Roasted Zucchini and Squash

I saw these vegetables sitting next to each other at the grocery store and I just thought about a layered tart I saw on Tartine's blog. I just really wanted to slice them with the mandoline! I mostly wanted to write down the time and temp for cooking these so I know where to find it next time. Cutting them in bite-sized chunks would work just as well if you aren't feeling fancy.

I also used my food mill for the first time tonight and made these really dreamy mashed potatoes.

Roasted Zucchini and Squash

2 large zucchini
2 large squash
1 tbsp. olive oil
salt
pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Slice vegetables very thinly--I used a mandoline for presentation.

3. Place them in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper before layering them in a baking dish, alternating every other slice. I like to put a layer of foil in the bottom of the dish to prevent them from sticking to the dish.

4. Bake for 15-20 minutes.



----ohai

Salmon With Lemon-Butter-Dill Sauce

I like this method for preparing salmon. I use much less butter and only two salmon fillets for me and my husband. I use fresh dill instead of dried and I like to finish this under the broiler for about 7 minutes to make it a bit crisp on top.

* 1lb salmon fillets
* 1/4 cup butter, melted
* 5 tablespoons lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon dried dill weed
* 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
* sea salt to taste
* freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish (I like to line it with foil instead of greasing the pan--cleaner).

2. Place salmon in the baking dish. Mix the butter and lemon juice in a small bowl, and drizzle over the salmon. Season with dill, garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper.

3. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until salmon is easily flaked with a fork.

Leeks & Carrots

I was looking for a way to prepare leeks that was fast and delicious. I really love nutmeg in savory dishes too. I use the recipe at least once a week as a side.

Leeks can have a lot of grit and sand in them so I like to cut them first and separate the rings and then let them soak for a while--15 minutes if you have the time--otherwise just give them a really good rinsing.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon light olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 medium leeks, white and palest green parts only,
chopped and very well rinsed
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
Pinch of nutmeg, optional
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil and wine in a wide skillet. Add the leeks and carrots,
cover, and cook over medium-low heat, for about 8 to 10 minutes, or
until tender-crisp.

2. Uncover and sauté, stirring frequently, until the leeks and carrots
begin to turn golden. Stir in the nutmeg, if desired, season with salt and pepper, and serve. I also like to finish it with a little butter sometimes.

4 to 6 servings

Nectarine Galette

Stone fruit is peak right now. I have been wanting to try another recipe for a tarte. This is Alice Water's recipe for an apple tarte that I made with nectarines instead. It uses much less flour and sugar than the Ina Garten version that I made previously and I think that I like it better.

Dough:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, just softened, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
3 1/2 tablespoons chilled water

Filling:
2 or 3 nectarines sliced thin
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
5 tablespoons sugar

Glaze:
1/2 cup sugar

1. Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl; add 2 tablespoons of the butter.

2. Blend in a mixer until dough resembles coarse cornmeal. Add remaining butter; mix until biggest pieces look like large peas.



3. Dribble in water, stir, then dribble in more, until dough just holds together. Adjust with more flour if the dough is too sticky, more water if it is too dusty.



4. Flatten into a 4-inch-thick disk; refrigerate.



5. After at least 30 minutes, remove; let soften so it’s malleable but still cold. Smooth cracks at edges.

6. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 14-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Dust excess flour from both sides with a dry pastry brush.



7. Place dough in a lightly greased 9-inch round tart pan, or simply on a parchment-lined baking sheet if you want galette-style. Heat oven to 400°F.

8. Overlap nectarines on dough in a ring 2 inches from edge if going galette-style, or up to the sides if using the tart pan. Continue inward until you reach the center. Fold any dough hanging over pan back onto itself; crimp edges at 1-inch intervals.





9. Brush melted butter over nectarines and onto dough edge.

10. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over dough edge and the other 3 tablespoons over apples.



11. Bake in center of oven until nectarines are soft, with browned edges, and crust has caramelized to a dark golden brown (about 45 minutes), making sure to rotate tart every 15 minutes.

12. Glaze: I just made a simple syrup with equal parts sugar and water heated until syrupy. I added some lavender blossoms too.

13. Remove tart from oven, and slide off parchment onto cooling rack. Let cool at least 15 minutes.

4-Hour Brioche

Baking isn't usually on the top of my list in July but I was inspired when we went to a fancy place in Healdsberg called "Cyrus." It was pretty delicious. I was especially impressed with the selection of bread that was baked on site. I had an excellent little brioche and pretzeled croissants. It got me in the mood for baking again in spite of the warm day.

Kneading the dough by hand is your best bet. This recipe leaves you with a modest amount of very soft dough that you can easily work without getting too sore. I used my stand mixer at first but the dough was still very lumpy so after the first rise I just worked it by hand.

There is another version of the recipe that requires the dough sit overnight but I wanted to try this simpler version that I found at La Tartine Gourmande. Her blog is ridiculously cute and French...anyway...It's a good little recipe that you can make in a loaf pan. I didn't realize that I had been staring right at brioche pans in the thrift stores for years until today. They look like this:



Luckily most exotic cooking implements can be found at second hand stores pretty easily so I will look for some next week and try the overnight recipe.

I put some tiny chocolate chips into one half of the brioche to make it more like a dessert. Brioche is right on the cusp of being a pastry. It's very tender, buttery and eggy like a Challah bread but with even more butter. I think what makes the brioche is the crust so I have a feeling that using the individual cups will be better because of the increased crust surface area.

The end result was a little more brown on the top than I wanted. I might move my oven rack down one or two notches next time. I think my oven also runs a bit high so I might go down to 375 and 325. Rest-assured that the house smelled wonderful and it still tasted amazing.


The Simplest Brioche (1 loaf, mold 10 ” long)

You need:
1 and 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 and 3/4 oz butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 dose dry baker’s yeast (1 Tbsp)
2 Tbsp sugar
1/3 cup warm milk
1 pinch salt
1 egg yolk for glaze

Steps:
1. In a bowl, mix the flour with the yeast, make a hole in the middle.



2. Add the warm milk mixing with the tip of your fingers (if using a stand mixer, pour the milk slowly and steadily while mixing, with the hook attachment.)

3. Add the sugar and a pinch of salt, then add the soft butter, piece after piece, waiting each time that each piece is absorbed.

4. Then one by one, add the eggs, mixing well between each. Work the dough until it is elastic and detaches from your fingers more easily (or from the bowl of the stand mixer).



5. Cover and let rest in a warm place, away from drafts, for two hours, until it doubles in size.

6. Work the dough again for 10 min and divide it in four balls. Place them in a greased rectangular mold and cover. Let rise for an hour again.







7. Preheat the oven at 400 F.

8. Brush the brioche with the egg yolk mixed with a dash of sugar. With a pair of scissors, make small cuts at the top of each ball.



9. Place in the oven to bake for 10 min then reduce the heat to 350 F and bake for about 20 to 30 min.



10. Remove, unmold and let cool on a rack.




---
WTFRU?