Three-Onion Tart and Corn Bisque--the kitchen is finished!

That's right, the over-two-week long kitchen renovation is complete, and things are looking mighty fine. Not everything is clean and back in its place just yet, so you will have to wait for photos of our accomplishment, but even better than kitchen photos?


Food photos! I am finally able to cook a complete meal in my kitchen again. While there's been some cooking in the past couple of weeks, it hasn't come easily and creativity has not really been an option.


So, I read Elise's blog fairly religiously--she always strikes a perfect balance between education and really creative cooking--and when she posted this recipe for a rustic onion tart earlier this week, I knew I had to make it. What better way to get back in the kitchen than with a baking project? I followed her recipe nearly to the letter (her pastry recipe is perfection), with one exception--I only had one red onion, so I also used two yellow onions and a massive shallot I had sitting around--thus the "Three Onion" distinction. This is a beautiful tart to look at, folks, and even better tasting. Go celebrate the cooling weather and make one for yourself!



The soup was born out of inspiration from a Cooking Light recipe (I've been on a dreaded diet, yet another reason I haven't been posting much), and with a couple of ears of late summer sweet corn languishing in the refrigerator, I couldn't resist making it my own. The result was sweet, delicious, and deceptively rich-tasting. Topped with a mound of fresh crab meat, a sprinkling of heirloom tomato, and chunks of ripe avocado, I felt it was a fitting goodbye to summer.

Roasted Zucchini Soup with Fried Shallots

You know what, Blogger? You and me? We are officially in a fight. You see, I've had people on my case for not posting enough, yet I've been trying to upload pictures for this recipe for DAYS. Days! This? Is ridiculous.

And so, with one triumphant picture loaded, I'm posting. This is a great soup that will use up any zucchinis that are taking over your garden or given to you by overburdened friends. It's best served at room temperature, but you can certainly chill it if the heat is beating you down. I like it at a thicker consistency than some of you might, just adjust the stock or half & half as you wish. Also, you'll see that the measurements are far from precise--just wing it and feel proud when you are later slurping down this savory sweet soup with its satisfyingly crunchy garnish.

Roasted Zucchini Soup with Fried Shallots

for the shallots:

3-4 shallots, peeled and sliced very thinly
peanut oil

Heat about an inch of peanut oil over medium-high heat in a small, heavy pot. Fry the shallots in batches, being careful to not overload the pot or they will stick, until a deep golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

For the soup:

4-5 medium zucchini
half & half
chicken stock (or any broth)
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cube the zucchini roughly and toss generously in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast until caramelized on the edges and very soft--you want it softer than you would if eating it on its own.

Dump the zucchini into a food processor and pulse a few times until pretty mushy. Now you can get creative--add stock and continue processing until as smooth and thin as you like. Add some half & half (you could use cream or even whole milk instead) in at the end and pulse again to combine. Taste and adjust for seasoning--I like it simple, but you could add any number of spices at this point.

Ladle into a shallow bowl and top with a generous amount of the fried shallots. I recommend eating this whilst cursing your blog publishing program. It soothes the pain in a most satisfying manner.

Asparagus Souffle

Fellow Knoxville food blogger Kevin has been working on a project after my own heart, because it extolls the virtues of one of my most favorite vegetables. Every Monday you can find a round up of the most sublime asparagus recipes at Kevin's Asparagus Aspirations, and after days and days of wracking my brain for the perfect entry, I came up with this puffy wonder.


This souffle was a very proud achievement because I worked off of no pre-existing recipe, a daunting task when dealing with finicky egg whites. Armed with my vague knowledge of ingredient proportions and some extremely fresh spring asparagus, I set to work.

The results were better than I had dreamed. I managed to maintain the bright green color (that was my first concern, that I would end up with muddy greenish-brown puffs), and each bite truly tasted of asparagus first. The additional ingredients simply served as the supporting cast for this impressive dish. And, should you worry that you are wasting half of your asparagus stalks, I refer you to this recipe for a cold asparagus soup that makes excellent use of the woody stalks.

While I made two larger souffles, I think this would make a lovely first course for four people, served in demitasse cups or small ramekins. Feel free to try different cheeses--I think chevre or Gruyere would be quite nice as well. And of course, if you prefer perfect, flat-topped souffles, knock yourself out and smooth the surface evenly. I like the pillowy, free form mounds, myself.


Asparagus Souffle
serves 2-4

3 large eggs, separated
1 lb. asparagus
2-3 Tbsp vegetable or chicken stock
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
.25 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the asparagus stalks in half, for this recipe you only need the most tender green ends. Boil the asparagus in lightly salted water until just tender--about 3 minutes. Drain and let cool. Chop the blanched spears roughly and toss into a blender or food processor. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and some of the stock and pulse until smooth. You may need a dash or two more of stock, you want a very smooth green puree. Set aside.


In a mixing bowl, cream the egg yolks, flour, mustard, Parmesan, and asparagus puree until well combined--about 3 minutes. With the bowl sitting over a pan of simmering water, whisk until paler in color and quite thick, roughly 5 minutes. Replace on mixer stand, and cream for an additional 3 minutes, until light and beginning to cool. Transfer to a clean bowl and set aside. At this point you can wait up to 2 hours before completing the souffles.

