Tag Archives: cooking with herbs

Fontina & Tomato Tart

Add a baby green salad tossed lightly with olive oil & vinegar for a nice summer lunch or light dinner.

Fontina & Tomato Tart

Print
  • 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator, keep cold until ready to use
  • 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 4 ounces grated fontina cheese
  • 3 large tomatoes, cut into 1/4" thick slices
  • 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or use with a non-stick tart pan.

Unfold one sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll it lightly to an 11-by-11-inch square or roll to the size of your tart pan adding ½” for the sides. I using the tart pan, fold up the pastry carefully and lay into the pan, unfold the pastry draping it over the sides of the pan. If using just the sheet pan, lay the pastry in the middle of the piece of parchment on the pan. Prick (called 'docking') the pastry with a fork leaving a 1/2" edge clear.

Spread a thin amount of mustard on the pricked part of the dough.

Sprinkle an even amount of the cheese on the mustard and top with slices of tomato. Fold a couple of inches of the dough over the filling, leaving a large part of the middle open, disregard if using the part pan. If the pastry is warm, chill for 15 minutes.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Garnish with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Lemon Roasted Chicken

This is by far my favorite dish with hints of Meyer lemon and sea salt and I like to add some roasted baby potatoes to the pan to soak up some of the juices. I use ‘Mary’s Organic Chicken‘ always for the best meat, always tender & juicy, it costs a little more but I think it’s worth the extra few bucks. (And they didn’t pay me to say that). And I love to tuck into the pan the ‘Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes’ from Melissa’s Produce!

You can dress this up by making the ‘pan’ sauce listed in the recipe of you can by pass it. I’ve also made brioche dressing for the side and it makes a great holiday dish without the hassle of cooking a whole turkey dinner. Add a beautiful green vegetable and you’ll find an easy weeknight dinner. It pairs well with my Spring Asparagus recipe. Prep all the ingredients the night before & you can walk in the door, pop the chicken in a preheated oven and within the hour you’ll have the best meal in town, no drive through chicken can EVER take the place of a chicken roasted at home.

Lemon Roasted Chicken

Print
  • Serves 4
  • 1 whole chicken -- rinsed, drained and dried
  • 1 medium onion -- peeled and chopped
  • 3 baby carrots -- peeled and chopped
  • 3 celery stalks -- cut into chunks
  • 1 lemon -- zested and juiced; preferably Meyer lemon
  • 1 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley -- minced
  • 1 bunch fresh sage -- minced
  • 1/2 bunch fresh thyme -- minced
  • 2 tablespoons butter -- room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon lemon olive oil, butter or regular olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons chicken demi glace -- optional for sauce

Preheat oven to 400°.

Wash and dry chicken inside and out then dry well. Fit chicken into a roasting pan (you want no more than 1" of space on any side of the chicken otherwise the juices will burn).

Mix together onion, carrot, celery, lemon zest, and 1/2 of the minced herbs. Loosely stuff cavity with some of the ingredients, place the remainder on the bottom of the roasting pan and place chicken on top of the aromatic vegetables.

Mix remaining minced herbs with butter. Gently separate the chicken skin from the breast meat and carefully rub herb butter on breast under the skin.

Rub the chicken with lemon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Squeeze lemon over chicken and place rind into cavity. Insert probe thermometer into thigh and set for 165 degrees. Pour half of the wine and chicken stock in the bottom of the pan and place, uncovered in hot oven.

Baste after 1/2 hour, if you don't have enough juice in pan use some chicken stock. Do not cover bird until browned and then loosely place foil over breast. If wings start to brown to early wrap with foil.

Remove chicken to a warm plate and loosely cover with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Remove some of the fat in the pan by using a paper towel or ice cubes. (Dredge the paper towel through the juices to pull out some of the fat or pour off the juices into a heat proof measuring cup. Add a few ice cubes; the fat will stick to the cold cube, discard cube. You may have to do this several times).

Put the roasting pan on top of the stove over medium-high heat and bring a boil, add remaining wine and stock scraping the fond (the yummy pieces stuck to the pan) from the bottom of the pan. Reduce by half, add demi-glace if using and serve with chicken.

