Chagrin Falls Farmer's Market and some Eggplant Recipes

Two weekends ago my husband and I went to Chagrin Falls, a very charm village 20 minutes from my home. This village grew around a pretty waterfall on the Chagrin River.

Besides this natural beauty, Chagrin Falls has an amazing Popcorn Shop, which sells candies and ice cream, and also a little wood gazebo on the main street. It does remind me the towns of my state in Brazil. Every small town there has a church and a gazebo in the main square.  The vintage shops are also a good option to visit too. I loved some of their vintage teacups and silver spoons.

I really enjoyed spending the morning there. But the main reason that took me to this lovely village was the farmer’s market. I’ve been thinking about to take outdoors pictures of a cozy place for a while, and that market was perfect! There were so many cute things to photograph, like flowers, apple and onion baskets, fresh corn stand and eggplants in blue baskets. I don’t know why, but there is something on these blue baskets that attract me. 

So guess what I got?  Eggplants in the blue baskets… I bought three kings of eggplants: mini, white and a purple long slender. I used the white eggplant to prepare lasagna. I combined pasta with layers of eggplant, Bolognese sauce, ricotta cheese and pecorino cheese. With the mini eggplants and the slender I made a preserve with olive oil, vinegar, garlic, olives, bay leaves and oregano. It is perfect with salads and bread.

Eggplant Lasagna

(adapted from the book Willians-Sonoma Cooking at Home)

Bolognese Sauce

(makes enough sauce for 1 lb (500g) pasta, 4-6 servings)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 oz (60g) pancetta, diced

1/2 large yellow onion, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 large or 2 small celery stalks, diced

3/4 lb (375 gr) ground minced beef

1/2 cup (4 fl oz/125ml) dry white wine

1 1/2 cups (12 fl oz/360 ml) milk

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 can (15 oz/470 g) plum Roma tomatoes, finely chopped, with juice

salt

In a large frying pan over medium heat, warm the oil, butter, and pancetta, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta renders some of its fat, about 3 minutes. Add the onion, carrot, and some celery and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beef, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, breaking up the meat    with the back of the wooden spoon, just until the meat is no longer pink, 3-5 minutes; do not allow to brown or harden.

Add the wine to the pan, raise the heat to medium, and simmer until the wine evaporates, 2-3 minutes. Add 3/4 cup (6 fl oz/180 ml) of the milk and the nutmeg and simmer until the milk is absorbed.

Add the tomatoes and season with salt. Bring to a simmer, cover partially , and adjust the heat to very low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick, mellow, and tasty, about 4 hours, adding a little water if needed to keep the sauce from sticking. During the final 45 minutes, stir in the remaining 3/4 cup milk in 3 additions, allowing the sauce to absorb the milk before adding more. Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.

2 eggplants

1/2 lb (250g) lasagna pasta

2 cups ricotta cheese

2 cups pecorino cheese

Combine the pasta with layers of eggplant (sliced, oiled, and baked at 400F/200C until golden), Bolognese Sauce, ricotta cheese,  and pecorino cheese. Baked at 375F/190C for 45-55 minutes.

Eggplant in Olive Oil

Mini Eggplants
1 green bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
Salt
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons oregano
2 bay leaves

In large bowl, slice the eggplants. Place in colander, sprinkle with salt and layer between paper towels. After 2 hours wash and dry the eggplants. Slice the bell peppers. Oiled the eggplants and bell peppers. Let the peppers on top of eggplant. Drizzle with a little oil to avoid sticking to the bottom, cover with foil and and bake at 400F/200C until golden. After 40 minutes, remove the foil and let it wilt a bit to dry the water that forms. After 20 minutes, turn off the oven and set aside the eggplant. In a small saucepan, pour olive oil, oregano, bay leaf and vinegar. Let it boil for few minutes until the vinegar smell decrease (about 3 minutes). Mix crushed garlic with sat to the eggplant already cold.

My First Sugar Flowers

When I was thinking to start this blog, my lovely friends helped me to choose the name Lulu’s Sweet Secrets. I was mainly inspired and motivate by my friends Layla and Carol. They are cake designers passionate about their work and I was fascinated about their beautiful art. Some of my first posts I ventured to make recipes using marshmallow fondant. Carol suggested me this recipe from Le Cordon Bleu that she used before in one of her cakes. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the result that I was expecting and, for some reason that I can’t explain, I didn’t try it again. Maybe it’s because I was so excited to prepare different dishes and learn other techniques that I forgot to give it another chance.

