Cooking on a Whim - Nutella Granola, Corned Beef Hash and Happy Hour Cookies

Cooking and blogging continue to be sporadic…lately, the mood strikes when I see something on one of the blogs I follow or in my Facebook newsfeed. I really wanted to Cook the Cover of Bon Appetit this month (Savory Short-Rib Beef Pies), but had just made Natchitoches Meat Pies and wasn't motivated enough to track down boneless beef short ribs after striking out at the local market.

My latest whim was inspired by David Lebovitz' Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Granola. I like snacking on granola occasionally, but I thought it would be fun to make a special batch to ship to Tennessee to take on the road for an out of town baseball tournament. I adapted the recipe to include a few of his favorites - Nutella, bananas, coffee, and pineapple. Unfortunately, since this was a last-minute whim, and without thought to overnight shipping cost, two pounds of granola will now be waiting on the doorstep when he arrives home! Sorry FedEx, not paying $90!

I have quickly become addicted to my Nutella version, but would like to try David's Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip version. Please consult his blog for the original recipe and preparation method, but this is a list of what I used in my adaptation (I added the coffee to the pan when I warmed the Nutella, orange honey and brown sugar):

Nutella Granola 

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw macadamia nuts, very coarsely chopped
3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup banana chips
3/4 cup dried pineapple
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground coffee
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
1/2 cup Nutella
1/2 cup orange honey
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons water

A few other recent whims included Bon Appetit's Corned Beef Hash, which I made for St. Patrick's Day dinner….

And Bon Appetit's Savory Black Pepper and Parmesan Cookies, to share at our community's weekly happy hour. 

Walking back from the clubhouse, after happy hour, I caught a glimpse of crisp white sails against the dark sky, and ran inside to grab my camera…Spring was here last week, but has been a no-show this week!

Spring Forward with Saveur's Glazed Grapefruit Cake

Spring? Did we even have winter? I guess the rain storm that managed to drench me on two of our walks this past weekend, was San Diego's best attempt at winter. Trapper loved it! Newf + Rain = Happy Dog!

It was 80-something today for Jim & Carmen's annual Time Change Party. Fabulous party, as always, and everyone is now itching for Concerts in the Park to get started. Today's party featured Jim's bottomless pot of pork chile verde, tortillas, rice, beans, chips, guacamole, salads, cake, margaritas and wine.

My original plan was to bring Saveur's Glazed Grapefruit Cake to the party, because it is so gorgeous and sunny with the different colored grapefruits. I found some Oro Blanco and Ruby Red grapefruit at Coronado's Tuesday Farmers' Market, which is now steps from my front door, and decided to throw in a few blood oranges for an extra burst of color. I did a test run of the cake on Friday, but then woke up Sunday morning and felt like cooking something different for the party. It's not that I didn't love the cake, especially with my morning coffee, but I was intrigued by the Natchitoches Meat Pies in Donald Link's Real Cajun and felt they would go well with the party menu. Preparing those kept me busy for the morning and everyone said they were fabulous. I guess a blog post is in order for that recipe!

The Glazed Grapefruit Cake is basically a moist, tangy (buttermilk) pound cake, baked in a 9 x 13-inch dish, covered with a layer of sugared, broiled grapefruit slices and drizzled with a grapefruit juice glaze. After making and eyeing the amount of batter, I opted for a slightly smaller, 8 x 10-inch dish to give my cake more height. The cake itself doesn't have much grapefruit flavor, with a few tablespoons of zest. I might be tempted next time to use the method in Thomas Keller's Grapefruit Cake and make a grapefruit syrup for the cake.

Glazed Grapefruit Cake
Slightly adapted from Saveur
Serves 8

Ingredients:

Combination of different colored grapefruit and blood oranges (1 pink, 1 red, and 1 white grapefruit, and 2 blood oranges, peeled/supremed, and and sliced ¼″ thick crosswise, plus 2 tablespoons zest and 3 tablespoons juice
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 2/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

Preparation:

Heat oven broiler. Arrange grapefruit and blood orange slices in an even layer on an aluminum foil–lined baking sheet fitted with a wire rack; sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar. Broil, rotating pan as needed, until slightly caramelized, about 7 minutes; set aside.

Heat oven to 325°. Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl; set aside. In another bowl, and using an electric mixer, cream remaining sugar and the butter until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add zest, buttermilk, and vanilla; mix until combined. With the motor running, slowly add dry ingredients until smooth. Spread batter evenly into a 8” × 10” baking dish; bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cake cool, then arrange reserved grapefruit and orange slices, overlapping slightly, on top.

Whisk juice and confectioners' sugar in a bowl until smooth; drizzle evenly over cake. Let cake sit 30 minutes to set glaze before serving.

