.::|TheDish|::.

Spinach Frittata with Green Salad

I made a fabulous Frittata for dinner a couple weeks ago (gotta love breakfast anytime!), and thought I would share the wealth. This is super simple, presents beautifully, and is perfect to serve up at your next brunch gathering; or to have for dinner!

Ingredients:
Frittata:
1 large egg plus 2 large egg whites
2 tbsp grated aged cheese, such as Gruyere
2 tsp whole milk (we used 1%)
course salt and ground pepper
1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small shallot, minced
1 1/2 cups baby spinach
nonstick cooking spray

Salad:
2 cups salad greens
1/4 tsp cider, sherry or red sine vinegar

Place a 1-cup oven-proof baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven; preheat oven to 450. While the oven is heating, whisk together the egg and egg whites, 1 tbsp cheese, milk, 1/4 tsp salt, and a pinch of pepper. In a small skillet, heat 1/4 tsp oil over medium; add shallot and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add spinach; cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir spinach into egg mixture.

Remove heated dish from oven and coat with cooking spray. Immediately pour in the egg mixture and top with 1 tbs cheese. Bake until frittata is puffed up and golden brown, about 15 minutes (take a look at 12-13 minutes, ours was done at 13). Toss the greens with vinegar and 3/4 tsp olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Serve frittata with salad (you can use any dressing you want).

Recipe from: Martha Stuart, "Food Everyday" Jan/Feb 2010

The Best Macaroons, Seriously

Last week I was in search of the perfect macaroon recipe for a holiday shin-dig we threw this past weekend. I tried one by Ina Garten, but found the use of sweetened coconut and sweetened condensed milk to be explosively sweet and sticky (I was bummed, I usually love the Contessa's stuff!). Well, we had holiday cookie bake-off at work the week before our party, which provided some much needed inspiration. The blue ribbon winner were in fact macaroons, shaped like pyramids, dipped in chocolate and topped with gold and silver and were neither too sweet nor too sticky; I knew this was the recipe.

I chose to make the little pieces of heaven as small snowballs rather than the larger pyramids, as most party goers prefer small bites of lots of little treats; and while I did dip them in chocolate, I chose to keep it simple and forgo the gold and silver. Well, it was quite the hit, and I had a couple people request the recipe; gotta share the love! The key ingredient here is unsweetended coconut. It's really hard to find – my coworker got it for me from a co-op in town – but it's the must-have ingredient that makes these particular macaroons so yummy. You can also purchase the kind featured in the photo here on Amazon.

Ingredients:
5 1/4 C unsweetened coconut
1 3/4 C sugar
7 large egg whites
pinch salt
2 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 t almond extract
1 t vanilla
Dark chocolate morsels

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Mix the coconut, sugar, egg whites and salt by hand until well blended. Blend in the butter and extracts. Refrigerate for at least an hour (I refrigerated for a couple hours, and they stuck together really well!). Scoop a small tablespoon onto your hand and form a ball. Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, about 1" apart. Bake until edges are golden, about 15 minutes. Cool completely before taking them off the parchment. Heat an handful of chocolate morsels in a small bowl in the microwave until melted, and dip each macaroon so half is covered by the chocolate. Place back on parchment until chocolate dries.

I forgot to take a photo in the mad rush to prep for the party, so sorry about that! But trust me, they were fab!

Estragon

Rating: 3 forks
We finally ventured out to the edge of our usual restaurant radius a few weekends ago and dined with friends at Estragon in the South End. It's a Spanish tapas place, dishing out some pretty authentic dishes. From the website:

Inspired by the supper clubs and salons of 1930s Madrid, Estragon brings old-world charm and a bohemian flair to the tapas experience. The menu focuses on the fresh and the simple, traversing the entire culinary landscape of Spain, and with an all-Spanish, all-affordable wine-list, a night at Estragon is like a night in Madrid –or the very next best thing! 

