Sour Cream Pie with Blueberries

I found this recipe on the Whole Foods website. It intrigued me because it was a custard like pie made with sour cream. Sour cream is one of the last dairy products that I can still eat. I slowly started to become lactose intolerant when I was 19 years old. The first things that had to be crossed off my menus forever were ice cream and custard. Ever since this terrible discovery, I have been trying to find alternatives for ice creams, custards, and creamy soups and sauces. This pie is the perfect answer. Well done Whole Foods, you win me over again and again.

The texture is similar to a ricotta tart but is not grainy and is a little more light. The only criticism I have is that it was a little too sweet. Next time I will use only 1/3 or even 1/4 cup of sugar.

You can access the recipe via the Whole Foods website: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/946

Pleasant Eating!

Rainy Summer in Michigan

Remember Michigan Spring? If you need a reminder, check my post from March. Well, summer in Michigan isn't that much different sometimes. There are these strange days when it's 75 and sunny, but those are just weird and make me feel all happy and bubbly inside. All sarcasm aside, Michigan is a beautiful state which I am proud to be a resident of, however this rainy summer has put a cloud over my pride. There is no weather that will stop me from cooking. It is officially summer, I am officially grilling...with an umbrella. The chicken in this recipe is worth the sopping wet t-shirt and jeans that I was wearing in 60 degree Michigan summer.

This is where the magic happens.

Blueberry BBQ

I made chicken thighs in a blueberry BBQ sauce, some Mustard and Dill Yukon potatoes, and grilled asparagus.

BBQ

1/4 cup of A1 sauce

1/4 Worcestershire sauce

1/4 ketchup

2 tablespoons of American Spoon Blueberry jam

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

1 teaspoon dried minced garlic

1 teaspoon dried minced onion

freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Mix ingredients.

2. Add thawed chicken thighs.

3. Marinate for at least 2 hours for best results but can be used as a glaze during grilling.

4. Grill with sizzling flavor for around 10 minutes, depending on your grill. Just check for no pink in the chicken.

Dill and Ground Mustard Potatoes

About 1 pound of small Yukon Gold Potatoes (baby potatoes)

1 tablespoon ground mustard

1 tablespoon of sour cream

2 teaspoons of dried (or fresh..yum!) dill

1 tablespoon of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut potatoes in large chunks and boil until cooked all the way through.

2. Mix the rest of the ingredients.

3. Pour dressing on potatoes and serve.

Grilled Asparagus

1 Bunch of Asparagus

1 tablespoon of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Do you know how to easily get rid of the woody portion of the asparagus? The best way possible it to hold the asparagus in your with the tip in one hand and the bottom in the other. Bend the asparagus forward and let it "Snap!" in order to get rid of the woody portion. This is one of my favorite things to do, especially after a long day that has been frustrating. : ) Go ahead and snap some asparagus to get rid of some of that stress.

1. Mix the asparagus in the olive oil, salt and pepper.

2. Grill very quick until you get some nice char marks. No more than 5 minutes.

This dish was so perfect for this rainy day. The BBQ chicken was sweet, tangy, and perfectly smokey. The potatoes were a comforting canvas for the chicken while the asparagus reminded me that it was really summer with it's fresh green earthy flavor. I hope that no matter where you are, weather will not stop you from grilling in the summer.

Rain or shine, pleasant eating!

Easy Gooey Brownies

Check these out on my Frittata House Facebook page!

Instead of box instructions, do this:

1/8 cup of water

1/8 cup of vegetable oil

1/4 cup of vanilla yogurt

1 tablespoon of instant coffee

2 tablespoons of cocoa

1 egg

Bake with the instructions on the box!

I used the yogurt to make these a little more dense and moist.

The instant coffee and cocoa make the brownies explode with chocolate flavor.

Pleasant chocolate eating!

Lake Trout, an homage to "The Mitten"

I grew up in southern Ukraine, close to the river Dnieper which runs north to south and opens into the majestic Black Sea. Everyone was a fisherman in this area, little girls with pigtails and middle aged men with receding hairlines. I was one, my dad was the other.

I remember a specific fishing trip with my father on a grey and rainy day. Not paying attention to the weather, my dad packed us up in his boat and away we went into the rocking waters of the Dnieper. As we approached the middle of the river, the wind picked up and started to rock us with a little more vigor. I remember my dad telling me, with some nervousness in his voice, to sit very still and hold onto the bench. He should have known better than to be worried about his little sailor. Fifteen minutes into the trip and I was out like a little baby. The wind had rocked me to sleep in my dad's fishing boat. He didn't bring any blankets with him, but he had an olive green rubber tarp that was then used as my temporary blanket. To this day, the smell of rubber and fish makes me think of my dad.

