I overheard someone say the other day, “My daughter should eat a healthier diet, but she’s a single mom of one and on a very limited budget—and healthy foods are so expensive.” Au contraire.
I think this is one of the greatest misconceptions of all time. The truth is that convenient, healthy foods are expensive, but so are convenient unhealthy foods. It’s definitely the convenience that ups the cost.
So does that mean that if you don’t have lots of cash, you have to have lots of time? Not necessarily. It takes planning and preparing in advance. Sound familiar? I can’t help going back to this theme time and time again because it is such a significant factor in making tasty, economical, healthy foods that are a cinch to make on busy days if you are willing to put in time and thought on occasional days when you have the time. And I must repeat that having as large a freezer as you can afford really helps.
Take the following list of really healthy and inexpensive foods:
Whole grain pasta
Beans
Rice (especially brown)
Fresh vegetables in season
Canned and frozen vegetables on sale
Canned salmon and tuna
Chicken, ground beef and other meats on sale
Peanut butter
Powdered milk
Whole grain and unbleached flour
All fruit in season and on sale, canned and fresh and frozen
Pasta is a great food in every way. It is really cheap—usually around $1.00-1.50 per pound. A pound of pasta will serve a lot of people—depending on how you prepare it, of course. Al dente tastes best, but if you pre-cook it to al dente and let it sit in a very tasty sauce at low heat for about 10 extra minutes, it won’t get mushy but will absorb the flavor of the liquid and expand into more servings. Besides, children prefer their pasta a little more done. The whole grain varieties are delicious and even though the pasta may look a little browner in the package, after cooking it is hard to distinguish from white flour pasta.
Beans are the epitome of healthy and cheap. Wow, what a lot of bang for your buck you get from beans. They come in endless varieties, they are simple to cook, and they stick to your ribs. Plus, beans are a great source of protein, fiber and are full of antioxidants and other disease-fighting elements. In combination with small amounts of meat they become even healthier.
Rice is a staple that is usually served as a side—but it’s easy to make it the centerpiece of the meal. Actually, combining rice with beans and a little meat has long been a staple of people in the south. The dish, usually known as “beans ‘n rice” is a favorite of the Cajun and Creole people and has become very popular with everyone.
Vegetables, fresh, canned and frozen are really not expensive. Especially if you buy them plain—not in entrée dishes or with sauces included. All year long potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, garlic and most lettuces are available at low prices. Mirepoix, a staple in Italian and French cooking, is simply a mixture of diced carrots, onion and celery cooked very slowly in either butter or olive oil, until tender and aromatic. You can add small diced ham, garlic or other herbs (bay leaf, thyme, etc.) according to your taste. This mixture will ensure that an otherwise ordinary dish will taste divine. I make a lot of it at one time and freeze it in small plastic bags, enough for an individual dish. Thaw in the microwave, start it in a skillet or Dutch oven and use it as a base for a dozen dishes.
One more thing about those vegetables: when you trim celery, peel carrots, onions or take the outer leaves off Romaine lettuce or cabbages; put those scraps into a zip-lock freezer bag, label and freeze. When you have a lot, simmer in water (water that vegetables have been cooked in, if you have saved it) for 2 or 3 hours and add seasonings to make a delicious and vitamin-packed vegetable stock. (Discard the solids when they are finished cooking).
The following recipe was given to me by a Creole woman friend who I have mentioned in this column before—boy did I get a lot of great recipes from her. Thanks, Janice.
Beans ‘n Rice
2 cups dry pinto or kidney beans
Ham hocks, seasoned ham pieces or ham bone
1 large onion, chopped
½ cup green bell pepper (chopped)
2 or 3 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper to taste
Bacon drippings or cooking oil
Hot Rice
Kielbasa (any amount) optional
Wash beans and soak in a deep pot (4 quart) with enough water to cover beans overnight. In the morning fry ham in bacon drippings. Fry sausage. Remove from pot and add onion, garlic and bell peppers and sauté until medium brown. Add 1 cup water to this mixture and bring to boil. Pour mixture in deep pot with beans which have been drained and put back into pot. Add about ½ gallon of water. Raise to a boil and cover and simmer about 4 hours, stirring occasionally, adding more water if pot seems dry. Add meat about 1 hour before beans are ready. Season with salt and pepper and pour over hot rice to serve.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
"Glorious One-Pot Meals"
In my never-ending quest for ways to trim a few pounds, I purchased a cookbook that promised healthy low-fat dishes. If you pick up any domestic or woman’s magazine, the cover always promises new recipes that are healthy and low calorie as well as the newest diet or “eating plan” as they are now called. Many of the recently released cookbooks do the same and I have quite a few of them. But this cookbook was intriguing because it claimed to be a new cooking method.
The book, Glorious One-Pot Meals by Elizabeth Yarnell, published by Broadway Books,
came about when she was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis) and wanted to find a way to cook that was healthy and fast, since most of us (Elizabeth included) are too tired and rushed after working all day to come home and cook a from-scratch meal, using fresh, unprocessed food. She came up with a completely new form of cooking she called “infusion cooking.”
Basically, infusion cooking refers to using a lidded cast-iron Dutch oven to hold layers of whole foods and cooking them inside a hot oven for a brief time. After reading her cookbook and the recipes therein, I couldn’t believe her claims that the food would all turn out cooked properly. But I was wrong.
Pasta, potatoes, rice, meats and vegetables are all put into the Dutch oven at the same temperature and for the same time—layered according to her instructions and seasoned according to her recipes—and they truly did come out with non-mushy pasta, crisp vegetables and tender, juicy meat. And you can even put foods, including the meat, in frozen. Amazing.
Her explanation: Each item retains its cellular integrity and emerges perfectly intact. The intense heat (450 degrees) causes the vegetables to release their moisture, which presses up against the food and infuses it with clean flavors from herbs, spices and other natural ingredients. Each food retains its cellular integrity and emerges perfectly intact. This method is so different that it has been awarded both U.S. and Canadian patents.
The one thing that you must have is a cast-iron Dutch oven. Yarnell describes various types of Dutch ovens—the basic two being enamel-coated or uncoated; however, some people have had limited success using stainless-steel. A stainless Dutch oven must have a wide, flat bottom, non-sloping sides and a lid with a ridge on the underside that sits securely on the base. The recipes in her book are based on using a two-quart Dutch oven to feed two adult eaters. Zig and I have (too) healthy appetites and we found the recipes I have tried so far actually produced too much food for us. Leftovers are great, though.
There is a lot of information in the book that you may find useful (I certainly did), but you don’t need all of it to give it a try. Here is one of the recipes we tried and liked. After you try one, it should not be hard to see the formula and then you can substitute your own combinations and seasonings.
Bahamian Chicken (I used frozen, boneless pork chops, 1” thick in place of chicken)
Canola oil spray
½ tsp cumin seed
½ to ¾ pound boneless chicken breasts or thighs (or substitute pork)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 to 4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium potato, cut into 1-inch cubes
½ red or orange bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch wedges
½ small yellow summer squash, cut into 1-inch chunks
½ head broccoli, cut into florets (about 2 cups)
3 Tbsp rice or wine vinegar
3 Tbsp fresh orange juice
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees (do not cheat on this—bring the oven all the way to 450 before putting your Dutch oven in.) Spray the inside and lid of a cast-iron Dutch oven with canola oil spray. Sprinkle the whole cumin seeds in the pot. Place the chicken or pork (no need to thaw if frozen) in the pot and lightly season with salt and pepper; sprinkle with the garlic. Arrange the potato on top of the chicken. Add the bell pepper, squash and broccoli in layers. In a small bowl, mix the vinegar, orange juice, oregano, paprika, allspice, black pepper to taste, and red pepper flakes. Pour over the vegetables. Cover and bake for 45 minutes, or until 3 minutes after the aroma of a fully cooked meal escapes the oven. Serve immediately.
The book, Glorious One-Pot Meals by Elizabeth Yarnell, published by Broadway Books,
came about when she was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis) and wanted to find a way to cook that was healthy and fast, since most of us (Elizabeth included) are too tired and rushed after working all day to come home and cook a from-scratch meal, using fresh, unprocessed food. She came up with a completely new form of cooking she called “infusion cooking.”
Basically, infusion cooking refers to using a lidded cast-iron Dutch oven to hold layers of whole foods and cooking them inside a hot oven for a brief time. After reading her cookbook and the recipes therein, I couldn’t believe her claims that the food would all turn out cooked properly. But I was wrong.
Pasta, potatoes, rice, meats and vegetables are all put into the Dutch oven at the same temperature and for the same time—layered according to her instructions and seasoned according to her recipes—and they truly did come out with non-mushy pasta, crisp vegetables and tender, juicy meat. And you can even put foods, including the meat, in frozen. Amazing.
Her explanation: Each item retains its cellular integrity and emerges perfectly intact. The intense heat (450 degrees) causes the vegetables to release their moisture, which presses up against the food and infuses it with clean flavors from herbs, spices and other natural ingredients. Each food retains its cellular integrity and emerges perfectly intact. This method is so different that it has been awarded both U.S. and Canadian patents.
The one thing that you must have is a cast-iron Dutch oven. Yarnell describes various types of Dutch ovens—the basic two being enamel-coated or uncoated; however, some people have had limited success using stainless-steel. A stainless Dutch oven must have a wide, flat bottom, non-sloping sides and a lid with a ridge on the underside that sits securely on the base. The recipes in her book are based on using a two-quart Dutch oven to feed two adult eaters. Zig and I have (too) healthy appetites and we found the recipes I have tried so far actually produced too much food for us. Leftovers are great, though.
There is a lot of information in the book that you may find useful (I certainly did), but you don’t need all of it to give it a try. Here is one of the recipes we tried and liked. After you try one, it should not be hard to see the formula and then you can substitute your own combinations and seasonings.
Bahamian Chicken (I used frozen, boneless pork chops, 1” thick in place of chicken)
Canola oil spray
½ tsp cumin seed
½ to ¾ pound boneless chicken breasts or thighs (or substitute pork)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 to 4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium potato, cut into 1-inch cubes
½ red or orange bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch wedges
½ small yellow summer squash, cut into 1-inch chunks
½ head broccoli, cut into florets (about 2 cups)
3 Tbsp rice or wine vinegar
3 Tbsp fresh orange juice
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees (do not cheat on this—bring the oven all the way to 450 before putting your Dutch oven in.) Spray the inside and lid of a cast-iron Dutch oven with canola oil spray. Sprinkle the whole cumin seeds in the pot. Place the chicken or pork (no need to thaw if frozen) in the pot and lightly season with salt and pepper; sprinkle with the garlic. Arrange the potato on top of the chicken. Add the bell pepper, squash and broccoli in layers. In a small bowl, mix the vinegar, orange juice, oregano, paprika, allspice, black pepper to taste, and red pepper flakes. Pour over the vegetables. Cover and bake for 45 minutes, or until 3 minutes after the aroma of a fully cooked meal escapes the oven. Serve immediately.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Celebrate With Cake
I must confess that I love to celebrate—everyday, if possible. I believe when you look for reasons to celebrate ordinary things on ordinary days you increase your happiness.
A few years ago I came across an article about a woman who went through a very distressful divorce and consequently was severely depressed. She just couldn’t seem to get her life back on track. I don’t remember how she came up with the idea, but she decided to bake a cake every day for one year. Only a few weeks into this exercise, her mood had improved greatly. She began to look forward to every new day. To use up her cakes, she invited friends over or gave them away. She became known as the “cake lady”, but, more importantly, she regained her zest for life.
Now, you might imagine that a remedy like that would appeal to me. Fortunately, I am not depressed, but as I mentioned, I really like to celebrate the day and a cake is a great way to do it. In fact, cakes are more or less synonymous with celebrations.
Making cakes from scratch has always been a problem for me. My husband, who rarely cooks anything, maintains that as a boy he turned out consistently beautiful and delicious homemade cakes for his family because he and his brother loved eating them and their mom worked all day. He also insists it was pretty easy. How nice. I fancy myself a cook and usually enjoy success, but cakes have been a problem—one time a cake may turn out beautifully and the next time, same recipe, not so great.
Then I received a copy of The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. This really is the bible of cake making. The instructions are absolutely thorough and accurate and she explains, in simple terms, the theory behind each technique. As a matter of fact, as a master’s candidate in Foods, she wrote her dissertation on whether sifting affects the quality of a yellow cake. She received an A+. Every cake that I have baked, following the detailed but not difficult instructions has turned out to be wonderful.
There is no specific recipe in The Cake Bible for a beautiful and delicious American cake classic—Lane Cake—but it calls for three white cake layers. I made this cake to celebrate the first really warm, spring day in Red Wing, Minnesota. My husband and I each had a generous slice and then I gave the cake to a friend with a large family of teenagers. What a great way to celebrate.
Emma Rylander Lane of Clayton, Alabama won a blue ribbon at a county fair in Columbus, Georgia for a cake she named Lane Cake. The cake became nationally famous when it was featured in Harper Lee’s 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. I found this great version in Cook’s Country April/May 2008.
For the three (9-inch) layers of white cake:
White Velvet Butter Cake (The Cake Bible)
7 large egg whites
1 ½ cups milk
3 ½ tsp. vanilla
4 ½ cups sifted cake flour
2 ¼ cups sugar
6 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks plus two tablespoons butter, softened
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl lightly combine the egg whites, 1/3 cup of the milk and vanilla. In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and remaining milk. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed (high speed if using a hand mixer) and beat for 1 ½ minutes to aerate and develop the cake’s structure. Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape down the sides. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans (see note) and smooth the surface with a spatula. The pans will be about ½ full. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. The cakes should start to shrink from the sides of the pans only after removal from the oven. Let the cakes cool in the pans on racks for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a small metal spatula and invert onto greased wire racks. To prevent splitting, reinvert so that the tops are up and cool completely before wrapping airtight (if you plan to store or freeze the cakes for later use).
Note: prepare three 9-inch by 1 ½-inch cake pans greased, bottoms lined with parchment or wax paper, and then greased again and floured.
Lane Cake
1 ½ cups pecans, toasted and chopped
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 (18-ounce) jar cherry preserves
1 Tbsp bourbon
2 large egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
4 tsp. water
½ tsp. cream of tartar
½ tsp. vanilla
3 (9-inch) white cake rounds
For the filling: Pulse 1 cup pecans, coconut, 1 cup preserves and the bourbon in food processor until coarsely ground.
For the frosting: Combine egg whites, sugar, water and cream of tartar in a large heat-resistant bowl set over medium saucepan filled with ½ inch of barely simmering water (don’t let bowl touch water). With hand-held mixer on medium-high speed, beat egg white mixture to stiff peaks, about 4 minutes; remove bowl from heat, add vanilla and beat egg white mixture until very thick and stiff and cooled to room temperature, about 4 minutes.
To assemble: Spread half of filling on bottom cake layer. Repeat with second cake layer and remaining filling. Top with final cake layer. Spread frosting on sides of cake, leaving top plain. Spread remaining preserves in thin layer over top of cake and decorate with remaining chopped nuts on edges.
Now invite the family or the neighbors in to enjoy a celebration of spring.
A few years ago I came across an article about a woman who went through a very distressful divorce and consequently was severely depressed. She just couldn’t seem to get her life back on track. I don’t remember how she came up with the idea, but she decided to bake a cake every day for one year. Only a few weeks into this exercise, her mood had improved greatly. She began to look forward to every new day. To use up her cakes, she invited friends over or gave them away. She became known as the “cake lady”, but, more importantly, she regained her zest for life.
Now, you might imagine that a remedy like that would appeal to me. Fortunately, I am not depressed, but as I mentioned, I really like to celebrate the day and a cake is a great way to do it. In fact, cakes are more or less synonymous with celebrations.
Making cakes from scratch has always been a problem for me. My husband, who rarely cooks anything, maintains that as a boy he turned out consistently beautiful and delicious homemade cakes for his family because he and his brother loved eating them and their mom worked all day. He also insists it was pretty easy. How nice. I fancy myself a cook and usually enjoy success, but cakes have been a problem—one time a cake may turn out beautifully and the next time, same recipe, not so great.
Then I received a copy of The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. This really is the bible of cake making. The instructions are absolutely thorough and accurate and she explains, in simple terms, the theory behind each technique. As a matter of fact, as a master’s candidate in Foods, she wrote her dissertation on whether sifting affects the quality of a yellow cake. She received an A+. Every cake that I have baked, following the detailed but not difficult instructions has turned out to be wonderful.
There is no specific recipe in The Cake Bible for a beautiful and delicious American cake classic—Lane Cake—but it calls for three white cake layers. I made this cake to celebrate the first really warm, spring day in Red Wing, Minnesota. My husband and I each had a generous slice and then I gave the cake to a friend with a large family of teenagers. What a great way to celebrate.
Emma Rylander Lane of Clayton, Alabama won a blue ribbon at a county fair in Columbus, Georgia for a cake she named Lane Cake. The cake became nationally famous when it was featured in Harper Lee’s 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. I found this great version in Cook’s Country April/May 2008.
For the three (9-inch) layers of white cake:
White Velvet Butter Cake (The Cake Bible)
7 large egg whites
1 ½ cups milk
3 ½ tsp. vanilla
4 ½ cups sifted cake flour
2 ¼ cups sugar
6 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks plus two tablespoons butter, softened
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl lightly combine the egg whites, 1/3 cup of the milk and vanilla. In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and remaining milk. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed (high speed if using a hand mixer) and beat for 1 ½ minutes to aerate and develop the cake’s structure. Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape down the sides. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans (see note) and smooth the surface with a spatula. The pans will be about ½ full. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. The cakes should start to shrink from the sides of the pans only after removal from the oven. Let the cakes cool in the pans on racks for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a small metal spatula and invert onto greased wire racks. To prevent splitting, reinvert so that the tops are up and cool completely before wrapping airtight (if you plan to store or freeze the cakes for later use).
Note: prepare three 9-inch by 1 ½-inch cake pans greased, bottoms lined with parchment or wax paper, and then greased again and floured.
