Cucumber Lemon Verbena Popsicles with a Splash of Tequila

So, I broke down this summer and bought them... a set of popsicle molds.

I've been contemplating them for years, but kept thinking that "I could just use paper cups" or something.

The truth is, having ACTUAL popsicle molds makes a difference.

Previously, I'd talk myself out of making popsicles, since the thought of finding a place in the freezer for a zillion little cups was... less than inspiring. And buying a mold that holds the wooden sticks upright is also a big plus, as far as I'm concerned.

So I did it. I bought the Norpro mold I'd been eye-ing up. It wasn't the costliest model. It may not be the most awesome (after all, they make those Zoku popsicle molds that freeze in 15 minutes). But, the truth is, I don't need instant gratification in my popsicles; I'm an adult, and I can wait a few hours. Sure, the smaller ice crystals would be nice.  But, my ordinary old-fashioned popsicle tray works for a number of reasons.

1. It was affordable. Less than $15.
2. The mold is dishwasher safe.
3. It holds the popsicle sticks straight upright.
4. The popsicles remain upright in the freezer (and don't make a big mess).

Our first try at popsicles was a raging success. Cucumber popsicles are delicious. And refreshing. And a splash of tequila makes them deliciously adult... I can't take all the credit. After all, Peef went through the work of making them while I was spending the day with a girlfriend. (Side note: I LOVE having a husband who makes me icy treats while I'm off shopping).

Aren't they pretty?

They're delicious too. The lemon verbena is awesome here, though I could see this working with a number of flavors, including lemon balm, cilantro, or tarragon).

I am now officially excited to play around with differently flavored icy treats. Next up (I hope) is to conquer one of my all-time favorite treats, the fudgesicle.

Cucumber and Lemon Verbena Popsicles with a Splash of Tequila

©BURP!

Rosemary Garlic Leg of Lamb

Alright, alright. So, this is the worst possible time to post this recipe.
It's hot. It's humid. And the last thing you want to do is turn on your oven to roast a leg of lamb.

I understand. But, I can assure you that you'll want to bookmark it for another occasion -- or pin it to your Pinterest page. Because it's easy. And delicious. And the leftovers will give you fodder for some of the best lamb pitas you've ever eaten in your life.

Meet the garlic and rosemary infused leg of lamb -- one of the simplest and best recipes I've created in a long while.

Best of all, you probably don't need to measure anything.

I used a relatively small leg section for this recipe. It weighed about three pounds, which means that, at 20 minutes per pound, it took just over an hour to cook (I shot for an internal temperature of about 135, which is medium rare; you can go slightly higher if you want, but I'd encourage you not to overcook it).

The size of the leg isn't all that important here. But, the shape of the leg is.  You want a piece of leg that is approximately the same thickness all over -- which means it will cook evenly.

Equally as important is the rub, which you want to apply to the lamb the day before you roast it.

For my leg, I used about six garlic cloves, about 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, a teaspoon or so of salt, lots of freshly ground pepper, a splash of red wine vinegar, and an equivalent splash of olive oil.  You'll mix it altogether into a loose paste, and then rub it all over the lamb.  Be sure you poke a few holes in the fat and get the rub into all the nooks and crannies... you'll thank me later.

After the leg marinates overnight, you'll want to heat up some butter over medium-high heat in a large oven-proof skillet. When it melts and the foam subsides, you'll want to brown the lamb shank on all sides. While it's browning, you can preheat your oven to 350F.

When the lamb is browned, pop it right into the oven and leave it for around an hour, probing it with a thermometer to check its internal temperature for doneness.  Then, before carving, let it rest for 10-15 minutes. It will be the longest 10-15 minutes of your life... but I assure you, it's worth it.

Serve up with a nice saute of summer zucchini, onions, and cherry tomatoes sprinkled with fresh oregano and mint.

Makes you smile just thinking about it, doesn't it?
And for a moment, I'll bet you forgot all about the heat wave... at least we hope so!

©BURP!

Roasted Chicken with Dill-Garlic Butter

  We stand in awe of dill.

 What other herb inspires home cooks to stand in excruciatingly hot kitchens on 100 degree days just so they can look forward to biting into crisp, delicious pickles eight weeks later?

On the other hand, we lament that this delicious fernlike herb is highly under-utilized in most kitchens.
Sure, dill is great for making pickles. But, it’s also indispensable for pairing with cheeses, adding to breads, enhancing the flavor of vegetables, and complementing the briney notes in feta cheese or seafood.

