I used Seminole Pumpkins for this pie - it's a Florida pumpkin that grows like a weed. It has a delicious, dark orange flesh that is perfect for pumpkin pies. This is Delia Smith's recipe and it's divinely creamy. The molasses is a brilliant touch. I used ready-made graham crust shells from the supermarket - these worked perfectly. This recipe made two pies one of which we ate a couple of hours before dinner and one a couple of hours afterwards with a cup of tea and some leftovers!
1 lb (450 g) pureed pumpkin flesh
2 large eggs plus 1 yolk (reserve the white)
1 tablespoon molasses
3 oz (75 g) soft dark brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
10 fl oz (275 ml) double cream
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C).
Now for the filling.
Whisk the eggs and extra yolk together in a large bowl.
Add the molasses, the sugar, spices, the cream and the pumpkin purée.
Pour the filling into the shells and bake for 45-60 minutes, by which time it will puff up a bit around the edges but still feel slightly wobbly in the center.
Remove it from the oven and place the tin on a wire cooling rack.
Serve with a little whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (or both!)
Note: The original recipe has ground allspice, nutmeg and ginger in it but I didn't have any of these so I added more cinnamon and some vanilla essence - this turned out to be perfectly perfect!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Chestnut & Mushroom Wellington√
Don and Judith drove 1000 miles from Michigan this week to spend thanksgiving with us. Debra and Jim flew in from Connecticut, and Keith, Alex & Quin plus girlfriends drove up from Ocala. The weather was perfect and we were eleven for thanksgiving dinner. We ate outside at long tables, Italian style, as the sun fell through the pine trees.
The once happy, organic turkey came from Applewoods Farm. Debra doctored it a la Alton Brown and it was spectacularly divine - moist and tasty and not at all the cardboard-like aberrations of some of my Christmases past. The table groaned with food: turkey, gravies (one for the carnivores and one for the veggie), cranberries relishes (one cooked, one raw), mashed potatoes, fresh baby lima beans with bacon (and some without), loads of veggies and fresh bread (I'm going to put up a video of my no knead, no muss, no fuss, 3 minute bread soon).
We ate two deserts: pumpkin pie (of course) and a scrumptious chocolate/chestnut cake. Here's the trick that worked a treat with the desserts. We ate them at mid-day. We were all hungry and I just didn't feel like throwing something together for 11 hungry people. The desserts were ready and looked so inviting. We had at least four hours to go for a long walk between the sweet stuff and the turkey!!
Don's a vegetarian so I cooked up a Mushroom and Chestnut recipe adapted from a Rose Elliot recipe. Chestnuts are in season right now and are absolutely delicious. I made a veggie mushroom and onion gravy for Don and we all had a piece of the Wellington on the side - kinda like a deluxe stuffing/dressing. It's the first time I've ever cooked with puff pastry and it was so successful I can't wait to do it again. Here's my holiday recipe!
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 oz. of bella or chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
3 big ribs of celery, finely chopped
3 large cloves of garlic finely chopped
Saute the chopped vegetables in a tbsp of olive oil until translucent and starting to brown
Add 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp lemon juice and crumble in a vegetable stock cube and stir till dissolved.
Grind the following in the food process or chop finely and mix well together in a large bowl:
110g (4oz) cashews
110g (4oz) soft wholemeal breadcrumbs
110g (4oz) cooked chestnuts, chopped (you can use tinned - our were from the farmer's market)
1/2 cup finely chopped, mixed herbs - I used parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (breaking out into Simon & Garfunkle as I chopped and sprinkled)
Add the veggies and mix well.
Roll 330g (12oz) of frozen puff pastry out on a lightly floured board to make a rectangle about 14" x 11". Transfer the pastry to a lightly oiled baking tray and heap the mushroom mixture in the center, forming it into a loaf shape. Wet the edges on 3 sides generously with milk and fold over like a parcel pressing the edges down well so that the insides don't leak out during the baking. Make diagonal cuts across the top. Brush the whole top with more milk and bake at 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 for 40 mins, or till golden brown etc.
Serve with mushroom and onion gravy! Saute finely chopped onions, garlic and mushrooms in a mixture of olive oil and butter for at least 20 minutes. Add water or vegetable stock with a teaspoon of corn starch dissolved in it, some tamari (soy sauce) and herbs. Whiz in the food processor to make a creamy gravy (blending it makes it much paler) or leave it as is if you prefer it darker in color.
Damn - I meant to add some cooked, wild rice to the Wellington mix, but forgot. I think it would add a really nice texture and taste. Probably 4 - 6 oz of cooked rice depending on how much crunch you want.
Prepping Chestnuts
Canned chestnuts are fine - fresh are always finer. Prepping them is a pain but well worth it - and less of a pain if you have a slew of house-guests to help out. Cut the fresh chestnuts in half - they don't have to be cut all the way though and boil for 15-20 minutes i.e. until the shell and the chestnut pops out easily. Peel them as quickly possible as they become hard to peel once they cool even a little. I just take a cupful out of the hot water at a time ...
Postscript!
It's December 26th - the day after Christmas. We went to Orlandowith Lori & Shirley to shop at IKEA, then to the Audubon Raptor Center nearby and then a look around the Maitland Art Center. What could be better - a day trip with friends, shopping, a nature center and art. Heaven. We came home with cameras avian pictures and armfuls of goodies from IKEA. Hungry. I had a whole Chestnut & Mushroom Wellington left over after thanksgiving and had thrown it in the freezer. Ellen pulled it out this week and tonight I popped it in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. We had fresh made cranberry relish and gravy in the fridge plus a big salad I'd thrown together this morning before we left for the day. Shirley and Lori brought wine and a cooked ham. A perfect end to a perfect day!
The once happy, organic turkey came from Applewoods Farm. Debra doctored it a la Alton Brown and it was spectacularly divine - moist and tasty and not at all the cardboard-like aberrations of some of my Christmases past. The table groaned with food: turkey, gravies (one for the carnivores and one for the veggie), cranberries relishes (one cooked, one raw), mashed potatoes, fresh baby lima beans with bacon (and some without), loads of veggies and fresh bread (I'm going to put up a video of my no knead, no muss, no fuss, 3 minute bread soon).
We ate two deserts: pumpkin pie (of course) and a scrumptious chocolate/chestnut cake. Here's the trick that worked a treat with the desserts. We ate them at mid-day. We were all hungry and I just didn't feel like throwing something together for 11 hungry people. The desserts were ready and looked so inviting. We had at least four hours to go for a long walk between the sweet stuff and the turkey!!
Don's a vegetarian so I cooked up a Mushroom and Chestnut recipe adapted from a Rose Elliot recipe. Chestnuts are in season right now and are absolutely delicious. I made a veggie mushroom and onion gravy for Don and we all had a piece of the Wellington on the side - kinda like a deluxe stuffing/dressing. It's the first time I've ever cooked with puff pastry and it was so successful I can't wait to do it again. Here's my holiday recipe!
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 oz. of bella or chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
3 big ribs of celery, finely chopped
3 large cloves of garlic finely chopped
Saute the chopped vegetables in a tbsp of olive oil until translucent and starting to brown
Add 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp lemon juice and crumble in a vegetable stock cube and stir till dissolved.
Grind the following in the food process or chop finely and mix well together in a large bowl:
110g (4oz) cashews
110g (4oz) soft wholemeal breadcrumbs
110g (4oz) cooked chestnuts, chopped (you can use tinned - our were from the farmer's market)
1/2 cup finely chopped, mixed herbs - I used parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (breaking out into Simon & Garfunkle as I chopped and sprinkled)
Add the veggies and mix well.
Roll 330g (12oz) of frozen puff pastry out on a lightly floured board to make a rectangle about 14" x 11". Transfer the pastry to a lightly oiled baking tray and heap the mushroom mixture in the center, forming it into a loaf shape. Wet the edges on 3 sides generously with milk and fold over like a parcel pressing the edges down well so that the insides don't leak out during the baking. Make diagonal cuts across the top. Brush the whole top with more milk and bake at 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 for 40 mins, or till golden brown etc.
Serve with mushroom and onion gravy! Saute finely chopped onions, garlic and mushrooms in a mixture of olive oil and butter for at least 20 minutes. Add water or vegetable stock with a teaspoon of corn starch dissolved in it, some tamari (soy sauce) and herbs. Whiz in the food processor to make a creamy gravy (blending it makes it much paler) or leave it as is if you prefer it darker in color.
Damn - I meant to add some cooked, wild rice to the Wellington mix, but forgot. I think it would add a really nice texture and taste. Probably 4 - 6 oz of cooked rice depending on how much crunch you want.
