Irish brown soda bread with dill sauce and salmon

 

Other than potatoes, nothing is more synonymous with Irish food than brown bread. It's served with most every meal for most every occasion. Filled with whole grains and oats, it's a healthy bread to serve your family and perfect for St. Patrick's Day.

Brown bread is a "quick bread," which means it doesn't have yeast. Its leavening comes from baking soda and buttermilk, hence the name "soda bread." Soda breads became popular in Ireland when baking soda was introduced in the 19th century because it was cheaper than yeast.

Here are some tips to ensuring your bread turns out well:

• Make sure your baking soda is still active by adding 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to a couple tablespoons of vinegar. The mixture should fizz. You need to buy new baking soda if it doesn't.
• Use weight to get precise ingredient measurements.s
• Do not over mix. It will make the quick bread tough. Mix the wet ingredients separately from the dry ingredients and combine the two only to the point that the dry ingredients are moistened.
• Grease the loaf pan really, really well. The bottom has a tendency to stick.
• Baking soda activates as soon as it's mixed with an acid, so the bread needs to be put in the oven immediately.

The bread is often served with dill sauce and gravlax as an appetizer, but lox or smoked salmon work just as well. Curious about the difference. Here is a great explanation.

Irish brown soda bread with dill sauce and salmon

Yield: 1 loaf, about 12 slices

Time: About 45 minutes

Ingredients

For the bread

• 150 grams whole wheat flour
• 100 grams rolled oats
• 4 grams (1 teaspoon) baking soda
• 3 grams (1/2 teaspoon) kosher salt
• 240 milliliters (1 1/4 cups) buttermilk
• 30 grams (2 Tablespoons) molasses
• 28 grams (2 Tablespoons) melted butter, cooled

For the dill sauce

• 30 grams (2 Tablespoons) dijon mustard
• 30 grams (2 Tablespoons) sour cream
• 15 grams (1 Tablespoon) whole grain mustard
• 15 milliliters (1 Tablespoon) white wine vinegar
• 5 grams (1 teaspoon) molasses
• 20 grams shallot, minced
• 10 grams fresh dill fronds, minced
• For serving: lox, gravlax, or smoked salmon

Directions

For the bread

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease an 8½ x 4½ x 2½-inch loaf pan and set aside.
2. In large bowl, mix flour, oats, salt, and baking soda.
3. In separate bowl, mix buttermilk, molasses, and melted butter.
4. Make well in center of flour mixture, and pour buttermilk mixture into well
5. Gently mix dry and wet ingredients together, being careful not to overmix.
6. Scrape dough into bread pan and smooth top. Pan will be filled halfway.
7. Place in oven and bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until internal temperature registers around 190 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from pan and cool on rack.

For the dill sauce

1. Mix both mustards and sour cream. Mix in vinegar and molasses. Add shallot and dill fronds.
2. Serve by spreading layer of dill sauce onto slice of brown bread. Top with salmon slices.

Curried Shepherd's Pie

 

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible! 

I'm celebrating Pi Day with one of my favorite one-dish comfort foods that's also perfect for a St. Patrick's Day celebration. Curried Shepherd's Pie combines warm spiced with a fluffy, creamy topping. It's also a great recipe to serve babies if you omit the salt.

Tip: Before you stick the skillet under the broiler, dot the top with butter. After about 5 minutes, the butter will brown and you can mix it into the sweet potatoes before sticking it back under the broiler to finish.

I'm not a registered dietitian, so it isn't my place to advise you on whether to feed your baby recipes containing butter. But everything I've read says it's okay as long as you choose unsalted butter with minimal ingredients, preferably just cream. That's why I only use Challenge unsalted butter. It's 100% real cream butter made with milk from cows not treated with growth hormones.

Curried Shepherd's Pie

Yield: Makes about 8 servings

Time: About 90 minutes

Ingredients

For the topping

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes
• 2 Tablespoons Challenge unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the filling

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground lamb (or ground beef)
• 8 ounces yellow onion, small dice
• 4 ounces carrot, small dice
• 4 ounces celery, small dice
• 2 Tablespoons curry powder
• 2 Tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 14.5 ounces no salt added crushed tomatoes
• 8 ounces frozen peas
• 8 ounces frozen corn kernels

Directions

For the topping

1. Roast sweet potatoes at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for about 60 minutes. 
2. Peel away skins and place potatoes in large bowl. Add salt and pepper. Mash until all ingredients are mixed together. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. This can be done up to a day in advance.

