Ina Garten's Zucchini Flower and Leek Frittata {A Thing of Beauty}

I am my Lost Kitchen Era, where I am obsessed with Erin French's The Lost Kitchen show, restaurant, food, plating, and all the edible flowers she uses to garnish her dishes! I love how Erin goes to the local farms and is inspired by what is in season to make beautiful dishes. 

I wanted to create a Lost Kitchen dish in my own kitchen, so I went to the Lexington, Kentucky Farmers Market and I found zucchini flowers! I was so excited because I had never cooked with zucchini flowers before.

So I turned to the one and only queen, Ina Garten and I found her recipe for Zucchini and Leek Fritatta. This was a major win as it allows me to really channel the whole edible flowers vibe of The Lost Kitchen.

I searched the market for the rest of the ingredients needed: pancetta, leeks, baby zucchini, fresh thyme, eggs, half and half, Gruyere, and fresh basil. This added up to be a pricier dish than most recipes I cook, but that's ok, because as I shared above, I'm in my Lost Kitchen Era and I have a major need to cook with edible flowers.

This was more laborious than most dishes, with a lot of prep, as I had to clean the zucchini flowers, removing the stamen, and dry them. I had to cut and wash the leeks, which was a rather sandy and dirty task.I had to cut and wash the basil, the thyme, the zucchini. Cut and cook the bacon. Shred the cheese. Crack and beat 8 eggs. Cook the frittata filling. It was more involved than your regular everyday frittata, but no worries, this was THE FRITTATA to end all fritattas! It was going to be adorned with the most beautiful zucchini flowers. Doesn't it look gorgeous going into the oven?

Doesn't it look gorgeous coming out of the oven? I mean wow...It's stunning! Ina says to allow the frittata to cool for five minutes and then cut into it. I am dying to see how it all tastes.

The frittata slices perfectly and each person gets their own zucchini flower with their portion, how brilliant! The frittata is brimming with zucchini, zucchini flowers, bacon, leeks, and my favorite...Gruyere cheese. I love all these ingredients so much!

I go to take a long awaited bite and the zucchini flower is soft and baked into the frittata. It is an odd texture, soft and hard to cut into, the whole flower wants to stay together. Something about the flavor and texture is not appealing. I push the flower off and take a bite of the egg and filling, the flavors are too strong and overpowering. I take another bite and something here is just not working. I keep taking bites because I love all the ingredients, it appears to have baked up perfectly, and Ina Garten has never let me down, but the dish just didn't work for me. I am, however, very happy to have made the dish and finally get a chance to work with zucchini flowers. I like to try new things even if they don't work out. I do have another zucchini flower recipes up my sleeve, so stay tuned for that. The verdict is still out!

 Seasonal and Local Produce @ IHCC

 

American Cookie #3 {Ursuline Anise Cookies - St. Joseph's Day Cookie}

Each week, I'm going to be highlighting a new American Cookie and sharing it's history, as well as my results. This is the third week of baking with American Cookie by Anne Bryn, and I'm sharing Ursuline Anise Cookies, which are a sugar cookie with anise flavoring dating back to 1727 New Orleans!

The History of Ursuline Anise Cookies: In 1727, twelve French Catholic nuns from the Sisters of the Order of Saint Ursula (founded in Italy) came to New Orleans to educate girls and women (some also call them the casket girls). Their original convent was located at the corner of Chartres and Ursulines Avenue down in the French Quarter of New Orleans and is still in operation today! It is a tradition for those in the Catholic faith to bake anise cookies when St. Joseph's Day is celebrated on March 19th. Anise, with it's licorice flavor, has long been a celebratory flavoring of Europe, and has been prized as a digestive. 

We know New Orleans is famous for it's wide array of ethnic backgrounds and cuisines, including French, African, Cajun, Creole, but Italian cuisine was also quite popular in New Orleans. By 1850, the Italians (Sicilians in particular) populated New Orleans more than any other city in America.The Sicilian immigrants brought the tradition of staging a St. Joseph's Day altar, stacked with anise cookies, to New Orleans. This recipe and the tradition of staging the altar, still continue today.

My Results: Two years ago, I had the good fortune to visit New Orleans. We took a ghost tour right by the Ursuline Convent! Some say the 12 nuns that came over brought caskets and thus began all vampire lore in America, but for now we'll stick with them bringing us these delicious and addictive anise cookies! I have seen these cookies often and heard about them, but never tried them so wanted to make sure they had a spot in my roundup as they have quite the history here in America. I mean a cookie that's been around from 1727 and still exists today is no joke!

