De Ma Cuisine

Brunch Archive

Monday

1

December 2014

0

COMMENTS

Sautéed Persimmons with Bacon

Written by , Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Dairy-Free, Dinner, Fruit, Gluten Free, Lunch, Meat, Pork, Quick and Easy, Sides

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Sometimes inspiration just hits. Something pops into my brain, like, “I wonder if spaghetti would taste good served in a roasted butternut squash” (we will find out at dinner tonight), or “persimmons and bacon… why haven’t I tried this before…”

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I should have done this a long time ago. I mean, bacon pairs well with sweet things. The salty goodness compliments a hint of sweetness so nicely.

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The recipe calls for 2-4 slices of bacon. Since I knew I’d be the only one eating this at lunch today, I just made two. Which was definitely just enough for one (barely, ’cause I hadn’t figured in pieces sneaked off the plate, testing to make sure this new brand of bacon was actually good, shoving whole pieces into my face…)

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If possibly, peel persimmons in one long curly strip. Just because it’s fun. If you want to entice the kids to help, maybe they’d want to try this.

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I like to cook these over a bit higher heat (just medium, rather than medium-low), so they get a bit more color.

Speaking of color, notice those tomatoes?! From my garden, finally!

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After the persimmons are cooked, they’re tossed with all of the bacon (that you didn’t already eat), and some lemon juice, for brightness.

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And just like that, you have a fabulous side.

You could eat it for breakfast alongside some Sweet and Savory Cornmeal Pancakes (hello double bacon!).

You could add some butter lettuce, almonds, and feta, and whisk up a lemon vinaigrette for a quick lunch.

Maybe you’d like to serve it alongside a roast chicken or pork, with a simple salad.

Want to change up your holiday dinner? Swap out your traditional sweet potato dish for these persimmons for an easy side.

Or, you might be like me, and just want to eat it on its own, picking out all the bacon for yourself.

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Happy Eating!

Sautéed Persimmons with Bacon

Sautéed Persimmons with Bacon

Ingredients

  • 2-4 slices bacon
  • 1 t olive oil
  • 3-4 fuyu persimmons, peeled, sliced, and halved
  • pinch salt
  • pinch pepper
  • 1-2 T lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Place bacon in a cold skillet. Turn on heat and cook until crispy. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Wipe out the pan (leaving a bit of grease is fine).
  2. Add olive oil to the pan. Add persimmons, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, or until they are tender-crisp with nice color.
  3. Toss with bacon and lemon juice and serve immediately.
http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/sauteed-persimmons-with-bacon/

Thursday

28

August 2014

3

COMMENTS

Squash and Scrambled Egg Wraps

Written by , Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Cheese, Dinner, Eggs, Fruit, Kid-Friendly, Low Carb, Lunch, Main Dishes, Quick and Easy, Thoughts, Vegetables, Vegetarian

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My family lives entirely too far away from me. Or I live too far away from them. Today has been one of those days where I’m missing them especially a lot.

Sniff. I’ll be ok. It’s always too long in between in person visits, but I’m always thankful for the technology like Skype, so we can talk and see each others faces every week. Usually at some point someone sounds like a robot, there’s a delay and we all talk over each other, or it sounds like there’s a train rushing by at someone’s house. But, we’re hearing each other’s voices, seeing each other’s faces, from so far away.

If Anja (who is almost 2 years old) is on, we’re just dying at the cuteness, as she says our names and chats about the puzzle she just got.

Oh I love technology…

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These wraps seem like the kind of thing that we would enjoy together when we’re all gathered around the table for a meal. In person. All of us at the same table.

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We all enjoy food. In fact, all three of us kids are involved in the food industry in some way. My mom and dad have a banquet hall and have passed on their love for eating, cooking, and gardening to us. I have fond memories of plucking still warm raspberries and cherry tomatoes from the garden that we had in our backyard growing up. There are so many things about those years that I find myself trying to duplicate now as an adult with my own home.

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I don’t know if I was crazy about squash as a kid. Mom would hide it in “Zoo Bread” (made with zucchini), which we loved. But, I love squash now and can’t get enough of it this summer especially.

