ChezCindy: Crisp Gnocchi with Brown Butter Brussels Sprouts

 

As a main course or a side dish, this recipe for crisp gnocchi is a new favorite.  The recipe uses store-bought gnocchi that are found on the shelf near the boxes of dried pasta.  They are not boiled as usual, but are used straight from the package, seared in butter and olive oil for a crisp outside with a soft and chewy inside.  I use brussels sprouts, but broccoli or cauliflower would also be delicious.  Be sure to garnish with the golden raisins as a sweet balance to the bitter cruciferous vegetable.  

Crisp Gnocchi with Brown Butter Brussels Sprouts

1-pound brussels sprouts

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1 16-ounce package potato gnocchi, shelf-stable or frozen

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

1/3 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese (not pre-grated), divided  

Trim and halve the brussels sprouts.  In a 12-inch non-stick skillet, add 3 tablespoons olive oil, heating over medium-high heat.  Carefully place the halved sprouts cut side down to the pan sprinkling with 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Cook undisturbed for 8-12 minutes.  The cut side of each sprout should be deeply brown.  Use tongs to slide the cut sprouts to reposition them for even browning.  The sprouts should be crisp on the bottom and mostly tender.  Transfer to a large plate.  

Using the same skillet, add the remaining tablespoon olive oil, maintaining the heat at medium-high, add in the gnocchi and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Spread the gnocchi into an even layer, cooking undisturbed for 8-10 minutes.  Towards the end of the cooking time, gently swirl the pan 2-3 times to reposition the gnocchi for even browning.  Add in the butter and the golden raisins, cooking for 2-3 minutes until the butter begins to foam and is beginning to brown.  Add in the brussels sprouts warming through for 1-2 minutes.  Off the heat, scatter 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan over the gnocchi and brussels sprouts.  Serve with additional remaining Parmesan.  

ChezCindy: Grilled Steak with Herbed Olive Oil Sauce

 

One might think the grilled steak is the feature of this delicious meal.  But the star of this dish is the herbed olive oil.  Grilled steak almost always needs an accompaniment.  Do you ever eat a steak without a sauce, be it a simple compound butter, red wine reduction, or even A-1 or Heinz 57?  Steak is great on its own.  But adding a sauce elevates it to the next level.  

This dish takes on an olive oil sauce with ingredients common to most pantries.  Toast some thick slices of bread and a side of sliced tomatoes for a steakhouse worthy dinner for a fraction of the cost.   

Grilled Steak with Herbed Olive Oil Sauce

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried

1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes

3/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

zest and juice and from 1 large lemon

1-pound boneless strip or ribeye steak, about 1” thick  

In a medium bowl, combine the garlic, oregano, thyme, and hot pepper flakes.  Whisk in the olive oil and salt.  Add the lemon juice and zest, whisking to combine.  Pour off 1/2 cup of the marinade into a separate bowl to use as a sauce.  The remaining sauce will be used as a marinade for the steak.  

To prep your steak, remove the steak from the refrigerator and place it onto a plate.  Pour the remaining sauce over the steak, using tongs to flip over the steak to coat it well with the sauce.  Set the steak aside to marinate for up to 1 hour, turning it over a few times to keep all sides covered with the sauce.  

To grill your steak, prep your grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat.  If using a grill pan, be sure it is very hot before placing the steak in it.  Grill the steak for about 6-7 minutes on side one, turning over to cook side two for another 3-4 minutes for medium-rare.  The cooking time is longer on side one to assure good grill marks.  To cook to medium, add an additional 1-2 minutes on each side.  

Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for about 10 minutes.  Baste the steak with additional sauce.  Thinly slice against the grain.  Serve with grilled bread and the reserved sauce on the side.  

ChezCindy: Olive Oil Zucchini Bread

 

There is still time to get zucchini from the farm stands as the summer weather lingers on.  Perfect to make this super-moist zucchini bread made with olive oil and yogurt.  The ingredients come together quickly with no need to pull out the electric mixer.  All that is needed is a couple of bowls, a rubber spatula, and a whisk.  Delicious and easy!   