I had to special order the anise seed from Amazon because none of my stores carried it. When I placed the order I was hoping I would love the cookies because what on earth would I do with a whole container of anise seed? Well, the verdict is in and these cookies are absolutely amazing! Using up the whole jar of anise seeds will be no problem at all! I love how light and fluffy the cookies are and the anise seed gives the cookie just a very slight hint of licorice. I also love how you can see the anise seed running throughout the cookie like little flecks of flavor. The icing on top is nice and sweet and before you know it you can pound back three or four of these real quick. I think I preferred the cookies hot and fresh right out of the oven, but they are still very good once they've cooled. They are addictive enough on their own, but I imagine they would pair very well with coffee or tea. I love them! 

My Rating: 5 out of 5! My favorite cookie so far in my American Cookie series and a new favorite cookie that I will add to my rotation. There is a good reason these cookies have been around since 1727! More people need to be making them

I'm going to be rating all the cookies with the five-star format, one star being the lowest rating and five star being the highest.

Ursuline Anise Cookies

Adapted from American Cookie

by Anne Bryn

Makes 4 dozen

vegetable shortening for prepping the pans

2 teaspoons anise seeds

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Optional Icing

1 cup confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons milk

Place a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.

Crush the anise seeds coarsely with a mortar and pestle (or between sheets of waxed paper with a rolling pin). Place in a large mixing bowl with the soft butter and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until soft, about 1 minute. Gradually blend in the granulated sugar until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat the eggs into the mixture, one at a time, until well blended. Set aside.

Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt in a medium size bowl. Using the mixer on low speed, gradually mix the flour mixture into the butter and sugar mixture until just blended, 30 seconds. 

Shape the dough into 1" balls and place them 2" apart on the prepared baking sheets. Place a pan in the oven.

Bake the cookies until lightly browned around the bottom, about 9 to 11 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool, then store in airtight container.

If desired, for an icing, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and milk in a small bowl. You can tint it red or green at Christmastime, or use any other color any other time of year. Drizzle the icing over the cooled cookies, and let the icing set before serving.

 

Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan Breadcrumbs

My new favorite thing is making fresh Parmesan Breadcrumbs. You cook fresh breadcrumbs on the stove top with butter and olive oil until golden brown and toasty, then you add in lots of Parmesan cheese and the Parmesan clusters together with the breadcrumbs to create cheesy clusters of hot crunchy bread and cheese. It's good on pasta dishes and great on green veggies! Give it a try on asparagus like I've done here, or on broccoli! It's delicious!

 Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan Breadcrumbs

Adapted from Food Network

by Giada De Laurentiis

Serves 4

1 pound asparagus, trimmed

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

For the Asparagus: Preheat the oven to 400F. Snap or cut the dry steam ends off each asparagus and place on a heavy baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss. Roast until the asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes. 

For the Parmesan Breadcrumbs: Add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil to a medium skillet and allow butter to melt. Add breadcrumbs and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add in Parmesan cheese, stirring, allowing the Parmesan to marry with the breadcrumbs and create clusters. 

Plate the asparagus and arrange the Parmesan Breadcrumbs over the asparagus. Enjoy!

Spring Brunch @ IHCC

American Cookie #2 {Joe Froggers - Revolutionary War Era Molasses Spice Cookies}

 

Each week, I'm going to be highlighting a new American Cookie and sharing it's history, as well as my results. This is the second week of baking with American Cookie by Anne Byrn, and I'm sharing Joe Froggers, which are a Molasses Spice Cookie from the Revolutionary War Era.

The History of Joe Froggers: Historians say the Joe Froggers cookie was named after a freed slave who ran a tavern in Marblehead, Massachusetts, called Black Joe's on the edge of a millpond. The tavern was known for its ginger cookie baked in an iron skillet. The cookie was unlike any other ginger cookie because it was flat, pancake-like, and laden with rum, which was a plentiful ingredient in New England after the war. Ginger was known to soothe stomachs and these cookies went out to sea to help fishermen ward off seasickness.

Historians also say it's possible Joe Froggers got their name simply because the millpond behind Black Joe's had many fat frogs and lilypads. 