Lane Cake
1 ½ cups pecans, toasted and chopped
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 (18-ounce) jar cherry preserves
1 Tbsp bourbon
2 large egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
4 tsp. water
½ tsp. cream of tartar
½ tsp. vanilla
3 (9-inch) white cake rounds
For the filling: Pulse 1 cup pecans, coconut, 1 cup preserves and the bourbon in food processor until coarsely ground.
For the frosting: Combine egg whites, sugar, water and cream of tartar in a large heat-resistant bowl set over medium saucepan filled with ½ inch of barely simmering water (don’t let bowl touch water). With hand-held mixer on medium-high speed, beat egg white mixture to stiff peaks, about 4 minutes; remove bowl from heat, add vanilla and beat egg white mixture until very thick and stiff and cooled to room temperature, about 4 minutes.
To assemble: Spread half of filling on bottom cake layer. Repeat with second cake layer and remaining filling. Top with final cake layer. Spread frosting on sides of cake, leaving top plain. Spread remaining preserves in thin layer over top of cake and decorate with remaining chopped nuts on edges.
Now invite the family or the neighbors in to enjoy a celebration of spring.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Yeast Breads
Seems that this time of year there are a lot of things we have to hurry up and do before the summer sets in and the weather is predictably hot. Besides working in your garden, hunting morel mushrooms and making plans for the kids, you might want to try baking some special yeast breads.
Making yeast breads is fascinating. We are rapidly approaching the too-hot-to-bake-much season so I have been going to town this last cool spell. I love to experiment with interesting novelty breads. That’s my name for things you buy at the bakery or the supermarket and seldom think of making yourself; English muffins, for instance, and bagels and Danish pastry. The recipes and instructions for making these seem very complicated and I can’t help but wonder if it’s worth it. But I also can’t help trying it myself to find out. So with the help of my cookbooks and a little trial and error, I have discovered a great many techniques that make yeast breads a success.
Besides the satisfaction of accomplishment, many of these breads are definitely better, if only because you know there are no strange-sounding chemicals in them to retard spoilage and extend shelf-life. They’ll never sit on a shelf or even on your counter if you take just a few suggestions.
There are a lot of variables that affect yeast breads—some of them out of your control.
It is not wise, for instance, to make Danish pastry on a hot summer day even if your kitchen is air-conditioned. It is a good idea to make almost any other yeast bread in summer, if you can stand it, because the extra warmth and humidity make the bread rise considerably faster. My mother-in-law makes her famous Latvian rolls as often as we can convince her and she has a special blanket she uses to wrap the bowl of rising dough.
Temperature is not the only important consideration. Humidity definitely affects the dough; high humidity usually means using slightly more flour because the flour holds moisture even in the opened package. Different brands of flour, using slightly different varieties of wheat, have differing abilities to hold moisture; so whenever you bake yeast breads use the same brand.
It sounded like fun to make English muffins and homemade Danish pastry for breakfast at our inn. The first English muffin was not a success. The dough needed to rise and be shaped before baking on a griddle. Transferring the dough to the griddle caused them to deflate somewhat, resulting in flat English muffins. Finally, after two or three other batches of other recipes, I have one that is easy and wonderful. Its crisp exterior and soft, tender insides with plenty of holes to hold melted butter and honey make them definitely worth baking at home.
Next I tried a Danish pastry recipe that took all day long. It was roll, fold, refrigerate; roll, fold, refrigerate for three hours before even shaping the dough. I figured this one was best left to the experts. Then I came across another recipe in a respected book that used shortcuts and decided to try it. Much, much easier and just as delicious (we really enjoyed the testing of this product!)
So, before it gets hot and humid and you’re out in your garden or on a picnic or on your boat, you might enjoy trying these taste-tested and improved recipes for the fun and the taste—but do follow the directions to the letter.
ENGLISH MUFFINS
You will need an electric griddle and 3-inch metal rings which you can buy at kitchen stores or make from large tuna cans. If you make them from tuna cans, be sure they are the kind that are crimped both top and bottom, so you can remove both ends to make rings.
One-half cup nonfat powdered milk
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. shortening
1 cup hot water
1 envelope dry yeast
One-eighth tsp. sugar
One-third cup warm water
2 cups flour, sifted
Nonstick cooking spray
In a bowl, combine the powdered milk, 1 Tbsp. sugar, salt, shortening and hot water; stir until sugar and salt are dissolved. Let cool.
In a separate bowl, combine the yeast and one-eighth tsp. sugar in the warm water and set aside for 10 minutes. Add this to the milk mixture. Add the flour and beat thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Cover the bowl and let it rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Preheat griddle to 300F. Add remaining half tsp of salt to mixture and beat thoroughly. Place metal rings onto the griddle and coat lightly with cooking spray. Ladle dough into rings until three-quarters full. Cover with a cookie sheet and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the sheet and turn rings. Cover again and cook for 5 minutes. Cool and split with fork. Serve plain or toasted.
DANISH PASTRY
One-third cup warm water
2 pkgs. active dry yeast
One-half cup milk
1 egg yolk, beaten
One-fourth cup sugar
Three-fourths tsp. salt
2 and three-fourths cups flour
Three-fourths cup butter, solidly cold
Pour warm water in large mixing bowl of stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast over water and stir until dissolved; mix in milk, egg yolk, sugar and salt. Stir in 2 and one-half cups flour and beat on medium for two minutes until elastic and shiny. Roll into ball and on floured board (use 2 Tbsp. of remaining flour), pat into rectangle. Then roll to a 10” x 15” rectangle. Use a measuring tape for exact measurement. Slice very cold butter thin and cover 10” x 10” part of dough. Fold unbuttered 5 inches of dough over half of buttered side, then fold buttered side over the middle, making three layers. Fold in thirds in the opposite direction, making 9 layers. Repeat rolling and folding 3 times more, using last 2 Tbsp. of flour as needed and place in freezer while making fillings. The dough is now ready for final rolling, shaping, filling, raising and baking. If during rolling dough becomes soft, place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
To make cockscombs:
Roll dough on floured board into a rectangle 12” x 15”. Cut into twenty 3-inch squares. Spread a tablespoon of preserves or Cream Cheese Filling (recipe follows) across each square; fold over into a rectangle and seal by pressing together. Cut 4 slits into dough, at right angles to edge. Place Cockscombs on greased cookie sheets, about 3 inches apart, curving slightly so that slits spread open. Cover and let stand in warm place, away from drafts for about one hour or until double in bulk. Brush tops lightly with egg glaze made from 1 beaten egg and 1 tablespoon water. Place in 450 oven, reduce heat immediately to 375 and bake 15 minutes, or until golden brown. You may frost these with an almond-flavored buttercream or not, as you wish.
All baked Danish freezes well. Place in an airtight container. Before serving, wrap in foil and heat at 400 degrees about 15 minutes.
The shapes and fillings for Danish pastry are endless. The above Cockscombs with cheese or preserves filling are good ones to start with as they suggest the other possibilities.
CREAM CHEESE FILLING
1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
One-fourth cup sugar
Dash salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Combine ingredients and beat until blended and fluffy.
Making yeast breads is fascinating. We are rapidly approaching the too-hot-to-bake-much season so I have been going to town this last cool spell. I love to experiment with interesting novelty breads. That’s my name for things you buy at the bakery or the supermarket and seldom think of making yourself; English muffins, for instance, and bagels and Danish pastry. The recipes and instructions for making these seem very complicated and I can’t help but wonder if it’s worth it. But I also can’t help trying it myself to find out. So with the help of my cookbooks and a little trial and error, I have discovered a great many techniques that make yeast breads a success.
Besides the satisfaction of accomplishment, many of these breads are definitely better, if only because you know there are no strange-sounding chemicals in them to retard spoilage and extend shelf-life. They’ll never sit on a shelf or even on your counter if you take just a few suggestions.
There are a lot of variables that affect yeast breads—some of them out of your control.
It is not wise, for instance, to make Danish pastry on a hot summer day even if your kitchen is air-conditioned. It is a good idea to make almost any other yeast bread in summer, if you can stand it, because the extra warmth and humidity make the bread rise considerably faster. My mother-in-law makes her famous Latvian rolls as often as we can convince her and she has a special blanket she uses to wrap the bowl of rising dough.
Temperature is not the only important consideration. Humidity definitely affects the dough; high humidity usually means using slightly more flour because the flour holds moisture even in the opened package. Different brands of flour, using slightly different varieties of wheat, have differing abilities to hold moisture; so whenever you bake yeast breads use the same brand.
It sounded like fun to make English muffins and homemade Danish pastry for breakfast at our inn. The first English muffin was not a success. The dough needed to rise and be shaped before baking on a griddle. Transferring the dough to the griddle caused them to deflate somewhat, resulting in flat English muffins. Finally, after two or three other batches of other recipes, I have one that is easy and wonderful. Its crisp exterior and soft, tender insides with plenty of holes to hold melted butter and honey make them definitely worth baking at home.
Next I tried a Danish pastry recipe that took all day long. It was roll, fold, refrigerate; roll, fold, refrigerate for three hours before even shaping the dough. I figured this one was best left to the experts. Then I came across another recipe in a respected book that used shortcuts and decided to try it. Much, much easier and just as delicious (we really enjoyed the testing of this product!)
So, before it gets hot and humid and you’re out in your garden or on a picnic or on your boat, you might enjoy trying these taste-tested and improved recipes for the fun and the taste—but do follow the directions to the letter.
ENGLISH MUFFINS
You will need an electric griddle and 3-inch metal rings which you can buy at kitchen stores or make from large tuna cans. If you make them from tuna cans, be sure they are the kind that are crimped both top and bottom, so you can remove both ends to make rings.
One-half cup nonfat powdered milk
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. shortening
1 cup hot water
1 envelope dry yeast
One-eighth tsp. sugar
One-third cup warm water
2 cups flour, sifted
Nonstick cooking spray
In a bowl, combine the powdered milk, 1 Tbsp. sugar, salt, shortening and hot water; stir until sugar and salt are dissolved. Let cool.
In a separate bowl, combine the yeast and one-eighth tsp. sugar in the warm water and set aside for 10 minutes. Add this to the milk mixture. Add the flour and beat thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Cover the bowl and let it rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Preheat griddle to 300F. Add remaining half tsp of salt to mixture and beat thoroughly. Place metal rings onto the griddle and coat lightly with cooking spray. Ladle dough into rings until three-quarters full. Cover with a cookie sheet and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the sheet and turn rings. Cover again and cook for 5 minutes. Cool and split with fork. Serve plain or toasted.
DANISH PASTRY
One-third cup warm water
2 pkgs. active dry yeast
One-half cup milk
1 egg yolk, beaten
One-fourth cup sugar
Three-fourths tsp. salt
2 and three-fourths cups flour
Three-fourths cup butter, solidly cold
Pour warm water in large mixing bowl of stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast over water and stir until dissolved; mix in milk, egg yolk, sugar and salt. Stir in 2 and one-half cups flour and beat on medium for two minutes until elastic and shiny. Roll into ball and on floured board (use 2 Tbsp. of remaining flour), pat into rectangle. Then roll to a 10” x 15” rectangle. Use a measuring tape for exact measurement. Slice very cold butter thin and cover 10” x 10” part of dough. Fold unbuttered 5 inches of dough over half of buttered side, then fold buttered side over the middle, making three layers. Fold in thirds in the opposite direction, making 9 layers. Repeat rolling and folding 3 times more, using last 2 Tbsp. of flour as needed and place in freezer while making fillings. The dough is now ready for final rolling, shaping, filling, raising and baking. If during rolling dough becomes soft, place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
To make cockscombs:
Roll dough on floured board into a rectangle 12” x 15”. Cut into twenty 3-inch squares. Spread a tablespoon of preserves or Cream Cheese Filling (recipe follows) across each square; fold over into a rectangle and seal by pressing together. Cut 4 slits into dough, at right angles to edge. Place Cockscombs on greased cookie sheets, about 3 inches apart, curving slightly so that slits spread open. Cover and let stand in warm place, away from drafts for about one hour or until double in bulk. Brush tops lightly with egg glaze made from 1 beaten egg and 1 tablespoon water. Place in 450 oven, reduce heat immediately to 375 and bake 15 minutes, or until golden brown. You may frost these with an almond-flavored buttercream or not, as you wish.
All baked Danish freezes well. Place in an airtight container. Before serving, wrap in foil and heat at 400 degrees about 15 minutes.
The shapes and fillings for Danish pastry are endless. The above Cockscombs with cheese or preserves filling are good ones to start with as they suggest the other possibilities.
CREAM CHEESE FILLING
1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
One-fourth cup sugar
Dash salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Combine ingredients and beat until blended and fluffy.
Monday, April 26, 2010
"Let's do lunch"
“Let’s do lunch”—welcome words to our ears—anything for an excuse to go out for lunch. But lunch out everyday can cease to be fun. Besides it’s expensive.
I’m not sure why lunch is such a problem—just the phrase “brown-bag” conjures up memories of over-ripe bananas and sandwiches gone soggy with dill pickle juice; or worse, wilted lettuce and an anemic slice of tomato. Let’s face it, packing a brown bag never really sounds great and morning isn’t the most inspiring time to create a great meal. But who feels like making lunches at night, right after cleaning up from dinner and looking forward to an evening with American Idol, Survivor or Desperate Housewives? In the morning hunger isn’t usually acute and it’s all too easy to tell yourself you’ll just eat an apple and walk during lunch. Then at 11:00 the stomach starts rumbling and heavenly smells begin to come from the cafeteria or the office microwave. Ooops—hafta have lunch—let’s go out!
Here at the inn, we have lunch “in” but with admittedly more flexibility than the general working population. Still, it can be a challenge to cook for myself and my husband sometimes on different schedules and diets. Most days, I just drew a blank and ended up eating peanut butter or going out.
Long ago, when I was raising four children, I devised a menu plan for breakfasts and have stuck to it all these years. It has the advantages of being healthy, economical, full of variety and flexible. Monday: cooked cereal and fruit or juice (hungry people can always add toast); Tuesday: eggs of some kind and fruit; Wednesday: pancakes, waffles or French toast/fruit; Thursday: English muffins, bagels or toast with cheese/peanut butter and fruit; Friday: smoothie made with yogurt, and muffins; Saturday: dry cereal, toast and fruit. Sunday: out or—whatever.
“Why not do the same thing with lunch?” I mused, when once more alternating between refrigerator and cupboard wondering what to fix for lunch. I came up with a plan using four basics to just keep rotating: soup, salad, casserole, sandwich. It’s working. Besides convenience, it’s also a marvelous way to use up leftovers. Just add chips, condiments, bread, fruit and a bar or cookie to make a hearty lunch for growing kids or thin, hungry adults. With the plan stuck on the refrigerator door, it’s easy to assemble a great lunch and feel virtuous as well.
Here to start you off, I give you some suggestions:
Soup:
For years when the kids were home, I emptied all the leftover veggies and meats into one of three empty ice cream buckets I kept in the freezer marked “red meat”, “poultry” and “other”. Once a week (usually Sunday night) I made soup by putting the marriageable ingredients together and cooking it with beef, vegetable or chicken stock. Unfortunately, being mostly boys, the kids dubbed this “garbage soup” which diminished its appeal somewhat. Renamed Sunday Soup or some such name it becomes a tasty and frugal lunchtime meal. If you’re a canned soup fan, try blending two different kinds (tomato and cream of mushroom, for instance), add an herb such as summer savory or basil and have a great soup. Make it with milk to sneak in some calcium to the non-milk drinkers in your house.
Salad
Buy a variety of greens—the trick here is to wash, sort, spin or shake immediately and then wrap in a tea towel or tuck into a plastic bag and put in the crisper drawer. Now there’s no excuse not to make a healthy salad for lunch or as a side for dinner. I keep hard-cooked eggs, shredded cheese and other “salad bar” ingredients around as well. Take to work in a plastic container, dressing separately packed, and add some crackers or good bread. I think you’ll agree—that’s a great lunch. Pasta and fruit salads make good alternatives.
Casseroles
The old-fashioned “hot dish” is still as good as it ever was, especially in the cold months. With the omnipresence of microwaves, a “hot dish” is a viable option for lunch. Leftover from dinner or freshly made, its appeal is universal. Specially loved by children are mac and cheese, spaghetti pie, goulash. Adults might be more impressed with a chicken and wild rice combo. You have your favorites; dig out your old recipe box and find a few you haven’t made in awhile.
Sandwiches
The old standby, of course, but nonetheless always a good choice if you have the stomach for making them in the morning. Try some new combinations. I have a whole list of unique sandwich ideas, but I’ll save that for another column.
Well, we still have to make the lunch, but with the plan laid out and the ingredients semi-ready, it really is better than always going out and a whole lot healthier and easier on the budget. E-mail me your lunchtime ideas!
I’m not sure why lunch is such a problem—just the phrase “brown-bag” conjures up memories of over-ripe bananas and sandwiches gone soggy with dill pickle juice; or worse, wilted lettuce and an anemic slice of tomato. Let’s face it, packing a brown bag never really sounds great and morning isn’t the most inspiring time to create a great meal. But who feels like making lunches at night, right after cleaning up from dinner and looking forward to an evening with American Idol, Survivor or Desperate Housewives? In the morning hunger isn’t usually acute and it’s all too easy to tell yourself you’ll just eat an apple and walk during lunch. Then at 11:00 the stomach starts rumbling and heavenly smells begin to come from the cafeteria or the office microwave. Ooops—hafta have lunch—let’s go out!
Here at the inn, we have lunch “in” but with admittedly more flexibility than the general working population. Still, it can be a challenge to cook for myself and my husband sometimes on different schedules and diets. Most days, I just drew a blank and ended up eating peanut butter or going out.
