Summer Vegetable Tian

Summer Vegetable Tian

I have made this recipe a few times over the years and it has always been a hit. I love cooking with vegetables. In fact I would rather eat veggies than ever eat any type of fruit. This recipe includes some of my favorite vegetables zucchini and summer squash (crookneck squash) along with tomatoes, red peppers, onions and garlic. It does take some time to cook but is fairly easy to prep and make. This was my first time using my broiler in this house so it did get a little crispy so I recommend not using the broiler for the full 5 minutes.
It was a perfect side to our peppercorn steak with sauteed mushrooms in a redwine reduction and a casear salad!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup olive oil, plus more for greasing pan
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into
1/8-inch strips
5 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 small zucchini, cut into 1/8-inch rounds
2 small crookneck squash, cut into
1/8-inch rounds
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
1 lb. plum tomatoes, cut into 1/8-inch rounds
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup fine dried bread crumbs
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 2-quart baking dish with olive oil.

In a fry pan over medium heat, warm 5 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the bell pepper and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the onion-pepper mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine the zucchini, crookneck squash, 5 Tbs. of the oil, the rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper and stir to coat evenly. Arrange the zucchini, crookneck squash and tomato slices on the onion-pepper mixture, overlapping the rows. Drizzle with the remaining 2 Tbs. oil and bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, stir together the cheese and bread crumbs. Remove the baking dish from the oven and sprinkle the bread crumb mixture on top. Bake for 15 minutes more.

Turn the oven to broil and broil until the cheese is golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 6.

yummy dinner

lemon curd triffle with fresh berries

I have given up on writing a blog about myself and my life in Seattle. My life is rather unexciting plus I never feel like I am that good of a writer. However I am a good cook/baker. I held my first Easter dinner at our house on Sunday. I think it turned out allright but I do think the dessert was amazing. I decided to try my hand at a triffle. I have always loved triffles but have never had the confidence to make one.

I used this recipe by Tyler Florence

Ingredients
6 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
4 lemons, zested and juiced
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut in chunks
1 pint fresh strawberries, stemmed and halved lengthwise
1 pint fresh blueberries
1 pint fresh blackberries
2 cups sweetened whipped cream
1 prepared lemon pound cake, sliced
1/4 cup Lemoncello or Grand Marnier liqueur (optional)
Fresh mint leaves, for garnish
Directions
To make the lemon curd: Bring a pot of water to a simmer over medium-low heat. Combine the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and zest in a metal or glass heat-resistant bowl and whisk until smooth. Set the bowl over the simmering water, without letting the bottom touch, and continue to whisk. Keep working-out that arm and whisk it vigorously for a good 10 minutes, until the curd has doubled in volume and is very thick and yellow. Don’t let it boil. Remove the bowl from heat and whisk in the butter, a couple of chunks at a time, until melted. Refrigerate until the custard is cold and firm.

To build the trifle: put the berries in a mixing bowl and toss them together so they are evenly distributed. Fold the whipped cream into the chilled lemon curd to lighten it up into a mousse. Line a glass trifle bowl with pieces of pound cake to fit. Drizzle or brush the cake with the Lemoncello, spoon a layer of the lemon curd over the cake, and then a layer of mixed berries. Repeat the layers until the ingredients are used up, the last layer looks best if it’s the berries. Chill before serving. Garnish with fresh mint.

I did make a few changes to make it a little easier. Instead of making my own lemon curd, I used the one from WS, it is super yummy. I also made my own pound cake using a mix from WS again. I did not use lemoncello because I forgot to buy it. However I did defrost some frozen lemonade and used that instead I also had raspberries because lets be honest they are super yummy.
Chris has been eating the leftovers every day so I consider it a good sign. I highly suggest that if you like lemon, cake, and berries that you make this. It is wonderful!