Cranberry & Goat Cheese Tart

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I was invited to an outdoor potluck picnic in the Santa Cruz mountains a couple of weeks ago. The spot was so beautiful and rustic with tall trees and an ocean view in the distance. Gorgeous!

I wanted to bring something delicious of course, but also something to match the rustic atmosphere. Also I didn’t want something that needed to be heated or kept cold. So I looked in my refrigerator to see what I had on hand and decided on this cranberry and goat cheese tart.

The flavor combinations of this tart are so complex – sweet from the cranberry chutney, tangy from the goat cheese, and peppery from the arugula on a crispy, flaky puff pasty dough – it’s hard to believe how easy it is to make. And with only 4 ingredients! (If you don’t count the flour for the work surface.)

Serves: 4-6 as an appetizer

Difficulty Level: So easy

Ingredients

  • 1 sheet puff pastry
  • about 3/4 cup cranberry chutney
  • 8 oz of goat cheese
  • 2 hand fulls of arugula

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Flour your work surface and roll out the puff pastry sheet until it’s about 2 inches wider on each side.

Use parchment paper or aluminum foil to cover a sheet pan for easy clean up later, but totally not necessary. The puff pastry has enough butter on it’s own that it wont stick to the pan.

Before adding toppings, put the rolled out pastry sheet on the sheet pan. Something I didn’t do and it was not fun to move after it had all the toppings.

Spread the cranberry chutney on top, leaving a one-inch border.

Top with pieces of crumbled goat cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

As soon as you take it out of the oven, top with the arugula. I love having the arugula warm up and wilt a little before serving.

Let rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving. Just that easy!

Variations:

  • make them into bite-sized hors d’ oeuvres. After adding the goat cheese, add the arugula and roll as tight as you can. Cut into 1-1.5″ pieces, lay them flat, and bake on a baking sheet. The oven temperature and time area about the same as the whole tart.
  • Use mango chutney instead of cranberry.
  • Use Feat cheese instead of goat cheese.
  • Add chopped walnuts or pine nuts.

Do Ahead:

  • Assemble up to the point of baking. Wrap with saran wrap and refrigerate up to one day ahead.

Cranberry Sauce

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This is so easy you will never want to buy another can of cranberry sauce!

Variations:

  • Add spices like cloves, cinnamon, or ginger.
  • Add fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary while it’s cooking
  • Use cranberry sauce on chicken, duck, pound cake, ice cream…
  • Making a leftover turkey salad? Add some cranberry sauce to the mix, with some nuts and celery.

Do Ahead:

The sauce can be made 5 days ahead of time. Keep refrigerated. You may need to add a little liquid when reheating.

Roasted Butternut Squash & Ginger Soup with Herbed Croutons

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What is it about soup that is so comforting? Is it that it warms you all the way through from heat to toe to your soul? Or that it naturally slows you down because it’s hard to eat a hot soup fast. One of the reasons I love soup is because it is usually pretty easy to make, there is not a whole lot of planning involved, it’s quick, and most of the times you can make soup out of leftovers.

I remember as a kid my mom was very good at repurposing leftovers, and we had learned that by the third day if she hadn’t come up with something more creative, she was going to turn it into soup!

Even my daughter in kindergarten said her favorite food is soup. Not pizza, not pasta, not ice cream, soup. That’s my girl!

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I am labeling the difficulty level as “intermediate” but that’s only because this recipe is not your typical throw-in-the-pot-all-the-ingredients-and-let-it-cook kind of soup. There are a few parts to prepare separately and you will need an emersion blender or blender to puree it. I do have a quicker, easier version in the Variations sections below.

Serves 6       Difficulty level – intermediate

Ingredients:

For roasting the butternut squash:

  • 1 large butternut squash – about 1.5 – 2 pounds
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • pinch of freshly ground pepper

For the soup

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1-2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons peeled and chopped ginger, separated into 2 and 1 tablespoon portions
  • 1 carrot, cut into ½ “ pieces
  • Crème Fraiche and pumpkin seeds for garnish – optional

For the croutons

  • about 2 cups cubed hearty bread like baguette or french bread
  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½-1 teaspoon dried thyme

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425°. Cut, seed, peel, and chop the butternut squash into cube-ish pieces. The shape doesn’t matter so much, as long as they are about the same size so they will cook evenly. Toss with 2 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Roast in the oven until soft and slightly brown about 25-30 minutes. Lower the heat to 375° for the croutons.