But this week I was looking at my cake board on Pinterest and I noted that I’ve been collecting a lot of cake photos over these months. Most of them are beautifully decorated. As I love decorated cakes, I realized that I should give a second chance for the fondant. I decided to use the same recipe as before, but after reading this amazing post by Sommer from A Spicy Perspective, I could see what my mistake was. Marshmallow fondant needs a lot of shortening to work well. I follow her instructions and now I got a beautiful one. I was so happy! As a flower lover, I started making some modest little roses.

The fondant soft texture and its sweet smell give such a pleasure to model infinity forms. Work with it was an amazing experience. I modeled petal by petal for hours and I didn’t see the time passing. It made me remembered when I was a child and how I enjoy to play with dough. What a mixture of sweet memories and dreams! I think I'm addicted to it now. For the next week I will try to make these sugary flowers with a delicious cake for your delight my dear readers. 

Marshmallow Fondant

10 oz mini marshmallows

1/4 cup water

2 lbs of powdered sugar

2/3 cup shortening

Drizzle the water over the marshmallows and microwave 1 minute and 25 seconds. Transfer to a mixing bowl, and add 1 bag (2 lbs) of powdered sugar and 2 tbs shortening. With the paddle attachment, mix about 2 minutes. Finish on the table, use more powdered sugar if necessary. Wrap in plastic wrap or bag, and store at least 2 hours or overnight before using. Always knead fondant before using.

For a detailed recipe go to A Spicy Perspective post.

Champagne Grape Cake

Since I made my last tart, I’ve been thinking about another recipe using champagne grapes. I was fascinated with their flavor and I should try now a sweet recipe. So, searching on the internet, I came across this grape cake from the book Patricia Wells at Home in Provence that I found on Moveable Feasts blog.

My husband and I really loved this cake. The champagne grapes tasted like raisins, but more juicy. This recipe also uses half butter and half olive oil, which gave to the cake a pleasant and moist texture. For a pretty finish, dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar and you will have a nice cake for your coffee or tea time.

Champagne Grape Cake

(from here)

Butter and flour for preparing the cake pan

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2/3 cup (135 g) sugar

4 tablespoons (2 ounces; 60 g) unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup (6 cl) extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup (8 cl) whole milk

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups (200 g) unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

A pinch of sea salt

Grated zest (yellow peel) of 1 lemon

Grated zest (orange peel) of 1 orange

10 ounces (300 g) small, fresh purple grapes (see above for varieties)

Confectioners’ sugar, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C; gas mark 4/5).

Generously butter and flour the springform pan, tapping out any excess flour. Set aside.

 In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk, beat the eggs and sugar until thick and lemon-colored, about 3 minutes. Add the butter, oil, milk, and vanilla extract, and mix until blended.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add the lemon zest and orange zest, and toss to coat the zest with flour. Spoon the mixture into the bowl of batter and stir with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix once more. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the flour to absorb the liquids.

Stir about 3/4 of the grapes into the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth out the top with a spatula. Place the pan in the center of the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle the top of the cake with remaining grapes. Bake until the top is a deep golden brown and the cake feels quite firm when pressed with a fingertip, about 40 minutes more, for a total baking time of 55 minutes. Remove to rack to cool. After 10 minutes, run a knife along the sides of the pan. Release and remove the side of the springform pan, leaving the cake on the pan base. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar just before serving. Serve at room temperature, cut into thin wedges.

Cherry Tomato and Champagne Grape Tart

Today I will talk about my photographic discoveries and, of course, about a delicious recipe. Since I started this blog I have been received wonderful comments about my photos. I would like to thank my dear readers for all the support. I’m just an enthusiast that is in love with this art and all those sweet words motivate me even more.

Since I got my dSLR camera I've been practicing every day a lot. I’m using most of my time to learn about exposure and composition. I’m reading the book Plate to Pixel from Hélène Dujardin and this is helping me to improve my skills. Her award-winning blog, Tartelette, was the first food blog that I started to follow. I’m a huge fan of her work. If you just begin to photograph food, you should take a look in her book. It’s precious. I’m still understand how my camera works and I learned that photography it’s all about the light. As I use natural light, taking pictures at different times of the day, and also different places of my apartment, makes me realize how these important choices influence the final result.

