Shrimp Fried Rice with Sugar Snap Peas

This recipe might more accurately called Shrimp Fried Rice with what-I-bought-at-the-farmer's-market-that-I-thought-would-be-good-in-fried-rice. Fried rice and stir-fry are excellent ways to use large quantities of vegetables, and staples in my diet when the farmer's market is in full swing during the summer. Contrary to what might be served in Americanized Chinese food restaurants, fried rice can be a easy and healthy dish full of vegetables and whole grains. Most fried rice recipes use peas, but not whole pea pods-I love the crunch that the whole pea pods add to the dish, and prefer them to shelled peas in almost every situation.

Shrimp Fried Rice with Sugar Snap Peas

2 eggs, beaten
1 t. + 2 T. soy sauce
1 t. + 1T. sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. finely minced ginger
8 oz. sugar snap peas, trimmed
8 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms (I used cremini; white would also work well)
3 c. cooked brown rice
2 medium carrots, shredded
4 oz. peeled and deveined shrimp
1/2 c. thinly sliced green onion

1. In a small bowl combine eggs and the 1 t. soy sauce.

2. Preheat wok over medium heat. Pour sesame oil into wok. Add the egg mixture, garlic, and ginger, stirring gently to scramble. Once cooked, removed from heat and cut up any large pieces; set aside.

3. Put wok back on heat and preheat over medium-high heat. Add 1 T. sesame oil. Add mushrooms and sugar snap peas; stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes or until mushrooms are just starting to color and vegetables are crisp-tender.

4. Add cooked rice, carrot, and shrimp. Sprinkle mixture with 2 T. soy sauce. Cook and stir for 4 to 6 minutes or until shrimp is cooked and vegetables and rice are heated through. Add cooked egg mixture and green onion; cook and stir for about 1 minute or until mixture is heated through.

Sesame Green Beans

For fresh vegetables from the farmer's market, I usually prefer them raw, quickly blanched, or in simple dishes so the flavor of the vegetable shines through. This past Saturday green beans made their first appearance at one stand and I immediately picked up a pound. While I'll certainly be munching on them raw, I wanted a simple way to prepare them to accompany Grilled Glazed Salmon. I found this Asian-inspired gem on the Martha Stewart website. I love the Asian flavors and particularly the flavor of sesame oil, so this immediately appealed to me (it also appealed to me that I had all the ingredients on hand).

Sesame Green Beans
from Martha Stewart

serves 4

1 lb. green beans, trimmed
2 t. rice vinegar
1/2 t. toasted sesame oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 t. sesame seeds

1. Set a steamer basket in a large pot. Fill with enough water to come just below basket; bring to a boil. Add green beans to basket; reduce heat to a simmer. Cover, and cook until crisp-tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar and oil; season with salt and pepper. Add green beans and sesame seeds; season with salt and pepper, and toss.

Grilled Glazed Salmon

A few months ago I decided to try fish again. My whole life I'd always been a person who didn't like fish, with the exception of canned tuna and my dad's cornmeal-crusted fish sticks. But as I've aged I've come to like many foods that I never thought I would so I decided to give fish another shot. I started with salmon, frying it in a pan with a bit butter and seasoning with just salt and pepper. And I liked it! But I've been stuck in a bit of rut since then trying to decide how I want to make salmon and although I've made it many times since the initial rediscovery, I haven't tried much with it. It's definitely time to branch out, and I'm starting with a simple, but delicious recipe from the June 2010 issue of Food and Wine magazine. This recipe is intended for the grill, but I halved the recipe and made it in a cast-iron grill pan on the stove. This can also be made into delicious sandwiches with the addition of bacon, lettuce, and thinly sliced Granny Smith apple. I served Sesame Green Beans as a side with simple, tasty dish.

Grilled Glazed Salmon
from Food and Wine

makes 4 servings

1/4 c. plus 2 T. Dijon mustard
1/4 c. prepared horseradish, drained
2 T. honey
Four 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets
Vegetable oil, for rubbing
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Light a grill (or preheat a grill pan, in my case). In a small bowl, mix the mustard, horseradish and honey. Rub the salmon with oil and season with salt and pepper.

2. Grill the salmon over moderate heat, skinned side down, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Turn and grill for 3 minutes longer, until the salmon is almost cooked through.

3. Turn the salmon again and spread each fillet with 1 tablespoon of the horseradish glaze. Turn and grill until glazed, about 30 seconds. Serve the remaining glaze on the side.

