Yesterday, I finally used the two butternut squashes that have been staring me in the face for at least a few weeks now. It was the thought of peeling those things that kept me from using them sooner. They aren't hard to peel, they are just one of those vegetables that doesn't rot quickly and therefore are easy to procrastinate about! With that said, make sure you use a sharp knife when peeling them.
The basis for this soup comes from the Barefoot Contessa's Parties Cookbook. She mentions that she got her idea from "The Silver Palate Cookbook". The biggest change I made to the Barefoot Contessa's recipe was to not include apple juice or apple cider and cutting the amount of apples down. I think the soup would be too sweet but that is just my taste. I also considered throwing in some chicken stock instead of the water but I wanted to have a strictly vegetarian soup and if you leave out the butter, it is actually a vegan soup.
This soup had me swooning in the kitchen after I pureed it and started to heat it up for dinner. The curry powder transformed the soup into a spicy, sort of, pumpkin pie flavour. No wonder I loved it!
Butternut Squash Soup
2 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
4 c. chopped onions (I used 2 red onions and about 8 shallots. I was out of yellow onions.)
2 T. mild curry powder
5 lbs butternut squash (2 large)
2 large cooking apples (mutsu are what I used)
2 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. fresh ground black pepper
Water
1. Warm the butter and olive oil in a large stockpot over low heat. Add the onions and curry powder and cook, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. Stir occasionally, making sure the onions don't stick to the bottom of the pot.
2. Peel the squash, remove the seeds, and cut the squash into chunks. Peel, quarter, and core the apples.
3. Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and 2 cups of water to the pot. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash and apples are very soft. Puree the soup in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.
4. Pour the soup back into the pot. Add enough water to make the soup the consistency you like; I like it quite thick and I added about 2 cups of water. Check for seasoning and serve hot.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
French Bistro Chicken
I admit that I am a softy for almost anything French. Especially the food. While working in France at Linda Meinhardt's Chateau, I was doing a lot of cooking, sometimes morning, noon and night. However, we managed to eat at the local restaurants during the times that we weren't catering to guests. Some meals were wonderful but more often than not, they were either mediocre or down right terrible (the restaurant meals, not the ones I was cooking!). When I sit down and eat this French Bistro chicken, I really feel that this is the way French food should taste. Simple and scrumptious.
This is another recipe from Sarah Leah Chase's "Cold-Weather Cooking" Cookbook. I first tried this recipe about 10 years ago and it always makes me very happy to eat it and to serve it. The fresh tarragon and whole shallots are an incredible combination. Serve this with mashed Yukon Gold potatoes and a leafy green salad with some fresh, chopped tarragon thrown in and dressed with a simple vinaigrette. If you don't have any dry vermouth in your liqueur cabinet, you could use dry white wine, or go out and get some vermouth and you will be surprised how often you can use it in your cooking.
French Bistro Chicken
1/4 c. olive oil
2 T. butter
2 chickens, 3 lbs. each approximately, cut up into pieces
1 pound shallots, peeled
2/3 c. dry white vermouth
1 T. fresh lemon juice
2 t. dried tarragon or 2 or 3 T. fresh chopped tarragon
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cans (14 ozs. each) artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 c. chicken broth, preferably homemade
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat the olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the chicken pieces in batches, starting skin side down and turning, until nicely browned all over. Transfer the chicken to a large baking pan and arrange the pieces in a single layer.
3. Pour off all but 3 T. of fat from the skillet. Add the shallots and saute until lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the vermouth and lemon juice; cook, stir to deglaze, scraping up any brown bits clinging to the bottom of the skillet. Stir in the tarragon and season with salt & pepper. Add the artichoke hearts and toss to combine. Pour this mixture around the browned chicken pieces.
4. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake until very tender, about 45 minutes. Pour the accumulated juices from the chicken into a small saucepan. Add the chicken broth and boil until reduced by half, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve at once. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
This is another recipe from Sarah Leah Chase's "Cold-Weather Cooking" Cookbook. I first tried this recipe about 10 years ago and it always makes me very happy to eat it and to serve it. The fresh tarragon and whole shallots are an incredible combination. Serve this with mashed Yukon Gold potatoes and a leafy green salad with some fresh, chopped tarragon thrown in and dressed with a simple vinaigrette. If you don't have any dry vermouth in your liqueur cabinet, you could use dry white wine, or go out and get some vermouth and you will be surprised how often you can use it in your cooking.
French Bistro Chicken
1/4 c. olive oil
2 T. butter
2 chickens, 3 lbs. each approximately, cut up into pieces
1 pound shallots, peeled
2/3 c. dry white vermouth
1 T. fresh lemon juice
2 t. dried tarragon or 2 or 3 T. fresh chopped tarragon
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cans (14 ozs. each) artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 c. chicken broth, preferably homemade
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat the olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the chicken pieces in batches, starting skin side down and turning, until nicely browned all over. Transfer the chicken to a large baking pan and arrange the pieces in a single layer.
3. Pour off all but 3 T. of fat from the skillet. Add the shallots and saute until lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the vermouth and lemon juice; cook, stir to deglaze, scraping up any brown bits clinging to the bottom of the skillet. Stir in the tarragon and season with salt & pepper. Add the artichoke hearts and toss to combine. Pour this mixture around the browned chicken pieces.
4. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake until very tender, about 45 minutes. Pour the accumulated juices from the chicken into a small saucepan. Add the chicken broth and boil until reduced by half, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve at once. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Tomato Lasagna
When I make lasagna, there used to be no doubt about what kind of dish it would be. It would have a meaty tomato sauce, ricotta cheese mixed with eggs and Parmesan, and a lot of mozzarella. Sounds good, but sometimes I don't have all of the ingredients in the fridge to whip something up on the spot like that.
Last winter, I was looking through a beautiful cookbook called "Apples for Jam: Recipes for Life" by Tessa Kiros. Ms. Kiros lives in Tuscany with her husband and children and this book is a collection of recipes that she cooks for her family and from her own childhood.
What made me take notice of this recipe was that I had all of the ingredients (maybe not the basil leaves) in the house on a very cold and snowy day. I also thought back to cooking school and the lasagnas that we would make there, all of them with bechamel sauce. I was never too keen on those versions but this recipe sounded so good, I had to give it a try.
I am so glad I did! I have made it several times since, sometimes throwing in an extra ingredient or two. The author recommends trying a few blobs of goat cheese, some dollops of pesto, a little cooked spinach or long slices of grilled zucchini. Try it all its own the first time. On a cold and nasty day, make the lasagna, throw together a nice green salad, pour some wine, and there you have it - comfort food at it's finest. Oh, and the kids will like it too!
Tomato Lasagna
Tomato Sauce:
1/2 c. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
1 large can and 1 small can diced tomatoes (totalling around 44 ozs.)
Fresh basil leaves, about 12
Bechamel Sauce:
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. all purpose flour
4 c. milk, warmed
Freshly grated nutmeg
About 12 oz. lasagna sheets or a box of dried lasagna noodles
1 c. Parmesan cheese, or to taste
For the tomato sauce, heat the oil and garlic in a large pan. When you begin to smell the garlic, add the tomatoes and a good pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook uncovered for about 20-25 minutes, until it has all merged into a sauce. Add the basil and 1 c. of hot water towards then end of the cooking time. Puree until smooth, minus the garlic if you prefer.
For the bechamel, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, then begin adding the warm milk. It will be immediately absorbed, so work quickly, whisking with one hand while adding ladlefuls of milk with the other. When the sauce seems to be smooth and not too stiff, add salt, pepper and a grating of nutmeg (or a pinch of ground nutmeg) and continue cooking, even after it comes to the boil, for 5 minutes of so, mixing all the time. It should be a very thick and smooth sauce.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 12x8 inch baking dish. Drizzle some bechamel over the bottom of the dish to cover it thinly. Put a slightly overlapping layer of lasagna sheets on top. Dollop a thin layer of tomato sauce over that, spreading it with the back of the ladle. Add about 2 ladlefuls of bechamel in long drizzles and then cover with a sprinkling of Parmesan. Add another layer of lasagna sheets, then tomato, bechamel and Parmesan as before, and then repeat the layers one more time. You should have about 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce and a good amount of bechamel left. Make a final layer of lasagna sheets and cover with all the remaining bechamel. Dollop the tomato sauce here and there and sprinkle with any remaining Parmesan. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until it is bubbling and golden on top. Serves 6-8.
* I have used both "ready-cook" pasta sheets and dried lasagna noodles. Whatever you have on hand is fine. Remember to cook the dried pasta noodles until al dente (or to your taste) before you layer them in the lasagna.
* Thanks for the cookbook, Shai!
Last winter, I was looking through a beautiful cookbook called "Apples for Jam: Recipes for Life" by Tessa Kiros. Ms. Kiros lives in Tuscany with her husband and children and this book is a collection of recipes that she cooks for her family and from her own childhood.
What made me take notice of this recipe was that I had all of the ingredients (maybe not the basil leaves) in the house on a very cold and snowy day. I also thought back to cooking school and the lasagnas that we would make there, all of them with bechamel sauce. I was never too keen on those versions but this recipe sounded so good, I had to give it a try.
I am so glad I did! I have made it several times since, sometimes throwing in an extra ingredient or two. The author recommends trying a few blobs of goat cheese, some dollops of pesto, a little cooked spinach or long slices of grilled zucchini. Try it all its own the first time. On a cold and nasty day, make the lasagna, throw together a nice green salad, pour some wine, and there you have it - comfort food at it's finest. Oh, and the kids will like it too!
Tomato Lasagna
Tomato Sauce:
1/2 c. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
1 large can and 1 small can diced tomatoes (totalling around 44 ozs.)
Fresh basil leaves, about 12
Bechamel Sauce:
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. all purpose flour
4 c. milk, warmed
Freshly grated nutmeg
About 12 oz. lasagna sheets or a box of dried lasagna noodles
1 c. Parmesan cheese, or to taste
For the tomato sauce, heat the oil and garlic in a large pan. When you begin to smell the garlic, add the tomatoes and a good pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook uncovered for about 20-25 minutes, until it has all merged into a sauce. Add the basil and 1 c. of hot water towards then end of the cooking time. Puree until smooth, minus the garlic if you prefer.
For the bechamel, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, then begin adding the warm milk. It will be immediately absorbed, so work quickly, whisking with one hand while adding ladlefuls of milk with the other. When the sauce seems to be smooth and not too stiff, add salt, pepper and a grating of nutmeg (or a pinch of ground nutmeg) and continue cooking, even after it comes to the boil, for 5 minutes of so, mixing all the time. It should be a very thick and smooth sauce.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 12x8 inch baking dish. Drizzle some bechamel over the bottom of the dish to cover it thinly. Put a slightly overlapping layer of lasagna sheets on top. Dollop a thin layer of tomato sauce over that, spreading it with the back of the ladle. Add about 2 ladlefuls of bechamel in long drizzles and then cover with a sprinkling of Parmesan. Add another layer of lasagna sheets, then tomato, bechamel and Parmesan as before, and then repeat the layers one more time. You should have about 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce and a good amount of bechamel left. Make a final layer of lasagna sheets and cover with all the remaining bechamel. Dollop the tomato sauce here and there and sprinkle with any remaining Parmesan. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until it is bubbling and golden on top. Serves 6-8.
* I have used both "ready-cook" pasta sheets and dried lasagna noodles. Whatever you have on hand is fine. Remember to cook the dried pasta noodles until al dente (or to your taste) before you layer them in the lasagna.
* Thanks for the cookbook, Shai!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Cucumber Raita
It just didn't seem right to put my favourite chicken curry recipe out there for all to see and not add my favourite accompaniment. This raita has some ground cumin in it, which you may have roasted and ground yourself. If you gave it a try, way to go! All this talk of chickens lately, and now of Indian food, reminds me of a story which I may have told you before but I think fits in nicely with these subjects.
I was told about a Rotary trip from friends of mine that were Rotarian's in Harrow. A "Group Study Exchange" is a trip that exchanges young professionals from one country with another country somewhere in the world. That year the trip would be to Southern India. I applied and based on my enthusiasm for Indian cooking at the time, was accepted to be a member of the 5- person team. It was a trip of a lifetime and we were each going to learn more about our respective professions, mine being cooking.
Before leaving Canada, we each filled out a questionnaire about the sorts of things we would like to see and do. This information was then sent out to all the Rotary clubs that would be hosting us as we made our way around the states of Karnataca and Andhra Pradesh. I seem to remember writing such things as spending time in home kitchens, restaurants, markets, farms... that sort of idea. For some crazy reason, about a week or so into the trip, I had a group of men that were insisting that I go to visit a chicken farm. I wasn't really into it, but I couldn't do anything without seeming rude, so I went. I figured out quickly there must have been a typo on my questionnaire and that everyone in India had me pegged for visiting chicken farms!
After the first one, I thought I was safe but then came another town and another chicken farm. They were pretty much what you would expect of chicken farms in India but after the first one, I was desperate to avoid them at all costs. At the next town, my host was a young man around my age, and I felt that I could speak my mind. A couple of gin & tonics later and I let my host know that I wasn't going near another chicken farm; two was more than enough for this girl. We had some laughs about it (he had already been calling around to find a chicken farm for me to visit!) and he certainly saw the humour in it. At the Rotary meeting we attended in his town, he got up to introduce me and after saying some lovely things, he couldn't help saying, "and she never misses a chance to see a chicken farm!"
After all that, I managed to go to only one more chicken farm. I persuaded one of my traveling companions to come along for the fun and at least there were other types of animals at this particular farm. In exchange for having her join me on this little expedition, I agreed to go to the local jail with her (her profession was social work but I wonder if she wrote down visiting jails on her questionnaire?). Somehow, I ended up visiting two different jails during the trip. Interesting experiences, but I am not sure whether I would recommend a jail tour or a chicken farm tour should you ever need advice on an upcoming trip!
Cucumber & Onion Yogurt Relish (Kheere Ka Raita)
From "The Bombay Cafe" Cookbook by Neela Paniz
2 c. plain yogurt
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 green serrano chile, finely chopped
1 T. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 t. ground roasted cumin
1 1/2 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1. Mix all ingredients together and taste for seasonings. Add a little more sugar or chile, if desired. Refrigerate for about 1 hour and serve.
I was told about a Rotary trip from friends of mine that were Rotarian's in Harrow. A "Group Study Exchange" is a trip that exchanges young professionals from one country with another country somewhere in the world. That year the trip would be to Southern India. I applied and based on my enthusiasm for Indian cooking at the time, was accepted to be a member of the 5- person team. It was a trip of a lifetime and we were each going to learn more about our respective professions, mine being cooking.
Before leaving Canada, we each filled out a questionnaire about the sorts of things we would like to see and do. This information was then sent out to all the Rotary clubs that would be hosting us as we made our way around the states of Karnataca and Andhra Pradesh. I seem to remember writing such things as spending time in home kitchens, restaurants, markets, farms... that sort of idea. For some crazy reason, about a week or so into the trip, I had a group of men that were insisting that I go to visit a chicken farm. I wasn't really into it, but I couldn't do anything without seeming rude, so I went. I figured out quickly there must have been a typo on my questionnaire and that everyone in India had me pegged for visiting chicken farms!
After the first one, I thought I was safe but then came another town and another chicken farm. They were pretty much what you would expect of chicken farms in India but after the first one, I was desperate to avoid them at all costs. At the next town, my host was a young man around my age, and I felt that I could speak my mind. A couple of gin & tonics later and I let my host know that I wasn't going near another chicken farm; two was more than enough for this girl. We had some laughs about it (he had already been calling around to find a chicken farm for me to visit!) and he certainly saw the humour in it. At the Rotary meeting we attended in his town, he got up to introduce me and after saying some lovely things, he couldn't help saying, "and she never misses a chance to see a chicken farm!"
After all that, I managed to go to only one more chicken farm. I persuaded one of my traveling companions to come along for the fun and at least there were other types of animals at this particular farm. In exchange for having her join me on this little expedition, I agreed to go to the local jail with her (her profession was social work but I wonder if she wrote down visiting jails on her questionnaire?). Somehow, I ended up visiting two different jails during the trip. Interesting experiences, but I am not sure whether I would recommend a jail tour or a chicken farm tour should you ever need advice on an upcoming trip!
Cucumber & Onion Yogurt Relish (Kheere Ka Raita)
From "The Bombay Cafe" Cookbook by Neela Paniz
2 c. plain yogurt
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 green serrano chile, finely chopped
1 T. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 t. ground roasted cumin
1 1/2 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1. Mix all ingredients together and taste for seasonings. Add a little more sugar or chile, if desired. Refrigerate for about 1 hour and serve.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Chicken Curry
There really are as many recipes for chicken curry as there are cooks in the kitchen making it. I rarely follow even this recipe to the letter, however I like the techniques offered in this recipe and the cookbook "The Bombay Cafe" by Neela Paniz, holds a special place in my heart.
