Strawberry Clafouti

First of all I want to apologize for the lack of recipe posts this past month- our computer had to be sent to the repair shop, then we left for a vacation to Hawaii, and now our digital camera got rolled over by the Jeep and we're awaiting a replacement. So, sorry, but there's no appetizing photo to accompany this amazingly simple and in season treat. I won't however, be apologizing for the way you'll fall head over heels in love with this Strawberry Clafouti.
What is a Clafouti, you might ask? It's basically a classic French dessert that involves fruit (usually plums or cherries, but in this case, strawberries) spread out in a buttered pan and topped with a thin pancake-flan type batter and baked. It's uncomplicated, comforting and delicious. I had some lovely lavender sugar that I had bought on a trip to the Hood River and it added just a hint of delicate lavender taste, but the recipe would taste just as good with granulated sugar. I hope you'll enjoy some of the Spring Season's first strawberries in this dessert.

Strawberry Clafouti (serves 4-6)
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved lengthwise
2 tsp. cornstarch
3 large eggs
1 c. milk
2/3 c. flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a shallow 2 qt baking dish or gratin dish. In a bowl, gently toss strawberry halves with cornstarch until evenly coated, then arrange berries with cut sides down in bottom of dish and set aside.
In a blender, whirl eggs, milk, flour, granulated sugar, vanilla and salt until smooth, about 15-20 seconds. Pour batter over strawberries.
Bake until puffed, golden brown and set in the center, about 45-50 minutes. Let cool slightly and dust with powdered sugar. Serve slightly warm

Pork Tenderloin Roulade

This recipe is 5 ingredients long- yep, you read right, 5 ingredients! Though the grocery list isn't long, it definitely doesn't fall short on flavor. It's also a nice presentation since the ingredients are rolled in the pork. Try it, and trust me, you won't be disappointed.
The original recipe called for charring the pork on the grill, but it's the first week of April and we got snow today, so we weren't planning on going outside. Instead, I chose to braise the pork over med-high heat in a pan and then finish the cooking in the oven. It was nice and caramelized on the outside and slightly pink in the center, just the way I like it. Because I browned the pork before finishing in the oven, I had all of those lovely browned bits on the bottom of the pan. I don't know about you, but I can't let all that flavor go to waste, so I quickly chopped some veggies (carrots, onion, celery and shitakes), threw them in the pan to saute then deglazed with a splash of red wine and simmered till tender in some chicken stock. It was a nice accompaniment to the stuffed pork tenderloin. In a couple of weeks, I plan to prepare this recipe just as it was intended- on the grill and see which we like best. For now, here's my recipe:

Pork Tenderloin Roulade (serves 4)
1 1 lb. pork tenderloin
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
3 Tbsp. chopped walnuts, toasted
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
salt, pepper to taste
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil

Place pan over med-high heat and add olive oil. Slice tenderloin lengthwise, cutting to, but not through the other side. Open halves, laying tenderloin flat. Place tenderloin between 2 sheets of plastic wrap, pound to 1/2 inch thickness using a meat mallet or heavy skillet. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle shallots, goat cheese, walnuts and thyme on tenderloin. Roll up, starting with long side, secure pork at 1 inch intervals with twine. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put tenderloin in hot pan to sear on all sides until browned, about 3-4 min. per side.

Remove from pan and place in a dish. Cover with tin foil and cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until inside is just slightly pink. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice and enjoy!

Strawberry Shortcakes with Balsamic Vinegar and Sugar

This is my second post for the day but I just had to share this recipe. I was in a 'Welcome Spring' mood, trying to coax the season into coming just a little sooner by making a few recipes with fresh seasonal produce. I saw the bright red strawberries at the grocery store and their price couldn't be beat. I immediately thought- strawberry shortcakes! I went over to get a box of Bisquick baking mix (please don't judge- Bisquick has a wonderful recipe on the back of their box for delicious shortcakes and I love it for making fluffy pancakes). I knew my girls would LOVE this surprise for dessert, so in the cart went the box and strawberries.
As you can guess, I don't follow the recipe on the Bisquick box completely. Did you know that adding balsamic vinegar and sugar to a bowl of strawberries enhances the berry-ness, adds a note of complexity and makes a delicious syrup? Effortless and delicious. Instead of adding whipped topping to my shortcakes, I simply pour half and half over the entire thing. The half and half soaks into the shortcakes and is pure heaven. I hope you'll try this recipe and enjoy it as much as we do.

