Recipe Fridays!

French Potato Salad

from Martha Stewart

Nothing says summer to me like potato salad. Now that summer is winding down (sniff, sniff!) I wanted to post one of my favorite recipes: easy, quick, and painless. Yum!

Ingredients

Makes 6 servings

2 1/2 pounds fingerling or small new potatoes, halved (quartered if large)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 small shallot, minced (2 tablespoons)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 small red onion, sliced

Directions

Place potatoes in a large pot; cover with cold water by 1 inch and season generously with salt. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Run under cold water to cool slightly, then drain.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together oil, mustard, vinegar, shallot, parsley, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Add potatoes and onion and toss to combine. Serve at room temperature. (To store, refrigerate, up to overnight.)

Recipe Fridays!

Blueberry Tart

from Martha Stewart

Last week: strawberries. This week: blueberries. Summer yummy. That is all;)

Ingredients

Serves 10

FOR THE CRUST

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for dusting
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

FOR THE FILLING

6 cups (six 1/2-pint containers) fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt, and butter; process until large moist crumbs form (dough should hold together when squeezed).

Transfer dough to a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom; with floured fingers, press evenly into bottom and up sides. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes; prick bottom of dough all over with a fork. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes; cool completely.

Meanwhile, reserve 1 cup of the prettiest berries for topping. In a medium saucepan, bring 1/4 cup water and 1 1/2 cups berries to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until berries begin to break down, 3 to 4 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water; stir into berries in pan. Add lemon zest and juice, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, stirring, just until mixture begins to thicken, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining 3 1/2 cups fresh berries. Immediately pour hot berry mixture into cooled tart shell, and smooth with a spatula.

Scatter reserved berries on top, pressing down lightly to help them adhere. Refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes and up to overnight.

Recipe Fridays!

Strawberry Cream Cake

from Martha Stewart

Warm weather always make me think of strawberries, and this cake is perfect for a Sunday afternoon with every window open and lemonade in a pitcher. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Serves 12

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
1 pound strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (from a 1/4-ounce envelope)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan, and line with parchment paper. Butter and flour paper and sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture in 3 parts and milk in 2, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined. Spread batter in prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes; invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Using a serrated knife, split cake in half horizontally; place bottom half, cut side up, on a serving plate.

Make topping: In a large bowl, combine strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar; set aside. Place 2 tablespoons cold water in a small saucepan, and sprinkle with gelatin; let soften 5 minutes. Place saucepan over very low heat, and stir until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat; let cool.

Using an electric mixer, beat cream and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl until very soft peaks form. Continue to beat, and gradually add gelatin mixture; beat until soft peaks form.

Arrange half of strawberries over bottom cake layer; top with half of whipped cream, leaving a 1-inch border. Cover with top half of cake, cut side down. Top cake with remaining whipped cream, leaving a 1-inch border. Refrigerate cake and remaining strawberries separately, at least 1 hour (or up to 1 day). Just before serving, spoon strawberries over cake.

Summer Movie Preview 5: The Karate Kid

The last preview is: The Karate Kid

It is perhaps a sign of the times that 4 of the 5 movies I'm looking forward to are either remakes or adaptions or sequels. I know it seems Hollywood is running out of ideas these days, but I feel that is a remake is done well, it is not just a tribute to the original, but introduces a whole new generation to something their parents loved as children. I certainly hope this is the case with Karate Kid, though if the previews are anhthing to go by, it looks like a lot of fun!

Opening: June 11th (today!)

Summer Movie Preview 4: Inception

Today's Preview: Inception

Christopher Nolan, hands down, is one of the most interesting directors working today. His Batman films are not just great superhero films, or great comic book films, but great films. Now, Inception promises to be a mind-bending work of cinematic awesomeness, and I am looking forward to it;)

Opening: July 16th

Summer Movie Preview 3: Toy Story 3

Today's Trailer: Toy Story 3

I remember when a little company called Pixar released something called Toy Story, and the world was unprepared for this surprisingly sophisticated, funny, moving film. Then, Toy Story 2 came out, and broke the rule that says that sequels are always a little worse than the original. Now, I cannot wait to see what they do with Toy Story 3!

Opening: June 18th

Summer Movie Preview 2: The A-Team

Next up in my Summer Movie Preview Week: A-Team!

If you're a child of the '80's (like me), you probably remember watching this show at least once or twice (if you're my sister, you watched it every week!). I remember playing with my Mr. T doll, who constantly pitied fools for a number of things, and wondering why we couldn't leap out of the back of our van the way they did, into some exciting adventure.

This movie looks like pure fun, and I can't wait to see it!

Opening: June 11th

Summer Movie Preview Week!

As temperatures begin to reach the 80's and 90's (finally!), Hollywood starts to crank out the popcorn movies. This year is no exception, and this week, I'm featuring a different preview everyday for movies I can't wait to see;)

First up: The Last Airbender

Yes, it's directed by M. Night Shyamalan, which makes me a little twitchy given that his last three films were total duds. Yes, I LOVE the cartoon this film is based on, and will be super-critical of this adaption. However, I have rarely seen anything that deserved to be adapted more than Avatar, so I'm still pretty excited;)

Opening: July 2nd

Recipe Fridays!

Strawberry Tartlets

from Martha Stewart

Strawberries just mean summer to me; that sweet, tart bit of juiciness that only comes out when the weather gets nice. These are very good, and very easy; my favorite crust recipe, topped with my favorite fruit. Voila!

Ingredients

Makes 6 four-inch tarts

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons plus 3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon ice water, plus more as needed
1 1/2 pounds (2 pints) fresh strawberries, hulled, washed, and halved or quartered if large
2 cups creme fraiche

Directions

Place the flour, 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal.

In a small bowl, mix together egg yolk and ice water. With machine running, add egg mixture in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube. Process until dough just holds together, about 20 seconds. If dough feels dry, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Divide the dough evenly among six 4-inch tartlet pans; gently press into pans. Prick bottoms with a fork. Refrigerate shells until firm to the touch, at least 30 minutes.

Line each shell with foil, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Place tar pans on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until the edges just begin to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights. Continue to bake until bottom of crust is golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Remove shells from pans.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix strawberries with remaining 3 tablespoons sugar. Cover with plastic wrap, and let macerate until juicy, about 1 hour.

When ready to serve, fill each tart shell with about 1/3 cup creme fraiche; divide strawberries evenly among tarts.

Summer Lovin' . . .

Today's color combo is the fabulously summery red and yellow. I just love this combination for a June-August wedding, so sunny and bright with pops like firecrackers everywhere. Besides, anytime lemonade is a valid style choice at a wedding is okay in my book;)

What do you think, dear readers? Would you consider such a bold color combo at your wedding?