Ratatouille by Heather

The past few days have been filled with pasta, burgers, and a day of wine tasting in Sonoma (poor me, I know).  Since it's Sunday, and we usually make a heartier meal, I wanted to make something that was roasted and warm, but still healthy, so that's where the ratatouille comes in! I had an amazing ratatouille at The Little Prince in SoHo- it came with a poached egg on top, and it added a great richness to the dish.  I'm making mine a little more rich by adding some goat cheese, too.

Of course I couldn't make ratatouille without watching Ratatouille, and I suggest you do the same!

Ingredients:

1/2 large eggplant (I used a Chinese eggplant since it's similar in circumference to the zucchini)
3-4 Roma (plum) tomatoes
1-2 zucchini
1-2 yellow squash
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small can tomato paste or 8 oz. tomato sauce
2 sprigs rosemary
couple sprigs of thyme
2 eggs, poached (or 1 egg for each person)
goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbs. white vinegar

To make this dish even more substantial you could serve the ratatouille over couscous or some rustic toasted bread.



Directions:

Saute onions in large Dutch oven until nearly translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic cloves and saute two minutes more.  Add in tomato paste, incorporating ingredients; smooth out the sauce into a thin layer, covering the bottom of the pan.



Slice veggies on a mandolin about 1/16 inches thick.  I found it hard to slice the eggplant on the mandolin, so I ended up slicing it by hand.  Start by laying a piece of eggplant on the outer perimeter of the pan, then lay down a piece of yellow squash, zucchini, then tomato.  Make sure you have about a 1/4 inch gap between each slice, but no more.  Repeat this pattern, making a concentric circle towards the center of the dish.  Season with salt and pepper, and some thyme leaves.

Place the Dutch oven on a piece of parchment paper, tracing the perimeter so that you have a piece that will fit perfectly on top of the ratatouille.  If the ends of the parchment paper roll up once you've placed the parchment paper on top, crinkle the paper into a ball and then unfold once again.



Bake the ratatouille in the oven for about 45-55 minutes, or until the slices are cooked, but not falling apart.



In the last 10 minutes or so, poach the eggs.  Bring about 2 cups of water to a gentle boil, along with 2 tbs. of white vinegar (it helps the eggs stay together).  It also helps to use really fresh eggs.  Crack each egg into a ramekin first, then slide each egg in the water one at a time, swirling the water to encourage the eggs to stay together.





Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and set aside for 5 minutes.  Remove each egg with a slotted spoon, and lay over an individual serving of the ratatouille.  Add some crumbles of goat cheese, and serve!

Pancetta and Cheese Gougères by Rachel

Choux (pronouced "shoo") pastry can seem like a daunting thing to make (because it's all french and fancy), but it's actually really easy and if you've made it right once, you can make it right every time after that.  Choux pastry is what is used to make cream puffs and eclairs.  I had a hankering for the light and fluffy pastry, but I wanted a savory version, so I went for a smoky cheddar and pancetta version.  Hence, the gougère.

I think I might have overdone it with the cheese (though can one every really overdo it with cheese?), so they didn't puff as much as other times I've made them, but I made them to go with soup, so they turned out to be just the right consistency for me.

Ingredients
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs (though you may not need all of the eggs)
3/4 cup smoked cheddar
1 tbsp chives diced
3 slices of pancetta, diced