Beet and Arugula Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Posted on June 11, 2013 by touchoflemonandparm

Beets are one of those foods where you either hate ‘em or you love ‘em. In my family, we are split. My mom loves them, my sister doesn’t mind them, and my dad and I just say no. Sometimes when you cook for other people though, you have to make sacrifices and cook foods you either don’t like or are uncomfortable with. Beets are that food for me.

But I have to admit, these beets were delicious (and easy to make!). I think it was the pairing with the peppery arugula and the citrus dressing that cut the earthy flavor of the beets. The goat cheese layered between each Chioggia beet (a less potent beet compared to the red sugar beet) also gave it a delectable taste that had you asking for more!

Aren’t they beautiful?!

Beet and Arugula Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Serves 4
4 small Chioggia beets (or red if you can’t find them)
1/2 of a fresh Italian loaf, cut into 1/2-inch squares
Olive oil
8-ounce log goat cheese
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1/3 cup good olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 2 lemons
Pinch of sugar
4 cups arugula
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the tops and bottoms off each beet and wrap each individual beet in aluminum foil. Do not add olive oil or salt or pepper to the foil. Once oven is preheated, cook beets for 40 mintues to 1 hour, depending on the size of the beets. When a fork goes in easily, the beets are done.
2. To prepare the croutons: Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread the cut bread into a single layer. Add 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup olive oil to bread. Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Using your hands, toss until each piece of bread is covered in a light layer of olive oil. Cook for 14 minutes or until croutons are golden brown on 400 degrees, tossing halfway. Set aside to cool.
3. To prepare the goat cheese: In a small bowl, combine with a fork the goat cheese and cream cheese. Add kosher salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
4. To prepare the dressing: In another small bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and a pinch of sugar. Add kosher salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
5. Once beets are done, remove from oven and open each foil package to allow the beets to cool. Once beets are cool enough to handle, remove the skin using a wet paper towel. Thinly slice the beets like a tomato. Layer the beets with 1 tablespoon goat cheese between each layer into 3-beet-high stacks, beginning and ending with a beet.
6. In a large bowl, toss the arugula and croutons with the lemon dressing, to taste. Place the salad and goat cheese stacks on a large platter. Serve immediately.

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Caprese with Pesto

Posted on June 1, 2013 by touchoflemonandparm

After twelve hours of flying, no food, and two layovers, my sister Clarkie is finally home from Encampment, Wyoming. Sadly, we only get her for two days before we have to send her back to Wyoming for the summer to work on a guest ranch–her dream job, my worst nightmare. When my mom, my two dogs (of course they came!), and I picked her up from the airport, we had one request from Clarkie: “please bring me food!” Us Woods girls do horribly without three meals a day and snacks in between so much so that my mom and I become a reincarnation of Cruella Devil and Clarkie, well, she just faints. When Clarkie told us she hadn’t eaten, we knew we better act fast! I made her this tomato and mozzarella salad with pesto to tide her over.

It is a different take on the traditional caprese. The pesto nicely complements the fresh tomatoes and mozzarella and does not bleach the mozzarella like balsamic does. I personally do not care for balsamic, but even for lovers of balsamic, give this version a try–you may surprise yourself!

Caprese with Pesto
Serves 4 as a side dish
1 pint assorted cherry tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 fresh mozzarella balls (the large ones called Ovaline), diced
1/4 cup pesto
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. In a medium bowl, toss the tomatoes and mozzarella. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk with a fork the pesto and olive oil. Add to the salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to one day before serving.

Tempura Fried Haricot Verts with Aioli

Posted on May 26, 2013 by touchoflemonandparm

School’s out and I am ready to cook to my heart’s desire! It is absolutely wonderful being home with my family and friends, but I have to admit I am ready for my internship to begin. This summer (and for a while now for that matter), I am helping M Force Media, LLC put together a regional wine and speciality food expo set for next January. I feel blessed to have found such a perfect job that combines all my interests and skills.

As my last summer before I graduate from college (yikes!), I knew I needed to be home in Virginia Beach. Every previous summer, I have lived in Charlottesville. As many of you know, I worked at Monticello for the past year. Saying goodbye to such an amazing and talented group of people was much harder than I could have imagined. At my last Monticello event, an overwhelming sense of nostalgia came over me. I began my internship with the same event I ended it with. I strolled the gardens, took in the breathtaking views, and said my goodbyes and see you laters.

