One Great Zucchini Gratin

This gratin knocked my socks off. In no small part, I'm sure, due to the zucchini I picked from father's garden just hours before... but still, this is one to remember.

The top delivers that to-die-for crunch that always elevates vegetable, well really all, dishes for me, and the almost instant beschamel sauce is just that, almost instant, adding a lovely, creamy dimension to the zucchini in no time.
To make this, start with zucchini or squash, or a combination (which adds such lovely color).
Chop them up into 1/4 inch slices.
Saute for 10 minutes.
Add some flour and nutmeg.
Add some hot milk.
And, instantly: you have a beschamel on your hands.

Put that in a baking dish.
Cover with a mixture of breadcrumbs and Gruyere (or any other good melting cheese).
Dot with butter.
Pop in the oven for about 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Then... dish it up.
And, don't worry if you cannot restrain yourself from eating it all. I couldn't.

Zucchini Gratin (adapted from the barefoot contessa)
Ingredients:*
6 Tablespoons butter
2 lbs zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 teaspoons salt**
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup hot milk
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
3/4 cup Gruyere, shredded

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400.

In a 12-inch skilled, melt the butter. Saute zucchini for 10 minutes, or until just tender. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the milk, cooking over low heat for a few minutes until it makes a sauce.*** Pour the mixture into an 8x10 baking dish.

Combine the breadcrumbs and Gruyere, and sprinkle over the zucchini. Dot with 1 Tablespoon butter, cut into bits. Bake 20 minutes, until golden brown.

*I cut this recipe in half and used an 8 x 8 dish, but the cooking time was the same.
**I did tablespoons instead of teaspoons when I made this, which was a mistake, but after scraping some salt off the cooking zucchini, it managed to be okay... Well, pretty much okay...
***This happened in under a minute for me.

Tomato Tart

Way back in March, my father and I planted three tomato plants in my backyard. Now, after spending a couple of weeks eating tomatoes that were not exactly 'ripe' but far too tempting to pass up, I am flush with ripe, gorgeous home-grown tomatoes.
I wanted to do something 'fancy' with them, and I thought a savory tart would be just the thing.

Now, I have never made a savory tart before, so this was an adventure. But, I'm tired of being afraid of pastry crust, and since there was no pressure, as I was making it just for my own enjoyment, I felt courageous.

And let me tell you...
... this is hands down one of the best things I have ever made.

There is a secret layer of Dijon mustard on the bottom, which is absolutely perfect. I used goat cheese and thyme to also accompany the tomatoes, and I was, in particular, shocked at how perfect the thyme was. And add to the mix perfect tomatoes...
and you're in for a summer treat.

Start with your tomatoes. One worry was that the tomatoes were going to make the crust soggy, so I took a tip from the Oliver, and salted the tomatoes for about 15-20 minutes before hand. You just slice them up and put them in a colander.
Sprinkle with salt, and let sit for 15-20 minutes. This will cause the excess liquid to drain away and intensify the flavor.
Next, tart dough. This is a pretty easy, pretty forgiving tart dough. Start with your flour and salt in a bowl. Add the butter.
Then pulse 10-15 times until the mixture looks crumbly and feels like cornmeal.
Mix together 1 egg and 2 tablespoons of ice water, and pour it into a well in the dry ingredients.
Mix, until the dough holds together. If it doesn't come together easy, as mine didn't, add another tablespoon of ice water.
Gather the dough into a ball, and put it on a lightly floured surface.

Roll out the dough so it is large enough to cover the bottom of the pan and go up the sides.
Roll the dough over the pin, and unroll it into the pan. Gently nudge the dough, being careful not to stretch it. And, press the dough firmly into the indentations.
Cut off the excess dough, and save for a mini-tart later!
Now... time for the Dijon. It really makes such a difference.
Spread a good layer of Dijon over the bottom. And let it dry out a couple of minutes.
Arrange the tomatoes over the mustard. Try to make it pretty. And, drizzle olive oil over top.
Now for the fresh herbs.
Like I said, the thyme was just right.
Next... goat cheese.
Arrange the goat cheese on top. And, sprinkle with more herbs.
Now, the recipe says if you want, you can drizzle honey over it. So I did on half of it, just to see. Unfortunately, I forgot which half I did it on, and at the end, I couldn't actually detect a difference in flavor between either side. I think my honey was too whimpy.
Bake for 30 minutes or so, until the dough is cooked and the cheese is nicely browned.
How completely gorgeous is this?
And it tastes just as good.

French Tomato Tart (from David Lebowitz)
One 9-10 inch tart pan

Ingredients:
One unbaked tart dough (recipe to follow)
Dijon or whole-grain mustard
2-3 large ripe tomatoes (or 6-7 small tomatoes)*
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons freshly chopped herbs, such as thyme, chives, chervil, or tarragon
8 ounces fresh or slightly aged goat cheese, sliced into rounds**
Optional: 1 1/2 tablespoons flavorful honey

Tart Dough:
1 1/2 cups (210 g) flour
4 1/2 ounces (125g) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes***
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
2-3 tablespoons iced water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425.

