tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52187120719712885202024-03-13T08:44:13.403-04:00À Table!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-22985812459329444242012-10-20T12:13:00.001-04:002012-10-20T12:13:01.981-04:00In a Pickle<p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">Had you told me a few years ago that I would be making pickles, I would have laughed. I didn't used to like pickles. I would hate opening up the wrapper of a sandwich I bought at a deli only to find a rubbery pickle snuggling up to my delicious lunch. Figuring I would never escape pickles, I decided I would try and like them. It took a while but I finally turned hate into appreciation. I've seen all sorts of pickled vegetables at local farmers markets and wanted to give it a try.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 14px;">I </span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">was already canning jam and tomatoes, why not green beans and jalapeno slices too?!</span></p><p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2102.JPG" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-bhONiwAZsfk/UILNddnFozI/AAAAAAAAEyU/gSZLdlHiTrc/IMG_2102.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_2102.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><strong><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Dilly Beans!</span></strong></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><em>(makes about 5 pint jars)</em></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Palatino;">4 cups cider vinegar (5% acidity)</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Palatino;">3 tablespoons pure kosher salt</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Palatino;">5 sprigs fresh dill</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Palatino;">5 cloves of garlic</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Palatino;">5 or 10 dried hot red chiles</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Palatino;">2 1/2 to 5 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (options depending on how spicy you want it to be)</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Palatino;">2 pounds crisp green beans, ends trimmed, 4 1/2 inches long</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">By now you know the drill:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">Prepare your water bath for canning. (see my <a href="http://atableblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/can-it.html">peach jam post</a> for reference)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">In your preserving pot, combine the vinegar, 4 cups of water, and the salt. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the salt.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">Ladle boiling water for the canning pot into the bowl with the lids. Using a jar lifter, remove the hot jars from the canning pot, carefully pouring the water from each one back into the pot, and place them upright on a folded towel. Drain the water off the jar lids.</span></p><p><img style="text-align: justify; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2069.JPG" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-iCqTFfq-vZA/UILNeOrF7OI/AAAAAAAAEyc/niCduKeJ8Gc/IMG_2069.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_2069.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">Working quickly, put a sprig of dill, a clove of garlic, 1 or 2 dried chiles, and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, in each hot jar. Pack the beans in the jars, standing them upright. (This is trickier than you think it would be. I was trying not to touch the sterilized jar with my fingers while making sure the beans were staying upright. Hard.) Ladle the hot vinegar mixture into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace at the top. Use a chopstick to remove any air bubbles that might have gotten trapped in the jars. Put the jar lids on, then tighten the rings. Return the jars to the water and let them simmer for 10 minutes to process. Remove the jars to a towel and let them rest for 12 hours. Like the jam, and <a href="http://atableblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/tomato-tomahto.html">tomatoe</a>s, they should start to pop, telling you the seal worked. </span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">You've got some dilly beans!!! They're so pretty in the jars! Nice fall colors. I plan on tasting them for the first time at Thanksgiving (*cough*, Elisabeth and Jennifer you should show up *cough*).</span></p><p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2101.jpg" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-1ITB2Vm2sCE/UILNge9P5FI/AAAAAAAAEyk/TDB8KJPvR3Q/IMG_2101.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_2101.jpg" width="400" height="600" /></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">Did you think this post was over? I have a spicy finish to this one</span>.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><strong><span style="font-family: Palatino;"> Pickled Jalapeno Slices</span></strong></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;"><em>makes about 4 pint jars</em></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">2/1 pounds jalapeno chiles</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">4 cups cider vinegar (5% acidity)</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">2 tablespoons sugar or honey</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">4 cloves garlic</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: medium;">Sanitize your jars, prepare your lids, get your towels ready guys, this is about to be a hot and spicy mess. At least it was for me. I thought my jalapenos were relatively mild, so I went against all basic chile rules and sliced them without gloves on. I won't know this is a mistake until about an hour later.</span></p><p><img style="float: right;" title="IMG_2072.JPG" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-j4i6nNLaegA/UILNg_KUL7I/AAAAAAAAEys/Iq4WlldTp28/IMG_2072.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_2072.JPG" width="400" height="266" /><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: large;">Cut your jalapenos into 1/8 inch thick rounds and rinse them in a colander under cold running water, shaking it to remove loose seeds. Pick out and throw out any very dark colored seeds. Drain well. </span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: large;">In a non-reactive pot, combine the vinegar, 1 cup water, the sugar, and salt and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: large;">Ladle boiling water from the canning pot into the bowl with the lids, like we've done in the past, to sanitize them. Using a jar lifter, remove the hot jars from the canning pot, carefully pouring the water from each one back into the pot, and place them upright on the folded towel. Just like the green beans, while the jars are hot, put a peeled garlic clove in each and pack with the chiles, leaving one inch of headspace. (This is where I started to cough violently. Apparently the combination of the hot vinegar steam and the chile slices was too much to handle. Don't say I didn't warn you.) </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: large;">Use a chopstick to remove any air bubbles that might have gotten caught and then place the lids and rings on the jars after cleaning off the rims with a paper towel. Return the jars to the water bath for 10 minutes to process. Remove them with your jar lifter and place them on a clean towel for 12 hours. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: large;">Considering I've only eaten these slices with nachos at the movies (junk food guilty!) I'm not really sure what I'll do with all these pickled jalapenos but I'm sure I'll figure it out. I got only three pints out of what I had but I didn't weigh the jalapenos all that carefully when I bought them. </span></p><p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2075.jpg" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-KvBTNabEcdo/UILNilNc7CI/AAAAAAAAEy8/MtFoVkuXL3I/IMG_2075.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_2075.jpg" width="400" height="600" /></p><p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; font-family: Palatino; font-size: large;" title="IMG_2098.JPG" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-cjzLiRFAeqE/UILNhkdJUeI/AAAAAAAAEy0/qSquuXH5kEk/IMG_2098.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_2098.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">Fast foward to an hour after the jars have been finished...my fingers start to viciously burn. At first I thought boiling water had splashed up on them but I didn't remember that happening My nail beds, and between my fingers burned from the jalapenos for a good three hours after I was all done and cleaned up in the kitchen. Word to the wise, no matter how mild you think the jalapenos are, wear gloves. You'll thank me. Really.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">Next up... Cherry Jam!</span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-86321649332557247762012-09-29T13:14:00.001-04:002012-09-29T13:16:41.850-04:00Tomato, TomAHto<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2053.JPG" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Efrb4yZZgLs/UGcsT2btLBI/AAAAAAAAEw8/Mj655p7VSjA/IMG_2053.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_2053.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;"><em>- "I'm thinking of canning tomatoes"</em></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;"><em>- "To do what?"</em></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;"><em>- " Well for sauce and stews this winter. Fun right?"</em></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;"><em>- "You can't use the same tomatoes for sauce and stews. What kind of tomatoes were you planning to use?"</em></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;"><em>- "Well, um, I was planning on just finding heirloom ones at the farmers' market"</em></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;"><em>- "San Marzano tomatoes are the best for sauce, but you can't find them at the market in DC. You can try Roma tomatoes instead I guess. How are you going to do it?"</em></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;"><em>- "I've been reading books. They say to skin the tomatoes and..."</em></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;"><em>- "Why would you skin them??? The way my mother does it is....."</em></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">And there I stood, in the back kitchen of the restaurant I work in, listening to a Neapolitan explain </span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">the correct way to jar tomatoes. Forget cookbooks, forget what I think I read, there was only one way to do it. Or so he thought. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;"></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">To jar my tomatoes I decided to incorporate the timeless Neapolitan advice with my newly trusted jarring book's recipe and see what happened.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;"><strong>Crushed Tomatoes (makes about 7 pint jars)</strong></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">7 pounds ripe tomatoes</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">Citric Acid (1/4 teaspoon per pint jar or 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice)</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt (optional)</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">7 fresh basil leaves (optional)</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">The ingredients in this recipe are why I wanted to jar tomatoes for the winter. When you buy tomatoes in a can or tomato sauce you are never really sure what else they have used to keep the flavor and color. When you make it yourself you know. Tomatoes, lemon juice, salt and basil leaves. Simple.</span></p><p><img style="float: right; border: 0px initial initial;" title="IMG_2054.JPG" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-RF-LWnVie_k/UGcsU5dNR3I/AAAAAAAAExE/Hgr22odixjU/IMG_2054.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_2054.JPG" width="300" height="200" /></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">Ignoring generations of Italian recipes, I decided to peel my tomatoes. I don't want tomato peels in my tomato sauce, <em>mi spiace</em>. </span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">Set your kitchen up the same way you did for the peach jam. (2) clean towels, jars boiling away to sanitize them, jar lids in a separate bowl. This time you are adding a small pot of boiling water, a medium bowl with water and ice for a post tomato boil ice bath, and a bowl for the seeds and peels. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">* Bring the smaller pot of water to a boil. Gently slide your tomatoes, a small group at a time, into the boiling water for 30 seconds, long enough to loosen the skin. Scoop the tomatoes out with a slotted spoon and immediately place in the ice bath cool them off. Wait a minute and then take them out, remove the skins and seed them. Keep the seeds and skin for later! Repeat this process until all the tomatoes are peeled and seeded and in your preserving pot.</span></p><p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px initial initial;" title="IMG_2060.JPG" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-nrYLByq7-p4/UGcsVU4iPNI/AAAAAAAAExM/2kRXi4Mb-g0/IMG_2060.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_2060.JPG" width="500" height="333" /></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">I got a fair amount of tomato juice out of the seeds and skins. (See the measuring cup next to the preserving pot). I strained the whole thing and used it as tomato sauce that night for dinner. No waste!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">* Set the pan with the tomatoes over medium high heat and bring to a boil for 5 minutes.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">* Ladles the boiling water from the canning pot onto the lids, just like the peach jam, to sanitize them. Remove the jars from the boiling water and place on a clean towel. Put the salt and lemon juice into each jar. Carefully ladle the hot tomatoes, one by one, into your jars. Fill the remaining space in the jars with the juices from the pot, up to 1/2 inch from the rim. Add a basil leaf or two into each jar. Stick a chopstick into the jars to release any air bubbles that might have been caught along the sides. Wipe away any tomato that could have gotten on the rims and place the lids on the jars and tighten the rings.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">* Return the jars to the boiling water and boil for 35 minutes to process. This is a lot longer than the jam. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">* Remove the jars from the water and place on a towel to rest for 12 hours. Just like the jam, your jars should start to pop, telling you the seal has worked. The recipe said I would get 7 pint jars out of this. I got 4. It was hard to know exactly how many tomatoes I needed. This actually happened for each recipe I tried. Both jams made less than expected. I still have more jam than I know what to do with so it's fine with me.</span></p><p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2104.JPG" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-h003lb7hPiQ/UGcs9iYwVBI/AAAAAAAAExs/zg1C2LPYb48/IMG_2104.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_2104.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></p><p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2106.jpg" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-xfse1G1FaC0/UGcs8kCdftI/AAAAAAAAExk/BO95s7Uk7zg/IMG_2106.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_2106.jpg" width="400" height="600" /></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">This was definitely the easiest of all the recipes. Peel, cook, jar, process, let cool. I'll have to do this again next summer.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">Up next: Pickling! Dilly beans and jalapeno slices.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;"></span></p><p> </p><p> </p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-27136919727731017522012-09-26T21:48:00.001-04:002012-09-26T21:48:16.502-04:00Can it!<p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;">We're going to go ahead and ignore the fact that I haven't posted in over a year. I have no good excuses, but here are some bad ones. Maybe it was laziness, maybe it was lack of inspiration, maybe it was that I had too many other things going on in my life. Work has been busy, as usual. I signed up, more like my sister and father convinced me to sign up for, the Marine Corps Marathon at the end of October. Marathons as it turns out, take a lot more training and time commitment than half marathons do. I've also been redecorating my apartment, slowly. Now that it's a bit cooler, and darker a LOT earlier, I have a feeling I'll be at home cooking more. I'm back at it!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;">I took a mini staycation this summer, to get away from work and my routine. The first half of the week belonged to me and what I wanted to do. The second half of the week belonged to Puerto Rico- a tropical recharge if you will. I've read countless books about eating locally, eating off the land, only eating what is in season, and canning. While I shop at <a href="www.freshfarmmarket.org/farmers_markets/markets/dupont_circle.php">my local farmer's market</a> as much as I can, and just signed up for winter CSA box from <a href="http://www.smuckerfarmsdc.com/">Smucker's Farms</a>, I've never tried to can/jar seasonal items for winter eating and cooking. My mini staycation was the perfect opportunity to get hot and steamy in the kitchen with some fruits and vegetables. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><img style="float: right;" title="IMG_2085.JPG" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ZOYaAKL9NOA/UGOwNYpWO6I/AAAAAAAAEvE/MZatNGrEpTo/IMG_2085.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_2085.JPG" width="400" height="266" /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;">I may have been a little ambitious but this was my plan: peach jam, cherry jam, dilly beans, picked jalapeno slices, and crushed tomatoes. Ready? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;">Go can it!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><strong>Day 1: </strong></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><em>Figure out what exactly I just got myself into.</em></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><em>Work out the kinks (overflowing boiling water onto the stove sent me into a panic)</em></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><em>Dive into it... peach jam, crushed tomatoes and jalapeno slices.</em></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;">Every book on canning and jarring has a chapter on the proper sanitization of your canning jars, and rightfully so. No one wants to experience what the books say will happen to you should you get a bad batch due to bacteria growing in your jars. It's kind of like driver's ed and the crash videos, or sex ed and the STD class. "Can at your own risk". I probably over boiled every jar I used but better safe than sorry! Wear your seatbelt! While I gathered inspiration from several books, I mainly used <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Canning-New-Generation-Flavors-Modern/dp/1584798645/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348704442&sr=8-1&keywords=canning+for+a+new+generation"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Canning for a new Generation.</span></a> My aunt gave it to me and it had by far the best selection of recipes and tips. I also used <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Put-em-Sherri-Brooks-Vinton/dp/1603425462/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1348704442&sr=8-2&keywords=canning+for+a+new+generation">Put 'Em Up!</a> for inspiration.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;">When planning for this, I thought I wanted to try different combination of flavors for the jams. It being my first try, simple ended up being the way to go. Once I master the technique I can play around with the flavors.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2030.JPG" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Mam5YlYXsoQ/UGOwQtlnvvI/AAAAAAAAEvk/-ngRXDr2ZGU/IMG_2030.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_2030.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><strong>Classic Peach Jam</strong></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: medium;">12 ounces of Granny Smith apples (about 2 large) </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: medium;">4 pounds of peaches, peeled, pitted and diced</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: medium;">2 cups of sugar</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: medium;">3 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><em>Prep your kitchen counter: </em></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;">(1) clean cloth to place the sterilized jars on when they come out of the water bath</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;">(1) clean cloth to put the finished and VERY hot jam jars on to sit for a while</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><em>Line up your canning utensils: </em></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: medium;">Tongs</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: medium;">Jar lifter (to handle hot jars)</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: medium;">lid lifter (with a magnet)</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: medium;">funnel</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><img style="float: right;" title="IMG_3407.jpg" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-p2bEmkdvCtA/UGOwPBHmg2I/AAAAAAAAEvU/lpi9xfWIkJw/IMG_3407.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_3407.jpg" width="250" height="186" /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><em>Prepare the water-bath for canning:</em></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: medium;"><em>While you will have to do this step each and every time you start a new recipe, I like that the book reminded you to start the process at the beginning. Repetition repetition, repetition. It's good for beginners.</em></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: medium;">Sterilize the jars and keep them hot in the canning pot, put a small plate in the freezer and put the flat lids in a heat proof bowl.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;">*Cut the apples into quarters and core them. The recipe calls for putting the seeds and cores into a cheesecloth bag. I didn't have one so I used little teabags that my sister gave me from a tea store at Pike's Place market. ( I also used these little bags to infuse simple syrup for my<a href="http://atableblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/frustrations-and-tea-cakes.html"> Early Grey Pound Cake</a>). You're supposed to put loose tea in them but they can play double duty in this case. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><img style="float: left;" title="IMG_2033.JPG" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-E8WWibeMvi4/UGOwP9nLsHI/AAAAAAAAEvc/b4qGmrmTPsc/IMG_2033.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_2033.JPG" width="200" height="133" /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">SO FAR:</span> Apples are cut up, seeds and cores are in cheesecloth, jars are boiling away and bacteria is dying.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;">* Put the peaches and sugar into a 6-8 quart preserving pan (I wasn't about to go out and buy a lot of equipment to do this, other than the necessary stuff, so I used a big cast iron pot as my preserving pot). Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently, and cook until the juices cover the peaches.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><img style="float: right;" title="IMG_2037.JPG" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-yB3mw0MLnqg/UGOwS1rLqeI/AAAAAAAAEv8/Mnt4Y9mT3fc/IMG_2037.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_2037.JPG" width="200" height="133" /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;">Pour the cooked peaches into a colander, collecting the peach juice in a bowl. Stir the peaches gently to release all the juices. Pour collected juices back in the preserving pot and add the apples and apple core cheesecloth- bring to a boil over high heat. (From what I gathered, the apples bring the pectin that will "jellify" (yes that's a technical term) the jam in the end. You can omit the apples and use 'pectin in a pouch' but I thought going all natural was the best way.) Boil, stirring occasionally, until the juice thickens and reduces. About 15 minutes.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;">Return the peaches and any accumulated juices back into the preserving pot, add the lemon juice, and bring to a simmer. Stir frequently until the peaches are very tender and falling apart. The recipe says is it done when you put a small dab of the jam on the plate that was in the freezer and it becomes firm after a minute of being put back in the freezer. I forgot to do this. Rookie mistake. It ended up fine. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><img style="float: left;" title="IMG_2044.jpg" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-B-V2qYdXNNY/UGOwTpBVQxI/AAAAAAAAEwE/h-AKG3XXcqc/IMG_2044.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_2044.jpg" width="200" height="300" /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"></span><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;">Remove from the heat and stir for a few minutes to distribute the fruit in the liquid. Remove the cheesecloth and the apples. While I was able to find and remove the apple skins, there were no apples to be found. They had all disintegrated into the jam. I think it's fine but I wonder why the recipe thought I would still be able to find them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">SO FAR</span>: Jam is basically finished, your jars have been sterilized and are happily bubbling away in your steaming stockpot full of water. Your lids are still not sterile. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: medium;">*Ladle boiling water from the canning pot into the bowl with the lids. Using a jar lifter, remove the sterilized jars from the canning pot, carefully pouring the water from each one back into the pot, and place them upright on a clean folded towel. Drain the water off the lids. Make sure the lids aren't stacked on top of each other or the boiling water won't be able to sterilize the entire area of each lid. ALSO, don't dunk the lids in the boiling water pot because it's not good for the rubber on them. Just pour a little bit (I poured the hot water from one of my half pints on top of them) of boiling water on them and let it sit for a bit.