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Celery Root Rémoulade With Beets and Sausage

Katy Elliott — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:00:46 +0000

My resolve for the winter is get more fruits and vegetables into my diet. I’m a creature of habit cooking the same old recipes for weeknight dinners and bookmarking the new healthier guys for the weekend. I’ve always been good about getting a lot veggies to the table but in the winter months they’re occupied by rice, pasta or bread. The carb rich diet is a tough habit to break.

Enter celery root or celeriac. I got a few in my farm box this past fall and made into simple soups (see below). I liked it. Scary looking at first but once you trim off the barky exterior the root smells just like celery—fresh, crisp with parsley notes.

You can find celery root at winter farmer’s markets and grocery stores like Whole Foods. They vary in size from a small apple to a large cantaloupe. The root I’m modeling above is quite large. It’s high in fiber, potassium, magnesium and vitamin B6 (key for curing the winter blues).

If you don’t yet own Nigel Slater’s Tender go now and buy it! A collection of recipes accounting tales from his vegetable garden in London, the book offers me inventive ways to cook the classics. And gives me new ideas for all those veggies in my farm box each week—A whole chapter is dedicated to celery root! The produce and growing season are very similar in London to New England so don’t worry about funky ingredients. It’s the kind of cooking inspiration I’ve been searching for—simple, unfussy but modern.

Celery Root Rémoulade With Beets and Sausage
This recipe is adapted from Slater’s Celery Root Rémoulade—a contemporary version featured in Tender. I paired the rémoulade with a garlic apple pork sausage picked up from Whole Foods. The root I had was so large I was able to incorporated half into this recipe and set aside the rest to pair with Apple-Stuffed Pork Loin With Moroccan Spices later this week.

ingredients
the juice of half a lemon (I had to use a whole lemon because my celery root was so big)
1 pound celery root
a raw medium beet
2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
4 tablespoons crème fraîche
a little olive oil or walnut oil
handful of fresh parsley
handful of walnut halves

Squeeze half a lemon into a large bowl. Peel the rough skin off the celery root using a knife. Grate using a hand grater or a food processor. Incorporate into the bowl with the lemon to keep the root from discoloring. Grate the beet and set aside. In Slater’s version he incorporated directly into the root mixture. I kept it seperate for the time being.

Put the crème fraîche and mustard in a bowl, stir. Season with S+P. Gently mix in enough oil to make a coating consistency. Mix together with a fork or whisk. Coarsely chop the parsley and incorporate to mixture. Set aside.

Heat a skillet to cook sausages. Cook till browned and cooked through.

I then stirred the crème fraîche mixture into the celery root till well incorporated. Then, tossed in very lightly the beets so the whole salad didn’t turn pink. No such luck but I did have some white remaining. Toast the walnuts and scatter over salad. Serve with sausage on the side.

More recipe ideas
David Lebovitz: Celery Root Soup
Mark Bittman: Creamy Curried Celery Root Soup

Celery root with crème fraîche mixture

Beets grated in food processor

Plating lunch

Celery Root Rémoulade With Beets and Sausage

Rustic Winter Potato Leek Tart

Katy Elliott — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:19:01 +0000

On New Year’s Eve I spent the day in the kitchen cooking wintry treats. For lunch, we had Martha’s Alsatian Potato Pie featured in her cookbook, New Pies & Tarts. I spotted a similar version in Nigel Slater’s, Tender. In Slater’s version (click for preview of recipe) he uses cheddar and crème fraîche rather then Gruyere and cream. For dessert I made La Tartine Gourmande’s Petits Pots de Crème in vanilla and chocolate! So good!

This tart is perfect for a cold winter day. We haven’t had any snow but a few raw days that remind us it’s surely around the corner. Hearty potatoes pair well with leeks and warms your bones on days it seems impossible to break the chill.

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Alsatian Potato Pie.

Ingredients
3 (about 1 1/2 pounds) Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
Coarse salt
1 cup heavy cream
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium leek, white and light-green parts only (I used two and will probably use 3-4 next time)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 large egg yolk
1 (14 ounces) frozen puff pastry, (such as Dufour), thawed
All-purpose flour, for work surface
1 1/2 cups grated Comte or Gruyere cheese

Cover potatoes with water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add a pinch of salt; cook until just tender, 13 to 15 minutes. Drain. Mash and let cool.

Meanwhile, bring 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons cream, the garlic, and nutmeg to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook mixture until reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.