Strawberry Shortcakes (makes 6)
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
1/4 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 1/3 c. Bisquick baking mix
1/2 cup milk
3 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. melted butter
half and half

Mix strawberries, 1/4 cup sugar and balsamic vinegar together in a bowl. Let sit on the side.
Meanwhile, heat oven to 425 degrees. Stir Bisquick mix, milk, 3 Tbsp sugar and butter until soft dough forms. Divide dough into 6 portions and drop onto baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Split warm shortcakes, fill and top with strawberries and pour half and half over the top. Enjoy!

Pasta with Creme Fraiche, Lemons and Basil

As I was perusing through my cookbooks trying to plan the meals for this coming week, I came across this recipe for Lotsa Lemon Pasta in the I Love Trader Joe's Cookbook. I looked at the ingredient list and saw that one of my favorite ingredients was featured- creme fraiche. If you've never had creme fraiche before, I can describe it's flavour and texture as somewhat similar to sour cream. It's tangy and ever so slightly sweet. Because of it's high fat content, it doesn't separate when heated and can lend itself well to either savory or sweet dishes. I continued to look down the ingredient list and saw that arugula was listed. Because I didn't have fresh arugula on hand but had just bought a bunch of fresh basil, I decided to substitute one green for the other. As I added ingredients and stirred the sauce together, I tasted it and decided that because of the aromatic lemon zest, I only needed the juice of one lemon instead of two. I also decided to add a dash of nutmeg to the sauce and I felt it was perfectly seasoned.
When the warm pasta was added to the creme fraiche sauce, I immediately smelled the citrusy zing of the lemon and I added the basil right before serving to avoid it turning an unattractive brown. We took our first bite and it was like Spring in our bowls. Seriously. It was fresh, aromatic and made me feel happy. The recipe below is written with my substitutions and additions. I hope you'll enjoy this first taste of Spring.

Pasta with Creme Fraiche, Lemons and Basil (serves 6)
1 7.5-8 oz. container creme fraiche
juice of 1 fresh lemon
zest of 2 lemons
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 16 oz bag of bow tie pasta (or other similar sized pasta)
freshly ground pepper and salt, to taste
dash of nutmeg
10-12 leaves of fresh basil, chiffonade

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta al dente. Drain the pasta and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together the creme fraiche, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper, dash of nutmeg and Parmesan cheese together. When pasta is slightly cool, add to sauce and stir. Right before serving, stir in basil. You can add more Parmesan and basil to the top, if desired. Bon Appetite!

Miso Glazed Eggplant

Super. Super fast. Super easy to make. Super delicious!
I've been really craving comfort food and flavors these past two weeks. My daughter and I went to Portland and bought Kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), mini dried shrimp, soba noodles (noodles made of buckwheat), sweet fermented black beans, mochi (sweet rice cakes) and really good miso paste (fermented soybean paste usually used for making miso soup). My grams used to make traditional Japanese dishes that were so yummy. Thankfully the last time she came up to visit us in Oregon I asked her to cook and hand write her recipe for kabocha (but I'll save that for another post).
Now I had the miso paste and decided to make eggplant with it. When I went shopping at a local grocery store I couldn't find Japanese eggplant anywhere. Japanese eggplant is different than Italian globe eggplant. It's skinny and long and can come in colors of white, light green or purple. It's generally sweeter and doesn't require a soak in water to remove bitterness. When you're having comfort food there's no such thing as substitution in my book. Having not been able to find the Japanese eggplant, I decided to special order it from the store. Luckily it arrived in just a couple of days, so now I was ready to cook. This miso glazed eggplant recipe is so delicious for a couple of reasons. The comfort factor aside, you first saute the eggplant so it softens, creating this silky flesh. After you brush the glaze on top of the eggplant, you broil it, and that makes the best bubbly and tasty glaze ever. Slightly sweet, slightly spicy, but oh so tasty. I'm super excited for you to try this recipe and tell me what you think. :)

Miso-Glazed Eggplant (serves 4)
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2-3 Japanese eggplant (about 1 1/2 lbs total)
1/3 cup red miso paste (you can find this in the health food refrigerated section)
2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp sake or white wine
1/4 tsp. red chile flakes
cilantro leaves
1 tsp. sesame seeds

Cut your eggplant in half lengthwise and score the flesh 1/4 inch deep. Preheat broiler to high and place rack at least 4 inches from heat source. Heat oil in a skillet or frying pan over medium high heat. Add eggplant, flesh side down and cook until flesh starts to brown and soften, about 3-4 minutes. Turn eggplant over and cook for another minute.
In a small bowl, combine miso paste, sugar, sake and chile flakes. Turn eggplant flesh side up and transfer to a heat proof dish/sheet pan. Spoon or brush mixture onto eggplant. Broil eggplant until glaze starts to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Let cool slightly, then sprinkle with sesame seeds and cilantro. Serve with steamed rice.

