Donna's Daily Dish
Inspiring people to create every day recipes
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Inspiring people to create every day recipes
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The frangipane starts by browning the almond meal until golden and aromatic; then cooled. Butter, brown sugar, eggs and almond extract are whisked together followed by flour, salt and the toasted almond meal. For the simple syrup, sugar, rum and water are heated over medium heat then stirred until sugar dissolves.
Preheat your oven before filling the croissants. I cut the croissants for Lucy and then I had her brush both sides of the croissants with the syrup. Next, she spread the almond cream on the bottom half of each croissant. The tops went on and more frangipane went on top. She then sprinkled the sliced-on tops before we popped them in the oven. It takes between 20-25 for the almonds to toast and the frangipane to become golden. The croissants were delicious. We waited until they cooled a bit before diving in. Lucy and her mother enjoyed them as did I. Perhaps I’ll keep some croissants in the freezer so that when I get the urge for an almond croissant, I can make a few. Occasionally in our CSA box, we receive vegetables that perhaps you wouldn’t normally purchase. Kohlrabi is such a vegetable. It’s related to cabbage with a cabbage like smell, but its taste is similar to broccoli stems. In the past when I received kohlrabi, I used it in salads and once in scalloped potatoes with apples and hazelnuts. This time, I found a recipe by Martha Rose Shulman on The New York Times/NYT Cooking website for Kohlrabi Home Fries. This turned out so well, that my husband said he would eat them again. For the recipe I cut the kohlrabi in thick slices then cut them into 2-inch-long planks about 1/2-inch wide. You can either dust them with rice flour, chickpea flour or semolina, I used rice flour seasoned with salt and pepper. I shallow fried them in corn oil. When they were done, I dusted them with smoked paprika, but Ms. Shulman suggests chili powder, ground cumin, curry powder or paprika. My husband and I couldn’t get over how delicious they were, a great alternative to potatoes; so light tasting. More arugula was in our CSA box last week. With the previous bunch, I made Shrimp Linguine with Herbs, Corn and Arugula, but this time I was getting lazy and we were working through some leftovers in the refrigerator. I decided I would make Ali Slagle’s recipe for Arugula Salad with Parmesan. This tasty salad is dressed with extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice and seasoned with kosher salt. Shavings of Parmesan cheese go on top. This scrumptious salad hit the spot. You had the bitterness of the greens cut with the saltiness of the Parmesan with the lemon juice adding a brightness to the salad; a delightful little salad. Two weeks ago on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, my husband and I took a ride to Morristown, New Jersey. There was a wonderful article in the magazine “Edible New Jersey” that highlighted various restaurants, bakeries and retail shops. I made a reservation at Agricola Eatery, which highlights and uses ingredients from local farms. There was an array of brunch offerings such as Crespelle, an open face omelet, carrot cake pancakes (very tempting!), to an assortment of egg dishes. We started with two iced teas while we waited for our order. They tea is freshly brewed and poured over ice at the table. It was a lovely presentation and the tea was perfectly brewed. My husband and I shared the Focaccia Panzanella Salad made with local burrata and New Jersey heirloom tomatoes. It was so good, that were half way through it when my husband asked if I had taken a photo of it, oops! The focaccia was cut into small cubes surrounding the burrata which was fresh and creamy. For entrees, I had the crespelle which is an open face omelet, Lioni mozzarella, Prosciutto di Parma, arugula and heirloom tomatoes. The omelet covered the entire plate. Lioni Latticini is made locally in Union, New Jersey. They make an assortment of mozzarella products along with fresh ricotta. Their products are available throughout New Jersey and across the country. My husband had the raviolis for lunch that were topped with cipollini onions, grilled shishito peppers, red peppers and Jersey corn. Because Agricola is a farm to table restaurant, this pasta is no longer on the menu. Currently they have a butternut squash filled ravioli served with vegan sage butter and Parmesan. Lunch was delicious, service was excellent and presentation of the food was lovely. Agricola has a restaurant in Princeton, New Jersey where they’re serving a tasting sounding Harvest Fall Fig Flatbread topped with smoked country ham, fresh figs, Gruyère, arugula and fig jam, Organic Kale Salad with house pickled cauliflower, watermelon radish, roasted beets, carrots dressed with pumpkin seed vinaigrette to name two. This is a marvelous restaurant, with food and ambience to match. Agricola Eatery is part of the Harvest Restaurant Group with restaurants in Bergen, Morris, Union and Mercer counties.
Almond Croissants
“How to Make Stunning Croissants at Home,” Claire Saffitz The New York Times, April 6, 2021 Total Time: 1 hour Yield: 8 Croissants Ingredients For the Frangipane 1 cup/96 grams almond flour ½ cup/113 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature ½ cup/106 grams packed light brown sugar 2 large eggs, at room temperature ½ teaspoon almond extract 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon kosher salt For the Syrup and Assembly ⅓ cup/67 grams granulated sugar 2 tablespoons dark rum 8 stale croissants, halved horizontally ½ cup/43 grams sliced almonds Preparation
Tip - The pastries are best within an hour or two of baking. After that, revive them by warming in a 350-degree oven for 5 to 8 minutes. Keep wrapped airtight at room temperature. Donna’s Note: Here’s a link to Claire Saffitz’s tutorial on how to make croissants at home. During the last few minutes of the video, Claire shows you have to take stale croissants and turn them into almond croissants. ![]()
Kohlrabi Fries
“Kohlrabi: A Dinner Ally in Disguise,” Martha Rose Shulman The New York Times/”Recipes for Health” March 5, 2012 Time: 30 minutes Yield: 4 to 6 servings Ingredients 1½ to 2 pounds kohlrabi 1 tablespoon rice flour, chickpea flour or semolina (more as needed) Salt to taste 2 to 4 tablespoons canola oil or grapeseed oil, as needed Chili powder, ground cumin, curry powder or paprika to taste Preparation
Tip - Advance preparation: You can cut up the kohlrabi several hours before frying. Keep in the refrigerator ![]()
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