One of my favorite easy lunches is Squash’n Eggs. This is almost the same thing, just topped with cheese and salsa, and all wrapped up.

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If possible, I always have eggs on hand. They’re the perfect meal saver. From pasta topped with a fried egg, to Pasta Carbonara, to Roasted Broccoli and Fried Egg Sandwiches, it’s eggs to the rescue.

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I whisked the eggs with a little bit of milk, some salt, and pepper. Keeping it simple.

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Once the eggs start to set, they get scraped off the bottom of the pan a bit. Low heat is key with scrambled eggs. Cook them gently.

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Once they’re just set, they’re ready.

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Half of the mixture is scooped out on to each tortilla. Whole wheat for me, white for Tim. It’s what we both prefer.

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I like to add a little bit of monterey jack or cheddar cheese to them. Tastes so good.

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A plomp of salsa, then they get rolled up. My whole wheat tortillas aren’t as flexible as Tim’s white ones. But, even cracked, they taste good.

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We have tons of fresh tomatoes right now and they’ve got the most incredible flavor, so we’re eating them on everything! I hope you are too. And, I especially hope that you’re enjoying these wraps with your family. Even if it’s just via Skype.

Happy Eating!

Squash and Scrambled Egg Wraps
Recipe Type: Main, Dinner, Lunch, Breakfast, Brunch, Quick and Easy, Eggs, Vegetarian
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2
One of the quickest, easiest lunches for those super busy days. Squash and scrambled eggs are topped with cheese and salsa, and all wrapped up.
Ingredients
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 medium summer squash, chopped
  • to taste salt
  • to taste pepper
  • 1/2 C corn
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 T milk or water
  • to taste salt
  • to taste pepper
  • 2 tortillas
  • 1/4 to 1/2 C monterey jack (or cheddar) cheese, grated
  • salsa
  • 1 tomato, chopped, for topping
Instructions
  1. Heat skillet, add oil, when oil is hot add squash, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Add corn and cook for about 2 minutes more.
  2. Turn heat to low. Whisk together eggs, milk or water, salt, and pepper. Add to squash skillet. Gently scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or heat-safe spatula to scrape up the eggs as some bits begin to set. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, or until eggs are just set, scraping occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
  3. Scoop egg mixture into the tortillas. Top with cheese and salsa. Fold ends in and then sides.
  4. Serve topped with tomato.

 

Thursday

7

August 2014

6

COMMENTS

Peach Sauce

Written by , Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Canning, Condiments, Dessert, Fruit, Gluten Free, Kid-Friendly, Sauces, Vegetarian

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Last week I ordered twenty pounds of peaches as an add on from Abundant Harvest Organics. I thought I’d bitten off more than I could chew (haha, no pun intended) and worried that they may spoil before I got to them.

None did.

And now I have a yummy peach sauce to share with you!

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Feel free to substitute your favorite stone fruit if you’d like. Plums, nectarines, apriums, pluots, apricots… they’d all be amazing.

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Start by halving the peaches. Remove the pit, and slice or roughly chop. It’s going to be blended in a bit, so don’t worry about the shape.

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About eight to ten cups will do just fine. Out of my twenty pounds of peaches, I ended up with roughly 45 cups of sliced peaches in total. This sauce was just a small portion (I froze the rest – more about that another week).

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I added two tablespoons of butter to a large hot pot. If you don’t want to use butter, coconut oil would be just fine. The fat adds a rich quality to the sauce that I love. If you don’t want to add either, that’s cool too.

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Peaches are dumped into the hot browning butter.

Get ready for the smell. It’s amazing!

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After the peaches have cooked for about twenty minutes (and then rested for ten – not a must, I just needed more time to work on a different recipe, so they had to wait), they should look something like this.

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I had a few oranges still hanging around from spring boxes (wow they lasted a long time!!), so I whisked them up with the zest and juice from one lemon, a bit of coconut palm sugar, and a pinch of salt.

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And then, orangy-lemon juice meet smooshy peaches.

