Screw you March... Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Ok, really- March can go straight to hell. I know last month I bitched about how much I hated February but really I hate all Februaries. Which by the way- doesn't Februaries look like a totally fucked up word? It doesn't look real, it's freaking me out yet my spell check is telling me it is a word.Anyways, March I hate for an entirely different set of reasons. All of them personal, lets see there is the broken heart bullshit (which is still making me sad and cry-y), I got my ladytime TWICE (double the cramps, double the exhaustion, etc), work deadlines that made me stresses, feeling like I don't have any direction, questioning myself and general fucking malaise.
Right now I'm drinking whiskey to sooth the cramps, and wishing that I had some mayonnaise to make damn chicken salad. Oh and doing laundry since I've reached Danger! levels when it comes to clean underwear.
Shall we now discuss the other bullshit reason that March sucks balls? They fucking canceled Jericho again. Yes. Wankers. One of the best shows on TV, it consistently rocks the house and it brings the pretty (in the form of Jake and Stanley). I know I had a reprieve last year when it magically rose from the dead (like Jesus) because of it's devoted fans but I fear this year there is no hope. Stupid CBS.
But in the interest of not being all whiney and bitchfaced in this post I'll post some photos from cooking club. I've not posted cooking club photos in while out of sheer laziness, but we've been trucking along each month as always.
Nancy making pasta:
Kate, chopping:
Rolls that I made for dinner:
Crab and avocado salad with blood orange vinegarette:
Sweet potato soup with peanuts and lime:
Roasted balsamic vegetables:
Spinach and ricotta stuffed pasta:
Hummingbird cake:
Labels: cooking club, Jericho, lazy
Cars and Cajun food: two wholly unrelated topics Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Last week the weather finally broke and the heat went rushing out. In it's place came perfectly cooler temps, stews, changing leaves and sweatshirts. I finally got to bust out my favorite sweatshirt, my gray MG sweatshirt that I've had since I was 16. It's only appropriate the when the weather finally changes enough that it makes driving a convertible a little less fun that you have something else to look forward to.Next week I'll be driving the Midget to my parents house to store it for the winter and have my mechanic take a look and see he can find that damn short the keeps the blowing the fuse for the control panel. I'm sadder than I thought I would be about storing him up for the winter as it has been an exceptional season of fun. My freckles are starting to fade and I'll miss those too, I fully believe that all that time spent going on drives brought them back full force since I've been pretty freckle free since the last time I owned a Midget.
But Bernard will be back in the spring once the snow melts and the weather turns warm again.
Bernard?
Yes, I finally came up with a fitting name for the Midget. It was a long and decidedly hard thing to do since one wants to choose a name for a car the really encompasses it's spirit. Bernard is a bit crotchety and persnickety but still lovable and fun. And it's pronounced in the British way, not the odd way I've heard my family pronounce it.
This last weekend was cooking club (sorry, for the abrupt transition I can't think of a gentle way to make it flow together today). It was a Cajun feast, Yumi started us off with a amazing spiced crawfish pie.
Summer hosted, and went all out and prepared rabbit. A first for all of us, and it was tender, delicate and moist. And not gamey (which seems to have been every single person's question about it).
For sides Summer made a brussel sprouts with shallot and butter and I contributed a corn souffle. The corn souffle was enough to cause me several hours of worry since it called for canned creamed corn and canned corn. Never ever in my life have I bought canned corn, I buy fresh or frozen (same as my mother). So the canned corned worried me, would it have a slightly metal taste? Be minorly mushy? Luckily it turned out just dandy and everyone loved it. Whew!
Nancy made bourbon balls, they were so alcohol infused that I actually left the room to go stand outside in the cold because I got hot. Bourbon is so warming to me, and the cool of the night air was the only thing that helped. She also brought more of her fantastic apple and thyme martinis, woo! And just like that we were all off the the races.
But her amazing Cranberry Orange Tart is what stole my heart (goddamn that rhymes). I'm quite possibly completely addicted to cranberries, and Nancy is much the same. So when she saw the bags of little red berries in the store for the first time this season she knew she had to make the tart. Thank the infant Jesus she did.
It was so good that the slice I took home didn't make it past coffee on Sunday morning.
And I'm sorry for the blurriness of the photos, I just stopped caring after I downed that first apple and thyme martini.
