Meggles' Meals

June DB: Bakewell Tart

2009-07-09T08:45:00.000-07:00

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.
Bakewell tarts…er…puddings combine a number of dessert elements but still let you show off your area’s seasonal fruits.
Like many regional dishes there’s no “one way” to make a Bakewell Tart…er…Pudding, but most of today’s versions fall within one of two types. The first is the “pudding” where a layer of jam is covered by an almondy pastry cream and baked in puff pastry. The second is the “tart” where a rich shortcrust pastry holds jam and an almondy sponge cake-like filling.
The version we’re daring you to make is a combination of the two: a sweet almond-flavoured shortcrust pastry, frangipane and jam.

I am very late in posting this, though it was completely before the month was up! I made mine in 4 inch mini-tart pans, and made two using strawberry jam and two with cherry. I found the strawberry ones to be too sweet but the cherry was great! I also prefered them cold as opposed to warm as recommended in the recipe.

Interesting and different dish but a bit sweet overall for my taste! I guess this American Girl just prefers good ol American pie :)

Chicken Thighs with Artichoke

2009-06-16T09:00:00.001-07:00

I found this recipe in Better Homes and Garden... love it! I omit the mushrooms since neither of us are fans, and up the qty of artichokes. This meal is hearty and so so good... I have done it with both frozen artichokes and canned (when I couldnt find the frozen ones) and both ways worked just fine. Leftovers are yummy too! The tarragon gives it a nice punch, but isnt overwhelming either. Highly recommend!

From the BHG website (linked above):

2 tsp. plus 1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 oz. prosciutto, cut in thin strips
1-1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 9-oz. pkg. frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and drained
1 6-oz. pkg. cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. snipped fresh tarragon
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 14-oz. can reduced sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
Fresh tarragon sprigs (optional)

Directions
1. In large skillet cook prosciutto in the 2 teaspoons hot oil over medium-high heat 2 minutes or until crisp. Remove. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Cook in same skillet 8 to 10 minutes or until browned, turning once. Transfer to bowl; set aside.

2. Add remaining olive oil and artichokes to skillet. Cook and stir 3 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to bowl with chicken. Add mushrooms to skillet. Cook 3 minutes, stirring up browned bits, until golden. Stir in garlic and tarragon; cook 1 minute.

3. In second bowl whisk together flour, broth, and vinegar. Remove skillet from heat. Add broth mixture. Add chicken and artichokes. Return to heat. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, until thickened. Top with prosciutto and tarragon. Serves 4 to 6.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 346,
Total Fat (g) 14,
Saturated Fat (g) 3,
Monounsaturated Fat (g) 7,
Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 2,
Cholesterol (mg) 151,
Sodium (mg) 955,
Carbohydrate (g) 11,
Total Sugar (g) 2,
Fiber (g) 4,
Protein (g) 42,
Vitamin C (DV%) 12,
Calcium (DV%) 6,
Iron (DV%) 15,
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Root Vegetable Chicken Pot Pie

2009-06-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

What a great find this recipe was! A healthy and easy chicken pot pie... I only regret finding it at the END of the winter, but it will (and already IS!) be a staple in our house going forward... yum!

From the Cooking Light website (linke above):

In the magazine's early days, we shied away from indulgent ingredients like puff pastry. Now, though, we understand that these items can fit into a healthful diet. This dish registers at just 30 percent calories from fat--root vegetables help balance the fat from the flaky topping. You can also bake in individual (10-ounce) ramekins or crocks for the same amount of time.

Yield 8 servings
Ingredients
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups frozen green peas, thawed
1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed peeled baking potato
1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato
1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed peeled celeriac (celery root) I omit this since - YUCK! - I use extra sweet potato and parsnips to make up for it
1 cup (1/2-inch-thick) slices parsnip
1 (10-ounce) package frozen pearl onions
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces), divided
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley I omit - again, yuck to parsley! blech!
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1 sheet frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°.
Bring broth to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add peas and next 5 ingredients (through onions) to pan; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 6 minutes. Add chicken; cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken and vegetables from broth with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl.
Increase heat to medium. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place all but 1 tablespoon flour in a medium bowl; gradually add milk to bowl, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add milk mixture to broth; cook for 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently. Stir in chicken mixture, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Spoon mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon flour on a work surface; roll dough into a 13 x 9-inch rectangle. Place dough over chicken mixture, pressing to seal at edges of dish. Cut small slits into dough to allow steam to escape; coat dough lightly with cooking spray. Place dish on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 16 minutes or until pastry is browned and filling is bubbly.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 388 (30% from fat)
Fat: 13g (sat 2g,mono 3g,poly 7.1g)
Protein: 21.9g
Carbohydrate: 45.7g
Fiber: 4.4g
Cholesterol: 34mg
Iron: 3mg
Sodium: 790mg
Calcium: 115mg
Maureen Callahan, Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2007

RtR: Chickpea Fries

2009-06-16T08:17:00.000-07:00

This month's Recipes to Rival challenge was to either make chickpea fries or falafel. I chose the fries and they were GREAT! So easy, too. I made half my batch in a frrying pan with some olive oil but they because a mess, and fell apart. I baked the second half and those ones came out GREAT! I sprinkled them with shredded parmesan before baking, and that was a nice extra flavor. And baking is healthier to boot! We will definitely have these again (especially since I still have a ton of the flour left) but I think in the future I would make them a bit thinner to hopefully get more of a crispness. My dipping sauce was a mix of roasted garlic, dijon mustard, and ketchup... yum!

I am currently without a camera and, PSA, those disposable digital cameras from CVS etc? um yeah they suck. So... no pics :( I need to remedy this, I know....

Check us out at www.recipestorival.com !!

DB: Strudel - not one of my favorite things!!!!

2009-06-04T11:21:00.000-07:00

The May Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of CoCo Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafe's of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

Sadly, my camera is broken and the disposable one I used to capture my attempt... well, stunk. So no pics! The result for me was ok... it looked great and came together easily. I let my dough rest for a full 2 hours so it stretched out very thin, very easily. I made mine with yummy raspberry and rhubarb filling - the filling was great! But the strudel itself... ehhh. I just didnt think it tasted that great. The butter that was melted and spread everywhere didnt really come through with the buttery flavor I love in pastries, and there was no sweetness (even though I sprinkled mine with vanilla sugar!) It tasted sort of cardboard ish and I didnt love the texture of the bread crumbs at all :( Disappointing! I guess crisp (apple) strudel ISNT one of my favorite things, and I had high hopes!

Paste function isnt working in dumb blogger right now for some reason, so no recipe here!!!

DB: Cheesecake!

2009-04-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

This was a great challenge! We were given a basic (fabulous) cheesecake recipe and then were free to get creative! And some of the DBers sure did get creative!!

My initial idea was to do something a little different using one of my favorite flavors... balsamic vinegar. I have a bottle of good quality thich sweet balsamic that I use exclusively for dessert (usually macerate strawberries.... over vanilla ice cream... yummm) so I hoped it would work in this! I reduced the balsamic so I could get more flavor out of it without messing with the consistency of the cheesecake, and I added chopped strawberries to the batter. I used vanilla wafer cookies instead of graham for the crust. They were GREAT! Different, but they worked!

Because I was not sure how that would turn out, I decided to make them in cupcake form and split the batter into thirds. I omitted the lemon juice from all three so I could play with more liquid flavoring

My other two flavors were:

espresso-vanilla (with vanilla crust). I made fresh espresso and reduced it for the same reason as above... this allowed it to haev a really nice strong coffee flavor!

Vanilla Mint-chocolate. I added mint extract and kept teh vanilla to the batter, and I made the crust with chocolate wafer cookies. I added broken chunks of ghiradelli 70% chocolate bar to the batter. This I think was my favorite! The taste and texture was reminiscent of a Peppermint Patty - only better ;)

These came together quickly and easily, and cooked much faster thanks to the smaller size (about 25 minutes). Also, cooking in a cupcake pan with liners meant that it was foolproof to use a water bath.

Thanks for a great April challenge!

Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake:
crust:

2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs

1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted

2 tbsp. / 24 g sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract
cheesecake:

3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature

1 cup / 210 g sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup / 8 oz heavy cream

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. vanilla extract (or the innards of a vanilla bean)

1 tbsp liqueur, optional, but choose what will work well with your cheesecake
DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (Gas Mark 4 = 180C = Moderate heat). Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.
2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.
3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and alcohol and blend until smooth and creamy.
4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.
5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.
Pan note: The creator of this recipe used to use a springform pan, but no matter how well she wrapped the thing in tin foil, water would always seep in and make the crust soggy. Now she uses one of those 1-use foil "casserole" shaped pans from the grocery store. They're 8 or 9 inches wide and really deep, and best of all, water-tight. When it comes time to serve, just cut the foil away.
Prep notes: While the actual making of this cheesecake is a minimal time commitment, it does need to bake for almost an hour, cool in the oven for an hour, and chill overnight before it is served. Please plan accordingly!

Daring Bakers: Flourless Chocolate Cake and Ice Cream

2009-03-03T06:40:00.000-08:00

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.

We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

Well, except that we could make whatever we wanted for the ice cream so I deviated. I made a fabulous really dark and deep salted caramel ice cream (link to David Liebowitz recipe here) and an espresso ice cream with frangelico (link to Ice Cream Ireland recipe here - made without the chocolate and with Frangelico in lieu of Kahlua). YUM.

I think both came out well (after my first attempt was a flop, it wouoldnt freeze up... and actually the caramel would not freeze up either until late in the game I added a cup of heavy cream, whipped.) I dont think I would bother with ice cream again unless/until I have an ice cream maker... it is labor intense without!

The cake was good...I used 70% chocolate (the brand from whole foods.... I forget...) but it came out a bit dry... I didnt overwhip my whites so Im not sure if it just needed less bake time? I was looking forward to the gooey truffle-y texture but it was just... dry. Sad.

Chocolate Valentino

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped

½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter

5 large eggs separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.

2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.

3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.

4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).

5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.

6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.

7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter.

8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C

9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C. Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet. (NOTE: I recommend a much shorter bake time)

10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold

Excuse the awful camera pic. I forgot my camera, plus it is broken anyhow.

Recipes to Rival: Ricotta

2009-03-02T09:36:00.000-08:00

February's RtR challenge had us making our own cheese - Ricotta! Then we were to serve it as we pleased. I made mine into a gnocchi recipe I found on another RtR members blog with a bolognese, and some cheese on top. Yum! Please check out the other RtR members and past challenges at http://recipestorival.blogspot.com/

Making the cheese was much easier than I ever would have realized... just heat up milk and buttermilk, strain it, and voila! Easy peasy.

The recipe, from our host Lauren at http://www.illeatyoudelish.blogspot.com/

Fresh Ricotta

you'll need:1 gallon milk (you can use 1 percent on up, remember that the more fat in the milk, the more cheese it will yeild.)

1 quart buttermilk

cheesecloth (a good, tightly woven one, not the kind you buy at the supermarket)

If you don't have one of these, you can get by with a slotted spoon, but you may lose some of the cheese.

-a thermometer (mine is for oil and candy)

Place buttermilk and milk in a pot, heat on med-low heat until it reaches 185 degrees. It will begin to separate into curds and whey. Be sure to stir occasionally to make sure no curds stick to the bottom and burn. You will see that as the temperature approaches 185, the whey becomes clearer as the curds coagulate more.Pour the curds into a cheesecloth lined collander. Tie the ends of the chesecloth together and hang for 10-15 minutes. Remove from cheesecloth and place in an airtight container. Voila! Cheese!

Here is a link to a post about making ricotta, with pictures:http://illeatyou.com/2008/08/coming-ful%20…%20-well.html

Some tips: use can use milk that has been pasteurized, but not ultra-pasteurized. Ultra pasteurization heats the milk too much, and de natures the proteins that form curds. You will not get cheese from ultra pasteurized milk. Sorry.

make sure your pots and other equiptment are very clean before starting

you can make any amount as long as you stick to a 4 parts milk to 1 part buttermilk ratio.

Apologies for the photo - my camera is still out of commission, and I forgot it anyhow so this was a failed attempt at a camera photo!

Bolognese Recipe can be found here. It was great! I followed the reviewers recommendations and cut the cinnamon and nutmeg to 1/8 tsp each, and I added the cream after reducing the wine, and reduced it some then too. I served it the next day... yum!

Gnocchi recipe here. LOVED this! I omitted the ramps (not avail here and I figured they would get overwhelmed by the Bolognese anyhow). Made a really light and fluffy gnocchi, and a great use for the cheese!

The cheese was SO easy to make! It was a bit denser than what you get in the store but tasted great... like ricotta! :) Thanks to our host!

RtR: Holopchi

2009-02-02T07:26:00.000-08:00

Our hosts for January were KatBaro of A good Appetite and Giz & Psychgrad from Equal Opportunity Kitchen.

This month's challenge is a Ukrainian dish called Holopchi. It consists of a yeast dough wrapped in beet leaves (I subbed swiss chard) and served wtih a garlic cream sauce.

This wasnt a fav of ours. I am glad I quartered it - it still made a ton, and we didnt much care for it so that was good. I found it a bit too blah. The sauce was rich but needed something... some acid maybe? In any case, it wasnt something we liked that much and therefore wasnt worth the calories ;)

BUT it sure was different and unique to make and put together! Thanks for the challenge!

Here's the recipe along with some notes from GizBeet Leaf Holopchifrom The Keld Community Ladies Club in Ashville, Manitoba. The last publishing of this cookbook was 1976.

Bread Dough:
2 pkgs. yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1 tsp sugar

2 cups scalded milk

4 cups warm water

1/4 cup melted butter

8 cups flour

3 eggs, beaten

2 Tbsp salt

1 Tbsp Sugar

6 1/2 cups flour

a couple bunches of beet leaves

Directions

1. Dissolve 1 ts. sugar in 1/2 cup tepid water, sprinkle with yeast and let stand for 10 minutes.

2. To the milk-water liquid add the melted butter, dissolved yeast and 8 cups of flour. Let rise in a warm place until double in bulk (about 1 hour)

3. Add salt, beaten eggs, sugar and remaining flour.

4. Knead well until dough is smooth and top with melted butter or oil.

5. Place in a warm place and let rise until double in bulk. It will take about 2 hours. Punch down . When dough has risen to double in bulk, place a piece of dough, the size of a walnut on a beet leaf and roll up (leaving sides open)

6. Place holopchi loosely in a pot to allow for dough to rise to double in bulk again.

7. Arrange in layers, dotting each layer with butter.

8. Cover tightly, bake in a moderate oven of 350 F for 3/4 to 1 hour. Serve with dill sauce or cream and onion sauce. (I like to cook the holopchi with the sauce but you don't have to. You can add it later - just make sure you have enough butter in roasting pan before layering your beet leaf rolls.)

I made a 1/4 recipe and cooked half the sauce in the ovena nd saved the rest for serving.

Sauce
1/2 cup butter

2 cups whipping cream

8 small onions

2 handfuls of chopped fresh dill (I omitted as we hate dill, instead doubled the garlic)

2-4 large cloves of garlic, chopped fine

Melt butter in saucepan. Add onions (chives) garlic, dill and cream.

Let it come to a boil and then turn down the heat.

I like to cook the holopchi with the sauce but you don't have to. You can add it later - just make sure you have enough butter in roasting pan before layering your beet leaf rolls.

This is not a 5 minute recipe. When you commit to making it - it's an adventure - most definitely a worthwhile one. This recipe filled an open roaster and a turkey sized roaster.

DB: Tuiles

2009-01-30T11:21:00.000-08:00

This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.

We were challenged to make Tuiles and given a few different recipes to choose between. I wasnt really feeling the sweet ones this month after an overload of Christmas cookies and candy, so I went the savory route. And, for me at least, this was a mistake! They look pretty, dont get me wrong... but the taste... ohhh the taste! This was entirely my doing, not our hosts... The tuiles themselves were a definite challenge. I was able to get the batter made just fine, and made a stencil out of the back of a cereal box. I was able to get the dough on the pan fine.

Out of the 3 batches, two burned. One because I didnt watch it, and the other just kinda... happened. Luckily, we didnt like them anyhow so it was no big loss ;) Next, I couldnt get the tuiles to bend much at all - even after sacrificing my fingertips for the cause. They just... wouldnt move.

THe real problem was the filling though. I used the filling that goes along wtih the savory recipe - a salmon tartare wth creme fraiche. But... I changed it. See, I thought we had to use fruit so I thought "Hmmm fruit goes well with salmon" and saw some fresh coconut and pineapple to mix in. And... it just didnt work. Mango would have been a better choice. But I was seduced by the pina colada flavors!

We both gamely ate one and the rest hit the trash. This was definitely a challenge for me... one that I completed but failed at! Im sure the rest had much better results than I!

Savory tuile/cornet recipe
From Thomas Keller "the French Laundry Cookbook"

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons (65 grams/2.1/4 ounces)
all purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt (= 2/3 teaspoon table salt)
**8 tablespoons (114 grams/4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened but still cool to the touch
2 large egg whites, cold
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the softened butter until it is completely smooth and mayonnaise-like in texture. Using a stiff spatula or spoon, beat the egg whites into the dry ingredients until completely incorporated and smooth. Whisk in the softened butter by thirds, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary and whisking until the batter is creamy and without any lumps. Transfer the batter to a smaller container, as it will be easier to work with.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Make a 4-inch hollow circular stencil. Place Silpat on the counter (it is easier to work on the Silpat before it is put on the sheet pan). Place the stencil in one corner of the sheet and, holding the stencil flat against the Silpat, scoop some of the batter onto the back of an offset spatula and spread it in an even layer over the stencil. Then run the spatula over the entire stencil to remove any excess batter. After baking the first batch of cornets, you will be able to judge the correct thickness. You may need a little more or less batter to adjust the thickness of the cornets.

There should not be any holes in the batter. Lift the stencil and repeat the process to make as many rounds as you have molds or to fill the Silpat, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between the cornets. Sprinkle each cornet with a pinch of black sesame seeds.

Place the Silpat on a heavy baking sheet and bake for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the batter is set and you see it rippling from the heat. The cornets may have browned in some areas, but they will not be evenly browned at this point.

Open the oven door and place the baking sheet on the door.*** This will help keep the cornets warm as you roll them and prevent them from becoming too stiff to roll. Flip a cornet over on the sheet pan, sesame seed side down and place 4-1/2 inch cornet mold at the bottom of the round. If you are right-handed, you will want the pointed end on your left and the open end on your right. The tip of the mold should touch the lower left edge (at about 7 o'clock on a clock face) of the cornet.

Fold the bottom of the cornet and around the mold; it should remain on the sheet pan as you roll. Leave the cornet wrapped around the mold and continue to roll the cornets around molds; as you proceed, arrange the rolled cornets, seams side down, on the sheet pan so they lean against each other, to prevent from rolling.

When all the cornets are rolled, return them to the oven shelf, close the door, and bake for an additional 3 to 4 minutes to set the seams and color the cornets a golden brown. If the color is uneven, stand the cornets on end for a minute or so more, until the color is even. Remove the cornets from the oven and allow to cool just slightly, 30 seconds or so.

Gently remove the cornets from the molds and cool for several minutes on paper towels. Remove the Silpat from the baking sheet, wipe the excess butter from it, and allow it to cool down before spreading the next batch. Store the cornets for up to 2 days (for maximum flavor) in an airtight container.

Shrimp with Corn Relish Salad

2009-01-21T05:59:00.000-08:00

The original recipe for this was from Cooking Light magazine. I changed it up by throwing it on a salad (made this ages ago, back when we still had fresh local corn!!) The recipe was overall good, but had some major flaws that I will tweak next summer. The biggest issue was the saltiness. An entire Tablespoon of fish sauce really just overpowered the delicate flavor of the shrimp with saltiness. I would either cut back the fish sauce, or eliminate it altogether. Normally I love salted food, but I find that shrimp (and most fish too) really just dont need the salt. If you like plent of salt on your shrimp, then by all means, keep the fish sauce though!

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)
Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper (about 1 small)
1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined medium shrimp (I used large/jumbo)
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. Whisk together Lime, fish sauce, and sugar and set aside.

2. Heat a medium wok over high heat until hot/smoking. Add oil and swirl to coat. Add next 3 ingredients and stir-fry until shallot begin to brown (approx 30 sec). Add shrimp and stir-fry 3 minutes or until shrimp are cooked through. Add corn and stir-fry until corn is just heated through (approx 1 min). Stir in lime mixture and serve topped with cilantro

Candy Cane Biscotti

2009-01-21T05:46:00.000-08:00

I saw this recipe on Culinary in the Desert, and thought it looked great... and it was! The recipe called for dipping in white chocolate - I did dark as well, and next year I would do just the dark... because why use white chocolate when you can go dark??

