Tomato, Basil and Garbanzo Salad – a great way to utilize fresh herbs

Guess the title should really be Tomato, Basil, Garbanzo, Garlic and Parsley Salad but that seemed a little wordy! Those are the base ingredients for this summertime salad that is packed with garden herbs. It is dressed simply . . . with olive oil, balsamic vinegar (I used The Tasteful Olive’s lemon infused varieties) + some homemade basil pesto and salt and pepper to taste. Summer is here!

A section of our herb garden.

Tomato, Basil and Garbanzo Salad

1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved (I cut some of the larger ones into smaller pieces)

½ cup lightly packed basil leaves – measure and then chop

About 2 to 3 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

Kosher salt & coarsely ground pepper to taste (about 1 tsp. salt & ½ tsp. pepper

3 to 4 tablespoons basil pesto

About 2 teaspoons+  balsamic vinegar (I used lemon-infused vinegar)

About 2 tablespoons olive oil (I used lemon-infused EVOO)

Optional - Add grated Parmesan to the salad right before serving

Toss all ingredients together and chill for at least 30 minutes (several hours preferable), allowing flavors to mingle.

Pheasant in Wine Sauce . . . a la Veal

   

     Our neighbors, Stan and Jane Veal (a la Veal) gave us a frozen pheasant yesterday. It thawed overnight in the fridge and went into the crockpot (on low) this morning. By evening, it was emitting fragrant aromas and was fall-off-the-bone tender.

     I then made a quick wine sauce and served the creamed dish over brown rice. Toast points could have easily replaced the rice.

     By the way, Barry gave this "rave" reviews . . . but maybe he just enjoyed the fact that he had the night off from cooking!

Pheasant in Wine Sauce . . . a la Veal     4 or 5 servings

1 pheasant cooked all day on low in the crockpot* -- remove from bone and tear or cut into easy-to-eat pieces

About 1½ teaspoons olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1½ ribs of celery, diced

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

¼ teaspoon coarse pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup white wine

½ cup chicken broth

½ cup heavy cream

About 1/3 cup frozen peas (no need to defrost them)

About ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese + extra for serving, if desired

3 to 4 tablespoons lightly packed and coarsely chopped parsley + extra sprigs of garnish

1.  Heat the 1½ teaspoons of olive oil. Add diced onion and sauté, adding celery as the onion begins to soften.

2.  Add cooked and cut up pheasant and season with salt and pepper; sauté briefly and remove to a dish.

3.  In the same pan, add about 2 tablespoons more olive oil and heat on medium to medium-high heat. Add ¼ cup white wine and ½ cup chicken broth. Heat until volume reduces by about half.

4.  Add ½ cup cream, peas and grated Parmesan cheese.

5.  Stir in reserved pheasant mixture. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and check to see if additional seasoning is needed.

6.  Serve (over rice or toast points) with additional Parmesan and additional sprigs of parsley if desired.

Pheasant cooked in crockpot

1 pheasant

Chicken broth to almost cover

Sprigs of garden herbs – leave them on the stem (I used thyme, sage, parsley and oregano)

1.  Load all ingredients into the crockpot.

2.  Set on low and cook for approximately 8 hours. Remove pheasant; cool slightly and remove meat from bones. Cut into serving sized pieces.

Recipe without photos . . .

Pheasant in Wine Sauce . . . a la Veal     4 or 5 servings

1 pheasant cooked all day on low in the crockpot* -- remove from bone and tear or cut into easy-to-eat pieces

About 1½ teaspoons olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1½ ribs of celery, diced

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

¼ teaspoon coarse pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup white wine

½ cup chicken broth

½ cup heavy cream

About 1/3 cup frozen peas (no need to defrost them)

About ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese + extra for serving, if desired

3 to 4 tablespoons lightly packed and coarsely chopped parsley + extra sprigs of garnish

1.  Heat the 1½ teaspoons of olive oil. Add diced onion and sauté, adding celery as the onion begins to soften.

2.  Add cooked and cut up pheasant and season with salt and pepper; sauté briefly and remove to a dish.

3.  In the same pan, add about 2 tablespoons more olive oil and heat on medium to medium-high heat. Add ¼ cup white wine and ½ cup chicken broth. Heat until volume reduces by about half.

4.  Add ½ cup cream, peas and grated Parmesan cheese.

5.  Stir in reserved pheasant mixture. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and check to see if additional seasoning is needed.

6.  Serve (over rice or toast points) with additional Parmesan and additional sprigs of parsley if desired.

Pheasant cooked in crockpot

1 pheasant

Chicken broth to almost cover

Sprigs of garden herbs – leave them on the stem (I used thyme, sage, parsley and oregano)

1.  Load all ingredients into the crockpot.

2.  Set on low and cook for approximately 8 hours.

One, two, three, four . . .Tastes Like S’mores Cake

One, two, three, four . . . just four steps to Tastes Like S’mores Cake! It is a bit complicated but it is “oh, so” worth it!

·    1^st layer – a traditional graham cracker crust that goes in a cake pan rather than a pie plate.

·    2^nd layer – my mom’s eggless chocolate cake with a shot of espresso added for good measure.

·    3^rd layer – a traditional ganache that is allowed to cool (to somewhat thicken) and then smoothed on the cake as both a filling and frosting.

