S'more Nut Bars and Lemon Poppyseed Coleslaw

Still recovering from the pool party, fourth of july snuck up on me.  I mean, it was only a few days away and i spent two of those sleeping.  My house is still in mild disarray (i have no idea how to disassemble the rockem sockem robots to get it back in the box) and i have been eating leftover cookies and whatever riffraff from the fridge i could scrounge up (it is currently mostly condiments) because david will be gone this weekend and i know i will probably just eat ice cream for every meal so it has seemed pointless to grocery shop.  Except that i did grocery shop, but just to make some food for the fourth of july party we were invited to yesterday.

I have a really awesome recipe for smores bars that i made last year for another fourth of july party.  I did not make them again this year.  Breaking rule number one in Making Food for Others is my specialty.  So instead of making something tried and true i made something completely new and potentially terrible, like usual.  This is the first recipe i have made out of Baked, after being terribly disappointed with it upon receipt, feeling like i was tricked by david lebovitz who recommended it on his blog or website or something, and loving his taste in other things (especially his chocolate almond buttercrunch recipe) i trusted him and got it.  But i felt it was filled with mostly uninspired recipes, such as german chocolate cake and lemon lime bars and monster cookies.  I knew the recipes were probably sound and good but i was expecting awesome innovative and challenging things that i would kick myself for not thinking of first or something.  At any rate i figured for this event i could test and review one of the bajillion cookbooks that i normally use as very expensive dust displays. I actually did that for two cookbooks but that in a minute. dessert first.

S'more nut bars are an example of something i considered meh.  But i wanted something quick and new and plus i already had most of the ingredients on hand.  They are a layer of thick graham cracker pie crust topped with chocolate ganache that has peanuts and marshmallows mixed in.  As simple and straightforward as they are they were a huge hit at this party. I ended up being introduced to everyone new who arrived as "the girl who made these."  So i present to you the recipe that david says tastes like a nougatless snickers bar, adapted from Baked.

S'more Nut Bars - makes 24 bars 

2-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 17-20 crackers)
1 Tblsp firmly packed dark brown sugar
2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
7.5 ounces milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
7.5 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped
1-1/2 tsp light corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
10 marshmallows, cut into quarters
1/2 cup lightly salted whole peanuts
1/2 cup chopped lightly salted peanuts 

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.  Butter the sides and bottom of a 9 by 13 inch baking pan or spray it with nonstick cooking spray. 

In a large bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar.  Add the butter.  Use your hands to combine the mixture, then turn it out into the prepared pan.  Using your hands, press the crust into an even layer along the bottom and up the sides of the pan (i did not put it up the sides).  Use the bottom of a measuring cup to create a perfectly even crust. 

Bake the crust for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.  Remove the pan from the oven and place on a cooling rack. 

In a large heatproof bowl, toss the chocolates together.  Drizzle the corn syrup over the chocolate and set aside. 

In a medium saucepan, bring the cream just to a boil.  Remove from the heat and pour the cream over the chocolate mixture.  Let stand for 2 to 3 minutes.  Starting in the center of the bowl and working your way out to the edges, whisk the chocolate mixture in a circle until completely smooth.  Fold in the marshmallows and the whole peanuts.  Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and use an offset spatula to spread it as evenly as possible.  Sprinkle the top with the chopped peanuts. 

Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until set.  Cut into squares and serve.  The bars will keep in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 3 days.

i crushed my graham crackers with a meat tenderizer mallet.  i could have used a food processor but if i did that i wouldn't have that little muscle on the back of my arm that makes my elbow look round instead of pointy. 

peanuts

The other recipe i made is coleslaw.  Again, i have a ridiculously good recipe that i love to use from another recipe book but i went with something new from a cookbook i had yet to use.  I got this book from the kitchenaid party where i won that mixer a few months ago.  It's called Cristina Ferrare's Big Bowl of Love.  The recipe i tried is Crunchy Coleslaw with Creamy Poppy-Seed-Lemon Dressing.  It wasn't bad but it wasn't anything to write home about either.  I think i am spoiled with my other recipe.  I am kind of sad i used about a cup and a half of my condiment of choice, hellman's bestfood mayo, in this when it was so watered down with lemon juice and vinegar, which in turn wilted my cabbage to no longer very crunchy, and i even had dressing to spare.  I will post the recipe anyway because some of you out there might like it just like everyone liked the smore nut bars when i was just okay with them.  I say i am not really picky but i guess i am.

Crunchy Coleslaw with Creamy Poppy-Seed-Lemon Dressing - makes 6 to 8 servings 

1 head Savoy (Napa) cabbage (i used a giant one and it all wilted down to half the original amount)
1-1/2 cups mayonnaise
2 Tblsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tblsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tblsp apple cider vinegar
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 Tblsp poppy seeds
2 tsp kosher salt
Cracked pepper 

Chop the cabbage into small pieces and place in a bowl. 

