Caramelized Fennel and Walnut Chevre Crepes with Fennel Beet Slaw

When I was in highschool, I remember being in French class, and making crepes.  We filled them with sweet things like jam, whipped cream and chocolate, and they were delicious.  They are simple to make, and I love the fact that they can be filled with whatever you wish!  Sadly as an adult I think I have made crepes only about 4 times.  I decided that tonight they would be on my menu because it had been far too long.  These crepes however were not to be filled with sweet things, but savory.  I had a couple of beautiful fennel bulbs in my fridge, and decided they would be perfect to showcase in the crepes. 

 

For the filling I caramelized them along with some shallots, and added a bit of fresh rosemary, garlic, and lemon, as well as some toasted walnuts and chevre for protein and a bit of richness.  The filling was delicious, and was even more so when wrapped in the eggy delicate crepes!  It had everything, smooth chevre, crunchy walnuts, caramelly fennel!  I decided to throw together a fennel beet slaw to go with it as well, not being one to skimp on the veggies at any meal, and it provided a nice acidity to balance out the rich savory crepes.   It all came together in less than an hour, but if I were only eating it and not preparing it I would have expected that it took much longer.  I felt like I was enjoying something from an upscale restaurant without leaving my home.  I think it is always more satisfying to enjoy delicious food when you have prepared it yourself!  Here is the recipe if you would like to try it!

Caramelized Fennel, Walnut, and Chevre Crepes with Fennel Beet Slaw

Serves 3

Crepes:
3 large organic eggs
1 cup goat milk
1 Tbsp melted Earth Balance butter, or organic butter
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
Additional Earth balance for cooking crepes

Filling:
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 large fennel bulbs, sliced

2 large shallots, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced

2 tsp lemon zest

juice of one lemon

8 oz chevre

1 cup toasted walnuts

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

Slaw:

1 large fennel bulb, thinly shaved
1 cooked beet, diced very small
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp riesling vinegar

1 tsp honey

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

To make crepes, buzz together all ingredients in a food processor (or whisk), cover and set aside in the fridge for an hour.  When ready to make crepes, re-whisk batter, and it should be about the consistency of heavy cream (if not, thin with a little milk).  Heat crepe pan, or medium non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Wipe pan with Earth balance to grease, and pour about 2 1/2 Tbsp batter into the pan.  Swirl to create a thin crepe, and let cook for about 1 minute, and flip crepe over to cook other side.  Place finished crepes on a plate, separating with parchment while you cook the remaining crepes (you should have 9).  When crepes have finished cooking, wipe out pan (if saute pan) and add 1 Tbsp olive oil, fennel, shallots, and saute until starting to caramelize about 8 minutes.  Add garlic, fresh rosemary, and saute another minute until fragrant.  Add lemon juice, zest, chevre and walnuts, and continue to cook until chevre melts and coats filling.  Add sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, and set aside.  To make slaw, combine all ingredients in a bowl, and toss to coat.  To plate, fill each crepe with about 2 heaping Tbsp filling in the bottom left corner.  Fold in half, then again to form a triangle.  Place on plate, and repeat with another so you have 3 on each plate.  Repeat with remaining crepes, and spoon a bit of slaw onto each plate. 

Spring Beet and Potato Salad

Potato salad is something that people start craving this time of the year.  My Grandma always made it for our family when I was young, and it was always the same, bright yellow, topped with the hardboiled eggs, and red paprika!  It was tasty, but full of mayonnaise in large amounts of course, so not the most healthy.  We make a similar version at the deli I work in, and we always top it with hardboiled eggs as well...one of my cowoerkers Gabrielle lovingly refers to it as the "many eyed beast", and the customers love it!  I have to admit I do love classic potato salad, there is a comforting element to it.  But what I don't love is the unhealthy dressing that comes with it.  So the other day when I was enjoying some Greek yogurt and its creaminess, I thought it would be perfect for a healthy potato salad dressing!  So I created my own potato salad featuring spring ingredients.  Beets, ramps, and radishes were a must!  Maybe Grandma would have thought my shocking pink potato salad odd looking, but it was damn delicious!  It was the perfect meal, filling but light with a tangy dressing just as good as the classic, but kind to the waistline.  I loved the beets in there, they give it a nice sweetness that you don't get from just potatoes.  I think if my Grandma tasted it she would approve of course!  Here is the recipe if you would wish to try it! 