For a short time, I worked at the renowned delicatessen, Zingerman's, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. One day, I happened to pop into the deli to check on the status of my working visa and one of the owner's of the deli asked me if I knew of a chef named Vikram Vij from Vancouver. Of course, was my immediate reply, and I found out that Vikram happened to be visiting the deli that very day. What a lucky coincidence, as I LOVED his restaurant "Vij's" and was very intrigued by the cooking there. We ended up spending the afternoon together in downtown Ann Arbor and spent quite a long time looking at cookbooks in the original Border's Bookstore. I asked him to help me choose an Indian cookbook and he suggested "The Bombay Cafe" over all the others. I have made several recipes from the book and I like it as much today as the day I bought it!
Check out www.vijs.ca and www.zingermans.com to learn more about both of these incredible spots. Vikram and his wife have a wonderful cookbook out now and they also have a cafe/market in Vancouver called "Rangoli", where people can eat in or buy dishes to take home. Ari Weinzweig, co-founder of Zingerman's, has several books of his own published. "The Guide to Good Eating" is a wealth of information for the world of fine food.
Chicken Curry
2 small yellow onions
5 to 6 cloves garlic
1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled
2 green serrano chiles
2 medium, ripe tomatoes
1/3 c. veg oil
2 black cardamom pods
2-3 (1 inch) pieces cinnamon stick
1 or 2 bay leaves
4 to 5 whole cloves
5 to 6 whole black peppercorns
2 T. ground coriander (see note about roasting spices at home)
2 T. ground cumin (see note about roasting spices at home)
1/4 t. turmeric
1/2 to 1 t. cayenne pepper
1 1/2 t. salt
2 (2 1/2lb.) chickens, cut into 8 pieces each and skinned
Fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
1. Finely chop the onions in a food processor. Set aside in a separate bowl. Without rinsing the work bowl, mince ginger, garlic, and green chiles together in the food processor and set aside in a separate bowl. Again without rinsing the work bowl, puree the tomatoes and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan and add onions. Brown over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until they turn a deep red-brown in colour, about 12 to 14 minutes. Stir in 1 or 2 tablespoons of hot water, as needed, to arrest the browning and to make a paste.
3. Add the ginger, garlic, and chile mixture and saute to a minute or so, adding a little more water if needed to prevent sticking.
4. Add all the whole and ground spices and continue to brown for another 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Add the pureed tomatoes and their juices and cook through until the solids separate from the oil, about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently. This paste is called a "masala".
6. Add the chicken pieces and brown well on medium-high heat, about 5 minutes. Add the salt and about 1/3 c. hot water. Cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Add a little more hot water if needed during cooking. The curry should have the consistency of thick gravy.
7. Serve on a warm platter, garnished with chopped cilantro.
* I like to serve my chicken curry with Basmati rice (sometimes I make a rice pulao) and a cucumber raita. I sometimes add baby spinach to my curry for an extra
* I use whatever hot peppers that happen to be on the shelves when I am doing my shopping, usually jalepeno. I have really cut back on the peppers now that the kids eat chicken curry. I still add a bit but I also don't use much cayenne, if any.
* I used to have black cardamom seeds but I haven't seen them in my kitchen for quite a while. I have made the curry without them several times and I don't really notice anything missing. However, I am sure they do add a certain something to the dish so if you can find them at a local Indian food store, be sure to include them in your dish. The green cardamom pods are not a substitute for the black ones.
* I don't necessarily use two whole chickens when I make chicken curry. At my local butcher shop, I have whole chickens cut up and I freeze the breasts for other dishes. I use the thighs and legs in the curry and I freeze the backs and wings for later on when I am making chicken stock.
* Apparently, you can buy onions that are pre-cooked just for dishes like this one. The key is to cook the onions until they are somewhat caramelized without burning them. By purchasing onions that are already to that stage, you save a lot of time and energy. I think they are available at Indian grocery stores.
* There is something magical about roasting your own spices. I have a second coffee grinder that I use only for grinding spices. Once I started roasting whole cumin and coriander seeds, I couldn't believe the difference in taste. Roasting your own spices elevates a simple dish like chicken curry to greatness. I just lightly roast the seeds in a small frying pan over medium-low heat. You will know the seeds are done because they will turn a bit darker and will start to give off a fragrant smell and sometimes even start to smoke. I quickly get them out of the pan and into the grinder. I usually light a candle and have it in the kitchen while I am roasting spices. They have a very strong smell but the taste in your cooking is so worth it! Make sure you roast enough seeds so that you have plenty to use in the recipes that will accompany the curry.
* I try to keep track of the number of whole spices I add to the pot. For example, if I add 4 whole cloves, I want to fish those four cloves out of the pot before I serve it.
For a short time, I worked at the renowned delicatessen, Zingerman's, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. One day, I happened to pop into the deli to check on the status of my working visa and one of the owner's of the deli asked me if I knew of a chef named Vikram Vij from Vancouver. Of course, was my immediate reply, and I found out that Vikram happened to be visiting the deli that very day. What a lucky coincidence, as I LOVED his restaurant "Vij's" and was very intrigued by the cooking there. We ended up spending the afternoon together in downtown Ann Arbor and spent quite a long time looking at cookbooks in the original Border's Bookstore. I asked him to help me choose an Indian cookbook and he suggested "The Bombay Cafe" over all the others. I have made several recipes from the book and I like it as much today as the day I bought it!
Check out www.vijs.ca and www.zingermans.com to learn more about both of these incredible spots. Vikram and his wife have a wonderful cookbook out now and they also have a cafe/market in Vancouver called "Rangoli", where people can eat in or buy dishes to take home. Ari Weinzweig, co-founder of Zingerman's, has several books of his own published. "The Guide to Good Eating" is a wealth of information for the world of fine food.
Chicken Curry
2 small yellow onions
5 to 6 cloves garlic
1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled
2 green serrano chiles
2 medium, ripe tomatoes
1/3 c. veg oil
2 black cardamom pods
2-3 (1 inch) pieces cinnamon stick
1 or 2 bay leaves
4 to 5 whole cloves
5 to 6 whole black peppercorns
2 T. ground coriander (see note about roasting spices at home)
2 T. ground cumin (see note about roasting spices at home)
1/4 t. turmeric
1/2 to 1 t. cayenne pepper
1 1/2 t. salt
2 (2 1/2lb.) chickens, cut into 8 pieces each and skinned
Fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
1. Finely chop the onions in a food processor. Set aside in a separate bowl. Without rinsing the work bowl, mince ginger, garlic, and green chiles together in the food processor and set aside in a separate bowl. Again without rinsing the work bowl, puree the tomatoes and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan and add onions. Brown over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until they turn a deep red-brown in colour, about 12 to 14 minutes. Stir in 1 or 2 tablespoons of hot water, as needed, to arrest the browning and to make a paste.
3. Add the ginger, garlic, and chile mixture and saute to a minute or so, adding a little more water if needed to prevent sticking.
4. Add all the whole and ground spices and continue to brown for another 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Add the pureed tomatoes and their juices and cook through until the solids separate from the oil, about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently. This paste is called a "masala".
6. Add the chicken pieces and brown well on medium-high heat, about 5 minutes. Add the salt and about 1/3 c. hot water. Cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Add a little more hot water if needed during cooking. The curry should have the consistency of thick gravy.
7. Serve on a warm platter, garnished with chopped cilantro.
* I like to serve my chicken curry with Basmati rice (sometimes I make a rice pulao) and a cucumber raita. I sometimes add baby spinach to my curry for an extra
* I use whatever hot peppers that happen to be on the shelves when I am doing my shopping, usually jalepeno. I have really cut back on the peppers now that the kids eat chicken curry. I still add a bit but I also don't use much cayenne, if any.
* I used to have black cardamom seeds but I haven't seen them in my kitchen for quite a while. I have made the curry without them several times and I don't really notice anything missing. However, I am sure they do add a certain something to the dish so if you can find them at a local Indian food store, be sure to include them in your dish. The green cardamom pods are not a substitute for the black ones.
* I don't necessarily use two whole chickens when I make chicken curry. At my local butcher shop, I have whole chickens cut up and I freeze the breasts for other dishes. I use the thighs and legs in the curry and I freeze the backs and wings for later on when I am making chicken stock.
* Apparently, you can buy onions that are pre-cooked just for dishes like this one. The key is to cook the onions until they are somewhat caramelized without burning them. By purchasing onions that are already to that stage, you save a lot of time and energy. I think they are available at Indian grocery stores.
* There is something magical about roasting your own spices. I have a second coffee grinder that I use only for grinding spices. Once I started roasting whole cumin and coriander seeds, I couldn't believe the difference in taste. Roasting your own spices elevates a simple dish like chicken curry to greatness. I just lightly roast the seeds in a small frying pan over medium-low heat. You will know the seeds are done because they will turn a bit darker and will start to give off a fragrant smell and sometimes even start to smoke. I quickly get them out of the pan and into the grinder. I usually light a candle and have it in the kitchen while I am roasting spices. They have a very strong smell but the taste in your cooking is so worth it! Make sure you roast enough seeds so that you have plenty to use in the recipes that will accompany the curry.
* I try to keep track of the number of whole spices I add to the pot. For example, if I add 4 whole cloves, I want to fish those four cloves out of the pot before I serve it.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Eggs Benedict
Let me introduce you to Mr. Cogburn. He is the rooster that lives on the hobby farm where we buy our eggs. He shares the farm with a dog, a cat or two, a handful of white geese, some bee hives, and fifty hens, give or take. Mr. Cogburn spends his days roaming the yard and gardens at Farmer Jones' house. We have been buying our eggs and honey there for almost 5 years now, but it wasn't until this summer that I started to question Farmer Jones about his chickens.
Farmer Jones has raised chickens for many years and he is always happy to talk about the flock. I have learned a lot about chickens and good eggs from him and I would like to share it with you. The hens are kept in a small barn/shed building with a little chicken door that leads to a fenced in pen. The hens are free to go in and out whenever they please. The hens are fed only a pure chicken feed with no hormones, antibiotics, etc. They also eat vegetables and scraps from the Jones' garden. They LOVE swiss chard but surprisingly, don't like apples (unfortunately, because there is a huge apple tree close their pen).
Last week, Farmer Jones explained to me that now he leaves the lights on for the chickens until about 7:30pm. Some industrial chicken farms leave the lights on up to 23 hours a day. As long as the lights are on, chickens will keep eating and keep laying eggs. These chickens burn out much quicker and are undoubtedly stressed due to lack of rest. I believe that his hens are well-rested and happy. They really do lay beautiful, delicious eggs. Apparently, his hens will only lay an egg when they are at the perch. In over-crowded chicken barns, hens have no choice but to be laying eggs wherever they are standing. Chickens will lay good eggs consistently for about 3 years, if they are kept in humane conditions. The chickens that he has right now are about two years old and going strong.
Mr. Cogburn, handsome rooster that he is, was supposed to have been a hen. When Farmer Jones realized that he was a rooster, he kept him anyway. Turns out, the hens don't need a rooster around to lay eggs and I don't think there is any "chicken husbandry" going on either. He isn't allowed to go into the same area with the chickens because they gang up on him and pull his tail feathers out. In the picture, you can see that he doesn't have the usual tail plumage that most roosters normally would have.
You might be wondering why I seem to be obsessed with chickens and eggs. It was no accident that I called my baking business "The Good Egg"! Once you have tried an egg that has a yolk the colour of an orange, you will never go back. Speaking of yolks, the colour of them depends on what the hens are eating and the time of year. The best eggs I have ever eaten had yolks so orange, it surprised me every time I cracked one open. You can also tell if an egg is fresh by a yolk that sits up high and round.
This recipe for Eggs Benedict comes from one of my old stand-by cookbooks, "The Complete Canadian Living Cookbook". The only thing you really need a recipe for is the hollandaise sauce. This one is so easy and so good, I usually make a double batch just in case I become over-zealous checking the seasoning... There was one weekend that I was with my family at our friend's farm near Owen Sound. I made the hollandaise sauce and then realized that I didn't have enough eggs to poach for everyone. I sent my Dad & Sister out to find eggs (not easy on a Sunday morning in rural Ontario). They came back and said that they hadn't found any and that we would just have to have one egg each, instead of two. Unfortunately, while they were gone, I had tasted the sauce too many times and I had to use the rest of the eggs to make more sauce. They weren't pleased. I sent them back out to try again and in the end, we had a wonderful breakfast!
Eggs Benedict
4 English muffins, halved and toasted
8 thin slices ham
8 eggs, poached*
Hollandaise Sauce:
4 egg yolks
1/4 c. water
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 c. butter, softened
2 t. fresh lemon juice
Fresh chives, chopped (optional) (I love fresh chives mixed right into the sauce)
In a small heavy saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, water and pepper; cook, whisking, over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until pale and thick enough to coat back of spoon. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter and lemon juice.
Top each muffin half with 1 ham slice and 1 poached egg; spoon 2 T. of the sauce over top. Garnish with tomato wedges and chives, if using.
*I recently read about an idea for poaching eggs. I don't have an egg poaching pan (with little egg cups that fit into a special pan. I usually poach eggs right in the water but this has had mixed results for me. I read somewhere about cracking the eggs into individual greased ramekins and then setting those into a pan of boiling water. Cover and cook until slightly firm. Run a knife around the edge of the eggs and they pop out perfect every time. There are also microwave egg poachers out there but I have never tried those before.
*You could skip the ham and saute some spinach in butter for Eggs Florentine.
Farmer Jones has raised chickens for many years and he is always happy to talk about the flock. I have learned a lot about chickens and good eggs from him and I would like to share it with you. The hens are kept in a small barn/shed building with a little chicken door that leads to a fenced in pen. The hens are free to go in and out whenever they please. The hens are fed only a pure chicken feed with no hormones, antibiotics, etc. They also eat vegetables and scraps from the Jones' garden. They LOVE swiss chard but surprisingly, don't like apples (unfortunately, because there is a huge apple tree close their pen).
Last week, Farmer Jones explained to me that now he leaves the lights on for the chickens until about 7:30pm. Some industrial chicken farms leave the lights on up to 23 hours a day. As long as the lights are on, chickens will keep eating and keep laying eggs. These chickens burn out much quicker and are undoubtedly stressed due to lack of rest. I believe that his hens are well-rested and happy. They really do lay beautiful, delicious eggs. Apparently, his hens will only lay an egg when they are at the perch. In over-crowded chicken barns, hens have no choice but to be laying eggs wherever they are standing. Chickens will lay good eggs consistently for about 3 years, if they are kept in humane conditions. The chickens that he has right now are about two years old and going strong.Mr. Cogburn, handsome rooster that he is, was supposed to have been a hen. When Farmer Jones realized that he was a rooster, he kept him anyway. Turns out, the hens don't need a rooster around to lay eggs and I don't think there is any "chicken husbandry" going on either. He isn't allowed to go into the same area with the chickens because they gang up on him and pull his tail feathers out. In the picture, you can see that he doesn't have the usual tail plumage that most roosters normally would have.
You might be wondering why I seem to be obsessed with chickens and eggs. It was no accident that I called my baking business "The Good Egg"! Once you have tried an egg that has a yolk the colour of an orange, you will never go back. Speaking of yolks, the colour of them depends on what the hens are eating and the time of year. The best eggs I have ever eaten had yolks so orange, it surprised me every time I cracked one open. You can also tell if an egg is fresh by a yolk that sits up high and round.
This recipe for Eggs Benedict comes from one of my old stand-by cookbooks, "The Complete Canadian Living Cookbook". The only thing you really need a recipe for is the hollandaise sauce. This one is so easy and so good, I usually make a double batch just in case I become over-zealous checking the seasoning... There was one weekend that I was with my family at our friend's farm near Owen Sound. I made the hollandaise sauce and then realized that I didn't have enough eggs to poach for everyone. I sent my Dad & Sister out to find eggs (not easy on a Sunday morning in rural Ontario). They came back and said that they hadn't found any and that we would just have to have one egg each, instead of two. Unfortunately, while they were gone, I had tasted the sauce too many times and I had to use the rest of the eggs to make more sauce. They weren't pleased. I sent them back out to try again and in the end, we had a wonderful breakfast!
Eggs Benedict
4 English muffins, halved and toasted
8 thin slices ham
8 eggs, poached*
Hollandaise Sauce:
4 egg yolks
1/4 c. water
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 c. butter, softened
2 t. fresh lemon juice
Fresh chives, chopped (optional) (I love fresh chives mixed right into the sauce)
In a small heavy saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, water and pepper; cook, whisking, over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until pale and thick enough to coat back of spoon. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter and lemon juice.
Top each muffin half with 1 ham slice and 1 poached egg; spoon 2 T. of the sauce over top. Garnish with tomato wedges and chives, if using.
*I recently read about an idea for poaching eggs. I don't have an egg poaching pan (with little egg cups that fit into a special pan. I usually poach eggs right in the water but this has had mixed results for me. I read somewhere about cracking the eggs into individual greased ramekins and then setting those into a pan of boiling water. Cover and cook until slightly firm. Run a knife around the edge of the eggs and they pop out perfect every time. There are also microwave egg poachers out there but I have never tried those before.
