Local cookbook author Dina Guillen has a great new cookbook out that’s perfect for your al fresco dining plans, Plank Grilling: 75 Recipes for Infusing Food with Flavor Using Wood Planks.
We interviewed Dina when her first cookbook came out, so when Plank Grilling came across my desk, I couldn’t wait to try some of the recipes. Dina’s recipe for Beet Hummus (below) is one of her favorites.
If you’d like to taste some of these delicious recipes, get an autographed copy of her cookbook AND do some good, her book launch is scheduled for April 6 at Mulvaney’s from 6-9 PM, an event that will also benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Beet Hummus
Plank preference: Cedar
Makes 2 cups
3 small beets (about 1 pound), trimmed and peeled
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 (15.5-ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons tahini
Juice of 1 large lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, or 1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts, for garnish (optional)
Soak the plank for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
Cut the beets in half and toss with the oil, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper.
Prepare the plank for grilling according to the instructions on page 12. Place the beets, cut side down, on the toasted side of the plank. Close the lid and grill for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tender. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Once the beets are cool enough to handle, roughly chop them and place them in the bowl of a food processor.
Add the garbanzo beans, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper to the food processor. Blend until smooth, 20 to 30 seconds. Garnish with the parsley or pine nuts.
(c)2014 By Dina Guillen. All rights reserved. Excerpted from Plank Grilling: 75 Recipes for Infusing Food with Flavor Using Wood Planks by permission of Sasquatch Books.
Photography by Rina Jordan
COMPOST COOKIES
I love to bake, so a few years back, my thoughtful husband bought me the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook which I was excited to dive into. However, I was immediately intimidated. The measurements were in grams, it included ingredients like glucose and freeze-dried corn powder, and there were multiple recipes within recipes (often a turn off for me). Christina Tosi is a baking genius. I am no Christina Tosi. So there the book sat, collecting dust.
But this weekend I conquered my fear and opened the book again and decided to tackle my first recipe from this very cool book. I landed on Compost Cookies which are sometimes referred to as Garbage Cookies. What I liked about this recipe is that I was able to make some subtle swaps (like corn syrup for glucose) as well as add in other fun treats (like M&M’s).
I’m so glad I set my fears aside, because I learned a few new techniques that I look forward to putting into practice with other cookie recipes. Plus, they were delicious.
COMPOST COOKIES
Ingredients
2 sticks butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup candy-coated chocolate candies
1/3 old-fashioned rolled oats
2 1/2 teaspoons ground coffee
2 cups kettle-style potato chips
1 cup mini pretzels
Directions
Combine the butter, sugars and corn syrup in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Still on low speed, add the chocolate chips, candies, oats, and coffee and mix until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add the potato chips and pretzels and mix until just incorporated. Be careful not to overmix or break too many pretzels or potato chips.
Using an ice cream scoop, portion out the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Pat the tops of the cookie dough domes flat. Wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 week. Do not bake your cookies from room temperature – they will not bake properly.
Heat the oven to 375°F.
Arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Bake for 18 minutes. The cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. After 18 minutes, they should be very faintly browned on the edges yet still bright yellow in the center. Give them an extra minute or so if that is not the case.
Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a plate or an airtight container for storage. At room temperature, cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer they will keep for 1 month.
Recipe adapted from Momofuku Milk Bar, Christina Tosi, Clarkson Potter, 2011
Salted Caramel Corn
Everyone has that go-to recipe. It’s that recipe you know by heart and you always have the ingredients stocked in your pantry. It’s a sure bet, the crowd pleaser and it never goes out of style. You always get compliments on it, to which you reply casually, “What? This little thing? T’was nothing, really!” (Okay, maybe you don’t use the word “t’was”.) Your friends call it your signature dish. You call it your secret recipe.
But some secrets are not meant to be kept – especially when it involves buttery caramel and flakes of crunchy salt.
And so I share with you my secret dish, my ace-up-the-sleeve when I need to create something I know no one will be able to resist – salted caramel corn.
Baked in the oven with a homemade caramel sauce, it has all the elements you want in a dessert – the buttery sweetness of the caramel, the crunchiness of the popcorn and of course the saltiness that makes this irresistible. It’s so good, you will be lucky if it sticks around for more than 24 hours. It never does in my household!
Salted Caramel Corn
Ingredients
5 quarts popped popcorn
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter
½ cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
Flake salt or Himalayan salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Pour popcorn into large baking pan and set aside. In a saucepan, combine sugar, butter, syrup and salt over medium heat. Melt until combined and bring to a boil. Boil for five minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in baking soda until the mixture gets fluffy. Immediately pour mixture onto popcorn and mix to coat evenly. Bake for 1 hour at 250 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes. Immediately transfer to wax or parchment paper, sprinkle with salt and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.
Now Open: Strings Urban Kitchen
By: Jake Ferguson and Amanda Frew
The Sacramento food scene is a buzz with new restaurants and we were thrilled to find out that one of the newest eateries to open in town is right in our backyard. Strings Urban Kitchen, also known as SUK, now open at Capitol Towers (O and 7th), is dishing up delicious flavors for both lunch and dinner brought to life by the folks from Strings Italian Kitchen.
We were recently invited to enjoy a delicious 3-course meal that showcased the options available at SUK. We were pleased by the welcoming atmosphere, revamped interior and hospitality we received from the staff and owner Michael Gelber.
Upon our arrival, we were greeted with a glass of Prosecco (who doesn’t love that) and received a full tour of the tastefully designed décor and offerings, which included an expansive wine selection and display, state of the art soda dispenser and a private dining area that is perfect for an occasion-based dinner or work lunch.
The evening featured a custom menu made up of some of the signature dishes offered at SUK. Here are our thoughts on the various dishes:
Seafood-Based Tomato Bisque: This bisque is creamy with a nice kick of spice and is topped with just the right amount of lump crab to give the dish distinct seafood flair. While served as a starter, this bisque would have no problem holding its own as a main course.
Pasta Sienna: This hearty pasta dish includes chicken and shrimp sautéed in pesto, garlic and red chili pepper, tossed with sun-dried tomatoes, penne pasta and a touch of alfredo and curry. Admittedly, the addition of curry caused some hesitation initially, but we must say that it really makes the dish! The flavors marry together perfectly and we couldn’t get enough of the subtle spice and flavor the curry added.
Cioppino: SUK focuses on freshly sourced seafood, and this dish is a perfect example of the succulent seafood available at the restaurant. The light garlicky broth is beautifully complemented by a plethora of fish, mussels and shrimp with a generous portion of lump crab. The fresh Italian bread was a perfect vehicle to soak up the delicious broth, as we didn’t want any of it to go to waste! This dish is definitely a winner.
Conchiglie Ripiene (stuffed shells): This dish is indulgent, yet perfectly balanced. The creamy cheese stuffing is offset by crispy, salty pepperoni, making each bite interesting and addictive. The creamy tomato vodka sauce brings this dish together with a bit of spice and some acid to round out the dish. We heartily recommend this dish.
In addition to the restaurant and full bar, SUK also features a retail wine shop in which sommelier and partner Michael Chandler can assist in selecting the perfect bottle of vino! SUK promises to provide Downtown Sacramento with an inviting place to “Eat. Drink. Gather.” and we recommend doing just that.
Strings Urban Kitchen
1500 7th St.
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-444-6500
Food as Art: Paris Edition
From one of the SacFoodies’ travel files – Paris 2012 — this fruit platter in a 16th century Chateau makes us all hungry to hit the road. We’d love to know, where’s a place you’ve experienced food so gorgeous it could live on as a piece of art?
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