Heather Ryan makes an Apple Goat Cheese Tarts recipe in this installment of KitchenDaily's Family Chef series, in which home cooks make recipes from our database and tell you how it went -- what they changed, what they kept and who was in the kitchen helping.

My good friend Stephanie called me a few days before Halloween weekend to invite me to her costume party. This meant I would need both a suitable costume and a delicious appetizer to share. I had the costume part down -- a construction worker, replete with yellow hat, hammer, and plaid shirt. But I wasn't sure what to bring for the potluck.

Looking around my kitchen, I realized I still had 7 or 8 pounds of apples left from the week before. Looking in my fridge, I noticed an unopened package of goat cheese. One of my favorite recipes is pork chops stuffed with goat cheese and apples -- a rich dish that I make in autumn when the apples are at their best. I wondered how I might combine the crisp sweetness of the apples with the sharp tanginess of the goat cheese in an appetizer.

This Apple and Goat Cheese tarts recipe looked like a good way to combine the flavors. I love puff pastry -- I mean, who doesn't? -- and after picking a package up, I had just about everything else on hand. I didn't have apple jelly, but the more I thought about the recipe and the appetizer, the more I decided I wanted to accentuate the savory aspects of the dish, and not the sweet.

Giselle, my youngest, decided to help me with the dish. I peeled and cored and sliced the apples while she tried to crumble the goat cheese in a bowl. One of the problems we ran into immediately was that freezing the goat cheese, as directed, never made it easier to crumble. We tried two stints at freezing the cheese, but in all cases, it still stubbornly refused to fall apart. Giselle did her best though, and then added a pinch of kosher salt and 1 tsp of dried thyme. The aromatic is not in the recipe, but I know from experience that thyme blends well with goat cheese and apples, and I wanted to really bring out the savory aspects of this dish.

I also decided that I wanted to make these bite-sized appetizers. So instead of cutting the puff pastry into sixths, I cut it into small squares -- about 24 per sheet. Giselle and I placed them evenly on a baking sheet, and then began to top each one with a smidgen of goat cheese, and a few thin slices of apple.

We ran into a few problems, not the least of which was trying to get the goat cheese as close to the edge of each small puff pastry square while still leaving enough room for "melt factor." Also, the apple slices seemed to overwhelm the little tartlets. It was, however, 6:42, and the party started at 7:30. Second guessing was not part of the schedule.

That turned out to be a good strategy: the tartlets, as I came to call them, came out fine. The apples were not nearly brown enough, and looked a bit pale atop the browned pastry and melted cheese. I wondered if the apple jelly would have helped brown the apples a bit better. This was the one factor that prevented people from trying a tartlet (and I did take a poll). Once people tried them, however, they were hooked, and most people were surprised at the idea of combining apples and goat cheese. One werewolf told me she was going to try apples and goat cheese in several dishes, and a Mad Hatter took three separate servings of the appetizers. Clearly, they were a hit.

Three things you should know if you decide to cook this. One, the lack of apple browning is no small matter, so I would experiment with the apple jelly, or with something else like butter to achieve a perfectly browned apple slice. Two, storing these in a covered container is a big no-no. Mine spent about 18 minutes in my favorite Pyrex dish, which meant the puff pastry lost some of its crispy, flaky goodness. Three, I'd recommend always adding the thyme -- it really accentuates the flavors of the fruit and cheese.

The tartlets were gone before the end of the party, with the last one fought over by a jester and a Chilean miner, who diplomatically decided to split the tiny thing. Afterward, they both asked for the recipe-the best compliment any chef (even one in a construction hat) could get.

Make the Apple Goat Cheese Tarts recipe.
Meet our team of Family Chef recipe "test drivers."

Related Articles
o. Find out what Top Chef Just Desserts host Gail Simmons likes to do with puff pastry.
]]>feature-family-chefHeather Ryan2010-11-05T14:15:00Zhttp://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/10/29/apple-pie-family-chef/http://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/10/29/apple-pie-family-chef/http://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/10/29/apple-pie-family-chef/#comments

Heather RyanHeather Ryan makes an Apple Pie recipe in this installment of KitchenDaily's Family Chef series, in which home cooks make recipes from our database and tell you how it went -- what they changed, what they kept and who was in the kitchen helping.

