Potato and Leek Soup

If you know me, you know I love to make soup, I love the process of making the broth from scratch and hand crafting soup.  My Mother In Law who has Celiacs Disease cannot eat Wheat, so I enjoy making soup she can consume.  I try to make her soup every two weeks or so, and this time I decided to try something a bit lighter.

I started with Alton Brown's recipe and tweaked it quite a bit actually.  It was smooth and delicious.  My husband likes more of  a Thick Soup or in the words of Rachael Ray, Stoup!  He thought it was good but needed more substance.  Mom and I loved it just as it was.

1 pound leeks, cleaned and dark green sections removed, approximately 4 to 5 medium

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Heavy pinch kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning

14 ounces, approximately 3 to 4 Russet Potatoes, peeled and diced small

 2-3 quarts chicken broth, homemade if possible

1 fat free half and half

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1 cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese

Slice the leeks.

In a 6-quart saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leeks and a heavy pinch of salt and sweat for 5 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cook until the leeks are tender, approximately 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the potatoes and the broth, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and gently simmer until the potatoes are soft, approximately 45 minutes.

Turn off the heat and puree the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in the half and half , white pepper and cheese. (I broke my immersion blender, so I ladled it into my Blend Tec blender and pureed it, be very careful doing it that way)

Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately, or chill and serve cold.

John's Special Hot Cereal

I was never a fan of Hot Cereal for breakfast, that is until my Husband started making it for me after we were married.  I love his version of hot cereal it is full of yummies and so good for you!

Here is how he makes it so delicious!  I think part of why it is so good is he uses Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Cereal.

1/4 cup Udi's Cranberry Granola (or any kind would work)
3 1/4 water
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
1/8 cup dried strawberry slices (you can omit)
pinch of salt
butter and brown sugar for topping the cereal

Make the cereal according to the package directions, adding in all ingredients, cook for suggested time.  If you are using fresh blueberries save them back and put them in right at the end of the cooking time.

Caprese Tart

I have made tomato tarts for a few years now and decided to do it again, but with a twist!

I grow my own Sun Glow Orange Tomatoes this year as well as a ton of Basil, so I thought Caprese Salad but in Tart format.  I purchased some gorgeous Buffalo Mozzarella and got started.  It was fresh, tasty and seasonal.  I highly recommend it!

1 basket of Cherry Tomatoes (I used my home grown ones, about 25 of em)
1 package Puff Pastry (you will only use 1) at room temperature
Sliced Buffalo Mozzarella
10 Basil leaves washed and cut into a chiffonade
2 tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil

salt and pepper to taste
1 beaten egg

Heat your oven to 400 degrees and mix the tomatoes with the olive oil and a bit of salt

Roast on a sheet pan in the oven for about 20 minutes, remove and let cool

Reduce heat to 350

In the meantime, get your puff pastry out and place on a cutting board, you may need a bit of flour, I did it right on the sheet pan I was baking it on

You will cut off about 1 inch strips all the way around, you are going to build a dam to hold your ingredients

Brush your puff pastry with the beaten egg, then place the strips on each side (cutting off excess), bake for 20 minutes until lightly brown, remove and set aside

Place your tomatoes on top and add your sliced Buffalo Mozzarella.

Bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese melts a bit.

Sprinkle on your Basil, let rest a few minutes and serve.