Tossed Salad with Crisp Apples, Candied Walnuts and Cranberry Vinaigrette

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Tucked in among the fancy and time consuming dishes that appear on my Christmas table, you will find a few that are nearly effortless to prepare. This salad is one of them. It uses bagged salad greens and sundry ingredients that can be purchased or made well ahead of time. I prefer to make my own candied walnut because I can control their sweetness, but you can buy excellent candied nuts in any large grocery store. If you'd like to make your own, my recipe can be found here. The cranberry vinaigrette adds wonderful color to the table and it is tart enough to clear a palate that may have been sampling too many rich appetizers. Given my druthers, I'd prefer to serve the salad at the end of the meal, but I've learned, the hard way, I might add, that not everyone subscribes to the French way of doing thing, so, if we have guests at the table, salad starts the feast. I individually plate this salad and bring it to the table with dressing drizzled over the greens. That preserves their lovely color and assures that everyone gets a fair share of the components that make the salad special. I do hope you'll keep this recipe in mind, if not for Christmas, then perhaps for another occasion. Here is how this colorful salad is made.

Arugula and Carrot Salad with Walnuts and Cheese

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'll wager you can guess what my resolution for the New Year is. Yup! I'm joining the ranks of the rabbit people until I've atoned for the dietary excesses of the holiday. It, unfortunately, is going to take a while, so portion and carb control are going to be my mantra for the next couple of months. I promise not to bore you with my progress, or lack thereof, and I won't make the assumption that you, too are watching your weight. Mums the word! My plan is not to mention this again until I get were I want to go and that's a lot of pounds away. There will be before and after pictures when I hit the finish line. Salads like this one will make the journey a bit easier. I love the play of peppery arugula with the sweet carrots in this salad and the walnut vinaigrette used to coat the greens walnut is inspired. The recipe was develop by Martha Rose Shulman for The New York Times and I think you will love it as much as I do. Here is how the salad and its dressing are made. 

Spinach Salad with Blueberries, Blue Cheese and Toasted Walnuts

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have several salad recipes that I want to share with you before summer is over. Last weekend, the first of the early apples appeared in our farmers' markets, and that's a sure sign that fall is on its way. It also means I'd better post the recipes I've been holding if they are to be of any use to you. I don't feature a lot of salad recipes because there is a sameness to them that I find repetitive. Don't get me wrong, I love salad, but I'm not always sure my creations are worthy of your time. Today's feature is an exception because it uses a wonderful berry and vinegar dressing that sets it apart from other berry fortified salads. I really think you'll enjoy this one. Using bagged spinach, the recipe, which comes from from Family Circle magazine, is a study in simplicity and it takes about 10 minutes to assemble. I do have one suggestion to pass onto you. The color of this salad dressing is one only a mother could love, so rather than dress the salad prior to serving, I let everyone do their own thing at the table. I hope you will try this salad while blueberries are still available in your markets. I know you will like it. Here is the recipe.

Spinach Salad with Blueberries, Blue Cheese and Toasted Walnuts...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Family Circle Magazine

Ingredients:
Salad Dressing
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon blueberry preserves
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons snipped chives
Salad
5 ounces (about 10 cups) baby spinach
12 ounces (about 2 cups) blueberries
3/4 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Directions:
1)  In a small bowl, stir together vinegar, blueberry preserves, mustard, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in olive oil until well combined. Mix in chives. Set aside.
2)  Toss together spinach, blueberries, walnuts and blue cheese. Mix in dressing, or serve it on the side. Yield: 6 servings.

If you have enjoyed your visit here, I hope you'll take a minute to...