And one more pan to clean; which makes me bonkers! Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add leeks; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in parsley; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Divide thawed puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface. Mine was square so I kept it’s square shape. Martha made hers into a long rectangle.

Whisk together 1 large egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of cream. You’ll use this to seal the pastry and create a glaze over the top.

Scatter the mashed potatoes on the pastry, then layer with leek and Gruyere making sure to leave a 1/4″ inch border. Photos below. I was able to do two layers; 1. potato/leek/cheese/ 2. potato/cheese. I wish I had cooked more leeks because my second layer lacked leeks. Yes, I could have used less leek in the first layer but I’m my taste buds are telling me the leekier the better! Top with the other piece of thawed pastry. Crimp the edges and brush with egg wash.

Make a few slits in the top of the tart (you’ll pour the heavy cream mixture in the slits during the cooking process.) Stick the tart in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove the tart from the fridge and place in the preheat oven to cook for 35 minutes or until the tart is golden brown and puff. Remove the tart and pour the reduced cream mixture into the slits taking care and allowing the cream so soak in. Place back in the oven for an additional 10 minutes.

Let cool and serve warm or at room temperature with a simple green salad.

Scatter potato onto puff pastry.

Add cooked leeks.

Grate Gruyere over leeks.

Add more potato.

Add more Gruyere over potato.

Top with puff pastry and seal.

Out of the oven.

Serve with a light green salad for lunch, brunch or dinner.

Joe Frogger Cookies from Marblehead

Katy Elliott — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:17:02 +0000

I’ve been fascinated by the legend of the Joe Frogger cookie and decided to give the recipe a try. A Joe Frogger is a large rum/molasses/ginger cookie that dates back to colonial times in Marblehead. The cookies were baked by Aunt Crese who ran a tavern with Black Joe on Gingerbread Hill.

Many articles I discovered linked the cookie’s history to Joe but according to a Marblehead magazine article, “The cookie was named after him even though she created the recipe and spent the better part of her life mixing the batter”.

Named for Revolutionary War patriot, Joseph Brown, these large cookies were said to be the size of the frogs in “Black Joe’s” Pond. Marblehead’s early fishermen used to take the cookies with them on long voyages to the Grand Banks as a standard part of the ship’s provisions. The ingredients of rum and seawater acted as preservatives. They are now a cherished Marblehead tradition with “original recipes” circulating rapidly for historic authentication by native Marbleheaders. The cookies were first made in the 1800′s by Lucretia Brown (Aunt Crese), Joseph’s wife. While today the cookies are mostly round, in the beginning they were described as “lily pad” shaped. (Marblehead magazine).

I used a coffee can to cut out the cookies and placed six on a cookie sheet using a Silpat rather then greasing the pan. As they cooked the house filled with spicy aroma. The first batch of cookies came out of the oven tasting of warm molasses. Perfect with a big glass a milk.

This morning, I wrapped a cookie in a piece of wax paper and went for a walk to Black Joe’s pond. The red tavern is still standing and can be seen off in the distance. The cookie had hardened overnight and tasted even more substantial and spicy, delicious.

Joe Frogger Cookies
Recipe adapted from marblehead.org

3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 cup of molasses
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum
1/3 cup hot water (In colonial times they used seawater)

Mix flour, salt, ginger, baking soda, cloves, nutmeg and allspice in a bowl. In a large bowl, beat together the molasses, shortening and brown sugar. In a separate bowl combine rum and hot water.

Add the dry ingredients and the water/rum mixture alternatively to the sugar/molasses mixture. If the dough is dry, add a tablespoon or more of additional hot water.

Roll out dough between two sheets of waxed paper till 1/4″ thick. Refrigerate at least two hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease two baking sheets.

Cut the dough into 3-inch round cookies. The original were much larger. For the traditional size use a coffee as your guide. Place on greased cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes. For the traditional size cook a few minutes longer. The cookies are baked when they are dark around the edges and firm in the centers. Set the cookie sheets to cool for five minutes. Remove to a rack to cool completely.

Dough after it’s been mixed and ready to be rolled out.

Rolling out dough between layers of wax paper.

Cutting out cookies using a coffee can.

Cookies just out of the oven.

The trail to Black Joe’s pond.

A bite out my Joe Frogger cookie at Black Joe’s Pond.

Eating my cookie and contemplating life back in the 1800′s.

Off in the distance is Black Joe’s Tavern in red.

Black Joe’s Tavern as it stands today.

