Delicious Asparagus

I love asparagus and I’m always overjoyed when the new spring crop comes to the market but I’m certainly not alone in this passion. In fact the city of Stockton, California celebrates an Asparagus Festival the last weekend of April for a two-day event each year. My brother graduated from the University of the Pacific in Stockton and although I have been there many times, I never heard about the festival until I acquired a cookbook written about it.


The book gives more information about asparagus than I have ever imagined, much less known. Some of the highlights given on the prestigious history of this vegetable (one of the oldest known to mankind) are that the Arabs sprinkled asparagus with spices to stimulate the senses; Brillat-Savarin told of dreams being provoked by asparagus; Egyptians offered it to their gods, and a recipe using asparagus was found in the ruins of Pompeii.

Stockton considers itself the asparagus capital of the world and the focal point of the festival is known as asparagus alley. It features six gourmet asparagus dishes which are prepared under two big-top tents. The dishes were selected from among the favorite recipes submitted to the committee. Much thought and work is given to the presentation of these six dishes and the 1986 winners are in the book.

The book also includes a lot of tips which I found very helpful. Freezing is very successful; wash thoroughly, trim off the tough ends, leave spears whole or cut into 2-inch lengths. Sort according to stalk thickness; then blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes. Immediately plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain well. Pack in freezer plastic bags or rigid containers. Seal, label and freeze. Alternatively, you can place washed spears or pieces on a cookie sheet, separated from each other. Freeze. When frozen, place desired number of spears or pieces in plastic bags for serving sizes, working quickly so asparagus does not thaw. Store in freezer.

When preparing asparagus, first wash very well. Sand and grit do get between the fronds, so a second washing may be necessary. Break or cut spears at the tender part and reserve the ends for puree, soups or salads. Cook quickly in water in a skillet (lying flat) until tender-crisp. The time varies according to the age and size of the asparagus but I have found that 9-12 minutes is about right. Stop the cooking by draining immediately before dressing (with butter or other sauce) and serve hot. Or, plunge into ice bath and refrigerate to serve cold in salads or as a delicious side with mayonnaise. Asparagus can be steamed, microwaved and stir-fried as well as boiled.

Because I am always interested in the nutritive value of foods that we are eating, I have included some of the information about asparagus: asparagus is low in salt (3 ½ ounces of boiled and drained asparagus contains 1.0 mg sodium) and calories. There are only four calories per spear or 66 calories per pound. Asparagus is a good source of potassium, magnesium, fiber, calcium, vitamin A, and Vitamin C. Additionally, asparagus is one of the few foods that contains a large amount of rutin, which is important for keeping the capillary walls pliable.

My card club meets at my house Monday and soup is our traditional lunch entrée. I decided to give the bisque from the 1986 Stockton Asparagus Festival, asparagus alley recipe a try. It turned out beautifully (I made it ahead and froze it). Here is the recipe:

Asparagus Bisque

1 stick butter
¾ cup flour
2 quarts whole milk
1 cup chicken stock
1 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. salt (or more, depending on the saltiness of the stock)
1 bay leaf
3 cups cleaned and cooked asparagus, tips and center only, (cut into ½-inch pieces)
Instant potatoes (use to thicken bisque if needed)

Roux: In stockpot, melt butter; add flour, stirring constantly so mixture doesn’t burn. Add 1 quart milk slowly to roux mixture, stirring constantly. When combined and thickened, add remaining milk and chicken stock. Add bay leaf, white pepper and salt. Add asparagus. Cook soup slowly for 1 hour.

To serve, top bisque with large sourdough croutons and a dollop of sour cream. Sprinkle with dill weed. Makes 1 gallon.

Leftover Easter Eggs

After tomorrow you may have a lot of hard-cooked eggs around the house that have to be used up. There are only so many egg salad sandwiches a family can eat. Granted, we both really enjoy a hard-boiled egg for a snack, however, I had many beautiful, farm-fresh, already colored eggs to use for a centerpiece and have not so many people here anymore, so I dug through my cookbook collection for something new to do with all these gifts from the Easter Bunny.

By the way, if you are worried about the cholesterol content of eggs, it has been found that the link between eggs and heart disease is not established. Our bodies actually manufacture cholesterol whatever our diet, and it seems that the lecithin in the whites counteracts the cholesterol in the yolks. So, no more egg-white omelets. Lastly, eggs abound with vitamins and minerals, including vitamin D, that are essential to our bodies.

