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Apple, Bacon, and Brie Galette

Apple, Bacon, and Brie Galette

April 1, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

 

Someone once told me that if you don’t like the weather in Michigan wait five minutes. Oh how true that has turned out to be. Last week I was in shorts, tank top, and flip-flops basking in 87-degree weather and this week I’m in a puffer coat and a scarf. Luckily, I follow the weather/news as if I were getting paid to and was sufficiently warned to bring my precious basil plant indoors, saving it from the frost, for now anyways.  Of course, I took the flannel sheets off my bed over the weekend because I was sweating like a freshman on the first day of high school.  I am fully regretting that choice seeing as last night I think we hit a low of 17 degrees with wind chill. One last strike of irony I got a pedicure on Saturday in the event I should be wearing sandals as I had been for the proceeding week. Ha! Thankfully, I was in the right mind not to jump the gun and unpack my summer tote of clothing and pack up all the winter clothes. I am looking forward to the day when the puffer can safely live in the hall closet and the scarves can be cleaned, folded, and put away until next year, which in this state probably means September but you know what I mean.

 

Michigan produces about 8% of the apples in the United States. A drop in a bucket compared to Washington (58%) but substantial nonetheless. Apple growers are having quite a fit, as all of the orchards started budding last week with our incredibly warm temperatures. This is a major problem because once an apple tree begins to blossom there is no turning back and furthermore frost kills apple blossoms. History has shown that with every full moon until June there is an accompanying frost or freeze. Guess how many full moons there are until June? Two. This means many apple farmers could lose up to three quarters of their entire crop.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed our orchards aren’t completely ruined I’m sending good vibes by creating an apple, bacon, and brie galette! If you’ve been on the site more than once you probably figured out by now that I freaking love the sweet and salty combination. The galette is incredibly easy to whip up and is decadent and rich. It’s perfect for an appetizer to share or a love thy self kind of night. By the way the love thy self rules state that there are no calories in anything consumed on such an evening and that you are fantastic in which case it is perfectly okay to consume an apple, bacon, and brie galette in entirety.

Apple, Bacon, Brie Galette

 

|Gather

1 puff pastry sheet

1 large apple thinly sliced

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 pinch cinnamon

1 pinch nutmeg

1 pinch salt

1/3 c brown sugar

1/3 c water

½ small wheel of brie thinly sliced

2 slices of bacon, fried and roughly chopped

 

|Create

Preheat oven to 400F. In a large skillet heat sugar, water, lemon juice, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon, once bubbling add thinly sliced apples. Cover and cook at simmer until apples are soft and sauce is mostly reduced. Place puff pastry on baking sheet and spread the first bacon slice and layer with brie and apples then sprinkle final bacon pieces. Fold puff pastry in a circular shape over mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake until puff pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 20 minutes.

 

|Enjoy

Best enjoyed warm.

 

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Get Figgy With It Flatbread

Get Figgy With It Flatbread

November 9, 2011 by ·

Today has been a rough day. I’m surprised it’s not Monday because it sure does feel like one. I had one of those computer crash moments where the wheels in your brain start to spin a million miles an hour, as you contemplate the possible severity//how you might have to restructure your day to make it to the apple store. Luckily, I sweet-talked my MacBook Pro back into working correctly, although, it still needs to be checked out as it seems to have dawned the rainbow wheel far too frequently for my liking.

 

Moving away from computer headache to taste bud paradise. A few weeks ago when I was home I tested out a recipe on momma, it turned out all right, but I wasn’t happy with it, and therefore decided to continue recipe development on it. I created Get Figgy With It Flatbread. Made with homegrown figs from momma’s tree which Dakota the dog has had to guard faithfully at night so, as my mom says, “Dakota sleeps outside so I can get the figs before the critters do”. Thanks Dakota.

Get Figgy with It Flatbread, is quite literally, a party in your mouth. My roommate Laura came home yesterday from class ravenous so she had some of the flatbread and would not stop talking about how great it was for ten minutes. Mind you, I hadn’t eaten any of it yet, so I shrugged it off. I was saving it for dinner and as many food bloggers know, I had to make it at 2pm when the light was good for photographing. Dinnertime rolls around and whoa! She was not kidding that was some bomb diggity flatbread.

Get Figgy with It Flatbread

Serves 4

 

|Gather

1 Dough ball, Rolled out (I got mine from a local pizza place that sells fresh dough balls but a Trader Joe’s one or something comparable will do just fine)

1 Yellow or White onion, halved then sliced, NOT diced

3-4 Slices of prosciutto

3-4 Fresh Figs

2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

¼ C Chicken broth

Blue Cheese crumbled about 6 ounces

¼ C Parmesan cheese

 

|Create

Preheat oven to 500 °F. Roll out your dough ball if you have not already done so. Place the rolled out pizza on a baking sheet and brush lightly with EVOO and bake at 500 until slightly browned then remove from oven. While the flatbread is in the oven “pre” baking sauté the onion in 2 tbsp EVOO over medium to medium high heat, once the onions start to soften add the chicken broth and cover stirring occasionally to soften the onions and cook them down further. Once the onions are softened and sweet (taste test to make sure) remove from heat and set aside. Cut the steam off the figs and thinly slice them, toss the outer most slices as they are mostly skin. Top the flatbread with the sautéed onions, next place the sliced figs evenly, rip up the prosciutto into smaller pieces and distribute, place the flatbread back in the oven to cook for 5 more minutes at which point the prosciutto should begin to crisp. Remove and sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles and parmesan continue baking until cheese has just begun to melt (5-7minutes) then remove the flatbread and let stand before serving.