Candy Cane Biscotti (Adapted from Land O Lakes)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2/3 cup finely crushed peppermint candy canes
14 ounces fine-quality white chocolate, melted
extra crushed candy canes to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 350
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined - stir in crushed candy.
Evenly divide dough into 4 pieces on a lightly floured surface. Shape each piece into 9" x 1 1/2" round log. Place logs 3 inches apart onto parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake until tops are cracked and ends just start to turn light brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce temperature to 325. Cool logs 10 minutes on cookie sheet.
Cut each log diagonally into 1/2" slices with sharp serrated knife. [Discard ends]

Arrange pieces standing up back onto the baking sheet.
Bake until cookies are light golden brown and crisp on both sides, about 12 to 15 minutes. The centers may still be a little soft, but will firm up as they cool.. Place onto cool rack and cool completely.
Dip half of each biscotti into melted chocolate - shake off excess. Immediately sprinkle with additional crushed candy canes and set on a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet until the chocolate has set.

R2R: Holiday Apps

2009-01-05T09:31:00.000-08:00

This month's Recipes to Rival challenge was to make 2 of 3 given recipes. Oysters though yummy were not something I was 'daring' enough to attempt... plus I didnt have any real interest in deep frying. Ill stick with the 'healthy' cheese, cheese, and yes more cheese instead :)

The first recipe I made was the Gruyère Cheese Gougères. These were good and came together very easily (though my arm ached from the 2 minutes of beating!). However, they were altogether too salty for my taste. I think I would have prefered a different (less salty) cheese - they were great otherwise!

Gruyère Cheese Gougères

Makes about 4 dozen gougères

Gougères are a classical preparation often served at wine tastings in France. The puffs are made from a savory pâte á choux, or cream puff dough-flavored here with Gruyère. They are best served hot out of the oven, offering that creamy-dough gratification. Don't add the cheese, and the puff is a base for a dessert.

1 cup water

7 tablespoons (3-1/2 ounces) unsalted butter

1 tablespoon kosher salt, or more to taste

Pinch of sugar

1-1/4 cups (5 ounces) all-purpose flour

4 to 5 large eggs

1-1/4 cups grated Gruyère (5 ounces)

Freshly ground white pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with Silpats (see Sources) or parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter, salt, and sugar and bring to a boil. Add all the flour at once, reduce the heat to medium, and stir with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes, or until the mixture forms a ball and the excess moisture has evaporated (if the ball forms more quickly, continue to cook and stir for a full 2 minutes). Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle and beat for about 30 seconds at medium speed to cool slightly. Add 4 eggs and continue to mix until completely combined and the batter has a smooth, silky texture. Stop the machine and lift up the beater to check the consistency of the batter. The batter in the mixing bowl should form a peak with a tip that falls over. If it is too stiff, beat in the white of the remaining egg. Check again and, if necessary, add the yolk. Finally, mix in 3/4 cup of the Gruyère and adjust the seasoning with salt and white pepper.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 3/8-inch plain pastry tip with the gougère batter. Pipe the batter into 1-tablespoon mounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between the gougères as the mixture will spread during baking. Sprinkle the top of each gougère with about 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining grated cheese and bake for 7 to 8 minutes, or until they puff and hold their shape. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. And bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes. When the gougères are done, they should be a light golden brown color. When you break one open, it should be hollow; the inside should be cooked but still slightly moist. Remove the pans from the oven and serve the gougères while hot.

The second appetizer I made was the Blue Cheese, Pear and Walnut Crostini... except I used apples since I somehow lost my pears! It was a fortuitous accident though since I and my family do not really care for pear and they were great with apples topping them! These were so so so good. I could have eaten them as my entire meal... yum. I will definitely make them again! I did use the marscapone, and I used gorgonzola. It seemed to mellow some in the cooking process as well. YUM!

Blue Cheese, Pear and Walnut Crostini:

a baguette, thinly sliced about ½ inch each

olive oil

mascarpone, for spreading (optional)

any type of bleu cheese (gorgonzola, Roquefort, stilton), thinly sliced, or crumbled

freshly hulled walnuts

a few pears, peeled and sliced into small cubes

1. Brush your bread slices with olive oil, line on a baking sheet, then toast in a hot oven for a few minutes until browned and crispy. You can broil them as well, if you prefer.

2. Remove from heat and spread each toast with some mascarpone.

3. Lay bleu cheese slices, or spread some crumbles, on each toast and add walnut pieces on top. Return to a 375-400°F oven for a few minutes, just until the cheese is melted.

4. When the cheese is nicely melted, take the crostinis out of the oven and top with a few cubes of pear. Serve soon after.

DB: French Buche de Noel

2009-01-02T11:31:00.000-08:00

A few days late thanks to holiday travel and general busy-ness... I made this recipe as given for my sister's Christmas Eve birthday dessert. It was very yummy, less difficult than appearing, though time consuming.

This month's challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux.They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand.

My only issue, which I think others had as well, was that the creme brulee layer did not thaw enough for serving and had an icy taste - not bad but not ideal either. Overall, a decadent and impressive dessert! Much fancier looking than it really was difficult. My chocoholic mother was in heaven :)

Please visit http://saffronandblueberry.blogspot.com/2008/12/hosting-daring-bakers-december.html (one of our lovely hosts) for the complete recipe. I went with the dark chocolate mousse and ganache and frosting, hazelnut for the dacquoise, vanilla for the creme brulee and milk chocolate/hazelnut for the crisp (which I used rice crispies for the crunch).

Yum! Thanks and nice job to all the Daring Bakers!
PS excuse the ugly photos... my camera is kinda broken :(

DB: Caramel Cake!

2008-12-03T05:16:00.000-08:00

So this month the challenge was to make a caramel cake, with caramel frosting (making our own caramel). As an option, we can also make caramel candies. I accepted both challenges... however before I got a chance to upload my photos... my camera disappeared! Along with it, photos of my sisters and I from Thanksgiving :( I really hope it turns up soon, and if / when it does I will put my cake and candy photos as well! In the meantime though, you will just have to take my word for it... I completed the challenge!

- Name of the Cookbook - Shuna Fish Lyndon's recipe - (http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2006 … he-recipe/)

- Name of the Author - Shuna Fish Lyndon

- Hosts for the month - Dolores the host (http://culinarycuriosity.blogspot.com/) with Co-hosts Alex (Brownie of the Blondie and Brownie duo: http://blondieandbrownie.blogspot.com/), Jenny of Foray into Food (http://forayintofood.blogspot.com/). And since none of us know jack about alternative baking, we’ve once again turned to Natalie of Gluten-a-Go-Go (http://glutenagogo.blogspot.com/) to assist us.

CARAMEL CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING

courtesy of Shuna Fish Lydon (http://eggbeater.typepad.com/), as published on Bay Area Bites (http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/)

FOR THE CAKE:

10 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

1 1/4 Cups granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 Cup Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)

2 eggs, at room temperature

splash vanilla extract

2 Cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup milk, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350F

Butter one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt, and cream the mixture until light and fluffy.

Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.

Sift flour and baking powder.

Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}

Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan.

Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it.

Cake will keep for three days outside of the refrigerator.

FOR THE CARAMEL SYRUP:

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

1 cup water (for "stopping" the caramelization process)

In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.

When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back.

Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}

Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.

FOR THE CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING:

12 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 pound confectioner’s sugar, sifted

4-6 tablespoons heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2-4 tablespoons caramel syrup

Kosher or sea salt to taste

Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.

Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner's sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner's sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste.

Note: Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month. To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light.

GOLDEN VANILLA BEAN CARAMELS

Ingredients

1 cup golden syrup

2 cups sugar

3/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 teaspoons pure ground vanilla beans, purchased or ground in a coffee or spice grinders, or 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks, softened

Equipment

A 9-inch square baking pan

Candy thermometer

Procedure

Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with aluminum foil and grease the foil. Combine the golden syrup, sugar, and salt in a heavy 3-quart saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to simmer around the edges. Wash the sugar and syrup from the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes. (Meanwhile, rinse the spatula or spoon before using it again later.) Uncover the pan and wash down the sides once more. Attach the candy thermometer to the pan, without letting it touch the bottom of the pan, and cook, uncovered (without stirring) until the mixture reaches 305°F. Meanwhile, combine the cream and ground vanilla beans (not the extract) in a small saucepan and heat until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Turn off the heat and cover the pan to keep the cream hot.

When the sugar mixture reaches 305°F, turn off the heat and stir in the butter chunks. Gradually stir in the hot cream; it will bubble up and steam dramatically, so be careful. Turn the burner back on and adjust it so that the mixture boils energetically but not violently. Stir until any thickened syrup at the bottom of the pan is dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, to about 245°F. Then cook, stirring constantly, to 260°f for soft, chewy caramels or 265°F; for firmer chewy caramels.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, if using it. Pour the caramel into the lined pan. Let set for 4 to 5 hours, or overnight until firm.

Lift the pan liner from the pan and invert the sheet of caramel onto a sheet of parchment paper. Peel off the liner. Cut the caramels with an oiled knife. Wrap each caramel individually in wax paper or cellophane.

Variations

Fleur de Sel Caramels: Extra salt, in the form of fleur de sel or another coarse flaked salt, brings out the flavor of the caramel and offers a little ying to the yang. Add an extra scant 1/4 teaspoon of coarse sea salt to the recipe. Or, to keep the salt crunchy, let the caramel cool and firm. Then sprinkle with two pinches of flaky salt and press it in. Invert, remove the pan liner, sprinkle with more salt. Then cut and wrap the caramels in wax paper or cellophane.

Nutmeg and Vanilla Bean Caramels: Add 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg to the cream before you heat it.

Cardamom Caramels: Omit the vanilla. Add 1/2 teaspoon slightly crushed cardamom seeds (from about 15 cardamom pods) to the cream before heating it. Strain the cream when you add it to the caramel; discard the seeds.

Caramel Sauce: Stop cooking any caramel recipe or variation when it reaches 225°F or, for a sauce that thickens like hot fudge over ice cream, 228°F. Pour it into a sauceboat to serve or into a heatproof jar for storage. The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for ages and reheated gently in the microwave or a saucepan just until hot and flowing before use. You can stir in rum or brandy to taste. If the sauce is too thick or stiff to serve over ice cream, it can always be thinned with a little water or cream. Or, if you like a sauce that thickens more over ice cream, simmer it for a few minutes longer.

MY NOTES: I added much more heavy cream to the frosting than called for (and less sugar) and I was heavy handed with the salt. I beat the heck out of it so t was nice and fluffy and I think that all helped with the sweetness. My caramel was a nice deep amber color - I think a key is to get that great burnt caramel flavor - it really does help cut the sweetness.

The caramels were fabulous. LOVED them! I added salt when cutting htem but next time I would add more. I cooked them to a bit of a lower temp than called for because I really didnt want to have to go to the dentist due to eating candy. They were very very soft, but still shapeable. Perfect since I gave half to my elderly grandfather - and he loves caramel but normally cant eat them as they are so chewy.

Great challenge - thanks to our hosts! I will definitely make at least the candy again :)

R2R: Beef Rendang

2008-11-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

This month's challenge was a beef curry dish cooked as a reverse braise. Even though I made it WAY too spicy (I really really REALLY dont know my hot peppers....) and therefore could only eat a bite myself (and R could only eat one serving... NOW you know it was hot!!) I still see the potential in this. It looked and smelled like heaven, the texture was phenomenal... I was able to buy some minced jarred galangal and kaffir leaves, so I am tempted to try it again... with more mild (aka edible) peppers!

This dish has a long cook time, but once it gets going all it needs is an occasional stir, so it is good for a homebound weekend dinner. I served it over rice and with the accompanying pickles (crazy quick and easy, and really a nice pairing!)

Coated and heading in the pan:

Liquid Added - so pretty!:

Starting to cook down:

Brown crusties showing up - time to dish it up:

VOILA!

Please check the recipe out on the R2R blog!

Daring Bakers: Eatsa Pizza!

2008-11-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

I was excited for this month's challenge - PIZZA! I made homemade pizza for the first time a couple months ago and was pumped to try it again.

I was excited for the tossing requirement... unfortunately it was not meant to be. I thought I followed the directions in terms of getting the dough to the right consistency, but Im afraid mine was too wet. There was no tossing possible - it was way too soft! I kinda stretched it out some on my fist and then pushed it out the rest of the way.

But, it was still good! I made 4 pizzas:

Apple-onion chutney with sharp cheddar

Garlic-cream cheese topped wtih a mix of Romano and Fontina cheese, cooked bacon and artichoke hearts... YUM

A breakfast pizza with maple syrup, breakfast sausage, diced sauteed potatos, and topped with fried eggs on serving

And a dessert "Pumpkin Pizza Pie" which was cooked dry with cinnamon and sugar. Then topped with a mix of cream cheese and pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices.

What a fun challenge! Thanks to this month's host! Please check out her blog for the recipe and story behind this month's challenge!

I think I will stick to non-tossing, and to my old dough but this was a fun one to try :)

My (LATE!) R2R Dumplings

2008-10-08T12:52:00.001-07:00

The September Recipes to Rival Challenge was Chinese Dumplings! Life has gotten in my way of late, so I apologise for the delay in posting. I made them a few weeks back, though.

I have NEVER made anything like this before... no ravioli or anything. I thought they came together well! I dont know that I would regularly go through the effort, but they were easier than expected too.

Some of the other posters had issues with the dough. I saw mine going that way (and I had no chopsticks to stir with too) and dumped it right in the Kitchenaid and let it do all the work! My dough came together perfectly, and my hands and shoulders were saved from all the kneading - win win! I loved how elastic the dough became... very neat! I ended up sticking the dough in hte fridge for a couple days after I made it due to time constraints and it didnt seem to be an issue at all. I followed the given recipe for both the filling and the dipping sauce.

I dont have a steamer, though (and these would NOT have worked in a metal steamer basket like the tamales did!!) so instead I pan-fried them in oil for a couple minutes to brown, then added in a cup of broth and let them steam away. YUM! We both really liked this dish!

Check out the official post here!

Shrimp Dumplings

Prep Time: 20 min,

Cook Time: 20 min,

Makes 24

Dumplings

4 large shiitake mushrooms

3 scallions

1/2 garlic clove

8 ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined

6 ounces ground turkey

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

3 dashes of hot red-pepper sauce

24 dumpling wrappers (see recipe below)

Dipping Sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger or 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1. Coat a steamer basket with a non stick cooking spray and set aside. In a small saucepan, soak the mushrooms in boiling water to cover for 15 minutes, then drain. Remove and discard the stems; cut the caps into quarters.

2. In a food processor, combine the mushroom caps, scallions, and garlic and whirl until coarsely chopped. Add the shrimp and whirl until finely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the turkey, soy sauce, oil, and red-pepper sauce.

3. Place 1 tablespoon of the shrimp mixture in the center of each dumpling wrapper. Dampen the edges with water, the fold up the sides around the filling, pleating the edges. Place in the steamer basket, leaving 1/2 inch of space between the dumplings for the steam to circulate. Set over boiling water, cover, and steam for 15 minutes.

4. For the dipping sauce, in a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, oil, and ginger. Serve the dumplings hot with the dipping sauce.Personalize it!

For a different flavor, use ground pork in place of the ground turkey. You can also drop a pinch of chopped scallions into the dipping sauce if you like

HOT WATER DOUGH:
4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups boiling water

In a stainless steel bowl mix flour and salt. Slowly add hot water to flour in 1/4 cup increments. Mix with chopsticks until a ball is formed and the dough is not too hot to handle. On a floured surface, knead dough until it becomes a smooth, elastic ball. Place back in bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rest for at least 1 hour. Working on a floured surface with floured hands, roll out dough to form a long 'noodle', 1-inch in diameter. Cut 1/2-inch pieces and turn them over so the cut sides are facing up. Flatten with your palm and roll out thin using a rolling pin. The dumpling wrapper should end up about 3 inches in diameter.

Daring Bakers: Lavash!

2008-10-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

So I am a few days late... I forgot about the early posting date, and then life got in the way a bit. BUT I did complete the challenge well in advance of the deadline.

This was a great challenge. First, because it was savory - finally! Next, it was something I would have never thought to make myself. Finally, the results were so yummy :)

Part of the challenge was to make your own gluten-free and vegan dip to go with the crackers - and while there is no part of me that is vegan, my sister is allergic to wheat so I decided to also attempt the GF lavash (as well as the regular one).

I made two batches of 'normal' lavash, one whole wheat and one white and two batches of GF (my first was quite like cardboard... the instructions for GF told us not to knead the dough but mine did not rise at all. Batch two I kneaded for quite awhile and got a teeny rise out of it, and it tasted much better). I used a variety of toppings including cumin, sesame seeds, dried minced garlic, oregano, with grated parmesan (my fav), chili powder, pepper, and kosher salt on em all of course.

My dips were a black bean and pumpkin dip from my Pumpkin cookbook by DeeDee Stovel (I found it eh but everyone else liked it) and Cooks Illustrated Roasted Garlic Hummus. Not fancy but my first time making hummus myself, and I loved it! I love some garlic hummus though.

This recipe was refreshingly simple, though the GF version was certainly a challenge. I loved the results and am glad to have stretched my repetoire a bit!

RECIPE - Recipe Reference: The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering The Art of Extraordinary Bread, by Peter Reinhart. Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA. Copyright 2001. ISBN-10: 1-58008-268-8, ISBN-13: 978-158008-268-6.

Here's a simple formula for making snappy Armenian-style crackers, perfect for breadbaskets, company and kids...It is similar to the many other Middle Eastern and Northern African flatbreads known by different names, such as mankoush or mannaeesh (Lebanese), barbari (Iranian), khoubiz or khobz (Arabian), aiysh (Egyptian), kesret and mella (Tunisian), pide or pita (Turkish), and pideh (Armenian). The main difference between these breads is either how thick or thin the dough is rolled out, or the type of oven in which they are baked (or on which they are baked, as many of these breads are cooked on stones or red-hot pans with a convex surface)...The key to a crisp lavash,...is to roll out the dough paper-thin. The sheet can be cut into crackers in advance or snapped into shards after baking. The shards make a nice presentation when arranged in baskets.

Makes 1 sheet pan of crackers*

1 1/2 cups (6.75 oz) unbleached bread flour or gluten free flour blend (If you use a blend without xanthan gum, add 1 tsp xanthan or guar gum to the recipe)*

1/2 tsp (.13 oz) salt* 1/2 tsp (.055 oz) instant yeast*

1 Tb (.75 oz) agave syrup or sugar*

1 Tb (.5 oz) vegetable oil*

1/3 to 1/2 cup + 2 Tb (3 to 4 oz) water, at room temperature*

Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, or kosher salt for toppings

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt yeast, agave, oil, and just enough water to bring everything together into a ball. You may not need the full 1/2 cup + 2 Tb of water, but be prepared to use it all if needed.

2. For Non Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the ingredients are evenly distributed. The dough should pass the windowpane test (see http://www.wikihow.com/Determine-if-Bread-Dough-Has-Been-Mixed-Long-Enough for a discription of this) and register 77 degrees to 81 degrees Fahrenheit. The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), satiny to the touch, not tacky, and supple enough to stretch when pulled. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.or

2. For Gluten Free Cracker Dough: The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), and slightly tacky. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

3. Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size. (You can also retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator immediately after kneading or mixing).

4. For Non Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Mist the counter lightly with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Press the dough into a square with your hand and dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. You may have to stop from time to time so that the gluten can relax. At these times, lift the dough from the counter and wave it a little, and then lay it back down. Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap while it relaxes. When it is the desired thinness, let the dough relax for 5 minutes. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment. Carefully lift the sheet of dough and lay it on the parchment. If it overlaps the edge of the pan, snip off the excess with scissors. or

4. For Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Lay out two sheets of parchment paper. Divide the cracker dough in half and then sandwich the dough between the two sheets of parchment. Roll out the dough until it is a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. Slowly peel away the top layer of parchment paper. Then set the bottom layer of parchment paper with the cracker dough on it onto a baking sheet.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Mist the top of the dough with water and sprinkle a covering of seeds or spices on the dough (such as alternating rows of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, kosher or pretzel salt, etc.) Be careful with spices and salt - a little goes a long way. If you want to precut the cracker, use a pizza cutter (rolling blade) and cut diamonds or rectangles in the dough. You do not need to separate the pieces, as they will snap apart after baking. If you want to make shards, bake the sheet of dough without cutting it first.

5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crackers begin to brown evenly across the top (the time will depend on how thinly and evenly you rolled the dough).6. When the crackers are baked, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. You can then snap them apart or snap off shards and serve.

My New Favorite Way to Eat Tomatos and Zucchini

2008-09-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

Otherwise known as "Zucchini Garlic 'Bread'."