      

One Year Ago Today: Individual No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecakes

Two Years Ago Today: Rolls and Shrewsbury Cakes

Three Years Ago Today: Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake

Four Years Ago Today: Onion-Parmesan Focaccia with Tomatoes

Apple and Escarole Salad with Blue Cheese and Toasted Hazelnuts

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a terrific salad to serve with pork or ham. I found the recipe in Fine Cooking magazine this past summer and I thought it would be a perfect addition to our Thanksgiving meal. It was. The few changes I've made to the recipe are simplifications rather than outright changes, and, if you share my penchant for salads, I think you'll want to give this one a try. The salad plays bitter against sweet and begins with a layer of apples that are lightly dressed with a mustard vinaigrette. The apples must be one of the sweeter varieties because no sugar is used in the salad or its dressing, and a touch of sweet is needed to balance the bitterness of escarole and the bite of blue cheese. I'm able to purchase hazelnuts that are already chopped and toasted and that allows me to completely bypass the second step of the recipe below. While many of you are unable to purchase hazelnuts, I've found that chopped and toasted almonds can be used as a substitute. I've also discovered that feta  can replace blue cheese when it is necessary. The dressing for the salad can be made hours before you plan to use it, but the salad should not be tossed until you are ready to serve it. As with all leafy green salads, it's best to put the dressing in the salad bowl before the various elements of the salad are added. This prevents the salad from being weighed down by the dressing and makes for a prettier presentation. I don't like sopping salads, so I only use half the dressing suggested by this recipe. This is an easy salad to make and I hope you'll give it a try. Here's how it is made.

Apple and Escarole Salad with Blue Cheese and Hazelnuts...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Fine Cooking magazine

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 ounces whole shelled hazelnuts (about 1/2 cup), toasted and skinned
1 pound (about 2 large) sweet apples best enjoyed raw (such as Fujis or Galas), quartered, cored, and sliced into thin wedges
1 large head escarole, torn or cut into bite-size pieces (about 6 cups)
3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced length-wise (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
1) Whisk vinegar, shallots, mustard and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Whisk in oil in a slow and steady stream until incorporated.
2) Place nuts in a zip-top bag, force out air, seal bag, and break nuts with a meat pounder or a heavy skillet into uneven pieces.
3) Toss apples with 1 tablespoon of dressing in a large bowl. Add escarole, cheese, onion, parsley, and hazelnuts. Toss with some of remaining dressing and serve. Yield: 6 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Quick-Fix Orange Ginger Chicken

Two Years Ago Today: Cranberry Layered Cheesecake

Three Years Ago Today: Appetizer Cheese Bites

Blue Cheese and Other Composed Butters

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I never doubted that the "something blue" of the old, new, borrowed, blue theme that I've been featuring this week would be a blue cheese butter. At the time I posted the recipe for my French dip sandwich, I had to send you off the reservation for the blue cheese butter I recommend you use to enhance its flavor. Pride demanded I remedy that situation as soon as I could. So, today I'm featuring a trio of compound butters that are wonderful additions to your kitchen quiver. A compound butter is nothing more than butter to which other ingredients have been added. They add great flavor to meals and the only requirement for making a successful spread is that all the ingredients be at room temperature. The butter should be beaten or stirred to perfect smoothness before other ingredients are added. The butter, which some cooks like to shape into a log, is then placed back into the refrigerator to chill until it is firm. The butters will keep for a week or two in the refrigerator and can be kept for several months in the freezer. They can be used as a spread for bread or tossed with vegetables or pasta to boost their flavor. Some cooks also serve them with meat or fish. They are really simple to make and they can be as simple or complex as your imagination allows. Here are three of my favorites.

Blue Cheese Butter

Ingredients:
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 pound crumbled blue cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons port wine

Directions:
Cream butter until perfectly smooth. Add wine and blue cheese and beat until smooth. Chill. Yield: 1 cup.


Maître d'Hôtel Butter


Courtesy of Photobucket: Creative Commons License


Ingredients:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:
Cream butter until perfectly smooth. Add lemon juice and parsley and mix until ingredients are well blended. Place a piece of plastic wrap on counter. Spoon butter onto plastic wrap and roll into a tight cylinder. Tie off or twist ends. Chill until firm. Yield: 16 tablespoons.


