serve, spoon the enhanced butter onto a plate. Top with 2 pastries set on an angle to one another and serve immediately. (I ended up drizzling the apple butter over the turnovers like a glaze. It would also work well served alongside the turnovers as a dipping sauce.)

Ingredients

frozen puff pastry 1 (14-oz) package
egg yolk 1 large
heavy cream 2 tablespoons
granny smith apples 2, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
Roquefort cheese 1/4 cup crumbled
fresh thyme 2 teaspoons
freshly ground black pepper
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Jul 27th, 2011

Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken with Balsamic Figs

 

Notes

This is the time of year when fig trees are plentiful and chances are if you have a friend with a fig tree they’re just dying to give them away. I thinks figs are such a beautiful and fascinating fruit. Anytime I get a batch of these beauties I could sit and eat all of them plain. This batch was lucky enough to be made into something delicious!

Goat cheese and figs are one of my favorite flavor combinations. They really compliment each other nicely, whether it be in a form of dessert or a savory dish such as this one. The stuffed chicken is flavorful and juicy on its own but the winner in this dish is truly the fig sauce. The sugars in the figs turn the balsamic into a deliciously sweet and tangy syrup. I could have doubled the recipe for the balsamic figs because they were so good on there own. This recipe was really simple and would be a great dish to entertain with in the summer time. Serve this dish with a chilled Rosé.

Method

Serves 4

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix the goat cheese with the herbs de Provence. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Gently loosen the skin of the chicken with your fingers and evenly spread 1 tablespoon of the goat cheese under the skin of each breast. Transfer to a baking dish. Rub chicken with a little bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake chicken for 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and tent with foil while you make the balsamic figs.

In a large saute pan, heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the figs and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the vinegar to the pan and cook to reduce to a light glaze, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat.

You could serve the chicken breasts whole or slice the meat off the bone. Spoon the figs and balsamic glaze over top of the chicken.

Ingredients

split chicken breasts (with skin) 4
goat cheese 4 tablespoons
herbs de provence 1 tablespoon
olive oil
salt and pepper
fresh figs, halved 4 cups
balsamic vinegar 1 cup
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Jul 17th, 2011

Yeasty Blueberry Pancakes

Notes

If there is one great meal I remember most from my childhood it would be blueberry pancakes. Every weekend that my siblings and I would stay over my grandparents’ house we looked forward to waking up to Grandma’s blueberry pancakes with blueberries fresh from her backyard. The blueberries I used came from Harvest Farms. They are super plump and sweet, which made it really hard for me not to eat the whole pint before making this recipe!

This recipe uses yeast instead of traditional baking powder and baking soda as a rising agent. As a beer lover, I enjoy the yeast flavor in something that traditionally is a bit sweeter. The flavor of these pancakes reminds me a bit of a sourdough French toast with a fluffy, almost eggy-like consistency. It brings pancakes to a whole new sophisticated level. So far these are the only pancakes that in my opinion aren’t too sweet to add syrup to.

Method

Serves 4

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. In a saucepan, heat milk just until bubbles start to form along the sides. Beat the egg and add to the flour mixture along with the milk and melted butter. Whisk everything together until incorporated. Cover and set aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to rise. Fold in blueberries. (If you are substituting frozen blueberries for fresh, do not add to the batter. Simply drop in a few berries once you add the batter to a frying pan to avoid the batter turning purple.)

Heat a non-stick skillet to a medium high and add either a tablespoon of butter, oil, or cooking spray (whichever you prefer, I used butter). Using a ladle or 1/4 cup measuring cup, pour a few pancakes at a time. Cook for about 3 minutes per side or until golden brown.