This was something I saw on Redacted Recipes and immediately when I saw it... I knew. THIS recipe would be amazing. I even shared it before I tried it myself! And oh... was I right.

The recipe is basic: zucchini sliced in half lengthwise (quarter down the center as needed for huge zucchinis). Brush with olive oil and S&P. Place on a baking sheet lined with foil (for easy cleanup) and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Pull from the oven and turn on the broiler. Top the baked squash with minced garlic (zucchini can handle alot of garlic without feeling like you are ready to battle vampires) and then grated parmesan.

Return to the oven and broil for 10 minutes. The cheese with be golden brown and slightly crispy looking. Let it cool for a minute so you dont remove all the skin on your tongue... and then have at it! A healthy version of garlic bread, and a great way to use up all that squash! Yellow summer squash would probably be good too but I have only made it with zucchini.

For tomatos - I recommend a firm red beefsteak type. I tried with a yellow heirloom of some sort and it just turned to mush on me - and was too sweet. A more acidic tomato is better, in my opinion. I dont care for green tomatos but Ill bet they would be good too if you like them!

Do the same thing as the zucchini - but skip the first 10 minutes of baking and go straight to the broil. You want the tomato to retain some shape and structure so it doesnt fall apart when you go to eat it.

Tomato doesnt take as much garlic (learn from my vampire-hunting experience!) but I personally love it with a liberal amount of kosher salt, and piles ot good parmesan. It is messy to eat - have lots of napkins on hand... but oh so worth it. To me, this is the perfect way to enjoy the great tomatos of the summertime!

Basil Shrimp Linguine

2008-09-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

This recipe is the cover photo for Everyday Food: Great Food Fast. This cookbook is from my FAVORITE cooking magazine: Everyday Food by Martha Stewart. This dish was awesome. SO easy, and fresh, and quick, and GOOD! I later made it again using chicken breast (cut into bite sized pieces) which was also yummy.

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails removed)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
6 teaspoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 pound linguine (I use whole wheat)
1 1/2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces, plus extra leaves for garnish (optional)

Directions

Season shrimp with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 4 teaspoons oil over high. Add shrimp; cook until opaque throughout, turning occasionally, 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.

Make sauce: To the same skillet, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and garlic; cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add canned tomatoes and their juice, along with 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have softened and are saucy, about 15 minutes. Remove sauce from heat; stir in cherry tomatoes.
Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain; return pasta to pot. Add tomato sauce, shrimp, and basil; season with salt and pepper, and toss.
Serve immediately, garnished with basil leaves, if desired.

Pork and Eggplant 'Parmesan'

2008-09-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

This dish was born out of "what veggies do I need to use up before the next farm share..." And like most dishes that are thrown together with no real plan... it was awesome! One of those meals where you really wish you had written down what the heck you did!

The best I can recall...

A boneless trimmed pork chop per person, and 1 medium to largish eggplant sliced thick, all dredged in 1 beaten egg, followed by a coating of breadcrumbs with grated parmesan, oregano, thyme, and whatever other herbs you like mixed in - coat well. I pan fried the meat and eggplant with a little bit of olive oil (higher heat to start then drop the temp to finish the meat through and cook the eggplan till juuuuust barely soft all the way through - I dont like it too soggy).

Meanwhile, I made a "sauce" of sorts with a couple heirloom tomatos and summer squash and zucchini and onion and garlic (brown it all up in some olive oil first), a small can of diced tomatos plus their juices, and some herbs - dried, fresh. I used fresh basil and thyme, and dried oregano, rosemary. I simmered it all together plus salt and pepper to taste until it was nice and saucey.

Our mozzarella was bad so I just topped it with Parmesan... it was SO good!

Also - on a whim I added the leftover "sauce" to scrambled eggs and mozzarella (I bought some more) for breakfast... normally I dont like that kind of thing (sauce, salsa, etc in my eggs) but it was SO FREAKIN GOOD. Ryan also doesnt normally like it that way... and loved it.

Such a summer farm fresh meal - love knowing everything (save the pork) was local and in season and so so fresh!

DB: Eclairs!

2008-08-31T07:15:00.001-07:00

August's Daring Bakers Challenge was eclairs - something new to me (again). I really liked this one! Even though I ran into some hiccups... they were still scrumptious!

The challenge rules required that we use the given pate a choux recipe, and either the given glaze recipe OR the given chocolate filling. I felt that a chocolate glaze and filling would be too much, so instead I made the given chocolate glaze and two different fillings: cappuccino flavored, and the given chocolate filling... just without the chocolate (thus, vanilla).

I got the cappuccino recipe from a recent issue of Bon Appetit magzine (linked above). I really liked the flavor, but the filling didnt set up as well as the given recipe, so it was too runny.

I encountered two problems with this challenge: first, the pate a choux. It came together GREAT - perfectly! I piped them (used a ziplock with the corner snipped - perfect!) and threw them in the oven. They rose nicely... I pulled them out... and POOF. Fell flat. To the point that it was hard to slice them later! I made a second batch, this time trying the trick of letting them slowly cool in the oven after they were done baking. Same thing.

After reading some tips on the forums, I think they probably just needed more baking time (hard to tell since they were golden and puffed as the recipe says they should be when done). It was ok though, still tasted great!

Me second issue was with the glaze, and I am still not sure what happened. I followed the directions to a T, and yet after adding my first tsp of butter, the glaze broke. It became a beautiful choclate glaze, swimming in melted butter. I ended up adding double the chocolate sauce to it, and that mostly fixed it... regardless, it was deeply dark (I used half unsweetened and half bittersweet chocolate) and tasted beautiful :)

Overall, a great challenge! It really did challenge me, and it tasted great! Thanks!

Check out the recipe here!

R2R: Tamales!

2008-08-28T11:03:00.001-07:00

This month's Recipes to Rival Challenge was tamales! Definitely new to me... and not so bad really! Check out the recipe here (and past challenges too!). I made a full batch, with three fillings: the black bean one given (with the addition of fresh local corn), the seitan one (except with chicken instead - serving to my wheat allergy sister, and we like meat ;) and the addition of sharp cheddar), and my own - pork tenderloin - baked in the oven wtih the chicken until done (seasoned with S&P, NM Chili Powder, Oregano), then torn into small strips and tossed with various seasonings (all the ones used in the other recipes really), plus slices of fresh tomato. YUM! the pork one was deemed the favorite by all.

I defintely made the masa mixture WAY too thick... didnt much like that. But it was reltaivel easy, albeit time consuming ;)

Note: my "open" pics came out terribly... all steamed and out of focus. Apologies!

I served them with storebought (no time!) green and red sauces. Yummy! thanks to our hosts!

Kashmiri Chicken

2008-08-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

For my birthday, my siblings gave me a copy of "The Food of India: a Journey for Food Lovers." SO good! It covers a variety of regions of India, and offers gorgeous food-porn pictures, and explanations and descriptions. So far - LOVE!

This dish was great. Most of the ingredients I had on hand already, bonus! Very flavorful and so unique. We both loved it! I would definitely make again!

3.5 pounds chicken or chicken pieces (I used a combo of skinless/boneless thighs and breasts)
6 cardamon pods
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 cm (3/4 in) cinnamon stick
8 peppercorns
6 cloves
2/3 cup blanched almonds
1/2 cup shelled pistachios
2 T ghee (clarified butter) or oil (I used oil)
1 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 tsp saffron threads

If using a whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces. Remove skin and bones and discard. Cut meat into bite sized pieces.

Remove seeds from cardamon pods. Place small frying pan over low and roast teh coriander seeds until aromatic. Remove, and roast the cumin, then the cinnamon. Grind the cardamon, roasted spices, peppercorns, and cloves to a fine powder in spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Finely chop nuts in food processor or spice grinder.

Heat ghee or oil in a large casserole (I used a deep pan with lid) over low and fry onion to golden brown. Add garlic, ginger, chicken and fry rapidly for 5 min. Add the ground spices and chicken stock and simmer, covered tightly, for 30 minutes.

Stir ground nuts into yogurt. Mix saffron with 1 tsp hot water. Add yogurt and saffron to the pan and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 10 min. Season with salt to taste. Serve with rice.

SO. GOOD!

Garlic-sauteed Green Beans

2008-08-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this entry by saying that I dont really like green beans. They dont do it for me, so when I say a green bean recipe is good... IT IS! ;)

I made this awhile ago so my apologies for the lack of precision.

In a saute pan, heat olive oil with lots of garlic (I used soem fresh and some frozen cubes - I like the frozen cubes because they are in paste form and really coat veggies well). Add 1/2 an onion, diced. Cook until the onion starts to brown on medium-med high.

Meanwhile, steam beans until JUST turning bright green (err on the side of undercooking rather than overcooking).

Toss the beans into the pan on medium high (my stove runs cool so I put it on high). You want it hot enough that the beans will get some dark color. After a minute or so, add cerry or grape tomatos, halved. Cook on a hot pan stirring occassionally until the beans and tomatos are starting to blister a bit.
Season with salt and pepper and top with Parmesan!

VERY flavorful!

Zucchini Ribbons

2008-08-23T19:48:00.000-07:00

1) Take zucchini and run through mandoline (or carefully slice super duper thin)

2) coat with Olive oil and minced garlic

3) Spread on cooling racks placed on a cookie sheet and season with kosher salt

4) Roast until start to brown

5) Flip. Repeat.

6) Serve!

Yum! Interesting texture, and you just really cant go wrong with: garlic, salt, oil, roasted veggies :)

DB: Filbert Gateau

2008-08-22T20:14:00.000-07:00

This cake was the Daring Baker's Challenge for July... but my July was CRAZY busy, and ended with a nasty nasty summer cold... so I had to postpone completing it. I finally made it this week (served it for dessert for my brother's last dinner before college )

I am SO glad I still made it... WOW! This cake was SO GOOD! The buttercream alone was worth it... All the elements worked well. I didnt really have any issues with any elements. My ganache wasnt the smoothest, but for a first ever ganache, Ill take it!

And the taste... ohhhh the taste! I followed the directions for flavors - hazelnuts, cointreau for the liquor (though I forgot the rum in the buttercream), apricot glaze. I am really glad I made it since it is somewhat similar to the Opera Cake which was such a flop for me. This one, YUM!

Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream

From Great Cakes by Carol Walter

1 Filbert Genoise

1 recipe sugar syrup, flavored with dark rum

1 recipe Praline Buttercream

½ cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

1 recipe Apricot Glaze

1 recipe Ganache Glaze, prepared just before using

3 tablespoons filberts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Filbert Genoise

Because of the amount of nuts in the recipe, this preparation is different from a classic genoise.

1 ½ cups hazelnuts, toasted/skinned

2/3 cup cake flour, unsifted

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

7 large egg yolks

1 cup sugar, divided ¼ & ¾ cups

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ tsp. grated lemon rind

5 lg. egg whites

¼ cup warm, clarified butter (100 – 110 degrees)

Position rack in the lower 3rd of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10” X 2” inch round cake pan. Using a food processor, process nuts, cake flour, and cornstarch for about 30 seconds. Then, pulse the mixture about 10 times to get a fine, powdery mixture. You’ll know the nuts are ready when they begin to gather together around the sides of the bowl. While you want to make sure there aren’t any large pieces, don’t over-process. Set aside.

Put the yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, and beat until thick and light in color, about 3-4 minutes on med-high speed. Slowly, add ¾ cup of sugar. It is best to do so by adding a tablespoon at a time, taking about 3 minutes for this step. When finished, the mixture should be ribbony. Blend in the vanilla and grated lemon rind. Remove and set aside.

Place egg whites in a large, clean bowl of the electric mixer with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed, until soft peaks. Increase to med-high speed and slowly add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, over 15-20 seconds or so. Continue to beat for another ½ minute. Add the yolk mixture to the whites and whisk for 1 minute. Pour the warm butter in a liquid measure cup (or a spouted container). * It must be a deep bottom bowl and work must be fast.* Put the nut meal in a mesh strainer (or use your hand – working quickly) and sprinkle it in about 2 tablespoons at a time – folding it carefully for about 40 folds. Be sure to exclude any large chunks/pieces of nuts. Again, work quickly and carefully as to not deflate the mixture. When all but about 2 Tbsp. of nut meal remain, quickly and steadily pour the warm butter over the batter. Then, with the remaining nut meal, fold the batter to incorporate, about 13 or so folds. With a rubber spatula, transfer the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with the spatula or back of a spoon. **If collected butter remains at the bottom of the bowl, do not add it to the batter! It will impede the cake rising while baking.

Tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. You’ll know the cake is done when it is springy to the touch and it separates itself from the side of the pan. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Invert onto a cake rack sprayed with nonstick coating, removing the pan. Cool the cake completely.

*If not using the cake right away, wrap thoroughly in plastic wrap, then in a plastic bag, then in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If freezing, wrap in foil, then the bag and use within 2-3 months.

Sugar Syrup

Makes 1 cup, good for one 10-inch cake – split into 3 layers

1 cup water

¼ cup sugar

2 Tbsp. dark rum or orange flavored liqueur

In a small, yet heavy saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add the liqueur. Cool slightly before using on the cake. *Can be made in advance.

Praline Buttercream

1 recipe Swiss Buttercream

1/3 cup praline paste

1 ½ - 2 Tbsp. Jamaican rum (optional)

Blend ½ cup buttercream into the paste, then add to the remaining buttercream. Whip briefly on med-low speed to combine. Blend in rum.

Swiss Buttercream

4 lg. egg whites

¾ cup sugar

1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly firm

1 ½ -2 Tbsp. Grand Marnier or liqueur of your choice

1 tsp. vanilla

Place the egg whites in a lg/ bowl of a elevtric mixer and beat with the whisk attachment until the whites are foamy and they begin to thicken (just before the soft peak stage). Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with about 2 inches of simmering water, making sure the bowl is not touching the water. Then, whisk in the sugar by adding 1-2 tablespoon of sugar at a time over a minutes time. Continue beating 2-3 minutes or until the whites are warm (about 120 degrees) and the sugar is dissolved. The mixture should look thick and like whipped marshmallows.

Remove from pan and with either the paddle or whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and sugar on med-high until its a thick, cool meringue – about 5-7 minutes. *Do not overbeat*. Set aside.

Place the butter in a separate clean mixing bowl and, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter at medium speed for 40-60 seconds, or until smooth and creamy. *Do not overbeat or the butter will become toooooo soft.*

On med-low speed, blend the meringue into the butter, about 1-2 Tbsp. at a time, over 1 minute. Add the liqueur and vanilla and mix for 30-45 seconds longer, until thick and creamy.

Refrigerate 10-15 minutes before using.

Wait! My buttercream won’t come together! Reheat the buttercream briefly over simmering water for about 5 seconds, stirring with a wooden spoon. Be careful and do not overbeat. The mixture will look broken with some liquid at the bottom of the bowl. Return the bowl to the mixer and whip on medium speed just until the cream comes back together.

Wait! My buttercream is too soft! Chill the buttercream in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes and rewhip. If that doesn’t work, cream an additional 2-4 Tbsp. of butter in a small bowl– making sure the butter is not as soft as the original amount, so make sure is cool and smooth. On low speed, quickly add the creamed butter to the buttercream, 1 Tbsp. at a time.

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or can be frozen for up to 6 months. If freezing, store in 2 16-oz. plastic containers and thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for several hours.

Praline Paste

1 cup (4 ½ oz.) Hazelnuts, toasted/skinless

2/3 cup Sugar

Line a jelly roll pan with parchment and lightly butter. Put the sugar in a heavy 10-inch skillet. Heat on low flame for about 10-20 min until the sugar melts around the edges. Do not stir the sugar. Swirl the pan if necessary to prevent the melted sugar from burning. Brush the sides of the pan with water to remove sugar crystals. If the sugar in the center does not melt, stir briefly. When the sugar is completely melted and caramel in color, remove from heat. Stir in the nuts with a wooden spoon and separate the clusters. Return to low heat and stir to coat the nuts on all sides. Cook until the mixture starts to bubble. **Remember – extremely hot mixture.** Then onto the parchment lined sheet and spread as evenly as possible. As it cools, it will harden into brittle. Break the candied nuts into pieces and place them in the food processor. Pulse into a medium-fine crunch or process until the brittle turns into a powder. To make paste, process for several minutes. Store in an airtight container and store in a cook dry place. Do not refrigerate.

Apricot Glaze

Good for one 10-inch cake

2/3 cup thick apricot preserves

1 Tbsp. water

In a small, yet heavy saucepan, bring the water and preserves to a slow boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. If the mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the saucepan, add water as needed.

Remove from heat and, using a strainer, press the mixture through the mesh and discard any remnants. With a pastry brush, apply the glaze onto the cake while the cake is still warm. If the glaze is too thick, thin to a preferred consistency with drops of water.

Ganache Glaze

Makes about 1 cup, enough to cover the top and sides of a 9 or 10 inch layer or tube cake **Ganache can take on many forms. While warm – great fudge sauce. While cool or lukewarm – semisweet glaze. Slightly chilled – can be whipped into a filling/frosting. Cold & solid – the base of candied chocolate truffles.

6 oz. (good) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, like Lindt

6 oz. (¾ cup heavy cream

1 tbsp. light corn syrup

1 Tbsp. Grand Marnier, Cointreay, or dark Jamaican rum (optional)

¾ tsp. vanilla

½ - 1 tsp. hot water, if needed

Blend vanilla and liqueur/rum together and set aside. Break the chocolate into 1-inch pieces and place in the basket of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer into a medium sized bowl and set aside. Heat the cream and corn syrup in a saucepan, on low, until it reached a gentle boil. Once to the gently boil, immediately and carefully pour over the chocolate. Leave it alone for one minute, then slowly stir and mix the chocolate and cream together until the chocolate is melted and incorporated into the cream. Carefully blend in vanilla mixture. If the surface seems oily, add ½ - 1 tsp hot water. The glaze will thicken, but should still be pourable. If it doesn’t thicken, refrigerate for about 5 minutes, but make sure it doesn’t get too cold!

Assembling Cake

Cut a cardboard disk slightly smaller than the cake. Divide the cake into 3 layers and place the first layer top-side down on the disk. Using a pastry brush, moisten the layer with 3-4 Tbsp. of warm sugar syrup. Measure out 1 cup of praline buttercream and set aside.Spread the bottom layer with a ¼-inch thickness of the remaining buttercream. Cover with ½ of the whipped cream, leaving ¼-inch border around the edge of the cake. Place the middle layer over the first, brush with sugar syrup, spreading with buttercream. Cover with the remaining whipped cream. Moisten the cut side of the third layer with additional sugar syrup and place cut side down on the cake. Gently, press the sides of the cake to align the layers. Refrigerate to chill for at least 30 minutes. Lift the cake by sliding your palm under the cardboard. Holding a serrated or very sharp night with an 8-ich blade held parallel to the sides of the cake, trim the sides so that they are perfectly straight. Cut a slight bevel at the top to help the glaze drip over the edge. Brush the top and sides of the cake with warm apricot glaze, sealing the cut areas completely. Chill while you prepare the ganache.

Place a rack over a large shallow pan to catch the ganache drippings. Remove the gateau from the refrigerator and put it the rack. With a metal spatula in hand, and holding the saucepan about 10 inches above the cake, pour the ganache onto the cake’s center. Move the spatula over the top of the ganache about 4 times to get a smooth and mirror-like appearance. The ganache should cover the top and run down the sides of the cake. When the ganache has been poured and is coating the cake, lift one side of the rack and bang it once on the counter to help spread the ganache evenly and break any air bubbles. (Work fast before setting starts.) Patch any bare spots on the sides with a smaller spatula, but do not touch the top after the “bang”. Let the cake stand at least 15 minutes to set after glazing.

To garnish the cake, fit a 12 – 14-inch pastry bag with a #114 large leaf tip. Fill the bag with the reserved praline cream. Stating ½ inch from the outer edge of the cake, position the pastry tube at a 90 degree angle with the top almost touching the top of the cake. Apply pressure to the pastry bag, moving it slightly toward the center of the cake. As the buttercream flows on the cake, reverse the movement backward toward the edge of the cake and finish by pulling the bag again to the center. Stop applying pressure and press the bag downward, then quickly pull the tip up to break the flow of frosting. Repeat, making 12 leaves evenly spaced around the surface of the cake. Make a second row of leaves on the top of the first row, moving the pastry bag about ¾ inch closer to the center. The leaves should overlap. Make a 3rd row, moving closer and closer to the center. Add a 4th row if you have the room. But, leave a 2-inch space in the center for a chopped filbert garnish. Refrigerate uncovered for 3-4 hours to allow the cake to set. Remove the cake from the refrigerator at least 3 hours before serving.Leftover cake can be covered with foil and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Homegrown.... PIZZA

2008-08-20T06:45:00.000-07:00

This month's Homegrown Gourmet challenge features... PIZZA!