*You could skip the ham and saute some spinach in butter for Eggs Florentine.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Pumpkin Cheesecake
One of the most lucrative business ideas I have ever had was baking cheesecakes. I would ask my Dad to pick up the three pound bricks of cream cheese and the remaining ingredients were readily available from my Mom's kitchen. I charged $20 for a large cheesecake and made a 100% profit. This turned out to be quite a joke, almost as funny as some of those cheesecakes that I sent out into the world. They may have tasted good but the final presentation left a lot to be desired. I recently saw a picture of one of my cheesecakes that had been in the local paper. If wearing a hand-me-down blazer from my Grandma wasn't bad enough, the cheesecake was mangled around the edges and parts were brown and parts were creamy white. I must have been completely oblivious to the mess in front of me because I looked proud as punch holding the cheesecake up for the camera!
Since those days, I have mastered the art of cheesecake making and this pumpkin cheesecake recipe is my favourite. The recipe comes from "The Rose & Thistle Tea Room Cookbook" from Kingsville, Ontario. Rumour has it that the cookbook has recently been updated and re-released. I haven't verified that yet, and they definitely aren't selling it at Chapters.
This weekend, I am baking desserts for my cousin Beth's engagement party. There will be three pumpkin cheesecakes, three maple praline cheesecakes, two prize-winning pumpkin pies, and a triple pear mascarpone mousse cake (like the lemon cake but with pear, in different forms, throughout the cake - scrumptious!). Beth's fiance has a weakness for all things pumpkin and I am determined not to disappoint!
A few tips about making a beautiful cheesecake. Trace the bottom of the spring form pan onto a piece of parchment paper. Cut that out and then cut out strips of parchment paper to line the sides of the pan. I dab soft butter around the sides of the spring form pan to hold the pieces in place and fit the circle of parchment into the bottom. Make sure that your cream cheese has been warming up on the counter for a while before this. If the cream cheese isn't warm, you will still be able to see lumps even after it has finished baking.
Some people feel as though they have failed if their cheesecake splits. I don't have a problem with a split here or there; you know it must be homemade if it isn't perfect. However, there are a couple of tricks you can try to avoid a split. Place a pan of hot water on the bottom shelf of the oven before you put the cheesecake in to bake. The steam helps keep the cheesecake from splitting - sometimes. After the cheesecake is finished baking, turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven for 15 minutes or so. At this point, you could open the oven door and let the cheesecake continue slowly cooling off. Also, avoid opening the oven during the cooking time. Nothing is guaranteed to work but these tricks may help.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Crumb Crust:
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1/3 c. butter, melted
3 T. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon, optional
Melt butter. Add the other ingredients and mix well. Press into the bottom of a prepared 10 inch (25 cm) spring form pan. If you wish, you can make a crust on the sides too - but messy and not necessary. *I like to bake mine for about 5 minutes before I put anything into it. Be careful not to forget it in the oven if you do this!
Pumpkin Cheesecake:
1 1/2 lbs. cream cheese, room temperature (3 - 8oz. pkgs)
1 c. white sugar
3 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 - 16oz. can pure pumpkin
1 c. whipping cream
2 t. pure vanilla
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. cloves
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. allspice
1 t. ground ginger
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Beat cream cheese in a large bowl with hand mixer (or whips up beautifully in Kitchenaid mixer with paddle attachment) until light & fluffy. Continue beating and add sugar.
2. Beat in eggs and yolk one at a time, beating well after each and scraping down the sides as you go along. Add vanilla and spices.
3. Stir in pumpkin and whipped cream.
4. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Lower the heat to 300 degrees and bake approximately 45 minutes more until set. Turn off oven and leave additional 15 minutes in oven. Serve cooled with whipped cream.
Since those days, I have mastered the art of cheesecake making and this pumpkin cheesecake recipe is my favourite. The recipe comes from "The Rose & Thistle Tea Room Cookbook" from Kingsville, Ontario. Rumour has it that the cookbook has recently been updated and re-released. I haven't verified that yet, and they definitely aren't selling it at Chapters.
This weekend, I am baking desserts for my cousin Beth's engagement party. There will be three pumpkin cheesecakes, three maple praline cheesecakes, two prize-winning pumpkin pies, and a triple pear mascarpone mousse cake (like the lemon cake but with pear, in different forms, throughout the cake - scrumptious!). Beth's fiance has a weakness for all things pumpkin and I am determined not to disappoint!
A few tips about making a beautiful cheesecake. Trace the bottom of the spring form pan onto a piece of parchment paper. Cut that out and then cut out strips of parchment paper to line the sides of the pan. I dab soft butter around the sides of the spring form pan to hold the pieces in place and fit the circle of parchment into the bottom. Make sure that your cream cheese has been warming up on the counter for a while before this. If the cream cheese isn't warm, you will still be able to see lumps even after it has finished baking.
Some people feel as though they have failed if their cheesecake splits. I don't have a problem with a split here or there; you know it must be homemade if it isn't perfect. However, there are a couple of tricks you can try to avoid a split. Place a pan of hot water on the bottom shelf of the oven before you put the cheesecake in to bake. The steam helps keep the cheesecake from splitting - sometimes. After the cheesecake is finished baking, turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven for 15 minutes or so. At this point, you could open the oven door and let the cheesecake continue slowly cooling off. Also, avoid opening the oven during the cooking time. Nothing is guaranteed to work but these tricks may help.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Crumb Crust:
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1/3 c. butter, melted
3 T. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon, optional
Melt butter. Add the other ingredients and mix well. Press into the bottom of a prepared 10 inch (25 cm) spring form pan. If you wish, you can make a crust on the sides too - but messy and not necessary. *I like to bake mine for about 5 minutes before I put anything into it. Be careful not to forget it in the oven if you do this!
Pumpkin Cheesecake:
1 1/2 lbs. cream cheese, room temperature (3 - 8oz. pkgs)
1 c. white sugar
3 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 - 16oz. can pure pumpkin
1 c. whipping cream
2 t. pure vanilla
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. cloves
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. allspice
1 t. ground ginger
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Beat cream cheese in a large bowl with hand mixer (or whips up beautifully in Kitchenaid mixer with paddle attachment) until light & fluffy. Continue beating and add sugar.
2. Beat in eggs and yolk one at a time, beating well after each and scraping down the sides as you go along. Add vanilla and spices.
3. Stir in pumpkin and whipped cream.
4. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Lower the heat to 300 degrees and bake approximately 45 minutes more until set. Turn off oven and leave additional 15 minutes in oven. Serve cooled with whipped cream.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Sweet Potato Casserole
With Thanksgiving coming up this weekend, I have been thinking about recipes from years past that would be good to pass on. My mind kept coming back to sweet potatoes so I pulled out the cookbook, "Southern Elegance: A Collection of the Best of Carolina Cuisine" by the Junior League of Gaston County, North Carolina.
Fresh out of high school, I ended up spending a semester at a community college just west of Knoxville, Tennessee. The autumn season seemed to go on forever down there and the food was perfectly suited for it. I remember driving from Tennessee to my Aunt Carolyn's farm near Boone, North Carolina. The colours of the trees were spectacular and the bright blue of the sky and warm sunshine made it a weekend I will never forget. I spent hours going through all of Aunt Carolyn's cookbooks and copying out any recipes that caught my eye. I believe I bought the "Southern Elegance" cookbook on that weekend trip.
This dish is almost more dessert than savoury vegetable dish, but for Thanksgiving it seems to satisfy everyone. The top should harden in the oven and the contrast of a crispy top and a soft inside is delicious!
Sweet Potato Casserole
Potato Mixture:
2 c. cooked sweet potatoes (I would use up to 3 cups)
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 t. flour
1 t. butternut flavoring (never heard of it and don't bother!)
1/3 c. butter, melted
1/2 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
1 t. milk
1 t. to 1 T. sherry (optional and I have never used it in this recipe)
Topping:
1 c. pecans, chopped
1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. flour
1/3 c. butter, melted
Mix together all the ingredients for the potato mixture and pour it into a greased baking dish (a loaf pan works well). Mix together topping ingredients and place on top of potato mixture and cook for 35 minutes or so at 350 degrees.
*To cook the sweet potatoes, I would bake them in the oven for an hour or so at 350 degrees. After they cool off, peel them and mash them.
*The original recipe calls for margarine but I only use butter. Speaking of butter.... A couple of weeks ago, my Dad & I made a quick trip over to Detroit. He took me to Sam's Club (like Costco) where he buys a few items in bulk, including butter. I have looked down my nose at him for buying that butter several times, claiming that Canadian butter tastes better, among other reasons. I have no basis for this opinion, I just like to go against what my Dad says sometimes! That morning however, I couldn't resist when I saw 4 pounds of unsalted butter for $8 (US or Canadian, take your pick). I grabbed two packs and my Dad also grabbed two packs, one for them and one for their neighbour, Auntie Carol. We pulled up at Customs, and didn't think we had anything to worry about. I handed the woman our receipts and she asked us the usual questions about alcohol and tobacco. Then she looked me in the eye and said, "I think you are over your butter limit. How many pounds do you have?" I waited for her to smile to show me she was joking. "Sixteen pounds." The smile never came and she was soon on the phone trying to find out what the "butter limit" was. I was in tears I was laughing so hard under my breath. Sixteen pounds does sound like a lot. She was unsuccessful tracking down the amount of butter allowed into Canada per person, so she gave us a warning. It will be a long time before we will actually NEED any more butter from Detroit and from now on, I will just stick to my $4-$5 per pound Canadian butter. No chance of having the car impounded!
Fresh out of high school, I ended up spending a semester at a community college just west of Knoxville, Tennessee. The autumn season seemed to go on forever down there and the food was perfectly suited for it. I remember driving from Tennessee to my Aunt Carolyn's farm near Boone, North Carolina. The colours of the trees were spectacular and the bright blue of the sky and warm sunshine made it a weekend I will never forget. I spent hours going through all of Aunt Carolyn's cookbooks and copying out any recipes that caught my eye. I believe I bought the "Southern Elegance" cookbook on that weekend trip.
This dish is almost more dessert than savoury vegetable dish, but for Thanksgiving it seems to satisfy everyone. The top should harden in the oven and the contrast of a crispy top and a soft inside is delicious!
Sweet Potato Casserole
Potato Mixture:
2 c. cooked sweet potatoes (I would use up to 3 cups)
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 t. flour
1 t. butternut flavoring (never heard of it and don't bother!)
1/3 c. butter, melted
1/2 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
1 t. milk
1 t. to 1 T. sherry (optional and I have never used it in this recipe)
Topping:
1 c. pecans, chopped
1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. flour
1/3 c. butter, melted
Mix together all the ingredients for the potato mixture and pour it into a greased baking dish (a loaf pan works well). Mix together topping ingredients and place on top of potato mixture and cook for 35 minutes or so at 350 degrees.
*To cook the sweet potatoes, I would bake them in the oven for an hour or so at 350 degrees. After they cool off, peel them and mash them.
*The original recipe calls for margarine but I only use butter. Speaking of butter.... A couple of weeks ago, my Dad & I made a quick trip over to Detroit. He took me to Sam's Club (like Costco) where he buys a few items in bulk, including butter. I have looked down my nose at him for buying that butter several times, claiming that Canadian butter tastes better, among other reasons. I have no basis for this opinion, I just like to go against what my Dad says sometimes! That morning however, I couldn't resist when I saw 4 pounds of unsalted butter for $8 (US or Canadian, take your pick). I grabbed two packs and my Dad also grabbed two packs, one for them and one for their neighbour, Auntie Carol. We pulled up at Customs, and didn't think we had anything to worry about. I handed the woman our receipts and she asked us the usual questions about alcohol and tobacco. Then she looked me in the eye and said, "I think you are over your butter limit. How many pounds do you have?" I waited for her to smile to show me she was joking. "Sixteen pounds." The smile never came and she was soon on the phone trying to find out what the "butter limit" was. I was in tears I was laughing so hard under my breath. Sixteen pounds does sound like a lot. She was unsuccessful tracking down the amount of butter allowed into Canada per person, so she gave us a warning. It will be a long time before we will actually NEED any more butter from Detroit and from now on, I will just stick to my $4-$5 per pound Canadian butter. No chance of having the car impounded!
Friday, September 28, 2007
September Birthday Salad
The salad we had last night for Gavin's Birthday dinner was fantastic. It was meant to be even more over the top than it was, but because of my procrastinating, I had to tone it down a bit.
In Sarah Leah Chase's "Cold Weather Cooking" cookbook, I found a salad that sounded so over-the-top delicious, I had to make it. It includes roasted spiced pecans, a hot apple cider vinaigrette, bacon, fennel, apple, goat cheese; you name it, it's in there. She mentions that it looks like a lot of work but you can roast the pecans two weeks in advance and the rest isn't too hard to accomplish on the day you wish to serve it. I have thought about making those pecans for weeks now but of course, yesterday I was wildly roasting the pecans, along with baking Gavin's Birthday cake, and making two large pots of beef bourguinon (why make one pot when I can easily make two at the same time? Even if I was having company for dinner...)
Needless to say, I put off starting the cooking yesterday until it reached a critical point. Once this happens, I am prone to make a few mistakes along the way. No carrots for the beef bourguinon, frantically preparing the mushrooms and then adding them way before they needed to go into the pots, boiling the life out of the pearl onions (they only needed a quick blanching), two candy thermometers in the same pot registering different temperatures, and then the part that had me cursing for the rest of the day. I pulled out the tube of tomato paste that I use when I need just a tablespoon or so for a recipe. I was thinking what a wonderful idea it was for someone to put tomato paste into a toothpaste tube. Then I lost control and squeezed the open tube. A squirt of tomato paste landed on my brand new, white running shoe - in the mesh part at the toe. No one to blame but myself, which is the worst.
Before dinner, my Mom asked me if Gavin was going to like this dinner. After all, it was for his Birthday. A bit of nervous laughter and I reassured her that he would (but you know how unpredictable kids can be!). I had already decided that I didn't want to attempt making a "Cars" cake because I had my own ideas of the perfect cake for the occasion. I saw in my mind's eye, the beautiful chocolate cake with marshmallowy, white frosting that's on the cover of "Baking: From my Home to Yours". The Devil's Food White-Out Cake, to be exact. Luckily, I made all of us happy by finding a "Lightning McQueen" candle to place on top of the cake.
In the end, the dinner was delicious. I skipped the hot apple cider vinaigrette and made a simple vinaigrette for the salad. I toasted thick slices of day old bread from the farm stand down the road, and rubbed those with garlic, ladling the beef bourguinon over the toast. Gavin had a plain salad with his new favourite dressing, Creamy Cucumber, and he LOVED the beef bourguinon. Ellen was unusually finicky and at one point Gavin said "Try it Ellen. It's awesome!" The cake & ice cream were a hit and a good time was had by everyone.
September Birthday Salad
Spiced Pecans
2 c. pecan halves
2 1/2 T. sunflower oil (or other veg. oil)
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. grated nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. dry mustard
Place the nuts in a small bowl, cover with boiling water, and let soak for 15 minutes. Drain well and pat dry on paper towels. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spread the nuts on an ungreased baking sheet and toast stirring occasionally for 45 minutes. Remove the nuts and increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Whisk together the oil and the spices in a medium bowl. Add the hot nuts and toss to coat thoroughly. Spread the nuts in a single layer on the baking sheet and roast 15 minutes. Let cool, then store in an airtight container up to two weeks.
Simple Vinaigrette
1-2 cloves garlic, smashed with a little salt
1 T. Dijon mustard
3 T. red wine vinegar
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
Salt & fresh ground pepper
In the bowl you are serving the salad in, mix the garlic, mustard and vinegar together. Whisk the olive oil in a slow steady stream until it all comes together. Season with S&P to taste.
Salad
12 c. (give or take) torn mixed salad greens, such as leaf lettuce, radicchio, endive and watercress
1 large apple (sour & juicy), thinly sliced
4 oz. crumbled goat cheese
Toss the salad greens, 1 c. of the spiced pecans, the goat cheese and the apple in the bowl with the vinaigrette. Serve immediately. Serves 6.
*This would make a lovely dinner on its own. A crusty baguette and a bottle of wine and life is good.
*In case your mouth was watering when I mentioned the Hot Cider Dressing, here it is.
Hot Cider Dressing
2 c. apple cider
8 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 shallots, minced
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 T. honey mustard
1/2 c. olive oil
Salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste
When ready to prepare the salad, place the cider in a small saucepan and boil until reduced to 1/2 cup, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside. Saute the bacon in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels and discard all but 3 tablespoons of the fat remaining in the skillet. Add the shallots to the skillet and saute over medium heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the cinnamon and mustard and cook 1 minute more. Add the reduced cider and the olive oil; season to taste with salt & pepper. Keep the dressing hot over medium-low heat. Toss the the dressing with the salad and serve at once.
