Caramelized Onion Tart with Gorgonzola and Brie!

Posted by Elise on Dec 30, 2011

A little while ago, on a visit to Annisquam, Massachusetts, my friends Ann and Nick hosted an "Impress the Food Blogger" dinner at their home. Guests were encouraged to bring a favorite dish, and we all got to vote on what we thought would be a hit on the site. The evening was a blast, the votes were tallied, and the winning dish? This caramelized onion tart, or pizza as it was called, brought by Ann's friends Jeff and Marilyn. I've made this tart several times since I first had it, and it's one of those dishes you want to limit to special occasions, because it's really hard to stop eating, it's that good. Crispy, pillowy puff pastry, with balsamic caramelized onions, topped with sprinklings of gorgonzola, brie, and tarragon.

The original caramelized onion pizza recipe is from Marilyn and Jeff's friend Bonnie Stern, Canadian author of several cookbooks. I played a bit with the recipe, rolling the dough out more thinly, reducing the amount of onions and cheese, so the serving pieces would be easier to hold and work better as appetizers. Perfect for New Year's crowd. Enjoy and Happy New Year!

Caramelized Onion Tart with Gorgonzola and Brie Recipe

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• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 50 minutes

Tarragon is a summer herb, if you can't find any, you may crush a few fennel seeds (maybe half a teaspoon) and sprinkle over the tart. Or top with fresh chopped fennel fronds, after the tart has been taken out of the oven.

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Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 cups of sliced onions, sliced root-to-top into 1/4-inch thick slices (about 2-3 med onions)
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 8 oz frozen puff pastry (defrosted a couple hours in the fridge)
• 2 oz chilled Brie cheese, rind removed and diced
• 2 oz Gorgonzola or other blue cheese, diced
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

Method

1 Heat oil in a large deep pan on medium-high heat. Add onions and cook for about 10 minutes or until wilted and starting to brown. Add sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and cook gently, uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until richly caramelized. Add a little water if the onions look like they are starting to dry out. Cool.
2 Roll pastry into a 10-to-14-inch rectangle (or whatever shape you want). Place pastry on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Prick with a fork at a couple inch increments to prevent the pastry from forming big bubbles while baking.


3 Spread onions over pastry, all the way to the edges of the pastry. Dot with cheese. Sprinkle with tarragon. Refrigerate if not baking immediately.
4 Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F for 18-20 minutes or until cheese has melted and pastry is crispy. Cool for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges or squares and enjoy!
Yield: Makes 9 to 12 appetizer sized pieces.

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Shrimp Pasta with Tomatoes, Lemon and Spinach

By Bev Weidner on June 12, 2012in Pasta, Shrimp

I wish I could replace the inside of my mouth with this.

AND, I’m just now figuring something out. I think angel hair pasta might be my favorite pasta in the entire world, including Vermont. I dunno, something about the thinness, the slipperiness of it, how evenly it gets coated by sauces, how much of it you can get in your mouth at one time, and ohhh, the fact that it’s called ANGEL. HAIR. I mean really, does that not beg for a classic Bev wig joke or what? I’ll wait for the end of this post to make it though. Long after you’re gone.

I’m acting like this is the first time I’ve ever eaten angel hair, and it’s totally not. Aaron made it with a meat sauce the other night and I nearly lost the last of my now three marbles. Angel hair should run for president. OF HEAVEN.
I keep typing “angle” hair.

BUT, I think this is my favorite way to eat the angel hairs. Super rustic-like with lots of sautéed garlic (have you noticed how much better I’m getting about the accent thingy?), lemony shrimp, HERBS.
Omg, you guys. Speaking of, I’ll have to show you my garden later. OOC.*

A lil’ bit o’ crushed red pepper for a smidge of heat. Lightly sautéed cherry tomatoes from the garden in all that garlic and lemon zest. Hoooooly. Tossed with angle, I MEAN ANGEL hair pasta and olive oil and pasta water and baby spinach and seared shrimp and OH AWESOME I’m now down to two flippin’ marbles.


. . . One.

Someone send an ambulance.

Okay so I’m leaning towards an angel hair Pulp Fictiony blunt bob. Or wait, no! RAPUNZEL.
Shrimp Pasta with Tomatoes, Lemon and Spinach:
What it took for 2:
* 1/2 pound extra large shrimp, thawed, peeled and deveined
* 2 tsp lemon zest, divided
* 1 pinch crushed red pepper
* 1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves removed and chopped
* 1 sprig fresh oregano, leaves removed and chopped
* 2 basil leaves, torn
* 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
* 4 cups baby spinach
* 2 Tbs. lemon juice (or more!)
* 1/2 pound angel hair pasta
* coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
On a plate, toss the shrimp with the crushed red pepper, half the lemon zest, chopped herbs and a pinch of salt and pepper. Let it sit while you start the rest.
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high. Add the garlic and bloom 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes along the remaining lemon zest. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the shrimp in a single layer and sear on one side for 2 minutes. Flip and sear another minute, or until shrimp is cooked through. Keep tossing the tomatoes just a little bit.
In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the angel hair until al dente, maybe 5 minutes. Drain all but about 1/2 cup of the pasta water and toss with the shrimp and tomato mixture, along with the spinach. Squeeze a lot of lemon juice right in. Season with coarse salt and pepper. Add as much pasta water as you want to create a thin, glorious sauce.
Serve it with more lemon juice, crusty bread and for heaven’s sake, fresh parmesan cheese.