Elizabeth at Elizabeth's Cooking Experiments is the host, and I think chose a great challenge! I ended up making two different kinds (since most pizza dough recipes make a ton anyhow... and I had great ideas for a pizza for my home, and one for DHs hometown too!)

First, the pizza for CT: this is basically a local pizza. We have a fabulous farm nearby, Rosedale Farm, with the best corn... anywhere! This is where we get all our produce from in the summer, and fall, thanks largely to a weekly farm membership. All the toppings for this pizza were included in that weeks bag even! This pizza featured roasted garlic mashed with olive oil and smeared as the 'sauce,' local heirloom tomatos, sliced, fresh basil chiffonade, super sweet yellow corn sliced off the cob, and two medium balls of local fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced. It was SO good! Even better the next day, reheated. Only thing I would do differently is use way more garlic - the flavor did not come through as much as I would have liked.

Pizza dough recipe from Cooks Illustrated, online. I made the crust as thin as I could without breaking!

Pizza numero two is representative of DHs hometown of Johnstown PA. In western PA, pierogies are crazy popular. They are sold at almost every booth at the local city fair every year... where I had never really heard of them before! They exist up north... but generally our filled pasta of choice is ravioli :)

Normally, pierogies are potato filled pasta, that are cooked through and served with carmelized onions. They are very yummy and very unhealthy! There are a ton of variations, so I chose our favorite to base this pizza on - the cheddar bacon pierogi. MMmmmm...

The crust of the pizza would be the pasta. I topped it with lots of carmelized onions, and then mashed potatos (I used small new potatos, boiled until cooked through, and roughly mashed with some butter and milk added to taste) that I mixed with about a cup of cabot shredded sharp cheddar (the best bagged pre-shredded cheddar in my area IMO) and a package of that precooked bacon... roughly shredded. When the pizza was almost done, I added even more cheddar on top of it.

WOW. This pizza was REALLY good! I really did feel like the flavor captured the essence of pierogies, too.

I dont really ever make homemade pizza, but I may be a convert... this stuff was good, and easier than expected! Thanks for the challenge Elizabeth :)

Roasted Zucchini Ribbons

2008-08-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

Another use for the piles of summertime squash! I thinly sliced zucchini with my mandoline and then wrapped in paper towels for a bit to try to get some of the moisture out. I put the ribbons in a tupperware container with olive oil, kosher salt, and minced garlic, sealed and and shook to coat.
Then, I laid them out on cooling racks that were on cookie sheets.

Roast at 450 for about 10 minutes or until browning - serve immediately (mine sat out and were cold... but still yummy!)

Chicken with Squash

2008-08-03T15:13:00.000-07:00

This is a dish I threw together using some veggies we had on hand from our Rosedale Farm membership and it was fantastic!

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts (cut in half and flattened a bit)

2 medium to large tomatos, diced

Garlic. Lots of it.

1 onion, diced

salt and pepper

italian herbs (oregano, rosemary, and thyme are what I used)

Zucchini and Summer Squash, diced

Olive Oil

Parmesan Cheese

This is a dish I cooked by rote so the amounts are to taste/what you have. I think I used 1 large zucchini and 2 small yellow squash, so the amounts are about even.

In a large pan, heat oil over medium high. Add garlic (I just used the frozen Trader Joe garlic - I find they arent as strong tasting so throw in extras) Season the chicken with salt, pepper, herbs and add to hot pan. When you flip teh chicken (7 minutes or so, well browned) also add the tomatos. Pan should still be hot so the tomatos will break down and brown a bit too. Stir the tomatos occasionally and cook to finish the chicken.

Meanwhile in a second large pan, cook the squash and onions plus oil over medium high heat to brown. Add the squash and onion mixture to the chicken and tomatos once both are well browned and the chicken is cooked through. Top with grated parmesan cheese and add some more garlic, salt, pepper, and herbs to taste. The half breasts plus lots of hearty veggies made this a good dish if you are trying to up your veggies at dinner/lower your meat intake.

SO good and came together quickly and easily. You could do it all in one pan, but them not likely to get the sear on the veggies, which I liked. This would be good with a whole wheat pasta, too. Maybe rotini.

Recipes to Rival: Thank George's Bank

2008-07-31T08:39:00.000-07:00

July's Recipe's to Rival challenge is a dish that includes: toast, fish cakes (made with potatos and cod), poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce. Of those components, the only item I had any familiarity with was... well... the toast! So this was a challenge for me! I loved that this recipe, while challenging in the techniques, was QUICK! The ratattouille took (well, for me at least) hours, and daring baker challenges generally seem to take days! I was able to make this entire dish in less than 2 hours - without rushing.

And it turned out great! It sure does look like a hot mess in my photos, but I blame that primarily on the eggs. I am clearly not a poached-egg chef! I wasnt a huge fan of the taste of the whites (with the vinegar from the water, and the water-logged effect) but I did love the yolks mixing in with the dish. I think I would prefer it with eggs over easy or sunny-side-up (which, coincidentally, I can cook effectively!). I made the food-processor hollandaise sauce and loved it, but Ryan found the lemon taste to be too strong (I though the tang was a nice note in with all the rich eggs and butter myself).

Many other members had issues with the batter for the fish cakes being too runny. Mine was ok. I couldnt really shape them with my hands.... but it also was not so runny that I could not form them in the pan. I think the reason why is: I didnt use leftover mashed potatos, but just boiled potato and mashed it roughly with a fork. Also, I didnt measure my potatos but used 2 medium supds - and likely that was over 2 cups. I also had a bit more cod that 1 pound (I had a choice of being over or under, I chose over) but I used the same amount of cream (I used half and half since it is what we have) and egg, though I mistakenly added the melted butter to the batter instead of reserving it for the pan.

My first run of cakes (and the batter made WELL more than 4 cakes - unless your cakes are each teh size of a small pan!!!) fell apart on me, but then I got the hang of it... treating them like pancakes seved me well (small scoops of dough, medium to medium high heat, and dont touch the patty until you are ready to flip so it gets a nice sear).

I did struggle with the eggs though. I tried the technique suggested on the boards of using a large spoon to help 'shape' the egg and it did help... a little... but my whites were still everywhere!

Overall, we both really enjoyed this dish! I loved how the flavors all came together and enjoyed the new techniques (who knew that Hollandaise was so easy? not me!). Very rich and decadent... but yummmmm!

Definitely a great challenge!

Note: follow the link in the beginning for the recipe!

Homegrown Gourmet 9: Roundup!

2008-07-14T10:13:00.001-07:00

Sorry this is so late... this summer has been crazy busy thus far! But finally...

I had the pleasure of hosting this round of Homegrown Gourmet and chose PASTA as the challenge! See the original post, with the rules, history, etc here.

We had some great entries this month - I think in many areas pasta definitely takes on a local flair! My entry was more challenging. I realized after choosing the dish that CT really doesnt have a unique pasta. We love Italian food up here, and eat plenty of it... but its normal, not really unique. So I went local instead and made some homemade egg noodles (ehh I think we both prefer the store bought whole wheat), my mom's meatballs from her 1976 cope of Feeding Your Unborn Child, and a homemade sauce from local ingredients.

Our fearless founder Erika of Bean's Bistro submitted a pasta homage to the Hometown team, the Celtics. Green and white pasta... but not in the order you think! Spinach (green) noodles topped with a good new englandy (white) clam sauce. Very festive and unique!

Kate at Paved with Good Intentions submitted a Torpasta. Basically, a San Diego sandwich shop makes a sandwich filled with pasta! Crazy! Almost as crazy and french fries on a sandwich ;) Kate's entry consisted of homemade pizza dough, pasta, and pesto full of yummy garlic. It sure sounds like comfort food to me!

Elizabeth of Elizabeth's Cooking Experiments gives us Swedish Meatballs. Secret family recipes, improved upon! And Minnesota definitely has the Scandinavian history. Thanks for sharing your recipe with us! Secret family recipes are great fun but sad when they die with the secret-keeper :)

Becke at Columbus Foodie submitted a gorgeous Chef's Pasta salad made from local ingredients. Look at those colors! Beautiful AND yummy!

Ning of Heart and Hearth offered up Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Milkfish. Milkfish is the national fish of the Phillipines, where she lives. Considering I have never even heard of milkfish, and it is the national fish for her country... I would say this qualifies as Homegrown Gourmet!

A local challenge featuring pasta would be empty without Cincinnati Chili... and Melissa of Delicious Melicious did not leave us hanging! Chili on spaghetti... sounds weird but those Ohioans sure love it!

Last but not least, Michelle of Big Black Dog made pasta with Gorgonzola. This looks so good for the summertime! All those great dark greens!

So now I am charged with choosing a winner, and the newest host for the challenge! I am so glad we had SO many great and fabulous entries... but it also makes MY job hard! For me... it came down to Swedish Meatballs or Cincinnati Chili. I am very torn (and am going back and forth right now, as I type) between the two... a secret family recipe that died with the owner, recreated and improved upon... or a pasta dish so local that it bears the city's name...

I am pleased to announce the winner of Homegrown Gourmet 9...

Swedish Meatballs by Elizabeth! I am a sucker for family lore, and not only is this a family recipe (improved upon) but it also is local to Sweden, and well I have a bit of Swede in me too :) Congrats Elizabeth and thanks to everyone for participating! Looking forward to seeing what round 10 will hold for us!

Recipes to Rival: Ratatouille

2008-07-02T07:20:00.000-07:00

Recipes to Rival is a BRAND SPANKIN NEW food blogging group - it was created as a spin off to Daring Bakers, except for savory food - cooking, not baking. And so far, it is challenging and great! Our maiden dish was Ratatouille and though this recipe was long and involved... it was GOOD! I made it the night before, and then just reheated in the oven, broiled, and topped with the vinaigrette to serve before dinner. This was truly excellent and if I make it again it would DEFINITELY be on a weekend! Thanks to our fabulous hosts and founders, Lori and Temperance for this great dish! By the way, this is the official recipe for the movie!

Check out this and other future RtR recipes here.

My Changes: the piperade wasnt doing a thing for me on low or even medinum low heat, I had to put it up to medium for it to move at all (still didnt brown and took the suggested amount of time)

I couldnt find any chevril or thyme flowers - I added basil instead to the vinaigrette.

I served this alongside lamb chops and a baguette - the ratatouille was EXCELLENT speared on the bread!

Pan-Seared Steak with Mustard Cream Sauce

2008-06-30T20:04:00.000-07:00

My friend Jen suggested this recipe to me... Hey Jen! THANKS! This was very yummy!! This recipe is from America's Test Kitchen - pretty much foolproof recipe source if you ask me!

It may not look pretty... and my cuts may be deplorable... but when it tastes this good? Who CARES! :)

Make sure to prepare all of the sauce ingredients before cooking the steaks. Bear in mind that even those tasters who usually prefer rare beef preferred these steaks cooked medium-rare and medium because the texture is firmer and not quite so chewy.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 boneless shell sirloin steak (top butt) or whole flap meat steak, about 1 pound and 1 1/4 inches thick
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 small shallot , minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 1/2 tablespoons dry white wine
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard

1. Heat oil in heavy-bottomed 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Meanwhile, season both sides of steak with salt and pepper. Place steak in skillet; cook, without moving steak, until well browned, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, flip steak; reduce heat to medium. Cook until well browned on second side and internal temperature registers 125 degrees on instant-read thermometer for medium-rare (about 5 minutes) or 130 degrees for medium (about 6 minutes).

2. Transfer steak to large plate and tent loosely with foil; let rest until internal temperature registers 130 degrees for medium-rare or 135 degrees for medium, 12 to 15 minutes.

3. While steak is resting, pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from now-empty skillet. Return skillet to low heat and add shallot; cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine and increase heat to medium-high; simmer rapidly, scraping up browned bits on pan bottom, until liquid is reduced to glaze, about 30 seconds; add broth and simmer until reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 3 minutes. Add cream and any meat juices; cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Stir in mustard; season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Using sharp knife, slice steak about 1/4 inch thick against grain on bias. Arrange on platter or on individual plates, and spoon sauce over steak; serve immediately.

Serves 2.

Pork Tacos with Corn-Jicama Salsa

2008-06-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from Cooking Light and WOW I think that this recipe alone may have just convinced me to subscribe! VERY yummy! A bit more labor intense than I had realized it would be... but I would make this again (just on a weekend!)

The leftovers heated and paired with a fried egg made for a great breakfast taco too!

For the salsa

1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (too early for fresh, I just used canned)

1/2 cup finely diced peeled jicama

1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

For the guacamole

1 cup cubed avocado

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup finely chopped seeded tomato (I didnt bother with seeding)

I also used Cilantro because, well, I love the stuff and guac isnt gauc for me without it!!

For the tacos

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

16 ounces trimmed pork tenderloin, cut into 2 x 1/8" strips (THIS was the labor intense part... note to self, let meat from the fridge sit out for a couple minutes so your hands dont freeze off from frostbite!!!)

2 teaspoons canola oil

8 6" white corn tortillas

To prepare the salsa

In a small bowl, toss together corn, jicama, black beans, cilantro, juice, cumin and salt. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill.

To prepare the guacamole

In a small bowl, add avocado, juice and salt - mash with a fork until well combined. Stir in tomato, lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly on top of the mixture and set aside.

To prepare the tacos

In a shallow dish, stir together chili powder, oregano, cumin and salt. Add pork strips and toss well to coat.In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add pork - sauté until done, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate and cover to keep warm.Use a paper towel to carefully wipe the pan clean. Add 2 tortillas to pan and briefly cook until the tortillas soften, about 30 seconds on each side. Remove from pan and wrap in a moist towel to keep warm - repeat procedure with remaining tortillas. If needed, you can coat the pan with nonstick spray during this process.

To assemble the tacos

Spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons guacamole onto each tortilla - top each with roughly 1/4 cup pork and about 2 tablespoons salsa. Fold tortillas in half to serve.

Makes 4 servings.

This is a photo from leftovers turned breakfast - VERY yummy!

Balsamic Chicken with Tomatos

2008-06-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

I saw this recipe on a few different blogs (I am not sure where it originated - if I missed you lmk and I will give credit) and KNEW it was something I would love. Balsamic anything? Yum. Fresh local tomatos and basil? Double yum. Cheese? Awwws yeah. And this is EASY too! Ive made it twice so far and it just pulls together for a quick easy dinner (with veggies and salad).

Balsamic Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed

Pinch of salt

¼ Cup balsamic vinegar

¼ Cup extra virgin olive oil

8 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
4 Roma Tomatoes, seeded and diced

8 fresh basil leaves, stacked, rolled and thinly sliced into chiffonade

3 cloves fresh garlic, minced

Pinch of salt

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat a grill pan over medium heat on the stovetop. Spray with cooking spray. Combine balsamic and olive oil in a bowl. Season both sides of chicken with pinches of salt and place on grill. Brush top sides of chicken with balsamic mixture. Cook for 4-5 minutes and flip chicken. Brush with additional balsamic and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes or until cooked through. During the last 2 minutes of grilling place 2 slices of cheese over top each chicken to melt. (I liked marinating the chicken for about 15 min or so in the oil and balsamic for a stronger flavor)

2. In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, basil garlic, salt and balsamic. Toss gently to combine. Place chicken breasts on a serving plate and top with tomato mixture. Serve warm.

So so good!

Danish Braids

2008-06-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

First off - post 200! woohoo! Go me!

(slight explosion... and goofy braiding!)

This month's Daring Baker's Challenge was, simply, awesome. I have to say that this recipe intimidated me... but really wasnt so bad. Really, it was (for me) easier and more successful than May's challenge! Thanks to our hosts Kelly of Sass & Veracity, and Ben of What’s Cookin’? for choosing a great challenge!

We were given the recipe for the dough and a suggested apple filling, but were welcomed to use any filling and just to make at least one braid. I doubled the recipe (yeah... I know...) because we are having some houseguests in July (I froze the finished braids) and because I couldnt pick just two fillings! Some had trouble with the dough, or butter oozing out. Mine was ok - just make sure to flour your surface WELL pre-rolling

My fillings are: Blueberry Lemon (1 pint of blueberries cooked with some sugar and juice of 1 lemon, plus a bit of cornstarch to thicken) plus sweetened cream cheese, Strawberry Rhubarb (berries and rhubarb cooked with sugar and a little orange rind and thickened) plus sweetened cream cheese, fresh strawberries macerated in Balsamic Vinegar, and a coffee-chocolate filling - cream cheese sweeted with about 1 serving of fresh espresso whipped in, topped with chunks of dark chocolate. Yummmm! The braids are frozen now, but I made some small baby danishes with the extra dough... so so good.

(Random chocolate explosion)

And without further ado... the recipe

DANISH DOUGH

Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough

Ingredients

For the dough (Detrempe)

1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1/2 cup whole milk

1/3 cup sugar

Zest of 1 orange, finely grated

3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped

2 large eggs, chilled

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

For the butter block (Beurrage)

1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

DOUGH

Combine yeast and milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

BUTTER BLOCK

1. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.

2. After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes

3. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

4. Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

DANISH BRAID

Makes enough for 2 large braids

Ingredients 1 recipe Danish Dough (see below)

2 cups apple filling, jam, or preserves

For the egg wash: 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.

2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.

3. Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.Egg WashWhisk together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.

Proofing and Baking

1. Spray cooking oil (Pam…) onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch.

2. Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.

3. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.

Favorite Brownies

2008-06-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

I love brownies. Homemade brownies are probably my fav dessert, and the food for which I demonstrate no control at all... I could eat an entire pan in a day, no problemo. And these are my favorite ones! The recipe is my moms... where she got it I dont know but she has been making them for as long as I can remember. The beauty of brownies is to make them from scratch is EASY. You dont need a mixer - best to mix by hand so you dont overbeat. Throw it all in a boal, mix until JUST combined, pour in a greased pan and bake! Easy as pie - except pie can be tricky. Easy as BROWNIES! :)

Deep Dish Brownies:

3/4 c melted butter

1 1/2 c sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

3/4 c flour

1/2 c baking cocoa

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 c choc chips

Heat oven to 350. Grease 8x8 pan. In medium mixing bowl blend melted butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs and beat well w/ spoon. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well-blended. Stir in chips. Spread into prepared pan. Bake 40-45 min or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. (always err on the side of undercooking brownies, and I often add a bit more cocoa to these :) )

Latest DB EVER!

2008-06-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

I made my May Daring Baker's Opera Cake in May, within the allotted time... but when post date came along I was travelling on business and posting from my laptop didnt seem like a fun idea. So, the post date came and went... and because I was late already... I didnt get around to posting. Until today. My June DB entry is currently in process so I figured it was about darn time I blogged may! Part of my delay is due to the fact that I really did not like my opera cake :( The reason is, I think, three-fold:

1) I really did not care for the white chocolate flavor in the mousse and ganache... like I hated it!

2) The flavors I chose (hazelnut/frangelico, vanilla, and caramel) really didnt come through very well - they were not strong enough and really just didnt work for me. I think Iwould have been better of with fruit, or more acidic flavors

3) I struggled through my buttercream - it wasnt firming up for me - so I kept tasting it. Finally it came together (I just kept beating it... and beating it... and finally like 15 minutes later it firmed up) but by then I had had WAY too much. Also, I follwed the posted recipe (more sugar, less butter) but it was just WAY too sweet for me... so I kept adding butter... and tasting. Blech!

Now, I gave it all away (Ryan brought into work) and I fully expected a poor review but he said it was enjoyed. So, maybe it was just me... but I wasnt a fan. I think I would have prefered it if I have followed some other DBers lead and cheated... with chocolate :)

Not going to bother posting the recipe since y'all have either a) seen it already or b) wont make it anyhow but you can see it on all the other DBers blogs here - they all have the recipe posted :)

Strawberry Banana Pancakes

2008-06-23T11:14:00.000-07:00

Best pancakes Ryan or I have ever had! I made these awhile ago (then again this weekend) thanks to his suggestion that I use up some almost-past-their-prime berries we had... wowsa! Very yummy. The first time, I just used this banana pancake recipe, adding chopped up berries at the end. This weekend I healthied it up a bit by using Canola instead of butter and half whole wheat flour - still just as yummy!

Recipe - Revised (based on wm sonoma recipe)

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons canola oil

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (half whole wheat)

2 tablespoons sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 small, very ripe banana, peeled and mashed

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 pint of strawberries, cleaned hulled and chopped

Maple syrup for serving

Directions:
Heat skillet over medium with a little butter to coat. (just used spray)
Combine all ingredients and beat until just combined (few lumps remaining). Pour using a 1/4 cup measuring cup for consistency onto pan. When the edges start to set and there are bubbles popping through, flip the pancake. Finish cooking and serve. Repeat until all are done.