Chef'n Cheese Slicer

I LOVE kitchen gadgets. And as my husband will tell you, I own too many. I have the brands that I can always depend on like Cuisinart and Kitchenaid (I'm a sucker for anything red and Kitchenaid), but I'm open to almost any brand that has a useful and sturdy-looking tool. A few weeks ago on an unintended detour to Williams-Sonoma (I couldn't help myself while I was in the mall) I picked up the Chef'n Cheese Slicer.

 I buy most of my cheese from the farmer's market in big blocks but I always end up cutting slices on an angle. Being an extremely type-A Wisconsin girl, properly preparing cheese is very important, especially when cutting slices for a sandwich. This tool is fantastic! It easily cuts through a big block of cheese and delivers nice, even slices every time. The dial on the side allows you to select from three different thicknesses-I generally use the thinnest for slices for sandwiches and the middle thickness for when I want a bit thicker slice and for slices for grilled cheese. I haven't had occasion to use the thickest setting yet, but with a deep and profound love for cheese, I don't think it will be long before I do. It also makes cutting through big blocks of cheese a breeze! The only downside is that your slices are limited by the width of the slicer, but for most uses the size is just fine with me.

At only around $10, this slicer is a steal! If you eat a lot of cheese it'll actually probably end up saving you money since it will no longer be necessary to pay a premium for sliced cheese instead of buying blocks. I was a little hesistant at first about buying a tool for something I can do myself (although not superbly), but this has been well worth the small investment.

Strawberry Barley Scones

The recipe feeds two of my recent obsessions: Good to the Grain and strawberries from the farmer's market. While Kim Boyce has recipes for Strawberry Jam and Three-Citrus Marmalade in her book, I used the Strawberry Preserves I made last weekend, which are almost identical to her recipe (no pectin; cook fruit mixture to 210 degrees, using a candy thermometer).

Most grocery stores are not going to have barley flour. Even Whole Foods, where I got barley flour out of the bulk section, didn't have it bags from it from Arrowhead Mills or Bob's Red Mill, as I would have expected. They have all kinds of other seldom-used flours (a few of which I also bought), but no bags of barley flour for some reason. You may have to do a little hunting around at natural foods and gourmet grocery stores to find it, but it's definitely worth it to make these scones. The crunchy top coating gives way to a crumbly and moist center with the perfect amount of sweet strawberry jam. They're best warm out of the oven, but I plan on freezing the extras and heating them in the toaster oven this week for breakfast (I wouldn't use a microwave).

Strawberry Barley Scones
from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce

Barley flour has a distinctly sweet, creamy quality that taste great with fruit. This recipe sandwiches a generous smear of jam between two disks of dough. When the scone bakes, the jam thickens, even caramelizing a little around the edges. Strawberry Jam is delightful in these scones, as is Three-Citrus Marmalade, or you can use a purchased jam of your choice.

The moist dough and the small irregular bits of butter are responsible for these tender scones. Resist the urge to add more flour to the dough that you need-it should be sticky but manageable. A generously floured surface will help these scones come together.


Dry Mix:
1 c. plus 2 T. barley flour
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. dark brown sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1.25 t. kosher salt

Wet Mix:
4 oz. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 egg

Finish:
1/2 c. Strawberry Jam or Three-Citrus Marmalade
1 T. unsalted butter, melted
1 T. sugar

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Rub a baking sheet lightly with butter. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl., pouring back into the bowl any bits of grain or other ingredients that may remain in the sifter.

2. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch pieces and add them to dry mixture. Use your hands to rub the butter between your fingers, breaking it into smaller bits. Continue rubbing until the butter is in sizes ranging from rice grains to flattened peas. The more quickly you do this, the more the butter stay solid, which is important for the success of the recipe.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg until thoroughly combined. Scrape the buttermilk and egg into the dry mixture, and mix until barely combined.

4. Use a pastry scraper or spatula to transfer the dough to a well-floured surface. The dough may be too sticky to handle; if it is, dust it with flour and fold it together a few times. Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Flour your hands and pat each piece of dough into a disk about 3/4-inch thick and 7 inches in diameter.

5. Cover one disk with the jam or marmalade. Top the spread with the other disk and press down gently so that the dough settles into the jam. Brush the dough lightly with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Use a sharp knife to slice the circle into 8 triangular wedges, like a pie. Carefully place the wedges on a baking sheet, leaving a few inches between them.

6. Bake the scones for 22 to 26 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. The scones are ready when their tops are golden brown and some of the jam or marmalade has bubbled over onto the pan. To keep the scones from sticking to the pan, slide a thin spatula underneath them while they're still warm and move them to a baking rack. The scones are best eaten warm from the oven or later that same day.