Mixed Herb Butter


Courtesy of Photobucket: Creative Commons License

Ingredients:
1/4 pound room temperature butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh chives
3/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
3/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage
3/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

Directions:
Cream butter until perfectly smooth. Add oil and herbs to bowl of a food processor and pulse until oil is colored by herbs. Add to butter and, using whisk attachment, beat until butter is light and smooth, about 2 minutes. Spoon onto plastic wrap and roll into a tight log. Chill for 2 hours before serving. Yield: 8 tablespoons.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Spicy Holiday Compound Butter - The Hungry Mouse
Horseradish and Parsley Compound Butter - Cooking with K
5 Star Makeover: Compound Butter - 5 Star Foodie Culinary Adventures
Drunken Cranberry Orange Compound Butter - The Hungry Mouse
Lemony Picatta Compound Butter - Kahakai Kitchen
Fresh Herb Compound Butter - Black Girl Chef's Whites

Blue Cheese Dip

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is one of the chameleons of my kitchen. I use it as a dip, a spread and a salad dressing. It main ingredient is cottage cheese and that makes it figure friendly, as well as being versatile and easy to do. The downside to this recipe, if there is one, is that you'll need a food processor to break up and pulverize the cheese curds. Plan to make this a day before you plan to use it and use a really good blue cheese for best flavor. The original recipe was developed by Patricia Wells and she used a French Roquefort to make the dip. French Roquefort is made from sheep's milk and is naturally aged in caves to produce the blue streaks with which we are all familiar. The cheese must ripen for a period that ranges from three months to a year in order to produce its characteristic aroma and flavor. Other blue veined cheeses, domestic or imported, are made from cow's milk and are aged in humidity controlled environments rather than caves. I use Roquefort during the holiday season, but rely on good domestic varieties for the remainder of the year. The dip can be thinned with milk to produce a wonderful salad dressing. If you enjoy blue cheese I think you'll enjoy this dip. Here's the recipe.

Blue Cheese Dip...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by Patricia Wells

Ingredients:
2 cups cottage cheese
1/4 cup fresh snipped chives
1/2 to 3/4 cup coarsely crumbled Roquefort or blue cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Place cottage cheese in bowl of a food processor; pulse to break up curds. Add chives and blue cheese and process briefly just to blend. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pulse again to distribute seasonings. Transfer to a lidded container and store in refrigerator for at least 24 hours to ripen. Bring to room temperature to serve. Yield: 2 cups.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Bleu Cheese and Bacon Dip - Easy Appetizers
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus - Eat Real
Hummus - Food for Thought
Easy Appetizer: White Bean Dip - Spoonful
Baba Ganoush - One Perfect Bite
Seven Layer Bean Dip - Simply Recipes
Easy Black Bean Dip - Pinch My Salt

Mushroom Galette

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's been a busy day. I've started working on the dishes that I'll be featuring while we are traveling and the first day of cooking is always daunting. I managed to get a lot done, but as the sun set I had a "Eureka" moment. Surrounded by plates of food, I had forgotten about dinner and nothing on my counters was suitable for an evening meal. I grabbed a pie crust from the freezer and mushrooms and cheese from the refrigerator and threw together this homely galette. It normally is a much grander affair. On a good day, wild mushrooms, sauteed with fresh herbs and shallots, are tossed with a premium blue cheese and wrapped in a cloak of puff pastry that's baked until the color defines rich golden brown. That didn't happen tonight. I took every shortcut imaginable, but there is an upside to this sad tale. It worked. If I hadn't had the good stuff, I never would have known that this wasn't the real thing. The recipe I pillaged belongs Joanne Weir who is one of my favorite foodies. She stays under the radar but her recipes are spot on and I love her style. I'm going to share her recipe for Warm Stilton and Mushroom Galette with you and let you guess where I took my shortcuts. Here's her recipe.

Mushroom Galette...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Joanne Weir

Ingredients:
Crust:
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, frozen in the freezer 1 hour
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons ice cold butter, cut into 12 pieces
4 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup ice water
Filling:
1/4 ounce dry porcini mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 green onions, white and green, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon freshly chopped rosemary
1/2 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme
1 pound cultivated or button mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 ounces Stilton or other blue-veined cheese