TIP: separate the eggs and beat the whites a bit before adding to batter - it helps a bit to make the pancakes fluffy!
Serve with syrup.
SO GOOD

Tiramisu

2008-06-08T16:37:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from America's Test Kitchen, via Chelley. She raved, and I trusted her rave. I also tend to think that America's Test Kitchen tends to be fab! And... I was not disappointed. This came together easily and well and was so so good - I would not be surprised if I owe 5 pounds to this concoction! Well worth it.

This was Ryan's birthday "cake" since it is a dessert he loves and he is slightly picky about cake and buttercream - so I knew it would go over well - as well as the mother's day dessert. See Chelley's notes below - I followed her version of the recipe.

Tiramisu (Source: Cook’s Illustrated November & December 2007 issue)
2-1/2 cups strong brewed coffee, room temperature (I used espresso)
1-1/2 Tablespoons instant espresso granules
9 tablespoons dark rum [I substituted Kahlua and cut the amount down to 4-1/2 tablespoons]
6 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1-1/2 pounds mascarpone
3/4 cup cold heavy cream
14 ounces (42 to 60, depending on size) dried ladyfingers (savoiardi)
3-1/2 Tablespoons cocoa, preferably Dutch-processed
1/4 cup grated semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (optional) [I omitted this]

1. Stir coffee, espresso, and 5 tablespoons rum [2-1/2 tablespoons Kahlua] in a wide bowl or baking dish until espresso dissolves; set aside.

2. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat yolks at low speed until just combined. Add sugar and salt and beat at medium-high speed until pale yellow, 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula once or twice. Add remaining 4 tablespoons rum [2 tablespoons Kahlua] and beat at medium speed until just combined, 20 to 30 seconds; scrape bowl. Add mascarpone and beat at medium speed until no lumps remain, 30 to 45 seconds, scraping down bowl once or twice. Transfer mixture to large bowl and set aside.

3. In now-empty mixer bowl (no need to clean bowl), beat cream at medium speed until frothy, 1 to 1-1/2 minutes. Increase speed to high and continue to beat until cream holds stiff peaks, 1 to 1-1/2 minutes longer. Using rubber spatula, fold one-third of whipped cream into mascarpone mixture to lighten, then gently fold in remaining whipped cream until no white streaks remain. Set mascarpone mixture aside.

4. Working one at a time, drop half of ladyfingers into coffee mixture, roll, remove and transfer to 13 by 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. (Do not submerge ladyfingers in coffee mixture; entire process should take no longer than 2 to 3 seconds for each cookie.) Arrange soaked cookies in single layer in baking dish, breaking or trimming ladyfingers as needed to fit neatly into dish.

5. Spread half of mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers; use rubber spatula to spread mixture to sides and into corners of dish and smooth surface. Place 2 tablespoons cocoa in fine-mesh strainer and dust cocoa over mascarpone.

6. Repeat dipping and arrangement of ladyfingers; spread remaining mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers and dust with remaining 1-1/2 tablespoons cocoa. Wipe edges of dish with dry paper towel. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6 to 24 hours. Sprnkle with grated chocolate, if using; cut into pieces and serve chilled.

I stuck with the kahluah in the lower amount and it was still a strong flavor. I also mistakenly got fresh ladyfingers... then hunted and found the hard ones - they worked great!

Lamb Chops with Sun Dried Tomato Butter

2008-06-08T16:16:00.000-07:00

First things first - lets pause for a moment. LOVE my china! Isnt it pretty? I actually have two patterns I am working on (would like 10 of each eventually) that coordinate. Right now I have... 1 of one pattern and 5 of the other. Total of 6. Doesnt get us very far for entertaining :( I cant wait to get more and have my table not be a TOTAL mishmash of china, everyday, etc.

This recipe came from Gourmet magazine via Epicurious. It was SO easy and SO yummy. I modified the butter alot - and made it the night before. The chops (rib) came out perfect doneness. This is something I would try again!

Ingredients

1 garlic clove
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained
1/2 cup walnuts (omitted - my sis is allergic)
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley (I used basil instead - prefer it)
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
8 rib lamb chops (3/4 inch thick; 2 lb)
Garnish: lemon wedges

Preparation
Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Transfer paste to a food processor and pulse with sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, coriander, cayenne, parsley, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper until finely chopped. Blend in butter and lemon juice, then season with salt. (I made the butter the night before - wrapped in wax paper to shape and chilled)
Preheat broiler. Lightly oil rack of a broiler pan.
Pat lamb chops dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper (total), then broil on rack of broiler pan 4 to 5 inches from heat, turning once, 6 to 7 minutes total for medium-rare. Spread tomato butter over chops.

Penne with Feta and Spring Vegetables

2008-06-08T16:08:00.000-07:00

This recipe came from Everyday Food. It was great as a dish for our Mothers Day Feast!

Ingredients
Serves 4
Coarse salt and ground pepper
12 ounces penne rigate (ridged) I used whole wheat
1 pound asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 pound peeled and deveined frozen shrimp, thawed omitted
8 ounces snow peas, trimmed and halved on the diagonal
3 tablespoons olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup crumbled feta (4 ounces)
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh mint leaves

Directions

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook penne 5 minutes less than al dente. Add asparagus; cook 3 minutes. Add shrimp and snow peas; cook 2 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta mixture, and return to pot.
To pasta mixture, add oil, lemon juice, garlic, and cup reserved pasta water. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Gently mix in feta and mint; adjust to desired consistency with some pasta water as needed. Serve immediately.

I also added about 1/2 a package of cooked bacon - yum!

BEST Tomato Soup EVAH!

2008-06-08T16:02:00.000-07:00

I adore tomato soup. LOVE.IT. Ive tried to make it a few times and it was always good... but not stellar. This one though takes the cake. What is the secret? Well I think there are two. One - the sherry. It gave the soup a great flavor! Second - anything with this amount of butter and cream cant HELP but be good! ;)

I got the recipe from the Pioneer Woman... her stuff always looks great!

Sherried Tomato Soup

6 tablespoons melted butter

1 medium onion, diced

1 46-ounce bottle or can tomato juice

2 14 ounce cans diced tomatoes

1 to 3 tablespoons chicken base

3 to 6 tablespoons sugar

Pinch of salt

Black Pepper

1 cup cooking sherry

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

chopped fresh parsley

chopped fresh basil

Saute diced onions in butter until transluscent. Add canned tomatoes. Add tomato juice, sugar, pinch of salt, and black pepper and stir. Bring to a near boil, then turn off heat. Add in sherry and cream and stir. Add in parsley and basil to taste, adjust other seasoning, and serve!

I omitted the parsley.

Mother's Day Menu

2008-06-08T15:56:00.000-07:00

This (and a few more recipes to come) illustrates HOW badly I fell off the blogging wagon last month! OOPS!

For Mother's Day, we had my parents, grandpa, and siblings over for a late lunch. The menu was great (if I do say so myself!), went over well, everything came out well (always a worry when cooking for a crowd) and was good for time management - I didnt have to KILL myself to get it all done one time!

So what was this fab menu you ask?

10 Grain Rolls
Tomato Basil Soup
Fruit Platter - Pineapple, Mango, and Strawberries tossed with some lime juice and mint
Pasta with Feta and Asparagus and Snow Peas
Lamb Chops with Sundried Tomato Butter
Tiramisu

YUM!

Homegrown Gourmet NINE

2008-06-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

Last month, Katie at KBK Bakery was our fabulous host for Homegrown Gourmet, volume 8: Peanut Butter.

Let me first back up. Many moons ago, Erika at Bean's Bistro started this challenge with the mighty sandwich. Her idea was to highlight local cuisine, local products, local whatever! Each month(ish) we are treated to a culinary themed tour!

So far, we have been challenged by sandwiches, soups, pies/tarts, stews, quick breads and breakfast, potatos, and peanut butter. Lucky me, I am hosting my second time! I wanted to try to come up with something that would allow everyone some creativity, let us really flex our collective homegrown muscles! I have been wrestling with my choice for the past 48 hours... drinks? Burgers? cookies? Salad? Pizza? What to do, what to do... Finally I decided, I kept coming back to it. A dish that can be really customized in a million ways... something that exists in so many cultures around the world...

HOMEGROWN GOURMET NINE IS....

Ready for it?

You sure???

Drumroll please...

BBBLLLLRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR (thats a drumroll FYI)

*********!PASTA!**********

Noodley goodness! It can be spaghetti or penne or raviolis or any other pasta that strikes your fancy. It can be homemade if you are so inclined, or from the store but just make sure that your dish, somehow, is HomeGrown Gourmet!

THE RULES:

1. Anyone can play!

2. A theme will be picked by the host. Participants will make a dish that follows the theme and that somehow represents their home region - town, state, area. Representation can feature a local ingredient, be a traditional dish from your area, or be a creative twist.

3. Participants will have 3-4 weeks (host discretion) to complete their recipes and post them to their blog (or email the pics and text), and notify the host. The host will then post the results and then let everyone know via email or message board the results are up!

4. An explanation of your dish is required; it can be a story about the local custom or ingredient, how you came about eating/making the recipe, or an explanation about how your creative dish fits the theme.

5. Fresh and local foods are encouraged!

6. When the round is done, the host will announce their favorite dish by updating their blog. Favorite is completely subjective to the host- no one expects the host to make and taste test all the dishes, it is just something that strikes the host’s fancy! The creator of the fave gets the honor of hosting the next round, if they so choose!

To participate in Homegrown Gourmet #9, create a pasta dish that somehow relates to your home. Post about it in your blog and tell the world what makes your recipe Homegrown… be sure to link back to this post. Then send me an email at megpug at gmail dot com with “Homegrown Gourmet 9″ in the subject line. I will reply to all emails to confirm receipt (so if you dont get a reply, comment and let me know!)

Please include the following in your e-mail: your name, your location, your blog name and URL, and a permalink to your entry. Don’t forget to attach a picture (preferably 250 x 250) of your dish to the email if you dont blog! (Not a blogger and still want to enter? Why aren’t you blogging already? Come on, you know you want to do it. All the cool kids are doing it these days… what? still no? Ok, email me all the details and I’ll post for you.)

Deadline for the event is MONDAY JUNE 30 2008!!

*NOTE: Extended Deadline!!*

Amano Chocolate!

2008-06-01T19:56:00.000-07:00

MMMMMMMMM Chocolate... I was lucky enough to be a winner for Blake Make's most recent chocolate giveaway! That meant that I got a lovely little package of 3 (thats right, not 1... not 2... THREE!) bars of fabulous dark Amano Chocolates. WOW. Very yummy! Many other winners have made brownies, cakes, etc... me? I couldnt do it. Really good dark choloate like this, to me, is meant to be enjoyed in its purest form :)

I am almost done with the third bar now. I have enjoyed a little corner here and a piece there mostly at night as a bedtime treat. And treat it is! This chocolate is great! My favorite was the Madagascar one - smooth with no acidity. And I loved the packaging - I felt like Willy Wonka pulling out that bright gold! Love it and thanks!

Moroccan Chicken Stew with Sweet Potatos

2008-06-01T19:48:00.001-07:00

I pulled this recipe from Everyday Food last fall and boy I am glad I hung onto it! It was SO. GOOD. The flavors were just perfect. The cinammon and ginger came through without being overpowering (as I sometimes find fresh ginger can be) thanks to simmering in the stew whole. This was a great great meal, I would highly recommend! Easy, quick, and yummy for something healthy and different!

Prep: 15 minutes

Total: 45 minutes

Ingredients
Serves 4
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 piece fresh ginger (2 inches long), peeled
1 cinnamon stick
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound total), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
Pinch of saffron (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup couscous
Cilantro sprigs, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Place flour in a wide, shallow bowl. Season chicken with salt and pepper; dredge in flour, shaking off excess. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add chicken, and cook until browned, 4 to 6 minutes per side; transfer to a plate.

Add onion, ginger, and cinnamon to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Return chicken to pot. Add broth, sweet potatoes, and, if using, saffron. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until chicken is cooked through and sweet potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Discard ginger and cinnamon. Stir in lemon juice, and season stew with salt and pepper.
While stew is simmering, prepare couscous according to package instructions. Serve chicken stew with couscous, garnished with cilantro, if desired.

I did use saffron (had some in the pantry already) and the cilantro.

Chicken-Fajita Tostadas

2008-06-01T19:31:00.000-07:00

This recipe comes from Everyday Food - I made it for cinco de mayo (yeah... Im a bit behind :( )It was very very good! Original recipe follows, only change was that I mistakenly mixed all the salsa in with the veggies - by accident but it turned out well!

Prep: 10 minutesTotal: 45 minutes
Ingredients

Serves 4

2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced
1 box (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels
1 cup prepared fresh salsa
2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
4 corn tortillas (6-inch)
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. On foil, combine onions, bell peppers, corn, 1/4 cup salsa, and 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper.
Roast, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are tender and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Add chicken, stir to combine, and continue to roast until warmed through, 5 minutes more. Transfer chicken and vegetable mixture to a serving bowl, discarding foil (reserve sheet).
Arrange tortillas on sheet. Dividing evenly, brush with remaining tablespoon oil; top with cheese. Bake until edges are golden and cheese is melted, 5 to 8 minutes.
Dividing evenly, top tortillas with chicken-vegetable mixture and remaining 3/4 cup salsa. Serve with cilantro-lime rice, if desired.

HomeGrown Gourmet - Peanut Butter Gobs

2008-05-28T18:53:00.000-07:00

This is my entry for this month's HomeGrown Gourmet, a challenge in which you make a dish based on the host's theme that somehow represents your area.

This month's theme was... peanut butter. Ill admit, I was thrown and had no clue what to make - figured I would skip out this month. THEN I had an epiphany... Ryan's birthday was in mid-May and I was planning to make him Gobs anyhow - a favorite treat of his from his hometown of Johnstown, PA and something that really doesnt exist outside of J'town under that name (they are everywhere else as Whoopie Pies though). They don't even get their own wiki entry (but are noted under whoopie pies) they are THAT unique to the area!

Basically, they are chocolate cake cooked in large cookie form with fluffy white frosting in between. So, I added peanut butter to have of them and VOILA! Peanut Butter Gobs!

I got the recipe from someone on the local Pittsburgh Nest board (since really, they dont exist anywhere else!) and THey turned out well with the addition of some PB - ryan said they were authentic :)

Recipe Courtesy of Amber (waltsgirl102503) on the Pittsburgh Nest's Grandma

CHOCOLATE GOBS
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup shortening
41/4 cup flour (sifted)
2 t soda
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup sour milk
1/2 cup boiling water
2 t vanilla
Cream together eggs, sugar, shortening until fluffy.
Sift together all dry ingredients.
Alternately add dry ingred. and milk.
Finally add boiling water and vanilla
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
I like to use a small ice cream scoop to make gobs so they are the same size annd bake evenly.
CREAM FILLING
1/2 cup white shortening
1/2 cup margarine (butter will work but stick margarine is the best)
1 cup sugar
1 egg white (room temp.)
2 t vanilla
1/2 cup hot milk (microwave about a minute)
Cream shortening, margarine, and sugar until fluffy.
Add egg white and then vanilla.
Keep beating while adding hot milk a little at a time.

When the cake is cooled scoop filling in between two and wrap in plastic and refridgerate until serving.

I added about 1/2 a cup of peanut butter to the filling (only half the filling) for this challenge.

Check out the rules here and the other entries soon!

Homegrown Gourmet

2008-05-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

I will, however, try to post my HGG entry sometime today since its the deadline and I *did* participate - but I need to get read for the trade show now... coming soon!

DB Coming Soon!

2008-05-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

Im on a laptop in Vegas this week for work so my l'Opera cake will be posted late... sorry! Way too hard to deal with posting it here :)

Panko-Fried-Mango

2008-05-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

This is the dessert I made as part two of Platinum Chef 7. Again, the ingredients for this round are: Mango, Mint, Yogurt, Panko, and Bok Choy. This dish for me had all but the bok choy.

I peeled, pitted and diced a mango and then combined in a bowl with: about 1/2 cup of panko, 1/2 a cap of cocnut milk (or enough to bind the panko) and 10-15 mint leaves, minced. Then, I pan friend them in a bit of butter and served over vanilla frozen yogurt. Really good! May make it again, but with toasted coconut instead of the panko.

Platinum Chef 7

2008-05-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

This round is being hosted by Danielle at Make No Little Meals. She chose some great ingredients - Mango, Panko, Mint (the herb not the extract), Bok Choy, and Yogurt. Great choices! Bok Choy was new to me. It was good... neither Ryan nor I much cared for it alone but it was really nice eaten in the same bite with the lamb I served over it. And Mango and Mint especially are two of my current fav things to use in my food!

So, I submit to you readers and our honorable host:

Mango-Mint Lamb Steaks and Panko-Fried Mango

Looking forward to the next challenge!

Mango Lamb Steaks

2008-05-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

I made this dish as one of my two entries for Platinum Chef 7. This month's ingredients are: Mint, Yogurt, Bok Choy, Mango, and Panko.

The ingredients screamed lamb to me, which was perfect since I had a couple lamp strips in the freezer from a recent trip to Whole Foods. My plan was to season the lamp and cook it like steak, then top with a mixture of Mango, chives (growing in our yard!), mint, lime, and yogurt and serve it all over wilted Bok Choy. I saves the Panko for dessert.

In looking for a good spice rub for the lamb, I found this recipe on Epicurious - basically my whole idea minus the yogurt - so... at least I know it would be good if not very original! The spice rub was fantastic - very potent! THe smoke from it was a bit TOO potent though... Ryan and I were coughing up a fit! But it was worth it - we both loved the combination of spices. The mango/mint/yogurt topping cooled it nicely.

Lamb

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander

1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 large lamb steaks

Mix the spices together. Combine oil and garlic and brush over both sides of steaks. Rub steaks in spice mix and cook on a skillet to desired doneness (same cook time at NY Strips for my steaks). If you have a grill, I recommend using it!

Mango Topping

In a food processor or blender combine:

1 mango, peeled and pitted

about 10 mint leaves

2 pieces of chives

juice of 1 lime

Blend to mostly smooth, a bit chunky. Then stir in about 1/4 cup of greek yogurt. All ingredients to taste.

Bok Choy

I just washed and chopped the bok choy bunches in half, and wilted them in a skillet with a little oil.

Plate as follows: Bok choy on the bottom, then lamb steak, and mango puree over it all.

Very yummy!

Thanksgiving Loaves

2008-05-14T13:14:00.000-07:00

These are mini meatloaves that were inspired basically by these two entries: the former for the flavors/ingredients and the latter for the cook time and size. This had a strong thanksgiving taste and was way easier than cooking a turkey!

I combined 1 onion, diced with 1+ pound of dark ground turkey, about a cup to cup and a half of premade Pepperidge farm stuffing (the herb kind) and about half a jar of pre-made gravy. Add one egg and some S&P and moosh it all together and form into 5 loaves.

Meanwhile, I made this cranberry sauce and topped each loaf with a healthy dollop (hte rest I froze to use another time).

Bake the loaves on a greased cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes at 450.

Serve topped with remainder of heated gravy. SO yummy!

Top Chef - My Take

2008-04-29T10:35:00.000-07:00

If you watch Top Chef and have not yet seen last week's episode - stop reading now! Spoilers ahead!

Are you gone?

OK. Last week on Top Chef Ryan and I completely disagreed with which team lost. In this challenge, the contestants were in teams of two and had to create a dish using three random words from an improv club. The words were a color, a food, and a feeling. There were two teams at the bottom: one teams words were Orange, Turned-On, and Asparagus and their fatal flaw was that there was too much on the plate and the food just was not that good. The other team's words were Fuschia Drunken Polish Sausage. They decided that they were too good for the Polish Sausage and refused to serve it at all. Instead they served fish (????). Their dish tasted good... but was missing the food they were assigned. They also behaved in a very klassy way by taking a shot of tequila as they served the food - in front of their guests - and did not serve them anything! Yikes!

Needless to say, the Polish Sausage team stayed and a chef on the asparagus team went home. I am sure that if the asparagus team completely ignored the rules too, their dish could have been yummier. The Sausage team basically said "we arent going to cook a sausage in some beer and serve it. No"

WELL. Ryan and I were able to immediately come up with an awesome idea for those three words. He came up with Hangover Food - breakfast and I expanded on it.

So - my take on Drunken Fuschia Polish Sausage (and if lil ol me can come up with something good I know they could too!) This was really really good - I would even make it again. I am sure the Top CHef's could have prettied it up, I am not a "pretty" cook, but I think this proves that the sausage team could have turned on their creativity and made something good AND within the rules!

