Asparagus and cheese tart recipe

To contact us Click HERE


Originally posted in May 2011, but I'm bumping this up again, as the local asparagus season has began.

Isn't it pretty? This lovely topless tart can be served either warm (perhaps with a green side salad) or cold (cut into thin slices to accompany drinks). It's a simple tart - a puff pastry base (I made a quick rough puff pastry myself) is covered with a layer of grated cheese, followed by an egg and cream mixture, and finally topped with lightly cooked asparagus spears. You could certainly mix the cheese in to the egg and cream mixture, but I loved the visual effect of using a separate cheese layer.

The basic idea is from the UK-based food writer and photographer Alastair Hendy via the always-inspirational Delicious Days, but I omitted the potato layer.

Asparagus and cheese tart
(Spargli-juustupirukas)
Serves 8 to 10



500 g puff pastry (store-bought or home-made rough puff pastry)
24 medium-sized fresh green asparagus spears
150 g Gouda or Gruyère cheese, coarsely grated
3 large eggs
200 ml fresh cream (whipping, heavy or double)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated nutmeg

Snap off the hard and woody lower end of the asparagus spears (these can be used to make stock, for instance). Cook the asparagus spears in a simmering and lightly salted water for about 2 minutes. Drain, rinse quickly under cold water and drain again. Put aside.
Line a rectangular pie dish (approximately 25x35 cm) with a parchment paper. Roll out a puff pastry so it'd cover the base and come up the sides a little. Prick with a fork here and there.
Scatter the grated cheese over the base.
Whisk the eggs with cream, season with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg. Pour carefully over the cheese.
Place asparagus spears on top.
Bake in a preheated 200 C oven for about 30 minutes, until the tart is nicely golden on top and the puff pastry is cooked.

Easy entertaining: whole hot-smoked trout or salmon with caviar dressing

To contact us Click HERE


Want something super-delicious, rather elegant and extremely simple for your next festive spread? Here's an excellent idea I got from my friend Annika. Annika is Estonian, but she works and lives in Sweden. She introduced me to this very popular Swedish and Finnish "sauce" that's traditionally served alongside smoked or grilled trout or salmon at a party she hosted at her Tallinn holiday flat at the end of last year.

Since then I've served this on several occasions and always to a great success. You need a good-quality smoked trout or salmon to start with - I've used a whole hot-smoked trout*, that we "carve" at the table, but you can also serve it alongside portion-sized pieces of smoked fish. Although salted trout or salmon roe is nowhere as prohibitively expensive as "proper" caviar, it's still very festive and elegant and makes people feel that they're really being pampered :)

If you're based in Tallinn or nearby, then I whole-heartedly recommend the whole hot-smoked trout from Pepe Kala OÃœ. You'll find their stall at Tammsaare tee 89 during the week, or come and meet them at Viimsi Taluturg (Viimsi farmers' market) on Saturday mornings from 10 am till 2 pm. They also have excellent lightly salted trout roe.  




Creamy caviar dressing
(Kalamarjakaste)
Serves 6

200-250 g thick sour cream or creme fraiche
1 Tbsp finely chopped onion (shallot is fine)
150 g lightly salted trout or salmon roe (or slightly less, depending on your budget and taste)
2-3 Tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
freshly ground white or black pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients together, spoon into a nice bowl and serve alongside the whole smoked fish. 



Ok, how easy and effortless was that? :)

What's your super-easy and quick entertainment dish? Feel free to leave a link to the recipe in the comments!

Jug Fishing with Andy and Denise Part 1

To contact us Click HERE
Last weekend, we were watching the sun start to set from our rocking chairs on the landing and noticed a couple of men jug fishing for catfish in the channel. Well you know we were sick we had left all the jugs back on the pontoon boat in Pulaski. At that point, I knew we'd be back next weekend. By Thursday, the weather men were calling for rain all weekend, enough for flooding at home, but Athens was looking pretty good. So we took off bright and early Saturday morning to the river for a day of jug fishing. OK. I know this is a little on the redneck side, but I have a blast every time we do this. Plus, we eat pretty darn good!
The first catfish we caught wasn't very big, but it sure was fun when it got on the line and tried to take off with the jug. 

Here's video one with Andy rebaiting the hook and ready to catch some more fish. You can't hardly hear half of what he says, but we were fishing with nightcrawlers 10 feet deep.



Half gallon milk jugs, heavy duty line and hooks that are guaranteed to hang
on to whatever you catch were the perfect combination.
We were fishing with eight jugs. When they start biting, eight will keep you
busy especially if it's windy, like it was Saturday.  
Jug Fishing with Andy and Denise Part 2
Jug Fishing with Andy and Denise Part 3
Jug Fishing with Andy and Denise Part 4
River Fishing with Andy and DenisePin It

Mushroom Swiss Burgers

To contact us Click HERE
When it comes to eating hamburgers, a mushroom swiss burger is my second favorite. We don't fix burgers very often, but when we do, we do them up right. My all-time favorite has a light amount of Hellman's mayonnaise and mustard on both sides of the bun, a bed of lettuce, vidalia onion rings, grilled burger with melted Provolone or Swiss cheese, two slices of homegrown tomatoes with a little salt and pepper, and topped off with dill pickle stackers.
Last night I was in the mood for a mushroom swiss and a plate of oven baked fries. If you overlook the butter involved in preparing these, they are a quite healthy alternative. The ingredients below will serve four...and then some.
INGREDIENTS:4 half pound burgers8 slices Swiss cheese8 oz. baby Portobella mushrooms8 slices Texas toastSalt, pepper to tasteGood on Anything (or Dales) seasoning
DIRECTIONS:Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line the bottom of a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray the rack with cooking spray. Prepare your oven baked fries on another sheet and set to the side.