I really scoured to find some ideas that were different and not too difficult to use up my eggs. These three recipes fulfilled my wishes and turned out to be really tasty as well.

Eggs in Aspic

2 cups canned beef consommé (not broth)
1 pkg. unflavored gelatin
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
5 hard boiled eggs, shelled
Italian parsley leaves, watercress or fresh tarragon

Heat consommé, undiluted, until simmering. Soften gelatin in water and then set in the microwave for 30-60 seconds until gelatin is clear but not boiling. (This can be done by putting the gelatin in ¼ cup water in a custard cup and setting in a skillet with simmering water until gelatin is clear). Add gelatin to consommé and stir to completely dissolve. Add ice water to equal 1 ½ cups to mixture. Ladle a small amount of the mixture into a ring mold and refrigerate for 10 minutes, or until set. Dip sprigs of parsley in hot water, cut off stems and dry the leaves. Dip them into the mixture. Arrange the leaves around the mold; refrigerate the mold again. Add another thin layer of mixture, refrigerate, and when the second layer has set, position eggs between the leaves. Add the rest of the consommé-gelatin mixture or until eggs are immersed and mold is full. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm. Serve with a green salad for a surprisingly lovely lunch.

Eggs en Croute a la Lynette (serves 6)

6 hard-boiled eggs, shelled
6 English muffins, unsplit
2 Tbsp. melted butter

6 large mushroom caps
6 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. dry white wine

2 Tbsp. softened butter

Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. dry white wine

2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
1 cup vegetable juice (such as V-8)
3-4 dashes Tabasco sauce
2 ounces Parmesan or Pecorino-Romano cheese, freshly grated

Cut out around the whole English muffins with a serrated knife (a grapefruit knife works well), being careful not to cut through the bottom of the muffins and leaving a ½” edge. Pull out the center of each muffin leaving a shell. Reserve the muffin centers. Brush inside of muffin cases with melted butter and put into 250 degree oven for 15 minutes.

In large skillet, melt the 6 Tbsp butter. Pull out the stems and scrape the inside gills of the mushroom caps, leaving a shell. Reserve the stems and gills of mushrooms. Saute the mushroom caps, turning once until browned but not too limp, (about 5 minutes). Remove from pan and set aside. Finely chop the mushroom stems and gills and whirl the insides of the English muffins in a food processor or blender until fine crumbs. Add the chopped mushroom and the crumbs to the skillet with 2 tablespoons dry white wine. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture is golden, but not completely dry.

Slice peeled eggs lengthwise and carefully lift yolks into a medium bowl. Mix yolks, 2 Tbsp. softened butter, salt, pepper, mustard and 1 tsp. dry white wine with a fork until well blended. Taste for seasoning. Fill egg whites with this mixture.

In medium saucepan, melt 2 Tbsp. butter. Add 2 Tbsp. flour and mix until well blended and bubbly but not brown. Add milk, vegetable juice and tabasco slowly, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until bubbly and thick.

To assemble: In an individual gratin dish, well sprayed, ladle or spoon about ¼ cup of tomato-white sauce. Lay muffin case on sauce, slightly off-center. Fill muffin case with mushroom-bread crumb mixture, using about 1 Tbsp. Lay mushroom cap over stuffing. Fill cap with stuffed egg half. Lay other stuffed egg half aside the muffin case in gratin dish. Ladle Tomato-white sauce over all and sprinkle with cheese. Repeat with other egg-muffin cases. Bake at 425 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Scotch Eggs

1 ¼ pounds sausage meat
Flour
8 hard-cooked eggs, shelled
1 egg, beaten
¾ cup fine dry bread crumbs
Fat for deep frying

With your hands, flatten sausage meat on a floured board and cut into eight pieces. Mold meat around each egg, rolling it around with your hands until egg is completely covered. (It helps to have wet hands). Dip eggs in beaten egg, then in bread crumbs and deep fry at 370 degrees for 4-5 minutes.