Buffet Party Dishes

Demo Cooking Class

May 18th & June 1st

6:30 – 8:30 p.m., approximately

By reservation only, see below

Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Tart With Fresh Lemon Olives

Marinated Vegetable Salad California

Nicoise Style Sandwich

Candied Bacon Deviled Eggs

Mixed Berry Cheesecake 

For reservations call

Temecula Olive Oil

(562) 296-5421

Sponsored by

Temecula Olive Oil, Seal Beach Cooking Demo for April & May

Seal Beach Store Cooking Demo

April 20th & May 4th

6:30 – 8:30, approximately

 Menu

Rick Bayless Slow Cooker Carnitas

Roasted Tomatillo (Carnitas) Enchilada’s With Mexican Crema and Monterey Jack Cheese

Fresh Tomato Salsa 

Refried (Heirloom) Black Beans

Corn, Cherry Tomato Salad with Hatch Chili Vinaigrette

Hatch Chili Chewy Brownies 

For reservations call

Temecula Olive Oil

(562) 296-5421

Sponsored by

Container Herb Gardens

I know some of you aren’t gardeners but like to have some fresh herbs around for creative cooking. Now you can buy herbs in the market and remove some of the bottom leaves and store them in a vase changing the water every day or you could easily grow some major herbs in pots on your patio or railing. You could choose to grow them in one big pot or give each herb it’s own container (then it’s a little easier to change out the plants). You could plant seeds and tend to them as they grow but if you’re not into gardening start as transplants.

Sun, most herbs like sun, at least 6 hours a day and a well draining potting soil. Use an organic potting soil and a liquid fertilizer like Dr. Earth. You should be able to find most herbs in the nursery right now but basil may be lagging because of the cold winter we had, the growers weren’t able to get the basil going as early as usual.

Here’s a little tip I picked up recently, if you are anywhere near a few pine trees (look in your local park) you could find tons of small pinecones. Place them in the bottom of the pot over the hole and it will help the soil from running out the bottom when you water the plant. The pinecone will slowly degrade into mulch helping to feed the plant. Put some potting soil on top of that and then squeeze the sides of the container the herb is growing in, turn the pot upside down holding the plant gently with your other hand. Squeeze the pot until the plant comes out (don’t pull on the plant or you may damage the stem and kill the poor baby before it evens hits the pot!), place the plant into the pot and fill the surrounding area with more soil. Water well and grow little baby herbs! Fertilize according to the directions on the box or the bottle and never snip off more than 1/3 of the plant. I let my herbs flower as it brings the bees and butterflies to the pots but you may not want that so just pinch back the flowers. The flowers are edible as long as you haven’t sprayed the plant with pesticides or herbicides (no no no). Many herbs are annuals such as basil and need to be planted every spring, but some are biennial (every other year) and many are perennial and will continue to grow. If they out grow the pot just move them up to the next size and plant new babies in the small container. When winter comes be mindful of cold weather, most herbs prefer warm sunny areas so you may have to move them or cover them during cold spells. But if that’s too much for you just toss them into a compost pile or chop them up and plant behind a shrub where they can decompose and plant a new herb baby next spring.

For more tips on growing and using herbs come and see me at The South Coast Plaza Garden Show. The seminars are free!

Thursday April 27th at noon

Friday April 28th at 12:30



 

 

Puff Pastry Tart

This recipe is great as a side dish, an appetizer or a light lunch with a salad. It’s easy to make, most of it can be done ahead of time and assembled just before baking. Be sure to use a quality puff pastry dough such as Dufour’s which is made with 100% butter and no preservatives. It’s a little more expensive but if you want real puff pastry, this is it. Be sure to keep the dough refrigerated and if it warms up a little while you are rolling it out, pop it back in the refrigerator until cold. It won’t puff correctly unless the dough is as cold as possible into a hot oven. Be creative and add some chopped (blanched) asparagus to this, it’s a perfect spring time recipe. Enjoy!

Leek and Goat Cheese Puff Pastry Tart

Print
  • 1 cup baby leeks, sliced thin
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 box (14 ounces) frozen puff pastry, such as Dufour, thawed
  • 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
  • 1/4 cup Nicoise olives, pitted
  • 6 ounces goat cheese, room temperature

Rinse leeks well, and drain; set aside.

Melt butter with oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add leeks and sprinkle with salt; cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, cook until translucent and soft, add thyme. Leeks can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 day; bring to room temperature before assembling tart.

Cut or roll out pastry to a 6-by-14-inch rectangle; place on a parchment-lined baking sheet (reserve remaining pastry for another use). Score a 3/4-inch border. Brush with egg wash; sprinkle with Parmesan. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°. Bake pastry until light brown; remove from oven, and press center area with spatula. Using an offset spatula or a spoon, smear the pastry with the cheese within the border, add leeks and olives, and bake until crust is golden brown, about 10 minutes. If bottom is soft, bake 3 to 5 minutes more.

