Filmed and Edited by Xu Zhang
first
Filmed and Edited by Xu Zhang
I always keep a few packages of frozen puff pastry in my freezer and one in my refrigerator, thawed, ready to use. I don’t want to have to wait for the pastry to thaw if I have spontaneous inspiration or last minute guests.
This is a recipe that came from one of those inspirations. I had a box of gorgeous organic multicolor tiny tomatoes, a ball of whole milk mozzarella cheese nearing its expiration date, some roasted garlic and free time — and this recipe was the result.
It makes a dazzling presentation and can be served at an elegant party or for Monday night football. Sports enthusiasts may think it’s fancy pizza, at a family dinner, it will be a delightful appetizer.
As I have said, I always keep a package of puff pastry thawed in my refrigerator but if you don’t, the toughest part of this recipe is remembering to thaw the pastry the night before. Also, use whole milk mozzarella. It’s very important when there are so few ingredients they need to be right. This isn’t the time to go low fat or non-fat.
I prep the tomatoes the day before and toss them with the garlic and olive oil, so the flavors can meld. You can also do it all last minute.
If you haven’t worked with frozen puff pastry, this is a great recipe to get you started. The only downside is that you may decide, like me, that you need to keep puff pastry in your refrigerator at all times.
MOZZARELLA TART WITH ROASTED GARLIC AND TOMATOES
EVENT: 2nd Annual Apps & Alcohol
YIELD: 1 Large Tart
Ingredients
All purpose flour for work surface
1 box frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator overnight
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb tiny multicolored organic tomatoes, cut in half or quarters
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 cloves roasted or fresh garlic, finely minced or mashed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 oz. whole milk mozzarella, sliced
Fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons fresh basil, shredded
Equipment
Large baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Sprinkle work surface with flour.
3. Unwrap both sheets of pastry dough. Brush one short side of one sheet of dough with egg and overlap second piece of dough to form one large piece of dough.
4. Press the seal together using a rolling pin. Smooth out dough and roll piece into 18 X 19-inch size.
5. Using a sharp knife, cut a 1-inch strip from each of 4 sides. Brush sides with egg and place one strip on each side, or if you want a more rustic look, simply fold a 1-inch edge up on all 4 sides.
6. Using a fork, poke holes in the entire sheet. Sprinkle with half of Parmesan cheese and bake 13-15 minutes and then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake 13-15 minutes longer, until crisp.
7. Remove from oven. This can be done early in the day and set aside.
8. Either the day before or while pastry is baking, cut up tomatoes and toss with olive oil, garlic and salt. Set aside.
9. Just before serving, preheat oven to 450 degrees.
10. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly over the tart. Top with tomatoes and garlic mixture. Top with half of Parmesan cheese.
11. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
12. Remove from oven. Top with fresh basil, cut and serve.
I guess I have commitment issues with brownie recipes, but I never get tired of trying out new ones. Just when I think the last brownies I made are the best ever and will be my permanent go-to brownie recipe — I try something new.
So here I go again. This was another experiment. I had leftover white chocolate that I wanted to use. So I tried a fairly traditional brownie recipe, added white chocolate chunks and topped it off with a sprinkling of sea salt, white chocolate ganache and dark chocolate shavings. It’s not traditional but adding a ganache frosting to a brownie and a bit of sea salt elevates a simple recipe.
These are extra rich and delectable.
I was feeling guilty because I owed Mei her two dozen cookies from her Game Night win but I hadn’t gotten around to making them. I offered her leftover brownies to assuage my guilt. She got lost in the brownies and forgot about the cookies, for now.
P.S.: Cut these quite small: They are rich.
WHITE & DARK CHOCOLATE BROWNIES WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE
EVENT: 2nd Annual Apps & Alcohol
YIELD: One 9 X 13-Inch Pan
Ingredients
For the brownies
12.5 ozs dark chocolate cut into chunks (I used Trader Joe’s giant bar of dark chocolate)
3 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
6 large eggs
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup dark cocoa powder (I use Droste but any Dutch process will work)
1 cup roughly chopped white chocolate
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
For the white chocolate ganache
3 cups white chocolate chips or chunks
1 cup heavy cream
Pinch of salt
Equipment
9 X 13-inch baking pan lined with parchment paper
Directions
Make the brownies:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt the dark chocolate and butter either in a microwave or top of a double boiler on the stove. Set aside to cool.
3. Sift flour, cocoa, cinnamon together.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the granulated sugar until pale and creamy.
