Food Eaters

Homemade Caramel Sauce

2012-02-14T20:22:00.000-08:00

My ladies small group does a happy hour for the family once a month so the men folk and kids can see each other, too. This month I made another pinterest find: Caramel Budino with Salted Caramel Sauce. You can click on the image below for the whole recipe, which was pretty good, but to me the real star was the salted caramel sauce. We have been enjoying the leftovers on vanilla ice cream, but I can imagine it would be wonderful on crepes and a variety of other desserts.

Caramel Budino with Salted Caramel Sauce

Salted Caramel Sauce
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (I used 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Place cream in a small pitcher. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Set aside.

Stir sugar, corn syrup, and 2 tablespoons water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high; boil, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until deep amber color forms, 5–6 minutes. Remove from heat; gradually add vanilla cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Whisk over medium heat until smooth and thick, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in butter and salt. Strain into a heatproof bowl. Let cool slightly.

Butternut Squash Pizza with Crispy Sage

2012-02-11T15:19:00.000-08:00

I am so bad about posting. You know what it is, don't you? I'm cooking alright, so it's not the new baby excuse. I always think as I cook, "oh, I should be taking pictures," but don't. And by the time I get the food ready, I am focused on getting the table set, the boys hands cleaned, and the food and drinks on the table. But this, my friends, was too good to not post. So, I took a picture after we had devoured most of the pizza. I'm pretty sure if I hadn't seen the picture of the recipe I adapted from on pinterest I would have thought it sounded a little strange. But, the picture got me. It's been happening a lot that way on pinterest lately and so we've been trying a whole lot of new recipes. If you don't want to make the ricotta every time you make the pizza you can freeze and save it for next time.

Butternut Squash Pizza with Crispy Sage
Inspired by a recipe in Chez Panisse Vegetables
Yield = one 12-inch pizza

Pizza dough (I used Trader Joe's to save time)
1 sm Butternut Squash (about a pound, but you will likely have leftover squash)
olive oil
Kosher Salt
2 cl Garlic
Fresh Ricotta
2 full sprigs Frsh Thyme, leaves removed
Handfull Shredded Mozzarella
Handfull Shredded Fontina
1/4 C. Parmigiano Reggiano
10-15 sage leaves
Vegetable Oil for frying

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Peel and seed the squash. Cut the peeled squash crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices. I used a mandoline, which saves time and creates uniform pieces (and also cut the heck out of my hand because I never seem to use the protective holder), but using a knife works just fine, too.

2. Place the slices of squash in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, season with kosher salt to taste, toss to coat, place on baking sheet in one layer and place in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until fork tender.

3. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the garlic and add it to olive oil (the recipe called for 1/4 C., but I used about half that much). After rolling out a pizza round and placing it on a prepared baking sheet (see recipe above), brush dough with the garlic olive oil. Spoon teaspoon-sized drops of fresh ricotta over the garlic oil. Sprinkle with fresh thyme to taste, mozzarella and fontina. Top with baked squash slices. Top with grated Parmigiano. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes (per the original recipe - I used a pizza stone and it took about 18 minutes).

4. Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in a small skillet. When oil is hot add only a few sage leaves at a time. The sage leaves should take no longer than 5 seconds in hot oil to crisp up. Remove them with a fork or tongs and rain on a paper towel.

5. Remove the pizza from the oven and top with the crispy sage. Yum!

Black Bean Soup

2012-01-14T22:13:00.000-08:00

This recipe is adapted from Smitten Kitchen. I rarely use the crock-pot because I really don't like what it does to meat and there aren't too many vegetarian recipes for it. This is an excellent exception and has become a staple recipe in our house. I reduced the water from the original recipe because I like it to be a little thicker, which is also why I use the hand-blender. I don't fuss with her toasted cumin seed crema as sour cream is just fine (read easier) and on a whim I added the fried onions (probably leftover from Thanksgiving) as a topping.

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Med Red Onions, chopped
3 Med. Bell Peppers, any color, chopped (I like to use the tri-color peppers from TJ's)
4 cl Garlic, minced
4 tsp. Cumin16 oz
Dried Black Beans
1 tsp. Pureed Chipotle in Adobo (can reduce to taste)
6 C. Chicken or Vegetable Broth
2 Tbsp. Lime Juice
2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
Sour Cream
Fried Onion Strings (French's or other)

Puree a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and reserve 1 tsp. for soup (remaining puree can be kept in fridge for a very long time).

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and bell peppers and sauté until beginning to brown, about eight minutes. Add garlic and cumin; stir one minute. Stir in broth to deglaze pan. Transfer mixture to 6-quart slow cooker. Add beans and chipotle puree. Cover and cook on high until beans are very tender, about 3 hours.

Use a hand-blender to puree soup to a chunky texture or transfer two cups bean mixture to blender; puree until smooth then return to remaining soup in slow cooker. Stir in lime juice, salt, and pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Ladle soup into bowls. Spoon dollop of sour cream and onion strings over each bowl and serve.

Pecan Sticky Buns

2012-01-14T22:07:00.000-08:00

I made a batch of these rolls toward the end of my pregnancy, knowing that it would be nice to have something freshly baked without having to put in the effort with a new baby around. So, I made them (dividing them between two cake pans) and put them in the freezer before the second rise. Yesterday, I thought to take a pan out of the freezer and let them defrost in the fridge, I then placed them on the counter overnight to rise and they were just about ready to pop in the oven when we woke up this morning. I couldn't have enjoyed them more.

The page in my All-Time Best Recipes edition of Cook's Illustrated where this recipe is found is torn, creased and stained. I've made it several times, but on the last attempt I decided I wanted something a little simpler. In the original recipe they have you make a caramel glaze and then create a separate pecan topping to be poured on after the rolls are baked. It seems like a very unnecessary step to me and the rolls lack a little bit of that gooeyness that makes a caramel roll so wonderful. So, I combined the caramel glaze and the pecan topping ingredients to make a simpler and gooeyer sticky bun. In my opinion, the original recipe skimps a little on the pecans, too. So, I've made a note to increase the amount of nuts. I guess I'll have to make them again. Here is my modified version:

Dough

3 lg. Eggs, room temperature
3/4 C. Buttermilk, room temperature
1/4 C. Sugar
1 1/4 tsp. Salt
2 1/4 tsp. Instant Yeast (1 packet)
4 1/4 C. All-purpose Flour
6 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled until warm

Cinnamon Sugar Filling
3/4 Light Brown Sugar
2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Ground Cloves
Pinch Table Salt
1 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, Melted

Pecan Topping
9 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
1 C. Light Brown Sugar
6 Tbsp. Light or Dark Corn Syrup
Pinch Table Salt
2 Tbsp. Heavy Cream
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
3/4 C. Coarsely Chopped Pecans (I think this amount could be doubled, frankly. You can never have to many pecans)

Dough
In bowl of stand mixer, whisk eggs to combine; add buttermilk and whisk to combine. Whis in sugar, salt and yeast. Add about 2 C. flour and butter; stir with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until evenly moistened and combined. Add all but 1/4 C. remaining flour and knead with dough hook at low speed for 5 minutes. Check consistency of dough (should feel soft and moist but should not be wet and sticky; add more flour if necessary); knead at low speed 5 minutes longer (dough should clear sides but stick to bottom). Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface; knead by hand about 1 minute to ensure that dough is uniform (dough should not stick to work surface during hand kneading; if it does stick, knead in additional flour 1 Tbsp. at a time).

Lightly coat large bowl with flavorless cooking oil (I use grapeseed). Transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set in warm, draft-free pot until doubled in volume, 2 - 2 1/2 hours.

Pecan Topping
Combine all ingredients for the topping, except vanilla and pecans, in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until butter is melted and mixture is thoroughly combined. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and pecans until combined. Pour mixture into nonstick metal 13x9-inch baking dish (I have used 2 metal nonstick cake pans, 2 pie plates and a glass baking dish all with good results); using rubber spatula, spread mixture to cover surface of baking dish. Set dish aside.

To assemble and bake buns
For filling combine grown sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl and mix until thoroughly comvined, using fingers to break up sugar lumps; set aside.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Gently shape dough into rough rectangle with long side nearest you. Lightly flour dough and roll to 16x12-inch rectangle. Brush dough with melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along top edge; with butter remaining on brush, brush sides of baking dish. Sprinkle filling mixture over dough, leaving 3/4-inch border along top edge; smooth filling in even layer with hand, then gently press mixture into dough to adhere.

Beginning with long edge nearest you, roll dough into taut cylinder. Firmly pinch seam to seal and roll cylinder seam-side down. Very gently stretch to cylinder of even diameter and 18-inch length; push ends in to create even thickness. Using serrated knife and gentle sawing motion, slice cylinder in half, then slice each half in half again to create evenly-sized quarters. Slice each quarter evenly into thirds, yielding 12 buns.

Arrange buns cut-side down in prepared baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and set in warm, draft-free spot until puffy and pressed against one another, about 1 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lowest position, place pizza stone (if using) on rack, and heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place baking pan on pizza stone; bake until golden brown and center of dough registers about 180 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 25-30 minutes. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes; invert onto rimmed baking sheet, large rectangular platter, or plate if using pie or cake pans. With rubber spatula, scrape any topping remaining in baking pan onto buns; cool slightly.

Apple Cider Doughnuts

2011-12-21T20:20:00.000-08:00

This recipe is adapted from one I found on the food network. Really, what 40+ week pregnant woman should be fussing with doughnuts, or the additional effort of rolling out dough and cutting the shapes out? Insanity. To cut down of effort, I knew that I would be making "doughnut holes," and I was actually hoping that I would be making this recipe after coming home from the hospital instead of before heading to. So, I did the applesauce and glaze making in advance and froze them. The recipe didn't specify whether to use spiced cider or not, so I opted for spiced. Finally, the original recipe calls for dipping the doughnuts in cinnamon sugar, which 1. was too sweet, and 2. I botched the recipe and added all the cinnamon to the dough, so I figured more cinnamon would be overkill. It worked out in the recipe, however, so I've kept the extra cinnamon and I doubled the glaze because it wasn't quite enough for all the doughnuts.

2 Med. Apples (I used fuji)

3 1/2 C.Spiced Apple Cider, divided

3 1/2 cupsall-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

4 teaspoonsbaking powder

1/4 teaspoonbaking soda

3 1/2teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoonsalt

1/4 teaspoonfreshly grated nutmeg

2/3 Sugar

3 Tbsp.Vegetable Shortening

1 large eggplus 1 egg yolk

1/4 C.Buttermilk

1 tsp.Vanilla

1/2 C.Powdered Sugar

Vegetableoil for frying

Core andcoarsely chop the apples (do not peel). Combine with 1 1/2 cups cider in amedium saucepan over medium heat; cover and cook until softened, about 8minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until the apples are tender and the cideris almost completely reduced, about 5 minutes. Puree with an immersion blenderor in a food processor until smooth. Measure the sauce; you should have 1 cup.(Boil to reduce further, if necessary.) Let cool slightly.

Whisk theflour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

Beatgranulated sugar and the shortening in another bowl with a mixer on mediumspeed until sandy. Beat in the egg and yolk, then gradually mix in theapplesauce, scraping the bowl. Beat in half of the flour mixture, then thebuttermilk and vanilla, and then the remaining flour mixture. Mix to make asticky dough; do not overmix.

Scrape thedough onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper and pat into a7-by-11-inch rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap andrefrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Meanwhile,make the glaze: Simmer the remaining 2 cups cider in a small saucepan overmedium heat until reduced to 1/2 cup. Whisk in the confectioners' sugar untilsmooth and glossy, then set aside.

Heat 2inches of vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heatuntil a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet withpaper towels. Cut the chilled dough into small (approx 1-inch) squares and shape into balls.Slip 4 or 5 doughnuts at a time into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, 1to 2 minutes per side, adjusting the heat as needed. Transfer to the papertowels to drain.

