Roasted Vegetable Clafoutis

Usually, a clafoutis is a fruit and custard dessert. Here we have a savory version...with roasted vegetables and Parmesan. I was able to find nearly all the unusual ingredients at Whole Foods, but if not available in your area, substitute anything reasonably close. We thought there was too much potato, but small purple sweet potatoes were not available and I found one large and cut it in half before roasting....it turned out to be too much, even after quartering. Fingerlings were not available either and I substituted small Yukon Golds, which no doubt added even more potato than needed. We both wanted more veggies and less potato, but this was not a problem with the recipe, just my not adjusting the recipe properly.

Because time was an issue, I roasted the vegetables the day before and refrigerated them, then made the custard right before baking the next day. Worked out fine. We loved the dish and I would make it again. 

Roasted Vegetable Clafoutis
From Food and Wine

Ingredients for the vegetables:

8 medium carrots of varying colors (3/4 pound)

6 baby beets of varying colors (about 4 ounces), scrubbed

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing

6 fingerling potatoes

2 small purple sweet potatoes (3/4 pound total)

2 heads baby orange cauliflower (about 4 ounces), cut into 3/4-inch florets

1/2 small head Romanesco broccoli, cut into 3/4-inch florets (3 cups)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

Ingredients for the batter:

1 3/4 cups half-and-half

4 large eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for sprinkling

Kosher salt

Softened butter, for greasing

Method:

Preheat your oven to 400°. Spread the carrots and beets on 2 separate sheets of foil and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Fold up the edges of the foil sheets to make two sealed packets. 

On a small baking sheet, rub the fingerling and sweet potatoes with olive oil and prick them all over with a fork. 

In a medium baking dish, toss the cauliflower and broccoli florets with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. 

Roast the broccoli and cauliflower for about 15 minutes, the potatoes for about 30 minutes and the carrots and beets for about 35 minutes, until all of the vegetables are tender and the broccoli and cauliflower are browned in spots. 

Let cool slightly. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into quarters lengthwise; peel the fingerling potatoes and cut them in half lengthwise. Season the roasted vegetables lightly with salt and pepper. 

In a blender, combine the half-and-half with the eggs, flour, 1/2 cup of the cheese and 2 teaspoons salt and blend until smooth. 

Butter a 9-inch-square glass or ceramic baking dish and sprinkle all over with cheese. Arrange the vegetables in the baking dish in 2 stacked layers, lining them up in the same direction. Pour the batter on top. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese and bake in the center of the oven for about 45 minutes, until puffed, golden and set; cover the dish with foil halfway through to prevent over-browning. Let the clafoutis cool slightly, then cut into squares and serve. 

Ina's Leek and Mushroom Bread Pudding

We served this dish over the holidays, but it certainly doesn't need to be limited to that time of year. It would be marvelous with chicken, pork chops or just about anything. Very rich but utterly delicious, which describes Ina's recipes in general, don't you agree?
I've been making a mushroom bread pudding for years (my dad's favorite) and while they appear similar on the plate, the flavor of Ina's recipe beats my old recipe by a mile.

Ina's Leek and Mushroom Bread Pudding

From Barefoot Contessa Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust by Ina Garten

Ingredients:

6 cups (1/2-inch-diced) bread cubes from a rustic country loaf, crusts removed

2 tablespoons good olive oil

1 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 ounces pancetta, small-diced

4 cups sliced leeks, white and light green parts (4 leeks)

1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed and 1/4-inch-sliced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves

1/4 cup medium or dry sherry

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

4 extra-large eggs

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade

1 1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (6 ounces), divided

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the bread cubes on a sheet pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter in a large (12-inch) saute pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook for 5 minutes, until starting to brown. Stir in the leeks and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until the leeks are tender. Stir in the mushrooms, tarragon, sherry, 1 tablespoon salt and 11/2 teaspoons pepper and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until most of the liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Off the heat, stir in the parsley.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, chicken stock and 1 cup of the Gruyere. Add the bread cubes and mushroom mixture, stirring well to combine. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the bread to absorb the liquid. Stir well and pour into a 2 1/2-to-3-quart gratin dish (13 x 9 x 2 inches). Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Gruyere and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is browned and the custard is set. Serve hot.

Roast Potatoes and Jerusalem Artichokes With Lemon and Sage

I love my Ottolenghi cookbooks. They're filled with absolutely mouth-watering recipes, each and every one you want to make immediately when you see it and the photography is smashing and so creative. 

So, while drooling my way through the hundreth reading of my first Ottolenghi, I came across an intriguing recipe for Roast Potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes with lemon and sage. Jerusalem artichokes? I knew the name, had seen them on menus, but didn't know much else, so I Googled it. Not an artichoke at all and commonly known as sunchoke. So my next trip to Whole Foods, I searched for sunchokes and found a bin of them. Ugly, knobby little guys they were too. If I had not been wearing my glasses I would have thought this was fresh ginger. 