Ingredients

all purpose flour 2 cups
instant yeast 1 teaspoon
sugar 1 teaspoon
salt 1 teaspoon
milk 2 cups
egg 1
melted butter 2 tablespoons
fresh blueberries 1 1/2 cups
agave or good maple syrup
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Jul 14th, 2011

Roasted Potato and Chicken Tacos with Padron Peppers and Feta

Notes

All week I had been trying to come up with a good use for the padron peppers that I bought at the Homewood farmer’s market last Saturday. These little green peppers hail from Harvest Farms in Cullman and they sure pack a punch! Farmer Trent Boyd told me that several Birmingham restaurants buy these from him and that the best way to cook them is to simply sauté them to bring out their sweetness. This recipe ended up being my “clean out the fridge” meal of the week. I love the way everything came together in this dish. The feta and potatoes are a nice compliment to the heat of the peppers. I might end up making this again this week!

Method

makes 8 tacos

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the meantime combine olive oil, salt, paprika, and pepper in a small bowl. Drizzle about half of the mixture over the potatoes and toss together in a 9 by 13 baking dish. Wash chicken and pat dry. Rub on remaining oil mixture. Move potatoes to one side of the dish to make room for the chicken. Try not to overcrowd the potatoes, you can use two dishes if needed.

Roast for about 30 minutes, stirring potatoes half way through to prevent from sticking. If chicken cooks faster than the potatoes, remove from the oven and cover with foil. Allow to rest about 5-10 minutes before shredding the chicken.

About 5 minutes before chicken and potatoes are through roasting, start the peppers. Add a small amount of olive oil to a frying pan and heat to a medium high. Add the peppers and a pinch of salt. Stir once you add to the pan but try to avoid over stirring. You want the peppers to get a nice char. Toss again after a few minutes. Once tender, remove from heat.

Just a few minutes before you are ready to serve, warm the tortillas in the oven until they are slightly crispy and the edges start to curl. You can put them on a baking sheet or directly on your oven racks.

Evenly distribute the ingredients amongst the 8 tortillas. Topping with first the chicken, followed by the potatoes, peppers, and feta cheese. Squeeze a lime wedge over top if desired.

Ingredients

olive oil 1/4 cup
sea salt 1/2 teaspoon
smoked paprika 1/4 teaspoon
black pepper 1/4 teaspoon
boneless chicken breast 2
red potatoes 3 cups, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
padron peppers 1 1/2 cups, cut into rings and seeded
feta cheese about 1 cup
corn tortillas 8
lime 1, halved and quartered
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May 22nd, 2011

Lavender Fettuccine with Lemon and Burrata

Notes

I’ve always enjoyed using lavender in baked goods but have yet to use it in a savory dish. I came across this lavender fettuccine at the farmers market in downtown Homewood. Pappardelle’s Pasta specializes in gourmet handmade pastas and also has an extensive line of gluten free pastas as well. I was disappointed when I found out that they didn’t hail from Alabama, but it was a great find nonetheless. If you wanted to try this recipe without this pasta, I would suggest maybe boiling some lavender buds with a plain fettuccine.

This is an extremely simple dish with subtle and fragrant flavors. For this dish, I didn’t want to load on too many ingredients that would mask the essence of lavender. I kept it simple with just a litte bit of lemon zest for freshness and a rich creamy burrata. I love the way burrata pulls apart revealing delicious cheese curds and fresh cream. It works great when added to pastas and can replace heavy cream if you wanted to try something different. I served this dish with a simple salad with fresh strawberries. This light and floral dish is great for late spring or early summer. I suggest pairing this with a good quality Hefeweizen. It will really bring out the flavors of fruit and cream to your palate.

Method

Serves 4

In a salted pot of boiling water, cook fettuccine until al dente, about 8-10 minutes. When pasta is finished, transfer to a large saute pan, reserving the pasta water. Toss fettuccine together with olive oil, lemon zest, and burrata. Keep warm over a low heat to melt the cheese. Add in a little pasta water to thin out the sauce slightly. Season will salt and fresh cracked pepper. Serve immediately.

Ingredients

dried lavender fettuccini 1 8 oz. bag
extra virgin olive oil 1-2 tablespoons
lemon zest 2 tablespoons
fresh burrata 8 oz.
salt and pepper
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