The Kitchenista Diaries

Goat Cheese and Walnut Stuffed Figs

Two important announcements: It's fig season! I moved to Detroit this summer! Wait, what? You read that right. I'll get back to the figs in just a minute. It feels a bit late to formally reveal this to my blog readers, but for those of you who hadn't seen the updates on social media, yes - the kids and I are officially living in Michigan! After five and a half years in Haymarket, Virginia, it was time for a change in scenery and some really great business opportunities made it possible for me to take a gigantic leap forward. As most of you know, a big part of my Kitchenista Diaries journey was moving back home due to a job loss in 2013. After the birth of my daughter the following year, I monetized my blog and started exploring freelance culinary opportunities. Needless to say, self-employment turned out to be a long, challenging road with lots of unexpected twists and turns. I've shared many of those ups and downs in my digital cookbooks over the years. Fast forward to 2019, when a long-time client brought me on his team to develop recipes for his next restaurant in Detroit! I'm also back to working part-time as a personal chef for his family, and as soon as I get my bearings around this city I'll be taking on dinner party catering and hopefully some ticketed events again. Meanwhile, I'm able to maintain all of my digital work under the Kitchenista brand. I'm not even going to apologize for tooting my own horn here: I'm really proud of myself for sticking things out and getting back on my feet without giving up on my culinary dreams, no matter how long it took. It feels amazing to have a place to call my own again, plus the house I found is a major upgrade from my past apartments. I was afraid I'd have to compromise on the kitchen but it's a dream come true. Even got my gas stove and oven!

What does all this have to do with figs? Not much, but it felt weird returning to the blog without mentioning the big move! If there's one reason I'm excited about having my own place again, it's the ability to entertain. I'm already itching to throw a dinner party once my first floor is reasonably furnished and presentable for company. Figs make absolutely perfect appetizers for adult crowds. They feel fancy and special, even without much adornment. Figs come into season for a hot minute in the early summer, and for a longer season that runs from the late summer through early fall. If you're lucky enough to find them fresh at the grocery store, look for ripe figs that give a little when gently pressed. Avoid figs that are too firm, indicating they're underripe, and those that are weeping, moldy, overly bruised, or otherwise past their prime. Make sure you plan to enjoy figs within a day or two of purchase as they're extremely perishable. You can leave them out on the counter at room temperature. Storing in the fridge is not really recommended as it dulls the flavor, but if you must hold on to your figs for more than a couple days refrigeration can help.

Sliced figs make a wonderful accent to any cheese board, served alongside honey and nuts. They pair especially well with bleu cheese but also with soft cheeses like ricotta, brie, and goat cheese. I'm a goat cheese fanatic, so it wasn't hard to choose a direction for this dish. It simply pulls all three elements into one glorious bite. I pan-seared the figs first because I love the way it develops a sweet, caramelized crust and turns the insides jammy, which also warms the goat cheese. But if you have super ripe, sweet figs already, you could skip that step and serve them raw. Any variety of figs will work here. The recipe is incredibly simple, so let's get to it.

Goat Cheese and Walnut Stuffed Figs

Ingredients:
1/4 cup shelled walnuts
2 tbsp butter
6 ripe figs, sliced in half from stem to bottom.
4 oz softened goat cheese
2 tbsp honey
Pinch of cracked black pepper

Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: Serves 6
Special Equipment: Nonstick skillet

Over medium high heat, toast the walnuts in your skillet for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until warm and fragrant. Transfer the walnuts to a cutting board and once cooled, chop.

Add butter to the hot skillet and once melted and sizzling, add the figs flesh side down. Cook for three to five minutes, undisturbed, more or less time depending on the size of the fig. Use a spatula to lift one of the figs up slightly if you need to check them. They're ready once they've developed a little bit of a golden-brown crust. If you cook the figs too long they'll start to ooze out onto the skillet so grab them while they're still holding their shape.

Transfer the seared fig halves to a serving platter. Spoon a generous dollop of goat cheese into the center of each fig. Figs have a natural indentation towards their centers which is perfect for stuffing.

Next, top each of the figs with chopped walnuts.

Drizzle each fig with honey and finish off the platter with a few grinds of cracked black pepper. (If all you have is pre-ground pepper from a can, just skip it.)

Serve immediately. Though they'll still be tasty at room temperature, I promise they won't last that long once you put this platter down!

Saturday, August 17, 2019
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Steak Salad with Chili Lime Vinaigrette

beef

I've been craving steaks lately - beefy, well-marbled rib eyes and strip steaks specifically. But it's also summertime, so instead of cooking heavy meals, I've been working my steaks into hearty salads.

