Food: Celery Root, Fennel, and Apple Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette and Hazelnuts

Hearty, crunchy, crisp, slightly sweet, nutty...all words to describe the fabulous salad I made last weekend. I was inspired by Molly's latest creation in Bon Appetit this past month. It sounded unique - besides the fact I had been curious about the ugly looking celery root in my grocery store the past few visits. I did modify the recipe, adding an extra apple (and changing from Gala to my favorite sweet-tart-crisp Pink Lady) and since I didn't have hazelnut oil or feel like driving to a specialty food store to get it, I decided to slightly modify the dressing and added roughly chopped hazelnuts in the salad. Actually I rather liked the crunch, texture and color the hazelnuts provided to the salad...I think the color may have been too monotone without them. It also would be pretty to sprinkle some chopped fennel tops over the dish.

Even though I made this salad on a cold winter day, I think it would be a great hearty salad in the summer since everything in it is cool and juicy. Actually it would make me feel pretty good to have this on a beach day where I wanted something cold, healthy, yet filling. (I'm especially thinking about this seeing all of the snow everyone's been getting over the past week).

Also, to you gardeners out there looking for something that keeps over the winter months (or people who are intrigued by something and end up buying things at the grocery store they don't use right away (myself included)), apparently celery root lasts for several months in the fridge or a cold cellar...so feel free to buy one to have on hand.

Celery Root, Fennel, and Apple Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette & Hazelnuts

Adapted from Bon Appetit (Molly Wizenberg) - February 2010

INGREDIENTS

Vinaigrette

• 2 T Dijon mustard
• 2 T fresh lemon juice
• 1 t garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 c olive oil

Salad

• 1 celery root, peeled, cut into matchstick-size strips
• 1 fennel bulb, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced
• 2 unpeeled Pink Lady apples, cored, cut into strips
• 1/3 c hazelnuts, roughly chopped

• Top with freshly shaved Parmesan cheese (MM Tip: Use a veggie peeler to get nice curls of parmesan)

DIRECTIONS

• For the vinaigrette, whisk together all of the ingredients except the oil in a small bowl. When those are mixed, slowly whisk in the olive oil.
• Combine all of the salad ingredients in one bowl. Toss with vinaigrette. Top with shaved parmesan.

Food: The Perfect Chocolate Cake

As you've probably learned from my postings, I'm not typically a baker. This is mainly due to the fact that I prefer savory over sweet -and- with only two people in the house it's not really wise for me to make desserts very often - 3 dozen cookies, 2 people, one weekend? You do the math :)

Although I typically reserve the baking responsiblity for my mother or sister, I do like to make desserts for special occassions. As a result, I decided for Jonathan's birthday this year to try Molly's famous chocolate cake. Being prone to experimentation, I did modify the recipe slightly, using a chocolate bar infused with chili to add an extra special touch and a little spice/heat. Also, I didn't trust my cake pan in terms of sticking-risk, so I lined the entire pan instead of just the bottom with parchment (not particularly pretty but it worked).

We had slivers of the cake served at room temperature after dinner to celebrate and then I froze the rest. Since then we have shared some thawed cake slices with a house guest and have a few slivers left in the freezer, reserved for another special day. It holds up perfectly when frozen! And I've decided this wonderful, rich treat may become a birthday staple.

"Molly's Winning Hearts and Minds Chocolate Cake"

Adapted from Orangette

Ingredients

• 2, 3.5 oz Dark Chocolate Bars with Chili (MM: Such as "Lindt Excellence" Chili or Vosges Red Fire)
• 7 oz Plugra (MM: European-style butter)
• 1 c granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 1 T whole-wheat pastry flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease an 8-inch round cake pan. Line the base of the pan with parchment. You will probably want to grease the parchment too.

Finely chop the chocolate (a serated bread knife is a great tool to use for this) and melt it gently with the butter in a double boiler, stirring regularly to combine (Note: You should not try to do this in the microwave due to a high risk of burning the chocolate). Add sugar to the chocolate-butter mixture, stirring well and set aside to cool for a few minutes. Finally, add the eggs one by one stirring well after each addition. When the mixture is a gorgeous, silky brown, add the flour.

Pour the lovely batter into your cake pan and bake for around 25 minutes (Depending on your oven's true temperature this may vary - mine took 30-35 minuites). The top of the cake should be cracked and the middle just slightly jiggly (if at all). Allow the cake to cool before slicing. And don't panic - the cake will deflate some after cooling...this won't change the fact that it will taste fabulous.

Food: Pesto with Zucchini

My little Riley is at "summer camp" at my parents' house since my current assignment doesn't give me very good hours for picking her up at doggie daycare (7 hours of travel time Mondays and Thursdays is a huge burden on a girl's schedule). When I dropped her off for her many weeks of fun, my mom loaded up my car with fresh basil, zucchini, and raspberries! Oh how I miss living in a house with a big garden!

Jonathan and I polished off the raspberries almost instantly. And knowing I needed to make something with the basil and zucchini before I went out of town for a week, I remembered reading about Molly's dinner party (from her book "A Homemade Life") where she used these two ingredients as key flavors in a wonderful pasta dish. The pesto recipe below is my own, and unlike most store-bought versions, I prefer it to be hand chopped due to the nice, homemade texture it lends. I also like a dollop of sour cream on the side for a hint of tartness (I grew up with a creamy version of pesto spread over rotini noodles that was basically pesto blended in with sour cream and parmesan). This is an easy and super fresh lunch (or dinner) idea and is perfect for this time of year - especially since zucchini and basil are in abundance.

Basil Pesto and Zucchini

MM, Inspired by and adapted from Orangette

Ingredients

• 2 large bunches of basil, leaves only, washed and dried
• 3 medium cloves of garlic
• 1 small handful of raw pine nuts
• 1/2 cup of loosely packed Parmesan (freshly grated)
• 3-4 Tb of extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large, garden fresh zucchini
• 1 package of long, pasta noodles (I used linguine)

Directions

1. On a large cutting board, roughly chop the basil
2. Add the garlic and pine nuts, further chopping to combine. Chop until the garlic and pine nuts are fine bits
3. Fill a large pot with water and place over high heat, salt generously and bring to a boil (once it reaches a boil, slightly reduce the heat to prevent water from spilling over the edges of the pot)
4. While the water heats, carefully slice the zucchini into thin, long slices (use a mandoline for the best effect)
5. Place the zucchini slices into the pre-heated water for 6 minutes or so (just enough time to cook them but not become mushy)
6. Drain the zucchini and place aside (do not get rid of the hot cooking water!)
7. Add the pasta to the cooking water and prepare as directed on the box for al dente
8. Drain pasta, toss with pesto and zucchini and serve with some freshly shaved parmesan (I like to use a vegetable peeler to make nice curls) and a dollop of sour cream on the side (if you'd like, this is optional)