Monthly Archives: September 2009

Easy 5-Minute Mozzarella Fondue

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There is a proper way to eat fondue – dont double dip, the fondue fork shouldnt touch your mouth, transfer dipped food from the fondue fork to a plate and eat it with another fork, dont drop stuff into the fondue pot…

Then there is our ‘throw-all-the-rules-out’ method of eating fondue. We dont have a fondue set, so we put the fondue in a soup bowl and used bamboo skewers. We double dipped like crazy. Several apple cubes were lost in the fondue pot/soup bowl. At the end we wiped the bowl clean with our fingers. So much fun! 

The best part – 5 minutes is all it takes to make this fondue – easy and fuss free.

easy mozzarella and alouette cheese fondue

 Here are some fondue dipper/dunker ideas for you..

What to dip in fondue

  • lightly steamed broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus (pat them try before serving, if the veggies are wet, fondue wont stick to them)
  • lightly grilled eggplant or zucchini (my favorite)
  • roasted fingerling potatoes
  • button mushrooms
  • crusty bread
  • cubed apple, tossed in a little lemon juice to prevent browning
  • sliced fresh figs
  • pretzel sticks, tortilla chips, pita chips
  • cooked (al dente) tortellini, patted dry

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Easy 5-Minute Mozzarella Fondue Recipe
serves 1-2

1 garlic pod minced
1/4 cup white wine 
a pinch nutmeg
1/2 cup Alouette cheese spread (recommended: garlic and herb or savory vegetable). Scroll down to see how you can win Alouette cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
anything from the “what to dip” list above to serve with fondue

Heat a small, deep non-stick pot. Add garlic and wine and bring wine to a simmer on medium heat. Once the wine begins to bubble, whisk in nutmeg and Alouette cheese spread and let it melt. Then add mozzarella cheese. Keep stirring with a whisk till the mozzarella melts, about 1 minute. If the fondue is too thick, add milk (one tablespoon at a time) while whisking on medium heat till desired consistency is reached. 

Serve fondue with cubes of crusty bread, apples, steamed vegetables or anything from the “what to dip” list above. To reheat fondue, return it to a non stick pot on medium heat, whisk in a little milk if needed.

Like this recipe? Want to win the Alouette cheese I used in this fondue or two other cheese?

A cheesy giveaway! Win a free coupon for one of these cheeses!

1.Soft spreadable cheese (used in the fondue recipe above)product_lineup_Soft-Spreadable2.Baby BrieDouble-Creme-Baby-Brie3.Crumblesproduct_lineup_Crumbles

How to enter

You can do one of three things to enter this giveaway:

-Leave a comment. Tell me what is your favorite cheese and how you like to eat it
-Mention this giveaway on your blog and link to this post
-Tweet about this giveaway

Do all 3 of the above and you will be counted 3 times!

Contest will close at 11.30pm EST on Friday, Oct 2nd ’09. Three winners will be announced on Saturday, Oct 3rd ’09.

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED. WINNERS ANNOUNCED HERE.

A Cheesy Giveaway – Part 1. Win Brie, Crumbled or Spreadable Cheese from Alouette!

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win-free-alouette-cheese

Alouette savory vegetable spread, with whole grain baguette and olive medley.

The wonderful people at Alouette cheese are giving three lucky readers of this blog a free coupon to try one of their amazing cheeses!

If you haven’t had alouette cheese, you truly dont know what you are missing! My favorite is their garlic cheese spread (which I used in this polenta recipe).

You can win a free coupon for one of these cheeses! 3 random winners will be picked!

1.Soft spreadable cheese

product_lineup_Soft-Spreadable

2.Baby Brie

Double-Creme-Baby-Brie

3.Crumbles

product_lineup_Crumbles

How to enter


You can do one of three things to enter this giveaway:

  • Leave a comment. Tell me what is your favorite cheese and how you like to eat it

  • Mention this giveaway on your blog and link to this post

  • Tweet about this giveaway

Do all 3 of the above and you will be counted 3 times!

Contest will close at 11.30pm EST on Friday, Oct 2nd ’09.

Three winners will be announced on Saturday, Oct 3rd ’09.

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED. WINNERS ANNOUNCED HERE.