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: medium;">Your jars are clean and drying on the clean cloth. Carefully ladle the hot jam, through a funnel, into the jars leaving a 1/4 inch headspace at the top. Using a damp paper towel, clean off any jam that might have gotten onto the rim of the jar. Take your lid lifter (the one with the magnet) and put the lid on, then tighten the ring on. I burnt my fingers here a few times. Return the jars to the water and boil for 5 minutes to process. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><img style="float: right;" title="IMG_2046.JPG" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-5QDYlXW8u8U/UGOwVLJfXtI/AAAAAAAAEwU/W7rhTLnKXew/IMG_2046.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_2046.JPG" width="300" height="200" /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: medium;">Remove from the water.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: medium;">Those jars will be h-o-t! With a jar lifter, move the jars from the cloth they are on to another clean cloth where the jars can stay, for 12 hours, undisturbed. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: medium;">Soon you should hear the jars "pop!". This means there is a seal and your jars can be kept unrefrigerated. After an hour, push down on the top of all your jars to make sure there is a seal. If it there isn't and you can push down on them, put the jar in the refrigerator.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: medium;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3408.JPG" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-IV7Un5h-OOI/UGOwWZu50tI/AAAAAAAAEwc/HSYownK0J7E/IMG_3408.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_3408.JPG" width="600" height="448" /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: medium;">Success! You have peach jam. I haven't tried the finish product only because I haven't stopped admiring them. I'm going to wait a while I think. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2089.jpg" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-5zf_4T9KMow/UGOwXfb_OYI/AAAAAAAAEwk/YBkJm7ioI7s/IMG_2089.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_2089.jpg" width="400" height="600" /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;">To be continued.....</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;">Next up: Canned tomatoes.</span></p><p> </p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p> </p><p> </p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-43520922962159019122011-07-09T17:25:00.001-04:002011-07-09T17:26:59.542-04:00A belated 4th<p><img style="float: right;" title="IMG_0981.jpg" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-9giwzo_jqMc/ThjHJJ79H1I/AAAAAAAAEGk/R30hcFo3MWw/IMG_0981.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0981.jpg" width="448" height="600" /></p><p style="text-align: center; font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><span style="color: #ff2958;">Happy belated 4th of July! </span></span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">I meant to post this recipe last weekend, but I decided to take a mini "staycation" at my family's home in suburbs for the weekend and didn't have my laptop with me. Like every 4th of July, it's tradition in our family to make a patriotic dessert. It's usually a <a href="http://atableblog.blogspot.com/2010_07_01_archive.html">flag cake</a>, but this year I decided to try something a little different. I was looking through recipes and found one for red white and blue layered jello. While you can't really go wrong with jello I thought I would make my dessert a bit more interesting, if not refined, and try a patriotic panna cotta instead. I initially wanted these ready to take to my friend Beth's bbq but as usual, I underestimated the amount of time it would take me to execute my great plan. I served them for dessert the next day at home. Sorry Beth.</span></p><p style="font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><em><strong>A few things I learned while making this recipe:</strong></em></span></p><p style="font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Raspberry seeds are difficult to take out of the tiny holes of a strainer.</span></p><p style="font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Pureed blueberries do not make a blue puree. In fact, they make a lavendar colored one. Thanks to food coloring this is not a problem.</span></p><p style="font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Gelatin layers don't always solidify in the fridge at the same speed. Patience should be a required ingredient in this recipe. </span></p><p style="font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Imperfect layers of panna cotta taste just as good as perfectly poured ones. <em>phew.</em></span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">When trying a new recipe I should always leave myself a few extra hours, just in case it turns out to be more complicated than expected. I never remember to do this. I think a timeline would serve me well in the future. Write out, step by step, what I need to do and how long I think it will take me. This recipe was a sort of exception because I did not have an actual set of instructions, I just had a list of ingredients. I normally use a recipe I've found on a blog or in a cookbook. This time I used a recipe I got from the pastry chef at work. I went to her asking for a recipe for panna cotta. Who better to ask than an Italian pastry chef I thought. </span></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">Me - "This is my plan [insert explanation of tri-color panna cotta here] for this weekend. Do you have a recipe I could use?"</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">Pastry chef - "OK! Yes!" She takes a piece of paper and proceeds to write down a list of ingredients and hands it to me.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">Me- "Umm. Thanks, but this is just a list of ingredients, not an actual recipe. What do I do with these?"</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">Pastry chef - " Ah! Ok!" [ insert explanation of what to do with said ingredients].</span></p></blockquote><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;">After I repeated these instructions back to her a few times to make sure nothing was lost in translation, I left the pastry station, gelatin sheets and foil cups in hand, full of inspiration and with high hopes for my dessert.</span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><strong><span style="color: #ff275a;">Patriotic</span> Panna <span style="color: #213cf5;">Cotta</span></strong></span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><strong>Ingredient for basic panna cotta:</strong></span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><strong></strong>(makes about 20 foil cups - restaurant quantities!)</span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">1 quart of heavy cream</span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">160 g sugar</span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">6 sheets of gelatin </span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><strong>Directions:</strong></span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><em>Make your fruit purees for the colored layers:</em></span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">I used 2 little plastic boxes of raspberries and one slightly larger one of blueberries. Not very precise, I realize that. I think it ends up being a pint of both berries. You can use strawberries for the red too if you want. Puree the fruit in a small food processor and set aside. I did the extra step of straining out the seeds of the raspberries and most of the skin from the blueberries to make the panna cotta smoother. I don't think it's required but it definitely makes for a smoother, silkier dessert.</span></p><p><img style="float: right;" title="IMG_1205.jpg" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-pJG_e0BYTmA/ThjHL868AZI/AAAAAAAAEG4/PEhT9pXOBbM/IMG_1205.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_1205.jpg" width="200" height="300" /></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><em>To make the panna cotta base:</em></span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Pour the heavy cream into a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the sugar. How much you ask? 160g please. I meant to measure it out and then convert it into cups for those who don't have a scale but forgot. My apologies. Not only does the chef work, apparently, purely from memory when it comes to recipes, but she also works in grams. Ah Europe. Thankfully my mother gave me an old scale she had.</span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><br /></span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1204.JPG" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Mt0gpawpuXg/ThjHJlN2abI/AAAAAAAAEGo/824xFyWragU/IMG_1204.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_1204.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16px;">Heat the cream until the sugar dissolves and reaches a simmer. While it is heating up, "dissolve" the gelatin sheets, one by one, in a bowl of cold water and add them to the hot cream mixture. I was instructed, several times, to put the gelatin sheets in the bowl of water </span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16px;"><strong>one by one</strong></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16px;">. I didn't ask what would happen if I put them all in at once but it sounded like a bad idea, so I would recommend against it. I assume the worse that could happen is you end up with one giant ball of gelatin. While it doesn't sound too ominous we'll steer away from it just to be safe.</span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1206.JPG" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-8s_NorW1Mq4/ThjHKEKf66I/AAAAAAAAEGs/o2ynbWuE6Rg/IMG_1206.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_1206.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="font-size: 17px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><em>A few dry gelatin sheets. They almost look like stain glass windows.</em></span></p><p style="font-size: 17px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1210.JPG" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-vCQGOqooOC8/ThjHK24uJhI/AAAAAAAAEGw/gz00om0wk9Q/IMG_1210.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_1210.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="font-size: 17px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><em>What happens to the gelatin sheet after a couple minutes in a bowl of water.</em></span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">This is where the recipe gets a little more complicated. You now have the sweetened cream with dissolved gelatin sheets, hot, on your stove. I added a little vanilla, about a teaspoon, to add extra flavor. You now want to divide the mixture into 3 bowls so that you can add your fruit puree to two of the bowls to create the different colors. Pour the fruit purees into their respective bowls, leaving one plain for the white layer. I added a little bit of red food coloring to the raspberry cream mixture to make it more red than pink and a fair amount of blue food coloring to the blueberry cream mixture. I kept my fingers crossed that it wouldn't turn people's tongues blue.</span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><em>Interesting note:</em> You'll need to add an extra gelatin sheet to each bowl that has fruit puree. You are, in fact, adding more "liquid" to the bowl and therefore diluting the amount of gelatin to cream mixture. You want to keep the consistency of the layers the same so you need to add gelatin. I added an extra sheet to the raspberry and blueberry bowls. Depending on how much puree you use, this could change.</span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Put your foil cups on a baking sheet so you can easily put them in and take them out of the refrigerator. Pour in your first color about a third of the way up the little foil cup. For my patriotic theme it happens to be the raspberry aka red.</span></p><p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1211.jpg" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-BVyyXgQc1FE/ThjHNbiLgcI/AAAAAAAAEHA/OMn9T0xFlUw/IMG_1211.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_1211.jpg" width="600" height="400" /><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16px;">Refrigerate the first layer until it solidifies enough that you can pour the second layer on top without it mixing. This took longer than the 20 or so minutes I thought it would. Some of my panna cottas were a little marbleized. (Apparently these colors <em>do</em> run.) Repeat this step until you have the red, white, and blue cream mixtures layered in the foil cups. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16px;">I usually take pictures for almost every step of the recipe. This time I didn't for a good reason. My kitchen was a mess. This recipe pretty much turned my little kitchen into a red white and blue picasso painting, or was it more like a Miro? I'm not sure. There was raspberry and blueberry puree pretty much everywhere. Not very photogenic. Needless to say I couldn't manage keeping the panna cotta, that had taken on a life of it's own, in check and take pictures of the steps at the same time. I'm sorry! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16px;">Based on the feedback from those who tasted it, it was a success! The raspberry was my favorite layer. It was incredibly flavorful. I might make a mango and raspberry one next. I have a feeling the two flavors would work really well together. Was this time consuming, like most of my recipes tend to be? Yes. Was it worth it? Absolutely. I think I've graduated from making a flag cake out of a box and have discovered a new way to celebrate our independence! This is not to say that there won't be more flag cakes in my future, but they might have a little company next Fourth of July.</span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16px;"><strong>Bon appetit!</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16px;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1213.JPG" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rZBMS0q9E2I/ThjHNzGI8ZI/AAAAAAAAEHE/oAvYZV9oklI/IMG_1213.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_1213.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><em>Even though this one had a "tie-dyed" look, it was pretty tasty.</em></span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p style="font-size: 17px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"></span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"></span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"></span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;"></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;"></span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;"></span></p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-67772139177904308302011-06-15T21:50:00.002-04:002011-06-15T21:52:46.866-04:00Frustrations and Tea Cakes<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: PilGi;">I really wanted to call this post frustrations and fruitcakes because it sounded better, </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: PilGi;">but it would have been false advertising, plus fruitcake are both unpopular and out of season</span><i>. </i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><i><img alt="IMG_1156.jpg" border="0" height="600" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-2ZPFmo7fYcs/TflhLtQsvjI/AAAAAAAAEFc/BThRWtumML8/IMG_1156.jpg?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1156.jpg" width="400" /></i></span></div><div style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">While reading my <a href="http://runningtothekitchen.com/2011/06/15/a-run-for-sanity/">friend's blog</a> this morning I realized that bad days are universal. No matter what you do for a living, you are bound to have one of those days that just levels you. You get to work ready to take on whatever you are supposed to face that day and then you are steered into one too many wrong directions and you realize that you would have been better off sleeping through till the next day. Monday was one of those days for me. One aggravating situation after another turned the day into my own personal version of <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Alexander-Terrible-Horrible-Good-Very/dp/0689711735">Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day</a>.</span> By 6:00 PM I was out the door, looking forward to a run to blow off some steam. I was exhausted but figured that my day would probably benefit more from a run than an evening on my couch with my TV and Campari and soda, so off I went. The weather was perfect and my run took me on a short tour around the monuments.</span></div><div style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img alt="IMG_0761.JPG" border="0" height="448" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-gRuB19LOtVQ/TflhLM_0tbI/AAAAAAAAEFY/D6hy2l-6Noo/IMG_0761.JPG?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0761.JPG" width="600" /></span></div><div style="font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">I am lucky live in a city where a short run means being able to take see such fabulous views. </span></div><img alt="IMG_0763.jpg" border="0" height="600" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-cBUIvNKj9yc/TflhTMDtBWI/AAAAAAAAEGM/mrZ8n2woQ0Q/IMG_0763.jpg?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0763.jpg" width="448" /><br />
<div style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">As I turned onto P street I slowed down and did something I swore I would never do. I walked into Whole Foods covered in a post run sweat. I can't tell you how many times I've been waiting in line at Whole Foods and someone has stood behind me to check out smelling like the workout they just had. This is probably because there is an absurd number of yoga studios and gyms within a 2 block radius of the store, but still. Do you really not have time to shower before you shop for your dinner? Embarrassed that I used to judge the person I had just become, I walked into the store to find something to cook. </span></div><div style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">A friend who tasted my <a href="http://atableblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/de-retour-with-mango-sorbet.html">mango sorbet</a> suggested I try to make a pina colada version. I picked up some pineapple and coconut milk and decided to give it a try. After looking up a few recipes I decided to combine one from <a href="http://holycannolirecipes.blogspot.com/">Holy Cannoli</a> and one from a random Google search. While the recipe mash up wasn't a great success, the work frustration that the run didn't get rid of was quickly squashed by chopping and pureeing an entire pineapple. While the mixture that was to become a sorbet failure was chilling in the refrigerator, I decided to bake a cake. </span></div><div style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Like I said, I had a really bad day and had to work it off.</span></div><div style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">A while ago I had the idea of making a poundcake and infusing it with Earl Grey tea scented simple syrup. What better time than that night to try it?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img alt="IMG_1147.jpg" border="0" height="600" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-s3_gEMku_o4/TflhQKUllMI/AAAAAAAAEF4/HIrCB88X9s8/IMG_1147.jpg?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1147.jpg" width="400" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: PilGi; font-size: large;">Early Grey Pound Cake</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><i>Adapted from a recipe found on </i><a href="http://pieceofcakeblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/butter-sugar-flour-eggs.html"><i>Piece of Cake</i></a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">3 cups cake flour, spooned and leveled ( I used regular flour)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Palatino;">1/8 teaspoon salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Palatino;">1/4 teaspoon baking soda</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Palatino;">1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Palatino;">3 cups sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Palatino;">6 eggs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Palatino;">1 cup sour cream (I used 2% milk because that's all I had in the fridge)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Palatino;">1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><b>Directions:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. In a mixer blend the butter and sugar until completely incorporated. Slowly add the eggs, one at a time. Add the milk and vanilla to the mixer until completely blended. Add half the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until well mixed in, and then add the other half. Pour into 2 buttered and floured loaf pans and bake for about 90 minutes. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"> It's a pretty standard pound cake recipe. What makes this cake a little different and a lot tastier is the early grey simple syrup. </span></div><div style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img alt="IMG_1164.JPG" border="0" height="400" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/--H5iRHT7pfM/TflhMYbLHZI/AAAAAAAAEFg/VYn9Xe_3RD4/IMG_1164.JPG?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1164.JPG" width="600" /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">I love tea. I drink a lot of it during the winter. Less so once it warms up. My sister introduced me to a <a href="http://www.marketspice.com/">tea shop</a> in Pike Place Market in Seattle where she lives and I bought a few different kinds just to try. My friend gave me some pretty intense Earl Grey tea not long ago so I used it for this recipe. Along with tea, I also bought little bags at Market Spice to make my own tea bags. They are perfect if you have loose tea and just want to make a little bit of tea.</span></div><div style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img alt="IMG_1144.JPG" border="0" height="400" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-HbIY3SZSLAo/TflhM1lhrXI/AAAAAAAAEFk/JqaQW111T20/IMG_1144.JPG?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1144.JPG" width="600" /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">1/4 cup water</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">2 tbs of earl grey tea leaves.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><b>Directions:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Put the sugar and water in a sauce pan and stir over medium heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Place the earl grey teabag in the syrup and let it steep over low heat for as long as you feel necessary. </span></div><div style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img alt="IMG_1146.JPG" border="0" height="400" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-HBqrt7yPxZU/TflhO-JFIvI/AAAAAAAAEFw/NIUdrx19-1Y/IMG_1146.JPG?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1146.JPG" width="600" /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">I left mine in for a good half hour because I wanted it to be as flavorful as possible. I ended up adding a little water because the syrup became too thick.</span></div><div style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img alt="IMG_1148.JPG" border="0" height="400" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-2DfLR0VJrpU/TflhPXCOIVI/AAAAAAAAEF0/tu7Q8psr4QQ/IMG_1148.JPG?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1148.JPG" width="600" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"> It should turn brown, like tea does. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">This is where experimenting doesn't always work. I poured my early grey syrup onto the two cakes right after they were removed from the oven. </span></div><div style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img alt="IMG_1149.JPG" border="0" height="400" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-MWymBGaOOxk/TflhQwB6OrI/AAAAAAAAEF8/WB82jXk6m-0/IMG_1149.JPG?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1149.JPG" width="600" /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"> I poked a few holes in the cakes and then poured it right on. Looking back I would have waited about 20 minutes for the cakes to cool, removed them from the pans and then poured the syrup on them. The syrup make the cakes stick to the bottom and the sides a bit which made it harder to remove them from the pans. Live and learn. If you aren't too concerned about esthetics, the cakes were great.</span></div><div style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img alt="IMG_1159.JPG" border="0" height="400" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-eCmtJOIMne4/TflhR_DrmpI/AAAAAAAAEGE/VsD20VesOiM/IMG_1159.JPG?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1159.JPG" width="600" /></span></div><div><div style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">The syrup seeped into the cake and livened up the otherwise banal pound cake with the unmistakable floral tones of Earl Grey tea. The sweet glaze finish wasn't bad either.</span></div><div style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img alt="IMG_1162.JPG" border="0" height="400" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-lsacYz2BhxQ/TflhSf-pV_I/AAAAAAAAEGI/1ng1MmX6pPI/IMG_1162.JPG?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1162.JPG" width="600" /></span></div><div style="font-size: 15px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 21px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: PilGi;">Yum.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-57384151418411814662011-06-05T14:02:00.001-04:002011-06-05T14:14:36.344-04:00De Retour with Mango Sorbet<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1127.JPG" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_LwSRJbk6zE/TevEwPWqKgI/AAAAAAAAEEk/P4us8l2JpCY/IMG_1127.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_1127.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Where did the last five months go? I can't believe the last time I sat down to write was back in January when I was in Seattle visiting my sister, brother in law and new baby niece! She is now five months old and winter has turned into summer (almost). I feel as if years of events and experiences have been squeezed into these past few months. Distractions have kept me from doing what I like doing the most - cooking. Maybe it was the stress of long days at work, or personal distractions that ended up being just that, nothing but distractions. My desire to cook had all but disappeared for a while. I used to cook to relieve stress. I used to put aside the things that were bothering me that day and concentrate on chopping, stirring, grating, and reducing. For some reason none of those things appealed to me for a while. I'm not completely sure why I took a break from the kitchen, but I'm glad I'm back.