Turnip Gratin

I'm staring at my computer screen and dreaming about this creamy turnip gratin featured on the NY times Dinning/Wine site. Although I'm on a tight budget these days some turnips and a bit of milk couldn't break the bank could they and how much could 4oz of grated gruyere really cost?

I found out eight hours later...


Shit ain't cheap.
So it turned out to cost more then I thought. whatever. I'm committed.Lucky for me the lady at earthfare shredded the Gruyère for me so I saved the trouble of shredding it all myself, which would have proved difficult due to the shape of my kitchen and my lack of a cheese shredder. The whole process took about an hour of prep and and hour to cook. It's the first gratin I've ever had, and dang if it will be the last.

I brought home roughly 22$ worth of ingredients and made a fantastic dinner for myself and fed the three hungry men downstairs. It's easy enough so go try yourself.

Start here:

olive oil for the baking dish

1 garlic clove, cut in half

2 pounds turnips, small ones, peeled and sliced thin and round

Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (about 1 cup nicely packed)

2 1/2 cups low-fat milk

1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. oil your baking dish and Rub the sides and bottom with the cut clove of garlic.

2. Place the sliced turnips in a bowl and season generously with salt and pepper and thyme. Add half the cheese and toss together, then transfer the mixture to the gratin dish and pour on the milk. It should just cover the turnips.

3. Put er' back in the oven and bake 30 minutes. Push the turnips down into the milk with the back of a large spoon. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and return to the oven. Bake another 40 to 50 minutes, until all of the milk is absorbed, the turnips are soft and the dish is nicely browned on top and around the edges.

you'll love it.

xo pully

that type of year

I'm going to cut to the chase, because its been awhile and there's most likely no one out there anymore.

Twenty twelve is upon us, and I'm falling rather behind in the resolution department. I had one major personal goal to be accomplished pre 2012 and now that its over I'm kind of stumped. So I'm going to try to make a go again at this food writing thing.

For right now I'm going to sit and drink my coffee and let the thought marinate. But I'll be back around shortly.

still going

I mixed and baked 99lbs of white french bread this morning before the sun came up. As a result I am sleeping all day.

enter the civilized kitchen...

My first double yolker came this weekend with a crack against an 8inch cast iron pan. A double yolked egg appears when one yolk somehow gets “lost” and is joined by the next yolk. I added two more eggs to the pan and turned my attention back to the biscuits I preparing for lunch and back to the pages of my copy of Artisan Bread Everyday by Peter Reinhardt.

The last time I made biscuits I was a little less prepared. I used a recipe from the 1970’s Tassajara Bread Book , a remnant of the heath craze of the area it is full of recipes for whole grain yeasted breads that tend to be heavy, very heavy. It was no surprise to me when my biscuits turned out more like cow-pies then the buttery biscuits I had envisioned.

Even with Peter’s guidance my biscuits weren’t perfect, but they were a vast improvement. Feeling satisfied and full of buttery goodness I retired myself to the hammock and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon in the sun.

self indulgent harvest photo

dear friends,

come on over.

i'll cook and bake for you.


love, pully

pesto

I've made a few batches of pesto this season. It's just about the easiest food I've ever made and it takes no time at all. Gather and clean basil, add pepper, oil, garlic and some cayenne pepper and you've got yourself some pesto.

a pie crust

chelsea and pully. trash buddies. lovers of good food.

"I perfected my pie crust this weekend" my friend Chelsea exclaimed.

She shared the procedure with me, and here it is for you

1 cup flour
1/2 cup chilled butter
1/4 cup ice water

stick everything in the freezer for 20-30 minutes, remove and shape.

I usually use the pate sucree that I learned in Montana, but knowing Chelsea this will work well.