Prepping Chestnuts
Canned chestnuts are fine - fresh are always finer. Prepping them is a pain but well worth it - and less of a pain if you have a slew of house-guests to help out. Cut the fresh chestnuts in half - they don't have to be cut all the way though and boil for 15-20 minutes i.e. until the shell and the chestnut pops out easily. Peel them as quickly possible as they become hard to peel once they cool even a little. I just take a cupful out of the hot water at a time ...
Postscript!
It's December 26th - the day after Christmas. We went to Orlandowith Lori & Shirley to shop at IKEA, then to the Audubon Raptor Center nearby and then a look around the Maitland Art Center. What could be better - a day trip with friends, shopping, a nature center and art. Heaven. We came home with cameras avian pictures and armfuls of goodies from IKEA. Hungry. I had a whole Chestnut & Mushroom Wellington left over after thanksgiving and had thrown it in the freezer. Ellen pulled it out this week and tonight I popped it in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. We had fresh made cranberry relish and gravy in the fridge plus a big salad I'd thrown together this morning before we left for the day. Shirley and Lori brought wine and a cooked ham. A perfect end to a perfect day!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Not Just Another No-Knead Bread√
I've spent the past six months obsessed. Obsessed with making a no knead, no fuss bread. The other post on this blog is a variation on the No Knead Bread recipe that is to be found all over the internet. I found it too fussy, too time-consuming and I didn't want to spend $150 on a cast iron dutch oven. I found the whole kitchen towel routine extremely annoying and having to wash those towels each time drove me crazy. Yes it was a no knead loaf and it worked - but there was wwwaaayyy too much fiddling around with this and that. I experimented with each and every step to see how far I could push things - or not. Finally this weekend I triumphed. No kitchen towels. No dutch ovens. A perfect loaf. Here it is - please make it and let me know how it works out for you. (Photos coming soon ...)
4 full to the brim cups of flour
1/4 teaspoon yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pint water
Mix ingredients quickly in a big bowl
Cover and let it rise for 12-18 hours
Punch down the dough and rest it for 15 minutes
Fold the dough over a few times and shape into a ball
Place in an oiled skillet and cover
Let it rise for up to 2 hours (till doubled in size)
Chck there's a rack in the middle of the oven and heat it to 500
Place skillet in oven and immediately turn it down to 400
Bake for 50 minutes
Here are some more words in case you are looking for explanations or additional hints or tips.
Ingredients
I full cup = 5 oz. x 4 = 1 lb and 4 (5) oz
I use 2 cups white and 2 cups brown flour
More yeast is not better curiously - the 1/4 teaspoon is just perfect.
I use water straight from the tap - our water is fine and the temperature doesnt' matter.
Mix ingredients quickly in a big mixing bowl
The dough should be pretty sticky - not wet but not dry either.
I use a thin, stiff rubber spatula to mix it as it's good for scraping the sides of the bowl down as well.
Cover and let it rise for 12-18 hours
Cover - I use a pie dish - and put in a place where it isn't going to get too cold (ideally it shouldn't drop below 70 degrees) for at least 12 hours.
It should double in size and the top should be flat and full of small holes.
The longer you leave it the more it will 'bubble' up.
The longer you leave it the more holey your final loaf will be.
It can be too holey and also the taste starts changing - becoming more 'sour' after 16 hours or so.
I rarely leave it longer than 12.
Punch down the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes
Use the spatula to punch it down.
Fold the dough over a few times (use some flour if need be) and shape into a ball
Sprinkle 1/4 cup of flour over the top of and use the spatula and/or your hands to mold it into a nice round mound. I sometimes have to use more flour. You don't want to womanhandle the dough - you have to resist all urges to 'knead' it - just schmoosh it a bit and make sure it isn't too sticky but it isn't dry either. The success of this loaf depends on the dough being wetter than doughs usually are - at each stage. I add a bit of flour at this stage to prevent it sticking to the skillet while baking.
Place in an oiled skillet and cover it
Use a conditioned skillet and it will not stick. Rub in a light flavorless oil - grapeseed is my favorite - enough to cover the bottom and the sides - about a tablespoon. Use the same pie dish to cover the skillet.
Let it rise for up to 2 hours (till doubled in size)How long you let it rise will depend on whether you use more white or more brown flour and how holey you like your finished loaf. I have let my bread rise too much and not liked the finished fluff.
Check there's a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 500 degrees
If the loaf is too high in the oven it will burn - too low and it won't cook hot enough.
Place skillet in oven and immediately turn it down to 400
Open the door - place the skillet in quickly (don't leave the door open for long otherwise the oven will lose heat) but gently (don't bang the loaf - you can damage some of its holes!) You can leave the oven on 500 for 10-15 minutes and then turn it down as per the original no-knead bread recipe but I find I get a better bread that is never burnt if I turn it down immediately. In the spirit of speed and efficiency it's one less thing to remember, one less thing to do.
Bake for 50 minutes
Depending on your oven you may need to bake it for a shorter or longer time. You will quickly it work out. After your bread has cooled your bread knife should be clean after you cut it. If it isn't then you didn't bake it quite long enough.
Take it out of the skillet and tip it upside down on a rack to cool.
I sometimes have to use a metal slice/spatula to unstick it. If your loaf is very stuck - especially stuck to the sides of the skillet then chances are the dough was too wet. Use a steak knife to separate the sides from the pan and a metal slice to get under it and unstick its bottom! The next time you make iti you can add a bit more flour before the final rise.
Cutting warm bread isn't easy but I can't resist a couple of slices with cold butter and sweet home-made jam or a chunk of cheese.
You can cut a cooled loaf in half and put one half in the freezer or you can cut it in quarters and put 3 quarters in the freezer, taking out one at a time so you have fresh bread every day or so and don't have to throw any away. Bread defrosted at room temperature is just perfect.
4 full to the brim cups of flour
1/4 teaspoon yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pint water
Mix ingredients quickly in a big bowl
Cover and let it rise for 12-18 hours
Punch down the dough and rest it for 15 minutes
Fold the dough over a few times and shape into a ball
Place in an oiled skillet and cover
Let it rise for up to 2 hours (till doubled in size)
Chck there's a rack in the middle of the oven and heat it to 500
Place skillet in oven and immediately turn it down to 400
Bake for 50 minutes
Here are some more words in case you are looking for explanations or additional hints or tips.
Ingredients
I full cup = 5 oz. x 4 = 1 lb and 4 (5) oz
I use 2 cups white and 2 cups brown flour
More yeast is not better curiously - the 1/4 teaspoon is just perfect.
I use water straight from the tap - our water is fine and the temperature doesnt' matter.
Mix ingredients quickly in a big mixing bowl
The dough should be pretty sticky - not wet but not dry either.
I use a thin, stiff rubber spatula to mix it as it's good for scraping the sides of the bowl down as well.
Cover and let it rise for 12-18 hours
Cover - I use a pie dish - and put in a place where it isn't going to get too cold (ideally it shouldn't drop below 70 degrees) for at least 12 hours.
It should double in size and the top should be flat and full of small holes.
The longer you leave it the more it will 'bubble' up.
The longer you leave it the more holey your final loaf will be.
It can be too holey and also the taste starts changing - becoming more 'sour' after 16 hours or so.
I rarely leave it longer than 12.
Punch down the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes
Use the spatula to punch it down.
Fold the dough over a few times (use some flour if need be) and shape into a ball
Sprinkle 1/4 cup of flour over the top of and use the spatula and/or your hands to mold it into a nice round mound. I sometimes have to use more flour. You don't want to womanhandle the dough - you have to resist all urges to 'knead' it - just schmoosh it a bit and make sure it isn't too sticky but it isn't dry either. The success of this loaf depends on the dough being wetter than doughs usually are - at each stage. I add a bit of flour at this stage to prevent it sticking to the skillet while baking.
Place in an oiled skillet and cover it
Use a conditioned skillet and it will not stick. Rub in a light flavorless oil - grapeseed is my favorite - enough to cover the bottom and the sides - about a tablespoon. Use the same pie dish to cover the skillet.
Let it rise for up to 2 hours (till doubled in size)How long you let it rise will depend on whether you use more white or more brown flour and how holey you like your finished loaf. I have let my bread rise too much and not liked the finished fluff.
Check there's a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 500 degrees
If the loaf is too high in the oven it will burn - too low and it won't cook hot enough.
Place skillet in oven and immediately turn it down to 400
Open the door - place the skillet in quickly (don't leave the door open for long otherwise the oven will lose heat) but gently (don't bang the loaf - you can damage some of its holes!) You can leave the oven on 500 for 10-15 minutes and then turn it down as per the original no-knead bread recipe but I find I get a better bread that is never burnt if I turn it down immediately. In the spirit of speed and efficiency it's one less thing to remember, one less thing to do.
