BEETS ME?

Get it?  Beets me?

It's been a while since I posted.  I think I lost the 3 readers I had worked so hard to build.  However, I've been busy with my normal day job.  In case you were curious, I work in the world of creative and styling.  So, when photographing my food, I can't help myself but to style the ingredients.  It's a sickness really.

Today, I present a yummy sandwich I made, which included pickled beets.

Honestly, I have never been a fan of beets.  They remind me of dirt.  I went on a trip to Mexico and on a tour, we were served a beet dessert.  To me, it tasted like ice cream and dirt.  So, when I found this recipe, I was a bit skeptical; however, I wanted to give these little guys another shot.

I got this receipt from the wonderful people at Bon Appetit.

The official title of this recipe is Roasted Eggplant and Pickled Beet sandwiches.

The ingredients are simple and can be found at your local market.  I gathered all these elements at Whole Foods.

You will need eggplants, beets, a combination of herbs like mint, parsley, and dill, Sherry vinegar, mayonnaise, garlic, pepper, salt, paprika, olive oil, scallions, olives, capers, and feta.  For your bread, they recommend focaccia, but it's completely up to you on what you want to use as your foundation of your sandwich.

I started by preparing my beets.  I have never pickled beets before, and the people at Bon Appetit did not provide such instruction in their recipe.  So, I turned to the internet for some assistance from Mr. Alton Brown.  According to Mr. Brown, I needed to remove the skin from the roasted beets and slice thinly.  Once sliced, I place them into a jar.  Then in a small pot, I  brought a combination of tarragon wine vinegar, salt, sugar and water to a boil.   Once boiling, I poured the mixture over my beets and place in the fridge for 3-7 days.

Once the beets were pickled, I was able to assemble my salad for the sandwich.  Note:  This was 3-7 days later.  Try to plan ahead if you want to make this sandwich.  The beet salad included my chopped scallions, olives, capers, and herb mixture of flat-leaf parsley, dill, and mint.  If you want a more rustic looking sandwich try tearing your herbs instead of chopping.    Mix these components into a small bowl with the chopped beets and oil.  Set aside.

As for the eggplants, pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.  Slice the eggplant, rub both sides with oil, and place the pieces on a baking sheet.  Season slices with paprika, salt, and pepper.  Roast these babies until they are golden and tender.

While your eggplants are roasting, prepare you bread.   Slice into your focaccia and remove some of the bulk.  Too much bread can kill a tasty sandwich.  To be honest, I got that little tip from Top Chef on BravoTV.  Chefs have been in the bottom three for severing too much bread in their sandwiches.  Once your proportions are correct, you can toast them a little to make them crispy.

I am a huge fan of mayonnaise and was very happy that the sandwich involved a garlic mayo.  So, if you're not a mayonnaise fan, then you can skip this step.  It is a simple process of whisking the mayonnaise with some garlic and sherry vinegar.  Simple but delicious.

It's time to build your sandwich!

Start by spreading the garlic mayo on the bottom layer of the bread. Add the warm roasted eggplants, followed by the feta crumbles.  Finish the entire sandwich with the beet salad and add the top layer of focaccia with another generous amount of the mayonnaise spread all over it.  What can I say?  I like mayonnaise.  Press down on your sandwich to get all the juices mixed together and take a big bite.

It's tasty, right?

No longer will I associate beets with dirt and ice cream.

Till next time.

To Tartare an Avocado or not to Tartare an Avocado?

That is the question.

Why not tartare an Avocado?  I have to admit that I thought Tartare was only tuna.  Seriously.  Who knew that tartare meant a coarsely or fine chopped, high-quality protein that is finely seasoned, that is often served raw.  I didn't.  

Today, our protein of choice is avocado.  

The ingenious people at Food and Wine magazine provided me with this delightfully, fulfilling dish.

The ingredients are simple: Avocados (a must!), red onions, capers, jalapeños, lemons, olive oil, dijon mustard, sea salt, pepper, parsley, and worcestershire sauce.  As usual, I recommend catering this recipe to your particular palate.  

Start by chopping up your avocados.  Once chopped, place into a bowl and set aside while you work on the other ingredients.

Then, finely chop your red onions, mince your jalapeños (remove the membrane and seeds),  and tear or chop your parsley.  Add these component to a separate bowl, and add some olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.  Finally mix in your capers, add the worcestershire sauce, and a little of the dijon mustard.  

Combine your two bowls of ingredients.  It's that simple!

Slowly fold the avocados into the mixture.  Make sure to coat all your avocados so that they are seasoned by the juices of your mix.  Your final product should be rich in color and full of flavor.  

Make sure you buy some fresh, baked bread at your local Wholefoods or Farmer's market.  Lightly coat them with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.  Toast them in your oven for a bit so they are crisp and have a nice golden color.

