Summer Vegetable Torte

As I sat on the subway on my way to work the other day, there was a group of 'kids' (I feel weird saying that) talking and laughing awkwardly. I eavesdropped enough to pick up on the fact that they were college freshman who were in that fittingly awkward getting-to-know you phase of orientation. I laughed to myself as I watched and listened to them, clearly uncomfortable, one-upping each other with stories of badass high school parties, crazy nightclubs, and that time that they got caught by their parents. Part of me wanted to tell them that rather than being so uncomfortable, they might as well loosen up now, because they would eventually anyhow, and why waste time being anxious? My more cynical side wondered who would still be friends after four years, who would be eaten alive by New York City, and who had already decided that these were not the people that they wanted to be friends with. And then, just for fun, I wondered which girl was the sluttiest, which guy might be ashamed of going to college a virgin, who was lying about their past and if anyone was standing there with a smile, but secretly wanting to cry. Come to think of it, it's no wonder freshmen drink so much.

Four years ago, I would have been the girl who smiled, told her stories and stood there wanting to cry. Not because I was unhappy, but because I was scared. Shitless. Understandably so, I found myself in Canada, far from home, surrounded by unfamiliar faces who kept saying weird things like "eh." Well the long and short of it is that sooner rather than later I, too, was saying "eh." It was lovely and remained lovely, including the very unlovely moments that I complained about to no end. Seeing these freshmen on the train was the first time I really realized that I am done with school. It's actually kind of cool that back to school commercials are no longer giving me an awful sinking feeling in my stomach. I am also not busy calculating how many combined essay pages I am going to have to write this semester. And even more unusual, my job isn't just something to fill my summer days, but reality. It's bizarre, new and different, but rather than standing there wanting to cry, I feel refreshed, invigorated and excited. I guess on some days I also kind of wish that I were hearing a few more "ehs" around; alas, I suppose I will have to make the trek the Canada here and there. Problem solved.

This torte has nothing to do with any of this, except for the fact that it tastes like August. August, that once bittersweet month indicating the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year, the only type of year that exists when you're a student. Turns out that the flavors of August are just luscious. It's too bad that I have so often tainted them with negative thoughts of back-to-school, because they should be appreciated for their fleeting goodness.

Smoky Zucchini Mascarpone Tart

James beard once said that "a gourmet who counts calories is like a tart who looks at her watch." Well, James, I couldn't have said it better myself. I wish I could say that this was the explanation for my tart fixation recently, but really I didn't come across this saying until after both this tart and last week's nectarine, cheesecake, gingersnap tart were long gone. I love tarts, the kind you eat of course, because they are a generally simple way to make a dish a little more exciting and pretty. They look refined, finished and composed, and an onlooker might believe that much time and effort was put into it when really, it was a snap.

Oddly enough, this dish was not created by the abundance of summer squash at every turn, but rather by an old bag of spelt flour I had in my fridge. After organizing my fridge for the umpteenth time the other day (yes, I can be a wee bit obsessive about certain things) I decided that the flour had been neglected for far too long and deserved some time to showcase itself. Well, if I may say, the spelt performed wonderfully, resulting in a crumbly and nutty tasting crust that was the perfect accompaniment to the sweet zucchini and creamy mascarpone. The smokiness comes from applewood smoked salt, an ingredient acquired thanks to a tartier moment, but I'll save that story for a later time.

That smokiness paired with the pungent aroma of the chives is what makes this tart anything other than usual. However, those flavors are not so overwhelming that they detract from the summer squash whose oh-so-sweet and buttery nature is just as good raw as it is enrobed in mascarpone. The latter, of course, is quite obvious. I mean I am pretty sure that if my middle name were 'enrobed in mascarpone' people would probably like me more too. I digress, the point is that this tart, like many tarts (or so I've heard) is very good, satisfying, and will last at least an evening if not longer. If you have a mandoline or a benriner slicer* its also very easy (as most tarts are known to be). Most importantly anyone you serve it to will think that you are a refined, culinary genius, truly anything but a tart; but if only they knew where that smoky salt came from....

*$20, buy it now, you won't regret it and no they didn't pay me to say that.

Smoky Zucchini Masparpone Tart
(yields 1, 9-inch tart)

Crust
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup + 2 tablespoons spelt flour

Filling
3 medium sized zucchini, sliced 1/8" thick or any summer squash will do.
1 small onion, shaved in rounds
2 eggs
3/4 cup mascarpone
1/4 cup chopped chives
2 teaspoons smoked salt
a few turns of a pepper grinder

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare the crust by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl and pressing into a 9-inch tart pan. Bake for 9 minutes, until golden. Let cool completely and keep the oven on.
2) In a blender combine the eggs, mascarpone, chives, salt and pepper. Blend until combined.
3) Lay the zucchini slices in concentric circles in the prepared tart shell, there should be enough for about two layers. Pour the filling evenly over the zucchini. Top with the onions.
4) Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the onions are soft and the top is golden. The filling should be firm to the touch and slightly puffed up. Let cool.
5) Serve a room temperature. This tart should be good for a few days in the fridge, bring to room temperature before serving.

Shisito Peppers

If you were in New York City this past weekend, you know how brutally hot it was. If you weren't, I am going to assume that regardless of where you live, you've experienced brutally hot weather at some point. But no, I am not here to talk about the weather, although I find that I always have a lot to say on the topic....not the point. The point is, it was hot hot hot on Saturday and when invited my photographer friend over, I could promise her nothing more than a quick, easy and cold make-your-own salad for dinner.