Rustic Butternut Squash Sage Pizza

Katy Elliott — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 16:01:09 +0000

I’m thinking I should have called this recipe, The Thanksgiving or The New England. Butternut squash roasted with red onions, brown butter sage with blue cheese and tarentaise—salty and sweet this combo will satisfy any fall comfort food craving. I snuck down to the kitchen last night to slice off one more tiny piece. All the ingredients are local and the cheeses are from Vermont. Delicious warm or at room temperature.

I have two different pizza dough recipes in heavy rotation. For this pizza I used Wolfgang Puck’s recipe featured on marthastewart.com. The dough has honey rather then sugar which I prefer. Side note: have you heard the recent controversy surrounding store bought honey? In this recipe I used Blue Hill honey I picked up from the Hudson Valley. The dough is fast to make in a stand mixer but you could always use store bought dough if you’re short on time.

While the dough is rising; use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin from a medium size butternut squash. Slice the squash into small chunks—easiest way I’ve discovered to do this is cut off the ends and then slice in half—arrange in a roasting pan with a little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast the squash for 15 minutes at 375 degrees. It shouldn’t be cooked through. It will finish cooking on top of the pizza. Remove from the oven and set aside.

While the squash is cooking, slice two red onions into rings and saute in pan with a little bit of olive oil for 2-3 minutes. You want the onions to be softened but not completely cooked. Set aside.

I usually do all three steps above in the morning and then finish the pizza in the evening. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Roll out the dough, the recipe I used can make two smaller pizzas or one really big one—I made one because I like leftovers. Grate Tarentaise from Spring Brook Farm or use gruyere to cover the entire pie. Scatter the butternut squash you roasted on top with the red onions. Bake for 20 minutes or so until the dough is crisp.

While the pizza is cooking, melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter in a pan and throw in a handful of sage leaves to brown, put aside. Crumble a small chunk of blue cheese—I used Great Blue Hill—set aside.

When the pizza is done, open the oven and scatter the blue cheese and sage leaves on top. You want the blue cheese to melt just a little. Remove from oven and serve. Enjoy!

From top left: The dough kneading in a stand mixer, dough in an oiled bowl to rise, squash for the oven (I had a little delicata squash I threw in too) and then the dough ready to be rolled out.

Cooling on a cutting board.

Ready for dinner!

Rustic Apple French Toast

Katy Elliott — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:25:29 +0000

It’s been an apple fest at my house the last few weeks. I’ve made a tart and a traditional crisp but was I craving something for breakfast. And I needed to use up the remaining 3 apples I picked at Russell Orchards last weekend. I came across this recipe in River Cottage Every Day, you could dress it up with brioche or use regular ol’ stale white bread. Add some bacon and you’ll have a hearty morning feast adults and kids will love.

Rustic Apple French Toast
Adapted from River Cottage Every Day

4 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
About 2 tablespoons sugar
4 thick slices of bread (I used brioche from A.J. King or make-your-own)
unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

For the apples
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
A drizzle of sunflower oil
2 crisp eating apples, cored, and cute into thin wedges (I used 3)
2 teaspoons sugar or brown sugar

Beat the eggs with milk and 1 tablespoon of the sugar, then pour into a shallow dish like a cake pan. Add the bread slices and submerge them into the egg mixture, turning to coat them well.

When the bread is soaking, cook the apples. Heat the butter and oil (I omitted) in a frying pan. Add the sliced apples and cook for 5-10 minutes. Add a little sugar toward the end to create a buttery syrup.

Fry the bread in the same pan if you like but if you added sugar you need to rinse the pan—the sugar will burn. Add a little more butter and fry for 2-3 minutes each side.

Scatter the remaining sugar and cinnamon over the bread and pile the warm apples on top with some maple syrup and serve. Enjoy!

Making Heirloom Tomato Sauce

Katy Elliott — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:19:52 +0000

On Sunday afternoon during hurricane Irene I made heirloom tomato sauce with the box I got earlier in the week from my CSA. Everyone I talk to has a slightly different method of making sauce. Some use a food mill, some boil the tomatoes to remove the skins. This is my version and it turned out pretty darn delicious.

First, I rinsed and chopped 18lbs of tomatoes. With the tomatoes sliced in half, I squished them (flesh side down) through a sieve into my cooking pot. Any seeds I couldn’t remove from the flesh through the squishing process got a very light rinse under the faucet. The remaining skin and flesh get thrown into the pot. I repeated this process till all the tomatoes were gone. I chopped three carrots, added a diced vidalia onion, 4 cloves of slivered garlic, a bunch of basil, thyme and S+P. I cooked the sauce down on low for about two and 1/2 hours. I could have stopped there. But I thought the sauce was a bit too chunky and I gave it a couple spins in the cuisinart. I boiled up a pot of linguine, topped with sauce, grated parmigiano-reggiano over the top and enjoyed the fruits of my labor. So delicious and simple. The remaining sauce will get canned for winter.

update: for notes on adding lemon and canning please read comments.