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In the meantime, melt the butter in a large pot. Add the chopped onion, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of ginger. Sauté in the butter until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and sauté for another 5 minutes.

Add the roasted squash and enough vegetable stock to cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil.

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Lower heat to low and use an emersion blender to puree the soup. Alternatively, puree in a Vitamix. If using a Vitamix, 1, be very careful because the soup will be hot. And two, you will need to do it in 2 batches. Keep warm.

Toss the cubed bread with olive oil and thyme. Bake in the 375° oven until crisp, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the rest of the chopped ginger, stir, and serve hot with the herbed croutons.

Butternut squash soup

Variations:

  • Use chicken stock instead of vegetable stock. In a pinch, you can also use water.
  • Add about ½ cup cream or crème fraiche right after you puree the soup for a richer flavor and texture.
  • Short on time? Instead of roasting the butternut squash, throw it in the pot after the onions and carrots are sautéed. Add the stock, cover with a lid, and cook until soft, about 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the cut.
  • Instead of butternut squash, use Kabocha squash, acorn squash, pumpkin, or sweet potatoes.

Do Ahead:

  • Butternut squash can be roasted 5 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.
  • The whole soup can be made 5 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.
  • The croutons can be made up to one day ahead

 

Just for Halloween…

 

Edamame & Kale Quiche

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When you mention quiche, most people probably think brunch or tea party. Personally, I like to eat quiche any time of day. Breakfast? Of course. Lunch? Yum. Dinner? You got it. Snack? Bring it on! It’s also great for picnics and potlucks. You can even cut it into bite-sized pieces and serve as an appetizer. Is there anything a quiche can’t do? I think not!

Technically you should blind bake the dough partially, but oops! I forgot when I was doing my video. I was going to remake it and redo the video, but when I baked it, it was still pretty great! The egg part wasn’t overcooked even after letting the dough get nice and brown.

I still say for a perfect quiche – like if you were entering into a quiche-making contest or something – blind bake the dough partially. But I’ll leave it up to you. I wonder what I will do next time I bake one…

Serves 4-6          Difficulty Level: Intermediate

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 cups edamame
  • 1.5 cups kale, chopped and blanched (Click here to see a video on how to blanch)
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh tarragon, roughly chopped
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups half & half
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt for vegetable mixture, 1 teaspoon for egg mixture
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper for each mixture
  • 8 ounces goat cheese
  • 1 pie dough for 9” pie, homemade or store bought
  • sour cream or yogurt for garnish – optional

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Cook the edamame until it’s soft, but still has some texture or is al dente.

Blanch the chopped kale until bright green, about 30-40 seconds. Drain and Mix with the edamade and tarragon in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the half & half. Mix in the goat cheese, until combined but not complete incorporated. Leave some chunky pieces. Season with salt and pepper.

Roll out the pie dough to fit your pie dish. Make sure it’s large enough to come up the sides as well. Spread the edamame mixture evenly at the bottom of the dough. Then gently pour the egg mixture on top.

Bake until the crust is golden brown and the center is only slightly giggly, about one hour to one hour and 15 minutes.

Let cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting. You can serve it warm, at room temperature, or even cold. I wouldn’t necessarily plan to serve it cold, but if you came home from work late and are starving, you can grab a piece right out of the fridge and devour.

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Variations:

  • Skip the dough and make it a frittata. You don’t need to bake it as long, about 30-40, but still look for the slightly giggly texture in the middle. Let it cool down for the same amount of time, 15 minutes.
  • Use any combination of vegetables you like. Just stay away from things like tomatoes. It might make it too soggy. Unless you seed the tomatoes. (Click here for a video on how to peel and seed tomatoes.
  • If you are not concerned about keeping it vegetarian, add some cooked chicken, bacon, or sautéed pancetta. Yum!
  • Use different herbs like parsley, thyme, or chives or a combination.
  • For a little crunch and extra added fiber, protein, and magnesium, when your quiche (or frittata) is halfway cooked, sprinkle some pumpkin seeds on top.
  • Use other kinds of cheese like Gruyere, Brie, Parmigiano Reggiano, feta, Gouda, or Havarti.
  • Cut into bite-sized pieces and serve as an appetizer.

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 Do Ahead:

  • The fully cooked quiche can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
  • If making the dough yourself, you can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
  • The vegetables can be cooked/blanched up to 3 days ahead.
  • The egg mixture, along with the vegetables, can be made a day ahead.