My Results: The cookies are soft and memorable with a mild spice flavor, you can taste hints of the molasses, ginger, clove, nutmeg and allspice but it's not overpowering. There is quite a bit of rum in the cookies (1/2 cup) but you don't really taste the rum. I think the rum acts to keep the cookies soft and stay fresh longer. These are good fresh out of the oven and even better sandwiched between vanilla ice cream. The cookie was very easy to make, but they do need to chill for at least 3 hours, best if they can chill overnight (this will make it easier to flatten the dough before baking). The spice cookie feels reminiscent of the holidays, but I think during the Revolutionary War period the spice cookie was enjoyed all year round. I'm not the biggest fan of spice cookies but I liked these cookies better than I expected to, and the texture was great! I would make them again if I needed a spice cookie.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars!

I'm going to be rating all the cookies with the five-star format, one star being the lowest rating and five star being the highest.

Joe Froggers

Adapted by American Cookie

by Anne Bryn

Makes 20-22 cookies

Butter or shortening for prepping pans

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 cup unsulfured molasses

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

5 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup dark rum

Note: It is important to chill the cookie dough at least 3 hours so the cookies don't spread as much while baking!

Place the flour, ginger, salt, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice in a medium size bowl and sift or whisk to combine well. Set aside. Pour the molasses into measuring cup, and stir in the baking soda to combine. Set aside.

Place the soft butter and sugar in a large bowl, and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy and fluffy, about 1 minute. Pour in the molasses and soda mixture and blend on low. Add the rum and blend on low until combined. Remove the beaters.

Sift the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time into the butter mixture with a wooden spoon until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator at least 3 hours.

Place a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 375F. Pinch off large pieces of dough and drop them, spaced 6 to a pan, on lightly greased baking sheets. Press down on each piece until it is 3" in diameter and about 1/3" thick. Place the cookies in the oven.

Bake the cookies until they slightly deepen in color and are set in texture, 9 to 11 minutes. Immediately transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. Let the baking sheet cool to room temperature, then repeat with the remaining dough.

Store cookies in an airtight container for up to a week. 

 

Salted Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats

 

These Salted Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats are ooey-gooey perfection! The addition of the extra butter, extra marshmallows, and peanut butter make them a crispy, crunchy, ooey-gooey delight! I love them so much!

 

If you're looking for a fun new twist on the traditional Rice Krispy Treat, please give these a try! They are peanut buttery goodness and oh so addictive!

 Salted Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats

Adapted from How Sweet Eats

by Jessica Merchant

Makes 12

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

20 ounces mini marshmallows, (usually 2 bags)

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 cups crisped rice cereal

flaky salt, for topping*

Note: I didn't have flaky salt, so I added salt to the mixture instead.

Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with nonstick baking spray. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Continue to cook it without stirring, watching it constantly, until brown bits begin to form on the bottom. Reduce the heat to low and stir in 15 ounces of the marshmallows, reserving some for later. Then stir in the peanut butter. 

Stir the mixture with a spatula continuously until the marshmallows and peanut butter melt completely. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Pour in the cereal. Stir until it's about halfway mixed, then stir in the remaining marshmallows. Mix until the marshmallows are evenly distributed.

Place the mixture into the 9x13 dish. Sprinkle the top with flaky salt. Let the bars set and cool for 30 minutes before cutting. Slice them as small or as large as you'd like.

 May IHCC Potluck!

American Cookie #1: {Dutch Tea Cookies - Oldest Cookie Recipe In America}

Over the winter I found a gem of a cookbook called American Cookie by Anne Byrn. Bryn's cookbook combines three things I love: baking, reading, and history. The book was captivating (who knew the history of cookies was so exciting)? I vowed when summer rolled around I would spend some of my time off exploring the history of the American cookie!

Each week, I'm going to be highlighting a new American Cookie and sharing it's history, as well as my results. This week I am beginning with the Dutch Tea Cookie, which the historians say is the Oldest Cookie In America! 

The History of Dutch Baking in America: In 1609-1664, the Dutch controlled the Hudson River Valley and they pioneered cookie baking! Who knew? Dutch settlements had a town bakery with a central oven where the baker baked bread for home consumption, but some bakers also baked up cookies and traded them for animal hides. Dutch foodways were established in America and there is still a deep Dutch imprint found today with tea cookies and also with doughnuts, also known as ollykoeks.

