Asparagus Gruyere Tart

bought a bunch of asparagus with the intention of making a quiche of sorts. Somehow, it became the meal that kept getting pushed back day after day. It got to the point where I had to use the asparagus or toss it, and that is exactly when I came across this recipe on Joy the Baker. I did end up having to trim a little more off the asparagus spears than I would have liked to, but they were able to be salvaged. And this recipe was the perfect way to salvage them! I did switch up the cheese because the gruyere was $12 at my grocery store, but that didn't matter because any kind of cheese is delicious in my eyes! We paired these tarts with steak and stuffed mushrooms for dinner, but I had one on its own for lunch the next day and it was the perfect amount of food. These might even make a great bite-sized appetizer, too!

1 sheet Frozen Puff Pastry, thawed but still cold
1 Egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups Gruyere Cheese, finely grated (I used grated swiss)
1 pound Slender Asparagus
Salt and Black Pepper
Olive Oil
Balsamic Reduction (bring balsamic to a boil in a saucepan, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened)

Unfold the thawed puff pastry onto a lightly floured work surface and slice into 6 rectangles. Gently press each rectangle with your fingers, flattening slightly. With a small paring knife, score a 1/4 inch border along the inside of each rectangle (oops, I skipped this step, but it worked just fine). Arrange the rectangles 1 inch apart on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Brush the top of each pastry with the beaten egg, then sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Top with a generous sprinkling of grated cheese. Press 5-6 asparagus spears into the cheese. Brush the asparagus with olive oil and sprinkle with more black pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until the puff pastry is golden brown and the asparagus is cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Drizzle the top with balsamic reduction, if desired.

Scallion Potato Cakes

When we were in Napa, we drove to Yountville and saw Thomas Keller's restaurant Ad Hoc. We didn't go, partly because I really didn't know much about the restaurant and just assumed that, with a pig as the main decor, it was a restaurant that was heavy on meat. Instead, we ate at Michael Chiarello's restaurant, Bottega (I'm pretty sure I saw him walk past me a few times while I was sitting in the courtyard waiting for our table, too). Fast forward to Christmas 2011. Joel had put the Ad Hoc at Home cookbook on his wish list, so I purchased it. While picking it up at the store, I flipped through a copy and noticed that it was far from what I had originally expected. I read the story about how the restaurant came to be and what types of meals they serve, and while Bottega was excellent, I was immediately sorry that we passed up the chance to give Ad Hoc a try. I guess that means that we will just have to make another trip out to Napa some day! So, a few days after Christmas, Joel and I parked ourselves on the floor with his new cookbook and a package of sticky notes. We flipped through every page and flagged the recipes that we liked the most. This recipe was one of them. The concept of scallion potato cakes is so simple, yet when cooked, they taste so wonderful! We made these as a side dish to steak (and even though I asked Joel to pick up a veggie as the other side, he brought home macaroni salad, so we had that too...). I wish that we would have planned only these cakes to be our meal, because it would have given me an excuse to eat more! Joel had leftovers for breakfast the next morning, and said they were even good then! I will definitely make these again and again.

5 Scallions
3 pounds Russet Potatoes
1/2 cup Cornstarch
Canola Oil
Salt and Pepper

Cut the scallions into thin slices, reserving 1/4-cup for garnish, and set aside. Peel the potatoes, then shred them (you can use a food processor to do this, but I used a box grater). Immediately, transfer the shredded potatoes to a large bowl of cold water; swirl and rinse the potatoes. Remove the potatoes from the water and spin dry in a salad spinner (or squeeze dry using a towel). Transfer the potatoes to another large bowl and spoon the cornstarch around the sides of the bowl, tossing the potatoes with it. Heat some canola oil in a 10-inch nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering; turn the heat down to medium. Add one-sixth of the potatoes to the pan, gently spreading them into an 8-inch circle. Do not press down on the potato cake while it is cooking. Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and sprinkle one-third of the scallions over the top. Carefully spread another one-sixth of the potatoes on top. Cook for 6-7 minutes, until the bottom has browned. Turn the pancake and brown on the other side, adding more oil if necessary. Cook until the other side is browned and crisp. Keep the potato cake warm by placing it on a cooling rack over a baking sheet in a 200 degree oven while you cook the other 2 potato cakes. Cut each pancake into 4 wedges and garnish with reserved scallions (and sour cream, if you would like). *I made smaller pancakes instead of the 8-inch rounds that were suggested in the recipe. 

Garlic Rice Pilaf

A few weeks ago, I made this delicious Lemon Thyme Chicken from Annie's Eats. I was planning on serving it over plain white rice, but then I clicked on a link from her post to this rice pilaf recipe. I had everything I needed on hand, so I changed course and decided to make it. I was a bit nervous, because I do tend to mess up rice, but It was, by far, the best choice I could have possibly made. Baking the rice made it surprisingly tender. It was incredibly flavorful, and helped to soak up the juices of the chicken and pan sauce. This rice would be delicious as a side dish to any meal, and it was delicious on it's own for lunch the next day, as well!

