My husband calls my big dinners “Dana Meals”.  A big dinner is a meal to enjoy primarily but it also is a meal to impress.  Kind of the opposite of a weeknight meal.  Mine tend to include multiple courses and multiple components.  The ice cream usually matches the dessert.  You know.  Dana Meals usually happen on weekends spent with friends and/or family.  Sometimes, when someone special is in town, I cook one during the week.

Here is the problem.  Let’s say you cook a really nice meal for a very cool and very appreciative person thoughtful enough to bring along his beautiful wife and adorable baby daughter.  Let’s say that same person brings his whole work team over for dinner on another weeknight and you make an even more impressive and complicated meal.  Now what if that person comes for dinner all by himself?  On a Monday?  You can’t exactly serve cold pizza, right?  So a Dana Meal on a Monday it was.

Now a couple of weeks ago, Randy informed me that there would need to be a Dana Meal on a Wednesday for a philosophy group he is a part of.  Please don’t send me an email saying that if Randy needs a dinner for his club, he should make it.  Theoretically that is correct.  Philosophically even.  But I know my husband and if the dinner was left up to him, cold pizza it would be.  Randy is very good at lots of things but he does not cook.

Just before that Wednesday night I had just found my perfect crust, so I opted to make two savory tarts for the philosophers.  One contained corn and white cheddar, the other had chard spiced up with saffron.  I expected the corn tart to be the runaway hit but the chard tart was so good it definitely took first place.  I loved it and couldn’t wait to make it again.  A sunny end-of-summer Monday evening with a visiting friend with high expectations seemed just right.  (I’m kidding about the high expectations.  Kind of.)

Truth be told.  Everything in the markets right now is so amazing that food can taste really exceptional with just a bit of coaxing.  Alongside the tart, I made a corn pudding that I loved and need to make as many times as possible before our fleeting corn season is over.  I sautéed some zucchini in just a bit of olive oil and then tossed the coins with strips of basil, lemon juice, and Pecorino Romano.  (This is my new favorite way to eat zucchini).  I made that tomato and burrata salad that I know I will cry remembering in November.  Not a ton of work and really delicious results.

So let’s talk about the tart.  If you happen to have tart dough in the freezer, this comes together very quickly.  After a blind bake for the crust, onions are sautéed, chard is wilted, eggs and milk are whisked together, saffron and lemon zest are added, everything stirs together and goes into the tart shell, and 40 minutes later you have a tart.  I happen to prefer my savory tarts warm and not hot, so this is a perfect dish for a dinner party.  It can sit and cool while you attend to other details.

One Year Ago: Tortellini Skewers with Parmesan Lemon Dip
Good Chard on Dana Treat: Chickpeas and Chard with Cilantro and Cumin

Chard and Saffron Tart
Adapted from The Greens Cookbook
Serves 4-6

1 recipe Tart Dough (recipe follows)
1 large bunch of chard, leaves only, roughly chopped
1 tbsp. butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs
1½ cup whole milk
Large pinch saffron threads, soaked in 1 tablespoon hot water
Zest of 1 small lemon
3 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan
Nutmeg
3 tbsp. pine nuts, toasted

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.  Roll out one disk of dough to a 14-inch circle.  Carefully transfer the dough to a 10-inch fluted tart pan.  Fold the edges over on themselves to create a thick crust.  Pierce the bottom of the dough with a fork in several places, then place in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Line the pan with foil and fill with pie weights or beans.  Bake in the oven until the edges of the crust are starting to brown and the bottom no longer looks doughy, about 25 minutes.  Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Heat the butter in a wide skillet; add the onion and cook it over medium heat until it is translucent and soft.  Add the garlic, and the chard leaves by handfuls, if necessary, until they all fit.  Sprinkle in a large pinch of salt.  Turn the leaves over repeatedly with a pair of tongs so that they are all exposed to the heat of the pan, and cook until they are tender, 5 minutes or more.

Make the custard.  Beat the eggs; then stir in the milk, infused saffron, lemon peel, grated Parmesan, and a few scrapings of nutmeg.  Stir in the chard and onion mixture.  Taste and season with salt and a few grinds of pepper.  Pour the filling into the prepared tart shell and bake until the top is golden and firm, about 40 minutes.  Scatter the pine nuts over top before serving.

Olaiya Land’s Tender Tart Dough

Note:  You will need only 1 disk of this dough for the tart so keep the other one in your freezer for next time!

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1¾ tsp. salt
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. (2¼ sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
8 tbsp. (or more) ice water
1½ tsp. apple cider vinegar

Blend flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor.  Add butter; using on/off turns, process until coarse meal forms.  Add 8 tablespoons ice water and cider vinegar; blend until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by the teaspoon if dough is dry.

Gather dough together.  Turn out onto work surface; divide dough in half.  Form each half into ball and flatten into disk.  Wrap disks separately in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour.  (Can be made ahead.  Keep dough refrigerated up to 2 days, or enclose in a resealable plastic bag and freeze up to 1 month.  Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.)  Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.

