Yotam Ottolenghi's Grilled Banana Bread with Tahini and Honeycomb

Well, I dearly love banana bread, especially the rich, moist kind usually made with sour cream and lots of oil and butter. Living in the South has tainted me; I like my breads to be super moist, almost resembling a freshly baked cake.  After sitting on it for a day or two I have had to backtrack and put it out there now that I can certainly appreciate this yummy recipe from Yotam's cookbook, Plenty More. This is NOT your Southern banana bread, baby! Yet, it is amazing in a whole new way. My eyes have been opened and I now realize that my former tastes may have been superseded by this new more "mature" take on one of my favorites. Yotam's recipe resembles a standard banana bread, until you realize that you are adding TWO cups of chopped pecans! Beware, you must really like a nutty bread to enjoy this one! He adds the usual ripe bananas, brown sugar, eggs, milk, sunflower oil, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Not too unusual, you muse. All seems normal until the bread is cooked and you go to unload it from the baking pan. I use the word "unload" because it is at least ten pounds and you are thinking that something this dense must be awful in some sense. I couldn't wait to cut into it to see why in the heck it was so heavy. It must be dry, was my first thought. All I can say now is that it must be all the nuts. This is truly a nutty treasure that any nut loving squirrel would like. Yotam serves his toasted with tahini (sesame paste) drizzled on top and then a chunk of honeycomb and a dash of coarse sea salt to adorn the top. We tried this and, albeit delicious, our preference was to toast the bread and slather some really good butter on it and have it with tea or coffee in the morning. Anyone who likes peanut butter would enjoy the tahini paste (normally used for hummus and other savory sauces and dips) as it is the "new peanut butter" and probably really good for you considering it is nothing but ground sesame seeds. Wow wow wow! I could eat this all day long! Unfortunately, not everyone likes nuts so you have to be discriminating when serving this dish. Bon appetit!!!!

Yotam Ottolenghi Vegetarian Dinner for Ruth's Birthday

Our son's girlfriend, Ruth, is vegetarian and a fabulous cook. Although I use to be vegetarian myself for about seven years, I find that most really good vegetarian recipes "for company" require a lot of prep time. Tonight I did something I don't usually do when I have folks coming over for dinnner....I made four new dishes...all from Yotam's Plenty More Cookbook. Surprisingly, they were all relatively simple and required a reasonable number of ingredients, unlike many of his other recipes I have tried in the past.

For starters we had Zucchini Baba Ghanoush, a take off of the usual eggplant dish. Served as a spread to accompany fresh olive bread it was a hit.  The smokiness imparted into the zucchini by broiling it in the oven ramped up the flavor. A hint of spiciness from red pepper flakes and a cool yogurt sauce on top was a real winner. I still think I prefer the eggplant version of this dish better, but it was fun to put a new spin on one of my favorites.

We then proceeded to a lovely Fig Salad with a nice balsamic dressing drizzled over it. Since late summer and early fall are peak time for figs I enjoyed having them while they are so fresh. Paired with several greens, radicchio, basil and watercress, the sweetness of the figs and the balsamic vinegar really played well off of one another. The addition of warm roasted red onions was a game winner and the toasted hazelnuts imparted a nice crunch.

For the main entree we had Baked Orzo With Mozzarella And Oregano, all made with fresh local tomatoes and herbs. While I often find most vegetarian entrees to be filling only when consumed in bulk, this dish proved satisfying in every way. A nice filling meal full of eggplant, carrots, onions, tomatoes, orzo and fresh herbs we all were stuffed after eating a modest size serving. Very flavorful and the smooth mozzarella really held everything together in a nice way.

The grand finale.....Bitter Frozen Berries With White Chocolate Cream.  YUM! Super simple and super yummy. An easy white chocolate ganache topped with tangy berries doused in a bit of Angostura bitters and confectioners' sugar, served alongside a biscotti was absolutely delicious. Light and creamy, beautiful presentation, and did I mention chocolate? What's not to love?!

https://ca.hellomagazine.com/cuisine/02015021913683/bitter-frozen-berries-with-white-chocolate-cream

Happy birthday to my son's sweet sweet girlfriend and may you have many more! You inspire me to cook every day!!!

Caprese Salad made with Cherokee Purple Tomatoes

My sister in law has a fabulous garden every year and this year she grew the most amazing tomatoes, Cherokee Purple Tomatoes. Suffice it to say that they were ultra juicy and flavorful. I will have to have these in my garden next year. When it came time to make the Caprese Salad there was no way we could use any other tomatoes. I dare say I may never be able to go without these little beauties in my summer salads and tomato tarts!  Thanks, Karla!!!!