Here's the good news: They taste great...I thought much like an artichoke heart, no matter what everyone says. They are prolific and easy to grow. They are highly nutritious with lots of anti-oxidants. They will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks or in a root cellar all winter.

Sounds good, right? Well, here's the thing..... 

Jerusalem artichokes are a pain to clean. (Mine were. Some are not and can just be washed and sliced.) They must be brushed and scrubbed under running water to remove the sand and dirt that hides among the knobs and folds and while most recipes state they do not need to be peeled, I peeled them as much as I could. 

And one more thing.....I shall put this as delicately as I can by merely saying sunchokes can cause flatulence in some people. Apparently not everybody is similarly cursed, but I regret to say that I am. I was so taken with the taste of sunchokes that I probably ate 4 of them all by myself. Perhaps I was punished for being such a glutton?

Why flatulence? Because sunchokes contain something called inulin. Inulin is a carbohydrate belonging to a class of compounds known as fructans. If you want to get into the chemistry, go HERE.
Chocolate and Zucchini has a lovely recipe for sunchoke soup and some excellent suggestions on how to avoid such problems. 
Simply, she suggests buying the freshest possible sunchokes (by the look of them I would venture to say mine were not) and then parboiling them with a bit of baking soda. (I read this bit too late to do that.)

Did I frighten you off? I hope not, 'cause this dish is mainly about potatoes. My advice is this: eat sunchokes in small portions until you know your own tolerance. Some people are not affected at all and it would be a shame to miss out on this delicious tuber. Moderation is key. One would think I'd have learned that lesson years ago. 

Really, this dish is a delicious combination of which sunchokes are only a small part. The potatoes and sunchokes are roasted in the oven until they are brown and crunchy. Definitely a great side dish with a lovely piece of steak.

Roast Potatoes and Jerusalem Artichokes With Lemon and Sage
From Ottolenghi, The Cookbook

Ingredients:
1 pound small potatoes
1 pound Jerusalem artichokes
4 garlic cloves, crushed
50 ml olive oil
2 tablespoons roughly chopped sage
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 cup kalamata olives, pitted
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash the potatoes well, put them in a large saucepan, and cover with plenty of cold, salted water. Bring to a boil and simmer 20 minutes, until half cooked. Drain, cool slightly, and then cut each potato in half lengthwise. Put them on a baking sheet.

Scrub the Jerusalem artichokes, peel if necessary, cut them into slices ¼-inch thick, and add to the potatoes. Add the garlic, olive oil, sage, salt, and pepper. Mix everything with your hands and put in the oven.

Meanwhile, thinly slice the lemon and remove the seeds. After the vegetables have been roasting for about 30 minutes, add the slices of lemon, stir with a wooden spoon, and return to the oven for 20 minutes more. Now add the cherry tomatoes and olives, stir well again, and cook for a further 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and stir in some of the chopped parsley. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the remaining parsley.

Serves 4-6

Cherry Tomato and Goat Cheese Cobbler

A savory cobbler....topped with some delicious biscuits. Serve it for lunch or a side dish with dinner. The only thing I'd change is next time I'd add some shallots or green onions to the tomatoes while they were on the stove. This dish can be cooked and baked in one oven-proof saute pan. (Aside from the biscuit dough.) But I poured the tomatoes with all their juices into the casserole and topped with the biscuits. It just made presentation and serving a tad prettier. 
Note: Biscuits need to be in the freezer a couple hours before baking.

Cherry Tomato and Goat Cheese Cobbler
From Huckleberry by Zoe Nathan

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3 1/2 tablespoons cornmeal
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold, cubed
3 1/2 tablespoons buttermilk

Filling:
5 cups cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4-6 tablespoons goat cheese
Egg wash

Method:
For the biscuits: Combine both flours, the cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the cubed butter and with your fingers, work the mixture until the butter pieces are all pea sized. Add the buttermilk and lightly toss to distribute.
Pour the mixture on a clean surface and with the heel of your hands, toss and squeeze the dough it holds together. Do not overwork, you should still see pieces of butter. Press the dough into a disk about 3/4 inches thick. Cut out biscuits, place them in a pan and place in the freezer for two hours.

For the tomatoes: 
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine the tomatoes, olive oil, 2 sprigs of the thyme and salt in an oven proof saute pan. Cover and cook over high heat until the tomatoes begin to soften. Uncover and cook until all the tomatoes burst slightly.
Top with the frozen biscuits. Make an egg wash with an egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream. Brush the biscuits with it. Place in oven for 25 minutes. 
Remove from the oven and dollop the goat cheese over any exposed tomatoes. Place back in the oven, increase temperature to 475 and bake another 10 minutes or until nicely browned. Serve at room temperature with some extra sprigs of thyme.