Bon Appetit Giveaway!

D.M.R. Fine Foods recently launched its official presence on Facebook and to celebrate we're giving away a complimentary subscription to Bon Appetit magazine to one of our new Facebook fans!  Simply follow the entry rules below for your chance to win!

Entry Rules:

1. Comment on this post to let us know you're entering 

2. "Like" D.M.R. Fine Foods on Facebook

3.  (After you "Like" us on Facebook), Get Extra Chances to Win when you:

• Follow us on Twitter 

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• Comment on our other blog posts  

•  Blog about this giveaway and share the link via comments

Note:  If your username for these entries is different than the one you submitted here, please let us know.

**The giveaway will end at 11:59 p.m. EST on April 15th.  All the entries will be put into a raffle and one fabulous winner will be selected at random.  The winner will be announced here on April 16th and subsequently contacted by email.  The winner will have 48 hours to respond to claim their prize, after which another winner will be selected.**

Mussel-Artichoke Tart

Mussel-Artichoke Tart

Most people who know me know that Marcus Samuelsson is one of my favorite chefs.  Having had the pleasure of meeting and (briefly) cooking with him, as well as feasting on his signature cuisine, have all made for life-time memories that I'll cherish and provided great inspiration for me as a food lover.

After adding his latest cookbook, New American Table, to my cookbook collection, the first recipe I made was the Mussel-Artichoke Tart.  From the homemade buttery tart shell to the decadent mussels, and everything in between, it was love at first bite--and every bite thereafter.

The recipe comes together nicely, however you'll want to allow yourself ample time to allow the tart dough to chill (about an hour and a half total) before filling or baking. 

Get ready to add a new favorite to your repertoire! 

Happy Eating!

Mussel-Artichoke Tart
8 Servings (Makes One 10-inch Tart)

Ingredients:
2 tomatoes cut into quarters
5 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the sheet pan
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
One 14-ounce can artichoke hearts cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
3 red onions, sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped 
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 poblano chiles, seeds and ribs removed and chopped
Juice of 2 lemons
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Buttery Tart Shell (see recipe below)
1 pound fresh buffalo mozzarella cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (*you can replace the mozzarella with creamy goat cheese for an equally delicious tart)  
One 6 1/2-ounce can preserved mussels
4 basil leaves torn into small pieces
1 cup baby arugula

1. Preheat oven to 2oo degrees F.  

2. Place the quartered tomatoes on a lightly oiled sheet pan.  Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle with the red pepper flakes.  Bake for 1 hour, or until the tomatoes are dried and wrinkled.  Set aside.  Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees F.

3. To prepare the filling, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat.  Add the artichokes and saute until golden brown and crispy, about 2 minutes on each side.  Remove the artichokes with a slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels to drain excess oil.

4. Using the same pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat over medium heat.  Add the onions and garlic and saute until onions are translucent, about 4 minutes.  Stir in the crushed tomatoes, sugar, oregano, and chiles.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the lemon juice, salt, and pepper and simmer until the filling begins to thicken, another 20 minutes.

5. To assemble the tart, spread the tomato mixture over the bottom of the prebaked tart shell.  Cover with a layer of mozzarella slices and arrange the artichokes and oven-dried tomatoes on top.  Bake until the mozzarella is golden and begins to bubble, about 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven.

6. Place the mussels on top of the tart and sprinkle with the basil and arugula.  Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.

Buttery Tart Shell
(Makes One 10-inch Tart Shell)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
2 tablespoons ice water, or more as needed
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. To make the dough by hand, combine the flour, salt, and Parmesan in a large bowl.  Using your fingertips, a pastry cutter, or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add the water, stirring with a fork just until the dough starts to come together.  If necessary, add a little more water, about 1 teaspoon at a time.  To make the dough in a food processor, combine the flour and salt in the processor and pulse once or twice to mix.  Cut the butter into 1-inch pieces, scatter the pieces over the flour, and pulse just until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add the water, pulsing just until the dough starts to come together.  If necessary, add a little more water, about 1 teaspoon at a time.