For the filling

1. While sweet potatoes cook, heat oil in large skillet and brown meat over medium-low heat. Use wooden spatula to break meat into smaller pieces and continue to cook until no longer pink.
2. Remove meat from skillet and place in paper towel-lined bowl.
3. Add mirepoix to skillet and cook until softened. 
4. Add curry powder, cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, and black pepper and saute with mirepoix until it is coated in spice mixture. 
5. Add tomato paste and continue cooking until it turns from bright to brick red.
6. Add crushed tomatoes and return meat to skillet. Simmer on low for about 10 minutes or until sauce thickens. Add frozen peas and corn to skillet and cook until vegetables soften, about another 10 minutes.
7. Remove skillet from heat and preheat broiler.
8. Add mashed sweet potatoes to skillet and smooth. Add thin slices of butter to top.
9. Place mixture under broiler until butter turns brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from oven and stir butter into potatoes.
10. Smooth top and return to broiler. Continue to cook until top turns golden brown.
11. Remove from oven and serve.

Tuna burgers 2 ways with wasabi slaw

Many people abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent, so I wanted to share a burger recipe that uses fish instead of beef. This ahi tuna mushroom burger uses is full of flavor, not overly fishy tasting, and has a very similar texture to beef burgers. 

Fresh vs. Frozen vs. Canned

You can use either one of these options for this recipe, although the canned tuna recipe is slightly different.

I think there's a common misconception that fresh fish is better than frozen fish, but that is not true. In fact, unless you live 50 miles from the ocean, frozen tuna is actually better because it is flash frozen onboard the fishing boat. You just have to make sure you safely thaw the fish.

Canned tuna is a great cost-effective option. It has the same nutritional value as fresh or frozen tuna. You just have to make sure there's been no salt added. Also, look for "pole-and-line-caught" on the label, which is a more sustainable and enviormentally-friendly practice.

I realize some people don't like the taste of canned tuna, but I honestly can't tell much of a difference in taste in this burger recipe. My husband can vouch for that, too. You'll notice there's a slight difference between the ahi tuna burger recipe and the canned tuna burger recipe. That's because the canned tuna doesn't pack together as well as the ahi tuna, so it needs binders in the form of pank bread crumbs and eggs.

Let's talk about mushrooms

Did you know mushrooms are 50% water? In order to get a more concentrated umami flavor, you have to evaporate the water out. The easiest way to do that is by roasting the mushrooms, which is the first step of this recipe. Also, if you don't first roast the mushrooms, the water content may cause your burgers to fall apart.

Wasabi slaw

This slaw is packed with flavor, thanks in part to a little bit of wasabi. I found wasabi paste at my local grocery store. I think it really is the key to the slaw recipe. But if you don't like wasabi or if you can't find it, just omit it. Although I must admit I'll be a little sad.

 Ahi Tuna Mushroom Burger

Yield: Makes about 8, 3-inch burgers

Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients

For the burgers

• 16 ounces mushrooms, sliced (baby bella, white, or shiitake work well)
• 6 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 2 Tablespoons red curry paste
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound ahi tuna, minced

For the slaw

• 1 teaspoon wasabi paste (more or less to taste)
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 2 cups green cabbage, shredded
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions

For the burgers

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray. Spread mushrooms in single layer on baking sheets.
2. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
3. Place garlic and shallot in food processor and pulse until minced.
4. Add cooled mushrooms, red curry paste, salt, and black pepper. Pulse until mushrooms resemble ground beef. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.
5. Combine mixture with ahi tuna.
6. Set 3-inch ring on plate and fill ring with mixture. Remove ring and continue process.
7. Place tuna patties in freezer for about 20 minutes.
8. Heat nonstick skillet over medium heat and prepare with a little oil.
9. Add burgers to pan. Cook 2 minutes on each side.
10. Place on bun if desired.

For the slaw

1. Combine wasabi paste, Greek yogurt, and lime juice.
2. Stir in the cabbage and cilantro.
3. Top tuna burger with slaw.