 

|Enjoy

The Get Figgy with it Flatbread is best served warm. It is the perfect combination of sweet and salty which allows its versatility and would be a great meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

 


 

 

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Love at First Fig

Love at First Fig

October 9, 2011 by · 2 Comments

Vanessa is fun sized.

Vanessa is a foodie.

Vanessa made me love figs.

 

Vanessa and I have gone to school for 8 years and have been friends almost as long. We share a passion for food we take turns having each other over dinner, going out to upscale restaurants, and enjoying wine and fine food. She graduated and I still remain at Cal poly to finish my last quarter, Vanessa lives in Florence, Italy and goes to culinary school at Apicius, my former culinary school. I miss her so and in her honor I came up with a tasty fig recipe reminiscent of her fig snack, which got me on the fig kick to begin with. Her fig snack consisted of figs stuffed with Maytag blue cheese wrapped in prosciutto. They were delicious and got my wheels racing in to the land of figs.

Now that I have arrived at Figville population ME.

I decided the Love at First Fig recipe would be crafted this week, on a rainy Tuesday in October I got to work. I pulled out my organic black figs from Trader Joe’s they were rotten. Oh weird, produce from Trader Joe’s rotten and spoiled after a day. Typical. Sorry about my Trader Joe’s poor produce rant, I’ve learned my lesson on that place for sure. Moving forward I then made a trip to our version of Whole Foods called New Frontiers and picked up some fresh figs to begin again.

 

Love at First Fig is the perfect mix of sweet and salty seems to be a theme as of late on this blog…hmm. It’s like I have an obsession with sweet and salty or something… Anyways figs are one of the highest sources of calcium and fiber in a plant source. This is great news considering what I will dress our lovely friend the fig with.

Love at First Fig

Serves 3-4

 

|Gather

12 Fresh black figs washed and prepped (see photo for proper prep)

6 Slices prosciutto

1/2 lb Your favorite Blue Cheese

1 Tbsp. Honey

1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

 

|Create

Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Slice the tops off the figs and cut halve wise almost to the bottom in both directions (see photo). Next crumble about half of the blue cheese and stuff each fig to the top with cheese. Tear the sliced prosciutto in half and wrap the prosciutto pieces around the figs, a tooth pick will not be needed as the prosciutto should stick to its self and it will also help hold the figs and there bold, cheesey, amazing filling together. Next add a drop of lemon juice to the top of each fig. Finish with a drizzle of honey over each fig. Place the figs on a baking sheet (does not need to be greased) and bake until the prosciutto is slightly crispy and the cheese is a bit melted. No more then 15 minutes.

 

|Enjoy

The figs are best when warm so allow to cool for a few minutes before enjoying.

 


A La Cucina Del Bargello Orginial

 

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Not Yo Momma’s Brussels

Not Yo Momma’s Brussels

October 5, 2011 by · 4 Comments

If someone where to say the words brussel sprouts to you, what would your reaction be? Visions of delicious side dishes? Gag reflex memories flashing before you associated with the brussel sprouts that remained on your plate as a third grader, which your parents forced you to take “dinosaur bites” of to be excused from the table? Should you identify with the second statement have no fear Not Yo Momma’s Brussels are here to save the day..or rather the meal.   The taste of a raw brussel sprout mirrors a similar crunch and flavor of raw cabbage not terribly tasty by itself, but contains great cooking potential. My inspiration for Not Yo Momma’s Brussels came on my shopping trip yesterday with my roommate Laura. We happened upon a two-foot stock of brussel sprouts, which was quite clearly a necessary purchase. These hearty little veggies pack an enormous nutritional punch with nearly 20% Vitamin C and a great source of antioxidants and fiber reaching almost 10% of the Recommended Daily Amount (RDA). The most likely suspect for the terrible taste associated with the veggie is when brussel sprouts are overcooked. An undesirable compound known as glucosinolate sinigrin is released. This is a sulphourous odor and may contribute to the strong feelings people many have towards these winter gems, having unfortunately only experienced them in their overcooked and smelly form.  Generally six to seven minutes of cooking either broiling, boiling, or steaming is sufficient to completely cook the brussel sprouts. Not Yo Momma’s Brussels have a wonderful mix of harvest flavors with bright and juicy pomegranate seeds, slightly toasted pecan pieces, complementing cranberries, and salty bold bacon bites in a slightly sweet balsamic glaze.

Not Yo Momma’s Brussels

Serves 4-5

|Gather

  • 1.5 Pounds brussel sprouts washed and halved
  • ¾ Cup Chicken broth
  • ¼ White Onion Finely Chopped
  • ¼ Cup Balsamic Vinegar
  • ¼ Cup Cranberries
  • ¼ Cup toasted pecans
  • 3 Strips bacon-fried
  • ¼ Cup Pomegranate Seeds
  • S & P to taste

|Cook

Fry the bacon, once the bacon has finished frying remove it from the pan and add the white onion and sauté until softened. In a food processor pulse the cranberries and pecans until a rather fine texture and set aside. Once the onions have cooked add the brussel sprouts to the pan along with the chicken broth cover and steam. Stir occasionally for six to seven minutes check the brussel sprouts they should be done. Remove from pan and deposit into a large mixing bowl with the cranberry pecan mixture and the bacon strips loosely broken into pieces. Reduce the balsamic vinegar over low heat until a thick sauce is apparent. Pour the glaze over the brussel sprouts and incorporate all parts. Garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds.

|Enjoy

For best results let the mixture sit for at least an hour to let the flavors combine. The dish may be served cold or at room temperature.

A La Cucina Del Bargello Orignial

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