An integral part of my life has become the local food scene in Charlottesville. It is probably for my own well-being I am in Virginia Beach, so I stop breaking the bank and eat in more. As a result, I am trying to incorporate some of my favorite dishes into my menu at home. These tempura fried green beans (i.e. haricot verts) are offered at two of my favorite restaurants–Ten and Bang!. They are like candy. During move out, my parents and I went to Ten and ordered three orders of these green beans! Eat quickly because these things go fast!

Tempura Fried Haricot Verts with Aioli
Serves 4 as an appetizer

Aioli:
1 cup good mayonnaise such as Hellman’s
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Juice of 2 limes at room temperature
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Cholula Hot Sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

Tempura Fried Green Beans:
Peanut oil, for frying
1 pound French green beans
1/2 cup milk
A dash of Worcestershire
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons milk
1 egg
1 cup Panko bread crumbs

1. In a small fryer, bring the peanut oil to 375 degrees. Line one plate with a paper towel and one plate without.
2. In a shallow bowl, combine the 1/2 cup milk and Worcestershire sauce. In a separate bowl, place the flour. In a third bowl, combine 2 tablespoons milk and egg. Whisk to combine. In the fourth bowl, pour the Panko bread crumbs.
3. Dip the green beans into the milk mixture, the flour, the egg mixture, and the Panko bread crumbs, in that order. Place on the unlined plate. Once the fryer is ready, fry the green beans for 30 to 60 seconds or until the outside is crispy. Drain on the plate lined with the paper towel. Depending on how big your fryer is, you may have to do 3 to 4 batches.
4. Serve immediately alongside the aioli.

Welcome Back! Strawberry-Nutella Muffins

Posted on April 9, 2013 by touchoflemonandparm

Contrary to the last date I posted, I have not abadoned Princess Norn Cooks. Cooking has come to a halt as I conquer my hardest semester yet. I still dream up recipes and even plan to cook (sometimes even buying the ingredients), but when 8 pm comes around and I have not sat or let me brain come to a stop since 7 am, a sit down dinner with a waiter asking you “what would you like?” and “how would you like that cooked?” sounds better than a pile of dishes looming by the sink.

Since spring finally seemed to of appeared out of no where in Virginia, I can’t wait for the colorful produce to appear in the grocery stores and my long-waited love of watermelon to come back to me. And hopefully, this means I will start cooking more. I have a few recipes up my sleeve that I want to share, mainly involving chocolate.

Since about November, I have not gone a day without a morsel of chocolate at lunch or dinner (thanks Mom for that gene!). Chocolate frozen yogurt, chocolate milk, or nutella also do the trick for my craving. In this recipe, I paired up strawberry muffins with nutella and cinnamon. If you do not like nutella, then I would advise you to skip out on these ones, but if you are like me and love the thick chocolate-hazelnut taste, then you have stumbled upon the right recipe!

I also have decided to rename my blog–if you have any suggestions, please comment below!

Strawberry-Nutella Muffins
Makes about 20 muffins
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup Nutella
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl using a hand-held mixer, cream together butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract.
3. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Alternating, add the flour mixture and the buttermilk. Stir to combine. Add the nutella, cinnamon, and strawberries and mix until just incorporated.
5. Evenly spoon the mixture into the muffin pans and cook for 20 to 22 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let muffins sit for at least five minutes before transferring to a rack.

Adapted from Southern Food

Hearty Turkey and Vegetable Soup

Posted on December 27, 2012 by touchoflemonandparm

Yesterday my family and I drove to Durham, NC for a funeral I did not think I would be going to for at least a few more years. My great aunt Mary Ruth passed away last Friday unexpectedly. Mary Ruth was the type of person who lit up the room whenever she walked in. She never complained and did not ask for much. She was the sounding board for my mother and numerous others. Having no children of her own, she devoted herself to her nieces and nephews and the rest of the extended family.

When people spoke at the funeral yesterday, I realized I only knew a small sliver of Mary Ruth’s life. I knew her as my great aunt who we visited, brought Peanut Patch peanuts to, and took out to lunch on our way to Charlotte, NC where the rest of my family lives. She gave everything she had to her family, but also her friends. She was able to touch every person’s life she met. She was a devout Christian who taught Sunday school for years. We laid her to rest in Roxboro, NC alongside her husband and her parents. I wish I could be more sad, but for some reason I am not. I think she would have liked it that way. She lived a wonderful life and now she is where she has always wanted to be.

Sometimes this blog turns into my personal diary, so thank you for bearing with me while I got my thoughts out. After eating much comfort food yesterday, I needed something today that was healthy, but also filled me with warmth. Using Christmas day leftovers and ingredients in the kitchen, this Hearty Turkey and Vegetable Soup is exactly how I envision my soups: hearty (obviously), tart from a squeezed lemon, and thick so I feel like I have eaten more than just watery broth.

