A Stack of Dishes

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goat cheese

Potato Red Beet Gratin

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Oh my dear readers, how I have missed you. It has been an unusual Summer with traveling and preparing my apartment to be sold. The end of the days leave me in a heap, hardly wanting to cook, let alone shoot.
But now the grind is easing up and I am getting my verve back at the stove. The drier, cooler temps also help tremendously.
And so, the first creation out of the kitchen comes this gratin. I am a bit proud of myself as this is of my own making. A bit of inspiration from here and there and thus we have it. Beautiful isn’t it? and remarkably delicious as well. I can’t wait now to have a dinner party, I think this would make a remarkable talking point.
I made this in a smallish ramekin/souffle dish. 4″ in diameter to be exact. I am cooking for one these days as my fiancee is away at our home in Louisiana and remain behind in NYC until the apartment sells. So no need for anything larger. Half for today, half for tomorrow.
Potato Red Beet Gratin with Goat Cheese
 
2 medium red beets, peeled
2 medium potatoes, peeled
1 clove garlic, rough chopped
2oz goat cheese, chevre
fresh thyme leaves
3/4 c milk
S & P to taste
 
Oven at 35o˚
 
 
First I prepared the dish by greasing it up with some oil.
 
On a mandeline I first sliced the potatoes into very thin slices. I layered half of them along the bottom of the dish interspersing thyme, s & p
 
Then on the same setting I sliced up the raw beets and layered them on top of the potatoes, trying to keep an even layer and not allowing them to pile too much in the center.
 
Finishing off the dish with the rest of the potatoes, thyme and seasoning.
 
In the blender I placed the cheese, milk and garlic and gave it a healthy whiz. 
 
Carefully, allowing the liquid to seep around the slices, I poured the milk mixture to the rim.
 
Into the oven it went with a light cover of foil to start out with.
 
After about 40 mins I removed the foil and baked for another 20 mins or so until the top was  browned and the juices had been absorbed into the potatoes and a fork pierced through the center confirmed doneness.
 
After removing it from the oven I let it sit for about 20 mins, then turned it out onto a dish by flipping it over.
 
 
 

A Favorite Summer Sandwich

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Summertime and easy living. Sure. But not for me. Summer is a busy time in the wedding biz, but it’s intense and beautiful and I love sipping a white wine at the end of the day when the sun is still in the sky. 

Finding time to cook and eat well poses it’s challenges, and this week it’s even harder. I am alone in the kitchen as everyone is off on holiday and my fiance is away for the summer. 

So the fall back is sandwiches or a staple of cold premade plain pasta that I’ll toss into something fun. Loving the high protein pastas from Barilla. I love pasta like most, but the high carbs give me the heebee jeebees. More on pasta salads and such later- I digress. 

So ok, Sandwiches are not exactly a huge deal culinarily. But it’s more about taking some of this and that and making a lunch better than just meat on bread. I truly believe this is in response to the D(uh)ry sandwiches my mother put into my lunch box when I was a kid (that is when she in fact did such things). Two slices of Arnold Farm White (for those who don’t know, a dense white bread- nothing, I mean NOTHING, like the fluffy bread my pals were eating), upon this bread a thin layer of mayo or butter and then a flat piece of ham, maybe two. Bleh. 

Once when I was in about 4th grade I asked my mother to make me tomato sandwiches. Oh how I love toasted thick bread with a serious slab of mayo and then thick juicy ripe red tomatoes with salt. The next day was a soggy, gooey mess of a lunch that had leaked all over my vanilla wafer cookies (ugh, even dessert was bland and d(uh)ry). 

 In order to execute this properly, the next day I had her put the different ingredients in my lunch box separately, each wrapped in it’s own plastic cocoon,  and I composed it on the spot. It was heaven…. but the point is an 8 year old had to guide mom on how to make a meaningful  sandwich- and trust me, I knew the difference. 

So now, when I make a sandwich it must have balance and grace or it sends me into shudders. 

Ripening tomatoes on my counter got tossed into left over lemony salad dressing with thin slices of red onion and put in the fridge to marinate for a day. 

Then a layer of chevre was spread on the grilled chiabata bread before the tomatoes.  Thin layers of proscuitto were fluffed and draped and the whole thing topped with fresh baby arugula. 

The whole thing is a wonderful creamy, crunchy, spicey, salty, vinegary delight. 

Ok, I was wrong- a well put together sandwich IS a culinarily important thing. 

Enjoy my doves!