“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

We are all familiar with that saying, right?  I have to say that I don’t agree.  Especially when it comes to cooking.  I have spent a lot of years in the kitchen working as a personal chef for three years, catering parties, teaching a few classes along the way, and I still feel like I have things to learn.  I love taking a cooking class here and there.  Besides getting great food to eat, I usually learn a thing or two.  (And sometimes I walk away with the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever.)

A few weeks ago, I took a class at Delancey.  You know about Delancey, right?  If you read Molly’s blog, then you surely do.  Molly and Brandon have a friend named Olaiya who is a talented chef and caterer.  She teaches cooking classes all around town and a few Mondays a month, she teaches there when the restaurant is closed.  I took a sweet and savory tart making class partly because the timing worked for me, and partly because I could always use some pointers when it comes to tart dough.

If you look at recipes for either pie or tart dough, they often come across as overly finicky and sometimes even alarmist.  Like if you overwork the dough, or allow it to become too warm, or add too much water the sun will suddenly start rising in the West and setting in the East.  At least, that is how I always read them.  Consequently, I have always been nervous working with tart and pie dough.  I do it, but I don’t like it.  After years of practice, my dough almost always comes out fine but I dread the process.  Watching Olaiya handle her dough with such confidence boosted mine a bit.  She also sent around samples of the dough at its “ready” point and it was much wetter than I have every allowed my dough to become.  I don’t know if you have ever tried to roll out dough that was too dry, but let me tell you that having dough crack all over your board and not hold together is not a pleasant experience.

For last Friday’s party, I wanted to make Pissaladière but I wanted to use dough rather than the puff pastry I have used in the past.  I wanted to make bite-size tarts and, while I could have made something work with my old method, I was eager to try out my new-found dough confidence.  Forgetting that I just bought adorable tartlet molds in Paris, I opted for mini-galettes.  The dough was as dreamy to work with as I hoped and these tarts came together quickly.  The next day, I made a double batch, wrapped the four disks of dough well, and put them in the freezer to have at the ready for next time(s).

I have to admit – I didn’t taste these bad boys.  Brooke sent me an email about two hours before the party was set to begin saying that their numbers jumped from 20 to 30.  (Maybe because their studio is air-conditioned and it was 94 degrees that day.)  She understood that there was nothing I could do but if I had anything extra to please bring it.  I had 28 galettes and I brought all of them.  But I feel pretty confident that these were good.

One Year Ago: Asparagus Ragout

Mini Pissaladiere
Dana Treat Original
Makes 24-28 mini tarts

You can easily cut this recipe or you can opt to make one large tart rather than the small ones.

Olive Oil
24-28 cherry tomatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 large yellow onions, peeled, cut in half, and thinly sliced
2 tbsp. fresh lemon thyme (or regular thyme), plus more for garnish
About 20 Kalamata olives
1 recipe Olaiya’s Tender Tart Dough
1 egg beaten together with 1 tsp. water

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.  Place the cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle them with olive oil, then give them a sprinkle of salt and a few grinds of pepper.  Using your hands, toss well.  Place the sheet in the oven until the tomatoes are very soft and starting to brown, about 20 minutes.  Turn the heat down to 375ºF and set the tomatoes aside.

Meanwhile, heat two large skillets over medium heat.  Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to each one, then add the onions – splitting them between the two skillets.  Give each one a healthy sprinkle of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften.  Turn the heat down to medium-low, add the thyme, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any brown bits, until the onions are very soft and a deep brown, about 45 minutes.  (If you have a cast iron skillet, use it!)  If the onions seem very wet, allow them to drain.  Set aside.

Remove your dough from the refrigerator.  Working with one half at a time, and on a lightly floured surface, pat the dough into a slightly larger and flatter disk.  Cut the circle in half and then each half into either 6 or 7 pieces.  Using your hands, coax each piece into a circle, then roll it out to about 1/8-inch thick using a rolling pin.  Repeat with the other dough pieces.  Brush each piece with some of the egg wash and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Spoon about 2 tbsp. of onions into the middle of each circle, leaving a 1½-inch border.  (You will need to continually eyeball your onions to make sure you have enough for all the dough.)  Pull one side of the dough up, then turn it a bit and pleat the dough all the way around the circle.  This will happen quite naturally, just go with it.  Once you have finished with all the dough, brush each tart with a bit more of the egg was and then place in the freezer for 10 minutes.  Repeat with the other half of the dough, and then with the other disk of dough and the remaining onions.

Bake the Pissaladiere, one sheet at time in the oven until the pastry is a nice golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.  Remove and allow them to cool on a rack.  Before serving, top each one with a tomato and a couple of olive pieces.  Garnish with thyme if desired.

Olaiya Land’s Tender Tart Dough

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1¾ tsp. salt
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. (2¼ sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
8 tbsp. (or more) ice water
1½ tsp. apple cider vinegar

Blend flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor.  Add butter; using on/off turns, process until coarse meal forms.  Add 8 tablespoons ice water and cider vinegar; blend until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by the teaspoon if dough is dry.