I had a good friend who used to buy her outfits backwards, meaning that she would find some small accessory - like an adorable pair of shoes or a striking necklace - and then buy other pieces to match that one accessory. It was crazy.

I also loved watching her do it.

This week, my approach to my weekly recipe was similar. The kids and I drove out to an apple farm that has -- no kidding -- over 20 varieties of apples for sale in big, old-fashioned half-barrels. They offer a special price if you buy over 20 pounds, and that was all it took for me to load up bags and bags with the fall fruit. One variety, the Fiesta apple, was said to make excellent pies. Which is exactly how I came to be baking this Apple Pie Recipe by Lori Powell on a Tuesday night.

The first matter was to make a pie crust. The recipe calls for store-bought crust, but in my opinion, if you've gone to the trouble to drive 10 miles out of town, load up the back of your car with apples, and then cart them home only to have to peel, core and slice them, then you can make crust. I used an old family recipe from my grandmother, and it has all the usual suspects -- flour, butter and vegetable shortening, sugar, salt. My daughter Giselle and I made a batch of pie crust first, rolled out two crusts, and then stored them in the fridge wrapped in plastic.

The second matter was the apples. I peeled, cored and sliced the apples while Giselle made the mixture that would coat the fruit. Her brother and sister were busy with homework, and so Giselle and I got to spend some time hanging out and baking. The job of mixing these ingredients together is a perfect responsibility to assign to a kid while you're handling the apples. Once the apples were sliced, we tossed them in the cinnamon mixture, and then poured them into the chilled pie crust. Giselle loved gently laying the second crust on top and crimping the edges, and we took turns brushing it with egg wash. I didn't have coarse sanding sugar (which is called for in the recipe to decorate the top of the pie), but I did have turbinado sugar, which we sprinkled on, happily.

The pie was excellent. I had worried that perhaps the sauce in the pie would be too thin, but it was perfect. The apples were delicious, warm and oozing with just the right amount of sugar and cinnamon and nutmeg. I often add a few tablespoons of brandy to the apple mixture, but this time I decided not to, and I'm glad I did. The recipe is straightforward and simple, which allows high quality ingredients (like just-picked apples) to reach their full potential and really become the main feature of the dish. Of course, you can add a number of ingredients to liven up your apple pies -- cranberries, heavy cream -- but if you have the chance to make this with very good apples, I'd suggest just sticking to the recipe. Sometimes working backwards into a recipe-- a sale price on asparagus, for example -- yields the best results.

Make the Apple Pie recipe and see the Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner menu it's from.

Meet our team of Family Chef recipe "test drivers."

More Apple Recipes

o. Another Family Chef, Rachel Simpson, makes roasted apples.
o. Find our which varieties of apples are best for baking, sautéing, and eating out of hand.
o. Mark Bittman shares his favorite methods for coring apples.
o. Browse all apple recipes.
o. Find out how to make a fun Fall tote bag using apples on Holidash.

]]>applefeature-family-chefHeather Ryan2010-10-29T14:08:00Zhttp://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/10/20/caramelized-acorn-squash-recipe/http://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/10/20/caramelized-acorn-squash-recipe/http://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/10/20/caramelized-acorn-squash-recipe/#comments

Heather RyanHeather Ryan makes a Caramelized Acorn Squash recipe in this installment of KitchenDaily's Family Chef series, in which home cooks make recipes from our database and tell you how it went -- what they changed, what they kept and who was in the kitchen helping.

I don't know what it is about me, but I really want my kids to like squash. Maybe it's the fact that my mom used to cook something she called "Squash Casserole," which was the culinary equivalent of reading Homer -- you know it's good for you, but you don't quite understand it enough to like it. It could also be that my propensity for forcing squash on my kids stems from the knowledge that its good for you -- it's full of beta-carotene, fiber, and potassium and is low in calories.