5. Stir in the chocolate mixture.
6. Stir in the flour mixture and mix until thoroughly combined.
7. Mix in chopped white chocolate.
8. Pour into lined baking pan and sprinkle with sea salt.
9. Bake 40-45 minutes. Cool completely in pan.
10. When completely cooled, frost with ganache, or wrap tightly and freeze until party, or eat immediately as is.
Make the ganache:
1. Put all the chocolate in a glass or stainless bowl. (Don’t use plastic or aluminum.)
2. In heavy saucepan, heat the cream and salt until it just comes to a boil.
3. Remove from heat and immediately pour all of the cream over the chocolate, making sure all the chocolate is submerged under the cream.
4. Place a dish lid or cookie sheet over the bowl and let it sit 10 minutes.
6. Stir with a whisk until no lumps remain.
7. Cover with plastic wrap pushing the wrap down until it touches the ganache.
8. Let it sit overnight or when cool refrigerate until use.
9. Frost generously.
OPTIONAL: If you have extra chocolate, use a vegetable peeler and make chocolate shavings to top ganache.
You need to stop whatever you’re doing and make this recipe immediately!
I know it freezes well because the first time I made it (as a test), it was so good, I had to tightly wrap it, seal it up and put in my garage freezer to stop from eating it all.
And as good as it is, it’s even easier to make. It’s a very flexible recipe which means you can substitute peanut butter for almond butter and use any combination of nuts you have on hand. The base of the toffee is a plain cracker and I used Orgran Toasted Buckwheat Crisp Bread (available at my Amazon Affiliate Store), which is crunchy, crisp and totally gluten free.
I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t get enough of this. The night of the party, I asked my friend Keith to cut the large rectangular bar into squares. Somehow he kept cutting thin slices or shards which ended up in a bowl “for the staff”.
The possibilities are endless. I even think those shards would be great crumbled over a dish of ice cream. There’s an idea I might have to try.
Make it now and keep it in your freezer just in case.
ROCKY ROAD TOFFEE
EVENT: 2nd Annual Apps & Alcohol
YIELD: 19 X 13-Inch Pan
Ingredients
Approximately 4 oz. Orgran Toasted Buckwheat Crisp Bread (enough to line 9 X 13-inch pan)
8 oz. unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup almond butter (okay to substitute smooth peanut butter)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup white marshmallows, chopped
1/2 cup sliced almonds
8 oz. dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1/2 cup hazelnuts, chopped
Equipment
9 X 13-inch baking pan fully lined with parchment paper up the sides or foil sprayed with non-sticky baking spray
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the crackers in a single layer, completely covering the pan.
3. Combine the butter, sugar, almond butter, vanilla and salt in a medium saucepan and gently bring to a boil.
4. Whisk to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat and simmer 1 minutes, constantly whisking.
5. Pour the mixture over the crackers. Using an offset spatula, spread the mixture evenly.
6. Bake 8-9 minutes. Remove from the oven, scatter half the chocolate, all the marshmallows, sliced almonds and top with remaining chocolate. Return to oven for approximately 1 minute to melt the chocolate.
7. Remove from oven and sprinkle the chopped hazelnuts.
8. Allow to cool completely. Use baking paper or foil to lift entire slab out of the pan.
9. Using a sharp knife, cut into pieces or if freezing, gently remove Toffee from paper and wrap in waxed paper and then plastic wrap.
10. Place wrapped slab in airtight container and freeze.
Saturday Night
7:00 P.M.
4 Weeks Before
3 Weeks Before
2 Weeks Before
1 Week Before
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
MORNING:
AFTERNOON:
LATE AFTERNOON:
7:00 P.M.:
* Grilled veggie crostini with goat cheese and red pepper spread or pesto
Lamb sliders with caramelized onions and raita, and roasted jalapenos
Crab claws with red sauce (GF)
Shrimp & Corn Cakes with Sauces (GF)
* Cheese platter with fresh figs and fruit (GF)
* Crackers
* Individual mini veggie frittatas (GF)
* Individual onion pies with blue cheese and walnuts
* Cauliflower fritters with cumin and raita
* Olive tapenade tart with ricotta cheese
* Mozzarella tart with fresh tomatoes and roasted garlic
* Cardamom rice pudding with peach chutney (GF)
* Mocha pot de crème with whipped cream (GF)
* White and dark chocolate brownies with white chocolate ganache
* Rocky road toffee (GF)
* Vegetarian
(GF) Gluten free
Last year’s party was so much fun, I couldn’t wait to do it again. Since part of my joy comes from the planning and cooking, I decided to do all new recipes. At the last minute, I added the Kaleakopita because people couldn’t get enough of it last year — or this.
This year’s party had many unexpected surprises. People who sent regrets because they had a prior engagement, showed up. People who were the first to RSVP never appeared. People invited as singles brought plus ones. My friend Dano had left for London the day before to visit family.
I had planned to serve a Sangria but instead we ended up with Basil Pomegranate Vodka Martinis. I just rolled with it all and had a blast!
The party started at 7:00 p.m. and we were still going strong at 1:00 a.m. You never know what’s going to happen at my house. But you always know it will be a joyous adventure.