Directions:
1) To make crust: Place flour and salt in a food processor and pulse two times to combine. Add butter and pulse several times until most of the mixture is size of bread crumbs with a few pieces remaining pea sized. Dump mixture out onto a work surface in a pile. Spread it out a little. Make a well in center of mixture. Whisk together sour cream, lemon juice and water; add half of liquid to well. With your fingertips, mix liquid with dry mixture until large lumps hold together. Remove large lumps and repeat with remaining liquid, using as much liquid as needed to hold dough together. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
2) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place dry porcini mushrooms in a small bowl, cover with boiling water and let sit 30 minutes. Drain mushrooms and reserve liquid for another use. Finely mince mushrooms and reserve.
3) In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add green onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 minutes. Add rosemary and thyme and continue to cook 1 minute. Increase heat to high, add fresh and minced dried mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are soft and liquid from mushrooms has completely evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool.
4) Roll dough on a floured surface to make a 12-inch circle. Place on a baking sheet. In a bowl, combine Stilton and mushrooms. Spread mixture over dough, leaving a 1-1/2-inch border around edges. Fold uncovered edge of pastry over mushrooms and cheese, pleating it to make it fit. There will be an opening in center of tart. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. Slide galette onto a serving plate. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.
Yield: 6 first course servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Roasted Vegetable Galettes - The Baking Barrister
Ham and Cheese Galettes - Chow and Chatter
Savory Galettes - A Yankee in a Southern Kitchen
Savory Goat Cheese Parmesan Galette - Use Real Butter
Cabbage and Mushroom Galette - Lisa is Cooking
Zucchini Galette - A Good Appetite

Tomato, Herb and Blue Cheese Pizza - Blue Monday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have one other pizza that counts blue cheese in its ingredients list. This pie is all over the internet, but I have been unable to trace its original source. Folks who love to cook and eat, sometimes bypass a recipe because it's parentage is suspect or it comes from a source that is not properly credentialed. It's the old "whose your daddy" school of cooking. In the case of this pizza, that would be a mistake. This will not set the culinary world on fire, but it makes a fast, easy and delicious meal. It has the colors of a calico quilt and is as pretty to look at as a pizza can be. I bake my pizzas in a rectangular pan because I find this shape easier to serve and store. If you prefer a round pie, the only thing that changes in this recipe is the type of pan you use. Don't be put off by the blue cheese. It blends nicely with the other ingredients and doesn't overpower the pie. While the recipe uses frozen bread dough, you can use your favorite crust or bake it on lavash or another type of flatbread. Here's the recipe.

Tomato, Herb and Blue Cheese Pizza...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 (1-lb.) loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 small red onion, thinly sliced, pulled into rings
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3 ounces of crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1) Cut bread dough in half. Press each portion onto bottom of an 9 x 13-inch baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray; build up edges slightly. Prick dough several times with a fork. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
2) Brush dough with oil. Combine basil, oregano and garlic powder and sprinkle dough. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Arrange onion and tomatoes over crust. Sprinkle with mozzarella and blue cheese. Bake until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes longer. Yield: 2 pies.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Greek-Style Flatbread Pizza - One Perfect Bite
Caramelized Onion, Blue Cheese and Walnut Pizza - One Perfect Bite
Mexicali Pizza - One Perfect Bite

This post is being linked to:
Smiling Sally - Blue Monday
Meatless Monday at My Sweet and Savory

Caramelized Onion, Blue Cheese and Walnut Pizza

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I used to serve small squares of this pizza as a cocktail appetizer. People loved the combination of caramelized onions with blue cheese and toasted or candied walnuts. We had it so often that I grew tired of it and that usually marks the death knell for my recipes. Once retired, they're rarely used again. This one has been pardoned and given a second life because of Meatless Mondays. As you can see, I've resurrected the recipe and we had the pizza for supper tonight. The recipe makes a nice pie and if you're looking to serve something a bit outside the box, you might enjoy this one. The pizza can be made with a standard dough or served on a flatbread or tortilla. While this is simple to make, it is not speedy and you'll need time to caramelize the onions. The mantra here remains the same. The onions must be watched as they cook. Once they start to caramelize they move from brown to black in the wink of an eye. If they char or burn you'll have to start again. This is a highly flavored pie and to enjoy it, you have to love all three of its major ingredients. If the trio appeals to you, you'll love this pizza. Here's the recipe.