In a clean mixing bowl, whip the egg whites until they hold a stiff peaks. Be careful to not over beat the whites. Whisk one third of the egg whites into the asparagus mixture until well combined, then carefully fold in the remaining egg whites. Scoop the souffle mixture into ramekins or tea cups, leaving about.5 inch at the top, and making sure to not deflate the fluffy mixture.


Place ramekins onto a baking sheet and bake until puffy and golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Garnish with an asparagus spear (if desired) and serve immediately.

Mimosa Soup

Sometimes you reach a point where you've just had too much. Too much sugar, too much fat, too much everything. This is a good soup for when you've reached that point, and need something to make you feel cleansed.

This recipe comes from a book I'm a little embarrassed to own (it's about those damn French women and how they don't get fat, okay?). In the book, it is prescribed as a diet aid--eat nothing but this soup for nearly two days to jumpstart a new "programme". I usually just have it for lunch and snacks for a couple of days. It is bland, but in a comforting way. My recipe deviates from the original slightly, I added some salt (illegal!), a bit of chicken stock, and broccoli. Because I love broccoli.


Mimosa Soup
serves 1 for a couple of days

1 small head lettuce
several handfuls baby carrots
1 broccoli crown
1 small head cauliflower
1 turnip
1 large leek
1 c. chicken stock
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
.5 cup chopped parsely
hard boiled eggs


Clean and chop all vegetables in rough pieces and put them in a pot, except for the cauliflower and parsely. Add chicken stock and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for 35 minutes. Add the cauliflower and parsley and cook for another 10 minutes. Use salt and pepper to taste (remember, light on the salt!)


Puree in a blender in batches. Serve drizzled with a little olive oil and a chopped hard boiled egg. Not the prettiest soup in the world, but very light, filling, and terribly healthy.

Cioppino (Seafood Soup)

The perfect soup for when you've had too much of everything--red meat, butter, baked goods, chocolate, you know the drill. Savory and fortifying, full of lean protein, rich but low in fat, this is a good one, folks. I highly recommend making some stock next time you have a bunch of shrimp peels on hand, it's worth the extra effort in this case.

Cioppino (Seafood Soup)
serves 3

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
pinch crushed red pepper
1 medium Yukon Gold potato, small dice
1 14-oz. can petite diced tomatoes, drained
2 c. seafood stock*
8 oz. halibut fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces
.25 lb. uncooked peeled deveined medium shrimp
.25 lb. bay scallops
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
seasalt
freshly ground pepper
garlic toasts**

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, rosemary, and crushed pepper; saute 3-4 minutes until golden and soft. Add tomatoes, stock, and potatoes, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.


Add all seafood and the parsley; simmer until seafood is opaque in the center, about 3 minutes (the seafood will continue to cook as you serve it, do not over cook). Season to taste with salt and pepper, ladle into bowls, and garnish with more parsley and garlic toasts. Eat immediately!

*If you do not have seafood stock on hand, you can substitute 1 8-oz. bottle of clam juice, .75 c. dry white wine, and the juice from the canned tomatoes. However, if you would like, my seafood stock recipe is really easy and you can always have some on hand in your freezer:


Seafood Stock
makes about 4 cups

2 Tbsp olive oil
shells from 1 lb. large shrimp
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
.5 c. dry white wine
.25 c. tomato paste
1 Tbsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
10 sprigs fresh thyme, including stems


Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shrimp shells, onions, carrots, and celery over medium heat and saute for 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add 1.5 quarts of water, the wine, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Strain well, pressing the solids.


**Garlic toasts are the perfect accompaniment to this savory stew, and very simple to make. Slice a baguette thinly, then drizzle each slice with a little olive oil. Cut a large clove of garlic in half and rub the cut side over each slice of bread. Sprinkle with a few grains of salt, then toast under the broiler. Enjoy!

Mushroom Soup

This is a very savory, simple soup that can be whipped up in less than 15 minutes. Sounds good, no? Make sure to serve it with some crunchy toasts, or even better, with a Tenderloin "En Crosta" like I made tonight. You won't be disappointed.


Mushroom Soup
serves 2

2 Tbsp butter
olive oil
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
1 8-oz. package button mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
1 6-oz. package cremini (baby Bella) mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
1 c. homemade chicken stock*
1 c. vegetable stock
.5 c. dry white wine
1 beef bouillion cube
fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
fresh tarragon, coarsely chopped
sea salt
fresh ground pepper

*The chicken stock I made was pretty thick and viscous, so I chose to mix it with some boxed vegetable stock I had on hand. Feel free to use 2 cups of whatever stock you have instead.

Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat until foamy. Add mushrooms and saute until the excess moisture evaporates and they are golden brown. Mushrooms love to soak up oil, but they do release it, so fight the temptation to add more. Spoon into a bowl and set aside.


Reduce heat to medium. Add a splash of olive oil to the pan, if necessary. Saute shallots until soft and translucent, but not too browned. Add the wine and bouillion cube, stir until combined and slightly reduced. Add the stock and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes. Toss the mushrooms, and whatever juices have accumulated, back into the pot, along with the fresh herbs. Simmer for 3-4 minutes more, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, then serve.