Canned tuna mushroom burger

Yield: Makes about 8, 3-inch burgers

Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients

For the burgers

• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (baby bella, white, or shiitake work well)
• 6 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 2 Tablespoons red curry paste
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs
• 16 ounces canned tuna in water, drained

For the slaw

• 1 teaspoon wasabi paste (more or less to taste)
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 2 cups green cabbage, shredded
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions

For the burgers

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray. Spread mushrooms in single layer on baking sheets.
2. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
3. Place garlic and shallot in food processor and pulse until minced.
4. Add cooled mushrooms, red curry paste, salt, and black pepper. Pulse until mushrooms resemble ground beef. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.
5. Add eggs and tuna to food processor and pulse until combined.
6. Set 3-inch ring on plate and fill ring with mixture. Remove ring and continue process.
7. Place tuna patties in freezer for about 20 minutes.
8. Heat nonstick skillet over medium heat and prepare with a little oil.
9. Add burgers to pan. Cook 2 minutes on each side.
10. Place on bun if desired.

For the slaw

1. Combine wasabi paste, Greek yogurt, and lime juice.
2. Stir in the cabbage and cilantro.
3. Top tuna burger with slaw.

Easy Bananas Foster King Cake

Tuesday is Mardi Gras in New Orleans, also known as Fat Tuesday. It is the culmination of Carnival season, which kicks off on January 6 every year (Epiphany or Three Kings’ Day). Many people in Indianapolis (which is 800 miles from New Orleans, by the way) don't take it seriously. They may celebrate by indulging in southern food and sweets, but that's the extent of it. In contrast, southerners celebrate throughout the entirety of Carnival season with dozens of parades, many gatherings, lots of alcohol, and indulgent foods—including king cake. 

King cake isn't just a one-day treat. Bakeries in New Orleans have been selling king cakes since January.  So if you haven't had your king cake fix yet, I have just the solution for you. I'm making bananas foster king cake with store-bought puff pastry. I wanted to combine a classic New Orleans dessert with a classic Mardi Gras dessert.

Most bakers make king cakes with brioche dough, which is an enriched sweet bread, and fill them with either cinnamon and sugar or a cream cheese mixture. So my version definitely isn't "traditional." But it's important to point out the king cakes we see today are very different now than they were even just a few decades ago. And if you visit New Orleans during Carnival season, you'll find king cakes in dozens of different flavor combinations.

Easy Bananas Foster King Cake

Yield: 12 servings

Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients

For the cake

• 1 sheet puff pastry
• 2 Tablespoons Challenge salted butter, melted
• 1 Tablespoon rum (or 1/2 teaspoon rum extract)
• 1 teaspoon banana extract (you can substitute vanilla extract)
• 100 grams (1/2 cup) brown sugar
• 15 grams (2 Tablespoons) all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 2 Tablespoons pecans, chopped
• 1 banana, peeled and sliced thin

For the icing

• 115 grams (1 cup) powdered sugar
• 1/8 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Yellow, green, and purple food coloring or yellow, green, and purple sprinkles

Directions

For the cake

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bring puff pastry to room temperature. Cut it down the middle lengthwise in two equal pieces.
2. Mix butter, rum, extract, sugar, flour, cinnamon, cardamom, and pecans. Fold in banana pieces.
3. Spread half of the mixture on one half of the puff pastry sheet and the rest of the mixture on the other half.
4. Roll up each puff pastry piece from the long edges like a log. Place the two pieces side-by-side and twist one over the other to form a rope.
5. Transfer the twisted puff pastry onto the parchment paper and shape it into an oval. Pinch ends together.
6. Bake 30 - 35 minutes until golden brown on top and cooked through. Set aside to cook.

For the icing

1. Combine powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth. Icing should be thick but pourable. 
2. (Skip this part if you choose to use sprinkles.) Divide icing into three bowls. Color with yellow, green, and purple food coloring. 
3. Pour icing over cooled king cake. (Skip this part if you choose to use food coloring.) Decorate with sprinkles. Allow icing to set.
4. Slice and serve.

Buffalo ranch mini pretzel dogs

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible! 

