The Novel Bakers ~ "Gathering in the Garden" ~ Part II

Hello and welcome to the Wednesday installment of The Novel Bakers  where we are featuring the book "Gathering the Garden" written and illustrated  by Shelly Snow and Elaine Husband.




Same old story at my house... 
The summer wildfires made it nearly impossible to capture  garden gathering outdoors this summer,  so I dredged up one from my archives.  
It is from a few years ago. 
Thanks for understanding!






Now, I normally wouldn't serve these three  items together . . . these are just ideas for items you might serve at a gathering in the garden.

First up are Tomato Melts:

Garlic Bread toasted, spread with mayonnaise, a layer of fresh basil, then thinly sliced ripe tomatoes, a generous sprinkling of bacon then a layer of sliced or grated cheese ~ placed on shallow pan and baked in a 450º(F) oven  until the cheese is nice and melty and the  slices are warmed through.
Click here for a printable copy of Tomato Melts.






Next up, Warm Yukon Gold Potato salad:




Though this recipe also calls for bacon, it seems to me that we had  plenty of bacon on the Tomato Cheese Melts, so I substituted sweet red onion to lighten it up a bit (and omitted the mayonnaise.)   I also added a couple of sprigs of fresh tarragon, optional. 






Back to the Tomato Melts ~

Instead of large slices of bread I sliced the bread into narrow diagonal pieces and made them into "boats"





 ~ the basil "sails" are an idea I copied from Mary's inspiring blog:
Home is Where the Boat is
Thank you Mary!! :)






I also made a few  ~



~ Quiche d'Olives and Basil Tomato Tarts ~
Click here for a printable copy of the Quiche d'Olives recipe.

Instead of one large pan of each, I made individual size portions.





I used tiny Nicoise olives in the olive quiche, and cherry/grape tomatoes cut in half for the  Basil Tomato Tarts.
Click here for Basil Tomato Tart.







Using smaller tomatoes and olives worked out perfectly for these small tart pans.

Thank you for stopping by today!


Please come on back on Friday for our "Gathering in the Garden" finale ~




Thank you for any comments you would like to leave ~ they absolutely MAKE my day!  :) :) :)


And please do check out the other Novel Bakers' blogs  to see their creative ideas as interpreted from 'Gathering in the Garden'  :

Home is Where the Boat is
Rattlebridge Farm
A Quiet Life Blog

Mystery Ingredient Club ~ Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Green Olives

Foodie Friday and our 1st

Mystery Ingredient Club Event~

hosted by Michael @ Rattlebridge Farm!

Click here to learn more. I apologize that I am a little late to the party, due to scary wildfires in our area ~ they have interrupted everyday routines, to say the least.

Michael very generously sent each of the participants 3 ingredients to use in any recipe we chose. We could pick one, two or three of the ingredients. (Thank you so much for your generosity Michael!)
I decided to use all three mystery ingredients,  but in separate recipes ~ so I will be posting the other two in the next few days.

I chose the Preserved Lemons to use in my first dish: 



I had been wanting to try this recipe from Tyler Florence (which has received great reviews) for quite some time, so this was my chance.



It is a dish inspired by flavors from the middle East, and it didn't disappoint.
Note: You do not need a tagine to make this dish. I didn't make it in the tagine, I simply transferred it for serving at the table.


One of us (not me!) is not really fond of traditional brined green olives ~ so I used these instead:

I found them in the refrigerated case at Costco, I've also bought them from the olive bar at the grocery store. As the label says, they are very mild, with a pleasing buttery texture.




The recipe doesn't require that you bundle the chicken with twine, but I like to do it sometimes for a neater presentation.




The chicken is absolutely melt-in-your-mouth tender, and very flavorful.




To serve with it, I also made Tyler Florence's recipe for Apricot and Orange CousCous.   click and scroll down His calls for scallions, instead I snipped some chives from the garden.
We loved it!  I served toasted Marcona almonds on the side as a garnish.



I loved this combination of ingredients (I didn't picture the onion, cumin, cloves, saffron, or red pepper here.) I added generous slices of fresh ginger, which I removed before serving.


Would I, should I prepare it again?
Those of us at the table responded with an overwhelming ~
YES!



You can usually tell how much I like a particular dish by the number of images of it that I share. 
(It's a dead give-away with this one!)    :o)



Check in tomorrow for my next entry for the Mystery Ingredient Club, using mystery ingredient #2. It's another winner.
~*~*~*~*~

Please come see all of the recipes at:

(Click image.)
Thank you for stopping by today!

Black Olive Tapenade

I think it would be safe to say you must like assertive flavors in order to enjoy tapenade ~ and I do.
But wait ~ before I lose some of you! 
If you cannot tolerate strong flavors but like the idea of tapenade, Giada De Laurentiis has a wonderful recipe for a toned down version, using only canned  black olives and sun-dried tomatoes.  You can find the recipe here.

As far as authentic tapenade it originated in southern France (Provence),  it's name comes from the Provençal word for capers (tapenas.)   Traditionally made with mortar and pestle it is a blend of capers, black olives, olive oil, and anchovies. Most of the tapenade I have tasted also include a  clove or two or raw or roasted garlic.
Though apparently not traditional, some versions include pine nuts or other nuts, and I've seen a version that Jacques Pepin demonstrated using a dried figs, or apricots for a unique flavor twist.
Some add brandy to the mix as well, or finely grated orange zest, and there are versions of green olive tapenade,  as well as combinations of green olives/black olives  and artichoke hearts, too.
This time rather than a mix of oil cured black olives and  Kalamata olives I used only the latter, and as always  added a bit of thyme, a little lemon juice,  and freshly ground black pepper.
I've never tried making it with a mortar and pestle  (a labor of love!) I simply pulse the ingredients up using a small food processor, so easy and it keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for a  couple of weeks.

Called the "butter of Provence", I usually serve  it spread on toasted baguette slices,  but it's also good with crudites and as a condiment  in sandwiches.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Some additional suggestions for use from around the web:
* As a filling for Palmiers; spread puff pastry dough with tapenade and roll as for palmiers, slice and bake in hot oven, best served warm.
* Spread tapenade on pizza dough, top with feta or mozzarella cheese and tomatoes, then bake.
* Flatten chicken thighs or breasts, spread with tapenade, jarred roasted peppers, and cheese if desired, then roll and bake.
* As a topping for grilled or broiled fish.
* Tossed with hot angel hair pasta along with diced tomatoes, finely diced or shredded fresh mozzarella cheese and fresh basil leaves.
* Add a little tapenade to your omelet filling.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

If you would like a reliable recipe for basic, traditional Tapenade you can find a printable version by following this link.
Thank you for stopping by today! ~Mari :)