Lemon Palmiers

It's sumer and I've had my eye on a delicious pastry, a palmier. It's a French pastry that can be adopted to be either sweet or savory. It's not the typical sweet comfort I look for, but in the summer you don't always want something super sweet. It was probably best since I decided to make them with my little and he really doesn't need anything sweet ever (energy for days).

One of the best parts of making this dessert (besides eating it) is making it with someone. For this one, everyone was in the kitchen which made it hectic but lots of fun. Of course, that's what summer is like in my house. Lots of fun and silliness.  Giggles and snorts always bring a smile to my face. I guess the nickname of "French  Hearts" is also very fitting.

This dish is made super easy by using pre-made puff pastry. I also decided to breakout the ninja to create some lemon zest from the peel. When zesting, remember you only want the yellow part of the lemon. It's fine if you don't have a zester. You can use a peeler, grater or pairing knife to take the skin off.

Ingredients:

Puff Pastry
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons sugar


Directions:

Preheat oven 375 degrees

Mix zest, lemon juice and 2 table spoons of sugar together.

Sprinkle a flat surface with 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Place defrosted puff pastry on a flat surface.

Roll pastry into a square on top of sugar.

Brush/ Sprinkle zest and sugar mixture on to puff pastry dough.

Gently roll the sides of the square pastry dough toward the middle.

Try to make sure the sides meet exactly in the middle.

Slice about 1/2 inch thick and place cut side up on the baking sheet (parchment paper).

Sprinkle with remain gin sugar.

Bake for 6 minutes. Palmiers should be caramelized and lightly browned. Turn and bake for another 5 to 6 minutes.

Transfer to a baking rack to cool.

Hope you have fun making this with your friends and family. I know I can't wait to make a raspberry version of this sweet treat.

Flan

Sweet caramel, deliciousness. That's what I think of when I think of flan. I have no idea when I 1st had flan but what I do know is that I like it so much I'll eat anyone's flan. Yes, even the over processed stuff that comes in plastic cups in the supermarket. I'll admit it, it's one of my weaknesses. The nerd in me wondered, how is this a Latin American dish? Custard makes me think Europe. And what do you know flan is from Europe. Originally Rome, then eventually making its way to Spain (with some alterations). The european version is more of a savory dish where as the Latin American version is sweet and filled with local flavors like coffee. It's the Spanish version I like because this version is topped with caramel.

I love this dessert.  For me one of the most important aspects of it is its smooth texture. A good flan has a silky smooth texture and the caramel is sweet without making your teeth hurt. Of course, that is the hard part. Mixing just enough and not to much. My tip do not overheat the pan when making the caramel. I am not a very patient person and it took me a very long time to learn. Low and slow.

We've always had access to whether homemade or store bought and so I never really thought about making it myself. Of course, things change and I realized I needed to make it just for my own edification. I figured, if I can make creme brûlée, I can make flan. So let's do this

Flan


Makes 8 - 10 servings

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons of water
salt

Tools:
large roasting pan
saucepan
6 ramekins or glass baking dish

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Pour 1 cup of sugar and water in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Don't walk away. Stir, stir, stir.

Once you've achieved a brown caramel, remove the pan from heat. Quickly pour the caramel into ramekins or

Tilt and swirl caramel so that all parts are covered

In a bowl whisk or blend together eggs.

Mix in sweet condensed and evaporate milk slowly. Add sugar, vanilla and a pinch of salt.

Strain through a sieve (helps to get rid of bubbles).

Place ramekins or large glass baking dish filled with 2 inches of water.

Pour milk and egg mixture in ramekins/dish on top of caramel.

Bake for 45 minutes in the water bath .

Gently check center of flan with knife. If it comes out clean it's done.

Remove from oven and let flan cool. Then place in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Run a knife or spatula around the edge of the flan to make it easier to remove.

Invert on to a plate, caramel sauce will flow over custard.

So much better than store bought!! Stick extra in the fridge covered with plastic, though it probably will be gone within 2 days.

Sausage w/spinach, mushroom and tomatoes

So, I used to think adding vegetables made a dish healthy. When my husband and I first decided we were going to lose weight together, we used Dr. Ian's Fat Smash diet. I'm sure we both thought our worlds were going to fall apart. Him because there was no meat for the first part of the diet. Me because I didn't know white rice was bad (heck, it tastes so good). These are the foods we grew up eating, and we realized we had a lot of bad eating habits we had to change. That might be why I now try to throw vegetables in a dish anytime I can.

One go to dish before my epiphany was Italian sausage and peppers over pasta. It was quick and satisfying. Of course, as we became more selective with our food choices, I decreased the amount of sausage and increased the number of vegetables in this dish. As I continued to try to make my "go to" healthier,  I learned mushrooms add a bit of protein, Vitamin D and are great for your metabolism. Spinach adds vitamin C, Vitamin K, folate and a whole bunch of other nutrients. Hmmm, that's why this dish is just the right amount of wrong and right. The sausage provides the old school comfort you want from sausage and peppers and the vegetables provide great health benefits. Comfort food doesn't always have to make you feel guilty or be bad for you. Yay!!

Sausage with spinach, mushroom and tomatoes

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound of italian sausage
1 medium onion(sliced)
4 cloves of garlic (minced)
2 roma tomatoes(quartered)
12 ounces of mushroom (sliced)
10 ounces of spinach
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste.

Tools: cast iron pan

Directions:

Place sausage in cast iron pan over medium high heat and cover with water.

Boil sausage for approximately 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove from pan and allow sausage to cool. Once cooled slice diagonally.

Return sausage to pan and allow to brown. Remove once sausage is brown and full cooked

Heat olive oil in pan, add sliced onions, garlic, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Cook for  2 to 3 minutes.

Add spinach, dried basil and stir allowing mixture to cook for  2 to 3 minutes.

Return sausage to pan with vegetables. Reduce heat to low and allow to cook for 10 to 15 minutes while flavors meld.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

If you care not for guilt, add pasta and parmesan or mozzarella cheese to this dish and enjoy.