Thicker steaks might seem more intimidating to prepare, but there are two techniques that work remarkably well to cook them evenly every time. The more traditional route is known as the "reverse sear" technique, which I've covered on my blog before. It involves slow-cooking the steak at a low temperature in the oven and then finishing on the stove top by searing in a heavy skillet. A modern approach can be achieved by cooking a vacuum sealed steak in a sous vide bath, in which water is heated to a precise temperature. Like the reverse sear technique, a steak cooked sous vide also needs to be finished in a skillet at the end of the cooking process. Both methods are very easy to do and free up your hands to prep salad ingredients in the meantime. Regardless of the method you choose, part of the goal when searing a steak is to ensure its surface is dry first. A personal hack I have for getting my steaks as dry as possible is by using Bounty as part of the prep process. Why Bounty? They are thick and absorbent, which really helps to soak up all that extra moisture. Read on below for the full recipe, which includes more tips for cooking large steaks, as well as how to assemble this summery salad!

Steak Salad with Chili Lime Vinaigrette

Ingredients for the steak:

1 to 1.5 lb rib eye or New York strip steak, at least 1" thick

1 tsp Kosher salt, plus more as needed

2 1/2 tsp Mexican chili powder, or see below to make your own substitute*

1 tbsp neutral cooking oil, like grape seed or canola

1 tbsp unsalted butter

For the salad:

2 tbsp rice wine or apple cider vinegar

Juice and zest of 1 lime

2 tsp honey

1 garlic clove, grated

1/2 tsp Mexican chili powder*

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 large eggs

1 ear fresh corn

6 radishes

1/2 seedless cucumber

1 avocado

3 cups mixed greens

Chili powder substitute:*

1/2 tsp ground ancho chile
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp ground cayenne

*If you've made the Mexican Chile Rub from my digital cookbook, The Kitchenista Diaries: Vol. 1, you may also substitute that here.

Active Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours
Yield: Serves 2 generously for dinner, or 4 as lunch portions

Special Equipment:

For both methods, you'll need a heavy skillet, tongs, and a grater or zester.
For the reverse sear technique, you'll need a heavy duty sheet pan fitted with a metal rack, and a probe thermometer.
For sous vide, you'll need a sous vide circulator and a large pot that fits your device. A vacuum sealer is optional.

If you plan to use your oven to cook the steak, use the reverse sear method. Scroll past this section for sous vide instructions!

Reverse Sear Steps:

Preheat your oven to 250°F. After taking the steak out of its package, use a couple sheets of Bounty to thoroughly pat all surfaces dry. Having a dry steak will give you a crustier surface later when searing.

Season the steak generously on both sides with Kosher salt, about one teaspoon per pound of meat. (I prepared an extra one for leftovers, as you can see below.) Rub the steak with two and a half teaspoons of chili powder.

If you have the time, transfer the steaks to a plate and let them hang out in the fridge for an hour, up to overnight. The salt will have more time to penetrate that way. Otherwise, proceed immediately with cooking.

Set the steak on a metal rack fitted over a heavy-duty sheet pan. Elevating the steak on a rack helps the air to circulate for even cooking. Stick a probe thermometer in the thickest part of the steak.

Cook the steak at 250°F until the internal temperature registers 120°F if you plan to finish the steak at medium rare, or 125°F if you prefer a medium steak. This could take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour, so the probe thermometer is critical to monitor progress accurately.

After the steak reaches the proper temperature, remove it from the oven. It needs to rest for at least 15 minutes before searing, but you can let it hang out for up to an hour or so if needed. As the steak rests, its temperature will continue to climb a bit due to residual heat.

Sous Vide Steps:

This is my preferred method for cooking thick steaks because it requires much less equipment. Set up your sous vide circulator or machine per manufacturer's instructions. Set the water temperature for 130°F - 135°F if you prefer a medium rare steak or 140°F to 145°F for medium.

Season the steak generously on both sides with Kosher salt, about one teaspoon per pound of meat. Transfer the steak to a resealable freezer bag, or vacuum seal if you have that equipment on hand. If you have the time, let the steak hang out in the fridge for an hour, up to overnight. The salt will have more time to penetrate that way. Otherwise, proceed immediately with cooking.

If you used a plastic freezer bag, you'll need to use the water displacement method to seal it. Seal all but a couple inches of the zipper top. Submerge the steak in the water, leaving the unopened part of the seal above water. When all of the air has escaped the bag and the steak is able to sink and stay underwater, seal the remaining end of the bag.