Heirloom tomatoes for sauce

Heirloom tomato

Inside tomato

Inside an heirloom tomato

Pressing tomatoes through sieve

Tomato being squished

Squishing with my hands

Tomatoes in the pot

Carrots, onion, garlic and basil added to the pot.

Making Raspberry Jam with Mint and Lavender

Katy Elliott — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:58:37 +0000

Over the weekend we made raspberry jam. I was a little concerned about the seeds. They don’t bother me but Greg suggested about a week ago he hates raspberry seeds—he denies this statement now. So when I thought he hated seeds I ordered this Fruit and Vegetable Strainer KitchenAid attachment to remove them.

He bugged me all Saturday morning asking when I was going to start so he could try out the new toy. After a quick rinse the raspberries went into the strainer. He had a great time and even said, “This is the most fun I’ve had in the kitchen in a long time.” He read on a discussion board not to run them through twice because the strainer could crack or put excess labor on your mixer— he of course didn’t believe this statement. “Look at the juice left on those things Katy”, he said after I reminded him of the warning. In the photo below you can see the first run through and the second. We also shot a little video to show you how it works.

The machine did get clogged and he had a heck of time getting the attachment off the machine but thankfully nothing broke. As he was cleaning I began to boil the raspberries on the stove. I threw in a few of the seeds sticks when he wasn’t looking. How can you have raspberry jam without seeds, right? I made two batches of jam. The first was just regular raspberry and second was Raspberry with Mint and Lavender. The touch of mint is amazing! The recipe below is from my favorite new canning book, Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry by Liana Krissoff.

Raspberry Jam with Mint and Lavender
Makes about 5 half-pint jars

1 pound of Granny Smith apples (about 4 small)
3 pounds raspberries, rinsed if necessary (about 10 cups)
2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
Grated zest of 2 small lemons
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons fresh lavender blossoms, or 2 teaspoons dried

Prepare for water-bath canning. Sterilize the jars and keep them hot in a canning pot, put a small plate in the freezer, and put the flat lids in a heat-proof bowl.

Quarter and core the apples, reserving the cores and seeds. Put as many of the apple trimmings in a jelly bag or 4 layers of cheesecloth as will fit, and tie the bag closed.

Put the raspberries and sugar in a wide, 6- to 8-quart preserving pan. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Add the apples and the bag with the trimmings, along with the lemon juice and zest. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook, stirring frequently to prevent it from sticking, until a small dab of the jam spooned on the chilled plate and returned to the freezer for a minute becomes somewhat firm (it will not gel), 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the mint and lavender and cook for one minute. Remove from the heat and stir gently for a few seconds to distribute the fruit in the liquid. Remove the bag and the apples.

Ladle the boiling water from the canning pot into the bowl with the lids. Using a jar lifter, remove the sterilized jars from the canning pot, carefully pouring the water from each one back into the pot, and place them upright on a folded towel. Drain the water off the jar lids.

Ladle the hot jelly into the jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace at the the top. Use a damp paper towel to wipe the rims of the jars, then put a flat lid and ring on each of the jars, adjusting the ring so that just finger-tight. Return the jars to to the water in the canning pot. Bring to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes to process. Remove the jars to a folded towel and do not disturb for 12 hours.

Recipe as it appears in Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry by Liana Krissoff.

Making jam together on Saturday afternoon.

Greg demonstrating how the attachment works.

First run through on the left and second time on the right.

Raspberries boiling in dutch oven with apple tied in cheese cloth.

Fresh mint and lavender from garden.

Mint and lavender chopped up for jam.

Mason jars freshly sterilized and ready to be filled. Mr. Jack sits in the window watching the whole process.

Filling jars with jam using a funnel.

Recipe: My Favorite Lobster Roll

Katy Elliott — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:02:12 +0000

I devoured three lobster rolls yesterday and said to myself, This is livin’. A lobster roll encompasses everything I love about summer. It’s salty brine flavor with a touch of lemon, dill and mayo are uncomplicated and blissful. I’ve made lobster rolls twice already this month. Greg and I had a round on 4th of July and I made 10 more to watch the start of the Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race on Sunday. I prefer the buns to be toasted with butter but if your headed out for a picnic either leave the lobster salad and roll separate and fill when your ready or fill and pack in a chilled cooler.