Crawfish Pie Recipe
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
1 cup diced onions
1 cup diced green and red peppers
1 cup diced celery
8 ounce bag of precooked crawfish tails
1 and 1/4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 generous shot sherry (I bet brandy or cognac will work as well)
1/2 chopped green onion
1 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons Creole spice
2 ready-made roll out pie crusts
Water or chicken stock
1 egg, for egg wash
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a skillet melt butter, add flour and whisk into a paste. Cook roux while stirring for 5 minutes or until it begins to turn lightly golden. Add onions, pepper and celery. Cook, stirring, 4 minutes, until vegetables are tender. The mixture will be thick. Splash in sherry to deglaze the pan and mix in the tomato paste. Once that is incorporated, add crawfish, green onions, parsley and seasoning. Then add either water or chicken stock until it reaches the desired texture, a smooth, slightly thick wet mix. Cook just until heated through, about 1 minute more. Let cool slightly.
Roll out pie dough and either split into individual containers or one regular 9 inch pie pan. Pour filling into pie shell and top with remaining dough. Crimp edges well and poke holes in top. Brush the top with the egg wash (this will give a golden color to the top). Bake for 40 minutes, until crust is golden and filling is bubbling hot.
Creole Seasoning:
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Makes 2/3 of a cup
Corn Souffle
1 can cream style corn
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1/4 c. milk
4 eggs, separated
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. melted butter
1/2 c. shredded cheese (optional)
Mix everything in bowl except egg whites. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into corn mixture. Pour into greased souffle pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Mine actually took a full hour to cook but since I've not made this recipe repeatedly you might want to check after 30 minutes to make sure yours isn't done and mine was just a fluke.
Cranberry Orange Tart
CRUST:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup ice water
Cooking spray
FILLING:
1/3 cup orange juice
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries
Preheat oven to 425°.
To prepare crust, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt in a bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Sprinkle surface with ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time; toss with a fork until moist and crumbly (do not form a ball). Gently press mixture into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap. Cover and chill for 15 minutes.
Slightly overlap 2 lengths of plastic wrap on slightly damp surface. Unwrap and place chilled dough on plastic wrap. Cover dough with 2 additional lengths of overlapping plastic wrap. Roll dough, still covered, into a 14-inch circle. Place dough in freezer 5 minutes or until plastic wrap can be easily removed.
Remove plastic wrap; fit dough into a 10-inch round removable-bottom tart pan coated with cooking spray. Fold edges under or flute decoratively.
To prepare filling, combine juice and cornstarch in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add remaining ingredients; stir well. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
Bake at 425° for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° (do not remove tart from oven); bake an additional 35 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Labels: cooking club, food, midget, photos, recipes
September Cooking Club Monday, October 08, 2007
I'll admit, I've been sitting on this post for weeks. I've got absolutely no idea why, it's been typed up and done but apparently I felt the need to regale you all with my talk of crushes and Enrique Iglesas instead. Ptttthhh.When Yumi said she was going to make a butternut squash and prawn pasta dish for cooking club all I could think was "Wha?"
For the life of me I couldn't imagine those two items pairing together seamlessly. But, oh holy jesus, I was wrong. It was delicious, it was creamy, there were perfectly cooked shrimp waiting to be devoured atop the pasta. Sigh. I made this dish at home last weekend and it was still as delicious the second time around as it was the first (see end of post for more photos of it).
I made a starter of cheddar crisps, Yumi's husband Dan declared them "very fancy cheese nips". Which I hope was a compliment, but regardless, I loved them. This was the first of the experiement of attempting to use mostly local ingredients. Local cheddar, local eggs, etc. I'll admit I had to resort to King Arthur Flour because we don't have a mill around here, and my budget can only take so much stretching when it comes to expensive food items. But the local cheddar, which is delicious was resonably priced in my opinion and more delicious than cheddar I might find in Kroger.
Nancy made a lovely veg salad deal, part side dish/part salad. It was so fantastic that I went out and bought all the ingredients the following day and sat down to a big bowl of it for dinner. It was light and simple and not in the least bit heavy, which is a good thing since the weather has turned warm again. (Damnit).
Nancy also brought the lovely Apple and Thyme Martini. Which was perfect, and the beverage of choice for the whole evening. We didn't even bust open the other bottles of wine or lambic.
