Apricot-Almond Flaugnarde with Brown-Butter Apricot Glaze

Growing up in the central valley of California, almost everybody we knew had a fruit-bearing tree at their house.  My parents grew pomegranates, plums and citrus (not to mention a garden lush with tomatoes, garlic, squash and a lot more) but I always looked forward to the days when we'd swap something out for a big bag of apricots.  Those sweet little gems were and still are among my favorite things to eat with their peach-like sweetness, soft texture and fuzzy skin.

We've been getting apricots by the bagful from our CSA and they are delectably ripe and sweet.  I save the firmer ones for eating by themselves.  The softer ones are better for cooking - anything from jams and chutneys to meat marinades or desserts.  Apricot adds a bright, summer sweetness to a huge diversity of recipes.

Lately I have been experimenting with different ways to make Flaugnarde.  Some of you may be more familiar with the dessert called Clafoutis, which is traditionally made with cherries (if you really want to make it authentic, un-pitted cherries).  The same method applied to any other fruit is Flaugnarde and if you are a fan of fruit-forward and only slightly sweet desserts, this recipe is definitely for you.  The egg batter puffs up like a souffle as it bakes and then sinks down again as it cools to create a firm, almost custard-like texture.  By itself, it's lightly sweet and eggy with lots of crunchy almond.  With the rich and fruity glaze it becomes a rather elegant dessert.  Have the leftovers without the glaze for breakfast the next morning, as this dish will only keep for a day or so.  But let's face it, we probably would have finished the leftovers in one day, anyway! 

Apricot-Almond Flaugnarde with Brown Butter Apricot Glaze
serves 6

Flaugnarde:
3/4 cup slivered almonds
1 T butter
2 1/2 cups ripe apricots, sliced into small wedges
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 tsp almond extract

Glaze:
3 T salted butter
1 cup ripe apricot halves
agave or honey, to taste

Heat the oven to 375.  Arrange almonds on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast in the oven until lightly golden, about 6-8 minutes.  Keep the oven on and set almonds aside.

Butter a 9" pie pan or square baking dish and arrange apricot slices on the bottom of the dish.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar with a whisk.  Beat in the eggs, then gradually add the half and half and almond extract, whisking until smooth.

Pour the batter over the apricots and sprinkle the almonds over the top.  Bake in the 375-degree oven for about 45 minutes.  Allow to cool at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the glaze.  Add the butter to a small pan over medium-high heat.  Cook the butter, stirring often, until foam subsides and the butter solids get toasted and brown, about 8-10 minutes.  Add apricots and cook, mashing the fruit with a wooden spoon, until they gently caramelize on the outside, about 5 minutes.  Add a splash of agave or honey and puree mixture with an immersion blender (if your apricots aren't super-ripe you may need to add a little water to thin the glaze).  Taste and add more sweetener if necessary.  If you like it on the less-sweet side it will amount to about 3 T of sweetener.

Refried Bean Pizza and Romaine Salad, part deux

The fabulous thing about home-made pizza dough is that once you have all the elements (cheese, beans, salad fix-ins) it becomes the quickest dinner ever!  Heat your oven up nice and hot, roll out the dough, spread out the toppings and dinner is done in twenty minutes.  Boom.

This version has some extra elements of awesomeness with the addition of Haystack Mt. chile jack cheese (a tangy, spicy goat jack that's well worth the high cost!) and some fresh chorizo sausage from Marczyk's.  The only difference between this salad and last night's is that it's heavier on the lettuce and gains an extra depth of flavor from grilled garlic scapes and grilled corn.  It's a little more refined and quite delicious!

Refried Bean Pizza and Romaine Salad, part deux
serves 4

Pizza:
1/2 batch fresh pizza dough (or one large store-bought pizza crust)
2 fresh chorizo sausages
2 cups refried beans (homemade is preferable)
1/4 cup queso fresco, crumbled
1/2 cup Haystack Mt. Chile Jack cheese, shredded

Salad:
1 head romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
1 bunch breakfast radishes (about 8-10 very small radishes), thinly sliced
1 red pepper, grilled and chopped
1 green pepper, grilled and chopped
2 ears of corn, shucked and grilled
1 garlic scape, grilled and sliced
1 avocado
juice of 4-6 limes
2-3 T champagne vinegar (or other white vinegar)
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a large pan over medium-high.  Remove chorizo from casings and add in small pieces to the hot pan.  Fry until lightly browned and cooked through, about ten minutes.  Remove chorizo with a slotted spoon and reserve fat.

