A gâteau (pronounced ga-toe) is a French cake, often specifically a sponge cake.  1. a rich or fancy cake. 2. food baked or served in the form of a cake.

After my Wednesday appearance on Valley Dish, I had a stack of about 30 herb crêpes left over. Crêpes freeze very well, so a dozen were wrapped, labeled, and frozen for future use. Fortunately, I had seen this, just the Sunday before, on my favorite daily shopping website; One Kings Lane:

Spinach Gruyere Crepe Gâteau

This savory cake is a work of genius. It is 6 inches in diameter and features a seemingly endless stack of delicate crepes, each layered with classic flavors – aged Gruyere cheese, tender onion, and spinach. This is rich, soul-satisfying fare, with an absolutely stunning presentation. $65 Retail; One Kings Lane price $45

That inspired me to make my own version with the addition of luscious duxelles. (Duxelles is a finely chopped mixture of mushrooms, shallots, and garlic sautéed in butter and reduced to a thick mixture with cream. Often used as a stuffing; notably, beef Wellington, or as a garnish.)

An alternative smoked salmon gâteau (much quicker and easier) is at the bottom of the post. Either version makes a perfect light dinner, lunch, or brunch dish.

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Although I didn’t feel like making dinner on Monday, I ran into Trader Joe’s with only, “Make pasta for dinner.” on my brain. I was instantly inspired by the sight of a bag of sliced crimini mushrooms. From there the recipe developed in my head as I put heirloom tomatoes, arugula, two linguini flavors, and Fontina cheese in my cart.

But I have to admit that I find it immensely difficult to make dinner on the nights leading up to big holidays. All my focus and attention are currently pinpointed on Christmas Eve Mass and dinner. Next, on Christmas day breakfast, gift opening, and dinner. All that makes it feel nearly impossible to care about the “now’.  I am well aware that that is not the way to live life, but making the holidays special is just what I, and most of you, do.

So, for you – and for me, I post a little poem and this pasta recipe, both of which I created just for the holiday hustle and bustle. I’m far too frazzled and scatterbrained to finish the last 10 stanzas. Here is a LINK to the original poem, please feel free to add some stanzas of your own. And if no one steps forward, maybe I shall get back to it later!

“Twas the Monday before Christmas, and all through the house
Not a creature was focused, not even the mouse.
The “to-do” lists were sitting on the counter with a nasty glare
In my hopes that someone else would please do them with care.

The husband and children were kicked back in their Keds
While visions of the perfect Christmas danced in their heads.
And mama in her panic, bustling here and there in a flap
Wondering how everything would happen without a single nap!

When out in the kitchen there arose such a bang and a clatter,
Mama continued getting dinner on the table as if nothing else mattered.
Away to the shops and markets, she went in such a dash.
Doing her best to get it all done in time for each camera flash.

The family was ever confident as they watched her go, go, go,
That this Christmas, like all the rest, would be everything and mo’
When what to all wondering eyes should appear,
But another “perfect” Christmas- full of joy, love, and cheer!”  

– Linda Hopkins

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The title should be more like “forgot and found”…

Last weekend when Marissa’s friends came up from Tucson, she and I made a grocery run to Food City for inexpensive Mexican food items. I found such a great price on poblanos that I purchased ten of the delicious and versatile peppers. I used 2 last weekend and placed the rest in one of the refrigerator’s produce drawers… and promptly forgot about them.

After discovering them yesterday, I quickly roasted, peeled, and seeded all eight. Two were used for these enchiladas and the remaining six will be put to good use in tomorrow’s post… stay tuned!

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I am always amazed at how open and accepting kids can be. Even after teaching them to cook for 15 years, they continue to surprise me. During these past four weeks of classes we’ve had Pizza Day, Bread & Sandwiches Day, Greek, Mexican, and Caribbean Days…. and for the last day of each week, Vegetarian Day. Do you know which “Day” the majority of the kids look forward to most? Yeah, veggie day! Parents, you should be proud – I know I’m mighty proud of them!

Soft lavash bread is a great vehicle to use for vegetarian dishes. You can find a six-pack of it at Trader Joe’s. And just as with yesterday’s recipe, you need to be sure to seed the tomatoes and then drain them to prevent this thin crust from becoming soggy.

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A few days back, my teen students had their graduation lunch and chose quiche as one of their buffet menu items. Since our time to cook on graduation day is a bit more limited, I made the crust dough ahead and refrigerated it so that when the kids arrived they could roll out and blind bake them immediately. They then proceeded with the recipe, making the filling, baking the filled quiche, and then going back to the beginning to make the crust dough, so they had the experience of actually making the recipe in its entirety. So what’s the point of me telling you all that back-story? The point is, I then had two disks of dough in my refrigerator – hence my utter brilliance in making these lovely wild mushroom tarts for Father’s Day to go with our Steak au Poivre.

You will notice from the photos that I decided to make three rectangular tarts, while the recipe instructs to make a 9-inch round tart. That is because I had two sets of dough and I also knew that with my limited freezer space – two long ones would fit much better than a big old round one.  I have to say, in general, I really do like the rectangle pans better than the round.  You never have to worry about the center of the crust becoming soggy and they are easier to cut and serve. So if you enjoy making sweet and/or savory tarts, you might consider investing in this great size and shape too.