Pretzel dogs make for a delicious Super Bowl snack, and you won’t believe how easy they are to make. I use store-bough refrigerated pizza dough in this recipe because it is almost identical to pretzel dough. The only difference is the hydration levels. You probably wouldn’t be able to tell a difference if they were side-by-side. 

But the real key to making homemade pretzels is a lye bath. Lye is what makes a pretzel a pretzel and not just a baked piece of dough.

What is lye?

Lye, which is also known as sodium hydroxide is an alkaline compound that boosts flavorful browning by accelerating the Maillard reaction and caramelizing sugars on the outside of the dough as it bakes. The stronger the alkali, the better the results. Lye is a very strong alkali with a pH of 14. 

Some people use baking soda if they’re uncomfortable using lye. Baking soda has a pH around 8.3. That’s a big difference. That’s why it doesn’t work nearly as well as lye. Baking soda pretzels are lighter in color and flavor.

Where can I find lye?

You can find lye online. Here is the lye I use.

What are safety tips for working with lye?

Lye is poisonous and must be handled with extreme caution. The lye solution we’re working with is very diluted, but it can still cause skin irritation. That’s why you should always wear gloves and long sleeves when working with lye, and don’t touch anything that has been in contact with the solution.

Add lye to the water, don’t add water to the lye.

Keep the solution away from pets and children. 

How do you give the pretzel dogs buffalo ranch flavor?

Brushing the pretzel dogs with Challenge Buffalo Snack Spread right after they come out of the oven is the key to delicious buffalo flavor. If you can find the snack spread, you can mix a little buffalo sauce with softened butter. Then I rolled the pretzel dogs around in ranch seasoning. It's that easy! One thing I learned is to add the butter and seasoning after it's done baking because otherwise the seasoning may burn in the oven. 

Buffalo ranch mini pretzel dogs

Yield: Makes 42 mini pretzels

Time: About 90 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound pizza dough, room temperature
• 1 (14 oz) package mini smoked sausages (or 10 hot dogs or sausages, cut in fourths)
• 1 quart cold water
• 1 ounce food-grade lye* (see notes for how to substitute baking soda)
• 4 Tablespoons Challenge Buffalo Snack Spread, melted (can substitute 3 Tablespoons softened butter plus 1 Tablespoon buffalo sauce)
• 2 Tablespoons ranch seasoning
• Also helpful: Spray bottle filled with water**

Directions

1. Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and grab large slotted spoon. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Divide dough into 8 pieces so it’s easier to work with.
4. Roll one of the pieces into a long rope and tightly wrap it around mini smoke sausage. Once the sausage is covered, cut the dough from the rest of the rope and press down the end so the seam is smooth. Place sausage on one baking sheet.
5. Continue to wrap dough around sausages until you run out of dough. Place all wrapped sausages onto same baking sheet.
6. Put on clean food safe gloves, grab large slotted spoon, and clear work surface.
7. Pour water into large glass or stainless steel bowl. Add lye to water and stir until lye is dissolved.
8. Use slotted spoon to carefully lower several pretzel dogs into lye bath. Push down pretzel dogs with back of spoon so they’re fully submerged. 
9. Remove with slotted spoon after 10 seconds. Allow excess lye solution to drip off before sliding onto baking sheet.
10. Continue process until all of the pretzel dogs have been dipped in lye bath.
11. Rearrange the pretzel dogs so they’re about 1 inch apart using both baking sheets if necessary.
12. Remove gloves and sprinkle each pretzel dog with flaky sea salt.
13. Bake for about 10 minutes or until pretzel dogs are dark, glossy brown.
14. Immediately after removing pretzel dogs from oven, brush with Challenge Buffalo Snack Spread and cover in ranch seasoning.

NOTES

*Use extreme caution when handling lye solution. Always wear gloves. It can cause skin irritation if not handled correctly. Keep the solution away from pets and children. Dispose of the lye bath immediately after you’ve finished using it. You can pour it down the drain. If you cannot find lye here is how you substitute with baking soda: Bring 6 cups water and 2 Tablespoons baking soda to a boil. Submerge pretzels into baking soda bath for 1 minute. Remove with slotted spoon and place on baking sheet.

**I like to use a spray bottle with water to wet the dough a bit before rolling it into a rope. I also spritz the parchment paper so the dough doesn’t stick to it.