We started at the bar, and ordered-up a few libations: wine by the glass from their pretty extensive list of Spanish varietals, Estrella (a Spanish beer), and one of their specialty drinks called the Prickly Pear, which proved to be far too sweet for a friend. They don't have a full liquor license, so are restricted to beer, wine, and flavored alcohols (which seems a little silly to me, good ol' Massachusetts liquor laws). I glanced around and the decor was definitely mixed and funky, but comfortable; it's like dark and vintage meets whimsical, with chandeliers, vintage pictures, a retro checkered floor, a mix of high and low tables and loungey banquettes, and even an odd, risque mannequin propped at the hostess stand with only legs, lace and high heels. Definitely a European, slightly edgier feel, which I dig.

Our eating extravaganza was kick-off with a small bowl of complimentary blanched carrots in a spicy vinaigrette - delish! We shared a variety of tapas, such as Grilled Baby Leeks Romesco, Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Chorizo and Golden Raisins, Sauteed Mushrooms with Two Scrambled Eggs, Seared Pork Belly with Beluga Lentils, and Moorish Lamb Skewers. And while I love the small plates concept – you get to sample a little bit of this and a little bit of that – and each of these were "pretty good", none really knocked it out of the park for me; well except perhaps the Brussel Sprouts if you can imagine that, man they were tasty! I was anticipating more of a Ken Oringer's Toro experience, where the combination of the boisterous scene and the masterful dishes sends you into total sensory overload; though our wallets were thankful, the final bill was incredibly cheap unlike those we've racked-up at Toro.

Perhaps Estragon is in fact more authentic, and perhaps had it been in Madrid and not cornered between the South End projects, a hospital and high end loft condos it would have yielded a different review from me. I am not sure. I could go back, but am not really in a rush to.

Estragon
700 Harrison Ave
(between Harrison Archway & Brookline St)
Boston, MA 02118
617.266.0443
Website
[Image via Yelp]

Jimmy Choo for H&M

In case you haven't heard, H&M is launching their Jimmy Choo line tomorrow, November 14th, at select stores. Sorry Boston peeps, we didn't make that privileged list, as it's launching in four cities in California as well as NYC and Chicago. Boo! But check out the cool threads that some of you may be lucky enough to get your paws on if you arrive sporting battle gloves; they are expecting large crowds, and are distributing wrist bands to the first 160 shoppers. Not really surprised.

Image from H&M.com.

Infinity Scarf

Do you ever get frustrated with the way a scarf wraps around your neck? One side is too long/short, too bulky and uneven? Well the infinity scarf may be the answer, and it is all the rave this season; I can't believe the trend didn't set in a little earlier. The infinity scarf has no "ends", however as the name implies, it is a continuous wrap of material. There are tons of styles, colors and fabrics available from cotton to cashmere to this thick knit version available on shopbop.com. A great gift idea, just in time for the holiday season!

Thanksgiving Cocktails!

Who says Thanksgiving is all about the bird? I say why not bring on the cocktails! Here's a few fun libations I found to counteract that Tryptophan. I think my Perfect Pear Martini would be a great fit, but these sound amazing, too!

Pumpkin Pie Martini
Recipe by Host Bee and found here.

Ingredients:
2 parts Absolut Vanila vodka
1 part pumpkin schnapps
Splash of cream
Sprinkle with nutmeg

Directions:
Shake all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice
Strain into a martini glass
Garnish with nutmeg and a cherry

The Cranberry Cobbler
Recipe by Nick Mautone and found here.

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/8-inch thick slices fresh ginger
 6-10 fresh cranberries
2 parts Grey Goose L’Citron
1 parts Triple Sec
Long strands of orange zest, for garnish

Directions:
In the bottom of a shaker, place the sugar, ginger and cranberries. Muddle and mash vigorously. Add L’Citron, Triple Sec and ice and shake vigorously. Pour drink, including ice and cranberries and ginger, into rocks glass. Garnish with zest.

Gingersnap Cocktail
Recipe by thebar.com and found here.

Ingredients:
.75 oz. Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum
.5 oz. ginger brandy
4 oz. eggnog
1 ginger snap (optional

Directions:
Add Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, ginger brandy, and eggnog in blender
Blend to desired consistency and pour into glass. Garnish with ginger snap for dunking if desired.

