Early Fall Weekend in Mentone

This weekend Russ, Cash, and I went up to Mentone with Sumner and John. We had a very fun relaxing time! While the boys watched the football games Sumner and I had fun cooking and catching up. For dinner we decided to grill out steaks and serve them with a spinach salad and mushroom risotto.

The spinach salad is a new recipe that Jane made up at the beach over Labor Day. Russ and I really liked it and I have wanted to try it ever since. I decided to make the dressing, candied walnuts, and cook the bacon prior to heading up to Mentone. To make the walnuts you whisk an egg white and then add a little water to it. The walnuts get mixed in the egg white mixture and then get coated in a sugar mixture. The sugar mixture has granulated sugar, brown sugar, a pinch of cayenne, cinnamon, and salt. They then bake at 300 F for 15 minutes. Then you stir them around and let them continue baking for about 15 minutes more. Once cooled then put them in an airtight container. To make the dressing you whisk the mustard with the vinegar and then slowly add the oil whisking as you add it. Lastly you whisk the reserved bacon fat in and season it with salt and pepper to taste. Russ cooked the bacon (we used turkey bacon) for me and then crumbled it. Once in Mentone Sumner and I seasoned the tomatoes and broiled them. We then added part of the bacon and dressing to the spinach and then layered the tomatoes, walnuts, and rest of the bacon on top. I brought basil up with us, but forgot to include it in the spinach mixture. Neither Sumner nor I felt like we missed out on anything by not including it.

This is a great spinach salad that is worth the extra effort to make it. It is wonderful mixture of textures and flavors. You could easily serve this as a main course and serve it with grilled sliced steak or chicken on top. Russ rates the salad a 9.

I have made Giada’s mushroom risotto before and while we liked it I wanted to try a different recipe this time. I found Tyler Florence’s recipe for Mushroom Risotto online that looked like a tasty one to try. To make the risotto you sauté the garlic and part of the onion in one pot and then sauté the rest of the onion in a sauté pan. To the sauté pan you will add the herbs and mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms are cooked. To the pot you will add the rice and let it become opaque before adding the white wine. Risotto is a slow cooking process (which I love doing when I have the time) where you add warm broth (chicken broth here) to the risotto as it slow cooks and absorbs the liquid. You continue adding the broth ladle by ladle until the rice is fully cooked and not crunchy. Then you add the mushroom mixture to the rice and mix them all together. Lastly you mix in the grated parmesan cheese.

This was a wonderful hearty mushroom risotto that really let the mushrooms and herbs take center stage. I like the overall flavor better than Giada’s and think that this recipe may be my go to recipe for mushroom risotto. It also worked well with the steaks and salad. Russ rates the risotto a 9.

Spinach and Basil Salad with Tomatoes, Candied Walnuts and Warm Bacon Dressing
Fine Cooking Fresh, Fall 2007

Serves four.

½ lb. baby spinach leaves, washed and dried
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
6 slices bacon
2 Tbs. white-wine vinegar
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1/3 cup plus 2 tsp. olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pint grape tomatoes, washed and dried
1 and ½ dried herbes de Provence
½ tsp. dehydrated minced or granulated garlic
Candied Walnuts (see recipe below)

In a large salad bowl, toss the spinach and the basil.

Cut each slice of bacon into thirds. Cook in a medium skillet over medium to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp; drain on paper towels. Reserve 1 Tbs. of the bacon fat. Crumble the bacon into pieces.

In a medium metal bowl, whisk the vinegar with the mustard. Slowly whisk in 1/3 cup of the oil and then whisk in the 1 Tbs. bacon fat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside in a warm place.

Position an oven rack as close as possible to the broiler element. Put a heavy duty rimmed baking sheet on the rack and heat the broiler to high. Toss the tomatoes with the remaining 2 tsp. olive oil, the herbes de Provence, dehydrated garlic, and ½ tsp of salt. Pour the tomatoes onto the hot pan and broil, stirring occasionally, until the skins are cracked and blistered and the flesh is warmed through, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the broiler. Transfer the tomatoes with a slotted spoon to the bowl with the salad dressing. Stir to coat and mix the seasonings into the dressing. Put the bowl in the oven to keep warm until ready to serve.

Just before serving, transfer the tomatoes from the dressing into another bowl with a slotted spoon. Whisk the dressing to recombine. Add half the bacon to the greens. Drizzle with 3 Tbs. of the dressing and toss lightly to coat. Add more dressing only if needed; don’t overdress the salad. Mound the greens on four salad plates. Garnish with the tomatoes, the remaining bacon, and some of the candied walnuts (you’ll have leftovers for snacking). Serve immediately.

Candied Walnuts
Yields about 3 cups.

1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 and ½ Tbs. brown sugar
½ tsp Kosher salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch cayenne
1 large egg white, at room temperature
½ lb. walnut halves

Heat the oven to 300 F. In a small bowl, mix both sugars with the salt, cinnamon, and cayenne. In a large bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy; whisk in 1 Tbs. water until combined. Add the walnuts and stir to coat. Sprinkle on the sugar mixture and stir to distribute evenly.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with a non-stick baking mat or parchment. Spread the sugared nuts in a single layer on the sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, stir the nuts, and continue baking until the nuts smell toasted and the sugar coating is caramelized, about another 15 minutes.

Let the nuts cool on the pan, separating them as they cool. When completely cool, transfer them to an airtight container. They’ll keep for two weeks.