Homemade Crunchwraps!

Last weekend a friend and I were going to eat taco bell after a game of ultimate frisbee. Now this may sound like a strange idea seeing as we were negating exercise with taco bell, but in Chapel Hill there is a shortage of fast food and sometimes you just get a craving for the bell. 

I ordered a random assortment of tacos and burritos and was prepared to gorge myself. When I asked my friend what she wanted me to pick her up, she requested a crunch wrap. Just one crunch wrap! It contained all of the flavors and components of a meal in one portable package!

Then it hit me! I can make my own crunch wraps! (Sure I can make my own tacos too but that's too easy) So I cobbled together the ingredients and made my own! I raided my pantry and set to work.

Start by browning some ground beef and seasoning with your favorite taco seasoning. (I really need to learn how to make my own but for now the mixes will have to do) 

    

Lay out all your ingredients and form a building station and get ready to stack! The ingredients I used were tortillas, refried beans, ground beef, melted cheese (for that authentic taco bell experience), tostada shells (flat crunchy tacos), Shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, and shredded cheddar cheese.

Step 1. Assemble your ingredients

Step 2. Apply meat!

Step 3. Top with melted cheese and beans.

Step 4. Separate warm and hot foods with a tostada. Then add shredded lettuce.

Step 5. Next is the fresh pico!

Step 6. Last is  the cheese because you can never have too much cheese.

Step 7. Fold into a hexagonal shape.

Above is the first one I made and was a little too full to get a good seal. Below you can see another one I made and filled a little less so that it would seal properly. I recommend getting large burrito sized tortillas if attempting this so that you can get a good seal so you can pick it up with your hands without the contents spilling everywhere.

Heat on both sides and give a press. I used another pot to press down my crunchwraps. Top with additional salsa or pico de gallo or simply pick up and devour!

Crunch Wrap Cross section

Crunch Wraps!

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1 package Taco seasoning
2 cups shredded cheese (Mexican blend or cheddar works here)
1 package tostada shells
1 package burrito sized tortillas
1 container pico de gallo (or fresh salsa)
1 jar nacho cheese (optional, I just wanted that extra melted goodness associated with taco bell)
1 package shredded lettuce 
1 can refried beans (or other bean of your choice)


Directions
1. Brown ground beef over medium heat until cooked through. Drain excess fat.
2. Season with taco seasoning according to package instructions.
3. Place tortilla on plate.
4. Top with ground beef (amounts of each layer should be kept thin so that crunch wrap is fold able)
5. Top beef with beans and melted cheese if using.
6. Lay tostada shell on top of warm ingredients to separate hot and cold ingredients.
7. Top tosada with a layer of shredded lettuce.
8. Add next layer of fresh salsa or pico de gallo.
9. Sprinkle cheese on top of salsa.
10. Fold sides of tortilla to the middle and form a hexagonal shape. Try to make the sides meet in the middle as best as possible.
11. Take assembled tostada and lay seam side down in a saute pan over medium heat. Press down with spatula or another pan or pot to brown tortilla.
12. Once tortilla is browned, flip over and repeat browning process.
13. Serve with additional salsa or simply devour with hands!

This recipe is not really complex and more of a shopping list than a recipe, but I think it's a great idea I hadn't thought of until recently. Several of my friends informed me that this idea is all over pinterest and I think it is an excellent idea for a fun weeknight meal. It is also easily customized and can be made with a variety of other meats or beans to accommodate vegetarian diners. Now only if I could make my own doritos taco shells...

Fancy Desserts! Panna Cotta!

The other night I had a dinner date and needed a dessert to complete the meal! The night's activities involved making french baguettes to complement the chicken chili we were also going to make. Everything was to be made but since all of the other dishes were going to take so long we decided it would be best to make dessert ahead of time so we wouldn't have to worry about too many things. It fell upon me to decide on a dessert and I wanted to impress this person so I knew I wanted something fancy sounding that would serve as a light ending to a hearty meal. The answer to this dilemma? Panna Cotta

So Fancy!

What is panna cotta you ask? I'm not really sure! But I know Wikipedia does!