 In this case, it really shines when matched with butter, garlic, and lemon to create an amazing roasted chicken.

It takes just a few basic techniques to produce a beautiful dill-scented bird with crisp, salty skin, moist breast meat, and dense, meaty dark meat. First, rubbing the exterior of the bird with seasoned butter assists in ensuring a beautiful brown crisp skin.

Slipping some of the butter under the skin of the breast helps to keep it moist and adds flavor to the otherwise mild meat. And finally, adding lemon quarters and extra dill to the cavity seasons the pan juices as they flow from the bird into the roasting pan.

This chicken is scrumptious served alongside fresh green beans and mashed potatoes for a weeknight dinner. But, leftovers make phenomenal chicken salad, so consider roasting two birds while you're at it... just to be on the safe side :)

Roasted chicken with Dill-Garlic Butter

©BURP! Where Food Happens

Roasted Red Potato Salad with Deep Woods Dressing

 It’s that time of the year again. Time for backyard brats and beach parties and starchy salads consumed al fresco.

 It’s also time to enjoy the delicious bounty of summer herbs that are readily available – hopefully as close as in your back yard.

Despite this year's hot dry weather, we've been religiously watering and gently pruning our basil plants to keep them in the best possible shape.

The sweat equity is well worth it when we get the hankering for a delicious BLT with garlic basil mayo, a bit of pesto for our pasta, or great picnic food like this deliciously easy potato salad.

This vinegar based salad starts with tender, new red potatoes roasted in butter until crisp and brown and then tossed with a fresh balsamic vinegar and basil vinaigrette while they’re warm.

After absorbing all of that deliciously sweet balsamic flavor, they’re dressed with plenty of freshly chopped basil. Serve this classic summer salad with crispy-skinned brats and an ice cold glass of beer.

Roasted Red Potato Salad with Deep Woods Dressing

©BURP! Where Food Happens

Best of Spring: Roasted Radishes with Tarragon Butter

 I'm not sure what your feelings are about radishes. But, I'll share with you that mine are often mixed.

I love the IDEA of radishes -- their petite frames, their crispness and crunch, their deceptively vibrant skin providing coverage to the purest white of flesh.

I like the occasional radish plucked from the relish tray and dipped in salt.  And I enjoy the bite of radish in a hearty chopped salad, especially when it's paired with sweet corn or something that provides a bright foil for its peppery bite.

But sometimes, I must admit, I struggle with what to do with all the bunches of spring radishes that show up in our CSA box.

Yet, radishes are worth eating.  It turns out they're a relatively good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Magnesium, Copper and Manganese, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Folate and Potassium.

So, I've made it my mission to rediscover these pretty little vegetables, and get a little creative about it in the process.  So, I decided to roast the little suckers.

Now -- hopefully you'll agree when I declare that tarragon is one of the brightest and freshest-tasting of all herbs. Bold, but not brash, it exhibits a faint hint of anise that tends to please –yes-- even the most licorice-hating palate.

However, much like a radish, tarragon's flavor is deceptively strong, and too much of it can ruin a dish. But when used judiciously, a little tarragon is like springtime on a plate.  Similarly – and maybe unexpectedly – the roasting process renders radishes particularly sweet, succulent and mellow, very unlike their raw counterparts.  (Grilling works similarly well, so if you're inspired to cook out of doors, this recipe works there too!)

As it turns out, the two, paired together, make a truly unique spring statement.  The subtle flavor of the radishes pairs beautifully with the sweetness of the tarragon. The dish is simple, fresh, and light – a perfect reminder of just how fantastic quality fresh vegetables can be.

In order to mix the tarragon butter successfully, you will have to make more of it than you are likely to use on a batch of roasted radishes. The wonderful thing is that you’ll have plenty of tarragon butter left to add to grilled meats, scrambled eggs, or, for a real treat, to spread it on a piece of toasted crusty, chewy bread.  

Try it; you’ll thank us.

Roasted Radishes with Tarragon Butter

 ©BURP! Where Food Happens

Using and Preserving Summer Herbs: Our Upcoming Herb Series

If there's something we're passionate about over here at Burp! it's flavor.  You won't find much that's bland or boring here. And we're always looking for ways to kick things up a notch -- whether it's through the discovery of a new flavor combination, technique, or ingredient.

Along those lines, one thing I can't imagine doing without in the kitchen is fresh herbs. Whether it's using them to pull together a quick and flavorful pistou to use for roasting chicken, adding them to a marinade, making yogurt sauce for summer grilling, or whipping up a fresh cool batch of mint ice cream, fresh herbs can make all the difference between drab... and fab.