Bake for 50 minutes
Depending on your oven you may need to bake it for a shorter or longer time. You will quickly it work out. After your bread has cooled your bread knife should be clean after you cut it. If it isn't then you didn't bake it quite long enough.
Take it out of the skillet and tip it upside down on a rack to cool.
I sometimes have to use a metal slice/spatula to unstick it. If your loaf is very stuck - especially stuck to the sides of the skillet then chances are the dough was too wet. Use a steak knife to separate the sides from the pan and a metal slice to get under it and unstick its bottom! The next time you make iti you can add a bit more flour before the final rise.
Cutting warm bread isn't easy but I can't resist a couple of slices with cold butter and sweet home-made jam or a chunk of cheese.
You can cut a cooled loaf in half and put one half in the freezer or you can cut it in quarters and put 3 quarters in the freezer, taking out one at a time so you have fresh bread every day or so and don't have to throw any away. Bread defrosted at room temperature is just perfect.
Coleslaw√
This is the ultimate coleslaw recipe - perfection on a plate that could not be simpler to throw together.
The exact quantities really don't matter that much - you want lots of cabbage (your base), then a bunch of carrots , next comes apples - they absolutely must be grannies - nothing else gives it the right kind of zing, then a small amount of red onion, and finally avocado and pomegranate - I'll come to those in a bit.
The trick is to prepare each ingredient differently so that the final product is 'not' a homogeneous mess,
Cabbage: finely shredded (half a small cabbage)
Carrots: grated - largest size hole (4-5 carrots)
Onion: finely chopped (1 small onion)
Apples: cubed (1-2 apples depending on the size)
Avocado: big cubes (1-2 avocados or whatever you have in the house)
Pomegranate: seeds and juice (1 large pomegranate)
Mayonnaise (Hellman's is best - home-made is not so good for this recipe)
You can use the food processor for the first three/key ingredients or do it the old-fashioned way.
Peel and core and cube the apples - small cubes - and add them to the mix.
At this point I add the mayonnaise and get everything mixed really well.
The mayonnaise will go further than you think - about 3 huge tablespoonfuls is good to start with.
Taste and mix again, add more mayonnaise if it's not creamy enough.
Remember that the vegetables will sweat a little so don't worry if it seems 'dry'.
Peel the avocado and make big (1/4" - 1/2" cubes)
Tip onto the coleslaw gently.
Get the seeds out of the Pomegranate: cut it in half and hold one half over a clean bowl and whack the side of the pomegranate with the handle of a big knife turning it and whacking it until the seeds start falling out then whack it all over the top. Pick over the seeds - removing any skin that fell in and tip the seeds (and any juice from that half) into the salad. Fold the avocado cubes and pomegranate seeds/juice super gently into the coleslaw and clean up the bowl - or tip the salad into the serving bowl.
Now 'whack' the seeds out of the second half of the pomegranate and pick out any bits of skin.
Finish the salad off by sprinkling the seeds only (keep the juice back - cook's treat) over the top of the salad.
I promise - this is the tastiest, healthiest coleslaw in the world! The 'sharp and sweet notes' of the pomegranate combined with the crunchiness of the seeds is a fantabulous.
You can use Mango instead of pomegranate - slightly unripe or nearly ripe mango is best - you don't get the fabulous texture contrast - but it makes the coleslaw divinely tropical. You can sprinkle some toasted coconut on top to complete the tropical theme.
The exact quantities really don't matter that much - you want lots of cabbage (your base), then a bunch of carrots , next comes apples - they absolutely must be grannies - nothing else gives it the right kind of zing, then a small amount of red onion, and finally avocado and pomegranate - I'll come to those in a bit.
The trick is to prepare each ingredient differently so that the final product is 'not' a homogeneous mess,
Cabbage: finely shredded (half a small cabbage)
Carrots: grated - largest size hole (4-5 carrots)
Onion: finely chopped (1 small onion)
Apples: cubed (1-2 apples depending on the size)
Avocado: big cubes (1-2 avocados or whatever you have in the house)
Pomegranate: seeds and juice (1 large pomegranate)
Mayonnaise (Hellman's is best - home-made is not so good for this recipe)
You can use the food processor for the first three/key ingredients or do it the old-fashioned way.
Peel and core and cube the apples - small cubes - and add them to the mix.
At this point I add the mayonnaise and get everything mixed really well.
The mayonnaise will go further than you think - about 3 huge tablespoonfuls is good to start with.
Taste and mix again, add more mayonnaise if it's not creamy enough.
Remember that the vegetables will sweat a little so don't worry if it seems 'dry'.
Peel the avocado and make big (1/4" - 1/2" cubes)
Tip onto the coleslaw gently.
Get the seeds out of the Pomegranate: cut it in half and hold one half over a clean bowl and whack the side of the pomegranate with the handle of a big knife turning it and whacking it until the seeds start falling out then whack it all over the top. Pick over the seeds - removing any skin that fell in and tip the seeds (and any juice from that half) into the salad. Fold the avocado cubes and pomegranate seeds/juice super gently into the coleslaw and clean up the bowl - or tip the salad into the serving bowl.
Now 'whack' the seeds out of the second half of the pomegranate and pick out any bits of skin.
Finish the salad off by sprinkling the seeds only (keep the juice back - cook's treat) over the top of the salad.
I promise - this is the tastiest, healthiest coleslaw in the world! The 'sharp and sweet notes' of the pomegranate combined with the crunchiness of the seeds is a fantabulous.
You can use Mango instead of pomegranate - slightly unripe or nearly ripe mango is best - you don't get the fabulous texture contrast - but it makes the coleslaw divinely tropical. You can sprinkle some toasted coconut on top to complete the tropical theme.
Bread and Butter Pudding√
Bread Pudding is an abomination. There. I've said it. It's heavy, stodgy and bad for you. I don't know who decided to make it without the butter but it really is a crime to make it without. My friend John taught me to butter both sides of the bread (the Italian way) rather than just one side (the British way). This elevates it to something divine.
Day old bread - white is best - or a mixture of white and brown - heavy brown bread does not make the best pudding
Butter - unsalted, at room temp or soft enough for easy spreading
Sugar
Maple syrup
Milk
Eggs
Vanilla essence
Optional extras: Chocolate chips or raisins or apricots etc.
I never measure anything for this recipe - I put in what feels right - adding a bit of this or that - making sure there are about 1 egg per cup of milk
Slice the bread - remove the crusts and butter on both sides
Butter a ceramic or glass baking dish
Layer the bread with a few dried fruits or chocolate chips in between each layer
Whisk milk, eggs, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla essence
Pour over the top until the bread is all covered
Cover and leave in the fridge for a few hours (so the bread soaks up the juices) or overnight
Sprinkle with extra sugar and grated nutmeg or cinnamon
Bake at 300-325 degrees for a good 45 minutes or longer if you have a big dish
It should be golden brown - all puffed up - and smelling like heaven
Make sure you have an audience for when you pull it out of the oven as it tends to fall fairly quickly.
Day old bread - white is best - or a mixture of white and brown - heavy brown bread does not make the best pudding
Butter - unsalted, at room temp or soft enough for easy spreading
Sugar
Maple syrup
Milk
Eggs
Vanilla essence
Optional extras: Chocolate chips or raisins or apricots etc.
I never measure anything for this recipe - I put in what feels right - adding a bit of this or that - making sure there are about 1 egg per cup of milk
Slice the bread - remove the crusts and butter on both sides
Butter a ceramic or glass baking dish
Layer the bread with a few dried fruits or chocolate chips in between each layer
Whisk milk, eggs, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla essence
Pour over the top until the bread is all covered
Cover and leave in the fridge for a few hours (so the bread soaks up the juices) or overnight
Sprinkle with extra sugar and grated nutmeg or cinnamon
Bake at 300-325 degrees for a good 45 minutes or longer if you have a big dish
It should be golden brown - all puffed up - and smelling like heaven
Make sure you have an audience for when you pull it out of the oven as it tends to fall fairly quickly.
Moroccan Chicken√
The chicken involved some serious showing off. I happened to have a couple of jars of Moroccan Preserved Lemons in the fridge - that I made with lemons I picked at Susie Lyons' dad's citrus orchard. Preserved lemons are an edible revelation. They transform simple salads, fish and chicken dishes into something absolutely spectacular. They couldn't be easier to make.