The History of Dutch Tea Cookies: Dutch historian Peter G. Rose says this recipe may be one of the oldest cookies in America. The recipe was found in the handwritten cookbook of Maria Sanders van Rensselaer (1749-1830) and adapted for the modern kitchen. The cookies were called "Tea Cookjes", which was a half-English, half Dutch spelling. 

My Results: I believe these are the simplest cookie I've ever made. They consist of four ingredients: butter, sugar, flour, and water. There is no egg or leavening. Directions indicate the cookies can be baked for as little or as long as you like, depending on how crispy and brown you'd like them to be. I baked mine for about 22 minutes, until they became just golden brown on the bottom and on the edges. 

I was expecting them to be mild and sweet and that is exactly how they turned out. I like how the cookies are soft in the middle and crispy on the edges. I can see how they would pair very well with tea. I rather enjoyed them and can see myself making them in the future, especially since they can be made with so few ingredients. For best results, I would allow the dough to chill for several hours, or overnight. 

My Rating:  3 out of 5 stars!

I'm going to be rating all the cookies with the five-star format, one star being the lowest rating and five star being the highest.  

Dutch Tea Cookies

Adapted from American Cookie

by Anne Bryn

Makes About 8 dozen (1-1/2" cookies)

 

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature

1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

3-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup water, chilled in the refrigerator

Place the softened butter in the bowl of a mixer and beat on low until the butter has creamed well, about 1 minute. With the mixer running, gradually pour in the sugar, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Resume adding the sugar and beat until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes total time. Set aside.

Measure the flour into a medium-size mixing bowl. Spoon a third of the flour into the butter and sugar mixture and beat on low speed to combine. Add half the water, then beat until smooth. Add another third of the flour, then the remaining water, and finally the last third of the flour, beating only until just incorporated. Cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill at least 1 hour and as long as overnight.

Place a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350F. Scoop or spoon about 1/2" balls of dough onto baking sheets, spacing them at least 1" apart. These cookies do not spread much in baking. You can get 12 to 15 cookies per baking sheet. Place the baking sheets in the oven.

Bake the cookies until golden brown around the edges and underneath, 16 to 20 minutes, depending on your oven and how browned and crispy you like the cookies.

Transfer the cookies at once to a wire rack to completely cool. Repeat with the remaining dough, giving the baking sheets time to cool down between batches. Once cool, serve with tea. Or place in storage containers and freeze for up to 6 months. 

 

How Sweet Eat's Lemon Butter Chicken {My New Favorite}!

 Over time, my favorite dishes have become the recipes with only a handful of ingredients, like this one: chicken, flour, oil, butter, lemon juice and slices, garlic, fresh herbs, and salt and pepper.

NOTE: This is a lemon-forward dish. The lemon isn't overpowering, but it is there, so if lemon isn't your thing than skip this, but if lemon is you're thing then.. Newsflash: THIS CHICKEN IS SO SO TENDER! In fact, How Sweet Eats mentions "This is easily my most-made recipe of the last ten years."

That's saying something, isn't it?

After making this dish and pretty much inhaling it, I can certainly see why it's one of anyone's most-made recipes! The chicken is extremely tender! And the lemon butter sauce is so flavorful. Not to mention, the dish is really easy and quick to put together.

I served the chicken with some pasta to round out the meal, but you could also serve this with rice and/or any green veggies.

This recipe is one of my favorite recipes of the year so far! I will be making it on repeat in my kitchen!

Lemon Butter Chicken

Adapted from Everyday Dinners

by Jessica Merchant

Serves 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced in half lengthwise

salt and pepper, to taste

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons butter 

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 lemon, thinly sliced

1 lemon, juiced (1/4 cup lemon juice)

chopped fresh herbs (parsley, oregano, or thyme for serving)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Pound the chicken breasts with a meat tenderizer until they are the same thickness. Season them on both sides with 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the pan.

Take each chicken breast and dredge it through the flour, making sure it's completely covered but shaking off any excess. Place it in the pan and repeat with the other chicken breasts, cooking for 3 to 4 minutes total, 2 minutes each side. This might have to be done in batches. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish and repeat with any remaining chicken, using the remaining olive oil as necessary.

Once the chicken is out of the pan, keep the skillet over medium-low heat and add the butter. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the lemon slices and lemon juice. Cook for 2-3 minutes, flipping the lemons in the pan. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour the lemon butter mixture over the chicken in the baking dish.

Bake for 15 -20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165F. Remove the chicken from the oven and sprinkle with fresh herbs. Serve immediately. 

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