Source (Bevcooks.com)

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Grilled Sweet Potato & Feta Spinach Salad

Salads are not my forté. I realize their potential, and creative additions often occur to me (cubes of cold frittata! soft goat cheese rolled in ground spiced nuts!), but I’m not great at building one, unless it’s the grainy, beany kind. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But my greens – they’re growing! I need to keep up.
I’ve recently discovered the appeal of the plated salad – perfect for just three, and just as perfect for more – you start with a long plate or small platter, make a nest of greens and layer interesting things on top. I always wind up with too much when I fill a salad bowl, and this way the greens are there, but don’t take over the party.

I have the BBC to thank for this one, although I did make some changes – I like roasting potatoes rather than boiling them (you don’t lose nutrients to the water that way), and I swapped the pine nuts (which have you noticed are more expensive than platinum?) for toasted pecans. Walnuts would do nicely, too. Charring sweet potatoes is brilliant – it transforms them into something more smoky and intense – and you can go ahead and grill them alongside your steaks or whatever you have going, although this salad makes a pretty spanking dinner all by itself.

Grilled Sweet Potato & Feta Spinach Salad
Thanks to BBC Good Food!
1 dark-fleshed sweet potato
a few handfuls of baby spinach
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup crumbled feta
a small handful of toasted walnuts
Dressing:
1/3 cup canola or olive oil
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. honey or maple syrup
1 Tbsp. grainy mustard
Roast the sweet potato whole in a 350F oven for about an hour (this can be done while something else is baking). Cool and cut into 1/2″ slices. If you like, brush them with oil.
Preheat the grill to medium-high and grill the slices of sweet potato until char-marked on each side. Lay the spinach out on a plate, and layer with grilled sweet potato slices and slivered onion; scatter with feta and nuts. Whisk or shake together the dressing ingredients and pour overtop. Serves 4.
Source (dinnerwithjulie.com)

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How to Use Vinegar For Hair and Skin Care

5 Surprising Ways to Use Vinegar For Beauty

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Updated Jun 26 2012 - 4:14am · Posted Jun 25 2012 - 5:00am by Jessica Cruel · 4 comments

vinegar · beauty tips · DIY Beauty

Many common kitchen ingredients are just as useful in the bathroom. In fact, L'Oréal hair colorist Christophe Robin turns to vinegar for many DIY hair and skin care remedies, his favorite brand being Santa Maria Novella ($52). But if you don't have the time to wait for this international beauty product to arrive (or are looking for something a little more practically priced), pick up a bottle of apple cider vinegar at your local grocery store. And to get Robin's tips — along with a few of ours — for using vinegar from head to toe, just keep reading.

• For smooth skin: "Because vinegar is acidic, it closes the pores of your skin and makes it extremely shiny," Robin says. That's why he recommends mixing vinegar with your body cream. "It also gives a nice smell without having perfume," he adds.
• For shiny, brass-free hair: "Most of the time women don't rinse shampoos and conditioners very well, so hair is [left] heavy and not shiny enough," Robin explains. To avoid this, he suggests applying five drops of vinegar (mixed with cold water in a bowl) into the hair and scalp after shampooing, conditioning, and rinsing. But instead of washing it out, leave it in to degunk and debrass your strands.
• For a healing bath: Mix a little apple cider vinegar in your bath water to let the anti-inflammatory properties soothe your itchy skin.
• For a clean scalp: Apple cider vinegar has natural antifungal properties and therefore can help eliminate a flaky scalp caused by dandruff. Create your own cleansing shampoo by mixing a solution that's half water, half apple cider vinegar into a spray bottle and apply.
• For a clear face: Vinegar balances the pH of the skin and acts as an astringent on oily complexions. Stir up a half-and-half mixture to use as a toner before your daily moisturizing routine.

Source: Thinkstock

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Curls Day Thursday!


Embrace Your Inner Doll (Barbie)!

You and your Curls can be featured on Curls Day Thursday, send a photo of you and your kinks, curls, and coils to callingallcurls12@gmail.com! Tweet

Hair of the Day...

Last night I co washed my hair, and applied my Trader Joes Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner as a leave In, and then sealed my ends with Olive oil. I allowed my hair to dry slightly to reduce shrinkage.

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         Grilled Cranberry-Pistachio Quesadillas

                                                                                    

thatwasvegan:

Grilled Cranberry-Pistachio Quesadillas (Makes 2 quesadillas)
Ingredients:

• 4 large tortillas (I used burrito-sized)
• 6 ounces Daiya jack cheese, at room temperature ( I use regular Jack Cheese, Im a vegetarian)
• 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped salted pistachios

Directions:

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