Olive Oil Zucchini Bread  

1 1/2 cups grated zucchini

2/3 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter an 8-inch loaf pan.  

In a large bowl, use a rubber spatula to mix together the grated zucchini, brown sugar, olive oil, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla extract.  

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.  Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, bake for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loan comes out clean with just few crumbs attached.  Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove the bread from the pan and cool completely before cutting.  

ChezCindy: Lemon Caprese Cake

 

This delightful cake is light in texture but loaded with flavor.  It is also gluten free being made with almond flour.  Pictured here with a topping of whipped cream, it is also great with just a light dusting of powdered sugar.  The cake can be left at room temperature or stored in the refrigerator remaining moist for several days.  

Lemon Caprese Cake

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

6 ounces white chocolate, chopped

5 large eggs, divided

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups almond flour

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, from 1 large or 2 medium lemons

4 teaspoons fresh lemon zest, from 1 large or 2 medium lemons

Place the butter and white chocolate in the top of a double boiler and melt until smooth.  Cool slightly, set aside.  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter the inside of a 9-inch springform pan.   

Place the egg whites into a medium bowl along with the salt.  Place the yolks into a larger bowl with the sugar.  Using a handheld mixer, beat the whites on medium speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes, set aside.  Using the same mixer for the yolks, beating them on medium speed until light and pale in color, about 2 minutes.  Using a rubber spatula, add the now cooled chocolate mixture, almond flour, lemon juice, and lemon zest into the bowl with the yolks, stirring to combine.  Fold in half of the whipped egg whites into the chocolate base, then fold in the remaining half to combine.  Transfer the mixture to the prepared cake pan, baking for 40-45 minutes until puffed and golden brown.  

Cool completely on a wire rack.  Release the outer rim of the springform pan.  Dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar.  Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream if desired.  

ChezCindy: Summer Berry Cobbler

 

This recipe for Summer Berry Cobbler should come with a warning that it is so delicious, it is difficult to stop eating.  The golden color and crumble texture of the biscuit topping comes from using fresh corn grated from the cob into the biscuit mix.  Not such a far stretch when making old fashioned cornbread or corn cakes.  And it works really well with this summer fruit cobbler.  I fell in love at first bite.

I used a mix of blueberries and blackberries in this recipe.  It would also be delicious with fresh peaches, plums, or a mix of stone fruit and berries.  The back note of corn complements the sweet fruit.  Not really noticeable since the recipe uses cornmeal and the corn is finely grated directly from the cob, milk corn and kernels, used in place of cream for the biscuit crumble.  The cobbler is best served warm the day it is made but is still really great on day two.    

 Summer Mixed Berry Cobbler  

1-pound fresh blueberries

1-pound fresh blackberries

1 cup granulated sugar, divided  

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon sea salt, divided

2 large ears yellow sweet corn

4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan

1/3 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons heavy cream 

1 heaping tablespoon turbinado sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 9"x9" square baking dish with butter. Set aside.

In a medium size mixing bowl, add in the berries plus 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup flour, the lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Stir to combine, setting aside.  

Using the large holes on a box grater, grate the corn from the cobs into a large bowl to collect the grated corn and the corn milk.  Discard the corn cobs.  Transfer the corn mixture to a liquid measuring cup to equal 3/4 cup.  If the mixture is a bit less, add in heavy cream.  Set aside.  

To make the biscuit crumble mixture, cut the butter into small cubes.  In a large mixing bowl, add the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour, remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt.  Whisk to combine.  Add in the cubed butter, tossing it in the flour using your fingertips to coat each cube in the flour mixture.  Pressing the cubes of butter between your index finger and thumb, smash the butter cubes into the flour.  Continue this process until the butter has combined with the flour smashed into tiny pieces the size of pearls.  