Italian Fare

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but if it had been, the day would be April 21. At least that is the day that is celebrated as the day Rome was founded. There is something magical about the name Rome. It conjures up visions of beautiful hills surrounding the Eternal City founded by the twins, Remus and Romulus. It is said that all roads lead to Rome and that is certainly true of the culinary paths; it is the intersection of the Northern and Southern Italian cuisines and boasts the best of both.


For centuries Rome has shunned the usual divisions of Italian cuisine (butter in the north, olive oil in the south) and has merged the cultural contributions of not only Italy but of other nations as well, evolving into a truly eclectic cooking style that is still distinctly Italian.

And it is spring in Italy which means the open air markets; the most famous of which is the Campo de’Fiori, are in full swing. No one knows why the vegetables and herbs of Italy taste so superior to others in the world, but they do. Reasons range from the sea mists that carry salts and other minerals across the land to the use of natural fertilizers, the climate, or perhaps most importantly, the Italian know-how.

Rome boasts a 2,000-year-old repertoire of recipes which is extraordinary even by Italian standards. There are hundreds of traditional recipes in which the local produce stars, even though each household has its own version. Spinach, asparagus, artichokes, and tomatoes team with an abundance of herbs—parsley, sweet basil, wild marjoram, thyme, rosemary, sage, tarragon, bay leaves, oregano, mint, myrtle and borage. Fennel seed, juniper berries and a wide variety of spices including cloves, coriander and saffron add to the wide spectrum of flavorings favored by the Italians, as do celery, onions, shallots, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar and—especially—olives.

I came across a wonderful sounding Roman menu for spring in a (what else) Bon Appetit magazine from May 2005 and decided to make it; alas, some of the ingredients are not available anywhere near here, at least not right now. So I opted for a couple of the dishes I could make without actually going to Rome—and they were a real hit.

Menu for 6

Cherry Tomato, Arugula and Shrimp Salad
Spaghetti with Fresh Favas, Peas, and Guanciale (salt-cured pork jowl)
Leg of Lamb with pan-roasted Potatoes and Artichokes
Baby Zucchini Carpaccio with Pecorino and Mint
Fresh Orange Tiramisu

Cherry Tomato, Arugula and Shrimp Salad

5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, peeled, flattened
1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined, halved lengthwise
¼ cup dry white wine
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 ounces baby arugula (about 4 cups)
1 pound cherry or grape tomatoes

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; stir until garlic begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Discard garlic. Add shrimp to skillet; stir until just opaque in center, about 5 minutes. Transfer to large salad bowl. Pour wine into skillet and boil until reduced to thick syrup, stirring frequently and adding any accumulated juices from shrimp, about 3 minutes. Pour over shrimp in bowl. Cool.

Whisk remaining 3 Tbsp. oil with lemon juice in small bowl to blend. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Add arugula and tomatoes to shrimp; toss to blend. Add enough dressing to salad to coat.

Fresh Orange Tiramisu

1 cup fresh orange juice
5 Tbsp sugar, divided
6 Tbsp Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur, divided
6 large oranges
1/3 cup water
2 cups chilled whipping cream
2 8-oz containers mascarpone cheese
20 crisp ladyfinger cookies

Stir orange juice and 1 Tbsp. sugar in heavy saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Cool orange syrup. Stir in 1 Tbsp liqueur.

Using sharp knife cut all peel and white pith from oranges. Cut 5 oranges into ¼-inch-thick rounds; set aside. Coarsely chop remaining orange; transfer chopped orange and any accumulated juices to another heavy small saucepan. Add 2 Tbsp. sugar and 1/3 cup water to chopped orange. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer until thick and pulpy, stirring frequently and mashing mixture with back of fork, about 25 minutes. Cool cooked orange mixture completely. Using electric mixer beat whipping cream and mascarpone cheese in large bowl until soft peaks form. Stir in remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar, cooked orange mixture and remaining 5 Tbsp liqueur.

Line 2 ½ quart soufflé dish with overlapping sheets of plastic wrap, leaving 4-inch overhang. Line bottom and sides of dish with orange slices, halving some slices as needed to cover completely. Dip 1 cookie into orange syrup to barely soften, turning once, about 2 seconds. Place atop oranges in bottom of dish. Repeat with enough cookies to cover bottom of dish. Spread 1 ½ cups mascarpone mixture over cookies. Arrange half of remaining orange slices over mascarpone mixture. Repeat layering with cookies dipped in syrup, 1 ½ cups mascarpone, and oranges. Place third layer of cookies dipped in syrup atop oranges, then spread remaining mascarpone over. Fold plastic overhang over tiramisu. Chill tiramisu at least 3 hours and up to 1 day. Peel back plastic wrap. Place plate atop soufflé dish. Invert dish. Remove dish and plastic wrap from tiramisu.