Between our plan making and dinner, I felt a pang of guilt for not putting any effort into our dinner. After a quick peak in my fridge revealed a bag of shisito peppers that I had gotten at the market earlier in the week, I knew I had my solution. For those of you who don't know, shisito peppers are small green peppers that look a bit like jalapenos, but with a ribbed exterior and thinner walls and skin. These peppers are mildly spicy and are very popular in Japanese cooking, especially for tempuras and stir-fries. Anyhow, after spotting these in my fridge I knew that these would be my extra addition to our meal. Yes, the stove would have to go on, but it wouldn't be on for more than 5 minutes and the final result of slightly charred, blistery peppers to munch on was worth the few extra degrees in the kitchen.

Well my friend was definitely not disappointed in the peppers either and when I started babbling about shisitos, the market and god knows what else, she came up with a brilliant idea. When I have a 'market find' that I am so excited about, I should write about it here.

Pesto Potato and Green Bean Salad

I'm not a big fan of superlatives, the best this, the worst that, the coolest girl, the cutest guy, etc... It all just seems too extreme and too concrete. However, today I am making an exception to the rule because I think that everyone should know that the Union Square Farmer's market is one of the best places on earth. Now maybe I would think all farmer's markets are that great, but this is the one I know best and I just love it. As a cook, I have had a difficult time coming to terms with farmer's markets. So often the produce and ingredients they offer are so good on their own that the importance of my role in the dinner equation is essentially eliminated. I had to get over it when I realized that some of the best food I have eaten may not be because I am a good cook, but because I am a cook with good ingredients.

That being said, when I do use market fresh ingredients I do my best to keep things simple and avoid interfering too much . For example, in this salad the three main ingredients are potatoes, string beans and basil, all straight from the market, perfect on their own, but even better together. Now unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the final product because this was made at night and gone by the morning. So you're going to have to use your imagination to visualize the final result. It's easy, take the picture of the string beans and potatoes and tint it green. Not any green though, tint it the green of the pesto in the picture below. There you go. Looks good, right?

To keep things simple, this salad just tastes like a sum of its parts. Sweet, waxy potatoes. Crunchy, green string beans. Woodsy, biting basil. That's it and that's all you want from it.

Red Lentil and Eggplant Curry

This weekend was one of those perfect ones that tears you away from reality and life; where you find yourself plunked on a rooftop in the middle of the city pretending you're in a different world, but knowing that eventually real life and obligations will prevail. But while you're sitting on that rooftop surrounded by friends, laughing (and maybe crying) you let yourself forget about any responsibilities or tasks that may be looming. This isn't pretend, in those glorious hours you actually believe that against all odds, despite what everyone told you, 'real life' is just an accumulation of fabulous moments like these.

Then of course, I looked at my agenda and immediately gave up on any illusions of freedom and fantasy. So, I got to it. However, a true victim of senioritis, instead of working on that paper or studying for that exam, I headed to my kitchen and got to work. Oddly enough, I almost wish that this curry had taken me longer to make, justifying just a wee bit more procrastination. However, for anyone who is taking life a little more seriously right now, rest assured dinner will be ready in 45 minutes. It's also going to taste like take out, feel homemade and hit the spot.

I saw this recipe over at 101 Cookbooks a little while ago and have been dying to make it ever since. So I did, but aside from the red lentils and coconut milk--which, by the way, are a match made in heaven--my recipe is nothing like Heidi's.

Seeing Orange/Root Vegetable Crumble

Apparently I only eat orange foods. I didn't know this about myself until I was doing a TBD recap and I noticed that since the white bean dip every recipe I have written about has been orange or at least orange-tinted. What's worse is that I have already mentioned this whole orange fixation before. I assure you, I really do eat a whole lot of other color foods, but for whatever reason I don't seem to write about them. On that note, I think that today's recipe will be the last orange one for awhile; although my love for orange food is far from waning, I think it's time to mix things up around here.

When I told my mom that I was making a root vegetable crumble this past weekend, her response was "well, finally." Clearly I have been talking about this for a very long time and I was just waiting for the right moment to make a rich, cheesy dish.

Health Kick/Creamy White Bean Sage Dip

My lunch yesterday consisted of a "salad" in a fried tortilla bowl, poutine and nachos. Anyone who knows me also knows how unlike me this is, I usually tend to eat more wholesome and healthy options. That doesn't mean I don't love a good order of sweet potato fries or poutine now and then, but usually I steer clear. I wish I could say this lunch was a fluke or a last resort, but really it was the third of it's kind this past weekend, not including decadent late night eats. I guess that's what happens when you're still in vacation mode, but by yesterday afternoon I was feeling pretty terrible. All of this was a great reminder of why I usually eat healthy; unhealthy food is called that for a reason and it really just doesn't make you feel good the way that food should make you feel.

You may be asking yourself, if this eating behavior is so out of character, why I even ate this way for two days. Well, before I even had a chance to settle down in Montreal, I left again. My friends and I all headed up to Mont Tremblant for a freezing weekend in the mountains. Although I would like to say that I was courageous enough to ski and actually take advantage of being in the mountains, I did nothing of the sort.

Back to School/Indian Vegetable Curry

Starting school after a long vacation filled with adventures, friends and family usually fills me with an impending sense of gloom, no specific feeling per se, but an overall melancholic disposition. Surprisingly, today, every fold of my shirts and zip of my luggage is making me smile rather than tear up. Maybe it's because it's my last semester and the nostalgia of graduating is making me want to stay in college forever, or maybe the masochist in me is dying for some negative twenty-degree weather. That being said, even though going back to school isn't as troubling as usual, I couldn't help but feel a small pang of sadness when I locked my door this morning. It definitely helps that I left a little something behind so that my family would not forget me (at least not right away). This time, it wasn't world peace cookies, but a week's worth of lunch for my sister.

It looks like she'll be eating Indian vegetable curry stew for the next few weeks (oops I think I made too much of a good thing again), at least it is so good that there is no way she will get bored of it.