Also, it could be that we get a lot of squash in our CSA box.

Which was how I came to make this Caramelized Acorn Squash. I reasoned that the kids would like it because, even though they often do not like squash, this recipe featured the famed fruit glazed with cider and brown sugar. This, I reasoned, would be enough to draw them to the Dark Side.

And yes, for anyone keeping track, I have compared the eating of squash to both classical Greek texts and Star Wars.

I had about double the amount of acorn squash that the recipe called for, so I decided to double the recipe. The first step was slicing the squash. That's a tough chore to get through since the skin is tough and generally hard as a rock. You want to make sure you've got a stable work surface, a good sharp knife, and a decent cutting board. I always make a stability cut first -- so I lop off the very bottom, say, and then rest the squash on that end to make the bigger cuts. I like my fingers and want to keep them.

I baked the squash for 45 minutes, per the directions, and then let them cool for about 10 minutes. While the squash were cooling, the girls and I started the glaze. Chloe melted the butter in a skillet and Giselle and I carefully measured the brown sugar and cider. Once the butter was melted, we mixed in the brown sugar and cider, then added the cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. I added more cinnamon and nutmeg than was called for in large part because we all love those spices.

Ivan came over at this point and volunteered to help glaze the acorn squash. I sliced the squash, fanned them over the baking pan, and then Ivan poured the glaze. Giselle used a spoon to help spread the concoction evenly, and then I popped everything back into the over for another 10 minutes.

And did the kids love it? Well, love isn't the word I would use. They girls liked it; Ivan tolerated it. Maybe it's the texture, maybe squash is better suited for adult palates, because I thought the acorn squash was excellent, perhaps even Thanksgiving worthy. It's sweet and has all the flavors of a good pumpkin pie. However, I'm rethinking my obsession with getting my kids to like squash. Maybe this is one battle I can let go.


Meet our team of Family Chef recipe "test drivers."

]]>feature-family-chefsquashHeather Ryan2010-10-20T10:01:00Zhttp://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/10/06/classic-cheese-fondue-recipe/http://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/10/06/classic-cheese-fondue-recipe/http://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/10/06/classic-cheese-fondue-recipe/#comments

Heather RyanHeather Ryan makes a Classic Cheese Fondue recipe in this installment of KitchenDaily's Family Chef series, in which home cooks make recipes from our database and tell you how it went -- what they changed, what they kept and who was in the kitchen helping.

There was this restaurant in the small town I lived in that my friends and I frequented for the requisite dinner before the formal dance in high school. Dino's was the kind of restaurant that was dark, wood-paneled, but cozy and elegant. It reminded me of being in the dining room of a great ship in the 30s. Dino's had heavy white tablecloths and mahogany leather chair cushions and multiple glasses at each table setting. There were plenty of kids who went to the newer places -- bistros and expensive cafes with California cuisine. But we liked Dino's. The whole point of a formal dance is to feel older than you are, more sophisticated. And it was clear that the kind of sophistication my friends and I wanted was old-world, comfortable, regal even.

One of the hallmarks of Dino's was that it served fondue with every meal. The waiter would set up a stand, set a match to the fuel underneath, and then bring a pot of steaming cheese and wine, and a platter of bread, to all of us dressed in tuxes and (rather hideous) taffeta. Their food was good-better than average -- but it was the fondue that always got us, the ritual of it, and the way it remained elegant and refined even with the communal act of dipping bread into a shared dish of cheese.

I hadn't eaten fondue since Dino's. Maybe it was the change of weather, or the kids going back to school, but I had a sudden craving for fondue, and I wanted to make it for the kids and see what they thought of it. I picked up a new fondue kit on craigslist ($10!), and found a recipe for Classic Fondue on KitchenDaily.

Of course, fondue is a special occasion recipe, and so most of the ingredients I didn't have on hand. I didn't have Gruyere or Emmentaler cheese, and so I set out to get those. They are spendy (about $9 to10 per lb) but since they are the stars of this dish, I splurged for them. I couldn't find kirsch (a kind of cherry brandy), so I picked a pinot grigio, remembering that it was always white wine in the dish I had as a kid.

