Roasted Cauliflower, Paneer, and Lentil Salad

1 cup French green lentils

4 cups vegetable broth (or water)

1 small head cauliflower (about 1 pound)

1 10-ounce block of paneer, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups total)

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 scallions, green and white parts, thinly sliced

For the dressing:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup tightly packed fresh cilantro leaves

1 green chile (seeded, if desired)

Juice of 1/2 lime

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Heat the oven to 425 F.

Rinse the lentils in a fine-mesh strainer under cold running water and pick out any stones or imperfect beans.  Transfer to a pressure cooker and add the broth or water.  Cook under pressure for 20 minutes.  Release steam; drain through a fine-mesh strainer.

While the lentils are cooking, roast the cauliflower and paneer:

Cut the cauliflower into bite-size florets and transfer to a roasting or sheet pan.  Add the paneer.  Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with the olive oil, mixing to coat evenly.  Roast, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower and paneer are crispy on the outside and feel tender when pierced with a skewer or knife, 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the dressing:

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and pulse at medium-high speed until smooth.

When the cauliflower and paneer are done, transfer to a large bowl and gently stir in the drained lentils and the scallions.  Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.  Drizzle with 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the dressing, to taste, and serve warm or at room temperature. 

(Store the leftover salad and dressing in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Shake the dressing before using.)

Serves 4 to 6.

From New York Times Cooking, adapted from Season: Big Flavors, Beautiful Food by Nik Sharma, with a few changes by me

Coffee-Caramel Creme Brulee

2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided

1/4 cup (about 3/4 ounce) dark-roast coffee beans (such as French roast), crushed with mallet in plastic bag

1 cup sugar, divided

1/2 cup water

2 cups half and half

8 large egg yolks

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 teaspoons raw sugar (also called turbinado or demerara sugar)

Bring 1 cup cream and coffee beans to simmer in heavy small saucepan.  Remove from heat; cover and let steep at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Heat oven to 325°F.  Stir 2/3 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves.  Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush.  Boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber, swirling pan occasionally, about 11 minutes.  Remove pan from heat.  Add remaining 1 cup whipping cream (mixture will bubble up).  Stir over low heat until caramel is smooth.  Stir in half and half.  Strain coffee-infused cream into caramel cream; discard coffee beans in strainer.

Whisk yolks, salt, and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in large bowl to blend.  Gradually whisk in cream mixture.  Strain custard into large measuring cup.

Arrange eight 2/3- to 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups in roasting pan.  Divide custard among ramekins.  Add enough warm water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins or custard cups.  Bake custards until just set in center, 65 to 70 minutes.  Transfer custards from water bath directly to refrigerator.  Chill uncovered until cold, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

Sprinkle top of each custard with 1 teaspoon raw sugar.  Using kitchen torch, melt sugar on each custard until deep amber.  (Alternatively, preheat broiler. Arrange custards on small rimmed baking sheet; broil until sugar topping melts and browns, about 2 minutes.)  Refrigerate custards until sugar topping hardens, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour (do not chill longer than 1 hour or topping will start to soften).  Serve custards cold.

Serves 8.

From Epicurious

Artichoke Tapenade

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced (optional)
1 cup (4 ounces/120 grams) pitted green olives
1 tablespoon (10 grams) capers
8-10 (14 ounces/250 grams) canned artichokes, drained well and quartered
2-3 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 tablespoons (90 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon chile powder
Salt, to taste

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the garlic, olives, capers, artichoke hearts, lemon juice, and olive oil, until almost smooth but still chunky.

Taste, and add salt, chile powder, and additional lemon juice if desired.

Serve with toasted slices of baguette or crackers, or as a sandwich spread.  Will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

Makes 8 to 10 servings as an appetizer.