Moroccan Preserved Lemons
Scrub a bunch of lemons
Cut 3/4 of the way through a lemon in one direction lengthwise, turn upside down and make a 1/4 turn and cut the other way 3/4 through to the bottom
Pack the cuts with kosher salt and jam the lemons in a glass jar
Add a bit more salt and some lemon juice to cover and refridgerate
They are ready to use in a month and will last 6 months in the fridge
Chicken with Preserved Lemons & Saffron
Take a good free-range chicken
Stuff with a couple of preserved (or fresh) lemons
Place in a pan and cover (just cover) the chicken with water
Add 1 VERY finely chopped large onionAdd 1 tsp. saffron fronds
Simmer VERY slowly for a couple of hours turning the chicken every 1/2 hour or so (until the meat falls off the bones)
Pull the chicken out and let it cool a bitTake the meat off the bones and keep covered and warm.
Add some cubed (large-ish cubes), root vegetables to the stock - my favorites are turnips (any large turnip), rutabaga (swede), and celeriac and simmer uncovered for half an hour or so. The stock will concentrate and reduce.
While the roots are cooking make the couscous - the recipe on the packet works fine with a couple of extra steps at the end to make it perfect.
Bring water and oil to the boil and take off the heat.
Add the couscous and the lid of the pan.
After 10 minutes or so fluff the couscous up with a fork and place a doubled kitchen towel over the top of the pan and jam the lid down as tight as possible.
After another 10 minutes or so fluff the couscous again and 'wash' it with your fingers i.e. rub it lightly between the fingers of both hands to get rid of all lumps.
Add salt and one or more finely chopped preserved lemons to the stock i.e. until it tastes perfect
You can add other seasoning at this point (or earlier in the cooking process if you'd like).
You can also boil it vigorously to reduce it further.
Claudia Roden adds ginger and cinnamon but I never want to.
She also adds a bunch of finely chopped coriander and a bunch of chopped parsley at the beginning of the cooking process but I like to add those to the couscous just before serving - and I add either coriander or parsley rather than both.
You can serve this pretty much any way you'd like: either in separate bowls and let people help themselves or you can make up one big plate/bowl with a pile of couscous, the chicken on top, the roots all around and the stock poured around the edges.
Serve with harrissa - a moroccan hot sauce that can be found in tubes in specialty stores.
Moroccan Preserved Lemons
Scrub a bunch of lemons
Cut 3/4 of the way through a lemon in one direction lengthwise, turn upside down and make a 1/4 turn and cut the other way 3/4 through to the bottom
Pack the cuts with kosher salt and jam the lemons in a glass jar
Add a bit more salt and some lemon juice to cover and refridgerate
They are ready to use in a month and will last 6 months in the fridge
Chicken with Preserved Lemons & Saffron
Take a good free-range chicken
Stuff with a couple of preserved (or fresh) lemons
Place in a pan and cover (just cover) the chicken with water
Add 1 VERY finely chopped large onionAdd 1 tsp. saffron fronds
Simmer VERY slowly for a couple of hours turning the chicken every 1/2 hour or so (until the meat falls off the bones)
Pull the chicken out and let it cool a bitTake the meat off the bones and keep covered and warm.
Add some cubed (large-ish cubes), root vegetables to the stock - my favorites are turnips (any large turnip), rutabaga (swede), and celeriac and simmer uncovered for half an hour or so. The stock will concentrate and reduce.
While the roots are cooking make the couscous - the recipe on the packet works fine with a couple of extra steps at the end to make it perfect.
Bring water and oil to the boil and take off the heat.
Add the couscous and the lid of the pan.
After 10 minutes or so fluff the couscous up with a fork and place a doubled kitchen towel over the top of the pan and jam the lid down as tight as possible.
After another 10 minutes or so fluff the couscous again and 'wash' it with your fingers i.e. rub it lightly between the fingers of both hands to get rid of all lumps.
Add salt and one or more finely chopped preserved lemons to the stock i.e. until it tastes perfect
You can add other seasoning at this point (or earlier in the cooking process if you'd like).
You can also boil it vigorously to reduce it further.
Claudia Roden adds ginger and cinnamon but I never want to.
She also adds a bunch of finely chopped coriander and a bunch of chopped parsley at the beginning of the cooking process but I like to add those to the couscous just before serving - and I add either coriander or parsley rather than both.
You can serve this pretty much any way you'd like: either in separate bowls and let people help themselves or you can make up one big plate/bowl with a pile of couscous, the chicken on top, the roots all around and the stock poured around the edges.
Serve with harrissa - a moroccan hot sauce that can be found in tubes in specialty stores.
Frenzied Musings√
November 2007 - A Sweet Honey Frenzy
Ellen and I went with a bunch of friends last night to hear Sweet Honey in the Rock * (see more at the end of this post) and I invited everyone over for some soup and salad beforehand. I really did intend to make something simple but a delightful frenzy took over and I ended up making a couple of soups, a huge chopped salad, some lebne and TWO deserts. I made everything at breakneck speed - cooking two or three things at once and ending up with a clean kitchen and a bunch of yummy stuff in less than 2 hours!! It was a wonderful evening - fabulous friends, great grub, and marvellous music!
If you don't know Sweet Honey you might want to check them out - they are a spectacular acapella group who've been singing their hearts out since the mid 1980s. They weave spiritual and political and social threads into their beautiful, intriguing, magical songs.
As a child I studied music at high school but any time we had to sing I was singled out to keep my mouth shut. Although I could hear music what came out of my mouth didn't work so well.
As an adult I questioned many received wisdoms and this was one of them. I loved music so much and could hear it and play it so well it didn't make sense that I couldn't sing it.
Ysaye Barnwell, one of the founding members of Sweet Honey, gave a singing workshop in London in the late 80s and I signed up. By the end of that weekend I was not only singing, I was singing every damn part from soprano all the way down to bass. And so was every single other person in that group.
It was wonderful to hear her live and feel the love and gratitude I have towards her for helping me to find my singing voice. It was a transformative experience that literally changed my life. I joined a choir a few years after that workshop and have never looked back. I'm not a good singer but the thing is this, singing massages my soul - it nourishes the parts that other activities simply do not reach - and so I've become a bit of a singing slut - always on the lookout to singing my little heart out, wherever and whenever that may be!
http://www.sweethoney.com
March 7, 2008: A Small Rainy Day Frenzy
Debra came to visit this week and we had a fabulously theatrical time. We saw a Tennessee Williams play at the Hippodrome Theater - Suddenly Last Summer - and Rosenkranz & Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard at the Across Town Repertory Theater. We loved them both.
Today it rained cats and dogs as well alligators and bobcats. It was relentless - dark, and very, very wet. A small kitchen frenzy came upon me and I made a divine little vegetarian soup and a scrumptious (not vegetarian) chicken with preserved lemons and saffron. We had Roasted Roots and Couscous with the chicken and Bread AND Butter pudding for 'afters'.
August 18, 2007 Not Just A Breadmaking Frenzy
The Breadman breadmaking machine arrived yesterday. My whole life I have yearned to bake bread. And failed. It never rises. It always tastes like crap. My first loaf in the breadmaker was almost perfect. This morning I made fresh (organic) butter in it. Yup you read correctly. I put in some cream in the BREADMAKER and churned half a pound of butter. What a crazy and wonderful world we live in!
Breakfast - everything home-made - everything organic! Wholewheat bread slathered with butter, topped with Butia (Pindo) Palm Fruit Jelly. Incroyable!
This evening I made another loaf - this time with just a teaspoon of honey instead of 2 tablespoons of barley malt (the malt gave it a rather strong but not altogether unpleasant taste) - and half wholewheat and half white wholewheat (whatever that is) flours instead of all wholewheat. I timed it so that Ellen - who has been out of town since just before the breadmaker arrived - stepped in the door as the cooking cycle came to a close and the whole house smelled of freshly baked bread. This loaf is closer to perfect. Life couldn't be gooder. OK maybe I could be thinner (which isn't happening any time soon now).
We had bread and butter with one of my favorite, soups: Watercress. It's has a delightfully delicate taste and looks so pretty served in a white cup or bowl.
The next day I had an Iron Chef Evening in the kitchen - making lots of 'dishes' none of which I had made before, all of which I made up as I went along!
I started with fish - Grouper. It isn't a fish I know well and I marinaded it in lime juice, soy and olive oil which I had blended with basil and lemongrass from the garden. It was meatier than we like - I like fish to melt in my mouth and this one needed a lot of chewing.
I made three accompaniments (each of which would stand brilliantly on their own as a divine little vegetarian dinner): mashed cauliflower and peas, a squash souffle and an eggplant and tomato stack.
The were all absolutely delicious.
There was Butia (Pindo) Palm Fruit Sorbet for desert but we are too stuffed to even contemplate it. Go to the Edible Plant Project Website for full details!
And so to bed!!!