Long ago, when I was raising four children, I devised a menu plan for breakfasts and have stuck to it all these years. It has the advantages of being healthy, economical, full of variety and flexible. Monday: cooked cereal and fruit or juice (hungry people can always add toast); Tuesday: eggs of some kind and fruit; Wednesday: pancakes, waffles or French toast/fruit; Thursday: English muffins, bagels or toast with cheese/peanut butter and fruit; Friday: smoothie made with yogurt, and muffins; Saturday: dry cereal, toast and fruit. Sunday: out or—whatever.
“Why not do the same thing with lunch?” I mused, when once more alternating between refrigerator and cupboard wondering what to fix for lunch. I came up with a plan using four basics to just keep rotating: soup, salad, casserole, sandwich. It’s working. Besides convenience, it’s also a marvelous way to use up leftovers. Just add chips, condiments, bread, fruit and a bar or cookie to make a hearty lunch for growing kids or thin, hungry adults. With the plan stuck on the refrigerator door, it’s easy to assemble a great lunch and feel virtuous as well.
Here to start you off, I give you some suggestions:
Soup:
For years when the kids were home, I emptied all the leftover veggies and meats into one of three empty ice cream buckets I kept in the freezer marked “red meat”, “poultry” and “other”. Once a week (usually Sunday night) I made soup by putting the marriageable ingredients together and cooking it with beef, vegetable or chicken stock. Unfortunately, being mostly boys, the kids dubbed this “garbage soup” which diminished its appeal somewhat. Renamed Sunday Soup or some such name it becomes a tasty and frugal lunchtime meal. If you’re a canned soup fan, try blending two different kinds (tomato and cream of mushroom, for instance), add an herb such as summer savory or basil and have a great soup. Make it with milk to sneak in some calcium to the non-milk drinkers in your house.
Salad
Buy a variety of greens—the trick here is to wash, sort, spin or shake immediately and then wrap in a tea towel or tuck into a plastic bag and put in the crisper drawer. Now there’s no excuse not to make a healthy salad for lunch or as a side for dinner. I keep hard-cooked eggs, shredded cheese and other “salad bar” ingredients around as well. Take to work in a plastic container, dressing separately packed, and add some crackers or good bread. I think you’ll agree—that’s a great lunch. Pasta and fruit salads make good alternatives.
Casseroles
The old-fashioned “hot dish” is still as good as it ever was, especially in the cold months. With the omnipresence of microwaves, a “hot dish” is a viable option for lunch. Leftover from dinner or freshly made, its appeal is universal. Specially loved by children are mac and cheese, spaghetti pie, goulash. Adults might be more impressed with a chicken and wild rice combo. You have your favorites; dig out your old recipe box and find a few you haven’t made in awhile.
Sandwiches
The old standby, of course, but nonetheless always a good choice if you have the stomach for making them in the morning. Try some new combinations. I have a whole list of unique sandwich ideas, but I’ll save that for another column.
Well, we still have to make the lunch, but with the plan laid out and the ingredients semi-ready, it really is better than always going out and a whole lot healthier and easier on the budget. E-mail me your lunchtime ideas!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Peanut Butter
Peanut butter’s not just for kids’ sandwiches any more. Since our cuisine has become so international, we are using peanuts and peanut butter in sophisticated dishes from Africa, South America and Southeast Asia, in particular.
The true name of the peanut is groundnut since it is really a legume like peas or beans but developed the trait of going underground after flowering and pollination and that is where the fruit pods develop. They were first discovered growing and being used for food in Peru after Columbus’ voyages. They were widely accepted in Africa and East Asia and then brought to North America from Africa. Americans have used it mainly for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cookies, but many more intricate dishes have been perfected by other countries. It is now one of the world’s major food crops, vital to the nutrition and economy of many nations.
The flavor and consistency of peanut butter is extremely popular with children and parents can rest assured that it is a nutritional powerhouse. It is a good source of protein, fiber and B vitamins as well as some minerals. My middle son, Greg, wouldn’t eat any other food for lunch for years. I worried that when he was all day in school, he would just go hungry since I didn’t plan on sending a PB & J sandwich with him everyday. Of course, appetite won, but it is his favorite lunch even today. (He’s 35).
Although we still love peanut butter cookies and sandwiches, I have found a couple of recipes that are really super. Chicken in Peanut Sauce I first tasted when my Aunt Nally who was from Brazil made it. I actually served this dish at our Dinner Club last night (Our turn to host—theme was Brazilian). The other is a winner from Paul Newman’s cooking contest and was recommended to me by Lisa Bayley. We had it last week for some friends and it is delicious. Oh yes, my peanut butter cookie is an original recipe—the one that I have been asked for more than any other. It’s been in this column before, but for those of you who missed it—here it is again.
Chicken in Peanut Sauce (Brazilian)
1 3-lb chicken, cut up or 3 lbs of skinned and boned chicken pieces
1 tsp. garlic powder
3 Tbsp. butter
1 chopped onion
½ cup chopped green pepper
1 ½ cups chicken broth
½ tsp. ground coriander seeds
½ tsp. powdered ginger
3 Tbsp. smooth peanut butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Wash chicken and pat dry. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Melt butter in a large skillet and add onion and green pepper. When onion is transparent, but not brown, add chicken to skillet and brown on both sides. Add broth, coriander and ginger. Cover and cook until chicken is tender. Take chicken out of skillet and remove skin and bones if you have used bone-in chicken pieces. Return chicken to skillet and add peanut butter to gravy. Season. Serve garnished with black olives and fried plantains. Accompany by Brazilian rice.
Tasty Thai Shrimp and Sesame Noodles
Newman’s Own/Good Housekeeping Annual Recipe Contest
1993 Grand prize- Beverly Ann Crummey, Brooksville, Florida
1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 (8-oz) bottle Newman’s Own Light Italian dressing
2 Tbsp. chunky peanut butter
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
½ tsp. crushed red pepper
1 (8-oz) pkg. Angel hair pasta
2 Tbsp. salad oil
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 cup chopped scallions
¼ cup chopped cilantro, for garnish
In a medium bowl, mix the shrimp with 1/3 cup Italian dressing. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. In small bowl, mix peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, ginger, crushed red pepper and remaining dressing; set aside. After the shrimp has marinated prepare pasta as label directs; drain. Over high heat in large saucepan heat salad oil and sesame oil until very hot. Add the carrot and cook 1 minute. Drain off the dressing from the shrimp and discard the dressing. Add shrimp and scallions to the carrot and cook, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes or until the shrimp are opaque throughout. In a large bowl, toss the hot pasta with the dressing mixture and shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
Lynette’s Double Peanut Butter Cookies (makes 3 doz.)
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky-your choice)
½ cup light corn syrup
½ cup milk chocolate chips
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
Combine flour, sugar, soda and salt in mixing bowl of electric mixer. Cut in butter and peanut butter until particles are fine, using low speed of mixer. Blend in corn syrup. Shape into 2-2” diameter rolls and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill or freeze until firm. Slice 1/8” thick with sharp thin knife. Place half the slices on ungreased cookie sheet. Place ½ tsp. peanut butter and 5 or 6 chocolate chips on each. Top with remaining slices. Seal edges with fork. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.
The true name of the peanut is groundnut since it is really a legume like peas or beans but developed the trait of going underground after flowering and pollination and that is where the fruit pods develop. They were first discovered growing and being used for food in Peru after Columbus’ voyages. They were widely accepted in Africa and East Asia and then brought to North America from Africa. Americans have used it mainly for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cookies, but many more intricate dishes have been perfected by other countries. It is now one of the world’s major food crops, vital to the nutrition and economy of many nations.
The flavor and consistency of peanut butter is extremely popular with children and parents can rest assured that it is a nutritional powerhouse. It is a good source of protein, fiber and B vitamins as well as some minerals. My middle son, Greg, wouldn’t eat any other food for lunch for years. I worried that when he was all day in school, he would just go hungry since I didn’t plan on sending a PB & J sandwich with him everyday. Of course, appetite won, but it is his favorite lunch even today. (He’s 35).
Although we still love peanut butter cookies and sandwiches, I have found a couple of recipes that are really super. Chicken in Peanut Sauce I first tasted when my Aunt Nally who was from Brazil made it. I actually served this dish at our Dinner Club last night (Our turn to host—theme was Brazilian). The other is a winner from Paul Newman’s cooking contest and was recommended to me by Lisa Bayley. We had it last week for some friends and it is delicious. Oh yes, my peanut butter cookie is an original recipe—the one that I have been asked for more than any other. It’s been in this column before, but for those of you who missed it—here it is again.
Chicken in Peanut Sauce (Brazilian)
1 3-lb chicken, cut up or 3 lbs of skinned and boned chicken pieces
1 tsp. garlic powder
3 Tbsp. butter
1 chopped onion
½ cup chopped green pepper
1 ½ cups chicken broth
½ tsp. ground coriander seeds
½ tsp. powdered ginger
3 Tbsp. smooth peanut butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Wash chicken and pat dry. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Melt butter in a large skillet and add onion and green pepper. When onion is transparent, but not brown, add chicken to skillet and brown on both sides. Add broth, coriander and ginger. Cover and cook until chicken is tender. Take chicken out of skillet and remove skin and bones if you have used bone-in chicken pieces. Return chicken to skillet and add peanut butter to gravy. Season. Serve garnished with black olives and fried plantains. Accompany by Brazilian rice.
Tasty Thai Shrimp and Sesame Noodles
Newman’s Own/Good Housekeeping Annual Recipe Contest
1993 Grand prize- Beverly Ann Crummey, Brooksville, Florida
1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 (8-oz) bottle Newman’s Own Light Italian dressing
2 Tbsp. chunky peanut butter
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
½ tsp. crushed red pepper
1 (8-oz) pkg. Angel hair pasta
2 Tbsp. salad oil
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 cup chopped scallions
¼ cup chopped cilantro, for garnish
In a medium bowl, mix the shrimp with 1/3 cup Italian dressing. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. In small bowl, mix peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, ginger, crushed red pepper and remaining dressing; set aside. After the shrimp has marinated prepare pasta as label directs; drain. Over high heat in large saucepan heat salad oil and sesame oil until very hot. Add the carrot and cook 1 minute. Drain off the dressing from the shrimp and discard the dressing. Add shrimp and scallions to the carrot and cook, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes or until the shrimp are opaque throughout. In a large bowl, toss the hot pasta with the dressing mixture and shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
Lynette’s Double Peanut Butter Cookies (makes 3 doz.)
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky-your choice)
½ cup light corn syrup
½ cup milk chocolate chips
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
Combine flour, sugar, soda and salt in mixing bowl of electric mixer. Cut in butter and peanut butter until particles are fine, using low speed of mixer. Blend in corn syrup. Shape into 2-2” diameter rolls and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill or freeze until firm. Slice 1/8” thick with sharp thin knife. Place half the slices on ungreased cookie sheet. Place ½ tsp. peanut butter and 5 or 6 chocolate chips on each. Top with remaining slices. Seal edges with fork. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Pie of the Month: Lemon Meringue
My 1962 cookbook, Betty Crocker’s Cooking Calendar, is one of my favorites because it gives a lot of information about each month of the year as it applies to food. It also includes lots of quotes, facts and other information that I love to read, such as how pin money started, the origin of the word “Lent” and the old-fashioned guide to wedding anniversary gifts (i.e. 1st is paper, 2nd cotton, etc.).
Best of all is the list at the beginning of each month of the “red-letter” foods and other fruits and vegetables that are plentiful and at their peak in flavor. Of course, we can get most produce all year now, but I have always been a seasonal cook since flavor and quality are so much higher when they are in season. Besides, it is aesthetically pleasing to me to use the seasonal foods—it keeps us in touch with generations of humans before us.
According to the cookbook April red-letter foods are carrots and pineapples and since this is the column when I feature the pie-of-the-month, you’d probably expect a pineapple pie. But last month lemons were at their peak and lemon pie is my favorite, so that is what I am writing about. Besides, lemons were on the “other plentiful fruits” list. I must admit that lemon pies come in many guises but the ubiquitous lemon meringue tops my list.
It helps that when I was 16 I decided to help my mom by making the dessert for a dinner party she was having. Mom was a nervous Nelly when it came to entertaining. She would work herself into such a frenzy cleaning and cooking and making everything perfect that she rarely enjoyed her parties. Consequently, she rarely entertained. My father, however, was her opposite (I must have inherited his genes on this point) and loved to have guests. Yes, even back then he was willing to help my mother and was good at it, but Mom still felt it fell on her and her image to do most of it.
I was actually surprised she let me choose and make the dessert as these were fairly important guests. I guess she was really stressed out when I asked her. She said I should go ahead and make anything I wanted to and didn’t even check on what I had chosen. I, of course, with the usual idealism of youth chose something I had never made and was fairly complex—lemon meringue pie. By the time Mom found out what I was doing, it was too late but I heard an audible groan at the discovery.
Well, I made a wonderful pie. The guests exclaimed all evening about that pie. That was probably the beginning of my love affair with cooking because my Mom was so pleased (and I must admit, surprised) that she let me cook to my heart’s content after that.
I have since made many lemon pies—some much easier than the one I made back then, but none that have been better. So, if you’re in the mood for a little work but with a great result that will bring you accolades, use this pie recipe:
Old-fashioned Lemon Meringue Pie
*Note: for perfect results, do not take any shortcuts and make this pie EXACTLY as the instructions say.
1 ½ cups sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp. flour
Dash salt
1 ½ cups hot water
3 slightly beaten egg yolks
½ tsp. grated lemon peel
2 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 9-inch baked pastry shell
3 egg whites
1 tsp. lemon juice
6 Tbsp. sugar
In saucepan mix 1 ½ cups sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt. Gradually blend in water. Bring to boiling over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir 8 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir small amount hot mixture into egg yolks; return to hot mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring, constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 4 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Add lemon peel and butter. Gradually stir in 1/3 cup lemon juice. Cover entire surface with clear plastic wrap; cool 10 minutes. Now pour into cooled pastry shell. Cool to room temperature (about 1 hour).
For meringue, beat egg whites with 1 tsp. lemon juice till soft peaks form. Gradually add 6 tablespoons sugar, beating till stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Spread meringue over filling, sealing to edges of pastry. Bake in moderate oven (350) 12 to 15 minutes or till meringue is golden. Cool thoroughly before serving.
Best of all is the list at the beginning of each month of the “red-letter” foods and other fruits and vegetables that are plentiful and at their peak in flavor. Of course, we can get most produce all year now, but I have always been a seasonal cook since flavor and quality are so much higher when they are in season. Besides, it is aesthetically pleasing to me to use the seasonal foods—it keeps us in touch with generations of humans before us.
According to the cookbook April red-letter foods are carrots and pineapples and since this is the column when I feature the pie-of-the-month, you’d probably expect a pineapple pie. But last month lemons were at their peak and lemon pie is my favorite, so that is what I am writing about. Besides, lemons were on the “other plentiful fruits” list. I must admit that lemon pies come in many guises but the ubiquitous lemon meringue tops my list.
It helps that when I was 16 I decided to help my mom by making the dessert for a dinner party she was having. Mom was a nervous Nelly when it came to entertaining. She would work herself into such a frenzy cleaning and cooking and making everything perfect that she rarely enjoyed her parties. Consequently, she rarely entertained. My father, however, was her opposite (I must have inherited his genes on this point) and loved to have guests. Yes, even back then he was willing to help my mother and was good at it, but Mom still felt it fell on her and her image to do most of it.
I was actually surprised she let me choose and make the dessert as these were fairly important guests. I guess she was really stressed out when I asked her. She said I should go ahead and make anything I wanted to and didn’t even check on what I had chosen. I, of course, with the usual idealism of youth chose something I had never made and was fairly complex—lemon meringue pie. By the time Mom found out what I was doing, it was too late but I heard an audible groan at the discovery.
Well, I made a wonderful pie. The guests exclaimed all evening about that pie. That was probably the beginning of my love affair with cooking because my Mom was so pleased (and I must admit, surprised) that she let me cook to my heart’s content after that.
I have since made many lemon pies—some much easier than the one I made back then, but none that have been better. So, if you’re in the mood for a little work but with a great result that will bring you accolades, use this pie recipe:
Old-fashioned Lemon Meringue Pie
*Note: for perfect results, do not take any shortcuts and make this pie EXACTLY as the instructions say.
1 ½ cups sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp. flour
Dash salt
1 ½ cups hot water
3 slightly beaten egg yolks
½ tsp. grated lemon peel
2 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 9-inch baked pastry shell
3 egg whites
1 tsp. lemon juice
6 Tbsp. sugar
In saucepan mix 1 ½ cups sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt. Gradually blend in water. Bring to boiling over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir 8 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir small amount hot mixture into egg yolks; return to hot mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring, constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 4 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Add lemon peel and butter. Gradually stir in 1/3 cup lemon juice. Cover entire surface with clear plastic wrap; cool 10 minutes. Now pour into cooled pastry shell. Cool to room temperature (about 1 hour).
For meringue, beat egg whites with 1 tsp. lemon juice till soft peaks form. Gradually add 6 tablespoons sugar, beating till stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Spread meringue over filling, sealing to edges of pastry. Bake in moderate oven (350) 12 to 15 minutes or till meringue is golden. Cool thoroughly before serving.
Many Kinds of Rice
When I started cooking, there were only two kinds of rice available at the grocery store; white long grain and white short grain. Today there are a great many varieties of rice available at most stores and, if you hunt a little, many more: long, short, round-grain, red, brown, blue, purple, black or ivory. Others have a perfume or flavor that is distinct such as Basmati and Jasmine.
Rice is one of the most important food grains in the world and is the staple food of millions of people. Cultivated rice, oryza sativa, has been known in India, where it is supposed to have originated, since about 3,000 B.C. Yet, until quite recently, Americans have not really explored the myriad possibilities of rice.
Risotto, the great Italian classic, is one of the most interesting and delicious ways to serve rice, but it does usually require a great deal of attention while cooking. The traditional way to cook risotto is to add the liquid to the rice a little at a time until each addition is absorbed, stirring all the while. This method is the way to the creamy texture that is what makes the dish so delicious.