</span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">I don't know a lot about tropical fruit and when they are in season as you can find most of them year round in the grocery store. I was craving mango salsa and shrimp for dinner this week (post to come about that soon) so I walked to Whole Foods and found small little yellow mangos that were so ripe to the touch they were impossible to resist. These champagne mangos are much smaller than the ones with the red-ish yellow skin you are used to seeing. After a successful mango and shrimp feast I was hooked on my new super sweet mango discovery and I went back for more this weekend. But what to do with 6 small mangos? Make sorbet!</span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1115.JPG" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-EzIX9FJQ6gI/TevEttAVLPI/AAAAAAAAEEQ/29pmHz-Ws8w/IMG_1115.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_1115.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">I've tried to make sorbet before and have been disappointed with the outcome. I've made some pretty tasty <a href="http://atableblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/peachy-summer-weekend.html">ice</a><a href="http://atableblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/mint-chocolate-chip-ice-cream-preview.html">cream</a> but I have yet to make sorbet I am proud of. The black currant sorbet I made was a bit grainy and the prosecco sorbet I made didn't freeze correctly (too much prosecco... can you blame me?) A while back I was "tasting" the lemon sorbet we were serving for one of my events at work and chatting with the pastry chef. I asked her what made this sorbet so much creamier than what I have made in the past. It almost tasted like sherbet. She assured me there was no dairy in it, just egg whites! Raw egg whites in fact. While the fruit puree is freezing in the ice cream maker, you add the whites of one egg. This gives the sorbet a much smoother, creamier consistency. Who knew? Once you get over your fears of salmonella, it makes sense. I decided to put the tip to the test.</span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">If you look online for a sorbet recipe you will find a variation of the same recipe over and over again. Take fruit, puree it, add water, sugar and a little bit of alcohol (so it doesn't freeze into a fruit brick when you put it in the freezer) and that's you're done. I decided to go with a David Lebovitz recipe and put my own twist on it. His recipes are pretty fail proof. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><strong>Mango Sorbet</strong></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><em>adapted from a recipe by David Lebovitz</em></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #020202; font-family: Palatino;">2 large, ripe mangos (I used 6 champagne mangos) 2/3 cup sugar ( I used a 1/4 cup agave syrup instead) 2/3 cup water 4 teaspoons fresh squeezed lime juice ( I used a half a lime) 1 tablespoon dark rum, plus more to taste (I used homemade limoncello I made a few years ago) pinch of salt ( I forgot this. Oops! It tasted just fine though)</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #020202; font-family: Palatino;">1 egg white</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #020202; font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1117.JPG" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Mq1xzRJ8o-o/TevEuFlFChI/AAAAAAAAEEU/2ElglFmTxq8/IMG_1117.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_1117.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Take the meat off the mangos by slicing down each side, following the pit with your knife. Squeeze the rest of the meat off the pit with your fingers to make sure not to waste anything. Puree the fruit in a blender along with the water, sugar/agave syrup, lime juice and limoncello. I used limoncello just because I thought the citrus would go well with the mango and I'm not a huge fan of rum. I completely forgot about the pinch of salt. I'm sure it gives that final sweet/salty balance that all cooking/baking needs. I think the sorbet tastes just fine without it but I will include it next time.</span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Once all your ingredients are pureed together, chill it for about an hour (I chilled mine overnight) and then freeze it in your ice cream maker for about 20 minutes or until it looks like a slushy. Add the whites of one egg at the very end of the freezing process. It gives the puree a silky taste and a pretty sheen. A great addition to the recipe!</span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Don't you love my old food processor? It makes about as much noise as a margarita machine. My neighbors must have thought I was having one heck of a party yesterday.</span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="float: left;" title="IMG_1119.jpg" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ILJlKQqhvZo/TevEuvDKP7I/AAAAAAAAEEY/puvW7mo5V3U/IMG_1119.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_1119.jpg" width="400" height="600" /></span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"> </p><p style="font-size: 14px;"> </p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1123.jpg" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-wXSVUoLQ5Rk/TevEvDgUdgI/AAAAAAAAEEc/XzlbKvGb7uA/IMG_1123.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_1123.jpg" width="400" height="600" /></span></p><p style="font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">After it is finished freezing in the machine, put the mixture in a container and let it finish freezing in the freezer. I had to steal a taste before it was finished. </span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1125.JPG" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-WMO8oxLMRsE/TevEvrG-nxI/AAAAAAAAEEg/tL1PJgbbn-A/IMG_1125.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_1125.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Delicious, creamy, fruity and cold. I wouldn't call it perfection but it's pretty good! I had some leftover papaya so I tried the same process with it too. Instead of limoncello I used some of my homemade l<a href="http://atableblog.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html">emon verbena vodka</a>. The papaya had less flavor than the mango did but the lemon verbena vodka added a delicious herbal dimension to the cool treat. </span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1129.jpg" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-eQGjUrHjB1w/TevEwvtCz-I/AAAAAAAAEEo/vaD4-SN1YHg/IMG_1129.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_1129.jpg" width="400" height="600" /></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1130.JPG" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-FL4Q9AN2H5c/TevExL4wqFI/AAAAAAAAEEs/7-_FYMaWcig/IMG_1130.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_1130.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></p><p style="font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Having been back in the kitchen and experienced what I used to enjoy so much, I know I will be back again soon. </span></p><p style="font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">A bientot.</span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"> </p><p style="font-size: 14px;"> </p><p style="font-size: 14px;"> </p><p style="font-size: 14px;"> </p><p> </p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-67681337312312509632011-01-21T15:28:00.001-05:002011-01-21T15:38:57.917-05:00A twist on the classic oatmeal chocolate chip cookie<p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">- " Where is the monkfish lady?" the fishmonger yelled out into the crowd. I braved the over the top personalities of the guys who sell fish at the Pike Place Market, held up my hand so they could see me, and went up to get my fish.</span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="float: left;" title="IMG_0879.JPG" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TTnsUM42nXI/AAAAAAAAECY/maqn1LDrX3E/IMG_0879.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0879.JPG" width="400" height="266" /></span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">A mandatory part of my visits to Seattle is a trip to the Market. My sister and I usually just walk around and people watch but this time I actually needed to make a few purchases. I get a little intimidated by the larger than life personalities of the men in orange suits and flying fish but I needed fish for a provencal stew recipe I wanted to make so I went up and asked them if they had any. Success!</span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="float: right;" title="IMG_0882.jpg" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TTnsGO73GBI/AAAAAAAAEBw/VeN2-f66hBk/IMG_0882.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0882.jpg" width="200" height="300" /></span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">For me, trips to Seattle always reinforce the idea of "you are what you eat". There is a prominent culture of eating locally, organically and wisely in this northwest state. From restaurants that boast about the farms that supply their vegetables to the local cheese shop, I've found that Seattlites are very proud of what they eat. On this recent trip to I went to a lecture by <a href="http://michaelpollan.com/">Michael Pollan</a>. Ever since I read <em>The Omnivore's Dilemma</em> about 6 years ago I have been his number one fan (along with all the others, I assume, who were as inspired and motivated by the book as me). This time, he spoke about the importance of remembering to eat food, as opposed to eating " edible food like substances". One should eat balanced, real, unprocessed food. Once you have abandoned the packed and processed food look alikes, stop obsessing about the fat content of the individually packaged yogurt you just bought. Eat the whole fat one! That "light and fluffy" yogurt isn't as good for you as you might think.</span><span style="font-family: Palatino;"> Trying to remove potentially harmful items (fat) and replacing them with equally unhealthy products (sugar) seems silly.</span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;"></span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">On that note, adding something healthy to a food can never hurt. The other day, I saw my brother in law go to the kitchen and start to take out flour and other ingredients. I never knew he baked so I went over to check out what he was making. Cookies! Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies actually. I looked at the recipe and it was a little more complex than I expected. These had flaxseed meal and brewer's yeast in them. Curious, I googled both ingredients. While I'm still a bit unsure what the brewer's yeast does, the flaxseed meal is a great nutritious addition to the standby recipe. Flaxseeds are high in B vitamins, magnesium, and manganese and very rich in Omega 3 fatty acids. I knew some of this, but what I did not know is that flaxseeds need to be ground down to a powder in order for these nutrients to be absorbed. If you eat the seeds whole, the nutrients leave your body the same way the seeds do! The cookies came out of the oven proved that healthy is... tasty! They tasted like great oatmeal chocolate cookies with slightly more depth of flavor. If I can eat an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie and help fight against cancer, inflammation and diabetes then OK! I am not sure where he found the recipe so I will call them Andy's healthier oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.</span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><strong>Andy's Healthier Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies </strong></span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><em>Source unknown. Try finding it on epicurious.com </em></span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><strong>Ingredients:</strong></span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">1 cup of butter (unsalted and at room temperature)</span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="text-align: justify; float: right; border: 0px initial initial;" title="IMG_0782.JPG" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TTnsJtX_8WI/AAAAAAAAEB8/PHrz-egTu3Y/IMG_0782.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0782.JPG" width="300" height="200" /></span></p><div><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">1 cup of brown sugar - packed</span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">1 cup of sugar </span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">2 tbs of flaxseed meal</span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">4 tbs of water</span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">2 large eggs</span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">1 tsp vanilla</span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">2 cups of flour</span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">1 tsp baking soda</span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">1 tsp salt</span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">3 cups thick cut oats</span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">1 cup chocolate chips ( I was later told by my bother in law and his cousin that one should always double the amount of chocolate chips in a recipe. Clearly)</span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">2 Tbs Brewers Yeast</span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 15px;"> </p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><strong>Directions:</strong></span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Preheat your coven to 375. Mix the flaxseed meal and the water and let it stand for a 3-5 minutes. The meal will become almost gelatinous when all the water has soaked in. Cream the butter and sugar and then add the eggs. </span></p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0785.JPG" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TTnsPWK_jDI/AAAAAAAAECM/tEb9JDNHTWY/IMG_0785.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0785.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Stir the flaxseed meal into the butter mixture and add the vanilla. Beat until well blended. Sift the dry ingredients together, except the oats and chocolate chips. </span></p><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px;"><img style="float: right; border: 0px initial initial;" title="IMG_0789.jpg" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TTnsODKV8uI/AAAAAAAAECI/-lUIeFfvgwY/IMG_0789.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0789.jpg" width="300" height="450" /></span><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">The recipe calls for adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. This goes against everything I've been taught about baking, so I added the dry ingredients to the wet ones. Stir in the oats and then the chocolate chips. Cover the cookie sheet with parchment paper and drop dough about the size of a tablespoon onto the paper. Bake for about 8-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown. These cookies were great when my brother in law made them, and were yummy when I made them. Twice in a row can't be wrong! Give them a try! You'll feel less guilty about eating a cookie now that you know they are good for you.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="text-align: justify;" title="IMG_0798.JPG" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TTnsQguepEI/AAAAAAAAECQ/i6nSwy5wQGE/IMG_0798.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0798.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0802.JPG" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TTnsS0HXrLI/AAAAAAAAECU/eIv-xBlX468/IMG_0802.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0802.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 14px;"> </p><p style="font-size: 11px; text-align: center;"><em> (Extra points for the person who can tell me what these cookies are actually good for. They have a "special" side effect )</em></p></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-53435825621860723072011-01-17T20:17:00.001-05:002011-01-17T20:17:40.145-05:00No-Knead Bread. The Project<p><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0775.JPG" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TTTp5CGMUiI/AAAAAAAAEAU/xiIIfuglHSc/IMG_0775.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0775.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Baking bread is in my blood, or at least it is in my family. My earliest memories of my Grandfather were coming down the steps in his house in Montreal to the smell of yeast. The house would be warm due to the oven that had been on keeping the rising dough warm and the yeast in it happy. My grandfather and sister, the early risers in the family, would have been already up for hours, making the sponge, adding flour to make it into dough, and then putting it in a bowl, on top of the oven to let it rise. My grandfather would put the bowl under a paper bag, to create a warm, yeast friend microclimate. They must have felt right at home it because his bread turned out every time. Rye bread, whole wheat loafs, baguettes, you name it, he could probably make it. While my youthful palate didn't quite appreciate the flavor of rye bread, I did love the days he would make baguette.</span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">After recently reconnecting with an old friend who has taken up bread making, I decided to give the whole experience another try. If you recall, <a href="http://atableblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/simple-french-bread.html">I tried to make bread</a> last winter, during the blizzard that hit D.C. While it tasted just fine I was disappointed with how it came out. I didn't think it rose enough and it was a little dense for my taste. I was discouraged after devoting so much time to one recipe that I put my professional baking aspirations aside. There is something to be said about being able to make your own bread- a certain connection to your past that you can to reconnect with. I suppose going to the store and buying bread is more convenient now. Practice makes perfect so I am refueling my mission to make good, moist bread, if anything but to carry on a family tradition. Thoroughly impressed that my friend had mastered the technique must have stirred my competitive spirit and I decided I would give his recipe a try. Turns out it is a recipe for no-knead bread. No muscles needed for this kind. Time, and lots of it, you do need though. </span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">The basic concept is the following. Take flour, a little bit of yeast, water and salt, mix it together and let it do what it would do naturally. Rise. The bread requires less yeast because it will multiply for hours and hours (12-18 hours to be exact) instead of just 2-3. Once dough is bubbly, place it on a towel and let it rise a little bit more. Put it in the oven and it's done. It sounded almost too easy so I had to try. Twice. My first attempt was in my Dupont Circle apartment. The bread tasted fine but I thought I should try again. The second try was in my sister's Capitol Hill apartment in Seattle. Outcome: tasty! </span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">My friend sent me the original <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html">recipe</a> that he found in the New York Times in 2006 by Jim Lahey. </span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><strong>Jim Lahey's No -Knead Bread</strong></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><em>as published in the New York Times on November 8, 2006</em></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><em>and as found in M<span style="text-decoration: underline;">y Bread -The Revolutionary no-wor, no-knead method</span> by Jim Lahey with Rick Flaste</em></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting</span><span style="font-family: Palatino;"> ¼ teaspoon instant yeast</span><span style="font-family: Palatino;"> 1¼ teaspoons salt</span><span style="font-family: Palatino;"> Cornmeal ( I used semolina flour)</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">1 5/8 cups water</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><em>(NOTE: Who calls for 5/8 cups of water? I think it would be less confusing to the mathematically challenged to say 1/2 cup and then more if needed)</em></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><strong>Directions:</strong></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">In a large bowl combine the flour, yeast, salt and water. Stir it well until it is all incorporated. Cover the bowl in plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for 12-18 hours. You'll know the dough is ready (when the yeast has played around, flirted, and reproduced). The dough will be bubbly and darker. </span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0657.JPG" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TTTp6Rhaw5I/AAAAAAAAEAY/ad39fMRWGFM/IMG_0657.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0657.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">First try- Dupont Circle</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0741.JPG" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TTTp7Ih5s8I/AAAAAAAAEAc/3EG9x6s8vzU/IMG_0741.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0741.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Second try - Seattle</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">When the dough looks right, or you have gone to sleep, woken up, ran a few errands and finally have come back to check on your dough, lay out a clean dish towel and sprinkle the cornmeal (white flour, whole wheat flour, semolina flour) on the towel. Gently take the dough out of the bowl and shape it into a ball. The dough will be surprisingly sticky. It's loose and sticky and I found was very hard to actually shape into a ball. I passed it from hand to hand, each time extracting the free hand as if it had been covered in Nickelodeon slime. After deciding if you can ever get this blob was to resemble a ball, put it seam down onto the floured cloth. </span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0682.JPG" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TTTp8ObqCfI/AAAAAAAAEAg/bsGc9mJzIo0/IMG_0682.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0682.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Sprinkle it with more semolina flour and cover it with a second clean towel. Let it rise for about another 2 hours until it doubles in size. My dough never doubled. I was counting the squares on the tea towel and it only increased about 2 more squares. </span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0743.JPG" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TTTp9aWlHJI/AAAAAAAAEAk/er0E7z2Lgm0/IMG_0743.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0743.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">30 minutes before the bread is done, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Put a heavy cast iron pot in your oven. Le Creuset pots are perfect for this I have found. When you are done waiting around for your dough to rise and want to get on with your day (yes, that's right), carefully take the now very hot pot out of the open, take the lid off and carefully "plop" the dough into the pot, seam side up. This seam will create a beautifully delicious crack on the top crust of your bread. Put the lid back on and put it back in the oven for 30 minutes. When the time is up, take the lid off the pot and put it back in the oven for 15-30 minutes. I found that you definitely need the full 30 minutes.</span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0760.JPG" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TTTp-R7wsDI/AAAAAAAAEAo/jNwEYTDMISI/IMG_0760.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0760.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">When it's done, take it out of the pot with a spatula. Be sure not to crack or break the crust because the bread is still baking with steam inside. Let it cool for about an hour before you can eat it.</span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0328_2.jpg" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TTTp_YENRHI/AAAAAAAAEAs/KUoXvyMM5TY/IMG_0328_2.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0328_2.jpg" width="448" height="600" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0688.JPG" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TTTqAjwzP2I/AAAAAAAAEAw/mfIZzKyPQCk/IMG_0688.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0688.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0692.JPG" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TTTqBg1p3KI/AAAAAAAAEA0/ChH-4_Sfluo/IMG_0692.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0692.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">First try - Dupont Circle</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0774.JPG" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TTTqC4fpbZI/AAAAAAAAEA4/h3HVobocn3s/IMG_0774.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0774.JPG" width="600" height="400" /><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0775.JPG" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TTTqEC9IacI/AAAAAAAAEA8/v8Uxd6H3IWw/IMG_0775.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0775.JPG" width="600" height="400" /><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0777.JPG" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TTTqExe-FqI/AAAAAAAAEBA/KPp8uJ_15e0/IMG_0777.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0777.JPG" width="600" height="400" />Second try - Seattle</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">The second try was definitely more of a success than the first. I think this is partly because I turned the heat in my apartment way down in DC. I can't sleep with heat blowing in my face all night and since the dough rose overnight in my 62 degree kitchen for the first attempt, I don't think the yeast was quite as happy as it could have been. The second attempt was in a baby-friendly apartment, that was kept quite a bit warmer than mine was. The bubbles in the bread were larger. Note to self- overheat at night for the sake of your bread. The crust the second time around was also a lot better. The inside was light and fluffy and almost had a tangy taste to it. The crust was deliciously crunchy. The bottom was nice and dark and almost stuck to my teeth when I bit down into it. I love this kind of bread. I have the best memories of sitting in various cafes, eating moist bread that has crust that sticks to your molars. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">I consider this bread a success! It tastes a lot better than anything I can buy at my local Safeway and is a lot cheaper than anything I can find at Whole Foods, if you don't count man hours. I will continue this bread project, hoping to perfect the recipe above and tweaking it slightly.</span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">...and who doesn't like a "tartine" on homemade bread in the morning?</span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0781.JPG" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TTTqFuJ8-eI/AAAAAAAAEBE/u7iU_aVelO0/IMG_0781.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0781.