Hearty Turkey and Vegetable Soup
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 portobello mushroom, chopped
1/3 cup chopped yellow onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 quart plus 1 cup chicken broth
15 ounces white kidney beans (do not drain juices!)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup orzo
1 1/2 cups shredded roast turkey
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
1 teaspoon Greek seasoning by McCormick
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat olive oil until warm. Add celery, carrots, mushroom, onion, and garlic. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes or until the celery begins to soften. Add chicken broth, beans with their juices, and lemon juice. Stir to combine.
2. Bring pan to medium-high heat and add orzo. Cover pan and let cook for 8 to 10 minutes until orzo is fully cooked, stirring soup occasionally. The soup will begin to thicken.
3. Once orzo is cooked, remove lid and turn heat down to low. Add shredded turkey, Parmesan, and seasonings. Let sit on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve warm.

Almond Paste Cookies

Posted on December 24, 2012 by touchoflemonandparm

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I can’t believe Christmas is already upon us. Every year, time seems to go much faster and before I know it, the year is over!

My sister came home from Denver to spend Christmas with us. As a “Welcome Home!”, we invited all my parents’ friends she is close to and her closest friends at home. In the Christmas spirit, I made a large cookie platter with Chocolate Crinkle cookies, Wedding cookies, and Almond Paste cookies. The wedding cookies are always a hit and everyone loved the Chocolate Crinkle Cookies because of their rich dark chocolate. I recommend you trying The Moveable Feast’s recipe! I tried to make these Almond Paste thumbprint cookies I had a Whole Foods in Charlottesville. Although, they did not turn out exactly as I intended, they were still absolutely delicious! Unlike other cookies that are either hard or soft, these cookies have a different texture all together. The almond paste makes them chewy, but also gives them an intense almond flavor.

The cookies platter! (From left to right: Wedding, Chocolate Crinkle, & Almond Paste)

Almond Paste Cookies
1 cup sliced almonds
1 7-ounce tube almond paste, crumbled
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup egg whites (about 2 large)
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
2 tablespoons water

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, spread almonds in a single layer and tossing occasionally, cook nuts until you can smell a nut aroma and they are lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a blender or food processor, finely grind the crumbled almond paste, sugar, and cinnamon. Add the egg whites and vanilla extract and blend until the dough turns into a running paste.
4. Pour dough into a large plastic bag or a pastry bag. Press batter into one corner. Snip a 1/2-inch corner from the bag. Carefully squeeze 1-tablespoon cookies onto baking sheet, spacing each one about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle almonds on top. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the cookies are lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cookies are cool, carefully remove the cookies from the parchment paper to a wire rack.
5. While cookies are cooling, heat the raspberry jam and water over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once jam is warmed and thinned, transfer to a squeeze bottle.
6. Serve cookies on a platter with jam on the side if guests want to add jam to their cookies.

Adapted from epicurious

Spiced Nuts

Posted on December 20, 2012 by touchoflemonandparm

There is nothing more I hate about a nut mix than feeling like I just bit into a bite of sugar. It is like eating dessert before the main course. Many of the bags of nuts either are filled with dried fruit pumped with sugar or chocolate–not what I want for a snack or appetizer. Therefore, I have been on a hunt for a recipe that contains minimal sugar and a ton of spices. I wanted a recipe that had a kick where you grabbed for water after each handful.

After much searching, there was nothing! I decided to venture out and try to make my own using a basis off a Martha Stewart recipe. I discovered that a small amount of sugar is necessary or my guests would be asking for milk instead of water to wash down the spiciness! I think the secret ingredient to this recipe is lots of kosher salt and Old Bay. Maybe because I am from the beach, but Old Bay seems to make everything taste better.

Spiced Nuts
1 large egg white
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups pecan halves
1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a small bowl, beat the egg white until foamy and no clear liquid remains. Add the sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, chili powder, allspice, cumin, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Stir to combine.
2. Place pecans in a large bowl. Add the egg white-spice mixture to the pecans. Stir until all the pecans are well coated. Spread mixture in a single layer onto an ungreasted baking sheet.
3. Bake for 15 minutes; remove from oven. Using a metal spatula, toss and seperate nuts. Return to oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until medium brown.
4. Remove from oven and immediately add 1 teaspoon kosher salt and Old Bay. Toss and cool on a wire rack. They will crisp as they cool.

Adapted from Martha Stewart

"A Touch of Lemon and Parm"