Easter Dessert

Spring feasts are ripe with meaning and it’s a time for traditional spring foods such as ham, lamb, salmon, asparagus, strawberries, lemon and rhubarb—and time for spring flowers to decorate the table. And don’t forget eggs—they are usually a centerpiece food for the major holidays of spring like Easter and Passover.

I am planning a traditional Easter dinner of ham, a cheesy potato dish, asparagus, and the usual accompaniments but dessert is another matter. Dessert can be different every year and this year I have run across several I’d like to try.

Often Easter comes in March. Even though it comes in April this year, I am going to make an old-fashioned dessert called a Daffodil cake since March is the month for daffodils and the cake will look beautiful on the Easter table along with some fresh daffodils for a centerpiece. Sweetened strawberries served alongside would be perfect.

Since rhubarb and strawberries are among the first fruits to appear in the spring (rhubarb is technically a vegetable but is cooked and served sweetened as a fruit), I am throwing in a wonderful and simple dessert for fun—hey, it’s Easter, two desserts are allowed after the fasting of Lent.

Here is the great potato recipe that we use for family gatherings—easy, make ahead, delicious!

Two plus Two Potato Casserole

2 cups sour cream
1 can cream of celery soup
1 tsp. salt
Dash pepper
½ cup green onions, chopped
2 packages Simply Potatoes (brand) hash brown potatoes
½ cup butter, melted
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups crushed potato chips
¼ cup butter, melted
1 tsp. paprika

Mix sour cream, soup, salt and pepper, and green onions in medium bowl. Put hash browns, ½ cup melted butter and cheese in a 9x13” baking dish. Pour soup mixture over. Mix gently. Top with crushed potato chips and drizzle ¼ cup melted butter over. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Daffodil Cake (adapted from Betty Crocker Cookbook)

1 cup cake flour
¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar
12 egg whites (1 ½ cups)
1 ½ tsp. cream of tartar
¼ tsp. salt
¾ cup sugar
6 egg yolks
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. almond extract

Lemon glaze (below)

Preheat oven to 375. Stir together flour and ¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar; set aside. In large mixer bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until foamy. Add remaining ¾ cup sugar, 2 Tbsp. at a time, beating on high speed until meringue holds stiff peaks. In separate mixer bowl, beat egg yolks about 5 minutes or until very thick. Gently fold flavorings into meringue. Sprinkle flour sugar mixture, ¼ at a time, over meringue, folding in gently just until no flour mixture is visible. Pour half the batter into another bowl; gently fold in egg yolks. Spoon yellow and white batters alternately into ungreased tube pan, 10x4 inches. Gently cut through batters to swirl. Bake on bottom shelf of oven about 40 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly with finger. Invert pan and let hang until completely cool. Spread with glaze.

Lemon Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
½ tsp. grated lemon peel
1 tsp. lemon juice
About 2 Tbsp milk
1 drop yellow food color

Mix all ingredients until smooth.

You can decorate this cake with candy flowers or other spring motifs.

Frozen Vacherin Torte with Rhubarb Cream and Strawberries (adapted from Bon Appetit, April 2002)

Begin preparing at least one day before you plan to serve it. Once assembled, the torte can be frozen for up to four days.
8-10 servings

Meringues

Non-stick vegetable spray
6 large egg whites
¼ tsp cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract

Rhubarb Cream

2 cups ½-inch pieces fresh rhubarb
3/4 cup halved hulled strawberries
1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup water
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
5 large egg yolks
1 cup chilled whipping cream
½ tsp vanilla extract

Sweetened strawberries (optional)

For meringues: Position racks in top third and center of oven and preheat to 250 deg. Using 8-inch diameter bowl or plate as guide, firmly trace 2 circles onto 1 sheet of parchment paper and 1 circle onto second sheet. Place papers, marked side down on 2 baking sheets. Spray paper with nonstick spray. Using mixer beat egg whites in large bowl until frothy. Add cream of tartar and salt; beat until soft peaks form. Beat in sugar, 1 Tbsp at a time, then beat until whites are stiff and glossy. Beat in vanilla. Working in batches, spoon meringue into large pastry bag fitted with ½-inch plain tip. Starting in center of each traced circle and holding tip just above paper, pipe meringue in spirals to fill circles, forming 3 rounds. Bake meringues until firm, dry and pale golden, about 2 hours. Turn off oven; leave meringues in oven with door closed at least 4 hours or overnight.

