Sunday, July 21, 2013

Sticky Walnut Tart



Ah! So my lofty-goal of posting every week seems to have gotten lost in the craziness that was the last month for me. Between a business trip to Philadelphia, hard-to-meet deadline for a project, trip to Chicago (first vacation!) and a 4-day weekend for the 4th, things have been a little bit insane. But: summer has finally kicked in, farmers markets are in full-swing, and I'm motivated and ready to go *determined face*

So with that, I present to you a delicious buttery tart that you will want to make for any gathering. Available in full and individual sizes.

Sticky Walnut Tart
slightly adapted from savorme

Ingredients:
1 sweet pastry crust (I used this recipe)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup honey (or golden syrup)
200 g butter
250 g walnuts

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Butter tart pan (or 6 individual tartlette pans) and line with pastry dough.
3. Blind bake crust for 15 minutes.
4. Melt together sugar, vanilla, honey, and butter in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes, remove from heat, and stir in walnuts until well coated.
5. Dump walnuts and caramel into the tart pan and spread walnuts and caramel evenly. Bake for 17 minutes or so, until caramel is bubbling and walnuts are starting to darken on the top.
6. Allow to cool slightly or completely and serve.
Optional: sprinkle with sea salt

Grilled Watermelon with Feta and Mint


 Happy Fourth of July!

... Yeah I know it's a little late, but not too late to post this delicious grilled watermelon salad recipe. This is something I've been wanting to make literally for years, and the 4th was a perfect opportunity. It's simple, elegant, refreshing, and flavorful. Really everything I could want in a dish.

My mom had a nice get together at her place pool-side for the holiday, and I was put in charge (de facto) for the food. The menu:

Home-made Black Bean Burgers
Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
Grilled Watermelon Salad (recipe below)
Grilled Corn (shuck corn but keep husk on; re-husk and grill for 15 minutes, turning several times)
Veggie Kabobs (skewer pearl onions, green pepper, mushrooms, red onion, and zucchini, drizzle with balsamic, evoo, and rosemary; grill for 6-8 mins, turning half way through)
Boulevard's KC Pils (great take on an American Style Lager)

If I were to title this menu, I would call it Vegetarian Summer Delight.

Grilled Watermelon with Feta and Mint
adapted from Souvlaki for the Soul

Ingredients:
6 slices of watermelon, 2" thick, rind removed
2 Tbs oil
1/4 cup feta, crumbled
2 Tbs mint, chiffonade
1 Tbs sherry vinegar

Instructions:
1. Start up the grill.
2. Lightly brush watermelon sides with olive oil, then put on the grill. Grill each side for 2-3 minutes, until char marks appear, then flip and grill for 2-3 minutes again.
3. Take watermelon off grill and spread across a plate. Drizzle with vinegar, then sprinkle goat cheese and mint across the top.