Giada de Laurentiis Giada's Kitchen - Chocolate Panna Cotta with Amaretto Whipped Cream

OMG is all I can say about this recipe! This will be my go to dessert for quite some time now. Considering I am not a huge sweets fan that is saying a lot. This is like chocolate mousse on steroids. And the Amaretto whipped cream is divine. Super easy, very rich and everyone is begging me to make it again. A few quick notes that I am sure made it even better....my sister in law had some fresh milk straight from the cow and I used good chocolate (always a plus!). I don't even know what else to say about this except that rarely do I have my socks knocked off of me. This one did it! Bon appetit! 

https://www.today.com/recipes/chocolate-panna-cotta-amaretto-whipped-cream-wbrp26993381

Giada's Kitchen, New Italian Favorites Orzo Stuffed Peppers

I recently decided to crack open a cookbook I had picked up at the advice of a friend and have yet to use. Giada de Laurentiis is touted as an every day Italian cook offering everything from traditional and regional Italian food to this book which emphasizes her more clean, vibrant simple flavors in Italian cooking. The key, of course, is to use the freshest ingredients. Today's attempt was prompted by the fresh peppers my sister in law grew in her garden, coupled with the fresh tomatoes and mint I gathered in my own garden. While it was good and clean, I found it to be a bit bland so when I remade them the next night I added some ground lamb which really kicked it up a notch in conjunction with the fresh mint. I will make this again, but not on my favorite list. The lamb made a huge difference. But then...what's not to love about lamb???????!

Cooks Illustrated 2012 Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

I had a chance to go visit my son in college this weekend for the first time since he left home. What mother can show up on such a momentous occasion and NOT bring homemade cookies? So they HAD to be awesome. Once again, CI All Time Best Recipes 2012 to the rescue with a totally deconstructed Toll House Cookie recipe for adults. This author cracks me up (and he must have had a blast taste testing all those cookies along the way!). His article says he produced over 700 cookies until he decided he had found the ultimate remake of the traditional Toll House Cookie recipe which was first released in 1939 when Nestle began printing the recipe on the back of their packages of chocolate chips. (Sorry, Nestle, I used Ghiradelli Chocolate). In his estimation the ideal cookie must be moist and chewy on the inside, crisp at the edges, have deep notes of toffee and butterscotch to balance the sweetness and be complex in taste. Did he achieve this? I believe he did. His thoughtful banter as he deconstructed the original Toll House Cookie recipe made my mouth water. From his examination of the flour used, to how to incorporate the fat (butter), to add the additional element of the toffee taste all while addressing the texture required a chemistry refresher, but so well worth the effort. It is definitely worth reading his attempts as you can appreciate every single thing he did while eating the final product. I don't even think this recipe is much harder than the original recipe, but it helps if you understand why you do every single step. They were so good that I came home the next day and made another batch for friends. They couldn't quit raving about them. In particular, the added toffee taste adds a rich depth to the final product that you can't help but notice. I can tell you I will never make traditional Toll House Cookies ever again. I have been spoiled now! 

Cooks Illustrated Chicken Enchiladas with Chili Sauce

Next on the list of cooking my way through the CI 2012 All Time Best Recipes was the chicken enchiladas with chili sauce. The author strove to make authentic chicken enchiladas without too much work. Could it be done? Well, suffice it to say my husband told me this was one of the best enchilada recipes he had ever had. Bingo! Done! That's all you have to say, honey.

One thing I love about Cook's Illustrated is their well thought out process for analyzing every ingredient. This recipe is no exception. They found corn tortillas to be superior in flavor and texture to flour tortillas, suggesting that they be sprayed with a little cooking oil and warmed in an oven to make them pliable for rolling. Next they addressed the chiles which can be hard to find in many places (I do know this from past experience). Their solution...chili powder heated in oil to intensify the flavor. Finally, a bit of sugar and lime juice to unify the other spices. Following their instructions I used boneless chicken thighs and sharp white cheddar to top it all off with and the results were wonderful. Everyone raved. The final product is topped with extra sharp cheddar (or Monterey Jack if you prefer a milder finish), sour cream, romaine and avocado.  I am wondering how soon I can make these again. Only one word of caution...they are a bit spicy.

Cooks Illustrated All Time Best Recipes Challenge - Best Marinara Sauce

Now that we are empty nesters I find that I have even more time to cook and am thoroughly enjoying it.  No more "When is dinner going to be ready" as soon as I walk in the door. No more "Cooking in bulk to feed hungry boys". Now begins the true growth of exploring new ways to cook. In order to get my creative juices going I have begun the task of cooking my way through the Cooks Illustrated Best Recipes Annual Cookbook 2012 (I just grabbed it off the shelf the other day). Tonight's dinner was super simple and quite nice. Fresh Marinara Sauce with chopped fresh basil. Using canned tomatoes was a surprise. A dash of red wine gave it some depth. Fresh basil made it taste very clean and fresh. Served over spaghetti with a simple salad and we were quite satisfied. The author attempts to make a complex sauce in a reasonable period of time. I would say he accomplished what he set out to do. No complaints here. This will become a staple for busy nights when we need something warm and robust. Bon appetit.