In another bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, vinegars, cayenne, and poppyseeds.  Pour the dressing over the cabbage, and mix well. (i put this in the fridge overnight to let the flavors meld as recommended by the cookbook author.  then i assembled everything just before bringing it to the party) 

Add the salt and pepper to taste, cover, and chill at least an hour before serving.

I have to admit that i also attempted a red, white, and blue layered jello shot thing.  I have a few flavored vodkas from smirnoff that are terrible.  Truly unpalatable to me.  I bought them before i discovered the amazing three olives brand.  I didn't really want to foist half-used bottles onto someone else as my rejects (like i have a ridiculously insulting habit of doing that i'm trying to break) and in lieu of dumping them out to make room for good stuff in my liquor cabinet i thought maybe i could mask their disgustingness with more artificial fruit flavoring and a lot of sugar.  I used real sugar jello because i am pretty sure my friends are tired of me tricking them into eating/drinking sugar free stuff.  Except the only container of cool whip i had on hand was sugar free, so i used that in the white layer.  I didn't use any recipe for it and i also wanted it to be more like jello jigglers than regular jello shots so i just made up my own thing.  It came out kind of sloppy, mostly due to trying to make this in half the time i should have allotted and once i messed it up in the slightest i sort of gave up from there.  I would have served it anyway except it was AWFUL. i am dumping the smirnoff. The cool whip layer with the knox gelatin and pinnacle whipped cream vodka was pretty good but the other two layers... no matter how drunk my friends were expected to be at any point in the night i was not going to serve them that crap.

oh, this doesn't look so bad, does it? what was she talking about?

this is what i was talking about.

How about a flag cake my friend made:

And some cats:

monkey has a compulsion to hide in things

orange cat is not fooled

one of their more civil moments

Swiss Chard Gratin, Broiled Leeks, Flank Steak

Yesterday went like this, a typical veggie-box-delivery-day thursday: get up, drink coffee, have half a breakfast, go to workout class, do stretch class (okay so that is new), go to farmers' market for more eggs, get home and eat another half of breakfast (yes i am related to ron swanson), figure out what the heck to do with the giant box of veggies that was delivered to my doorstep earlier in the morning, and then get to prepping it all.

My giant box of work.

Got all my supplies ready - recipes bookmarked, gameplan mapped out, coffee, and phone (fyi even though it looks pretty i do not recommend a white phone if you cook a lot and your partner tends to call you while you are cooking, practically as soon as your hands are covered in junk.)

 Closer-up of the gameplan, and a grocery list.

Written down to-do list which is basically a meal plan too.

So you already know the gist of how i prep for the upcoming week and that is what i did today with the other ingredients that i wasn't also going to use for dinner.

The recipe for the swiss chard gratin i based my dish from is found here.  I chopped and then boiled the swiss chard in salt water, ice bathed it, drained it, and then chopped it some more as you see above.  Also pictured is the cheese that i grated for the gratin.  Since i did not follow the recipe exactly and i did my own lazy ghetto way of cooking (prep work is hard work) i will post my own "recipe," as follows:

Swiss Chard Gratin - serves however many people you need to feed who like cheese and swiss chard but probably not more than 6

2 bunches swiss chard, does not matter what color, boiled until tender in salted water and then dunked in ice bath and then drained and then as much of the water squeezed out as you can
2 garlic cloves
4 ounces swiss-y kind of cheese of your choice, shredded (i used 2 oz raclette and 2 oz Landaff)
1 ounce cream cheese
at least 1/4 cup half and half/cream/milk or more if needed for sauce consistency
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
onion powder, if you want
Parmesan cheese for topping 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and then spray an 8 by 8 glass baking dish/casserole dish with cooking spray or butter. 

Garlic press the garlic into a bowl or you can mince it if you don't have a press.  Add the cheese, the cream cheese, and the cream to the bowl and then microwave on medium power until everything is soft enough to stir together, checking the contents often so that you don't over-microwave it.  When it is stirrable into a smooth yet thick consistency (it will thin out some when baking) add the seasonings and stir together, then add the swiss chard.

Here is where if you had extraordinarily large bunches of swiss chard you could easily make more sauce if you need to, a light coating usually works fine though. I do realize this is yet another creamy pink vegetable side dish i have prepared but i did not choose the chard color! 

Put the swiss chard and sauce mix into the prepared glass dish and spread out evenly, then top with however much parmesan cheese you like.  I gave mine a fairly generous coating.  Place in preheated oven and bake until heated through and cheese on top is bubbly/melted, about 20 mins.

While that was baking I had another dish to prepare with one of last week's leftover leeks and the mega huge ones they sent me this week.  I cut the dark green tops off and then quartered the large ones and halved the small one, then rinsed them thoroughly, and trimmed the white part just barely--enough to get those little squiggly roots off.

Then I poured some flavored olive oil in a dish to brush them with, because that is easier than trying to pour oil from a bottle onto a pastry brush.