Fish Tacos

I'm the first to admit that I don't know much about fish tacos except that there's a place in town called Bend Fish Company that makes a pretty good and spicy version. I came across this recipe last summer and tucked it away in my file, waiting for the day I'd get inspired to try it. So glad I did. These fish tacos were so yummy, combining the sweet flavor of mango, the creamy avocados, earthy corn tortilla, flaky tender fish and the sweet/sour radish and red onion pickles. We devoured our dinner and were sad the ingredients ran out. We'll definitely be making these again sometime soon.


Fish Tacos (serves 4)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. chili powder, divided
1/2 sliced red onion
6 thinly sliced radishes
1 lb. tilapia fillets
1/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 peeled firm ripe mango, cut into thin slices
1 sliced peeled ripe avocado
fresh cilantro leaves
canola or vegetable oil
1 pkg corn tortillas (6 inch size)
taco condiments: sour cream, salsa, salsa verde etc...

combine the red wine vinegar, sugar and 1/4 tsp. chili powder in a small saucepan, bring to boil. Remove the pan from heat, and stir in the red onion and radishes. Let stand, uncovered, 10 minutes or until cooled
rinse fish, pat dry. Gently toss with 1/4 c. lime juice, 1/2 tsp. chili powder, and garlic in a shallow glass dish. Marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature.
Gently toss mango and avocado in small bowl with remaining 1/4 tsp. chili powder and 2 tbsp lime juice.
Preheat a lightly oiled grill rack or grill pan.* Remove fish from marinade, and grill, turning once, 2-4 minutes per side or until cooked through and golden brown. Transfer to a plate, cover and keep warm.
Grill tortillas lightly until pale golden and slightly crisp. Transfer to serving plate.
Fill tortillas with fish, pickled vegetables, avocado and mango mixture, cilantro and other condiments as desired.

*Note: we didn't grill our fish. Instead we sauteed it in a pan on the stove. Next time we make it, I'll definitely try using the grill

White Wine Coq Au Vin

5:15 pm I have a confession to make. Usually when you hear those words you expect something terrible to follow. I hope this is the exception...
Here's the confession: I hadn't tried this recipe before I started to compile this post. I came to the computer right after I set the pot of coq au vin to simmer. I was expecting an outstanding outcome before I'd even tasted it. Why? The ingredients for one thing. How can you possibly go wrong with wine and bacon. The other? The smell filling the kitchen from the steaming pot was so appetizing I just knew I had a winner on the stove. Am I wrong? We'll have to see....
6:06 pm Oh my gosh, this dinner was so incredibly delicious!! You definitely taste the wine but you also have the salty bacon, the tender chunks of chicken, sweet carrots and the thick broth is so comforting. In the words of my family: It's a keeper! It's blog-worthy. Please try this white wine coq au vin for yourself and tell me what you think. :)


White Wine Coq Au Vin (serves 4)
4 1/2 Tbsp flour
salt, pepper to taste
1 1/2 tsp herbes de Provence
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 lb. skinned, deboned chicken thighs (I used chicken breasts)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cups baby carrots
3 stalks of celery
1 medium onion
1 1/3 c. chardonnay
2 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. flat leaf parsley sprigs, chopped
1/4 c. tarragon sprigs, chopped

In a plastic bag, shake flour with salt, pepper and the herbes de Provence, set aside.
In a large pot over med heat, brown bacon, stirring occasionally about 5-7 minutes. Meanwhile, cut chicken into 1 inch chunks, the shake in flour to coat.
With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon from pan to paper towels. Brown half the chicken in bacon fat, stirring occasionally, 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding oil to pan. Meanwhile, cut carrots in half lengthwise and cut celery into slices. Chop onion.
Add vegetables to pan with salt and pepper and saute until onion is golden about 5 minutes.
Add wine to vegetables, making sure to scrape up all the browned bits at the bottom of the pot. Add chicken stock, chicken and bacon. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer covered until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. When ready to serve, add parsley and tarragon. Enjoy!