I hate to admit that I have often foregone making risotto just because of the tedious preparation required so I was happily surprised to find an article in the May/June, 2008 issue of Cook’s Illustrated magazine that tested and approved a method in which they add about half the broth (3 cups) all at once at the beginning. That sounded like something I might like, so I gave their feature recipe, Spring Vegetable Risotto, a try. I think it’s great and plan to serve it at my upcoming dinner party.
Spring Vegetable Risotto with Gremolata
Gremolata
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley leaves, stems reserved
2 Tbsp. minced fresh mint leaves, stems reserved
½ tsp. finely grated zest from 1 lemon
Risotto
1 pound asparagus, tough ends snapped off and reserved, spears cut on bias into ½-inch-thick pieces
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts halved lengthwise, washed, and sliced thin (about 4 cups), 2 cups roughly chopped greens reserved
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups water
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Table salt and ground black pepper
½ cup frozen peas
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 ½ cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
1 ½ ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about ¾ cup), plus extra for serving
2 tsps. Juice from 1 lemon
For the gremolata: combine ingredients in small bowl and set aside.
For the Risotto: Chop tough asparagus ends and leek greens into rough ½-inch pieces. Bring chopped vegetables, reserved parsley and mint stems, broth and water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover and simmer 20 minutes. Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Return strained broth to saucepan; cover and set over low heat to keep broth warm. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in large Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add asparagus spears, pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until asparagus is crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add peas and continue to cook 1 minute. Transfer vegetables to plate and set aside. Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add leeks, garlic, ½ tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until grains are translucent around edges, about 3 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring frequently, until fully absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes. When wine is fully absorbed, add 3 cups hot broth to rice. Simmer, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes until liquid is absorbed and bottom of pan is almost dry, about 12 minutes. Stir in about ½ cup hot broth and cook, stirring constantly, until absorbed, about 3 minutes, repeat with additional broth 3 or 4 times until rice is al dente. Off heat, stir in remaining tablespoon butter, Parmesan and lemon juice; gently fold in asparagus and peas. If desired, add up to ¼ cup additional hot broth to loosen texture of risotto. Serve immediately, sprinkling each serving with gremolata and passing Parmesan separately.
I have been a lover of sweet rice since I was a little girl and my grandma let me have plain, leftover, white rice for breakfast. She would pour half and half over it and warm it up—then serve it with sugar and more half and half like a hot cereal—delicious!
Here’s a basic recipe for anyone who shares my taste for sweet rice:
Basic Rice Pudding
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Spray a 1 1/2-quart baking dish with vegetable spray. Place ¼ cup of short-grain or Arborio rice, 2 Tbsp. sugar, 3 ¾ cups milk and 1 tsp. vanilla in the dish. Place in oven and bake for 3 hours. If you wish to make the pudding richer, beat in 2 egg yolks 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time. When pudding is removed from oven, sprinkle the top of the pudding with 1 Tbsp. sugar-cinnamon mixture and place under a hot broiler for 1 minute to glaze.
Rice is one of the most important food grains in the world and is the staple food of millions of people. Cultivated rice, oryza sativa, has been known in India, where it is supposed to have originated, since about 3,000 B.C. Yet, until quite recently, Americans have not really explored the myriad possibilities of rice.
Risotto, the great Italian classic, is one of the most interesting and delicious ways to serve rice, but it does usually require a great deal of attention while cooking. The traditional way to cook risotto is to add the liquid to the rice a little at a time until each addition is absorbed, stirring all the while. This method is the way to the creamy texture that is what makes the dish so delicious.
I hate to admit that I have often foregone making risotto just because of the tedious preparation required so I was happily surprised to find an article in the May/June, 2008 issue of Cook’s Illustrated magazine that tested and approved a method in which they add about half the broth (3 cups) all at once at the beginning. That sounded like something I might like, so I gave their feature recipe, Spring Vegetable Risotto, a try. I think it’s great and plan to serve it at my upcoming dinner party.
Spring Vegetable Risotto with Gremolata
Gremolata
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley leaves, stems reserved
2 Tbsp. minced fresh mint leaves, stems reserved
½ tsp. finely grated zest from 1 lemon
Risotto
1 pound asparagus, tough ends snapped off and reserved, spears cut on bias into ½-inch-thick pieces
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts halved lengthwise, washed, and sliced thin (about 4 cups), 2 cups roughly chopped greens reserved
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups water
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Table salt and ground black pepper
½ cup frozen peas
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 ½ cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
1 ½ ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about ¾ cup), plus extra for serving
2 tsps. Juice from 1 lemon
For the gremolata: combine ingredients in small bowl and set aside.
For the Risotto: Chop tough asparagus ends and leek greens into rough ½-inch pieces. Bring chopped vegetables, reserved parsley and mint stems, broth and water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover and simmer 20 minutes. Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Return strained broth to saucepan; cover and set over low heat to keep broth warm. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in large Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add asparagus spears, pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until asparagus is crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add peas and continue to cook 1 minute. Transfer vegetables to plate and set aside. Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add leeks, garlic, ½ tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until grains are translucent around edges, about 3 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring frequently, until fully absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes. When wine is fully absorbed, add 3 cups hot broth to rice. Simmer, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes until liquid is absorbed and bottom of pan is almost dry, about 12 minutes. Stir in about ½ cup hot broth and cook, stirring constantly, until absorbed, about 3 minutes, repeat with additional broth 3 or 4 times until rice is al dente. Off heat, stir in remaining tablespoon butter, Parmesan and lemon juice; gently fold in asparagus and peas. If desired, add up to ¼ cup additional hot broth to loosen texture of risotto. Serve immediately, sprinkling each serving with gremolata and passing Parmesan separately.
I have been a lover of sweet rice since I was a little girl and my grandma let me have plain, leftover, white rice for breakfast. She would pour half and half over it and warm it up—then serve it with sugar and more half and half like a hot cereal—delicious!
Here’s a basic recipe for anyone who shares my taste for sweet rice:
Basic Rice Pudding
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Spray a 1 1/2-quart baking dish with vegetable spray. Place ¼ cup of short-grain or Arborio rice, 2 Tbsp. sugar, 3 ¾ cups milk and 1 tsp. vanilla in the dish. Place in oven and bake for 3 hours. If you wish to make the pudding richer, beat in 2 egg yolks 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time. When pudding is removed from oven, sprinkle the top of the pudding with 1 Tbsp. sugar-cinnamon mixture and place under a hot broiler for 1 minute to glaze.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
April is the Month of Beginnings
April is the month of beginnings; its name is derived from the Latin aperire, meaning to open. April openings include the gardening season, the spring clothing season, the season of the first spring vegetables (albeit, shipped-in to Minnesota) and, of course, baseball.
Speaking of shipped in foods, however, aside from asparagus and California strawberries, the market also includes a new crop of carrots and pineapples. This month these two foods should be plentiful in the market and also a good value. Not only are they plentiful and cheap (relatively speaking) but they are at their peak of flavor.
All winter we buy carrots that are large, hairy, flabby, cracked and tasteless. Now, at last, the carrots are bright orange, smooth, firm, clean, crisp, straight with long, tender roots. People who claim not to like carrots would likely change their minds if new carrots were the only ones they knew.
Carrots belong to the roots and tubers family which also includes beets, celeriac, Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, potatoes, rutabagas, salsify, sweet potatoes and turnips. Carrots are obviously one of the more common of these and also one of the most nutritious. Beta carotene, a potent form of vitamin A, gave carrots their name. Our daughter, Elizabeth, loved carrots so much when she was a baby, that her fingertips and nose actually turned yellow from eating so many.
I have had more trouble feeding the other children carrots, however, as they are not always popular. I came up with a recipe that was truly loved by the whole family—and my husband and I still enjoy frequently—Golden Mashed Potatoes.
Golden Mashed Potatoes (serves 4)
4 medium potatoes
4 medium carrots
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp half and half
2/3 cup grated Cheddar cheese
Cut potatoes and carrots into one-inch chunks and cover with salted cold water in a medium saucepan. Cover and cook about 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and add half and half; mash. Turn into a heat proof serving dish and sprinkle with grated cheese. Cover and place in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Here’s a recipe that tastes best with the first new carrots of spring.
Carrots ‘n Cream (serves 4) (adapted from Le Cuisinier Europeen by Jules Breteuil)
1 lb. carrots, whole if small or julienned if larger
¼ cup water
1 Tbsp. butter
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, minced fine
½ cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
Put carrots, water and butter in a saucepan. Season with salt and pepper and add parsley. Cook, uncovered over low heat. After 10 minutes, stir in the cream. Continue to cook very gently until they are tender. Remove the pan from the heat, stir a spoonful of the hot sauce into the egg yolks and add this mixture to the pan. Mix thoroughly and reheat the carrots for a moment. Do not boil. Serve immediately.
The Time-Life series called The Good Cook describes pineapples as follows:
Although most fruits can be grouped by shared traits, a few defy labels. The most familiar of these is the pineapple, which is not one fruit but many, formed by the fusion of about 100 separate flowers that are discernible as “eyes” on its thorny skin and on its yellow flesh. The pineapple is juicy and sharply sweet—a perfect dessert because it contains the enzyme bromelin, which aids digestion.
Choosing a ripe pineapple is not as easy as it might seem, simply because there are so many different ways: heavily fragrant, yielding slightly to gentle pressure at the base, top center leaves pull out easily (this one is often disputed, but I swear by it), distinct crevices surrounding each section and being heavy for its size, are among them.
Here is an old-time dessert, a 19th Century American classic that is a perfect way to enjoy pineapple.
Pineapple Ambrosia (adapted from Robert Ackart’s, Fruits In Cooking)
Serves 6
1 large pineapple, peeled, quartered, cored and coarsely grated
1 cup sugar
4 eggs, 2 left whole, the yolks of 2 separated from the whites
Salt
2 cups milk, scalded and partially cooled
1 tsp. vanilla extract
In a soufflé dish, combine pineapple with ½ cup sugar and chill for two hours. In top of a double boiler, beat together the whole eggs, the two extra yolks, ¼ cup of remaining sugar and a little salt. Set over simmering water and gradually stir in the milk. Stirring constantly, cook the custard until it thickens and coats a spoon—about 3 minutes. Allow custard to cool, then stir in vanilla. Pour the custard over the chilled pineapple. Beat the two remaining egg whites until they are frothy; gradually add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and beat the whites until stiff. Spread this meringue over the dessert and bake it in a preheated 425 degree oven for five minutes, or until the top is golden. Chill the dessert well before serving.
Speaking of shipped in foods, however, aside from asparagus and California strawberries, the market also includes a new crop of carrots and pineapples. This month these two foods should be plentiful in the market and also a good value. Not only are they plentiful and cheap (relatively speaking) but they are at their peak of flavor.
All winter we buy carrots that are large, hairy, flabby, cracked and tasteless. Now, at last, the carrots are bright orange, smooth, firm, clean, crisp, straight with long, tender roots. People who claim not to like carrots would likely change their minds if new carrots were the only ones they knew.
Carrots belong to the roots and tubers family which also includes beets, celeriac, Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, potatoes, rutabagas, salsify, sweet potatoes and turnips. Carrots are obviously one of the more common of these and also one of the most nutritious. Beta carotene, a potent form of vitamin A, gave carrots their name. Our daughter, Elizabeth, loved carrots so much when she was a baby, that her fingertips and nose actually turned yellow from eating so many.
I have had more trouble feeding the other children carrots, however, as they are not always popular. I came up with a recipe that was truly loved by the whole family—and my husband and I still enjoy frequently—Golden Mashed Potatoes.
Golden Mashed Potatoes (serves 4)
4 medium potatoes
4 medium carrots
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp half and half
2/3 cup grated Cheddar cheese
Cut potatoes and carrots into one-inch chunks and cover with salted cold water in a medium saucepan. Cover and cook about 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and add half and half; mash. Turn into a heat proof serving dish and sprinkle with grated cheese. Cover and place in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Here’s a recipe that tastes best with the first new carrots of spring.
Carrots ‘n Cream (serves 4) (adapted from Le Cuisinier Europeen by Jules Breteuil)
1 lb. carrots, whole if small or julienned if larger
¼ cup water
1 Tbsp. butter
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, minced fine
½ cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
Put carrots, water and butter in a saucepan. Season with salt and pepper and add parsley. Cook, uncovered over low heat. After 10 minutes, stir in the cream. Continue to cook very gently until they are tender. Remove the pan from the heat, stir a spoonful of the hot sauce into the egg yolks and add this mixture to the pan. Mix thoroughly and reheat the carrots for a moment. Do not boil. Serve immediately.
The Time-Life series called The Good Cook describes pineapples as follows:
Although most fruits can be grouped by shared traits, a few defy labels. The most familiar of these is the pineapple, which is not one fruit but many, formed by the fusion of about 100 separate flowers that are discernible as “eyes” on its thorny skin and on its yellow flesh. The pineapple is juicy and sharply sweet—a perfect dessert because it contains the enzyme bromelin, which aids digestion.
Choosing a ripe pineapple is not as easy as it might seem, simply because there are so many different ways: heavily fragrant, yielding slightly to gentle pressure at the base, top center leaves pull out easily (this one is often disputed, but I swear by it), distinct crevices surrounding each section and being heavy for its size, are among them.
Here is an old-time dessert, a 19th Century American classic that is a perfect way to enjoy pineapple.
Pineapple Ambrosia (adapted from Robert Ackart’s, Fruits In Cooking)
Serves 6
1 large pineapple, peeled, quartered, cored and coarsely grated
1 cup sugar
4 eggs, 2 left whole, the yolks of 2 separated from the whites
Salt
2 cups milk, scalded and partially cooled
1 tsp. vanilla extract
In a soufflé dish, combine pineapple with ½ cup sugar and chill for two hours. In top of a double boiler, beat together the whole eggs, the two extra yolks, ¼ cup of remaining sugar and a little salt. Set over simmering water and gradually stir in the milk. Stirring constantly, cook the custard until it thickens and coats a spoon—about 3 minutes. Allow custard to cool, then stir in vanilla. Pour the custard over the chilled pineapple. Beat the two remaining egg whites until they are frothy; gradually add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and beat the whites until stiff. Spread this meringue over the dessert and bake it in a preheated 425 degree oven for five minutes, or until the top is golden. Chill the dessert well before serving.
Friday, April 16, 2010
What's Not To Like About Lemons?
The lemon has an undeserved bad name. Even the dictionary, after stating its botanical definition as an acidy, yellow, citrus fruit, gives as its second definition: “something unsatisfactory; a dud.” In the realm of cooking, however, it is better than satisfactory and anything but a dud.
What’s not to like about lemons? They are sunny, bright, fresh, smell wonderful, impart a wonderful tang to almost every food they are mingled with, condition yeast doughs to improve their texture, can be used to take away foul odors, clean and bleach and are cheap and plentiful. Wow, doesn’t seem dud-like to me. Of course, they are sour. But that is just one more of their virtues, as far as I’m concerned. Mixed with a sweetener, lemon is one of the world’s great flavors.
But did you know that lemon can be added, in some form, to almost every dish you cook? You can use it as a flavor intensifier--like salt or msg--but no side effects. I use them so frequently that I have them on hand all the time, but when I make my homemade lemon curd (a favorite at the inn), I grate all the lemons before juicing and freeze the lemon zest along with any extra juice, just in case I run out. I keep a cut lemon in a baggie in the refrigerator and using a small tea-strainer to keep out seeds, squeeze a teaspoon or so into water for sweet corn, all fish dishes, all sauces, yeast doughs, almost any food you name.
The lemon tree has been around for about four thousand years. It originated in India and found its way to the Mediterranean Region, where it flourished due to perfect climate conditions. Christopher Columbus brought seeds to the Americas and they have been an essential part of our cuisine ever since. The lemon’s restorative power is legend; it was thought to be an antidote to poisoning, a cosmetic to fade freckles, whiten teeth and fingernails, freshen breath and redden lips. It is actually a nutritional marvel. We are all familiar with its great supply of Vitamin C, but it supplies fiber, potassium and vitamins A and B as well.
To choose lemons, look for firm, thin, fine-textured skin and a bright yellow color. Greenish lemons are not mature and will be too acid. Pick heavy fruit, it indicates juiciness. Most of our lemons are “Eureka” or “Lisbon” varieties. The “Meyer” lemon is sweeter and may actually be an orange-lemon hybrid. They are not available everywhere.
Try making your own lemon curd. It is really easy, much cheaper than the grocery store variety, and an extremely versatile thing to have on hand. Besides serving with scones, or muffins, or any breakfast bread, try folding whipped cream into lemon curd and filling pie shells. Topped with more whipped cream that is a spectacular and simple dessert. Garnish with candied lemon peel or slices.
Lemon Curd
6 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 cup sugar
One-half cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
One stick butter, cut into small pieces
One tablespoon grated lemon zest
Strain the egg yolks through a sieve into a nonreactive pan over low heat. Stir in the sugar and lemon juice and cook, stirring constantly, for about 12 minutes until thickened and smooth. Do not let mixture boil.
Remove from heat and whisk until slightly cooled. Stir in butter, a piece at a time until melted and smooth. Add the zest. Pour into hot, sterilized jars, cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to use. Makes one pint.
A favorite lemon recipe of mine, served frequently at Candlelight Inn, is the following pudding-cake. It makes its own sauce, with a cake-like top, is delicious served warm with whipped cream, or cold with a blackberry sauce and a few whole blackberries for garnish. Dusted with powdered sugar, it’s spectacular.
Lemon Pudding Cake
2 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
One-fourth cup lemon juice
Two-thirds cup milk
1 cup sugar
One-half cup flour
One-fourth teaspoon salt
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; set aside. Beat egg yolks. Blend in lemon peel, juice and milk. Add sugar, flour and salt; beat until smooth. Fold into whites. Pour into ungreased 1-quart casserole or 10 small (5-oz) ramekins. Place baking dishes in a pan of 1-inch deep very hot water. Bake 45 to 50 minutes.