I poked through my CSA box, picking heirloom cherry tomatoes, red and purple bell peppers, and broccoli for the raw veggies. I also picked up two sourdough boules, which seemed perfectly crusty and chewy and like they'd hold up to the cheese.

At home, Giselle rubbed the inside of the ceramic fondue pot with a clove of garlic and I shredded the cheese. Chloe washed the veggies and sliced them, and then tore the bread into cubes.

When we were ready to start, I noticed that the ceramic insert seemed rather small, so I decided to halve the recipe. It turned out to be a great plan. We waited for the wine and lemon juice to begin to steam, and then we slowly added the cheese in. It took a long time to get all the cheese incorporated and melted, and we snacked on the veggies and bread while we waited. Even though it took a long time, there was a fun communal sense about it, though it was less refined and more like camping. I added a few more tablespoons of wine throughout the process, since the cheese seemed too thick. Once it was ready, I added the nutmeg and pepper, and we ate.

It was as delicious as I remember it, though it was quite a bit richer. Part of this was likely due to the fact that we ate it as the main, and only, course for dinner, while it had always been an appetizer at the restaurant. But we all loved its cheesy goodness, though Ivan and Giselle were a little put off by the strong flavors of the cheeses and wine. I ended up making sandwiches for everyone since the fondue was so rich, but we did finish the fondue we made. I recommend halving this recipe unless you're having a party, or you have some serious fondue eaters in your family.

It wasn't as elegant as Dino's was, and I wasn't in pink taffeta, but the Classic Fondue recipe was a success, and transformed my cluttered kitchen -- filled with kids' homework and arts and crafts and photos and dirty sock -- to that elegant, wood-paneled restaurant, at least for a little while.

Make the Classic Cheese Fondue recipe.

Meet our team of Family Chef recipe "test drivers."

]]>feature-family-chefHeather Ryan2010-10-06T15:20:00Zhttp://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/10/01/nutella-swirl-pound-cake-recipe/http://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/10/01/nutella-swirl-pound-cake-recipe/http://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/10/01/nutella-swirl-pound-cake-recipe/#comments

Heather RyanGet this recipe: Nutella Swirl Pound Cake

Is there anything that Nutella, the oh-so-creamy-and-delicious chocolate-hazelnut spread, cannot make better? For the record, I think there probably isn't. Also, for the record, pound cake is an ideal partner to the European condiment, which should come as no surprise to anyone.

There are two things that make the Nutella Swirl Pound Cake exceptional. The first is how easy it is to make. Baking can be tedious even under the best of circumstances, and everyone has had an experience of working a cake recipe that is difficult and laborious. We've also probably all had baking experiences where the baked good did not turn out -- it fell or never rose, it didn't cook through, it stuck to the pan despite all the greasing and flouring we did. I once constructed a Hawaiian-themed birthday cake, replete with ocean, palm trees, surf boards and dolphins, using several flourless chocolate cake layers, each of which required me to melt a significant amount of chocolate in a double boiler.

I still have nightmares about that cake.

This, though, is not one of those recipes. This recipe is easy and straightforward, and while you need to sift the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, there is no melting of ingredients over boiling water. In fact, even if you maybe didn't have enough white sugar on hand and so had to substitute some brown sugar into the batter, the cake will still be delicious. It will still rise. And it will still easily pop out of the pan.

Not that I had to substitute some brown for white sugar, mind you (cough, cough).

The second characteristic that makes the Nutella Swirl Pound Cake excellent is how delicious it is. My cake had a light crunch to the outside (pretty common in pound cakes) and the inside was moist and tender. I hadn't swirled the Nutella as much as I probably will the second time I make the cake, so there were places where the Nutella concentration was rather high. Still, it was a great cake. When I served it, the kids all gathered around as though I were handing out Wiis or laptops, or something. And they were all quiet as they ate, a rarity, enjoying the cake.