Spring Beet and Potato Salad

Serves 2

Dressing:
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp dried dill
2 tsp dried chervil
2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste

2 cups cooked beets, diced large
2 cups baby potatoes, halved, or quartered
4 radishes, thinly sliced
2 ramps, thinly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
4 hardboiled eggs, sliced
mixed greens of your choice (such as arugula, mizuno, dandilion, spinach, watercress)

Whisk dressing ingredients together until smooth.  Combine beets, potatoes, radishes, ramps, shallot, eggs in a bowl, and toss with dressing until well combined.  Place greens on a plate, and top with salad. 

Spring Allium Chevre Filo Rolls

Some people are afraid of onions and garlic...I am definately not one of them, and have never been onionphobic!  Yes, they may be quite...aromatic, but that is part of the beauty of them!  I don't care if I have onion or garlic breath...it is well worth it for the deliciousness I enjoy while alliums! I love the wide variety you can get of alliums in the spring...leeks, ramps, spring onions, shallots, I love them all! 

So I was thinking it would be wonderful to make a delicious appetizer on Easter using them! I decided that they would be delicious wrapped in crispy filo dough along with something creamy.  I had a bit of chevre that I thought would be perfect with the alliums.  So I sauteed some leeks, shallots and ramps, along with some garlic a quadruple whammy of alliums, and added a bit of lemon for freshness.  I combined them with pecorino romano for a bit of saltiness, and the creamy chevre. 

It was a very tasty filling, but even tastier when wrapped in crispy filo brushed with olive oil!  They were delicious warm, the filling gooey and oozy, filled with the savory deliciousness of alliums!  They were a wonderful accompaniment to my Easter spread! 

If you love onions and garlic as well you should definately try these while the spring alliums are at their most abundant!  If you don't, well don't let  the fact that these have onions and garlic detract you, as they are cooked and therefore much more mild.  The filo is actually not difficult to work with either as long as you are gentle!  Hope you all had a wonderful Easter, and here is the recipe for the delicious rolls if you would like to try them!

Spring Allium Chevre Filo Rolls

Makes 10

Filling:
1 cup leeks, thinly sliced
1cup ramps, leaves and bottom part, thinly sliced
1cup shallots, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 Tbsp lemon zest
16 oz chevre (soft goat cheese)
2 oz shredded pecorino romano cheese

about 3/4 cup olive oil (for brushing
10 sheets filo dough
sea salt

In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil, and add leeks, ramps, and shallots.  Saute until tender, about 5 minutes, then add garlic and saute about a minute more until fragrant.  Let cool slightly, then add to a bowl with sea salt, pepper, lemon zest, chevre and pecorino romano.  Mix until well combined.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and line a baking sheet with foil.  Lay out sheets of filo dough, and cover with plastic wrap (so it doesn't dry out, since you will be using a sheet at a time.  Place olive oil in a bowl.  Lay out one sheet of filo, and brush it with olive oil.  fold in half like a book.  Brush with olive oil and place 2 Tbsp filling about 1 inch from the bottom, in the shape of a log about 3 inches wide.  Fold in each side over the filling, and brush the top with olive oil.  Roll up egg roll style, and brush with olive oil.  Place on baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining 9 rolls.  Sprinkle with sea salt, and bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden and heated through.  Keep a close eye because they brown quickly!  Let cool slightly before serving. 

Golden Beet Chevre Gnocchi

Better to try something and fail than to never have tried at all...afterall I can always try again, I don't give up!  This has been something that I have been saying to myself reguarding the making of gnocchi!  I had attempted making gnocchi quite a few times in the last month and almost given up, because my gnocchi always turned out like dumplings, too sticky to be shaped, or too full of flour.  But I don't give up.  So last weekend I attempted to make them again...and succeeded!  Ok, so part of the problem was I wasn't following recipes, because I never do.  Also I wasn't making the traditional potato gnocchi, so that might have been why the dough was more sticky.  But whatever the case this time I made them with golden beets and chevre and they turned out delcious!  Pillowy and soft as gnocchi should be!  Not tough and heavy like my failed attempts. 