Scoop your Tartare on to a plate and add a little dijon mustard to the top for presentation.  

I doubt that your plate will look pretty for long.  You will instantly grab your toasted bread and start demolishing your plate.  

This is a great dish to have at a party and it will get the guest talking.  I'm willingly to bet that most people haven't heard of an Avocado Tartare.  I didn't.

If you're reading this...anyone...let me know what else you have tried to tartare?  

Add it to the comments section below or you can send me an e-mail at jessecancook@gmail.com

I would like to try a few of them and post them here on jesscancook.blogspot.com

Till we meet again.

Bowls and plates from West Elm.

Linen from Frette.

I LOVE TOMATOES!

I really do!  I love tomatoes.  

I bring you, my loyal readers, another dish that I made with tomatoes.  Interestingly enough, this is my first entrée post.  I think prior to this, I've been posting appetizers or small plates.  Today, I present a Grilled Tomato Salsa on a filet of white fish.

I found this recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine.  I, as usual, altered the recipe a bit for my personal taste as I recommend you do the same.

The Tomato salsa consists of tomatoes, (I used a variety of tomatoes that I found in the Union Square Greens market), garlic, fresh basil, olive oil, salt, lemon zest, capers, pepper, and finely chopped boquerones.  For those of you, like myself, who don't know what boquerones are, they are marinated white anchovies.  

Thank you google for explaining what they were! 

If you don't have white anchovies then oil-packed anchovies will work as well.    And yes, you must use the anchovies, they really add to the flavor of the salsa.  Trust me.  I am not a true fan of anchovies, but after I ate the salsa, I too was a believer.  Anchovies are a must.

Start your salsa by grilling your tomatoes.  As stated in my previous posts, I do not own a grill nor do I have the outdoor space to have a grill.  I live in Manhattan people!  I am happy enough to have a true 1 bedroom.  So, I wrapped my tomatoes in foil and sat them directly on my gas stove.  If anyone out there has a better solution to grilling indoor, I am all ears.  I may buy a George Forman grill.  Thoughts?  Should I?  

While your tomatoes are grilling, start preparing the other ingredients.  Grate your garlic, zest your lemon, tear your basil leaves, finely chop your boquerones (anchovies) and capers.  I also fried off a few capers for additional texture and layered it on top of my finished dish.

When your tomatoes are grilled, they will release a beautiful, smoky scent.  Place them into a bowl and add your additional ingredients.  If you break up the tomatoes it will release some fragrant juices and flavor into the mixture.  Toss the salsa together and set aside.

Preparing your white fish is quite simple.  All I did was season the fish with a pinch salt and pepper.  I placed a bit of butter on the top of the filet and let it bake in the oven.  Once, I pulled the fish out of the oven, I plated the filet and spooned a healthy amount of the salsa over the top.  I added a bit of olive oil over everything to finish the dish.

What can I say?  A perfect summer dish.  The salsa was fresh and the tomatoes' smokey flavors with the freshness of the lemon and basil really brought the fish alive.  I was happy I added the fried capers because it layered another texture into the mix and from what I am learning, it's always great to add texture into each and every bite.  

Try this dish before the summers over.  You will not regret it.

Let me know how it goes. 

Feel free to contact me with ideas or images of your food:  jessecancook@gmail.com

Red Pinch Bowls from West Elm.

Fried Capers? Say what?

You read correctly, Fried Capers!

I share with you a dish I made for my birthday that was in June:  Smoked Salmon Tartines with Fried Capers.

I found this recipe in the June 2014 issue of Bon Appetit.

While making this tasty treat, I got to try my hand at a little pickling.  Let me tell you, I didn't realize I could pickle things at home.  If you haven't noticed, I'm a complete novice when it comes to cooking and all things culinary.  Could you call what I am doing culinary?  Let me know if you're out there reading my little blog.  Anybody?  Anybody?

Okay, back to the dish.

The ingredients are simple and you can vary them to your taste.  All you need are the following few ingredients: Bread (I recommend some freshly baked country-style bread), red onions for pickling, creme fraiche, capers, vegetable oil (I used olive oil), champagne vinegar, chives (I got some fresh chive blossoms at the Union Square farmer's market,) salt, ground pepper, and of course the hot-smoked salmon, flaked. 

Start by slicing your red onion very thinly and placing them in a bowl with about 1/2 cup of the Champagne vinegar.  Let that sit for about an hour to pickle.

While your onions are pickling, heat your oil in a pan.  Drain the water from the capers and pat them dry before frying them.  After they are dry, fry the capers until they are crisp and they open up.  Once they are open and crisp, drain the excess oil from them with a paper towel.

Slice your bread and toast it in the oven for a bit.  If you're near a grill, (I do not have that luxury since I live in a small Manhattan 1-bedroom apartment), you can coat the bread with a little olive oil and grill the slices.