In Sarah Leah Chase's "Cold Weather Cooking" cookbook, I found a salad that sounded so over-the-top delicious, I had to make it. It includes roasted spiced pecans, a hot apple cider vinaigrette, bacon, fennel, apple, goat cheese; you name it, it's in there. She mentions that it looks like a lot of work but you can roast the pecans two weeks in advance and the rest isn't too hard to accomplish on the day you wish to serve it. I have thought about making those pecans for weeks now but of course, yesterday I was wildly roasting the pecans, along with baking Gavin's Birthday cake, and making two large pots of beef bourguinon (why make one pot when I can easily make two at the same time? Even if I was having company for dinner...)
Needless to say, I put off starting the cooking yesterday until it reached a critical point. Once this happens, I am prone to make a few mistakes along the way. No carrots for the beef bourguinon, frantically preparing the mushrooms and then adding them way before they needed to go into the pots, boiling the life out of the pearl onions (they only needed a quick blanching), two candy thermometers in the same pot registering different temperatures, and then the part that had me cursing for the rest of the day. I pulled out the tube of tomato paste that I use when I need just a tablespoon or so for a recipe. I was thinking what a wonderful idea it was for someone to put tomato paste into a toothpaste tube. Then I lost control and squeezed the open tube. A squirt of tomato paste landed on my brand new, white running shoe - in the mesh part at the toe. No one to blame but myself, which is the worst.
Before dinner, my Mom asked me if Gavin was going to like this dinner. After all, it was for his Birthday. A bit of nervous laughter and I reassured her that he would (but you know how unpredictable kids can be!). I had already decided that I didn't want to attempt making a "Cars" cake because I had my own ideas of the perfect cake for the occasion. I saw in my mind's eye, the beautiful chocolate cake with marshmallowy, white frosting that's on the cover of "Baking: From my Home to Yours". The Devil's Food White-Out Cake, to be exact. Luckily, I made all of us happy by finding a "Lightning McQueen" candle to place on top of the cake.
In the end, the dinner was delicious. I skipped the hot apple cider vinaigrette and made a simple vinaigrette for the salad. I toasted thick slices of day old bread from the farm stand down the road, and rubbed those with garlic, ladling the beef bourguinon over the toast. Gavin had a plain salad with his new favourite dressing, Creamy Cucumber, and he LOVED the beef bourguinon. Ellen was unusually finicky and at one point Gavin said "Try it Ellen. It's awesome!" The cake & ice cream were a hit and a good time was had by everyone.
September Birthday Salad
Spiced Pecans
2 c. pecan halves
2 1/2 T. sunflower oil (or other veg. oil)
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. grated nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. dry mustard
Place the nuts in a small bowl, cover with boiling water, and let soak for 15 minutes. Drain well and pat dry on paper towels. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spread the nuts on an ungreased baking sheet and toast stirring occasionally for 45 minutes. Remove the nuts and increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Whisk together the oil and the spices in a medium bowl. Add the hot nuts and toss to coat thoroughly. Spread the nuts in a single layer on the baking sheet and roast 15 minutes. Let cool, then store in an airtight container up to two weeks.
Simple Vinaigrette
1-2 cloves garlic, smashed with a little salt
1 T. Dijon mustard
3 T. red wine vinegar
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
Salt & fresh ground pepper
In the bowl you are serving the salad in, mix the garlic, mustard and vinegar together. Whisk the olive oil in a slow steady stream until it all comes together. Season with S&P to taste.
Salad
12 c. (give or take) torn mixed salad greens, such as leaf lettuce, radicchio, endive and watercress
1 large apple (sour & juicy), thinly sliced
4 oz. crumbled goat cheese
Toss the salad greens, 1 c. of the spiced pecans, the goat cheese and the apple in the bowl with the vinaigrette. Serve immediately. Serves 6.
*This would make a lovely dinner on its own. A crusty baguette and a bottle of wine and life is good.
*In case your mouth was watering when I mentioned the Hot Cider Dressing, here it is.
Hot Cider Dressing
2 c. apple cider
8 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 shallots, minced
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 T. honey mustard
1/2 c. olive oil
Salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste
When ready to prepare the salad, place the cider in a small saucepan and boil until reduced to 1/2 cup, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside. Saute the bacon in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels and discard all but 3 tablespoons of the fat remaining in the skillet. Add the shallots to the skillet and saute over medium heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the cinnamon and mustard and cook 1 minute more. Add the reduced cider and the olive oil; season to taste with salt & pepper. Keep the dressing hot over medium-low heat. Toss the the dressing with the salad and serve at once.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Just So You Know...
My Mom's pie plate has been returned. I meant to call the Harrow Fair Board office to inquire but I never got around to it. Luckily, I had put my Mom's phone number on the bottom of the plate, hoping that whoever bought the pie during the pie auction would return it. Last week the phone call came into my parent's from a woman who didn't know who she was calling but she had a pie plate with their phone number on the bottom. Not surprising in a small town like Harrow, my Mom knew the woman on the other end of the phone. My Mom tried to find out how much my pie had sold for at the pie auction but it remains a mystery, as the woman's daughter purchased several pies that afternoon. Next year I am going to stay at the pie auction until my pie has been sold and I am going to use an aluminum pie plate!
The pumpkin pie has been delivered to the family that sponsored the "Prize-Winning Pumpkin Pie" contest. The kids and I took it over on Friday night and it was really nice to see how excited their family was to have the pie arrive. They were waiting for the "father-in-law" to get there so that he could enjoy his Birthday present. By 8 o'clock the next morning, there was a message on my parent's phone saying that their Grandpa had loved his pie and he had eaten two big pieces straight away. In case you are wondering, the first thing the lady did after she opened the door to me was hand me the $20. Unfortunately, I owed my Dad some money from our shopping trip to Detroit the day before and I had to hand the $20 over to him before we left for home the next morning!
I LOVE the polka-dots on this cake! I wish I could say that it was something I dreamed up but it happens to be Rachel's creation from the chocolate cake recipe she requested from me. I have heard through a very reliable source that the cake was outstanding and that the friends around Rachel's table threw caution to the wind and enjoyed the cake like no other. (ok, those weren't Dionne's words exactly but I can just picture it!) Amazing job on the cake, Rach!
The debate over the two different brands of pumpkin is really heating up. It seems that I am not the only one that takes pumpkin pies seriously. My friend Brenda told me that she only uses E.D. Smith. When asked for a reason, she reminded me that her maiden name was Smith. Hmmm. She has also suggested that we do a blind taste test with both kinds. Sounds like an excellent idea to me! In case you're wondering, Stokely "Pure Pumpkin" contains a mixture of pumpkin and squash, while the E.D. Smith "Pure Pumpkin" contains only pumpkin. A bit of a disappointment for a Stokely fan, but I don't have anything against squash (especially butternut).
One of my Uncles (who shall remain nameless) told me that his favourite pumpkin pie, bar none, is made from pumpkin pie FILLING. I guess it's true, you can pick your friends... Considering I have always been a huge pumpkin fan, I find it heartwarming to hear that people care and are willing to stand up for the pumpkin they like the most.
The pumpkin pie has been delivered to the family that sponsored the "Prize-Winning Pumpkin Pie" contest. The kids and I took it over on Friday night and it was really nice to see how excited their family was to have the pie arrive. They were waiting for the "father-in-law" to get there so that he could enjoy his Birthday present. By 8 o'clock the next morning, there was a message on my parent's phone saying that their Grandpa had loved his pie and he had eaten two big pieces straight away. In case you are wondering, the first thing the lady did after she opened the door to me was hand me the $20. Unfortunately, I owed my Dad some money from our shopping trip to Detroit the day before and I had to hand the $20 over to him before we left for home the next morning!
I LOVE the polka-dots on this cake! I wish I could say that it was something I dreamed up but it happens to be Rachel's creation from the chocolate cake recipe she requested from me. I have heard through a very reliable source that the cake was outstanding and that the friends around Rachel's table threw caution to the wind and enjoyed the cake like no other. (ok, those weren't Dionne's words exactly but I can just picture it!) Amazing job on the cake, Rach!The debate over the two different brands of pumpkin is really heating up. It seems that I am not the only one that takes pumpkin pies seriously. My friend Brenda told me that she only uses E.D. Smith. When asked for a reason, she reminded me that her maiden name was Smith. Hmmm. She has also suggested that we do a blind taste test with both kinds. Sounds like an excellent idea to me! In case you're wondering, Stokely "Pure Pumpkin" contains a mixture of pumpkin and squash, while the E.D. Smith "Pure Pumpkin" contains only pumpkin. A bit of a disappointment for a Stokely fan, but I don't have anything against squash (especially butternut).
One of my Uncles (who shall remain nameless) told me that his favourite pumpkin pie, bar none, is made from pumpkin pie FILLING. I guess it's true, you can pick your friends... Considering I have always been a huge pumpkin fan, I find it heartwarming to hear that people care and are willing to stand up for the pumpkin they like the most.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Curried Couscous
Last Sunday it was after 5 o'clock when I even started thinking about making dinner. This happens more often that I care to admit but let me explain how I salvaged dinner that night.
I have been buying wild sockeye salmon, frozen in portions, and vacuum-sealed. I pulled two pieces of salmon out of the freezer and popped them into a bowl of cool water. I peeled a butternut squash and cut it into small chunks. I threw the squash onto a baking sheet and tossed it with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Into the oven went the squash and I continued on with the meal.
I quickly boiled some water for the couscous salad. A one-to-one ratio of boiling water and couscous makes it a snap to remember even if you don't have a set recipe handy. As the water soaked into the couscous, I prepared the yogurt vinaigrette and chopped everything else that needed to be chopped. In just five minutes, the couscous was ready to be mixed. What a lifesaver!
I guessed that the squash would need about 40 minutes or so to cook and caramelize a little. With about 15 minutes to go on the squash, I quickly dressed the salmon in olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and kosher salt & pepper, and popped that into the oven. A bag of pre-washed lettuce mixed with some field tomatoes and we were almost set.
After only 45 minutes, give or take, we sat down to a beautiful Sunday night dinner. I think this recipe, from the original Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, is a gem.
Curried Couscous
1 1/2 c. couscous
1 T. butter
1 1/2 c. boiling water
1/4 c. plain yogurt
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 t. white wine vinegar
1 t. curry powder
1/4 t. ground turmeric
1 1/2 t. kosher salt
1 t. fresh ground black pepper
1/2 c. grated (or small-diced) carrots, the ones sold with the tops on for best flavour
1/2 c. minced fresh-flat leaf parsley
1/2 c. dried currants
1/4 c. sliced almonds
2 green onions, thinly sliced (white & green parts)
1/4 c. small-diced red onion
Place the couscous in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in the boiling water and pour over the couscous. Cover tightly and allow the couscous to soak for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, curry, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Pour over the fluffed couscous and mix well with a fork. Add the carrots, parsley, currants, almonds, green onions and red onions; mix well and taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature.
*When I worked at "Elaine's" restaurant in Windsor, Elaine had a delicious couscous salad on the menu. It had chopped, dried apricots (amongst other things) and a honey-lemon vinaigrette. Add ingredients that you find appealing and that you have on hand. For example, don't worry if you don't have currants; substitute with raisins or leave them out this time.
I have been buying wild sockeye salmon, frozen in portions, and vacuum-sealed. I pulled two pieces of salmon out of the freezer and popped them into a bowl of cool water. I peeled a butternut squash and cut it into small chunks. I threw the squash onto a baking sheet and tossed it with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Into the oven went the squash and I continued on with the meal.
I quickly boiled some water for the couscous salad. A one-to-one ratio of boiling water and couscous makes it a snap to remember even if you don't have a set recipe handy. As the water soaked into the couscous, I prepared the yogurt vinaigrette and chopped everything else that needed to be chopped. In just five minutes, the couscous was ready to be mixed. What a lifesaver!
I guessed that the squash would need about 40 minutes or so to cook and caramelize a little. With about 15 minutes to go on the squash, I quickly dressed the salmon in olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and kosher salt & pepper, and popped that into the oven. A bag of pre-washed lettuce mixed with some field tomatoes and we were almost set.
After only 45 minutes, give or take, we sat down to a beautiful Sunday night dinner. I think this recipe, from the original Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, is a gem.
Curried Couscous
1 1/2 c. couscous
1 T. butter
1 1/2 c. boiling water
1/4 c. plain yogurt
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 t. white wine vinegar
1 t. curry powder
1/4 t. ground turmeric
1 1/2 t. kosher salt
1 t. fresh ground black pepper
1/2 c. grated (or small-diced) carrots, the ones sold with the tops on for best flavour
1/2 c. minced fresh-flat leaf parsley
1/2 c. dried currants
1/4 c. sliced almonds
2 green onions, thinly sliced (white & green parts)
1/4 c. small-diced red onion
Place the couscous in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in the boiling water and pour over the couscous. Cover tightly and allow the couscous to soak for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, curry, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Pour over the fluffed couscous and mix well with a fork. Add the carrots, parsley, currants, almonds, green onions and red onions; mix well and taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature.
*When I worked at "Elaine's" restaurant in Windsor, Elaine had a delicious couscous salad on the menu. It had chopped, dried apricots (amongst other things) and a honey-lemon vinaigrette. Add ingredients that you find appealing and that you have on hand. For example, don't worry if you don't have currants; substitute with raisins or leave them out this time.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
The Great Cookbook Caper
I have a cookbook on my bookshelf with a very interesting inscription.
"Dear Moira, You mean as much to me as this cookbook does to you. Love ___"
Even back at the tender age of 19, I was clearly in love with cookbooks. There are very few cookbooks I have ever met that I didn't like for some reason or another.
If I have been remiss in not telling you about The Good Cookbook Club, please forgive me. It is one of those clubs that you sign up for to receive free (or almost free) books. You then make a commitment to purchase a certain number of other books in a certain amount of time. My friend Elaine told me about The Good Cookbook Club. Elaine is a fellow cookbook lover and I hope she doesn't mind my saying this but, she has WAY more cookbooks than even I do! She mentioned the club to me and I immediately signed up. That was a couple of years ago and I was quick to fulfill my commitment of purchasing four more books at the discounted prices. About a year ago, I decided it was time to sign up once again. I went online to www.thegoodcook.ca and picked out my 3 books for $1 each. Then I waited for them to arrive. They never did.
At the time, I figured that it was just as well and I probably shouldn't have been spending money on more cookbooks anyway. This brings us up to about three months ago. I was feeling like I wanted some inspiration, in the cooking department, and I decided to sign up again. I carefully made my selections, checked off the "Bill Me Later" box, and hoped that this time would work. I received an email saying that they had received my request and the books would arrive soon. I waited and I waited, losing my patience as the time dragged on. I phoned the head office and inquired as the status of my order. They said they didn't see an order under my name and maybe I would like to try again.
I was not about to give up at this point so I decided to sign up one more time, using Alan's name. I received the confirmation email again and then I double checked with someone at their head office that indeed the books would be arriving, under the name of Alan Sanders.
Just a few weeks ago, I received "Alan's books" in the mail. Four beautiful, colourful, expensive cookbooks. Let me mention that should you decide to join the cookbook club, make sure you order the most expensive books that you want, when you are getting them for $1 each (I suppose that goes without saying!). The offer is also for 3 books for $1 each but for an extra $9.99, you can receive a fourth book of your choice. Alan saw all the new cookbooks and I sheepishly mentioned that they had arrived under his name. He wasn't concerned at all and life was good.
The fly in the ointment arrived about a week ago. Another package to pick up at the post office. A package addressed to me. From The Good Cookbook Club. Do you see where this is heading? I brought the box home and put it out of the way so I had time to think. I should have sent that box right back to where it came from when I was standing in front of the post lady. If you don't open the box, there is no charge to send it back and that would have nipped it in the bud. But no, I gave in to the huge temptation and brought it home. If only I could remember what books I had ordered under my name, I would know if this box was full of the same cookbooks that I was already enjoying! If only I wasn't so quick to empty my deleted emails box!
When Alan returned home from the office that night, he saw the box unopened and asked me about it. I told him what had happened. The furrowed brow and tight lips did nothing to help my decision. In fact, able to hold out no longer, I opened the new box the next morning. Oh, happy days! Only two of the books were ones that I had ordered under Alan's name, and the other two were cookbooks that I was thrilled to acquire. I am sure I know someone who would like a copy of Jamie Oliver's book "Jamie's Italy", or a new baking book called "Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters" by Marilynn & Sheila Brass.
My other new books are as follows:
"A Baker's Tour" by Nick Malgieri
"Baking: From My Home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan
"Organic Housekeeping" by Ellen Sandbeck
"Tartine" by Elisabeth Prueitt & Chad Robertson
Now I am on the hook for 8 more cookbooks, but let's face it, this is not a problem when a cookbook obsession runs as deep as mine does!
"Dear Moira, You mean as much to me as this cookbook does to you. Love ___"
Even back at the tender age of 19, I was clearly in love with cookbooks. There are very few cookbooks I have ever met that I didn't like for some reason or another.
