Roasted Garlic Hummus

Hummus. In two seconds, you can have 681,000 recipes at your fingertips. At least that's what happened when I put "Hummus Recipe" in Google. I'm sure some of these results aren't actual recipes, but you get the point. By the way, the first result had this line in the teaser: "Everything you ever wanted to know about hummus but were afraid to ask!" Really? Last I checked, hummus wasn't exactly freaky weird or anything.

Ok, so why should you make this recipe when there are so many available? Two things: 1) This one's on my food blog and 2) It's by Martha Stewart. I'm still searching for my perfect hummus recipe, but this one is pretty good. It's simple to put together, and it tastes even better the day after you make it. So quit paying big money for pre-made hummus at the store, and stretch your culinary muscle. 

 

Roasted Garlic Hummus

chefjennylyn.com

3 large garlic cloves, unpeeled

1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. olive oil

19 oz. chickpeas, drained

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tbsp. sesame tahini

3 tbsp. water

1 tsp. coarse salt

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place garlic cloves on a small piece of foil, and lightly drizzle with 1 tsp. olive oil. Seal foil to form a pouch, and roast garlic in oven until soft, about 20 minutes. Remove the garlic from the oven, and allow it to cool slightly. Peel and transfer to the bowl of a food processor. Add the chickpeas, and process until finely chopped.

Add lemon juice, sesame tahini, water, salt, cayenne pepper, and 1 tbsp. olive oil to food processor. Process until mixture is light and fluffy but not entirely smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer to serving bowl, and serve with crudites. You know, crudites.

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Note: This is a Martha Stewart recipe, but I changed it. She wants you to add 1/4 cup fresh chives, but I say no, thanks. I did, however, keep her suggestion to serve with crudites.

It's kind of fun to roast garlic. I don't have much to say about this step, but I did note that getting roasted garlic on your fingers isn't as detrimental to your aroma as fresh garlic. I'd suggest trying to avoid it, but you don't have to get a sinking feeling of no one-will-ever-want-to-be-around-me-again-because-I-stink.

This recipe calls for 19 oz. of chickpeas (garbonzo beans), but I haven't ever seen a 19-oz. can. My solution? Regular can while keeping everything else the same. Hi, I'm Jenny, and I live on the edge. Notice the Smooth-Edge Can Opener taking the lid to town. This thing is going to come off clean, leaving no sharp edges and no gross lid/food contact situation. Oh, and it's not going to allow food to crust up my can opener.

Give the beans a good draining using the Can Strainer. Oh, my goodness, how handy this thing is! I seriously adore the can drainer, a simple cap that keeps me from dirtying a colander every time I'm working with beans, artichoke hearts, etc. Mine's pink, but yours will be white. Sorry.

Talk about an awkward picture! This seems "off" somehow, but I'm still using it. Ok, so I have salt in a Pinch Bowl, pepper in an Adjustable Measuring Spoon, tahini in the Measure-All Cup, and the Cutting Board acting as a recipe base. That't the Classic Scraper covered in tahini, and drained chickpeas are hanging out in a Small Square Bowl from the Simple Additions Collection. This pattern is no longer available, but you get the gist. Hey, look at that smooth can there!

Lemons are a kitchen staple because they add flavor to so many recipes. Fresh lemon juice takes a lot of things from being ok to being restaurant quality, so keep these on hand at all times. I cut mine with the 5" Utility Knife from the Forged Cutlery Collection, and I'm squeezing them to death using the Citrus Press. I've got the juice in an Easy Read Measuring Cup, my favorite measuring tool of all time, and everything's about to come together in a food processor.

If you've never made your own hummus, this is a great recipe to start. Tahini is a little pricey, so I'd go in planning to make it more than once. I have yet to find a brand that tastes as good as any of the recipes I've made myself, so I find tahini a worthy investment.

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E-mail me: chefjennylyn[at]gmail.com

Call me up: (205) 585-2464

Lemon Tarts

Warning: It is humanly impossible to eat only one of these. Only consume them around other people so your shame can be your guide.
I was going to watch a movie with some girlfriends, and I didn't want to show up at my friend's house empty-handed. Hmmm... girls... movie... tarts. Win! I'd never made these before, so I was excited to see if they were as easy (or tasty) as the recipe made them look. Yes, these were simple. Yes, they were delicious. Yes, they will be repeat visitors in my future.

Tarts

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup flour

In a small bowl, beat butter and cream cheese together until blended; beat in the flour.

Drop dough by scant tablespoons into greased mini-muffin pan; press onto bottoms and up the sides.

Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack to cool completely.

Lemon Curd

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 tsp. grated lemon peel

1/4 cup butter, cubed

In a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat, whisk the eggs, sugar, juice, and peel until blended. Add butter; cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened and coats the back of a metal spoon. Transfer to a small bowl; cook for 10 minutes. Cover, refrigerate until chilled. Spoon lemon curd into tarts.

