BAKED RIGATONI WITH GREEN OLIVES AND PANCETTA

I was excited to co-ordinate a time for the very beautiful, fabulous Maliah, of Maliah Pinkleton Photography www.maliahpinkleton.smugmug.com/, to come to my home and shoot some pictures for my blog. I had been wanting her skilled and experienced point of view, ever since she photographed my husband and I cooking for the Local Flavor Cookbook localflavornwa.com/.
I had my make-up professionally applied, put on a comfortable dress, a high pair of heels, and cooked while Maliah clicked and we chatted.
It was such a relaxed, fun evening, and Maliah was so creative with many great ideas, but my favorite part was sitting down after the pictures for a glass of wine, bread, cheese and more chat.

Maliahs picture of the olives about to be sliced for the pasta dish

Maliahs picture of me sitting on the back deck

BAKED RIGATONI WTH GREEN OLIVES AND PANCETTA

2 tablespoons butter
3/4 pound plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 thyme sprigs
1/2 cup torn basil leaves plus one basil sprig
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces of pancetta, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 cup pitted green olives, halved
1 pound rigatoni
2 cups ricotta cheese
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 425F and butter a 9 by 13 inch baking dish.
On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the tomatoes, garlic, thyme and basil sprigs with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, until softened and brown in spots, let cool. Discard the thyme and basil sprigs and coarsely chop the tomatoes and garlic, reserving any juices.
Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the pancetta and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and nearly crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the olives, tomatoes and garlic and the 2 tablespoons of butter, keep warm.
In a pot of salted boiling water, cook the rigatoni until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 1/4 cups of the cooking water. Stir the pasta into the skillet, along with the reserved cooking water, ricotta, torn basil and 1/2 cup of parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the pasta to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan on top and bake for 15 minutes, until bubbling and browned on top. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Food and Wine
www.foodandwine.com/recipes‎

CRANBERRY AND ORANGE CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL and GRAPEFRUIT WITH ALMOND HONEY YOGURT and PEAR, PROSCIUTTO AND WALNUT SALAD and BACON EGG AND TOMATO TART

The scheduled time for the ladies from Local Flavor NWA to visit, interview and photograph was such an incredibly fun afternoon!! I decided to make a full brunch, starting with a lively cocktail, and ending with a sample of Patron Cafe XOXO.
Both Rhonda and Maliah have incredible talent, which is evident in the cookbook they produced, and in all they do.
I hope you enjoy the stories and pictures as much as I enjoyed my time among such brilliance.
To order your copy, go to Local Flavor NWA http://localflavornwa.com

CRANBERRY AND ORANGE CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL

1 cup cranberry juice
1/3 cup Grand Marnier
1 bottle of champagne
15 ounces of ginger ale

Combine cranberry juice and Grand Marnier. Divide equally among glasses, fill 2/3 full with champagne and top off with ginger ale.
Enjoy!

GRAPEFRUIT WITH ALMOND HONEY YOGURT

1 grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
2 tablespoons honey
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon almond essence
1/2 teaspoon finely grated grapefruit rind
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Mix grapefruit with honey, spoon into serving dishes. Blend together the yogurt, almond extract, and grapefruit rind. Garnish with sliced almonds.
Enjoy!

PEAR PROSCIUTTO AND WALNUT SALAD

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 shallot, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 ounces of prosciutto, finely chopped
1/2  head of butter lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces
1 pear, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped, toasted walnuts

In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, shallot and coriander. Gradually whisk in the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add prosciutto and sauté until crisp, about 5 minutes, let cool. Place lettuce on plates, or in serving bowl, top with pear slices, walnuts and prosciutto.
Enjoy!

BACON EGG AND TOMATO TART

2 sheets of puff pastry
1 potato, peeled, and cut into cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
8 bacon slices, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
6 eggs
1 cup of cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tomatoes, sliced
fresh basil leaves, shredded

Fit pastry sheets into 10 inch tart pan. Chill in refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes.
Cook potatoes until just tender, drain and refresh under cold water.
Heat oil in skillet and sauté onion, bacon and garlic until just beginning to lightly brown.
Heat oven to 350F.
Whisk together eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Stir in the potato mixture and pour into prepared crust. Arrange tomato slices on top.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 320F, and cook a further 20 to 25 minutes, or until set.
Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from tart pan. Cut into wedges and serve with the basil leaves.
Enjoy!

SALTED CHOCOLATE CARAMEL BARS and ROSEMARY PISTACHIO COOKIES

My husband and I, along with many fabulous locals are featured in the beautiful, Local Flavor of Northwest Arkansas Cookbook.
I am thrilled to see this project come to fruition and am so proud of Rhonda and Maliah and the hard work these two incredible ladies did to make this cookbook happen. From an idea that was created when two friends came together to cook, to an actual tangible printed copy - hours and months of diligence that will benefit Feed Fayetteville and Life Source.
We recently attended the launch party, where we previewed the cookbook, tasted some of the delicious dishes featured in the cookbook, and I shared these Salted Chocolate Caramel Bars and Rosemary Pistachio Cookies.
The narrative, photographs and recipes are gorgeous and only 1000 copies are being printed - but you can pre-order your copy at http://localflavornwa.com

SALTED CHOCOLATE CARAMEL BARS

FOR THE CRUST
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt
FOR THE CHOCOLATE CARAMEL
2 cups milk chocolate chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon sea salt

Heat oven to 350F.
Make the crust: Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides, butter parchment, excluding overhang. Beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add flour and table salt, and beat until just combined.
Press dough evenly into pan, and bake until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.
Make the chocolate caramel: Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, washing sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming, until amber, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter, cream, and table salt. Bring to a boil, stirring until smooth. Pour over chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes. Stir to combine and let stand until cool, about 10 minutes.
Pour mixture over crust. Sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight. Run a knife around edges, lift parchment to remove whole bar from pan. Trim the edges and cut into bars.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from marthastewart.com
www.marthastewart.com/949584/chocolate-caramel-cookie-bars

ROSEMARY PISTACHIO COOKIES

1 cup ghee (at room temperature)
(you could also use unsalted butter, but it is my belief that the ghee provided an incredible and unique flavor to these cookies)
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/3 cups self-rising flour
1 cup pistachios, shelled
1 cup white chocolate chips
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced

Heat oven to 375F.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the ghee and brown sugar on high speed until smooth, lighter in color and a little fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
Add the flour, pistachios, white chocolate chips and the rosemary, and mix on medium speed until thorougly incorporated.
Drop tablespoon sized balls of dough on the baking sheets.
Bake until lightly browned at the edges and spread flat, about 12 minutes. Let cool on the pans.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The 4-Hour Chef, Timothy Ferriss, 2012