Goat-Cheese-Stuffed Cherries

As I mentioned in the last post, I received a pretty stellar assortment of summer fruit tools as part of OXO's Blogger Outreach Program. Now I am not required to blog about all (or any) of the tools I receive, but when something makes my life easier and more fruitful (bad pun intended), I want to share.

Last time, I sang the praises of OXO's large fruit scoop, mango splitter, and pineapple slicer, but there was one more tool I simply had to get my hands on before we said adieu to summer: the cherry pitter.

I am a huge fan of fresh cherries, but eating them around my two-year-old can be a bit of a pain. She always wants what Mommy is eating, and giving her a big bowl of cherries with the pits intact is as good as scheduling myself a Heimlich-maneuver practice session. In the past I'd bite around the pit and hand her bits of the flesh as I'd go, or I'd forget about buying cherries in the first place.

Fortunately for me, the cherry pitter has changed all that. Now Oia and I can share a bowl of cherries, our fingers taking on deep shades of crimson, as we watch Dora the Explorer and prepare to take on the world.

This recipe is inspired by my love of the union of dark chocolate, cherries, and goat cheese, and by the easy-to-use OXO cherry pitter. I mean, after you put holes in a whole mess of cherries, it's only right to fill them with something yummy, don't you think?

This recipe can be made in whatever quantity desired, exact measurements not necessary.

The mascarpone adds creaminess, smooths out the texture of the filling, and slightly softens the flavor of the goat cheese. Though often compared to cream cheese, mascarpone tends to have a creamier mouthfeel, and a subtler (less tart) flavor, and a slight, inherent sweetness not found in commercial cream cheese. You could substitute cream cheese for the mascarpone if necessary, but you would probably want to add a little sugar to cut the tartness.

Goat-Cheese-Stuffed Cherries
Fresh, sweet cherries (such as Bing)
Equal parts fresh goat cheese (chevre) and mascarpone cheese, both at room temperature
Very dark chocolate (I used Endangered Species 88% cocoa), for finely chopping or grating

Wash the cherries and pat dry before pitting. Pit the cherries with the stem-sides up.

Beat together the cheeses until smooth and fluffy--the mixture will be somewhat firm but airier and very well combined.

Transfer the cheese mixture into a small piping bag, snip off a small opening at the end, and pipe a small amount of the mixture into the bottom of each cherry. The cherries will sit upside down (stem-side down), with the puffs of filling peeking out from the bottoms (now the tops).

Sprinkle the chocolate over the tops of the stuffed cherries and transfer to a platter to serve or to an airtight container to chill until ready to serve.

The stuffed cherries make an excellent sweet hors d'oeuvre for a cocktail party or a perfect tiny bite to serve with coffee at the end of a large meal. Minus the chocolate, they were also a pretty major hit with my two-year-old, who now can't stop asking for more stuffed cherries--yea! They'll keep well, stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Thanks for reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life.

Asparagus, Leek, and Goat Cheese Tartlets

The Setting: A day far too pretty not to be enjoyed outdoors.

The Soundtrack: Disney radio on Pandora.

Steaming up the oven: Nothing right now, but I'm contemplating cookies....

The Scenario: Last night's cooking class was outstanding!

Yesterday Hoosband and I had the privilege of celebrating Earth Day making French tarts, featuring farmer's market finds and the bounties of spring.

I completely regret not getting any action shots of the class, but it was a great group and a great time.

For something on the savory side, we made Asparagus, Leek, and Goat Cheese Tarts with a simple side salad of baby arugula in an Orange-Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Since we only used the tops of the asparagus spears for our tarts and we discarded the overly woody ends, the asparagus "middles" were tossed with a little balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper; roasted; and wrapped by bundles of three in paper-thin sheets of prosciutto--the perfect appetizer to munch on as we baked.

For dessert, delicious Vegan Berry Tarts surprised the class with a tofu-based filling every bit as good as traditional French pastry cream.

Our vegan tart dough was a little crumbly (turns out I left 2 of the 4 T of tofu out of the dough...sorry y'all!), but we churned out perfect little tart shells nonetheless.

Thanks so much to everyone who came to the class. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Orange-Balsamic Vinaigrette
These measurements are approximate. I usually just wing it and taste it with a leaf of arugula to make sure it's how I want it before tossing it with the rest of the leaves.

1 T orange marmalade or leftover glaze from Vegan Berry Tarts (I used Smuckers)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth, add greens of choice (I prefer baby arugula), and toss gently to coat.