Beer cheese dip

Yield: Makes about 2 cups

Time: About 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 ounces Velveeta cheese, cut into cubes
• 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 4 ounces IPA beer

Directions

1. Heat Velveeta in small saucepan. 
2. Once cheese is mostly melted, add mustard and Worcestershire sauce and stir until combine.
3. Slowly pour in beer and continue to stir until cheese is completely melted.
4. Serve warm.

The ultimate soup guide, part 2

I am very passionate about soup. I love making soup. I love eating soup. I love talking about soup. And I so desperately want to share that love with you all by helping you make the best soup possible. I’m sure you’ve realized by now not all soups are created equal. There can be a significant difference in taste between the soup you make at home and the soup you order from a restaurant.

I created this blog post as a follow-up from my previous “The Ultimate Soup Guide” to share a few more thoughts on how you can improve your soup. I’m also sharing one of my favorite recipes, minestrone soup.

And in case you're curious (I'm sure you're not), I have Chef Brown, owner and executive chef of the Flatiron on Penn, to thank for my passion for soup. He was my chef instructor for my Soups, Stocks, and Sauces class in culinary school.

Take stock of your stock

A good foundation is of the utmost importance when making soup. If you start with something that tastes good on its own, then you’re already in good shape. In a perfect world, we would only ever use homemade stock. It’s significantly more flavorful and richer than what you can buy at the store, and you can control the sodium content. However, the reality is that’s totally impractical. So I would say if (when) you make homemade stock, use it for brothy soups—those soups that make you want to slurp the last few drops. (Find my stock recipes here.)

Magic mirepoix

Pronounced meer-pwah, mirepoix is crucial for flavoring soups, stews, sauces, braised dishes, etc. When in doubt, start with mirepoix. Mirepoix is a mixture of 50% onions, 25% carrots, and 25% celery by weight. So if your soup has 8 ounces of onions, it should have 4 ounces of carrots and 4 ounces of celery. As previously mentioned, a good foundation is important, and mirepoix is part of that flavor foundation. It’s the base that your soup recipe is built upon. You can control the direction of the soup be either sweating or caramelizing the mirepoix .

To sweat mirepoix, cook it in a pot over low heat with butter or oil until everything softens and releases moisture. This helps to concentrate flavor. The flavor remains concentrated even when you add liquid to the pot later. No browning occurs when you sweat mirepoix. The flavor profile of the vegetables will not change.

As you probably guessed, when we caramelize mirepoix, we brown (but NOT burn) the mirepoix. When we do this, the "maillard reaction" occurs. When mirepoix is heated to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and above, the sugar breaks down and caramelizes. The sweetness of the vegetables deepens and intensifies, and the flavor profile changes.

To caramelize mirepoix, cook just the onions and carrots over medium low heat with butter or oil. As the vegetables cook, they will soften and release moisture. Once the moisture evaporates, the onions and carrots will start to caramelize. Make sure to stir every so often so it doesn't burn. When the onions and carrots are evenly brown, add the celery. Celery doesn't brown in the same way that onions and carrots do. Celery is low in sugar and has a lot of moisture, which can prevent the onions and carrots from adequately caramelizing. That's why it's added last. Once the celery softens, add your liquid to the pot.

One last thing about mirepoix (and all vegetables you add to your soup): Make sure everything is uniformly cut. Two reasons: it ensures everything cooks evenly, and it makes the soup taste better because it creates better mouthfeel.

Sear before you simmer

Just like with the caramelization of mirepoix, searing or browning your meat is important for flavor. Browning the meat before adding it to the stockpot imbues the soup with rich flavor and it also releases some fat and gives the meat some structure so it doesn’t just become a  floppy glob that disintegrates as the soup cooks.

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer

Simmer means to cook over medium-low heat as small bubbles gently break the surface every once in a while. Boiling is done over high heat, and lots of big bubbles break the surface of the soup.

Most of the time, it's best to cook your soup over a simmer. If you cook it at a boil, the ingredients in the soup will jostle around too much and break apart. Also, too much liquid will evaporate before the flavor can develop.

