Tag Archives: Foodie

Golden Beet Salad with Warm Goat Cheese

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Beet Salad with Warm Goat Cheese

Hearing your manager say the words, “Laid off” strikes fear and panic in most of the corporate set. When those words rang in my ear last week, I heard “freedom” and “new beginnings” and “free time.” I’m sure the severance package softened the blow considerably. So, if all goes as planned, I happily become a member of the unemployed starting in mid-June.

Regarding what I’m going to do next, I plan on taking a nice chunk of time off and then I have a few ideas. I’m quite sure cooking will be on the agenda – and possibly buying an Inn.


Golden Beet Salad with warm goat cheese

I hated beets growing up, but can’t get enough of them as an adult, especially golden beets. This recipe is adapted from one I learned during culinary school.

Ingredients

  • 6 golden beets, peeled and cubed
  • 4 Tablespoons red onions, finely chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated
  • 2 Tablespoons Sherry Vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted and slightly crushed
  • 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1 log Chèvre (goat cheese)
  • ½ cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1 egg, well beaten
  • 1 Tablespoon butter

Directions

  1. Cook beets in salted water until knife pierces beets easily 10-20 minutes. Drain beets.
  2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine onions, thyme, and garlic
  3. In a small bowl, make vinaigrette by combining sherry vinegar, mustard and fennel. Slowly whisk in olive oil.
  4. Gently combine warm beets and vinaigrette with onion mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and let flavors combine for at least 30 minutes.
  5. Cut Chèvre into 6 even rounds (this is most easily done with unflavored dental floss). Dip each round in egg and then cover well with bread crumbs. Freeze rounds for 15 minutes.
  6. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add Chèvre and sauté on both sides until bread crumbs are golden brown and cheese is beginning to melt.
  7. Serve beet salad with warm goat cheese rounds.

Cranberry Panna Cotta

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Panna Cotta

I’m staring at everything and everyone with a lighter in one hand and gas can in the other, prepared to burn bridges and incinerate it all. Nothing is sacred. This isn’t some high-school massacre, but a phoenix-from-the-flames rebirth. Career, home, friends, family– I’ll torch the entire lot and walk anew on freshly scorched and purified earth.

But I’ll set my gas can down for now and make one of my favorite Italian treats.


Cranberry Panna Cotta

I love fresh cranberries! To ensure I have access to them year-round, I buy extra bags in Fall and freeze them for use the rest of the year.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup fresh cranberries
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 ½ teaspoon gelatin
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • ½ cup sugar
  • pinch salt
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Lightly spray 6 ramekins with unflavored oil. Pour gelatin in a small bowl with 4 T. of water. Stir and set aside for 5-10 minutes.
  2. Combine whipping cream, sugar, and salt in a saucepan and whisk over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and small bubbles appear, but before the cream comes to a full boil. Remove from heat, whisk in the softened gelatin until dissolved. Add vanilla, whisk again and let cool 3-5 minutes. Remove any bubbles from top of custard.
  3. Pour the custard into the prepared ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap (it doesn’t have to touch the surface like pudding) and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
  4. To unmold ramekins, fill a small baking dish with boiling water. Slip a sharp knife around the inside of the ramekin loosening the custard, place the ramekin in the water for about 10 seconds and invert it onto serving dish.