Brown Sugar Bars

2011-09-06T13:23:00.000-07:00

From the recipe book Granny's Drawers. My mother-in-law bought this book for me from a little country store (were we in Indiana or was it here in CA? Can't remember the details.). It's got a lot of midwestern, home-style recipes (read cream of ___ soup, etc). I saw the recipe for Brown Sugar Bars and knew I had to try them. My first and only other experience with a brown sugar bar was from Perfectly Sweet, a bakery that supplied Wild Oats (a natural foods store where I worked during my teenage years). I will admit that I've made this recipe several times and it wasn't until I copied it down to post it that I realized the butter was supposed to be melted. So, I altered the recipe below to make it clear that it should be melted. This may account for some of the issues I have had with the bars. They get a very thick top crust that is crumbly and not very pretty. They also usually bake up on the sides to high while the center falls. All this to say, it's not a perfect recipe and maybe someday when I have the time I'll play with it, but for now, it tastes good enough to overlook the flaws. And, as I leaned the other day, it doesn't double well, at least not with the size pans that I have!! Whew! That was a disaster! I haven't tried them with the pecans, but I'm sure they're good that way, too. Maybe someday I'll get a picture up.

2 sticks butter
4 C. Brown Sugar
4 Eggs
2 C. Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Vanilla
1 C. Pecans, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter and cream with brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the dry ingredients and mix. Add vanilla and pecans and stir. Pour into a 9x13 greased pan (for easier removal, line pan with aluminum foil and grease the foil). Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.Yields 24 bars

Dinner Tonight

2011-07-19T19:25:00.000-07:00

I've been working pretty hard to find recipes that do not require me to start the oven this summer and when I saw this recipe for homemade ricotta cheese I knew I had to make it. You see, the grainy stuff you find in the grocery store is a poor, poor excuse for ricotta. Any Italian will tell you that it's no good, but what can you do? Many Italians in the LA area seek out Gioia ricotta, which is the best you can find around. But when I saw how simple it is to make ricotta at home, I'm just not sure I would make the effort to go out of my way for another ricotta. Very simple and delicious. I paired it with a seeded baguette and slow roasted tomatoes (my newest obsession that I will soon be experimenting with) from Trader Joe's. Yum.
To accompany our toasts I made a fennel and orange salad. Thinly slice two bulbs of fennel (a mandolin works great for this); using a knife peel the skin and outer membrane off two oranges and cut the segments from the membrane (aka supreme); when you are done with each orange squeeze the remaining "core" over the fennel; thinly slice about 5 lg mint leaves and add to oranges and fennel; add a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Fried Zucchini Blossoms were the final piece of the meal. One which Ilan swore he would not eat until I gave him a tiny piece of the fried batter. The boys loved them. I would post my pictures, but the Bon Appetit pictures are much prettier.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon-Raisin Bread

2011-07-19T15:52:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago Ilan asked, "Ima, why haven't you made me toast in a while?" I suppose the true answer is because I haven't been making challah all that often and, well, challah toast just tastes a whole lot better than sprouted multi-grain toast. So, on a whim I picked up a loaf of the Sun-Maid Cinnamon-Raisin bread and figured I'd see how he liked it. He did. A lot.

So I started thinking I could make a whole wheat version at home and would feel a whole lot better about giving him something homemade and with ingredients that I feel good about. Who knows what is really in the kind you buy, you know?

So I was thinking about it. And then Becca had a bread night. You see, Becca has been milling her own flour and she shared with us curious onlookers about how she does it (and then she gave us each a loaf of freshly made bread). So, I didn't mill my own flour, but I did find the inspiration to get this bread a-baking. I started with a recipe from food network, but have modified it sufficiently. Here is my version:

2 C. Bread Flour
2 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 C. Dry Buttermilk Powder (you can find this in the baking isle at most grocery stores)
1 lg Egg
2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
3 Tbsp. Honey
2 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 tsp. Active Dry Yeast
Cooking Spray
1 C. Raisins, soaked in water
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/3 C. Packed Brown Sugar

Dry raisins will rob moisture from the bread, so soak them first in boiling water until plump, about 30 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Add some vanilla or rum to increase flavor (optional).

Heat 1 1/2 cups water and use instant read thermometer to make sure it is 105-110 degrees F. Stir yeast into water.

Combine both flours, the dry buttermilk, egg, canola oil, honey, salt, and yeast mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix 3 minutes on the lowest setting, then increase to the next highest setting and mix 5 more minutes. The dough should be soft and sticky.

On low-speed knead the raisins into the dough mixture.

Transfer the dough to a large bowl coated with cooking spray. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the dough has nearly doubled in size, about 1 hour, 30 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Picture it as a loose square. Lift up one side of the dough and fold about one-third of it across; press down on the dough with spread fingers to remove any air bubbles. Repeat with the remaining 3 sides of the dough.

Mist two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray. Divide the dough in half; roll out each half into an 8-inch square. Brush each square with vegetable oil, then sprinkle with the cinnamon and brown sugar.

Roll up each square of dough into a tight cylinder; place seam-side down in the prepared pans. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the dough fills the pans and springs back when touched, about 1 hour, 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush the loaves with canola oil and bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the pans and transfer to a rack to cool completely.

You can eat this bread up right away or to store it for toast over a week or two slice it and place in it a freezer bag and store in the freezer. When you want some toast pull it out and pop it in the toaster.

Baked Cod with Crunchy Lemon-Herb Topping

2011-06-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

No. I didn't take this picture. Truth be told, pictures are the main reason I haven't been posting. I just can't be bothered to stop and take pictures while I'm cooking or even less-so when dinner is ready and I'm trying to get everything on the table. I don't know how those other bloggers do it! So, this picture is courtesy of Cook's Country, a more down-home version of Cook's Illustrated. I've made this a couple times and both times we really liked it. Ok. It has mayonnaise in it, but sometimes you just have to overlook those bits of country and get something quick and tasty on the table. At Trader Joe's I didn't see Cod Filets, but they did have Cod pieces, which actually worked fine...just be sure to keep and eye on them because they won't take as long to cook.

Baked Cod with Crunchy Lemon-Herb Topping

1 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
24 Ritz Crackers, crushed into coarse crumbs (I used Whole Wheat Ritz)
2 Tbsp. Minced Parsley, divided
3 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
2 sm. Garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. Lemon Zest
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
4 skinless Cod Filets (about 2 lbs)
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon wedges for serving (optional)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat over to 450 degrees. Grease baking sheet with butter. Toss cracker crubs and 1 Tbsp. parsley together in medium bowl. Mix remaining parsley, mayonnaise, garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice together in a small bowl.

Pat fish dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Place on buttered baking sheet, spacing pieces about 1/2 inch apart. Brush tops and sides of fish with mayonnaise mixture, the press cracker crumbs into mayonnaise.

Bake until crumbs are golden brown and fish flakes apart with fork, about 15 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

2011-04-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

This is another goodie from Cook's Illustrated. I know it's not soup weather, but I wanted to post something so I went back into the archives...

2 Tbsp. Butter
2 lbs. Broccoli, chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 cl. garlic, minced
1.5 tsp Dry Mustard Powder
Pinch Cayenne
Salt to taste
3-4 C. Water
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
2 C. Chicken Broth
2 C. Loosely Packed Baby Spinach
3/4 C. Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
3/4 C. Parmesan Cheese
Black Pepper to taste

Heat butter in a large stock pot over med-high heat. When foaming subsides, add broccoli onion, garlic, mustard, cayenne and 1 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 6 minutes. Add 1 C. water and baking soda. Bring to simmer, cover, and cook until broccoli is very soft, about 20 minutes, stirring once during cooking.

Add broth and 2 C. water and increase heat to med-high. When mixture begins to simmer, stir in spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Use immersion blender to puree soup until smooth. Add cheeses and continue blending until cheese is melted and entirely incorporated. Return soup to a simmer. Adjust consistency of soup with up to 1 C. water. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve, passing extra Parmesan separately.

Pad Thai Wraps

2011-03-30T14:38:00.000-07:00

I found the original recipe for Pad Thai Wraps on the Whole Foods Ap. It was a start, but felt incomplete, so I added egg. It's super easy and has a nice fresh crunch.

Pad Thai Wraps

1/4 lb. Angel Hair Pasta
1/4 C. (plus more for the tortillas) Satay Peanut Sauce (Trader Joe's)
4 Tortillas
6 eggs
Red Bell Pepper
Bean Sprouts
1/4 C. Peanuts
4 lg leaves Basil

Prepare the pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile slice the red bell pepper and basil and chop the peanuts and set aside. Spray a medium skillet with cooking spray (or other oil/butter), and scramble the eggs over med-low heat then set aside. Warm the tortillas.

When pasta is cooked, drain and toss with 1/4 C. peanut sauce.

Spread each tortilla with a spoonful of the peanut sauce. Place 1/4 of the eggs on the center of the tortilla and top with pasta, bean sprouts, red peppers, basil and peanuts. Wrap up tightly in the tortilla, tucking in the ends halfway though.

Kale with Spicy Peanut Dressing

2011-03-21T15:09:00.000-07:00

Trying to eat vegetables that are local and seasonal can force you into uncharted territory. Growing up I wasn't aware that kale was good for anything other than as a garnish. When I was pregnant with Aitan I met Christina at M Cafe de Chaya for lunch one day. It was on this day that kale entered my life as a food to be eaten and craved. So, I was thinking about it and wondered if someone had tried to knock off the recipe for the Kale in Spicy Peanut Sauce so I did a little search online. Even better, someone had attended a cooking class at M Cafe and posted the recipe on their blog. Score. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Kale with Spicy Peanut Dressing
• 1 large bunch kale
• ¼ cup peanuts, chopped for garnish
• ¼ red onion, halved and sliced for garnish

Spicy Peanut Dressing
• ½ cup peanut butter
• 1 ½ T just like honey (I'm not vegan so I just used honey)
• 2 T low sodium soy sauce
• 2 T brown rice vinegar (already had regular rice vinegar so I used that instead)
• ½ tsp. garlic, minced
• ½ tsp. ginger, minced
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 ½ oz hot water

Directions:
Remove the kale from the stems.

Add a pinch of Salt to a pot of boiling water, then blanch the Kale for 3 min. Remove the Kale from the boiling water and shock it in a container of ice water. Finally, squeeze the excess water out of the cooled Kale.
To make Spicy Peanut Dressing: Place all dressing ingredients into a blender. Blend until mixture turns into a smooth consistency.

Drizzle the dressing on top of the Kale and mix the kale and dressing together until kale is evenly coated. Garnish with sliced red onions and chopped peanuts. (As you can see I tossed in the onions and peanuts. One bunch of kale, although it was good size, seems a little too small as there was an excess of dressing. Next time I will do 1.5-2 bunches.)

Crispy Black Bean Tacos

2011-03-14T22:29:00.000-07:00

Finding easy, yet tasty vegetarian meals that children will eat can be a challenge. I try a lot of different things and sometimes have a "keeper" as we call it. These Black Bean Tacos from Smitten Kitchen are super easy and with a few modifications super yummy. It just happened that I was given a package of the uncooked tortillas right before trying this recipe and they were so good with the fresh tortilla I can't imagine making them with the regular kind. I've been cooking most of my beans in the crockpot these days and freezing them in usable portions, so I'm not really buying canned beans, but you can do this with 2 cans of canned beans, rinsed and drained. The tacos turn out pretty large and I like to serve them with TJ's Sweet Potato Fries. For the boys I skip the slaw and feta and add a little cheddar.

Ingredients

3 C. Cooked Black Beans
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp. Ground Coriander
1/2 tsp. Chipotle Tabasco
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. Granulated Garlic Powder
2 Tbsp. Fresh Lime Juice
dash Chipotle Tabasco
2 Tbsp. Sour Cream
2 C. Coleslaw Mix or finely shredded cabbage
2 Green Onions Thinly Sliced
1/3 C. Chopped Cilantro
4-5 Flour Tortillas (the uncooked kind are best)
1/3 C. Crumbled Feta

Instructions

Place drained beans, cumin, coriander, 1/2 tsp. Chipotle Tabasco, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl and partially mash.