Cook the steak for at least one hour per pound, and up to four hours.

For the sous vide process, the steak needs to be thoroughly dried after it cooks. This is easy to do by laying it on a sheet of Bounty to soak up the excess moisture on the bottom of the steak and use another sheet to blot the top of the steak.

After the steak is dry, rub it with two and a half teaspoons of chili powder.

Finishing the steak:

Finishing the steak is virtually the same whether you did a reverse sear method or sous vide. To sear, heat a heavy skillet over medium-high to high heat, until it's just shy of smoking. I prefer using cast iron for steaks. Add the cooking oil to the skillet. Once the oil is shimmering, use tongs to carefully lay the steak down in the skillet. Allow it to sear for thirty seconds, then flip the steak over to sear the other side. Add the butter. Once melted, use a spoon to baste the top of the steak with butter. Flip the steak back and forth a couple times to finish the sear. (This can be a messy process, so expect some splattering on your stove top. Thank goodness Bounty helps make clean up a breeze!)

The total time in the skillet should only be a couple minutes. The goal is to quickly get a crust on the outside of the steak without overcooking that perfect interior. If you did the reverse sear method, you can use your probe thermometer, or a handheld instant-read thermometer, to confirm that the steak has reached its target temperature. For a medium rare steak, you'll want to finish between 130°F - 135°F. For medium, 140°F to 145°F. If you cooked sous vide, the temperature was already at the target before searing.

Transfer the cooked steak to a cutting board. You don't need to rest the steak before slicing! Be sure to slice against the grain for tender pieces of steak.

Preparing the salad:

Since you have an hour while the steak cooks, there's more than enough time to prep salad ingredients in that window.

Bring a small pot of water to boil, and boil the eggs for exactly 11 minutes. Shock them in ice cold water immediately after cooking, and then peel and quarter once safe to handle.

Shave the corn off the cob, and slice the radishes, cucumber, and avocado. To prepare the vinaigrette, combine the vinegar, lime zest and juice, honey, grated garlic, chili powder, and olive oil in a small container. Whisk or cover and shake well. Season to taste with a pinch of salt.

Pro tip: Place a damp Bounty sheet underneath your cutting board to help keep it from sliding while you cut those veggies.

When you're ready to build your salads, start with a handful of greens on each plate and layer half the veggies. Drizzle with some of the vinaigrette. Follow with the remaining greens, more veggies, and top with sliced steak. Garnish with sliced eggs on the side, and drizzle with vinaigrette. Enjoy!

Thursday, June 20, 2019
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Pimento Mac & Cheese

dinner

I've been hoarding this recipe for far too long but I figure National Cheese Day is the appropriate occasion to release it to the masses! By now most of you are familiar with my Classic Creamy Baked Mac & Cheese tutorial, in which I broke down the ins and outs of making a successful pan of mac & cheese. If you haven't familiarized yourself with the technique for preparing a bechamel sauce, that's the best place to read all about it. It was a solid recipe that spun off into a handful of variations, so I won't be throwing anything new at you here as far as the technique goes. (I actually simplified a step to make it an easier, one-pot process!)

If you've spent any time in the south, you've probably had or at least seen pimento cheese spread at parties, restaurants, and the prepared foods section of your grocery store. I'll be honest, the shit terrified me for years before I ever tried it. Something about cold shredded cheese mixed up with mayo just didn't sit right with me, and I love mayo. Well, as it turned out, pimento cheese is not just delicious, it's downright addictive when made right. Scooped up with crackers or slathered on a hot buttermilk biscuit, I can't get enough of it. Some recipes can be kind of basic, but the key for me was shredding cheese by hand and seasoning it just right. I'm partial to pimento cheese made with a hint of something spicy and smoky to offset the sweet, mild pimiento peppers. Using the same flavor profile to make mac & cheese was an obvious and natural progression. Not a new idea, but as with the spread, the right seasonings and good quality cheese are what separates the bland and boring from the spectacular. My pimento mac & cheese pairs really well with bbq dishes in the summer.

Pimento cheese is traditionally made with cheddar, so I stayed true to that here with an extra sharp cheddar as the base to the flavor. Muenster cheese has a mild flavor but serves to amp up the cool string-cheese effect. The cheese that I'm gonna need you to get into for this recipe is Butterkäse. It's a ridiculously creamy, semi-soft German cheese with a buttery flavor. Yes, you'll have to find this one at a cheese counter but it's totally worth the trip. Stores like Wegmans, Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, and Trader Joes often carry it, but I've even spotted it at Costco so check around. (Boar's Head makes one, so it's not impossible to find these days.) What I love about Butterkäse is how much it reminds me of the way Velveeta melts so smoothly. Perfect for mac & cheese, and an amazing compliment to cheddar. If you absolutely must substitute something else, Cream Havarti is probably your best bet. But I'm begging you... seek out the Butterkäse!