This morning I had Peach Kuchen and Chocolate Pudding for breakfast ... leftovers from last night's feastlet. It reminded me of when I was maybe 8 or 9 - my brother and I would creep downstairs after one of my parent's parties and eat cold, leftovers - macaroni and cheese and chocolate cake with the dregs from the wine glasses - the red and the white - mixed into a delightful, pink Sunday morning cocktail.
Ellen and I went with a bunch of friends last night to hear Sweet Honey in the Rock * (see more at the end of this post) and I invited everyone over for some soup and salad beforehand. I really did intend to make something simple but a delightful frenzy took over and I ended up making a couple of soups, a huge chopped salad, some lebne and TWO deserts. I made everything at breakneck speed - cooking two or three things at once and ending up with a clean kitchen and a bunch of yummy stuff in less than 2 hours!! It was a wonderful evening - fabulous friends, great grub, and marvellous music!
If you don't know Sweet Honey you might want to check them out - they are a spectacular acapella group who've been singing their hearts out since the mid 1980s. They weave spiritual and political and social threads into their beautiful, intriguing, magical songs.
As a child I studied music at high school but any time we had to sing I was singled out to keep my mouth shut. Although I could hear music what came out of my mouth didn't work so well.
As an adult I questioned many received wisdoms and this was one of them. I loved music so much and could hear it and play it so well it didn't make sense that I couldn't sing it.
Ysaye Barnwell, one of the founding members of Sweet Honey, gave a singing workshop in London in the late 80s and I signed up. By the end of that weekend I was not only singing, I was singing every damn part from soprano all the way down to bass. And so was every single other person in that group.
It was wonderful to hear her live and feel the love and gratitude I have towards her for helping me to find my singing voice. It was a transformative experience that literally changed my life. I joined a choir a few years after that workshop and have never looked back. I'm not a good singer but the thing is this, singing massages my soul - it nourishes the parts that other activities simply do not reach - and so I've become a bit of a singing slut - always on the lookout to singing my little heart out, wherever and whenever that may be!
http://www.sweethoney.com
March 7, 2008: A Small Rainy Day Frenzy
Debra came to visit this week and we had a fabulously theatrical time. We saw a Tennessee Williams play at the Hippodrome Theater - Suddenly Last Summer - and Rosenkranz & Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard at the Across Town Repertory Theater. We loved them both.
Today it rained cats and dogs as well alligators and bobcats. It was relentless - dark, and very, very wet. A small kitchen frenzy came upon me and I made a divine little vegetarian soup and a scrumptious (not vegetarian) chicken with preserved lemons and saffron. We had Roasted Roots and Couscous with the chicken and Bread AND Butter pudding for 'afters'.
August 18, 2007 Not Just A Breadmaking Frenzy
The Breadman breadmaking machine arrived yesterday. My whole life I have yearned to bake bread. And failed. It never rises. It always tastes like crap. My first loaf in the breadmaker was almost perfect. This morning I made fresh (organic) butter in it. Yup you read correctly. I put in some cream in the BREADMAKER and churned half a pound of butter. What a crazy and wonderful world we live in!
Breakfast - everything home-made - everything organic! Wholewheat bread slathered with butter, topped with Butia (Pindo) Palm Fruit Jelly. Incroyable!
This evening I made another loaf - this time with just a teaspoon of honey instead of 2 tablespoons of barley malt (the malt gave it a rather strong but not altogether unpleasant taste) - and half wholewheat and half white wholewheat (whatever that is) flours instead of all wholewheat. I timed it so that Ellen - who has been out of town since just before the breadmaker arrived - stepped in the door as the cooking cycle came to a close and the whole house smelled of freshly baked bread. This loaf is closer to perfect. Life couldn't be gooder. OK maybe I could be thinner (which isn't happening any time soon now).
We had bread and butter with one of my favorite, soups: Watercress. It's has a delightfully delicate taste and looks so pretty served in a white cup or bowl.
The next day I had an Iron Chef Evening in the kitchen - making lots of 'dishes' none of which I had made before, all of which I made up as I went along!
I started with fish - Grouper. It isn't a fish I know well and I marinaded it in lime juice, soy and olive oil which I had blended with basil and lemongrass from the garden. It was meatier than we like - I like fish to melt in my mouth and this one needed a lot of chewing.
I made three accompaniments (each of which would stand brilliantly on their own as a divine little vegetarian dinner): mashed cauliflower and peas, a squash souffle and an eggplant and tomato stack.
The were all absolutely delicious.
There was Butia (Pindo) Palm Fruit Sorbet for desert but we are too stuffed to even contemplate it. Go to the Edible Plant Project Website for full details!
And so to bed!!!
This morning I had Peach Kuchen and Chocolate Pudding for breakfast ... leftovers from last night's feastlet. It reminded me of when I was maybe 8 or 9 - my brother and I would creep downstairs after one of my parent's parties and eat cold, leftovers - macaroni and cheese and chocolate cake with the dregs from the wine glasses - the red and the white - mixed into a delightful, pink Sunday morning cocktail.
Lebne√
This is a middle eastern soft cheese made from yoghurt that is absolutely delicious. It is both bright and clean and positively sings in your mouth. It couldn't be easier to make but you do need a muslin or a cheesecloth or super-thin t-towel of some sort. I have a yard of cheesecloth that I keep in a drawer in my kitchen for making this cheese or straining fruits for making jellies.
1. Line a colander with the muslin (a double layer is good).
2. Tip in a big pot of plain yoghurt made from whole milk.
3. Sprinkle a teaspoon of salt on top and leave in the fridge for overnight. An astonishing amount of 'liquid' will drain out of it. The longer you leave it the creamier and cheesier it will become.
4. Scrape the cheese into a bowl (using a knife) and add chopped herbs to taste. You shouldn't have to add more salt ...
I frequently make it with garlic chives as the big mound outside my kitchen door thrive year round despite my benign neglect, but you could make this with absolutely anything. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Garlic & lemon thyme
Parsley & olives
Fresh chopped coriander & the zest of half a lemon or half a lime
Caraway seeds & paprika
Eat it as you would any soft cheese - on fresh bread, crackers or as a dip with crudites.
Chocolate Pudding√
November 1, 2008 - Important Update!
Here's my new improved foolproof chocolate pudding recipe. I made a huge bowlful in about 10-15 minutes while Ellen did the washing up. It's a grown up pudding - very chocolatey and not too sweet. I preferred it hot.
9 oz chocolate: 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips and 4 oz of 60% bittersweet chocolate chips and 1 oz cocoa powder (you can play with the quantities according to what you have in your pantry and your taste preferences of course - more or less chocolate or more or less bittersweet etc.)
3 eggs
5 cups milk
1 cup half and half
6 oz sugar
2 tbsp and 1 tsp cornstarch
pinch salt
Whisk the eggs into the milk and strain into a saucepan.
Turn on low to start gently heating the milk.
Add the sugar and salt and whisk.
Add the chocolate chips and stir from time to time while you attend to measuring and whisking the cornstarch and cocoa powder into the half and half. Once the chocolate chips have completely melted strain the cornstarch mixture into the pan.
Now step up to the pan and stay there until the pudding is done, stirring continuously so it doesn't stick or burn. You can increase the heat to speed up the process but do so very carefully and don't let it 'boil.' You can whisk it from time to time if it gets a bit lumpy.
Pour it into a beautiful bowl and serve warm with whipped cream.
Or let it cool - cover the bowl with a kitchen towel while it cools otherwise a skin forms within minutes and if you cover the bowel with a plate or clingfilm the condensation will drip back down onto it.
You can also chop bananas into it and sprinkle it with raspberries if you want to make it a bit healthier!
Scaled down quantities for just a couple of people (or one very greedy person):
1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
2 oz sugar
small pinch salt
3 oz chocolate chips
1/2 oz cocoa powder
3 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup half and half
Chocolate pudding isn't really an English thing or rather it isn't something I'd ever come across until I came across to the States. A few months ago I felt like making a pudding - a chocolatey treat. I decided to have a go at making a chocolate pudding - I was in too much of hurry to look up a recipe, thinking also 'how difficult could it be ... isn't it just a thick, chocolate-flavored custard?' So I threw a custard together and chucked in a whole bunch of dark chocolate, then added more milk, more sugar and a bit more corn starch until it had a good texture and a great taste. Afterwards I checked the recipes and was enchanted to find that mine wasn't so very different!
I got into a lot of trouble doubling up the recipe below to make enough for 10-12 people. I didn't have 8 ounces of chocolate so used 4 oz. of dark chocolate and 4 oz. of cocoa. I forgot that cocoa acts like flour and ended up having to add a ton more milk to thin it and some more sugar (don't ask how much) until it tasted just perfect (sweet but not too sweet). I ran out of milk and had to use some half and half.