For Rhubarb Cream: Combine rhubarb, strawberries, ½ cup sugar, water and lemon juice in saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat and simmer until rhubarb is very tender, about 15 minutes. Puree mixture in processor. Chill until cold. Whisk yolks and 1/3 cup sugar in large metal bowl to blend. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bowl to touch water). Whisk until mixture thickens and thermometer registers 140 for 3 minutes, about 7 minutes total. Chill mixture until cool, about 15 minutes. Gently fold rhubarb mixture into yolk mixture. Beat whipping cream and vanilla until stiff. Fold cream into rhubarb mixture in 2 additions. Place 1 meringue disk in 9-inch springform pan. Spread 1/3 of rhubarb cream (about 1 ½ cups) over meringue, leaving ½-inch plain border. Top with second meringue disk, then 1/3 rhubarb cream. Top with remaining meringue disk and rhubarb cream (cream will not spread to sides of pan). Freeze until cream is firm, about 6 hours. Release cake pan sides. Serve torte with sweetened strawberries, if desired.

Special Easter Breads

Easter and Passover are the last big holy days until fall; at least that involve special feasts and food preparation. Besides eggs, ham or lamb and asparagus, the other category of foods we associate with Easter is breads. Every ethnic group seems to have a special bread to bake at Easter.


The Greeks and the Russians really do this category proud. The Greek tradition has Easter as a more prominent holiday than Christmas, which of course, is opposite of the Northern European way; there are more of us in the Midwest that put our best efforts into Christmas (as in the hundreds of delicious Scandinavian butter cookies) leaving Easter as mostly colored eggs and a nice brunch or dinner.

I decided to look at all the breads of the Eastern European and Southern Mediterranean areas baked for Easter and it was amazing. Ukrainians have a specialty called Paska (or sometimes kulich—then paska will be a cheese mixture baked in a mold and served with the kulich) baked in tall, cylindrical cans (like coffee cans). This bread takes a long, long kneading time and a special cooling done on a pillow. “The paska will be very soft. Place a pillow on your kitchen counter; then remove the cans from the oven, using both hands. Place each can over the pillow with the opening of the can facing away from you. Gently let the paska slide out onto the pillow, shaking the can to get it started. Every minute turn the paska from side to side with your hands. Do again and again until it is cooler. Leave it on the pillow, turning it once in a while until it is completely cool.”—from Valentina’s Ukrainian Kitchen

The Greek bread for Easter, tsoureki, is a beautiful, braided affair with red-dyed eggs baked right into it. These eggs, having been boiled and then baked, are not eaten, but used for a favorite family game in which everyone grasps one of the red eggs tightly in his hand with the point showing. Each tries to crack the other’s egg. The winner is the lucky one who successfully escapes having his egg cracked.

The Italians, not to be left out in the culinary field, have a lovely bread called Creska in northern Italy. This is a savory rather than sweet bread, using Parmesan cheese, of course.

With all the Easter morning breads, there was only one Good Friday bread that I found in my search: hot cross buns. Most of us are familiar with these British offerings, but perhaps not the tradition surrounding them.

Good Friday comes this month, the old woman runs

With one-a-penny, two-a-penny, hot cross buns,

Whose virtue is, if you believe what’s said,

They’ll not grow moldy like common bread.

--Old English Folk Chant

By the early part of the eighteenth century the Hot Cross Bun was traditional Good Friday eating throughout England. Until lately, in England, they were available only on Good Friday, but now are sold throughout the Lenten season. There are variations on the recipes I found, but all include currants or raisins and candied fruit peel. Here’s one I liked for you to try.

