Sweet Mary

Memorial Day Weekend Web Round-Up

Today was one of those days when I got out of bed convinced it was already Friday. Wishful thinking, right?

The job has been super busy and, then, last night was bocce night.  That made for a long day.  If I haven't mentioned it, I am in a bocce ball league that plays on Wednesday nights up on Federal Hill behind all the Italian restaurants.  It's a ton of fun even though we haven't had one warm night yet.  We just bundle up, pour some beer, get a little giddy, and play.  Mind you, I had never ever played until my first game in the league. However, I figured if my 99 year old great-aunt (on the Italian side) is still out there driving herself around, living independently, and playing bocce ball...I better get my arse up to the Hill, start playing, and pay some proper respect to my heritage.  I'd say I started strong but have discovered that (so far) I am really inconsistent.  Dead on or way the heck off.   But, I'm having a great time and that's all that matters.

OK, back to this morning.  I was so darned tired that the instant I woke up I was looking forward to going to bed tonight.  You know the feeling.  And, then, since I am headed to New York to see the family this weekend, I started packing my things.  I don't leave until tomorrow, the real Friday.  My brain must have been in over drive.  I have a friend that would call that delirious.  I might agree.

Anyway, before heading out, I want to give you some necessary Memorial Day-ish links that will help you whip up some killer holiday eats.  Just because this blog is all sweet stuff doesn't mean I don't get my grill on.  'Cause I do.  And, yes, I do love makin' and eatin' me some grilled food. And, I have utmost respect for those who call themselves "Pit Masters." We have much to learn from them!  So, get your grill out and get to it.  And, have a great three day weekend!

If you love BBQ as much as I do, definitely check out this article on Epicurious.  Grill master Steven Raichlen hand picks regional specialties and recipes, as well as talks about grilling trends.

For some great grilled side dishes, check out the slide show on Food & Wine.

Elise of Simply Recipes has a whole category devoted to grilled food.  Gotta love that.  I could go for some of that tri-tip steak right about now.

Chow has an article up titled "Gas vs. Charcoal."  Need I say more?  I'm a charcoal fan, myself.

And, for dessert, take a stroll back in time and look at a few of my recipes.  Don't forget that you can grill your dessert, too.  Fruit kabobs.  Slap some pound cake down on a grill and top it with ice cream and fresh fruit sauce.  Grill some pineapple and make some caramel sauce.  And, let's not forget S'mores.  You have a ton of options.

 

Grilled Poundcake with Pineapple and Orange/Cardamom Sauce

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Apple Rhubarb Crisp

Summer Berry Pie

Strawberry Rhubarb Sorbet

Mississippi Mud Bars

Correction

Please note I just corrected my blog post from this weekend about the Martha Stewart Cookie Contest.

I was an honorable mention, not one of the top 10!  Still pretty good, but no prize!  I didn't realize which category I was clicking in when searching through the photos.  And, then, must have gotten excited when I saw my photo.  Hilarious.

Raspberry Clafouti

I am finally getting around to participating in Susan from Food Blogga's May event, Beautiful Bones. Click HERE to read all about the event. You see, May is National Osteoporosis Month; consequently, Susan has been posting recipes that are good for the bones throughout the month of May. I have to say that I have learned a great deal more about eating foods that will help prevent diseases such as osteoporosis. And, unlike Susan, I do not have osteoporosis; however, have been struggling with my own (still undiagnosed) bone/joint issues. Therefore, any help I can get or knowledge I can gain is a good thing. Thanks, Susan, for hosting this event and for posting such great tips and recipes to help us all keep our bones healthy. Susan will post a web round up at the end of the month with all the wonderful recipes readers submit. I will post a link, so don't miss it! For my calcium rich contribution to Beautiful Bones, I chose a Raspberry Clafouti. A Clafouti is a French dessert that is essentially a custard with fruit baked into it. Traditionally, it is made with cherries and hails from Limousin. I had never made or even really heard of a Clafouti until working at America's Test Kitchen where I helped make a few with pears and cherries. The recipe calls for some flour which helps give the Clafouti more structure than a typical custard (however, it's not a cake, either). I discovered that I really love the taste of baked custard and fruit. Serve this dessert warm with a little powdered sugar or fresh whipped cream. Experiment with whatever summer fruit you wish....peaches, berries, cherries, etc. I don't think you can go wrong. This recipe is adapted from a Sunset recipe found on My Recipes. 1/2 tablespoon butter 8 ounces raspberries (or strawberries) 2 teaspoons cornstarch 3 eggs 1 cup milk 2/3 cup flour 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 1/4 teaspoon salt powdered sugar Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with butter. Toss berries with cornstarch to evenly coat. If you use strawberries, hull them and cut them in half. Place them in the bottom of the baking dish. In a blender, mix eggs, milk, flour, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt for 15 seconds. Pour batter over berries. Bake until puffed and golden brown and set in the center, about 50 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar.