Slowly pour the grated corn over the flour mixture, using your fingers to gently combine the corn with the flour into a crumbly dough.  Squeeze clumps of dough together, placing the clumps on top of the fruit, looking somewhat like biscuits but cobbled together.  Using a pastry brush, dab the cream onto the top of the biscuit crumble.  Sprinkle the turbinado sugar evenly over the topping.  

Place the baking dish onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper to catch any potential over-flow of fruit.  Transfer to the oven, baking for 35-40 minutes until the fruit is bubbling through the biscuit crumble and the top is golden brown.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving warm.  

ChezCindy: Pickled Cherry Tomatoes

 

This is the season for using the fabulous tomatoes from your garden or from the farmers markets.  Fresh is always amazing.  But this recipe for pickled cherry tomatoes provides a new twist on enjoying the bounty.  

This recipe is for a quick pickle to store in the refrigerator.  Not a long-shelf storage pickle to eat this winter.  The tomatoes take on the flavor of the pickling ingredients, a bit of tang from the vinegar and a hint of sugar enhancing the tomatoes natural sweetness.  They are delicious added to a salad.    The tiny tomato jewels add great color to a cheese board and make an awesome garnish for a cocktail.  

For other pickled vegetables suggestions click here.

Pickled Cherry Tomatoes

1-pound cherry tomatoes 

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup water

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Place the cherry tomatoes into the canning jar(s) to just under the top, leaving room for the pickling liquid to cover.  

Combine the remaining ingredients into a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, dissolving the salt and sugar.  Pour the hot liquid over the tomatoes to cover completely, filling the jar to 1/2-inch from the top.  Seal the jar tightly with the lid.  Allow to cool on the counter.  When cooled, place the jar in the refrigerator.  Wait 24 hours before enjoying so that the vegetables have time to pickle.  The pickled tomatoes will develop more flavor as they spend time in the pickling liquid.  Store in the fridge for up to one month.  

ChezCindy: Peanut Butter Chocolate Marbled Cookies

 

These cookies are similar to a recipe I previously published for gluten-free peanut butter cookies.  Still gluten-free but these are a double-chocolate and peanut butter mash up.  The cookie texture is chewy and oh so delicious with the addition of chocolate.     

After making the peanut butter cookie dough, half of the dough is set aside for the peanut butter part of the cookie.  The remaining peanut butter cookie dough gets the addition of cocoa and chopped bittersweet chocolate to create a chocolate cookie dough.  Each dough is scooped into tablespoons scoops, then pressed together to shape into a neat ball of cookie dough.  Pressed into disks, then topped with granulated sugar.  Yum!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Marbled Cookies

1 16-ounce jar smooth peanut butter (not natural)

2 cups granulated sugar, plus more for assembling

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate*

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the peanut butter and sugar, whisking on high speed for about 1 minute until just combined.  Add the eggs and salt, whisking on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute.  Transfer half of the dough to a medium size bowl, setting aside.  

To the remaining cookie dough in the bowl of the electric mixer, add in the chopped chocolate and the cocoa, whisking until combined.  

Portion out the peanut butter dough into 1 tablespoon scoops, making about 18 scoops.  Separately, portion out the chocolate dough into heaping tablespoons scoops, matching the same number of scoops.  Press together 1 scoop of peanut butter dough and 1 scoop of chocolate dough, then gently roll into a ball.  Place the ball of dough onto the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining cookie scoops placing them 1 1/2-inch apart.  

Use the flat bottom of a measuring cup dipped into granulated sugar, press each cookie ball into a flat disk about 1/2-inch thick.  Sprinkle the top of each cookie with additional granulated sugar.  Bake the cookies one sheet at a time on the center rack of the oven for 15 minutes until slightly puffed.  Remove from the oven allowing the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.  The cookies will be crumbly if transferred right after baking.  Cooling time allows them to firm up.  

*Bittersweet chocolate is recommended as it balances out the sweetness of the peanut butter.