And then Summer had to go blow us all out of the water with her fantastic chocolate cake. It was layer upon layer of chocolate mouse, chocolate ganche, raspberry sauce and chocolate cake. A chocolate lovers dream really.
Cheese Crisps
Orangette
Adapted from Gourmet, November 2006
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ lb sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (on the large holes of a box grater or in a food processor fitted with the shredding attachment)
1 large egg yolk
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp dried mustard
¾ tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper, coarsely cracked in a mortar and pestle
1 tsp caraway seeds
Combine the butter, cheese, and yolk in the bowl of a food processor, and blend until smooth. The mixture may seem very thick and lumpy and cement-like at first, but persevere, stopping the machine and scraping down the sides as needed; it will eventually come together into a smooth, thick paste. When it does, add the flour, dried mustard, and salt, and pulse until just combined. Transfer the dough to a sheet of wax paper, and divide it into three portions. [Do not clean the food processor yet.]
Return one portion to the food processor, add the pepper, and pulse until combined well. Or just sprinkle the pepper on top as I did (hi, I'm lazy) Transfer the dough to another sheet of parchment paper. Using the paper as an aid, shape the dough into a log roughly 7 inches in length and 1 ½ inches thick. Roll up the log in the paper, and twist the ends to seal it closed. Clean the processor and dry it well. Make another log on a separate sheet of wax paper in the same manner, using caraway seeds instead of pepper. Place the final, unseasoned portion of dough on another sheet of wax paper, and make it into a log as well. Chill the logs until firm, about 2 hours.
When you're ready to bake the crisps, put an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (or silpat).
Unwrap one log and, using a knife (or a cheese cutter), cut enough thin slices – about 1/8 inch thick – from it to cover the baking sheet, arranging the slices about 1 inch apart. Bake the crisps until their edges are golden, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer them on the parchment to a rack, and cool them slightly, about 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Serve crackers warm or at room temperature.
Note: The dough can be chilled, wrapped in foil or a plastic bag, for a week or frozen for up to two months. The crackers can be baked a few days ahead and cooled completely, then stored in an airtight container at room temperature. If you like, you can reheat them on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for about 5 minutes.
Yield: about 100 crackers
Apple and Thyme Martini
Giada DeLaurentiis
Ice
10 ounces vodka
6 ounces apple juice
1/4 cup thyme syrup, recipe follows
1 large apple, peeled
4 fresh thyme sprigs
Special equipment: melon baller
Chill the martini glasses.
Fill the shaker with ice. Combine the vodka, apple juice, and thyme syrup in a martini shaker. Shake for about 10 seconds. Divide between the 4 chilled martini glasses.
Use the melon baller to scoop out small balls of apple. Place 3 balls of apple and 1 sprig of thyme in each glass for garnish. Serve immediately.
Thyme Simple Syrup:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
5 large sprigs fresh thyme
In a saucepan combine sugar, water, and thyme over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and cool the syrup. Any extra cooled syrup can be saved in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Asparagus and Zucchini Crudi
Giada DeLaurentiis
2 zucchini, trimmed
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ounce shaved Pecorino Romano, for garnish
Using a vegetable peeler, shave the zucchini into long thin strips. Thinly slice the asparagus on a diagonal. Toss the slices together and place the salad in a serving bowl.
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and drizzle over the vegetables. Toss to coat. Garnish with the pecorino shavings. Serve.
Rigatoni with Squash and Prawns
Giada DeLaurentiis
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon
1 cup vegetable stock
1 pound rigatoni
1 pound prawns, peeled and deveined
3/4 to 1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butternut squash, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Saute until the squash is golden and tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the squash is very soft, another 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the squash mixture to a blender or food processor and puree.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.
Meanwhile, warm the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the prawns with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Add the prawns to the pan and cook until just pink, about 3 minutes.
In a large pot over low heat combine the cooked pasta, pureed squash mixture, and 3/4 cup milk. Stir to combine. Add the remaining 1/4 cup milk if the sauce needs to be moistened. Add the cooked prawns, basil, and cheese. Stir until warm and serve.
And of course the recipe for Summer's Triple Chocolate Cake is entirely too long, so I'm only going to provide a link to it.
Triple Chocolate Cake
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/105184
And because I took more photos of the butternut squash when I cooked it myself last weekend:
Labels: cooking club, photos, recipes
August Cooking Club Monday, August 20, 2007
So here I am, procrastinating.August was the month of salmon, ok, not really. But in regards to cooking club it was.