Drunken Fuschia Polish Sausage

(or, Sausage Sweet Potato Hash Fritatta with Raspberry Pancakes and Raspberry Mimosas)

Fritatta Hash:

1 sweet potato, cubed

1 small onion, diced

1/2 large ring of polish sausage, cubed

1 yellow pepped, diced

(I only used about 1/2 or 1/3 of the hash for the two of us, the rest I put inhte fridge and made the next day)

5 eggs

~4 oz sharp cheddar, shredded

splash of milk

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high. Add the sweet potato, onions, and sausage and saute until soft and just browning. Add the peppers and let soften just. put extra aside and fill an omelet-sized pan with the hash, over medium heat - so it looks to be about omelet sized. Add the eggs (beaten with milk) and cook until almost set. Flip the egg (I had my husband flip, or just wait until egg is set through if you arent a flipper). Add cheddar and cook until melted. Serve in slices.

Pancakes

I used America's Test Kitchen recipe for the pancakes base (which was great - nice and fluffy!):

1 cup flour

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup milk

1 large egg, separated

2 T butter, melted

Mix dry ingredients together. Combine the milk and buttermilk in a 2 cup (or larger) measuring cup (or bowl). Whisk in egg white. Mix in the yolk and butter and add to dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.

I added 1 pint of fresh raspberries (minus a few for serving)

Drop 1/4 cupfuls onto oiled skillet (med high - if the pancakes are browning too quickly lower the heat) - give enough space to breathe. 2-3 minutes on side 1, 1-2 minutes on side 2. I like to keep them warm in a 200 degree oven on a plate covered in foil while you cook the rest.

Sauce

Amounts are approximate...

1/2 bag of frozen raspberries (probably 1-2 cups) plus about 1/3 cup of Orange juice and 2-3 tablespoons of sugar in a small saucepan heated over high until berries start to break down. Add about 1/2 cup of maple syrup and heat to boiling until syrup thickens. Serve over pancakes (if I was a top chef and had time/wasnt starving by this point I would have strained it, but, well, Im not and I didnt!)

Drinks

I didnt make these alcoholic because a) neither of us had a need for the hair of the dog and b) i would prefer it with champagne, but Ryan is allergic and I didnt want to open a bottle at 10am just for me, and vodka wasnt appealing to me.

These would be great as mimosas though, and I might just make them sometime!

Put aside some of the raspberry mixture before adding the syrup. Spoon into wine glasses and top with orange juice. Add a fresh berry for garnish. Add champage or vodka as needed ;)

Strawberries and Mint

2008-04-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

I have always loved the flavor combination of strawberries and mint. Is this a normal combo? I feel like it is weird but I love it. I got soem berries from the store that were so-so so I didnt want to just serve them plain.... so I minced about 15 mint leaves (chiffonade then cut those crosswise so the pieces are teeny - big pieces of mint leaves are just way too overwhelming) and tossed them with a pint of sliced strawberries and about 2 spoonfuls of sugar (to help draw our the juices). Then let the macerate for an hour or two in the fridge.

Served over really good vanilla ice cream... heavenly.

Daring Cheesecake!

2008-04-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

This month's Daring Bakers Challenge is a recipe for mini cheesecake pops! THese looked and sounded so fun; I was really excited to try them with a few recipes. I made this recipe so it was ready to serve alongside birthday cake on my mom's birthday. I changed the recipe slightly, substituting the flour for cornstarch since my sister is allergic to wheat. There is a 2:1 flour:cornstarch ratio for that substitution, and it was not really an obvious change. The flour is really just there to provide some structure.

I doubled the recipe because I wanted to try a variety of flavors: I made half of my popsicles following the recipe exactly (other than the flour) and added some vanilla beans for an extra pop of vanilla. I dipped them in dark chocolate, which was melted with a little shortening, and I added some cinnamon and cayenne to make it a bit of a mexican chocolate - I really liked that layer in the flavor. These were decorated in colored stars.

With the other half, I made half coconut using a tsp of coconut extract, and dipping the chocolate in toasted coconut flakes. The remaining part was flavored with a tsp of lemon extract. These were dipped in multicolored sugar.

The pops were really good but I think I liked them better in theory than in practice. They were a bit too rich for me, and for ryan. I think I prefer cheekacake, straight up. Too much going on with these. But, dont take my word for it: my family enjoyed them, and the leftovers did not last long at Ryan's work!

Overall the recipe was a success. It took a bit longer to set in the oven, about 55 minutes. I just pulled them when they were set in the center. They were somewhat of a pain to roll - the cheesecake softened very quicklywhen I was rolling them and my hands got gooey quickly, I found them hard to get into uniform balls. The biggest difficulty I encountered was freezer space. After rolling the balls and sticking in the sticks the pops need to freeze in the freezer for a few hours. They defintely took longer for me for them to get really hard, and it was very hard to find the space in a standard side by side fridge/freezer, especially when the freezer is packed ;) I had to do small batches in the freezer which made the process longer than it should have been.

Had I had a second freezer or just less junk in mine, it would have been much easier.

Check out the recipe here at Taste and Tell, one of our esteemed hosts for this round!

Clear-out-the-pantry Coconut Curry Soup

2008-04-22T09:16:00.001-07:00

A while back I made this soup to use up a variety of things in the fridge before going bad... SO yummy!

First, I sauteed 4 green onions, chopped, in olive oil in a pot. I added 1/4 a white onion, diced that was in hte fridge too. Minced a little leftover fresh ginger, and added about 1 can worth of cocnut milk - combining the two open cans in hte fridge (one regular and one light) plus 1 cup of stock. I added a splash of fish sauce. I soaked and chopped some dried lemongrass. I added 2 tsp of red curry powder and about 1-2 tablespoons of fish sauce, and a splace of rice vinegar... and let the whole thing simmer for a bit.

In a separate pot, I cooked about 1/2 cup of jasmine rice according to pkg directions.

Then add 1 pound of shrimp - thawed, peeled, deveined - to the soup and simmer until shrimp is done through. Sreve with a scoop of rice and topped with chopped cilantro.

This was so good! Nice kick from the curry but the coconut helped cool it a bit.

Chilean Sea Bass

2008-04-22T08:55:00.000-07:00

I went to Whole Foods for my annual trip this weekend and brough home some fabulous fish - including gorgeous Chilean Sea Bass. It was pricey to half is in the freezer and we each had about a quarter pound. It was to DIE for. SO GOOD. And how fancy is that photo?!

I cooked the fish simply - pan fried with a little EVOO over medium high. It didnt take long - maybe 10 minuts or less total. Nice and crispy crust. Fab.

I served it over a wilted spinach saute:

I heated 1 cube of garlic (the frozen kind) with oil and 1/4 a yellow onion, diced. Once soft, I added 1 small yellow tomato, diced and a handful or chanterelle mushrooms, chopped. Once those were also soft I added some pine nuts and turned the heat to low. Fold in baby spinach (about 1/2 a bag) and toss with feta. Yummm.

Mini Cheddar Mustard Meatloaves

2008-04-22T08:40:00.000-07:00

This is another Everyday Food Recipe and as usual, it was a success! THese were very good - I loved the small size and the cheddar was fab. That said, they really were more reminiscent of burgers, especially with the mustard and ketchup. Not that that is a bad thing - I love burgers and dont love classic meatloaf. Overall - very yummy!

Serves 4

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon honey mustard
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 pound ground beef chuck
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 cup shredded white cheddar (about 4 ounces) use a good quality sharp cheddar - trust me its worth it!!
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with oil. In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons mustard and ketchup.
In a medium bowl, combine beef, egg, panko, 1/2 cup cheddar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and teaspoon pepper. Form into four 2-by-4-inch loaves; place on baking sheet. Brush with mustard mixture; top with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar.

Transfer meatloaves to upper rack of oven. Bake until loaves are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating sheets after 10 minutes. Remove loaves from oven.

PITTSBURGH Dinner Salad

2008-04-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

This round of Homegrown Gourmet is hosted by The Tempered Woman. She chose the theme of POTATOS. Hmm. I was unsure what I would make for the potato to represent our hometowns... I asked if sweet potatos, my fav, were allowed. Check. Finally it hit me. Potatos - fries - salad. Yes. Thats right. FRIES - SALAD. You see, in Pittsburgh, the standard salad is usually lettuce (iceberg) topped with fries and ranch. Yet people still say "Im on a diet, Im getting a salad" :)

I was introduced to this strange phenomenon when I moved to da Burgh for college, and it is the norm to ryan since he is from the area. I always felt this was a sign of the problem in America - even salads have greasy fries atop them.

So I submit to the honorable Chairwoman, a healthied-up Pittsburgh Salad.

The salad consists of: Fresh torn romaine and red leaf lettuce tossed with a little (about half the norm) Good Seasons Italian made with Raspberry Vinegar. I topped them with diced mango, avocado, sliced almonds.

Then I cooked 1 pound of shelled and deveined thawed shrimp, tossed in 1/4 cup of honey and 1/2 cup of orange juice plus a tablespoon of oil in a hot pan until just done.

As for the star - the POTATO:

I took a large sweet potato and peeled it, and chopped into fries. We both love sweet potatos: they are a super food and much healthier than regula potatos and the sweet flavor is just fab.

I cooked them in some olive oil in a hot pan until brown and crispy and done through. I let them sit on a paper towel to soak up some oil and then tossed with kosher salt.

They were the crowning glory to our dinner salads. Ryan was quite thrilled to see an homage to the Pittsburgh salad, reminiscent of his home. And I must say - I never cared for Pittsburgh Salads in their traditional format, but this was great! The color was beautiful and the potatos went really well with the other ingredients. I may do this next time I make this salad!

Baked Mustard Chicken

2008-04-22T08:02:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe I got from my mom. I know she got it from somewhere else but I have no clue where...

This was very yummy and so easy - I like finding recipes that are baked since they are "fix and forget" allowing me time to make sides while the main dish bakes.

This was really good but next time I will remember not to take baking time advice from the woman who's oven doesnt really work ;) I ended up cooking it for 45 minutes and it was definitely done 5-10 minutes earlier... so it was a bit dry. The flavor was great though!!

1 - 4 pound chicken in pieces OR I just did 4 breasts - with skin and bone but remove the skin prior to dredging. The bone gives it some extra flavor it seems. I cut the breasts in half as well and scored the meat to allow more of the sauce to seep in.

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix 3 TBL whole grain mustard, 2 TBL soy sauce, 1/4 tsp pepper in big bowl.

Add chicken & stir to coat.

Combine (my version) 1 lb baby carrots and 2 chunked onions in a roasting pan. Drizzle w/2 TBL olive oil, 1/2 salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 8 sprigs thyme. (recipe also calls for fennel bulb but I dont like it)

Nestle chicken among the veggies. Cook until tender and done, "45-50" min - takes my mom more like an hour and it was overdone at 45 for me... Good over rice.

Birthday Cake!

2008-04-22T07:42:00.000-07:00

For my mom's birthday, we had the whole family over for dinner to celebrate. She looooves a good rich chocolate frosting and wanted a moist cake, maybe with caramel, maybe with brown sugar. I think I achieved success!

Brown Sugar Butter Cake

(Adapted from Gourmet)

This recipe makes 1 - 9 inch round so I doubled it. My other changes in italics

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar (I subbed 1/2 of sugar for dark brown sugar)

1 whole large egg plus 1 large egg yolk

1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest (Omitted)

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup whole milk

Garnish: Confectioners sugar (omitted)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan, then line bottom with a round of parchment paper and butter parchment. Lightly dust with flour.
Whisk together flour (1 3/4 cups), baking powder, and salt.
Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add whole egg, yolk, zest, and vanilla and beat 1 minute. At low speed, mix in flour mixture and milk alternately in batches.
Spread batter in cake pan and bake until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack.

The cake was great - so buttery and moist!

Caramel Sauce for Layers

(Adapted from Gourmet)

I cut each cake layer in half and in between I layered some homemade caramel sauce. I used this recipe:

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (I used Dark)

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Equipment: a candy thermometer

Bring cream, brown sugar, corn syrup, and a pinch of salt to a boil in a 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Boil until glaze registers 210 to 212°F on thermometer, 12 to 14 minutes, then stir in vanilla.
Put rack with cake in a shallow baking pan and pour hot glaze over top of cake, allowing it to run down sides. Cool until glaze is set, about 30 minutes.

I let the sauce set in the fridge and it separated into a thick layer on top which it what I used between the layers. I drizzled the remainder over the frosted cake.

Chocolate Frosting

(From Cooks Illustrated)

This recipe was so so easy, quick and is fabulously rich. I also made it here.

Foolproof Chocolate Frosting

Makes 3 cups

20 T unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
pinch salt
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
8 ounces chocolate (I used unsweetened), melted and cooled slightly

In food processor (NOT your KASM), process butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt until smooth, about 30 sec. Scrape sides as needed. Add corn syrup and vanilla and process to just combined, 5-10 sec. Scrape sides, and add chocolate and pulse to smooth and creamy, 10-15 sec. Frosting can by used immediately or held (longer than 3 hrs, chill covered and let stand at room temp for an hour prior to use). Yummmmm

Paprika Fries

2008-04-22T07:37:00.000-07:00

I whipped up from french fries for dinner last week when we had burgers and they came out so so well. I used one large idaho potato, scrubbed with the skin on. Chop into fry shapes. Heat a large pan over medium high and add enough oil to have about 1 cm deep. When hot, add the potatos (make sure to use an oil shield thing!!!) and cook, stirring often until they are all brown and crispy. Add to a bowl with paper towel to soak up some of the oil. Shak in a covered bowl with kosher salt and smoked paprika - SO GOOD. The smoked paprika gave them a fabulous flavor, I loved the smokiness in hte background.

Blogging with a Purpose

2008-04-22T07:25:00.000-07:00

My buddy Elizabeth at Elizabeth's Cooking Experiment's gave me this prize recently! I am so touched - thank you! :) Her blog is awesome with some fabulously decadent looking entrees - check her out!

Next I need to nominate a few others:

1) My dear friend Michelle at Musings of Michelle. She is somewhat new to food blogging but her cooking sounds so good and she is one strong and awesome woman!

OK I cant find anyone else I am thinking of honoring who HASNT already been picked for this!! So... sorry :(

Now, here's what you five have to do:- Nominate 5 blogs that haven't had this award before- Each of the blogs must have a purpose- The nominated blogs must have a link back to this blog- The logo from this award must be displayed in your blog

Asian Shrimp Stew with Steamed Rice

2008-04-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

OK first things first. Star this post, print it, commit it to memory, whatever. It is FABULOUS. Make it like tomorrow. Love. IT.

This is from Everyday Food Magazine. My sister also subscribes and she made this a while ago and has been bugging me about how good it was, so finally I made it too. Wow. I should listen to her more often (Moira - just testing to see if you are reading this ;) )

Serves 4

Prep Time: 30 Min

Total Time: 30 Min

Avoid overcooking vegetables.

1 Cup long-grain white rice

2 T cornstarch

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 T sugar

1 T vegetable oil

2 yellow bell peppers, in one inch pieces

1 onion, cut in one inch pieces (I used red since I was out of yellow)

4 garlic cloves, sliced

2 T minced peeled fresh ginger from a 2 inch piece

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (I misread and used 1/2 tsp - it was definitely spicy, especially for this spice-averse girl, but I could eat it and it was still really good. So if you like a kick, go with 1/2 tsp)

4 scallions, thinly sliced (separate whites and greens - I skipped since I didnt realize teh white were to be cooked)

salt

1 pound shrimp (raw, peeled, thawed, deveined, tails removed)

1-2 tsp rice vinegar

Directions

1) Cook rice according to pkg, set aside covered. Meanwhile, place cornstarch in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in coconut milk, sugar, and 1 cup water. Set aside.

2) In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add peppers, onion, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and scallion whites. Season with salt. Cook, tossing frequently, until vegetables are crisp tender, 6-8 min.

3) add coconut milk mixture to skillet. Raise heat to med high. Boil, stirring occassionally, until thickened, 1-2 min. Add shrimp, and cook just until opaque, 3-4 min. If necessary, adjust consistency with a little water. Season with vinegar and salt to taste.

4) Fluff rice with fork. Serve shrimp stew over rice, garnish with scallion greens.

SO. FAB.

Balsamic Beets

2008-04-15T16:34:00.000-07:00

We both like beets pretty well, Ryan more than I though. The same old same old veggies get... well... old after a while though so they are something I make occasionally to mix things up. I adore balsamic so I figured it would up my enjoyment, and it did! The sweetness and acidity of the vingegar really balanced the earthy beets nicely!
This was easy, though I ran out of time and had to peel tehm when they were still piping hot and definitely burned my fingers.

I used this recipe from William Sonoma. (I halved it, and could only find the regular red beets):

Most beet varieties are available in markets in late spring. Although the most common type sold is deep garnet-red, you’ll also find golden beets and even ones with concentric red and white stripes reminiscent of a candy cane. To insure freshness and tenderness, choose small or medium beets with their greens still attached. Remove the greens as soon as you get home, as they will leach moisture from the roots if stored intact over long periods. Garnish the dish with fresh parsley sprigs, if you like.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. red beets, with greens attached
1 1/2 lb. yellow beets, with greens attached
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup aged balsamic vinegar
3 Tbs. firmly packed brown sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 400°F.
Trim off the beet greens and reserve for another use. Wash the beets well but do not peel, and place in a shallow baking dish. In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil and water. Pour the mixture over the beets and toss to coat them completely. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake until the beets are tender when pierced with a skewer, 45 to 55 minutes. Remove from the oven, uncover and let cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, stir together the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Continue to boil until reduced by one-third, about 10 seconds. Remove from the heat.
Peel the beets by slipping off the skins, then cut them crosswise into thin slices. Place in a warmed serving bowl and drizzle with the balsamic glaze. Season with salt and pepper, toss to coat and serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Seasonal Celebration Series, Spring, by Joanne Weir (Time-Life Books, 1997).

Faux Key Lime "Souffle"

2008-04-15T16:27:00.001-07:00

This is a recipe (if you can even call it that!!) that I picked up from the free william sonoma demo class on Souffles a few weeks back. They share a more complicated recipe that involved homemade curd but as a simple, quick option, store bought curd was just as good (we even did a taste test in the class :) )

I used the Key Lime curd, 1 jar. Take 1 cup of heavy cream and whip it. Whip it good. :-p When the cream has formed stiff peaks, stir in 1/2 of the curd until combined. Then, fold in 1/3, and then fold in the final third.

Add to dish (one large souffle dish, I just did individual servings in little pyrex dishes) and chill in the fridge until ready to serve (a few hours minimum). Top with addl whipped cream, fresh fruit, etc. Very refreshing, easy!

Balsamic-Rosemary Marinated Chicken

2008-04-05T19:55:00.000-07:00

I sometimes like to go to the cooking demo's at William Sonoma - they are free and are nice for explaining or introducing to new cooking techniques or ingredients. Now, balsamic isnt new for me, but I adore it so wanted to see some new ways to use it. The lady there made (among other things) this marinade for chicken and it was so good, that I made it at home the next day. FAB! Ryan loved it too. I think it would be great on a pork tenderloin too.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbs. soy sauce
4 1/2 tsp. firmly packed golden brown sugar
3/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh rosemary
5 garlic cloves, chopped

Directions:

In a food processor, combine the vinegar, olive oil, soy sauce, brown sugar and pepper and pulse until blended. With the motor running, drop the rosemary and garlic through the feed tube and continue to process until fairly smooth.

I marinated it in a large bag with 2 chicken breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces, for about 1 hour. Then, I cooked them on a hot pan until done through and slightly caramelized. Yummm

Pork Tenderloin with Garlic-Orange Vinaigrette

2008-04-05T19:33:00.000-07:00

Yep. Thats right. Everyday Food Magazine. (I should rename my blog lol)...

Serves 4

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each), trimmed and patted dry
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (Didnt have any dijon so I used brown... still good but the mustard was a bit strong. Next time Ill use Dijon)
1 tablespoon honey
1 garlic clove
4 bunches flat-leaf spinach (about 2 pounds total), thick stems removed, washed well (I did roasted asparagus instead with the dressing over it, so good!)

Directions

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium; season pork with salt and pepper. Add pork to skillet, and cook, turning occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part registers 145 degrees, 20 to 25 minutes (reduce heat if pork browns too quickly). Transfer pork to a plate, and cover loosely with aluminum foil; let rest 5 to 10 minutes (reserve skillet).

Meanwhile, in a blender, combine orange juice, mustard, honey, garlic, and 2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper, and blend until smooth; set vinaigrette aside.