Remove tart from oven place tart onto a wire rack; let cool slightly. Cut into pieces; serve warm or at room temperature (tart can stand at room temperature up to 1 hour).

Olive Magazine Photo

Easter Menu

April cooking demo at Temecula Olive Oil tasting room, Seal Beach

April 6th, Thursday

6:30 – 8:30, approximately

See below for reservations

Menu

Roasted Asparagus Caesar Salad

Pan Seared Lamb Chops with Meyer Lemon & Mint Gremolata

Honey Glazed Baby Carrots with Cippolini Onions

Fontina & Gruyere Potatoes Au Gratin

Blood Orange Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

For Seal Beach Reservations please call:

562-296-5421

Sponsored by

Fettuccine with Fresh Spring Peas & Pancetta

 

Fettuccine with Fresh Spring Peas & Pancetta

Print
  • 1 pound fettuccine pasta
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 8 oz. pancetta, diced
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • 2 tablespoons dry white wine
  • 2 tablespoons chicken stock
  • 1 cup fresh peas
  • 1 sprinkle of sea salt
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, reserving some for garnish.
  • Fresh ground pepper

Cook the pasta according to directions, adding a good tablespoon of salt to the water, and while that is cooking continue with the recipe.

Heat a large saucepan over medium high heat and add a little olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan, add the diced pancetta and cook until lightly browned.

Add the shallots and sauté until translucent. Add the wine and chicken stock, bring to a boil and add the peas with a generous sprinkle of sea salt, cover and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the peas are a bright green color.

When the liquid is reduced to about a tablespoon, add the cream and cook for about 3 minutes then add the cheese and the pasta. Toss well and add a little of the pasta water if the sauce is too thick. Serve with a grind of fresh pepper.

Serves 4

 

 

 

Temecula Olive Oil Cooking Class March 2017

Celebrate the Irish with us in downtown Seal Beach !

Thur. March 2

(Additional class March 16th  if March 2nd sells out,) BYOB

6:30 – 8:30, approximately

See below for reservations

Guinness-Beef-Stew-Recipe-wonkywonderful

Kerrygold Aged Cheddar Cheese Sandwich Fingers with Sun Dried Tomatoes

Irish Pub Salad

 Beef & Guinness Stew

Potato Torte with Bacon & Cabbage

Guinness Chocolate Cake 

For Seal Beach Reservations please call:

562-296-5421

Sponsored by

Melissas logo small

Photo: Wonky Wonderful

Fullerton Arboretum Demo Cooking Class with Chef Louise

Fullerton Arboretum Cooking Demo

I’ll be pairing up with my friend, Louise Mellor for monthly cooking demo’s and foodie tastings, tips on how to stock your pantry, cooking with seasonality and celebrations at the table with design and style

Sat. Feb 11th

11 – 2, approximately

See below for reservations

Cupid in the kitchen…

Chocolate Tasting

Beef Wellington Tarts with Mushroom Blue Cheese Sauce 800 2765

Roasted Spring Asparagus salad with Meyer Lemon vinaigrette

Elegant Beef Wellington Puff Pastry Tarts with Caramelized Onions, Maytag Blue Cheese, Sautéed Mushrooms

Dark chocolate hazelnut flourless cake with vanilla bean ice cream and fresh berries

Wine will be available in class

Sponsored by

Melissas logo small

For a full 6 month class schedule and to register for a class click

Fullerton Arboretum

Temecula Olive Oil Tasting Room, Seal Beach Cooking Demo

Temecula Olive Oil Tasting Room

Seal Beach

Thur. Feb. 2nd  (Additional class  Feb. 16th  if Feb. 2nd sells out,)

6:30 – 8:30, approximately

See below for reservations

salmon blood orange

Pear, Pecan & Feta Salad

Farro & Balsamic Roasted Butternut Squash

Blood Orange Butter Broiled Salmon

Raspberry Dark Chocolate Mousse

For Seal Beach Reservations please call:

562-296-5421

Sponsored by

Melissas logo small

Extra January Class!

Cooking at Temecula Olive Oil, Seal Beach

Jan 19th

6:30 – 8:30, approximately

pork-braciole

Minestrone Soup with Italian Meatballs

Pork Braciola Porchetta Style

     (Stuffed pork cutlets stuffed with Italian herbs & cheese)

     Served with Mushroom Ragu

Saffron Risotto

Tangerine Panna Cotta

By Reservation Only
(562) 296-5421
148 Main Street
Seal Beach, CA 90740

SPONSORED BY

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...