If I have been remiss in not telling you about The Good Cookbook Club, please forgive me. It is one of those clubs that you sign up for to receive free (or almost free) books. You then make a commitment to purchase a certain number of other books in a certain amount of time. My friend Elaine told me about The Good Cookbook Club. Elaine is a fellow cookbook lover and I hope she doesn't mind my saying this but, she has WAY more cookbooks than even I do! She mentioned the club to me and I immediately signed up. That was a couple of years ago and I was quick to fulfill my commitment of purchasing four more books at the discounted prices. About a year ago, I decided it was time to sign up once again. I went online to www.thegoodcook.ca and picked out my 3 books for $1 each. Then I waited for them to arrive. They never did.
At the time, I figured that it was just as well and I probably shouldn't have been spending money on more cookbooks anyway. This brings us up to about three months ago. I was feeling like I wanted some inspiration, in the cooking department, and I decided to sign up again. I carefully made my selections, checked off the "Bill Me Later" box, and hoped that this time would work. I received an email saying that they had received my request and the books would arrive soon. I waited and I waited, losing my patience as the time dragged on. I phoned the head office and inquired as the status of my order. They said they didn't see an order under my name and maybe I would like to try again.
I was not about to give up at this point so I decided to sign up one more time, using Alan's name. I received the confirmation email again and then I double checked with someone at their head office that indeed the books would be arriving, under the name of Alan Sanders.
Just a few weeks ago, I received "Alan's books" in the mail. Four beautiful, colourful, expensive cookbooks. Let me mention that should you decide to join the cookbook club, make sure you order the most expensive books that you want, when you are getting them for $1 each (I suppose that goes without saying!). The offer is also for 3 books for $1 each but for an extra $9.99, you can receive a fourth book of your choice. Alan saw all the new cookbooks and I sheepishly mentioned that they had arrived under his name. He wasn't concerned at all and life was good.
The fly in the ointment arrived about a week ago. Another package to pick up at the post office. A package addressed to me. From The Good Cookbook Club. Do you see where this is heading? I brought the box home and put it out of the way so I had time to think. I should have sent that box right back to where it came from when I was standing in front of the post lady. If you don't open the box, there is no charge to send it back and that would have nipped it in the bud. But no, I gave in to the huge temptation and brought it home. If only I could remember what books I had ordered under my name, I would know if this box was full of the same cookbooks that I was already enjoying! If only I wasn't so quick to empty my deleted emails box!
When Alan returned home from the office that night, he saw the box unopened and asked me about it. I told him what had happened. The furrowed brow and tight lips did nothing to help my decision. In fact, able to hold out no longer, I opened the new box the next morning. Oh, happy days! Only two of the books were ones that I had ordered under Alan's name, and the other two were cookbooks that I was thrilled to acquire. I am sure I know someone who would like a copy of Jamie Oliver's book "Jamie's Italy", or a new baking book called "Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters" by Marilynn & Sheila Brass.
My other new books are as follows:
"A Baker's Tour" by Nick Malgieri
"Baking: From My Home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan
"Organic Housekeeping" by Ellen Sandbeck
"Tartine" by Elisabeth Prueitt & Chad Robertson
Now I am on the hook for 8 more cookbooks, but let's face it, this is not a problem when a cookbook obsession runs as deep as mine does!
Friday, September 7, 2007
Chocolate Cake
When Rachel emailed me and asked me for my favourite chocolate cake recipe, I really had to think hard. There are so many to choose from. Cakes that I have made and cakes that I have wanted to make. I decided on the chocolate cake from the newest Barefoot Contessa Book (Barefoot Contessa At Home).
I would like to mention a few other gems, in case you have any of these cookbooks in your collection.
The original Barefoot Contessa cookbook has a really delicious chocolate cake. The frosting is a chocolate buttercream and I have made it several times. The Rose & Thistle Cookbook from Kingsville, Ontario has an excellent Chocolate Layer Cake. I made this cake while in France at the Chateau Drouilles (I'll go into details about the Chateau another time!) and it was fabulous. I think the French butter and cream put it over the top.
The "Eat to the Beat Cookbook" is a collection of recipes from the most talented women chefs in Toronto and Niagara. There is a simple chocolate layer cake from Joanne Yolles, freelance pastry chef. The frosting is a chocolate cream, just whipped cream, cocoa and sugar. In the "Sugar" cookbook, Anna Olson includes a recipe for the Ultimate Chocolate Cake. Anna's recipes always turn out great.
There are so many chocolate cakes that I would like to try. Nigella Lawson's book "Feast" has a chapter called "Chocolate Cake Hall of Fame" and the Rococoa Cake on page 288 sounds incredible. Dorie Greenspan has a new cookbook out and the cover has a gorgeous chocolate cake layered with fluffy white icing, with the sides coated in cake crumbs. Her book is called "Baking: From My Home to Yours". She is the woman that co-authored "Baking with Julia", another wonderful baking book.
I could go on, but here's the recipe for a simple, delicious chocolate cake. The Barefoot Contessa mentions the recipe coming from a milkman's wife in Pennsylvania. I made this in February for Ellen's 2nd Birthday and several times since. Enjoy!
Barefoot Contessa's Chocolate Cake
butter for greasing the pans
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans
2 c. sugar
3/4 c. good cocoa powder
2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. kosher salt
1 c. buttermilk, shaken
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1 c. freshly brewed hot coffee
Chocolate Frosting
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.
Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With the mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
Place one layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.
Chocolate Frosting
6 oz. good semisweet chocolate (don't use chocolate chips)
1/2 lb. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. sifted confectioners' sugar
1 T. instant coffee powder
Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 t. of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.
*I would suggest waiting to make the icing for the cake until the cakes have cooled down to room temperature. And whatever you do, don't try to ice ANY cake until it has cooled completely! Sounds like a no-brainer but I can't tell you the number of times I have started to ice a cake while it was still a little warm. Nothing like ruining a cake just as you are nearing the finishing line!
I would like to mention a few other gems, in case you have any of these cookbooks in your collection.
The original Barefoot Contessa cookbook has a really delicious chocolate cake. The frosting is a chocolate buttercream and I have made it several times. The Rose & Thistle Cookbook from Kingsville, Ontario has an excellent Chocolate Layer Cake. I made this cake while in France at the Chateau Drouilles (I'll go into details about the Chateau another time!) and it was fabulous. I think the French butter and cream put it over the top.
The "Eat to the Beat Cookbook" is a collection of recipes from the most talented women chefs in Toronto and Niagara. There is a simple chocolate layer cake from Joanne Yolles, freelance pastry chef. The frosting is a chocolate cream, just whipped cream, cocoa and sugar. In the "Sugar" cookbook, Anna Olson includes a recipe for the Ultimate Chocolate Cake. Anna's recipes always turn out great.
There are so many chocolate cakes that I would like to try. Nigella Lawson's book "Feast" has a chapter called "Chocolate Cake Hall of Fame" and the Rococoa Cake on page 288 sounds incredible. Dorie Greenspan has a new cookbook out and the cover has a gorgeous chocolate cake layered with fluffy white icing, with the sides coated in cake crumbs. Her book is called "Baking: From My Home to Yours". She is the woman that co-authored "Baking with Julia", another wonderful baking book.
I could go on, but here's the recipe for a simple, delicious chocolate cake. The Barefoot Contessa mentions the recipe coming from a milkman's wife in Pennsylvania. I made this in February for Ellen's 2nd Birthday and several times since. Enjoy!
Barefoot Contessa's Chocolate Cake
butter for greasing the pans
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans
2 c. sugar
3/4 c. good cocoa powder
2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. kosher salt
1 c. buttermilk, shaken
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1 c. freshly brewed hot coffee
Chocolate Frosting
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.
Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With the mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
Place one layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.
Chocolate Frosting
6 oz. good semisweet chocolate (don't use chocolate chips)
1/2 lb. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. sifted confectioners' sugar
1 T. instant coffee powder
Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 t. of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.
*I would suggest waiting to make the icing for the cake until the cakes have cooled down to room temperature. And whatever you do, don't try to ice ANY cake until it has cooled completely! Sounds like a no-brainer but I can't tell you the number of times I have started to ice a cake while it was still a little warm. Nothing like ruining a cake just as you are nearing the finishing line!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
"World Class Pumpkin Pie" Contest
In my hometown of Harrow, Ontario, Labour Day weekend means the Harrow Fair. The 153rd Harrow Fair this year, to be exact. Oldest country fair in Ontario, or possibly all of Canada??? Every year, I walk through the exhibits and look at the canning, baked goods, vegetables, etc. and vow that next year I will enter something in the fair. Well, this was my year!
I entered three items for judging. A pumpkin pie in the "World Class Pumpkin Pie" category, the baby blanket that I made for my nephew Hugh, and a pair of thrum mittens. To put this in perspective, there are over 8000 items entered each year so this is no rinky-dink contest.
My Mom & I dropped our entries in at the Agricultural building on Wednesday afternoon and the judging took place on Thursday. There were some ladies that were sitting at the table where people were dropping off pies. There was a typo on the entry tag for my pumpkin pie and I asked them to fix it. They said it really didn't matter and tried to get rid of me as quickly as possible. I asked the woman in charge, "But what if I win?" She just looked at me like, "Yeah, right." I went and found a pencil and insisted my name be changed from "Maira" back to the proper spelling.
Thursday afternoon, my Mom and I were chomping at the bit to get into the fair and see the results. A first place ribbon for my Mom's Aran knit sampler blanket and a third for her homemade tomato sauce. A second place ribbon for Hugh's baby blanket and then... no sign of my pumpkin pie. When we finally figured out where the cooler was for the pumpkin pies, my pie was already gone to be sold at the pie auction. But then we saw it - my name on the side of the cooler on a chalkboard that said Best Pumpkin pie. First place - can't remember and it doesn't matter anyway. Second place - MARIA Sanders. Maria??? Harrow has a large Portuguese population and I personally know of at least 10 Maria's. In a town of 3000, that's a lot. Without my maiden name to identify me, no one would know that it was me that had won! Maybe I was being vain, but I was a little annoyed.
I soon had the correction made and I must admit, I was in my glory! The weekend flew by and Sunday afternoon, my Mom & I were back at the fair to pick up our entries. Because my pie was auctioned off on Thursday, I didn't expect to get it back, but I thought my pie plate would be back (my name & phone # were on the bottom). The pie ladies were not much help again and the pie plate has yet to turn up.
There were a few details that I haven't mentioned regarding the "World Class Pumpkin Pie" contest. That category was actually sponsored by a local family and they provide the prize money, $20 for second place. The catch is that I have to bake them another pie and drop it off to collect the prize money, before September 30th. Apparently this family sponsors the pumpkin pie contest and a raspberry pie contest as birthday presents for the Grandfather's of the family. They find out when the pies will be delivered and they plan parties around those weekends. What a great idea! However, now I am out a pie plate (well, my mom is out a pie plate!) and I also have to drive 4+ hours back to Harrow and bake a pie, all for the $20 prize. If I wasn't enjoying my bragging rights so much, I would be wondering if this was worth it! Alan is definitely wondering, although he is proud to be married to a ribbon winner.
Here is the recipe for my "World Class Pumpkin Pie". My secret is using coconut milk in place of the evaporated milk. The idea for that came from the pastry chef at Meinhardt Fine Foods in Vancouver. I also thought that the brand of canned pumpkin made a difference. I prefer using Stokely pumpkin, not E.D. Smith pumpkin. I had my Mom make a special trip to Amherstburg to buy Stokely pumpkin. I had a can of E.D. Smith just in case. Both cans were on the counter while I was making the pie and afterwards, I realized that I had used the E.D. Smith pumpkin. My mom was not overly impressed. Maybe I would have won first place if I would have used the Stokely??? Maybe not.
Pumpkin Pie
2 - 9 inch unbaked, deep-dish pie shells
2 c. brown sugar
1 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. ground mace
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 - 28oz can pure pumpkin (never pumpkin pie filling)
1 1/2 c. coconut milk
1/2 c. cream
Mix together brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and mace thoroughly. Stir in eggs. Add pumpkin taking care that mixture is well blended. Stir in coconut and cream. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking 25 minutes longer or until firm and crust is well browned.
*I sometimes use this double recipe for just one pie. If the pie plate is deep enough, it will hold most of the mixture. You just have to make sure that the crust doesn't burn before the filling sets. You can put the leftover filling into a ramekin and bake it for 15 minutes or so and you have a nice little pumpkin custard for a snack.
*I blind baked the pie crust for the competition. I usually do this if I am using a homemade crust. There are times that I need to use a pre-made crust and I don't blind bake those.
*You would think that baking your own pumpkin and pureeing it and using that in your pie would be better than canned. That hasn't been my experience and I have tried it several times. I don't know if there is a secret to getting the pumpkin to a nice consistency but if there is, I don't know it!
I entered three items for judging. A pumpkin pie in the "World Class Pumpkin Pie" category, the baby blanket that I made for my nephew Hugh, and a pair of thrum mittens. To put this in perspective, there are over 8000 items entered each year so this is no rinky-dink contest.
My Mom & I dropped our entries in at the Agricultural building on Wednesday afternoon and the judging took place on Thursday. There were some ladies that were sitting at the table where people were dropping off pies. There was a typo on the entry tag for my pumpkin pie and I asked them to fix it. They said it really didn't matter and tried to get rid of me as quickly as possible. I asked the woman in charge, "But what if I win?" She just looked at me like, "Yeah, right." I went and found a pencil and insisted my name be changed from "Maira" back to the proper spelling.
Thursday afternoon, my Mom and I were chomping at the bit to get into the fair and see the results. A first place ribbon for my Mom's Aran knit sampler blanket and a third for her homemade tomato sauce. A second place ribbon for Hugh's baby blanket and then... no sign of my pumpkin pie. When we finally figured out where the cooler was for the pumpkin pies, my pie was already gone to be sold at the pie auction. But then we saw it - my name on the side of the cooler on a chalkboard that said Best Pumpkin pie. First place - can't remember and it doesn't matter anyway. Second place - MARIA Sanders. Maria??? Harrow has a large Portuguese population and I personally know of at least 10 Maria's. In a town of 3000, that's a lot. Without my maiden name to identify me, no one would know that it was me that had won! Maybe I was being vain, but I was a little annoyed.
I soon had the correction made and I must admit, I was in my glory! The weekend flew by and Sunday afternoon, my Mom & I were back at the fair to pick up our entries. Because my pie was auctioned off on Thursday, I didn't expect to get it back, but I thought my pie plate would be back (my name & phone # were on the bottom). The pie ladies were not much help again and the pie plate has yet to turn up.
There were a few details that I haven't mentioned regarding the "World Class Pumpkin Pie" contest. That category was actually sponsored by a local family and they provide the prize money, $20 for second place. The catch is that I have to bake them another pie and drop it off to collect the prize money, before September 30th. Apparently this family sponsors the pumpkin pie contest and a raspberry pie contest as birthday presents for the Grandfather's of the family. They find out when the pies will be delivered and they plan parties around those weekends. What a great idea! However, now I am out a pie plate (well, my mom is out a pie plate!) and I also have to drive 4+ hours back to Harrow and bake a pie, all for the $20 prize. If I wasn't enjoying my bragging rights so much, I would be wondering if this was worth it! Alan is definitely wondering, although he is proud to be married to a ribbon winner.
Here is the recipe for my "World Class Pumpkin Pie". My secret is using coconut milk in place of the evaporated milk. The idea for that came from the pastry chef at Meinhardt Fine Foods in Vancouver. I also thought that the brand of canned pumpkin made a difference. I prefer using Stokely pumpkin, not E.D. Smith pumpkin. I had my Mom make a special trip to Amherstburg to buy Stokely pumpkin. I had a can of E.D. Smith just in case. Both cans were on the counter while I was making the pie and afterwards, I realized that I had used the E.D. Smith pumpkin. My mom was not overly impressed. Maybe I would have won first place if I would have used the Stokely??? Maybe not.
Pumpkin Pie
2 - 9 inch unbaked, deep-dish pie shells
2 c. brown sugar
1 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. ground mace
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 - 28oz can pure pumpkin (never pumpkin pie filling)
1 1/2 c. coconut milk
1/2 c. cream
Mix together brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and mace thoroughly. Stir in eggs. Add pumpkin taking care that mixture is well blended. Stir in coconut and cream. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking 25 minutes longer or until firm and crust is well browned.
*I sometimes use this double recipe for just one pie. If the pie plate is deep enough, it will hold most of the mixture. You just have to make sure that the crust doesn't burn before the filling sets. You can put the leftover filling into a ramekin and bake it for 15 minutes or so and you have a nice little pumpkin custard for a snack.
*I blind baked the pie crust for the competition. I usually do this if I am using a homemade crust. There are times that I need to use a pre-made crust and I don't blind bake those.
*You would think that baking your own pumpkin and pureeing it and using that in your pie would be better than canned. That hasn't been my experience and I have tried it several times. I don't know if there is a secret to getting the pumpkin to a nice consistency but if there is, I don't know it!
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Oatmeal Pancakes
McCann's Quick Cooking Oatmeal has turned out to be one of my favourite ingredients lately. I use it for the Maple Oatmeal Scones, amongst other things. On the McCann's box, there is a recipe for Oatmeal Pancakes that is excellent. The pancakes are tender and moist, and I have been making them over and over again.