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-66857971384551481962010-12-18T09:49:00.001-05:002010-12-18T09:49:40.532-05:00A baby shower and Hickory Farms Feast<p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"> Not long ago, I came home from a very long day and found 2 boxes in front of my door. Not expecting anything I was really excited! I opened them to find 2 boxes FULL of Hickory Farms crackers, cheeses, mustards and different kinds of sausage. What fun! I had completely forgotten that I had signed up to be part of the FoodBuzz Tastermaker program. You get to sign up and test out products from different food related companies. </span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">The boxes were so FULL and I knew there was no way I could eat that much cheese. I was in need of a party- a party with lots of people who liked cheese. I tried to get together with some of my girlfriends but work and life got so busy this season that plans fell through. Thankfully, I had another party I could bring them to. A baby shower! My sister and brother in law are having a baby! They live in Seattle, pretty far from Washington, D.C., but I was able to skip out of town during the busy holiday season last weekend for her shower. </span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0544.JPG" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TQzJ2oUlQmI/AAAAAAAAD-k/oSJh-vvi3D8/IMG_0544.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0544.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">As I suppose is expected for Seattle in December, it rained pretty much the entire weekend. It rained a relatively hard, warm rain called "the pineapple express". I thought that was just the name of a <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0910936/">movie</a> but as it turns out it is also what a storm coming from Hawaii is called. </span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">What do two sisters do when it's raining? Bake! We make gingerbread "little boy and little girls" and my grandfather's famous cheeseballs. I usually publish all my recipes but my grandfather's cheeseball recipe has to stay in the family. I'm sure if you search cheeseball you can find a recipe that is pretty close to what we used. Cheese (sharp cheddar preferably), flour, mustard powder and butter. That's it! Shred it, mix it and chill it. Just like cookie dough.</span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0523.jpg" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TQzJ5IEDyEI/AAAAAAAAD-0/Rd3qwMvgX9I/IMG_0523.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0523.jpg" width="400" height="600" /><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0524.jpg" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TQzJ57Qb9eI/AAAAAAAAD-4/ojYQX2XO8-4/IMG_0524.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0524.jpg" width="400" height="600" /></span></div></p><p style="text-align: center; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">The Hickory Farm cheese grated nicely and definitely made great cheeseballs!</span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0525.JPG" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TQzJ6Y4eTZI/AAAAAAAAD-8/aZacPQ7YR6c/IMG_0525.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0525.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Check out the savory spread we had! Homemade cheeeseball, gingerbread boys and girls. Humus, olives, carrot sticks, Hickory Farms summer beef and turkey sausage, cranberry and regular mustard, AMAZING northwest salmon that my brother in law's mother brought.. and other goodies!</span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0543.JPG" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TQzJ600bfRI/AAAAAAAAD_A/OcEQbXkZ4Yo/IMG_0543.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0543.JPG" width="600" height="400" /><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0538.jpg" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TQzJ8AjuHaI/AAAAAAAAD_I/ir12CLcJkHc/IMG_0538.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0538.jpg" width="300" height="450" /><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0532.JPG" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TQzJ80fuDPI/AAAAAAAAD_M/fg4NgIt9jgY/IMG_0532.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0532.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Look at the adorable cucakes my brother in law's mother made! She even brought the great cupcake stands!</span></p><p style="font-size: 14px;"> </p><p style="text-align: center; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">(tag cute monkey flower arrangement in the background)</span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0533.jpg" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TQzJ-NLPXkI/AAAAAAAAD_U/DT0Hxbi8lB4/IMG_0533.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0533.jpg" width="400" height="600" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0585.JPG" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TQzKAYug1AI/AAAAAAAAD_g/b5uorsq4wu4/IMG_0585.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0585.JPG" width="600" height="400" /><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0588.JPG" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TQzJ_YiYaHI/AAAAAAAAD_c/MgOISQtR-Rs/IMG_0588.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0588.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Despite the rain we all had a great time! It's hard to go wrong with cupcakes, cheeseballs and humus. </span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-size: 14px;"> </p><p style="text-align: center; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">The holiday parties are wrapping up at the restaurant which now gives me time to think about parties at my house! I hope everyone is having a great holiday season! </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-39563477260140383262010-12-04T12:33:00.001-05:002010-12-04T12:33:57.714-05:00Plum Brandy Finale- bottling!<p><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0515.JPG" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TPp7cJC6VlI/AAAAAAAAD90/jZFJOn9zF3E/IMG_0515.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0515.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Three months really do fly by! </span></p><p style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">When I started my <a href="http://atableblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/autumn-plums.html">plum brandy project</a> back in September, winter, the holidays and cold weather were all just a foggy memory left over from last year. For some reason it's hard to remember what wool sweaters and gloves feel like when there is a seemingly perpetual mugginess in the air. With work and life at full speed, the September heat and humidity quickly turned into a December chill. While I was surviving the October event rush at the restaurant, my plums were gently befriending the brandy they were swimming in. While we celebrated Thanksgiving and watching the leaves turn colors, the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean were enveloping the fruity flavors with a warm spicy tone. Now that country has begun its unusually long holiday celebration, it's time to bottle and taste what has been working away all these months.</span></p><p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0508.JPG" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TPp7gyN5pTI/AAAAAAAAD-M/Rd73vEzPnQY/IMG_0508.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0508.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></p><p style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">After gently rocking the large jar back and forth one more time to make sure all the flavors were evenly distributed before they are poured into their own individual bottles, take a ladle and gently remove the swollen plums and put them in a separate bowl. I am freezing mine to make "brandied plum sorbet or ice cream! The cinnamon stick has opened up and looks more like the bark that it really is than a dried spice. The vanilla pod, completely saturated with juice and brandy oozes out its precious seeds. I took it and put it in a jar with sugar to make vanilla brandy sugar. I just couldn't bring myself to throw away the pod. The fruit, stick and pod look pretty, glistening with all the sugars that have been marinating for several months.</span></p><p style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0509.JPG" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TPp7cq-rCNI/AAAAAAAAD94/3ySvlg8fj_0/IMG_0509.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0509.JPG" width="600" height="400" /><span style="font-size: 14px;">I bought small bottles online, washed them out and then poured boiling water into them to make sure to kill anything that might have called them home in the store. This isn't the boiling that is necessary to can or jar but I the alcohol in the bottles will kill anything else.</span></span></p><p style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0511.JPG" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TPp7dcesNQI/AAAAAAAAD98/zJNpvZsFcOo/IMG_0511.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0511.JPG" width="600" height="400" /><span style="font-size: 14px;">Don't these bottles all lined up remind you of the Jean Paul Gaultier ad for his cologne Maybe it's just me.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://cdn2.ioffer.com/img/item/157/303/289/6lbJLCASocK8Cek.jpg" alt="http://cdn2.ioffer.com/img/item/157/303/289/6lbJLCASocK8Cek.jpg" /><em>source: http://www.ioffer.com/si/fragrances</em></span></p><p style="font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><span style="font-size: small;">Strain the brandy to remove any bits of plum that might be floating around. </span></span></p><p style="font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><span style="font-size: small;">The mixture won' t be completely clear unless you use cheesecloth (which I do not have) but that's ok. It will taste the same.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><span style="font-size: small;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0510.JPG" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TPp7d63D2zI/AAAAAAAAD-A/3Hm5pYwUnZM/IMG_0510.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0510.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></span></p><p style="font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pour the mixture into the bottles that have dried and cooled off by now, label them, and you are done! </span></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 15px;">Unless you plan to spend <em>MANY</em> nights watching movies and drinking brandy, these dark red bottles can makes great gifts for your family and friends</span></p><p style="font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0514.JPG" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TPp7fIxwOCI/AAAAAAAAD-E/e-oJG00gO0g/IMG_0514.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0514.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0517.jpg" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TPp7gIPjCII/AAAAAAAAD-I/JIlbTW2N8as/IMG_0517.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0517.jpg" width="400" height="600" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><strong>Spiced winter brandy for the cold months to come.</strong></span></p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-68219740169417182242010-10-17T15:30:00.002-04:002010-10-17T15:32:04.167-04:00Plum brandy update and poached pears<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">The long days at work are far from over which leaves very little time for baking and cooking. Thankfully I have a recipe working away even while I'm not at home. My plum brandy is happily marinating away in the corner of my dining room, getting sweeter and fruitier every day. I opened up the jar the other day to taste my progress and, what a difference! The almost harsh brandy taste is almost completely gone. It now tastes like delicious, sweet, spicy, smooth, and fruity brandy. All that after only a few weeks! I can only imagine what this will taste like in December (by which time I'm sure I'll have decided I have waited long enough and will want a real taste). Some of the plums have kind of lost their color which can only mean that they are not only graciously giving their flavor to the brandy but also donated their beautiful purple color.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img alt="IMG_0473.JPG" border="0" height="400" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TLtOwyg-_nI/AAAAAAAAD84/NXccLkUZ6JE/IMG_0473.JPG?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0473.JPG" width="600" /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Along with my other <a href="http://atableblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/farmers-market-and-comfort-food.html">farmers' market purchases </a>I also bought pears. If you give me an apple and a pear I will usually reach for the apple. For some reason the crispy crunch you get from an apple is simply more satisfying to me than the grainy nature of a pear. One way I do like pears though, and I feel almost silly saying this, is poached in wine. After all, who wouldn't agree with me on that one? I was watching a show called French Food at Home about a woman who "quit the corporate life and moved to Paris to learn how to cook" (how lovely...) and watched her make an incredibly simple poached pear recipe that I just had to try. This recipe takes a while but couldn't be easier. Not only its flavors completely embody fall and makes you look like an accomplished cook, it fill your house or apartment with an amazing mulled wine smell.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img alt="IMG_0458.JPG" border="0" height="400" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TLtOx9FikCI/AAAAAAAAD9A/CIKLmBA-kcg/IMG_0458.JPG?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0458.JPG" width="600" /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><b>Poached Pears in Wine</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">from <i>French Food at Home</i> on Cooking Channel</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><b>Ingredients:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">(4) Bosc pears</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">(1) bottle of red wine</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">1/2 cup of honey</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><b>Directions:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Pick 4 pears (or like in my case 3) that are relatively firm. You don't want them falling apart while cooking in the wine. Peel them but keep the stems on. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Pour the bottle of red wine you have selected into an oven proof baking dish that has a cover on it. Le Creuset pots are perfect for this. Turn the heat of your stove onto medium and mix in the honey and let it melt into the wine. I used less than 1/2 a cup, more like 1/4 cup. I don't love really sweet desserts and figured the pears would have plenty of sugar. (NOTE: here you could add spices like cinnamon sticks, or star anise, a vanilla bean maybe?) Add your peeled pears. The wine should only cover them about half way. That's OK. You will turn them every hour or so, so they absorb the wine equally and evenly. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img alt="IMG_0460.JPG" border="0" height="400" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TLtOySh4ldI/AAAAAAAAD9E/l4ncEeK-2yM/IMG_0460.JPG?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0460.JPG" width="600" /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Turn the heat up until the wine starts to boil.</span></div><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img alt="IMG_0464.jpg" border="0" height="600" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TLtOzUSVdeI/AAAAAAAAD9I/OoUgIMIa9t4/IMG_0464.jpg?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0464.jpg" width="400" /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Put the pot, with the lid/cover on, into your oven, set at 250 degrees. The temperature is very low but you will be cooking the pears for anywhere from 3-5 hours so you don't want it too hot. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">I cooked mine for 3 hours, turning the pears every hour. By the time they were done their naked white bodies had turned a beautiful burgundy red.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Remove the pears and put the pot of wine back on the stove. Turn the heat up to high and let the mixture boil until it had reduced by more than half. It should be a dark red syrup when you are done.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Drizzle it over the pears and enjoy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img alt="IMG_0477.JPG" border="0" height="400" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TLtOz-c7QMI/AAAAAAAAD9M/zl_snu66djM/IMG_0477.JPG?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0477.JPG" width="600" /><img alt="IMG_0477.JPG" border="0" height="400" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TLtOz-c7QMI/AAAAAAAAD9M/zl_snu66djM/IMG_0477.JPG?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0477.JPG" width="600" /><img xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img alt="IMG_0478.JPG" border="0" height="400" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TLtO0ZYa13I/AAAAAAAAD9Q/X29891aGYwA/IMG_0478.JPG?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0478.JPG" width="600" /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">The sweet syrupy wine is just so incredibly good. I have some leftover and I am trying to figure out what else I could drizzle it on because throwing it away seems like a shame. Any ideas?</span>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-85755287464949566832010-10-10T18:47:00.002-04:002010-10-10T18:50:59.504-04:00Farmers' Market and Comfort Food<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">I am in serious need of comfort food. October is one of the busiest months for me at the restaurant. Everyone who was away for the summer, relaxing on their decks or patios with friends, are now booking dinner at the restaurant. Companies that had vacated DC for the summer are back at work and throwing cocktail parties and business dinners. It's as if Washingtonians feel bad for deserted us during July and August and feel like they need to make it up to us. Great for business but utterly exhausting. After an unavoidably hard week I needed comfort food and fast - something warm and satisfying. -something that reflects the season. I headed out to the farmers' market to get inspired.</span><br />
<div></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img alt="IMG_4184.jpg" border="0" height="466" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TLJCU0wXvoI/AAAAAAAAD7s/yHdlpMR39oI/IMG_4184.jpg?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4184.jpg" width="350" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Grape kiwis? Never heard of them. They kind of smelled like kiwis. So cute! You apparently eat them whole, no peeling necessary. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img alt="IMG_4182.jpg" border="0" height="466" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TLJCThjhHvI/AAAAAAAAD7k/xhIsogcJ91Q/IMG_4182.jpg?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4182.jpg" width="350" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">I buy my eggs from this woman every Sunday. I'm not sure if I can really taste the difference between these and the ones you would get at the store but appart from it being more fun I just like thinking that my eggs came from happy chickens on her farm. She reuses the egg cartons too.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img alt="IMG_4185.JPG" border="0" height="450" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TLJCVSskHqI/AAAAAAAAD7w/ja3zQubTiXU/IMG_4185.JPG?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4185.JPG" width="600" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Twin Springs is my go-to fruits and vegetable stand. I used to go to their Bethesda location on Saturdays when I lived there. I feel a sense of loyalty to them and their prices are very reasonable. </span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img alt="IMG_4186.jpg" border="0" height="600" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TLJCWNV6tPI/AAAAAAAAD70/jv0JQSv12s4/IMG_4186.jpg?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4186.jpg" width="450" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">I guess other people like them too!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img alt="IMG_4188.JPG" border="0" height="450" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TLJCW4rM01I/AAAAAAAAD74/v1peRMICCkE/IMG_4188.JPG?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4188.JPG" width="600" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img alt="IMG_4189.JPG" border="0" height="450" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TLJCYl5XRSI/AAAAAAAAD8I/V91WtZnIhr4/IMG_4189.JPG?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4189.JPG" width="600" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img alt="IMG_4192.JPG" border="0" height="450" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TLJCaNZ0FAI/AAAAAAAAD8M/TTm7d77tfE0/IMG_4192.JPG?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4192.JPG" width="600" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img alt="IMG_4193.JPG" border="0" height="450" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TLJCa8SpZxI/AAAAAAAAD8Q/lAl6HW1he1Y/IMG_4193.JPG?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4193.JPG" width="600" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">It's dahlia season!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img alt="IMG_4196.JPG" border="0" height="450" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TLJCbtQ9m4I/AAAAAAAAD8U/2FY97YVYI9w/IMG_4196.JPG?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4196.JPG" width="600" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">How beautiful are these variegated beans and eggplant</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img alt="IMG_4197.JPG" border="0" height="450" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TLJCcY1qWmI/AAAAAAAAD8Y/j86PmsPe_Cc/IMG_4197.JPG?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4197.JPG" width="600" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img alt="IMG_4202.jpg" border="0" height="600" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TLJCdKR1zXI/AAAAAAAAD8c/UVzUN1ky1Rg/IMG_4202.jpg?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4202.jpg" width="450" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">I didn't know you could grow ginger this far north. I assumed it was a tropical plant. Wrong again!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img alt="IMG_4201.jpg" border="0" height="600" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TLJCdkR2ZoI/AAAAAAAAD8g/1oNKDFvRthg/IMG_4201.jpg?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4201.jpg" width="450" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">OK these aren't from the farmers' market. They were hanging off the plant growing in front of my building but it was so colorful I thought I'd take a picture! When did we decide that fall colors were represented by fall foliage? The farmers market is bursting with pinks and purples and bright greens!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">I ended up coming home with butternut squash, a LOT of apples, a few pairs, apple cider and some brussels sprouts. Now what to make.....?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">When it comes to comfort I think is stews and soups. Since it was in the 70s this week (the last warm spell of the year I'm sure) I wasn't quite ready for a stew so I went with soup. Butternut squash and apples are a pretty classic combination for soup. I've been craving pizza from <a href="http://delanceyseattle.com/">Delancey</a> ever since I had it Seattle this summer. The owner of the restaurant started out writing a food blog so I thought I'd check it out for a recipe. <a href="http://orangette.blogspot.com/2004/12/san-francisco-synopsis-with-stockpot.html">Success!</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: large;"><b>Butternut Squash and Apple Soup</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><i>adapted from Orangette</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><b>Ingredients:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><i><span style="font-style: normal;">¼ cup olive oil <i>( I used just a couple tablespoons)</i></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><i><span style="font-style: normal;">1 2-lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)<br />
2 flavorful apples, preferably Gala, peeled, cored, and cut into 2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)- <i>( used 3 apples. They just looked so good.)</i><br />
1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 1 cup) (<i> I'm sure she was calling for a white onion but I used a red onion for its sweetness and color)</i><br />
¾ tsp curry powder <i>( I didn't have curry powder so I used some cumin and paprika instead)</i><br />
¾ tsp ground mace<i> ( I used nutmeg which is pretty close)</i><br />
½ tsp ground cardamom<br />
1 cup good-quality apple cider <i>(I had some from the farmers' market)</i><br />