Dappled Jack
Created by The Intoxicologist and found here.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 part Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey
1/2 part Berentzen ApfelKorn Schnapps
1-1/2 part Canada Dry Ginger Ale
Crystallized Ginger Garnish

Directions:
Build in a highball glass over fresh ice. Garnish with skewered round of crystallized ginger. This is for those who want a hint of apple, but not an overwhelming amount. You know who you are – you’ll go along with the flow of cocktail for the sake of celebration, but nothing is going to get in the way of your authentic Jack flavor.

Ebay's The Inside Source

Last week, Ebay launched an online magazine called The Inside Source. According to Meredith Barnett, the sites editorial director, The Inside Source is targeted at the smart shopper “who is sophisticated, has a sensibility about fashion and lifestyle and may be familiar with eBay but maybe not the full extent of everything it has to offer.”

Within the Fashion, Tech, Pop Culture, Home & Garden, Entertainment, The Green Scene, and What's Hot Now sections on the site (called "Topics"), there's a variety of editorial pieces written by journalists and specialists highlighting the latest trends across many categories, which are somewhat like blog posts, with contextual links driving users to check out and hopefully purchase realated products on Ebay. Additionally, you'll find online interviews with noteworthy people within the various categories, also with links to purchase their favorite products on Ebay; a product endorsement so to speak.

So, I started to poke around on the site a little. Although the site is primarily focused on fashion, as clothes and accessories are Ebay's biggest revenue generators, there's definitely a lot of content across a broad range of categories. Considering the breadth of content, they do a pretty good job at organizing it and the site is easy to navigate; it feels a bit like an interactive gossipy glossy :). 

Being from Boston, the story on Barbara Lynch in the Home & Garden section attracted my attention. Since I'm a regular at some of her eateries here in town, I also immediately recognized the error in the first paragraph of the article: "her Boston-based company, Barbara Lynch Gruppo, owns a variety of food-related businesses in the area: critically acclaimed restaurant No. 9 Park; South End eatery B&G Oysters, which shares a space with fancy cocktail bar Drink...". Oops, not trying to be too critical here, but B&G and Drink are in 2 totally different neighborhoods.** Update - I left a comment regarding this, and they promptly corrected it, so props to The Inside Source for listening to their readers :) **

Overall, it's nice to give Ebay a voice, and being a bargain shopper myself, this site serves as a gentle reminder that I should run a quick Ebay search to see what I may find next time I am in the market for that special something. With sites like Gilt Groupe and Rue La La being front and center in the competitive discount online fashion retail space, I am curious to see how this site evolves and what it does for Ebay.com, and if they see ROI by attracting more of those savvy shoppers they are after.

Cranberry Port Sauce

This week in our kitchen it's about trying a couple new recipes, and we adapted one from the October issue of Fine Cooking Magazine (my ALL time favorite foodie read) that's worth writing about. The full recipe is for Roasted Cornish Game Hens with Cranberry-Port Sauce, however since I had just purchased a beautiful organic chicken, I decided to leverage just the sauce recipe to add some pizazz after roasting the fresh bird. It's simple to make, yet rich and complex; highly recommended for any poultry or pork.

For the sauce:
2 cups lower-salt chicken broth
1/3 cup ruby port
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 Tbs. minced shallot
1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the port and cranberries for the sauce in a small bowl, cover, and let sit overnight (I let the cranberries and port it for an hour and the sauce was fabulous, so I bet if you let it sit overnight the cranberries are even more saturated with yummy port).

Heat the broth in a small saucepan. Heat the 1 Tbs. butter in a separate medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the minced shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallot is tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, whisking gently, until it forms a thick paste, about 30 seconds. Strain the port through a fine sieve into the saucepan, reserving the cranberries (don’t press down on the berries). Whisk for about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in the broth until the sauce is smooth, adjusting the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Simmer, whisking occasionally, until reduced by about one-third, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the reserved cranberries. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Just before serving, pour any accumulated juices from the hens, chicken or whatever you roasted, into the sauce. Serve the poultry or pork drizzled with the sauce.

Recipe adapted from: Fine Cooking 102, pp. 65
October 29, 2009
Photo: Fine Cooking, Scott Phillips