Mix lime juice, dash of tabasco and sour cream in a small bowl. In a medium bowl add coleslaw mix, green onions, and cilantro. Toss with with dressing.

Heat tortilla on one side and then flip. Place beans and feta in the center of the tortilla and fold in half. Toast on each side until heated through and tortilla is crispy. Fill with slaw and serve.

Scratching an Itch I didn't know I had

2011-03-07T22:49:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we met my sister and parents at the TruckIt Festival at Union Station for lunch. We perused the selection of 40 trucks before deciding on what to eat. Dad: Ragin Cajun. Scott and I (appetizer): Fresh Fries (meh). Mom: India Jones. Nina: Mandolin Grill (I ended up sharing with her). Ilan and Aitan: Tino's Pizza. Scott: Mandolin Grill. Mom and Nina: Crepes Bonaparte. Scott and I: Cool Haus.

It's happened once before. I was at the farmer's market in South Pasadena with Sophia and Liuba, when Sophia stopped to get dinner from "Dave's Gourmet." I took the sample they offered. A beige flat spongy looking thing with a wilted cucumber and a flavor explosion went off in my mouth. Tempeh with Spicy Cucumber. Amazing. I was pregnant with Aitan and this somehow satisfied a craving that I couldn't put my finger on.
So, yesterday when my sister ordered Banh Mi from Mandolin Grill I was curious to taste it because it sounded interesting. What I discovered was another taste that I knew I would not be able to resist. Sweet marinated meat, pickled vegetables on a bun. Mmmmm. I can still taste it.

Must be Umami.

Leek Bread Pudding

2011-02-19T06:34:00.000-08:00

So, I posted on facebook early this week that Scott is officially smitten with Smitten Kitchen and this recipe (the original recipe plus lovely pictures) is just one of the many reasons. Scott loves onions and anything oniony, so when I saw this recipe with leeks I thought it would be worth a try. They didn't have brioche at Trader Joe's, so I used Challah, with the crust on (minimalist that I am), and I used approximate measurements. Mine didn't turn out as firm as hers, but regardless, I really liked the crispy outer bits, so I think I would prefer to do this is a shallow square baking dish so that there is more surface area to crisp up (I am one of those who likes the brownie edges, lasagna corners, and the crispy topping of casseroles). Below is the recipe with my edits and many less pictures. I'm finding that it is a challenge enough to get the goodies on the table without stopping for pictures, if you know what I mean. We used it as a vegetarian main dish with a nice salad.
Serves 6 as a side dish

3 leeks cut in 1/2-inch thick slices, white and light green parts only, cleaned and rinsed
Kosher or coarse salt
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter
Freshly ground black pepper
8 cups 1-inch-cubed challah
2 teaspoons finely chopped chives (I forgot to buy these; it made me sad)
1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 large eggs
3 cups whole milk, heavy cream or half-and-half or a combination thereof
Freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss

Place a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, drain excess water from leeks, and add to pan. Season with salt, and sauté until leeks begin to soften, about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in butter. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are very soft, about 20 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While leeks are cooking, spread bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake until dry and pale gold, about 15 to 20 minutes (my already-stale brioche took less time to brown), turning pan about halfway through. Transfer to a large bowl, leaving the oven on.

Add leeks, chives, thyme, and cheese to the bowl of bread; toss well. In another large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, then whisk in milk or cream, a generous pinch of salt, pepper to taste and a pinch of nutmeg.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons shredded cheese in bottom of a buttered square baking dish and pour in bread mixture. Pour in enough milk mixture to cover bread, and gently press on bread so milk soaks in. Let rest 15 minutes.Add remaining milk mixture, letting some bread cubes protrude. Sprinkle with salt. Bake until pudding is set and top is brown and bubbling, check at 30 minutes (I haven't tried it this way, but with a larger surface area you will need less cooking time. The original suggests 55-60 minutes.).

My Go-To Salad

2011-02-15T22:18:00.000-08:00

So, Ms. Jessie at The Brown Bag is doing a salad-a-day challenge for February and I promised I try and put up some recipes for salads in the spirit of things. Unfortunately, I haven't had a salad each day this month, but I have for the last two days. Sigh. There's little incentive for salad around these parts: two kids that don't eat salad plus eating veg at home (ie eating lots of veggies). But I like salads and have kinda missed them. This week, I put salad on the menu.

The Dressing:
I tend to like sweet, vinegary dressings. I came across this one several years ago in the vegetarian grilling book. The salad itself had arugula, roasted red peppers, marinated and grilled shallots, pine nuts and feta. It actually was the marinade for the shallots, but I had a little extra leftover and used it as a dressing. Yum! So, it has become one of my staple salad dressings.

1/4 C. Olive Oil
1/4 C. Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
Salt and Pepper to Taste

All you have to do is whisk it all together and toss it with your salad.

I feel like a good salad has a few major components: greens, mix-ins, crunch, and cheese.

The Greens
So, this is the thing. I don't really love the ranch on iceberg with carrots and mushrooms and a tomato. I mean, it has it's place, but I like my salads to have a little more personality. I usually go for spinach instead of lettuce - it's heartier and so full of nutrition. But you can do this with almost any type of leafy green. My second choice would be the "spring mix" or whatever they are calling it these days or arugula.

Mix-ins
Sounds like cold stone, eh? Well, this is the best part of making a salad. I look through the fridge to see what I have. I usually try to shy away from the typical carrots and celery and go for more interesting components: strawberries, blueberries, roasted red peppers, pears, apples, thinly sliced red onion, avocado, nice ripe grape tomatoes, dried fruit, hard-boiled eggs, bacon. I don't go wild here. Just a couple mix-ins. Maybe only one. If you want to make it a entree salad you can also mix in leftover chicken or whatever meat you have.

Crunch
This would be what croutons are usually for, but I have a hard time with croutons. You can't puncture them with your fork that well and if you can't do that then you have to try and balance them on your fork with the other salad components. I usually just end up eating them alone and I think that really misses the point. I typically will go for nuts of some sort: pine nuts, pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews - all toasted. But, you can use anything that sounds good to achieve the crunch. Some other ideas might be chow mein noodles, tortilla chips, fried onions...

Nuts are also great candied: heat the 1/3 C. nuts in a small frying pan until fragrant. Sprinkle with sugar (a tablespoon or so) and stir until the sugar is melted and the nuts are browned. Remove from heat and spread on wax paper that has been sprayed with non-stick spray until cool.

Cheese
I like cheese in my salads. Depending on the other ingredients I might use shredded parmesan, chopped mozzarella, feta, blue, gorgonzola, smoked gouda. I don't really like chevre so I wouldn't use it, but it would probably work well, too, if you like it.

So here are some of my favorite mix-in, crunch, cheese combinations to go with the dressing and greens.

Blueberries, parmesan and candied nuts or pine nuts
Strawberries, blue cheese, almonds
Pears, blue cheese, candied walnuts
Roasted red peppers, feta, pine nuts
Roasted red peppers, tomato, mozzarella, fried onions (the kind you use for green bean casserole)

Pesto Trapanese

2011-02-15T14:48:00.000-08:00

Is it right to post a recipe from another food blog on my food blog? I don't know. Consider it a review. I wanted to make something with tomatoes because I bought a bunch of tomatoes a couple weeks ago to make the tomato sauce for jachnun (thanks to Ruti and her amazing recipe), but because of births didn't even end up making the jachnun. So 8 tomatoes and two weeks later I was thinking I better use them before they end up rotting in my fridge. Sorry for the lovely picture I've painted. This is where, once again, smitten kitchen comes to the rescue. I love that she has a listing of recipes by food item. Browsing through the tomato section I fell upon this little gem. I don't think there is anything I would change about it. It was easy and yummy.

Linguine with Tomato-Almond Pesto [Pesto Trapenese]
Adapted from Gourmet

3/4 cup slivered almonds
1 large handful fresh basil leaves
1 to 2 large garlic cloves
Several sprinkles of sea salt
6 ripe plum tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup grated Pecorino or Parmesan
1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil
1 pound linguine

In a large skillet, sauté the almonds in a little olive oil until toasted. Let cool, then blend them in a food processor or blender until they are in coarse pieces. (“The size of orzo,” the original recipe suggests.) Scoop them out of the processor and set them aside.

Put the basil, garlic and a few pinches of sea salt into the food processor and chop. Add the almonds back to the food processor (keeping them separate will keep them from getting too finely chopped as you get the basil and garlic to the right texture) with the tomatoes, cheese and olive oil and whirl briefly. Season it with freshly ground black pepper.

Cook your linguine until it is al dente and could use another minute of cooking time. Reserve one cup of pasta cooking water and drain the rest. Immediately toss the hot linguine with the pesto and mix quickly so that it drinks the sauce up a bit. Add more pasta water if needed. Serve this lukewarm, or at room temperature, with a glass of wine, after you get the baby to bed.

Foods with Booze

2011-02-13T20:20:00.001-08:00

The theme for supper club this month was foods with booze in them. Yum! Ironically the girl bringing the drinking booze got caught in traffic and turned home so we didn't have any fancy drinks. Oh well. I love supper club.

Tequila Lime Shrimp (Shannon)

Beer Bread (me)
Sherry Roasted Root Vegetables (Nina)
Jack in the Beans (Gigi)
Amaretto Chicken (Sara)
Champagne Cake (Angela)

Artisan Bread

2011-02-02T20:20:00.001-08:00

Tamie always posts the most amazing pictures of her handy home-making endeavors and totally captured my interest with a picture of artisan bread she recently posted. She introduced me to the book Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, which I immediately put on hold at the library. Several years ago I played around with artisan bread from a starter with Nancy Silverstein's Breads from the La Brea Bakery. The bread was great, but it took work...work to keep a starter and several days to actually make a loaf of bread. The basic idea for this book is to use the chemical properties of the ingredients to make a fantastic loaf of bread with minimal effort - not even kneading. Plus, you make enough dough for 4 one lb loaves at a time, so all you have to do is pull of a little dough and shape your loaf when you're ready to bake. I'm still working out some of the kinks, but the bread has been great. Next week I am going to try my first whole wheat loaf.

Due to the length of the recipe I am just going to explain the basic process and trust that you will go and get the book if you're interested. There are two by the way. The original as posted above and a "Healthy" bread in 5 book.

To start you mix lukewarm water, yeast, and salt in a large tub and mix in the flour until it is combined and there are no pockets of flour (a minute or two). The dough will be really wet. Cover loosly and let rise for 2 hours. Refrigerate at least 3 hours (so dough is easier to handle).
When you're ready to make bread pull of a small amount of dough and quickly shape into a round. Let is rise for about an hour on a pizza peel (you can see mine is a cutting board) liberally dusted with cornmeal (I have it on hand for the polenta anyway).Preheat a baking stone or cookie sheet in the oven and place a broiler pan on the rack below the bread. Sprinkle bread with flour and slash (to prevent blow-outs). Quickly jerk bread from "peel" to hot baking stone and pour 1 C. hot water into broiler pan. Close oven door and bake.

Allow bread to cool and devour!

Addendum 2/9/11: I just made my first loaf that is what I wanted visually. The bread has been mighty tasty, but the shape has just been off. So I tried shaping it much more loosely and I think it gave the bread more room to rise up (instead of out).

Honey Walnut Tofu with Broccoli

2011-01-08T20:39:00.000-08:00

Didn't have a plan for dinner tonight, so I started thinking about what I had in the fridge. I didn't have a chance to do real meal planning this week so I just bought a bunch of stuff that I figured I would use somehow - broccoli included, and the tofu was left from a dinner I had planned but didn't end up cooking. Scott suggested Tofu with Broccoli ala Beef with Broccoli style, but I didn't have oyster sauce (why don't I have oyster sauce?). So in my search for the tofu with broccoli the recipe for Honey-Walnut Tofu with Broccoli came up. Honey-Walnut with Shrimp is a big hit with my family and every time we go to Fu-Shing it is a given that we will order it. So, I thought I'd give it a try. Ilan fussed that we were eating Tofu (although almost every time I fix it he eats it all up - especially in a sweet asian preparation - see Spicy Orange Tofu), but he cleared his plate, well as much as Ilan does anyway. Aitan, who is increasing in disinterest in food also gobbled it up. The original recipe is in the link above, the modified is below.