The only other ingredient note is in regards to the onion. Instead of steeping it in the milk like my classic recipe, this time you're just going to dice it and include in the mac & cheese itself. I used Vidalia onions since it's summertime and they're in season. They have a mild, sweet flavor that plays nicely here without overshadowing the cheese. If you make this out of season, just be sure to grab sweet onions and not a standard yellow or white onion, which would be too strong of a flavor.

Pimento Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

1 lb dried elbow macaroni noodles
Kosher salt, as needed
1 large Vidalia onion, diced (about 1 cup)
8 oz extra-sharp cheddar cheese
8 oz Muenster cheese
8 oz Butterkäse cheese
8 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
½ cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
2 bay leaves
2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp hot sauce, or to taste
2 tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
½ tsp black pepper
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
8 oz sliced pimiento peppers, and the liquid from the jar(s)

Servings: 8 to 10
Active Time: 30 min
Total Time: 1 hour
Equipment Needed: Large pot, pasta strainer, deep casserole dish, cheese grater, fine grater or zester

Get a large pot of water boiling for the pasta. Add a few tablespoons of salt. Cook the noodles a few minutes shy of the package directions for "al dente," in most cases that equals 6 minutes. After cooking, strain the pasta and rinse off the noodles with cold water to stop them from cooking further. Set aside. (While the pasta cooks, dice your onion and shred your cheese.)

Wipe out the pot. Over medium heat, melt 6 tablespoons of butter. Saute the diced onion for a few minutes, until softened and translucent. Season with a pinch of salt.

Sprinkle the onions with flour and stir to dissolve. Cook, stirring constantly, for a couple minutes, until the flour is bubbly and a faint blonde color. That's the roux, which will thicken your cheese sauce. Switch to a whisk if you haven't already, it will help prevent lumps in the next step.

Pour in the milk while whisking vigorously. Continue whisking for another minute, until you have a smooth sauce. The only "lumps" you should feel will be onions.

Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the bay leaves. Allow the bechamel to simmer for ten minutes, stirring frequently, until it's thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Make sure you periodically scrape up the bottom of the pot and around the edges, to prevent lumps from forming as the sauce thickens.

Once the sauce has thickened, remove and discard the bay leaves. Add the dry mustard, hot sauce, smoked paprika, grated nutmeg, black pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to dissolve all the spices. Add salt to taste, starting with one teaspoon and then adding small pinches as needed. The sauce should taste well-seasoned but not overly salty because the cheese will also add some salt. If you want a spicier mac & cheese, you can also bump up the hot sauce.

Dump the pimiento peppers in, liquid and all. Stir again, allowing the sauce to simmer for another minute.

Turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner completely. Mix up your shredded cheese so that it's evenly distributed. Stir two-thirds of the cheese into the sauce until melted, reserving the remaining third.

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Fold the cooked noodles into the cheese sauce. You'll be able to see how amazingly gooey and stringy this is going to be!

Use the remaining two tablespoons of butter to grease a deep casserole dish. Spread half of the macaroni mixture into the bottom of the dish. Top with half of the reserved shredded cheese. Follow with the other half of the noodles, then sprinkle with the last of the cheese.

Bake on the middle rack, uncovered, at 350°F for 30 minutes or until bubbly on top and just starting to brown. Allow the mac & cheese to cool for 10 minutes or so before digging in, which gives the cheese time to settle. (It's also dangerously hot right now.) Enjoy!

Are you guys ready for this recipe? 😋 pic.twitter.com/LywgMYzUCV
— Angela Davis (@TheKitchenista) June 5, 2019

Make Ahead Tips:

To make this ahead of time, you can assemble the mac & cheese and refrigerate for up to a day before baking. I recommend increasing the milk by half a cup to compensate for the noodles absorbing more. You may need to bake for an extra ten minutes or so, but only cover it loosely with foil if it's starting to brown before it's cooked through.

Alternatively, you can prepare the cheese sauce up to several days ahead of time, and then combine with cooked noodles and the reserved shredded cheese when you're ready to assemble and bake. You do not need to reheat the cheese sauce before assembling.

