Barefoot Bloggers: Tuna Salad or This is Not Your Mother's Tuna Salad!

Put the mayo and the pickle relish away--this is a whole new kind of tuna salad. Ina Garten's Tuna Salad is made with fresh tuna and has sort of an Asian vibe going on. It's light, fresh, and delicious--a great summer lunch or dinner for people you really like--because fresh tuna steak is not cheap!! I walked out of the first store I went to when I saw that fresh tuna was $30.99 a pound. If I paid that much for the tuna I would have to put it in my safe deposit box!! I ended up getting it at Whole Foods for $20.99 a pound. As always, I didn't use as much salt as our girl Ina calls for. I sprinkled kosher salt on the tuna steaks before cooking and then added a little additional salt to the mixture after tasting. I would definitely make this one again! Probably a good dish to make when you see tuna on sale at your grocery store.



INGREDIENTS

2 pounds very fresh tuna steak, cut 1-inch thick
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling (NOTE: taste dressing before adding salt)
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black, plus extra for sprinkling
2 limes, zest grated
1 teaspoon wasabi powder (available in the Asian food section of most grocery stores)
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
10 dashes hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco) (NOTE: I used all 10 dashes)
1 to 2 ripe Hass avocados, medium diced
1/4 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions)
1/4 cup red onion, small diced

DIRECTIONS

Brush the tuna steaks with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the tuna steaks in a very hot saute pan and cook for only 1 minute on each side. Set aside on a platter.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, lime zest, wasabi, lime juice, soy sauce and hot sauce. Add the avocados to the vinaigrette.

Cut the tuna in chunks and place it in a large bowl. Add the scallions and red onion and mix well. Pour the vinaigrette mixture over the tuna and carefully mix.

Barefoot Bloggers: Croque Monsieur

You don't need your passport to get a taste of France--Ina Garten's come up with another winner and it's the classic French ham and cheese sandwich known as Croque Monsieur. A simple sandwich that the French have transformed into heaven on a plate, the Croque Monsieur is surprisingly easy to make. This "Barefoot Bloggers" recipe from Ina's Barefoot in Paris cookbook took me no more than half an hour start to finish. Thanks to Kathy of All Food Considered for a great choice! This would be great with a simple salad for lunch or dinner--and it would be a big hit as lunch for your girlfriends. Bon appetit!



CROQUE MONSIEUR
from Barefoot in Paris

INGREDIENTS

2 T unsalted butter
3 T all-purpose flour
2 C hot milk (I used skim)
1 t kosher salt (I used less, knowing Ina's a bit of a salt freak)
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
12 ounces Gruyere, grated (5 cups)
1/2 C freshly grated Parmesan
16 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed (Ina prefers Pepperidge Farm white bread--I used supermarket brand no-
name white bread and it was fine)
Dijon mustard
8 ounces--or more (at least 8 slices) baked Virginia ham, sliced but not paper thin (I think I used French ham from the deli

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan and add the flour all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Slowly pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened. Off the heat add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup grated Gruyere, and the Parmesan and set aside.

To toast the bread, place the slices on 2 baking sheets and bake for 5 minutes. Turn each slice and bake for another 2 minutes, until toasted.

Lightly brush half the toasted breads with mustard, add a slice of ham to each, and sprinkle with half the remaining Gruyere. Top with another piece of toasted bread. Slather the tops with the cheese sauce, sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere, and bake the sandwiches for 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and lightly browned. Serve hot.

Barefoot Bloggers: Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts

Today's recipe from "Barefoot Bloggers" is Ina Garten's Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts. This recipe was chosen by Anne of Anne Strawberry. and is from Ina's Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook. It looks elegant and is easy and delicious! This would be a great appetizer or first course. Using frozen puff pastry made it really easy--Ina herself even admits that "pastry still makes me anxious" and that when she "discovered frozen puff pastry, it was such a relief." If it's good enough for Ina, it's probably good enough for you and me! Ina also suggests this tart for an elegant lunch.

TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE TARTS
from Barefoot Contessa at Home

This recipe makes 4 individual tarts

INGREDIENTS

1 package (17.3 ounces/2 sheets) puff pastry, defrosted (just defrost overnight in the refrigerator)
Good olive oil
4 C thinly sliced yellow onions (2 large onions)
3 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 T dry white wine
2 t minced fresh thyme leaves
4 T freshly grated Parmesan, plus 2 ounces shaved with a vegetable peeler
4 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese (Ina recommends Montrachet)
1 large tomato, cut into 4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices
3 T julienned basil leaves

DIRECTIONS

Unfold a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll it lightly to an 11 by 11-inch square. Using a 6-inch wide saucer or other round object as a guide, cut 2 circles from the sheet of puff pastry, discarding the scraps. Repeat with the second pastry sheet to make 4 circles in all. Place the pastry circles on 2 sheet pans lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.

