Fourth of July blueberry ricotta tart with reduced balsamic and wine sauce...turned out amazingly better in the test version than the one I brought to the block party....  I learned the hard way that the tart shell really does need to be cooked first before filling...  le sigh.  

Boston eats...

There have been many 30 y.o. birthday celebrations...  a few food and drink highlights from my birthday and others'!

Oishii!
http://oishiiboston.com/menu-wine.html
By far the best sushi I've ever tasted in my life.  Also, by far the best drinks I have ever had.  I had the following the blueberry lavender w/ gin substituted for the vodka (fresh blueberry puree, lavender simple syrup, lime, and gin).  I also had the world's most delicious rhubarb drink.  I never knew such bliss.

Chirashi

Chirashi: up close and personal

Cutest chocolate truffles I have ever seen.  Brought via cooler from Philly!

http://www.johnandkiras.com/

Carrot ginger miso dressing

I have recently been experimenting with homemade salad dressings and discovered how much more willing I am to eat salad when there's a yummy dressing. I got this one on recipezaar and am in love with it! I used olive oil and probably added much more oil once the mixture was done as it still looked thick...can't quite tell if it's because my version of medium sized carrot was off...



Carrot Ginger Miso Dressing



Ingredients
2 tablespoons peanut oil or grapeseed oil or corn oil [olive oil]
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons white miso
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into big pieces
1 inch gingerroot, peeled and cut into coins
1-2 teaspoon sugar (optional) or sugar substitute, to taste (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
1Put all ingredients except salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse a few times to mince carrots.
2If using a blender, turn on briefly and turn off and repeat a few times. Then let machine run for a minute or so until mixture is chunky-smooth.
3Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
4Serve immediately or cover tightly and refrigerate for up to several days.

Chocolate Fudge Pie Recipe from Pie Bakery and Cafe
pie bakery's chocolate fudge pie!



Chocolate Fudge Pie
Serves eight

Ingredients
7 tbsp. butter
7 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp. flour
¼ tsp. salt
1/3 c. honey
3 eggs
1/3 c. heavy cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
9½ oz. white chocolate chunks
1 store-bought graham cracker crust

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Melt butter and bittersweet chocolate over low heat and set aside.

3. Combine flour and salt in large bowl and gradually whisk in honey.

4. Add eggs, heavy cream, and vanilla extract, stir. Then, add chocolate/butter mixture. Fold in 8 oz. white chocolate chunks.

5. Pour into graham cracker crust, place pie on a cookie sheet, and bake for 32-40 minutes.

6. Melt remaining white chocolate in microwave.

7. Let pie cool completely and drizzle with white chocolate.

Let them eat pie.

Tinkering with these ideas for brunch tomorrow...

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Cinnamon-Bundt-Cake-with-Mocha-Icing-354851

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/chocolate-cupcakes-with-coffee-cream-filling-recipe/index.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/macaroni-and-cheese-recipe/index.html

quiche

cheese grits

homefries

blackberry challah french toast

cobbler


...sooo torn!

To change topics, I just read Million Little Pieces and loved it. It's been wonderful to do fun reading again!

In case you were wondering, I really do like the new flourless chocolate cake recipe better!

New experiment: Baked stuffed eggplant
I enjoyed this...

Methods
Cut eggplant in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh.
Sprinkle eggplant shell and eggplant pulp with salt and leave alone for a while...
Rinse off eggplant pulp, and dice. Also dice some green bell pepper. I would've diced onion too but didn't have any at home.
Oil aluminum foil over a cookie sheet, and also sprinkle the eggplant shell with oil. Throw under the boiler.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in skillet, and throw in garlic, thyme, crushed red pepper. Throw in eggplant and green pepper and cook for about 8-10 minutes. Flavor with salt and pepper. At this point, this was already tasty and I probably could've just let things be. I ended up throwing in about half a cup of red wine and let it reduce.
Next, I added in fresh tomatoes, cubed old bread, and milk until it's a stuffing consistency. I used soy but regular would've worked fine. I also added in goat cheese and parmesan.
Stuff the eggplant shell with the stuffing. Cover with foil. Put back in the oven. When it's done, throw on sliced gouda and pop under the broiler.
Cover with tomato sauce or salsa.
YUM!