Hot Cross Buns

1 cup scalded milk (can use microwave) 4 cups flour
One-half cup butter (1 stick) One-half teaspoon salt
One-half cup sugar 1 cup currants or raisins
1 pkg. dry yeast (dissolved in one-fourth One-fourth cup candied fruit peels
cup warm water) One-half teaspoon ground allspice
1 large egg

Pour the scalded milk over the butter and sugar and stir to dissolve the butter and sugar. Let cool to lukewarm. Add the dissolved yeast and the egg and blend well. Add the flour and salt gradually, reserving a small amount of flour to dust the fruits. Add the floured fruits and the allspice to the dough and knead in thoroughly. (I use the dough hook on my stand-mixer). Place in a buttered bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled. Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a floured board. Shape dough into 15 buns and place on sprayed cookie sheets. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes, then very carefully press the shape of a cross into each bun, using a spatula or the back of a knife. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until buns are browned and done, about 10 to 15 minutes longer. Frost either the entire bun or just the shape of the cross.

Frosting: Beat 1 egg white until stiff, adding powdered sugar gradually until mixture is thick. Flavor with 1 teaspoon lemon juice or vanilla extract or one-quarter teaspoon almond extract. If frosting thins, add more powdered sugar.

Easter Morning Brunch

I love Easter morning. I am a morning person, anyway, but there is something so very special about Easter morning—imagining the “Marys” arriving very early in the morning and finding the tomb of Jesus empty and being told by an angel that he had risen. What a morning! So I am planning a special Easter Brunch instead of a big dinner.

This menu is so make-ahead that you can even plan to go to the Easter Sunrise Service and get back in plenty of time to relax and enjoy your brunch. If you have young children around, they are too busy engaged in finding Easter baskets to care if breakfast is a bit late and they have all that candy to snack on.

If you are having an Easter brunch—great—but this menu is equally delightful for a Spring brunch—since it calls for many of the favorites for Spring (now that it is finally here) and it affords the opportunity to really dress up the table with tulips, daffodils, lilies, baskets of colored eggs, etc. The ultimate Spring celebration:

Menu

Baked Eggs with Cheese and Herbs
Homemade Sausage Patties
Fresh Pineapple and Strawberries with Cream Topping
Bohemian Easter Braid

Baked Eggs with Cheese and Herbs
8-10 servings

3 slices bread, crusts removed (such as Italian, French, or a whole grain bread)
3 medium scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
½ cup (packed) parsley leaves
1 cup whole milk or half and half
¾ cup water
12 eggs
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. dried chervil
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp. dillweed
¼ lb. Swiss cheese, shredded
¼ lb. mozzarella cheese, shredded
¼ cup butter

Spray a 6-cup soufflé dish or casserole. Mince bread and parsley in work bowl of food processor using several pulses. Blend milk and water in small bowl. Add bread and let soak 5 minutes. Strain, reserving liquid. Combine eggs, seasonings and half of soaking liquid in work bowl and mix 5 seconds. Transfer to mixing bowl and blend in remaining liquid and onions. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Combine cheeses and sprinkle ¼ cup into prepared dish. Heat butter in large skillet over low heat. Add egg mixture and cook briefly just until barely set (mixture should just start to thicken; do not overcook). Add bread and 1 ½ cups cheese. Ladle into prepared dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese. This dish can be prepared to this point, covered tightly and refrigerated overnight. Bake until top is browned and puffy, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Strawberries and Pineapple with Pineapple Cream Topping (serves 8)

1 large, ripe pineapple
2 pints strawberries (leave 8 whole for garnish)
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. grated orange peel
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
Grated lemon peel from one lemon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup whipping cream, chilled

Split pineapple (including leaves) in half lengthwise. Without cutting through skin, remove meat from each half in 1 piece leaving ½-inch-thick shell. Discard core. Quarter halves lengthwise; cut 1 length in half again vertically and set 1 piece aside to use in topping. Slice remaining pieces and transfer to mixing bowl. Slice strawberries. Add to pineapple with sugar and peel and toss lightly. Spoon into shells. Top with whole berries, cover and refrigerate.