I had thought that chevre would have less moisture than the traditional ricotta, therefore needing less flour...and I was right!  The gnocchi dough itself only had 4 ingredients, chevre, golden beets, eggs and flour, and proved to be easy to shape!  The only thing I was disappointed about was the fact that the lovely yellow color of the beets was lost in the gnocchi.  But I got over it when I tasted how delicious they were!  I could be sneaky and serve them to beet haters and they would love them not even knowing they contained beets!  I decided to serve them with a caramelized shallot and fennel mixture laced with garlic and lemon and topped off with crunchy walnuts.  It was all delicious once it was plated, and quite beautiful, especially to me since it was a sucess!  The gnocchi were like little delicious pillows, toasty on the outside, soft in the middle, and the fennel and shallots were almost jam like, deliciously savory with the garlic and tart lemon.  It was the perfect dish for a chilly spring day!  Here is the recipe if you would like to try some for yourself! 

Golden Beet Chevre Gnocchi with Caramelized Fennel and Toasted Walnuts

Serves 3

4 oz organic local chevre (soft goat cheese)
1/2 cup roasted organic golden beat puree*
2 cups all purpose flour (sifted), plus additional for flouring work surface
1 large organic egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 large organic fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
4 large shallots, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp fresh thyme (or 2 tsp dried)
2 large organic lemons
1/2 cup toasted walnuts

In a large bowl, beat together the goat cheese beet puree and mix until evenly combined.  Add the eggs, followed by the salt, and pepper.  Slowly add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time until it is all incorporated into the dough. If your dough seems a bit too wet, feel free to add an extra 1/4 cup of flour. Turn the dough out onto a heavily floured work surface and knead for a few minutes. The dough will still be fairly wet, but you should be able to handle it.  Working with about a handful of dough at a time, roll out a long snake about an inch thick. Use a floured knife to cut out the gnocchi every inch and a half or so. Roll each gnocchi along the tines of a fork (or simply indent by gently pressing the back of the fork into the side of each nugget). Place the formed gnocchi on a floured baking sheet.  When ready to cook, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and add the gnocchi in batches. Let cook until they bob to the surface and then cook for an additional 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to pull out of the pot and set aside on a plate.  Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet.  Add fennel, shallots, and saute until caramelized and soft, about 8-10 minutes.  Add garlic and thyme and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Remove fennel and shallots from pan and set aside.  Add additional 2 Tbsp olive oil to the pan, and add gnocchi.  Cook until golden on each side, about 4-5 minutes total.  Add shallots back to the pan along with 1 Tbsp zest, juice of 2 lemons, a little more olive oil if desired, walnuts, and sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Cook until heated through, and serve warm  with a salad!

*To roast beets, preheat the oven to 475 degrees.  Wrap 2 large beets in foil and roast in the oven for about an hour or until tender when pierced with a knife.  Let cool, peel, and puree in a blender. 

Warm White Bean and Roasted Winter Vegetable Salad

Many times I walk through the produce department and choose random vegetables that happen to look good and are local.  This includes selections at times which I have never tasted before, or have no idea how to prepare.  So last weekend I picked up some jerusalem artichokes, or sunchokes, that were locally grown and looked nice and fresh.  I didn't know how to cook them, but that didn't stop me from buying them!  I looked them up online when I got home, and saw many different ways to prepare them, and I decided to simply roast them, and include them in a main dish salad I was making.   I also included roasted carrots, fingerling potatoes, and shallots, as well as white beans, walnuts, and arugula.  I threw in some crasins for color and dressed the salad in a cherry balsamic vinaigrette.  Of course I tasted the sunchokes before they joined the other veggies, and they tasted like artichokes I am used to eating...I decided that in the future I am going to have to make a dish featuring them since this time I had only bought a small amount and they were so good!  The salad as a whole was amazing...a whole meal in and of itself alongside some crusty bread.  The roasted vegetables made the salad, with the wonderful caramelized flavors the oven had given them.  Try out this salad if you would like a hearty but light meal...if you can't find sunchokes, substitute another winter root vegetable. 