1 quart chicken stock (vegetable works fine as well) ( I used vegetable bouillon cubes. I know I should have my own stock... if I just had the time to make it)</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><i><span style="font-style: normal;">I wanted to add a little spice so a I added a few pinches of </span></i>Espelette pepper. It's a mild chili pepper flake cultivated in France. It adds just enough spice to give the soup a little kick without making it really spicy.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><b>Directions:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img alt="IMG_0456.jpg" border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TLJCe9l8w5I/AAAAAAAAD8o/3fsjKCgYqbs/IMG_0456.jpg?imgmax=800" style="float: right;" title="IMG_0456.jpg" width="200" /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Peel and cut the butternut squash and apples (that I both bought at the farmers' market! Market use #1!!) into cubes and add them to a large pot along with the onion. "Saute" them, more like steam them, until the onion starts to turn translucent. Add the spices, the cider (that I bought at the market! Use #2!!!) and the vegetable stock and cook away, about 40 minutes, until the squash is nice and tender. Honestly that's about it. That's what's great about soups. Once you do all the chopping it's really up to the pot and heat to do their job and meld all the ingredients.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Carefully ladle the cooked vegetables and broth into a food processor or blender and pulse it until it becomes smooth. Remember to do this in small batches because hot liquids will create pressure in the blender and rise to the top quickly. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">When you are ready to eat it you could put a little dollop of creme fraiche or fromage blanc in the middle or eat it as it is. Yum.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img alt="IMG_0469.JPG" border="0" height="400" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TLJCfQLptcI/AAAAAAAAD8s/zzXucJNARW0/IMG_0469.JPG?imgmax=800" title="IMG_0469.JPG" width="600" /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Food, for me, can really wipe away whatever it was that I was thinking about or worrying about. The act of chopping and cutting and measuring and stirring relaxes me and eating the final product is so satisfying. This easy soup was just what I needed after my long week. One day off and on to the next one!</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="font-size: 17px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">***</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Last Sunday I tried to make chocolate caramels from a cookbook my Italian chef friends gave me...and failed miserably. It was probably because the instructions were in Italian. I can understand a good 50% of what I hear and read but 50% just doesn't cut it when it comes to baking and confectionaries. Out of failure comes success though. I had a lot of leftover cream so I made butter! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">I started out by shaking the cream in an empty 1/2 gallon milk jug. By the time it got to whipped cream consistency it really got too hard for me to shake. I must be seriously lacking in upper body muscle. I transferred my whipped cream to the mixer and let it finish the job.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img alt="IMG_0455.JPG" border="0" height="400" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TLJCgLk5UlI/AAAAAAAAD8w/PK_6fQKSC0U/IMG_0455.JPG?imgmax=800" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0455.JPG" width="600" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Butter in my butter bell for my morning toast this week</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-67951460434620790462010-09-26T17:34:00.001-04:002010-09-26T17:34:42.565-04:00Autumn Plums<p><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Summer is unfortunately over. It's a fact. It has only been over for 4 days, but to me, it ended the day I came back from vacation about two weeks ago. As much as I love the cooler fall days, it's always hard to say goodbye to warm nights- the perfect excuse to go out for drinks and sit outside, farmers markets FULL of fruits and vegetables, and my favorite "it's a Friday in August so I'm leaving work early" excuse. Fall means back to school, back to work and the start of the root vegetable season at the farmers' market. Before all brightly colored fruits hibernate for the winter, fall gives us a few last bursts of color, like the pomegranate, the plum and figs (OK I know some figs are black but there are some pretty lime green ones too!)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">I've discovered a new interest in cocktails. I never really enjoyed sweet cocktails like the Cosmopolitan but I thought those sugary/sour/fruity drinks were my only option if I wanted something other than a beer or a glass of wine while sitting at a bar. This isn't the first time that it turns out that's I'm wrong.. Over the summer I found several bars, in DC and other cities, that are "re-creating" the cocktail, using creative new combinations of flavors and ingredients. Fruits, herbs, bitters, infusions- the possibilities are endless. I've made Limoncello before and I jus<a href="http://atableblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/cool-summer-drink-and-weekend-in-ny.html">t infused vodka with lemon verbena</a> but those both have vodka. I wanted to try a new liquor. To go along with my "fall" mood, I thought I would try a recipe for plum brandy my sister found for me in the New York Times. She sent me two recipes: "Brandied Plums with Cinnamon and Vanilla" and "Pomegranate Gin Preserve". Brandied plums it is! The pomegranates will have to wait. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0396.JPG" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TJ-8RyT0p2I/AAAAAAAAD6g/VcqHSz6QPAY/IMG_0396.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0396.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><strong>Brandied Plums with Cinnamon and Vanilla</strong></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><em>Adapted from The New York Times - published on September 21, 2010</em></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><strong>Ingredients:</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><strong><img style="float: right; font-family: Helvetica; font-weight: normal; border: 0px initial initial;" title="IMG_0400.JPG" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TJ-8Ti3I4WI/AAAAAAAAD6o/hK2s-0h9FYY/IMG_0400.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0400.JPG" width="300" height="200" /></strong></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">2 lb of plums</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">1/2 cup sugar</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">1 liter of brandy</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">one cinnamon stick</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><strong><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><strong>Directions:</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">This really could not be easier. I changed the original proportions a little but nothing really changed all that much. The recipe is put together in under 10 minutes and then you just have to wait.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"> Wash the plums and prick them all over with the tip of a sharp knife. Put them in a large jar (the kind with a top that clamps shut). I used 3 liter jar and it was not full. </span></p><p><img style="float: left;" title="IMG_0404.jpg" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TJ-8TBT5ZKI/AAAAAAAAD6k/gddWXbMfYnA/IMG_0404.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0404.jpg" width="200" height="300" /></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Pour the sugar over the plums and then add the brandy. Plop in the cinnamon stick and the vanilla bean and voila!</span></p><p><br /><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0406.JPG" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TJ-8YsnIO9I/AAAAAAAAD7A/UevjdU3pP_M/IMG_0406.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0406.JPG" width="400" height="266" /></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Let the jar sit in a cool dark place (not the fridge) for at least 6 weeks, and up to 3-4 months. Gently "shake" the jar from time to time, by turning the jar over. Who knows. This is an experiment. The ingredients sound like they would go together and it if works, I'll have a delicious drink to sip when it's cold this winter (or give away as Christmas gifts because let's be honest, that's a lot of brandy). I'll keep you updated on the brandy's status!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0407.JPG" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TJ-8V2KX4tI/AAAAAAAAD60/GzswPTJJCW0/IMG_0407.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0407.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></span></p><p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">***</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">I had some plums leftover so I thought I would make a cake. Last week I made a delicious peach upside down cake with the last of my summer peaches. I've learned that most stone fruit desserts work with just about any type of stone fruit (or any sort of fruit in general really because a tart tatin is the apple version of this cake.) </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><strong>Plum and Rum Raisin Upside Down Cake</strong></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><em>Adapted from the Honey Peach Upside Down Cake from </em><a href="hotpolkadot.com"><em>Hotpolkadot</em></a></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><strong>Ingredients:</strong></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">About 8-10 plums depending on the kind you use and how big they are- quartered</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">1/4 cup of maple syrup</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">1/4 cup of golden raisins soaked in about 1/4 cup of rum - drained.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">1 cup of flour</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">1 tsp baking powder</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">1/2 tsp salt</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">1/2 cup unsalted butter - room temperature</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">1/2 cup sugar</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">1/2 cup honey</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">2 eggs</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><strong>Directions:</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Preheat your oven to 350. Butter a 9 inch round cake pan (sides and bottom). Cup out a round piece of parchment paper and put it on the buttered bottom of the pan. Butter the parchment round. (I know it sounds like a lot of butter but this is an upside down cake. You really don't want it to stick when it comes time to flip). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Pour the maple syrup on top of the buttered parchment paper. The original recipe called for honey but I thought the deeper flavor of maple syrup would taste really nice with plums. Take your plum quarters and arrange them, cut side down, in a nice circular pattern. Take your rum raisin and sprinkle them evenly over the plums. Set this aside and now. It's time to work on the cake batter.</span></p><p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0427.JPG" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TJ-8ZAo1f4I/AAAAAAAAD7E/v1XWYUviQL0/IMG_0427.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0427.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></p><p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0429.JPG" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TJ-8Z2bfYmI/AAAAAAAAD7I/wYQi2gl2Z1E/IMG_0429.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0429.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">In a small bowl, mix together your dry ingredients (flour, salt and baking powder). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"> In your mixer's bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the honey and then the eggs. I added a little nutmeg because I think nutmeg tastes like fall. You can omit it, of course, or add your spice of choice.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and you're done! The batter will not soupy. In fact, you probably won't be able to pour it out of the bowl. Use a spatula to scoup and plop it into the pan (kind of like mashed potatoes). Don't be afraid to use your fingers to gently convince the batter to fill in the little holes between the plums. Work the batter into the pan and put it in the middle of the oven. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"> The recipe calls for baking the cake for 30-35 minutes. Both times I made this it took me more like 40-43. See what works for you.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">When the cake is done (clean toothpick test), let it cool until you can pick up the pan with your fingers without burning them (idiot test). Put a large plate over the pan and quickly flip it and put the plate down on the table. If all the buttering did its job the cake should easily slip out of the pan. If the parchment paper came out of the pan with the cake, just carefully peel it off. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Serve it warm or refrigerate it for the next day.</span></p><p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0436.JPG" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TJ-8ajM8b-I/AAAAAAAAD7M/EV3s2QHUJPU/IMG_0436.JPG?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0436.JPG" width="600" height="400" /></p><p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0435.jpg" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TJ-8b43FG6I/AAAAAAAAD7Q/MgqcJRcI3z0/IMG_0435.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0435.jpg" width="400" height="600" /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Happy fall.</span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-8283544015869813742010-08-16T22:34:00.001-04:002010-08-16T22:34:54.679-04:00A cool summer drink and a weekend in NY<p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4167" border="0" alt="IMG_4167" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn09OyszuI/AAAAAAAADz8/fWaL8TG6bZA/IMG_4167_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="638" height="480" /><font size="3"><font size="2" face="Bookman Old Style">Three years after making Limoncello as Christmas gifts I have decided to give infused liquors another try.  The family lemon verbena plants are growing out of control this summer and I was trying to figure out what I could make with the sweet and lemony smelling leaves.  If vodka infused with lemons makes a good drink vodka infused with lemon verbena should too right?  Only one way to find out!</font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn09-qVQuI/AAAAAAAAD0A/d03tcROoTis/s1600-h/IMG_4135%5B3%5D.jpg"><font face="Bookman Old Style"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4135" border="0" alt="IMG_4135" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn0-J2w_8I/AAAAAAAAD0E/2IYHY1KfHGw/IMG_4135_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></font></a><font face="Bookman Old Style"> </font></font><font size="3"><font face="Bookman Old Style"><font size="2">After consulting with my friend at the restaurant about proportions, I set off last week to buy some vodka! The guy at the store was skeptical when I brought several liters of vodka to the counter but he wished me luck and I was on my way to making lemon verbena vodka!</font>  </font></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="5" face="Bookman Old Style"><strong>Lemon Verbena Vodka</strong></font></p> <p align="left"><strong><font face="Bookman Old Style">Ingredients:</font></strong></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">4 cups of lemon verbena leaves (taken off their stems and washed)</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">2 liters of good vodka (I used grey goose but I’m sure anything not in a plastic handle would do just fine!)</font></p> <p align="left"><strong><font face="Bookman Old Style">Directions:</font></strong></p> <p align="center"><font size="3"><font face="Bookman Old Style"><font size="2">Put the lemon verbena leaves in a 2-3 liter jar.</font>  </font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn0-qgODLI/AAAAAAAAD0I/UK0_suijM0I/s1600-h/IMG_4139%5B5%5D.jpg"><font color="#333333" face="Bookman Old Style"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4139" border="0" alt="IMG_4139" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn0_C_aetI/AAAAAAAAD0M/pTrbZbLiY0Y/IMG_4139_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="660" height="499" /></font></a><font face="Bookman Old Style"> <font size="2">Pour in vodka and stir!  Complicated right?</font>  </font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1AgNfmFI/AAAAAAAAD0Q/aNKVp4yTp70/s1600-h/IMG_4141%5B4%5D.jpg"><font color="#333333" face="Bookman Old Style"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4141" border="0" alt="IMG_4141" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1BFFG3rI/AAAAAAAAD0U/ZHauwf7fDEU/IMG_4141_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="660" height="497" /></font></a><font face="Bookman Old Style"><font size="2"> Let “steep” for as long as you want.  I thought it would take a lot longer for the verbena leaves to infuse the vodka but after two days the vodka smelled like lemon and looked as green as grass -nothing like the limoncello I made that needed to sit for at least a month to fully infuse.</font> <font size="2">I’m sure I could have let it steep for a few more days but the leaves were starting to turn light yellow which to me meant their had given all they could. </font></font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1Bum0uAI/AAAAAAAAD0c/fMsY06jFC98/s1600-h/IMG_4143%5B10%5D.jpg"><font color="#333333" face="Bookman Old Style"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4143" border="0" alt="IMG_4143" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1CJ8f5cI/AAAAAAAAD0g/hNRnpTaD9vg/IMG_4143_thumb%5B6%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="388" height="517" /></font></a><font face="Bookman Old Style">  </font></font><font face="Bookman Old Style">Time to take the leaves out!</font><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1CpR9zHI/AAAAAAAAD0k/vcz7WRO8-PY/s1600-h/IMG_4166%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4166" border="0" alt="IMG_4166" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1DLSlzWI/AAAAAAAAD0o/gBMGNXQw88E/IMG_4166_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="619" height="466" /></a> <font face="Bookman Old Style">I mixed the infusion with soda water and ice and it made the perfect summer drink.  Cool and refreshing and satisfyingly home made.</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="6">***</font> </p> <p align="center"><font face="Bookman Old Style">I took a last minute trip this past weekend and escaped to Brooklyn for a great weekend of family, food and cocktails!  We had a fantastic dinner at </font><a href="http://jamesrestaurantny.com/"><font face="Bookman Old Style">James</font></a><font face="Bookman Old Style"> and fun cocktails at </font><a href="http://www.cloverclubny.com/"><font face="Bookman Old Style">the Clover Club</font></a><font face="Bookman Old Style">.  I don’t have any recipe posts but I have a little photographic tour of the details I saw around Brooklyn instead.</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style"><a href="http://www.bbg.org/">Brooklyn Botanical Gardens</a></font><font size="3"><font face="Bookman Old Style"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1ECX9tvI/AAAAAAAAD0s/N7CuVdM23tw/s1600-h/IMG_4153%5B3%5D.jpg"><u><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4153" border="0" alt="IMG_4153" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1Eq0CfwI/AAAAAAAAD0w/KnoPmRWBtuI/IMG_4153_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="388" height="517" /></u></a></font></a><font face="Bookman Old Style"> </font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1FI3qkrI/AAAAAAAAD00/gcoI4lIm-_I/s1600-h/IMG_4148%5B2%5D.jpg"><font face="Bookman Old Style"></font></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1FI3qkrI/AAAAAAAAD04/J14mAIFC-Ls/s1600-h/IMG_4148%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4148" border="0" alt="IMG_4148" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1F2RVy_I/AAAAAAAAD08/0Dj1UatThIM/IMG_4148_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="388" height="517" /></a></a></a><font size="2" face="Bookman Old Style"> A little friend hanging out in the herb garden at the BBG </font><font face="Bookman Old Style"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1GYofq-I/AAAAAAAAD1A/xVFn2We5P-s/s1600-h/IMG_4149%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4149" border="0" alt="IMG_4149" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1G39_HxI/AAAAAAAAD1E/wAYXFQ8rZt4/IMG_4149_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="388" height="517" /></a></font></a><font face="Bookman Old Style"> </font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1HUawMnI/AAAAAAAAD1I/p2BiV4vOcg8/s1600-h/IMG_4150%5B2%5D.jpg"><font face="Bookman Old Style"></font></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1HUawMnI/AAAAAAAAD1M/CzcnamrsLc4/s1600-h/IMG_4150%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4150" border="0" alt="IMG_4150" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1IAg3pDI/AAAAAAAAD1Q/j_lAoY5h7I8/IMG_4150_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a></a></a><font face="Bookman Old Style"> </font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1IctBmvI/AAAAAAAAD1U/UrmUwA7NiOU/s1600-h/IMG_4151%5B5%5D.jpg"><font face="Bookman Old Style"></font></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1IctBmvI/AAAAAAAAD1Y/0Pzgbw1hig4/s1600-h/IMG_4151%5B6%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4151" border="0" alt="IMG_4151" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1JLfjGvI/AAAAAAAAD1c/W6HMTqB2K5c/IMG_4151_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a></a></a><font face="Bookman Old Style"> </font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1Ju3vFXI/AAAAAAAAD1g/XqeHWXQLdb0/s1600-h/IMG_4152%5B2%5D.jpg"><font face="Bookman Old Style"></font></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1Ju3vFXI/AAAAAAAAD1k/hr0j-yQIwbA/s1600-h/IMG_4152%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4152" border="0" alt="IMG_4152" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1LPeeV4I/AAAAAAAAD1o/1dYkhiqde9M/IMG_4152_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="388" height="517" /></a></a></a><font face="Bookman Old Style"> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1LiKv0cI/AAAAAAAAD1s/NqpBQ0sdv9U/s1600-h/IMG_4157%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4157" border="0" alt="IMG_4157" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1MNmnIMI/AAAAAAAAD1w/emMldGwsP0A/IMG_4157_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="388" height="517" /></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1Mtzg0aI/AAAAAAAAD10/M2ReAaSmDu8/s1600-h/IMG_4155%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4155" border="0" alt="IMG_4155" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1M9Q1MfI/AAAAAAAAD14/TCwxigzjems/IMG_4155_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1NcbncpI/AAAAAAAAD18/EiQQvtu3ZHw/s1600-h/IMG_4156%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4156" border="0" alt="IMG_4156" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1Nwzt8cI/AAAAAAAAD2A/y-8W3HzwYwM/IMG_4156_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a> My aunt’s kitchen</font></font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1OFye50I/AAAAAAAAD2E/4kU5yyUlCF4/s1600-h/IMG_4161%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4161" border="0" alt="IMG_4161" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1PfEifSI/AAAAAAAAD2I/78cZHZ4f4NU/IMG_4161_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1Pt5ZLXI/AAAAAAAAD2M/ME2Y1YugpVs/s1600-h/IMG_4160%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4160" border="0" alt="IMG_4160" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1QIjXpeI/AAAAAAAAD2Q/TIZDSwupzEI/IMG_4160_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a> </p> <p></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1QmfPBQI/AAAAAAAAD2U/28AzVrqH_hI/s1600-h/IMG_4165%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4165" border="0" alt="IMG_4165" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1RMgfG4I/AAAAAAAAD2Y/PQ7stja8U5w/IMG_4165_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1RoIsimI/AAAAAAAAD2g/5eCuN4l6ypI/s1600-h/IMG_4163%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4163" border="0" alt="IMG_4163" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1SOmjbRI/AAAAAAAAD2o/PDkMM8i7ljI/IMG_4163_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="683" height="513" /></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1SV8dLVI/AAAAAAAAD2s/8iV_wHcI2Fo/s1600-h/IMG_4164%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4164" border="0" alt="IMG_4164" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TGn1Sxg1i0I/AAAAAAAAD20/ZPl1Z3gSh8M/IMG_4164_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="683" height="513" /></a></p> Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-8291383815835021032010-08-01T14:15:00.001-04:002011-06-05T14:05:14.353-04:00A Peachy Summer Weekend<p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TFW5pdLUzSI/AAAAAAAADyo/Kl6_ED5icZo/s1600-h/IMG_4077%5B5%5D.jpg"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4077" border="0" alt="IMG_4077" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TFW5p9mg3JI/AAAAAAAADys/57yDOwu2FzI/IMG_4077_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></font></a><font face="Bookman Old Style"><font size="3"> Growing up, summer days meant going to camp.  We would bring our own brown bag lunches and toss them in a big rubber bin along with all the other lunches, hoping the bag on top of yours wouldn’t leak and rip your lunch bag.  </font><font size="3">I can still picture all of us sitting outside on the designated “lunch hill” eating our sandwiches and drinking the box of “fruit punch” provided by the camp.  While other kids ate their Twinkies and cupcakes, I usually sank my teeth into a sweet juicy summer peach.  I distinctly remember always having sticky fingers after lunch. Juice would dribble from the peach down my chin and onto my hands.   Ah, summer.</font></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">While I no longer have the luxury of going to summer camp, thankfully peaches are still part of my summer!  My eyes tend to be bigger than the number of recipes I have when I am at the farmers’ market.  I bought a LOT of peaches.  Thankfully they keep pretty well if you put them in the refrigerator.  I put some away and kept a few out and went on a peach recipe hunt.  After looking at recipes for cobblers, tarts, pies, and a cakes I figured peach ice cream would be the best way to honor the summer staple.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">Ice cream recipes, </font><a href="http://atableblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/mint-chocolate-chip-ice-cream-preview.html"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">as I learned when I made my favorite, mint chocolate chip</font></a><font face="Bookman Old Style"><font size="3">, are VERY simple.  <em>Häagen</em>-<em>Dazs </em>isn’t kidding with it’s new ad campaign highlight how pure and simple the product it.  It’s not just </font><font size="3"><em>Häagen</em>-<em>Dazs </em>but all ice cream really.  All the recipes I looked at had the same cream/milk/egg combination.  The only thing that really changed was the sweet component.  I decided to go with honey.</font></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">In the spirit of intellectual honesty, I read the following blogs as inspiration and basic ratios. </font><a href="http://www.eatatblurp.com"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">www.eatatblurp.com</font></a><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">, </font><a href="http://www.peterandrewryan.com"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">www.peterandrewryan.com</font></a><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">, </font><a href="http://www.dessertfirst.typepad.com"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">www.dessertfirst.typepad.com</font></a><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TFW5qBKkT6I/AAAAAAAADyw/z37cngMdCV8/s1600-h/IMG_4125%5B4%5D.jpg"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4125" border="0" alt="IMG_4125" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TFW5qcwqK0I/AAAAAAAADy0/M1_LHtF_hBQ/IMG_4125_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="599" height="451" /></font></a><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style"> </font></p> <p align="center"><font size="6" face="Bookman Old Style">Summer Peach Ice Cream</font></p> <p align="left"><strong><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">Ingredients:</font></strong></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">4 large ripe peaches for the puree and 1 for to put in the ice cream later</font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">1/8 of a cup of honey (the recipes I read called for a 1/4 cup.  