Saturday

THIRTY-EIGHT & THIRTY-NINE : WATERCRESS, FIG & GORGONZOLA SALAD

AUGUST 27 2011

THIRTY-EIGHT : CIPOLLINI ONION VINAIGRETTE
THIRTY-NINE : WATERCRESS WITH FRESH FIGS & GORGONZOLA


The "watercress salad with cipollini vinaigrette" saga started Saturday morning when I decided to make this salad for breakfast (it's true, I eat salad for breakfast). And I had visions of me, sitting in the early morning sun on the deck, munching on a lovely watercress salad, watching the pets frolic in the grass. Ahhhh....

I've been really looking forward to this salad, too. Figs + gorgonzola = awesome! And watercress is an ingredient I never buy so I was pretty curious about it. My dreams, however, were dashed by a bland oily dressing and strangely proportioned salad.


Friday

THIRTY-SEVEN : PROSCIUTTO & PECORINO SANDWICH

AUGUST 26 2011

For lunch today I made us the Proscuitto with Pecorino Sandwiches. This is a really, really simple sandwich. Bread, prosciutto and pecorino. That's it. It specifically states not to use mayo or mustard as "they just don't add to the experience". I knew it would be important to have super good ingredients so I stopped in at Pastaworks and got some $28.50/pound Italian prosciutto and fresh ciabatta bread.

Each sandwich gets a little less than 2 oz each of the meat and cheese so I weighed out each portion and assembled the sandwiches.

a little less than 2 oz of each topping. 1-7/8 oz to be exact :)


Tuesday

THIRTY-FIVE & THIRTY-SIX : TRUFFLED MUSHROOM CROSTINI

AUGUST 23 2011

THIRTY-FIVE : CREMINI MUSHROOMS
THIRTY-SIX : CREMINI MUSHROOM & TRUFFLE OIL CROSTINI

Truffle oil.... yummmm. The End.

Okay, okay, there is more to say about this delicious dish than just that. Basically, this crostini is to die for! Roasted mushrooms are diced and tossed with chopped parsley, lots of olive oil, salt, white pepper and a few teaspoons of luscious, intoxicating truffle oil.

roasted cremini mushrooms

This mix gets heaped onto *toasted* crostini slices (that are brushed with parsley pesto, of course) and it's ready to eat! And so good.

Saturday

THIRTY-FOUR : BACON, LETTUCE & TOMATO SANDWICH

AUGUST 20 2011

I had one ripe tomato from my garden and I knew exactly what I was going to do with it... BLT's!!! Following the advice of a friend very familiar with The Frankies, I baked a batch of no-knead bread for the sandwiches because "fresh bread is key!". My bread came out pretty dang good. Slightly flattened with a chewy crust and soft interior.

no-knead ciabatta with huge air bubble!

Next, I baked the bacon as directed. It was supposed to have "a little chew to it". But, after assembling the whole thing, I was a little grossed out by the "chew" to the bacon so threw it under the broiler for a few more minutes until it wasn't totally rubbery.


Thursday

THIRTY-THREE : RED WINE PRUNES WITH MASCARPONE

AUGUST 18 2011

It turns out, stewed prunes aren't just for old ladies. Awesome restaurants serve them too! And oh man are they rich. I was planning to whip up this little dessert while camping last weekend. I bought red wine, a couple pounds of prunes and the mascarpone. But, totally forgot to bring sugar and a cinnamon stick from home. Dang! It was gonna be so perfect. A dozen hungry campers would devour the prunes in no time flat!

Instead, I made a batch a few days ago and it was all up to my dear hubby to eat them. I tried, really I did, but they were soooo rich that I could only eat one single prune before a sugar headache kicked in.


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