Gather dough together.  Turn out onto work surface; divide dough in half.  Form each half into ball and flatten into disk.  Wrap disks separately in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour.  (Can be made ahead.  Keep dough refrigerated up to 2 days, or enclose in a resealable plastic bag and freeze up to 1 month.  Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.)  Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.

Can someone tell me when Meatless Monday started?  I feel like I saw a couple of bloggers mention it and before I knew it, it was everywhere.  (Kind of like those chocolate chip cookies and that no-knead bread.)

Anyway, since every Monday is a meatless one around here, I will try and post something savory and dinner-like on Mondays.

I actually made this delicious tart last week for Randy and my parents.  Typically, my mom and dad come for dinner either once a week or once every other week.  They love seeing the boys, the boys love seeing them, and it gives us something to look forward to, especially on these long afternoons where the rain keeps us inside.  About a month ago, my dad was skiing in Sun Valley when he fell and broke his leg in two places.  He was taken down the mountain by the ski patrol where an ambulance was waiting to take him to the hospital.  He ended up being in surgery for four hours to place a rod in his leg and has been in a cast ever since.

All this to say that this was the first time my parents had been over in a while and I wanted to make something really good for dinner.  When I am wanting or willing to spend a little more time on dinner, one of the cookbooks that I turn to is Suzanne Goin’s Sunday Suppers at Lucques.  I know it is a favorite of many food bloggers out there and deservedly so.  The food is truly amazing.  Complex – sometimes maddeningly so – but if you want to make something special, you are practically guaranteed success.

I am pleased to say to say that not only was this tart delicious, it wasn’t all that much effort.  Truly not any more so than a slightly-nicer-than-usual weeknight dinner in our house but it looks and tastes much more time consuming than that.  I made the Currant-Pine Nut Relish the day before and promptly forgot to serve it with the tart which made me want to just whip up another one the next night.  If I had had more chard, I would certainly have done so.

I made a lot of little changes to this recipe.  I used one sheet of Pepperidge Farms puff pastry which I rolled out to 1/8-inch thickness.  My bunch of chard was a little on the skimpy side, so I added a bunch of gorgeous baby spinach that I found at the farmer’s market.  I used low fat sour cream rather than crème fraîche because I had some in my refrigerator, but I did follow the recipe’s suggestion to use an aged goat cheese (I used a Bûcheron).  You could certainly use a soft one though.  Finally, I ignored Goin’s suggestion to blend the ricotta mixture with a food processor and just did it by hand with a whisk.

One Year Ago:  Spicy Sweet Potatoes with Lime

Swiss Chard Tart with Goat Cheese, Currants, and Pine Nuts
Adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques
Serves 4-6

I think the best way to defrost puff pastry is to put it in the refrigerator overnight.

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, defrosted
2 large egg yolks
1 large bunch of Swiss chard, cleaned, center ribs removed
Olive oil
¼ cup sliced shallots
1 tsp. thyme leaves
½ cup whole milk ricotta
¼ cup crème fraîche
6 oz. semi-aged goat cheese
Currant Pine Nut Relish (recipe follows)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Unroll the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and lightly roll in each direction to for a neat rectangle, approximately 1/8-inch thick.  Carefully transfer the puff pastry to a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Use a paring knife to score a ¼-inch border around the edge of the pastry.  (DT: “Score” means lightly cutting into the pastry but not all the way through.  This will form your crust.)  Make an egg wash by whisking one egg yolk with ½ teaspoon of water, and brush the egg wash along the border.  (You will not need all of the egg wash.)  Chill the puff pastry in the freezer until ready to use.

Tear the chard into large pieces.  Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom.  Add the shallots and the thyme.  Sauté a few minutes and then add half the Swiss chard.  Cook a minute or two, tossing the greens in the oil to help them wilt.  Add the second half of the greens, and season with a heaping ¼ teaspoon of salt and a pinch of black pepper.  Cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the greens are tender.

Spread the greens on a baking sheet or platter to cool.  When they are cooled, squeeze the excess water out with your hands.

Place the ricotta, remaining egg yolk and one tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl.  Whisk until smooth, then gently fold in the crème fraîche and season with a healthy pinch of salt and black pepper.

Spread the ricotta mixture on the puff pastry inside the scored border.  Crumble half the goat cheese over the ricotta, arrange the greens on top, and sprinkle the remaining goat cheese over the tart.  If you aren’t ready to bake, cover the tart with plastic wrap and chill.  (DT: Goin says you can make the tart in the morning and bake it in the evening, but I’m afraid the tart would be too soggy.  I put mine in the fridge for an hour or so and it was fine.)

Bake the tart for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until the cheese is bubbling and the crust is golden brown.  Check underneath the tart to make sure the crust is really cooked through.

Cool for a few minutes and then transfer the tart to a cutting board.  Cut into pieces and serve with the Currant-Pine Nut Relish.

