Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Green Beans w/ Maple Pecan Butter

2 1/2 lbs fresh green beans

1tsp canola oil
1/2 c pecan halves

1 c butter, softened
1/4 c maple syrup

4 tbsp canola oil

2 tsp coarse salt
1 tbsp ground pepper

• in batches, cook the green beans about 3-4 minutes in boiling salted water
• cool beans with cold water to prevent further cooking. Set aside.

• toast pecans with tsp oil, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.

• Whip butter with syrup.
• Mix in pecans.

• Just before meal is ready to go, saute beans with oil until hot. Mix with maple-pecan butter. S&P to serve.

Chiffon Pumpkin Pie

The recipe for this was found at Simply Recipes. I changed it up just a bit. It is very heavy on pumpkin flavour.

1 small (pie / sugar) pumpkin
pumpkin-pecan butter (optional, available from Williams-Sonoma)

2 c crushed gingersnaps
1/3 c sugar
1/4 tsp ground ginger
6 tbsp butter, melted

1 envelope gelatin
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinammon
1/2 c milk
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp - 1/2 c rum

3 egg whites
1/4 c sugar

1 c heavy cream


• preheat oven to 325
• cut top off of pumpkin and place face down on a baking sheet.
• place in oven for about 40 minutes, until flesh is soft.
• Let cool slightly, then scoop softened flesh out with a spoon.
• blend in food processor to form puree. You want about 1 3/4 c. I was a little short so bulked it up with pumpkin pecan butter.
(Feel free to skip this and just buy canned puree.)

• crush gingersnaps in food processor.
• mix in sugar, ginger and butter and pulse until coarse meal.
• press into ungreased 9" springform pan, with sides about 1 - 1 1/2"
• bake for 8-15 minutes
• let cool completely

• in heavy saucepan, mix together gelatin, sugar, spices, milk and egg yolks over medium heat, stirring constantly
• let mixture thicken without boiling over
• remove and let cool and thicken further
• stir in pumpkin puree and rum
• refridgerate until thick (able to form into mounds), stirring frequently

• beat together whites and sugar until stiff peaks form
• fold into thickened pumpkin puree
• spoon into cooled pie crust. Refridgerate for several hours.

• whip cream to garnish and dust with excess gingersnap crumbs


(The pie is light but heavy on flavour. May turn off those who aren't too into pumpkin pie. But who is, really?)

Monday, October 7, 2007
My First Thanksgiving Dinner
(with Jeannette, Craig, Geoff, Mat, Ben, Francine and Derek, who missed the pie)

Plum Crumble

Jillian turned me on to this a few years ago while I was out visiting. It's made its round repeatedly. Very, very tasty and super easy.

4 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
4 heaping tbsp finely chopped candied ginger

5 medium plums / 10 smallish plums, cut in half and pitted

1 1/2 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 c flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten

3/4 c butter, melted


• Preheat oven to 375.

• Mix together brown sugar through candied ginger.
• Coat plums in sugar-ginger mixture, being sure to pack the pit hollow with filling on each.
• Arrange skin side up in ungreased 8 or 9" square baking dish. You want to have enough plums to fill the dish.
• Pour and excess ginger-sugar over top plums.

• Combine remaining dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
• Stir in egg. Use your hands to rub together into little particles.
• Sprinkle over plums.
• Drizzle crumble with melted butter.

• Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until top is browned and plums are softened.
• Let cool slightly. Serve with vanilaa ice cream, if so desired.


(The candied ginger is what really gives this kick. Add more if you're brave.)

Sunday, October 7, 2007
My First Thanksgiving Dinner
(with Jeannette, Craig, Geoff, Mat, Ben, Francine and Derek)

Monday, September 17, 2007

Petite Fours

So these take a bit of patience with the assembling, but it's all pretty easy and for an impressive result. These ones are composed of the following layers: Genoise cake, almond custard, strawberry puree, brandy syrup and chocolate ganache.


Genoise

1 c sifted cake flour
2 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt

4 eggs
1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp butter, melted

• Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease an 8 x 8 baking pan, line with parchment and dust with flour

•Sift together first three dry ingredients

• Whisk eggs together in a medium sized bowl placed over a dish of hot water.
• Whisk in the 1/2 sugar, mixing until warm.
• Beat with whisk attachment until pale yellow and frothy.
• Add in vanilla.