Honey Walnut Tofu with Broccoli

INGREDIENTS
1 block extra-firm tofu drained
¼ cup honey
1/3 cup milk (I used almond milk)
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 TBSP cornstarch
2 tsp lemon juice
1 TBSP soy sauce (original recipe calls for 2, but I think it is overpowering)
2 TBSP peanut oil (I used cooking spray for the tofu and 1 Tbsp Grapeseed oil for the veggies)
1 large head broccoli chopped
½ cup walnuts
4 servings of cooked rice

DIRECTIONS

Drain tofu: wrap the block of tofu in a towel and cover with a weight. Allow it to sit 30 minutes.

In small mixing bowl whisk milk, mayo, cornstarch, lemon juice, honey, and soy sauce until smooth. Set aside.

Cut block of tofu into bite-size cubes. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add tofu, turning frequently, so it becomes golden brown on all sides. Using a spatula, remove tofu from skillet and place on paper towels.

Place walnuts and broccoli in the skillet. Stir-fry, stirring frequently, until broccoli is tender-crisp. Drain any excess oil from the skillet.

Add tofu back to the skillet and pour the sauce over it. Stir over low heat for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Serve over rice.

Yield: serves 4

Carduni

2010-11-27T11:58:00.000-08:00

Had Thanksgiving with my side of the family for the first time in ages (excluding 2007 when Ilan and I stayed longer and Scott went back to Dallas). Love cooking with my family. I think just about everything we made was tweaked or created in collaboration, except the Turkey. I made the spice rubbed roast turkey from Cooks Illustrated along with their Turkey Gravy, which I divided and added some dark chocolate to one part to make a savory chocolate gravy. (Those who have seen Chocolat know my inspiration and have probably read about my quest to make the perfect chocolate gravy. It was pretty good, but not perfect.)

Other items on the menu included my mom's sherry glazed yams, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole from scratch, corn bread stuffing with pecans, dried apricots, and sage, stuffed artichokes, lovely salad with persimmons and goat cheese, carduni, home made cranberry sauce and persimmon chutney. We had a lot of food!

My mom taught my sister and I how to make Carduni this year. As with most ethnic foods, they were developed out of poverty and invention. A Cardoon is part of the artichoke plant. It looks like really tough celery and is a little bigger. Noni used to make it every holiday and since he is passed my mom makes it each holiday. Surprisingly the boys ate it up! Here's the recipe:

2-3 Stalks of Cardoons, depending on size and how much you have to discard (available, but not always in stock at whole foods and ethnic markets. You may have to call around and hunt)
Eggs
Milk
Italian Breadcrumbs (Progresso)
Grated Parmesan or Parmesan and Romano Blend
Olive oil

Trim the Carduni:
Cut ends off carduni stalks and trim points off the sides. Run a knife down the back of the carduni to remove the ribs. Cut into 4-5 inch pieces.

Cook the Carduni:
Place carduni in a pressure cooker or pot of boiling water. If using a pressure cooker, seal and bring up to boiling then turn off and allow the pot to cool (touchable) before removing the lid. If using a regular pot boil for an hour or so until cardoons are tender. Cool completely (or overnight)
Bread the Carduni:Beat eggs and a little milk in a bowl or pie plate. In a separate bowl combing 3 parts breadcrumbs to 1 part cheese. Pick up a cardoon and flatten it a little (breaking it's back). Dip it in the egg mixture then coat in bread crumbs. (Tip: use two different utensils - one for the egg mixture and one for the breadcrumbs) Place the breaded carduni in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Cover layer with wax paper and press down to press in the breadcrumbs. Repeat layers until you are finished and refrigerate.

Frying the Carduni:
Heat Olive oil in a large pan. Fry carduni on both sides until browned and coating is crispy. Serve hot.

Breakfast Quesadillas

2010-11-17T20:33:00.000-08:00

I was kvetching on facebook the other day about how I was looking for some recipes to sneak veggies in for the boys and found some ridiculous junk food labeled "healthy." I am not super strict about junk food, but let's call it what it is. If anything has marshmallow in it or peanut butter chips it's probably not healthy. Anyway, from it I received lots of great suggestions for kids food including a website called Weelicious, where I found a recipe for Breakfast Quesadillas. I tucked the recipe away in my "Misc Recipes" document (that is about 50 pages of recipes that I'd like to try, cut and pasted into one document) thinking it might be fun to try sometime. Aitan won't eat eggs in an form - scrambled, hard boiled, over easy - they go in, they go out. Whereas they are Ilan's go to food.

So, Scott is out of town and Saturday night Steph and Stephanie came over for a sleepover. We made plans to find the Kogi truck and get cupcakes and lots of girl time. Trouble is the kogi truck, or so we thought, wouldn't be close by until 7:30. The boys both took naps, so I figured it would be okay to keep them up a little late. I needed to feed them, though, and didn't have a lot of stuff in the fridge. So, Breakfast Quesadilla for dinner. They both liked them, so I fantasized about how I could make them a better meal for the boys. I had already planned to make Spinach and Basil Pesto this week and I added whole wheat tortillas to my shopping list.

So, this is my adaptation. The boys love it. Success.
Breakfast Quesadilla

1 Egg
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Garlic Powder
Cheese (your choice)
2 Whole Wheat Tortillas
Spinach and Basil Pesto

Place an omelet pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray or oil. Whisk egg and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Pour the egg into the pan and tilt pan to spread egg in an even layer. When egg is almost solidified sprinkle with cheese and top with a tortilla. Spread a layer of pesto on the remaining tortilla.

When the egg is cooked use a spatula to loosen it and invert it onto a plate (so the egg is on top) and slide back into the pan, tortilla side down. Sprinkle the egg with cheese and place the tortilla on top. When cheese on the bottom half is melted flip the quesadilla until the rest of the cheese melts.

Cut and serve.

A Spot of Tea

2010-11-02T14:36:00.001-07:00

It's T week at the Nassau Factory and so I thought we'd have a little Tea Party to celebrate. And what is a tea party without tea sandwiches? Easy and fun for a special lunch with my boys.

Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
White Bread (I used Trader Joe's Buttermilk Bread)
Cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
Salted Butter, slightly softened
21 Seasoning Salute (TJ's) or Spike
Salt to taste

Butter both pieces of bread (this creates a waterproof barrier so the bread doesn't get soggy) and sprinkle with the seasoning salute and a touch of salt. Place the cucumber slices in a single layer on the seasoned bread and top with the second piece of bread. Cut crusts off and slice each sandwich into 4 rectangle pieces.

Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches
White Bread (I used Trader Joe's Buttermilk Bread)
Cream Cheese, softened
Smoked Salmon/Lox (4 oz made two whole sandwiches - 8 tea - with a little salmon left over)
Dill (dried or fresh)

Spread Cream Cheese in a thin layer over both slices of bread. Place a single layer of salmon over one piece of bread and sprinkle dill on top. Place the second piece of bread on top and cut crusts off. Slice each sandwich into 4 rectangle pieces.

I also made peanut butter and jelly tea sandwiches for the less refined palates at the table.

Chimichangas

2010-08-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

I saw a recipe for chimichangas in Sunset magazine that sounded like a nice veggie meal. But when I started thinking about it I knew that Ilan wouldn't eat it as far as he could throw it. So, I made the nopales and poblano version for Scott and I and made a few black bean and cheese chimichangas for the boys. Ilan loved it! So, we've been on a bit of a black bean and cheese chimichanga kick lately. They're really easy to do...even moreso if you have a toaster oven! I made one today in a non-stick skillet, too. Just brushed the oil on and voila! Nice and crispy and cooked in under 5 minutes.

The Poblano and Nopales Chimichanga recipe is available from the sunset link above. To make the black bean and cheese version I just used shredded cheese, black beans, garlic powder and a touch of salt for the filling.

Queso

2010-08-14T15:52:00.000-07:00

When we lived in Dallas we learned about Queso. I suppose queso to a Texan is like guacamole to a Californian - if you're having Mexican food, watching a game or really anywhere there is chips and dip, there is queso. There are tons of varieties, but the most basic is rotel (which I had never even heard of till I moved to Dallas, and wasn't quite sure I'd be able to find it in Los Angeles) and velveeta. Yes, I said it. Velveeta.

We gathered at my aunt's house to celebrate my uncle, cousin and Scott's birthdays and I was charged with bringing an appetizer. Scott wanted queso, so I started thinking about it. Do I go for the velveeta or should I make a cheese sauce? Well, for lack of time it turned out to be Velveeta, which is something I think I've only used once or twice in my life, and I'm not proud to admit it. Next time I'll go for the homemade sauce. Anytime something is described as cheese "product" I think you should beware. Half the stuff they sell as food is plastic anyway, so when they are basically telling you it is not real food, it's not a good idea, no matter how creamy and velvety as it may be. So, here is the method:

Brown 1 lb. of ground beef with 1 clove of garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste. When beef is browned, drain the juice and add the large size of velveeta. Cook on med-low until the cheese is melted.

Stir in one can of rotel (spicy, mild or original - which still has a little kick) and serve warm.

Spinach Pasta

2010-08-06T22:05:00.000-07:00

The original recipe called for 3 less eggs, but the dough was too dry. I added the additional egg and 2 yolks and it seemed to work just fine. I tossed it with a homemade alfredo sauce and it was a nice rich meal. The boys didn't even know they were eating spinach! I made a thicker fettucine and it would have been better if I cooked it longer. I cooked 1/2 of it and froze the other half. With foods that are more labor intensive I like my effort to extend beyond one meal.

Makes about 1 3/4 pounds fresh pasta

5 ounces fresh spinach, blanched and squeezed dry
3 3/4 pound all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 large egg
8 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, salt and blanched spinach. Process to mix well. With the machine running, add the eggs, egg yolks, and olive oil through the feed tube, and process until it resembles wet cornmeal, about 2 minutes.

Take a handful of dough at a time and form into a firm ball. Repeat with the remaining dough. Roll out each dough ball into desired shape in a pasta machine according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until just al dente, about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and serve with desired sauce.

Macaroni and Cheese

2010-08-06T21:49:00.000-07:00

Okay...another M from the Barefoot Contessa. What can I say? It sure is good. Pictured here without tomatoes, but quite good with them.

Kosher Salt
Vegetable Oil
1 lb. Elbow Macaroni
1 qt. Milk
8 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, divided
1 /2 C. Flour
12 oz. Gruyere Cheese, grated
8 oz. Extra-Sharp Cheddar, grated
1/2 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
3/4 lb Fresh Tomatoes
1 1/2 C. Fresh White Bread Crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed and processed in food processor)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but do not boil. Melt 6 Tbsp. butter in a large pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1Tbsp Kosher Salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add the ooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3 qt. baking dish.

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 Tbsp. butter, combine with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on top. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

Marshmallows

2010-08-06T21:30:00.001-07:00

It's M week and so we decided to whip up a homemade batch of Ilan's favorite food, courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa. I'm not generally a marshmallow fan, but these sure are good. I would imagine that you could use almond extract or even mint extract (probably in smaller quantities) to give these a different kick. Bobbi even suggested rolling them in cocoa instead of powdered sugar. I don't know if they make Kosher gelatin, but they might.

3 pkg Unflavored Gelatin
1 1/2 C. Granulated Sugar
1 C. Light Corn Syrup
1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 Tbsp. Pure Vanilla
Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 C. of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit while you make the syrup.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 C. water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin. Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.

Ilan had to change his shirt after licking the beater.

With a sieve, generously dust and 8x12-inch nonmetal baking dish with confectioners' sugar. Pour the marshmallow mixture into the pan, smooth the top, and dust with more confectioners' sugar. Allow to stand uncovered overnight until it dries out.