What's amazing is that this cake has the rare quality of being both delicious and easy to make. For busy parents, or just busy people, the Nutella Swirl Pound Cake is the perfect dessert to bring to the holiday parties, family gatherings and potlucks that are coming soon. I know that the kids and I will be baking it frequently this fall and winter, and I'm certain that everyone will love it.

Make the Nutella Swirl Pound Cake recipe.

Meet our team of Family Chef recipe "test drivers."

]]>feature-family-chefHeather Ryan2010-10-01T16:33:00Zhttp://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/09/23/pumpkin-popovers-recipe/http://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/09/23/pumpkin-popovers-recipe/http://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/09/23/pumpkin-popovers-recipe/#comments

Heather RyanI really wanted to like the Pumpkin Popover recipe, for multiple reasons. One, it's fall, and so, by default, anything with pumpkin as an ingredient should be automatically tasty. Two, popovers are cute and dainty and remind me of having tea in some rarefied tea room in England. Three, the recipe is dead simple, and I like dead simple. I have three kids -- something has to be dead simple, I think.

But the truth is that, while the popovers were airy and light and perfectly crisp on the outside, they were tasteless. It wasn't an issue with the bakers: my youngest daughter and I were careful while we mixed. It was more that there was little to no taste of pumpkin. Popovers are, after all, refined cuisine; they aren't doughnuts coated in chocolate or currant scones. But none of the kids could taste the pumpkin in these popovers -- even Ivan, who can detect trace vegetables in any dish from across the kitchen table. We could taste the pumpkin pie spice, but nothing else.

This, in my opinion, makes the addition of that specific ingredient questionable. Wouldn't a better idea be to make plain popovers and then top them with pumpkin butter? While it doesn't make the recipe more difficult, it does require you to buy an extra ingredient (which you will then have a significant amount of remaining-hence my suggestion of pumpkin butter, which is easy to make and tasty, too).

The popovers weren't a complete loss. The kids and I ate them topped with preserves (one of the kids even tried them with Nutella, which supports my theory that "Everything is better with Nutella"). They just weren't what I really expected, or what I felt the recipe implied we would get. I expected these to be a comforting break from the rainy afternoon, the smells of pumpkin lingering in the air, making the kitchen cozy and warm. And they didn't quite pass that test.

Make the pumpkin popover recipe.

Meet our team of Family Chef recipe "test drivers."

]]>feature-family-chefpumpkinHeather Ryan2010-09-23T11:32:00Zhttp://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/09/16/roasted-eggplant-dip/http://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/09/16/roasted-eggplant-dip/http://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/09/16/roasted-eggplant-dip/#comments

Heather RyanHeather Ryan makes a Roasted Eggplant Dip recipe in this installment of KitchenDaily's Family Chef series, in which home cooks make recipes from our database and tell you how it went -- what they changed, what they kept and who was in the kitchen helping.

The last time I cooked eggplant for the kids (eggplant Parmesan) they eyed it suspiciously, took tentative bites, and then Chloe said it tasted like alien brains. It could be that I didn't rub the eggplant slices in salt before cooking (which I now know to be a rookie move). It could also be that the kids won't be eggplant lovers until older, which would be a pretty accurate description of my relationship with the deep purple fruit of the nightshade family. Still, I think it's a worthy goal to introduce them to new foods, and Roasted Eggplant Dip sounded like a recipe that might get them to eat the "alien brains" willingly. And the recipe was a likeness for baba ganouj, the delicious Middle Eastern eggplant dip I've had in a few restaurants.

The ingredient list included fresh mint and lemons, which I didn't have but made sure to get. Those flavors are essential to many delicious Middle Eastern dishes.

At home, Giselle washed the eggplant, and then I split it half, lengthwise. I already had a head of garlic roasting in the oven, and so I added the eggplant alongside, face down, on a baking sheet. Chloe helped slice the tomatoes, and then "gut" them (as she calls it), and Ivan juiced the lemons.

I roasted the rest of the veggies, let them cool, and then we began the business of mashing and chopping. The kids loved mashing the garlic, and chopping the rest of the veggies was actually a great exercise for Giselle and Ivan in using a knife. If you have an eager chef, this is a great recipe to let them practice the motion of chopping and dicing since you won't need a very sharp knife.