Back in the ‘60’s, Peter, Paul and Mary sang about lemons in the Lemon Tree Song:
“Lemon tree very pretty
And the lemon flower is sweet,
But the fruit of the poor lemon
Is impossible to eat.”
I disagree.
What’s not to like about lemons? They are sunny, bright, fresh, smell wonderful, impart a wonderful tang to almost every food they are mingled with, condition yeast doughs to improve their texture, can be used to take away foul odors, clean and bleach and are cheap and plentiful. Wow, doesn’t seem dud-like to me. Of course, they are sour. But that is just one more of their virtues, as far as I’m concerned. Mixed with a sweetener, lemon is one of the world’s great flavors.
But did you know that lemon can be added, in some form, to almost every dish you cook? You can use it as a flavor intensifier--like salt or msg--but no side effects. I use them so frequently that I have them on hand all the time, but when I make my homemade lemon curd (a favorite at the inn), I grate all the lemons before juicing and freeze the lemon zest along with any extra juice, just in case I run out. I keep a cut lemon in a baggie in the refrigerator and using a small tea-strainer to keep out seeds, squeeze a teaspoon or so into water for sweet corn, all fish dishes, all sauces, yeast doughs, almost any food you name.
The lemon tree has been around for about four thousand years. It originated in India and found its way to the Mediterranean Region, where it flourished due to perfect climate conditions. Christopher Columbus brought seeds to the Americas and they have been an essential part of our cuisine ever since. The lemon’s restorative power is legend; it was thought to be an antidote to poisoning, a cosmetic to fade freckles, whiten teeth and fingernails, freshen breath and redden lips. It is actually a nutritional marvel. We are all familiar with its great supply of Vitamin C, but it supplies fiber, potassium and vitamins A and B as well.
To choose lemons, look for firm, thin, fine-textured skin and a bright yellow color. Greenish lemons are not mature and will be too acid. Pick heavy fruit, it indicates juiciness. Most of our lemons are “Eureka” or “Lisbon” varieties. The “Meyer” lemon is sweeter and may actually be an orange-lemon hybrid. They are not available everywhere.
Try making your own lemon curd. It is really easy, much cheaper than the grocery store variety, and an extremely versatile thing to have on hand. Besides serving with scones, or muffins, or any breakfast bread, try folding whipped cream into lemon curd and filling pie shells. Topped with more whipped cream that is a spectacular and simple dessert. Garnish with candied lemon peel or slices.
Lemon Curd
6 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 cup sugar
One-half cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
One stick butter, cut into small pieces
One tablespoon grated lemon zest
Strain the egg yolks through a sieve into a nonreactive pan over low heat. Stir in the sugar and lemon juice and cook, stirring constantly, for about 12 minutes until thickened and smooth. Do not let mixture boil.
Remove from heat and whisk until slightly cooled. Stir in butter, a piece at a time until melted and smooth. Add the zest. Pour into hot, sterilized jars, cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to use. Makes one pint.
A favorite lemon recipe of mine, served frequently at Candlelight Inn, is the following pudding-cake. It makes its own sauce, with a cake-like top, is delicious served warm with whipped cream, or cold with a blackberry sauce and a few whole blackberries for garnish. Dusted with powdered sugar, it’s spectacular.
Lemon Pudding Cake
2 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
One-fourth cup lemon juice
Two-thirds cup milk
1 cup sugar
One-half cup flour
One-fourth teaspoon salt
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; set aside. Beat egg yolks. Blend in lemon peel, juice and milk. Add sugar, flour and salt; beat until smooth. Fold into whites. Pour into ungreased 1-quart casserole or 10 small (5-oz) ramekins. Place baking dishes in a pan of 1-inch deep very hot water. Bake 45 to 50 minutes.
Back in the ‘60’s, Peter, Paul and Mary sang about lemons in the Lemon Tree Song:
“Lemon tree very pretty
And the lemon flower is sweet,
But the fruit of the poor lemon
Is impossible to eat.”
I disagree.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Minnesota Bed and Breakfast Association 2008
The Red Wing Area Bed and Breakfast Association and the Candlelight Inn were glad to host the annual MBBA conference. John Schumacher, from New Prague’s once-famous Schumacher Inn, was the keynote speaker at the 2008 Minnesota Bed and Breakfast Conference which concluded Tuesday at the St. James Hotel here in Red Wing.
For those who don’t know him, Schumacher reigned supreme in New Prague for 29 years until changes in culture forced him to call it quits about 5 years ago. His inn and restaurant were a great draw for those who love German food and innovative cooking of diverse dishes such as wild game. He is the author of 8 cookbooks and has been a host and guest-speaker on many local television shows as well as a few national ones. He announced at the conference that he will be re-opening his inn and restaurant sometime late this year.
He has a direct style—a sort of edginess and bear-like gruffness which definitely appealed to the men in our audience. When he gave his recipe for muffin-top stuffing, the women were all ears; when he gave his disaster-readiness advice (including huge bottled water supplies and guns)—not so much. His new approach however will be sans wild game and will not emphasize the ethnic foods; he feels he learned a lot from his hiatus and cautioned the audience to go forward rather than looking back.
He is an advocate for the old-is-new-again trend of making the most of every morsel of food you buy. Another blunt, to-the-point cookbook author, Jay Jacobs, a former restaurant reviewer for Gourmet magazine, says, “Cooking today has lost touch with reality. In place of integrity, we have razzle-dazzle; in place of basic knowledge, superficial knowledgeability; in place of husbandry, waste…” The cutting-edge restaurants of New York City are serving the “whole animal” with an emphasis on dishes using offal. This would be right up Schumacher’s alley.
Getting back to that muffin-top stuffing, here’s the recipe:
Muffin Top Stuffing
Save the stale or extra muffins, cake, bread, sweet rolls, quick bread ends, and regular bread in the freezer until you have enough for your recipe
8 cups assorted breadstuffs (see above), cubed
½ cup butter
1 ½ cups chopped celery (include leaves)
½ cup chopped onion
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. crushed sage leaves
1 tsp. thyme leaves
½ tsp. pepper
1 cup good-quality chicken stock
Assorted cut-up dried fruits (such as craisins), and nuts
1 egg
Sauté the celery and onion in the butter until onion is soft and translucent. Put breadstuffs in a large mixing bowl and add sautéed vegetables (and butter), dried fruits and nuts, egg, herbs, salt and pepper. Pour chicken stock over all and allow to sit until liquid is absorbed. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. When ready to cook, take out and form about 1/3 cup of stuffing into a ball. Flatten stuffing ball into a 3” diameter cake and sauté in butter in a medium skillet until lightly browned. Turn and brown other side. Use in following brunch dish.
Stuffed Sausage and Eggs
Fry 10 flat, thin sausage patties in cold skillet; drain fat. Set sausage aside. In a separate, large, clean skillet, bring 2 inches of water and 1 Tbsp. white vinegar to a simmer. Water should shake and move, but not boil. Break 10 eggs, one at a time into a custard cup and slip very carefully into simmering water. Bring back to simmer and cover. Time eggs for 2 ½ minutes. Remove from pan carefully with slotted spatula and place carefully in a 9x13 baking dish filled with ice water. Using a scissors, trim eggs edges neatly. When ready to serve, place into a pan of simmering water for 30 seconds and remove to serve.
Make Veloute Sauce (recipe below)
Veloute Sauce
4 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. flour
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 cups chicken stock
2 oz. process Swiss cheese
1 ½ tsp. cornstarch
½ cup dry white wine
Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in chicken broth, cheese and cornstarch mixed with wine until dissolved. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute
To assemble and serve:
Spoon 1 tablespoon veloute sauce onto plate and place sausage patty atop. Cover with stuffing cakes. Make an indentation in cake with spoon and place warmed eggs into indentation. Spoon a generous 2 tablespoons of hot veloute sauce over all and sprinkle with paprika. Serve.
Another John Schumacher recipe:
Quick Strawberry Jam
1 pound strawberries
1 pound powdered sugar
1 pound granulated sugar
Pour sugars over strawberries in a large bowl. Allow to sit overnight. The next day, drain off the syrup and set drained berries aside. In large saucepan, cook syrup until reduced by one third. Add strawberries to reduced syrup and immediately pour into sterilized jelly jars. Seal with melted paraffin.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
April 2007
I returned home from the Minnesota Bed and Breakfast Association conference held in New Ulm in 2007. When we left Saturday night it was after 9PM so we didn’t see much of anything, but coming home Tuesday afternoon was a different story. I wish it had been a gorgeous sunny day but even so the light green auras around the trees and the yellow-tinged willow leaf tips, the tulips nodding their cheery heads in every yard, the farmers out in their fields plowing and planting—all cried Spring!
In the world of food, spring ushers in all the fresh produce, one thing at a time, and makes the cook start thinking light and fresh instead of the hearty, heavy food of winter. I love the change of seasons—just when you are getting really weary of certain menus and foods, along comes the change of season or a special holiday to get your interest up again.
Two of the workshops at the conference were about food and both featured locally grown and produced products. The first was called “Crack it up a notch” and was presented by Renewing the Countryside and Green Routes. Chef Jenny Breen (former co-owner of The Good Life Café and current co-owner of Good Life Catering) demonstrated ways of incorporating locally grown foods into your menus. She made 2 dishes and gave us the recipe for a third. Everything was wonderful and made me even more anxious for our exciting and newly expanding farmer’s market to open in Red Wing.
The second workshop was about local wines. Since each board member was asked to bring a wine from a local winery (Zig is a board member) we chose a wine from Falconer Vineyard and were pleased that the seminar was put on by another Minnesota winery; Morgan Creek Vineyards. The tasting was wonderful—and fun, except that we were not forewarned that there would be a full meal served along with 6 different wines to taste and we had all just come from lunch! The food was prepared by Chef Kim Earnest of Kim’s Cuisine and was absolutely wonderful. I only took 2 bites of the Ham and Asparagus Crepes with Mushroom Sauce, three of the Spinach Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette and Fresh Raspberries, but I (and all the other attendees) ate the entire Double Chocolate Muffin. And yes, the wines they served with the chocolate muffin were wonderful and they weren’t all sweet dessert wines. Two rather robust reds tasted absolutely elegant with chocolate.
I really want to share these recipes with you—every single one was delicious.
From “Crack it up a Notch”—Cooking with local foods:
Fresh Potato and Smoked Salmon Salad
8 medium red or yellow potatoes cut into 1” pieces
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, cut into pieces and softened in hot water
12 oz. smoked salmon, broken into large pieces
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1/4-1/3 cup regular or soy mayo
2 T. Dijon mustard
4 cloves garlic, well chopped
2 med. leeks or 1 bunch spring onions, minced
½ lb. spinach
¼ cup basil leaves, chopped or 2 T. dry basil
Boil potatoes until soft. Combine potatoes, dried tomatoes, 2 T. of the oil, vinegar, salt, mayo and mustard. Heat the other 2 T. oil and sauté garlic and leeks/onions. When these are soft (about 3 minutes) add basil and spinach; wilt for about 30 seconds and remove from heat. Add to other ingredients and mix well. Mix in salmon. Serve slightly warm or chill until ready to serve. 8 servings.
Grilled Gouda Sandwich with Roasted Beets and Arugula
1 loaf hearty whole grain bread, sliced thinly (enough for 6 sandwiches)
¼ lb. unsalted butter
1 lb. Eichten’s or Gouda cheese of your choice, sliced thinly
4 medium beets (red or yellow) peeled and sliced thinly, lengthwise
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. salt
½ lb. Arugula
Stone-ground mustard
Heat oven to 400 degrees; cover beets in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt; roast in oven, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, brush outsides of bread with butter and insides with mustard. When beets are nicely tender, remove from oven. Remove from pan and reserve remaining liquid. Assemble sandwiches with a layer of arugula, a layer of beets and a few slices of cheese over the top of one half and only cheese on the other half. (Or make open-faced sandwiches). These can be prepared in the oven or on the stovetop. Place sandwiches on baking pan and place in oven (or on griddle, then cover) to melt cheese. Remove from oven when cheese is melted, drizzle with oil and vinegar mixture.
Ham and Asparagus Crepes with Mushroom Sauce
Serves 8
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp. oil
2 eggs
½ cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
8 thin slices ham
8 slices Swiss cheese
16 asparagus spears, blanched
Mushroom Sauce:
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp flour
½ cup water
½ cup white wine
2 tsp. chicken soup base
1/3 cup cream
¼ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 Tbsp. chives, chopped
Beat the milk, oil and eggs. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Beat until smooth. Let batter stand at least 1 hour. Heat an 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Grease lightly. Pour 2 Tbsp. at a time into the skillet, tilting to make a 6-inch round crepe. Turn once briefly. Fill them by placing a ham slice, a cheese slice and 2 asparagus spears on each. Roll up. Place seam side down in a baking pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 20-30 minutes with sauce on top.
Sauce: Cook mushrooms in butter. Stir in flour. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add water, wine base and cream. Cook till thickened. Stir in the cheese and chives. Spoon sauce over crepes. Bake 20-30 minutes.
Spinach Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
3 cups fresh spinach, washed and chopped
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
½ cup red onion, diced
1 small can mandarin oranges, drained
¼ cup fresh raspberries, washed
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ cup fresh or frozen raspberries
2 Tbsp. champagne wine vinegar
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. poppy seeds
Rub crushed garlic along the bottom and sides of a medium salad bowl. Discard remaining garlic. Add chopped spinach, mushrooms, bacon and onion to bowl and toss to combine. Fold in oranges. Set aside.
For dressing, whisk together olive oil, mustard and poppy seeds. Puree the ½ cup of raspberries in blender with vinegar. Press raspberries through a sieve to strain out seeds. Discard seeds and add pureed raspberries to dressing. Whisk until well combined. Pour over spinach salad and toss to coat. Set remaining fresh raspberries atop salad as a garnish. Makes 6 servings.
Double Chocolate Muffins
Servings: 12
Chocolate Truffle Filling
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. cream
½ tsp. vanilla
Chocolate Muffins
1 cup flour
½ cup alkalized cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sour cream, room temperature
1 large egg, lightly beaten, room temp
6 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup sugar
For the truffles; place chocolate in bowl. Heat cream to boil, pour over chocolate and let stand to melt chocolate. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in vanilla extract. Chill until firm. Form into ¾ inch balls and freeze until ready to use.
Make muffins: preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter standard muffin cups. Sift together flour, cocoa, powder, soda and salt. In a bowl, whisk sour cream, egg, butter and sugar until combined. Make a well in the center of flour; add sour cream mixture and stir with wooden spoon just until combined. Fill each cup 1/3 full. Place frozen truffle in center of each cup and spoon remaining batter into cups, making sure each truffle is covered. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into batter comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from cups and finish cooling. Store in air tight container.
In the world of food, spring ushers in all the fresh produce, one thing at a time, and makes the cook start thinking light and fresh instead of the hearty, heavy food of winter. I love the change of seasons—just when you are getting really weary of certain menus and foods, along comes the change of season or a special holiday to get your interest up again.
Two of the workshops at the conference were about food and both featured locally grown and produced products. The first was called “Crack it up a notch” and was presented by Renewing the Countryside and Green Routes. Chef Jenny Breen (former co-owner of The Good Life Café and current co-owner of Good Life Catering) demonstrated ways of incorporating locally grown foods into your menus. She made 2 dishes and gave us the recipe for a third. Everything was wonderful and made me even more anxious for our exciting and newly expanding farmer’s market to open in Red Wing.
The second workshop was about local wines. Since each board member was asked to bring a wine from a local winery (Zig is a board member) we chose a wine from Falconer Vineyard and were pleased that the seminar was put on by another Minnesota winery; Morgan Creek Vineyards. The tasting was wonderful—and fun, except that we were not forewarned that there would be a full meal served along with 6 different wines to taste and we had all just come from lunch! The food was prepared by Chef Kim Earnest of Kim’s Cuisine and was absolutely wonderful. I only took 2 bites of the Ham and Asparagus Crepes with Mushroom Sauce, three of the Spinach Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette and Fresh Raspberries, but I (and all the other attendees) ate the entire Double Chocolate Muffin. And yes, the wines they served with the chocolate muffin were wonderful and they weren’t all sweet dessert wines. Two rather robust reds tasted absolutely elegant with chocolate.
I really want to share these recipes with you—every single one was delicious.
From “Crack it up a Notch”—Cooking with local foods:
Fresh Potato and Smoked Salmon Salad
8 medium red or yellow potatoes cut into 1” pieces
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, cut into pieces and softened in hot water
12 oz. smoked salmon, broken into large pieces
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1/4-1/3 cup regular or soy mayo
2 T. Dijon mustard
4 cloves garlic, well chopped
2 med. leeks or 1 bunch spring onions, minced
½ lb. spinach
¼ cup basil leaves, chopped or 2 T. dry basil
Boil potatoes until soft. Combine potatoes, dried tomatoes, 2 T. of the oil, vinegar, salt, mayo and mustard. Heat the other 2 T. oil and sauté garlic and leeks/onions. When these are soft (about 3 minutes) add basil and spinach; wilt for about 30 seconds and remove from heat. Add to other ingredients and mix well. Mix in salmon. Serve slightly warm or chill until ready to serve. 8 servings.
Grilled Gouda Sandwich with Roasted Beets and Arugula
1 loaf hearty whole grain bread, sliced thinly (enough for 6 sandwiches)
¼ lb. unsalted butter
1 lb. Eichten’s or Gouda cheese of your choice, sliced thinly
4 medium beets (red or yellow) peeled and sliced thinly, lengthwise
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. salt
½ lb. Arugula
Stone-ground mustard
Heat oven to 400 degrees; cover beets in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt; roast in oven, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, brush outsides of bread with butter and insides with mustard. When beets are nicely tender, remove from oven. Remove from pan and reserve remaining liquid. Assemble sandwiches with a layer of arugula, a layer of beets and a few slices of cheese over the top of one half and only cheese on the other half. (Or make open-faced sandwiches). These can be prepared in the oven or on the stovetop. Place sandwiches on baking pan and place in oven (or on griddle, then cover) to melt cheese. Remove from oven when cheese is melted, drizzle with oil and vinegar mixture.