I ended up with an obscene amount of pudding - it filled a big bowl right to the top. By the end of the evening we were eating it straight out of the bowl and there was only a little left for my morning indulgence.
4 oz. 60-70% chocolate + 1/4 cup of water - melt in a double boiler - stirring continuously.
Beat 1 large egg into 2 cups milk (or 1 1/2 cups milk and 1/2 cup half and half or cream)
Strain into the double boiler and mix into the chocolate
Add 2 oz. soft brown sugar, a pinch of salt and 1 tsp. of good vanilla
Mix 3 teaspoons of cornstarch into a little cold water and add to the mix
Stir until it thickens
Here's what - if you turn your back on it for even a minute lumps form and you'll have to whisk it in a panic. Here's really what - I always get completely bored with the whole double boiler thing and end up pouring it into a pan and then I bring it to a quick and little simmer, whisking like a mad woman all the while. People in a kitchen frenzy do not stand over a double boiler for 30 minutes waiting for their puddings to thicken.
Once it's nice and puddingy the cook has to eat a warm bowlful straight from the pan. Those are the rules.
A lot of recipes use a mix of cocoa powder and semi-sweet chocolate. I prefer the more intense and grown up taste of a dark chocolate pudding.
Postscript!
I happened upon a Chocolate Pudding being cooked up on TV late last night and saw it being treated with great reverence. Apparently you must ALWAYS cook chocolate very gently in a double boiler and you must NEVER whisk it else you will ruin it completely. Guess what. I simmered it in the pan. Then it got a bit lumpy so I whisked it. Repeatedly. Nobody complained.
Here's my new improved foolproof chocolate pudding recipe. I made a huge bowlful in about 10-15 minutes while Ellen did the washing up. It's a grown up pudding - very chocolatey and not too sweet. I preferred it hot.
9 oz chocolate: 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips and 4 oz of 60% bittersweet chocolate chips and 1 oz cocoa powder (you can play with the quantities according to what you have in your pantry and your taste preferences of course - more or less chocolate or more or less bittersweet etc.)
3 eggs
5 cups milk
1 cup half and half
6 oz sugar
2 tbsp and 1 tsp cornstarch
pinch salt
Whisk the eggs into the milk and strain into a saucepan.
Turn on low to start gently heating the milk.
Add the sugar and salt and whisk.
Add the chocolate chips and stir from time to time while you attend to measuring and whisking the cornstarch and cocoa powder into the half and half. Once the chocolate chips have completely melted strain the cornstarch mixture into the pan.
Now step up to the pan and stay there until the pudding is done, stirring continuously so it doesn't stick or burn. You can increase the heat to speed up the process but do so very carefully and don't let it 'boil.' You can whisk it from time to time if it gets a bit lumpy.
Pour it into a beautiful bowl and serve warm with whipped cream.
Or let it cool - cover the bowl with a kitchen towel while it cools otherwise a skin forms within minutes and if you cover the bowel with a plate or clingfilm the condensation will drip back down onto it.
You can also chop bananas into it and sprinkle it with raspberries if you want to make it a bit healthier!
Scaled down quantities for just a couple of people (or one very greedy person):
1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
2 oz sugar
small pinch salt
3 oz chocolate chips
1/2 oz cocoa powder
3 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup half and half
Chocolate pudding isn't really an English thing or rather it isn't something I'd ever come across until I came across to the States. A few months ago I felt like making a pudding - a chocolatey treat. I decided to have a go at making a chocolate pudding - I was in too much of hurry to look up a recipe, thinking also 'how difficult could it be ... isn't it just a thick, chocolate-flavored custard?' So I threw a custard together and chucked in a whole bunch of dark chocolate, then added more milk, more sugar and a bit more corn starch until it had a good texture and a great taste. Afterwards I checked the recipes and was enchanted to find that mine wasn't so very different!
I got into a lot of trouble doubling up the recipe below to make enough for 10-12 people. I didn't have 8 ounces of chocolate so used 4 oz. of dark chocolate and 4 oz. of cocoa. I forgot that cocoa acts like flour and ended up having to add a ton more milk to thin it and some more sugar (don't ask how much) until it tasted just perfect (sweet but not too sweet). I ran out of milk and had to use some half and half.
I ended up with an obscene amount of pudding - it filled a big bowl right to the top. By the end of the evening we were eating it straight out of the bowl and there was only a little left for my morning indulgence.
4 oz. 60-70% chocolate + 1/4 cup of water - melt in a double boiler - stirring continuously.
Beat 1 large egg into 2 cups milk (or 1 1/2 cups milk and 1/2 cup half and half or cream)
Strain into the double boiler and mix into the chocolate
Add 2 oz. soft brown sugar, a pinch of salt and 1 tsp. of good vanilla
Mix 3 teaspoons of cornstarch into a little cold water and add to the mix
Stir until it thickens
Here's what - if you turn your back on it for even a minute lumps form and you'll have to whisk it in a panic. Here's really what - I always get completely bored with the whole double boiler thing and end up pouring it into a pan and then I bring it to a quick and little simmer, whisking like a mad woman all the while. People in a kitchen frenzy do not stand over a double boiler for 30 minutes waiting for their puddings to thicken.
Once it's nice and puddingy the cook has to eat a warm bowlful straight from the pan. Those are the rules.
A lot of recipes use a mix of cocoa powder and semi-sweet chocolate. I prefer the more intense and grown up taste of a dark chocolate pudding.
Postscript!
I happened upon a Chocolate Pudding being cooked up on TV late last night and saw it being treated with great reverence. Apparently you must ALWAYS cook chocolate very gently in a double boiler and you must NEVER whisk it else you will ruin it completely. Guess what. I simmered it in the pan. Then it got a bit lumpy so I whisked it. Repeatedly. Nobody complained.
Austrian Fruit Kuchen√
Hannah Waldbaum gave me this recipe and it works every time. I am a Very Bad Baker because I don't like to cook the same thing twice and I love to fiddle with recipes. Baked goods do not respond well to this approach. Their recipes don't like being messed with. Chemistry is involved and even small changes in quantities cause big changes in results. Nearly all my kitchen tantrums have been over sunken cakes or breads that failed to rise.
This recipe is super quick to throw together and for some reason it is so straightforward it has repeatedly resisted my best efforts to ruin it. You don't need a math degree to transpose the ingredients to make a smaller or large cake.
8 oz. butter (room temp)
8 oz. soft brown sugar
8 oz. flour (half wholewheat pastry flour, half white unbleached)
4 large eggs (room temp)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
Fruit (depending on the size: 3-4 peaches, 6-10 apricots, 2-3 apples or 6-10 plums etc.)
Turn the oven on to 400 degrees.
Prep the fruit. Skin and quarter the peaches (or quarter them first and then skin them - easier, or if you are short on time don't bother skinning them - easier still), halve or quarter and pit the plums or apricots, skin and slice the apples into eighths etc.
Throw soft-ish butter into the food processor with the sugar and blend until pale.
With the blender on add the eggs one at a time leaving a few seconds between each egg.
Take the top off and throw in the flour, baking powder and salt.
Put the top back on and pulse just a few times to mix.
Pour into a buttered and floured pan (12 x 8)
Arrange the fruit gently and quickly on top.
Do NOT press it into the mixture - it will sink into the cake and can ruin it.
Throw into the oven for 20 - 25 minutes.
It will be golden brown and fill the kitchen with the best smell in the world. OK OK - there are others: bread baking, garlic sauteing, lemon zesting, bacon frying ... but it's right up there.
Update ... Wednesday 19th June
I remembered at 4 o'clock that I was bringing a cake to choir so I threw myself into a serious kitchen frenzy using 12 ounces of flour/butter/sugar, 6 fresh eggs from our chicklets, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/8 tsp of salt and 2 big teaspoons of vanilla essence - for a bigger slab of cake! Everything organic from the Citizen's Co-op including the plums. The plums were a pain - I couldn't halve them - I had to quarter them which ended up being just fine. I used a 16 x 12 pan.
I had a few plums left over and some cherries that needed eating in the fridge so I pitted them all and made a quick fruit compote by simmering them with a little water for 15 minutes or so. No sugar. The fruit had just the right degree of tartness to complement the sweet (but not too sweet!) of the cake.
The cake, compote and washing up were all done and dusted by 5 pm.
Ellen's eyes got really big. "Are you taking that whole cake to choir?" she asked pointedly as it came out the oven. A little later she said "Can I have some?" and a shorter while later "When can I have some?" and then "Can I have some now?" A Chinese water torture of carefully graded questions.