Fresh Fig and Spiced Rum Upside Down Cake

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I have a confession. I cheated big time with this cake. I used…gulp…store bought cake mix! I didnt have time to make cake batter at home and I really wanted to make a fig upside down cake with a gorgeous box of fresh black figs.  So I resorted to a betty crocker mix…and it turned our yummy. The figs were so soft and sweet, I thought a nice rum and spice upside down cake would be fitting for these figs.

fresh black figs

Dont keep fresh figs for more than two days. They are best used the day you buy them.  You could also use dried figs in this recipe – just simmer them in a little water to reconstitute them and then proceed with the recipe.

arrange-figs-in-cake-pan-then-pour-batter

Wash and pat dry the figs. Then trim off the stems and quarter each fig. Pour some rum and spices over the figs and let them sit while you make the cake batter. Then arrange the figs in a cake pan and pour cake batter on top. Bake according to the instructions on the cake mix box.

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When the cake is done, invert it onto a plate and you’ll have gorgeous fig studded cake!

This post goes to monthly mingle over at ‘My Diverse Kitchen’, Meeta and Aparna have chosen the theme,  high tea.

Fresh Fig and Rum Upside Down Cake
Serve about 10

12-16  fresh figs
2/3 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tbsp sugar, more or less depending on how sweet the figs are
4 tbsp rum (I used captain morgans spiced rum)
1 box store bought cake mix (angel food, white or yellow cake mix)
Ingredients need to make the cake mix

Wash and dry figs. Cut off the stems. Quarter the figs. Arrange the figs in the bottom of a buttered cake pan in a single layer. (divide teh figs and batter into two cake pans if necessary). Mix cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, sugar with rum. Pour this spiced rum over the figs.  Then prepare the cake mix according to manufacturers instructions. Pour cake batter into the cake pan, on top of the figs. Bake according to directions on the box. When cake is done, let it cool for 10 minutes and invert in onto a plate.

Monica Bhide’s Basmati with Pine Nuts, Pomegranate and Mint

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This picture goes to Jugalbandi’s Click. This month’s theme is heirloom.

How gorgeous does this rice dish look?! This recipe for basmati with pine nuts, pomegranate and mint is from Monica Bhide’s book ‘Modern Spice’.

Check out my guest post about this dish on Monica’s site.

You can buy Monica’s book, ‘Modern Spice’ here:

Stuffed Baked Tomatoes with Ricotta, Sweet Corn and Pesto

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Can I just say that this dish is spectacular to make while the lovely summer tomatoes are still around! This is a great make- ahead tomato recipe. Once youve stuffed the tomatoes, you could keep them covered in the fridge for a day or two before baking.

vine-ripe-tomatoes

Juicy, round, vine ripened tomatoes are just perfect for stuffing. Red or green peppers will also be great for stuffing.

scoop-out-tomatoes

Cut the the tomatoes in half horizontally. Scoop out the flesh and membrane using a spoon. Be careful not to scoop all the way into the skin. Save the tomato flesh for another dish that calls for tomatoes. Dab the cavities of the tomatoes with a paper towel. You need to dab away all the juice and moisture inside the tomatoes.

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Mix together ricotta cheese, sweet corn, pesto, garlic and parmesan. Stuff the tomatoes with the filling. Then sprinkle bread crumbs on top.

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Place the stuffed tomatoes in a buttered or oiled baking dish. Drizzle a little butter or olive oil on top of the tomatoes. Bake till the tomatoes are soft, about 15-20 minutes. Then broil till the tops are golden. Done!

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They come out warm, smelling like basil, juicy on the inside and crispy-golden on top. The ricotta is creamy and the little bursts of sweet corn are oh-so-yummy. A perfect dish!

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Serve these stuffed, baked tomatoes as a side dish. Or serve them with a green salad as a main course.

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A sprig of thyme makes things pretty..

Ricotta, Sweet Corn and Pesto Stuffed Baked Tomatoes Recipe
makes 12 pieces
6 small tomatoes
8 tbsp Ricotta cheese
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp store bought pesto
2 cloves Garlic, minced
6 tbsp Sweet corn
Salt, pepper (keep in mind that the parmesan and pesto already have salt)
10 tbsp Bread crumbs, I used Italian garlic and herb bread crumbs.
Butter or olive oil
Preheat oven to 400 f.Cut the tomatoes in half horizontally. Scoop out the flesh using a spoon. Dab the tomato cavities dry (See pictures above). In a bowl, mix together all other ingredients except tomatoes, bread crumbs and butter/olive oil.  Spoon this mixture into each tomato half. Top with bread crumbs (approximately 1 tbsp breadcrumbs per tomato half). Gently pat the bread crumbs down. Drizzle a little butter or olive oil on top of the stuffed tomatoes.