2.  Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and shape it into a disk.  Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour hour before rolling.

3. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 12 1/2-inch round.  Fit the round into a 10-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, being careful not to stretch the dough.  Trim the edges of the dough.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes before filling or baking.

4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  To prebake the tart shell, line the tart shell with parchment paper and fill it with dried beans, uncooked rice, or pie weights.  Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the parchment and weights.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake for another 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown.  Let cool on a wire rack.
     

 

A Baker's Lesson: Macarons & Whoopie Pies

Macarons

I've never met a macaron I didn't like.  And until my recent baking class, I had only been exposed to genuine Parisian macarons that I enjoyed during my trips to Paris.  The beautiful, even artful, and delicate bites are truly a feast to the eyes and the mouth.  And now that they've become increasingly popular, even threatening to take over the cupcake throne, I thought the time had definitely come for me to roll up my sleeves and master the technique involved in making the perfect macaron.

Then there's the whoopie pie.  It has also seen a surge in popularity of late, it seems, appearing on party menus and being featured in notable cooking publications. 

Whoopie Pies

So when I happened upon a class at the Viking Cooking School, that was going to provide instruction on both, I could only think how great it would be to learn some secrets of the trade and enhance my baking repertoire even further.  I'm sure my D.M.R. Fine Foods clients will also thank me when they make their way onto my 'Sweet and Treats' menu.

It was a good night filled with baking--and lots of eating!  

Soup's On!: Lentil Soup

Lentil Soup

Whenever I want something warm and comforting, there's nothing quite a like a delicious bowl of soup to satisfy me.  Lentil soup is one of my favorites because it comes together easily.  That's the beauty of lentils, unlike many other dried beans, which must be soaked overnight usually. 

So if you're wanting something to knock the chill off, or just to warm your insides, this simple, yet yummy recipe, will do the trick.

Happy Eating!



Lentil Soup

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste at end of cooking
Freshly ground pepper
1 pound lentils, picked and rinsed
1 cup peeled and chopped tomatoes
2 quarts chicken (or vegetable) broth
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 bouquet garni (bouquet of dried thyme, basil, fennel, parsley and lavender)

Place the olive oil into a large pot and set over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrot, celery and salt and saute until the onions are translucent, approximately 6 to 7 minutes. Add the lentils, tomatoes, broth, coriander, cumin and bouquet garni and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes.  Remove the bouquet and using an immersion blender, puree to your preferred consistency.  Check for seasoning and season further to taste with salt and pepper, as desired.  Serve and enjoy!
Adapted from Alton Brown
 

Foodie Vocabulary: Flexitarian

Flexitarian.  I stumbled upon this interesting word used to describe, in my own words, a more well-rounded eater, while recently reading through a Bon Appetit issue.  So strangely odd, yet somehow familiar, I had an intuition about what it could mean, but needed to read more to be sure.  And so I did.

A flexitarian is one who embraces the vegetarian, omnivore and vegan diets combined into one all its own.  And according to Bon Appetit, it is touted as the diet of the moment.  As the name implies, it is likely the easiest, most sensible--and flexible--diet around, focusing mostly on plant-based foods, but also including meat, poultry and fish in smaller amounts than typical. 

Bowl of Roasted Vegetables--A Great Base for the Flexitarian Meal

As a flexitarian, one also benefits health-wise, as the diet proclaims to be one that is high in vitamins, nutrients and fiber.  Ultimately, I see this genre of eating as a perfect depiction of "less is more" when it comes to those things, like meat and dairy, that we can sometimes, no often, overdo.  It's not deprivation, but a rearranging of sorts, of what and how much we eat.

So now that you have the 411, will you give the flexitarian way of life a try?  If you answered "yes", here are a few recipes from the DMRFF archives that will cover your ominvore, vegetarian and vegan bases--and quite deliciously so:

Roasted Chicken and Vegetables (Omnivore)
Potato and Kale Cakes (Vegetarian)
Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette (Vegan-simply omit the cheese).

Happy-Flexi-Healthy Eating!