In reserved skillet (if bottom of skillet is blackened, use a new one), heat remaining tablespoon oil over high. Add as much spinach as will fit; toss until wilted, adding more spinach as there is room, 3 to 5 minutes total. Drain off excess liquid, and season spinach with salt and pepper. Slice pork and drizzle with vinaigrette; serve with spinach. (or roast asparagus at 450 for 15 min, tossed with oil and salt, turning halfway and serve topped with vinaigrette - was excellent!)

Sweet Potato Soup with Chipotle Cream

2008-04-03T08:14:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, my mother-in-law mailed a clipping from Ladies Home Journal with this recipe, saying that it sounded like something we would like. She was right! I filed it away fully intending to make it... but then it got lost in the shuffle. When trying to decide what to make for our bi-weekly sunday dinners with my sis and bro, I looked through my soups and saw it again. Sweet Potatos go well (I think) with Pork (which I was serving as well) and soups are good weekend projects since sometimes they take some extra time and cleanup.

This was SO good! I really liked it! The Chipotle cream is key so don't skip it. Without it, the soup was too sweet, almost baby-food like? But the smokiness in the cream was the right balance. I couldnt find unsalted pepitas ANYWHERE (not at Trader Joes, not at Kanes, not at Fitzgeralds, and not at Stop and Shop...) so salted it was. I dont think it was an issue though, still was yummy. I recommend this soup and would definitely make it again!

Makes 15 Cups

2 T olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 pounds sweet potatos, peeled and diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 T tomato paste

4 (14 ounce) cans low sodium chicken broth (note: I read this as 4 cups and then later felt like more broth was needed... guess I was right!)

3 T maple syrup

1 T lime juice

1 1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp cumin

3/4 tsp dried sage

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 bay leaf

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 chipotle chile (from a can of chipotles in adobo), seeds removed and finely chopped (1/2 tsp or to taste - I did more like a full tsp)

2 tsp adobo sauce (from can) or to taste (I did a bit more)

1/2 cup unsalted pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)

In a large pot, heat oil over low. Add onion and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Increase heat to medium; stir in potato, carrots, and tomato paste. Cook until vegetables begin to caramelize, about 4 min. Add broth, syrup, juice, salt, cumin, sage, pepper, bay leaf, and nutmeg. Cover and cook until vegetables are fork-tender, about 30 min. Discard Bay leaf. Puree using an immersion blender or in batches in a blender.

For Chipotle Cream: in a small mixer bowl, beat cream on medium to firm peaks. Fold in chile and adobo sauce.

Ladel soup into bowls, top with a dollop of cream, and sprinkle with pepitas.

Chocolate 'Covered' Banana Cupcakes

2008-04-02T18:55:00.000-07:00

I made these cupcakes to bring to a party. There was going to be a 20 month old there who cant yet have peanuts or coconuts (or booze probably!) so I wanted to make some cupcakes with something else to kick them up. I had saved this recipe ages ago from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody that I used to make cupcakes (the explosion of overripe bananas in my freezer helped too!)

Banana Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup shortening

8 ounce Mascarpone cheese

2 eggs

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 cup mashed bananas (I used 2 overripe frozen then thawed bananas)

Cream together the sugar, shortening and Mascarpone cheese. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down after each addition. Add vanilla extract and mix for another 30 seconds. Add banana and buttermilk. Mix together all dry ingredients, then combine sugar mixture with dry ingredients. Pour into 9 x 13 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. (This made 22 cupcakes, on the full side, and took about 15ish minutes to be done).

I picked up the April issue of Cooks Illustrated and decided to test out their "Foolproof Chocolate Frosting' claim. After all, my mom's birthday is coming up and she loves a good chocolate frosting. This recipe lived up to its claims: easy decadently deeply chocolatey...

Foolproof Chocolate Frosting

Makes 3 cups

20 T unsalted butter, softened

1 cup confectioners sugar

3/4 cup cocoa

pinch salt

3/4 cup light corn syrup

1 tsp vanilla

8 ounces chocolate (I used unsweetened), melted and cooled slightly

Strawberry Crepes

2008-04-02T09:22:00.001-07:00

Ryan requested that I try making crepes when I asked for breakfast suggestions last weekend. Man they are HARD! Definitely a few went in hte trash! But then I got the hang of it... yum! I used this recipe from william sonoma, with the addition of some vanilla beans mmm.

These crepes can be used with a variety of sweet or savory fillings. They're the perfect foundation for our souffléd crepes
Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1/2 Tbs. melted unsalted butter, plus 8 tsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
Directions:
In a blender, combine the milk, egg, flour, the 1/2 Tbs. melted butter and the salt and blend until smooth. Refrigerate for 2 to 8 hours. In a crepe pan over medium heat, melt 1 tsp. of the butter to coat the pan evenly. Lift the pan at a slight angle and pour 2 Tbs. of the batter into the center, tilting the pan to spread the batter to the edges. Return the pan to the heat and cook until the crepe is golden underneath, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a spatula, flip the crepe over and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cover. Repeat with the remaining batter. Makes 8 crepes.
Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

Simply served with sliced strawberries and fresh whipped cream. Sooo good...

Balsamic Strawberries YOU FOOL!

2008-04-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to make fools for a while now but just never got around to it. Stop and Shop has had great strawberries lately, so we have an abundance, and some were getting a bit peaked looking... perfect opportunity! I wanted to try something a bit different for it, though, so I macerated the (sliced, cleaned, stemmed) berries in a few tablespoons of balsamic for about an hour first, then shot them through the cuisinart with a tablespoon of sugar. The balsamic flavor was subtle but same through and gave a nice acidity to the fruit. They would be great seved sliced over vanilla ice cream too!

Meanwhile, I whipped some cream (no sugar added). Fold in the berries and serve! These can be made ahead a little and refridgerated. SO good...

I use about 1 cup of whipping cream and a little less than a pint of berries.

This made about 4 martini glasses worth, but it is very rich so I think that it would be plenty for 6 as well.

I will definitely experiment with other fruit this summer!

Balsamic Skirt Steak with Polenta and Roasted Tomatoes

2008-04-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

This is from my fav recipe source, Everyday Food mag (check it out - its a small reader's digest sized magazine and so so good and easy!). It was an excellent meal!

Serves 4

Total Time 35 Min

2 pints grape tomatoes

6 scallions, white and greens separated and cut into 1 inch pieces (note: next time I wouldnt bother separating but would just roast them all)

2 T olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 cup groupnd cornmeal

1 Tablespoon Butter

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1.5 ponuds skirt steak (cut into pieces as needed to fit in skillet)

1 cup balsamic

1) Preheat over to 400. In a large saucepan, set 4 cups of water to boil. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss tomatoes with scallion whites and 1 T oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast until tomatoes are tender and some skins have split, 12 to 15 min; toss wiht scallion greens.

2) Meanwhile, add 1 tsp salt to boiling water; gradually whisk in cornmeal. Simmer gently over low heat, whicking occassionally, until polenta is thickened and cooked through, about 10 min. Whisk in butter and parmesan and keep over low heat (add more water if needed if too thick before serving)

3) Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high. Season steak with salt and pepper and add to skillet. Cook turning once , 6-8 min total for medium rare. Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil and let rest 5-10 min.

4) Add vinegar to skillet and boil on high until reduced to 1/2 cup, 5-7 min. Stir in any juices from the steak. Slice steak and serve with vinegar , polenta, and tomatoes

I don't like CAPERS!!!

2008-04-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

So this month, Kate is hosting Platinum Chef Challenge, and her five ingredients are:

Leeks

Lemon

Cream

Rosemary

Capers

I had all sorts of great ideas and felt very inspired by this grocery list. So inspired that I made my entry THAT DAY. But I have waited to post my results. Why? Well. I learned that I really. Truly. Not at all. Made me gag. Needed to eat a chocolate bunny to get the taste out of my mouth. Dont. Like. Capers!!!!!!!!!

I think that had I discovered a love of capers. Or even a like. I would have enjoyed my dishes. I was tempted to try something else for a more palatable result, but that would mean including capers. Again. NOOOOOO!!!

I made two dishes though, both incorporated all five ingredients. The first was an asparagus soup, and the second a tapenade of sorts. Ryan really liked the tapenade (he does not share my capers aversion apparently).

Roasted Asparagus-Capers Soup

1 bundle of asparagus, trimmed, washed

3 sprigs of rosemary

1 lemon

4 cups stock

1 bundle leeks, trimmed and carefully washed

4 oz craime fraiche

2-3 tablespoons capers

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

scallops

bacon

Roast asparagus in an oven at 450 degrees tossed with oil, rosemary sprigs, and thinly sliced lemon for about 15 minutes or until slightly charred.

Meanwhile, in a large stock pot, heat oil over medium and add chopped leeks. Stir occasionally until slightly browned. Add stock and simmer about 10 min. In batches if needed, puree the stock/leeks and asparagus in a food processor or blender to smooth. Stir in cream to taste. Salt and pepper to taste.

In a small skillet, sautee the capers until slightly brown. Stir into soup. (Optional) Sear bacon wrapped scallops.

If desired, top with bacon-wrapped scallop.

Caper Tapenade

In a blender, combine 2 T drained capers, and the 'leaves' from 1 sprig of rosemary. Set aside.

Sautee thinly sliced whites from 1 large (or 3 small) leek with olive oil to caramelize. Combine with the caper-rosemary mixture. Squeeze juice from 1/2 of a lemon over, and stir in craime fraiche. Serve with multigrain bread.

'Daring' Easter Cake!

2008-03-30T14:05:00.000-07:00

This month's Daring Bakers' Challenge (click HERE to see all the other participants!) was Dorie Greenspan's 'Perfect Party Cake.' I thought that the family Easter/Bday (x3) party would be the perfect time to make it. I make the cake according to the directions, only subbing the raspberry jam for blueberry, and toasting my coconut for the sides. I also found that I needed another 1/2 batch of the buttercream to have enough to frost and decorate.

For the Cake

2 1/4 cups cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk (I prefer buttermilk with the lemon)

4 large egg whites

1 ½ cups sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ teaspoon pure lemon extract

For the Buttercream

1 cup sugar

4 large egg whites

3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Finishing

2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable

About 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut

Getting Ready

Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

To Make the Cake

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.

Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.

Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated. Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean

Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners.

Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).

To Make the Buttercream

Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream.

Remove the bowl from the heat.

Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.

Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth.

Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes.

During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again.

On medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla. You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.

To Assemble the Cake

Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half. Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper.

Spread it with one third of the preserves.

Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream.

Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream leftover).

Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top. Press the coconut into the frosting, patting it gently all over the sides and top.

Serving

The cake is ready to serve as soon as it is assembled, but I think it’s best to let it sit and set for a couple of hours in a cool room – not the refrigerator. Whether you wait or slice and enjoy it immediately, the cake should be served at room temperature; it loses all its subtlety when it’s cold. Depending on your audience you can serve the cake with just about anything from milk to sweet or bubbly wine.

Storing

The cake is best the day it is made, but you can refrigerate it, well covered, for up to two days. Bring it to room temperature before serving. If you want to freeze the cake, slide it into the freezer to set, then wrap it really well – it will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer; defrost it, still wrapped overnight in the refrigerator.

Playing Around

Since lemon is such a friendly flavour, feel free to make changes in the preserves: other red preserves – cherry or strawberry – look especially nice, but you can even use plum or blueberry jam.

Fresh Berry Cake

If you will be serving the cake the day it is made, cover each layer of buttercream with fresh berries – use whole raspberries, sliced or halved strawberries or whole blackberries, and match the preserves to the fruit. You can replace the coconut on top of the cake with a crown of berries, or use both coconut and berries. You can also replace the buttercream between the layers with fairly firmly whipped sweetened cream and then either frost the cake with buttercream (the contrast between the lighter whipped cream and the firmer buttercream is nice) or finish it with more whipped cream. If you use whipped cream, you’ll have to store the cake the in the refrigerator – let it sit for about 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.

The cake came out well, very white with a nice rise and golden top. Very dense, rich cake! The buttercream was fabulous... the two together were VERY lemony. The blueberry was a welcome sweetness.

I was very proud of my decorating since that is NOT normally my strong suit. Go me!

MmmmMmmMMMMmm Chocolate...

2008-03-28T06:49:00.000-07:00

I love love love really dark chocolate so when Blakes Makes had a giveaway for the new TCHO Chocolates - I signed right up!

The chocolates came last week from CA in a fun silver bubble envelope. Sadly, my photos came out terribly, I dont know why, so I am grabbing pics from the TCHO website. I got teh "Chocolatey" kind and wow was it ever!

This chocolate was a very pure tasting dark chocolate. A hint of fruit at the end and a hint of espresso. Often dark chocolate can have a sour, 'off' flavor at teh end and there was none of that.

I shared mine with my mom who is also a chocolate fan and she loved it too.

This chocolate was so good... I would definitely buy it as a special gift! Mmmmm

Coconut Risotto with Shrimp and Green Sauce

2008-03-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

I saw this on another blog and knew I needed to make it that very night. And my instincts were good - it was SO YUMMY! I loved it. Shrimp + coconut + lime + cilantro + avocado? Seriously... cant go wrong. Those are all some of my most favorite flavors.

The rice was nice and creamy and the sauce had a nice bite from the lime. Definitely making this one again! My changes (very few) in italics!

Butterflied Shrimp on Coconut Risotto with Avocado, Lime and Cilantro Cream

For 4 Servings:

Risotto:

1 cup arborio rice

1 can (14 oz.) coconut milk

2 - 3 cups chicken stock

1 Tablespoon sliced green onion

1 Tablespoon neutral oil

1/4 cup shredded coconut - toasted (I forgot that this went in the risotto and only topped it with a sprinkle... I didnt bother toasting it either out of time constraints but next time I would)

Shrimp:

12 large shrimp - tails on and butterflied (sliced down the back nearly all the way through) (I used more since this was our main entree - 1 pound for 2 ppl)

1 Tablespoon neutral oil

Cream:

1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves

1/2 small avocado

1 Tablespoon lime juice (I used a bit more than this... wanted a bit more of a zip)

1/4 cup sour cream

Make the risotto:

Saute green onion in 1 T oil briefly. Add rice and toast lightly. Mix coconut milk and chicken stock.

Add stock mixture to rice one cup at a time - letting rice absorb stock before adding another cup.

Add the toasted coconut after the second cup of stock. Stir nearly constantly. (omitted - forgot!) When you get to the 20 minute mark, check the rice for consistency.

Once the rice is al dente and creamy, you're done. You may or may not use all of the stock.

Keep warm.

Make the cream:

Combine cilantro, avocado, lime and sour cream in a blender. Puree until very smooth.

Make the shrimp:

Pan-fry the shrimp - cut side down - until lightly browned. This will take about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water to the pan so the shrimp will finish cooking and curl slightly. This will take just another 2 minutes or so.

Serve the risotto topped with shrimp. Place a dollop of cream on each shrimp and garnish with a sprinkling of toasted coconut and a cilantro leaf.

Chicken Tikka Masala

2008-03-20T09:21:00.000-07:00

This recipe was found in hte Letters / Readers' Favorite Recipes section of Bon Appetit and unfortunately, i could not locate it on Epicuious... so I will type the whole. long. recipe. out.

I made this a few weekends ago when my sister and brother came over for dinner. There are alot of steps so definitely a weekend-only meal, but it was really good! Very flavorful. Not too spicy either (and I am very picky about spicy food)

6 Servings

Onion-Tomato Masala

3 T Olive Oil

2 cups chopped onion

1.5 tsp cumin seeds

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 T ground coriander

3 cups chopped tomatos (about 3 medium)

Chicken Tikka

1/4 cup plus 1 T olive oil, plus addl for brushing

2 T fresh lemon juice, divided

1 tsp salt, divided

3/4 tsp cayenne pepper, divided

1/2 tsp dry mustard powder, divided

2 pounds skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

1 cup plain yogurt

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 T minced peeled ginger

1 tsp garam masala

Chopped cilantro to garnish

Masala: Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over med high heat. Add onions and cumin and saute until onions are golden, about 12 min. Add garlic and ginger, stir 1 min. Add coriander, stir 15 sec. Add tomatos; reduce heat to medium and simmer until chunky sauce forms, about 6 min. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Chicken: Whisk 1/4 cup of oil with 1 T lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cayenne, and 1/4 tsp dry mustard in large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and chill 30 min, tossing occasionally.

whisk next 4 ingredients with 1 T oil, 1 T lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cayenne, and 1/4 tsp mustard in a large bowl. Add chicken mixture and toss. Cover and chill 3 hrs, tossing occasionally.

Preheat oven to 375. Thread chicken onto skewers, dividing evenly. Brush grill pan with oil, heat over med-high. Work in batches as needed, grill chichen with marindae still clinging until dark brown (approx 2 min per side). Transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Place in oven and roast until cooked through, about 15 min. (I omitted the skewers and just did the chicken in a pan and then the oven)

Rewarm Masala mixture and serve topped with chicken. Garnish with cilantro. I served it with jasmine rice.

Bananas Foster

2008-03-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

Always on hte lookout for wheat-free dessert's to serve my sis... this one was from Everyday Food and is ridiculously quick and easy. And yummy!

1 Pint Vanilla Ice Cream (I used Haagen Daaz Vanilla Bean... mmmm)

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar

1/4 cup dark or gold rum

3 bananas, halved crosswise and lengthwise, peeled

1) Set Ice Cream out to soften. In a large skillet, heat butter, sugar, and rum over medium low. Cook stirring occasionally until smooth and bubbly, 4-6 min.

2) Add bananas and cook, gently swirling skillet until bananas are just warmed through, 1-2 min. Scoop ice cream into bowls, top with bananas and sauce. Serve immediately.

Sea Bass over Wilted Spinach

2008-03-18T19:57:00.001-07:00

How fancy does THAT sound? ;)

The sea bass - Ryan loves it and they had some nice pieces at the place I go for fish and beef. We both prefer fish simply prepared and pan-fried so I seared the fish in olive oil with lemon juice on high then dropped the heat to medium to med low and covered with a grease catcher and let cook for about 15 min. Meanwhile.

The spinach was from an Everyday Food recipe in the March issue. It was featured under roasted salmon and I think that it would be fab with salmon simply prepared too. The recipe serves 4 - I halved it for the two of us and it was just right. Healthy too! Lots of iron :)

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 bags (5 ounces each) baby spinach
1/2 cup feta, crumbled (2 ounces)
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add as much spinach as will fit; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing spinach and adding more to skillet as space becomes available, until tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; drain off excess liquid. Stir in feta, pine nuts, and lemon juice. Serve fish with spinach saute.

Very nice! Served along with roasted asparagus and some GAWGEOUS freah strawberries from stop and shop (spring REALLY must be on the way...)

BTW: asparagus is coming into season. OMG it tastes so much better in season than out of season. Noticeably sweeter and just yummier. So. GO GET SOME ASPARAGUS! :)

Cranberry Soda Bread

2008-03-18T19:35:00.001-07:00

For St Patricks Day weekend we went to Pittsburgh for the parade and my sister-in-law and brother-in-law's annual shindig.

I decided to try my hand at Irish Soda Bread, which Irish though I am, I have never made. not sure why because it is EASY and YUMMY!

I had to be different though and changed the recipe to be more of a sweet bread than a traditional Irish Soda, and used dried cranberries instead of raisins too. It was SO.GOOD. I seriously ate about 5 (small) pieces saturday night. YUM!

The recipe is from one of my good buddies Alison (Finny). This is one of her family recipes (plus my changes since I cant leave well enough alone...). My changes in italics

2 cup raisins (crans)

4 cup flour (It was a REALLLLLY wet dough so I added about 1/4-1/2 cup out of worry)

3/4 cup sugar (I added 1/4 c extra)

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda (all the recipe said was "tsp" so I guessed at 1...)

1 3/4 cup butter milk (i did it the cheater way - turned milk to buttermilk by added white vinegar)

1 egg

1 stick butter, chopped (I softened it first to work in the dough more easily)

1. soak 2 cup raisins in warm water, when plump drain.

2. combine dry ingredients in large bowl

3. add butter - use hands to mix

4. combine wet ingredients in separate bowl

5. slowly add wet ingredients to dry, mix with hands, turn dough (will be sticky) If too sticky add more flour

6. place moist dough in greased cast iron pan or onto a greased cookie sheet. The dough was huge and wet so needed to be a skillet... I tried a cookie sheet but it wasnt holding together...)

7. cut x across top of dough

8. Back at 350 until toothpick comes out clean. (about 1 hour)

9. if the top is getting too brown before middle is done...cover with foil.

I also "floured" the loaf before baking with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and some more after it came out of the oven.

SO GOOD.

Beer Bread

2008-03-02T07:42:00.001-08:00

For some reason I was in the mood to make bread yesterday but didnt have the time for a yeast bread. Looked around and decided - beer bread! This is so incredibly easy. SO fast to make. We are talking the ease of making a brownie mix. And good! I made two loaves...