Currant-Pine Nut Relish

½ cup pine nuts
1/3 cup olive oil
½ sprig rosemary
1 chile de àrbol, or any small dried chile
¾ cup finely diced red onion
1/3 cup dried currants
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Toast the pine nuts for 5-8 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they are golden brown and smell nutty.

Heat a small sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes.  Turn the heat down to medium, and add the olive oil, rosemary, and chile.  When the rosemary and chile start to sizzle, add the onion and season with a good pinch of salt.  Turn the heat down to low and let the onions stew gently for about 10 minutes, until tender.  Transfer to a small bowl to cool.  Discard the rosemary and the chile.

While the onion is cooking, place the currants in a small bowl and cover with hot water.  Let the currants soak for 10 minutes, then drain well.

Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan the onions were in, and reduce it over medium-high heat to a scant 1 tablespoon.  stir the reduced vinegar into the onion mixture.

Add the toasted pine nuts, currants, and parsley to the onion mixture, and stir to combine.  Taste for balance and seasoning.

Some people are afraid of yeast so they don’t make bread.  Some people are afraid of crusts so they don’t make tarts or pies.  (I myself am afraid of frosting layer cakes but I don’t let it stop me.)  So, If I say “tart”, are you one of those people who gets scared?   Truth be told, I find crusts can be tricky even thought I have made a lot of them.  Every time I make a pie, I say a little prayer to the crust gods to make things go smoothly.  My only advice is that it helps to have a good recipe and lots of practice.

If you do suffer from a crust phobia, please make this pie.  I would say it’s like a crust-less quiche, but it does in fact have a crust.  It is nothing more than some breadcrumbs sprinkled into a buttered pie plate, but somehow just that little bit of attention makes it more elegant, interesting, and also helps hold the slices together.  The lack of a butter and/or shortening  crust also makes a slice much lighter and healthier – so you can be a little more heavy-handed with the cheese.

This is one of many Jeanne Lemlin tarts that I have made – all easy, all delicious.  It is totally adaptable and great for lunch, brunch, or dinner.  Although she says it is important to use Swiss cheese in this one to help keep it all together, I bet you could substitute another firm cheese and have it turn out fabulously well.

One Year Ago: Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Zucchini, Tomato, and Swiss Cheese Pie
Adapted from Quick Vegetarian Pleasures
Serves 4

1 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup bread crumbs
Olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 tsp. fennel seed
¼ tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
¼ pound grated Swiss cheese
3 tbsp. grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 375º F.  Butter a 9 inch pie plate, then sprinkle the bread crumbs all over the sides and bottom.  Allow whatever loose crumbs are there to just sit on the bottom.

2.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add enough olive oil to just coat the bottom, then add the onion.  Sauté until translucent, then add the garlic and sauté for another 3 minutes.  Stir in the diced tomatoes and sauté another 5 minutes.  Raise the heat to high.  Mix in the zucchini, fennel seed, salt and pepper.  Cook until the zucchini is barely tender, about 5 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and cool 5 minutes.  (The recipe may be prepared in a dvance to this point an dchilled up to 24 hours.  Bring to room temperature before proceeding.)

3.  Beat the eggs in a large bowl.  Stir in the milk, then mix in the zucchini mixture.  Pour half into the prepared pie plate, top with the Swiss cheese, then pour on the remaining vegetable mixture.  Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese all over the top.

4.  Bake 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown.  Let sit 10 minutes before cutting.

It’s November and that means it’s NaBloPoMo.  That stands for National Blog Posting Month and some people will be writing a post every day.  I attempted it last year and did fairly well.  Seeing as I have already missed a day, I guess I don’t need to tell you that I will not be participating this year – just too busy of a month (and I have also come down with a nasty bug).  But with all the upcoming cooking, I will probably have lots to share.  Just not every day.

I wish I could have shared these tarts with you.  Not only were they delicious, the recipe made four of them and we only ate two.  I encouraged Randy to bring the leftovers to work with him for several days running (he just forgot) and eventually had to throw them out because they got soggy.  I hate that.

It might seem strange for a vegetarian, but I really love Ina Garten.  I have four of the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks and hers is the only show on the Food Network I can watch anymore.  I have made many of her recipes and they never fail.  Yes, about half of each cookbook is off limits to me, but the half I can use is terrific.

These tarts are a classic in my opinion.  The only thing that takes time is caramelizing the onions but if you have some on hand (they keep for days in the refrigerator and I’ve heard you can successfully freeze them), this elegant meal comes together in about half an hour.  Ina makes these tarts round but in order to get four, you would have to use two sheets of puff pastry and throw out the perfectly good scraps just to get a pretty shape.  I used one sheet and cut the pastry into four rectangles instead – no waste.  (Except for the finished uneaten-after-several-days product.  Sigh.)

You will notice that there is no basil on my tarts.  Sometimes I will go to great lengths to get a forgotten ingredient, like walking both unwilling boys up to our neighborhood market only to find that they forgot to carry my forgotten ingredient and then piling both boys – still unwilling – in the car to find a market that does carry it.  This was not one of those times.  I’m sure the basil would have taken these delicious tarts over the top and they certainly would have looked prettier, but I’m all right with what I got.