I used to take pictures on the dining table, which is beside my dinner room window.  After I tried all the possible places I found that the best spot is closer to my bedroom window, and the best time is at the Golden Hours before sunset. At these hours, the light touches slightly the food.

Now, about the recipe, I prepared a cherry tomato and champagne grape tart  from the wonderful Food52. This site has an amazing recipe collection. When I saw this tart, I thought it would be a good and beautiful recipe to photograph. And I was right… The colors of the ingredients are so vivid. Unfortunately, September brings raining and cloudy days to Cleveland. Yesterday, I was worried about to take pictures under this gray condition, but I’m glad that my new favorite spot helped me to get good photos.

I really enjoyed making this tart. I’ve never prepared tart dough using a food processor. I was impressed with how easy and quick it was. Another unusual thing for me was the champagne grapes. I was fascinated with its flavor after baking. So juice and sweet, so good! I loved the combination between tomatoes, grape, rosemary from the crust and the soft pecorino cheese. Everything worked wonderfully well.

Cherry Tomato and Champagne Grape Tart

(from Food52) 

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon olive oil (plus a bit more for brushing)

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons shredded parmesan

Ice water (3-4 tbs - it will depend)

1 ½ Cherry tomatoes (gold and red)

½ Champagne grapes

2 ounces fresh pecorino - the soft kind not the hard aged stuff

a pinch of salt or two

Cut up the butter and put it in the freezer. Measure out your flour, parmesan, rosemary and put them in the food processor. When the butter is VERY cold, add it into the processor and pulse until the mixture looks like a coarse meal. Start adding ice water a tablespoon at a time and pulse until the dough just comes together. Remove it from the processor and pat it into a disk, wrap it in plastic and put it in the fridge for half an hour.

Wash your tomatos and grapes, and cut the tomatoes in half. Line a 9" tart pan with removeable bottom with parchment. Heat the oven to 375.

Get the tart dough out and roll it out on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick. Lay it over the pan and let it settle into place, gently press it into the pan edges. You can roll your rolling pin across the pan to cut the dough. You will have extra - wrap that back up and save it, you'll think of something to make with it! Dock the dough with a fork and blind bake it for 10 minutes.

Remove the crust and arrange the tomatoes cut side down - you can do it in an orderly fashion if you like - I didn't. I wanted mine to look more like a tomato mosh pit. Leave some space between the tomatoes - then sprinkle those cute little grapes around to fill the spaces. Lightly brush tomatoes and crust edges with olive oil, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and back into the oven for 25 more minutes. Break the pecorino into small hunks and arrange them around in the tart, and into the oven again for 10 more minutes. Let the tart cool before serving. 

Strawberry and Watermelon Cake

I was searching for a watermelon recipe on  Australian Gourmet Traveller site when I saw this amazing strawberry watermelon cake. It has layers of almond dacquoise, rose scented cream and watermelon, topping with strawberries, grapes and pistachios, all of them scented with rose. This recipe surprised me! A cake layered with watermelon is completely new for me and I knew that I should try it. Watermelon was always one of my favorite fruits. In fact, my mother told me when I was 2 years old, I opened the fridge, took a half watermelon and start eat sitting right on the floor in front of the fridge.

Another ingredient that caught my attention was the rose flavor. The first dessert that I eat with rose flavor was Pierre Hermé 's Macaron Ispahan. Since then I became passionate for its incredible aroma and savor. I have to confess that I always was passionate for roses too. When I was a little girl every time I saw a flower shop I wanted a rose bouquet. I used to look at my mom eyes and she already knew my desire. For me it is a pleasure to see my roses reign its exuberant beauty on a vase at the dinner table. It is a delight. I am able to spend hours admiring them. This brings me such a peace and happy feeling.

So, I’m quite sure that if knew about this cake when I was a child, definitely it would be my favorite one. Its flavors are so delicate. The rose scented strawberries and watermelon are also perfect with the cream. Lovely.