Caramelized Onion, Blue Cheese and Walnut Pizza - Meatless Monday...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
2 tablespoons butter
2 pounds yellow onions, very thinly sliced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 pound pizza dough
1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

Directions:
1) Heat 2 tablespoons oil and butter in a large heavy skillet set over medium heat. Add onions and salt, stirring frequently until onions begin to brown, about 20 minutes. Add sugar and cook, stirring frequently until onions are well-browned, about 15 minutes longer. Do not allow onions to burn. Season with pepper to taste.
2) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray bottom of a round or rectangular pizza pan with nonstick cooking spray. Press dough into pan, building up sides slightly. Brush crust with reserved 1 tablespoon oil. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Spread onions on crust. Top with walnuts and blue cheese. Return to oven and bake until cheese starts to soften and brown, about 10 minutes. Serve hot. Yield: 4 -6 servings.

You might also like these recipes:
Greek-Style Flatbread Pizza - One Perfect Bite
Onion Parmesan Focaccia with Tomatoes - One Perfect Bite
Whole Wheat Olive Flatbread Focaccia - One Perfect Bite

Blue Cheese Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It was a busy day. Commercial growers in our area open their fields and display gardens to the public at this time of year. We spent the day touring acres and acres of peonies, iris and hostas and, when the crowds became too much, enjoyed the respite of the grower's gardens. A few peeks at the fields and gardens follow today's recipe. A brief sunshower, called a "monkey's wedding," dampened our clothing but not our spirits and the reward for our good nature was the promised rainbow. Dinner, which came from the freezer, was a late affair of tomato soup and blue cheese bread. The combination goes extremely well together and I thought those of you who love blue cheese might want to try the bread. It is much like a garlic bread or ripped baguette and is really easy to make. Here's the recipe.

Blue Cheese Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon minced chives
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 loaf (1 pound) unsliced French bread

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Combine butter, blue cheese, Parmesan cheese chives and garlic powder in a small bowl. Mix well. Cut bread into 1-inch slices but leave slices attached at bottom of loaf. Spread cheese mixture between slices.
3) Wrap loaf in a large piece of heavy-duty foil. Fold foil around bread and seal tightly. Bake for 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve warm. Yield: 10 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
My Dad's Garlic Bread - 101 Cookbooks
Roasted Garlic Bread - Vanilla Icing
Cheesy Ramp Garlic Bread - Closet Cooking



Adelman's Peony Gardens Salem, Oregon



Schreiner's Iris Gardens Salem, Oregon



Schreiner Family Garden



Schreiner Family Gardens



Seabright Hosta Display Garden Salem, Oregon

Blue Cheese and Onion Burger Topping

When I fire up the grill for burgers, it's rarely to make gourmet patties. Hamburgers are an occasional treat for Bob and me, and we so enjoy them that I'm loathe to season the meat with anything other than salt and pepper. I do, however, do a lot of work with the condiments and relishes I serve with the burgers. Among my favorites are a Balsamic Onion Marmalade which I shared with your last year. Today's blue cheese and onion topping is another. The award winning recipe was developed by Norma Reynolds for Country Woman Magazine. She uses the flavored onions as a side dish to accompany meat for special dinners. I prefer to use them as a topping for an all-American burger. You'll find these onions extremely easy to make. I've cut back a bit on the amount of butter used in her recipe and, by trial and error, have concluded that 1/4-inch onion slices work best in this dish. I like the onions to retain a faint crunch and have found that onions cut too much thinner than that tend to form an unappetizing slurry. Blue cheese can be downright unpleasant when used to excess. Here it's paired with lovely caramelized onions and creates a real taste treat. I hope you'll try this so you can judge for yourself. Here is the recipe.

Blue Cheese and Onion Burger Topping...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Country Woman Magazine

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 large onions, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2) Combine blue cheese, Worcestershire sauce, dill and pepper in bowl of a food processor; cover and process until blended.
3) Place onions in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Drizzle with butter; top with tablespoonfuls of blue cheese mixture.
4) Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately. Yield: 2 cups.