Place a baking stone into the oven and heat to 500 degrees.  Meanwhile, roll out your fresh pizza dough on a lightly floured surface until crust is about 1/4-inch thick.  Slide dough onto a large, lightly-floured cutting board.  Brush the crust with chorizo fat and spread on the beans in an even layer.  Top with queso fresco and chile jack and finish with chorizo pieces.  Slide pizza from the cutting board onto the baking stone in the oven and cook until crust is crisp and lightly browned, about 8-11 minutes.  Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes, then slice.

Meanwhile, assemble your salad.  Slice corn kernals off the cob.  In a large bowl, combine romaine, radishes, corn, garlic scape, and peppers.  In a blender, combine the avocado with lime juice and blend.  Add just enough vinegar to loosen the dressing (it will be very thick).  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Toss salad with about 5 T of the dressing.  Serve salad alongside the pizza.

Refried Bean Pizza with Romaine, Radish and Pepper Salad with Avocado Vinaigrette

When I have a day off and nothing planned I almost always seize the opportunity to make something tasty that takes just a little extra time.  Making things from scratch isn't always realistic in our busy, day-to-day lives but it's always well worth the effort.  So today I made fresh, whole-wheat pizza dough and slow-cooked and refried beans. 

You don't have to take the time to make pizza dough from scratch (although if you have a standing mixer it's a snap to put together) but I would highly recommend making your own refried beans as opposed to using the canned ones.  Not only is the flavor and texture infinitely better but most of the time that it takes to make them is inactive, anyway.  I like to freshen up homemade pizza by topping it with a light, chopped salad.  In this case, using the bright cilantro, crisp and flavorful romaine lettuce and the spicy, crunchy radishes we received from our Grant Family Farms CSA as well as some grilled peppers.  The dressing is as simple as can be - just an avocado blended with lime juice and vinegar. 

If you are serving a crowd, this recipe can easily be doubled so you can make two pizzas.  You are already making enough beans and pizza dough (most pizza dough recipes yield enough for two pizzas) and even dressing.  Just double the amount of lettuce, radishes and peppers you use and you've got enough food for about 6-8 people.  If you want to make this vegetarian, simply replace the bacon fat with more canola oil.  I, however, couldn't resist using the bacon fat!  It adds a rich and homey flavor to the beans and provides a hearty base for this wholesome and tasty dish.

Refried Bean Pizza with Romaine, Radish and Pepper Salad 
with Avocado Vinaigrette
serves 4

Refried Beans:
1 lb. dried pintos or black beans
vegetable bouillion
1 T bacon fat
1 T canola oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp mexican oregano
pinch of cayenne
pinch of cinnamon
salt and pepper, to taste

Pizza:
1/2 batch fresh pizza dough (or one large store-bought pizza crust)
olive oil, for brushing
2 cups refried beans
1/2 cup queso fresco, crumbled

Salad:
1/2 head romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
1 bunch breakfast radishes (about 8-10 very small radishes), thinly sliced
1 red pepper, grilled and chopped
1 green pepper, grilled and chopped
1 avocado
juice of 4-6 limes
2-3 T champagne vinegar (or other white vinegar)
salt and pepper, to taste

Cover beans with several inches of water in a large pot and bring to a boil.  Add enough bouillion to flavor the water and stir to combine.  Reduce heat to low, cover and allow beans to simmer until very tender and water is thickened, about 2 hours.

Once beans are tender, heat oils in a large pan over medium-high.  Add diced onions and cook until slightly browned, about 6 minutes.  Using a large slotted spoon, add about 1 cup of beans.  Fry until a light film coats the bottom of the pan, then add another cup of beans.  Continue to fry in batches until all the beans have been added (adding a little more canola oil, if necessary), then add enough of the bean broth to barely cover the beans.  Add remaining ingredients and reduce heat to medium-low and mash and stir the beans with a flat-ended wooden spoon until they reach a creamier consistency, about 10 more minutes (if beans get too dry, just add more bean broth until it reaches desired consistency.

Place a baking stone, if using, into the oven and heat to 500 degrees.  Meanwhile, roll out your fresh pizza dough on a lightly floured surface until crust is about 1/4-inch thick.  Slide dough onto a large, lightly-floured cutting board.  Brush lightly with olive oil then spread on the beans in an even layer.  Top with queso fresco.  Slide pizza from the cutting board onto the baking stone in the oven and cook until crust is crisp and lightly browned, about 7-10 minutes.  Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes, then slice.

