Simple Fruit Custard Tart

Originally published in the Oregonian, this recipe is really simple and quick, but also really good, and you can use essentially whatever fruit you have on hand. Or none. Your call. I also used a different kind of crust, because I can't stand rolling dough. And I particularly love graham crackers.

♥ 5 oz of graham crackers, a little more than one of those packs in the box.
♥ 3 oz of butter, melted
♥ 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar

♥ 2 egg yolks
♥ 1 cup of sour cream
♥ 1/4 cup granulated sugar
♥ 1/2 tsp vanilla
♥ 1/2 tsp lemon zest

Lots of fresh fruit of your choosing.

Put the graham crackers in a sturdy bowl and crush with the bottom of a clean glass jar. Combine the first three ingredients and press into a 9-inch springform pan. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10-15 minutes until set and toasty around the edges.

Combine the next five ingredients and mix until smooth. When the crust comes out of the oven, pour in the filling and put back in the oven for another ten minutes, until set. When cool, top with fruit and eat ravenously :)

Some Foodie Sites

Hey friends,
I thought I would share some of my favorite food websites. Really, it saves me from having to re-type all of the recipes I've used from them :)

♥ Epicurious (tends to be fancier food, more exotic ingredients, but a really comprehensive collection)
♥ Serious Eats - This reminds me a bit of Alton Brown. Not a huge collection of stuff, but a smaller collection of really good recipes.
♥ The Kitchn - geared towards those of us living in tiny apartments. Ding!
♥ Sprinkle Bakes - Not useful in any way, except that her desserts are gorgeous.
♥ Smitten Kitchen - simple and good.

Have fun!

Grownup Jello! (Panna Cotta)

I recently discovered panna cotta - The Waffle Window puts it on their waffles sometimes. SO GOOD. and ridiculously easy. Plus, it has an Italian name, so if you tell people you made panna cotta, they will instantly be impressed. The basics go like this:

♥ Take a custard cup (or another sturdy glass bowl) and sprinkle one packet of unflavored gelatin into 1/4 cup of cold water. Wait for 15 minutes or so, until it becomes soft and kind of gross-looking.

♥ Boil an inch of water in a sauce pan and carefully put the cup of gelatin into it, stirring until the gelatin fully dissolves and becomes clear. Remove from heat.

♥ Carefully bring 3 cups of cream and 2/3 cup of sugar to a boil (I used half and half. I don't see why you couldn't use soy milk or coconut milk. yum!). Remove from heat, and stir in a teaspoon of vanilla (or another flavoring) and the gelatin. Let it cool for a bit, and then cover and put in the fridge. It needs at least 6 hours to set.

Ingredients:
1 packet unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
3 cups cream
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Cooking time - 20-30 minutes
Chilling time - 6 hours.
Eating time - 30 seconds.
It's really good with fresh fruit to top it. You can pour it into separate dishes or wine glasses to serve. But the really great thing about this is that there are so many ways to change it. Yay!

Summer 2010 = Time To Try New Fun Recipes!

Here is a simple Trail Mix recipe that I'm excited to try out this weekend. My dad promises that despite the simplicity, it is simply delicious. I hope that posting it here is not plagiarism because I really don't know where it originated from, and therefore I cannot give credit where credit is due. Sorry Trail Mix Guru somewhere out there!

Ingredients:
2 cups baby pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 cup slivered almonds
3/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
6 tablespoons pure Grade B maple syrup
Coarse salt
1 cup dried cherries or cranberries

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.In a large bowl, toss the pumpkin seeds, almonds, and sunflower seeds and the syrup until evenly coated. Spread the nuts and seeds out, in an even single layer, on the lined baking sheets and season with salt to taste. Bake the nuts, stirring several times with spatula or wooden spoon, until just golden, about 20 minutes.Cool the nuts completely on the pan, then add the cherries and toss to combine. Store cooled trail mix in an airtight container at room temperature

Pile of Vegetables

Has anyone been cooking this summer? This is what I make when I don't feel like doing anything at all.

Chop up various vegetables to about the same size. I like to use potatoes, beets, carrots, onions, broccoli, peppers, or really anything that I have around. The tough root vegetables will need longer to cook than things like broccoli and peppers, so they go on the pan first. Lay them out on a baking sheet with sides and sprinkle them with melted butter or olive oil, and some salt and whatever spices you like. Pop them into a 400 degree oven and add any left-out vegetables after 20 minutes. They should be done after 15-20 more minutes, but check them with a knife - if they're done, it'll go right through.

Spiced Couscous with Curry Tofu

This is a Middle-Eastern-flavored dish, which is so easy that anyone who can boil water can make it!

Many stores offer flavored tofu. If yours does not, just use regular firm tofu.

2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes (I skipped this)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/3 cups whole-grain couscous
1 pound curry-flavored tofu, diced (I actually used Szechuan and it was good)

Heat chicken broth, curry, cinnamon, raisins, onion flakes, and garlic to boiling over high heat. Add couscous and tofu; stir. Cover and let stand, unheated, 5 minutes before serving. Voila.

My only complaint about this dish is that I can't eat more of it!

Oreo Cookie Pudding

1 package Oreo cookies
2 Large boxes vanilla instant pudding
5 cups milk (whole milk works best)
1 8oz container Cool Whip
1 8oz cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Soften cream cheese at room temp. Crush cookies and put half in the bottom of a large serving bowl, set aside. Mix softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth, set aside. In a seperate bowl beat together milk and pudding mix, add to cream cheese and powdered sugar mixture, fold in Cool Whip. Put pudding on top of crushed cookies and top with remaining crushed cookies.