·    4^th layer – homemade marshmallow fluff frosting. Need I say more? But, actually I’m not done; skewered and toasted marshmallows are the final addition.

Tastes Like S’mores Cake    Makes one 2-layer cake

Graham Cracker Layer

1½ cups graham crackers, ground

¼ cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1.  Spray or grease two 9″ cake pans.

2.  Mix graham crackers crumbs with sugar and melted butter. Divide and press into the bottoms of the two prepared cake pans. Set aside.

Chocolate Cake Layer

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon instant espresso coffee powder, optional

2/3 cup canola oil

2 cups water

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1.  Preheat oven to 350°.

2.  Combine sugar and cocoa in a large mixing bowl; whisk to thoroughly mix. Add flour, salt, baking soda, and instant espresso powder and blend all dry ingredients thoroughly.

3.  Add the liquids and mix until completely blended.

4.  Pour batter into two graham cracker crust lined cake pans. Gently raise and drop cake pans to release air bubble.

5.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes – toothpick inserted in center of cake should come out clean

6.  Transfer cakes to cooling rack. When cool, run a knife along the sides of pan and turn upside down to release.

To assemble:

1.  Place a layer without graham cracker on plate (graham cracker crust should be up). If top of cake is too rounded, it can be trimmed. Truthfully – at this point I couldn’t decide whether to put the graham cracker crust up or down; either way would work.

2.  Spread layer of somewhat cooled and thickened ganache on top of cake.

I arranged strips of waxed paper under the cake. Once the cake is frosted, these were pulled out -- leaving a clean cake plate underneath.

3. Place second cake, graham cracker side down on ganache. (Trim if needed before
    putting in place.)

4.  Frost side and top.

5.  Pile marshmallow frosting on top of cake, creating patterns and peaks with an off-set
     spatula.

6.  Use a long stemmed lighter, or torch to toast the marshmallow fluff frosting.

7.  Garnish – skewer marshmallows on wooden sticks and toast. Insert, at varying
    heights, onto the top of the cake.

Chocolate Ganache

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup heavy cream

½ teaspoon instant espresso coffee powder, optional

1.  Cook the chocolate chips, heavy cream, and instant coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally.

2.  Cool enough to slightly thicken and use to fill and frost cake.

Marshmallow Fluff Frosting
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1.  Whisk egg white, sugar and cream of tartar lightly in the top of a double boiler.

2.  Heat over simmering water, mixing continuously to avoid cooking the egg.

3.  Bring to 160° (in order to kill possible salmonella); remove from heat immediately and beat starting at low speed and working up to high, until stiff peaks form and resembles marshmallow fluff. (I transferred the mixture to my stand mixer at this point.)

It took 5 to 10 minutes to achieve the 160° temperature. The mixture was then beaten until it reached a marshmallow fluff consistency.

4.  Fold in vanilla and spread onto cake.

Recipe without photos . . .

Scrumptious S’mores Cake    Makes one 2-layer cake

Graham Cracker Layer

1½ cups graham crackers, ground

¼ cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1.  Spray or grease two 9″ cake pans.

2.  Mix graham crackers crumbs with sugar and melted butter. Divide and press into the bottoms of the two prepared cake pans. Set aside.

Chocolate Cake Layer

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon instant espresso coffee powder, optional

2/3 cup canola oil

2 cups water

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1.  Preheat oven to 350°.

2.  Combine sugar and cocoa in a large mixing bowl; whisk to thoroughly mix. Add flour, salt, baking soda, and instant espresso powder and blend all dry ingredients thoroughly.

3.  Add the liquids and mix until completely blended.

4.  Pour batter into two graham cracker crust lined cake pans. Gently raise and drop cake pans to release air bubble.

5.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes – toothpick inserted in center of cake should come out clean

6.  Transfer cakes to cooling rack. When cool, run a knife along the sides of pan and turn upside down to release.

To assemble:

1.  Place a layer without graham cracker on plate (graham cracker crust should be up). If top of cake is too rounded, it can be trimmed. Truthfully – at this point I couldn’t decide whether to put the graham cracker crust up or down; either way would work.

2.  Spread layer of somewhat cooled and thickened ganache on top of cake.

3.  Place second cake, graham cracker side down on ganache. (Trim if needed before putting in place.)

4.  Frost side and top.

5.  Pile marshmallow frosting on top of cake, creating patterns and peaks with an off-set spatula.

6.  Use a long stemmed lighter, or blow torch, to/toast the marshmallow

7.  Garnish – skewer marshmallows on wooden sticks and toast. Insert, at varying heights, onto the top of the cake.

Chocolate Ganache

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup heavy cream

½ teaspoon instant espresso coffee powder, optional

1.  Cook the chocolate chips, heavy cream, and instant coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally.

2.  Cool enough to slightly thicken and use to fill and frost cake.

Marshmallow Fluff Frosting

4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1.  Whisk egg white, sugar and cream of tartar lightly in the top of a double boiler.

2.  Heat over simmering water, mixing continuously to avoid cooking the egg.

3.  Bring to 160° (in order to kill possible salmonella);  remove from heat immediately and beat starting at low speed and working up to high, until stiff peaks form and resembles marshmallow fluff. (I transferred the mixture to my stand mixer at this point.)

4.  Fold in vanilla and spread onto cake.