From David Lebovitz's blog (originally adapted by Smitten Kitchen from Mario Batali)

Apple Fritters with Maple Glaze

For the dough:

2 cups whole milk, at room temperature, between 75 and 85 degrees

½ cup granulated sugar

3½ tsp active dry yeast

1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, slightly beaten

6 tbsp butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp orange zest

6 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

2 tsp salt

Vegetable oil for frying

For the apple filling:

2 tbsp lemon juice

4 Granny Smith apples

2 tbsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

For the maple glaze:

3 cups powdered sugar

a pinch of salt

3/4 – 1 cup pure maple syrup

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

Make the dough:

Make the dough:

Pour the milk into the bowl of a standing mixer, and sprinkle in the sugar and yeast. Stir to combine and then let sit for about 5 minutes to let the yeast begin to come alive. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, melted butter, vanilla and orange zest.

Fit your mixer with the dough hook, add 5 cups of the all-purpose flour and the nutmeg and mix on medium-low speed until the dough begins to come together. Slowly add enough of the remaining cup of flour so that the dough comes together into a soft, slightly sticky ball. Depending on the humidity in the air, this might take the entire remaining cup or only a bit of it. What you’re looking for is a soft, smooth ball of dough that clings to the dough hook, does not stick to the sides of the bowl, but does stick slightly to the bottom of the bowl. If you stop the mixer and touch the dough, it should feel slightly sticky, but not so wet as to be confused with cookie dough.

Once the dough has come together, sprinkle in the salt. Let the mixer knead the dough for about 8-10 minutes. The dough should look very soft and smooth.

Butter a large bowl and dump the dough into the bowl. Butter a piece plastic wrap (or spray with non-stick spray) and use it to cover the bowl. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.

While the dough rises, make the apple filling:

Add the lemon juice to a medium size saucepan. Peel, core, and dice the apples into pieces about the size of a pea. As you chop the apples, add them to the saucepan and toss them around in the lemon juice to prevent them from browning.

Add the rest of the filling ingredients to the saucepan. Stir to mix and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the apples are soft and the liquid in the pan is thick and syrupy, about 15-20 minutes.

Scrape the filling into a bowl and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Shape the fritters and let them rise:

Cover two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set nearby.

Dump the dough out onto a clean work surface and roll it into a square that’s approximatly 16 inches. Spread the apple filling over the dough and roll the whole thing up into a very loose log.

Using a dough scrapper or the edge of a metal spatula, chop the dough from one end of the log to the other into pieces that are no bigger than 1-inch wide.

Push the pieces of dough into a sloppy mound in the center of your workspace and continue to chop the dough every which way, so that you have a gooey pile of small pieces of dough and apple filling.

Use your hands to scoop up a palm sized portion of dough and apples. Gently press the dough together in your hands and lay it down on one of the parchment covered baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the dough, leaving at least 4 inches in between fritters on the baking sheets. This is a messy job – so have fun with it!

Spray a couple of sheets of plastic wrap with non-stick spray and cover the fritters. Let rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours, until nearly doubled in bulk. OR – place the sheets of fritters in the refrigerator to rise for up to 12 hours.

Make the maple glaze:

Put the powdered and salt in a medium size bowl and add 3/4 cup maple syrup and the vanilla and almond extracts. Stir until smooth. Add more maple syrup if necessary to create a consistency similar to cream. Cover and set aside.

Fry the fritters:

If the dough has been rising in the refrigerator, let the sheets of apple fritters sit out on the counter for about 1 hour to allow the dough to come to room temperature.

Pour enough vegetable oil into a large, deep saucepan to come up the sides 3 or 4 inches. Heat the oil to 350 – 370 degrees. Cover a baking sheet or serving platter with a few sheets of paper towels and set it near the stovetop.

Cut the parchment around two of the fritters so that it extends around the fritter by a couple of inches. Using a spatula, lower the fritters into the hot oil one at a time, parchment and all. Using metal tongs, gently lift the edge of the parchment paper, flipping the fritter over in the hot oil, and lifting the paper away.

Cooke the fritters for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until they are a deep golden brown. Do your best to keep the oil temperature between 350 and 360 degrees. Using a slotted spoon or spatula, transfer the fritters to the paper towel lined platter.

Within 1-2 minutes of the fritters coming out of the hot oil, drizzle the tops with a generous amount of maple glaze.  Repeat with the remaining fritters.

Fritters are best served soon after frying.

Makes 12-16.

From Of Batter & Dough blog