Since there was lots of alcohol, I wanted to be sure we had enough real food. The Lamb Sliders were simply seasoned with salt, pepper, with fresh Italian oregano from my garden. Instead of usual burger add-ons, I did caramelized onions, fresh Raita and roasted jalapeno peppers. The richness of the lamb was complimented by the sweet caramelized onions, the heat of the jalapenos and the coolness of the raita.
There were Shrimp and Corn Cakes that were made with ground gluten free crackers as a binder. This was just something I made up that was a big hit.
The Mini Veggie Frittatas were one-bite wonders: tasty, satisfying and oh, healthy and gluten free.
I created Individual Onion Pies with Blue Cheese and Walnuts. While we were tasting them, we tried adding slices of Dubliner cheese, slices of fresh figs, even a dollop of fig jam. All the variations were delicious but I decided to serve them plain, just out of the oven.
The fresh figs and the fig jam made it onto the Cheese Platter. A Cheese Platter is a great idea only if you use great cheeses. If you use boring cheeses no one will eat them. I used some blue cheeses, some goat cheeses, white cheddar, smoked gouda and a neutral Manchego. I added dried fruit, fresh figs and nuts. I like to label the cheeses so people know what they’re eating.
Beautiful wild Crab Claws were another simple appetizer that I added to the mix. Served simply on a bed of ice and a red dipping sauce, they were a hit!
I also did a Mozzarella Tart with Fresh Tomatoes and Roasted Garlic. I used store bought puff pastry and it was beautiful and simple. I was sort of on a puff pastry run and did another one with olive tapenade and fresh ricotta. Totally different flavors, equally delicious!
In case you haven’t noticed, there were lots of vegetarian options. There were Grilled Veggie Crostini topped with pesto, goat cheese and grilled veggies or crostini topped with red pepper spread, goat cheese and grilled veggies.
I decided that we needed something a bit exotic and came up with the Cauliflower Fritters loaded with cumin seeds and served with a fresh yoghurt raita.
When it comes to dessert, my friends know I pull out all the stops, and this was no different. People kept trying to rank the desserts in order of their favorites. Of course, this required multiple tastings.
There was an intense Mocha Pot de Crème served with a dollop of whipped cream, a decadent, rich Basmati Rice Pudding served with Peach Chutney, a White and Dark Chocolate Brownie with White Chocolate Ganache Frosting, a Triple Almond Cookie and a Rocky Road Toffee.
When we were cutting the cookies, brownies and toffee in the kitchen, my friend Keith’s knife kept missing the mark and we had oddly shaped pieces which ended up in a dish for the staff. I kind of think it was accidentally on purpose. When you see the desserts, I think you’ll agree.
Every time I travel, I try to take a cooking class with a local chef. I never really know what to expect and this time was no different.
On my last day in Hvar, I was fortunate to spend a morning cooking with Ivan Buzolić and his daughter Maja Mačković, in the kitchen of their restaurant the Golden Shell (Zlatna Školjka).
I had no idea as I made my way to the restaurant that Ivan was the founder of the Croatian Master Chefs Association, that he had won gold medals in international competitions, that he mentored young chefs.
I also had no idea that the Mediterranean diet from the island of Hvar was protected by UNESCO as part of intangible cultural heritage.
Pretty impressive credentials!
When I arrived, I was invited into the tiny kitchen and immediately put to work pinching heads off the smallest shrimp I had ever seen. The heads went straight into the stock pot. This was my first instruction in using everything, throwing nothing away and what Ivan called “economy in the kitchen”. I peeled some of the shrimp for ceviche and the shells went right into the pot.
There were no written recipes, just lots of information and hands-on experience. With total ease and comfort, Ivan and his daughter moved me through lots of dishes. He talked about sea salt, olive oil and herbs being the holy trinity of Croatian cooking; that’s all you need to make a great meal.
He pulled out a jar of crushed garlic and chopped parsley mixed with olive oil that is always on hand in his kitchen. Now, it’s on hand in my kitchen too.
He educated me about fish, telling me that seafood must swim three times: once in the sea water, once in olive oil and once in wine (and the wine can be the glass you are drinking as you eat).
He showed me how to make a rustic tomato sauce, removing the tomato skins as the tomatoes cooked, and adding them to the ever growing stock pot.
As if by magic, he produced an old handheld pasta machine and proceeded to whip up a patter of fresh pasta. No fuss, no big deal — just another dish to go with lunch.
He made gregada, the famous Croatian fish soup which I will be sharing with my friends.
In a kitchen, one third the size of mine, in only a few hours in the morning, we made gregada, tomato sauce, tomato soup, homemade pasta, shrimp ceviche and crispy sauteed shrimp. We then sat down to lunch and enjoyed all the dishes.