Asparagus, Leek, and Goat Cheese Tarts
This recipe looks really long and intimidating, but it is much easier than you think!

~for the crust~
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter
3-6 T cold water
1 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp fine-grain salt)

~for the filling~
8 oz fresh goat cheese
2 large eggs
1-2 T butter
3 leeks
freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (3/4 tsp if using fine-grain), divided
2 cups washed and rinsed asparagus tops, or as much as desired, for topping*

Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes, and place in the freezer (for at least 5 minutes) until needed. Place the water in the freezer in a small cup or bowl.

Place a large piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap on your counter.

Fit a large-basined food processor with the dough blade and add the flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse a few times to combine (if doing this by hand, whisk dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl).

Add the butter from the freezer to the processor and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand, with the largest pieces roughly the size of peas (if doing this by hand, use two forks to cut the butter into the flour, ideally striving to attach butter to every grain of flour without melting the fat).

With the processor on, add 1 T of ice water at a time just until the dough starts to comes together and holds together well when a small bit is squeezed with your fingers (if doing this by hand, continue to use the forks, or switch to a wooden spoon or silicone spoonula).

Turn the dough out onto the parchment or plastic, gently form into a disk, handling minimally, and wrap up tightly in the parchment or plastic. Let chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 8 (you can freeze the dough at this point if making ahead, but just be sure to thaw in the fridge overnight before using).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line 20 standard-sized muffin cups with muffin liners--do not grease.

Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to a 1/8-1/4-inch thickness (just a little thinner than what you see below).

Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter or jar lid to cut out as many circles as you can, re-rolling dough as necessary (you should end up with 20 circles and a tiny nugget of scrap dough).

Carefully fit each circle into a prepared muffin cup. Poke the bottom of each shell all over with the tines of a fork, and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until cooked through but still pale-ish in color. Place on cooling racks and allow to cool completely. Increase oven temp to 375.

To make the filling, set the goat cheese and eggs out at room temperature while you prepare the leeks.

Thinly slice the white and very light green parts of the leeks and rinse very well in cool water to remove any grit. If your leeks look dirty, it may be necessary to set them in a strainer in a large bowl of cold water and let them soak for 5-10 minutes. Discard the darker green parts of the leeks.

Place the rinsed leeks, butter, and black pepper in a large saute pan over med-high heat. Cover and cook 10 minutes. The leeks should be just beginning to blacken in parts along the bottom of the pan--don't worry, this is what you want. Stir in 1/2 tsp kosher salt, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 10 minutes more. Remove from heat, partially uncover, and allow to cool.

Beat together the goat cheese, eggs, and remaining kosher salt until smooth and creamy. Add the leeks and beat just to incorporate.

Spoon the leek mixture into each prepared tart shell so that it fills the basin and covers the top edges.

Stick 1-3 asparagus tops into the centers of each tart, or decorate as desired.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes or till cooked through and very lightly golden on top.

Finish with a sprinkle of coarse black pepper, if desired. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

*To do the swirly design seen in the first photo, use a mandolin to thinly slice long, fettuccine-like strips of blanched asparagus; tightly roll up one strip at a time, and immediately press into the filling. continue until you have achieved your desired design. I also tried simply mounding up the asparagus ribbons on top of the tarts, but this was rather unpleasant to consume.

Thanks for reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life!

No Concept of Time

The Setting: The incrementally cleaner-by-the-day Hovel.

The Soundtrack: Gilmore Girls, Season Seven

On the Stove-top: Goat Cheese and Roasted Tomato Polenta with Fried Sunflower Seeds and Sauteed Leeks.

The Scenario: Two years down, a lifetime to look forward to.

At a wedding in Hoosband's hometown in Texas last January, one of Hoosband's old family friends asked when we tied the knot.

When Hoosband responded, "May, 2007," I smiled and nodded, completely oblivious to the factual misrepresentation that had just transpired. It sounded right.

A few seconds later, we awkwardly changed our story to "2009," realizing our mistake.

At work a few months back, a coworker inquired how long I had been married. I said "three years" without pause or consideration.

Pregnancy brain may be partially to blame, but the truth is, when Hoosband and I celebrated our two-year anniversary a few days ago, it was hard to remember how many years had gone by, hard to believe it had only been two.

It's not that time has been dragging by any means--it's been a bit of a whirlwind in fact: major moves, career changes, old friends missed, new friends made, and a new baby on the way.