First off I don’t make huge lobster rolls. I would rather have two then one with overflowing meat. I got 10 rolls out of 6 1 ¼ lb lobsters. I would guestimate that’s about ½ lb per roll. I don’t make an exact recipe because it’s really to your taste and depends on how much meat you have. Just don’t go crazy. Keep it light and simple.

Basic Ingredients
lobster meat
a lemon
fresh dill
mayo
split top rolls

You can buy lobster meat pre-shucked but it’s a lot way more fun to boil them yourselves. Get a big pot of water up to rolling boil and drop them in for about 10 minutes per pound; add 6 minutes for each additional pound. I cooked my 1 ¼ lobsters for about 12 minutes. Pull them out of the water with tongs when they’re bright red and rinse with cool water. Shuck the meat into a bowl and add lemon, dill, and mayo. When I made the lobster rolls for Sunday’s race; I boiled and shucked them the night before and added everything else just minutes before we left. You don’t want your meat getting too weighed down by the mayo. The fresher the better! Enjoy!

p.s. we also had lobster rolls for New Year’s Eve. Some say the meat is sweeter in the winter! Maybe because it’s reminds us of summer?

Lobster claw meat.

Lobster meat from 6 lobsters.

Fresh dill and lemon to add.

All mixed up and waiting for the mayo.

Filled split top rolls for boating.

Greg devouring a lobster roll on boat.

Bella PITA approaching first mark

VAMP and LILLA rounding the first mark.

Whisper approaching first mark.

Me eating my lobster roll.

A short video of sailboat tacking to make mark.

Spring Linguine with Fiddleheads

Katy Elliott — Sun, 29 May 2011 14:46:32 +0000

Fiddleheads “are furled fronds of a young fern” harvested in the early spring. They taste similar to asparagus but have a bit more grit. Growing up in New England we typically steamed or sauteed them simply with a little olive oil and salt and pepper.

In my farm box this week I received a 1/2 pound of beautiful fronds from Chamutka Farm in Whately, MA. I had an urge to try something a little different but wanted to keep it simple so I didn’t loose the uniqueness of the frond. My facebook fans came up with some great ideas including Fiddlehead and Chanterelle Risotto, Cream of Fiddlehead Soup, and Spring Linguine. I decided to adapted the Spring Linguine recipe from Whole Living and added pancetta, parmesan and lemon zest. The pancetta gives it a little more depth and the zest lightens up the flavor. And the parmesan, well. How can you go wrong with parmesan reggiano on a bowl of linguine? My recipe adaptation below. It’s a perfect spring dinner or for us a big friday afternoon lunch.

Spring Linguine with Fiddleheads
1 pound linguine
1/2 pound fiddleheads
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
juice from 1/2 a lemon plus zest
1/2 pound baby leeks, washed, trimmed, and cut into thirds on a bias
1 1/2 cups dandelion greens or sorrel, washed
1/4 pound of diced pancetta
1 cup of grated parmesan reggiano

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the linguine until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

My fiddleheads were really dirty so I soaked them overnight and drained. The next day I removed the papery particles from each of them. Then, fill a medium bowl with cool water; add 1 teaspoon salt and the lemon juice. Some recipes suggest blanching them after their first rinsing. Or you can cook them a little longer in the skillet like I did.

Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Let pan cool for a few minutes and then add the leeks and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, until soft. Add the fiddleheads and cook 4 to 5 minutes more (less if you blanched them), until warm and golden. Add pancetta back in and for additional 1-2. Turn off heat and stir in the dandelion greens and cover while you drain the pasta. Toss the mixture with the pasta, season with salt and pepper, add addtional lemon juice and zest, stir in parmesan and serve.

Recipe adapted from Whole Living’s Spring Linguine.

Grapefruit Meyer Lemon Panna Cotta

Katy Elliott — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:06:01 +0000

The May issue of Bon Appétit is amazing. Lead by editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport, The Italy Issue feels young, approachable, and fun. I spotted a recipe for Lemon Panna Cotta with Lemon Marmalade and decided to add my own twist with Grapefruit Meyer Lemon Marmalade I made back in February. I filled jelly jars with the Panna Cotta inspired by local Marblehead restaurant 5 Corners Kitchen—makes it really easy for parties! So delicious and beautiful.