Delicious crisp Croatian wine flowed as we savored the meal. As Ivan said, “I cook with wine and sometimes I even add it to the food.”
My only regret was that I was too full to come back to the restaurant for dinner that night. Oh well, I guess I’ll have to return to Hvar to sample more of Ivan’s superb food.
“I have never eaten a piece of frozen fish in my life,” said the guide who met us at the airport and escorted us to our hotel in Split.
This was my first inkling of what to expect in Croatian cuisine. The guide knew I was interested in food and had read my blog.
Fresh, locally sourced and always seasonal: all the goals we in the West, or at least the Westside of Los Angeles, strive for.
We saw gorgeous fields of lavender and sampled fresh lavender honey. We saw wild bushes of caper berries and found the capers in jars at the local markets.We saw luscious seasonal fruit and ate the best nectarines and peaches we had ever tasted.
We met women from small villages who brought home-baked goods, filled with seasonal greens and feta, to the weekly open air markets.
In all the open air markets we also found homemade candied orange or lemon peel. This is a slightly bitter, crunchy, sweet, chewy slice of deliciousness. My Croatian guide and I tasted samples at all the stalls until we found the one that had the perfect combination of sweet, orange and bitter. I brought home one bag to photograph and serve at my next party, but it disappeared before I could take any pictures. My friends and taste tasters did their job well.
Each night at dinner, the fish was so fresh, there was no “catch of the day” but catch of the hour. Vera wasn’t as excited as I was to meet the whole fish before it went to the grill, but I thought it was great.
We also ate amazing local oysters, prepared three ways and a special Ston Cake made from walnuts, and almonds, and pasta.
Everywhere we went, there was an abundance of just caught fish, glorious succulent fruit, seasonal vegetables and a philosophy that says “use everything you have and honor the season”.
Some people have a bucket list of where they’d always dreamed of visiting. I have no list. Things cross my desk, I read an article in a travel magazine or the New York Times, and a destination calls to me.
This is how it was with Croatia.
I didn’t do a lot of research and didn’t know what to expect. What I discovered were warm, lovely people, delicious cuisine based on use of locally sourced and fresh ingredients, exquisite picture perfect postcard settings and even the walled city where Game of Thrones was shot.
We started in Split which is a very busy transit point for visitors to the Dalmatian Coast. It’s bustling with people most of the time, but the days we were there it rained so there were fewer people out and about.
This gave us the perfect opportunity to explore the 4th Century Roman Palace of Diocletian. It’s gone through many iterations but the basic maze-like structure and original palace walls are in tact. What’s amazing is the fact that people still live and work within the walls of the ancient Palace.
As interesting as the Roman ruin was, my favorite memory of Split was my first taste of a seafood stew called Gregada. Wow, what a revelation! Little did I know that at our next stop in Hvar, I would learn to make this superb dish.
We had to get up very early to board a ferry for a 2-hour cruise to our next stop: Hvar. I’d like to tell you that the scenery on the Dalmatian Coast was incredible but it was still pouring rain during this journey. So we spent the entire trip below deck, drinking hot tea and recovering from our 6:00 a.m. wake-up call.
Finally, we arrived at the island of Hvar. It was so glorious, a world unto itself! We had heard it had a microclimate which gave it perfect weather. I didn’t believe it, but it was true. The town comes right into the harbor and from our window we watched the huge yachts and water taxis pull in and out of the harbor and saw the village slowly wake up in the early morning hours, while the partiers were just going to sleep.
This is a magical place where it seemed like there was endless music, joy and sunshine. It was also the place where I had the great privilege of taking a cooking class with a master chef and long time resident of Hvar. (More about that later.)
As hard as it was to leave Hvar, it was another short ferry ride to our next stop. We were headed to Dubrovnik with a stop along the way in the village of Ston for oysters, grilled shrimp and a piece of the famous Ston Cake.
Our driver was watching me as we approached Dubrovnik. He waited for my reaction to my first sight of the walls.
I just might be the only person on the planet who doesn’t know that the television show Game of Thrones was filmed in Croatia and that the city of Dubrovnik is one of the most important locations.
It’s another remarkable city. I was in awe of its beauty, its design and by the fact that people still live and work in this walled city. Some residents are understandably annoyed or bemused at the huge influx of tourists to their home town. Nevertheless, they are warm, generous, helpful and endlessly patient with us tourists.
While staying in Dubrovnik, I took a day trip to Montenegro which has a totally different and more intense energy. It was has a cat museum, the first I’ve ever seen.
A few more magical excursions and we were making our way toward the Dubrovnik Airport. But, not without a stop along the way to the village of Cavtat, for yet another delicious meal while we watched the small boats come and go.
This was an amazing first visit to Croatia, but definitely not my last.
Croatians are warm, generous, helpful and endlessly patient with us tourists.