I liked the addition of blood oranges

Sugared, broiled grapefruit and blood orange slices

"Winter" moving in for the weekend

Trapper was in Newf-Heaven as the storm moved in

Hello, San Diego Bay!

Trapper and I are getting settled in our new place and I was able to spend part of Sunday testing out the kitchen. We absolutely love the sweeping views of the bay, skyline and Coronado Bay Bridge from the boardwalk, literally steps from our front door. Trapper takes his leash in his mouth and leads me on a walk, three or four times a day. We stroll along, taking in the sunrise over the bridge, Navy carriers, sailboats, kayaks and paddle boards out in the bay, runners, bikers, and walkers along the boardwalk, and the reflection of the sunset on the downtown highrises. Before bed, we take another short walk, when all is quiet, and savor the beauty of the nighttime city lights and sky.

Saveur posted a link to this recipe for Roma Eggs on Facebook a few weeks ago, and I immediately e-mailed it to myself as a possibility for brunch during Tennessee's visit. I love poached eggs and this Italian-style alternative to Eggs Benedict sounded so flavorful. The test run was successful, and I am planning on making Roma Eggs Sunday morning, served with Thomas Keller's Smashed Roasted Marbled Potatoes with Garlic Confit (I also made the Garlic Confit yesterday, which keeps for up to a week in the refrigerator). Of course, the Prosecco will also be flowing.

Roma Eggs

I made a few minor adaptations to Saveur's recipe, using ciabatta rolls and sun-dried tomatoes. I also toasted the bread under the broiler rather than baking it. English muffins or any kind of Italian or country-style bread would work well. You could use Prosciutto or Pancetta.

Prosciutto, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Pesto, Eggs, Parmesan and Ciabatta Roll

Roma Eggs
Adapted from Saveur
Serves 2 - 4

Ingredients:

2 ciabatta rolls, sliced in half
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (for brushing bread and frying prosciutto)
1/2 cup homemade or store bought pesto
4 slices prosciutto
8 sun-dried tomatoes (I used jarred sun-dried tomato halves marinated in olive oil)
Kosher salt, to taste
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 eggs
Freshly grated Parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1. Preheat broiler. Place bread cut side up on a rimmed baking sheet; brush with olive oil. Broil until lightly toasted. Remove from oven and spread cut sides with pesto.

2. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a 10" skillet over medium-high heat. Add prosciutto and fry, turning once, until crisp, about 2 minutes. Place prosciutto on halves of bread. In same pan, add sun-dried tomatoes and sauté, about 2 minutes. Place tomatoes on top of prosciutto.

3. Bring a 10" skillet of salted water to a simmer over medium heat; add vinegar. Crack eggs individually into 4 small dishes. Slip eggs into simmering water; turn off heat, cover, and cook until whites are just firm, 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon remove eggs from water, and place on top of tomatoes and prosciutto; top with Parmesan and pepper.

Just a few steps from our front door

Happy Birthday, Dear Gale, Happy Birthday to You!

The week-long San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival came to end today with Gale Gand's Birthday Brunch with Friends hosted by Marina Kitchen, San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina. Executive Chef Aron Schwartz invited Gale's friends, The Hearty Boys, into his kitchen, and together they prepared a birthday brunch for the guest of honor. I was hidden back in the pastry kitchen and away from the action, but Chef Schwartz made sure I received each course to photograph. The desserts were to be served buffet-style, so one of the pastry chefs graciously offered to style a few plates for me. Although they were extremely tempting, I limited myself to a couple of the apple cider doughnut holes.

I was privileged to meet Gale last year during the Celebrity Chef Luncheon and Chef of the Fest judging, and we met again this year during the Celebrity Chef Dinner and Chef of the Fest judging. The Hearty Boys have also been active in the festival for the last few years.

For today's post, I'm sharing a few photos of the brunch menu and the Lemon Meringue Pie Gale prepared for the Celebrity Chef Dinner on Thursday.

FIRST COURSE

Apple Cider Doughnut Holes with warm Julian Mulled Cider

SECOND COURSE

Creamy Organic Grits with Poached Egg, Caviar and Chives

THIRD COURSE

Chicken & Waffles

Lavender Fried Chicken Thigh, Cheddar Waffles, Creamed Collards

DESSERT STATION

Sticky Toffee Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce

Mini Peppermint Angel Food Bundt Cake

Crushed Malted Milk Ball and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Hot Fudge

Gale's Dessert for this year's Wine Spectator Celebrity Chef Dinner

Lemon Meringue Pie

Blackberries and Blackberry Paint

Gale Gand and The Hearty Boys (last year's photo)

***

I still have hundreds of photos to sort through this week, write an article for Coronado Lifestyles, and get ready for Thanksgiving! Have a good evening...