2 tablespoons Butter
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 cup Long Grain White Rice
2 1/2 cups Chicken Broth, divided
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
Squeeze of Lemon Juice

In a saucepan or skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and rice to the pan and cook until both are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of the chicken broth, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Pour the mixture into a covered casserole dish, cover, and bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees. After 25 minutes, stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of broth and bake, covered, for 45 more minutes. About 15 minutes before it is finished baking, stir in a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Grilled Eggplant Caponata Salad

About a month ago, it was just way too hot not to grill. I mean 80's in March in Buffalo?! I knew that I needed to take advantage of it while I could, because it was unseasonably warm and I knew it wouldn't last. I searched for some meatless grilled recipes, since we had been eating more meat than we usually like to, and came across this one on Delish. It definitely made a lot, but it was great! I could see this being a staple in the summertime, especially when tomatoes are fresh and plentiful from the garden! We at this as a main dish, but it would be delicious as a side salad along with a piece of grilled chicken or fish.

2 small Red Onions, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 small Eggplants (about 1 1/4 pounds each), cut into 3/4 inch thick slices
Nonstick cooking spray
4 medium Celery Stalks
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar 
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Ground Pepper
6 medium Plum Tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 cup Kalamata Olives, pitted and chopped
3 tablespoons Capers, drained
1/2 cup Italian Parsley Leaves, loosely packed

Spray both sides of the eggplant slices with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle onions, eggplants, and celery with salt and place them on a hot grill rack. Cover the grill and cook the vegetables for 8-10 minutes or until tender and lightly browned, turning once during cooking time. Remove the vegetables from the grill and set aside to cool slightly. Cut the eggplants and celery into 3/4 inch chunks and coarsely chop the onions. In a large bowl, mix together the vinegar, oil, sugar, and pepper until blended. Stir in the tomatoes, olives, raisins, capers, and parsley. Add the eggplant, onions, and celery, and gently toss to coat. Serve this salad at room temperature or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

Wild Rice Salad

When I first signed up for Pinterest, this recipe from Fat Girl Trapped In A Skinny Body was one of the first things I repined to my "To Eat" board. I didn't know when I was going to make this salad, but I knew it was something I had to try. When we decided to host Easter dinner again this year, I immediately remembered this salad and added it to my menu. It is a great dish to make for a crowd because it is very easily doubled (although I still ended up making entirely too much!). Another plus is that it can be made up to 3 days ahead of time, so I made it on Saturday and put it in my fridge, allowing me to have more time on Sunday to finish the other dishes I had planned to make! The sweetness of the cranberries, the crunch from the toasted nuts, and the chewy texture of the rice really come together to make a delicious salad! I could see myself making a big batch of this salad on a Sunday and keeping it in the fridge to eat all week for lunch.

For the Salad:
1 cup Wild Rice
1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
1/3 cup Toasted Pecans, chopped
1/3 cup Toasted Unsalted Cashews, chopped
1/4 cup Scallions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Celery, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Red Onion, finely chopped

Combine 4 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the rice. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, about 45 minutes. Drain well (if necessary) and cool. Transfer the rice to a large bowl. While the rice is cooling, mix in the cranberries, pecans, cashews, scallions, celery, and red onions. Pour the dressing (recipe below) over the rice mixture and toss to coat. Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

For the Dressing:
2 tablespoons Red WIne Vinegar
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon Sugar
1/3 cup Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

Add all ingredients to a ball jar with a cover and shake to combine.

Baby Hasselback Potatoes

Like I had mentioned in a previous post, Joel and I don't really celebrate Valentine's Day, but instead just make a slightly nicer meal at home for the two of us. While I was scrolling through the many recipes I have saved for potential components of our meal, Faith at An Edible Mosaic posted a whole Valentine's Day menu on her blog, which stopped my search dead in it's tracks! Spiced Sirloin Roast, these Baby Hasselback Potatoes, and green beans sounded nicer than our normal dinners. I've seen, and saved, many hasselback potato recipes before, and now that I have made them, I have no idea why I hadn't done it sooner! What a simple and elegant way to dress up a plain potato. This recipe is super simple and will dress up the fanciest of meals, or be just as good with any weeknight meal.

3/4 pounds Baby Yellow Potatoes, scrubbed (I used 4 baby white)
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon Salt
Pinch of Black Pepper
*Pinch of Mrs. Dash Salt Free Garlic & Herb Seasoning (I added)
Parsley, for serving (I added, though Faith had it in her pictures)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a potato on a wooden spoon. Starting at one end of the potato, using a large knife, cut until the knife touches the spoon (using the spoon ensures that you will not cut through the bottom of the potato), and continue cutting at 3-4mm intervals across the whole potato. Continue this process until all potatoes have been cut. Using your fingers, gently open the potatoes, then toss them together with the oil, salt, pepper, and additional seasoning, allowing them to marinade for 5-10 minutes. Arrange the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle the tops with chopped parsley and serve.