For topping: Combine eggs, sugar and peel in work bowl and mix 1 minute. Cut reserved pineapple into 2 pieces, add to work bowl and mix 1 minute. Add lemon juice and mix 5 seconds. Transfer mixture to top of double boiler set over medium heat and stir until sauce is thickened and coats spoon. Remove from heat and cool. Whip cream. Fold into cooled pineapple mixture. Cover and refrigerate. To served, spoon fruit into individual dishes. Pass topping separately.

Homemade Sausage Patties

2 lbs. lean pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
12 ounces pork fat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 Tbsp water
2 sp. salt
½ tsp freshly ground pepper
½ tsp liquid smoke (optional)
¼ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
¼ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. dried sage
1 small onion, minced
¼ cup all purpose flour

Combine pork and fat in large mixing bowl and mix well. Divide into three batches for food processor or use meat grinder. Chop, 1 batch at a time, in processor or feed through meat grinder until coarsely chopped. When all is chopped, return mixture to large bowl. Combine water and seasonings and add to chopped mixture with onion. Blend gently but thoroughly with hands. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Shape into 16 patties. Lightly flour each patty and place in large cold skillet. Fry over medium-high heat until well browned and cooked through, turning once, about 20 minutes.

Canadian Maple Brown Bread

So much has been written about bread that I haven’t a lot to add except to say that I was appalled when the low-carb diet craze demonized bread. Bread? The staff of life? Now we know that bread made from whole grains and baked with loving hands at home is not bad for one’s health. Actually, recent nutritional studies have found that bread is a very valuable food and that the use of whole grains and other add-ins (such as fruit and nuts) only adds to that nutritional worth. Thank Goodness. The other health benefit is the warm, homey, good feelings we get from the aroma and taste of freshly homemade bread. Think stress reduction.


Our ancestors never doubted the value of bread. It has been around for thousands of years. I’m not sure how the first man figured out to grind the grains they found growing wild and mixing the result with water and baking it in the sun on a flat stone but historians tell us that that’s how it all probably began. It used to be a formidable task—even as recently as our grandmothers who baked bread for a week for a family—usually on Saturday. Today we can use our heavy-duty mixers or breadmakers (on the “dough” setting) to mix and knead and (in the case of the breadmaker) raise the bread in a nice, warm environment.

But even if you don’t bake your bread using machines to help, it is a labor of love and therapy. Kneading yeast breads and feeling the springy, smooth, fragrant and live dough beneath your fingers is gratifying as few other cooking tasks are. One of my cookbooks says, “The satisfaction of producing a fine loaf is a thrill hardly possible to exaggerate.”

It took me several years to learn to make good yeast bread. I was probably intimidated a little by my mom who won blue ribbons for her bread when she was just a teen and always made it look simple, but never really taught me how. She was not one to measure or write down directions and so my first loaves as a bride turned out like bricks and I didn’t know why. I finally asked her to show me, step-by-step, how she did it and talk me through how she knew when the water was the right temperature so as not to kill the yeast (what I had evidently been doing to produce those “bricks”), how to tell when the dough was kneaded just right—and also how to tell when it was done. Now I can bake a pretty mean loaf.

While working on a cookbook entitled The Thrifty, Healthy Kitchen, I costed out the price of a 1 ½ pound loaf of part white, part whole wheat bread with some shortening and sweetener in it. The cost was about $0.48. In today’s world, that’s pretty inexpensive for a wonderful loaf of bread—so I decided to bake all our bread. Since I had picked up a hand-written cookbook at the Library’s book sale last week called “A Diary of Bread 100 ways 100 Days” I got the brilliant idea to start at the beginning and bake a bread a day. Well, almost a bread a day—there are days when I simply can’t. What to do with all that bread? I am using it for my breakfasts, ourselves, the freezer and as gifts. It’s amazing how welcome a loaf of homemade bread is! I am going to keep my readers abreast of my 100 loaves of bread by writing about the most outstanding once a month and sharing what I am learning about baking bread. The first is Canadian Maple Brown Bread

Canadian Maple Brown Bread

¾ cup uncooked rolled oats
1 ¼ cup boiling water
1 package active dry yeast
¼ cup warm water (105 to 115)
¼ tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. ginger
½ cup milk
1/3 cup maple syrup
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup butter
2 tsp. salt
5 cups unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup golden raisins
Maple syrup and turbinado sugar for glaze