Turn the marshmallows onto a board and cut them in squares. dust them with more confectioners' sugar.

Will enjoying a marshmallow.

New York Cheesecake

2010-07-30T08:43:00.000-07:00

So I guess I am on a dessert streak lately. Fact is, I cook dinners all the time, but they're not always noteworthy. Anyway, some friends were in town from Israel and we all had dinner at the Davis' and I was bringing dessert. I've been poking around on Smitten Kitchen for something special to make for Scott's Birthday. He just returned from NY and didn't bring me any cheesecake (okay, it's a little hard to do) so when I saw this beauty, I couldn't resist.

I have the recipe pasted from the Smitten Kitchen website below, but before I give it to you, I'll share my notes. First the recipe calls for the cheesecake to bake at 550 degrees for 12 minutes. She fudged with this and had some trouble. Unfortunately, my oven only went to 500. So, I figured I would have to try it at 500. At around 8 minutes, you could tell the outer edge was starting to set, but the top was also browning, so I turned the temperature down to 200 at that point. Luck would have it I still hadn't found a recipe for Scott's birthday and so as I was baking the cheesecake I turned upon a cheesecake recipe from Cook's Ilustrated that said the way to keep a cheesecake from cracking is to make sure the internal temperature doesn't rise above 150 degrees. So, when I checked my cake at about an hour and 20, it was in the 130 degree range. I let it go for another 40 minutes or so (remember we're cooking at 200 degrees) until it was just about 150. The center was more than a little wobbly, but it set nicely when it was cooled and was very creamy. Compared to several other recipes I have found where there is a water bath and several other tricks to keep things creamy and un-cracked, this was super easy and the texture was great.
For the topping I used fresh cherries and initially it seemed like it was going to be too thick, but I cooled it with a lid on top and after some refrigeration they loosened, but 10 0z of fresh cherries was not enough to cover the whole pie. I might do 1.5 times the amount next time.

This is the recipe as exactly stated on Smitten Kitchen:

Crumb crust
8 ounces (15 4 3/4 x 2 1/2-inch sheets of graham cracker; yes, I am crazy enough to both count and measure) finely ground graham crackers or cookies such as chocolate or vanilla wafers
8 tablespoons (1 stick or 4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Very tall cheesecake filling:
5 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (Philadelphia is recommended for cheesecakes but if you’ve had success with other brands, feel free to use them again)
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
5 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Cherry topping
10 ounces sweet or sour cherries, pitted (they’re not in season here so I used frozen; worked just fine)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar*
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water

Make crumb crust: Stir together crust ingredients and press onto bottom and up the sides, stopping one inch shy of the top rim**, of a buttered 9 1/2-inch (or 24 cm) springform pan. You can fill it right away but I like to pop my into the freezer so it quickly sets while I prepare the filling.

Make very tall cheesecake filling: Preheat oven to 550 degrees (yes, this is correct). Beat together cream cheese, sugar, flour and zest with an electric mixer until smooth. Add vanilla, then eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating on low speed until each ingredient is incorporated. Scrape bowl down between additions; I cannot stress this enough as if you do not, you’ll end up with unmixed stripes of cream cheese. I always find at least one, despite my best efforts.

Put springform pan with crust in a shallow baking pan (to catch drips). Pour filling into crust (springform pan will be completely full) and baking in baking pan in the middle of the oven for 12 minutes or until puffed. Please watch your cake because some ovens will top-brown very quickly and if yours does too fast, turn the oven down as soon as you catch it. Reduce the temperature to 200 degrees (see Note below about my baking drama) and continue baking until cake is mostly firm (center will still be slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken), about one hour more.

Run a knife around the top edge of the cake to loosen it and cool the cake completely in springform on a rack, then chill it, loosely covered, at least 6 hours.

Make cherry topping (optional): Place all ingredients together in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, cook it for an additional one to two minutes then remove from heat. Cool completely.

Remove side of pan and transfer cake to a plate. If you had any wonky baking issues (see my Note below), you might need to trim the cake flat. I promise not to tell anyone what happened to those scraps, okay?

Spread topping (if using) over chilled cheesecake. The original recipe says to bring this to room temperature before serving, but I never have!

Do ahead: Cheesecake keeps, covered and chilled, 2 weeks.

Baking drama: As some of the pictures might suggest, I really borked (an actual word, thank you) the baking of this cake. First, I was convinced that 550 degrees would singe my cake so I did the first step at 400, to see if you can get away with it. Yes, I am guilty of not following a recipe from time to time too. It turns out, 550 would have been just fine. Then, although I turned my oven down to 200, I didn’t check the thermometer inside my junky oven, and had I, I’d have realized that what my oven calls 200 is more like 150. And an hour later, was almost completely raw. Then I upped it to 300, which my oven told me was actually 250, where it still took another hour to bake and gained many cracks. I blame the fact that the oven didn’t start hot enough, as many others have made this recipe crack-free. What’s the point of me sharing this? To give you a heads up that oven wonkiness may ensue. What matters is that, in the end, you do not take the cake out before it is ready. An accurate oven helps too. I’m going to get right on that.

* You might dial this up by up to another 1/4 cup if you’re using sour cherries. However, if you’re using sour cherries I’m going to assume it is because you like them, and the more tart taste they impart, thus you probably will enjoy this sauce just as much with only 1/4 cup sugar. Look at me, psychologizing!

** This is updated based on responses from commenters. Thank you, intrepid home bakers!

Banana Cream Pie

2010-07-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

So here's the big confession. I can make a great pie, but it's never a pretty sight. I think I lack the quality of perfectionism that might make others agonize over a perfectly shaped pie crust. So, we don't have a picture of the pie, but if you want something super yummy, you've got to try the banana cream pie. This is a recipe my mom made while I was growing up and to me it is pure comfort food. Be sure to use ripe bananas (no green), but not over-ripe either. I actually made this one night for dessert for our picnic at Ravinia Festival and over heard a lady next to us comment to her friend "who makes pies anymore?" in disbelief. Ha ha. I do, and you would too if you knew how yummy this one is.

Banana Cream Pie

Baked pie shell 8" (see recipe below)
1/2 C. Sugar
3 Tbsp. Flour
1 Tbsp. Cornstarch
1/4 tsp. Salt
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 1/2 C. Milk
1 Tbsp. Butter
1 tsp. Vanilla
3 Bananas (I use 4 if they are small)
Whipped cream or cool whip (my family usually uses cool whip, but I know some are opposed)

Slice bananas and cover the bottom of the pie shell.

In a double boiler combine sugar flour cornstarch and salt mix with wooden spoon. Blend in milk and yolks add butter place over rapidly boiling water cook until thick and smooth stirring constantly (about 7 min.) Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir until smooth.

Pour custard over the bananas and chill.

When ready to serve top with whipped cream or cool whip or whipped cream.

Pie Crust
So, this pie crust is the easy man's pie crust. This was given to my mom by my parent's friend's mom. It's super easy and gives great results. Forget all the complicated pie crust voodoo. This one really is fool proof and super flaky, just don't over mix it.

2 C. Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1/2 C. Oil
1/4 C. Cold milk

Mix dry ingredients with a fork. Fold in oil and milk until moistened but not completely mixed.

Roll between wax sheets. Turn into in pie plate and shape.

Poke generously with fork over sides and bottom and creases and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.

Chocolate Pudding

2010-07-23T11:45:00.001-07:00

This is an ironic follow-up to my last post. I'm pretty sure Ilan cracked what was apparently a weak molar on the un-popped popcorn kernels that I told him not to eat when we made kettle corn. So, now after he's had his dental work done, poor guy, he has to eat soft foods, so I made him some pudding. This recipe makes 2 good sized servings. Ilan had some after dinner and he said "Ima, this is so yummy I can't believe it!"

1 ounce bittersweet chocolate , chopped
1 tablespoon cocoa , preferably Dutched
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch table salt
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Whisk together cocoa powder, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Add milk all at once and whisk to incorporate. Stir in chocolate.

2. Bring mixture to boil over medium heat, whisking until smooth. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring constantly with heatproof rubber spatula or wooden spoon and making sure to scrape edges of pan, for 2 minutes. (Mixture will become thick and glossy.)

3. Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour pudding into heatproof bowls or ramekins, place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding to prevent skin from forming. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until completely chilled. (Pudding will keep for up to 2 days.)

Kettle Corn

2010-07-15T18:50:00.001-07:00

Last week for one of our K exercises we made Kettle Corn and failed miserably. I think in my effort to keep the sugar from burning (cooking over a lower temp.) the popcorn didn't get hot enough to pop and ended up burning. So, this time, when Ilan requested kettle corn for family game night, I kept it hot and had a great result. This recipe makes a large bowl of popcorn, which is really hard to resist.

1/4 C. Oil
1 C. Popcorn
1/2 C. Sugar
Salt to taste

Heat oil and popcorn in large pot with lid on. When you can hear the oil sizzle add the sugar and stir. Return lid to pot and shake occasionally to keep everything from burning. When popcorn starts to pop shake vigorously over the burner. When all the popcorn is popped pour it into a large bowl and sprinkle with a generous amount of salt and toss to coat. Enjoy!

What I'm Drinking

2010-07-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

I found these while I was pregnant with Aitan, and wished that I had them when I was pregnant with Ilan and wanted all things tart and lemon! Oh well. I don't drink soda often, so having one of these is a treat. Puts sprite and 7-up to shame and wait...it's real sugar instead of corn poison.

Heirloom Tomato Salad

2010-07-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

This picture really doesn't do justice to this salad. We had it the other night at Bobbi and Owen's house and I have been thinking about it ever since! It is the perfect meal or side dish for summer when the tomatoes are perfectly ripe. I don't have measurements for anything...you just have to put in how much till it suits you.

Day-old baguette, cut in chunks
Heirloom tomatoes (or any other nice ripe tomatoes)
Basil, chopped
Garlic, minced
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Ricotta Cheese

If the bread is not hard, toast it in a low temperature oven until it is dried and hard. Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes into large chunks. Combine tomatoes, basil, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.

When you are ready to serve the salad, toss in the dried bread pieces. Serve with a dollop of Ricotta cheese on top.

Tiramisu

2010-07-11T20:05:00.000-07:00

Scott asked me tonight how many servings we have left of the Tiramisu. So far, we have had 2 each, and have shared it with Harrison and Jessica, Ryan and Amanda, and I think there are about 4 more servings. I told him there were at least two more each and he had a pained looked on his face. He wished there was less because he can't resist having it if its in the fridge, but when I offered that we could take some to the neighbors he flatly refused. It's pretty good, but I would reserve this one for a special occasions. It can be pricey: I used 3 tubs of TJ's mascarpone at $2.99 each and three packages of lady fingers at $2.99 each.

2.5 C. Strong Coffee, room temperature
1 1/2 Tbsp. Instant Espresso Granules
9 Tbsp. Dark rum, divided
6 lg. Egg Yolks
2/3 C. Sugar
1/4 tsp. Table Salt
1 1/2 lb. Mascarpone
1/3 plus 3/4 C. Heavy Cream
14 oz. Ladyfingers
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Grated Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Stir coffee, espresso and 5 Tbsp. rum in wide bowl or baking dish until espresso dissolves; set aside.

In bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat yolks at low speed until just combined. Add 1/3 C. cream, sugar and salt and beat at med-high speed until pale yellow. 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula once or twice.

Set bowl with yolks over medium saucepan containing 1 inch gently simmering water; cook, constantly scraping along bottom and sides of bowl with heatproof rubber spatula, until mixture coats back of spoon and registers 160 degress on instant-read thermometer, 4-7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir vigorously to cool slightly, then set aside to cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.

Whisk in remaining 4 Tbsp. rum until combined. Transfer bowl to standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, add marscapone, and beat at medium speed until no lumps remain, 30-45 seconds. Transfer mixture to large bowl and set aside.