One Year Ago:  Baba Ghanoush

Tomato & Goat Cheese Tarts
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
Make 4 individual tarts

I find the best way to thaw puff pastry is in the refrigerator overnight.  For this recipe, you will only use one sheet.  Take it out, wrap it in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator.  Wrap the remaining sheet in plastic and place back in the box and place the box back in the freezer.  Now you have one for next time.

1/2 package (17.3 ounce) puff pastry, defrosted
Olive oil
4 cups thinly sliced yellow onions (2 large onions)
3 large garlic cloves, cut into slivers
3 tbsp. dry white wine
2 tsp. minced fresh thyme leaves
4 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese, such as Montrachet
2 large tomatoes, cut into 8 1/4-inch thick slices
3 tbsp. julienned basil leaves
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler

Unfold the puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface and roll it slightly to an 11 x 11-inch square.  Cut the pastry into four quarters.  Place the quarters on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium to low heat and add the onions and garlic.  Sauté for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are limp and there is almost no moisture remaining in the skillet.  Add 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper, the wine, and thyme and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned.  Remove from the heat.

Using a sharp paring knife, score a 1/2 inch-wide border around each pastry square.  Prick the pastry inside the score lines with the tines of a fork and sprinkle a tablespoon of grated Parmesan on each square, staying inside the scored border.

Place one-quarter of the onion mixture on each circle, again staying within the scored edge.  Crumble 1 ounce of goat cheese on top of the onions.  Place two slices of tomato in the center of each tart.  Brush the tomato lightly with olive oil and spring with basil, salt and pepper.  Finally scatter 4 or 5 shards of Parmesan on each tart.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.  Serve hot or warm.

A few months ago, I got a lovely email from a guy who reads my blog.  He and his partner live in Seattle and a big birthday was coming up.  He wondered if I would cook a dinner for them as a surprise for his partner.  I was touched and said yes right away.  Many emails went back and forth figuring out dates and menu ideas.  Through it all this guy was such a joy to work with.  He only had two requests.  Mexican Brownies had to be the treat and I had to keep the whole thing a secret.

Menu ideas went around and around in my head.  I obsess about menus for people I know, let alone strangers.  Ultimately, I decided it was best to let the season guide me.  I turned to my trusty Macrina Bakery cookbook for yet another of Leslie Mackie’s amazing savory galette recipes.  This one had a ricotta and goat cheese base with sauteed pears topping it.  I made a butternut squash soup that had just a bit of wild rice in each bowl, and I made broccoli and cauliflower with a mustard chive butter.  And the brownies of course.

Coincidentally, we had friends over for dinner that same night so I made double the amount of everything and we were able to enjoy the meal as well.  I was a tad worried that the galette might be too sweet for a main course but it was really wonderful.  I was recently tempted to try a different crust recipe after reading a post by Sarah at In Praise of Leftovers (she is a galette master), but after tasting this one once more, I’ve got to stay loyal.  It is so incredibly easy to put together and is probably the flakiest dough I have ever tasted.

Have you ever felt like a rock star?  I haven’t had the experience too often, but I highly recommend it.  Thursday afternoon I arrived at their place and called from downstairs to ask for help bringing up the food.  As they walked out the front door, his partner took one look at me and his hands flew to his face as his jaw dropped.  He recognized me from my photos here and as the reality of what was coming set in, he got really excited.  I got to hear how they found me (thank you Amy B.!) and all the dishes they have tried, and loved, from this site.  He told me, “I feel like I’m meeting a rock star.”  And that was probably the best thing I heard all week.  Because yes, sometimes my children do make me feel like a rock star (“Yay Mommy!”) but more often than not, they make me feel like a roadie.

One Year Ago:  Gnocchi with Winter Squash and Seared Radicchio

Roasted Pear Galette with Chèvre and Pomegranates
Adapted from Macrina Bakery and Café Cookbook
Serves 8-10

The amount of dough in the following recipe will make two of these large galettes.  Use one half and freeze the other.  I love having it on hand in the freezer.

2 ripe Bartlett pears, cored and halved
Canola oil
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups goat cheese
3 eggs
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. chopped thyme
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 recipe Flaky Pie Dough (recipe follows), chilled
1/4 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Egg wash made with 1 egg and 1 tsp. water

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Preheat a large skillet (preferably non-stick) to medium-high heat.  Cut pear halves in to 1/2-inch thick slices.  Brush both sides of the slices with canola oil and lay them in the hot pan.  Turn the slices over as soon as they begin to turn brown, you don’t want to cook the fruit all the way through.  Once they other side is slightly brown, lay the pear slices on a sheet of parchment paper and set aside to cool.

Combine ricotta, goat cheese, eggs, salt, thyme, and rosemary in a large bowl.  Season with a little pepper and mix well with a whisk.  Set aside.

