Dorie Greenspan Archives - Page 2 of 5 Kitchen Conundrum

Dressy Pasta “Risotto” aka Macaroni and Cheese – French Fridays with Dorie

January 3, 2014 by Renee

The first recipe up for January for French Fridays with Dorie is called Dressy Pasta “Risotto”. It’s not really a risotto at all. The “risotto” part actually comes from slowly cooking the pasta in (chicken) broth until it is nearly totally absorbed by the pasta, like it would be if it were arborio rice. Other than that, it’s more akin to a fancy mac & cheese. What would be a quite ordinary dish becomes extraordinary with the addition of freshly grated Parmesan, heavy cream and a dollop of mascarpone. The rich sauce tasted much like the one I use for potatoes gratin, and I was tempted to add a dash of nutmeg to it, but everyone who had a spoon in the pot said to leave it alone. I know when I am outvoted, and truth be told, it didn’t need it. (Although, I may try it again with this addition another time.)

It is important to only salt after you’ve used the broth and the Parmesan as they both tend to be rather salty already and you don’t want to overdo it!

This was a super fast and very easy, one pot recipe-making for minimal fuss and a quick clean up. Everyone really enjoyed it too, an empty crock and some spoons was all that was left. I can easily see myself making this again.

While I cannot share the actual recipe, you can (and should!) buy the book and cook along with us. It’s great fun! Every Friday we make a new recipe. Looking forward to next weeks! For details and to see how others are recreating the dishes from this awesome book, check out the FFWD site.

Buy the book:

NaBloPoMo-Lunch with Dorie Greenspan Hosted by Driscoll’s Berries and KitchenAid at The Daily Meal

November 7, 2013 by Renee

Today I attended a lunch at The Daily Meal. It was sponsored by Driscoll’s Berries and Kitchen Aid and the guest of honor was Dorie Greenspan, who in real life, is just as charming and kind as you would imagine! It was such an honor and a pleasure to meet her. As you know, I used to (I still consider myself to) be a part of French Fridays with Dorie cooking group. Unfortunately my travels this year got the best of me and it was soon put on indefinite hold. But, I pop in every now and again and I still follow many of the wonderful blogs I discovered there.

Anyway, the theme for today’s lunch was #MadeWithLove and it was all about raspberries and using raspberries in different ways. Lunch was a variety of h’or d’oeuvres. Each bite we tried had a raspberry inspired component. There was one bite in particular that was incredible and I could seriously eat just that all day- a butternut squash latke topped with duck confit and a raspberry preserve. The warm crunch of lakte and the silky confit paired beautifully with the sweet, tartness of the raspberry. It was a perfect bite. And it would make a great addition to our Thanksgiving meal.

The highlight was listening to Dorie discuss her upcoming baking book and learning about the products she uses and loves. I especially enjoyed learning about the items she brings back from Paris- fleur de sel and butter, in particular, from a small producer in Brittany. It was a lively and fun conversation.

Once the appetizers were passed, those of us who prepared a dish made with raspberries for the contest, got to explain what we had made and how it was done. My recipe was for a chocolate ganache torte (tart?) on a pecan crust topped with raspberries. It’s truly one of the simplest desserts I make- even though it looks so beautiful and like I slaved for hours over it. It’s a staple at dinner parties or if I have to bring a dessert to someone’s house (as long as they are okay with nuts). But just because it’s simple doesn’t mean that it isn’t decadent. It’s pure delight for the chocolate lover. Incredibly rich, only a sliver is all you really need.

There is only 7 ingredients (sometimes a few more depending on the version I am making- orange and cardamon, coconut and almond, chili and burnt chocolate, salted, mocha, etc.) and it’s incredibly quick to make without dirtying up your entire kitchen. My kind of recipe!

Well, I am thrilled to report that I actually won! Me!!! Well, my tart anyway. But still! Yay!!!! And both Dorie Greenspan and Arthur Bovino of The Daily Meal gave it rave reviews! I was so excited and shocked! (I really never win anything- and yet, in the past two weeks, I’ve won two contests!) I am in shock still because it’s really so simple that it’s honestly almost embarrassing to be given such an honor! My reward? Well, sometime in 2014 there will be a feature on the Driscoll’s website. Yay!

Because it is so easy, I decided to write a detailed step by step photo tutorial so you too can make it! It’ll go up in the next few days. In the meantime, I want to thank The Daily Meal, Driscoll’s , KitchenAid and the lovely and charming Dorie Greenspan. I had a terrific time and I am so grateful!

Goat Cheese and Strawberry Tartine-French Fridays with Dorie

June 7, 2013 by Renee

After a bit of hiatus (I have been traveling and working a lot since I’ve been home!) I am back to participating in French Fridays with Dorie. We’ve actually made a few of the recipes to catch up already and will be posting those soon. But we could not be happier for the ease of this week’s recipe (Is it really a recipe?). Making this simple Goat Cheese and Strawberry Tartine was a good way to inch back into this routine.

I already had strawberries on hand as I am also making jam this weekend. We usually have a package of goat cheese and balsamic is a staple. The only thing that was missing was a baguette. Any excuse for buying a baguette is a good one, but the fact that I still have a few cans of pâté from France is an especially enticing reason.

We sliced a few pieces of the bread and grilled them dry. Then we added the goat cheese, strawberries and a dash of pepper. Finally, we drizzled a bit of balsamic over them and served them as hors d’oeuvres for late afternoon tea party.

This dish would also be a great brunch tray passer. The sweetness of the tender strawberries combined with the balsamic was balanced perfectly by the creamy, tart goat cheese and bite of the black pepper. A fabulous marriage of flavors.

This was super easy to prepare- just like many of the dishes in Dorie’s book. You can (and should!) buy the book and cook along with us. It’s great fun! Every Friday we make a new recipe. Looking forward to next weeks! For details and to see how others are recreating the dishes from this awesome book, check out the FFWD site.

Buy the book:

Don’t forget to enter to win a set of 3 OXO Good Grips Graters!