Once your bread is crisp, like your capers, you can spread the toast with creme fraiche and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Place the flaked smoked salmon on top of the creme fraiche slices.  

Drain your red onions and place the pickled pieces to the tops of the toasts.  Layer on your fried capers,  chopped chives and complete it with a little bit of olive oil over the tops of each piece as a finishing touch.

And there you have it...a tasty dish.  

This was a hit at my birthday dinner.  I do have to admit, I found it odd that I had to do the cooking on my special day.  You ask, "Did you have to do the dishes?"  The answer is...

Yes.  I did those as well.  

Go figure.  Happy 32nd Birthday Jess!

Dishes and Bowls from West Elm. 

My trip to the Union Square Farmer's Market

Hi everyone!

I know it's been a while since my last post.  I've been doing a bit of traveling for my other job as a creative consultant, so I haven't had a chance to update my blog.

Today, I will be sharing my experience from the Union Square Greenmarket.  I went to the market a few weeks back on a beautiful summer day.  

I had a wonderful time walking through the market and decided to buy a few ingredients for a tasty summer dish.  When in New York, I recommend that you should walk through the market and taste all the beautiful things it has to offer.  You can get more information on their website which is: http://www.grownyc.org

While on my visit to the market, I found some beautiful vine-ripped tomatoes, mozarella, basil, and fresh baked bread.  So, I decided to make Bruschetta, which is one of my favorite things to eat.

It's funny that I love this dish as an adult.  I can remember not wanting to eat my sliced tomatoes my Nana used to give me when I was a child.  My cousin, Lindsay, would flat out refuse to eat them.  The only tomato she would eat was in ketchup form.  I remember constantly teasing her and saying that she was crazy.  Lindsay's palate has evolved since our childhood and I believe she is happily enjoying a tomato from time to time.

This dish is very simple to make, but it's amazing to serve and your guest will be very happy.

To start, I sliced all my tomatoes into smaller pieces.  I recommend a variety of tomatoes for a range of flavor and color.  Once diced, place the tomatoes into a bowl and add in some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and some finely sliced basil.

While the tomatoes marinate in the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, I start on the crostini.  I sliced the farmer's market bread and sprinkled some olive oil and some minced garlic on the tops of the bread.  I let it toast in the oven for a few minutes.

After I placed the bread into the oven, I thinly sliced the mozzarella.   And after a few minutes in the oven, I layered a slice of mozzarella on each and every slice of bread.

Once the mozzarella has melted a bit, I removed the crostini from the heat.  Once removed, I scooped a healthy portion of the tomatoes onto the warm bread and sprinkle some additional chopped basil onto each slice.

This dish is so good, you will need to make extra as your guest will devour the plate once it hits the table.

I will probably visit the farmer's market again next weekend to get some inspiration for my next dish.

Stay tuned!

No room for Sour Grapes!

One of my favorite bites to make for friends and family is a Balsamic Vinegar Grape and Goat Cheese Crostini.

I've made this for my family this past Holiday season when I went home to visit.  They loved it so much I made it twice during my 7 day stay!

It's so simple and packs a punch of flavor.  Surely a crowd favorite at your next gathering.

All you need are grapes, preferable green and red seedless grapes, as well as sea salt, bread for the crostini, goat cheese, garlic, walnuts and olive oil.

Start by preheating your oven to 400ºF.   

Once the oven is heated, place in your crostini pieces which you lightly coat with olive oil and minced garlic.  Bake these until they are toasted and crispy.

While you are baking your foundation to the tasty bites, you should slice your grapes in half, roughly 2 cups of red grapes and 2 cups of green grapes.  Set your grapes aside and start finely chopping your walnuts (1/2 cup).  Combine the grapes and walnuts and coat them with the Balsamic vinegar.  When finished, you are going to want to place them in a baking tray and add these to the oven.  You want to bake the grape and walnut mixture until the juices from the grapes have mixed into the vinegar and everything is bubbling.

When your grape mixture is cooking, you can remove the crostini from the oven and layer on a generous amount of goat cheese on to eat piece.

Once your grapes are ready, remove them from the oven and place a spoonful or two on to each goat cheese piece.  Sprinkle a little sea salt over the tops of them and serve.

They are extremely tasty!  Your guest will be amazed by your cooking talents.

My family was very happy.  They said, "Jess can cook!"

Balsamic Vinegar Bottle from Fishs Eddy NYC.

Graphic Bowls from West Elm.

Blue Bowl found at Target.com

Feeling Corny?

Summer has finally arrived!

After many weeks and weeks of Winter here in New York, I gladly welcome Summer's warm presence.

So in order to honor Summer, I decided to make a refreshing corn salad.

This salad is pretty simple.  I adapted this recipe from a book I got this past winter.  You can also adapt the salad to your own personal taste.