I thought this would make the ice cream too sweet.  Depending on the ripeness of the peaches you can decide for yourself.  I went for less.  I also don’t like my desserts to be too too sweet.  I get honey from a family friend and try and use my local honey as much as I can!)</font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">1 cup of whole milk </font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">1 cup of heavy cream</font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">3 large egg yolks</font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">1/2 cup sugar</font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">2 tsp vanilla (I used the 2 tsps and I also split a vanilla bean in half, used the seeds and simmered the bean in the milk/cream pan for added flavor. )</font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style"></font></p> <p align="left"><strong><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">Directions:</font></strong></p> <p align="left"><font size="3"><font face="Bookman Old Style"><u>Peach Puree:</u>  Peel and cut up the 4 peaches and simmer them in a saucepan with the honey until the peaches become very soft and are cooked thro</font></font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TFW5qrOIjTI/AAAAAAAADy4/mWBRht7TZbg/s1600-h/IMG_4082%5B5%5D.jpg"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_4082" border="0" alt="IMG_4082" align="right" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TFW5rDX--6I/AAAAAAAADy8/gB8fZNU9F2o/IMG_4082_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="388" height="517" /></font></a><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">ugh (about 15 minutes).  Let the mixture cool a bit and then puree it in a food processor until it looks smooth.  Easy! (Note: you could probably do this with just about any fruit.  You could make a berry puree, a plum puree…. experiment!)</font></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TFW5rdVL2_I/AAAAAAAADzY/zituUxBY3eU/s1600-h/IMG_4083%5B6%5D.jpg"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_4083" border="0" alt="IMG_4083" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TFW5rqXw-FI/AAAAAAAADzc/Cn4Dh7Njy2c/IMG_4083_thumb%5B4%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="260" height="197" /></font></a><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">  </font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style"><u></u></font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style"><u></u></font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style"><u></u></font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style"><u></u></font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3"><font face="Bookman Old Style"><u>Custard for the ice cream:</u> Pour milk and cream into a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Meanwhile, separate your eggs and mix the sugar with the egg yolks with a whisk until they are a light yellow color.  When the milk and cream are nice and hot, take about a 1/4 cup and pour it slowly into the yolks, whisking all the while, to temper the eggs.  Make sure not to curdle them!  Now that the eggs have warmed up a bit, slowly pour the rest of the milk mixture into the eggs in a slow trickle.  </font></font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">Split your vanilla beans and scrape the seeds out.  Instead of throwing away the vanilla pod you can either put it in a sugar canister and make vanilla sugar, or do what I did and just add it to the custard to give it even more vanilla flavor.  I had been saving my vanilla beans for something special.  My brother in law got them for me during a trip to Madagascar.  Peach ice cream sounds special enough to me!</font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">Pour the egg, milk and peach puree and cream mixture back into your saucepan and stir on medium heat until it thickens into a nice custard that covers your spoon. Add the vanilla extract, vanilla seeds and plop in the vanilla pod to infuse the mixture. </font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">Refrigerate the custard for a few hours or over night to completely chill it.</font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3"><font face="Bookman Old Style"><em>The next day:</em> (Don’t you hate it when you start making a recipe without reading the whole way though and you get to the part that says “the next day” and kick yourself?…. It happens to me… a lot.)</font></font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">Take the chilled custard out of the refrigerator.  Dice the remaining peach into small cubes.  Pour the custard into the ice cream maker.  When it is about the consistency of frozen yogurt, add the peaches.  </font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">Put it back in the freezer for a few hours for the whole thing to firm up and enjoy!</font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">This ice cream has such an intense peach flavor.  I couldn’t have been more pleased with it.  Delicious.</font><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TFW5rwlgHAI/AAAAAAAADzI/OOhhIsmqHS4/s1600-h/IMG_4123%5B7%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4123" border="0" alt="IMG_4123" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TFW5sHl33-I/AAAAAAAADzM/6vyO-lCcGEE/IMG_4123_thumb%5B5%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a> </p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TFW5sc1eQWI/AAAAAAAADzQ/ZHLFJOuYxig/s1600-h/IMG_4126%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4126" border="0" alt="IMG_4126" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TFW5s0fTlcI/AAAAAAAADzU/9Mrz3xW6Ra0/IMG_4126_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a></p> Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-39601675741794341122010-07-04T15:45:00.001-04:002010-07-04T15:48:29.133-04:00A sweet 4th of July<p><font face="Bookman Old Style"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TDDkhgF5TnI/AAAAAAAADxM/7I1Ucy0TE20/s1600-h/flagcakeblog3.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="flag cake blog" border="0" alt="flag cake blog" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TDDkiqplqII/AAAAAAAADxQ/WIouDrYb8C4/flagcakeblog_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="460" /></a><font size="3"> </font></font><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">The 4th of July isn’t necessarily a holiday surrounded by a lot of culinary traditions.  Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter all have their culinary musts: turkey, goose, lamb, pumpkin pie, Christmas cookies, eggs.  The 4th of July has barbeques I suppose, but no real “must haves”…except for a long standing tradition in my family: the flag cake.  I’m not sure when we started baking the Flag Cake or how the idea came about but it’s just not the 4th of July without it for me.  </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">I am proud to be an American but my patriotic flair is limited.  You will not find me wearing a flag pin, or with a flag sticker on my car.  I don’t usually sing the national anthem at ball games (I’ll stand up for it though!!), I won’t get into heated discussions about patriotism and usually try and avoid dressing in red white and blue.  My patriotism for the year comes out on the 4th of July.  I wear a flag in my ponytail, go down and watch the fireworks on the National Mall and will not miss making my Flag Cake.  </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">This year I was getting worried that I would not have an excuse(other than the obvious holiday reason) to make my flag cake.  I didn’t want to <em>have</em> to eat an entire cake by myself… thankfully my friend Beth threw a barbeque and saved me from a sugar overdose.  Perfect excuse to bring out the sugar and food coloring and pretend I am a kid again.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">Chocolate cake and white icing is pretty typical, but this usual, everyday sort of cake, is transformed when it meets blue and red colored sugar.  It goes from a boxed cake to, in m</font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TDDkjmLIt1I/AAAAAAAADxU/MqCBYG6_ZQo/s1600-h/IMG_40496.jpg"><font color="#333333" size="3" face="Bookman Old Style"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_4049" border="0" alt="IMG_4049" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TDDkkFLsXHI/AAAAAAAADxY/cYRtieUoEkk/IMG_4049_thumb4.jpg?imgmax=800" width="359" height="272" /></font></a><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">y opinion, the highest level of patriotism!  Several versions have been tested:  red and blue icing on icing white, blueberries and sliced strawberries on white icing (the fruit ended up releasing juice on the white frosting so that didn’t work.. <em>our colors don’t run!..</em> I had to say it.. sorry).  The traditional, tried and true method of coloring sugar with food coloring still seems to work the best.   </font></p> <p><font size="3"><font face="Bookman Old Style">I usually bake from scratch but the point of this cake is not to spend hours sifting flour and measuring cocoa powder.  It’s to play and decorate.  We have always used a boxed cake mix and there is no shame in that.  The traditional Flag Cake frosting is made with butter, confectioner’s sugar and milk.  While it’s delicious, it’s a little too sweet for my taste.  I asked the pastry chef at the restaurant I work at to give me some frosting tips.  Working at an Italian restaurant she suggested Mascarpone!  Easy, not necessarily healthier, but a little less sweet.</font> </font></p> <p align="center"><font size="6"><font face="Bookman Old Style"><font color="#ff0000">4th</font> of <font color="#0000ff">July</font> Flag Cake</font></font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">1 box of chocolate cake mix (it’s ok I promise)</font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">white sugar – divide the sugar in two bowls and add red food coloring to one bowl and blue to the other and mix it until the colors is as deep as you want it.</font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style"><u>Mascarpone icing:</u></font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">(2) 4oz tubs of mascarpone cheese</font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">heavy cream – Use as much as you like.  I got a little box and poured some into the mascarpone until I thought it was the right spreading consistency</font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">confectioner’s sugar – I ended up using a little less than a 1/4 cup.  It all depends on how sweet you want your frosting.  The most sugar you put in the more cream you will need because the sugar really makes the mascarpone stiffen up.</font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style"><u>Directions:</u></font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">Put both tubs of mascarpone cheese into your mixer.  Mix on medium speed for a few minutes just to have it be creamy.  Add a little bit of heavy cream (about 2 tbs) and see how smooth it gets.  Add some confectioner’s sugar to taste.  Beat it on medium high for about a minute just to incorporate everything well.  I added a little rum at the end, about a tablespoon, just for extra flavor but it’s not necessary if you want to keep the cake PG.</font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">There! You’re done! It’s time to ice!</font></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TDDkke7SarI/AAAAAAAADxc/iRBGWnoDrH0/s1600-h/IMG_40484.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4048" border="0" alt="IMG_4048" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TDDkk4M8rdI/AAAAAAAADxg/sVa3aIeahfU/IMG_4048_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="427" height="321" /></a><font size="3"> <font face="Bookman Old Style">Spread the icing over the cake and you are ready to decorate!<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TDDklfFgk8I/AAAAAAAADxk/CMmmFVq1dEY/s1600-h/IMG_40535.jpg"><font color="#333333"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_4053" border="0" alt="IMG_4053" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TDDkl0wfC0I/AAAAAAAADxo/KHMPQTZ1PLI/IMG_4053_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="343" height="259" /></font></a> </font></font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TDDkmr-rRRI/AAAAAAAADxs/d2T3zen3wI4/s1600-h/IMG_40554.jpg"><font face="Bookman Old Style"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4055" border="0" alt="IMG_4055" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TDDkmz7tJ3I/AAAAAAAADxw/2CEm58NGbhU/IMG_4055_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="323" height="246" /></font></a><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style"> I cut out stripes of parchment paper to cover the parts the cake I wanted to keep “white”.  I first thought I was going to make the flag with the correct number of stripes but then decided against that.  It’s been done in the past but I decided to go “modern” this time.</font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">Decorate and enjoy!!</font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TDDknrvZoyI/AAAAAAAADx0/iFgalE8fQO4/s1600-h/IMG_4056%5B2%5D.jpg"><font face="Bookman Old Style"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4056" border="0" alt="IMG_4056" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TDDkpnAHjgI/AAAAAAAADx4/cm_UZk_tpuM/IMG_4056_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="525" height="395" /></font></a></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TDDkrtlXB4I/AAAAAAAADx8/o2RKhpfomMU/s1600-h/IMG_4057%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4057" border="0" alt="IMG_4057" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TDDks5goN7I/AAAAAAAADyA/6SDG4VcQz_4/IMG_4057_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="641" height="484" /></a>  </p> <p align="center"><font size="7"><font face="Bookman Old Style"><font color="#ff0000">*</font> <font color="#ffffff">*</font> <font color="#0000ff">*</font></font></font></p> <p align="left"><font color="#000000"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">Apparently making  a flag cake wasn’t enough for me this year.  I was reading </font><a href="http://www.tastespotting.com/"><font size="3" face="Bookman Old Style"><em><strong>tastespotting</strong></em></font></a><font face="Bookman Old Style"><font size="3"> the other day and saw a post for cute little patriotic strawberries and just had to make them. They are so easy and the cuteness factor is pretty much off the charts.</font>  </font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TDDkt6IahII/AAAAAAAADyE/xcofUdJQh_Y/s1600-h/IMG_4065%5B3%5D.jpg"><font face="Bookman Old Style"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4065" border="0" alt="IMG_4065" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TDDkvaCY7KI/AAAAAAAADyI/IClN1dfUVgM/IMG_4065_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></font></a><font face="Bookman Old Style"> </font></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="5"><font face="Bookman Old Style"><font color="#ff0000">4th of July</font> Chocolate Covered <font color="#0000ff">Strawberries</font></font></font></p> <p align="left"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Bookman Old Style"><u>What you will need:</u></font></p> <p align="left"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">Strawberries – washed and dried off</font></p> <p align="left"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">White chocolate chips</font></p> <p align="left"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">Blue sugar</font></p> <p align="left"><u><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">Directions:</font></u></p> <p align="left"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">Put the white chocolate chips into a bowl and heat them up in the microwave at 10 second intervals, stirring each time they come out.  It took me about 40 seconds to have melted chocolate.  I first tried to do it over the stove and the chocolate seized up right away.  I then tried to put it in the microwave.. it worked.  I added a little rum to it and it seized up again.  On my third try I just tried the microwave and no rum this time (put the booze down!) and it worked.  I’ve worked with dark chocolate and have been pretty successful with it but white chocolate is clearly a whole different beast.  So… long story short, melt the white chocolate chips and don’t add anything fancy to it and it will work just fine.</font></p> <p align="left"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Bookman Old Style">Dip the clean, dry strawberries about 3/4 of the way into the chocolate and then dip the tip in to blue sugar.  Done! Cute little patriotic strawberries.  Put them in the refrigerator to harder up and share them with friends.  </font></p> <p align="left"><font color="#000000" face="Bookman Old Style"></font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#000000" size="5" face="Bookman Old Style">Happy <font color="#ff0000">4th <font color="#ffffff">of</font> </font><font color="#0000ff">July</font> everyone!</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TDDkv9YhjsI/AAAAAAAADyM/pnUQsavUnfM/s1600-h/IMG_4064%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4064" border="0" alt="IMG_4064" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TDDkwmt0RSI/AAAAAAAADyQ/TYIESzPx1BI/IMG_4064_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="388" height="517" /></a> <font color="#000000" face="Bookman Old Style"><em>A special “shout out” to my mother and father who are spending the 4th in France and my sister and brother in law who are spending it in South Africa.  A little bit of USA while you are traveling!</em></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="6" face="Bookman Old Style"> </font></p> Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-6840831001072011552010-06-19T12:22:00.001-04:002010-06-19T12:37:37.441-04:00Mushroom and Leek Quiche<p><font face="Bookman Old Style"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TBzukSp-12I/AAAAAAAADuo/u0McV2C_2xM/s1600-h/IMG_4001%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4001" border="0" alt="IMG_4001" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TBzuk52iqiI/AAAAAAAADus/G5s_5pnR5wg/IMG_4001_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="626" height="471" /></a> </font><font face="Bookman Old Style">I’m trying to expand my “quick dinner” repertoire.  This doesn’t have to mean quick to fix (even though it is in this case) but something that can either be easily re-heated or eaten cold/at room temperature.  I grew up loving quiche. Quiche Lorraine, spinach quiche, leek quiche, mushroom quiche, broccoli quiche… I love them all. They are a great way to eat your vegetables!  Quiche is not only very simple to make but no matter what you put in it you get a healthy meal that you can eat for lunch, or dinner (or cold breakfast as was the case this morning).   I remember quiche being the go-to dinner during a busy week growing up.  I knew this week would be the same for me so I planned ahead!  I wanted to make an asparagus quiche but Whole Foods was surprisingly out of asparagus.  I know the season is over at the farmer’s market but I figured the store would have some. Maybe WF is more “seasonal” than I thought!  After listening to the produce guy profusely apologize for the lack of asparagus and promise me he would have some tomorrow, I found some mushrooms and leeks and went with those instead.</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="5" face="Bookman Old Style">Quiche aux Poireaux et Champignons</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="1"><font face="Bookman Old Style">Adapted from Julia Child’s “<em>quiche aux oignons” from <u>Mastering the Art of French Cooking-Volume One</u></em></font></font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style"><strong> <u>Ingredients:</u></strong></font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">1 pie crust (I used a whole wheat one but it tasted a little funny so I would recommend whatever you usually use)</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">2 medium sized leeks </font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">1/2 tbs of flour</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">little knob of butter</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">2 tbs of olive oil</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">About 2 cups of roughly chopped crimini mushrooms </font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">3 eggs (the recipe called for 2 eggs or 3 yolks so I just put in all three eggs. I’m guessing this made my quiche firmer than had I just used 2.  It worked…I liked it… so I’m going to go with it)</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">2/3 cup of heavy cream</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">1 tsp salt</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">black pepper to taste</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">1/2 cup of grated Swiss cheese (I used ementhal)</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style"><strong><u>Directions:<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TBzuluypsyI/AAAAAAAADu0/qaKyRnP-h7Q/s1600-h/IMG_3978%5B6%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_3978" border="0" alt="IMG_3978" align="right" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TBzumEkvgFI/AAAAAAAADu4/4_gkWUH8aHc/IMG_3978_thumb%5B4%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="349" height="243" /></a></u></strong></font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style"><em>Pre-bake your pie crust:</em> Set oven to 400 degrees.  Take your pie shell and prick the bottom all over with a knife, cover it with aluminum foil and fill it with either little pastry peas or if you don’t have any like me, use dried beans.  I used lentils.  The beans/ pastry peas weigh down the shell to make sure it doesn’t bubble up while baking.  Bake the pie shell with the beans for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.  Take the pie shell out and reduce the oven to 375 degrees.</font></p> <p align="left"> <font face="Bookman Old Style"><em>Prep your vegetables:</em> </font><font face="Bookman Old Style">Wash and roughly chop your mushrooms.  </font><font face="Bookman Old Style">Slice your leeks in half and run them under water to make sure all the sand and dirt trapped between the leaves are gone.  Slice the leeks into thin half moons.  The larger the half moons are the longer the leeks will take to cook down so use your judgment!<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TBzumv-R0WI/AAAAAAAADu8/raPET4vge9A/s1600-h/IMG_3979%5B6%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_3979" border="0" alt="IMG_3979" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TBzunLcdVZI/AAAAAAAADvA/_hbDCMP6ljM/IMG_3979_thumb%5B4%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="393" height="298" /></a></font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">Put half of your butter in a sauté pan with some olive oil so the butter doesn't burn, and sauté them until they have released some of their liquid and are slightly brown.  Remove from the pan and set aside. </font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">Put the rest of the butter and a little more olive oil into the pan and add the leeks.  They will take longer to cook.  Let them kind of sweat in the pan until they soften up considerably and you don’t think you’ll bite into a piece of raw “onion”.  They will cook a little more when you are baking the quiche but you want them to be mostly cooked now.  Add the cooked mushrooms and let them get to know each other.  Add a little salt and a pepper to taste.  Sprinkle the flour and mix it al together.  Take off the burner and let them cool off a little (you’ll be adding this to the egg/cream mixture and you don’t want to scramble the egg).</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TBzunvHO4cI/AAAAAAAADvE/PS7L51rujbw/s1600-h/IMG_3983%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3983" border="0" alt="IMG_3983" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TBzuoZ1c7II/AAAAAAAADvI/897Ntgf4oO4/IMG_3983_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="536" height="403" /></a> <font face="Bookman Old Style">In a bowl mix the 3 eggs and the cream together.  Add your leek and mushroom mixture to the eggs along with 2/3 of the grated cheese.  Mix well.<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TBzupLWVTtI/AAAAAAAADvM/tTNoBoyjEm8/s1600-h/IMG_3981%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3981" border="0" alt="IMG_3981" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TBzupp7X4ZI/AAAAAAAADvQ/-qZ1NM3sPBU/IMG_3981_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a><font size="1">Don’t you just love the color of these eggs? I finally broke down and bought eggs at the farmer’s market instead of a the store… They taste great and are just so pretty!  </font> </font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">Remove the beans and foil from your pre-baked pie crust (I’m assuming this is an obviously step but you never know) and then pour your mixture into the pie shell.  I kept my pie shell on a cookie sheet just to make it easier to take it in and out of the oven.  Cover the quiche with the extra cheese and pop it in the oven for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.  <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TBzuqQyWXvI/AAAAAAAADvU/DmKOVR4002U/s1600-h/IMG_3986%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3986" border="0" alt="IMG_3986" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TBzuq9840pI/AAAAAAAADvY/YdxPgIxRXEw/IMG_3986_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="569" height="430" /></a> </font><font face="Bookman Old Style">When it is done the cheesy top should be lightly browned.<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TBzurEzWtwI/AAAAAAAADvc/me_9fJ2TF4E/s1600-h/IMG_3990%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3990" border="0" alt="IMG_3990" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TBzurdgpnwI/AAAAAAAADvg/RuZd23OkaBA/IMG_3990_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="579" height="436" /></a> </font><font face="Bookman Old Style">The quiche will look slightly puffy when you first take it out.  The eggs will deflate a little bit as it cools.  That’s fine, in fact that’s normal.</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">I eat quiche cold, warm, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  It’s such a versatile receptacle for all sorts of delicious ingredients.  You can make a ham and cheese one, one with all sorts of green vegetables if you don’t think you are eating enough “vitamin green”, you could make it “Mediterranean” with olives, peppers, tomatoes and Feta, or go Scandinavian and use smoked salmon and dill.  