I always make my pancakes in my Le Crueset cast iron frying pan. I think this is part of the secret. The pan is practically no stick, as I never wash it with soap, and I use either rice bran oil, grape seed oil or sunflower oil in combination with butter. Once the oil is nice and hot, I drop the pancake batter into the pan and the outside gets nice and crispy, almost fritterish. Sometimes I add fresh/frozen Harrow blueberries or raspberries, or small diced apple or even sliced fresh peaches; all depends on my mood and the season!
McCann's Oatmeal Pancakes
1 1/4 c. McCann's Quick Cooking Oatmeal
1 c. plain yogurt
1 c. low fat milk
1 t. honey or sugar
1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt (kosher or sea salt preferably)
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 c. chopped walnuts (optional and I have never added them)
1. In a large bowl, combine oats, plain yogurt, milk, and honey. Stir in flours, baking soda, and salt. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Batter will be thick.
2. Heat a large non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Spoon about 1/4 c. batter onto hot pan or griddle for each pancake. Cook until bottoms are browned and bubbles on top start to pop, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook until other sides are browned, about 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. Add additional milk if batter becomes too thick. Serve hot with maple syrup or fresh fruit. Makes approximately 12 pancakes.
*This morning I am heating up the left over pancakes from yesterday in the toaster. Almost as good as fresh!
*The temperature of the pan is crucial. Too hot and the pancake burns and doesn't cook through. Too cool and the batter soaks up the oil and/or butter. Watch your pancakes carefully.
*I found my Le Crueset pan at Winners a few years ago. Keep your eyes peeled for one at your local Winners as they are very expensive in a regular kitchen store.
I always make my pancakes in my Le Crueset cast iron frying pan. I think this is part of the secret. The pan is practically no stick, as I never wash it with soap, and I use either rice bran oil, grape seed oil or sunflower oil in combination with butter. Once the oil is nice and hot, I drop the pancake batter into the pan and the outside gets nice and crispy, almost fritterish. Sometimes I add fresh/frozen Harrow blueberries or raspberries, or small diced apple or even sliced fresh peaches; all depends on my mood and the season!
McCann's Oatmeal Pancakes
1 1/4 c. McCann's Quick Cooking Oatmeal
1 c. plain yogurt
1 c. low fat milk
1 t. honey or sugar
1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt (kosher or sea salt preferably)
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 c. chopped walnuts (optional and I have never added them)
1. In a large bowl, combine oats, plain yogurt, milk, and honey. Stir in flours, baking soda, and salt. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Batter will be thick.
2. Heat a large non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Spoon about 1/4 c. batter onto hot pan or griddle for each pancake. Cook until bottoms are browned and bubbles on top start to pop, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook until other sides are browned, about 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. Add additional milk if batter becomes too thick. Serve hot with maple syrup or fresh fruit. Makes approximately 12 pancakes.
*This morning I am heating up the left over pancakes from yesterday in the toaster. Almost as good as fresh!
*The temperature of the pan is crucial. Too hot and the pancake burns and doesn't cook through. Too cool and the batter soaks up the oil and/or butter. Watch your pancakes carefully.
*I found my Le Crueset pan at Winners a few years ago. Keep your eyes peeled for one at your local Winners as they are very expensive in a regular kitchen store.
My "IN" at Dean & Deluca
Last year, Lori & I visited NYC and our cousin Beth for the first time. Our weekend was filled with everything FOOD! Our first stop, after having an excellent lunch of oysters and "moules & frites" at Balthazar, was to the world renowned food store, Dean & Deluca.
The store was sensory overload and a dream come true for food lovers. Little did we know that cousin Beth would be working for them one day. Well, her day has come and Beth is starting her new job at Dean Deluca in early September. In a twist almost too good to be true, Beth's new job is "food forager" for the exceptional emporium. She will be going around the globe, searching out the best in food that the world has to offer.
We are very happy for her success and look forward to living vicariously through her in all things "food"! Congrats Uncle Beth!
The store was sensory overload and a dream come true for food lovers. Little did we know that cousin Beth would be working for them one day. Well, her day has come and Beth is starting her new job at Dean Deluca in early September. In a twist almost too good to be true, Beth's new job is "food forager" for the exceptional emporium. She will be going around the globe, searching out the best in food that the world has to offer.
We are very happy for her success and look forward to living vicariously through her in all things "food"! Congrats Uncle Beth!
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Summer Wheatberry Salad
So far this summer, I haven't been doing a lot of cooking that I think is worthy of documenting. There have been some exceptions and my Father-in-Law's Birthday dinner was one. I like to try and impress Max as he doesn't give out compliments easily.
Two days before, I found a fantastic looking leg of lamb that was already de-boned. Our new town, Mount Albert, hasn't got much but we do have an organic grocery store called "The Clean Food Connection". They have excellent meat and veggies and we have our favourite milk ordered in weekly. When I saw the lamb, I knew exactly what I would do with it. I marinated it for the next two days in plain organic yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, and fresh rosemary. I used the recipe from the Barefoot Contessa's Parties Cookbook. It turned out beautifully, cooked on the charcoal BBQ for about 45 minutes.
For a dish to accompany the lamb, I baked some sliced eggplant and then spooned a simple vinaigrette over the slices while they were still warm. The recipe came out of a magazine called "The Best of Fine Cooking: Fresh" from the Spring/Summer Issue. Also from that magazine, I made the Summer Wheatberry Salad. Wheatberries are something I have been experimenting with in the last year or so. I first made the Wheatberry Salad from The Barefoot Contessa Family Style Cookbook. It was OK but I haven't made it again and probably won't. *(see bottom comment)
Bonnie Stern has a great Wheatberry Salad with Dill & Feta in her "Best of HeartSmart Cooking Cookbook". I have made that a few times. I really like that cookbook and I can always find something in there that catches my fancy.
Here is the recipe for the Summer Wheatberry Salad that I made the other night. If you can remember to boil the wheatberries at least an hour before you want to serve it, it is a quick salad and very good. There are "hard" and "soft" wheatberries and different recipes will mention one or the other. I have only tried the hard ones as the Barefoot Contessa recommended. She said the soft ones will go soggy.
Summer Wheatberry Salad
For the Salad:
1 c. wheatberries
6 c. water or chicken stock or veggie stock (I used chicken stock)
1/2 t. kosher salt
1 bay leaf
1/2 c. chopped artichoke hearts
1/2 c. quartered cherry tomatoes
1/4 c. diced roasted red pepper
2 T. capers, drained and chopped
3 T. sliced green onions (white & green parts)
1/4 c. slivered almonds, toasted (I quickly toasted them on the stove until they smelled nutty)
2T. chopped fresh basil or cilantro
For the vinaigrette:
1/2 to 1 t. finely minced garlic
2 T. fresh lime juice
1 T. white wine vinegar
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
In a heavy saucepan with a lid, combine the wheatberries, water or broth, salt, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then simmer partially covered until the wheatberries are pleasantly chewy, which may take anywhere from 50 to 90 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, discard the bay leaf, and let the berries cool in the liquid and put the berries into a large bowl. Add the artichoke hearts, roasted pepper, capers, scallion, almonds, and basil or cilantro.
In a small bowl, whisk the garlic, lime juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper; toss with the salad. Enjoy!
* There are very few recipes from the Barefoot Contessa that I don't make again. I could spend most of my time just telling you about all the recipes that I love but it is quicker to mention the ones that I don't like!
Two days before, I found a fantastic looking leg of lamb that was already de-boned. Our new town, Mount Albert, hasn't got much but we do have an organic grocery store called "The Clean Food Connection". They have excellent meat and veggies and we have our favourite milk ordered in weekly. When I saw the lamb, I knew exactly what I would do with it. I marinated it for the next two days in plain organic yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, and fresh rosemary. I used the recipe from the Barefoot Contessa's Parties Cookbook. It turned out beautifully, cooked on the charcoal BBQ for about 45 minutes.
For a dish to accompany the lamb, I baked some sliced eggplant and then spooned a simple vinaigrette over the slices while they were still warm. The recipe came out of a magazine called "The Best of Fine Cooking: Fresh" from the Spring/Summer Issue. Also from that magazine, I made the Summer Wheatberry Salad. Wheatberries are something I have been experimenting with in the last year or so. I first made the Wheatberry Salad from The Barefoot Contessa Family Style Cookbook. It was OK but I haven't made it again and probably won't. *(see bottom comment)
Bonnie Stern has a great Wheatberry Salad with Dill & Feta in her "Best of HeartSmart Cooking Cookbook". I have made that a few times. I really like that cookbook and I can always find something in there that catches my fancy.
Here is the recipe for the Summer Wheatberry Salad that I made the other night. If you can remember to boil the wheatberries at least an hour before you want to serve it, it is a quick salad and very good. There are "hard" and "soft" wheatberries and different recipes will mention one or the other. I have only tried the hard ones as the Barefoot Contessa recommended. She said the soft ones will go soggy.
Summer Wheatberry Salad
For the Salad:
1 c. wheatberries
6 c. water or chicken stock or veggie stock (I used chicken stock)
1/2 t. kosher salt
1 bay leaf
1/2 c. chopped artichoke hearts
1/2 c. quartered cherry tomatoes
1/4 c. diced roasted red pepper
2 T. capers, drained and chopped
3 T. sliced green onions (white & green parts)
1/4 c. slivered almonds, toasted (I quickly toasted them on the stove until they smelled nutty)
2T. chopped fresh basil or cilantro
For the vinaigrette:
1/2 to 1 t. finely minced garlic
2 T. fresh lime juice
1 T. white wine vinegar
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
In a heavy saucepan with a lid, combine the wheatberries, water or broth, salt, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then simmer partially covered until the wheatberries are pleasantly chewy, which may take anywhere from 50 to 90 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, discard the bay leaf, and let the berries cool in the liquid and put the berries into a large bowl. Add the artichoke hearts, roasted pepper, capers, scallion, almonds, and basil or cilantro.
In a small bowl, whisk the garlic, lime juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper; toss with the salad. Enjoy!
* There are very few recipes from the Barefoot Contessa that I don't make again. I could spend most of my time just telling you about all the recipes that I love but it is quicker to mention the ones that I don't like!
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Comfort Food
Three days ago I got the call that I had been waiting for. My sister, Lori, was having the beginning signs of labour and it was time for me to head down to Niagara for the blessed event. As she was opting for a homebirth, my big role was taking care of the food and drinks and basically accommodating her every whim. I packed my bag with a few clothes and some of the special necessities that I would need - sparkling wine, maple syrup, clotted cream, Raincoast crisps, cherries, chocolate-covered buttercrunch, etc...
Thursday night she opted for nachos. What is so gourmet about nachos, you are probably thinking. There was no mystery to them, but I did use pasture-fed beef from my local organic store (from the owner's own cows), old Balderson cheddar, field tomatoes from Essex county, green onions, and lettuce. She had the small bite-sized nacho chips which I spread on a baking sheet, covering this with a layer of each ingredient. Into the oven it went for about 10 minutes or so and then it was served with sour cream (full fat!). According to Lori, they were the "best nachos I have ever had". If the avocados would have been ripe, I would have made guacamole too, but no such luck.
The next morning, I was up early making coffee and currant scones. My mom cut up a big bowl of fresh Harrow peaches and I fried up some delicious breakfast sausages from the butcher shop down the street. Add clotted cream and my mom's fresh raspberry jelly to the scones and we had a breakfast that was fit for royalty. Lori's labour was mild enough that she could sit and eat and she would just stop every now and then while a contraction was happening.
For lunch I made a big pot of the Barefoot Contessa's Cheddar Corn Chowder. The pot was big enough that that there was still a litre left by Saturday night. People were able to just help themselves whenever they were ready to eat. I also made the Salmon dip and made sandwiches on toasted Ace Focaccia.
In the afternoon, I made two pans of the Eggplant Parmigiana. The sauce that Lori had in the fridge was homemade from her mother-in-law and it had meatballs and chunks of sausage in it. I spooned the sauce over the eggplant and also cut the meatballs and sausage thinly and spread that over the eggplant as well. Lori also had some fresh Parmesan so I grated that and spread that on each layer. Delicious!
By Saturday morning, I was beginning to wonder what else I should make so I checked with Lori and she requested banana muffins. They don't have their internet hooked up yet and I didn't have the Caribbean Desserts cookbook handy so I didn't make my favourite banana muffins. Instead, I made the Barefoot Contessa's banana muffins from her first book. It was the second time I have made them and both times I have not really been impressed. However, Lori was happy and that is all the matters. At lunch time things were starting to really heat up so it was pretty much every man for himself. I did have the foresight to marinate some chicken legs and thighs in the homemade BBQ sauce that I brought from home (Barefoot Contessa's recipe from first book).
At 1:20 pm, Hugh Ryland Elstone arrived and it was an incredible experience watching him be born. Both Lori & Hugh are doing well! But back to the food...
I had a bottle of sparkling Bellini on ice and I took some flutes upstairs and popped the cork. The Bellini was something I saw in the Food & Drink magazine from the LCBO. It was really good and in fact would have been lovely with our scone breakfast on Friday morning. I'll have to remember that for next time. Next thing I knew, my Dad was whipping up some fresh peach daiquiris for everyone. I think it is fair to say that we needed a drink!
Lori had requested BBQ chicken for her post-natal dinner. I got the coals going on the BBQ and started the mashed potatoes. Jake cooked the chicken, luckily, as I don't have the patience NOT to put the chicken right over the coals and burn the skin. Add fresh green beans and it was a wonderful dinner.
At this point, I packed up my two cookbooks that I brought - The Barefoot Contessa (original) and The Open-House Cookbook by Sarah Leah Chase - and headed home to my family, who, I would hazard a guess, hadn't eaten nearly so well while I was gone!
Thursday night she opted for nachos. What is so gourmet about nachos, you are probably thinking. There was no mystery to them, but I did use pasture-fed beef from my local organic store (from the owner's own cows), old Balderson cheddar, field tomatoes from Essex county, green onions, and lettuce. She had the small bite-sized nacho chips which I spread on a baking sheet, covering this with a layer of each ingredient. Into the oven it went for about 10 minutes or so and then it was served with sour cream (full fat!). According to Lori, they were the "best nachos I have ever had". If the avocados would have been ripe, I would have made guacamole too, but no such luck.
The next morning, I was up early making coffee and currant scones. My mom cut up a big bowl of fresh Harrow peaches and I fried up some delicious breakfast sausages from the butcher shop down the street. Add clotted cream and my mom's fresh raspberry jelly to the scones and we had a breakfast that was fit for royalty. Lori's labour was mild enough that she could sit and eat and she would just stop every now and then while a contraction was happening.
For lunch I made a big pot of the Barefoot Contessa's Cheddar Corn Chowder. The pot was big enough that that there was still a litre left by Saturday night. People were able to just help themselves whenever they were ready to eat. I also made the Salmon dip and made sandwiches on toasted Ace Focaccia.
In the afternoon, I made two pans of the Eggplant Parmigiana. The sauce that Lori had in the fridge was homemade from her mother-in-law and it had meatballs and chunks of sausage in it. I spooned the sauce over the eggplant and also cut the meatballs and sausage thinly and spread that over the eggplant as well. Lori also had some fresh Parmesan so I grated that and spread that on each layer. Delicious!
By Saturday morning, I was beginning to wonder what else I should make so I checked with Lori and she requested banana muffins. They don't have their internet hooked up yet and I didn't have the Caribbean Desserts cookbook handy so I didn't make my favourite banana muffins. Instead, I made the Barefoot Contessa's banana muffins from her first book. It was the second time I have made them and both times I have not really been impressed. However, Lori was happy and that is all the matters. At lunch time things were starting to really heat up so it was pretty much every man for himself. I did have the foresight to marinate some chicken legs and thighs in the homemade BBQ sauce that I brought from home (Barefoot Contessa's recipe from first book).
At 1:20 pm, Hugh Ryland Elstone arrived and it was an incredible experience watching him be born. Both Lori & Hugh are doing well! But back to the food...
I had a bottle of sparkling Bellini on ice and I took some flutes upstairs and popped the cork. The Bellini was something I saw in the Food & Drink magazine from the LCBO. It was really good and in fact would have been lovely with our scone breakfast on Friday morning. I'll have to remember that for next time. Next thing I knew, my Dad was whipping up some fresh peach daiquiris for everyone. I think it is fair to say that we needed a drink!
Lori had requested BBQ chicken for her post-natal dinner. I got the coals going on the BBQ and started the mashed potatoes. Jake cooked the chicken, luckily, as I don't have the patience NOT to put the chicken right over the coals and burn the skin. Add fresh green beans and it was a wonderful dinner.