We found this huge baking sheet (rack measures 13" x 18") at Academy Sports. It's one of my favorites to bake with.

Tear off a sheet of aluminum foil to cook the mushrooms in. Pour mushrooms in and top with tabs of butter. You can season with Good on Anything and a little salt and pepper if you'd like. I just stuck with the butter. Wrap the packet up and set on the front corner of the rack. 


Wrap and prepare a vidalia onion just like you would if you were fixing a baked onion. Place it in the back corner of the rack.

Set the four burgers on the other side. Brush Good on Anything seasoning and salt and pepper burgers. Place this sheet on the top rack. Place the fries on the bottom rack.

Bake the burgers for 30 minutes. (Adjust time based on thickness of burger...these were pretty thick) Remove from the rack, place on a plate and cover with aluminum foil. Remove mushrooms and set to the side. Move the potatoes to the top rack; place wrapped onion on the baking sheet; bump up the oven temp to 450 degrees and bake until potatoes are golden and the onions are tender.
Heat a small skillet to medium heat. Butter one side of all the Texas toast. Put the bottom slice in the hot skillet. Lay one slice of cheese on the bottom, layer with mushrooms and onions. Place burger and another slice of cheese on top and finish with the other slice of Texas toast. Let sandwich cook until lightly browned on the bottom; flip to grill the other side (may take two spatulas to not lose your fillings!). A panini press would be the easiest way to grill these, but we just haven't made that change yet.



Pin It

Hoe Cakes

To contact us Click HERE
When it comes to making bread with cornmeal, hoe cakes are my favorite, hands down. I love to pour pinto beans over them, dip them in chicken stew...you name it. It's hard to believe that these three ingredients could taste so different coming from the oven or the skillet.
INGREDIENTS:1 cup self-rising cornmeal1 eggEnough milk to make batter the consistency similar to pancake batter.
If it's too "watery" add a little extra cornmeal to thicken it up.
I normally mix my batter in a 4-cup glass measuring cup so I can pour out the size hoe cakes I want. Andy likes to use this little 2" ladle I have. He thinks it makes them the perfect size. He is right, and I even told him so. 
Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet on medium. Drop the batter onto hot skillet. Roll the oil around so all sides of the hoe cake are sizzling.
When the bottom starts to turn a nice golden brown and bubbles form at the top, it's time to turn them.Cook until the second side is golden brown and set on a paper towel lined plate.


Pin It

Grisham Garden Part 2

To contact us Click HERE
Here's an update on the state of the garden. First of all, the rain has done wonders for our plants! It looked like they all jumped overnight. Now if we can keep the bunny rabbits and deer out of it, we'll be doing good. Andy never had a problem with deer in his garden until he moved to town. I'm sure the deer that wiped out our okra were like the people who come to the house and eat. You know they're thinking...Man, That Stuff is Good!
We have been enjoying fixing salads several nights a week. You just can't beat fresh!! We finally have a few onions and radishes big enough to pull. The cherry tomatoes are starting to bloom so hopefully it won't be too long!

Sunflowers
Spaghetti squash, cantelope, watermelon
Squash, zucchini, cucumbers
Okra
Green Beans
3 varieties of tomatoes
Sweet potatoes (came back from the freeze!), rutabagas, spinach, 2 varieties of lettuce
Beets, onions
Red potatoes





Pin It

Andy's Quick Sauteed Mushrooms and Gravy

To contact us Click HERE

When you need a quick gravy to top your steak or hamburger steak, or just like to eat sauteed mushrooms on the side, this recipe can serve both purposes with minor adjustments. When Andy makes this to go on hamburger steaks all I need is a baked potato to make it a meal. When he fixes them to serve as a side; he uses a large container of fresh whole mushrooms and doubles the rest of the ingredients.
INGREDIENTS:1 small can sliced mushrooms (or 1 8 oz. container sliced mushrooms)1/4 cup Good on Anything (or Dale's) sauce1/2 tbsp. garlicblack pepper1/2 cup chopped onion1/2 tsp. cornstarch1-1/2 tbsp. cold water2 tbsp. butter

Heat skillet and melt butter. Saute onions and garlic. Pour Good on Anything sauce on top; mix in mushrooms.  **If using fresh mushrooms, add them when you saute the onions.
Dissolve cornstarch in cold water. Add to skillet and stir until gravy starts to thicken. If it gets too thick, add a little water. If it's too runny, use minimal equal parts cornstarch and cold water until it's the consistency you like. 
Pin It