The Bitten Word

Spiced Pumpkin, Lentil, and Goat Cheese Salad

Bon Appétit (October 2009)

 
We needed a pumpkin last night to make this recipe, so we went to pick one up at our local supermarket. 

Unfortunately, there were only two kinds of pumpkins left: massive orbs too heavy to carry home and daintier gourds already decorated for Halloween.

So we strode up to counter with our pumpkin, which was painted with a cute clown face and topped with a jaunty, bright red firefighter hat. 

The conversation went something like this:

Checker:  "Oh that's a nice pumpkin."

Us:  "Thank you."

Checker: "You going to put it on your porch?"

Us: "Uh, no, actually we're going to cook it."

Checker (looking aghast):  "YOU'RE GOING TO WHAT?!"

Us: "We're going to cook it for a dish that we're making."

Checker: "Why would you DO THAT?"

Us (mumbling): "For a salad we're making."

And that is what we did.

Pumpkin, lentils and goat cheese sounded, to us, like the perfect combination for an autumn salad. And with Halloween only days away, we thought that this sounded like a great way to use un-massacred pumpkins rather than throwing them away.

Slow-Baked Honeycrisp Apples

Bon Appétit (October 2009)

 

We were in the mood for something warm, sweet and full of fall flavors.  And there is almost nothing we like more in autumn than a fresh Honeycrisp apple.

So we loved the idea of these Slow-Baked Honeycrisp Apples. Cozy, individual ramekins filled with soft apples scented with ginger and coriander, brightened by citrus -- what's not to love?

And don't they look inviting in this photo?  Don't they look like just the thing to warm you on a damp autumn evening?

Well, guess what, kids? Chicanery!

Chocolate Stout Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Happybirthdaytoyou.

Happybirthdaytoyou.

HappybirthdaydearZach.

Happybirthdaytoyou!

It's Zach's birthday this week and on Friday evening we threw a party for friends at our apartment. It was a fun evening, spent in the backyard (at least, when it wasn't raining). 

Here's a look at the food we made for the party, along with what may now be our all-time favorite cake.  If you're thinking of holding a gathering this fall, hopefully you'll find some inspiration here.

Steak au Poivre with Balsamic Reduction

Martha Stewart Living (October 2009)

On summer evenings, you're very likely to find us out on the patio, keeping watch while a big, juicy steak sizzles on the grill. We keep it extremely simple: salt and pepper, maybe a little Dale's.

But it's fall now. It's getting dark earlier and our grill's been cool for a while. It's time for a more grown-up steak, something a little fancier, more refined.

Hello, steak au poivre!

Cashew Chicken

Everyday Food (October 2009)

Just yesterday, one of Zach's co-workers asked, "Have you guys cooked anything recently that you really loved?"

Zach's mind flashed on a disappointing risotto, so-so cookies and good but not mind-blowing roast beef. No, we realized. We hadn't fallen in love with any of our recent dishes.

That was, until we made this Cashew Chicken last night.

Guys? We can say it: We loved this chicken!

Chocolate-Chip Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cherries

Bon Appétit (September 2009)

We've mentioned before that our favorite cookie is of the chocolate-chip oatmeal variety. For us, it just hits all the right notes that a good cookie should.

So we were really excited to see these cookies in the September issue of Bon Appétit. It's our favorite go-to cookie with one special twist: dried cherries.

Beet Risotto

Food & Wine (October 2009)

Things this Beet Risotto could represent at your upcoming Halloween party:

-- Brains

-- Guts

-- The embodiment of your childhood nightmares

Yeah, there's no getting around it: This beet risotto is the most unappetizing-looking dish we've made in a long, long time.

We'll allow that we may have overcooked the risotto a little, leaving it a little on the gummy side. But with its garish blood-red color and gelatinous, gooey consistency, this beet risotto looked, in a word, gross. We went back and forth over what it resembled the most: beef carpaccio? Fancy Feast?

One thing was for sure, though: This beet risotto would be right at home at your upcoming haunted house.

So how'd this gory side dish actually taste?

Kitchen Tip: Mincing Garlic

:: Cue Infomercial Theme Song ::

Are you tired of working for hours mincing garlic into tiny pieces? 

Can't stand your stinky hands after a day of hacking away at those cloves? 

Do you ever find yourself thinking, "There must be an easier way"???

Look no further!

We met a TV food personality (revealed below) earlier this summer who imparted to us several pieces of wisdom. But there's one that we've used pretty much every week since meeting her.  

Rather than using a knife to mince garlic for dishes, she uses a Microplane. It's a trick she picked up from lauded DC chef Michel Richard, and as she said, "If it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me."  Us too!

If you don't have one, a Microplane is a handy tool in the kitchen. It makes zesting fruits an absolute breeze and is a fantastic device for grating cheese.

We have two kinds.  The first is a Microplane Grater/Zester ($11.95 at Amazon.com) that we use mostly for mincing garlic and for zesting fruit. The second is a Microplane Course Grater ($13.95 at Amazon.com) that we use primarily for shredding cheese, but can also be used for cutting garlic into larger pieces.

Microplaning garlic is an easy shortcut that doesn't diminish the garlic flavor.  Of course, there are still dishes where we want larger pieces of garlic, and for that we pull out a knife, but in most day-to-day cooking, the Microplane does the trick.

So what chef taught this kitchen trick to us? 

Roast Beef and Celery Root with Watercress Salad

Everyday Food (September 2009)

We're not exactly sure why, but we don't make a lot of beef roasts.

Lord knows we love roasting a pork tenderloin (Exhibit A, B, C and D). And it's the exact same process: Sear all sides in a stovetop skillet, then finish in the oven. For some reason, though, roast beef just never seems to occur to us.

Well, that's going to change. With this solid, basic roast beef recipe -- and these lovely roasted vegetables -- we've got a new go-to recipe that's extremely delicious, but so easy it's almost mindless. That's a combination we can get behind!

Moroccan-Style Stuffed Acorn Squashes

Martha Stewart Living (October 2009)

As we mentioned earlier, we just returned a long weekend in Vermont with Zach's family. It was gorgeous -- with the foliage at peak color, we spent our days exploring impossibly cute villages and marveling at the explosions of crimson and gold that blanketed the mountains and valleys. Seriously, the entire state is like one big Sears Portrait Studio backdrop.

It really got us in the mood for fall -- and especially fall cooking!

These Moroccan-Style Stuffed Acorn Squash are a gorgeous little swath of Autumn. They're warm and inviting, and the cinnamon, nutmeg and golden raisins really capture the flavors of the season.