You might also like these recipes:
Blue Cheese Twice Stuffed Potatoes - One Perfect Bite
Blue Cheese Steak Sandwich - One Perfect Bite
Blue Cheese Gougeres - One Perfect Bite

This post is being linked to:
Smiling Sally - Blue Monday

Blue Cheese Steak Sandwich - Crater Lake - Blue Monday

The Romantic in me could easily be persuaded that God was standing in Oregon when he created the world. We are blessed with incredible natural beauty. Crater Lake is one of the most magnificent sites in the United States. It is a favorite destination for visiting family and friends who are curious to see its blue waters. Actually, the water in the caldera is colorless and the fabled blue is the result of blue light in the sun's spectrum being scattered by water molecules before returning to the surface of the lake. I promise no more lessons in optics if you promise to put Crater Lake put it on your bucket list. It's gorgeous.

There are a limited number of places to eat in the Crater Lake area. We've fallen into a pattern of having one meal in and one meal out and the al fresco meal is, by far, everyone's favorite. We pack several salads, cheese and fruit for a cheese board, something sweet for dessert and the fixings for spectacular sandwiches that are served on incredibly good bread. Men have been sent to the moon with fewer provisions than we take for a picnic. I like to vary the sandwiches we make; the only requirement is they be uncommonly good. They are usually assembled and warmed just before eating. This steak sandwich is one I love to make for our picnics. The combination of blue cheese, roasted peppers and arugula is an undeniable treat. We warm or grill the beef just before its piled on warm, crusty rolls. Regular readers know I have a "thing" for flatiron steak and I use it whenever possible. As luck would have it, none were available for our picnic. It was time for the "mother of invention" to step to the plate. Having been called worse things, I took it in my stride. I had the butcher trim and slice a boneless rib roast into paper thin slices. The meat was seasoned and quickly sauteed in a mixture of garlic flavored olive oil and butter until it was just rare. I warmed the beef on site. It goes without saying that we used an Oregon blue cheese that just happened to be named Crater Lake Blue. I hope you enjoy this sandwich as much as we do. Here's the recipe.

Blue Cheese Steak Sandwich...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite
Ingredients:
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
4 crusty hard rolls or bread of your choice, warm
1-1/2 pounds rare, thinly sliced steak
1 cup fresh arugula or watercress
1 cup bottled roasted red sweet pepper, drained and patted dry

Directions:
1) In a small bowl combine blue cheese, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar.
2) Spread one side of warm rolls with blue cheese mixture. Top each with an equal portion of arugula, roasted pepper and sliced steak. Yield: 4 sandwiches.

I'm linking this to Smiling Sally for her Blue Monday event.

Grilled Tomato Sandwich with Blue Cheese Spread for Blue Monday

David Fankhauser


Jon Sullivan





From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Our oldest daughter and her husband slipped away for a few quiet days at the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon this past week. Our treat for entertaining the children while they were gone was a selection of cheeses that included a wonderful blue cheese from the Rouge Creamery in southern Oregon. That happened to coincide with the beginning of our heirloom tomato harvest and a freezer filled with wonderful artisan bread and brioche. I'd been hoarding a recipe I found in the Seattle Times from "Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express" for a grilled sandwich that contained thick sliced tomatoes and a blue cheese spread. This was an ideal time to try it. I can happily report I'm glad I did because this is a wonderful nosh. Here is the base recipe for one sandwich. I'm sure you'll want to adapt this to your own tastes, but the original recipe is a delight.

Grilled Tomato Sandwich with Blue Cheese Spread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1/4 cup blue cheese
1 tablespoon cream cheese
1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
1/2 to 1 teaspoon milk
2 slices good-quality, crusty bread
2 to 3 slices ripe, red tomato
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 to 1 tablespoon butter

Directions:
1) Mash blue cheese, cream cheese and chives with just enough milk to make it spreadable. Smear a thin layer on each slice of bread. Top with tomato slices, salt and pepper and put bread together to make a sandwich.
2) Heat skillet and add butter. Swirl around pan until melted and pan is coated. Place sandwich in skillet and cook a couple of minutes, until toasted on one side. Press down sandwich gently with a spatula and turn. Cook until golden and gooey.
3) Cut on diagonal and serve hot. (If you're making more than one, assemble them on a baking sheet, brush with melted butter and broil on both sides.). Yield: 1 sandwich.

I'm linking this to Smiling Sally for her Blue Monday event.