At this point, I packed up my two cookbooks that I brought - The Barefoot Contessa (original) and The Open-House Cookbook by Sarah Leah Chase - and headed home to my family, who, I would hazard a guess, hadn't eaten nearly so well while I was gone!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Stuffed Mushrooms for a Poker Party
I learned to play poker last year on the "girl's weekend" in Tofino, BC. I'll never forget learning how to play in the afternoon, thanks to Allison and then sitting down to our first real game after dinner. There were nine of us and most of us hadn't a clue about poker before that day. Shai came into the room wearing dark glasses and a head scarf, looking like a mysterious Indian princess at a casino in Monte Carlo. We took up playing and that first hand of Shai's was a true Royal Flush (the best hand possible in Poker)! Pictures of the cards were taken and phone calls made to husbands. I had no idea at the time that it was almost impossible to get that hand. We weren't sure if that was the biggest miracle of the weekend or if having three spring days in Tofino without rain was our real miracle!
I spoke to Shai last week and she mentioned that she was having the girls over for Poker on Saturday night and did I have any ideas for nibblies? As the girls bravely take up cards with her again, they deserve to be fed well, and I hope I am able to help!
The recipe for these stuffed mushrooms was taught to me in early high school by my friend Kristin's mom, Evie. I was at their home in Lake Orion, Michigan, visiting in the winter (their family cottage is three doors over from my parent' house and has been since we were three and two years of age) and her mom prepared these mushrooms for a little party they were having. The recipe was so good and so easy that I have made these mushrooms many, many times over the years. I remember making them for Mrs. Wurfel, who lived in our town at the time, when she asked me to help her out with some dinner parties. Every time I made the stuffed mushrooms they would be a hit. I guess those were my first catering jobs!
Stuffed Mushrooms
1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese (light cream cheese is fine too) at room temperature
1/3 c. green onions, chopped (or shallots are great too)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T. butter
salt & pepper
About 20 mushrooms or so, more if they are smaller
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top, optional
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush mushrooms off with paper towel and remove stems. Chop meaty part of stems very fine ( I usually use the half of the stem that came from inside the mushroom). Place mushroom caps in a baking dish or on a baking sheet.
2. Melt butter in saute pan and add the chopped mushroom bits, green onions and garlic. Saute until soft and then add the cream cheese. Mash the mixture together and add salt & pepper. Taste for seasoning. Remove from the heat and place teaspoonfuls of the mixture in each cap. Don't taste too often or you will have too many mushrooms and not enough filling (voice of experience!). Sprinkle with parmesan if you like and then pop into the oven for 20 minutes or so. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes if you can wait. Move to clean serving plate and Voila!
*I don't think Evie used the parmesan but I sometimes add it just for an extra kick. If there are leftovers, heat them up the next day for lunch and they are every bit as good.
*These are great for making up ahead of time and popping into the oven at the last minute.
I spoke to Shai last week and she mentioned that she was having the girls over for Poker on Saturday night and did I have any ideas for nibblies? As the girls bravely take up cards with her again, they deserve to be fed well, and I hope I am able to help!
The recipe for these stuffed mushrooms was taught to me in early high school by my friend Kristin's mom, Evie. I was at their home in Lake Orion, Michigan, visiting in the winter (their family cottage is three doors over from my parent' house and has been since we were three and two years of age) and her mom prepared these mushrooms for a little party they were having. The recipe was so good and so easy that I have made these mushrooms many, many times over the years. I remember making them for Mrs. Wurfel, who lived in our town at the time, when she asked me to help her out with some dinner parties. Every time I made the stuffed mushrooms they would be a hit. I guess those were my first catering jobs!
Stuffed Mushrooms
1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese (light cream cheese is fine too) at room temperature
1/3 c. green onions, chopped (or shallots are great too)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T. butter
salt & pepper
About 20 mushrooms or so, more if they are smaller
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top, optional
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush mushrooms off with paper towel and remove stems. Chop meaty part of stems very fine ( I usually use the half of the stem that came from inside the mushroom). Place mushroom caps in a baking dish or on a baking sheet.
2. Melt butter in saute pan and add the chopped mushroom bits, green onions and garlic. Saute until soft and then add the cream cheese. Mash the mixture together and add salt & pepper. Taste for seasoning. Remove from the heat and place teaspoonfuls of the mixture in each cap. Don't taste too often or you will have too many mushrooms and not enough filling (voice of experience!). Sprinkle with parmesan if you like and then pop into the oven for 20 minutes or so. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes if you can wait. Move to clean serving plate and Voila!
*I don't think Evie used the parmesan but I sometimes add it just for an extra kick. If there are leftovers, heat them up the next day for lunch and they are every bit as good.
*These are great for making up ahead of time and popping into the oven at the last minute.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Salmon Dip
This recipe originally came from "The New Cook Book" by Better Homes Gardens; the cover was a red and white check pattern. The recipe was actually called "Salmon Log" and you were instructed to shape the dip into a log and roll it in nuts or parsley or something like that. My Grandma McDonald used to make this often and I remember having many lunches at her house that were sandwiches made with this dip. I LOVED those sandwiches and to this day, if there is a special family occasion, Lori, my Mom, or I will whip this up.
This morning I was wondering what to make for lunch and I decided to make Salmon Dip. The kids helped me and they got to throw in their two cents on all of the different ingredients. The horseradish had them stumped because Gavin's first reaction (which inevitably was Ellen's first reaction!) was to wrinkle his nose but then I asked him if it made his mouth water and he said that he had to swallow because there was extra "water" in his mouth. The horseradish really did smell mouthwatering! After the dip was put together, I cut up carrots, cucumbers and put out a bowl of sesame bread sticks. We had a great lunch and the kids ate even more dip than I did.
We all know how good salmon is for us. I think of wild salmon being better than farmed salmon and canned salmon is actually wild salmon because the farmed salmon is too mushy to can. I always use the red salmon rather than the pink but that is just a personal preference because I like the darker colour and that is what my Grandma used.
Salmon Dip
1 can red salmon, with the bones and skin removed
1 8oz package cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 c. - 1/2 c. green onion, chives or regular onion, chopped
1 t. horseradish
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
Salt & Pepper
Mix all ingredients together and taste for seasoning. Serve with crackers (Triscuits were a family standard with this dip), crostinis, fresh baguette, veggies, etc. Tastes even better after it sits overnight.
This morning I was wondering what to make for lunch and I decided to make Salmon Dip. The kids helped me and they got to throw in their two cents on all of the different ingredients. The horseradish had them stumped because Gavin's first reaction (which inevitably was Ellen's first reaction!) was to wrinkle his nose but then I asked him if it made his mouth water and he said that he had to swallow because there was extra "water" in his mouth. The horseradish really did smell mouthwatering! After the dip was put together, I cut up carrots, cucumbers and put out a bowl of sesame bread sticks. We had a great lunch and the kids ate even more dip than I did.
We all know how good salmon is for us. I think of wild salmon being better than farmed salmon and canned salmon is actually wild salmon because the farmed salmon is too mushy to can. I always use the red salmon rather than the pink but that is just a personal preference because I like the darker colour and that is what my Grandma used.
Salmon Dip
1 can red salmon, with the bones and skin removed
1 8oz package cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 c. - 1/2 c. green onion, chives or regular onion, chopped
1 t. horseradish
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
Salt & Pepper
Mix all ingredients together and taste for seasoning. Serve with crackers (Triscuits were a family standard with this dip), crostinis, fresh baguette, veggies, etc. Tastes even better after it sits overnight.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Eggplant Parmigiana
Although the weather has been very hot & muggy here, I made eggplant parmigiana on Sunday for dinner and it was wonderful. It is meatless but still satisfying and it really feels like comfort food. Serve this with a green salad or some summer veggies. Tonight we had the leftovers and I boiled some fresh peaches & cream corn-on-the-cob and had a simple salad with olive oil & lemon juice.
Eggplant Parmigiana
Makes a 13x9 pan
Olive oil for frying
2 or 3 eggs
1/3 c. milk
1 c. flour
2 c. or so bread crumbs
1/2 c. parmigiana reggianno
2 regular eggplants
3 c. tomato sauce (fresh or large can of spaghetti sauce works fine)
1 ball of mozzarella (I think it is almost a pound)
1. Mix the flour with salt & pepper and place in a bowl that will be big enough to dip the eggplant slices. Mix the eggs and milk together in a similar sized bowl. Then mix the bread crumbs and parm together.
2. Wash and peel the egg plant, if you desire. I usually peel some skin and leave the rest (creating a striped eggplant). Slice lengthwise in 1 cm slices.
3. Heat some olive oil in large frying pan. While oil is heating up, start breading the eggplant. Dip eggplant piece in flour, then egg mixture, and then the bread crumbs. Make sure the olive oil is hot enough so that it doesn't soak into the eggplant as soon as you place it in the pan. Fry until crispy on each side and place on paper towel to drain any excess oil off.
4. Spread some tomato sauce on the bottom of the 13x9 pan. Place eggplant pieces on top of sauce. Spread some sauce on each slice of eggplant and then top with a thin slice of mozzarella. Continue this until all the eggplant is used up. Sprinkle the top with parm and bake uncovered for a 1/2 hour or so in 350 degree oven.
*This is my own rendition of this recipe so I am just estimating at the amounts. If you don't want left overs, I would suggest using only 1 large eggplant.
*I make my own breadcrumbs from my favourite everyday bread, Ace Bakery Foccacia. We eat the bread until it starts to get stale and then I run it through the food processor and pop the crumbs into the freezer. You wouldn't believe how handy those fresh bread crumbs are!
*I have made this recipe with zucchini instead of eggplant. It was really good too. The zucchini were more delicate and it is a great way to use up some of the extra ones from your garden. I don't have a garden yet, but when I do, look out!
Eggplant Parmigiana
Makes a 13x9 pan
Olive oil for frying
2 or 3 eggs
1/3 c. milk
1 c. flour
2 c. or so bread crumbs
1/2 c. parmigiana reggianno
2 regular eggplants
3 c. tomato sauce (fresh or large can of spaghetti sauce works fine)
1 ball of mozzarella (I think it is almost a pound)
1. Mix the flour with salt & pepper and place in a bowl that will be big enough to dip the eggplant slices. Mix the eggs and milk together in a similar sized bowl. Then mix the bread crumbs and parm together.
2. Wash and peel the egg plant, if you desire. I usually peel some skin and leave the rest (creating a striped eggplant). Slice lengthwise in 1 cm slices.
3. Heat some olive oil in large frying pan. While oil is heating up, start breading the eggplant. Dip eggplant piece in flour, then egg mixture, and then the bread crumbs. Make sure the olive oil is hot enough so that it doesn't soak into the eggplant as soon as you place it in the pan. Fry until crispy on each side and place on paper towel to drain any excess oil off.
4. Spread some tomato sauce on the bottom of the 13x9 pan. Place eggplant pieces on top of sauce. Spread some sauce on each slice of eggplant and then top with a thin slice of mozzarella. Continue this until all the eggplant is used up. Sprinkle the top with parm and bake uncovered for a 1/2 hour or so in 350 degree oven.
*This is my own rendition of this recipe so I am just estimating at the amounts. If you don't want left overs, I would suggest using only 1 large eggplant.
*I make my own breadcrumbs from my favourite everyday bread, Ace Bakery Foccacia. We eat the bread until it starts to get stale and then I run it through the food processor and pop the crumbs into the freezer. You wouldn't believe how handy those fresh bread crumbs are!
*I have made this recipe with zucchini instead of eggplant. It was really good too. The zucchini were more delicate and it is a great way to use up some of the extra ones from your garden. I don't have a garden yet, but when I do, look out!
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Banana Muffins
I found this cookbook while on vacation with Shai on St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Even back then I was addicted to buying cookbooks! I first tried these muffins soon after we returned from our holiday and I haven't found one that I like as well since. The cookbook is called "Caribbean Desserts" and was written by John DeMers. I have tried some of the other recipes in the book including Easter Buns, Pumpkin Pancakes and St. Kitts Coconut Pie, but nothing else has really stood out like these muffins. This can easily be turned into a cake; butter a 9x13 cake pan and proceed as normal. You will have to increase the baking time but maybe just an extra 10 minutes or so. There is nothing fancy about these muffins. They are just really good and everyone always likes them. I'm sure you will too!
Banana Muffins
2 c. flour
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. plus 1 T. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 ripe bananas (or 1 1/2 c. mashed)
1/4 c. milk
1/2 t. cinnamon (optional and I never put it in)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare muffin pan (12 muffin spots). I use the large/jumbo muffin cups to avoid messy cleanup.
2. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In a large bowl with an electric mixer set at medium speed, cream the butter with the 1 c. sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then beat in the vanilla.
3. In a small bowl combine the bananas with the milk. With the electric mixer on low speed, stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture alternately with the banana mixture. Stir just until combined. Spoon into the buttered muffin cups. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar (and cinnamon mixed in if you are using it).
4. Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes; serve warm. Makes 12 extra-large muffins.
*Joanne: Good luck with this recipe. You might want to bake the cake at 350 degrees if it is a bigger sized pan. I know you will love working with the Moussellline Buttercream from "The Cake Bible". The buttercream from the "On The Twenty Cookbook" is very similar and it makes a larger batch so you may want to use that for the big cake. I would make the batches well ahead and freeze them (well, I am too much of a procrastinator to do that, but you could!!!) and then you have that step out of the way. Don't forget to try a little banana liqueur. It will put the whole thing right over the top! Read all the tips and tricks from "The Cake Bible" for the buttercream. It will help you to clue in on something if it curdles or goes awry.
*I like to sprinkle coarse brown sugar (demerara sugar I think) on the tops of my muffins and scones. It adds a nice crunch to the tops.
Banana Muffins
2 c. flour
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. plus 1 T. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 ripe bananas (or 1 1/2 c. mashed)
1/4 c. milk
1/2 t. cinnamon (optional and I never put it in)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare muffin pan (12 muffin spots). I use the large/jumbo muffin cups to avoid messy cleanup.
2. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In a large bowl with an electric mixer set at medium speed, cream the butter with the 1 c. sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then beat in the vanilla.
3. In a small bowl combine the bananas with the milk. With the electric mixer on low speed, stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture alternately with the banana mixture. Stir just until combined. Spoon into the buttered muffin cups. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar (and cinnamon mixed in if you are using it).
4. Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes; serve warm. Makes 12 extra-large muffins.
*Joanne: Good luck with this recipe. You might want to bake the cake at 350 degrees if it is a bigger sized pan. I know you will love working with the Moussellline Buttercream from "The Cake Bible". The buttercream from the "On The Twenty Cookbook" is very similar and it makes a larger batch so you may want to use that for the big cake. I would make the batches well ahead and freeze them (well, I am too much of a procrastinator to do that, but you could!!!) and then you have that step out of the way. Don't forget to try a little banana liqueur. It will put the whole thing right over the top! Read all the tips and tricks from "The Cake Bible" for the buttercream. It will help you to clue in on something if it curdles or goes awry.
*I like to sprinkle coarse brown sugar (demerara sugar I think) on the tops of my muffins and scones. It adds a nice crunch to the tops.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Maple-Oatmeal Scones
The first time I made these scones, I was in a panic about not having enough baked goods to take to the market for my first Saturday. At the last minute, I threw together a batch of maple-oatmeal and cheddar-dill scones. I was shocked when they were the first things to sell out! Since then, I have made countless batches of scones and I really do blame them for my not wearing a bikini again this year. It's a sacrifice I am willing to make though!
Now let me tell you about my maple syrup man. "The Donald" as we affectionately call him lives in Toronto but is from St-Agathe-De-Lotbiniere, Quebec. His family has a sugar bush and The Donald brings back lots of it every time he visits. After trying these scones for the first time, he generously became my "sugar-daddy", sending cans of maple syrup my way every so often. The idea is that he keeps me in the syrup and I make him scones. Every so often, Alan will remind me that it has been a while and that if I don't make some scones, The Donald will cut me off! You wouldn't do that, would you Donald?
Maple-Oatmeal Scones
3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. quick-cooking oats, plus additional for sprinkling
2 T. baking powder
2 T. sugar
2 t. salt
1 lb. cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 c. cold buttermilk
1/2 c. pure maple syrup
4 extra large eggs, or enough eggs to make 1 cup, lightly beaten
1 egg beaten with milk or water, for egg wash
Glaze:
1 1/4 c. icing sugar
1/2 c. pure maple syrup
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flours, oats, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
3. Blend the butter in at the lowest speed and mix until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Combine the buttermilk, maple syrup, and eggs and add quickly to the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough might be sticky but that is a good thing.
4. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface and be sure it is combined. You still should see little chunks of butter in the dough. Roll out the dough in a square that is about 1 inch thick. Cut the square into four quarters, then each quarter in half. Then cut each piece in half diagonally, ending up with 16 triangles. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake for 20 minutes.
6. To make the glaze, combine the icing sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. When the scones are done, cool for 5 minutes and drizzle each scone with about 1 T. of glaze. At this point you can sprinkle some uncooked oats on the top of each scone (but I usually forget about that part in my haste to test them!). The warmer the scones are when you glaze them, the thinner the glaze will be.
*Scones can be cut out ahead of time and then stored in the refrigerator for a few days, and baked just before serving.
* I think the glaze keeps these scones from drying out too quickly and you can enjoy day-olds no problem. Just don't microwave them. On Saturday morning, we had day-olds and I was enjoying a rare morning of being brought tea and a scone in bed. As I was waiting for the scone to be delivered, I heard the microwave go off. I yelled downstairs, "You didn't put my scone in the microwave, did you?" A feeble "no" from Alan and he was stuck with his good intention of a warm scone! No wonder Alan feels that he can do no right in the kitchen...