There are so many combinations it’s pretty hard to get tired of quiches.  The cream and eggs give you protein even if you only put vegetables in it so you are covered in terms of nutrition.  Explore and enjoy!</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TBzur3f6ONI/AAAAAAAADvk/i5d4ypamfsI/s1600-h/IMG_4000%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4000" border="0" alt="IMG_4000" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TBzusf-P0nI/AAAAAAAADvo/pTJuOy-ZUkY/IMG_4000_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="388" height="517" /></a><font face="Bookman Old Style"> Thanks for the pretty peonies Alex!</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TBzuskowsDI/AAAAAAAADvs/fvMms4xBteM/s1600-h/IMG_4017%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_4017" border="0" alt="IMG_4017" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TBzutJxvbcI/AAAAAAAADv0/F_Sp0xL81Pc/IMG_4017_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="262" height="347" /></a> </p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style"></font></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TBzyT1ydS5I/AAAAAAAADwo/qGVUHDG9QSA/s1600-h/IMG_40185.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_4018" border="0" alt="IMG_4018" align="right" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TBzuuY5EiFI/AAAAAAAADv8/WJhh1mOKj28/IMG_4018_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="393" height="296" /></a><font face="Bookman Old Style"></font></p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TBzyT1ydS5I/AAAAAAAADws/uBcDZSWgl3g/s1600-h/IMG_40184.jpg"></a></p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style"></font></p> <p align="center"><em><font face="Bookman Old Style"></font></em></p> <p align="center"><em><font face="Bookman Old Style"></font></em></p> <p align="center"><em><font face="Bookman Old Style"></font></em></p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"><em><font face="Bookman Old Style">Leek and mushroom quiche </font><font face="Bookman Old Style">served with sautéed sugar snap peas and fleur de sel. Paired with the always necessary glass of Sauvignon Blanc.</font></em></p> <p align="center"><em><font face="Bookman Old Style"></font></em></p> <p align="center"><em><font face="Bookman Old Style">POLL: How many people noticed that I first posted this with “leak” quiche in the title.  My proofreader-grandmother would NOT be impressed.</font></em></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style"></font></p> Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-2575612607570027052010-05-28T21:04:00.001-04:002010-05-28T21:12:15.575-04:00Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp<p><font face="Bookman Old Style"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TABn7dl-VYI/AAAAAAAADsY/RB4fzAWVuII/s1600-h/IMG_3922%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3922" border="0" alt="IMG_3922" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TABn7qj8giI/AAAAAAAADsc/n122dOpW9Lo/IMG_3922_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="575" height="433" /></a> </font><font face="Bookman Old Style">It’s strawberry season!  If you have ever gone to the grocery store looking for strawberries and been sorely disappointed with the total lack of flavor the little red berries have given you you clearly didn’t go in the spring.  First, stop shopping for strawberries in the fall or winter.  Second, stop shopping for them in a grocery store.  Wait until spring and go to a farmers’ market.  These otherwise relatively expensive little berries are cheap and SO sweet this time of year.  The season is short so go now!  Buy them, eat them, enjoy them, freeze them for later, OD on them.. whatever you do, eat them now.  Strawberries are pretty much perfect this this time of year.  <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TABn8LBi_2I/AAAAAAAADsg/NycVnqvvnv0/s1600-h/IMG_3925%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_3925" border="0" alt="IMG_3925" align="right" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TABn8lQMnQI/AAAAAAAADsk/dCkjWneUHdc/IMG_3925_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="441" height="332" /></a> </font></p> <p><font face="Bookman Old Style">There is a small farmers’ market at Rose Park on P Street on Wednesdays that runs May through October.  It’s on my walk home from work and I stopped by this week to see what they had.  After resisting the urge to buy an entire herb garden worth of plants (my apartment balcony seriously lacks gardening space) I bought strawberries and rhubarb from one of the stands and walked the rest of the way home with tall rhubarb stalks peaking out of my bag.  </font></p> <p><font face="Bookman Old Style">I found a recipe for a Rhubarb Crisp published in the New York Times and figured it wouldn’t hurt, and would actually probably greatly enhance, the recipe if I added strawberries!  </font></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TABn85rqh8I/AAAAAAAADso/sr8YHKY1Ifs/s1600-h/IMG_3918%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3918" border="0" alt="IMG_3918" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TABn9Uuj98I/AAAAAAAADss/9McYGcqO6OM/IMG_3918_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="367" height="276" /></a></p> <p align="center"> <font size="5"><font face="Bookman Old Style"><font color="#bc161b"><em>Strawberry </em>Rhubarb Crisp</font></font></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="1" face="Bookman Old Style">adapted from the recipe published in the New York Times on May 14, 2010</font></p> <p align="left"><strong><font face="Bookman Old Style">Ingredients:</font></strong></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">6 tbs cold butter, cut into small pieces</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">2 1/2 lbs of rhubarb, trimmed, tough strings removed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces (I had no clue how much rhubarb this was so I just bought 5 stalks.  It all depends on what you want your rhubarb to strawberry ratio to be of course)</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">1 quart of strawberries washed, little leafy heads cut off ,“cored” and halved</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">1/4 cup white sugar</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">1 tbs orange zest</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">1tsp orange juice</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">3/4 cup brown sugar</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">1/2 cup all purpose flour</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">1/2 tsp cinnamon ( I used cardamom and used a lot less…just a sprinkle because I feel like it’s a much more powerful spice than cinnamon)</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">pinch of salt</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">1/2 cup rolled oats</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">1/2 cup pecans (I used walnuts, mostly because that’s what I had on had but I also just prefer walnuts if a recipe calls for nuts.  Maybe that’s why I had them in the first place!)</font></p> <p align="left"><strong><font face="Bookman Old Style">Directions:</font></strong></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">Heat your oven to 375 degrees.  Grease an 8 or 9 inch baking dish (or whatever you have really.  I’m sure you could use a large pie dish if you wanted to) with butter.  Toss the rhubarb and strawberries with the white sugar, orange zest and juice and spread into the baking dish.<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TABn978TFVI/AAAAAAAADsw/glm192gyIt0/s1600-h/IMG_3931%5B6%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_3931" border="0" alt="IMG_3931" align="right" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TABn-Grny1I/AAAAAAAADs0/33HAHHV_fVo/IMG_3931_thumb%5B4%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="283" height="373" /></a> </font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style">Put the cut up pieces of butter, brown sugar, flour, cardamom, and salt into a separate bowl.  The recipe calls for pulsing all these ingredients in a food processor until the mixture forms pea size balls.  I just used my fingers to mix it all together.  It was satisfying and worked just as well.  Working with your hands gives you an excuse to lick your fingers anyway.  Add the oats and walnuts and combine!</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Bookman Old Style"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TABn_Jq7sAI/AAAAAAAADs4/lAOL6D4ksW0/s1600-h/IMG_3932%5B7%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3932" border="0" alt="IMG_3932" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TABn_5cpGRI/AAAAAAAADs8/2B8x1iwczd0/IMG_3932_thumb%5B5%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="377" height="290" /></a> </font><font face="Bookman Old Style">Crumble the mixture over the fruit and pop in the oven until the top starts to brown…about 45 minutes.</font></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TABoAFb8m-I/AAAAAAAADtA/jycSSar2G_E/s1600-h/IMG_3936%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3936" border="0" alt="IMG_3936" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TABoA8EMpSI/AAAAAAAADtE/U_czzgUeeF0/IMG_3936_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a> </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TABoBRsoS1I/AAAAAAAADtI/njHPZLr7EUA/s1600-h/IMG_3938%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3938" border="0" alt="IMG_3938" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TABoB9HQQiI/AAAAAAAADtM/WIxCSo5Lv8g/IMG_3938_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a> </p> <p><font face="Bookman Old Style">As it turns out crisps are not the most attractive dessert.  Despite how tart yet sweet it tasted my dessert was not photogenic.  Poor thing.  Don’t let the pictures deceive you, this stuff was good!  The cooked fruit with the crunch of the walnuts and the sweet topping was a great combination.  I wonder if it would be good over vanilla ice cream or pound cake.  Since I made an entire cake pan worth I guess I’ll have plenty of occasions to try.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TABoCVMgYgI/AAAAAAAADtQ/F8lbPsuPtoY/s1600-h/IMG_3940%5B10%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_3940" border="0" alt="IMG_3940" align="right" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TABoC23uJeI/AAAAAAAADtU/cLiiCqonCKY/IMG_3940_thumb%5B8%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="412" height="318" /></a> </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TABoDbqI9vI/AAAAAAAADtY/lRKc1nC5_iU/s1600-h/IMG_3941%5B8%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_3941" border="0" alt="IMG_3941" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TABoDjvjqgI/AAAAAAAADtc/2FWP5VGBois/IMG_3941_thumb%5B6%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="251" height="327" /></a> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TABoEG7w0BI/AAAAAAAADuE/Pd4oy_XAxnk/s1600-h/IMG_3923%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_3923" border="0" alt="IMG_3923" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/TABoEvMQBLI/AAAAAAAADuI/i3J9_IqgWEI/IMG_3923_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="573" height="434" /></a></p> <p align="center"><font color="#c91a0c" size="5" face="Bookman Old Style">Happy strawberry season!</font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#c91a0c" size="1" face="Bookman Old Style">This recipe is dedicated to my awesome aunt in Brooklyn who I failed to mention in my last post.  It’s because of her that I have an ice cream machine! </font></p> Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-4764198645146832632010-05-04T23:02:00.001-04:002011-06-05T14:05:07.440-04:00Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream – a preview of summer<p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DfnXNm_lI/AAAAAAAADp8/MIbRnEMdDuc/s1600-h/IMG_3916%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3916" border="0" alt="IMG_3916" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-Dfnxkyi-I/AAAAAAAADqA/qyz6xBrXwko/IMG_3916_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a> </p> <p>It almost feels like summer and what better way to usher in warm weather and long nights than ice cream!  Mint chocolate chip has always been my favorite flavor.  What’s not to love about green colored ice cream with chocolate in it?!  I’ll admit <font face="Lucida Sans">r<font color="#008000">ai</font><font color="#ff8000">nb</font><font color="#008080">ow</font> <font color="#ffffff">sh</font><font color="#00ffff">er</font><font color="#ff0080">bet</font></font> was a close second but mint chocolate chip was always my go-to kind.  While I’ve moved away from the green colored brands I still like the more natural looking scoops.  </p> <p>I made it to the end of the Ad Hoc at Home cookbook and found TK’s dessert section.  It was almost like fate.  Right next to the cherry ice cream recipe that will probably go untouched was one for mint chocolate chip! Perfect!  Unlike the other Thomas Keller recipes this one was relatively simple!  </p> <p align="center"><font size="4">Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="1">as found in Thomas Keller’s <em>Ad Hoc at Home</em></font></p> <p align="left"><strong>Ingredients:<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DfoNeRnoI/AAAAAAAADqE/bWydqCeEv48/s1600-h/IMG_3862%5B6%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_3862" border="0" alt="IMG_3862" align="right" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DfogHHUoI/AAAAAAAADqI/5QQkYbiFT1Q/IMG_3862_thumb%5B4%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="408" height="309" /></a></strong></p> <p align="left">2 cups whole milk</p> <p align="left">2 cups heavy cream</p> <p align="left">1/2 cups loosely packed mint leaves</p> <p align="left">1 1/3 cups granulated sugar</p> <p align="left">10 large egg yolks</p> <p align="left">3 ounces 55% chocolate chips</p> <p align="center"> <em>Eggs, Cream, sugar, mint, chocolate. It couldn’t be more simple!</em></p> <p align="left"><strong>Directions:</strong></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p>Separate the yolks from the white.  Ready.. go!        </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DfpKnZmqI/AAAAAAAADqM/PfldcpZJx8U/s1600-h/IMG_3865%5B14%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_3865" border="0" alt="IMG_3865" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-Dfpbi3U4I/AAAAAAAADqQ/1WX4lEw42VM/IMG_3865_thumb%5B10%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="200" height="153" /></a> </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-Dfp8aaYQI/AAAAAAAADqU/2erGMzFK6i0/s1600-h/IMG_3866%5B16%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_3866" border="0" alt="IMG_3866" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DfqOBxHTI/AAAAAAAADqY/RYmuF--zD_o/IMG_3866_thumb%5B12%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="204" height="157" /></a> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DfqpU_s0I/AAAAAAAADqc/ZfPJoXb7tSU/s1600-h/IMG_3867%5B14%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_3867" border="0" alt="IMG_3867" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DfqwTkkEI/AAAAAAAADqg/D6UMXHlRQtg/IMG_3867_thumb%5B10%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="213" height="164" /></a> </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DfrRC7utI/AAAAAAAADqk/APsWtaCp-rs/s1600-h/IMG_3868%5B10%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_3868" border="0" alt="IMG_3868" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DfsUe_8xI/AAAAAAAADqo/9ECBWR241SI/IMG_3868_thumb%5B6%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="213" height="166" /></a> </p> <p> </p> <p>Going…</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DfslDUzkI/AAAAAAAADqs/HWGtxtDbWDY/s1600-h/IMG_3869%5B11%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_3869" border="0" alt="IMG_3869" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DfsxoM6zI/AAAAAAAADqw/EEe-n7y4wlc/IMG_3869_thumb%5B7%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="206" height="156" /></a> </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-Dftc17a3I/AAAAAAAADq0/36NCLi96lrA/s1600-h/IMG_3871%5B10%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_3871" border="0" alt="IMG_3871" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DftqzHOPI/AAAAAAAADq4/Qy-rtxtYJzM/IMG_3871_thumb%5B6%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="198" height="150" /></a> </p> <p> </p> <p>Going…</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DfuHS9DwI/AAAAAAAADq8/hWmJUKjIm5Y/s1600-h/IMG_3873%5B11%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_3873" border="0" alt="IMG_3873" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DfutkBS_I/AAAAAAAADrA/HLsLIieWK64/IMG_3873_thumb%5B7%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="214" height="162" /></a> </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DfvdaX47I/AAAAAAAADrE/ELYmSdT1Nuo/s1600-h/IMG_3874%5B12%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_3874" border="0" alt="IMG_3874" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-Dfvqam_HI/AAAAAAAADrI/10QdzwKKpYM/IMG_3874_thumb%5B8%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="219" height="168" /></a> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>… gone!</p> <p> </p> <p>Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan and add the mint (picked from the stem and washed…. mine was really sandy!)  Turn the heat up to medium until it reaches a simmer, then turn the heat off and let the mint “steep” for about 20 minutes to transfer all the mint<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DfwMCXqZI/AAAAAAAADrM/tAzXEDMElKM/s1600-h/IMG_3863%5B6%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_3863" border="0" alt="IMG_3863" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DfwT_sUwI/AAAAAAAADrQ/LzO9g6rSTc0/IMG_3863_thumb%5B4%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="381" height="289" /></a>y goodness from the leaves to the milk and cream.  I<em> found local milk and cream at my Whole Foods so I am going to call this “slow” ice cream.  The creamery sells non-homogenized dairy products.  Other than promoting laziness I’m not really sure why milk and cream are homogenized to be honest.  Nothing wrong with a little shaking before drinking!  </em></p> <p> </p> <p>Strain the leaves out of the liquid, add 2/3 of a cup of sugar and bring to a simmer over medium heat to dissolve said sugar.  </p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p>While the sugar is dissolving whisk the remaining sugar into the egg yolks until the whisk leave a faint trail.</p> <p>Slowly, add the hot milk/cream mixture to the yolks a 1/2 cup of at a time, making sure not to curdle the eggs. <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DfwysjmlI/AAAAAAAADrU/JDzcrl0QzU8/s1600-h/IMG_3877%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3877" border="0" alt="IMG_3877" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DfxLcSQWI/AAAAAAAADrY/xM8rBJLhxpk/IMG_3877_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="489" height="368" /></a> Strain the mixture back into the pan.  (Prepare an ice bath and set it aside for later).</p> <p>Put your saucepan over medium heat and stir it constantly to make a custard.  Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom so it doesn’t get lumpy or gummy. Stir until the mixture thickens enough to coat your wooden spoon.  When it gets to this point take it off the heat, strain it<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-Dfxnv_t5I/AAAAAAAADrc/QA-B-kGgbkc/s1600-h/IMG_3880%5B9%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_3880" border="0" alt="IMG_3880" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DfyCk0EgI/AAAAAAAADrg/r03zZXRdFiI/IMG_3880_thumb%5B7%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="411" height="320" /></a> into a bowl and put the bowl into the ice bath to stop the cooking process.  Leave the custard in the ice bath, stirring once and a while, until it cools off.   </p> <p>Put it in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.</p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p>I left mine in overnight (cooking it hard work!!)</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>The following day, pour the mixture into your ice cream machine and “follow the manufacturer's instructions”. <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DfybY-A7I/AAAAAAAADrk/xr3daHxYOxk/s1600-h/IMG_3909%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3909" border="0" alt="IMG_3909" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-Dfyik5f_I/AAAAAAAADro/X3IgW8sR-sg/IMG_3909_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a> When the mixture is the consistency of frozen yogurt add the chocolate pieces, let it churn a little longer, and then put it in Tupperware to freeze and then eat!!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DfzIFnHDI/AAAAAAAADrs/Sqount081e4/s1600-h/IMG_3910%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3910" border="0" alt="IMG_3910" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-DfzUfPy4I/AAAAAAAADrw/2ASmzTf8HwY/IMG_3910_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a>I added a few pieces of chocolate on top! Can’t hurt. </p> <p></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-Dfz2L9kVI/AAAAAAAADr0/dUKZUuNdpP8/s1600-h/IMG_3912%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3912" border="0" alt="IMG_3912" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-Df0TeIkoI/AAAAAAAADr4/3jG-p-GPWA0/IMG_3912_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="694" height="522" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-Df1ZzvQoI/AAAAAAAADr8/bYG40YWqJ5Y/s1600-h/IMG_3915%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3915" border="0" alt="IMG_3915" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S-Df1oCkgzI/AAAAAAAADsA/2RNQEVuVFY0/IMG_3915_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a></p> <p align="center">Here’s to warmer weather, longer nights and a glimpse of the summer to come!  </p> Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-64842732765486008542010-04-25T20:50:00.001-04:002010-04-25T20:50:51.277-04:00Thomas Keller’s Spring Vegetable Garbure<p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjP8e1mWI/AAAAAAAADnU/qGThtStGOhg/s1600-h/IMG_3905%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3905" border="0" alt="IMG_3905" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjQX-piuI/AAAAAAAADnY/OyukC-Ic2VE/IMG_3905_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a> </p> <p>For those of you (including me before I read the recipe) who don’t know what a Vegetable Garbure is, it’s basically a vegetable soup full of big chunks of vegetables and beans.  </p> <p>I’ve been working long hours at the restaurant and by the time I get home I’m rarely in the mood to cook so I thought I would make something easy and nutritious that I can reheat and eat this week.  I went back to the Ad Hoc cookbook to see what Thomas Keller had for me.  I found his spring vegetable soup and thought it would be the perfect light dinner for the week!  </p> <p>I am starting to understand what makes a recipe a “Thomas Keller recipe”.  </p> <p>1.) Take simple, delicious ingredients</p> <p>2.) Cook each ingredient a different way before putting them all in the same pot</p> <p>3.) Create recipe that seems to be unnecessarily time consuming but is so good that people can’t help but to give it a try.  <font size="1">*sigh*</font></p> <p>That being said, I see why he takes the time to do each extra step, but when it takes me 2.5 hours to make a vegetable soup I start to wonder if the end result is worth the tired feet.  Good thing this is food for a week!</p> <p align="left"><font size="3"><strong>I dedicate this post to my foodie aunt up in Boston.</strong> I tweaked this recipe and made it completely vegetarian!  </font></p> <p align="center"><strong><u><font size="4" face="Georgia">Thomas Keller’s Spring Vegetable Garbure</font></u></strong></p> <p align="center"><font size="1">Adapted from the Ad Hoc at Home cookbook</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjQ6NniHI/AAAAAAAADnc/dNs2_zl-HaI/s1600-h/IMG_3881%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3881" border="0" alt="IMG_3881" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjRBs3NJI/AAAAAAAADng/y27uICIDtzU/IMG_3881_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="208" height="157" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjRTt9LGI/AAAAAAAADnk/8hAVMjrwJmU/s1600-h/IMG_3887%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3887" border="0" alt="IMG_3887" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjRvoeA3I/AAAAAAAADno/INkO7rXolf8/IMG_3887_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="158" height="210" /></a> </p> <p align="left"><strong>Ingredients:</strong></p> <p align="left">3 tbs canola oil</p> <p align="left">2 cups thinly sliced carrots</p> <p align="left">2 cups of coarsely chopped leaks</p> <p align="left">2 cups of coarsely chopped onions</p> <p align="left">salt and pepper</p> <p align="left">(he uses pig skin to sweat the vegetables… I’ll explain later.  I used parchment paper for SEVERAL reasons)</p> <p align="left">3 yellow potatoes</p> <p align="left">3 red potatoes</p> <p align="left">1 bouquet garnis with a bay lead and thyme</p> <p align="left">2 cups of oblique cut carrots (to be used a bit later in the recipe)</p> <p align="left">8 ounces of asparagus – I estimated about 6 spears</p> <p align="left">8 cups of vegetable broth (Thomas Keller calls for chicken stock but to keep this purely vegetarian I went with vegetable broth.  I’m ashamed to admit that I used cubes instead of stock in a box but since I don’t have a car, carrying bouillon cubes home was a LOT easier than carriying 4 boxes of vegetable broth home.)</p> <p align="left">1lb fava beans ( I eat enough fava beans at work so I used habichuelas instead.  Completely different bean but same protein.  It’s fine!)</p> <p align="left">1 cup sliced green beans</p> <p align="left">1 cup of peas</p> <p align="left">1 small head of Savoy cabbage</p> <p align="left">2 cups of cooked garbanzo beans (you can use cannelini or white beans here too)</p> <p align="left">Red wine vinegar (he doesn’t say how much to use to I gave the almost finished soup a nice little drizzle and that’s it)</p> <p align="left">flat leaf parsley.</p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"><strong>Directions:</strong></p> <p align="left"><strong>Sweat the thinly sliced carrots, onions and leaks in a large pot.  Cover the pot with parchment paper to keep most of the steam in to help the vegetables along. </strong></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjSCbXxUI/AAAAAAAADns/hdthPrVKrCI/s1600-h/IMG_3888%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3888" border="0" alt="IMG_3888" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjSW3N5gI/AAAAAAAADnw/68OVFJh4M8k/IMG_3888_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="560" height="421" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjS_aUEUI/AAAAAAAADn0/odK3KrPaUsY/s1600-h/IMG_3889%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3889" border="0" alt="IMG_3889" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjTLhGzYI/AAAAAAAADn4/5UySQ2TuBtE/IMG_3889_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="572" height="433" /></a><font size="1"> TK’s version of the parchment lid is a lot fancier than mine.  