Combine oats and 1 ¼ cups boiling water in a small bowl. Cover and let stand 20 minutes. Dissolve yeast, ginger and sugar in warm water in a large bowl; let stand until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Combine milk, 1/3 cup maple syrup, brown sugar, butter and salt in small pan. Heat over low heat until butter is melted. Cool to lukewarm. Stir into yeast. Stir in oats mixture. Mix in flour and raisins to make a stiff dough. Turn dough onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. (Alternatively, use dough hook of heavy-duty electric mixer and knead about 10 minutes.) Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double ( 1 ½ hours). Punch down and divide in half. Shape in 2 greased loaf pans. Cover; let rise until double (about 1 ½ hours). Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans. Brush tops with maple syrup and sprinkle with turbinado or maple sugar while still warm. Cool on wire rack.

Fool and Flummery

Yesterday was April Fool’s Day and I have always wondered how this celebration began—so I set out to discover the origins of Fool’s Day. That turned out not to be as easy as it sounded. The best I could do was this: “The origins of April Fools’ Day have never really been determined. Some speculate that it derives from an ancient New Year festival celebrated at the vernal equinox. It bears certain resemblances to Hilaria, an ancient Roman festival in honor of a nature goddess, which was celebrated on March 25…but whatever its roots, the timing of April Fools’ Day is certainly appropriate, since it occurs during that part of the year when nature fools men with capricious changes” [in the weather].


There is actually a dessert called a fool; very old-fashioned and probably originating in England. How did a dessert come to be known as a fool? It may have come from the French word, foule meaning pressed or crushed and refer to the combination of crushed fruits and thick cream. It is a simple dish—but sublime.

And then there is the dessert known as flummery. The dictionary definition of that word is: 1. A name given to various sweet dishes made with milk, eggs, flour, etc. 2. Empty compliment; unsubstantial talk or writing; mumbo jumbo; nonsense. That last one fits the foolish theme.

Both of these desserts are fantastic and as easy as can be—maybe the name of them comes from fooling our guests into thinking we spent hours on these delightful desserts! There are a number of simple variations to each—especially the fruit used to make it. Here are the two that I tried with their variations:

Strawberry Fool

3 cups washed, hulled and sliced strawberries or 1 pound bag unsweetened frozen strawberries, thawed
1 Tbsp Cointreau or other orange flavored liqueur (optional)
½ cup white sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Put fresh or thawed strawberries in bowl and add optional orange liqueur and ½ the sugar (1/4 cup). Set aside in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. Pour all but ½ cup strawberries into a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. Pour into bowl and refrigerate for a few hours. Put remaining strawberries into a food processor and pulse until still a little chunky. Put them into refrigerator also for a few hours. When ready to assemble fool, whip the heavy cream with the remaining ¼ cup sugar until fairly stiff peaks form. Fold the puree into whipped cream very carefully. Spoon into pretty stemmed glasses, swirling at top. Put remaining strawberries on top and just barely twirl them into cream, leaving some to show. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Variations:

Serve with drizzled ganache or a chocolate covered strawberry,
Make fool with strained pureed raspberries or blackberries
Use stewed, sweetened rhubarb for the fruit
Healthy alternative: use yogurt in place of whipped cream or lighten yogurt with half whipped cream

Blueberry Flummery

4 cups blueberries
¾ cup sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon rind, grated
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ cup water
½ cup (1 stick) butter
8 slices oatmeal or white bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Liberally spray a 1 ½-quart baking dish. Mix blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and rind, nutmeg and water in large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to bubble; allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Melt butter. Cut each slice into 3 strips and dip in butter. Line the baking dish with a layer of bread. Pour half hot berries over bread, add another layer of bread and cover with the remaining berries. Bake for 20 minutes. The flummery is excellent served hot or room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream.

Variations:

Flummeries can be made with almost any fruit and can be thickened with oatmeal or cornstarch instead of using bread. I even found several recipes using gelatin. This rhubarb variation is timely and easy and sounds delicious—no fooling!

Rhubarb Flummery

1 ½ lbs. rhubarb
1 ½ cups water
½ cup sugar
¼ tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp cornstarch

Cut rhubarb in ½” slices. Add water and sugar and simmer until mushy. Add vanilla. Mix cornstarch with a little cold water. Stir into rhubarb; cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until thick. Serve warm or chilled with sweetened whipped cream.