Orangeyou glad I didn’t say… I don’t know… banana?!

Sorry. Kinda.

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After the sauce cooked up for a while longer, I blended it up with my hand blender. A regular blender will work just fine too (just be sure to remove the middle part of the lid and cover the hole with a clean kitchen towel).

One more tablespoon of butter is stirred in after the sauce is blended.

Extra richy richness.

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This is gonna be good… I’m hoping that Tim will make some more Vanilla Bean Ice Cream so I can top it with some of this sauce. You could make this even more awesome by roasting some fruit to plomp on top. It would be great over French Toast or Cornmeal Pancakes, or used in place of jam.

Or, just eat it by the spoonful…

Happy Eating!

Peach Sauce
 
Recipe Type: Dessert, Sauces, Stone Fruit, Gluten-Free, Breakfast
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Sweet summer peaches are cooked up in butter and blended to make a delicious sauce.
Ingredients
  • 3 T unsalted butter (divided 2 T, 1 T)
  • 8-10 C ripe peaches, sliced or roughly chopped
  • 1 t vanilla extract
  • pinch salt
  • juice from 1 lemon
  • zest from 1 lemon
  • juice from 2-3 oranges
  • 3 T coconut palm sugar (brown sugar, maple syrup, or honey will work too)
Instructions
  1. Heat a large pot and add 2 T of butter. When butter is hot, add peaches. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, or until peaches are very soft. Let stand 10 minutes (optional).
  2. Whisk together vanilla through sugar. Add to peaches. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
  3. Blend with a hand blender (it helps to tip the pot to the side a bit to prevent splattering) or a blender (in batches, with the middle part of the lid removed and a clean towel covering the hole). Stir in remaining 1 T of butter.
  4. To store, ladle into clean pint jars, leaving at least 1/2″ of room at the top. I prefer to store the sauce in the freezer, freezing uncovered, then adding the lids once the sauce is frozen.
 
Notes
Yields 3 pint jars.

 

Thursday

31

July 2014

0

COMMENTS

Summer Smoothies

Written by , Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Drinks, Fruit, Gluten Free, Herbs, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Snacks, Vegetables, Vegetarian

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At Williams-Sonoma, they’re celebrating Smoothie Week. Are you celebrating too?! Smoothies are a celebration of delicious ingredients that blend up to make a wonderful drink.

We have all these amazing goodies to eat right now. Their flavors are fresh, cheerful, and fun.

It’s the season for light and bright (not to be confused with the child’s toy Lite Brite). For berries, peaches, and fresh basil.

A smoothie seems like the perfect way to collect all of this goodness in one place.

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Starting with some milk and Greek yogurt. Any kind of milk will do. Same with the yogurt. You could start with just a little bit of milk, and add more later depending on how thick you like your smoothies.

I like them kinda thick.

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Since I just had two small frozen bananas, I froze half of the berries too. That’s not necessary, but I like a really cold smoothie. Just my preference.

To freeze or not to freeze… it’s up to you.

Any frozen fruit that you don’t use, keep frozen to use in your favorite summer drinks.

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I haven’t used my blender in about 5 years. I made some tomato soup and didn’t know that you’re supposed to take the plug out of the lid when blending hot liquids… I know now! So I got an immersion/hand blender and have been using it ever since. But this recipe, it needed a blender, because I wanted to make a lot!

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I added a touch of honey and some lemon zest too. Because I can. Because I’m a little bit obsessed with lemon zest, basil, and fruit right now. It just tastes so gooooood!

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Chard, for a little extra green. Spinach, kale, even lettuce can also be substituted. It may seem a little crazy to add vegetables to a sweet smoothie, but trust me, then blend right in. 😉

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You could simplify and make this just a peaches and cream smoothie (with the basil, of course). You could just do berries. You could add more greens… But, I love all that the many ingredients bring to this drink. Not just in taste, but health benefits too. We’re supposed to eat a rainbow of fruits and veggies… this smoothie brings color to the table.

In the fall and winter months, you could choose fruits that are in season, like pears and apples, and change the basil out for mint.