It’s circular and looks pretty enough to be a doily.  Mine is a little rough around the edges but serves its purpose.  He doesn’t even use a parchment paper lid in his recipe though.  He uses pig skin from the butcher to give the broth flavor and a little fat.  I’m pretty sure that the Whole Foods near me doesn’t always have pig skin on hand… so I went with the paper.  Pig skin? Really?</font></p> <p align="left"><strong>When the vegetables are slightly cooked and a little glossy looking add the vegetable stock and let the vegetables simmer for about 20 minutes.</strong></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjTigRg8I/AAAAAAAADn8/OGKvphSVCHM/s1600-h/IMG_3893%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3893" border="0" alt="IMG_3893" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjT_-FAqI/AAAAAAAADoA/4oOCuaU0auI/IMG_3893_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="655" height="493" /></a> </p> <p align="left"><strong>While the vegetables are cooking, peel your potatoes and cut them first length wise and then in half to make medium size pieces.  </strong></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjU2cn9XI/AAAAAAAADoE/qynAIjxGOFE/s1600-h/IMG_3891%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3891" border="0" alt="IMG_3891" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjVA3o-CI/AAAAAAAADoI/NaXkIs1aiuo/IMG_3891_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="484" height="364" /></a></p> <p align="left"><font size="1">These two potatoes have different color skins but look pretty similar once they are peeled.  Ah the lessons you can learn about judging a potato by it’s cover.  ok.. I might be getting a little too philosophic here with my spuds</font>…<font size="1">on with the recipe.</font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjVaFsjgI/AAAAAAAADoM/tcrzXkdT9n0/s1600-h/IMG_3892%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3892" border="0" alt="IMG_3892" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjV-Rq0cI/AAAAAAAADoQ/SjBxq8E1VKY/IMG_3892_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="519" height="391" /></a>  <strong>Put the potatoes in a pot with the “bouquet garnis” and salt. <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjWNy_jhI/AAAAAAAADoU/Uon-LSzHNa0/s1600-h/IMG_3894%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3894" border="0" alt="IMG_3894" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjWimiDjI/AAAAAAAADoY/tW6OIe1qSMU/IMG_3894_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a> </strong><strong>Cover the potatoes in cold water and boil them for about 10 minutes.  When they are done, put them out on a cookie sheet to cool.</strong></p> <p align="left"><strong>Once the vegetables are done coo</strong><strong>king in the broth, strain the broth and discard the vegetables. (I kept my mushy cooked veggies.  I tasted them and they tasted amazing so I think I’ll stir them into rice for dinner later in the week!  I just couldn’t throw away all that flavor.)</strong></p> <p align="left"><strong>At this point I started on the rest of the vegetables.  Cut the tips off the green beans and cut them into thirds.  Snap the asparagus ends off and cut them into 1 inch pieces and cut the cabbage into 6 wedges. </strong></p> <p align="left"><strong><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjW9ZkrEI/AAAAAAAADoc/dqVlSRFL0Tg/s1600-h/IMG_3897%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3897" border="0" alt="IMG_3897" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjXSJ-XBI/AAAAAAAADok/Y2Ny2AjiAYM/IMG_3897_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="497" height="374" /></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjXvDt-2I/AAAAAAAADoo/FEqgSk39vnw/s1600-h/IMG_3895%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3895" border="0" alt="IMG_3895" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjX89r3iI/AAAAAAAADos/1ulXAG9pQ1s/IMG_3895_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjYeO_2rI/AAAAAAAADow/UaFuG9ajZZg/s1600-h/IMG_3896%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3896" border="0" alt="IMG_3896" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjZBllZmI/AAAAAAAADo0/8az5XEjwuho/IMG_3896_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="529" height="400" /></a> <br /></strong><strong>Thomas Keller says to take the oblique-cut carrots and simmer them in water along with another bouquet garnis and some honey.  I ran out of pots so I just simmered them with the other vegetables when they were cooking and fished them out.  Not the easiest thing to do but I cut out one of the steps.  To add the sweetness I’m sure the honey would have brought to the carrots I drizzled a little on them once they were done cooking (not even a tablespoon).</strong></p> <p align="left"><strong>In another pot (who has that many pots?!! I used the one that I boiled the potatoes in), bring water and 2 teaspoons of salt to a boil and blanch your asparagus, green beans, peas and cabbage.  Transfer them immediately to a ice bath to stop the cooking process.  This makes sure that they stay really green!</strong></p> <p align="center"><strong><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjZoMbb5I/AAAAAAAADo4/Xchoo4JJzTY/s1600-h/IMG_3900%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3900" border="0" alt="IMG_3900" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjZ_vcFrI/AAAAAAAADo8/wubBUvbdCTA/IMG_3900_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a><font size="1"> Pretty swimming veggies! It almost looks like a fish tank.</font></strong></p> <p align="left"><strong>Once all the vegetables are blanched put them back in the vegetable broth infused with all the flavor and nutrients from the carrots, onions and leeks.  Add the potatoes and your two types of beans and drizzle with a little red wine vinegar.  Boil for a few minutes and you’re done! (finally.)<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjaNrboGI/AAAAAAAADpA/ybTRe__mI7Y/s1600-h/IMG_3904%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3904" border="0" alt="IMG_3904" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S9TjalkMeYI/AAAAAAAADpE/1o9sm_GPtoE/IMG_3904_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="683" height="513" /></a></strong></p> <p align="left">Finish the soup with some fresh parsley and it’s time to eat!</p> <p align="left"> <strong>After sitting down and eating my lovely bowl of Spring Vegetable Garbure I understood why TK asked me to follow so many steps.  The potatoes, boiled with the bay leaf and thyme, had SO much flavor.  I think I’ll put thyme in my water when boiling potatoes from now on.  The vegetables, thanks to the blanching and the quick dip in the ice bath, were green, crisp and delicious.  The potatoes were perfectly cooked.  The broth itself was great.  I sometimes think that vegetable broth lacks some depth of flavor.  By cooking vegetables in vegetable broth it basically doubled the flavor.  Time consuming but genius.</strong></p> <p align="left"><strong>The soup was fresh, satisfying and painted the perfect picture of a light spring dinner.  </strong></p> <p align="center"><strong>Success.</strong></p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"><strong></strong></p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="center"></p> Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-26761508736470556372010-04-04T22:21:00.001-04:002010-04-04T22:21:41.980-04:00Checking in…<p>It took my sister writing me an email asking me if I was really <em>so</em> busy at work that I didn’t have time to post on this blog to remind me that it had been a while since my last entry.  I’m sorry!  </p> <p>It’s spring in Washington, D.C. which means the start of the events season.  D.C. and its party planners are coming out of hibernation and that equals busy days and late nights for me.  That doesn’t mean I haven’t been cooking but I have to admit I’ve tried a few recipes that haven’t really turned out the way I wanted them to.  It’s important to admit defeat but there is no need to <em>post</em> said defeats.</p> <p>Between events and simple dinners I’ve taken up running again!  I had previously hurt my knee but our February snow gave me the perfect excuse to sit back and relax and give myself time to get better for Spring!  I signed up for the <a href="http://www.cherryblossom.org/">Cherry Blossom 10 miler</a> a while back and I was determined to get back into shape in time to run it.  It is only a week away!  While I don’t have any recipes for you this time, I do have a few pictures I’ve taken while running these past few weeks.  Thanks to my iPhone that I always have with me for phone/googlemaps/camera purposes I can documents my runs!</p> <p align="left">Running has given me the opportunity to explore parts of the city I would rarely typically go to, mainly around the monuments.  <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S7lJIwh2p3I/AAAAAAAADmc/pBxl7B0IvhY/s1600-h/photo%285%29%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="photo(5)" border="0" alt="photo(5)" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S7lJJmUPpQI/AAAAAAAADmg/B2lfGts_sp8/photo%285%29_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="388" height="517" /></a> Despite the large numbers of tourists <em>(we love you all, don’t get me wrong!)</em> in town this week for the Cherry Blossom Festival I took a run around the monuments to see the trees in bloom.  I had never been around the monuments at dusk before. Beautiful!  </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S7lJKJlOXeI/AAAAAAAADmk/KMoRM83NXDM/s1600-h/photo%282%29%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="photo(2)" border="0" alt="photo(2)" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S7lJK_HvXeI/AAAAAAAADmo/O31wUrc5nmQ/photo%282%29_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="473" height="627" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S7lJLWranbI/AAAAAAAADms/JKMn4Zyf9mA/s1600-h/photo%283%29%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="photo(3)" border="0" alt="photo(3)" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S7lJL7WWsBI/AAAAAAAADmw/Ud8HDOf-E10/photo%283%29_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S7lJMVy0RDI/AAAAAAAADm0/84WQSu5TKIM/s1600-h/photo%284%29%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="photo(4)" border="0" alt="photo(4)" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S7lJNOqwt1I/AAAAAAAADm4/c3nfQEBDPU4/photo%284%29_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="522" height="692" /></a> To switch it up I ran around Roosevelt Island on Saturday.  I have to say it’s been nice rediscovering my city.  I promise to get back to cooking and baking soon.  </p> <p> </p> <p align="center"><font color="#3ccf1d" size="6" face="Monotype Corsiva"><strong>Happy Spring everyone!</strong></font></p> Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-14291819097223394392010-03-14T21:09:00.001-04:002010-03-14T21:09:10.452-04:00Grandma’s Raisin Bran Muffins<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S52IqF_8dBI/AAAAAAAADk0/l8W8lcEwu6E/s1600-h/IMG_3814%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3814" border="0" alt="IMG_3814" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S52IqhmAVeI/AAAAAAAADk4/CVSK--4fafc/IMG_3814_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a> </p> <p><font face="Raavi">The exact origins of this recipe is a mystery to me.  My grandmother has been making these raisin bran muffins for as long as I can remember, so to me, they are Grandma’s muffins.  Now, if you work for Kellogg or if this recipe happens to belong to you.. thank you for lending it to my grandmother for all these years</font>.</p> <p><font face="Raavi">Now that she no longer makes them on her own I have decided to make sure my grandmother and grandfather can still have their raisin bran muffins on occasion for breakfast and am now making them myself.</font></p> <p><font face="Raavi">These muffins are sweet enough to be a mid afternoon snack if you are scared away by the 1 1/2 cups of sugar!</font></p> <blockquote> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Raavi">Grandma’s Raisin Bran Muffins</font></p> </blockquote> <p><strong><u><font face="Raavi">Ingredients:</font></u></strong></p> <p><font face="Raavi">2 1/2 cups flour</font></p> <p><font face="Raavi">1 1/2 cups sugar</font></p> <p><font face="Raavi">2 1/2 tsp baking soda <font size="1">(yes, baking soda not baking powder)</font></font></p> <p><font face="Raavi">1 tsp. salt</font></p> <p><font face="Raavi">3 cups raisin bran cereal</font></p> <p><font face="Raavi">2 cups buttermilk<font size="1"> (I used a cup of 2% milk and a cup of plain yogurt, works just as well!)</font></font></p> <p><font face="Raavi">1/2 cup vegetable oil (<font size="1">Once again you can probably substitute the oil with apple sauce but since these muffins were for my grandparents I thought I would skip “exotic” substitutions and stick to the recipe.</font></font></p> <p><font face="Raavi">2 large eggs</font></p> <p><strong><u><font face="Raavi">Directions:</font></u></strong></p> <p><font face="Raavi">The recipe makes 18 muffins (which freeze well) </font></p> <p><font face="Raavi">Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line muffin cups with liners.</font></p> <p><font face="Raavi">Stir flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in large bowl.  Mix in the raisin bran cereal.  Whisk buttermilk, oil and eggs in bowl to blend.  Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients.  Like any other muffin recipe, do not over mix.  Just walk away..even if you feel the urge to give it one more stir.</font></p> <p><font face="Raavi">The muffins will look a little pale but don’t worry, they will come out a lovely, honey gold color.</font></p> <p align="center"><font face="Raavi">Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each muffin cup.  </font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S52IrBgmqrI/AAAAAAAADk8/Im-YNsvAY9I/s1600-h/IMG_3804%5B4%5D.jpg"><font color="#333333" face="Raavi"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3804" border="0" alt="IMG_3804" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S52IrZy1H5I/AAAAAAAADlA/9GNlKA_P6lE/IMG_3804_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="543" height="720" /></font></a><font face="Raavi"> <font size="1">*guest appearance - the awesome Pike’s Place Market mug I bought in Seattle when I went to visit my sister!*</font></font></p> <p><font face="Raavi">Bake about 20 minutes.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S52Ir9-vgOI/AAAAAAAADlE/SQ2khOs9G7U/s1600-h/IMG_3817%5B3%5D.jpg"><font color="#333333" face="Raavi"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3817" border="0" alt="IMG_3817" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S52Ispcjj9I/AAAAAAAADlI/3ZepAjEadrU/IMG_3817_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></font></a><font face="Raavi"> I wonder if this recipe would work with other types of cereal.  I’m sure it would work with corn flakes and dried apricots or cut up apples, might be worth a try! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S52Is5s4VJI/AAAAAAAADlM/drGnvOmed1Y/s1600-h/IMG_3815%5B4%5D.jpg"><font color="#333333" face="Raavi"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3815" border="0" alt="IMG_3815" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S52Itb7OqQI/AAAAAAAADlQ/vN5AkmKSClo/IMG_3815_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="523" height="694" /></font></a><font face="Raavi"> </font></p> <p align="right"><em><font face="Raavi">Thanks Grandma!</font></em></p> Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-29884285641892481292010-03-08T09:00:00.000-05:002010-03-08T09:00:03.268-05:00Really Moist and Chewy Granola Bars<p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5RDjIs06gI/AAAAAAAADjk/Q1rJiF7miNk/s1600-h/IMG_3800%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3800" border="0" alt="IMG_3800" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5RDjr5X35I/AAAAAAAADjo/Ic8kkO50Img/IMG_3800_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="526" height="698" /></a> </p> <p>When you think of granola you usually think hard and dry.  Well, it’s a new world out there because I have found a recipe for a moist, slightly sweet, chewy, delicious granola bar.  This recipe can be as nutty or fruity as you like, depending on your taste or your mood and can be “store bought” sweet or less so if you want to pretend to be a little more healthy.</p> <p>Apples and granola bars are a staple for me –the perfect mid-day snack! They are full of healthy ingredients but taste like a treat!  Since they tend to be surprisingly expensive for what they are, I thought I would try and make my own.  Turns out they are so easy to make I might never buy another box again!  This recipe is so versatile I can change the nuts and fruits and make a new kind of bar each and every time.</p> <p>Delicious!</p> <p align="center">Really Moist and Chewy Granola Bars</p> <p align="center"><font size="1"><em>Adapted from </em></font><a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/chewy-granola-bars-recipe"><font size="1"><em>King Arthur Flour</em></font></a></p> <p><strong>Ingredients</strong>:</p> <p>1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats</p> <p>1/2 cup granulated sugar <font size="1">(You can use up to 3/4 cup if you want it to be sweeter- I didn’t in this recipe)</font></p> <p>1/3 cup of oat flour <font size="1">(I put oats in a coffee grinder and made my own flour.  For just a 1/3 of a cup I’m not sure why you would want to buy a whole new kind of flour)</font></p> <p>1/2 tsp salt</p> <p>1/4 tsp cinnamon</p> <p>3 cups of dried fruits/nuts <font size="1">(this is where you can get creative.  For this recipe I used roasted almonds, walnuts, dried apricots, dried cranberries and golden raisins)</font></p> <p>1/3 cup of almond butter <font size="1">(you can also use peanut butter but I’m sure the taste of the granola bars would change  A LOT if you did – I used almond butter)</font></p> <p>1 tsp vanilla extract</p> <p>6 tbs of melted butter</p> <p>1/4 cup honey</p> <p>2 tbs light corn syrup <font size="1">(I wasn’t crazy about using corn syrup.  I’m sure there is a more organic/natural sweetener I can use.  Maybe just more honey?)</font></p> <p>1 tbs water</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Directions:</strong></p> <p>These might just be the easiest baking directions.  </p> <p>Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 pan.  Cover the pan with parchment paper making sure to cut it too long so it hangs off the sides.  Grease the parchment paper too.</p> <p>Mix together the dry ingredients, nuts and fruits</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5RDj0q0GYI/AAAAAAAADjs/PM7gZF1Wzhk/s1600-h/IMG_3784%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3784" border="0" alt="IMG_3784" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5RDkQlyvZI/AAAAAAAADjw/03_cAQG5XII/IMG_3784_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a> Mix together the wet ingredients</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5RDkrl_xZI/AAAAAAAADj0/t7AkRV_ECh8/s1600-h/IMG_3783%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3783" border="0" alt="IMG_3783" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5RDlIAK28I/AAAAAAAADj4/fKqWl670tu0/IMG_3783_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a> Mix dry and wet ingredients together</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5RDlZqRYwI/AAAAAAAADj8/uI4xn6SUMXE/s1600-h/IMG_3785%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3785" border="0" alt="IMG_3785" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5RDl6qKcYI/AAAAAAAADkA/aLvSHfy5fIo/IMG_3785_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a> Pat beautiful and colorful mixture into the pan</p> <p></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5RDmE9Ae-I/AAAAAAAADkE/GfifL2y8sVo/s1600-h/IMG_3787%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3787" border="0" alt="IMG_3787" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5RDmhQ2w7I/AAAAAAAADkI/PBOwZS9q65o/IMG_3787_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="542" height="718" /></a> Doesn’t that just look delicious?</p> <p>Bake for about 30-40 minutes.  Mine definitely took 40.  They are going to look like they aren’t done – a little like seriously under baked oatmeal cookies that melted into one big cookie- but do not fear.  They are done! Take them out of the oven and put the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes.  Since the parchment paper is sticking out on the sides you can easily pick up the large “bar” and let it finish cooling out of the pan.</p> <p>Once they are cool use a serrated knife or a chef’s knife to cut them into the sizes you want!  </p> <p>Wrap them individually in plastic wrap or put them in tupperware.  After my <a href="http://atableblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/you-say-carmel-i-say-caramel.html">caramel experiment</a> I wasn’t really ready to individually wrap anything, so tupperware it was!  </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5RDnCrLtyI/AAAAAAAADkM/y5D4-X04DPI/s1600-h/IMG_3788%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3788" border="0" alt="IMG_3788" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5RDoSPzwoI/AAAAAAAADkQ/oQxLcLPEqPg/IMG_3788_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="388" height="517" /></a> Granola and orange juice for a quick breakfast!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5RDoor3i-I/AAAAAAAADkU/f2WuH9bIag4/s1600-h/IMG_3801%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3801" border="0" alt="IMG_3801" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5RDpJe5rKI/AAAAAAAADkY/PIOWCA9LL4o/IMG_3801_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="670" height="506" /></a></p> Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-71728402761194496632010-03-06T11:12:00.001-05:002010-03-06T11:12:56.675-05:00Mushroom Adventures – One month<p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5J-7whi5nI/AAAAAAAADik/K8T1kLEyu8Q/s1600-h/IMG_3799%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3799" border="0" alt="IMG_3799" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5J-8X7t8TI/AAAAAAAADio/pIC6ljawbmM/IMG_3799_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="539" height="715" /></a> </p> <p>To those of you who were on the edge of their seats just WAITING to see what was going to happen with my mushrooms- I’m sorry I haven't posted in a while!  Work was a little more intense then usual this week, but I’m back! </p> <p>Just because I wasn’t filling you all in on my little mushroom-adventures doesn’t mean they haven’t been growing!  As of today I have enough portabella and white button mushrooms to make a great mushroom risotto or sauté some with vegetables.  I can’t wait.  (This time, if you don’t hear from me in over a week you should get concerned.. maybe the mushrooms weren’t edible afterall…..ugh)</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5J-8xpZpvI/AAAAAAAADis/SqKXIoDq3jI/s1600-h/IMG_3798%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3798" border="0" alt="IMG_3798" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5J-9TaKE5I/AAAAAAAADiw/XzCZkj13jAw/IMG_3798_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="388" height="517" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5J-92qZXvI/AAAAAAAADi4/4s6zfb_CzXk/s1600-h/IMG_3793%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3793" border="0" alt="IMG_3793" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5J--bvRnYI/AAAAAAAADi8/xo4X3HeDF0U/IMG_3793_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5J--_grAzI/AAAAAAAADjA/dtEDA28xDqg/s1600-h/IMG_3794%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3794" border="0" alt="IMG_3794" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5J-_FFLS6I/AAAAAAAADjE/Z5gJ4HIsMY8/IMG_3794_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5J-_6RmmnI/AAAAAAAADjI/DfDtyN6WmV0/s1600-h/IMG_3795%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3795" border="0" alt="IMG_3795" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5J_ABLwDvI/AAAAAAAADjM/RaDYSr6750Q/IMG_3795_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5J_Aj9cUoI/AAAAAAAADjQ/LAOuP4gCuhs/s1600-h/IMG_3796%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3796" border="0" alt="IMG_3796" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5J_A9sb_TI/AAAAAAAADjU/kNI9_Gmt6k0/IMG_3796_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="388" height="517" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5J_BSZzXaI/AAAAAAAADjY/HmSSSKTppbs/s1600-h/IMG_3797%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3797" border="0" alt="IMG_3797" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S5J_B1cgOPI/AAAAAAAADjc/C9YIW3dcbPE/IMG_3797_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="679" height="509" /></a>  I’m calling this “crop#1”</p> <p align="left">The box says they are supposed to keep coming back for a couple months. I already see little baby white button mushrooms so I believe them!</p> <p align="left">Mushroom recipe suggestions welcome!  I have a feeling I’ll need some inspiration.  I’ll make your recipe and post it on the blog!</p> <p align="left">Today is the first almost-warm-giving-you-the-feeling-that-spring-might-actually-come-one-day Saturday in D.C. so I’m signing off for the day to go out and enjoy it!</p> <p align="left">Today: Spending the day with my friend Beth and then going out to my friend Joe’s new Italian restaurant in Leesburg, VA <a href="http://www.palioofleesburg.com/about.html">Palio of Leesburg</a>!  </p> Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218712071971288520.post-49230141514376449292010-02-24T20:29:00.001-05:002010-02-24T20:31:16.713-05:00Mushroom Adventures : They are growing!<p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S4XSgb8nqEI/AAAAAAAADhg/rnhq0GFaLms/s1600-h/IMG_3763%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3763" border="0" alt="IMG_3763" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S4XSg1OvtWI/AAAAAAAADhk/BP9UGvF0e1A/IMG_3763_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="517" height="685" /></a> It’s working!! This simple box of soil and “mold” is doing what it promised to do:     grow mushrooms!</p> <p>I did my part. I religiously came home from work and misted this mysterious box of soil, not really sure if this was just a well thought out plan to scam people into buying boxes of dirt or if something would actually come of it.  I came home tonight, picked up my mister bottle and found MUSHROOMS GROWING!!!</p> <p>Very exciting.  While there are only a couple, little tiny mushrooms, they are proof that good things, bigger mushrooms and delicious mushroom recipes to are come.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S4XShTYwh_I/AAAAAAAADho/tsF9C9olocY/s1600-h/IMG_3764%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_3764" border="0" alt="IMG_3764" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DvstICSiStc/S4XSh8ev6hI/AAAAAAAADhs/BAcVfvRNvD0/IMG_3764_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="600" height="452" /></a> Keep growing little ones!</p> Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904020897633092608noreply@blogger.com5