The Garden Apartment

Root vegetable salad with cranberries, pecans, and orange dressing

I know, I know. Even as I write this, I'm groaning at myself for sharing a raw root vegetable salad just two days before Christmas.

Am I out of my mind?

I mean, really, all month long it's been about desserts and sweets here at The Garden Apartment. You would think I had jumped the farmers market vegetable wagon and adopted a new diet consisting of butter and sugar. 

But folks, I am really craving salads after all the cookies and cupcakes. And I could never forget winter-time root vegetables. 

So, please. Take it or leave it: my root vegetable salad with cranberries, toasted pecans, and orange dressing. 

This salad has the wonderful refreshing crunch of raw vegetables enhanced by the sweetness of apples. An orange-tamari dressing imparts a hint of Asian flavor. If you so desire, add some fresh pomegranate seeds and black sesame seeds for a prettier presentation.

If I do say so myself, it would make a beautiful and healthy addition to your holiday table.

Or, you can bookmark it for the new year, when everyone will be interested in healthy foods again. . . at least until Valentine's Day, anyway.

Root Vegetable Salad with cranberries, pecans, and orange dressing {Serves 4-6}

• 1/2 large celery root, sliced into batonettes
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into batonettes
• 1 large apple, sliced into batonettes
• 1 beet (I used a golden, but red would be lovely too), peeled and sliced into batonettes
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries (dried cherries would also work)
• 1/2 orange, juiced (about 2 TB)
• 1 tsp fresh orange zest
• 1 tsp rice wine, or white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar or honey
• 3 tsp grape-seed oil (or other lightly flavored oil)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• optional: 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds 
• optional: 1/2 cup toasted pecans
• optional: black sesame seeds 

Slice the celery root, carrots, apple, and beets into batonettes. Combine with the diced onions in a large mixing bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, orange zest, rice wine vinegar, tamari, and sugar. Slowly add the grape-seed oil, whisking the entire time. Whisk until well combined. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

Pour the dressing atop the root vegetables and mix well. Allow to flavor through for approximately ten minutes prior to serving. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve topped with pomegranate seeds, toasted pecans, and black sesame seeds.

My winning sugared cranberry clafoutis

 

It was a year ago that I posted my recipe for sugared cranberry clafoutis here at The Garden Apartment. So, when I decided to enter the holiday recipe round-up at All Thoughout the Year Cheer, I wasn't really thinking about this recipe. 

Until John reminded me about it. Amazing how those husbands can surprise us sometimes.

And lucky me, I am the proud recipient of a year's subscription to Cooking Light magazine. I have a hunch this will come in handy for combating post-holiday gorging.

Hop on over to All Throughout the Year Cheer to check out all the holiday recipes, including this gingerbread cookie bake-off, super spicy gingersnaps, whole wheat and almond raspberry thumbprints, chocolate peppermint chip cookies, green bean casserole, candy cane cookies, gingerbread muffins, chocolate mint cookies with dark chocolate and mint chips, and eggnog cupcakes with eggnog buttercream.

Basically, if you still haven't figured out what cookies or other sweet thing you'd like to bake this holiday season, you should find something to suit your fancy. 

Happy Holidays!

A Snowy Day {and eggnog cookies}

My chance of going to the farmers market this Saturday didn't look very good. 

Nor did the possibility of finishing my Christmas shopping. 

Twelve inches of snow {and more falling still} guaranteed a day spent completely at home.

As most people are wont to do before snowstorms, I stocked up on all the necessities at the store Friday afternoon: wine, beer, chocolate, egg nog, and rum. And yes, a few items from the produce and dairy sections, just to even out the food groups.

Then, we settled in for a long weekend at home playing in the snow, hanging out in front of our fireplace, and enjoying some good food and drink.

I spent Saturday afternoon baking the perfect cookie for a snowy December day: eggnog cookies.

These cookies have a light cake-like consistency, with edges that are slightly crisp. The best part, however, is the eggnog-rum glaze which is drizzled atop the cookies after they come out of the oven.

Serve these warm, on a chilly winter day.

Eggnog Cookies {makes about 2 dozen small cookies)

Adapted from this recipe, Gourmet magazine

Cookie Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg (I prefer freshly grated)
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 Cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup eggnog

Eggnog-Rum Glaze:

• 3/4 Cup confectioner's sugar
• 2 TB eggnog
• 1 tsp rum
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Make the Cookies:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare two cookies sheets with parchment paper. Spray lightly with canola oil.

Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.

Cream the butter and sugar for about 2 minutes, until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; add vanilla and mix. Mix in half of the flour mixture until combined. Add all of the eggnog and mix until combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until well combined.

