Since I am on the subject of food, I have to share “One-Hour Cheese” by Claudia Lucero. Several years ago I bought her DIY Cheese Kit, which has everything you need to make batches of mozzarella and ricotta cheese. And making these two cheeses is a confidence builder; they are quick and easy and once you make them you will definitely want to make more! Lucero recently published “One-Hour Cheese” with 16 cheese recipes ranging from chevre to haloumi to burrata. Recipes come with step-by-step instructions with pictures so that you know what should happen at each step. It really doesn’t get easier than that! And when you tell people that you make your own cheese, the oohs and ahhs make it all worth it.
Month: September 2014
Incredible Recipe Alert: Brown Butter Tomatoes
I love brown butter and traditionally have eaten it on ravioli so when I saw this recipe I just had to try it. It turned out to be the most delicious thing I have eaten this summer!
Brown Butter Tomatoes
Serves 4 as a first course, 2 as a light lunch
- 2 large or 3 small ripe beefsteak tomatoes
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Flaky sea salt, like Maldon
- Coarsely ground black pepper
- Baguette or other country bread, for mopping up the butter
- Core the tomatoes and slice them 1/3-inch thick. Divide the tomato slices among 4 plates, overlapping the slices just a little.
- Place the butter in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan and set over medium low heat. Let the butter melt completely. It will begin bubbling. Let the butter simmer away, cooking off its water, until it begins to smell nutty and brown. Swirl the pan every 30 seconds or so. When the butter turns the color of a hazelnut, remove it from the heat. Use a soup spoon to ladle it over the tomatoes. They’ll sizzle! You want to dress the tomatoes with the butter as if you were pouring ganache over a cake — be generous!
- Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper, then rush the plates to the table so everyone can taste the tomatoes while the butter is hot! Mop up the butter and tomato juices with good bread. Toast to summer!
Good Book Alert: I Love You More
I just finished “I Love You More” by Jennifer Murphy and was guessing “who did it” to almost the bitter end. Jennifer’s debut novel introduces the reader to Picasso Lane, a 12 year-old, that finds herself in a complicated situation. Oliver, her dad, has just been murdered and Picasso’s mother (and Oliver’s wife) is the prime suspect. Soon after the murder, the police discover that Oliver actually has two other families with wives: Jewels and Bert. Chapters go back and forth between the wives and Picasso. Picasso is dealing with the trials and tribulations of mean girls at school and with watching her mother (and other wives). This is a attention-grabbing book that will all come together in the end with surprising results.
seniyegroff 