Now, as for the wild mushrooms, use whatever type you like. Costco sells a large container of wild mushroom mix and also a large bag (as you’ll see pictured here) of dried shiitake mushrooms. And just about all grocery stores sell small packages in either their produce or gourmet sections, as does Trader Joe’s.  That reminds me, when do you suppose Costco and Trader Joe’s are going to start paying me for all the free advertising I give them here?!? Wishful thinking… love ’em both anyhow!

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One important lesson quickly learned by the summer students these past few weeks… it takes a bit more effort to not only eat healthily but also to cook healthy. That may seem obvious to most adults… cruise through the drive-thru window vs. grilling a burger yourself – obvious. But how about throwing fat and juicy T-bone on the grill vs. grilling vegetables? A bit more effort with the vegetables, but effort well worth it, not only for the fabulous color and flavors – but also for your heart and soul!

Feel free to tweet and add to this recipe all you want. I would have included zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, etc., but those were already on the menu of the day in a variety of other vegetarian dishes. So scour the farmer’s market or pluck from your own garden and heat up the grill – enjoy!

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Just like yesterday, today we have a dish that was inspired for our Easter menu by a dish we enjoyed at the new FnB restaurant in Scottsdale (here is the link). The night we went, Dave had the most amazing chicken dish. Mind you, chicken is not something either of us generally orders at a restaurant, but I’d read rave reviews about Chef Char’s chicken with spaetzle. Those reviews were right on the mark – fabulous!

Spaetzle is tiny dumpling-like noodle nubbins from Germany and Austria that are made with flour, eggs, milk, salt, and nutmeg. The spaetzle dough can be firm enough to be rolled and cut into slivers or soft enough to be forced through a sieve, colander, or spaetzle-maker directly into boiling salted water. They rise to the top and then are drained and sautéed in butter or mixed with a sauce. Spaetzle literally translates from German as “little sparrow”. In Germany, spaetzle is served as a side dish much like potatoes or rice and is often accompanied by a sauce or gravy.

There are spaetzle-makers that consist of a hopper to hold the dough as it slides across a metal plate with holes, others that look like ricers, and a third style that is a food mill with a handle and a paddle to force the dough through the holes of a special spaetzle blade (which is what I have).

I served the wild mushroom spaetzle with my Pomegranate Molasses Lamb Chops which you can find in this previous post.

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My girlfriend, Lorie, was recently in town from California; along with her sister, Cathy, who was in from Indiana. We had a great night out and Lorie was raving about a roasted vegetable and polenta lasagna she had ordered at a Los Angeles area restaurant called Zinc Café & Market.

Let me tell you, I am a fool for polenta and there aren’t too many things more fantastic than roasted vegetables! Since I won’t be getting to LA in the near future, I had to make my own concoction! The polenta fills in as the “noodle” layers in this healthy, gluten-free, and vegetarian lasagna. You can purchase prepared firm polenta in a tube at most grocery stores and always at Trader Joe’s. Thank you Lorie for a great night, dinner, the cute little glasses you gave me, and the idea for this scrumptious lasagna. It was a bonafide hit with Dave, me, and (believe it or not) even my Dad!

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The second of February! How is that even possible? I still have not gotten used to writing 2010! Honestly, sometimes I still write 19—when putting down the date on something. I guess that’s because we still do have to put 19—on so many things; for instance; when you have to fill in your date of birth, your kids’ birthdays, the year you graduated from high school… it all starts with 19, not 20….so I guess it’s understandable, but really, how can it already be February 2010?

Since this is so confounding to me, how about something I totally understand, appreciate, love, and might be just a little wee bit obsessive about? Trader Joe’s! I adore Trader Joe’s! Of course, I’m not the only one – for proof of that GO TO THIS LINK and be one of the more than 528,000 people who have already viewed this little ode to Trader Joe’s.”  As I watched this video; I smiled, I laughed out loud, and I shook my head in complete agreement.  After you watch, please share your thoughts and comments with me, and I’ll randomly pick one winner from all the comments. That person will receive a bag, full of some of “My Favorite –Must Have” items from TJ’s.

Trader Joe’s items for this soup

In that same vein, every single ingredient for today’s and tomorrow’s recipes is from my neighborhood TJ’s. And to prove my devotion to them and to you, I even went there on a Sunday to purchase it all!  As a rule, I do not visit TJ’s on a weekend day, but for you…I made the sacrifice. xoxo

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There is very little time allotted in my schedule for posting today – the Arizona Cardinals are in the second round of the playoffs and it is almost impossible for me to concentrate on much else! After the heart-stopping victory against Green Bay last week, I’m not sure how much more I can take – so here’s hoping for an easier victory over the Saints today.

We’re having family over to watch the game, so of course, a few munchies are in order. These mushrooms are one of my “fallback” appetizers. Quick, easy, and oh so satisfying. I talked about sriracha sauce and had a link to a wonderful article about it on my January 9, 2010 post, go there if you don’t know what it is.  I’ll get around to posting the other munchies I made, later in the week… but for now – I’m off to put on my Fitzgerald #11 jersey, take a few deep breaths, and watch the Cardinals continue on – to the road to the Super Bowl!!!

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