Perception of time elapsed is a strange and fickle thing.

When I consider it's been a year since I've been home, a year feels like an eternity.

But in terms of my marriage, two years feels so insignificant, so brief, like it couldn't possibly be the correct descriptor.

It feels like we've always been together, like the parameters of time have no place fencing us in.

I know, I'm weird.

The calendar and the clock seem very real, however, when I wake up from a four-hour, post-breakfast nap and discover the prime hours for my nesting activities have evaded me.

Here's a taste of what I've been craving in between dreams and attempts at Hovel reconstruction, aka cleaning out the apartment.

Goat Cheese and Roasted Tomato Polenta with Fried Sunflower Seeds and Sauteed Leeks
3 1/2 cups no-salt-added chicken stock (preferably homemade)
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup dry polenta (such as Bob's Red Mill Organic Polenta Corn Grits)
4 oz (about 3 large strips) raw bacon, diced
3 oz Oven-Roasted Tomatoes, coarsely chopped (recipe below)
6 oz fresh goat cheese
2 T shelled sunflower seeds, raw and unsalted
Sauteed Leeks (recipe below)

1. In a medium-large saucepan or small stock pot, bring chicken stock and 1/2 tsp salt to a boil. Add polenta, reduce heat to med-low, and cook 20-30 minutes or till the mixture is thick and the grits are tender, stirring frequently to prevent lumps and/or sticking. Be careful stirring, as the mixture may bubble and pop at your arms.

2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet over med-high heat till the pieces are nice and crispy and most of the fat has rendered out. Carefully transfer bacon to a small dish and set aside, reserving the rendered fat in the skillet.

3. Reduce the heat to med-low and add the sunflower seeds to the fat. Fry the seeds till just golden, being careful not to let them burn. Carefully transfer the seeds to a small dish, toss with remaining 1/4 tsp salt, and set aside.

4. When polenta is ready, remove from heat and stir in the bacon, roasted tomatoes, and goat cheese, reserving about 2 T of each for topping.

5. Ladle mounds of polenta into serving bowls and sprinkle with fried sunflower seeds and reserved bacon, tomatoes, and goat cheese. Serve with Sauteed Leeks. If you opt to skip the sauteed leeks, snip some fresh chives over the top of the polenta for a little boost of color and flavor.

Oven-Roasted Tomatoes
8 fresh Roma (plum) tomatoes, rinsed and patted dry
1 tsp sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Stack three sheets of paper towels on the counter.

3. Using a pairing knife and working over a small bowl, remove the core from the top of each tomato, slice the tomato in half, and gently squeeze out (or use the knife to help you remove) the seeds. Place cored, seeded, tomato halves cut-side down on the paper towels as you go. My mother always made me save the "tomato innards" for her when I performed this task in her kitchen. They can be frozen and added to soups or chili, but if you foresee no use for them, feel free to discard.

3. Gently press the top of each tomato half to help the paper towels absorb any excess juice, then arrange the tomatoes cut-sides up on a baking sheet or jelly-roll pan. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt, and bake at 250 for 6 hours or till they have deepened in color and shrunken to about 1/3 of their original size. Allow to cool. Check the tomatoes every few hours to make sure they are cooking evenly. It may be necessary to remove tomatoes that were smaller or less meaty early to prevent over-drying or burning.

4. Store cooled tomatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Also try combining with garlic, olive oil, and a handful of pine nuts and fresh basil in the food processor for a delicious roasted tomato pesto!

Sauteed Leeks
When I'm serving leeks as a side item, I like to chop them into rough, 1/2-by-2-inch rectangles instead of the traditional, thinly sliced rings. Either way, they are delicious!

2 large leeks
2 T butter (I prefer Kerrygold)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground, coarse black pepper

1. Chop off the rooty edge and the darkest, most fibrous ends from each leek. Cut the leeks into 2-inch sections, and quarter each section, forming approximate 1/2-by-2-inch rectangles, removing any tough, dark-green exterior pieces as you go if necessary. Set a large colander inside of a larger bowl, and fill the bowl with cool water. Add the chopped leeks to the water, and use your hands to break up any large pieces, allowing the leeks to release any dirt or grit. Remove the colander from the bowl, shaking out as much water as possible, and use a clean dish rag or paper towel to pat the leeks dry.

2. Add the butter, leeks, salt and pepper to a saute pan over med-high heat, cover, and cook 10 minutes or till the leeks are softened and the lightest parts are translucent, stirring occasionally.