Core ingredients are bell peppers, red onions, cilantro, jalapeños, limes, sea salt, olive oil, pepper, and of course...corn.

Once you shuck the corn and clean it, you can remove the kernels from the cob.  Not sure if all those words make sense in that sentence, but I am will go with that unless you know the correct terminology.  And if you do, please leave a comment and let me know.

Chop the rest of your vegetables and mix into the corn.  When using your jalapeños, make sure you remove the seeds and the membrane from the jalapeño and chop finely.  Pour in some olive oil and use a pinch of sea salt and pepper.  Mix everything together.  Once mixed, squeeze 2 or 3 limes, releasing their juices onto the mixture.

If you're feeling adventurous, then I recommend you add a Roasted red bell pepper.  To do so, grab your cleaned red pepper and wrap it in foil.  Once wrapped, place your pepper on top the grill, or if you live in a cozy apartment like I do, then you can turn on your gas stove and sit the pepper on top of the burner.  Just keep an eye on it.  On my first attempt of roasting a bell pepper, I sort set the pepper on fire and had to start all over again.  Not to mention that my smoke alarm went of multiple times.  However, that's usually the case when I cook at home.

When your pepper is nice and roasted, roughly 15-20 mins, remove it from the stove top.  Open the foil and you should have some great charred marks on the pepper.  Coarsely chop the pepper and add to your bowl of vegetables.

Mix all the ingredients together and serve!

Everything taste better with Bacon!

DOES everything taste better with Bacon!

Yes!

As a child, I can honestly say that I don't remember eating Brussels Sprouts.  The earliest I can remember trying these bite size treats was a late teenager or maybe even in my early twenties.

And from what I can recall, I was not a fan.

However, later in life, meaning late twenties, I had them at my mentor's home for Christmas one year and I loved them.  I think I ate the whole pan.

After that experience, I decided to give Brussels Sprouts a chance.  So, I started making them for myself.  I also realized that they tasted amazing because they were cooked with bacon.  And as the saying says, "Everything taste better with Bacon!"

My Brussels Sprouts are roasted in my tiny oven to perfection.   Mixed with some olive oil, sea salt, garlic, onion, and pepper, I let them roast in the over for a while.  Meanwhile, I'm cooking the bacon on my stove top and pouring the excess grease over my sprout mixture in the oven.  Once I finish my bacon, I chop the meat and layer it into the cooking pan with the sprouts and let all of them cook for a while longer.

When completed, I remove from the oven and devour!

I shall never shy from a sprout again.

Quick note:  As you may notice, I style and photograph my images I post on this blog.  I'm a stylist by day and a secret chef in my humble apartment at night.  Going forward, I will try to layer in some styling points from time to time as well as lists where I buy my great finds!

Bowls were from Target.  They have such fun colors that make cooking very colorful and fun.   The pattern black and blue mat is from my very special other half.   He picked it up for me in Africa.  

Artichokes: Blast from the Past!

My grandmother, or as I lovingly referred to as Nana, used to make Artichokes for dinner.  It was one of my favorite things on her menu.  So when I was in the market the other day, I ran across some fresh Artichokes and thought fondly of those dinners we used to have in our humble home in Hawaii.

My grandmother's method was quite simple.  She basically steamed the Artichokes in a some salted water and served.  I remember dipping it into a glob of Mayo.  At that age, I pretty much dipped everything and anything into mayonnaise.

So in memory of my Nana, I attempted to make some Artichokes for dinner last night.

My process was a bit different.  After, reading a few recipes on the internet, I decided on following one I found on the food network.

Basically, I steamed the Artichokes in a blend of lemons, parsley, bay leaves, salt, pepper, white wine, garlic and Chicken broth.  I brought it all to a simmer and then layer my artichokes in bottom up.  Once placed in the pot, I covered everything and let simmer for roughly 30-40 minutes.

Once the artichokes stalks were tender, I removed them from the broth and served.

Unfortunately, I didn't have mayonnaise in the house, but however, I do have to admit, they were pretty tasty without it.

My Nana was very special and dear to my heart and making these brought some happiness to my night.  I look forward to making some of my other Nana's favorites in the future.

Saturday Night Dates!

Tonight, I decided to make Goat Cheese filled Bacon Wrapped Dates.

I love eating these at Tapas restaurants and realized that I could attempt to make these myself.  So, in an effort to learn how to make these yummy bites, I scoured the internet for some assistance.

These yummy dates are sliced in half, pitted and then filled with creamy Goat cheese.  After I filled the dates, I placed them back together and drizzled them in honey.  Once drizzled in honey, I rolled them in bacon and sprinkled them with oil, sea salt and pepper.

I threw them in the oven for a while... (Please note: my oven is very old and the numbers wore off, so I just guess what the temperature is and hope for the best.)

After they baked for a while, I let them cool on my stovetop and well...Devoured them!

This is a must for those who are entertaining!