Easter Side: Sugar Snap Peas with Basil

Easter is just a few days away.  One of my favorite parts of the day is planning brunch.  I go for simple ingredients and even easier cooking methods.  

The truth is you can plan a fab meal with a few simple steps and here’s one: a quick recipe of Sugar Snap Peas with Basil.

This year I’ll be driving back from Big Bend in the West Texas desert.  I wanted to leave you with a little something.  So here it is!

Ingredients

8 C of water
1/4 to 1/2 C of kosher salt
1 lb of sugar snap peas, stemmed
1 Tbls of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 C of fresh basil, julienne
Sprinkling of salt & pepper

Process

Pour water in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil over high heat.  Add 1/4C of salt (it will dissolve, have a bit of a taste - water should taste like salt. Add more salt if needed).  Add sugar snaps and bring heat down to medium high/medium.  

Cook for 3 minutes. Pull one sugar snap out to test.  If it has a slight crunch it’s done.  Scoop peas out with a colander and pour into the well of another colander that has been outfitted into a bowl of iced water .  Swish peas around in cold water until cool.  This will stop the cooking process. Pull colander (w/peas) out of the cold water. Over the bowl gently shake off excess water and place peas on toweling to dry.  This process is a technique called blanching.

Pat excess water off the peas.  Place peas on a a beautiful platter, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with julienne basil, salt and pepper. Serve!

This is a perfect side dish for ham, beef tenderloin or a roast chicken. Serves 6 side servings.

Here’s a cool picture to show you the basics of how to julienne.
Which means to cut into thin or match-like strips:

1. Pile basil leaves one on top of the other.

2. Roll leaves into a “cigar”.

3. Turn so that the roll is horizontal.

4. Begin slicing, with a rocking motion, from one end to the other - very thin slices.

5. With your fingertips undo strips from roll.

6. Sprinkle julienne strips on peas.

This technique should be done right before you are ready to eat your dish.  Because the basil is so delicate it will bruise and brown easily.

A Little Blue for Memorial Day — Blueberry Ricotta Cake

A recipe comes to someone in so many ways and often with several degrees of separation.  This one comes from my mother, Carol, via her friend in San Mateo, CA via Bon Appétit 5.10 via the Huckleberry Bakery & Café. WHEW!  How’s that for attribution?  By popular demand for my FB and Twitter friends - it’s back!  And just in time for your Memorial Day weekend party.  This cake is super outdoor friendly and a sure crowd pleaser! Happy Memorial Day and enjoy.

Special Equipment

10in. springform pan w/ 2 ¾ high sides 
3 medium size bowls 
1 large bowl

Ingredients

3 C fresh blueberries 
2 Tbls for blueberries 
1 1/3 C all purpose flour  
2/3 C yellow cornmeal 
2 tsp baking powder 
2 tsp baking soda 
6 Tbsp vegetable oil 
2 large eggs 
1 Tbsp vanilla extract 
1 tsp honey 
10 Tbsp (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 
¾ C plus 3 Tbls sugar, divided 
1 ½ tsp salt 
1 C ricotta cheese 
½ C yogurt, plain (I love the richness of Greek yogurt) 
Nonstick vegetable oil spray 

Process 

Preheat oven 325° 
Spray springform pan with non-stick oil. 

Place blueberries in a medium bowl.  Sprinkle 2 Tbls of flour over and mix gently until blueberries are lightly covered.  Place in a sieve and jiggle over sink to gently remove any excess flour.  Set aside.   
Whisk first flour, cornmeal, baking powder and soda in a medium bowl.  Whisk oil, eggs, vanilla and honey in another medium bowl.  With electric mixer, beat butter, ¾ C plus 2 Tbsp sugar and 1 ½ tsps salt in large bowl until creamy.  With mixer running on medium gradually add egg mixture; beat to blend.  Beat in flour mixture just to blend. Add ricotta and yogurt; beat on low speed just to blend.  Add floured blueberries and fold into mixture.  Sprinkle remaining sugar over batter.  Place in oven and bake cake until golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.   

Yields 12 servings 

Note:  Crusty on the outside and super moist & dense on the inside. 

Tip
* Prior to mixing into the batter always flour fruit pieces a bit that the fruit does not sink to the bottom of the pan when baking.

Basil Infused Watermelon Mocktail (for Mother's Day)

It’s official! I’m having a love affair with watermelon.  If you would have caught me a year ago I wouldn’t have even touched the rounded green orb. In fact, I’ve had a life-long aversion to the watemelon. I can’t even tell you why. Now, it seems I can’t get enough of that pink and sometimes yellow sweet flesh. I’m smitten! 

So, here’s the recipe I submitted for the http://www.oxo.com Kitchen Challenge at the http://www.eatwriteretreat.com conference in Washington, DC.  And it even got a honorable mention by none other than Bonnie Benwick, interim Food Editor of http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food  My fabulous cooking team included Kathy Blake (http://www.theexperimentalgourmand.com) Betty Ann Quirino (http://www.queensnotebook.com) and Jennifer Levac (http://www.marvelousmommymeals.com) Whew! That’s quite a list.  Anywho, here is the fabulous recipe and a picture of the mocktail.  With my compliments - ENJOY!!!

Ingredients

2C watermelon juice
3Tbls basil simple syrup (or to taste)
Juice of 1 medium lime
1/2-1C of sparkling water
2 stems basil (for garnish)

Process

Combine watermelon juice, basil simple syrup, lime juice and sparkling water in a small pitcher.  Stir to incorporate.  Chill.  Pour into 4 4-ounce cocktail glasses. Garnish.  Serve.

Watermelon Juice

6C personal watermelon, rough chop (yields 2 cups of juice)

Place watermelon in a blender. Puree watermelon until liquid. Pour watermelon juice through a medium sieve.  Pour first run sieved watermelon juice through a smaller mesh sieve.  Skim foam off top of watermelon juice. Chill.  Can be kept for up to 3-days refrigerated, 1 month frozen.

Basil Simple Syrup

1C simple syrup
1C water
1-2C fresh basil leaves

Combine sugar, water and basil leaves in a saucepan. Cook over medium high heat until sugar is dissolved.  Turn heat down to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Take off heat and let steep for 15 minutes or until cooled. Separate basil and syrup.  Discard basil.  Place into a container and refrigerate.  Can be kept for up to 1 month.

Yields 4 4-ounce servings.

p.s. Don’t forget if you want to go from mock-tail to cocktail just add your favorite spirit like vodka or gin.

Tips
*you can always add more simple syrup, lime juice and/or sparkling water to your taste.
*you can use most any herb or spice to make an infusion with the simple syrup - just use the basic recipe above.  also, remember use 1/2 the amount when using dried herbs or spices.
*don’t skip the sieving part of the watermelon juice because the pulp will always separate from the actual juice - you always want the pure juice.  
*alternatively from the recipe above you can always puree your watermelon & leave the juice in the refrigerator overnight.  the pulp will separate from the juice.  the next day you’ll just need to scoop off all the pulp.