Zucchini Cheddar Bread

I never buy zucchini with the intent of baking with it, but all too often end up doing just that. This past weekend I found five zucchinis in my refrigerator that needed to be used pretty quickly so I went online to find a recipe for zucchini bread. Believe it or not, nothing sounded very interesting so I went old school and started flipping through my cookbooks and found this recipe for Zucchini Cheddar Bread in my Joy of Cooking. I have only had sweet zucchini bread so this savory recipe seemed worth a try.

The batter is thick like a dough and the finished product reminds me of a scone — a slightly crisp exterior with a soft and dense interior. And since it’s made with a vegetable, it has to be a little bit good for you, right?! 

Things I’ve tried:

• I had enough zucchini to make four times the recipe and discovered this is a lot of dough! Even in my largest bowl I didn’t have a lot of stirring room so I mixed by hand, which was more of a gentle toss to keep the spillover to a minimum. This definitely helped prevent any over-mixing and made for a very tender bread.
• I have only two loaf pans so I also used two 8-inch square pans which were fully baked after about 45 minutes. 

Things I’ve learned: 

• This batter is thick and it doesn’t flatten out during baking. Keep the top uneven for a rustic look, or smooth it out slightly for a neater loaf. 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup coarsely-shredded zucchini
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 Tablespoon snipped fresh dill, or 2 teaspoons dried
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 4 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter or vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.  Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Add zucchini, cheese, scallions, parsley, and dill, and toss to separate and coat with the flour mixture. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, and butter. Add to the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Do not overmix! Bake 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool five to 10 minutes before unmolding from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Enjoy!

Savory Fig and Goat Cheese Tart with Arugula

Savory baking.  A younger me would have thought this was an oxymoron.  The older me has come to appreciate that baking is not just for satisfying the sweet tooth, but for satisfying the savory cravings as well.  I found this recipe for Savory Fig and Goat Cheese Tart with Arugula on Whole Foods‘ website.  Whole Foods was where I first discovered fig jam and one of its great partners, goat cheese.  This dish is great for entertaining because it’s pretty simple to pull together but looks like a lot more work than a plate of cheese and crackers.  I recently took this dish to a cocktail party and it was gobbled up!

Special equipment:

• A food processor is needed to grind the almonds.

Things I’ve tried:

• Instead of the almond crust, refrigerated pizza dough works in a pinch.  And since the pizza dough doesn’t need to be put into the tart pan, it can be formed into any shape.
• If Marcona almonds are unavailable, traditional almonds can be used instead.

Things I’ve learned:

• Marcona almonds are imported from Spain and are sweeter than the traditional almond.  They look like macadamia nuts and can be found at Whole Foods.
• This crust is like a cookie and much easier to manage than a traditional pastry or pie dough.  It doesn’t need to rest or be rolled out, and it doesn’t shrink when baked.  It is pretty foolproof, which I like, given that I am slightly crust-challenged.
• Place the tart onto a cookie sheet when baking in case of butter drippage.  I’ve had the displeasure of burning butter on the bottom of my oven and it wasn’t fun.
• Toss the arugula with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil just before serving so the arugula doesn’t wilt.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Marcona almonds
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1/3 cup fig spread
• 3 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
• 2 cups packed baby arugula or mixed salad greens
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grind almonds in a food processor with 1/4 cup of the flour until ground to a coarse powder. Add remaining flour and process until well blended. Distribute butter over nut-flour mixture and pulse until blended. While pulsing, add honey and process until clumps of dough begin to form, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Press dough into the bottom of a buttered 8- or 9-inch tart pan, building it evenly up the sides. Freeze 15 minutes until firm. Bake crust for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Spread a thin layer of fig spread over bottom of the crust and evenly distribute crumbled goat cheese on top. Bake 8 to 10 minutes longer until crust is golden brown and goat cheese is softened. Allow to cool slightly. Toss arugula with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Top tart with arugula and serve.

Makes six to eight servings.

Enjoy!