Tuesday, June 04, 2019
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Seared Tuna Salad & Sweet Chili Vinaigrette

dairy-free

My body is craving lighter meals this week after overdosing on barbecued meats for the last couple weekends. It's tough finding fresh seafood around this area, but yesterday I finally had time to make the drive out to Wegmans. I can always trust the quality of the seafood counter there. After treating myself to a salmon poke salad bowl for lunch, I still had a taste for fish so I picked up a tuna steak. My five-year-old daughter Raven was almost as excited as I was, having tasted my poke bowl and declaring that she too, wanted a "sushi salad." So, a seared tuna salad was in order for both of us, inspired by the ingredients from yesterday's poke salad bowl at Wegmans.

Before we even get to the tuna, what I liked about this salad was that it hit all the texture notes - crisp greens, cucumbers and radishes, soft edamame, creamy avocado, crunchy cashews. As I was editing photos, I realized I forgot to sprinkle with sesame seeds, but I didn't miss anything at all when I ate it! The dressing is sweet, tangy and a little spicy, made with The Essential Table's Thai Chili Tequila Jam. I love the versatility of this jam! As some of you may remember, I used it previously for a chicken stir fry sauce. I've included substitution notes with the ingredient list, but if you can, pick up a jar and support another woman-owned business here in Virginia.

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I used my lemon pepper blend to season the fish, because cracked pepper always works nicely for seared tuna. It's one of those dishes that looks much fancier than it is difficult to cook. It is definitely a splurge, because of the cost of fresh tuna, but it's not one that you'll have to worry about ruining. Always make sure you're buying fresh fish from a reputable source. If it looks funky, old, or otherwise unappealing, it's not going to get better by searing it for thirty seconds, so wait until you can find a tuna steak that is worth the money. (By the way, if you don't appreciate the texture of rare tuna, don't bother - you'd be better off buying some good imported canned tuna, which is still a bit of a splurge but obviously not nearly as much as fresh fish.)

All in all, this was an easy lunch to pull off but tasted like something I'd order in a restaurant, so that's always a win in my book. Raven enjoyed her kid-sized salad as well!

Seared Tuna Salad & Sweet Chili Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

12 oz fresh tuna steak

1 tsp Kosher salt, more as needed

2 tsp lemon pepper blend*

1 tbsp Thai Chili Tequila Jam**

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp neutral cooking oil, plus more for the skillet (canola, grapeseed or safflower will work)

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

2 tsp soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos

2 cups watercress

1/2 cup steamed and cooled edamame soybeans

1/2 avocado

2 radishes, thin sliced

1/3 English seedless cucumber, thin sliced

1/4 cup roasted cashews, chopped

2 scallions, sliced

Ingredient Notes:

*Any cracked pepper blend can be used here, or use freshly ground black peppercorns

**If you don't have this particular jam, use a couple teaspoons of honey plus a dollop of your favorite hot chile sauce, such as a Thai Sweet Chili Sauce, Sriracha or Sambal Oelek.

Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: Serves 2
Special Equipment: heavy skillet, tongs

Before you get started, season your tuna so that the salt has a little time to penetrate. Rub all sides with one teaspoon of Kosher salt and a generous coating of lemon pepper. Set aside while you gather your salad ingredients.

To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the Thai Chili Jam, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, cooking oil, sesame oil, and soy sauce. As with any dressing, you can adjust the sweetness and acidity to taste. Add a pinch of salt if necessary too. Set the dressing aside; you'll need to whisk again before using if the oil separates.

Make sure your remaining salad ingredients are completely prepped before cooking the tuna.

When you're ready, preheat your heavy skillet over high heat until it's just shy of smoking. Add a splash of oil to the skillet. When shimmering, place the tuna steak down in the center of the skillet. Sear for approximately 20 seconds and then flip to sear the other side. You should see the surface of the tuna change to opaque and gradually cook towards the center; the idea is just to sear the surface on all sides. Once the top and bottom are seared, use your tongs to hold the tuna up to sear remaining raw sides as well.

Transfer the tuna to a plate and place it in the freezer. This will stop the tuna from cooking further and help firm it up before slicing.

I plated my other salad ingredients first, while the tuna was cooling. Start with a handful of watercress on each plate and then divide the other veggies. Arrange the edamame around the edges of the plate and finish with a sprinkling of cashews. Drizzle with some of the vinaigrette.

Once the salads were plated, slice the tuna. Cut perpendicular to the grain, which are the ridges running across the tuna steak.

Divide the tuna slices between your salad plates, drizzle with more vinaigrette, and serve!

Friday, May 31, 2019
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