Drop tablespoons of the dough about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes, rotating cookie sheets halfway through baking time. The cookies should be puffy with golden edges when finished.

Place cookies on cooling racks until they reach room temperature.

Make the glaze:

Whisk all the glaze ingredients together until smooth.

Putting it all together:

Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze onto each cookie. Alternatively, simply brush the glaze atop each cookie.

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One Year Ago at The Garden Apartment: Sugared Cranberry Clafoutis

Candied Meyer Lemon Cupcakes

I wasn't trying to be practical. 

I was inspired, and we all know that inspiration tends towards the romantic. After two days of dreaming up, preparing for, and making these cupcakes, I must say I am in love. 

That is, if love can come in the form of a moist and fluffy lemon cupcake topped off with a slice of candied lemon. 

And though making candied lemon slices for these homemade cupcakes may not have been the most efficient use of my time ten days before Christmas, it helped me ignore the stress.

For those of you out there who need to be pragmatic this holiday season, I suppose these cupcakes would stand alone without the candied lemon slice. 

Sigh.

Candied Meyer Lemon Cupcakes  Makes 16 cupcakes

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine; original recipe for buttermilk cupcakes here

For the cupcakes

• 2 Cups Cake Flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 Cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated lemon peel
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup shaken buttermilk
• candied meyer lemon slices (can be made 2 days in advance)

For the frosting

• 3 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 stick of butter, at room temperature
• 4 Cups of powdered sugar, packed

Make the cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare cupcake tins with paper liners, or spray with canola oil.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and the sugar. Beat until light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add the vanilla extract, lemon extract, and lemon peel. Add each egg, one at a time, beating until just combined after each addition. With mixer on low, add the buttermilk until just combined. Add the flour mixture in two batches, beating until just combined after each addition.

Fill each muffin cup halfway (do not overfill- these cupcakes will rise a lot). Bake for about 20 minutes, rotating their position halfway through baking. Cool the cupcakes on a rack until at room temperature.

Make the frosting:

In the bottom of an electric mixer, mash the lemon peel with the salt until a paste-like consistency forms (you can use the bottom of a spoon to do this).

Add the butter, and cream the mixture until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). 

Add the sugar in four batches, mixing well after each addition.

Putting it all together:

Frost each cupcake liberally with the lemon frosting. Add a candied lemon slice as a garnish for each cupcake.

Enjoy wholeheartedly, and without any holiday guilt.

Candied Meyer Lemon Slices

This weekend, I found myself standing face to face with a bag of meyer lemons. 

All weekend long I had been obsessively pondering what would be next on my baking list. I perused all the local apple varieties at my Whole Foods dreaming up apple cakes, but failing to feel inspired. I even considered the ruby-red fresh cranberries stacked up so nicely along the back wall.

But it was the meyer lemons who spoke to me. Face to face with them, I knew only wonderful things could come from their purchase. 

You see, it was nearly a year ago that I was converted by these cookies. Never before had I really enjoyed lemon desserts. Who knew that a thing so simple as a lemon sandwich cookie could be so life-changing?

Now, I dreamt up a lemon-buttermilk cupcake topped with buttercream and a candied lemon slice.

We'll begin with how to make the candied lemon slices.

Candied Meyer Lemon Slices

Recipe adapted from Zen Can Cook

Meyer lemons are only in season during the winter months. They are sweeter and juicier than the typical lemon varieties available at most grocery stores, and I do my best to use them when they are available.

• 3 Meyer Lemons
• 3 1/2 Cups Sugar
• 4 Cups Water

Freeze the lemons for 30 minutes. In the meantime, place 1 1/2 Cups of sugar and 2 cups of water in a sauce ban and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.

Remove the lemons from the freezer and slice as thinly as possible (warning: this part is tricky).

 

Place the lemon slices into the simmering syrup and process for fifteen minutes. 

Strain and set aside for ten minutes. (Note: save the strained lemon syrup as a holiday drink mixer.)

Combine the remaining sugar and water (2 cups each) in your sauce pan and bring to a boil again.

Place the lemons in the boiling water; simmer for 30 additional minutes.

 

Strain the lemons. 

Place the candied lemon slices on a single layer of parchment. Allow to come to room temperature. Cover with another layer of parchment and refrigerate until further use.

Resist the urge to eat them all.

Now, for those cupcakes. . . . stay tuned.

Grandma Angie's all butter Cherry Christmas Cookies

As a child, I looked forward to eating Grandma Angie's cherry Christmas cookies every year. As an adult, I enjoy honoring her tradition and the memories these cookies bring back. Read on for the story, or scroll down for Grandma Angie's recipe.