• Fold flour in a 1/3 at a time. Careful not to overmix and to keep volume.
• Add a bit of mixture and blend with melted butter. Pour back into main mixture.
• Pour into baking pan and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top is light brown.
• Let cool ten minutes in pan, the transfer to wire rack to cool completely.


Almond Custard

1/4 c sugar
5 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt

1 c milk
2 eggs

2 tbsp amaretto

• Put sugar, cornstarch and salt in medium saucepan.

• In another bowl, whisk together milk and eggs. Pour into saucepan.
• Heat over medium heat, whisking frequently. Bring to a slow boil and and continue for 2 minutes. The mixture with thicken fairly quickly, so whisk often to keep it a smooth consistency.
• Remove from heat. Add amaretto.
• Chill completely before layering.


Strawberry Puree

About 3/4 pack of strawberries (Maybe about 2 cups?), hulled
About 1/4 c of sugar
Squeeze of lemon juice

• Throw strawberries into food processor. Pulse until smooth.
• Add a bit of sugar and lemon juice, mix well. Add sugar as needed for desired sweetness.
• Mine was looking pretty runny, so I added a bit of gelatin. It seemed to help thicken it up.
• Chill in the fridge until ready to layer.


Brandy Syrup

2 c water
1 c sugar
2 tbsp brandy

• Bring water and sugar to a boil. Let boil for about 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat and let cool.
• Add brandy and pour into sealable bottle (it makes lots).


Once you have all your layer components completely cooled, you are ready to assemble:
• Cut cake in half. This makes cutting the layers way easier.
• Cut each half into four layers using a serrated knife. The cake is spongy and should cut easily. If you want to make sure the layers are a consistent thickness, mark with toothpicks first. You can also take the easy way and just do 3 layers of cake. Your call.
• Place first layer down. Brush with syrup.
• spread strawberry puree over evenly.
• Stack on second cake layer. Brush with syrup.
• Spread an even layer of custard.
• Cake layer number three. Brush with syrup.
• Another strawberry layer. Top with top cake layer and scrape of any excess filling. Wrap in plastic and throw in the fridge. Repeat with the second half of cake.


Chocolate Ganache

1 c heavy cream
9 oz bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1 tbsp amaretto (or rum, or whatever)

• Bring cream just to a boil over medium heat.
• Throw chocolate in bowl. Pour hot cream over. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.
• Add booze. Mix again.


You want the ganache to cool SLIGHTLY before icing, but not too much. All it really needs is the time to cut the layer cakes into cubes:
• Take layer cakes out of fridge. Cut into roughly 1" squares.
• Working a few pieces at a time, place cake onto wire rack. Be sure to have a baking sheet or the like underneath to catch runoff.
• Pour a spoonful of ganache over each piece, spread lightly over the top so a drizzle of chocolate runs off each size.
• Carefully tranfer iced pieces to platter to cool. Keep going until you've done them all. Then let them chill in the fridge. It helps the ganache set much faster.


(So it looks like a lot of work, but the active time isn't too bad. It just takes some patience. And defs not a dessert you can throw together in the last hour. They look pretty fancy. I wish I took a picture.)

Saturday, September 15, 2007.
Drunken tea party with everyone.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Balsamic Glaze Salmon Salad

Easy, fast, tasty.

1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1/4 c dry white wine
tbsp brown sugar
splash of maple syrup

single serving of salmon
olive oil
ground pepper

herb salad mix (or any kind of salad mix)
handful of grape tomatoes
quarter red pepper, chopped


• do a quick balsamic glaze by throwing equal amount vinegar and wine into a small pot / pan with some sugar and a bit of maple syrup. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, and let thicken.