So why bother bringing it to a boil if we’re just going to simmer it? The answer is twofold: First, it can take a lot of time for soup to reach a simmer at medium-low heat, and second, you can control the temperature of your soup better if you know what its boiling point is.

Don’t part with your parmesan rind

When you finish a wedge of parmesan cheese, stick the rind in the freezer and save it for when you make soup. The rind will infuse the soup with rich, umami flavor. The rind will become soft but not fully dissolve, so make sure to remove the rind before serving.

Perfection takes time

Sure, you can finish a soup in 20 minutes, but the flavor won’t be nearly as profound as a soup that’s been simmering for an hour.

Add acid

Have you ever tasted something and thought, “This tastes flat”? It’s probably because you need an acid. Acids brighten and enhance flavors while also balancing sweetness and bitterness. Acids come in many forms. Some of my favorites for soup are lemon juice, vinegar, and wine. I like to incorporate acids throughout the cooking process, like when I deglaze the pot with vinegar or wine. But it’s also a good idea to stir in an acidic ingredient at the very end.

Minestrone soup

Yield: 6 servings

Time: About 2 hours

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 4 ounces pancetta, finely chopped
• 10 ounces yellow onion, small dice
• 5 ounces carrot, small dice
• 5 ounces celery, small dice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup white wine (Plus 1/2 cup reserved for finishing the soup, if desired)
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 ounce piece parmesan cheese rind (optional but adds tremendous flavor)
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 Tablespoons dry Italian seasoning
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup orzo
• 1 medium zucchini, medium dice (or butternut squash)
• 8 ounces kale, coarsely chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook until it starts to brown.
2. Add onion and carrot (and butternut squash if using) and cook until they start to caramelize. Add celery and cook until soft.
3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
4. Deglaze pot with white wine.
5. Add diced tomatoes, beans, parmesan cheese rind, rosemary, bay leaf, and Italian seasoning, stirring after each addition
6. Add the stock, bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer. Cook for 30 minutes.
7. Add orzo (and zucchini if using) and cook until tender, about 9 minutes.
8. Add reserved white wine and kale and stir until wilted.
9. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
10. Serve in bowls, drizzling a little olive oil and sprinkling a big pinch of parmesan cheese over each serving.

Brûléed cheese crostini

Brûléed Blue Cheese Crostini with Pear and Walnuts

Yield: 12 servings

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 baguette, cut into 1/2"-thick slices
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted Challenge butter, softened
• 2 red anjou or Bartlett pears, sliced thin
• 4 ounces blue cheese, sliced thin
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• Hot honey for drizzling
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Spread baguette slices with thin layer of butter. Bake in oven until golden and toasted, about 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and cool.
4. Place one slice of pear on each baguette slice and top with blue cheese. 
5. Sprinkle sugar on top of blue cheese. Use kitchen torch to caramelize sugar.
6. Drizzle hot honey over cheese and top with walnut pieces. Serve immediately.

Brûléed Goat Cheese Crostini with Fig and Hazelnuts

Yield: 12 servings

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 baguette, cut into 1/2"-thick slices
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted Challenge butter, softened
• 3/4 cup fig preserves
• 1 (8-ounce) goat cheese log, sliced thin
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• Hot honey for drizzling
• 1/4 cup hazelnuts, chopped and toasted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Spread baguette slices with thin layer of butter. Bake in oven until golden and toasted, about 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and cool.
4. Spread fig preserves on each baguette slice and top with goat cheese. 
5. Sprinkle sugar on top of goat cheese. Use kitchen torch to caramelize sugar.
6. Drizzle hot honey over cheese and top with hazelnut pieces. Serve immediately.

Brûléed Brie Crostini with Chocolate and Pistachios

Yield: 12 servings

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 baguette, cut into 1/2"-thick slices
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted Challenge butter, softened
• 3/4 cup raspberry preserves
• 4 ounces dark chocolate, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 6 ounces brie cheese, cut into 1/8-inch strips
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup pistachios, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Spread baguette slices with thin layer of butter. Bake in oven until golden and toasted, about 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and cool.
4. Spread raspberry preserves on each baguette slice and top with piece of chocolate and brie. 
5. Sprinkle sugar on top of brie. Use kitchen torch to caramelize sugar.
6. Top with pistachio pieces. Serve immediately.