Place stuffed tomatoes in a buttered or oiled baking dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Then turn the oven to broil and broil till the tops are golden, about 1 minute.

Curried Tofu Salad with Carrots and Jicama with Cumin Vinaigrette

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This salad is crunchy, healthy, filling and cumin scented all at the same time. And you can change it up or customize it however you wish. You could use baby corn, red peppers, arugula or cucumbers in this salad. Also try using tempeh or seitan instead of tofu.

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Marinate tofu in curry powder and corn startch and pan fried it till crisp. I marinated the tofu over night, but you could skip the marinating if you are in a hurry. Use a good curry powder that you enjoy, it will make all the difference. Served the tofu on top of romaine lettuce, jicama and carrots.

cumin-vinaigrette

The cumin vinaigrette is easy and delicious. Just whisk together lemon juice, olive oil cumin powder and chopped cilantro.

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 Curried Tofu Salad with Jicama and Carrots
serves about 2 as an entree
1 block firm tofu
2 tbsp corn startch
1 1/2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 smal jicama, cut into match sticks
1 large carrot, cut into match sticks

Drain the tofu and pat dry. Wrap it in several layers of paper towels, place a plate over the wrapped tofu and place a few cans (tomato, beans, soup cans etc) over the plate. Let the tofu compress this way for atleast an hour to get all the moisture out of the tofu. Then cut tofu into pieces. Toss with corn startch, curry powder, turmeric and salt. I marinated the tofu over night, but you could use it right away if you are in a hurry. Heat oil in a skillet and pan fry the tofu till its golden on all sides. Serve tofu pieces over lettuce, jicama and carrots.

 Cumin Vinaigrette

4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp mango powder (amchoor), substitute with extra lemon juice
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
salt, pepper

Whisk all ingredients together. Keep chilled. Serve with curried tofu salad.

Roasted Beet and Orange Dip with Walnuts

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This recipe is a copycat version of the beet and orange dip at our local Wegmans grocery store. Wegmans don’t add walnuts to their dip. But I like the nutty, creamy muhammara-like flavor that the walnuts add to this dip. Its sweet, tart and great for dipping pita bread or in a vegetable crudite platter. I love the brilliant color of beets too. But if you don’t like beets, try this with carrots.

beets-with-greens

Dont throw away beet greens. They taste great chopped up and sauteed in some olive oil, garlic and a splash of balsamic vinegar.

fork-tender-roasted-beets-in-foil

I love the delightful earthiness of roasted beets. They take about an hour in a 400 degree oven to get fork tender. If you are in a hurry, use drained, canned beets. Once the beets are roasted, all you do is puree them with some toasted walnuts, balsamic vinegar, orange juice and garlic.

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I served this dip with carrot and celery sticks and toasted mini whole grain pita bread.

Here are some other ways to use this dip:

  • Use as a sandwich spread
  • Mix it into hummous for a gorgeous light pink colored dip
  • Serve as a platter with vegetable crudites, melba toast, olives, crackers, apple wedges

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Dont have walnuts? Try these beet dip recipes

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Roasted Beet and Orange Dip with Walnuts Recipe
makes about 1 1/2 cups

12 oz beets (2-3 medium beets)
3/4 scant cup walnuts
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp sugar, depending on how sweet the beets are
2 pods garlic
3 tbsp orange juice
salt, pepper
1/2 tsp orange zest

Wash and dry the beets. Wrap them in foil,place in a baking dish and bake in a 400 degree f oven for 1 hour or till the beets are fork tender. Let the beets cool a little and peel the skin.

Toast walnuts in a pan over medium heat till they are light brown. Place the roasted beets, toasted walnuts and all other ingredients, except orange zest in a blender. Puree till smooth. Adjust vinegar, sugar, and salt to taste. Transfer the dip to a bowl and mix in orange zest. Serve chilled with pita bread and vegetable crudites.

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