In now-empty mixer bowl (no need to clean bowl), beat cream at medium speed until frothy, 1-1.5 minutes longer. Using ruber spatula, fold one-third of whipped cream into mascarpone mixture to lighten, then gently fold in remaining whipped cream until no white streaks remain. Set mascapone mixture aside.

Working one at a time, drop half of lady-fingers into coffee mixture, roll, remove, and transfer to 13x9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. (Do not submerge ladyfingers in coffee mixtue; entire process should take no longer than 2-3 seconds for each cookie) Arrange soaked cookies in singel layer in baking dish, breaking or trimming ladyfingers as needed to git neatly into dish.
Spread half of mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers; use rubber spatula to spread mixtue to sides and into corners of dish and smoth surface. Place 2 Tbsp. cocoa in fine-mesh strainer ad dust cocoa over mascarpone.

Smoked Salmon

2010-06-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

Smokin' has become a new hobby around the Vaccaro/Nassau parts. It all started when my dad's longtime friend gave him his smoker that he thought was too much trouble. My parents usually have a family dinner on Sunday nights and so dinner usually is a little more than a typical weekday dinner. The testing started with a turkey and some sausage. The next attempt was Ribs and then Salmon (and it is here that we struck gold) and dad has moved on to other items including chicken, pork and brisket.

When Jenny and Scott English moved to Texas we inherited a smoker from them and starting today have begun a smoking journey of our own. Now there is a benchmark Salmon...the one my dad made for Aitan's bris. Incidentally, there has been a disagreement between my dad and I about the Salmon. He thinks it was too salty, but to me the salt was part of what made it great. I keep drawing him back to the way people were raving over the salmon (literally, "oh, cute baby...who made the Salmon?"), but he won't hear it. So if we ever want to have it that way again, it's up to us. I seasoned it the first couple times so I had that part down, but getting the technique right, well, that was the challenge. Luckily it turned out!

As a side note, my parents neighbor also smokes salmon, and he even goes through an extra step of brining the salmon, but after having tasted his, I still prefer this simple method.

So, if you have a smoker and feel up to smoking some salmon, here's the technique:

Salmon Filet (doesn't seem to make a difference whether skin is off or on, but I prefer off)
1 part rock salt
2 parts brown sugar
Hickory wood chips
Hickory chunks

So, I mix the brown sugar (1/2 C.) and rock salt (1/4 C.) and spread on both sides of a skinless filet. Usually I do this while the man of the house is getting the smoker ready, so it never "seasons" longer than an hour, which is being generous.

Prepare the smoker according to manufacturer instructions. Using the chunks as fire (although this smoker is electic, so we didn't need them as fire). The woodchips are soaked to prevent burning and placed in a container above the heat to provide the smoky flavor. Bring the smoker to the appropriate temperature (about 180 degrees) and cook for about 2 hours.
When the salmon is done scrape off the rock salt and any fat that has risen to the surface. Serve hot, cold or room temperature.

I'm sure it never would have tasted so good without a little help from Ilan.

Malted Milk Cupcakes

2010-06-24T08:56:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure this is the recipe Marilee sent me when I needed a good cupcake recipe for Ilan's baseball themed birthday party. When Kay made them for Marilee's shower I thought they were amazing...and asked for the recipe. Turns out I already had it!!

Ingredients
1 box instant chocolate pudding
1 package plain yellow cake mix
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

Place cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, oil, water, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds until the ingredients are well blended. Scape down the sides of the bowl and mix on medium and beat for 2 minutes. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Fill the cupcake liners with 1/3 cup of batter into each liner

Malted Milk Buttercream Frosting

1 stick butter room temperature
3-1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
5 tablespoons ovaltine
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
whoppers

Whip butter, then add confectioners' sugar, malted milk powder,milk, and vanilla. Blend with mixer on low speed. Scrape down sides and mix on medium until fluffy.

Chop malted milk balls and sprinkle onto of frosted cupcakes.

Polenta with Broccoli Rabe, Sundried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts

2010-06-21T17:41:00.000-07:00

This is another yummy recipe from Cooks Illustrated. This is my second time making it. The first time we had so much polenta left over that I put what was left in a pie plate and we used it as a side dish for my whole family (parents and sister included) the next night and still had some leftover. This time I made 1/2 of the polenta (not reflected in the recipe) and it seemed just the right ratio for a hearty vegetarian meal. The great part is that it is really easy and only requires about a half hour in the kitchen. It is surprisingly rich and filling.

7 1/2 C. Water
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
Pinch baking soda
1 1/2 C Coarse-Ground Cornmeal
2 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
2 C. Grated Parmesan
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
6 cl. Garlic, pressed
1/4 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
1/2 C. Sundried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 lb. Broccoli Rabe or Broccolini, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 C. Low-sodium Chicken Broth

Bring water to boil in large saucepan over med-high heat. Stir in salt and baking soda. Slowly pour cornmeal into water in steady stream while stirring. Bring mixture to boil, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to lowest possible setting (use smallest burner) and cover.

After 5 minutes, whisk polenta to smooth out any lumps, about 15 seconds. Cover and continue to cook, without stirring, until grains of polenta are tender and slightly al dente, about 25 minutes. Polenta will be loose, but will thicken as it cools.

Remove from heat, stir in butter and parmesan, and season to taste with black pepper. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil, garlic, red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, and salt in large skillet over med-high heat, stirring frequently, until garlic is fragrant and slightly toasted, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add broccoli rabe and broth; cover and cook until rabe turns bright green, about 2 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring frequently, until most of broth has evaporated and rabe is just tender 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Serve over polenta, sprinkling individual portions with pine nuts.

Supper Club - Chocolate

2010-06-14T22:00:00.001-07:00

It was my turn to host supper club this month. I chose a chocolate theme...surprise! It was rich. It was decadent. It was delish. The Menu:

Drinks:
Chocolate Cake Martinis
Chocolate Wine

Appetizers:
Chocolate Covered Bacon
Crostini with Pears, Gorgonzola and Chocolate

Sides:
Roasted Parsnip with Vanilla Chocolate Soup (The crowd favorite. Yum!!!)
White Chocolate Risotto

Main Dish:
Spice Rubbed Turkey Breast with Mole Sauce

Dessert:
Too Much Chocolate Cake

My inspiration was the birthday meal in the movie Chocolat. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any recipes for a chocolate gravy, so I tried a mole recipe, but it wasn't exactly what I was going for. I decided to give the gravy another go tonight, but this time making it how I would make any other gravy. I started with a roux, that I made from butter, flour and unsweetened cocoa powder. I then added chicken broth (but next time I think I'd just use the turkey drippings if there are enough) and a few sprigs of thyme and let it cook down a little before adding some semi-sweet baking squares. It was pretty good for a first try, but I am pretty sure that I have some more experimenting to do.

Since the parsnip soup was the favorite, I've included the recipe.

Roasted Parsnip and Vanilla Chocolate Soup

Prep Time: 35 min

Cook Time: 1 hr 5 min

Level: Intermediate

Serves:6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

2 pounds parsnips (about 4 or 5 large parsnips)

1/4 cup canola oil (2 tablespoons to brush on parsnips and 2 tablespoons to brush on bread for croutons)

8 tablespoons butter (1 stick or 1/2 cup)

1 large white onion, chopped

2 quarts chicken stock (Make sure that it's stock and not broth)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (preferably from real vanilla bean as opposed to artificial flavoring)

Salt and pepper

1 epee loaf French bread

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/4 cup dark cocoa powder

1 cup vanilla white chocolate chips (recommended: Hershey's Premier White Chips)

1 cup heavy cream

1 fresh lemon or lime, halved crosswise (1/2 to squeeze into batch of soup and 1/2 to cut into wedges to serve to guests)

2 tablespoons minced fresh dill leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel parsnips, and cut into 1-inch chunks, brush lightly with oil and place on a baking sheet lined with heavy duty aluminum foil (for easy cleanup). Roast until the parsnips begin to soften (as tested with a knife blade) and until the tips begin to turn golden brown. This takes about 40 minutes. ( I have an electric oven and my parsnips were ready in 20 minutes so keep checking them) Remove from oven and let rest for a few minutes while you start the other ingredients in the stockpot. (Leave oven on for toasting of croutons.)

Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a large stockpot and gently saute the onion until translucent. (This takes about 10 minutes, but the more important thing is that they look translucent.) Add the chicken stock, slice open the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the pot and add along with the vanilla pod itself. Increase heat to medium, add the roasted parsnips, and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper, cover and let cook until the parsnips are completely tender, about 20 minutes.

Once you have the soup underway, toast the croutons in the oven which is already preheated to 400 degrees F. Cut the epee loaf into 3/4-inch thick slices. Brush the bread with oil and place on a foil lined baking sheet (important for cleanup purposes). Sift dark cocoa over the bread and toast briefly in the oven, just to make crispy. Remove and set aside.
Stir the white chocolate chips into the soup and cook for a further 5 minutes, to allow them to melt and to integrate flavors.

Remove soup from heat, discard vanilla pod, and stir in heavy cream. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. (Remember, when using an immersion blender, the blade end has to be immersed, or it will make a big mess.) Squeeze fresh lemon or lime juice into the pot and stir to combine. (Note: If you hold the sliced end of the fresh lemon or lime against your palm while you squeeze in the juice, the seeds are likely to stay in the rind.)

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh dill. Serve with lemon wedges and dark chocolate dusted croutons.

Mexican Seven-Layered Salad

2010-06-07T21:07:00.000-07:00

Scott and I love to have salads for dinner in warm weather. Really, who wants to crank on the oven and eat something rich and heavy when it's warm out? Found this recipe in a magazine and bought everything this morning from the farmer's market, including corn that I cut off the cobb and par-boiled. While I don't think anyone in Mexico would recognize this as a Mexican salad, it was nice and fresh and very satisfying. Since it was just the two of us I didn't bother with the layering...just used bowls. Since I don't cook much with chipotle and would have no use for the leftover chiles, I am tempted to try it next time with chili powder and cayenne.

Dressing:

1/2 C. Mayonnaise

1/2 C. Sour cream

1 Tbsp. Lime Juice

2 tsp. Mashed Chipotle Chile in adobo sauce

1 tsp. Grated lime peel

Salad:

6 C. Torn Romaine Lettuce, Divided

1 C. Corn, cooked

1 C. Diced Tomatoes

1 Avocado, diced

1 C. Diced Orange Bell Pepper

1 C. Black Beans, drained and rinsed

1 C. Diced Red Onion

1 C. Diced Pepper Jack Cheese

1 C. Coarsely Crushed Tortilla Chips

Whisk all dressing ingredients in small bowl. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes.

In deep 10-cup clear glass bowl or baking dish, layer half of the lettuce. Top with corn, tomato, avocado, bell pepper, beans, remaining lettuce, onion and cheese, spreading each to sides so layers will show. Spread dressing over top, covering chieese completely.

Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 2 hours. Sprinkle with chips just before serving.

Classic Brownies

2010-05-18T22:29:00.000-07:00

Another treasure from cook's illustrated. It's a shame I waited so long to try them! Mine took 42 minutes to cook, and I might have taken them out a little early, but Aitan woke up just as the timer went off and duty called...

Classic Brownies
(Cook's Illustrated: March and April 2004)
1 C. Pecans or Walnuts, chopped
1 1/4 C. Cake Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
3/4 tsp. Baking Powder
6 oz. Unsweetened Chocolate, chopped
12 Tbsp. Unsalted butter
2 1/4 C. Sugar
4 Large Eggs
1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 325 degrees. Cut 18-inch length foil and fold lengthwise to 8-inch width. Fit foil into length of 13x9" baking dish, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; allow excess to overhang pan edges. Cut 14-inch length foil (and, if using extra-wide foil fold lengthwise to 12-inch width); fit into width of baking pan in same manner, perpendicular to the first sheet. Spray foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.

If using nuts, spread nuts evenly on rimmed baking sheet and toast in oven until fragrant, 5-8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Whisk to combine flour, salt, and baking powder in medium bowl; set aside.