Grandma Angie with a bratty young me, 1983 

Grandma Angie was the stereotypical Grandmother: kind, nurturing, good at spoiling young children, and excellent at baking things. 

As a child, I loved visiting Grandma Angie's. I knew that I would receive something sweet: butterfingers, cookies, or an entire container of cool whip (seriously) if only I joined her to watch Wheel of Fortune. 

Most of the treats she gave me were things my parents rarely allowed me to eat. So I would hide my treats in a very secret place: the top drawer of my nightstand. 

My mother could often be found dumping butterfingers out of this drawer, much to my dismay. 

This Thanksgiving, my dad compared me to Grandma Angie as he watched the quantities of butter I used. It was a holiday, after all, and despite my general belief in eating healthy and fresh things, holidays presume the honoring of family traditions. In my family's case, butter is a big tradition.

Dad explained that whenever grandma's cooking was complimented, she decided that it was the butter, eggs, or cream that made it good. Thus, every year, she would add more butter, more eggs, and more cream. Apparently, by the time she hosted her last Thanksgiving, it had gotten out of hand.

This is why I was not surprised to discover that my favorite childhood Christmas cookie's primary ingredient is butter. In fact, there are only four other ingredients: sugar, flour, vanilla, and a maraschino cherry on top of each cookie. 

Clearly, maraschino cherries are not something I seek out these days. My adult-self does not believe that something so sugary and processed can rightfully even be called a cherry. But, in honoring tradition once a year, I do break out a jar of the sweet red "cherries" I loved as a child.

In fact, as a child I was addicted to maraschino cherries. Growing up in a small town, I'd dictated a rule for dining at each of the town's two restaurants. When I ordered a Shirley Temple, it had to arrive with a maraschino cherry for each year of my life. At the age of 4 or 5, this wasn't too much of a problem. But, when I turned 9, my sister-- who was a waitress at one of the restaurants-- put her foot down. From then on, I was only allowed one cherry. This was very disappointing.

Perhaps that is why I was so excited when Grandma baked these cookies for Christmas. I could eat multiple cookies, and multiple cherries all at the same time. What a wonderful, wonderful thing.

As an adult, I can see why Grandma Angie liked making these. They are so simple, appropriately festive, and an all-around good cookie. I whipped together a batch of these in no time last night, and they turned out well. These would be the perfect cookie to bake in a crunch before a holiday gathering. If you don't have maraschino cherries in your pantry, you can use some homemade jam instead.

Grandma Angie's Christmas Cherry Butter Cookies

Makes 4 dozen small cookies

• 2 sticks butter
• 8 TBS white sugar
• 2 cups flour (scant cups)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 24 Maraschino cherries, halved

Grandma Angie's Directions:

Cream sugar and butter. Add vanilla. Add flour until combined. 

Roll into small balls, each the size of a small walnut.

Press a cherry in the center of each one, for decoration.

Bake on un-greased baking sheet at 400 F for 15 minutes.

Meet Molly and her Menu

For the past year, I have worked for Chef Molly. Now, it's your turn to meet her.

 

Molly's Pecan Crusted Halibut with Melted Leeks and Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette (photo by Alex Zemek)

I first met Molly over a cup of coffee. 

I was fairly terrified of that first meeting. She's a chef; need I say more? 

Molly was inquiring if I was interested in being her assistant. Having no culinary experience (other than dinking around my own kitchen), I agreed to meet her mostly to satisfy my own curiosity about this strange situation I found myself in.

In fact, I made my hesitations so very clear that she walked away thinking I would never work for her.

But something happened during that conversation. You see, I decided that I really liked Molly. She was down to earth and easy to talk to. She was interested in local foods and farmers markets. And, most importantly as a prospective employer, she seemed nothing like Gordon Ramsey.

As I would discover in the months following that first meeting, she is also exceptionally talented. In fact, I cannot think of a category of food where Molly does not excel. She can make a delicious raw vegetable salad just as competently as a rich multi-layered dessert. She has mastered multiple cuisines, my favorite being her Vietnamese cooking. And, she always knows exactly how to take a great dish and make it exceptional (careful readers of this blog will find her insightful suggestions throughout).

Working for Molly has been a huge learning experience. The simple act of tasting her food inspires me to be a better cook, and her shared knowledge has helped me take my culinary skills to a much higher level.

Now, Molly is offering her knowledge to the world through her new website Molly's Menu. Her website offers her tested recipes as well as advice on kitchen fundamentals such as making stocks and braising. The home cook looking for a reliable source of cooking expertise and unique recipes need look no further than Chef Molly's new website. 