Martha Stewart Cookie Contest

Hey! I just found out was an honorable mention in a Martha Stewart Cookie Contest! Oh yeah!

All you had to do was submit a photo of a killer cookie. So, I sent in a photo of the Mississippi Mud Bars I made last summer. As the contest and site states, Martha hand selected the winners.

Click here to view my cookie on the Martha Stewart site.

Anyway, how nice for me!

Elegant Tarts

I am happy to report that my tart class went really well yesterday. It was a ton of fun and the tarts came out beautiful. I ended up with only two students (Nancy and Eric) and they were fantastic. They both made tarts from scratch from start to finish. From an instructors perspective, they were engaged and asked good questions. And, of course, the tarts tasted delicious. Honestly, I had a blast.

Nancy and Eric learned how to make classic fruit-pastry cream, lemon curd, and chocolate truffle tarts. With those three bases, they can play with flavors, toppings, and design. We did everything from mix the tart dough by hand to temper the eggs in the cream. Therefore, with the skills they learned, they can now make a wide variety of lovely elegant tarts.

Here are some photos from our class.

Nancy and Eric make tart dough.

That's me up there talking about tarts.

Nancy and Eric in the process of designing their fruit tart.

Now, that's a tasty looking tart!

Who doesn't like a mini-tart?

Dessert Classes

Wow. What a busy week. And, it's not even over for me. Yet. Really. But, I am taking a moment to sit here in the quiet of what seems to be a very gray Saturday and sip my coffee. You see, as I was gearing up to teach my first class at the Learning Connection in Providence, I got slammed at work. So, I've been in super high gear for three days (and nights). But, it's all good and I am very much looking forward to a day off tomorrow to just do laundry and loaf around. Of course, I should be visiting my Mother on Mother's Day; however, I scheduled today's Elegant Tart class without taking note of the holiday. Sorry, Mom!

Now, I am a seasoned academic teacher. I spent years in the classroom in a variety of schools with all types of kids. And, I have taught a few private cooking/baking classes. But, this is my first class out in the community of Providence, so it's a different feeling. I am not at all nervous, just very excited to teach my three students how to make some lovely tarts. With such a small class size, I decided to go all out and give them all the opportunity to get their hands into all aspects of tart making. What this meant for me was a lot of prep! I was up late last night making sample fillings and pre-baked crusts and getting all my gear ready. It's only a three hour class, so I am hoping things roll along smoothly.

I hope to have some photos tomorrow; however, it's another gloomy day in the Northeast and my classroom today is a kitchen in a church basement. So, that could be challenging.

I do want to mention my upcoming spring and summer classes for those of you who love food in the Providence area. They are all three hour Saturday classes that take place from 1pm to 4pm in Wayland Square. For more information or to register, click HERE. Scroll down to look for the following classes:

Seasonal Summer Fruit Pies - June 7: Learn how to make a buttery flaky crust and impress everyone with a dessert that never goes out of style.

Sensational Summer Desserts- July 12 and August 9: No fuss desserts for hot summer days! We'll use fresh seasonal ingredients for Fools, Buckles, Crisps, grilled desserts, and more!

Strawberry Rhubarb Sorbet

I've decided to work rhubarb into my cooking and baking as much as possible this year. I am more enamored with it than ever. And, although I am anxious for June to roll around so all the local strawberries are ripe and ready for my annual Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, I realized that there are plenty of other things I can do with rhubarb. This week, I made Strawberry-Rhubarb Sorbet (from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz) for my book/food club dinner.

We had read a book set in Saudi Arabia, so I stuck with the theme and made an "Arabian-ish" dinner, which turned out really tasty. Although the dinner wasn't overly spicey, I thought something light for dessert would be nice. I also didn't quite have enough time to research and make an Arabian or Middle Eastern dessert this week. Therefore, sorbet seemed perfect. It's actually quick and easy. While the mix was churning in my ice cream maker, I was prepping and cooking dinner.

Mind you, it's not strawberry season here. So, the strawberries were from California and they were pretty good, but still far from those big red juicy just picked local ones I like in late spring/early summer. Still, though, this sorbet was fantastic. I absolutely loved it, as did my book club. I expect to be making a lot more sorbet this spring and summer. I took a quick picture of the remaining sorbet the next morning...not the most artistic shot, but it'll do. There wasn't enough for mini-scoops or big scoops...so I shoveled!

12 ounces rhubarb
2/3 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
10 ounces fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Wash and trim rhubarb. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Place rhubarb, water and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until rhubarb is tender and cooked. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature.

Slice strawberries and puree them with the rhubarb mix and lemon juice in a blender or processor until smooth. Chill this mix thoroughly. Then, freeze it in your ice cream maker.

*This makes about 1 quart.
*I made Almond Lace Cookies as a decoration.