Now let me tell you about my maple syrup man. "The Donald" as we affectionately call him lives in Toronto but is from St-Agathe-De-Lotbiniere, Quebec. His family has a sugar bush and The Donald brings back lots of it every time he visits. After trying these scones for the first time, he generously became my "sugar-daddy", sending cans of maple syrup my way every so often. The idea is that he keeps me in the syrup and I make him scones. Every so often, Alan will remind me that it has been a while and that if I don't make some scones, The Donald will cut me off! You wouldn't do that, would you Donald?
Maple-Oatmeal Scones
3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. quick-cooking oats, plus additional for sprinkling
2 T. baking powder
2 T. sugar
2 t. salt
1 lb. cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 c. cold buttermilk
1/2 c. pure maple syrup
4 extra large eggs, or enough eggs to make 1 cup, lightly beaten
1 egg beaten with milk or water, for egg wash
Glaze:
1 1/4 c. icing sugar
1/2 c. pure maple syrup
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flours, oats, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
3. Blend the butter in at the lowest speed and mix until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Combine the buttermilk, maple syrup, and eggs and add quickly to the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough might be sticky but that is a good thing.
4. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface and be sure it is combined. You still should see little chunks of butter in the dough. Roll out the dough in a square that is about 1 inch thick. Cut the square into four quarters, then each quarter in half. Then cut each piece in half diagonally, ending up with 16 triangles. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake for 20 minutes.
6. To make the glaze, combine the icing sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. When the scones are done, cool for 5 minutes and drizzle each scone with about 1 T. of glaze. At this point you can sprinkle some uncooked oats on the top of each scone (but I usually forget about that part in my haste to test them!). The warmer the scones are when you glaze them, the thinner the glaze will be.
*Scones can be cut out ahead of time and then stored in the refrigerator for a few days, and baked just before serving.
* I think the glaze keeps these scones from drying out too quickly and you can enjoy day-olds no problem. Just don't microwave them. On Saturday morning, we had day-olds and I was enjoying a rare morning of being brought tea and a scone in bed. As I was waiting for the scone to be delivered, I heard the microwave go off. I yelled downstairs, "You didn't put my scone in the microwave, did you?" A feeble "no" from Alan and he was stuck with his good intention of a warm scone! No wonder Alan feels that he can do no right in the kitchen...
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Mixed-Green Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette
My Aunt Ellen is a wonderful cook and this is a recipe from her that I make often. Even the kids like it, especially if they are served their salad first and then the main course. Trust me, it works!
There has always been a sophistication to Aunt Ellen's cooking that I admired. It could be in part that her husband is European and the same old Harrow standards weren't cutting it or it could be that my Grandma's love of food rubbed off on her the way it did me? I remember one year she served Paella for Christmas dinner in a traditional pan, most likely brought back from Spain. It was an adventurous departure from the usual Christmas favourites and I loved it!
Here is the salad recipe exactly as I copied it down many years ago.
Mixed-Green Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette
10 c. loosely packed bite-sized pieces red-leaf lettuce, watercress and Belgian Endive
2 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. Dijon mustard
1/4 t. finely chopped garlic (I use one small clove)
1/2 c. crumbled blue cheese
6 T. vegetable oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Rinse the salad greens and drain or spin dry. Put the greens in a large bowl. In a smaller mixing bowl combine vinegar, mustard, garlic and cheese. Blend well. Add the oil, salt & pepper and blend well with wire whisk. Pour the dressing over the salad greens. Serves 4
*I use rice bran oil, grape seed oil or sunflower oil. Don't use plain veggie oil. I always put in some form of onion and I especially like red onion in this salad. These days, I make the vinaigrette in the large bowl and when I am ready to mix the salad I just add the greens to the bowl with the vinaigrette. Try adding some red onion rings, sliced thin, to the vinaigrette and let them mellow for a bit. They will become softer and really tasty.
Let me give you the cake results from the weekend... I spoke to the woman who bought the cake yesterday and she said the cake made the shower. I won't go into too many details but I think it was a hit! Her daughter took a piece to her friend's mom who is very ill in the hospital. Not sure that she would even be able to eat it, the patient declared it "the best cake she had ever had" and ate every crumb!
There has always been a sophistication to Aunt Ellen's cooking that I admired. It could be in part that her husband is European and the same old Harrow standards weren't cutting it or it could be that my Grandma's love of food rubbed off on her the way it did me? I remember one year she served Paella for Christmas dinner in a traditional pan, most likely brought back from Spain. It was an adventurous departure from the usual Christmas favourites and I loved it!
Here is the salad recipe exactly as I copied it down many years ago.
Mixed-Green Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette
10 c. loosely packed bite-sized pieces red-leaf lettuce, watercress and Belgian Endive
2 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. Dijon mustard
1/4 t. finely chopped garlic (I use one small clove)
1/2 c. crumbled blue cheese
6 T. vegetable oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Rinse the salad greens and drain or spin dry. Put the greens in a large bowl. In a smaller mixing bowl combine vinegar, mustard, garlic and cheese. Blend well. Add the oil, salt & pepper and blend well with wire whisk. Pour the dressing over the salad greens. Serves 4
*I use rice bran oil, grape seed oil or sunflower oil. Don't use plain veggie oil. I always put in some form of onion and I especially like red onion in this salad. These days, I make the vinaigrette in the large bowl and when I am ready to mix the salad I just add the greens to the bowl with the vinaigrette. Try adding some red onion rings, sliced thin, to the vinaigrette and let them mellow for a bit. They will become softer and really tasty.
Let me give you the cake results from the weekend... I spoke to the woman who bought the cake yesterday and she said the cake made the shower. I won't go into too many details but I think it was a hit! Her daughter took a piece to her friend's mom who is very ill in the hospital. Not sure that she would even be able to eat it, the patient declared it "the best cake she had ever had" and ate every crumb!
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Lemon Mascarpone Wedding Cake
There is a cake that I have made five times now that still thrills me to pieces. It is the Lemon Mascarpone Wedding Cake recipe from the On the Twenty cookbook. I have been working on it for the last two days and this morning I will be delivering the finished product to a woman who ordered it for a wedding shower. In fact, I always halve the recipe and use it for a shower or special occasion, never taking on an actual wedding cake.
The cake itself is a lemon cake that smells so delicious coming out of the oven, it takes a certain amount of restraint not to pick it to pieces! So, two cakes, cut in half to create four layers. Inside the cake, between the layers, are whole strawberries, pointing bottom tips up. When the lemon mascarpone mousse is piped into all the cracks and smoothed over, another layer of cake is placed on top. I used a thin layer of the mousse on top of that cake layer and then another cake layer and a repeat of the strawberries and mousse. The cake ends up being about 7-8 inches high (did I mention that it is 11 inches in diameter?!) Then the cake is iced with an Italian Meringue or Mousseline buttercream. The buttercream is a pale butter yellow colour and then I wrap a yellow ribbon around the base and garnish the top with pale yellow Gerber daisies. Stunning! I can't wait to see the woman's reaction this morning. And the thing about this cake is that it tastes better than it looks! The picture at the top of the blog is actually this cake, but done a couple of years ago.
There is a website where I love to go to browse cakes. The JollyBe Bakery is owned by a woman who is an artist as well as a baker and you won't believe the gorgeous cakes!
http://www.jollybebakery.com/painted.html
I'll let you know how my cake fares this weekend!
Moira
PS. Did I mention that I took the kids strawberry picking for the berries? I spent the entire time explaining/yelling, "only pick the red ones, no white ones, only pick the red ones, get back here!!!"
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
My Favourite Tartar Sauce
Tartar sauce is one of the things I love most about fish & chips. Nothing is worse than ordering fish & chips at a restaurant and finding out it comes with the little pre-packaged tartar sauce containers or even worse, none at all! I found this recipe in a book called "The Simply Great 2 Cookbook: Recipes and the Experience of Fine Dining From the Kitchens of Chuck Muer". I have thought about getting the first cookbook they put out so I know that it is available online. It is a gem of a book and contains many recipes that I go back to time after time. The Muer restaurants are very popular in Michigan and I always have it in the back of my mind to go to Kruse & Muir when we are in Detroit.
This tartar sauce is so good you will want to make french-fries just to have something to dip into it. One night before dinner, I pulled a pan of roasted baby Yukon Gold potatoes out of the oven. They were roasted with olive oil and sea salt and pepper and the skin was brown and crispy. I had some of My Favourite Tartar Sauce leftover from another meal and I pulled it out of the fridge. I dipped a hot potato into the cold sauce and it was scrumptious!!! I immediately called my sister and explained to her in detail how amazing the potatoes and the sauce were together. She understood completely and that is why we are more than just sisters!
My Favourite Tartar Sauce (aka: Chef Larry's Tartar Sauce)
1 1/2 c. mayo
1 T. onion, very finely diced
3 T. dill pickle, very finely diced
1 stalk celery, very finely diced
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 T. capers, finely chopped
2 t. fresh chives, finely chopped
1 anchovy, minced
1 t. Worchestershire sauce
1 t. lemon juice
1. Combine all ingredients in the order given. Blend well.
2. Cover and refrigerate. Sauce will last for up to 2 weeks.
*Sometimes I make the recipe in smaller quantities (use 1 c. mayo and then reduce the rest of ingredients accordingly). Even if you aren't an anchovy fan, you won't even know it's in there but it definitely adds something pretty special to the sauce. I use anchovy paste that comes in a tube.
*I am still searching for the perfect fish batter recipe. I want something very close to tempura but a little thicker. Come to think of it, the temperature of the oil is probably more important than the actual batter when it comes to getting the perfect crispy piece of fish.
*Thank you Kristin for giving me this cookbook for my 24th birthday in '96!
This tartar sauce is so good you will want to make french-fries just to have something to dip into it. One night before dinner, I pulled a pan of roasted baby Yukon Gold potatoes out of the oven. They were roasted with olive oil and sea salt and pepper and the skin was brown and crispy. I had some of My Favourite Tartar Sauce leftover from another meal and I pulled it out of the fridge. I dipped a hot potato into the cold sauce and it was scrumptious!!! I immediately called my sister and explained to her in detail how amazing the potatoes and the sauce were together. She understood completely and that is why we are more than just sisters!
My Favourite Tartar Sauce (aka: Chef Larry's Tartar Sauce)
1 1/2 c. mayo
1 T. onion, very finely diced
3 T. dill pickle, very finely diced
1 stalk celery, very finely diced
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 T. capers, finely chopped
2 t. fresh chives, finely chopped
1 anchovy, minced
1 t. Worchestershire sauce
1 t. lemon juice
1. Combine all ingredients in the order given. Blend well.
2. Cover and refrigerate. Sauce will last for up to 2 weeks.
*Sometimes I make the recipe in smaller quantities (use 1 c. mayo and then reduce the rest of ingredients accordingly). Even if you aren't an anchovy fan, you won't even know it's in there but it definitely adds something pretty special to the sauce. I use anchovy paste that comes in a tube.
*I am still searching for the perfect fish batter recipe. I want something very close to tempura but a little thicker. Come to think of it, the temperature of the oil is probably more important than the actual batter when it comes to getting the perfect crispy piece of fish.
*Thank you Kristin for giving me this cookbook for my 24th birthday in '96!
Monday, June 18, 2007
Chickpea-and-Carrot Salad
This salad is one of my more frequently requested recipes. Elaine was the one who recommended that I try it and I have made it several times since. The recipe comes from the "Once Upon a Tart" cookbook written by the owners of a cafe/bakery of the same name in NYC. I really like this cookbook for sandwich and salad ideas, although I haven't made any of the tart recipes.... yet!
Chickpea-and-Carrot Salad with Cumin and Black Olives
2 15oz. cans chickpeas
2/3 c. black olives (such as Moroccan oil-cured)
3 med. carrots (preferably those sold with tops), coarsely grated
1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
2 scallions (green onions), halved crosswise and sliced very thin
For the Vinaigrette:
1 garlic clove, minced
Zest & juice of 1 lemon
2 T. ground cumin
2 t. paprika
A pinch of cayenne pepper
2 t. salt
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
3 T. olive oil
1. Drain & rinse the canned chickpeas in a colander. Dump into large bowl.
2. Pit the olives by pressing them with your fingers or smash them with a chef's knife. Chop the olives coarsely and add to the chickpeas. Add the carrots, cilantro, and green onions. I use a hand-held grater and grate the carrots right in the bowl.
3. To make the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients except the olive oil together in a bowl. Add the oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking as you go to form an emulsion.
4. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad, and toss it all up with a big spoon or with your hands.
5. Cover and refridgerate for at least an hour, so the beans can absorb the flavour of the vinaigrette. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
*When I am mincing garlic for most things, I chop it as fine as I can and then I sprinkle a little salt on it. I use the side of my knife to mash it even further, so that it becomes a paste. I find the garlic is much more even and spread out in the recipe when I do this, as opposed to adding it in little pieces.
Chickpea-and-Carrot Salad with Cumin and Black Olives
2 15oz. cans chickpeas
2/3 c. black olives (such as Moroccan oil-cured)
3 med. carrots (preferably those sold with tops), coarsely grated
1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
2 scallions (green onions), halved crosswise and sliced very thin
For the Vinaigrette:
1 garlic clove, minced
Zest & juice of 1 lemon
2 T. ground cumin
2 t. paprika
A pinch of cayenne pepper
2 t. salt
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
3 T. olive oil
1. Drain & rinse the canned chickpeas in a colander. Dump into large bowl.
2. Pit the olives by pressing them with your fingers or smash them with a chef's knife. Chop the olives coarsely and add to the chickpeas. Add the carrots, cilantro, and green onions. I use a hand-held grater and grate the carrots right in the bowl.
3. To make the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients except the olive oil together in a bowl. Add the oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking as you go to form an emulsion.
4. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad, and toss it all up with a big spoon or with your hands.
5. Cover and refridgerate for at least an hour, so the beans can absorb the flavour of the vinaigrette. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
*When I am mincing garlic for most things, I chop it as fine as I can and then I sprinkle a little salt on it. I use the side of my knife to mash it even further, so that it becomes a paste. I find the garlic is much more even and spread out in the recipe when I do this, as opposed to adding it in little pieces.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Cheddar-Dill Scones
Wow! My first entry and I am having a hard time figuring out what recipe to give you first. Last weekend I made the Barefoot's Cheddar Dill Scones and they were as usual, delicious! Here is the recipe from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (her first book). I used half fresh dill and half chives from my garden.
Cheddar-Dill Scones
4 c. plus 1 T. all-purpose flour
2 T. baking powder
2 t. salt (I like to use Kosher salt)
3/4 lb. cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra large eggs, beaten lightly
1 c. cold heavy cream
1/2 lb. extra-sharp yellow cheddar cheese, small-diced
1 c. minced fresh dill
1 egg beaten with 1 T. milk or water, for egg wash
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine 4 c. of flour, the baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Mix the eggs and heavy cream and quickly add them to the flour and butter mixture. Combine until JUST blended. Toss together the cheddar, dill, and 1 T. of flour and add them to the dough. Mix until they are almost incorporated.
Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it for 1 minute, until the cheddar and dill are well distributed. Roll the dough 1 inch thick. Cut into 4 inch squares and then in half diagonally to make triangles. Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 20 minutes , until the outside is crusty and inside is fully baked.
According to Ina, "White cheddar is usually sharper, but yellow cheddar looks better in the scones". I have made them with both yellow and white cheddar but I usually have Balderson 2 year cheddar in the fridge so that is what I use.
The scones always turn out well if you make them and cut them and then put them in the fridge. Pop them in the oven from the fridge and when the heat hits the cold butter, it will create a nice flaky scone.
Cheddar-Dill Scones
4 c. plus 1 T. all-purpose flour
2 T. baking powder
2 t. salt (I like to use Kosher salt)
3/4 lb. cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra large eggs, beaten lightly
1 c. cold heavy cream
1/2 lb. extra-sharp yellow cheddar cheese, small-diced
1 c. minced fresh dill
1 egg beaten with 1 T. milk or water, for egg wash
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine 4 c. of flour, the baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Mix the eggs and heavy cream and quickly add them to the flour and butter mixture. Combine until JUST blended. Toss together the cheddar, dill, and 1 T. of flour and add them to the dough. Mix until they are almost incorporated.
Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it for 1 minute, until the cheddar and dill are well distributed. Roll the dough 1 inch thick. Cut into 4 inch squares and then in half diagonally to make triangles. Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 20 minutes , until the outside is crusty and inside is fully baked.
According to Ina, "White cheddar is usually sharper, but yellow cheddar looks better in the scones". I have made them with both yellow and white cheddar but I usually have Balderson 2 year cheddar in the fridge so that is what I use.
The scones always turn out well if you make them and cut them and then put them in the fridge. Pop them in the oven from the fridge and when the heat hits the cold butter, it will create a nice flaky scone.
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