Ham and Asparagus Crepes with Mushroom Sauce
Serves 8
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp. oil
2 eggs
½ cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
8 thin slices ham
8 slices Swiss cheese
16 asparagus spears, blanched
Mushroom Sauce:
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp flour
½ cup water
½ cup white wine
2 tsp. chicken soup base
1/3 cup cream
¼ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 Tbsp. chives, chopped
Beat the milk, oil and eggs. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Beat until smooth. Let batter stand at least 1 hour. Heat an 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Grease lightly. Pour 2 Tbsp. at a time into the skillet, tilting to make a 6-inch round crepe. Turn once briefly. Fill them by placing a ham slice, a cheese slice and 2 asparagus spears on each. Roll up. Place seam side down in a baking pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 20-30 minutes with sauce on top.
Sauce: Cook mushrooms in butter. Stir in flour. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add water, wine base and cream. Cook till thickened. Stir in the cheese and chives. Spoon sauce over crepes. Bake 20-30 minutes.
Spinach Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
3 cups fresh spinach, washed and chopped
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
½ cup red onion, diced
1 small can mandarin oranges, drained
¼ cup fresh raspberries, washed
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ cup fresh or frozen raspberries
2 Tbsp. champagne wine vinegar
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. poppy seeds
Rub crushed garlic along the bottom and sides of a medium salad bowl. Discard remaining garlic. Add chopped spinach, mushrooms, bacon and onion to bowl and toss to combine. Fold in oranges. Set aside.
For dressing, whisk together olive oil, mustard and poppy seeds. Puree the ½ cup of raspberries in blender with vinegar. Press raspberries through a sieve to strain out seeds. Discard seeds and add pureed raspberries to dressing. Whisk until well combined. Pour over spinach salad and toss to coat. Set remaining fresh raspberries atop salad as a garnish. Makes 6 servings.
Double Chocolate Muffins
Servings: 12
Chocolate Truffle Filling
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. cream
½ tsp. vanilla
Chocolate Muffins
1 cup flour
½ cup alkalized cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sour cream, room temperature
1 large egg, lightly beaten, room temp
6 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup sugar
For the truffles; place chocolate in bowl. Heat cream to boil, pour over chocolate and let stand to melt chocolate. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in vanilla extract. Chill until firm. Form into ¾ inch balls and freeze until ready to use.
Make muffins: preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter standard muffin cups. Sift together flour, cocoa, powder, soda and salt. In a bowl, whisk sour cream, egg, butter and sugar until combined. Make a well in the center of flour; add sour cream mixture and stir with wooden spoon just until combined. Fill each cup 1/3 full. Place frozen truffle in center of each cup and spoon remaining batter into cups, making sure each truffle is covered. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into batter comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from cups and finish cooling. Store in air tight container.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Food Fashion
A few years ago when I was new to Red Wing, we were invited to a party at one of the beautiful old homes in town. I was admiring the newly decorated butler’s pantry and the row of interesting cookbooks on the shelves of the pantry. I happened to mention that I have an extensive collection of cookbooks—close to three thousand if you count small pamphlet-types. One of the other guests, a man who was trained as a chef and who has since become a good friend, asked me which of my many cookbooks I used the most. A great question and one I had to stop and think about. Finally, I blurted sheepishly, that I guessed it was either Betty Crocker’s 1972 edition or the same vintage Better Homes and Gardens. He couldn’t hide his look of disappointment and disgust. I was slightly embarrassed, wondering why, with all my other choices, I turn to these two most. Here’s my conclusion:
When I was a young bride, I already knew how to cook, as I have mentioned before. If I was making, spaghetti, or meatloaf or a roast or fried chicken, I didn’t need a recipe; I’d watched my mom and learned to do it. When I made a cake or pie or bread, where the exact proportions of the ingredients really count, I did need the recipe. As wedding gifts, most brides those days (the 60’s) received the two cookbooks mentioned above. So, even today, when I can’t remember the precise amounts to bake or put together a certain dish, I go back to my old standby. Now, if he’d asked me which I read the most, it would have been an entirely different matter. I just love reading my cookbooks, from old, antique and obscure to very new and trendy.
One of my favorites is the American Century Cookbook by Jean Anderson, in which she chronicles the culinary change in America during the entire 20th century. The result is a fascinating compendium of the recipes our mothers and grandmothers loved and at how our own tastes have evolved. Especially interesting to any cookbook collector, she cites the cookbooks where she found the information, most of which are in my collection. That leads to another hour or two to read that cookbook, etc. I can spend a lot of time on this hobby and I love it.
Another favorite along these same lines is the Better Homes and Gardens’, Golden Treasury of Cooking, published in 1973. In this tome, beautiful pictures and a fold-out page of each decade, beginning with the 30’s and touching on the ‘70s add to the fascination. These pages include items representative of the decade in ways other than cooking. For instance, the 30’s page shows a Look magazine cover with
Roosevelt on it and an old Crosby radio, along with a movie poster of “Gone with the Wind” Although it richly emphasizes its own publication and the effect it had on the cooking trends, it is an interesting look at the progression of food styles. I found especially interesting, after the fact, the projection of the 70’s food:
Not all shopping will be done by home-based computers. But even at the supermarkets, technology will eliminate the wait at the check-out counter. Purchases will be placed on a conveyor belt and a laser beam will scan the coded price symbol, then feed the data into a minicomputer, which figures the bill in a flash and then produces a receipt listing prices, taxes, bottle return refunds, etc…many wrappings will be designed to self-destruct or be eaten. Odorless, tasteless wrapping films and materials may melt or evaporate during cooking to ‘dissolve’ the problem of disposing of packaging materials.
…Metrics will be the new math of the seventies with the changeover, starting late in the decade, scheduled in stages over a 10-year period. At home, metric spoons and utensils will replace old standbys, and cook books will print recipes using the new measurements.
Ah, well. You see why these cookbooks are so fascinating.
For the trendy mode, I think I would have to pick Alice Water’s Chez Panisse Café Cookbook. Even though it has been seven years since it was published, and the restaurant has been around for 35, it seems to represent the current style of food: using fresher ingredients, unusual ingredients, depending largely on simple food, incorporating less well-known ethnic foods and very au courant presentation. Since the 1970’s fresh produce of much greater variety has appeared in our supermarkets and our farmer’s markets. Many of today’s trends, especially in comparison to older styles are a direct result of this abundance.
So here, Mike, I give you a more complete answer to your question of 6 years ago. And I will add my own: what cookbook do you use the most? (All readers invited to reply)
When I was a young bride, I already knew how to cook, as I have mentioned before. If I was making, spaghetti, or meatloaf or a roast or fried chicken, I didn’t need a recipe; I’d watched my mom and learned to do it. When I made a cake or pie or bread, where the exact proportions of the ingredients really count, I did need the recipe. As wedding gifts, most brides those days (the 60’s) received the two cookbooks mentioned above. So, even today, when I can’t remember the precise amounts to bake or put together a certain dish, I go back to my old standby. Now, if he’d asked me which I read the most, it would have been an entirely different matter. I just love reading my cookbooks, from old, antique and obscure to very new and trendy.
One of my favorites is the American Century Cookbook by Jean Anderson, in which she chronicles the culinary change in America during the entire 20th century. The result is a fascinating compendium of the recipes our mothers and grandmothers loved and at how our own tastes have evolved. Especially interesting to any cookbook collector, she cites the cookbooks where she found the information, most of which are in my collection. That leads to another hour or two to read that cookbook, etc. I can spend a lot of time on this hobby and I love it.
Another favorite along these same lines is the Better Homes and Gardens’, Golden Treasury of Cooking, published in 1973. In this tome, beautiful pictures and a fold-out page of each decade, beginning with the 30’s and touching on the ‘70s add to the fascination. These pages include items representative of the decade in ways other than cooking. For instance, the 30’s page shows a Look magazine cover with
Roosevelt on it and an old Crosby radio, along with a movie poster of “Gone with the Wind” Although it richly emphasizes its own publication and the effect it had on the cooking trends, it is an interesting look at the progression of food styles. I found especially interesting, after the fact, the projection of the 70’s food:
Not all shopping will be done by home-based computers. But even at the supermarkets, technology will eliminate the wait at the check-out counter. Purchases will be placed on a conveyor belt and a laser beam will scan the coded price symbol, then feed the data into a minicomputer, which figures the bill in a flash and then produces a receipt listing prices, taxes, bottle return refunds, etc…many wrappings will be designed to self-destruct or be eaten. Odorless, tasteless wrapping films and materials may melt or evaporate during cooking to ‘dissolve’ the problem of disposing of packaging materials.
…Metrics will be the new math of the seventies with the changeover, starting late in the decade, scheduled in stages over a 10-year period. At home, metric spoons and utensils will replace old standbys, and cook books will print recipes using the new measurements.
Ah, well. You see why these cookbooks are so fascinating.
For the trendy mode, I think I would have to pick Alice Water’s Chez Panisse Café Cookbook. Even though it has been seven years since it was published, and the restaurant has been around for 35, it seems to represent the current style of food: using fresher ingredients, unusual ingredients, depending largely on simple food, incorporating less well-known ethnic foods and very au courant presentation. Since the 1970’s fresh produce of much greater variety has appeared in our supermarkets and our farmer’s markets. Many of today’s trends, especially in comparison to older styles are a direct result of this abundance.
So here, Mike, I give you a more complete answer to your question of 6 years ago. And I will add my own: what cookbook do you use the most? (All readers invited to reply)
Monday, April 12, 2010
Tax Season Comfort Foods
Tax season is almost over. A lot of people leave it to the last minute because it is so unpleasant. I’m pretty sure of this because my husband Zig is a tax preparer and this time of year people call in a panic—sometimes dropping off boxes of disorganized information and Zig has to burn the midnight oil. He seems to thrive on this life-style so I guess he’s in the right field.
If you are doing your own taxes and have left it to the last minute, food may not be a high priority this weekend—preparing it, at least. And since this is a stressful time, comfort food tops the list of things to have on hand.
I love to bake and cook some easy grazing-type foods for this weekend. If you had a ham for Easter, the variety of easy comfort foods is almost endless. But so is a large ham and we tire of the salty intense flavor of ham quite quickly. So slice up a few choice pieces for sandwiches and put together one mac and cheese and ham casserole and one scalloped potatoes and ham casserole. I put one of these in the freezer along with the bone and remaining ham for soups.
Hard-cooked eggs are usually plentiful and deviled eggs are really simple to make (contrary to much that I read). You can use a fancy recipe for the filling, or just mash the yolks with some mayo and mustard, salt and pepper and fill the eggs. There’s something extra special about these eggs. Egg salad available with a few kinds of bread is an easy reach-for, easy to digest sandwich at midnight or any time. It actually makes a great breakfast on toast; or lunch on soft bread with lettuce and a dill pickle slice on the side.
If you’re hankering for something sweet and/or chocolate, I have a couple of great recipes for you:
1040 EZ cake (takes 10 minutes to mix and 40 minutes to prepare-no mixing bowls to wash!)
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. cocoa
2 tsp. soda
Sift together into a 9”x 9” square pan that has been sprayed with Pam. Make 3 holes in the mixture and add the following:
In hole #1, 2 tsp. vanilla
In hole #2, 2 Tbsp. vinegar
In hole # 3, 2/3 cup oil
Pour 2 cups water over whole mixture. Stir with spoon or fork until well mixed. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. While still warm unwrap a 1/2# Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bar and lay atop cake. Wait for 3 minutes and spread chocolate evenly.
Here’s a 1040 Long Version cake—definitely good and definitely something different.
Strawberry Jam Cake
2/3 cup 100% Bran Cereal
½ cup milk
1 ½ cups cake flour, sifted
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ cup soft shortening
½ tsp almond extract
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup strawberry jam
Soak bran in milk for 10 minutes in mixer bowl. Add shortening and beat well. Sift together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to mixture; beat well. Add almond extract, eggs and jam. Mix thoroughly. Pour into a greased 8-in. square cake pan. Bake in 350 deg oven for about 40 minutes. Cool. Frost with Jam Frosting. Any type of jam may be used for frosting.
Jam Frosting
1 3-oz pkg. cream cheese
¼ cup jam (any flavor)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. orange extract
Mix cream cheese with jam. Sift in sugar. Add extract and enough water to attain consistency to spread. Beat until smooth
Now, depending on whether you owe or are getting a refund, one of the following recipes may be in order:
Poor Man’s Muffins
1 cup sugar
½ cup butter
1 cup raisins
1 cup water
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
2 cups flour
1/3 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
Mix sugar, butter, raisins, water and spices in sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute. Cool. Blend in flour and other dry ingredients. Put in paper lined muffin cups. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes. Makes 1 doz.
Ritz Pie
Beat 4 egg whites until stiff. Gradually add 1 cup sugar. Roll out 20 Ritz crackers very fine and fold into egg whites. Add 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp. baking powder and 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts. Place into a well-buttered 9-inch pie pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cool completely. Cover with whipped cream.
Just in case I haven’t taxed (sorry) your patience completely with the corn, it IS Friday the 13th today, so I’ve added a recipe for luck.
Lucky Charms Bars
Heat 1 large jar marshmallow crème with 4 Tbsp butter. Add 1 6-oz package of chocolate chips and a pinch of salt. Then add 1 ¾ cups Lucky Charms cereal and ½ pound salted peanuts. Drop by teaspoons on greased cookie sheet. Let set in a cool place.
If you are doing your own taxes and have left it to the last minute, food may not be a high priority this weekend—preparing it, at least. And since this is a stressful time, comfort food tops the list of things to have on hand.
I love to bake and cook some easy grazing-type foods for this weekend. If you had a ham for Easter, the variety of easy comfort foods is almost endless. But so is a large ham and we tire of the salty intense flavor of ham quite quickly. So slice up a few choice pieces for sandwiches and put together one mac and cheese and ham casserole and one scalloped potatoes and ham casserole. I put one of these in the freezer along with the bone and remaining ham for soups.
Hard-cooked eggs are usually plentiful and deviled eggs are really simple to make (contrary to much that I read). You can use a fancy recipe for the filling, or just mash the yolks with some mayo and mustard, salt and pepper and fill the eggs. There’s something extra special about these eggs. Egg salad available with a few kinds of bread is an easy reach-for, easy to digest sandwich at midnight or any time. It actually makes a great breakfast on toast; or lunch on soft bread with lettuce and a dill pickle slice on the side.
If you’re hankering for something sweet and/or chocolate, I have a couple of great recipes for you:
1040 EZ cake (takes 10 minutes to mix and 40 minutes to prepare-no mixing bowls to wash!)
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. cocoa
2 tsp. soda
Sift together into a 9”x 9” square pan that has been sprayed with Pam. Make 3 holes in the mixture and add the following:
In hole #1, 2 tsp. vanilla
In hole #2, 2 Tbsp. vinegar
In hole # 3, 2/3 cup oil
Pour 2 cups water over whole mixture. Stir with spoon or fork until well mixed. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. While still warm unwrap a 1/2# Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bar and lay atop cake. Wait for 3 minutes and spread chocolate evenly.
Here’s a 1040 Long Version cake—definitely good and definitely something different.
Strawberry Jam Cake
2/3 cup 100% Bran Cereal
½ cup milk
1 ½ cups cake flour, sifted
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ cup soft shortening
½ tsp almond extract
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup strawberry jam
Soak bran in milk for 10 minutes in mixer bowl. Add shortening and beat well. Sift together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to mixture; beat well. Add almond extract, eggs and jam. Mix thoroughly. Pour into a greased 8-in. square cake pan. Bake in 350 deg oven for about 40 minutes. Cool. Frost with Jam Frosting. Any type of jam may be used for frosting.
Jam Frosting
1 3-oz pkg. cream cheese
¼ cup jam (any flavor)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. orange extract
Mix cream cheese with jam. Sift in sugar. Add extract and enough water to attain consistency to spread. Beat until smooth
Now, depending on whether you owe or are getting a refund, one of the following recipes may be in order:
Poor Man’s Muffins
1 cup sugar
½ cup butter
1 cup raisins
1 cup water
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
2 cups flour
1/3 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
Mix sugar, butter, raisins, water and spices in sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute. Cool. Blend in flour and other dry ingredients. Put in paper lined muffin cups. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes. Makes 1 doz.
Ritz Pie
Beat 4 egg whites until stiff. Gradually add 1 cup sugar. Roll out 20 Ritz crackers very fine and fold into egg whites. Add 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp. baking powder and 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts. Place into a well-buttered 9-inch pie pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cool completely. Cover with whipped cream.
Just in case I haven’t taxed (sorry) your patience completely with the corn, it IS Friday the 13th today, so I’ve added a recipe for luck.
Lucky Charms Bars
Heat 1 large jar marshmallow crème with 4 Tbsp butter. Add 1 6-oz package of chocolate chips and a pinch of salt. Then add 1 ¾ cups Lucky Charms cereal and ½ pound salted peanuts. Drop by teaspoons on greased cookie sheet. Let set in a cool place.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Birthday Blues
This is my birthday week and I went in to see the doctor for my annual check-up. The news was not what I wanted to hear. The winter’s procrastination on going to the gym and the “comfort” foods I’d been indulging in not only had my weight up, but my cholesterol and triglycerides as well. But, for the first time in my life, my blood sugar was too high. It isn’t diabetic yet, but too high.
Zig’s check-up was okay, but he, too, needs to change his life-style. So, instead of getting depressed and stopping at the Dairy Queen to cheer ourselves up, I decided I really needed to find food that we would both enjoy that would be healthier.
I really like vegetables and whole grains—I am also fond of chicken and tolerate fish pretty well—but Zig is definitely a meat and potatoes man. For someone who likes to cook and experiment as much as I do, it is a bit frustrating to be married to a man who is very content to have hot dogs and beans or hamburgers—who buys his own white bread if I don’t and loves cookies, pie, cake, ice cream… In his defense, he is very appreciative of all the cooking I do and eats what I make. But it isn’t as much fun to cook for someone who you know isn’t crazy about the food. So, many times I fix dinners I know he will really like even if they aren’t super healthy.