Needless to say, although our urban garden isn't very large, we're always certain to make room for herbs. We have a number of perennial herbs (thyme, tarragon, oregano, lavendar, and winter savory) growing in herb beds alongside the house. But, we also plant plenty of annuals and tender perennials like basil, rosemary, marjoram, parsley, and lemon verbena.  We plant some between the peppers in our vegetable bed, and we sprinkle a few others among the flowers in the pots on our porch.  And when wintertime comes, we make a grand effort to bring some of our favorite herbs inside and keep them alive during the long Wisconsin winter.

But, I can buy herbs in the store. Why would I want to grow my own? you might say.  Well, here's a few reasons every cook should have a kitchen herb garden.

1. It's convenient.   How many times have you had to run out to the store to grab one of those little plastic boxes of fresh basil?  How much time did it take you?  Just imagine the time you'd save if you could pluck a few sprigs of basil from a pot right outside your kitchen door.
2. It will save you money.  You spend at least $2 on that little plastic box of basil from the store. You can probably buy a whole basil plant for that price, or slightly more.  Buy two or three plants and you'll have enough basil for an entire summer of pesto and marinara sauce.
3. They're good for you.  Both fresh and dried herbs contain incredible amounts of antioxidants. And research has shown that antioxidants may slow or prevent the development of some cancers, among other diseases.
4. Your herbs are ultra fresh -- and you know where they've been. Herbs begin to lose their vitality within a short time after they are picked. So, herbs you pick yourself are at the peak of freshness. In addition, you know that the herbs you pick out of your yard haven't been treated with pesticides or chemicals. They haven't spent hours in the back of a truck, been dropped, mishandled, or otherwise abused.
5. It's good for the environment. Gardening automatically reduces your carbon footprint. You're no longer relying on the resources (manpower, fuel, manufacturing, transportation) it took to move those herbs from the farm to your grocery store. And you're not paying a premium to cover the cost of loss on the herbs which, if they are not purchased, are thrown away.
6. You can grow really cool varieties of common herbs.  Opal basil, Thai basil, lemon or lime thyme, chocolate mint, lemon verbena -- the possibilities are endless when you're the gardener.  And the more herbs you have at your disposal, the more creative you can be with your cooking.

Alright, so you've decided to grow a few herbs. Or maybe you have an herb garden that you'd like to expand. Where should you start? Start by thinking about the kinds of foods you love to cook.

• French and Mediterranean fare make use of herbs like basil, tarragon, marjoram, lavender, rosemary, and thyme. 
• Italian cooking uses lots of basil, bay, Italian flat-leaf parsley, oregano, rosemary, sage, and garlic.   
• Asian cuisine makes good use of cilantro, chilies, chives, curry, lemongrass, and Thai basil.  
• Mexican flavors include cilantro, savory, basil, rosemary, thyme, chiles and garlic. 
• Authentic Indian cooking makes use of a wide variety of herbs, but some of the basics include basil, coriander, cumin, dill, parsley, mint, thyme, sage and savory. 

Join us this weekend and learn more about herbs!
We're very excited to be sharing some of our knowledge about the topics of both food blogging and herbs at this year's Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books. The festival is a free community-wide event organized by the UW-Waukesha Foundation in cooperation with community groups that include the Waukesha County Federated Library System, the Waukesha Public Library, the Literacy Council of Greater Waukesha and Martha Merrell’s Bookstore.

We'll be participating in two different sessions:

• A panel on "The Art of Blogging" at 4:00pm on Friday, June 18th.
• A presentation on "Using and Preserving Summer Herbs" at 1:00pm on Saturday, June 19th

More than 100 authors of adult and children’s books will make presentations at the free public event that will have all the trappings of a festival – an exhibition of authors, publishers and books sellers, music and drama performances, a cook book stage featuring chef demonstrations, a children’s festival with children’s authors and activities, an art exhibit, food and entertainment.  Download the full schedule.

We're thrilled to be a part of this celebration of literacy and creativity -- and we'd love it if you could join us.  But, if you can't make it out for our presentation this weekend, we'd invite you to join us right here on the blog for an herb series that we'll be running every Friday throughout the summer.  Our hope is that we'll share recipes, techniques, and interesting tales that will get you thinking about how to make the most of fresh herbs in your kitchen.

What's your favorite way to use fresh herbs?



©BURP! Where Food Happens