Sit down with a cup of coffee, hop on over to Molly's Menu, and consider whether you are feeling inspired to take your culinary skills to the next level.

I'm happy I did.

No tart necessary: Caramelized pears and mascarpone whipped cream

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I was attempting to perfect a pear tart. This was right around the time I previewed my wild mushroom tart for Thanksgiving. In the weeks since, our household has experienced quite the increase in pear consumption.

This is not to say that I haven't perfected it. You see, I have. But, sometimes our ideas have a funny way of working out differently than what we first imagine.

John and I were having two of our good friends over for an impromptu dinner party. It was a chilly Saturday evening, and I had been dreaming of making Jamie Oliver's Guinness Steak and Cheddar Pot Pie. Though his recipe calls for using store bought puff-pastry, I decided to use my tried and true all-butter tart dough. That way, I could use the tart dough for the pot pie, and then use whatever dough was leftover for this perfect pear tart I was envisioning. 

You see, I'm a smart cookie.

Or, maybe not so much. Because all the tart dough I made happened to be just barely enough for the pot pie. 

It must have been the several glasses of wine I'd consumed that relaxed and prevented me from believing this to be a kitchen disaster, because right then and there I decided I was just going to make the pears tart-less served alongside some out-of-this-world whipped cream.

Earlier in the week, I had experimented with adding one of my new favorite ingredients to the pears during the caramelization process: cognac. Yes, cognac. I'm having a bit of a love affair with this ingredient right now. It's gone into everything from my mushroom tart, to the caramelized pears, to the whipped cream that goes on top of the caramelized pears, to my hot apple cider, and has further been discovered as an excellent liquid for plumping raisins in. Have I mentioned that it also finishes off a steak very well?

At any rate, when I served these pears with the mascarpone whipped cream, everyone silently gulped them down. I even shamelessly licked my plate (I was among friends). Kate pronounced them perfect as-is; no tart necessary.

I made them for Thanksgiving, and the day after Thanksgiving. And now, I am making them again. They are that good. Have I mentioned that they are very easy too?

Before I indulge you with the recipe, I do have to confess one thing. I'm not sure if it's the pears that are so delicious, or the whipped cream topping. You see, the whipped cream is half mascarpone cheese and half heavy cream. A good douse of cinnamon, a bit of sugar, and a good douse of cognac completes the recipe. As if whipped cream wasn't good enough to start with, this could be the new gold standard. 

Caramelized Pears with Mascarpone Whipped Cream

Serves 6

For the pears

• 6 ripe pears, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slivers
• 3 TB butter
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 lemon, cut into two wedges
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup cognac
• 2 whole cloves

For the mascarpone whipped cream

• 1/2 Cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 Cup mascarpone cheese
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cognac

Optional topping:

• shaved bittersweet chocolate

Caramelize the Pears

Heat a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter the the saucepan, and then the pears. Saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, cognac, and the two lemon wedges pierced with the cloves. Saute over medium high heat until the liquid evaporates and makes a caramel-like coating around the pears (about 10-15 minutes).

Make the Whipped Cream

Whip all the whipped cream ingredients in an upright mixer until fluffy. 

Enjoy

Serve the caramelized pears warm topped with whipped cream and shaved chocolate (optional).

Note: You may have some whipped cream leftover after serving up all the pears. I recommend eating it by the spoonful.

One Year Ago at The Garden Apartment: Apple, Fennel and Pomegranate Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

This is not the garden apartment

This is not the garden apartment.

So said a friend as she walked in the front door of our home. 

It's true. Our life is a little different now. We no longer live in a half-basement one bedroom apartment and we aren't exactly lacking space for a real garden now. And though we live very near Washington, DC, our house at the end of a quiet street feels far from urban.

I've been feeling conflicted about the disparity between my cyber and real-life situation lately. Is blogging under The Garden Apartment all an exaggeration? 

But, The House in the Suburbs or Life at the end of the Cul-de-Sac just doesn't have the same ring to it as the good old Garden Apartment.

I am simply too smitten with The Garden Apartment to start something new. It's where my husband and I began our life together, and it's where this blog and our lifestyle has its roots. Beyond that, The Garden Apartment has changed my life by launching me into a job working with a private chef, and inspiring me to pursue my personal goal of becoming a writer. 

I just can't move on.

But, like our lives have done, The Garden Apartment's content will grow. Reflective of our expanded life, this spring will bring the beginning of our first garden. This should be very exciting news to all the disappointed people who stumble upon The Garden Apartment looking for gardening advice.

I cannot say what other changes you might find as our lives grow, but I hope you will keep visiting The Garden Apartment.

You can also find my updated profile, reflective of all that has changed here.