The challenge is on to find food we both really like and that is healthy. I have so many resources to turn to that I decided that I had no excuses and really must do it this time. The challenge has just started and I’m not sure how it will go, but the first meal that I made was a big success.
Menu
Macaroni and Cheese
Stir-fried Vegetables
Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
3 Tbsp cornstarch
3 cups skim milk
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 Tbsp. grated onion
¾ tsp. dry mustard
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 (16-oz) pkg. elbow macaroni cooked al dente without salt or fat
½ cup low-fat cottage cheese
Cooking spray
¼ tsp. paprika
Combine cornstarch and milk in saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened; remove from heat. (Be careful not to scorch). Add Cheddar cheese, 3 Tbsp. Parmesan, grated onion, mustard, salt, pepper, cooked macaroni and cottage cheese and mix well. Spoon mixture into a 13x9x2-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. Parmesan and paprika. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Yield: 8 servings at 337 calories per 1-cup serving.
Stir-Fried Vegetables
1 ½ tsp. cornstarch
1 ½ tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. pepper
½ cup water
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 ½ pounds fresh broccoli
Cooking spray
2 tsp. canola oil
½ cup thinly sliced onion
1 cup diagonally sliced carrots
1 cup coarsely shredded cabbage
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
Combine cornstarch, sugar, ginger and pepper; stir in water and lemon juice, mixing well. Set aside. Remove flowerets from stems of broccoli and set aside. Prepare all vegetables as above. Coat a wok with cooking spray. Pour oil around top of preheated wok. When wok is hot add onions and stir-fry 4 minutes. Add broccoli and carrots and stir fry 5 minutes. Add cabbage and stir-fry for 2 more minutes. If mixture becomes too dry, add a tablespoon of water to wok. Add cornstarch mixture to wok and cook, stirring constantly until thickened. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve hot. Makes 8 servings at 53 calories per serving.
Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup yellow corn meal
¾ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ cup apple sauce
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
½ cup mild-flavored molasses
½ cup buttermilk
Grease 9” round cake pan; set aside. In bowl sir together flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder and baking soda; set aside. In large mixing bowl beat sugar, oil and applesauce until well blended. Add egg and molasses; beat 1 minute. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes. Serve warm with lemon sauce.
Lemon Sauce
2/3 cup sugar
½ cup water
¼ cup lemon juice
4 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
1 Tbsp. butter
Few drops yellow food coloring
In a small saucepan stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the water, lemon peel and lemon juice. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in butter and food coloring. Serve warm over gingerbread.
Zig’s check-up was okay, but he, too, needs to change his life-style. So, instead of getting depressed and stopping at the Dairy Queen to cheer ourselves up, I decided I really needed to find food that we would both enjoy that would be healthier.
I really like vegetables and whole grains—I am also fond of chicken and tolerate fish pretty well—but Zig is definitely a meat and potatoes man. For someone who likes to cook and experiment as much as I do, it is a bit frustrating to be married to a man who is very content to have hot dogs and beans or hamburgers—who buys his own white bread if I don’t and loves cookies, pie, cake, ice cream… In his defense, he is very appreciative of all the cooking I do and eats what I make. But it isn’t as much fun to cook for someone who you know isn’t crazy about the food. So, many times I fix dinners I know he will really like even if they aren’t super healthy.
The challenge is on to find food we both really like and that is healthy. I have so many resources to turn to that I decided that I had no excuses and really must do it this time. The challenge has just started and I’m not sure how it will go, but the first meal that I made was a big success.
Menu
Macaroni and Cheese
Stir-fried Vegetables
Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
3 Tbsp cornstarch
3 cups skim milk
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 Tbsp. grated onion
¾ tsp. dry mustard
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 (16-oz) pkg. elbow macaroni cooked al dente without salt or fat
½ cup low-fat cottage cheese
Cooking spray
¼ tsp. paprika
Combine cornstarch and milk in saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened; remove from heat. (Be careful not to scorch). Add Cheddar cheese, 3 Tbsp. Parmesan, grated onion, mustard, salt, pepper, cooked macaroni and cottage cheese and mix well. Spoon mixture into a 13x9x2-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. Parmesan and paprika. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Yield: 8 servings at 337 calories per 1-cup serving.
Stir-Fried Vegetables
1 ½ tsp. cornstarch
1 ½ tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. pepper
½ cup water
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 ½ pounds fresh broccoli
Cooking spray
2 tsp. canola oil
½ cup thinly sliced onion
1 cup diagonally sliced carrots
1 cup coarsely shredded cabbage
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
Combine cornstarch, sugar, ginger and pepper; stir in water and lemon juice, mixing well. Set aside. Remove flowerets from stems of broccoli and set aside. Prepare all vegetables as above. Coat a wok with cooking spray. Pour oil around top of preheated wok. When wok is hot add onions and stir-fry 4 minutes. Add broccoli and carrots and stir fry 5 minutes. Add cabbage and stir-fry for 2 more minutes. If mixture becomes too dry, add a tablespoon of water to wok. Add cornstarch mixture to wok and cook, stirring constantly until thickened. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve hot. Makes 8 servings at 53 calories per serving.
Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup yellow corn meal
¾ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ cup apple sauce
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
½ cup mild-flavored molasses
½ cup buttermilk
Grease 9” round cake pan; set aside. In bowl sir together flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder and baking soda; set aside. In large mixing bowl beat sugar, oil and applesauce until well blended. Add egg and molasses; beat 1 minute. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes. Serve warm with lemon sauce.
Lemon Sauce
2/3 cup sugar
½ cup water
¼ cup lemon juice
4 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
1 Tbsp. butter
Few drops yellow food coloring
In a small saucepan stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the water, lemon peel and lemon juice. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in butter and food coloring. Serve warm over gingerbread.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Spring Garden
Along with the first robin and the return of the sun, I anticipate with eagerness the first signs of green in my garden. I took a walk around the yard yesterday and noticed tulip leaves that are stretching upwards and the crocuses are already in bloom, so I thought I’d check my little kitchen herb garden. I was not disappointed—the chives are up! The next thing to check is the rhubarb and though it will be a while before those first tightly curled red and green leaves produce shoots long enough to harvest—it just gladdens my heart to see them. These two ingredients will add a burst of spring to many dishes.
Chives are easy to grow and show their global sophistication by growing happily throughout the world—in almost any climate. They are kissing cousins to the rest of their Allium family: garlic, leeks, shallots and onions. They are not as assertive as their relatives, but they do keep their distinctive flavor in myriad dishes.
Chives are a cinch to grow—and they are usually the first thing up in the garden. They spread through their root system, so you must either give away the clumps with their roots attached or dig them out so they don’t overrun the garden. Cut them close to the base rather than snipping the tops and they will go strong all season. In May or June, they will blossom with a round purple flower that has a long green stem (similar to the chive itself, but hollow and tougher.) These make wonderful garnishes on scrambled eggs or in soup. They will keep in your refrigerator for a few days, but since they are so easy to grow, why not keep a pot in your window or plant them in an herb garden?
Scrambled eggs profit from just adding a handful (snipped to 1/8 inch pieces or smaller) to the eggs right before adding them to some sizzling butter in the pan. It gives them a fresh, spring-like taste and adds greatly to their appearance on the plate. Or you could get more creative and make the following dish:
Scrambled Eggs and Ham Pesto
Serves 6
¾ cup plus 1 Tbsp. olive oil
2/3 cup (packed) fresh parsley leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
2/3 cup chopped fresh chives
2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
12 large eggs
6 ounces finely diced ham or thinly sliced prosciutto
Puree ¾ cup oil, parsley and garlic in food processor. Add chives and cheese. Process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk eggs with 6 Tbsp. water in a bowl until well blended. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of the chive-parsley pesto. Add finely diced ham or shreds of prosciutto. Heat the remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in skillet over medium low heat until haze forms above the pan. Add egg mixture and cook until softly set, pulling through mixture with heat-proof spatula. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Leftover pesto is great with fish.
I just can’t wait for my rhubarb to grow—I have to buy it at the supermarket. I love rhubarb so much that I get all that I can during the season and freeze it for winter use—but nothing beats the first harvest in the spring. I make strawberry-rhubarb jam, rhubarb crisp, lots of rhubarb sauce and, of course, pies. It is called the “pie plant” after all.
Rhubarb is really a vegetable but since it is too tart to eat without sugar, it is usually used for desserts like a fruit would be. It also appears as a side to many meats and accompanies other main dishes as well, but I usually make desserts from rhubarb. Sauce is a good dessert plain or with cream. It is just too easy to make:
Rhubarb Sauce
4 cups 1-inch pieces rhubarb
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
Put sugar and water in saucepan and bring to boil. Add rhubarb and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
If you want to expand on this simple recipe and dress it up for company, try the following recipe:
Rhubarb Compote with Quick Coconut Sorbet
2 pounds fresh rhubarb, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 7 cups)
½ cup currant jelly
½ cup sugar
¼ cup minced crystallized ginger
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
Quick Coconut Sorbet (recipe below)
Combine first 6 ingredients in pot. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until mixture thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl and refrigerate until cold. Spoon into bowls and top with sorbet.
Quick Coconut Sorbet
1 15-oz can cream of coconut
1 cup ice water
¼ tsp rum extract
Whisk all ingredients in bowl. Transfer to 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Freeze until frozen, stirring every 30 minutes, about 3 hours. Cover and keep frozen until ready to use.
Chives are easy to grow and show their global sophistication by growing happily throughout the world—in almost any climate. They are kissing cousins to the rest of their Allium family: garlic, leeks, shallots and onions. They are not as assertive as their relatives, but they do keep their distinctive flavor in myriad dishes.
Chives are a cinch to grow—and they are usually the first thing up in the garden. They spread through their root system, so you must either give away the clumps with their roots attached or dig them out so they don’t overrun the garden. Cut them close to the base rather than snipping the tops and they will go strong all season. In May or June, they will blossom with a round purple flower that has a long green stem (similar to the chive itself, but hollow and tougher.) These make wonderful garnishes on scrambled eggs or in soup. They will keep in your refrigerator for a few days, but since they are so easy to grow, why not keep a pot in your window or plant them in an herb garden?
Scrambled eggs profit from just adding a handful (snipped to 1/8 inch pieces or smaller) to the eggs right before adding them to some sizzling butter in the pan. It gives them a fresh, spring-like taste and adds greatly to their appearance on the plate. Or you could get more creative and make the following dish:
Scrambled Eggs and Ham Pesto
Serves 6
¾ cup plus 1 Tbsp. olive oil
2/3 cup (packed) fresh parsley leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
2/3 cup chopped fresh chives
2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
12 large eggs
6 ounces finely diced ham or thinly sliced prosciutto
Puree ¾ cup oil, parsley and garlic in food processor. Add chives and cheese. Process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk eggs with 6 Tbsp. water in a bowl until well blended. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of the chive-parsley pesto. Add finely diced ham or shreds of prosciutto. Heat the remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in skillet over medium low heat until haze forms above the pan. Add egg mixture and cook until softly set, pulling through mixture with heat-proof spatula. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Leftover pesto is great with fish.
I just can’t wait for my rhubarb to grow—I have to buy it at the supermarket. I love rhubarb so much that I get all that I can during the season and freeze it for winter use—but nothing beats the first harvest in the spring. I make strawberry-rhubarb jam, rhubarb crisp, lots of rhubarb sauce and, of course, pies. It is called the “pie plant” after all.
Rhubarb is really a vegetable but since it is too tart to eat without sugar, it is usually used for desserts like a fruit would be. It also appears as a side to many meats and accompanies other main dishes as well, but I usually make desserts from rhubarb. Sauce is a good dessert plain or with cream. It is just too easy to make:
Rhubarb Sauce
4 cups 1-inch pieces rhubarb
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
Put sugar and water in saucepan and bring to boil. Add rhubarb and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
If you want to expand on this simple recipe and dress it up for company, try the following recipe:
Rhubarb Compote with Quick Coconut Sorbet
2 pounds fresh rhubarb, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 7 cups)
½ cup currant jelly
½ cup sugar
¼ cup minced crystallized ginger
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
Quick Coconut Sorbet (recipe below)
Combine first 6 ingredients in pot. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until mixture thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl and refrigerate until cold. Spoon into bowls and top with sorbet.
Quick Coconut Sorbet
1 15-oz can cream of coconut
1 cup ice water
¼ tsp rum extract
Whisk all ingredients in bowl. Transfer to 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Freeze until frozen, stirring every 30 minutes, about 3 hours. Cover and keep frozen until ready to use.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Asparagus
Now that you can buy all kinds of produce year round in the supermarket, you can make any recipe you come across, anytime. This is really great for experimenters or those who are interested in learning how to increase their repertoire of cooking expertise. Still, there is something about the change of seasons and beginning with a new bunch of foods not used or seen in awhile that strongly appeals to me and, I’m guessing, most people. There is no dearth of articles on food that begin with “Spring is here, let’s make asparagus”, or “Strawberry season inspires dessert”. In autumn, we re-fire our ovens and respond to the call of winter squashes, baked with maple syrup and apples in every imaginable guise. I like it that way.
Early spring brings the first asparagus as surely as the first robin. Asparagus, a member of the lily family, is a strange food with an ancient history. It appeared on the menus of the ancient Romans as a delicacy and seems to grow almost anywhere. It does well in sandy, poor soil which probably added to its cosmopolitan reputation. It was revered by the South American Indian tribes as a phallic symbol supposedly increasing virility. It’s been cultivated for over two thousand years. On the other hand, wild asparagus is not very different from cultivated. My early memories include my mother and me hunting for asparagus in the spring, out where Southdale is now. I know I am dating myself, but that really was undeveloped and we who lived in St. Louis Park thought it was “way out of town”. Later, my mother planted it in her garden and was very proud of her wonderful asparagus, often remarking how one must let the asparagus go to seed every year if you wanted a good crop the next year.
Choose spears that are firm and uniform in size. Although many people believe that thin is better than thick, it isn’t true, just be sure they are uniform. The tips should be closed and the stalks crisp without wrinkles. Forget about breaking them at the natural break and cut the ends off all the same and all at once. I don’t bother standing them up to cook, as many cookbooks suggest. Just lay them in a wide, shallow skillet and cover with salted water. Boil briskly, uncovered, for 12 minutes (more or less, depending on the size of the stalks). Test by piercing with the sharp point of a paring knife; knife should enter easily, but asparagus should not be mushy. Serve with a classic Hollandaise or just butter and lemon. Since asparagus does not keep well, it is a good idea to cook it as soon as possible. If you can’t use it immediately, cooked asparagus is delicious served cold with mayonnaise or in a salad.
A current way to prepare all vegetables is to roast them and asparagus takes to roasting very well. The intense, dry heat of the oven concentrates and deepens the flavor. To roast, prepare one and one-half pounds of asparagus as above (peeling outer stalks if tough). On a rimmed baking sheet, toss asparagus with two teaspoons of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. I use coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Roast about 10 minutes.
A lovely way to embellish the roasted asparagus is with a spring-green sauce. Serve this at a lovely early spring dinner as the first course.
Green Sauce
2 cups loosely packed fresh Italian parsley leaves One-fourth teaspoon pepper
2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Two-thirds cup olive oil
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
2 tablespoons drained capers 2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard and roasted with 2 tablespoons
1 garlic clove olive oil
Combine first 9 ingredients in processor. Blend until smooth. With machine running, gradually add two-thirds cup olive oil through feed tube. Sauce can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving. Divide asparagus among 8 plates. Spoon sauce over and serve. 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Early spring brings the first asparagus as surely as the first robin. Asparagus, a member of the lily family, is a strange food with an ancient history. It appeared on the menus of the ancient Romans as a delicacy and seems to grow almost anywhere. It does well in sandy, poor soil which probably added to its cosmopolitan reputation. It was revered by the South American Indian tribes as a phallic symbol supposedly increasing virility. It’s been cultivated for over two thousand years. On the other hand, wild asparagus is not very different from cultivated. My early memories include my mother and me hunting for asparagus in the spring, out where Southdale is now. I know I am dating myself, but that really was undeveloped and we who lived in St. Louis Park thought it was “way out of town”. Later, my mother planted it in her garden and was very proud of her wonderful asparagus, often remarking how one must let the asparagus go to seed every year if you wanted a good crop the next year.
Choose spears that are firm and uniform in size. Although many people believe that thin is better than thick, it isn’t true, just be sure they are uniform. The tips should be closed and the stalks crisp without wrinkles. Forget about breaking them at the natural break and cut the ends off all the same and all at once. I don’t bother standing them up to cook, as many cookbooks suggest. Just lay them in a wide, shallow skillet and cover with salted water. Boil briskly, uncovered, for 12 minutes (more or less, depending on the size of the stalks). Test by piercing with the sharp point of a paring knife; knife should enter easily, but asparagus should not be mushy. Serve with a classic Hollandaise or just butter and lemon. Since asparagus does not keep well, it is a good idea to cook it as soon as possible. If you can’t use it immediately, cooked asparagus is delicious served cold with mayonnaise or in a salad.
A current way to prepare all vegetables is to roast them and asparagus takes to roasting very well. The intense, dry heat of the oven concentrates and deepens the flavor. To roast, prepare one and one-half pounds of asparagus as above (peeling outer stalks if tough). On a rimmed baking sheet, toss asparagus with two teaspoons of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. I use coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Roast about 10 minutes.
A lovely way to embellish the roasted asparagus is with a spring-green sauce. Serve this at a lovely early spring dinner as the first course.