The mission: everyone bring a piece of salmon to be prepared their favorite/new way.
Valerie made smoked salmon, or rather her husband did. Which we all enjoyed on crackers with dijon mustard. It was delicious:
Yumi went for the wow! factor and made a salt encrusted salmon. She layered spinach under it since she was only using a filet and most salt encrusted dishes call for whole fish.
She topped the salt encrusted salmon with orange-infused roasted tomatoes, the tomatoes were quite fabulous.
Summer and I opted for the grilled fish. Hers was orange-burbon glazed:
Mine was a ginger/soy/vermouth marinated version- grilled to deliciousness:
Nancy roasted hers in the oven with orange and lemon, and then dressed it with a citrus pesto. The citrus pesto was most certainly a hit. It was bright and perfect, even delicious on bread:
She also made a roasted tomato dressing to go on top of spinach, walnut and goat cheese. This was also wonderful:
And because the weather was perfect, not hot or humid we dined outside:
The evening was capped off with freshly roasted coffee and Valerie's homemade peach pie. Which was perfectly spiced and not overly sweet. Then I floated home on a cloud of perfection and had an amazing night's sleep.
Labels: cooking club, food, photos
July Cooking Club Wednesday, July 25, 2007
It was fantastic, I hosted at my new house and made my guests bring their own chairs because I own exactly 2! chairs.But the weather was perfect, it was cool with just a slight breeze and sunny. And the food. Oh my lord, the food. To me this was probably the best cooking club we've ever had.
Summer made watercress and watermelon salad, it was perfect. Deliciously light and the crisp watermelon contrasted so wonderfully with the sharp tang of the gorganzola. I went back for thirds:
WATERCRESS AND WATERMELON SALAD
Serves 4
2 cups medium diced seedless watermelon
1/4 cup toasted walnuts
3 bunches watercress greens, ends trimmed
1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Honey Orange Vinaigrette
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh mint
14 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Dressing: Whisk all ingredients except oils, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Combine olive and canola oils and while whisking, slowly pour into orange juice mixture. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. To serve: In another bowl, combine watermelon, nuts and watercress. Add just enough dressing to coat the greens. Serve topped with cheese.
SUMMER'S NOTES:
- Substitute watercress for mixed greens, just as good.
- Use 1/2 or less of canola oil, the dressing comes out a bit tangier.
Yumi made a delicious grilled eggplant salad. The eggplant, which is already a favorite of mine, was paired with smooth and mellow goat cheese and pine nuts. I was heartily tempted to steal the entire plate and crouch in the corner calling it 'my precious' while devouring it and not sharing at all.
Grilled Eggplant and Goat Cheese Salad
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
3 tablespoons olive oil
7 Japanese eggplant, ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch wide slices
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup basil, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped mint
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle the olive oil over the slices of eggplant and toss to coat. Grill the eggplants until tender and grill marks appear, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Place the eggplants side-by-side on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the pine nuts, goat cheese, basil, and mint. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
The main course was grilled pizzas, which if you've never had them are the most amazing fantastic way to eat pizza. The crust gets unbelievably crispy and the toppings melt perfectly. It really will ruin you for most other styles of pizza. Don't be afraid of making the dough yourself, it really is alarmingly easy. Plus if you practice your in-the-air-tossing technique your guests will be appropriatedly amazed and you will forever be considered awesome.
Toppings of course can be your favorite, these were all delicious and I highly recommend using fresh mozzerella because their really is nothing better.
Half a grilled pizza with the eggplant salad and half with basil and fresh mozzerella:
Olive oil, fresh basil, fresh tomato and fresh mozzerella make this one our hands down favorite:
And then my other personal favorite bacon and pineapple with fresh mozzerella. I know most people go for the ham with pineapple but really I enjoy the extra salty kick the bacon lends which is the perfect compliment to the sweet pineapple:
Grilled Fanastic Pizza
Dough:
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
6 cups high gluten flour (I like King Arthur Flour)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Extra virgin olive oil
I do mine on a grill, but you can do it in the oven.
Sprinkle the yeast over 1/2 cup warm (105 to 110 degrees) water and allow it to
dissolve and activate, about 5 minutes. Combine the flour and salt and mound it onto a cool work surface creating a high walled well in the center.