Strawberry and watermelon cake

(from Australian Gourmet Traveller)

250 gm	seedless watermelon, thinly sliced
60 ml (¼ cup)	rosewater
4 tbsp	caster sugar
40 gm	almond meal
500 gm	strawberries (about 2 punnets), halved
10	seedless red grapes, halved
1 tbsp	slivered pistachios (see note)
1 tbsp	dried rose petals (see note)
Almond dacquoise
150 gm	almonds, coarsely chopped
150 gm	pure icing sugar, sieved
5	eggwhites
135 gm	caster sugar
Rose-scented cream
300 ml	thickened cream
30 gm	caster sugar
2 tbsp	rosewater

	For almond dacquoise, preheat oven to 200C.  Process almonds in a food processor until finely ground, then combine in a bowl with icing sugar.  Whisk eggwhites in an electric mixer until soft peaks form (3-4 minutes),  then gradually add caster sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form (1-2 minutes).  Gently fold through almond mixture, spread on a 30cm x 40cm oven  tray lined with baking paper and bake until golden (10-15 minutes).  Set aside to cool on tray, then cut in half lengthways.
	Arrange watermelon slices in a single layer on a wire rack. Sprinkle with 20ml rosewater, then scatter with 2 tbsp sugar.  Stand to macerate (30 minutes), then pat dry with absorbent paper.
	Meanwhile, for rose-scented cream, whisk cream and sugar in an electric mixer until soft peaks form, gradually add rosewater and  whisk until stiff peaks form (do not over-whisk).
	Spread one-third of rose cream evenly over one half of dacquoise, scatter with half the almond meal, then top with watermelon, trimming to fill any gaps.  Scatter over remaining almond meal, spread over half remaining cream.  Top with remaining dacquoise, spread over remaining cream and  refrigerate until firm (1-2 hours).

Combine strawberries, remaining rosewater and remaining sugar in a bowl,
toss to combine and set aside to macerate (15 minutes).
Carefully arrange on top of cake, gently pushing into cream.
Trim edges of cake, scatter over grapes, pistachios and petals, and serve. 
                    

Serves 8. Cooking Time Prep time 45 mins, cook 15 mins (plus cooling, macerating, chilling) 

Bacon Wraps

Last week I was on the grocery store when I saw a piece of bacon. Although it wasn't in my shopping list, that bacon was so beautiful and meaty that I couldn't resist the temptation to make bacon wraps. I prepare two delicious and easy wraps recipes: chicken with pink peppercorns and another one only with carrots.

For the chicken, you can also use chicken breast and thighs. I prefer the second one because they are juicier than breast when baked. Only the bacon is enough to give flavor to the chicken, but if you want to improve even more the taste, try to marinate the chicken before. A simple cup of white wine, herbs and seasoning can make a big difference on the final result. Finally, I garnished the wraps with some pink peppercorns. I love them! They have a pungent flavor and also add such a beautiful color to a dish.

The carrots are even simpler to prepare than the chicken. First, cut the carrots into stick shape and then put them in boil water for 1-2 minutes. This time is enough for not overcook the carrots without losing their vitamins. Now take some carrots, wrap with bacon and then put it in a preheated skillet with some olive oil. You can also try it with asparagus instead of carrots. Both are perfect as an accompaniment to a grilled meat. 

Chicken  Wrapped in Bacon with Pink Peppercorns

2 boneless chicken thighs cut into 2 pieces
About 2 tablespoons rosemary, very finely chopped
About 2 tablespoons thyme, finely chopped
Sea salt and coarsely ground pepper
About 1/4 cup white wine
4 thin slices good quality bacon 

Place chicken in a dish with the wine, rosemary and thyme. Season lightly with sea salt and more heavily with pepper then toss evenly to coat the chicken pieces with herbs and wine. Use right away or marinate up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange a wire cooling rack over a baking sheet.

Wrap a bacon slice around each piece of chicken Arrange the chicken on the rack. Bake 45 minutes, until bacon is crisp and chicken cooked through.

Garnish with some pink peppercorns. 

Carrots Wrapped in Bacon

(from here)

4 slices of bacon

4 medium carrots cut into sticks and pre-cooked

A drizzle of olive oil

Salt and pepper

Season the carrot sticks with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

Separate the carrot sticks into 4 portions. Take one portion, add the sticks and, in the middle of this portion, pass a bacon slice like a tape, giving the shape of a medallion. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Heat a skillet with 1tsp of olive oil, medium heat. Put the bacon with the ending stripe facing down for about 1min.

When the bacon is golden brown, turn and brown the carrots ends.