Green Sauce
2 cups loosely packed fresh Italian parsley leaves One-fourth teaspoon pepper
2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Two-thirds cup olive oil
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
2 tablespoons drained capers 2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard and roasted with 2 tablespoons
1 garlic clove olive oil
Combine first 9 ingredients in processor. Blend until smooth. With machine running, gradually add two-thirds cup olive oil through feed tube. Sauce can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving. Divide asparagus among 8 plates. Spoon sauce over and serve. 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
More Thrifty Cooking
I just heard on the news that we can look forward to rising grocery costs during the year. Demand is down so the farmers have announced they plan to produce less—voila!
There is definitely a way to create a hedge against food price inflation that I just can’t say enough about—a large freezer. Depending on how you use it, it can save you time and/or money and stress. Of course, it does require a certain investment apart from the initial price (which, by the way, is not too great.) In order to get the most of your purchase, you must do some planning and do some work. However, if the price of food is of concern to you, it really is the answer.
In the last two weeks I have created thirty-two meals (single servings) from one 10-pound turkey priced at Wal-Mart two weeks ago for $.89/pound. This particular brand included a gravy packet. That comes out to just over $.30 per serving. Here’s a breakdown of how I did it.
Original meal: roast stuffed turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, pureed sweet potatoes, green beans, cranberry-orange relish. From the leftovers, I prepared 6 full meals in divided Styrofoam trays with approximately 4 ounces of turkey meat in each. Basically, it is just as easy to divide up the leftovers into the trays as it is to put everything away in refrigerator dishes for leftovers that must be used in the next few days and therefore less appealing than when the dinner shows up again at least a week later. Cover the trays with a sheet of parchment and then cover over with aluminum foil, sealing tightly. Label and date. (Do not omit this last step or you’ll be sorry).
I put the roaster with the rest of the turkey out on our back porch (colder than refrigerator right now) until I had more time and energy. After a turkey sandwich lunch the next day, I took off all the meat that came off easily and set aside (meat # 1 for later reference); then I put the carcass into a large soup kettle with some onion, celery and garlic and set it to simmer.
When the turkey meat has fallen off the bones (about 2 hours), I let it cool overnight (you can refrigerate it for 3 hours), and picked all the meat off the bones and set it aside (meat #2). Put the remaining bones into a colander set over a large bowl and pour 4 cups of boiling water over them. After straining the liquid left in the kettle, add this liquid back to the kettle. This should equal about 12 cups. If not, add water to make 12 cups.
Pour out 4 cups of soup (without meat) and set aside. Add meat #2 back to kettle and simmer for 1 hour—do not boil hard. Cool and divide (according to your family size) into rigid freezer-proof containers (such as Tupperware) to make 8 generous main course servings.
With meat #1 and remaining stock make the following recipes:
Turkey Russe in Toast Cups
2 cups cooked turkey, diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
½ cup diced celery
1/3 cup chopped onions
1/3 cup chopped green pepper
3 Tbsp. flour
1 ½ cups turkey stock
1 small (4-oz) can mushrooms, undrained
2 lightly beaten egg yolks
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. dry white wine
½ cup sour cream
Spray large skillet with Pam. Add olive oil and sauté gently the celery, onions and green pepper. When lightly browned, sprinkle the flour over the top. Stir in and cook for 3 minutes. Stir together the eggs, mushrooms with their liquid and the stock. Add to pan, stirring constantly, and cook until thickened. Add wine and cook over low heat until sauce thickens slightly. Stir in sour cream and cook until just heated. Makes 6 servings
Fill toast cups with turkey mixture and serve.
Toast cups: Trim crusts from 6 slices day-old bread and press carefully into jumbo muffin pan cups. Spray bread with Pam. Bake in 250 degree oven for 30 minutes or until crispy. Remove from pans.
To freeze: Put Turkey Russe into Tupperware-type containers, as per family size. Freeze toast cups separately in freezer zippered plastic bag. Force out air before “zipping.” Let defrost and come to room temperature when ready to use. You can warm slightly in oven, if you wish.
Turkey Loaf
1 ½ Tbsp grated onion
1 Tbsp. butter
2 cups diced cooked turkey
¾ tsp. Salt
1 cup cracker crumbs
¾ cup Turkey stock
½ cup milk
2 beaten eggs
½ cup finely chopped celery
Mix all ingredients well and put in greased loaf pan. Set in a pan of hot water and bake for 1 hour at 350. Serve with leftover gravy. Makes 6 servings.
For the remaining two servings, I made a Creole dish called “Dirty Rice,” using the giblets and liver. Although it has a terrible name, if you like giblets, you would enjoy it.
Online recipe:
Dirty Rice
Serves 3-4
½ pound giblets, coarsely chopped
1 medium-sized onion, coarsely chopped
½ large green pepper, stemmed, seeded, deribbed and coarsely chopped
¼ cup coarsely chopped celery
1 Tbsp olive oil
¾ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
½ cup uncooked long-grain white rice
1 cup water
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
Put the giblets, onions, green pepper and celery through fine blade of a food grinder (or chop very finely, or use food processor.) Heat oil in heavy casserole. Add ground turkey mixture, stir in salt and pepper and reduce to low. Cook, uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook rice. Fluff and add to casserole. Taste for seasoning and stir in the parsley.
There is definitely a way to create a hedge against food price inflation that I just can’t say enough about—a large freezer. Depending on how you use it, it can save you time and/or money and stress. Of course, it does require a certain investment apart from the initial price (which, by the way, is not too great.) In order to get the most of your purchase, you must do some planning and do some work. However, if the price of food is of concern to you, it really is the answer.
In the last two weeks I have created thirty-two meals (single servings) from one 10-pound turkey priced at Wal-Mart two weeks ago for $.89/pound. This particular brand included a gravy packet. That comes out to just over $.30 per serving. Here’s a breakdown of how I did it.
Original meal: roast stuffed turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, pureed sweet potatoes, green beans, cranberry-orange relish. From the leftovers, I prepared 6 full meals in divided Styrofoam trays with approximately 4 ounces of turkey meat in each. Basically, it is just as easy to divide up the leftovers into the trays as it is to put everything away in refrigerator dishes for leftovers that must be used in the next few days and therefore less appealing than when the dinner shows up again at least a week later. Cover the trays with a sheet of parchment and then cover over with aluminum foil, sealing tightly. Label and date. (Do not omit this last step or you’ll be sorry).
I put the roaster with the rest of the turkey out on our back porch (colder than refrigerator right now) until I had more time and energy. After a turkey sandwich lunch the next day, I took off all the meat that came off easily and set aside (meat # 1 for later reference); then I put the carcass into a large soup kettle with some onion, celery and garlic and set it to simmer.
When the turkey meat has fallen off the bones (about 2 hours), I let it cool overnight (you can refrigerate it for 3 hours), and picked all the meat off the bones and set it aside (meat #2). Put the remaining bones into a colander set over a large bowl and pour 4 cups of boiling water over them. After straining the liquid left in the kettle, add this liquid back to the kettle. This should equal about 12 cups. If not, add water to make 12 cups.
Pour out 4 cups of soup (without meat) and set aside. Add meat #2 back to kettle and simmer for 1 hour—do not boil hard. Cool and divide (according to your family size) into rigid freezer-proof containers (such as Tupperware) to make 8 generous main course servings.
With meat #1 and remaining stock make the following recipes:
Turkey Russe in Toast Cups
2 cups cooked turkey, diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
½ cup diced celery
1/3 cup chopped onions
1/3 cup chopped green pepper
3 Tbsp. flour
1 ½ cups turkey stock
1 small (4-oz) can mushrooms, undrained
2 lightly beaten egg yolks
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. dry white wine
½ cup sour cream
Spray large skillet with Pam. Add olive oil and sauté gently the celery, onions and green pepper. When lightly browned, sprinkle the flour over the top. Stir in and cook for 3 minutes. Stir together the eggs, mushrooms with their liquid and the stock. Add to pan, stirring constantly, and cook until thickened. Add wine and cook over low heat until sauce thickens slightly. Stir in sour cream and cook until just heated. Makes 6 servings
Fill toast cups with turkey mixture and serve.
Toast cups: Trim crusts from 6 slices day-old bread and press carefully into jumbo muffin pan cups. Spray bread with Pam. Bake in 250 degree oven for 30 minutes or until crispy. Remove from pans.
To freeze: Put Turkey Russe into Tupperware-type containers, as per family size. Freeze toast cups separately in freezer zippered plastic bag. Force out air before “zipping.” Let defrost and come to room temperature when ready to use. You can warm slightly in oven, if you wish.
Turkey Loaf
1 ½ Tbsp grated onion
1 Tbsp. butter
2 cups diced cooked turkey
¾ tsp. Salt
1 cup cracker crumbs
¾ cup Turkey stock
½ cup milk
2 beaten eggs
½ cup finely chopped celery
Mix all ingredients well and put in greased loaf pan. Set in a pan of hot water and bake for 1 hour at 350. Serve with leftover gravy. Makes 6 servings.
For the remaining two servings, I made a Creole dish called “Dirty Rice,” using the giblets and liver. Although it has a terrible name, if you like giblets, you would enjoy it.
Online recipe:
Dirty Rice
Serves 3-4
½ pound giblets, coarsely chopped
1 medium-sized onion, coarsely chopped
½ large green pepper, stemmed, seeded, deribbed and coarsely chopped
¼ cup coarsely chopped celery
1 Tbsp olive oil
¾ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
½ cup uncooked long-grain white rice
1 cup water
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
Put the giblets, onions, green pepper and celery through fine blade of a food grinder (or chop very finely, or use food processor.) Heat oil in heavy casserole. Add ground turkey mixture, stir in salt and pepper and reduce to low. Cook, uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook rice. Fluff and add to casserole. Taste for seasoning and stir in the parsley.
Thrifty Cooking
Remember when there was a school subject called home economics? I believe there is a similar class offered today with various names about consumer science, but during my last grocery shopping trip I decided to put the economics back into my thinking.
Although there are many items that cause sticker shock in the grocery aisles, there are still a lot of foods that are a bargain. I leave all my menu plans flexible enough to accommodate the in-season foods and specials that I find at the store. I have lived long enough to go through economic down-turns before and it’s time to get out those thrifty skills and polish them up.
Of course, we are a lot busier now then we were then (at least it seems like it) and convenience usually costs money. But with emphasis on being frugal with energy and the earth’s resources, there are also ways to be frugal with meals and still save time.
One of those ways is a return to weekend cooking, especially of roasts. Most people are eating less meat and using meat as a condiment rather than the mainstay of a meal. I am one of them. However, I, and especially my husband, do enjoy a really good cut of meat from time to time; so I have returned to making a roast (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, etc.) on Sunday and using the leftovers all week for other dishes. We then have an old-fashioned meat and potatoes meal on Sunday and the makings of casseroles, stir-frys, sandwiches, salads, soups, you name it—all week. If you can’t stomach the same type of meat, cut the roast up in pieces the size of the various meals and freeze them.
For instance, I had a ham and a turkey breast on Easter Sunday. I really can’t deal with too much salty ham, so I sliced some for sandwiches, chunked some for casseroles, cubed some for salads and mini-diced some for “seasoning”. Many dishes are improved by using some very finely diced ham (only a little) in place of salt. The ham bone will make a fine split pea or bean soup. The turkey breast got similar treatment.
Time and energy economy is sometimes even more important than money. Most of you probably already make use of slow-cookers, but do you have a pressure cooker? I think they got a bad reputation in the olden days when they would occasionally blow up and make a huge mess—but those days are gone! The new pressure pans are fool-proof and you can cook food in minutes without a microwave and with nutrients and flavor intact.
Buy produce that is in season only. The fruits and vegetables that look so tempting but are out of season are not only expensive, they are rarely very good. Strawberries were on sale in Red Wing last week and I bought a lot of them. They are wonderful fresh, but not bad frozen and made into dessert sauces, etc.
Buy the largest freezer you can afford—it will more than pay you back threefold, if you
wrap things right, label them and keep it full. Even if you don’t like to put cooked food into the freezer, it does allow you to buy a lot of something that is a really good deal.
One other appliance that should have a come-back is the food grinder. Yes, you can use a food processor, but for some jobs, nothing works like an old-fashioned food grinder. I have an attachment on my Kitchen aid stand mixer and I use it a lot. You can make your own ground beef, turkey and pork which can be a great savings—and it really is fun. You can also take your cooked roast and make ham loaves, sandwich fillings, terrines and meatballs, adding meat extenders like whole grain bread crumbs, wheat germ or flaxseed meal. Put onion and garlic or other vegetables (carrots, parsnips?) into the grinder along with the meat and out comes a gourmet mix. You can even make your own sausage and an added plus is that you can use any meat combination you like, such as chicken-apple sausage. It’s fun, it’s fast, and it’s definitely economical.
Pot Roast Three Ways
Make a pot roast in your slow cooker, pressure cooker or ordinary Dutch oven. Use any recipe you like. Enjoy. When cleaning up, cube the meat and vegetables (if you have them) and refrigerate them separately from the liquid left over.
Use half the cubed meat for a hearty beef-barley soup. Put cubed beef and half the leftover liquid into a saucepan. Add cut vegetables (carrots, onions). Add water and beef base or instant bouillon to make enough for four servings of soup. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add ¼ cup of pearled barley to simmering soup and cook for 20 minutes more.
Use the other half of the cubed meat for a meat pie. Cook potatoes, carrots, rutabaga and onion separately if you have none left over. You can use a regular pie crust—your favorite recipe for a two-crust pie—or you can use filo dough layered with cooking spray to keep calories low to make a crust. Dice all vegetables uniformly. Take any remaining liquid from pot roast and add water and beef base to make about two cups. Simmer and add flour and water slurry to thicken. Line one pie pan or several individual tart pans with crust or filo and fill with a mixture of cubed beef and vegetables to the top. Pour thickened gravy over; top with another crust. Prick crust to vent and bake for 45 minutes at 350. If you freeze uncooked, cover with foil before freezing. Bake with foil on for 45 minutes at 375; remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes until top crust is brown and edges are bubbling.
Although there are many items that cause sticker shock in the grocery aisles, there are still a lot of foods that are a bargain. I leave all my menu plans flexible enough to accommodate the in-season foods and specials that I find at the store. I have lived long enough to go through economic down-turns before and it’s time to get out those thrifty skills and polish them up.
Of course, we are a lot busier now then we were then (at least it seems like it) and convenience usually costs money. But with emphasis on being frugal with energy and the earth’s resources, there are also ways to be frugal with meals and still save time.
One of those ways is a return to weekend cooking, especially of roasts. Most people are eating less meat and using meat as a condiment rather than the mainstay of a meal. I am one of them. However, I, and especially my husband, do enjoy a really good cut of meat from time to time; so I have returned to making a roast (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, etc.) on Sunday and using the leftovers all week for other dishes. We then have an old-fashioned meat and potatoes meal on Sunday and the makings of casseroles, stir-frys, sandwiches, salads, soups, you name it—all week. If you can’t stomach the same type of meat, cut the roast up in pieces the size of the various meals and freeze them.
For instance, I had a ham and a turkey breast on Easter Sunday. I really can’t deal with too much salty ham, so I sliced some for sandwiches, chunked some for casseroles, cubed some for salads and mini-diced some for “seasoning”. Many dishes are improved by using some very finely diced ham (only a little) in place of salt. The ham bone will make a fine split pea or bean soup. The turkey breast got similar treatment.
Time and energy economy is sometimes even more important than money. Most of you probably already make use of slow-cookers, but do you have a pressure cooker? I think they got a bad reputation in the olden days when they would occasionally blow up and make a huge mess—but those days are gone! The new pressure pans are fool-proof and you can cook food in minutes without a microwave and with nutrients and flavor intact.
Buy produce that is in season only. The fruits and vegetables that look so tempting but are out of season are not only expensive, they are rarely very good. Strawberries were on sale in Red Wing last week and I bought a lot of them. They are wonderful fresh, but not bad frozen and made into dessert sauces, etc.
Buy the largest freezer you can afford—it will more than pay you back threefold, if you
wrap things right, label them and keep it full. Even if you don’t like to put cooked food into the freezer, it does allow you to buy a lot of something that is a really good deal.
One other appliance that should have a come-back is the food grinder. Yes, you can use a food processor, but for some jobs, nothing works like an old-fashioned food grinder. I have an attachment on my Kitchen aid stand mixer and I use it a lot. You can make your own ground beef, turkey and pork which can be a great savings—and it really is fun. You can also take your cooked roast and make ham loaves, sandwich fillings, terrines and meatballs, adding meat extenders like whole grain bread crumbs, wheat germ or flaxseed meal. Put onion and garlic or other vegetables (carrots, parsnips?) into the grinder along with the meat and out comes a gourmet mix. You can even make your own sausage and an added plus is that you can use any meat combination you like, such as chicken-apple sausage. It’s fun, it’s fast, and it’s definitely economical.
Pot Roast Three Ways
Make a pot roast in your slow cooker, pressure cooker or ordinary Dutch oven. Use any recipe you like. Enjoy. When cleaning up, cube the meat and vegetables (if you have them) and refrigerate them separately from the liquid left over.
Use half the cubed meat for a hearty beef-barley soup. Put cubed beef and half the leftover liquid into a saucepan. Add cut vegetables (carrots, onions). Add water and beef base or instant bouillon to make enough for four servings of soup. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add ¼ cup of pearled barley to simmering soup and cook for 20 minutes more.
Use the other half of the cubed meat for a meat pie. Cook potatoes, carrots, rutabaga and onion separately if you have none left over. You can use a regular pie crust—your favorite recipe for a two-crust pie—or you can use filo dough layered with cooking spray to keep calories low to make a crust. Dice all vegetables uniformly. Take any remaining liquid from pot roast and add water and beef base to make about two cups. Simmer and add flour and water slurry to thicken. Line one pie pan or several individual tart pans with crust or filo and fill with a mixture of cubed beef and vegetables to the top. Pour thickened gravy over; top with another crust. Prick crust to vent and bake for 45 minutes at 350. If you freeze uncooked, cover with foil before freezing. Bake with foil on for 45 minutes at 375; remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes until top crust is brown and edges are bubbling.
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