Combine the yeast mixture with 1 1/2 cups of cool water and pour into the well. Slowly begin to mix the water and flour, a little at a time, moving your fingers in short, coun-ter clockwise circles around the border of the water.
When the dough is firm enough to hold its shape, scrape the remaining flour over it and knead until the mass is smooth and shiny, approximately 7 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a bowl that has been brushed with olive oil. Brush the top of the dough with olive oil to prevent a skin from forming, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place away from drafts until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours. Punch down the dough and knead once more. Let the dough rise again for about 40 minutes, punch down again and form into dough balls.
Roll out the dough (approx o inch thick) and coat with olive oil. Place on wax paper and coat top with olive oil (be generous) cover with another sheet of wax paper. Repeat with the rest of the dough, stacking them as you go.
Heat grill to medium (or medium low- depending on how hot your grill gets).
Remove pizza from the wax paper (remember it needs to be coated well with olive oil) place on grill. Let it get a nice set of grilled marks on it and then flip with a spatula.
Add sauce, cheese and toppings. Close grill cover and allow to cook until the some of the cheese just starts to melt, the underside of the pizza should be golden brown and have some nice grilled lines on it. Remove from grill, the rest of the cheese will melt after removing it from the grill.
Cut into slices and serve.
And to end the night on a sweet note Nancy brought fresh berries dressed simply in homemade lemoncello, mint and basil. It was the perfect finish to the evening.
Labels: Awesomeness, cooking club, food, photos
Cooking Club: Bagels Monday, April 30, 2007
Cooking Club- Session 5 consisted of bagels, laughter, drinks, sunshine and euchre.
Nancy hosted this month and settled on making bagels. She opted to try two types, one tried and true recipe and one new one. The tried and true came closest to turning out a typical bagel, the second method was more of non-bagel. More like some sort of sweet bread in my opinion.
Yumi made a vegetable terrine, Kate made a salsa with beans, corn and cilantro (which I couldn't eat since cilantro tastes like soap), Val made a delicious salad with asparagus and I made a chocolate lime cheesecake.
The cheesecake turned out well, except by the time we got around to it it had been out of the fridge for 4 hours. Much longer than it should have been, so it was a bit soft in the middle. Next time I would immediately put it into the fridge, but time escaped from us and I totally forgot about it.
I will post the recipe for the tried and true bagels once I get it from Nancy, for now here is the vegetable terrine:
Roasted Vegatable and Goat Cheese Terrine:
Yumi
1/2 cup olive oil, plus extra for oiling pans
1 (1-pound) globe eggplant, stem and bottom ends trimmed, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
1 pound zucchini, stem and bottom ends trimmed, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
1 1/2 pounds yellow squash, stem and bottom ends trimmed, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 ounces soft, mild goat cheese (herbed)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large red bell peppers (about 1 pound), roasted, cored, seeds and skins removed, cut into 3 or 4 large pieces
16 ounces fresh spinach, washed, stems removed, then blanched, squeezed dry, and coarsely chopped
2 large yellow bell peppers (about 1 pound), roasted, cored, seeds and skins removed, cut into 3 or 4 large pieces
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Line 2 large baking sheets with aluminum foil and lightly grease with olive oil. Arrange some of the eggplant, zucchini, and yellow squash slices in a single layer on the sheets, slightly overlapping them. Brush with olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper. Bake until soft and just golden around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a plate to cool. Repeat with the remaining vegetable slices.
In a large bowl, combine the goat cheese with the basil, parsley, and extra-virgin olive oil. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper and mix well.
In a 6-cup terrine (12 by 3 by 3 inches), arrange the eggplant slices crosswise over the bottom and up the sides, overlapping the slices to completely cover the terrine. The ends of the slices should overhang the sides of the terrine. Top the eggplant with thin layers of red bell pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, spinach, and yellow bell pepper.
Crumble a layer of the goat cheese mixture on top of the yellow bell pepper, and repeat the layering with the remaining vegetable slices. Bring the overhanging eggplant slices up over the terrine. Wrap the terrine loosely in plastic wrap. Top with an equal-size terrine or a piece of cardboard wrapped in aluminum foil. Place a brick or heavy pot on top of the terrine and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or for up to 24 hours.
Remove the terrine from the refrigerator. Remove the weight and unwrap. Slice with a very sharp knife.
Labels: cooking club, food, recipes