Refrigerate leftovers.



This is my station right before filling the tarts with lemon curd goodness. The mixture is in the Small Batter Bowl - so handy to pop the lid on top and store leftovers. The Deluxe Mini-Muffin Pan is my best friend for projects like this because it produces stellar results every time. Then there's the Citrus Peeler, one of the most handy tools on the planet. I have one for peeling oranges and one for popping tarts out of my muffin pan. $1.00, people! I used the Cake Pedestal, plate to serve my tarts, but it's not on the stand. That's right, I can remove the plate from the stand and use it as a platter! Also, this really helps with storage and dishwasher-ing.

P.S. That's the Stackable Cooling Rack under the muffin pan.

Do me a favor, and ignore those chocolate chips. I was doing chocolate ganache tarts, but my heavy whipping cream turned out to be... um, less than stellar. It called it quits before the expiration date, but I found out in time to look for a Plan B. But not in time to save myself the embarrassment of chocolate chips making it into my lemon tart photos. Oh, the shame!

Anyway, measuring ingredients ahead of time is a key to kitchen time management. My flour and chips are in the Measuring Cup Set, one of my absolute favorite products. If you like to bake, you have got to get this set! Six cups and a leveler tool: need I say more? I'm using the Mix 'n Scraper and 4-Quart Stainless Mixing Bowl for my tart mixture.

There is no way to do this without the Small Scoop. This batter was so sticky that I would have had nothing but a big mess if I'd filled the cups any other way. Besides that, the scoop measures the tablespoon so I don't have to eyeball anything. Let me also mention that presentation is important for things like tarts, and it looks bad if they're not the same size.

I've never seen a better example of what a scraper can do. If it hadn't been for the Mix 'n Scraper, I would have come up two tarts short. This sticky batter wanted to cling to the bowl, but it was no match for my 10-year-old Mix 'n Scraper. Look how clean that Mixing Bowl is back there! Deluxe Mini-Muffin Pan, Small Scoop

This is where it gets fun! To shape the tarts, dip the Mini-Tart Shaper in a little bit of flour, and press it into the dough. Can you imagine shaping 24 of these by hand? Let's just say I wouldn't have chosen this recipe if I hadn't had the right tools. I've got the flour in a 1-Cup Prep Bowl, and I can stick the lid on there and use the flour again later. The Deluxe Mini-Muffin Pan and Mini-Tart Shaper are best friends.

Tarts are in the oven, and it's time to make the custard. This is the Bar Board, but it's the old style without rubber grips. The newer one is much better, and you can see from the link. I love this board for small jobs like slicing a lemon or wedging an apple. I used the Zester/Scorer for my lemon rind, and it's measured into an Adjustable Measuring Spoon. My favorite knife of all time, the 5" Santoku, made quick work of the lemons. I promise the Forged Cutlery Collection will change the way you feel about cooking. If you do one thing for yourself, get decent knives.

The Juicer! I'm embarrassed to admit this, but this was my first time to use this amazing product, and I've had it for at least two years. I don't have a good excuse, but it was in the top cabinet with some other freebies the company gave me (I always earn free products when they're released... a consultant benefit), and I forgot about it. When I saw this recipe required 1/2 cup of juice instead of a couple of tablespoons, I figured the Citrus Press, my go-to tool, wouldn't cut it. Once I opened the Juicer, felt the quality, and saw how amazing it was, I kicked myself for ignoring it so long. The measurements are right on the container, so there's no need to juice, pour, measure, etc. The bottom even has a nonskid ring to keep me from chasing it all over the counter!

Ok, I have to show you how amazing this Juicer really is! There's even a pour spout you can change to either strain or flow freely. I should be shot for ignoring this gem of a tool. I cooked the custard in the 3-Qt. Saucepan from the Executive Cookware Collection. I can't say enough about this cookware, but recipes like this lemon curd make me realize the importance of even heat distribution. There's nothing like a solid, heavy pan for a mixture that's begging to scorch.

The curd has to be mixed together and stirred constantly while it cooks. With the Executive's non-stick coating, it's important to avoid metal tools. Hello, Silicone Whisk! The whisks we have are among my favorite products, and this one is awesome. It was with this whisk that I made my mom's breakfast gravy for the first time, and that makes it a winner.

Let me know if you make these tarts! I've decided the tarts themselves will be the perfect base for all kinds of things this spring and summer. Maybe a non-spoiled heavy cream chocolate ganache will be among them.

Like the products you saw used?

Shop Online 24/7 at pamperedchef.biz/jennylyn

E-mail me: chefjennylyn[at]gmail.com

Call me up: (205) 585-2464