I love the water today just as much as I did when I was five years old. The rockier the sea, the more excited I get. I haven't been fishing in a while, but I have been cooking fish for several years. I have been asked several times what food I would bring to a secluded island to eat for a year. Fresh tuna steak with a little wasabi is my consistent answer. Long story short, I love fish.

Whole Foods had some Lake Trout on sale this week and it inspired my dinner tonight. Lake Trout is a native fish to the great lakes. It is juicy when cooked and has a nice fatty consistency that keeps it soft and flaky. The flavor is mild and can be complemented by a variety of citrus, herbs, BBQ, or smoke. For this dish, I wanted to dress the fish up a little bit. This Lake Trout is pan fried in a Lemon Paprika Beurre Blanc and served with cauliflower puree. The beurre blanc in this recipe is not executed in a traditional French technique. I used it as inspiration to create this delicious and decadent sauce for the fish to "swim in" as it cooks.

Lake Trout

Lake Trout fillet

1 teaspoon paprika

1 tablespoon lemon juice

grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon dried basil

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup white distilled vinegar

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Sprinkle the fish with paprika, basil, salt and pepper.

A. Prep an over safe dish ( a cookie sheet with tin foil is sufficient) and preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

2. Heat olive oil in a nonstick pan on medium high heat.

3. Sear the herb side first (about 3-4 minutes) and then flip the fish onto the skin. Turn the heat down to medium. Cook for 5 minutes.

4. Increase heat to medium high and add the vinegar around the fish into the pan. Let this cook and reduce into a thicker consistency.

5. Add the butter and wait for it to start sizzling and frothing. About 2 minutes.

6. Avoid burning the butter by lowering the temperature a little bit at a time if needed. You want the butter to continuously froth as it cooks. About 3 minutes.

7. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in the same way as you added the butter.

8. With a spoon, drizzle the frothy butter on top of the seared fish. Cook another 2-3 minutes.

9. Transfer your fish to the oven safe dish and bake for another 5-7 minutes.

10. Serve with a little bit of grated lemon zest.

Cauliflower Puree

1 Head of cauliflower

1 tablespoon of olive oil

2 teaspoons of dried basil

1 tablespoon of fresh dill

3 tablespoons of butter

salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.

3. Cut the cauliflower into roughly inch by inch pieces. Spread over the cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil.

4. Bake for 20 minutes.

5. Put the cauliflower into a food processor. Add the butter, herbs, salt and pepper, and a 1/3 to a 1/2 cup of water. Puree until cauliflower is smooth like mashed potatoes.

I served this dish with a side Caesar salad but a nice green veggie like grilled asparagus, sauteed green beans, or even wilted spinach would also be a great compliment.

Whether you are out in stormy seas hooking your dinner, or strolling to your local Whole Foods, this recipe will definitely satisfy the hard work you did to catch your dinner.

Pleasant eating everyone.

I am officially a University of Michigan graduate. It is an incredible feeling to be able to write that statement. I made a goal in 8th grade that I would attend U of M, and then it was all I concentrated on during high school. Now, almost 9 years later, goal accomplished. It has been an amazing journey that has challenged me to grow in ways that I didn't think were possible. I have met amazing people along the way, Molly, Katie, Zhenya, John, Mick, Ari,Katrina, Theo, Brad Walvort, James, Brianna, Lauren, Jeff, Ben, Poe, Ali, Kristin, Ashley, and of course Brad Wiley, just to name a few. Some are now like family, some are new friends, and some are off in the distance but that's the way life goes. Sometimes you make beurre blanc with white fish on a Thursday and feel amazing, and sometimes you burn the Sunday pancakes and crawl back into bed. There are also times when you make almost 300 meatballs at midnight for a party. There are days when you can't wait to get back into the kitchen. and days where you hang up the apron for a while. The last four years have been filled with moments like these for me. In confidence I can say, no matter what is going on in my kitchen, cooking makes my life better.
I'm not sure what is next on my plate. It's an exciting time. As of now, my apron's on and I'm taking orders. Coming up this month: meatballs of all kinds, soups for rainy summer days, buttercream cakes, grilled meats and veggies, frozen yogurt, and baby's first gourmet meals.
Pleasant eating everyone!