I did a quick google to get the correct ratios and used this website.

Basic Beer Bread Mix:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon baking powder (make sure it's fresh!)

12 ounces beer

Optional glaze: 1 egg & 2 teaspoons water, beaten

Heat oven to 375 degrees. (for some reason I wrote 350 not 375 but it came out well, not too brown and took 45 min to be done so I recommend the 350)

Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, dill, and cheddar in a large mixing bowl. Slowly stir in beer and mix just until combined. Batter will be thick. Spread in a greased 8-inch loaf pan, brush with egg glaze if desired, and bake until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool 10 more minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Flavor Variations (also see the comments section at the end of this post for lots more beer bread flavor inspiration):

Garlic & Herb: Add 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and 2 minced garlic cloves (or 1 teaspoon garlic flakes) to the basic mix. For fresh herbs, use 1 chopped Tablespoon of each.

Dill & Chive: Add 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried dill) and 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives to the basic mix.

Rosemary & Feta (courtesy of my bread baking pal, Beth): Add 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary and 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 4 ounces) to the basic mix.

Italian: Add 1 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano (or 1 Tablespoon each chopped fresh basil and oregano), 2 minced cloves of garlic, and 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan or romano cheese to the basic mix.

Other Additions: Any dried or fresh herbs; 1/2 cup freshly grated asiago (or other hard cheese); 1/2 cup finely chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped scallions; 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour or 1/2 cup oats in place of 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour. Or practically anything else you can think of--just use your imagination.

I made two loaves: the first with Sam Adams Brown Lager and a generous 1/2 cup or parmesan (plus some sprinkled over the egg wash on top)

The Second with Blue Moon Winter and 3 cloves of garlic, minced, and a tsp each of rosemary, oregano and thyme.

We have only cut into the Parmesan one so far but it is very good! Consistency is similar to a banana bread. Easy enough to make that you dont even need a mixer!

Once these loaves are done I plan to attempt a whole wheat loaf - with honey beer and honey instead of sugar... shd be good!

"Rice" pudding

2008-03-01T20:02:00.000-08:00

Part deux of my Platinum Chef entry, I decided to go with a dessert. I used a recipe from Epicurious as my base. I had planned to make this with butternut as well but ran out of time and energy so I just used canned pumpkin instead. I also skipped carmelizing (no blowtorch :( ) I subbed barley for the rice - tricky tricky!!

From the site:

Caramelizing the top of this pudding adds an extra depth of flavor, but it's equally delicious without doing it.
A blowtorch works best here; the broiler didn't give us the uniform browning we wanted.

Active time: 1 3/4 hr Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

Servings: Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Ingredients

1 (1 1/2- to 2-lb) piece pumpkin or butternut squash, halved and seeded (omitted)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (omitted)

2/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

2/3 cup long-grain white rice (changed to PEARL BARLEY)

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 cups whole milk

8 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger (2 oz) (omitted)

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar such as Sugar in the Raw (optional) (omitted)

Added: 1 vanilla bean

1 can pumpkin (1 1/3 cups used)

Special equipment: a blowtorch (optional)

Preparation

Bake pumpkin: Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.
Arrange each piece of pumpkin, cut side up, on a sheet of foil. Top each with 1/2 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. Wrap separately in foil and bake, cut sides up, in a shallow baking pan until flesh is tender, about 1 hour.
Open foil and cool pumpkin slightly, then scoop flesh into a food processor and purée until smooth. (This was all skipped and canned pumpkin was used instead)

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Cook rice (barley) while pumpkin bakes: Heat rice, salt, 4 cups milk, and remaining 2/3 cup granulated sugar in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until very hot. Transfer to a large metal bowl set over a large saucepan of simmering water (or to a double boiler) and cook over low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender and most of milk is absorbed, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. (Add more simmering water to saucepan if necessary.) Remove pan from heat and keep rice warm, covered.

Make pudding: Lightly whisk yolks in a large bowl, then whisk in vanilla, ginger, 1 1/3 cups pumpkin purée (reserve remainder for another use), and remaining cup milk. Gradually stir in warm rice, then pour mixture into a buttered 2-quart flameproof shallow baking dish (not glass). Set baking dish in a roasting pan and bake pudding in a hot water bath, uncovered, in oven until set, 50 minutes to 1 hour.

If caramelizing pudding, sprinkle evenly with turbinado sugar, then move blowtorch flame evenly back and forth over sugar until sugar is melted and caramelized. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Cooks' notes:• Pumpkin can be baked and puréed 2 days ahead and cooled, uncovered, then chilled, covered. • Pudding can be baked (but not caramelized) 1 day ahead and cooled, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before caramelizing or serving.

That was all from the website linked. I added the vanilla bean (seeds and pods) to the milk and barley as it was cooking (remove the pods before cooking of course!) I still used vanilla in the custard because I really wanted vanilla to be a star in this. The barley worked great as a substitute for the rice - healthied it up a bit (though really all the whole milk and sugar... not much that can be done!). I dont think ryan would have known except I told him about the challenge and ingredients prior.

It turned out great - lucky since there is a TON leftover!

Beef Barley Soup

2008-03-01T19:42:00.000-08:00

I made this soup for part of the Platinum Chef Challenge (post to follow) and thought I was being all creative with it... turns out Beef Barley soup is a common thing... ah well! I made it sans recipe and with some platinum twists and LOVED it. SO good! Ryan had two helpings :) I would make it again, for sure (once the extra servings in the freezer are gone ;) )

Beef Barley Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup pearl barley

Olive oil

1 can chickpeas

Ground Cumin

1 large onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups stock (I used a combination of beef and chicken - 4 and 2 - have extra on hand to add as needed)

8 ounces butternut in bite sized pieces

about 1.5 to 2 pounds of strips of beef (I forget what cut mine it... bought in bulk and frozen for fajitas)

In a medium stockpot, bring 2.5 cups of water with a pinch of salt to a boil. Add barley, lower heat and simmer stirring occasionally for 45 minutes or until done (tender, most or all water absorbed). Set aside.

In a large stockpot, heat 2 T olive oil over medium high. Add can of drained chickpeas and 1 tablespoon of ground cumin. Cook for a couple minutes, stirring occasionally. When chickpeas start to slightly brown, add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally for another 5 min until onions are soft and browning.

Add Stock. Dump in barley. Add butternut. Lower heat to a slow simmer.

Meanwhile in a large frying pan, heat a tsp or 2 of olive oil over medium high heat. Season beef with kosher salt and cumin. Add beef to hot pan and cook about 15 min, turning. Outside should have a nice crust (not burned) so let it sit to develop and mine was medium. Pull from heat and cut into bite sized pieces (I like bigger chunks of meat myself).

Add pieces of beef to soup, and a bag of baby spinach. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer to soften spinach and serve!

Platinum Chef - March!

2008-03-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

Cara is back with a new Platinum Chef Challenge and I was pumped to expand my culinary horizons with two new ingredients (to me!): Barley and Chickpeas. They join Vanilla, Butternut Squash, and cumin. The challenge is to create one or two dishes using all the ingredients between them, with at least 2 ingredients each.

Confession: I had to google what the heck barley even was and how to cook it/what it is similar to. I later was told over dinner what one of the dishes I made, a beef soup with barley (among other things) is a really common classic soup. And here I thought I was being creative! ;) Somehow I missed the Beef Barley soup in the Campbell's rack!

The good news is, I learned I like Barley (my husband already knew he liked it) and we both also like the chickpeas!

And I already knew that I love butternut, vanilla, and cumin.... mmm :)

Dish 1: Beef Barley Soup

Three Ingredients Featured: Butternut Squash, Barley, Chickpeas, cumin

Dish 2: Pumpkin "Rice" Pudding

Two and a Half Ingredients Featured: Barley, Vanilla, and Pumpkin (the 1/2)

BLACKberry and GOLDen Pineapple Breakfast

2008-03-01T19:02:00.000-08:00

Homegrown Gourmet time! I missed the last few challenges but the holidays are way over by now - no more excuses! The premise of this event is that you create a dish that somehow represents your hometown. It can be whatever interpretation works for you! This month's challenge was BREAKFAST!

Not my hometown, but where Ryan is from and we both went to school - PITTSBURGH bleeds black and gold. The only city where all its professional teams have the same colors (Steelers, Pirates, Penguins): Black and Gold.

I decided to run with that and created BLACKberry and GOLDen Pineapple Pancakes! We ate them this morning... yum!

I based it on a recipe from Martha Stewart Living with a few tweaks.

1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 small handfuls of diced fresh pineapple
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
1 pint blueberries (about 2 cups)
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 pint blackberries (about 1 cup)

Directions
Make the pancakes: Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Whisk together flour, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Whisk in buttermilk, oil, and eggs. Let stand 10 minutes and fold in pineapple

Make the compote: Heat blueberries, lemon juice, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat until berries begin to burst, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in sugar. Simmer, stirring often, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, and stir in blackberries.
Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium heat. Spoon in 1 tablespoon batter for each pancake. Cook until bubbles appear. Flip, and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Keep warm in oven while you cook remaining batter. Serve with compote.

Healthy and yummy! These are quite sweet with the berries and the pineapple and Ryan loved the theme (big steelers fan) and that they included some of his favorite fruits.

Striped Bass with Pineapple Salsa

2008-03-01T18:54:00.001-08:00

Ryan picked up some nice striped bass from our local fish place. I was tired and not up for something too fancy but wanted to do a little more than just pan frying with lemon... I got a few suggestions and ended up making a pineapple salsa to top the pan-fried fish with lemon and olive oil ;)

Salsa:

fresh pineapple (peeled and cored) diced (about 2 handfuls)

1/2 *small* red onion, diced

1 mango firm but ripe, peeled and diced

Lime juice from 1 lime

6-12 mint leaves, minced (to taste)

Combine salsa and set aside (let it sit out for a bit so the flavors mingle)

Striped Bass:

the filets I used were skin on and I cooked them that way.

Squeeze lemon over both filets and place them skin up in a hot pan with a little olive oil. Sear for 2 min and flip to hit each side for a minute, then flip to skin side down. Lower heat to medium low and finish fish (took about 15 min for my thick filets). Top with salsa to serve!

We really liked this - I love fish paired with fruit (or other sweet flavors like balsamic) and Ryan loved a nice meaty fish like this. If you like fish like tuna, salmon, and swordfish, you would probably like this one too. Nice and meaty but still a mild flavor.

Flour + Water + Yeast + Salt =

2008-02-29T05:30:00.000-08:00

My first Daring Bakers Challenge! This month's challenge was Julia Child's French Bread. The recipe is long, but in the length are the details. You can see the entire recipe here.

Following the instructions carefully, it came out well. I started at about 10:30 am and cut into the bread 9.5 hours later... but little of that time is active. Mostly, you just let the yeast work for you! I used my Kitchenaid Mixer to knead the dough for me - making it even easier!

I think this would be a great intro to working with yeast if you havent yet - the detail in the recipe makes it simple - Julia walks you through every step and gives reasons why you do things the way you do - for me, this is helpful in understanding the process.

I made two boules. My slashes were definitely not as deep as they should be... The bread was great though! It was a tad salty tasting the first day, but I froze the second loaf and when it was thawed it was PERFECT. I think letting the bread hang out for a little while helped.

I served the second loaf at the dinner my sisters, brother, and I made for my grandpa (Christmas gift). Bacon-wrapped Filet, Mashed Sweet Potatos, Bella-Beans, Bittersweet Mousse, and the perfect match - simple french bread. I asked my sister how she liked the bread and she said "its so good!! Where did you get it?" Homemade yeast bread always impresses ;)

I loved this challenge and cant wait to see what March will bring!

Tex-Mex Corn Chip Chili

2008-02-20T19:32:00.000-08:00

This recipe comes from the March issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray. Apparently this was the 'winner' of some chili cookoff? Anyhow. It looked good, different from my existing recipes (one a classic tomato-based and one PUMPKIN ;) ) and VERY quick and easy. I made it tonight IN ADDITION to dinner. AND going to Target. AND Stop n Shop. Go me! I will be out of town fri - wed for business so I made a double batch of this and sampled some tonight, froze some, and left the rest for him to have for dinner when I am gone.

We both really liked this one! It had enough of a kick from the green chilis and the pepperjack that Ryan could taste the heat but not so much that I could not eat it. I really liked the creamy consistency from the pinto beans and thecheese, and the different-ness from standard tomato chilis. We both really liked it though, and when it was THAT easy and quick... well... its definitely on the list to make again :)

SERVES 6

Prep Time: 10 min (plus standing) Cook Time: 35 min

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
One 15-ounce can black beans
One 15-ounce can pinto beans
One 10-ounce can tomatoes with green chiles
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
12 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded (about 3 cups) (I doubled the recipe and used about 14 oz total of montery jack and pepper jack in combination and that was PLENTY)
One bag (about 10 ounces) corn chips, such as Fritos (I served our samples with them but IMO you can omit - and keep it healthier!)

1. In a Dutch oven (I just used a big stock pot since I dont have a dutch oven), heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook for 7 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, chili powder and cumin and cook over mediumlow heat for 5 minutes. Add the beans, with their liquid, and the tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Stir in the cilantro, then top with the cheese, cover and let stand until the cheese melts, 5 to 10 minutes. Place a handful of corn chips in each of 4 bowls. Top with the chili and serve.

Sunshine Salad!

2008-02-19T19:49:00.000-08:00

Winter's take on my summer berry salad that I loved so much! As I said in August, I am not such a big fan of salad for dinner but this is totally the exception. YUM! I have been thinking about this dinner for a week or so and it did not disappoint!

My initial idea was because clementines are in season and then I went from there. Well, the clementines didnt really mesh with the other flavors but the rest was perfect together. Mangos are clearly NEVER in season in New England so by that logic... they are always in season right?

Very good, highly recommend especially if you need a shot of sunshine to perk up the winter doldrums!

I thawed and shelled 1 pound of raw jumbo shrimp. Then shook them up in a container with about 1/3 cup of OJ and 1/3 cup of honey and a splash of canola and then put the shrimp in a skillet heated to med high (discard extra liquid). Saute until cooked through then remove from heat.

Meanwhile, prepare lettuce (I used romaine, boston, and red leaf - fresh not bagged - it keeps MUCH longer and tastes better too I think) and toss with italian dressing (I use good seasons, made with raspberry vinegar) Use less than half the dressing you would put on a regular green salad.

Top the lettuce with blueberries, diced avocado, diced mango, sliced almonds, and Shrimp (I would have teh clems for dessert or on the side)

Great meal for weeknights too - quick!

Tip for dicing mango/avocado: score the dice when the peel is still on the slice of mango/half of avocado then use a large metal soup spoon to scoop the fruit out. Voila! WAY less messy

Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse

2008-02-19T19:35:00.000-08:00

Image from Martha Stewart

(I made this with the help of my fab sistahs)

This recipe was in my email from Martha Stewart (everyday food, natch) for Valentine's Day. We went out to dinner BUT Saturday my sisters, brother and I were planning to make a nice dinner for my grandpa at his condo as his christmas gift (we gave him an IOU at the time!). (Dinner was: bacon-wrapped filets - cut from the butcher and I wrapped them at home... omg. So. Good. Locals - go to Kane's for your beef for real! just Pan Fried PERFECT. Also Mashed sweet potatos and bella-green beans and some good french bread)

Let me set the scene. My grandpa is the biggest chocoholic I know. Bigger than I am. Bigger than my mom. HUGE. His bday gift from his 8 grandkids (88 in 08 woot!) was a stack of (8 heehee) godiva boxes that was about 3 ft tall. He is almost done and its been less than a month.

So we knew that the dessert needed to be very. very. CHOCOLATE. And preferable wheat-free for my sis. And lo and behold - this recipe.

I would describe the flavor of this dessert as a dark chocolate truffle, melted then whipped and chilled. It is THAT intense. But oh... so so good.

I forgot my camera at home in the hustle and bustle of getting everything we needed to his house. So the photo is from the website (mine looked similar though not NEARLY as perfect!)

I served it with plain unsweetened whipped cream and that added a nice counter to the intense chocolate.

Serves 4

4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate

Directions

Finely chop chocolate; reserve. In a double boiler, whisk yolks, sugar, and salt until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes. Off heat, quickly whisk in chopped chocolate until melted and cocoa until smooth (mixture will be thick).

Cool to room temperature.
In a medium bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Whisk half of whipped cream into room-temperature chocolate mixture. Gently fold in remaining whipped cream with a rubber spatula.

Divide mousse among four serving dishes. Chill at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
Remove mousse from refrigerator 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with shaved chocolate.

Cran-brie poppers

2008-02-14T07:52:00.000-08:00

We went to a small superbowl party this yr and all the usual suspects for food were being provided so I asked my mom for appetizer ideas. I am BAD with appetizers for some reason! She gave me this recipe and it was SO GOOD. Easy too! I will make these again for sure (they would be good with other flavors of jelly too, or maybe with cream cheese?)

Basically, you just get some phyllo dough and thaw it in the fridge. Depending on hte 'shape' of the phyllo, will affect how you wrap it (just play around to get it right). each piece will have 3/4 to 1 inch square of brie and a spoonful of canned cranberry sauce (whole berry kind). Wrap it up so there are a few layers around the cheese and fruit. Put them in a mini muffin pan and I brushed the top of each with a little melted butter to help it stick and brown.

Bake at 325 for 10-15 min (watch it though!)

So good - dont be like me though, wait for them to cool a little before you try to eat them :)

I baked this ahead and just warmed them when we got there - perfect!

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

2008-02-14T07:28:00.001-08:00

We have been on a weekend-pancake kick lately. This recipe for Blueberry ones, again from WIlliam Sonoma online. Very good! I faked the buttermilk by adding white vinegar to milk - lower cal than buttermilk and less wasteful than buying a whole container for just one cup.

To do this, just add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar (or lemon juice) to 1 cup (less 1 T) of milk and let it sit out for about 10 minutes or until it starts to thicken (it will look pretty gross - this is how it shd be!)

Anyhow, the recipe!

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
3 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 1/4 cups buttermilk
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 to 2 Tbs. vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray
1 cup fresh blueberries
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Softened butter for serving
Warm maple syrup for serving

Directions:
Preheat an oven to 200ºF. In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs on medium speed until frothy. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla. Stir just until the batter is smooth and no lumps of flour remain; do not overmix. (I just did it all by hand in one bowl with a whisk)

Heat an electric griddle to medium-high heat until a few drops of water flicked onto the surface skitter across it. Lightly grease the griddle with oil or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Using a batter dispenser set on the large setting, dispense the batter onto the griddle. Alternatively, ladle about 1/3 cup batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Scatter 1 Tbs. blueberries evenly over each pancake.

Cook until bubbles form on top and the batter is set, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a spatula, flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while cooking the remaining pancakes. Dust the pancakes with confectioners' sugar and serve warm with butter and maple syrup. Makes about 16 pancakes; serves 4.
Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

Roasted Tomato Bisque

2008-02-14T06:50:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from William sonoma's website - they have some great recipes!

This was easy though time consuming and very yummy with a nice strong tomatoy flavor. It was great leftover and reheated too :)

Ingredients:
2 1/2 lb. plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, plus more, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1 cup water
4 tsp. light sour cream
4 tsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I used basil instead since Im not a huge fan of parsley and love basil in tomato bisque)

Directions:
Preheat an oven to 425°F. Cover 1 large or 2 medium baking sheets with aluminum foil. Arrange the tomatoes, cut sides up, on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle evenly with 1 tsp. of the salt and several grinds of pepper. Roast the tomatoes in the oven until they are soft but still hold their shape, about 30 minutes.

In a Dutch oven or large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the onion releases its juices, about 8 minutes. Stir in the paprika.

Increase the heat to medium-high and add the roasted tomatoes, along with any juices collected on the pan(s), then pour in the water. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer until the vegetables are very soft, about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Working in batches, carefully pass the soup through a food mill fitted with the medium disk and placed over a bowl. Alternatively, pass the soup through a fine-mesh sieve placed over a bowl, pressing against the solids with the back of a wooden spoon. (this wasnt working for me so I just ran it through the food processor)

Rinse the pan and transfer the soup back into it. Stir in the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt, or more, to taste, season with pepper and reheat over medium heat. Divide the soup among warmed soup bowls and place 1 tsp. sour cream in the center of each bowl, swirling it slightly. Garnish each with 1 tsp. parsley (basil) and serve. Serves 4. Note: I added a splash of cream to the soup too

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, Essentials of Healthful Cooking, by Mary Abbott Hess, Dana Jacobi & Marie Simmons (Oxmoor House, 2003).