How-To: Make Raclette
Let everyone assemble their own platter of provisions to top with melty raclette cheese!
Ingredients:
Boiled, braised or roasted potatoes
Speck, sliced
Pickled onions
Cornichons
Raclette cheese
Tools:
Boska Holland Mini Raclette Partyclette
Method:
1. First assemble all your prep ingredients and lay them out on the table, allowing everyone to pick their favorite options. (We recommend a little of everything included in this week’s kit!)
2. Light the tea candles that come with the Partyclette, place in the base and set it on the table, letting the flames start to heat up the pan surface. When warm, place a healthy slice or two of raclette cheese in the Partyclette.
3. Once melted, use the spatula to carefully lift out a serving of cheese and then place it atop your plate of provisions. Enjoy right away and keep on heating up cheese to add to more plates!
Persimmon Cake
Persimmon Cake
This homey, warm spice cake is fragrant with nutmeg, ginger and ripe persimmon.
Ingredients:
1 cup persimmon purée*
1 cup sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, beaten
¼ cup apple juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon each of nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves and cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
*To make persimmon purée, make sure to use only very ripe persimmons (they are the texture of an overripe tomato; dark spots are okay). Peel the skin off the persimmons, remove any seeds, and purée in a food processor or blender.
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease baking pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together persimmon purée, sugar, and vegetable oil until uniform. Mix in the eggs, vanilla extract, and apple juice. Gradually add the baking powder, spices, and salt. Fold in the flour until just incorporated.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar
Persimmon Cake
This homey, warm spice cake is fragrant with nutmeg, ginger and ripe persimmon.
Ingredients:
1 cup persimmon purée*
1 cup sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, beaten
¼ cup apple juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon each of nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves and cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
*To make persimmon purée, make sure to use only very ripe persimmons (they are the texture of an overripe tomato; dark spots are okay). Peel the skin off the persimmons, remove any seeds, and purée in a food processor or blender.
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease baking pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together persimmon purée, sugar, and vegetable oil until uniform. Mix in the eggs, vanilla extract, and apple juice. Gradually add the baking powder, spices, and salt. Fold in the flour until just incorporated.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar before serving.
Roasted Apricots with Rosemary
Topped with a honeyed yogurt cream, these baked apricots make for a lovely summer dessert.
Ingredients:
10 apricots, washed and dried
3 large sprigs rosemary
½ vanilla pod (reserve the other half for the serving cream)
Zest of 1 orange
½ cup orange juice (from roughly 2 oranges)
3 tablespoons honey
¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted
Honeyed yogurt cream:
1 cup Greek yogurt
½ cup heavy cream
Seeds from ½ vanilla pod
1 tablespoon runny honey
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Cut the apricots in half (leave the pit in – it looks nice and helps to keep the fruit from collapsing completely) and arrange, cut-side up on a baking dish large enough to accommodate them in one layer. Tuck the rosemary sprigs, ½ vanilla pod and the orange peel in and around the apricots, then pour the orange juice all over to moisten the apricots.
2. Drizzle honey all over and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, basting and gently shaking the baking dish from time to time to make sure the fruit doesn’t burn. The apricots are done when they are soft but have not collapsed completely.
3. To make the yogurt honey cream, combine all the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip until soft waves form. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. Transfer the apricots onto serving plates and drizzle over the sticky juices. Dollop a large spoonful of the yogurt honey cream on the side and scatter the toasted almonds on top.
Blueberry-Nectarine Buckle
This easy dessert is sure to please the whole family!
Ingredients:
For the topping:
½ stick (¼ cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
½ cup sugar
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
For the batter:
1½ sticks (¾ cup) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
2 cups blueberries, picked over and rinsed
2 nectarines, pitted and cut into 1-inch wedges
Method:
1. Make the topping: In a small bowl, blend together the butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg until the mixture resembles coarse meal; chill the topping while making the batter.
2. Make the batter: In a small bowl with an electric mixer or a stand mixer, cream together the butter and the sugar and beat in the vanilla. In a small bowl stir together the baking powder, the flour, and the salt, beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture alternately with the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and fold in the blueberries and the nectarines.
3. Spread the batter in a well-buttered 10-by 2-inch round cake pan or 2-quart baking pan, sprinkle the topping evenly over it and bake the buckle in the middle of a preheated 350° oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean and the topping is crisp and golden. Serve the buckle with whipped cream or ice cream.
Roman-Style Puntarelle Salad
This classic Italian salad recipe makes ingenious use of Puntarelle greens.
Ingredients:
1 head Puntarelle chicory, trimmed of root end and then with greens thinly sliced
4 anchovy filets
1 clove garlic, minced
6 tablespoons high-quality olive oil
3 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Place the Puntarelle into a bowl of ice water and let sit for 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, finely chop and smash anchovies and garlic to make a paste, then whisk in the olive oil and vinegar to make a smooth dressing. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Drain Puntarelle and pat dry, then toss with dressing. Serve immediately.