According to Wikipedia:

"Panna cotta (from Italian cooked cream) is an Italian dessert made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, and letting it cool until set. It is generally from the Northern Italian region of Piedmont, although it is eaten all over Italy, where it is served with wild berries, caramel, chocolate sauce or fruit coulis."

Fascinating! Basically fancy jello! All kidding aside, this is a really easy dessert that can be dressed up in a variety of ways and ends up being a light dessert that can end up looking really beautiful depending on colors and fruits used.

Cooking wise it's not a difficult dish but does require some unique software. With the first being unflavored gelatine.

This product is available at most grocery stores in the baking needs isle and has a myriad of uses but does take some extra care. Picture above is mixing one package of gelatine with 2 tablespoons of cold water to let the gelatine "bloom". You can't just add gelatine powder to your mixes because it can clump and give you lumps. So in this step you prep your gelatine by mixing one package with 2 tablespoons of cold water and form a sort of gelatine block to be added later.

While the gelatin is blooming and waking we need to consider toppings. I wanted to make a strawberry sauce and had a frozen berry mix on hand.  I tossed about a cup of frozen berries into a small pot.

Already coloful!

On top of the berries I added half a cup of water and 1/3 a cup of sugar to form a strawberry sauce. Stir to combine and heat over medium heat.

You don't want a roiling boil, but instead just want to reduce it down into a sauce and cook it a little bit. 

Let that simmer for about 10 minutes and then cool to room temp and puree into a sauce. Strain your sauce to get out all the seeds and chunks and you have a nice and vibrant berry sauce.

Now for the actual panna cotta! Combine your milk, whipping cream and sugar in your pot.

Heat this mix over medium low heat. Do Not Boil! You just want to heat up the mix until the sugar dissolve. It doesn't take much and you won't notice a big change. You want a nice clean white color anyways to contrast your strawberry sauce.

Panna Cotta post cooking. Not much of a change but it'll set when chilled

Once the sugar has dissolved remove your pot from the heat and add your vanilla and stir in your gelatin block. Stir this until it is dissolved. At this point all the cooking is pretty much done! Now just pour your panna cotta into a serving vessel and toss in the fridge (covered) for at least 4 hours or until set. You can see the dishes and glasses I used below.

Panna Cotta for two! With two left over individual servings.

Once set, remove the vessels from the fridge and spoon your sauce so that it floats on top of the panna cotta as seen below. 

Adding the finishing touch

Serve chilled and enjoy!

Panna Cotta with Strawberry Sauce

Ingredients

200 ml milk
200 ml whipping cream
1/2 table spoon gelatin
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Strawberry Sauce

1 cup fresh strawberries (or other berries) 
2 tablespoon water
1/4 cup sugar

Directions

1. Dissolve gelatin in 2 tablespoons of cold water and let it bloom for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Combine the whipping cream, milk and sugar in medium saucepan and bring  to a simmer over medium-low heat  (Do not boil). 
3. Once sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and add vanilla extract.
4. Stir in the gelatin until completely dissolved. 
5. Pour mix into serving glasses or dishes. Clear ones work best here! 
6. Refrigerate until sets, about 4 hrs or overnight.
7. Meanwhile, wash strawberries, and place in a small saucepan. 
8. Add sugar and water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
9. Simmer for 5 minutes and blend the mixture in a blender until smooth. 
10. Strain through a mesh sieve or strainer to remove any seeds.
11. Cool  this to room temperature then refrigerate until needed.
12. Once panna cotta has set, carefully spoon sauce on top to create a nice contrast of colors and serve chilled!

I hope you enjoy this really fancy sounding dish and use it to impress someone tonight! It really is simple and can be done with a variety of other sauces, compotes, or with some fresh fruit. I have seen some really cool pictures of chilling the panna cotta at different angles and shapes to create some very nice presentations. Give it a shot and get creative!

Celebrate a Snow Day with Tomato Soup!

