Monday, April 26, 2010

chilled beet soup with kefir and chives

If I was to choose one single dish to showcase beauty and flavor of spring, it would be this gorgeous, deep purple colored chilled beet and kefir soup.
I know….I know….here we have morel mushrooms, asparagus, strawberries, rhubarb…… and I’m talking beets. Well…. I can’t help it…..I fell in love with this refreshingly sour and earthy tasting mix of baby beets, radish, cucumber, chives and dill. Packed with probiotics, antioxidants and vitamins….it’s definitely a spring celebration soup.

Ingredients:
  • 1 bunch baby beets with stems and leaves, peeled and finely chopped
  • 3 large radishes or about 6 small, grated
  • kefir, I used LifeWay organic
  • bunch of chives or about 6 green shallots, finely chopped
  • fresh dill about 6-8 sprigs, chopped
  • english cucumber, grated
  • vegetable stock
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, minced garlic(optional)
        Directions:
        place chopped beets with their stems and leafs in a large pot, add only enough stock to barley cover them and boil until tender, about 20 min, add salt to taste. Set aside and cool, reserve the stock.
        In the mean time, in a large bowl mix all vegetables, finely chopped or grated with dill and chives(or green shallots), add cooled beets and stock. In a final step add kefir, more or less 12 oz, depending on what color and consistency you would like to achieve. There is no hard rules to follow in a preparation of this recipe. I often eyeball amounts and alternate ingredients, always successfully. Add salt and ground pepper to taste. Serve chilled on a hot spring or summer day.
        As my tripod  went through some major trauma, I  asked my other half to  give me a hand(s) with theses photos, so... many thanks to my helpful and patient model :)



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        Tuesday, April 6, 2010

        I know...I promised there would be cake

        for your birthday celebration...chocolate one, orange scented with cointreau and freshly whipped cream...well it didn't exactly turn out this way....you got "I love Spring" screaming pie instead. An odd, one might think combination of thyme pate brisee, filled with layer of lemon curd and freshly picked strawberries.....sweet and savory pie this beautiful weather called for. I hope you will enjoy it.

        Thyme and Strawberry Galette
         pate brisee
        1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour(I usually mix it with 1/2c or more whole wheat pastry flower)
        1 teaspoon salt
        2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
        1 stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
        3 Tbsp ice water

        strawberry filling
        3 Tbs lemon curd
        Strawberries, sliced 1/4 inch thick (I used almost a pint, may vary depending on the size of the strawberries)
        1 tablespoon honey
        1-2 teaspoons cornstarch
        1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
        1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash

        Directions
        Mix the flour, salt, and thyme in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball and then flatten it into a disk shape. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to one hour.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 400 degrees. In the mean time prepare the filling by mixing all the ingredients except the egg. Set a side.
        Sprinkle a lightly floured work surface with 1/2Tbsp turbinado sugar, it add nice color, texture and a little sweetness to this otherwise savory crust. Roll out the crust to about 1/4 inch thick and about 8 inches in diameter. Top with lemon curd. Placed the strawberries on top of the curd in an even layer, leaving a one inch ring around. Fold the edges of dough over the strawberries. Brush the dough with the egg wash and bake for 20-25 minutes until the crust is browned and the center is bubbling.
        adapted from beautiful Dishing Up Delights blog.



        We are saving chocolate cake recipe for some rainy days....happy, sunny, beautiful birth day and bon appetit!!!
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