Heat 3 T of olive oil in a large skillet over medium to low heat and add the onions and garlic. Saute for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are limp and there is almost no moisture remaining in the skillet. Add 1/2 t salt, 1/4 t pepper, the wine, and thyme and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned. Remove from the heat.

Using a sharp paring knife, score a 1/4-inch-wide border around each pastry circle. Prick the pastry inside the score lines with the tines of a fork and sprinkle a tablespoon of grated Parmesan on each round, staying inside the scored border.

Place 1/4 of the onion mixture on each circle, again staying within the scored edge. Crumble 1 ounce of goat cheese on top of the onions. Place a slice of tomato in the center of each tart. Brush the tomato lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with basil, salt, and pepper. Finally, scatter 4 or 5 shards of Parmesan on each tart.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. The bottom sheet pan may need an extra few minutes in the oven. Serve hot or warm.

Aunt Carole's Famous Jello

My Aunt Carole once arrived at our house with this fabulous jello mold.  Everybody makes fun of Jello--but everyone loves it.  Or, at least, they love THIS jello mold.  Or is it jello salad?  Maybe mold is the container?  And do you really want to eat something called mold?  Anyway, I make this for many events and it is always a big hit.  Aunt Carole's version calls for chopped walnuts but when I started making it my kids were too little for nuts so I list nuts as an optional ingredient.  It is, however, yummy WITH nuts.  Oh, and also WITHOUT nuts. 

AUNT CAROLE'S FAMOUS JELLO

1 6-oz pkg. lime Jello

2 C boiling water

1 pt. sour cream (I use LIGHT sour cream)

small jar maraschino cherries, drained and chopped

small can crushed pineapple, drained

1/2 C walnuts, chopped, optional

Using a whisk, mix Jello and boiling water until Jello is completely dissolved.  Add sour cream and whisk together until no white bit remain.  Add cherries, pineapple, and walnuts.  Pour into Jello mold that has been sprayed with Pam.  Refrigerate until solid and unmold.

CONTEST OVER!!! Winner Announced Soon! Real People DO eat Quiche AND The First Ever IMTMM GIVEAWAY!!!!

Don't pay the ransom.....I escaped.  Just kidding.  About the ransom part.  And the escaping part. I guess we've been on a break.  And it's all my fault.  I HAVE cooked in the last 10 months.  I really have.  But sometimes--OK, most of the time--I forget to pull my camera out.  I am going to try to be a bit more responsible from now on though.  Starting right now.  

We had some friends over for brunch today and I pulled out a recipe I haven't used in years.  A mom from the baby playgroup I joined with Boy #1 made this once and I thought it was both easy and delicious.  At the brunch today, 2 of Boy #1's friends joined us, too, and I offered one of them a piece of quiche.  "Have some, it's good," I said.  "And real men DO eat it."  "Huh?" he asked, looking at me as if I had two heads.  I guess he's too young to remember THAT particular cultural reference.  But the quiche IS good.  Try it.....you'll like it!  

GIVEAWAY:  To win one of my favorite cookbooks (brand-new--not one from my collection--just one of my faves),  please identify the quote in the above post that was the tag line for a well-known product.  Do so in the Comments section of this post.  Bonus points if you can identify both the quote and the product!  If you have no idea what to guess just post a comment anyway and you'll be entered in this random drawing!  Contest will end this Tuesday, August 26th, at 9 PM Pacific Time.  Good luck!!

And now.........

JAN'S VEGETABLE QUICHE

1 T butter

1 cube vegetable or chicken bouillion

1 scallion, chopped

1 1/2 C cauliflower, chopped in small pieces (3/4") or any other vegetable or combination of vegetables --NOTE--I used broccoli AND cauliflower--about 1 C each

1/2 C chopped tomato

1/2 t chopped parsley

1/2 C shredded American chese (Velveeta works great!) NOTE--I used small cubes of Velveeta

1/2 C shredded Swiss cheese (you may use any combination of cheese you like to total 1 C)

1 8" frozen pie shell NOTE--I used a deep dish shell 

1/4 C evaporated milk

3 eggs,  beaten

1/2 t pepper

1/2 t Italian seasoning

1/2 T dry sherry

     Preheat oven to 350 F.   Melt butter in saute pan and break bouillion cube into it.  Add scallion and vegetables and saute til vegetables are tender but a little crisp.  Take off heat and add tomato, parsley, and cheese.  Pour into pie shell and smooth.  In a separate bowl, combine milk, eggs, pepper, Italian seasoning and sherry.  Mix well.  Pour over vegetables evenly.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.  Serve warm.  To reheat, place in 300 F oven for 5-20 minutes.