There was something really good about this cake. I used more white flour than usual (8 oz white to 4 oz wholewheat). I used a cane sugar that is a very pale brown. The eggs all had orange yokes. The result was a yellow cake that was light and very tasty.
It got SisterSong's seal of approval - we even sang a happy cake song which was a little weird and very funny.
Ellen had 2 pieces before choir and 1 piece from the paltry left overs after I got home.
This recipe is super quick to throw together and for some reason it is so straightforward it has repeatedly resisted my best efforts to ruin it. You don't need a math degree to transpose the ingredients to make a smaller or large cake.
8 oz. butter (room temp)
8 oz. soft brown sugar
8 oz. flour (half wholewheat pastry flour, half white unbleached)
4 large eggs (room temp)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
Fruit (depending on the size: 3-4 peaches, 6-10 apricots, 2-3 apples or 6-10 plums etc.)
Turn the oven on to 400 degrees.
Prep the fruit. Skin and quarter the peaches (or quarter them first and then skin them - easier, or if you are short on time don't bother skinning them - easier still), halve or quarter and pit the plums or apricots, skin and slice the apples into eighths etc.
Throw soft-ish butter into the food processor with the sugar and blend until pale.
With the blender on add the eggs one at a time leaving a few seconds between each egg.
Take the top off and throw in the flour, baking powder and salt.
Put the top back on and pulse just a few times to mix.
Pour into a buttered and floured pan (12 x 8)
Arrange the fruit gently and quickly on top.
Do NOT press it into the mixture - it will sink into the cake and can ruin it.
Throw into the oven for 20 - 25 minutes.
It will be golden brown and fill the kitchen with the best smell in the world. OK OK - there are others: bread baking, garlic sauteing, lemon zesting, bacon frying ... but it's right up there.
Update ... Wednesday 19th June
I remembered at 4 o'clock that I was bringing a cake to choir so I threw myself into a serious kitchen frenzy using 12 ounces of flour/butter/sugar, 6 fresh eggs from our chicklets, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/8 tsp of salt and 2 big teaspoons of vanilla essence - for a bigger slab of cake! Everything organic from the Citizen's Co-op including the plums. The plums were a pain - I couldn't halve them - I had to quarter them which ended up being just fine. I used a 16 x 12 pan.
I had a few plums left over and some cherries that needed eating in the fridge so I pitted them all and made a quick fruit compote by simmering them with a little water for 15 minutes or so. No sugar. The fruit had just the right degree of tartness to complement the sweet (but not too sweet!) of the cake.
The cake, compote and washing up were all done and dusted by 5 pm.
Ellen's eyes got really big. "Are you taking that whole cake to choir?" she asked pointedly as it came out the oven. A little later she said "Can I have some?" and a shorter while later "When can I have some?" and then "Can I have some now?" A Chinese water torture of carefully graded questions.
There was something really good about this cake. I used more white flour than usual (8 oz white to 4 oz wholewheat). I used a cane sugar that is a very pale brown. The eggs all had orange yokes. The result was a yellow cake that was light and very tasty.
It got SisterSong's seal of approval - we even sang a happy cake song which was a little weird and very funny.
Ellen had 2 pieces before choir and 1 piece from the paltry left overs after I got home.
Squash & Corn Soup√
1 medium size butternut squash
4 corn cobs1 potato
1 whole head of garlic (choose garlic with big cloves = easier to peel!)
Olive oil
Chicken stock
Half and half or cream
Salt
Saute the peeled, seeded and cubed squash, the peeled and cubed potato, the shucked corn and the peeled garlics in the olive oil.
Add the chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes.
Blend and sieve (to remove the tough skins of the corn).
Add a little half and half to taste if you would like to (not too much) or you can swirl in a spoonful just before serving.
I wish I'd had some fresh chopped parley to sprinkle on top just before serving.
4 corn cobs1 potato
1 whole head of garlic (choose garlic with big cloves = easier to peel!)
Olive oil
Chicken stock
Half and half or cream
Salt
Saute the peeled, seeded and cubed squash, the peeled and cubed potato, the shucked corn and the peeled garlics in the olive oil.
Add the chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes.
Blend and sieve (to remove the tough skins of the corn).
Add a little half and half to taste if you would like to (not too much) or you can swirl in a spoonful just before serving.
I wish I'd had some fresh chopped parley to sprinkle on top just before serving.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Gomasio√
Throw a handful of toasted sesame seeds and some seaweed in the food processor and pulse a bit - you don't want the seeds to be ground into flour.
Add some good salt (Maldon Sea Salt is my favorite).
Have a small bowl at the table - it's a delicious way to season your food without over-doing the salt!
Add some good salt (Maldon Sea Salt is my favorite).
Have a small bowl at the table - it's a delicious way to season your food without over-doing the salt!
Asparagus Soup√
Each ingredient is important in this soup - adding to the final product in subtle ways.
This is the smoothest, silkiest soup you've ever swirled around your mouth!
1 onion
Bunch of asparagus
One heart of celery
1 medium (or 2 small) potatoes
Veggie stock cube or vegetable stock
Whole milk
One ripe avocado
1 tbsp. butter
Salt
Chop the onion and melt softly in the butter (do not brown)
Chop the tips off the sparrowgrass (the top one-two inches) and put to one side
Break the bottoms off the sparrowgrass as far down as they will let you (that way you don't waste any of the good stuff)
Chop roughly and add to the pan
Peel (I know I know - but with this soup you have to) and chop the potatoes and add to the pan
Scrub and chop the celery and add to the pan
Cover with water or stock and simmer for 20-30 minutes
Add the stock cube if you used water instead of stock
Blend with the avocado and enough milk to make it super smooth
Add salt to taste
Home-made croutons
Cubes of 2 or 3 day old bread (1/2" square)
Olive oil
Toss the cubed bread in a big bowl with a little olive oil
Throw in a hot skillet and keep tossing until the cubes are nice brown
Place in bowl for the table
Simmer the sparrowgrass tips in a little water for 2-5 minutes (depending on their size)
To serve:
Place a couple of ladelfuls of this beautiful green soup in a white bowl and sprinkle a few sparrowgrass tips on top
Let people add their own croutons
I had some fresh, home-made Gomasio that was yummy sprinkled on top.
This is the smoothest, silkiest soup you've ever swirled around your mouth!
1 onion
Bunch of asparagus
One heart of celery
1 medium (or 2 small) potatoes
Veggie stock cube or vegetable stock
Whole milk
One ripe avocado
1 tbsp. butter
Salt
Chop the onion and melt softly in the butter (do not brown)
Chop the tips off the sparrowgrass (the top one-two inches) and put to one side
Break the bottoms off the sparrowgrass as far down as they will let you (that way you don't waste any of the good stuff)
Chop roughly and add to the pan
Peel (I know I know - but with this soup you have to) and chop the potatoes and add to the pan
Scrub and chop the celery and add to the pan
Cover with water or stock and simmer for 20-30 minutes
Add the stock cube if you used water instead of stock
Blend with the avocado and enough milk to make it super smooth
Add salt to taste
Home-made croutons
Cubes of 2 or 3 day old bread (1/2" square)
Olive oil
Toss the cubed bread in a big bowl with a little olive oil
Throw in a hot skillet and keep tossing until the cubes are nice brown
Place in bowl for the table
Simmer the sparrowgrass tips in a little water for 2-5 minutes (depending on their size)
To serve:
Place a couple of ladelfuls of this beautiful green soup in a white bowl and sprinkle a few sparrowgrass tips on top
Let people add their own croutons
I had some fresh, home-made Gomasio that was yummy sprinkled on top.
Eggplant and Tomato Stacks√
Eggplant and Tomato Stacks
This couldn't sound more unappetizing. A stack. It is spectacular. Light, a perfect blend of tastes and textures.
Make a roasted yellow pepper sauce first of all, blending the roasted and peeled peppers with their own juices (carefully preserved during the peeling process) with a teaspoon of lemon juice (for 2 peppers) and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt.
Peel a large eggplant and cut big slices about half an inch thick.
Dip in olive oil and fry until soft and nicely browned on both sides.
Towards the end of their being ready cook the tomato slices.
Cut big (circular) slices about half an inch thick from a beefsteak tomato.
Fry each side briefly in very hot olive oil (about 1 minute).
Assemble your stacks as follows
Start with a tomato 'wheel' - add a shredded basil leaf.
Add an eggplant 'wheel' and place a spoonful of the yellow pepper 'coulis' on top.
Of course you could go 'Gordon Ramsey' and add more layers but I hate those high towers of food that collapse messily all over the plate. I like my stacks manageable. Orderly stacks. Mmm!!!
This couldn't sound more unappetizing. A stack. It is spectacular. Light, a perfect blend of tastes and textures.