Form chilled pie dough into a ball and place it on a floured work surface.  Flatten the ball slightly and roll it into a 14-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick.  Roll the dough over the rolling pin and unroll it onto the prepared baking sheet.  Spoon ricotta mixture onto center of circle and flatten leaving a 2-inch border around the edges.  Lift border on top of the filling, tucking and folding the dough to create a gathered, or pleated, finish.  Lift each of the folds up and brush underneath with egg wash to seal the crust.  Brush all exposed dough with egg wash, then place the galette in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.

Remove tart from refrigerator and bake on center rack of the oven for 30 minutes.  Remove tart from oven and lay the cooled pear slices on top of the tart.  Return the tart to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.  Let cool on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.  Garnish the tart with pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley.  The galette is best served slightly warm.  Wrap any leftovers with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

(DT: You can make the dough up to 4 days ahead, the cheese filling one day ahead, and can seed the pomegranate one day ahead.  This make putting it together a breeze.  The whole thing can be assembled and baked 6 hours ahead of serving.  Reheat in a 375°F oven for 10-15 minutes.)

Flaky Pie Dough
Makes enough for 2 double-crusted (9-inch) pies, or 2 galettes

I always make pie dough in my food processor, but this amount is too much for it, so I do it by hand with a pastry blender.

5 1/4 cups flour
1 tbsp. kosher salt
12 tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) butter, chilled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 3/4 cups solid vegetable shortening, chilled
1 cup ice water

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl and toss together. Add butter and cut it into the flour until the texture is coarse and crumbly. You can use a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingers. Cut the shortening up and add it in small pieces. Cut in the shortening until the dough is crumbly again. Add ice water and mix just until the dough sticks together when pinched. Pull dough from bowl onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a block. Cut it in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or wrap it again in foil and store in the freezer. One day before you are going to use frozen dough, transfer it to the refrigerator and allow it to thaw there overnight.

Do you have a mentor? I don’t but I wish I did. My husband has one who used to be his boss and now is just an incredibly wise person who he talks to frequently and bounces ideas off of. He is like a kind uncle who knows you really well and who has great advice to give. We had him and his partner over for dinner the other night. He has sat at our table in London, in our previous house in Seattle, and now in our current house. I know he likes to cook and that he appreciates good food. I thought giving them a good wow in the dessert department would be nice.

Nectarines are my favorite fruit. I love just about all fruit but nectarines are at the top of my list. They are so incredible right now in this part of the country and I am trying to get my fill of them before they disappear. I have been putting them in salads and salsas and I just eat them out of hand. And so I was very happy to have an excuse to make this incredible tart.

This tart is on my all-time favorite desserts list. I only make it at this time of year – when the farmers’ market practically smells of nectarines. It has so many things to recommend it. It can be mostly made in advance, it is incredibly quick to put together, but most of all the flavors are intoxicating. A healthy dose of crystallized ginger both in the filling and sprinkled over the top make it appropriate to serve with all kinds of food. I often make more “international” food when we have adventurous food guests and pairing dessert with some of those dishes can be challenging. I think because of the ginger and the fruit here, it goes well with just about anything.

I have been on an ice cream making kick lately. For this tart I opted to make the Honey Lavender Ice Cream found in David Lebovitz’s incomparable The Perfect Scoop. I am lucky to have lots of lavender growing in my front yard. I was initially worried that the ice cream may have a soapy flavor because a healthy amount of lavender steeps for a long time in the custard. Not to worry. The flavor is very distinguishable but is lovely and light and plays beautifully off the honey. And it went perfectly with the tart. And Randy said it was the best ice cream he had ever eaten. Enough said.

One Year Ago: Zucchini Stuffed with Chickpeas and Israeli Couscous

Nectarine and Marscapone Tart in Gingersnap Crust
Adapted from Bon Appétit
8 Servings

Crust
25 gingersnap cookies; coarsely broken (about 6 ounces; about 2 1/4 cups pieces)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Filling
1 8-ounce container marscapone cheese
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp. grated lemon peel
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. finely chopped crystallized ginger

Topping
4 to 5 small nectarines, halved, pitted, cut into thin slices
1/4 cup peach jam, warmed
2 tbsp. finely chopped crystallized ginger

For Crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Finely grind gingersnaps in processor. Add butter and blend until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press mixture over bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Bake crust until color darkens, pressing sides with back of spoon if beginning to slide, about 8 minutes. Cool completely.

For Filling: Beat first 6 ingredients in medium bowl until smooth. Beat in crystallized ginger. Spread filling in prepared crust. Cover loosely and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

For Topping: Overlap nectarine slices atop filling in concentric circles. Brush with jam. Sprinkle with chopped crystallized ginger. Serve or refrigerate for up to 6 hours.

If you are a regular reader here, you probably know very well my love of chocolate.  The Dana Treat formula is simple:  dessert = chocolate.  But I know that not everyone feels this way.  My own husband professes not to like chocolate – at least that is what he says before he scarfs down whatever chocolate thing I have put in front of him.  Truly, his dessert taste does run to things like apple pie or lemon tart.  And in the summer, mine does too.