Warm White Bean and Roasted Winter Vegetable Salad

Serves 3

4 medium sunchokes, thinly sliced
3 medium carrots, thinly sliced on the bias
6 fingerling potatoes, thinly sliced
2 shallots, cut into wedges
olive oil

1 1/2 cups cooked navy beans
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 cups arugula

Dressing:
2 Tbsp cherry balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp dijon

1 tsp dried thyme
1 garlic clove, minced
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 475 degrees, line 2 baking sheets with foil, and spray with non-stick spray.  Toss artichokes, carrots, potatoes and shallots with just enough oil to coat and spread out on sheets.  Roast for about 20-25 minutes until softened and starting to brown at edges.  Remove from oven, and place in a large bowl, along with navy beans, walnuts, cranberries, and arugula.  In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients, then pour over salad and toss to coat.  Serve while still warm.

Roasted Red Cabbage and Apple Pizzas with Carmelized Shallots, Walnuts, and Gruyere

There are some days when you just feel like you need a pizza for dinner...maybe a hard day at work perhaps?  Or just some comfort food in the form of a crispy crust with gooey cheese... today was one of those days for me.  I had some red cabbage and apples on hand, and since they pair so well together as a simple side dish, I thought they might be delicious on a pizza!  I like to try different toppings, and although I have probably tried hundreds of different combinations of fruits and veggies over the years, this one had escaped me.  But what to pair it with?  Some carmelized shallots sounded fabulous, and some nutty melty flavorful buttery gruyere was what I ended up chosing.  Toasted walnuts were a last addition for a textural contrast to all of the soft veggies.  When I pulled the pizza from the oven I knew it would be good...my mouth was watering from the aroma of the melted gruyere and roasted veggies!  The pizza was beautiful with the red cabbage, and it tasted even better!  Like the classic side dish of red cabbage and apples it was tangy, but it had saltiness and richness from the cheese, and with the crunchy walnuts and savory onions, it was heavenly!  Red cabbage and apples are easy to find this time of year, so if you enjoy venturing out of the realm of cheese and meat toppings on a pizza you should try this!

Roasted Red Cabbage and Apple Pizzas with Carmelized Shallots, Walnuts, and Gruyere

Makes 2 10 inch pizzas

1/2 red cabbage, thinly sliced
2 small tart sweet apples, sliced
extra virgin olive oil
6 small shallots, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
balsamic vinegar
2 whole wheat pizza crusts store bought or home-made*
1 tsp dried thyme
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
4 oz shredded Gruyere cheese

A good quality pizza stone is essential to a crispy crust. Place the stone on the highest rack in the oven, then crank up the heat as high as possible at least an hour before baking the pizza (but if you don't have a stone, still use the top rack, but you will need to leave the pizza on a sheet pan to bake). Line 2 sheet pans with foil, and spray with non-stick spray. Toss red cabbage with just enough oil to coat and spread out on one pan, and roast until softened, and starting to brown at edges, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar and set aside. Spread out apples on other sheet and roast until just softened, about 5 minutes, and set aside.  Meanwhile, in a medium non-stick skillet, heat a little olive oil, on medium heat and add shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 10-15 minutes until browned, softened and caramelly. Add garlic and cook for a minute more, until fragrant, and add a splash of balsamic vinegar. Remove from heat. To assemble pizzas, place one piece of the dough on a piece of parchment paper, spray rolling pin with non-stick spray and roll out as thin as possible (about 10 inches is best) Repeat with other piece of dough using another sheet of parchment. Sprinkle salt and pepper over crust, then thyme, then veggies, walnuts, mozzarella and gruyere. Using a pizza peel, or an upside down sheet pan, carefully slide the dough (keeping it on the parchment) into the oven. Bake for about 3-5 minutes, or until crust is starting to brown and cheese is bubbling. Carefully slide the parchment onto a sheet pan or pizza peel to remove from oven. Let cool a few minutes and serve!

*Amy's Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Makes 8 10 inch crusts

Crust:

4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 Tbsp Salt

2 Pkgs rapid-rise yeast

2 cups warm water

To make the dough, in a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Make a well in the center, pour in the water and then dissolve the yeast in the water. Gradually stir the flour into the water mixture, until the dough comes together. Turn out onto a floured surface, then knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Oil a large bowl with olive oil, then place dough in bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm area, such as near the oven, and let the dough rise until doubled in bulk. When dough has risen, punch down and divide into 8 pieces. You can either freeze the dough in individual portions (just place in ziplock bags and take out the night before you want to use it, then it will be ready to use the next day), or set aside to use right away. If making the recipe above, you will need two crusts.