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Make a big batch and share with your friends. Add it to your family’s breakfast. Serve it alongside a special brunch where you’re eating Squash’n Eggs or Fresh Fruit and Basil Stuffed French Toast. Or freeze some for other breakfasts. Pop ’em in to the fridge the night before and they’ll be ready in the morning. Nice and cold, but not so frozen solid… and if they are still frozen solid, they work well as a popsicle on a hot day (you can freeze in a popsicle mold or ice cube tray with toothpicks too).

Happy Eating!

Summer Smoothie
Recipe Type: Breakfast, Dessert, Drinks, Smoothies, Gluten-Free, Kale, Chard, Spinach, Kid-Friendly, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Raw, Recipes, Snacks, Vegetarian
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients
  • 1 C Greek yogurt (or any yogurt)
  • 1/2 to 1 C milk (any type)
  • 1 C peaches, roughly chopped
  • 3/4 C strawberries, fresh
  • 1/2 C strawberries, frozen
  • 1/4 C blueberries, frozen
  • 1/2 C blueberries, fresh
  • 1 large or 2 small bananas, frozen, broken into chunks
  • 1 T honey
  • 1 C greens (swiss chard, spinach, or kale), roughly chopped
  • 1 t lemon zest
  • 1/2 t fresh basil
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend to desired consistency (adding more milk if desired).
  2. Freeze leftovers in half pint jars.

 

Monday

21

July 2014

0

COMMENTS

Fresh Herb and Dried Tomato Bruschetta

Written by , Posted in Appetizers, Bread, Brunch, Dairy-Free, Fruit, Herbs, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Sandwiches, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

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I dried some tomatoes.

There was a moment when I wasn’t sure if they would turn out.

Somewhere in-between peeking into the oven to see some still watery tomatoes, and picking a couple burned ones off the baking sheet there was success.

Success made of sweet, intense flavor.

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They have a texture like a dried cranberry. A hint of sweetness like them too. But, that’s where the similarities end.

Because you wouldn’t make a dried cranberry into a bruschetta… would you?

Don’t answer that.

We will just move on. Let us go to a place of amazing.

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One of my favorite appetizers (or meals, depending on the day) is bruschetta. It’s crazy simple to prepare. And insanely good to eat. Like coo coo crazy good.

It’s bread, garlic, oil, tomatoes, and herbs. You can’t go wrong.

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A baguette is sliced, drizzled with olive oil, and toasted.

I learned how to make baguettes that time I went to Paris.

I think of that trip most days. Making baguettes brings a little bit of Paris to my kitchen.

Bruschetta brings a little bit of Italy.

I like that.

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Fresh herbs like basil and savory are perfect. Oregano would also be nice, but I didn’t have any at the time. I do now. Guess I’ll have to make these again.

Twist my arm.

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Those obnoxiously good tomatoes are chopped up. (If they even made it off the baking sheet. I’m not sure how many I ate before they went into the jar on drying day.) They’re combined with the fresh herbs and a ton of garlic.

Oh sweet garlic. How I love thee…

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I ate them all. All. All by myself.

There are really enough for 3-4 people.

I was gonna share with Tim, but he ended up having a lunch meeting. Oh darn. I ate them with Squash’n Eggs, and a Smoothie. And then I ate the leftovers for a snack later in the evening.

Happy Eating!

Fresh Herb and Dried Tomato Bruschetta
Recipe Type: Appetizer, Side, Vegetarian, Fruit, Herbs, Vegan
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 16-24 slices baguette
  • 1 t olive oil
  • pinch salt
  • 1 pint sized jar dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 T fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 t fresh savory, chopped
  • (oregano could also be added)
  • 1/4 C olive oil (use the oil from the tomatoes)
  • 1 clove garlic (from tomatoes), minced
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • to taste, salt
  • to taste, pepper
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350F (I used the toaster/convection oven).
  2. Drizzle baguette with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with salt. Toast for about 10-15 minutes, or until crispy and slightly browned.
  3. Combine tomato through pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
  4. Top toasted baguette slices with tomato mixture.