Bird's Nest Bites

A Cook & Garden, Together In The Pacific Northwest

Brunch

Savory Puff Pastry Tarts – Cherry Tomato, Asparagus & Grilled Onion

These simple tarts are super-easy, delicious, take nearly no time at all, and make you look like you’ve been to cooking school in France. Here we offer three choices, so make one, two or all three.  Or combine everything on to one tart.  Or make up your own toppings – it’s fun!  The filling is chock full of the rich nuttiness of Gruyere cheese, the creaminess of ricotta, and the soft tang of mascarpone. Highlight with some fresh herbs & lemon zest and look out!  Note: This recipe makes two large tarts, or four smaller ones. Feel free to get crazy with whatever toppings you can think of – after all, it’s your tart now.

I developed this recipe about three years ago in an attempt to feed my mom, Neeners, back to health after a bout with the flu.  Neeners is a drama queen, and she had pronounced “My tastebuds are dead.  I may never eat again”.  Sure.

Neeners is 88 years old, strong as an ox, and is on the go all day.  She has no sympathy for anyone who is injured or otherwise under the weather, and her usual admonishment to them is “Get up – you aren’t that sick/hurt”.  Needless to say she was a horrible patient, and I’m guessing her doctor armed herself with a whip and a chair on each of Neener’s visits.  Here is a small excerpt from one appointment while was on the road to recovery, but not progressing as quickly as she expected.  Neeners walks into her doctors office…”PUT ME IN THE HOSPITAL!! NOW!!!”  The doctor was stunned, because she was under the correct assumption that Neeners, being 85 and all at the time, was just taking awhile to get back on her feet.  So she asked, “Why do you think you need to be hospitalized?”  Neeners replied “JUST LOOK AT ME!!  I want you to admit me to the hospital immediately and give me an energy shot!!!”  As my brother later reported, the doctor sent her home with Pepto Bismol and told her to drink some Ensure until her stomach settled down.  She quickly recovered thereafter – but she is still driving me to drink, which is situation normal.

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Boysenberry Coffee Cake with Oatmeal and Brown Sugar Streusel

I love boysenberries and found myself with quite a few bags in the freezer after an overzealous picking session last summer. Since I also happen to love coffeecake, this seemed to be a fine answer to my dilemma.  The solution to the aforementioned dilemma was this easy as can be boysenberry coffee cake, brimming with berry goodness.  The bottom layer is the rich and buttery cake base. Next there are frozen berries of course, since that was the point of this whole exercise to begin with, but also generous dollops of boysenberry jam in the center to pump up the berry flavor and add to the moistness of the cake.  The streusel topping is lots of  brown sugar and plenty of oatmeal for a nice crunch.    This recipe should work with any type of blackberry, so if you have marionberries or other variety of blackberries laying around, go for it!!  This cake is so addictive I had to hide it from my husband… OK, he hid it from me…but I found it.

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Roasted Asparagus Crepes with Cheese Fondue Sauce

 

If you ever had any doubt you could make a crepe, I’ve got good news:  If you can make a pancake, you can make a crepe.  In fact, I don’t make a very good pancake (in other words, I’m horrible at it), but for some reason I can fry up a batch of crepes in no time.  Crepes are the ultimate no fuss food.  First of all, the batter comes together in about two minutes in a blender.  It has to rest for at least half an hour before cooking, but I’ve let the batter sit for two days in the fridge before using, just because I got sidetracked with other shiny objects.  While the batter is resting, the asparagus can be tossed in the oven for roasting, and the cheese sauce (also super simple) can be put together.  If you’ve got a good non-stick skillet or cast-iron pan, your crepe cooking will be a cinch, and each one only takes about a minute or two to make. The end result is a light and beautiful bundle with plenty of fresh asparagus and just the right about of what you will swear is cheese fondue, which happens to be something I cannot resist. Fill them, bake them, and chow down.  You will be very proud of yourself, as well you should be.

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Smoked Salmon Hash with Fried Egg

With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, I wanted to create a recipe that would celebrate the Irish.  I’m not a big corned beef fan, so went another direction to capitalize on some of Ireland’s more notable foods.  Here is the result:  A breakfast hash (or dinner for that matter), full of Yukon Gold potatoes and smoked salmon.  I threw in some sweet corn for color, sweetness and texture, and some sautéed peppers for the same reason. And of course, a hash just wouldn’t be a hash without a runny fried egg on top.  Hash is a dish well suited to the use of leftovers, so if you happen to have some leftover potatoes laying around, this comes together in no time.  I’m not sure how this would go with an Irish Coffee, but I’m willing to give it a try.