Alchemy Cafe

Not only do I love to cook, but I love to eat fabulous food made for me by other people, so I've decided to start posting my unprofessional reviews of restaurants I have the pleasure (or displeasure) of eating at. My husband and I typically go out to dinner once a week and I look for a new place to try every week. Living in Madison there is definitely no shortage of wonderful restaurants to chose from.

Yesterday we decided to try Alchemy Cafe for the first time, after both having their Tin Shack Smokehouse Burger at Burgers and Brew last weekend at Capital Brewery in Middleton. Burgers and Brew is an event put on by REAP Food Group where local chefs prepare mini-burgers using local meat, vegetables, and cheese and pair them with short pours of a local beer. The Tin Shack Smokehouse burger was described as follows in the Burgers and Brew menu: Enjoy the taste of the wild, wild west with a grilled bison burger topped with smoked and caramelized onions, bacon, spinach, white cheddar, and herb aioli paired with a Smokin' Hemp Porter. After standing in the pouring rain for what seemed like an eternity to pick up our tickets from the ticket tent (actually about 30-45 minutes), I had gone from extremely excited to annoyed and I just wanted to eat my burgers and drink my beer as fast as possible and get home. But as soon as I took one bite of the Tin Shack Smokehouse burger my mood lightened and I was happy to be there again, despite the rain which fell during the entire even. After such a wonderful experience at Burgers and Brew, we figured we couldn't go wrong with a visit to the actual restaurant.

Alchemy Cafe is located in the Atwood neighborhood, in the former Wonders Pub location. It has a fairly limited menu, but there is something on there to please almost everyone, including plenty of vegetarian and vegan fare.

(I apologize for the poor quality of this photo; it was taken with my cell phone).

I had the Buffalo Melt, a bison patty (from Rice Lake, WI) topped with fresh mozzarella, roasted shallots, tomato, and thyme-garlic mayo, although I ordered it without tomato. The burger was incredible. First of all, I ordered it medium-rare and it actually came medium-rare! All too often I'll order something medium-rare only to have it come back medium or medium-well, as if medium-rare or rare is underdone and I clearly must have wanted it cooked more. The burger was moist and flavorful, the cheese fresh and gooey, and the seasoned mayo savory and delicious.

Options for sides are fries, sauteed green beans with wasabi sesame seeds, roasted garlic and buttermilk mashed potatoes, or a side salad. With a burger, I can't help but go with fries for a side. Alchemy Cafe's fries aren't cut into your typical shoestring fry shape, but I don't mind at all. The fries were good, but not particularly special. The choice of potato was good, and they were not too heavily salted, but also not really crispy.

To drink I had Tyranena Hefeweizen, an excellent summer beer in my opinion. I'm no expert on pairing beer with my burgers, but I thoroughly enjoyed it alongside my burger. Although I can't give a detailed review, my husband had the AppleRum burger, which he said was good, but not as good as the Buffalo Melt.

Alchemy Cafe is located at 1980 Atwood Ave. Madison, WI, in the Atwood neighborhood. Check out their website at http://www.alchemycafe.net/. A menu is available online, but the menu in the restaurant was slightly different than the one posted on the website. For example, we were disappointed to find the onion rings (and sweet potato fries) were not available. Only cash or check are accepted for payment; an ATM is available in the restaurant.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Yes, it's another strawberry recipe. With gorgeous strawberries still everywhere at the farmer's market, I'm making the most of it with another strawberry dessert.

I can't say that these cookies are as good as real strawberry shortcake or Drop Biscuits with Strawberries and Cream, which might be my favorite strawberry dessert ever, but they are good, portable, and easier to store than a lot of strawberry desserts. I found that my cookies baked much faster than the recipe indicated and would have been completely burnt if I'd followed the recipe and not checked them early. My oven may run hot, but I've never had a bake time be so far off from what a recipe indicated. I would suggest keeping a close eye on them during the baking time.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
from Martha Stewart

makes about 3 dozen

These tender cookies are made with cream and studded with sweet strawberries for a portable version of a classic dessert.

12 oz. strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups)
1 t. fresh lemon juice
1/2 c. plus 1 T. granulated sugar
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. coarse salt
3 oz. (6 T.) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 c. heavy cream
Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

 
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons granulated sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.

2. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing evenly apart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, and bake until golden brown, 24 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool. Cookies are best served immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.