• rub the salmon with olive oil and coat both sides with fresh ground pepper
• throw the salmon on the grill / bbq / into the broiler
• cook 4 or 5 minutes, until it's cooked through

• throw a few handfuls of salad mix into a bowl, with the tomatoes and red pepper
• place your grilled salmon on top
• drizzle with glaze


(served with a Bogle Petite Syrah. Not neccesarily the best match, but a very dependable American wine nonetheless)

Thursday, August 30, 2007
(solo super lazy dinner)

I like the salmon done on my charming little George Forman grill, simply because it gets a nice crisp crust on it: a nice added texture to the salad. Also, I wish I had camera batteries, just because it looks much more impressive than the effort that goes in.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Pine Nut Dolmades w/ Yogurt Feta Dip

The Dolmades
* these are made stovetop, just as a warning

14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes
1 c arborio (short grain) rice
1 bunch green onions, sliced (about a cup)
1/2 c mint, chopped
1/2 c dill, chopped
1/2 c pine nuts, toasted
1/3 c olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt
pepper

grape leaves
1 lemon


• Mix all the filling ingredients, from the can of tomatoes to the pepper, in a large bowl. Salt & Pepper as needed.

• In a large pot / dutch oven, line the bottom with about 6 grape leaves
• roll leaves with about a tbsp of filling each ( if you haven't rolled dolmades before, you want to make sure the are sealed up pretty tight)
• layer your rolled leaves in the pot until you run out of filling
• squeeze lemon juice over the top
• cover with another layer of flat grape leaves
• fill pot with enough water to cover everything
• cover pot and bring to a boil
• simmer until rice is tender, and most of the water is gone, about 35 minutes



The Dip

1 c plain yogurt, the thicker the better
4 oz crumbled feta
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 tsp lemon peel
pepper as needed

• throw all the ingredients in the food processor until well blended.
• chill
• serve spooned over dolmades



Wednesday, August 1, 2007
(Backyard Potluck with special guests Jillian and Crystal, as well as all the Wednesday night friends)

(The dolmades can be served warm or cold, but I always think warm is better. The pine nuts add great taste and texture. Much preferred over my usual plain ones.)

Monday, August 20, 2007

Basque Chocolate Cake with Cherry Preserves

12 tbsp butter, cut into pieces
5 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate

3 eggs
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c flour

creme fraiche
cherry preserves (or any fruit preserves, really)


• preheat oven to 375ยบ

• melt the butter and chocolate over moderate heat. remove from heat and let cool slightly.

• cream the eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy.
• add flour and mix on low until just blended.

• fold chocolate into butter mixture in two batches. don't overmix.

• pour batter into lightly buttered 9" round pan
• bake 35 minutes

• warm preserves over low heat
• serve cake with dollop of creme fraiche and preserves poured over top.



Friday, August 17, 2007.
Post-French Dinner Party Dessert Party (with Matthew, Mat, Mark, Keely and Amelia).

(The cake is pretty heavy, almost like a giant brownie cake. Holds up well after a few days.)

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Broiled Lamb with Summer Vegetable Gratin

Summer Vegetable Gratin

1 medium eggplant, peeled and sliced 1/2"
2 medium zucchini, sliced 1/2"
5 larger roma tomatoes, sliced
(you want about a pound of each)

olive oil
coarse salt
coarse grind pepper
1 tsp finely chopped rosemary


• preheat oven to 400
• lightly oil 8 x 8 baking dish (you can use a larger one as well, it just won't be so layered)
• arrange about 1/3 of the eggplant in an overlapping row. Repeat with zucchini, then tomato.
• Once you have a full layer, season with salt and pepper.
• Repeat until all the vegs are used
• drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with rosemary
• bake for 40 minutes



Broiled Lamb

12 lamb rib chops, about 1 3/4" thick
6 tbsp-ish olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
coarse salt
lots of pepper

• preheat broiler (or you can use a grill)
• in large-ish baking dish, mix olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper
• add lamb chops, turning to coat, adding extra pepper as needed. (You can let it sit for 20 minutes or so, but isn't really necessary.)
• broil for five minutes
• turn the chops, basting with excess oil
• broil for about 8 more minutes. (if you are using a smaller cut of lamb, knock your cooking time down as needed.)


Well paired with a 1996 Les Tourelles de Longueville Pauillac.



August 17, 2007
French Dinner Party in advance appreciation of Matthew & Erin's birthdays (with Matthew, Mat, Mark, Monique & Keely)

(Both are fast and easy to make, with very simple seasoning. And completely amazing. The tomatoes in the gratin were especially good.)