Don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate anytime, but something really rich on a hot night just doesn’t sound right.  I needed to make something for an impromptu gathering last Friday and I struggled because I know a few of the guests are true chocoholics.  I also knew some of them are not.  So, I decided to branch out and make something really different.  I turned to my dessert notebook and almost right away found this recipe.

I have to say, on a July night, this tart is a lovely thing.  It is served cold and, while there is a bit of sugar in crust and in the filling, it seems like the sweetness only comes from the honey drizzled on top.  The rest of the tart is refreshingly, well, tart.  It would be lovely served at a fancier dinner as a sort of cheese course, followed by chocolate truffles.  But, like I said, it was pretty hard to beat on a warm summer evening.

One Year Ago:  Orzo with Brocoli, Feta, and Olives

Honeyed Goat Cheese Tart with Pistachio Crust
From Food and Wine
Makes one 9-inch tart

If you are familiar with Fage Greek yogurt, the large container is just the right size for this tart.  You will definitely want to serve some fruit on the plate along with a tart slice.  I used blueberries, but raspberries or strawberries – or even peach slices – would be great.

1/2 cup unsalted shelled pistachios
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups flour
11 ounces soft goat cheese
2 cups full-fat Greek-style yogurt
2 tbsp. lime juice
2 tsp. finely grated lime zest
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup clover honey (DT: I used Tupelo honey)

1.  In a food processor, pulse the pistachios until finely ground.  In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter with the granulated sugar at medium speed until pale, about 1 minute.  Add the ground pistachios, almond extract, and salt and beat until combined.  Add the flour and beat at low speed until incorporated and the dough is crumbly.

2.  Scrape the dough into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.  Using the bottom of a glass, press the dough over the bottom and up the side of the tart pan.  Refrigerate until chilled, 30 minutes.

3.  Preheat the oven to 300°F.  Prick the dough all over with a fork.  Bake the crust for about 45 minutes, until lightly golden.  Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.

4.  In the bowl of the mixer, beat the goat cheese, yogurt, lime juice and lime zest until combined.  Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until smooth.  Scrape the filling into the crust and refrigerate for 2 hours.

5.  Just before serving, in a small saucepan, cook the honey over moderately high heat until it reaches 236°F on a candy thermometer, about 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir until slightly cooled, about 2 minutes.  Drizzle the honey over the tart and let stand until the honey firms up, about 5 minutes.  Cut the tart into wedges and serve.

(The tart can be prepared through step 4 and refrigerated overnight.)

Way back in February, I told you about galettes from the Macrina Bakery here in Seattle.  I shared the recipe for an extraordinary one starring butternut squash.  I’m here to share another.

My brother Alex and his family came for dinner last night.  (I just have to brag again.  Alex was – and still is – the personal trainer for Jason, a.k.a. last season’s The Bachelor.)  Randy hadn’t grilled salmon yet this summer and I know how much Alex loves salmon, so it was certainly time.  My sister-in-law Amy is also a vegetarian, so I wanted to make something special as a side, something that could be more of a main course for us.  Immediately I thought of this galette.

This  beauty is a classic savory tart crust filled with an intoxicating mixture of Fontina and Ricotta cheeses all bound together with some egg and flavored with fresh oregano and thyme.  It is topped with arugula that has been tossed with olive oil, lemon zest, and Kalamata olive halves.  That part is topped with roasted tomato slices.  Leslie Mackie’s Macrina Bakery and Café Cookbook actually has four galette recipes, three savory and one sweet.  I almost can’t wait for fall so I can make the Roasted Pear Galette with Chèvre and Pomegranates.  Until then, I will certainly make this lovely roasted tomato topped one again.

One Year Ago:  Leek Fritatta

Roasted Tomato and Olive Galette with Fontina
Adapted from Macrina Bakery and Café Cookbook
Serves 8-10

When writing about the butternut squash galette, I mentioned that it is easier, and more attractive, to make several small galettes rather than one big one.  I didn’t follow my own advice last night and I should have.  Everything tasted great, but the large dough was a bit hard to work with and crimp attractively.  Note that the crust recipe below makes enough for two of these large galettes.  I place the unused half of dough in my freezer for next time.

2 cups grated fontina cheese
2 cups ricotta cheese
3 eggs
Kosher salt
1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (DT: I used more like 2 tbsp. of each.)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 recipe Flaky Pie Dough, chilled (recipe follows)
Egg wash made with 1 egg and 1 tsp. water
5 Roma tomatoes
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 handful fresh arugula leaves
1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
Zest of 1 lemon

Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine fontina cheese, ricotta, eggs, 1 tsp. kosher salt, oregano, thyme, and a little freshly ground black pepper in a large bowl.  Mix well and set aside.