Last Friday in Chapel Hill we got a little unexpected ice storm. This is mainly notable because it was 72 degrees two days later! When I got home this was the scene outside:

Now when I see weather forecasts for snow I always imagine whitey fluffy goodness falling from the sky; perfect for frolicking and snowy adventures! This however was entirely stinging ice pellets that made everything slick and treacherous. I actually ventured to the gym and fell down multiple times and surely looked like an oaf. However, during one of these unexpected trips to the ground I realized that I needed something warm and hearty to thaw my frozen aching bones. The only solution? Tomato soup! But none of that condensed stuff! Homemade Tomato Soup!

Tomato soup is a real classic that is often forgotten and relegated to childhood lunches and emergency meals when there is nothing else in the pantry. This is such a travesty because tomato soup can be so much more and when done right can warm hearts and really soothe the soul, especially on those frigid nights when snowed in. How do I make mine? Well I'm just getting to that. First, we assemble the team!

2 (28 oz) cans of crushed tomatoes, an onion, 4 fresh tomatoes, basil, and some good gruyere!

When I make tomato soup I personally like using fresh tomatoes. Most recipes use canned diced tomatoes and the beauty of this dish is that you can use mostly canned ingredients and still get a really nice soup, but I personally like using fresh ingredients when I can and in this situation I think fresh tomatoes adds a lot of brightness to the soup.

Some quick samurai action and we are ready to start cooking!

Melt some butter in your soup pot over medium heat and brown those onions! Again I forget to take a picture but I also added some minced garlic because I don't think you can go wrong with minced garlic

One of the best smells in the world is sauteed onions.

And now for the easy part! Once your onions turn translucent and you have that great onion and garlic smell permeating your house you are ready to start souping! Just dump in your cans of tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and chopped basil and let that stuff start melding together. Bring this mixture to a boil then reduce to a simmer.

Everyone in the pool!

While that comes to a simmer and starts getting happy, melt some butter in your cast iron skillet over medium heat and lay two slices of french bread down to start your fancy grilled cheese. Freshly shredded cheese goes on top and starts getting melted and gooey! (American is such a classic but I went with the Gruyere to keep it a little more adult and fancy)

As the grilled cheeses get started make sure you are checking your soup. You don't want to burn the bottom! Keep stirring it and make sure you heat isn't too high. Remember, we are simmering! Medium worked for me and you just have to be patient! Good Soup takes time and doesn't come in cans.

Starting to look like soup!

Close up view of all it's tomatoey goodness complete with Basil

It may be a little bit of a juggling act but be sure to check on your grilled cheese and once the bottoms are browned to your liking just plop one piece of bread on top of the other (cheese sides touching of course) and give it a little press. 

It may not be square but man was it tasty!

Once your soup comes to a simmer and melds for about 10 minutes its time to smooth it out. I don't own a food processor but a couple trips to the blender gave me that silky smooth texture I wanted in a soup.

Apply grilled cheese sandwiches liberally to the soup and enjoy!

Hand model Rachel showing off her soup portion

My soups always turn out a little on the fresh and acidic side, but more traditional tomato soups typically add a cup of milk or cream to give it some extra creaminess and take away some of that bite that I really enjoy but that decision is yours to make.

Basil Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

For the soup:

2 tbsp butter

1 small onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

4 tomatoes, chopped

2 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

20 basil leaves, chopped

salt and pepper

For the Grilled Cheese:

8 slices french bread

1/2 lb gruyere cheese, grated

butter

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a large pot, and add the onion and garlic. 

2. Saute for 5 minutes until onions are cooked through. 

3. Add the canned and fresh tomatoes, and basil. Salt and pepper to taste.

4. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover your soup and simmer for 20 minutes.

5. Add any additional seasonings such as thyme if desired. 

6. Puree soup with an immersion blender or in a blender until smooth. If using a blender, do not overfill the blender or you may have a soup explosion. (which isn't as cool as it sounds) 

1. For the grilled cheese, coat bottom of a cast iron skillet set over medium heat with butter.

2. Place slices of french bread in the pan and top grated cheese. 

3. Let cheese melt and checking to make sure bottoms of bread isn't burning

4. Once cheese starts melting, press slices of bread together 

Enjoy your fancy grilled cheese with your soup and stay warm!