Melt chocolate and butter in large heatproof bowl in microwave on high for 45 seconds, then stir and heat for 30 second more. Stir again, and, if necessary, repeat in 15-second increments; do not let chocolate burn. When chocolate mixture is completely smooth, remove bowl from saucepan and gradually whisk in sugar. Add eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition until thoroughly combined. Whisk in vanilla. Add flour mixture in three additions, folding with rubber spatula until batter is completely smooth and homogeneous.

Transfer batter to prepared pan; using spatula, spread batter into corners of pan and smooth surface. Sprinkle toasted nuts evenly over batter and bake until toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into center of brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 30-35 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temp., about 2 hours, then remove brownies from pan by lifting foil overhang. Cut brownies into 2-inch squares and serve. Store leftovers in airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Supper Club - Caribbean

2010-05-02T15:44:00.001-07:00

Angela hosted supper club this month. She is engaged to Neil who is Jamaican and chose the Caribbean theme as an opportunity to try out some new recipes and to celebrate their upcoming marriage in Cayman. So, the menu:
Drinks: Caribbean Sangria and Pineapple Mojitos
Appetizers: Tostones and Salt Cod Fritters
Main Dish: Chicken Fricasse
Sides: Yams (with lime zest and bananas), Rice and Peas, and Black-Eyed Peas in Coconut Milk
Dessert: Grand Marnier Cake

Here is the recipe for the Tostones:

3 large very green plantains
3 teaspoons crushed fresh garlic
4 teaspoons salt
4 cups water
1/2 cup olive oil or canola oil

Directions:

Peel plantains and slice into 1 inch thick sections.
Place water, salt and garlic in a large baking pan.
Soak the plantain slices in the garlic mixture for 20 minutes.

Pour oil in a pan set at 365 degrees.
Fry plantains until they are golden brown on all sides.

Flatten each plantain between sheets of wax paper with a plate or the palm of your hand.
Dip flattened plantains into garlic mixture and place on a paper towl.
Place plantains into the oil once again and fry until crispy and golden brown.

Sprinkle with salt to taste.
Serve promptly after frying for best taste.

Spicy Orange Tofu

2010-02-23T09:59:00.000-08:00

Okay, folks. Here is the recipe. I used the extra firm tofu from Trader Joes and cut it into large cubes, which worked pretty well. I also used a non-stick skillet so I didn't use as much oil. I served it over Jasmine rice. Sorry there are no pictures. My recommendation with stir-frys and other Asian dishes is to have all the ingredients measured out and those that are added in the same step combined before turning the stove on. After the tofu is cooked the other steps happen really quickly.

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 pound regular tofu

1/4 C. orange peel

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. Orange Zest

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 C. vegetable broth

1/4 C. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. Sugar

1/4 C. sherry

1/4 C. orange marmalade

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

Cut tofu into strips. In wok or skillet heat oil over medium high heat. Add tofu and stir fry until golden, it may be easier to do 1/2 or 1/3 of tofu at a time.

Add orange peel, garlic, ginger, and zest. Stir fry 1 minute. In medium bowl combine cornstarch, broth, soy sauce, sugar, sherry, marmalade and red pepper, stir into tofu.

Stir constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Serve over rice. Note: Adjust the spiciness by adding more or less red pepper. The 1/2 tsp. gives it a kick without being overpoweringly spicy.

Sicilian Fig Cookies

2009-12-21T10:03:00.000-08:00

Ever since I can remember my dad, aunt and other friends and family gather in early December to make the fig cookies. Usually it is preceded by weeks of my mom suggesting to my dad that he make a 1/2 batch and him stubbornly trudging ahead as planned. The fig cookies aren't something everyone can appreciate, but they seem to be getting better and better each year. The filling is a mixture of dried figs, dates, citron, those other red and green fruit things (whatever they are) that you find in fruit cake, chocolate and other spices. Every year seems to be a new variation based on what is available and what is going through my dad's head at the time.

He usually starts a week or two in advance of cookie day grinding all of the ingredients in a food grinder and letting them sit in the fridge so the flavors can meld. Then on cookie day everyone has their task and the cookies, which would be an enormous job for one, is done in a matter of an hour or two.

I'm not going to bother posting the recipe, but here are some photos of the family at work.

Dad rolling the dough. I apprenticed in the roller position this year.

Franko and Aunt Toni.

Joe. Franko would fill the dough and Toni and Joe would seal it and cut it.

Cookies ready for the oven.

Nana and Ilan dancing while the cookies bake.

Nina icing and sprinkling the warm cookies.

The finished product.

Tamales

2009-12-21T09:36:00.000-08:00

A few years ago my sister took a tamle cooking class and gathered my brother and I to make our own tamales. So, for the third year in a row we have made tamales together. It's a lot of work, but so worth it! Here are the favorites...

Tamales with Green Chile and Cheese

Ingredients:

Filling

1 lb Monterey Jack cheese, cut in 2x ¼ inch sticks

4 Pasilla or poblano chiles, roasted, seeded

and sliced

Batter

1 cup lard (Manteca) or vegetable shortening, slightly softened

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 lbs corn masa (4 cups of masa preparada)

1 1/3 cup chicken broth

Corn husks (soaked in warm water for several hours until pliable)

Batter:

With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat the lard with salt and the baking powder until light in texture, about one minute. Continue beating as you add the masa to the lard. Reduce the speed to medium low and add broth. Continue beating for another minute or so, until a half teaspoon dollop of the batter floats in a cup of cold water. Add additional broth if necessary.

Cornhusks:

Lay out a large, lightly dried cornhusk with the tapering end toward you. Spread 3 Tbs of dough into about a 4-inch square, add a stick of cheese along with chilies to the center and pick up the two long sides of the cornhusk and bring them together. Fold up the empty section of the husk along the bottom.

Steaming:

When all of the tamales are in the steamer, cover them with a layer of leftover husks, and fill any open spaces with foil to keep the tamales secure. Set the lid in place and steam over a constant heat for the about one hour. Make sure the water doesn’t boil away, add boiling water to the pot when necessary.

Tamales are done with the husk peels away easily. Let tamales stand in the steamer off heat for a few minutes to firm up.

Makes 3 dozen tamales

Tamales with Black Beans in Banana Leaves

Ingredients:

Filling

½ bunch of cilantro

1 cup chicken broth

2 tsp salt

4 Tbs vegetable oil

2 large onions (chopped)

4 gloves of garlic (minced)

1 tsp oregano

½ tsp cumin

4 15 oz can black beans

Salt and pepper

Batter

1 cup lard (Manteca or shortening)

2 lbs masa (4 cups preparada)

1 1/3 cup chicken broth, cooled

3 lbs Banana leaves

Twine

Banana Leaves:
Unfold the banana leaves and cut off the long, hard sides of the leaves along the central vein. Look for holes or rips, then cut leaves into unbroken 8 inch segments (you will need 36). Either steam the segments for 20 minutes or one at a time, run them over an open flame or hot electric burner until soft and glossy.

Filling:

Heat a medium-large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil and heat until barely smoking. Add the onion to the pan and cook until it is translucent and soft. Add the garlic, oregano, cumin and cook for another minute. Add the beans to the pan and simmer until tender. Mash the beans with the remaining broth until they are soft, not soupy. Season with salt to taste.

Batter:

With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat the lard until smooth. Continue beating as you add the masa in three additions or more. In a blender puree the cilantro with 1 cup of broth, then slowly pour it into the masa mixture, beating all the while. Beat in enough additional broth to give the mixture of soft, not runny, batter; it should softly hold its shape in a spoon. Season with salt, about 2 scant teaspoons, depending on the saltiness of the broth.

Forming and Steaming the tamales:

Lay a leaf so the long side is horizontal, and smear a scan ¼ cup of batter into a 4x4 inch rectangle. Spoon about 2 tbs of beans over the batter. Fold the right third of the leaf over the middle third, then fold over the uncovered third of the leaf. Fold the ends in at roughly the point where the batter begins and tie with twine. Lay folded side down into a steamer lined with the remaining banana leaves. Cover and steam over medium heat for 1 to 1 ¼ hours. Let the steamer stand off heat for a few minutes—if the leaves peel off easily, they are done.

Makes 4 dozen tamales

Tamales with Chicken and Red Chiles

Ingredients:

Filling

8 medium dried guajillo chiles, stemmed,

seeded and torn into several pieces

8 garlic cloves

1 tsp black pepper

½ tsp ground cumin

3 lbs chicken breast, boneless and skinless

Salt

Olive oil

Batter

2 ½ cups lard (Manteca)

or vegetable shortening, slightly softened

3 tsp baking powder

4 tsp salt

4 lbs corn masa (8 cups of masa preparada)

2 2/3 cup chicken broth

Corn husks (soaked in warm water for several hours until pliable)

Filling:

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and pan fry until cooked. Shred the chicken. In a blender or food processor combine the chiles, garlic, pepper and cumin. Add 2 cups of chicken stock and blend to a smooth puree. Pour into the saucepan and add the shredded chicken plus 1 teaspoon of salt. Simmer uncovered for one hour stirring regularly—may want to add more liquid if needed. Once the liquids have reduced, remove and cool. I find the flavor is better if you make it the day before and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.

Batter:

With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat the lard with 4 tsp salt and the baking powder until light in texture, about one minute. Continue beating as you add the masa in three additions or more. Reduce the speed to medium low and add 2 cups of broth. Continue beating for another minute or so, until a half teaspoon dollop of the batter floats in a cup of cold water. Add additional broth if necessary.

Cornhusks:

Lay out a large, lightly dried cornhusk with the tapering end toward you. Spread 3 Tbs of dough into about a 4-inch square, spoon the filling down the center and pick up the two long sides of the cornhusk and bring them together. Fold up the empty section of the husk along the bottom.

Steaming:

Tamales are done with the husk peels away easily. Let tamales stand in the steamer off heat for a few minutes to firm up.

Makes 3 dozen tamales

Spiced Persimmon Butter

2009-11-15T22:03:00.000-08:00

I have never really canned anything before. I grew up watching my mom can jars of apricot jam she made from the apricots growing in our back yard, but I never tried it myself. Every year around Thanksgiving our persimmon tree (fuyu) yields an abundance of fruit. We like persimmons, but don't ever really do much with them except eat a few and give a lot away. This year I thought I'd try my hand at a couple of recipes. #1 Persimmon Butter. The canning technique is based off of something I read online. It worked, but I'm not sure if it is the right way to do things or not.

Spiced Persimmon Butter Recipe

Ingredients

3 c Persimmon pulp*

¾ c Apple cider

1 ¼ c Firmly packed brown sugar

1 t Cinnamon

¼ t Ground cloves

¼ t Grated nutmeg

Directions

Combine ingredients in a heavy pot and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and cook until the mixture is dark and thick. About 30 minutes to and hour, stirring often.

When persimmon butter is close to being ready, fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. place clean jars in the pot and let them boil for a couple of minutes. When you are ready to fill the jars remove them from the hot water and wipe dry with a towel. Pour hot persimmon mixture into the jars leaving about 1/2 inch or more space on top. Wipe rim of jars with a clean damp cloth and seal tightly. Return jars to boiling water and let them boil for 10-12 minutes. Remove from boiling water. Dry jars and check the seal by pressing down. If it moves easily or you hear a popping sound the jar is not sealed. Return butter to the boiling water and try again. I have also found for jars that don't seal the first time around that if you wait for a couple minutes for the jars to cool down a bit and then place them in the refrigerator, the jars will seal.

*For fuyu persimmons that do not pulp easily, peel and chop them and add them to a pot with an inch or so of water. Cover and let the persimmons cook until very soft. Using a slotted spoon place persimmons in a blender and puree until smooth. Add remaining ingredients to the blender or use a hand blender in the pot to incorporate all of the ingredients.