Once the veggies were appropriately mashed, chopped, or diced, we mixed them together, and then added the mint, lemon juice, olive oil, and kosher salt and pepper. I'll admit that the result didn't look as kid-pleasing as perhaps I had hoped. Still, it smelled good -- the mint and the lemon, and the scent of caramelized onions wafted through the kitchen. I had heated up some flat bread, and we broke it into pieces and each took a hearty scoop of the dip.

I loved it. It's similar to baba ganouj, but it's got a more interesting texture, with slightly bigger chunks of veggies throughout. The flavors come together very well. You also don't get that sick feeling from indulging in it like you probably would when eating any other kind of dip (all fat-laden, creamy and loaded with calories). That's an important note to this dish -- it's a great, healthy, and tasty appetizer to serve guests, especially those who might be watching their calorie or fat intake. Most dishes that can claim low calories or low fat simply do not taste this good.

The only downside was actually the opportunity to indulge in the dip: None of the kids were interested in eating it after the first bite. They claimed, again, it tasted like "alien brains." (Side note: Are alien brains particularly grosser than other brains? Why does the eggplant conjure up images of aliens at all? Maybe my children are just weird. Or good at coming up with creative excuses to avoid eating specific foods.) The texture will probably be an issue for most kids, as will the overwhelming presence of veggies. But this dip is excellent for the rest of us whose taste buds have matured a little. Served warm with flat or pita bread, it's perfect. Just make sure to include something kid-friendly (you know, sans alien brains) for the younger set.

Get the Roasted Eggplant Dip recipe.

]]>feature-family-chefHeather Ryan2010-09-16T16:24:00Zhttp://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/09/09/macaroni-and-cheese-with-caramelized-onions/http://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/09/09/macaroni-and-cheese-with-caramelized-onions/http://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/09/09/macaroni-and-cheese-with-caramelized-onions/#comments

Heather RyanHeather Ryan makes a Macaroni and Cheese with Caramelized Onions in this installment of KitchenDaily's Family Chef series, in which home cooks make recipes from our database and tell you how it went -- what they changed, what they kept and who was in the kitchen helping.

The rain started last week, and with it my desire to have something warm and comforting cooking in the kitchen. I don't know what it is about fall, but it always inspires me to make comfort food: soups, homemade bread, and, of course, macaroni and cheese. I went looking for a recipe that might have a few extra ingredients, or something to set it apart from the typical baked mac 'n' cheese. Macaroni and Cheese with Caramelized Onions definitely looked like it would fit that description. Two kinds of cheese (gruyere and mozzarella), caramelized onions, and bacon. Bacon! Whenever there is bacon involved, you can count me in.

Of course, I didn't have many of the ingredients at home. I needed elbow macaroni. And the cheeses. And the bacon. I also decided to double the recipe so we'd have plenty of leftovers for the week. I decided on thick sliced bacon as well, which crumbles/slices up better in recipes than the thinner alternative.

At home, I fried the bacon while Chloe wielded a knife and sliced a huge Walla Walla sweet onion. Once the bacon was done, I took it out of the pan, then added most of the onion slices to the still-hot drippings, and turned the heat down. Chloe's a vegetarian, so in a different skillet, I caramelized onions in a bit of olive oil. I really took this part slow. In my experience, caramelizing anything takes time, and rushing it produces sub-par results. So we stirred the onions frequently, and I paid close attention to how fast they were browning. You want the onions to be a light brown in most places, with a few hints of a darker brown, and you want them to taste sweet, and to have lost the true bite of a less cooked onion.

It was at this point that I had to protect the bacon from Giselle and Ivan, who were not interested in helping except as taste testers. I did put them to work, though, grating the cheeses. Chloe cooked the pasta, and I assembled everything on the table so we could quickly mix in the half 'n' half, cheese, pasta, onions and bacon as soon as everything was ready.