I put foil down on a sheet pan and since i was using oil already i used the cheap foil and not the nice nonstick foil so i also brushed the foil with the olive oil before sprinkling salt and pepper on the sheet.  Then I lightly brushed the leeks all over with a small amount of oil before arranging them one cut side down on the pan and  then sprinkling more salt and pepper on them.  I stuck them under the broiler on low to cook while i got the flank steak ready, with the chard gratin on the bottom rack of the oven still to stay warm.  When one side started to look softened and slightly charred i flipped them to the other cut side and fanned the stalks out slightly.  I took them out when they looked softened all over. (below is before they went in)

This here is the flank steak i got at the thursday farmers' market, from 5 Bar Beef.  They supposedly take really good care of their animals, and they sell their stuff in smaller quantities than the Da-Le Ranch from lake elsinore does so I got some meat.  It is shown thawed out below.

I just used some Emeril's original essence to season the meat before i put it under the broiler for a few minutes on each side.

Tah dah! the leeks come out and the beef goes in under the broiler, this time on high, for just a few minutes each side to desired doneness.  Flank steak is kind of thin so it doesn't need that long.

Gratin still on the bottom while beef is under the broiler.

Behold the finished gratin!

I let the beef cool slightly and then sliced it across the grain.

It was very tender even though it was previously frozen.

dinner is served

Silky Braised Fennel in Pink Sauce

(that puddle in the back is melted raclette cheese. yes i have become so obsessed with melted cheese lately that i have taken to just sticking it in a pan and eating it off the spatula after it is turned to goo. don't judge)

I really can't rave enough about my Fast, Fresh, & Green cookbook.  There isn't anything i've made from it that has turned out inedible or needed any tweaking at all.  I have brought several dishes to potlucks and everyone's always raved about them.   Last night's use of fennel was just incredible. Normally i just slice and saute fennel and then put it on top of steak.  I don't get fennel often even though i love it so when i got it in our veggie box i was super happy and wanted to make something special.  "Silky fennel" and "pink sauce" sounds totally girly if you're genderist like that but both david and i loved it and this is definitely going to be a repeat side dish.  Actually it's going to be my go-to recipe for fennel!  Pink sauce is just a less alcoholy sounding name for vodka sauce because they are one in the same.  Below is the recipe slightly adapted from Fast, Fresh, & Green.

Silky Braised Fennel in Pink Sauce - Serves Three 

3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tblsp vodka
1/4 cup heavy cream (i used half and half)
2 tsp tomato paste (this is where those metal squeeze tubes come in super handy)
1 large fennel bulb (about 1 lb 5 oz with stalks attached)
2 Tblsp unsalted butter
1 Tblsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper 

Combine the broth and vodka in a liquid measure and set aside.  In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and tomato paste and set aside. 

Cut the stalks off the fennel.  Chop enough of the fennel fronds to yield 1 tsp and set aside.  Trim any brown spots from the outside of the bulb and cut the bulb in half.  Notch most of the core out from both halves, leaving a bit of it to hold the wedges together.  Cut each fennel half into 6 thick wedges (i just sliced the fennel into thick slices and it came out fine). 

In a 10-inch straight sided saute pan with a lid, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat.  Arrange the fennel wedges, one cut side down, in the pan (if you sliced them like me you may have to stagger stack the slices, this is okay so long as you flip the slices that aren't on the bottom to the bottom of the pan when you have to rotate later on, you'll see when).  Season with the salt and a few grinds of pepper.  Cook until the fennel wedges are nicely browned, 7 to 8 minutes.  (If the heat on your burner is uneven, rotate the pan so that all the wedges brown evenly.)  Turn the wedges over (here's where you flip if they are sliced!) to another cut side with tongs.  Pour the broth-vodka mixture over the fennel.  Cover the pan, leaving the lid slightly askew so that some steam escapes.  Make sure the liquid is gently simmering (turn the heat up or down if necessary), and cook until the liquid is reduced to just a few tablespoons, 10 to 12 minutes.  Remove the lid, add the tomato-cream mixture, and cook, gently turning the fennel wedges with tongs, and stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the cream thickens and coats the fennel, about 2 minutes. 

Remove the pan from the heat.  Serve the fennel and sauce right away, garnished with the chopped fennel fronds.

 above is it all sliced and flipped after the first browning.

 pink sauce completed

 david paired it with the leek chicken comte thing and it was a wonderful combo!  gordon ramsay would have my head though if i served that plate with junk on the ridge of it.

I actually hope that tomorrow's farmer's market has some fennel so i can make more of it while david is out hiking this weekend so i can eat a whole pan of it myself, even though i have an artichoke and some collard greens to finish off first. sigh, i will probably do the responsible thing and eat the veggies i already have and i also will probably still share the next batch i make, considering i just ate the last serving of it with some langostino lobster tails and david didn't get to have any more. bad meeee.