Make a roasted yellow pepper sauce first of all, blending the roasted and peeled peppers with their own juices (carefully preserved during the peeling process) with a teaspoon of lemon juice (for 2 peppers) and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt.
Peel a large eggplant and cut big slices about half an inch thick.
Dip in olive oil and fry until soft and nicely browned on both sides.
Towards the end of their being ready cook the tomato slices.
Cut big (circular) slices about half an inch thick from a beefsteak tomato.
Fry each side briefly in very hot olive oil (about 1 minute).
Assemble your stacks as follows
Start with a tomato 'wheel' - add a shredded basil leaf.
Add an eggplant 'wheel' and place a spoonful of the yellow pepper 'coulis' on top.
Of course you could go 'Gordon Ramsey' and add more layers but I hate those high towers of food that collapse messily all over the plate. I like my stacks manageable. Orderly stacks. Mmm!!!
Savoury Squash Bake√
1 1/2 cup cooked butternut or acorn squash
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (or any other very finely grated cheese)
2 tablespoons sour cream (or cream)
1 egg
2 tablespoon fine dry bread crumbs (I make them from freshly made bread - drying slices in the oven for 10 minutes or so before 'crumbing' it in the blender)
Combine all ingredients in the food processor or blender.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes - until nicely risen and beginning to brown on top.
This is almost a souffle - I guess if you were to add another egg and separate them, adding the yolks to the squash mixture, then whipping the whites and folding them in then bake it would be more of a proper souffle! I have made this many times now - once time I added peas for a bit of color and interest, another time corn and two times I added cranberries. Adding them uncooked gives this simple and rather plain dish a whole new dimension of texture and bursts of taste. It's a perfect accompaniment to turkey or chicken.
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (or any other very finely grated cheese)
2 tablespoons sour cream (or cream)
1 egg
2 tablespoon fine dry bread crumbs (I make them from freshly made bread - drying slices in the oven for 10 minutes or so before 'crumbing' it in the blender)
Combine all ingredients in the food processor or blender.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes - until nicely risen and beginning to brown on top.
This is almost a souffle - I guess if you were to add another egg and separate them, adding the yolks to the squash mixture, then whipping the whites and folding them in then bake it would be more of a proper souffle! I have made this many times now - once time I added peas for a bit of color and interest, another time corn and two times I added cranberries. Adding them uncooked gives this simple and rather plain dish a whole new dimension of texture and bursts of taste. It's a perfect accompaniment to turkey or chicken.
Creamed Cauliflower with Peas√
Creamed Cauliflower with Peas
So much lighter and less calorific than potatoes.
Simmer 1 lb of chopped cauliflower florets in water (just enough to cover) for 6-10 minutes and drain.
Smash the florets roughly in the pan and drain again.
Add ½ cup of chicken stock and simmer with the lid off until the cauliflower is soft.
Stick in the food processor or blender with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of butter, ½ teaspoon of salt and lots of pepper, and 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary.
Spoon into a serving dish and sprinkle with 1-2 cups of cooked garden peas (or petit pois).
I once added a clove of garlic and it completely overpowered the cauliflower. Never again. I'm not sure that the cauliflower could or should take anything else - maybe a tiny bit of fresh horseradish or maybe not.
Many Moons Later: at least 12
Debra and Jim have moved to Gainesville and live a short walk away. Ellen and Ziggy and I strolled over this afternoon to swim in their pool. The talk turned to dinner around dinner time (funny that) and Debra and I played with ideas and vegetables and two chicken breasts for a good 20 minutes. What could we make for 4 peeps? Chicken escallops? Grilled kebabs? A stir fry? Unfortunately the skewers hadn't made their way out of the moving boxes and we didn't have the right implement for smashing the breasts to thin smithereens. The vegetables were good ones ... from the farmer's market ... and we each settled on a dish we each wanted to make. Debra grabbed the peppers, the chicken breasts, the zucchini and turned them into a delicious, colorful stir fry. I scooped up the cauliflower, a couple of small red potatoes, two onions and a bag of brussels sprouts and decided to try and make a better cauliflower puree. Better than the last one that that was altogether too watery. It leaked an unappealing fluid around its edges and although delicious, was not tasty.
I decided to add a couple of small potatoes - just enough starch to mop up the moisture. I decided to steam the cauliflower not boil it (less water) and to puree it with a little milk instead of stock. I boiled the potatoes in the water under the steaming cauliflowers. I chopped the onions and sauteed them in a little olive oil for the entire time the potatoes were cooking and then some. Stirring them from time to time. Until they were caramelized a deep golden brown. I trimmed and quartered the sprouts and steamed them. I pureed the cauliflower and potatoes in a little milk, added salt to taste and stirred in the onions. I piled the puree onto a platter and piled the sprouts around the edge.
Neither of us were sure whether the two dishes would come together but they did! The onions added just enough flavor make the mash much more interesting without drowning out its delicate flavors. The sprouts added color and texture. There were no leaks. Even the born-again-carnivore at the table loved the meal and took seconds of both dishes!!
So much lighter and less calorific than potatoes.
Simmer 1 lb of chopped cauliflower florets in water (just enough to cover) for 6-10 minutes and drain.
Smash the florets roughly in the pan and drain again.
Add ½ cup of chicken stock and simmer with the lid off until the cauliflower is soft.
Stick in the food processor or blender with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of butter, ½ teaspoon of salt and lots of pepper, and 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary.
Spoon into a serving dish and sprinkle with 1-2 cups of cooked garden peas (or petit pois).
I once added a clove of garlic and it completely overpowered the cauliflower. Never again. I'm not sure that the cauliflower could or should take anything else - maybe a tiny bit of fresh horseradish or maybe not.
Many Moons Later: at least 12
Debra and Jim have moved to Gainesville and live a short walk away. Ellen and Ziggy and I strolled over this afternoon to swim in their pool. The talk turned to dinner around dinner time (funny that) and Debra and I played with ideas and vegetables and two chicken breasts for a good 20 minutes. What could we make for 4 peeps? Chicken escallops? Grilled kebabs? A stir fry? Unfortunately the skewers hadn't made their way out of the moving boxes and we didn't have the right implement for smashing the breasts to thin smithereens. The vegetables were good ones ... from the farmer's market ... and we each settled on a dish we each wanted to make. Debra grabbed the peppers, the chicken breasts, the zucchini and turned them into a delicious, colorful stir fry. I scooped up the cauliflower, a couple of small red potatoes, two onions and a bag of brussels sprouts and decided to try and make a better cauliflower puree. Better than the last one that that was altogether too watery. It leaked an unappealing fluid around its edges and although delicious, was not tasty.
I decided to add a couple of small potatoes - just enough starch to mop up the moisture. I decided to steam the cauliflower not boil it (less water) and to puree it with a little milk instead of stock. I boiled the potatoes in the water under the steaming cauliflowers. I chopped the onions and sauteed them in a little olive oil for the entire time the potatoes were cooking and then some. Stirring them from time to time. Until they were caramelized a deep golden brown. I trimmed and quartered the sprouts and steamed them. I pureed the cauliflower and potatoes in a little milk, added salt to taste and stirred in the onions. I piled the puree onto a platter and piled the sprouts around the edge.
Neither of us were sure whether the two dishes would come together but they did! The onions added just enough flavor make the mash much more interesting without drowning out its delicate flavors. The sprouts added color and texture. There were no leaks. Even the born-again-carnivore at the table loved the meal and took seconds of both dishes!!
Watercress Soup√
Watercress Soup
Chop 1 medium size potato into cubes and sweat gently in a little butter or light (sunflower) oil for 5 minutes or so
Add 1 carton of chicken stock * and bring to the boil
Add two fat bunches of washed watercress (don't cut off the stalks)
Simmer for 10-15 minutes - until the potatoes are cooked
Blend vigorously until super smooth with 1 cup of milk or half and half
Add salt and pepper to tasteServe with a finely chopped, fresh herb garnish - chives are my favorite
* 32 oz. carton (or 4 cups/2 pints of homemade stock - chicken or vegetable - or water plus good stock cubes!)
Chop 1 medium size potato into cubes and sweat gently in a little butter or light (sunflower) oil for 5 minutes or so
Add 1 carton of chicken stock * and bring to the boil
Add two fat bunches of washed watercress (don't cut off the stalks)
Simmer for 10-15 minutes - until the potatoes are cooked
Blend vigorously until super smooth with 1 cup of milk or half and half
Add salt and pepper to tasteServe with a finely chopped, fresh herb garnish - chives are my favorite
* 32 oz. carton (or 4 cups/2 pints of homemade stock - chicken or vegetable - or water plus good stock cubes!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