Infatuated with a Sandwich

2009-10-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

I was challenging a friend who hadn't posted on his blog in a while, em, you know who you are, and he threw my lack of postage (for lack of a better word) on this blog back at me. I've got to confess, I've been doing a lot of cooking lately, but nothing really has stood out as post-worthy. When I browsed my archives for inspiration, I realized that my life has changed so much since I've started. Anyway, I realize that the magic does not need to be made in my kitchen for it to be post-worthy. With that in mind I transition to the subject of this blog - pastrami.

Around Passover I knew I had to find a source for chopped liver. Scott loves it; I don't. And I really didn't want to make it with all of the other things I was doing for our two seders (over 30 people). So I did a little web search for Jewish Deli's in LA to see if anything was nearby and I found Langers. Fortunately it was about a mile from my OB's office, so we made plans to meet my Dad, Sister, Franko (her boyfriend, whose name is really Frank, but there are a high number of Franks in my family - Big Frank, Little Frank, Baby Frank, so Frank has become Franko to avoid confusion) Scott and I decided to meet there for lunch after my appointment. I didn't have high expectations because everyone knows New York has the best Delis. BUT I was very pleasantly surprised. In fact, I found myself thinking fondly of this sandwich: Pastrami and Swiss Cheese with Russian Style Dressing. I only ate half and saved half of it for my mom, but alas the second half kept calling me and I succumbed to it's whispers.

It wasn't until I was in the hospital after Aitan's birth that I had Langers again. This time #19: Pastrami, Swiss Cheese and Coleslaw with Russian Style Dressing. Again, heaven. No regrets about eating the whole thing...after all I had just given birth hadn't I? The third time I had Langer's was for my Dad's birthday. We all met downtown for lunch. I agonized how I was going to avoid eating the whole sandwich...it's just too much of a temptation. Fortunately they have a 1/2 sandwich and soup or salad selection. I definitely wanted to the whole sandwich, though and it was a huge exercise in restraint for me.

I get e-mails from the Jewish Journal and was curious when I saw an article about Jewish Delis. What caught my eye was the claim that LA actually has better Delis than New York. The main reason given was that New York Delis have become tourist traps. Anyway, apparently David Sax talks all about it in his book: “Save the Deli: In Search of Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye and the Heart of Jewish Delicatessen,” and he crowns Langer's pastrami as the best pastrami in the world. Well, David, I agree.

Family Food Friday: Sam I Am Eggs

2009-06-12T14:58:00.000-07:00

I am not going to promise that I will be diligent about posting a family food idea every friday, but I've been thinking about doing something like this for a while. Most moms I know have a hard time coming up with easy, healthy foods for their kids, so, when I have one I'll share it. This week's: Sam I Am Eggs.

Ilan hardly eats. Honestly. He just doesn't have much of an appetite, so it's really important to me to make sure that most of what ends up in his mouth is pretty nutritious. Of course, it doesn't always end up that way and veggies are the hardest thing to get in. One of the things I've been doing lately for breakfast is taking leftover broccoli, asparagus or even fresh spinach and giving it a fine dice and tossing it in with some scrambled eggs. When the eggs are almost done I might add some shredded cheese - whatever I have on hand. Ilan eats it up and the first time I made them he called them Sam I Am Eggs, which I thought was pretty clever.

Tri-tip Sandwich

2009-05-29T17:58:00.000-07:00

I LOVE sandwiches. The combination of good bread, lots of veggies, cheese and maybe some meat just always seems to hit the spot for me. So, the other day when we had almost a whole tri-tip left over, I thought about how I would like to eat it and came up with a winner. I had some red peppers that I roasted earlier in the week left over and bought some provalone cheese, tomatoes, red onions that I caramelized, spinach, basil, and garlic mayo to finish it off. YUM!

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-04-02T07:53:00.000-07:00

When I saw the recipe for Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies in the latest issue of Cook's Illustrated I wasn't too interested. My aunt makes pretty good chocolate chip cookies and it was hard for me to imagine a better recipe that was equally simple. As I read the article I was intrigued by their description of toffee flavors in the cookies. When the ladies from MOPS came over for an after-the-kids-go-to-bed cup of coffee, I thought it would be a good opportunity to try this "perfect" cookie recipe.

I must admit that I didn't follow the instructions exactly. I have a tendency to get ahead of myself and assume what the step is before reading...so I browned all of the butter instead of most of it. I think it probably sent the toffee notes over the top, but my "tasters" (em, Erin and Kirsten) seemed pleased none the less and said that the cookies seemed too good to be made at home.

I tried using stoneware and think the result was better on the parchment lined baking sheets. My first batch came out puffy and thick, which I don't like in chocolate chip cookies, so I flattened the dough a little bit for the next couple of batches which resulted in a flatter cookie. These are big, bakery-style cookies, so the recipe doesn't make too many.

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cook's Illustrated Magazine, No. 98; May & June 2009
Makes 16 cookies

1 3/4 C. All-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
14 Tbsp (1 3/4 stick) Unsalted Butter
1/2 C. Granulated Sugar
3/4 C. Packed Dark Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
1 lg Egg
1 lg. Egg Yolk
1 1/4 Semisweet chocolate chips (preferably Ghirardeli)
3/4 C. Chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 Degrees. Line 2 lg. baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and bakind soda together in med. bowl; set aside.

Heat 10 Tbsp. butter in 10-inch skillet over med-high heat until melted, about 2 m inutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1-3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heat proof bowl. Stir remaining 4 Tbsp. butter into hot butter until completely melted.

Add both sugars, salt and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 Tbsp. (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used but will require 3 batches).

Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10-14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

Oznei Haman

2009-03-09T18:10:00.001-07:00

In the US these cookies are called Hamentashen (Haman's pockets); in Israel they are Oznei Haman (Haman's Ears). Whatever you call them, these labor-intensive treats are served up at Purim, the feast celebrating God's goodness and the heroism of Esther. Typical flavors include strawberry, apricot, poppyseed and prune, however last year while in Israel we discovered a whole host of middle-eastern flavors that we prefer to the American kind. So, this year I made them with Halvah, Chocolate and the old stand-by Poppyseed. The cookie recipe is good, but it isn't my favorite. Since all my recipe books are in storage I had to make do.

I made a double recipe, which used most of 1 can poppyseed filling (available at Ralphs or any store with a nice Jewish section), almost a whole small tub of nutella, and for the halvah I mixed 1/2 C. Tehina with a little over 1/3 C. honey.

Hamantashen Recipe
By Joan Nathan (Jewish Holiday Kitchen)
Makes about 36

2/3 cup pareve margarine or butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla (I use more)
2 1/2-3 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Dash of salt

1. Cream the shortening with sugar. Add egg and continue creaming until smooth.

2. Add the vanilla. Stir in the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt until a ball of dough is formed (a food processor is excellent for this). You may need to add a couple teaspoons of water if dough seems too crumbly.

3. Chill for 2-3 hours, or overnight.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

5. Taking 1/4 of the dough at a time (leaving the rest in the fridge), roll out on a lightly floured board to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut circles of dough with a drinking glass or round cookie-cutter. With your finger put water around the rim of the circle. Fill with 1 teaspoon filling and fold into three-cornered cookies. (Press two sides together, and then fold the third side over and press the ends together.)

6. Bake on a well-greased cookie sheet 10-16 minutes, until the tops are golden.

FYI: the dough can get quite crumbly; if it's too hard to work with, add a bit of water, and it should behave. Also, DON'T skip the step of putting water around the edge of the circle. It's the only thing that makes them keep their shape. Enjoy!

Shabbat Shalom

2009-02-27T15:59:00.000-08:00

I started making Challah bread when Scott and I were first married and bumbled my way through until I finally came to understand yeast! I think as our family grows I will need to start making a couple of loaves of Challah because it seems like there is less an less left-over for french toast the following morning. This recipe is a little combination of methods...I am using the recipe from the CPM newsletter (from ages ago), which called for a bread machine to do all the prep. The hand-made method was learned by trial and error and the braid was taken from Nancy Silverstein, creator of La Brea Bakery. I like the natural look, so I don't do the egg-wash.

⅞ C. Water
3 egg yolks
3 C. Bread flour
11/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 C. Vegetable oil
⅜ C. sugar
2 tsp. Active dry yeast
1 egg (beaten)

Heat water to 110º. Add yeast and stir to dissolve. (Hint: if your yeast is kept in the refrigerator, try taking it out an hour or so before you bake the bread to let the temperature rise a little)

Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the egg yolks, oil and yeast/water mixture. Break the egg yolks and combine them with the liquids. Once eggs are incorporated, combine liquids into the flour mixture. When dough is formed knead until all ingredients are well incorporated and dough is soft.

Spray large bowl with non-stick spray and place dough in bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place. This can take from 45 minutes to several hours.

Punch down dough and knead slightly. Separate into 6 equal pieces and roll into 12" ropes on floured surface. Join the ropes at one end by pinching tips together.

To begin braid: Bring the fourth rope from the left up to the top left of the other ropes. Lift the rope farthest to the left up to the top right. Bring the rope on the top left down to the center of the 4 ropes below.

For the rest of the braid: Lift the rope to the farthest right up to the top left. Bring the rope on the top right down to the center of the 4 bottom ropes. Bring the rope from the farthest left to the top right. Bring the rope from the top left down to the center of the 4 bottom ropes. When the braid is finished pinch the ends together and tuck under the braid.

Turn oven on to 250º for two minutes. Place braided loaf in oven and allow to rise (about 30 minutes). Remove loaf from oven and turn oven on to 350º.

Paint the loaf with the beaten egg and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds. Bake at 350º for 25-35 minutes.

Lemon Squares

2009-02-09T10:51:00.000-08:00

The Meyer Lemon is truly one of the world's lost secrets. All the lemony tastes from my childhood are centered on the sweet and tangy fruit of the Meyer Lemon tree in my parents' front yard. Lemonade stands, pies and the unforgettable lemon bar. In my 8 years away from home I have never tasted a lemon bar or lemonade as sweet and tangy as those from Meyer lemon. They are in season and I finally satisfied my eight-year longing for Lemon Bars...the kind that reach back to the sides of your mouth and tickle your senses with their tartness.

Crust:
3/4 C. Butter
1 1/2 C. flour
1/2 C. Powdered sugar

Topping:
3 eggs slightly beaten
2 Tbsp. Flour
1 1/2 C. Sugar
Juice from 1 lg Meyer lemon (2 small)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x12 baking dish.
Mix crust ingredients and press into bottom of the pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden.
Meanwhile mix egg, lemon juice and sugar. Pour over hot crust and bake an additional 20 minutes or until set. Cool completely
Cut into squares and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Oreo Truffles

2008-11-10T17:25:00.000-08:00

While we were living in Dallas working with CARES each team was to bring treats into the leasing office once a month. Erin made a big hit when she brought these into the leasing office (that further obligated her to be truffle maker extraordinaire for the next couple of years). These little treats are, in theory, quite disgusting. But once you take a bite you forget the ingredients and give way to the chocolately goodness. Only make these if you want to impress folks and be obligated to make more.

1 lb Oreo Cookies
8 oz Cream Cheese
1/2 to 1 tsp. Extract (vanilla, almond, mint or whatever sounds good to you)
1 lb. Milk or Semi-Sweet Chocolate (after experimenting I prefer to use the Wilton baking chips)
1/2 lb. White Chocolate (see note above)
Food coloring if you would like your drizzle to be colored

Using a food processor, grind cookies to a fine powder. With a mixer, blend cookie powder, cream cheese and vanilla extract until thoroughly mixed (there should be no white traces of cream cheese).

Roll into small balls and place on wax-lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 45 minutes.

Line two cookie sheets with wax paper. In double-boiler, melt milk chocolate. Dip balls and coat thoroughly.With slotted spoon, lift balls out of chocolate and let excess chocolate drip off. Place on wax-paper-lined cookie sheet.

In separate double boiler, melt white chocolate and food coloring if you are using it. Using a fork, drizzle white chocolate over balls (I prefer to use a plastic squeeze bottle that you can find in the cake decorating section of Michaels). Let cool.

Store in airtight container, in refrigerator.