Slice tomatoes and set in a colander. Sprinkle with salt, and let excess liquid drain for 15-20 minutes.****

For the dough*****:
Mix the flour and salt in the bowl of your food processor. Add the butter, and pulse 10-15 times, or until the mixture has a crumbly, cornmeal-like texture.

Mix the egg with 2 tablespoons of water. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the beaten egg mixture, stirring the mixture until the dough holds together. If its not coming together easily, add the additional tablespoon of ice water.

Gather the dough into a ball and roll it our on a lightly floured surface, adding addition flour only as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the counter.

Once the dough is large enough so that it will cover the bottom of the pan and go up the sides, roll the dough around the rolling pin, then unroll it over the tart pan. "Dock" the bottom of the pastry firmly with your fingertips a few times, pressing in to make indentations.

For tart:
Sread an even layer of mustard over the bottom (the amount you would put on a sandwich) and let sit a few minutes to dry out.

Arrange tomatoes in a single, even layer. Drizzle the olive oil over top.

Sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs, then arrange slices of goat cheese on top. Add some more fresh herbs, then drizzle with honey, if using.

Bake the tart for 30 minutes or so, until the dough is cooked, the tomatoes are tender, and the cheese on top is nicely browned.

*This is what it took me
**You could use any good melting cheese you like, comte, fontina, etc.
***I think this about 9 tablespoons
****This isn't in Lebowitz's recipe, but it prevents the crust from getting soggy. In fact, when I had the tart the next day, it still wasn't soggy. So, I think this method is pretty effective.
*****I chose to do the first parts of the dough in the food processor, but you could do it by hand, cutting in the butter with a pastry blender or fork if you like.

Easy and delicious dip for strawberries

As a little girl, I always loved when my mom had parties, because that meant there was a good chance she might make strawberries and dip. Oh... that dip: I can very vividly remember eating one dipped strawberry after another, thinking that this was the most delicious thing I had ever eaten. Turns out, I still think it is delicious.

But, what I didn't realize then is how simple it is to make. Seriously, 5 minutes tops.

You need three things: Strawberries, of course:
(oh, strawberry season, i love you)

And, sour cream and brown sugar,
The proportion for the dip is 3 parts sour cream to 1 part brown sugar
Get them in a bowl together, and mix until the brown sugar crystals have disappeared
That's it!
Serve with a mess of strawberries (or other fruit if you like... but strawberries are immanently dippable)
And enjoy!

Dip for Strawberries (from my mama)
Ingredients:
3 parts sour cream
1 part brown sugar*

Directions:
Combine sour cream and brown with a hand mixer, mixing until brown sugar crystals have disappeared.

Serve with strawberries, or other fruit.

*(1 cup: 1/3 cup makes a good amount)

Perfect for Spring and Summer: Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

I love when you make something for the first time, and you realize you have a 'classic' on your hands: something you will make again and again.

These lemon-poppy seed muffins are just like that.
The flavor is perfect: not too sweet, but oh so lemony. And the texture... dry muffins are the bane of my muffin existence, so when I find muffins, like these(!), that come out perfectly moist, I get rather excited. The poppy seeds also add a nice hint of crunch.

They are, of course, a cinch to make. Start by melting some butter, and setting it aside to cool. (Since you don't have to wait for the butter to come to room temperature, these are something you can make 'on the fly').
Get your sugar and lemon zest together.
Now... for a brilliant part: rub the zest and sugar together with your fingers, until aromatic.
Brilliant, Dorie Greenspan!
Add the other dry ingredients to the lemon-sugar concoction.
In a measuring cup, whisk together the butter, lemon juice, vanilla, eggs, and (the key to the moisture) sour cream.
Make a well, and pour the dry ingredients into the wet.
Stir until almost just combined,
and add in the poppy seeds.
Stir until just combined. Its okay if there are lumps.
Scoop the batter into your muffin tins.
Bake 18-20 minutes.
Remove to a rack to cool.
At this point, you have two options:
a) Make a glaze (powdered sugar and lemon)
It looks pretty and gives it a nice zing.
b) Gobble them up as is.
(I think, on the whole, b) is my preference, but a) makes them a little fancier).

Whatever you do... enjoy!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (from Baking: From My Home to Your by Dorie Greenspan)
Ingredients: 2/3 cup sugar
Grates zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

For the icing:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter or spray 12 molds in a regular-size muffin tin or fit the molds with paper muffin cups. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.*

In a large bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of the lemon is strong. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, and melted butter together until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don't worry about being through-- a few lumps are better than overmixing the batter. Stir in the poppy seeds. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold. Cool the muffins completely on the rack before icing them.

To make the icing: Put the confectioner's sugar in a small bowl and add about 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice. Stir with a spoon to moisten the sugar, then add enough additional lemon juice, a dribble at a time, to get an icing that is thin enough to drizzle from the tip of the spoon. You can then drizzle lines of icing over the tops of the muffins entirely, the better to get an extra zap of lemon.
*Don't forget this part! I nearly did. It helps the muffins not get overly brown.