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Hazelnut, Almond & Raisin Granola with Greek Yogurt & Honey

This has been our family ‘go to’ granola recipe for as many years as I can remember. Full of old fashioned rolled oats, hazelnuts, almonds, raisins and honey, it’s hard to beat.  Back when I was working in an office, I’d keep a Ziplock bag of this stuff in the lunchroom freezer for an afternoon pick-me-up.  Apparently the idea caught on because I noticed my stash disappearing at a rapid rate.  Finally, I had to put a big sign on the Ziplock that said “Whoever you are, please stop HELPING ME eat this”.  It didn’t work and the thief just got sneakier, but I can’t really blame them. Have this for breakfast, or as a topping over yogurt, honey and berries. I love to store it in the freezer and just grab a handful for an on the go snack. You can also stir in some chocolate chips or M&M’s, maybe some other dried fruit, and have a great trail mix.   The recipe makes quite a lot, for obvious reasons.

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Zucchini Quiche with Parmesan Panko Crust & Herb Garden Pesto

Quiche is kind of a lost recipe, and I’m not sure exactly why that is.  For sure, it’s a rich indulgence you probably won’t want to eat every day, but there are times when it’s a perfect remedy to right what is wrong in our worlds.  Here’s my attempt to make it summery, and to lighten it up quite a bit.  You will notice the standard piecrust that is traditional in these matters is missing – its just not my thing and makes me feel like too big of a food sinner if I eat it.  In its place is a fairly thin, savory bottom crust made of grated Parmesan cheese and panko breadcrumbs.  The inside is creamy with farm fresh eggs, half&half, and more herbs than you can shake a stick at.  There is also a treasure trove of roasted zucchini and sautéed peppers and green onions. I’ve thrown in enough Jarlsberg and Mozzarella cheese to add that gooey element that is necessary in these matters. Finally, there’s an herb garden pesto you can drizzle on right before you dive in that give just the right amount of fresh, lemony kick to make every element sing at the top of its lungs together. I’m diggin’ it. 

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Cinnamon Waffles with Brie, Roasted Apples & Honeycrisp Cider Butter

Here are some waffles that just yell out ‘FALL IS HERE’ at the top of their lungs. The waffles are just slightly sweet with an undertone of warm cinnamon. To add some savory to the sweet, we slice generous wedges of Brie cheese to top the warm waffles, and then pile on some oven roasted and caramelized apples. Not done yet! For the grand finale, we reduce Honeycrisp apple cider on the stovetop until it’s thick and syrupy, and then stir just the right amount into melted butter for the final drizzle. The best news is all of this can be made in advance and heated up when you’re ready, so just right for holiday guests.  And…it’s one of those dishes where you can make some or all and be happy as a clam.  Only want to make the waffles?  No problem – they are great on their own with butter and maple syrup.  Don’t want to caramelize the apples?  Forget about it!!  Try the waffles with a slice of Brie and you will be howling with pleasure.  It’s all up to you, so just go for whatever combination works. …

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Roasted Red Potato & Provolone Oven-Baked Frittata

Is it just me, or do you all have cravings for substantial and cheesy comfort food this time of year?  This could possibly be the solution, and is so loaded with healthy vegetables that your guilt factor quotient should be quite low.  Oftentimes, frittatas are started on the stovetop and finished in the oven. We aren’t doing that. The whole shebang goes into the oven, is baked until beautifully puffed and golden, and served. This frittata is chock full of roasted red potatoes, colorful peppers and scallions. And yes, there are eggs, half & half, and Provolone cheese, but the per serving amount will leave you with a clear conscience. Delicious right out of the oven, but if you want, bake it the day before, refrigerate, and bring to room temperature before serving. This makes a super easy and do-ahead breakfast or brunch dish for holiday company – or you can be like me and have it for supper on a cool fall evening. All up to you….

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Zucchini, Carrot & Coconut Bread

My first impulse when confronted with a frightening population of zucchini from our garden was to bake volumes of zucchini bread. But let’s face it: zucchini bread in and of itself can be a little bit of a snoozer. More flavor was desperately required to jazz up the old traditional bread, so some grated carrot and a generous amount of coconut went into the mix. Now we’re in business!! This recipe makes two loaves, because to me if you go to all the effort to do the baking, you might as well have an extra loaf stashed in the freezer for later.

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