Once the pasta was ready, the kids threw it and the rest of the ingredients into the pot, and stirred (a separate pot was set aside for Chloe's version). I noticed immediately that the cheese was lumpy and was near impossible to evenly distribute throughout the pasta. I added a bit more half 'n' half. This mac and cheese recipe doesn't call for making a roux, or a butter and flour base, to create the cheese sauce. It's simply cheese and half 'n' half. This meant that it looked very cheesy and stringy for a long while, and I kept adding in tablespoon after tablespoon of half 'n' half to make it work. Finally, it started to look more like a cheese sauce, so I stirred in the onions and bacon, put it in a casserole dish, and popped it into the oven.

The results were fairly good. The taste is excellent -- the sweetness of the onion and the saltiness of the bacon are natural matched, and the cheeses added a great depth to the dish. Even Chloe proclaimed that her meatless version was tasty. But the cheese sauce was, really, not much of a sauce. Most of it had dried up, and it was, again, stringy. A solution to this would be to make a roux for the mac 'n' cheese.

Still, the kids really enjoyed the dish, and so did I. It was a great warm meal to have on a cold day. I think with a few adjustments, it could even make an excellent Thanksgiving side dish.

Watch Curtis Stone make Mac and Cheese.

]]>feature-family-chefHeather Ryan2010-09-09T17:14:00Zhttp://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/09/02/stuffed-zucchini-recipe/http://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/09/02/stuffed-zucchini-recipe/http://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/09/02/stuffed-zucchini-recipe/#comments

Heather RyanAs summer winds down, I find myself making more hot foods, things that might be considered a bit more on the side of "comfort food" than regular summer fare. This is in part due to the turn of weather we've had in Oregon, where it has been cold and rainy for a few days, ushering fall in entirely too soon. At the same time, our CSA box has been filled with summer stalwarts like tomatoes and zucchini, and I have to find a way to use them, and preferably in something the kids and I weren't tired of yet.

So I found the Stuffed Zucchini recipe a good option for using these last summer veggies. The recipe calls for 2 zucchini, or about 12 ounces total, but I used about a pound of small, thin tender ones. The rest of the ingredient list is easy-peasy, and I had everything on hand.

In the kitchen, the kids and I got down to business. After she chopped the onion, Chloe sautéed it in olive oil. I had a Walla Walla sweet onion, and we used that. While the onions cooked, Giselle and Ivan and I prepared the zukes. I decided to microwave them, checking after 2 minutes to see how done they were. The thinnest ones were ready to go, but the wider ones needed another 30 seconds or so. Make sure to adjust the cooking time as necessary.

Also make sure to have your kids handle the zucchini carefully. Giselle and Ivan used cloth napkins to hold the veggies while scraping out the middles, and that worked well. I chopped the zuke innards immediately, and added them to the onions. Giselle measured the milk and flour, and Chloe mixed those in carefully. I only let the mixture thicken for about a minute, because it looked fairly thick and creamy, and I didn't want lumps. But once I mixed the onions mixture into the egg, it became quite thin and runny, which worried me. Mixing in the parmesan didn't help thicken it much, either. So, I added some extra cheese (okay, in fairness, I always add extra cheese).

The kids and I filled each zucchini shell with the mixture. The sauce was still a bit runny, and I worried over it, even as I popped the veggies into the oven. I could see some of the sauce running over the zucchini. But I shouldn't have been too concerned. The mixture bubbled and some indeed spilled out, but most stayed in the veggies, and cooked to a nice, golden brown.

We sat down to a dinner of pasta and red sauce, and stuffed zucchini, about 30 minutes later. I was certain that the reaction to the zucchini would be stereotypical of my kids: Chloe would love the dish, Giselle would tolerate it, and Ivan would hate it. But this time, they all ate it, happily. Even Ivan, the kid who normally can barely choke down a carrot stick. This is a great recipe for kids, in part because the texture of the zucchini, the characteristic most kids abhor, is transformed. Instead of squishy (as Ivan calls it), the zucchini become cheesy and rich with flavor. Not only do I recommend this recipe highly, all three of the kids do as well, something that is pretty unusual around here.

]]>feature-family-chefHeather Ryan2010-09-02T16:37:00Z