Meanwhile, assemble your salad.  In a large bowl, combine romaine, radishes and peppers.  In a blender, combine the avocado with lime juice and blend.  Add just enough vinegar to loosen the dressing (it will be very thick).  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Toss salad with about 3 T of the dressing.  Top pizza slices with a handful of salad and serve immediately. 

Balsamic Grilled Vegetable Salad

It's Summer and grilling season is in full swing!  This salad makes the perfect accompaniment to all things grilled - burgers, chicken, fish or just about anything else you can think of.  I used the beautiful lettuces, spring onions and parsley that we've been getting from our Grant Family Farms CSA share, but you can use just about any combination of vegetables that you have on hand.

The best thing about this recipe is that the "dressing" makes itself - no whisk or blender necessary!  Once you toss the oiled vegetables with the balsamic you have just enough moisture to lightly dress the lettuce when everything gets tossed together.  How simple is that?!  
 

By the way, if you prefer your salads dressed with a heavier hand, you can always drizzle some extra olive oil on the salad before you give it the final toss.  Enjoy!

Balsamic Grilled Vegetable Salad
serves 4

2 ears of corn, shucked
1-2 large red potatoes, sliced about 1/4 inch-thick
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
4 spring onions
1/2 head Romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
1/2 head red leaf lettuce, washed and chopped
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the grill on high for about 15 minutes, then clean the grates with a grill brush.  Blot a paper towel with vegetable oil and, using a pair of grill tongs, rub the grates with the oiled towel to create a non-stick surface.  Reduce heat to medium-high.

Meanwhile, prep the veggies for the grill.  Slice peppers into large, flat chunks and drizzle corn, potatoes, pepper slices and onions with plenty of olive oil.  Allow veggies to char on each side.  Peppers need about 5 minutes per side, potatoes about 7 minutes, and corn about 10.

Allow veggies to cool slightly.  Cut corn kernels off the cob, slice onions, and chop peppers into bite-sized pieces.  Set potatoes aside.  Place corn, onions and peppers in a plastic bag and add the balsamic vinegar.  Allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes.

Add marinated vegetables and parsley to the chopped lettuce.  Season with salt and pepper and toss well to combine.  Place potato slices on top of the salad and serve.

Classic Chili

Every home cook needs at least one great chili recipe in their arsenal.  It's the ultimate comfort food - hearty and wholesome with tons of flavor and universally crowd-pleasing.

This chili was inspired by all the beautiful organic beans that we have been getting from our Grant Family Farms CSA share.  I used the mixed black and pinto beans we got this week and some of the kidney beans from last week, which is a pretty classic trio of legumes for chili.  I like the color and texture that results from this combination, but just about any bean you have laying around in your pantry will do!

I used 100% grass-fed beef and Niman Ranch pork to make the meal a little more special (we don't eat a lot of meat in this house, after all!) but this chili is quite flavorful and delicious without the meat, too.  I love topping each serving with lots of fresh cilantro and queso fresco.  Use whatever toppings you like best - some might prefer a good aged cheddar and red onions or a heaping spoonful of sour cream and green onions.  The best thing about chili is, it's easy to make it your own!

Classic Chili
serves 6
 
3 T olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups mixed beans (I used pinto, black, and kidney), rinsed and picked through
1 can whole San Marzano tomatoes
6 cups vegetable or beef stock
1 T chili powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp Mexican oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1 T tomato paste
salt & pepper
1 pound grass-fed ground beef
1 pound ground pork

Optional garnishes:
Cilantro and queso fresco
Aged cheddar and diced red onions
Sour cream and sliced green onions

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high.  Add onions and cook until lightly browned, about 7 minutes.  Add garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds, or until fragrant.  Add beans, the liquid from the can of tomatoes, and increase heat to high.  Crush the whole tomatoes by hand in large, rustic chunks and add to the pot along with the herbs, spices and tomato paste.  Stir well and allow mixture to come to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and allow to simmer until beans start to become tender, about 1 1/2 hours. 

Meanwhile, heat a large shallow pan over medium-high.  Add ground beef and pork and break apart with a flat-ended wooden spoon.  Cook meat until lightly browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes.  Once cooked, drain the fat from the meat in a colander.  Add to chili.

Continue to simmer the chili with the meat until beans reach desired level of tenderness - for slightly al dente, cook another 30 minutes.  Season well with salt and pepper and serve with garnishes.