Form chilled pie dough into a ball and place it on a lightly floured work surface.  Flatten ball slightly, then roll it into a 14-inch circle, about 1/8th of an inch thick.  Carefully lift it onto a prepared baking sheet.  Spoon ricotta mixture onto center of circle and flatten to cover 10 inches, leaving a 2-inch border.  Lift border over top of the filling, tucking and folding the dough to create a gathered, or pleated, finish.  Lift each of the folds up and brush underneath with egg wash to seal the crust.  Brush all exposed dough with egg wash, then place the galette in the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Wash and core tomatoes, then cut them into 12 pieces each.  Combine chopped tomatoes and 1/4 cup of olive oil in a bowl and toss together.  Pour tomatoes onto a prepared baking sheet and spread into a single layer.  Season with salt and pepper.  Roast on center rack of oven for 35-40 minutes, or until edges are deep brown.  Set aside to cool.  Leave oven on.

Remove tart from refrigerator and bake on center rack of oven for 55-60 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.  Let cool on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Place the arugula in a bowl with the olives, lemon zest, and the remaining olive oil.  Add a little salt and pepper, and toss together.  Arrange arugula mixture on center of galette and scatter roasted tomatoes over the top.  Serve at room temperature.

Flaky Pie Dough
Makes enough for 2 double-crusted (9-inch) pies, or 2 galettes

I always make pie dough in my food processor, but this amount is too much for it, so I do it by hand with a pastry blender.

5 1/4 cups flour
1 tbsp. kosher salt
12 tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) butter, chilled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 3/4 cups solid vegetable shortening, chilled
1 cup ice water

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl and toss together. Add butter and cut it into the flour until the texture is coarse and crumbly. You can use a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingers. Cut the shortening up and add it in small pieces. Cut in the shortening until the dough is crumbly again. Add ice water and mix just until the dough sticks together when pinched. Pull dough from bowl onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a block. Cut it in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or wrap it again in foil and store in the freezer. One day before you are going to use frozen dough, transfer it to the refrigerator and allow it to thaw there.

I have sung the praises of cookbook author Jeanne Lemlin here before.  Up until recently, I owned three of her cookbooks, all of which I love and could not do without.  For Mother’s Day, my sister-in-law bought me the one that was missing from my collection.  It is a fabulous addition.

I have a lot of cookbooks.  A lot.  Whenever I am tempted to buy a new one, I really look through the recipes.  About 90% of the time, I put the book in question back  because I find that the recipes are too similar to things I already have in other books.  What amazes me about Lemlin is this.  Here is an author whose books I use all the time.  You would think there would be no reason for me to have this fourth book.  And you would be wrong.  (This is starting to sound a lot like my justification arguments to my husband.)

Vegetarian Classics houses 300 more recipes, many of which jump off the page.  There are a few that bear a slight resemblance to earlier recipes, but most of them are quite different.  As I sat looking through the book, I knew that this entire week would be devoted to this book.  It has not disappointed so far.

I made these lovely tartlets for my clients Tuesday night.  They were quite simple to make, looked pretty, and were delicious to eat.  I love when something looks like you spent a lot of time on it when in fact it was fairly quick.  These would also make a fabulous appetizer, cut in much smaller rounds and topped with a single slice of potato and a single slice of zucchini.  As an added bonus, the sun-dried tomato pesto that is slathered onto the puff pastry can be used on crostini or tossed with pasta.  I think making a double batch next time might be a good idea.

Individual Vegetable Tarts
Adapted from Vegetarian Classics
Serves 4

1 sheet (half of a 17-ounce package) frozen puff pastry
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto (recipe follows)
1 large Yukon Gold potato, halved, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 large zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1.  Defrost the puff pastry in the refrigerator overnight.

2.  Fill a saucepan halfway with water and bring to a boil.  drop in the potato slices and cook until tneder but not mushy, about 5 minutes.  Drain and spread out on a plate to cool.

3.  Hea the oil in a large skillet until hot but not somiking.  Fry the zucchini slices until golden on each side.  Remove to a plate and let cool.

4.  On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry into an 11×11 square.  Using a 5 inch cutter or inverted bowl, cut 4 disks from the pastry.  Place the disks on a baking sheet and pierce all over with a fork.  Keep refrigerated until you are ready to assemble the tarts.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

5.  Spread 2 tbsp. pesto on each pastry disk, leaving a 1/2 inch border.  You will have some pesto left over; refrigerate for another use.  Ocver the pesto with some potato slices, then cover the potatoes with zucchini slices arranged in a circle.

6.  Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
Makes 1 cup

1/2 cup loose sun-dried tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parlsey
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. pine nuts
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1.  Place the tomatoes in a heat-proof bowl and pour boiling water over them.  Cover bowl with a plate and let sit 10 minutes.  Drain and cool the tomatoes.

2.  In a food processor, combine the tomatoes, garlic, parlsey, basil, salt, and pepper and process until finely ground.  Slowly pour in the oil and process until smooth.  Scrape the pesto into a bowl and stir in the pine nuts and cheese.  If you are using the pesto on pasta, stir in 1/2 cup boiling pasta water to thin it out.