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Great served with chips, or mixed into rice, this awesome salsa also makes excellent sauce for enchiladas!
Ingredients:
1 pound tomatillos, husks removed
3-4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 small yellow or white onion, peeled and quartered
1 jalapeño pepper
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
½ cup chopped cilantro leaves
Juice of 1 lime
¼ cup chopped green onion
Olive oil
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 500°. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
2. After husking the tomatillos, rinse them well in cool water (they can be sticky). Cut the stems and hard portions (if any) off the tomatillos and cut any very large ones in half.
3. Combine the tomatillos, unpeeled garlic, onion, and the jalapeno on the lined baking sheet. Spritz with extra virgin olive oil until lightly coated and toss the ingredients with your hands to make sure they are all well-coated.
4. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. If the vegetables have not charred, turn the broiler on to high and cook for 3-5 more minutes or until the skins of the peppers and tomatillos begin to turn black. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
5. When the vegetables have cooled, carefully squeeze the skin of the roasted garlic, releasing the soft, roasted garlic clove, into the jar of a blender or work bowl of a food processor. Add the remaining roasted vegetables and then add the salt, pepper, and lime juice. Process until the desired consistency is reached and then transfer to a serving dish.
Moroccan Beet Salad
Kissed with freshly-squeezed orange juice, cilantro and mint, this salad will brighten up any spread.
Ingredients:
6 golden beets, tops removed
1 red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon olive oil
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, packed
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, packed
Method:
1. In a large pot bring enough water to cover beets to a boil. Add in beets and allow to simmer until beets are tender enough to be pierced with a fork, about 35-40 minutes. Remove from the pot and allow beets to cool completely. While running under cold water, remove the skins from the beets using a peeler. Cut beets into 2” pieces and set aside.
2. In a small bowl combine orange juice, olive oil, cumin and salt. Stir well and set aside.
3. In a large bowl add in beets, fresh mint, fresh cilantro, sliced onions and dressing and toss until everything is mixed together. Top with more fresh herbs and serve.
Scorzonera Fritters
These delightful, Italian-style fritters make a wonderful appetizer, or just serve alongside a green salad to make it a full meal.
Ingredients:
4 Scorzonera roots, trimmed of greens
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons grated Grana-style cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
¼ cup polenta
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Olive oil (for frying)
Lemon wedges (for serving)
Method:
1. Wash and scrub Scorzonera, then peel off skin with a vegetable peeler. Grate Scorzonera into a large bowl using a box grater. (You should have about 1½ cups once grated.) Place a large frying pan over medium heat and add butter to melt. Add in grated Scorzonera and thyme. Stir and fry until Scorzonera has softened, about 15 minutes, and then remove from heat.
2. In a bowl, combine Scorzonera, egg, breadcrumbs, Grana cheese, parsley and garlic, then season generously with salt and pepper. Divide mixture into 6-8 even patties (each about the size of a crab cake).
3. Place the polenta in a bowl, then dip each patty into the polenta and coat on both sides. Place pan back on medium heat and add enough olive oil to coat, Fry the fritters until golden, about 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer to paper-towel lined plate to drain, then serve warm with lemon wedges on the side.
Quinoa Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumber & Coriander
This tabbouleh-inspired salad is fresh and light thanks to an infusion of summer produce and herbs.
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half and quarters if large
1 large cucumber, seeds removed, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 small shallots, minced
½ cup green coriander leaves, roughly chopped
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Combine quinoa, 2 cups water and a large pinch of salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stir, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 7 minutes. Shut off heat and let rest until water is absorbed, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer quinoa to a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold water until thoroughly chilled. Let drain for 10 minutes.
2. While quinoa cooks, combine tomatoes and cucumbers in a colander. Season with salt and toss to coat. Let drain in sink until ready to combine with quinoa.
3. In a large bowl, toss drained quinoa, drained tomatoes and cucumbers, shallots, parsley, mint, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, or for best flavor, let rest overnight in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Salad can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Buckwheat Crêpes
Once you perfect the technique here, start adding in and playing with your favorite fillings. (This week we suggest using our signature apple butter paired with some maple-spiced apples.)
Ingredients:
1 cup buckwheat flour
¾ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
¼ to ½ cup water
Method:
1. To make the crêpe batter, combine all the ingredients (except water) in a blender, and blend until smooth. Cover the batter and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
2. When you’re ready to make crêpes, thin the batter with water, using less water for thicker crêpes and more water for thinner ones.
3. Preheat a crêpe pan or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly grease the pan with butter, oil, or pan spray, then pour in enough batter to thinly coat the bottom of the pan; swirling the pan as you pour the batter will help ensure an even coating. Cook the crêpe for 1 to 2 minutes on the first side, until it’s golden and lifts from the pan easily. Flip it over and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes on the other side.
4. Transfer cooked crêpes to a plate, stacking them on top of one another, and keeping a towel over them. Fill as desired; serve warm.